History Main / IChooseToStay

* At the end of the first arc of ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'', Saito goes to battle for Louise instead of flying into an eclipse and returning to his own world. [[{{Tsundere}} Her response is scolding and a kiss]].

* In ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', Sousuke finds himself so attached to Kaname and civilian life that, rather than accept Mithril's termination of his bodyguarding mission, Sousuke insists on taking a 50% pay cut so he can continue going to school with her. [[spoiler:In the final volume, he not only quits mercenary work entirely, he even breaks out of the Okinawan military base where he was held for medical observation just so he show up to high school graduation on time and give Kaname the BigDamnKiss they promised each other.]]

* In ''LightNovel/NoGameNoLife'', after getting over the initial shock of being transported to Disboard and learning the rules of the world, Sora and Shiro consider Disboard a paradise. They comment on how normally, the protagonist of a TrappedInAnotherWorld story does everything to get home, but they considered their lives on Earth to be sucky, where only gaming satisfied them. In Disboard, the best gamer has all the power.

* Near the start of ''LightNovel/{{Overlord|2012}}'', Momonga contemplates that, even if he had a way to return to the "real" world, he'd basically choose between going back to being a underpaid, overworked salaryman with no life and little real future... or stay as an immensely powerful arch-lich, with a magnificent fortress and a cadre of devoted and loyal servants, living in a world that he genuinely loves.

->''"Don't take this the wrong way, but I found a place where I can make a difference, where I'm more than ComicBook/{{Superman}}’s kid cousin. I feel I belong here. Also, I met this boy ..."''
-->-- '''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}''', ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited''

* ''Anime/MazeMegaburstSpace'': Maze decides not to return to her home world after defeating the BigBad of her series.

* Kion decides to return to the Tree of Life in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard''and become king, as he’s fallen in love with Queen Rani.

* Luke Cage, during ComicBook/CivilWar. He told Jessica Jones, his wife, to leave the country with their daughter, but he stayed. There is a war, and he must fight it.

* In ''Fanfic/New Stars'', [[spoiler: clone trooper CT-5599, or Maxx, decides to officially join the crew of the Orville, and explore this new galaxy]].

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14171719/1/New-Stars New Stars]]'' (a crossover between ''Series/TheOrville'' and ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars''), clone trooper CT-5599, or Maxx, makes this decision at the end.

*** In the [[WesternAnimation/{{Cars}} first film]], [[spoiler:Lightning is offered the Dinoco sponsorship upon helping The King finish the tiebreaker race, but he politely turns it down and chooses to stay with his official sponsor Rust-eze. He also chooses to stay in Radiator Springs permanently and sets up his Racing Headquarters there, which puts the town back on the map and restores it to its former beauty]].

*** In the [[WesternAnimation/Cars3 third film]], [[spoiler:Lightning happily chooses to keep racing upon succeeding at his bet against Sterling with thanks to sharing the victory with Cruz, who finished the Florida 500 under his number. Cruz also decides to stay with Lightning in Radiator Springs so she can be his pupil]].

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'': in the end, the Link and Zelda [[EternalRecurrence of that era]] decide to stay on the surface rather than returning to [[FloatingContinent Skyloft]]. It's a ForegoneConclusion, considering [[{{Prequel}} this game's place on the timeline]].

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14171719/1/New-Stars New Stars]]'' (a crossover between ''Series/TheOrville'' and ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars''), [[spoiler:Maxx]] makes this decision at the end.

* The ending of ''ComicBook/MisterMiracle2017'' confirms that Scott Free (Mister Miracle) has spent the entire series trapped in some kind of false world (exactly what is left unclear -- Heaven? Hell? The Omega Sanctum? An extended delusion created by the Anti-Life Equation?). Despite the fact that it's clearly ''wrong'' and has inflicted [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane (or merely awakened via natural self-assessment)]] a great deal of trauma onto him, [[EarnYourHappyEnding he ends up defeating its version of Darkseid, rescues his newborn son, and in many ways finds peace with his personal demons]], and thus chooses not to escape. [[TheEndOrIsIt For now, anyway]].
* At the end of ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse'', the Uncle Ben of a nuclear wasteland decides to stay in the ComicBook/MarvelComics2 universe, deciding that it was time to start trying to be something than a washed up superhero.
* Subverted in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye''. Nearly everyone thinks Megatron chose to stay behind in the Functionist Universe, either to lead a rebellion or to avoid his trial, but he actually intended to go back and was tricked into going to the wrong teleporter. He decides to make the best of it, at least.
* In ''ComicBook/TransformersShatteredGlass'', Cliffjumper from ''Franchise/TransformersGeneration1'' finds himself in a MirrorUniverse where the Autobots are evil, the Decepticons are good, etc. He joins the Decepticons to fight the good fight. When he is offered a chance to return to his own universe, he declines, at least until the evil Optimus Prime is finally defeated.
* The ComicBook/XMen saga ''The X-Tinction Agenda'' ended with the mutants overthrowing the despotic government of Genosha, who had won their prosperity on the backs of enslaved mutants. However, team member Havok and New Mutant Wolfsbane -- who had both been brainwashed into serving Genosha--opted to stay behind to ensure that the nation transitions into one where all human rights are valued (though Wolfsbane's decision to stay is also slightly motivated by the fact her brainwashing compels her to stay with Havok, who she's linked to).
* ''ComicBook/TheWarlord'': Any time Travis Morgan had an opportunity to return to the surface world, he always to chose to stay (or return, if he was forced back to Earth) in the LostWorld of Skartaris, as he felt more at home in Skartaris than he ever had on 20th C. Earth.

** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'': The Digidestined nearly do this at the end, not wanting to be separated from their Digimon but are ultimately convinced to go back. Luckily the separation [[Anime/DigimonAdventure02 doesn't last long]].

** Her first published work, ''Fire Tripper'', is a story about a time traveling girl named Suzuko who finds love in the feudal age, and decides to stay in the past with her new found boyfriend Shukumaru [[spoiler:(really Shuu, a boy from her original time she used to babysit)]].

* In a roundabout way this happens in ''Fanfic/WhiteDevilOfTheMoon''. [[spoiler: Of the four Inner Senshi only Ami chooses to go to Mid-Childa and continue to study magic and the Moon Kingdom, while the others resume normal lives on Earth.]]

* ''Fanfic/MyLittleTitan'' (a ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' and ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' crossover): After rescuing the Mane Six (and Spike), whom they've been filling in for while they were imprisoned by the BigBad of the story, the Titans chose to remain in Equestria, in ponified bodies, rather than return to their original world. [[spoiler: They do send a message (courtesy of Discord) back to the other Titans and Batman so they won't worry about the group, letting them know that they've opted to retire from hero work, though they don't say where they've retired to. Also, Melvin manages to bring her little brothers back to stay with her. Starfire's pet Silkie also manages to somehow cross over and rejoin her.]]

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14171719/1/New-Stars New Stars]]'' (a crossover between ''Series/TheOrville'' and ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars''), [[spoiler: Maxx]] makes this decision at the end.

* ''Fanfic/TheLionsDen'' has a negative example of this: at the end, Naegi decides to stay with Ultimate Despair not because he wants to help stop them, [[spoiler: but because he himself has fallen into despair.]]

* At the end of ''[[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-wolf-in-december-the-witching-hour-rwby-the-witcher.454128/ The Wolf In December]]'', [[Franchise/TheWitcher Geralt]] makes the choice to remain on [[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} Remnant]], a world where his skills as a HunterOfMonsters make him a hero, rather than a freak of nature like they do back [[CrapsackWorld home]]. It helps that Ciri's world-walking abilities mean she can bring their friends to him, so it's not like he has to abandon his old life forever. In the sequel [[spoiler: Yennefer and Regis join him]].
* At the end of ''Nescaflowne'' (a GagDub of ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne),'' Hitme returns home as in the original, but quickly realizes that leaving her one true love and a land of fantastic adventures to be an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent again was a really stupid thing to do. [[spoiler: [[FixFic Thankfully, Juan shows up on Nescaflowne and takes her back with him]].]]

* Defied in ''WesternAnimation/BarbieInTheNutcracker''. [[spoiler: The lead female decides she doesn't want to go home, but then the BigBad, having been thought to be defeated, returns and activates the device she'd been given to send her home. She then vanishes and [[AllJustADream wakes up]] in the real world]].

** In ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'', [[spoiler: Vanellope ultimately decides to remain in ''Slaughter Race'' permanently, meaning she cannot go back to the arcade with Ralph. She still keeps in touch with him. Shank even reprograms her code so that she can regenerate if she dies.]]

