History Main / ResetButton

* In ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'', [[spoiler:the whole setting is a GroundhogDayLoop, with various possibilities playing out in a time loop, and then resetting itself. Several characters often die in MultipleEndings and other instances, but never canonically. In the {{Canon}} ending of ''VideoGame/BlazBlueContinuumShift'', however, the Reset Button and the GroundhogDayLoop are removed by [[BigBad Terumi]], so if anyone dies now, [[KilledOffForReal they die for good]]]].
** In actually however [[spoiler:[[BigBad Terumi]]]] is merely the catalyst for this whereas the real removal is done by [[spoiler:[[TheManBehindTheMan Imperiator Librarious]]]] [[spoiler:who also happens to be Ragna and Jin's possessed LongLostSibling Saya]].

* ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' had an interesting psychological version. Late in the run of the first series, cold-blooded DeathSeeker Characters/{{Deadshot}} hunted down and shot someone who was using his costume, then walked away, effectively killing and abandoning his Deadshot persona. In issues after that you can see him becoming more emotional and engaged, though no less homicidal. But in the final arc of the book, the costume is returned to him; he puts it back on (despite the ''bullet hole in the forehead'') and promptly reverts to his old behavior.

* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21628033/chapters/51573334 Couturiere]]'' mocks the notion of Ladybug's Miraculous Cure functioning this way, and [[PlayedForDrama milks it for drama]]. The akumatized Marinette shows her captives a pair of fake Ladybug earrings, informing them that their heroine will ''not'' be coming to save them, and that all the damage she inflicts upon them will not be wiped away by a wave of magical ladybugs. That it will, in fact, be permanent. [[spoiler:After she's freed, Marinette retrieves the real earrings, transforms, and uses Miraculous Cure anyway. While this erases the ''physical'' consequences, the emotional and psychological impact remain.]]

* The amusingly [[LiteralMinded literal-minded]] children's [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] sitcom ''Hounded'' sees its protagonist [[AsHimself Rufus Hound]] sucked weekly into a [[AlternateUniverse parallel universe]] where he must face off with an incompetent BigBad who is such a [[CardCarryingVillain Card-Carrying Villain]] he's actually called [[MeaningfulName Dr Muhahahaha]], whose [[EvilPlan preposterous scheme of the week]] to [[TakeOverTheWorld take over the Earth]] is invariably foiled by the hero at the end of each episode - in expectation of which Dr Mu ''has installed a literal big red Reset Button'' he can press at this point, which rewinds the whole episode's plot [[GroundhogDayLoop back to the start of the day]] ready for him to have another crack next time...

*** ''Voyager'' did manage to do it once with style, in the episode "The Year of Hell".

* No matter how often Colt Seavers of''Series/TheFallGuy'' totals his truck, he has always got a shiny new one in the next episode—in spite of the RunningGag that the truck isn't even paid off yet.

* ''ComicBook/AgeOfUltron'' both plays this trope straight and averts it. The series opens in the aftermath of a GreatOffscreenWar, with most of ComicBook/TheAvengers, ComicBook/XMen, and ComicBook/FantasticFour having been killed by [[Characters/AvengersEnemies the title villain]], and ends with ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} and [[Characters/FantasticFourTheFantasticFour Sue Storm]] going back in time and preventing the whole mess from ever occurring. However, we later learn that as a result of the Reset Button being hit, violent "[[RealityBreakingParadox Time Quakes" are appearing throughout the universe]], [[ArtificialIntelligence A.I.s]] are popping up around the globe and [[AIIsACrapshoot going absolutely berserk]], and as the icing on the cake, [[Characters/MarvelComicsGalactus Galactus]] has now been teleported to the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel reality.

** And one using the [[RealityWarper Reality Gauntlet]]. Also a cry of disdain from fandom as it involves erasing his parents' memories of his life as a half ghost, despite the fact that ''[[MoralDissonance they accepted it in full!]]'' For a show with continuity, this is a jarring StatusQuoIsGod moment.

