History Main / RedemptionEqualsAffliction

Sometimes, a character who has committed wicked deeds or screwed up enormously manages to redeem themselves, but at a cost. A toned-down cousin of RedemptionEqualsDeath, this trope describes a situation where the redeemed character does not die, but is crippled or afflicted somehow or suffers a huge and meaningful loss.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'': Accelerator tries to redeem himself for slaughtering over 10,000 clones by saving one who befriended him despite the aforementioned massacre. He succeeds, but gets shot in the head, something he [[AttackReflector easily could have avoided]] in any other situation where he wasn't saving said clone from a brain virus. He survives the shot but takes brain damage that impedes his motor skills, leaving him unable to walk or talk, let alone perform the calculations required for his powers. He ends up receiving an electrode to provide him with the brainpower of the remaining clones, but their inferior computation ability as well as the electrode's short battery life means that he's nowhere near as powerful as he used to be. [[HandicappedBadass Not that this completely stops him from delivering]] [[CurbstompBattle Curbstomp Battles]], [[spoiler:as Awaki can attest to]].

* ''[[Fanfic/WhatYouKneadNaruto What You Knead]]'' combines this with SparedByTheAdaptation -- while [[spoiler:Zabuza and Haku]] survive their introductory arc, [[spoiler:the latter]] loses an arm while TakingTheBullet for [[spoiler:Zabuza]].

* ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': Sosuke Hinojiki died as a villain and is brought BackFromTheDead in a reduced form (now looking like a child) with a very damaged eye. This leads him to regret his hedonistic lifestyle, and join heroes [[RedemptionDemotion after they]] [[DePower remove]] his power that compelled him to eat ayakashi. Afterward, Sosuke's eye is still partially damaged and he retains his childlike form, the latter seemingly permanently.

* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', this happens to [[spoiler:Sasuke Uchiha after he FINALLY performs his HeelFaceTurn at the end of the main series.]] Notably, this is in spite of the fact that [[spoiler:He could've easily gotten a prosthetic like Naruto. Presumably, him choosing not to leaves him with a reminder of what he used to be before becoming TheAtoner.]]

* ''Fanfic/TheEquestrianWindMage'' has Diamond Tiara get put through hell, undoing DemonicPossession and getting transformed into a monster. This results in her losing [[AnArmAndALeg two of her legs]] before Vaati realized ''who'' he was really fighting. While her life is saved, her legs aren't magically restored afterward, leaving her to adapt to her new condition.

* Mrs Erlynne from ''Theatre/LadyWindermeresFan'' is initially Lord Windermere's [[spoiler:blackmailer]]. After having a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment, she saves Lady Windermere's reputation and her marriage from scandal by allowing herself to be seen in a compromising and scandalous position, even though this means being shut out of society.