*** In the [[WesternAnimation/{{Cars}} first film]], [[spoiler: Lightning is offered the Dinoco sponsorship upon helping The King finish the tiebreaker race, but he politely turns it down and chooses to stay with his official sponsor Rust-eze. He also chooses to stay in Radiator Springs permanently and sets up his Racing Headquarters there, which puts the town back on the map and restores it to its former beauty]].
*** In the [[WesternAnimation/Cars2 second film]], [[spoiler: Finn and Holley are called away to leave for another mission and want Mater to come with them, but he chooses to stay with his friends in Radiator Springs]].
*** In the [[WesternAnimation/Cars3 third film]], [[spoiler: Lightning happily chooses to keep racing upon succeeding at his bet against Sterling with thanks to sharing the victory with Cruz, who finished the Florida 500 under his number. Cruz also decides to stay with Lightning in Radiator Springs so she can be his pupil]].

** Played straight in [[Film/JumanjiTheNextLevel the sequel]] where Milo Walker, [[spoiler: who realizes [[YourDaysAreNumbered he doesn't have much longer to live]] and happy to have made amends with former business partner Eddie]], decides to stay in the game [[spoiler: as the game's flying horse]].

* Film/MrHarrigansPhone: [[spoiler: Craig intended to jump a cliff to suicide, but later he decided to throw his old phone into the river so that he won't be depressed by another tragedy and stay in his life.]]

* At the end of ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', Thor decides to [[spoiler: go back to earth]] to be with Jane. He even abdicates the throne of Asgard to do so.

* Amy does this in the last book of the ''Literature/AcrossTheUniverseBethRevis'' trilogy. She refuses to get on the spaceship back to Earth, infuriating her father. [[spoiler: Lucky for her, since everyone on the ship was gassed. Including her mother.]]
* ''Literature/AiNoKusabi'' ends with a very touching, albeit tragic, version of this. [[spoiler: Riki ''could'' have left Iason to FaceDeathWithDignity, after he got his legs cut off and the place they were in caught fire. He instead chooses to stay by Iason's side and share OneLastSmoke with him before they're TogetherInDeath.]]

* In ''Laura and the Silver Wolf'', the ill girl Laura fulfills her quest in Iceland, after which she is pulled into the real world and even feels better than before. The she decides to go back to Iceland and stay there. [[spoiler: She doesn't actually have much choice in the matter. The fact that she is [[HollywoodHealing suddenly 100% healthy]] and not stopped by a nurse can only mean that she is not actually in the real world. This is likely a way for her to choose her Afterlife and she chooses [[DiedHappilyEverAfter the happier variant]] Assuming of course this isn't just a DyingDream.]]

* ''Literature/LizardMusic'': In the end, [[spoiler:the Chicken Man decides to stay with the lizards.]] Victor would like to stay - the lizards are a cool bunch, after all, and their way of television is actually really cool- but the Chicken Man points out he's got his parents, sister, and school to come back to [[spoiler: while the Chicken Man's just a hobo who annoys other people]].
* ''Literature/{{Nation}}'': Near the end of the book, the God of Death Locaha dubs Mau worthy to [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence join the Perfect World]], but Mau turns him down, believing it's more important to try to make ''this'' world perfect. [[spoiler: Which is exactly what makes him worthy in the first place, Locaha revealing with pride that everyone he's ever given the offer to has made the same choice.]]

* Jon-Tom, the titular ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'', finds a permanent way home in the sixth book, but finds life on mundane Earth boring, so he loads up on music books and chocolate-chip cookies, and returns. Though the seventh book reveals that he's made regular trips back to Earth and brought numorous bits of Earth technology like portable TVs and VHS players back with him. Flores, the cheerleader that Jon-Tom had accidentally summoned in the first novel, had already chosen to stay in the second due to enjoying being in a world where she was free to be an ActionGirl and be judged on her [[GeniusBruiser brains]] and skills rather than her looks.

* In ''Series/{{Elementary}}'', Joan at the end of "M" [[spoiler: calls Sherlock's father to ask for an extension after her six weeks with Sherlock was over. Her request is denied but she continues to stay without pay anyways. She lies to Sherlock that his father granted her extension, but he figures out the truth and offers her to stay on as his apprentice]].

* In ''Series/TheInvisibleMan'', after Darien has the Quicksilver gland implanted in his brain, he's forced to work for the Agency because the gland has the inconvenient side effect of causing insanity and eventual death, and they have the only antidote, which needs to be administered regularly. He spends two seasons trying to find a way to either have the gland removed (which they can't do without killing him) or fix the (deliberate) design flaw. Then, in the series finale, [[spoiler: the gland is fixed and he doesn't need the antidote anymore, so he leaves to work for the FBI. Then he realizes the FBI are woefully inadequate at dealing with the unbelievable threats he's accustomed to, so he agrees to come back to the Agency and [[HoYay his partner]] at the end, albeit with some demands.]]
* In the final episode of ''Series/{{Life on Mars|2006}}'', [[spoiler: Sam finally gets back to 2006 -- but finds himself bored and unsatisfied there, so returns to rescue his friends in 1973. By jumping off a building and killing himself.]]