'''Homer:''' Superman did it!\\

** [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] with the episode of Doctor Who: Flux, the winter 2021 MiniSeries "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS39E6FluxChapterSixTheVanquishers The Vanquishers]]"; it is established there is ''no'' ResetButton when The Flux is stopped, effectively with a large amount of the universe gone for the time being, making this an AvertedTrope. But due to the TimeyWimeyBall and the fact that "everything is canon" supposedly, things ''could'' and ''can'' change, this being the way that ''Series/DoctorWho'' is so it means that the universe ''isn't'' destroyed, and effectively the ResetButton has taken place or could be taking place in the Whoniverse.

** [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] with the episode of Doctor Who: Flux, the winter 2021 MiniSeries "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS39E6FluxChapterSixTheVanquishers The Vanquishers]]"; it is established there is ''no'' ResetButton when The Flux is stopped, effectively with a large amount of the universe gone for the time being, making this an [[AvertedTrope]]. But due to the TimeyWimeyBall and the fact that "everything is canon" supposedly, things ''could'' and ''can'' change, this being the way that ''Series/DoctorWho'' is so it means that the universe ''isn't'' destroyed, and effectively the ResetButton has taken place or could be taking place in the Whoniverse.

* The fourth season of ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' ended with Will visiting Philadelphia and deciding to stay. The show had actually been cancelled, so this could've functioned as a last (however abrupt) episode, but a fan campaign got it UnCanceled. To get the status quo back on track, the fifth season premiere parodied and lampshaded the reset by having an NBC executive visit Will's Philly job, reminding him what the title of the show is, and kidnapping him to send him back to Bel-Air.

Compare AllJustADream, {{Filler}}, WorldHealingWave, OpeningACanOfClones, NoOntologicalInertia and UnprocessedResignation. See also RestartTheWorld and CloseEnoughTimeline. If this is used to prevent the characters from achieving something positive because it would end the series or seriously change its premise, see YankTheDogsChain.

* Since the four ''Manga/InuYasha'' movies are not canon, each includes a short scene after the credits that undoes anything that happened during the movie that might have been expected to affect the series. For example, in ''[[Anime/InuYashaTheMovieTheCastleBeyondTheLookingGlass The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass]],'' the final scene [[spoiler:returns Inuyasha and Kagome to their previous state of UST despite their earlier kiss]] and the end scene of ''[[Anime/InuYashaTheMovieSwordsOfAnHonorableRuler Swords of an Honorable Ruler]]'' [[spoiler:has Kagome put the necklace of control (which was previously broken) back around Inuyasha's neck]].

** After he undergoes a HeelFaceTurn, Obito attempts to do the same trick as Pain, using the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to resurrect everyone killed during the Fourth Ninja World War. This will no doubt kill him since not only there are much more casualties than the Invasion of Konoha, but Obito is not an [[LongLived Uzumaki]]. [[spoiler:However, the technique is hijacked by Madara at the last minute, who uses it to resurrect himself.]]

* ''ComicBook/AgeOfUltron'' both plays this trope straight and averts it. The series opens in the aftermath of a GreatOffscreenWar, with most of ComicBook/TheAvengers, ComicBook/XMen, and ComicBook/FantasticFour having been killed by [[ComicBook/{{Ultron}} the title villain]], and ends with ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} and [[Characters/FantasticFourTheFantasticFour Sue Storm]] going back in time and preventing the whole mess from ever occurring. However, we later learn that as a result of the Reset Button being hit, violent "[[RealityBreakingParadox Time Quakes" are appearing throughout the universe]], [[ArtificialIntelligence A.I.s]] are popping up around the globe and [[AIIsACrapshoot going absolutely berserk]], and as the icing on the cake, [[Characters/MarvelComicsGalactus Galactus]] has now been teleported to the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel reality.

* ''ComicBook/GreenLanternRebirth'' and ''Franchise/TheFlash: Rebirth'' both do this by way of taking the old [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] stars of both series (Hal and Barry respectively) and putting them back into the starring role. Green Lantern in particular felt like this, due to the major Retcon of Parallax being necessary for it to work and bringing back the entire Green Lantern Corps.

* In Creator/MarvelComics' miniseries ''Mys-Tech Wars'', ComicBook/NickFury infiltrates a Mys-Tech compound and inadvertently sets off a chain reaction that threatens to destroy the world. The whole thing is brought back to square one at the end with TimeTravel.

* ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' had an interesting psychological version. Late in the run of the first series, cold-blooded DeathSeeker ComicBook/{{Deadshot}} hunted down and shot someone who was using his costume, then walked away, effectively killing and abandoning his Deadshot persona. In issues after that you can see him becoming more emotional and engaged, though no less homicidal. But in the final arc of the book, the costume is returned to him; he puts it back on (despite the ''bullet hole in the forehead'') and promptly reverts to his old behavior.

* James Robinson's 2 year+ ''[[ComicBook/NewKrypton World of New Krypton]]'' arc seemed to promise big and lasting changes for Franchise/{{Superman}}. Kandor rescued from Brainiac and re-enlarged along with 80,000 Kryptonians (including ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s parents). Superman leaving Earth, his wife and regular job to go live on the New Krypton they create. The destruction of the Phantom Zone and the release of all the prisoners it contained. Mon-El being cured of his lead poisoning. The return of Lois' father General Lane as a xenophobic human supremacist who commits some quite horrific war crimes against Superman's people, showing Kal/Clark that Earth isn't perhaps the home he thought it was. Lois being sacked from the Daily Planet. The death of Jimmy Olsen... All snapped back to the previous status quo in the over the course of the four issue ''War of the Supermen'' mini.

** After Mylene is akumatized into Horrificator, Nino defends his desire to exploit the situation by making her monsterous form part of his movie this way. Adrien [[PoisonousFriend backs him up]], much to Marinette's horror. The idea that civilians see the Cure as a magical safety net that erases any long-term consequences is so unsettling that she considers asking Tikki if there's some way to ''limit'' the Cure's effects, in hopes of curbing that sort of mentality.

-->'''Spider-Man:''' Wait. So, that's all Franchise/{{Superman}} had to do?\\

** When Lois dies in [[Film/{{Superman}} the first film]], our hero starts flying around the earth and goes back in time to save her. Because we see Superman flying around the Earth, which reverses its rotation as he flies faster and faster, most viewers interpreted this scene as Superman reversing the rotation of the Earth, which magically reverses time. It was supposed to represent Superman flying so fast that he flies through time and into the past. The Earth spinning backward is a visual representation of the reversal of time, much like the hands of a clock going backwards in other time-traveling scenes. In the comics, Superman sometimes travels through time by exceeding the speed of light. [[WesternAnimation/RobotChicken He even made us forget about the earthquake that killed Lois. What earthquake? Exactly.]]

* In the ''Series/SesameStreet'' ChristmasSpecial ''Film/ElmoSavesChristmas'', Elmo wishes that it was Christmas every day, which gets bleaker and bleaker. When Elmo tries to save Christmas by using his third wish, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero his magical snowglobe breaks]], so he goes back to the beginning.

* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'': [[spoiler:The Freedom ending has the Demi-fiend reject all of the [[EndOfTheWorldSpecial Reasons]], then beat the crap out of God's avatar so hard that he's forced to restore the world to how it was before.]]

* ''WebAnimation/SonicForHire'': At the end of Season 6, Franchise/{{Sonic}} and the gang's use of time travel causes reality to break apart. With no way to stop it, Sonic ultimately decides to press the reset button on his UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, effectively erasing the entire universe and leaving the gang as pixels.

* In the fourth season of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', ComicBook/{{Raven}} becomes the portal for her father [[{{Satan}} Trigon]] to enter the world, after which he [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt transforms the entire planet]] into a [[LethalLavaLand lava-covered inferno]]. However, at the end of the battle, Raven calls upon [[ThePowerOfFriendship the powers of friendship]] [[DeusExMachina and godlike power]] to reset everything and restore the world to its original form.

* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. Pain's last act is to resurrect everyone he killed during the attack on the Hidden Leaf Village, but it's implied that he can only do so within a short period of time after killing them. [[spoiler:It also kills him from the strain, so along with there only being a couple people on the planet who can do that, it isn't exactly common.]]

* In Creator/MarvelComics' miniseries ''Mys-Tech Wars'', [[Characters/MarvelComicsNickFury Nick Fury]] infiltrates a Mys-Tech compound and inadvertently sets off a chain reaction that threatens to destroy the world. The whole thing is brought back to square one at the end with TimeTravel.

* ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' had an interesting psychological version. Late in the run of the first series, cold-blooded DeathSeeker [[Characters/BatmanDeadshot Deadshot]] hunted down and shot someone who was using his costume, then walked away, effectively killing and abandoning his Deadshot persona. In issues after that you can see him becoming more emotional and engaged, though no less homicidal. But in the final arc of the book, the costume is returned to him; he puts it back on (despite the ''bullet hole in the forehead'') and promptly reverts to his old behavior.

* In SurvivalHorror game ''Demonophobia'', [[spoiler:[[MeaningfulName Ritz]] is a sentient reset button who keeps resurrecting Sakuri should she die. Here's a twist, Sakuri is completely conscious even after [[AndIMustScream being grinded into mincemeat]] over and over again, and ''[[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou you are the one who forced Ritz to resurrect Sakuri by simply pressing R button]]'']].

Contrast with HereWeGoAgain.

See also EndOfTheWorldSpecial that concludes many anime series, in which much of the damage done in the series is reversed, but the main storylines either remain or become resolved, and aveYouTriedRebooting, which has to do with a literal restart function/button to fix a piece of malfunctioning technology.

* Averting this is the WordOfGod reason why there is no time travel in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive''.

Compare AllJustADream, {{Filler}}, WorldHealingWave, OpeningACanOfClones, NoOntologicalInertia and UnprocessedResignation. See also RestartTheWorld. If this is used to prevent the characters from achieving something positive because it would end the series or seriously change its premise, see YankTheDogsChain.

Not to be confused with SnapBack, which is whenevents are reverted but no explanation is given.

* ''Neurotically Yours'': One episode of Foamy the Squirrel has the violent squirrel suddenly produce a 'Reboot-Button' which can be viewed here [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E3OM7rZg1g]]. It less resets time as it does splinter the current timeline into two while making all characters of their universe aware of the new timeline. Before its use, Foamy goes on a rant about how using the button will also reset all memories, so any realizations made up until that point would be lost, it sends the show right back to the VERY FIRST EPISODE as well as paving the way for an animation change.

* ''ComicBook/AgeOfUltron'' both plays this trope straight and averts it. The series opens in the aftermath of a GreatOffscreenWar, with most of ComicBook/TheAvengers, ComicBook/XMen, and ComicBook/FantasticFour having been killed by [[Characters/MarvelComicsUltron the title villain]], and ends with ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} and [[Characters/FantasticFourTheFantasticFour Sue Storm]] going back in time and preventing the whole mess from ever occurring. However, we later learn that as a result of the Reset Button being hit, violent "[[RealityBreakingParadox Time Quakes" are appearing throughout the universe]], [[ArtificialIntelligence A.I.s]] are popping up around the globe and [[AIIsACrapshoot going absolutely berserk]], and as the icing on the cake, [[Characters/MarvelComicsGalactus Galactus]] has now been teleported to the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel reality.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', the Reset Button is one of the central gameplay elements. Link only has three days to save Termina -- if he runs out of time, he has to play the Song of Time to go back to the first day, and everything that has happened to the world or the characters is reset. Fortunately, the Ocarina's time magic doesn't reset everything, allowing Link to accomplish more with each new cycle. You ''can'' do it all[[note]]except several of the minigames[[/note]] in one cycle (not counting the first reset, which is unavoidable), but you have to '''really''' know what you're doing: [[http://www.gamefaqs.com/n64/197770-the-legend-of-zelda-majoras-mask/faqs/31495 speed run guide]].
* Parodied in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'''s [[Radio/GTARadio ingame radio]] chat show channel Chatterbox, in which, while discussing video games, ironically, the show's host Lazlow and a caller get to the concept of reset buttons. The caller says "Life does not have a Reset Button" to which Lazlow responds that the show does and proceeds to prove his point by pressing said button. Since the game disc can only hold so much, the radio show must keep repeating the same things. [[HandWave The Reset Button on the show just explains that away easy]].

* In the intended Grand Finale of ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', Dexter finally reveals his secret laboratory to his parents, while Dexter himself finds out his monkey is a superhero. (These are two things kept secret for the rest of the series). The very last shot of the episode has Dexter's memory-erasing ray used to revert everyone's memories back to where they were when the episode began except Dee Dee, who was already in on both secrets from the beginning anyway.