History Main / IronicBirthday

* The ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'' story "Smurfed Behind: The Departure" takes place around Empath's 155th birthday, when all the Smurfs in the village end up being lost in time, similar to the events that took place in Season 9 of ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' cartoon show. This leaves him coming home to an empty village save for his friend Polaris Psyche.

* An inversion, minus the surprise: The events of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' take place on Link's birthday. He's just received his gifts from Grandma and they're starting to celebrate when his beloved little sister gets abducted by a giant bird.

* In the ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "The Assignment", [[ButtMonkey Chief O'Brien's]] birthday party takes place while his wife is secretly [[DemonicPossession possessed by a Pah-Wraith]].

* Inverted in ''Film/PetSematary2019''; Ellie dies on the day of her 9th birthday party.

Compare and contrast BirthdayHater, where someone just flat out hates their birthday for one reason or another; the difference is that, for this trope, the reason for not wanting to celebrate is more recent and likely temporary, whereas a BirthdayHater's motivation is often much more long-standing. Contrast OnePersonBirthdayParty (when the character is suffering because nobody else showed up to their party) and ForgottenBirthday (when the character is sad only because ''they'' don't know about the surprise party.). If their birthday is miserable but they ''don't'' have to act cheerful for a party, it's ABirthdayNotABreak. Can lead to CryingAtYourBirthdayParty.

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* In ''Fanfic/ObitioSensei'', the events of the story cause Sakura to forget her own birthday and she would have left it past if Ino and Naruto didn't convince her to have a party. All in all, it managed to be an enjoyable day [[spoiler:minus the turmoil she's facing about choosing to be a Fake Defector for Konoha]].

* The second season of ''Series/Atypical'' has Casey's sixteenth birthday, which she is not interested in celebrating, or joining in any of the traditions. Elsa organizes a party for her, which she didn't want. She did her best to have fun and even started to enjoy it, when she's discovered Elsa's invited the whole of the Clayton track team, who had recently been picking on her and even inking mean things on her trainers because Izzie's boyfriend made a move on her and tried to turn it on her. Understandably, Casey loses her temper at this point.

* In the ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' anime the girls and Negi throw one for Asuna in episode 23. [[spoiler: Because she sold her life to the devil exactly ten years before, she'd known for years that this was her last day alive. She sulks the whole episode until she goes back to a surprise party for her, and she celebrates with them. Her death minutes later is the most shocking event of the entire series.]]

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'''s title character. He was born on the day his town was attacked by a demon, and the day his parents died, and said demon was the reason they died. In the final battle, the villain tries to taunt him by pointing out that it happens to be the day before the anniversary of his parents' death (and how pointless their sacrifice was since it's all going to end now). It backfires, because Naruto just states that means it's also his birthday, and thus the anniversary of his parents' ''victory'' by saving their newborn son during the attack.

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* Inverted in ''Film/PetSematary2019''; Ellie dies on the day of her 9th birthday party.

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* In the Literature/LeftBehind book ''Kingdom Come'', Cendrillon Jospin's parents realized that their child would not become a believer by her 100th birthday, which in the Millennial Kingdom period [[DeathsHourglass means an automatic death sentence to Hell]], so they celebrated her birthday before the day that she would die. She still went to Hell nonetheless.

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* In ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'', the game begins with Joel (the protagonist)'s birthday, where the Cordyceps outbreak takes place in the United States and [[spoiler: [[TearJerker his daughter is gunned down by a soldier]].]]

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* The titular character in ''Webcomic/FlanWantsToDie'' also has this, where she celebrates her 695th birthday, but she is more so disillusioned of her immortal life, given that most of the people she had known in the past were long dead.

* In ''Manga/StrikeWitches'', Yoshika Miyafuji's tenth birthday occurred around the same time her father Ichiro died. In "[[Recap/StrikeWitchesEp6WereTheSame We're the Same]]", Yoshika celebrates her fourteenth birthday along with Sanya Litvyak during a Neuroi battle.

* In ''Manga/StrikeWitches'', Yoshika Miyafuji's tenth birthday occurred around the same time her father Ichiro died.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'''s title character. He was born on the day his town was attacked by a demon, and the day his parents died, and said demon was the reason they died.
** During the big finale final battle, the villain tries to taunt him by pointing out that it happens to be the day before the anniversary of his parents' death (and how pointless their sacrifice was since it's all going to end now). Backfires of course, because Naruto just states that means it's also his birthday, and thus the anniversary of his parents' ''victory'' by saving their newborn son during the attack.
* In the ''Manga/StrikeWitches'' episode "We're the Same", Yoshika Miyafuji's birthday happens to be the day her father Ichiro died.