** Inverted in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', in that [[spoiler: Tidus]] would choose to stay but (depending on how you take the sequel) must leave [[spoiler: along with the Aeons]].
*** Also totally defied with [[spoiler: Auron. As Yuna is preforming the ceremony to send Sin's corpse to the Farplane she stops when she sees Auron disappearing too. He makes her to keep going telling her "This...is your world now."]]

** Ninian in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'', if you get her to A support with Eliwood. [[spoiler: Even knowing her lifespan will be greatly shortened by staying on Elibe.]]
** Also, in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' [[spoiler: in her solo ending [[ShrinkingViolet Noire]] decides to stay with her mother Tharja, her father, and later her baby self. It's speculated whether she did it to keep an eye on the [[{{Yandere}} mentally unstable]] [[ParentalNeglect Tharja]] [[MommyIssues so she won't neglect/abuse her child self]], to prove that her complicated relationship with her mom has been mended, or (most likely) a mix of all the above.]]
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', if [[spoiler: Female!Corrin marries Odin or Laslow in the Revelation route, they will stay and rule Valla with her, rather than return to their home, the world of ''Awakening'', permanently. Notably, the other Ylissean character, Selena, doesn't have a special epilogue and uses her usual epilogue ending, though it can be assumed she would stay as well, due to the fact that Male!Corrin is still King of Valla.]]

* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsX'': [[spoiler: In the endings of both the normal and IF routes, [[Anime/CodeGeass Lelouch]] (Due to him wanting to lay low after Zero Requiem) along with both protagonists choose to stay in Al-Warth rather than return to their respective worlds.]]

* At the end of ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile2Silmeria'', [[spoiler: the pocket dimension created by [[BigBad Lezard Valeth]] within Yggdrasil begins to break down upon his death. The immortal vampire Brahms, realizing he has become mortal in this dimension, willingly stays behind to die.]]

* [[Website/SCPFoundation SCP-1230]] ("[[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1230 A Hero Is Born]]") is a book that provides an extremely complex dream world where the reader is the hero, and can spend hundreds of years in the dream. However, the book itself is quite insistent that nobody pull an IChooseToStay. It got very upset when [[ThisLoserIsYou one researcher couldn't handle going back to reality after spending two hundred years in his personal fantasy and committed suicide]]. It also doesn't really appreciate people hurting or killing themselves in the dream.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThreeBelow'': In the series finale, [[spoiler: Krel decides to remain on Earth because he sees the planet as his new home and he wants to stay with all the friends he made]].

** In ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'', [[spoiler:Grandpa Max]] chooses to stay in the Null Void and help the inhabitants recover from the depredations of D'Void [[spoiler:aka Dr. Animo]]. [[spoiler: He eventually returns to Earth in the season finale.]]
** In ''Ultimate Alien'', [[spoiler: Charmcaster]] stays behind in her home dimension, sealed off from the outside world forever, in hopes of finally freeing it from its evil ruler.

But... ''wait''! What's this? The new environment has apparently grown on the character so much, that they don't ''want'' to go back? They choose to stay in their new environment and live happily ever after?

'''SPOILERS GALORE.'''

* In ''Series/TheTenthKingdom'', Virginia chooses to go back to New York ([[YourUniverseOrMine with Wolf, who is from the Nine Kingdoms]]), but her dad Tony decides to stay in the Nine Kingdoms. Considering the fact that he's a national hero who is good friends with King Wendell in the Nine Kingdoms and a janitor who's wanted for armed robbery in New York, it was probably a wise decision.

* In [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14171719/1/New-Stars New Stars]] (a crossover between ''Series/TheOrville'' and ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars''), [[spoiler: Maxx]] makes this decision at the end.

* At the end of the first arc of ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'', Saito goes to battle for Louise instead of flying into an eclipse and returning to his own world. [[{{Tsundere}} Her response is scolding and a kiss]].

* In ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', Sousuke finds himself so attached to Kaname and civilian life that, rather than accept Mithril's termination of his bodyguarding mission, Sousuke insists on taking a 50% pay cut so he can continue going to school with her. [[spoiler:In the final volume, he not only quits mercenary work entirely, he even breaks out of the Okinawan military base where he was held for medical observation just so he show up to high school graduation on time and give Kaname the BigDamnKiss they promised each other.]]