* The second season of ''Atypical'' has Casey's sixteenth birthday, which she is not interested in celebrating, or joining in any of the traditions. Elsa organizes a party for her, which she didn't want. She did her best to have fun and even started to enjoy it, when she's discovered Elsa's invited the whole of the Clayton track team, who had recently been picking on her and even inking mean things on her trainers because Izzie's boyfriend made a move on her and tried to turn it on her. Understandably, Casey loses her temper at this point.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': [[KidHero Ezra Bridger]] was born on the day TheEmpire was formed. On his seventh birthday, that Empire took his parents away (and [[spoiler:they would later die in a prison breakout]]). In [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS1E06EmpireDay "Empire Day"]], on Ezra's fifteenth birthday, he encounters a friend of his parents who is on the run from the Empire, and he and the rest of the crew try to get him out of danger. In the events that follow, Ezra [[spoiler:taps into TheDarkSide of TheForce in a bout of fear and anger]] during a clash with the Inquisitor.

Compare and contrast BirthdayHater, where someone just flat out hates their birthday for one reason or another; the difference is that, for this trope, the reason for not wanting to celebrate is more recent and likely temporary, whereas a BirthdayHater's motivation is often much more long-standing. Contrast OnePersonBirthdayParty (when the character is suffering because nobody else showed up to their party) and ForgottenBirthday (when the character is sad only because ''they'' don't know about the surprise party.). If their birthday is miserable but they ''don't'' have to act cheerful for a party, it's ABirthdayNotABreak. Can lead to CryingAtTheBirthdayParty.

Compare and contrast BirthdayHater, where someone just flat out hates their birthday for one reason or another; the difference is that, for this trope, the reason for not wanting to celebrate is more recent and likely temporary, whereas a BirthdayHater's motivation is often much more long-standing. Contrast OnePersonBirthdayParty (when the character is suffering because nobody else showed up to their party) and ForgottenBirthday (when the character is sad only because ''they'' don't know about the surprise party.). If their birthday is miserable but they ''don't'' have to act cheerful for a party, it's ABirthdayNotABreak.

* In the ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' anime the girls and Negi throw one for Asuna in episode 23. [[spoiler: Because she sold her life to the devil exactly ten years before, she'd known for years that this was her last day alive. She sulks the whole episode until she goes back to a surprise party for her, and she celebrates with them. Her death minutes later is the most shocking event of the entire series.]]
* Also not the victim's birthday: In ''{{Anime/Mazinkaiser}}'', Baron Ashura infiltrates the Photon Power Laboratory disguised as Professor Yumi, and walks in on Yumi's surprise birthday party. To make matters worse, all the presents remind him of Baron Ashura, including a Baron Ashura-themed dartboard. He dashes out, screaming that he is, in fact, Professor Yumi.
* Manga/{{Naruto}}. He was born on the day his town was attacked by a demon, and the day his parents died, and said demon was the reason they died.

* Not a birthday, but in ''Film/{{District 9}}'' Wikus walks into a surprise party to celebrate his promotion as he slowly [[spoiler:turns into an alien.]]
* Reversed in ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}''. Joe is told of his birthday by his wife before they go off to the power plant where they work. Hell breaks loose when the plant is breached and his wife dies.

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* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', there has not been a single perfectly happy birthday shown. ComicBook/LexLuthor's 12th birthday involves an empty party. Clark's 16th birthday was fine for him at the time but Chloe saw him kissing Lana and left crying. He misses his 17th birthday because he is stabbed by an AxCrazy [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity teenager with]] [[AGodAmI his powers]]. His 19th birthday was not long after [[spoiler:Jonathan died]]. Chloe's 18th birthday involves being possessed by a WickedWitch who proceeded to bloodily torture Clark. Her 22th birthday was after she suffered through a long TraumaCongaLine, and Zatanna had the bright idea to transform her into Lois. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And Clark didn't show up for the party.]]

** In a lesser sense, also ''Theatre/{{Company}}'', one of the Music/StephenSondheim pieces it's based on.

* "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore. The singer loses her boyfriend Johnny to Judy, who shows up at the birthday party wearing his engagement ring.

** In a lesser sense, also ''Theatre/{{Company}}'', one of the Music/{{S|tephenSondheim}}ondheim pieces it's based on.

->''It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to...''
-->-- '''Lesley Gore''', "It's My Party"

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