* In ''The Disappearance of LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya,'' Kyon is given the opportunity to leave the SOS Brigade and Haruhi's fantastic world of aliens, time travelers, and espers, both of which he's complained about for the entirety of the series up to this point, behind him, and start a new life. The offer comes complete with new friends to make and even a potential love interest, but in one of the most moving [[InnerMonologue inner monologues]] in the series, he decides that he can't leave that world behind, even going so far as to say he'd have to be an idiot to walk away from it all.

* In a [[TearJerker Tear Jerking]] example, Komugi of ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' decided to stay by Meruem's side until his death, despite knowing doing so would infect her with the toxin killing him and lead to her death as well. They pass away, TogetherInDeath.
* Zig-zagged in ''LightNovel/{{Konosuba}}'': After the [[DeathIsCheap second time]] Kazuma gets killed, he asks Eris to reincarnate him back in Japan, and only agrees to be resurrected [[FaceDoodling because Megumin tricks him to]]. In later volumes, he plays this straight, recognizing that he's essentially living the life in the Medieval-ish fantasy world, and that resurrecting at this time would be unnecessarily selfish and pointless.

* In ''LightNovel/NoGameNoLife'', after getting over the initial shock of being transported to Disboard and learning the rules of the world, Sora and Shiro consider Disboard a paradise. They comment on how normally, the protagonist of a TrappedInAnotherWorld story does everything to get home, but they considered their lives on Earth to be sucky, where only gaming satisfied them. In Disboard, the best gamer has all the power.

* Near the start of ''LightNovel/{{Overlord}}'', Momonga contemplates that, even if he had a way to return to the "real" world, he'd basically choose between going back to being a underpaid, overworked salaryman with no life and little real future... or stay as an immensely powerful arch-lich, with a magnificent fortress and a cadre of devoted and loyal servants, living in a world that he genuinely loves.
* Brock pulls this at the beginning of the Orange Islands arc of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', deciding to stay with Professor Ivy to help in her research. He rejoins Ash and Misty in the following season, [[NoodleIncident refusing to give a reason why he left her, other than "don't mention that name".]]

* At the end of ''LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana'', [[HardDrinkingPartyGirl Margery Daw]] and her Crimson Lord Marchosias decide to stay behind in Misaki City instead of going to Xanadu with the other Flame Hazes and Crimson Denizens as the former desires to stay with Keisaku.
* At one point in ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', Kirito decides to give up and tries to convince his wife Asuna that they should just live the rest of their lives in the video game instead of trying to [[WinToExit beat it and escape]]. Asuna quickly points out that is not an option because they would be leaving everybody else trapped as well, and their real world bodies on life support will eventually die, plus she wants to be with him in the real world. Kirito regains his resolve and they continue on the quest to beat the game.
** Played more straight during the climax of the ''Alicization'' arc. Kirito decides to stay behind fighting off Gabriel Miller while Asuna and Alice run off to the World's End Altar, knowing that time's running out and [[YearInsideHourOutside he'll be trapped there for two hundred years]]. After he wins the battle, he's shocked to see that Asuna has chosen to stay with him as well.

* The movie version of ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'': Arthur is offered the opportunity to return to a recreation of his home on Earth, exactly (well, without the imminent demolition by Prosser) like he left it. He chooses to stay with Ford, Zaphod, and Trillian and continue exploring the galaxy.

* ''Literature/OrphanIsland'': When the boat brings Loo to the island and has to bring [[THeProtagonist Jinny]] away, Jinny decides she isn't ready to leave. She first tries to push the boat out to sea, only for it to keep drifting back to shore. She ultimately drags the boat onto the boat so it can't go anywhere. None of the kids are very happy about this, and don't know what to make of it.

* Holo from ''LightNovel/SpiceAndWolf'' choose to stay with Lawrence despite occasions where she could ditch him, such as finding other wolf deities or the location of Yoitsu. Her excuse is "being indebted to Lawrence".

* At the end of LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana, [[HardDrinkingPartyGirl Margery Daw]] and her Crimson Lord Marchosias decide to stay behind in Misaki City instead of going to Xanadu with the other Flame Hazes and Crimson Denizens as the former desires to stay with Keisaku.

** The first episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' ends on a lighter version of this. Luz wanders into and gets stuck in the Boiling Islands after going through a witch's portal, and is forced to help the witch Eda out before being allowed to use her portal once again. But after helping Eda and gaining access to the portal, Luz asks if she can stay for at least the remainder of the summer as Eda's apprentice instead of going to summer camp, which Eda is fine with.