History Main / ScarsAreForever

* In ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'' Peter, Steven, and Andy all have scars resulting from their GloryDays with Gary, proving that they haven't been replaced. Gary apparently does as well but refuses to show it, [[spoiler: since he really doesn't want to show the guys his arm, and thus, his hospital tag...]]

* In ''Literature/OneHundredCupboards'', the burn caused when a green man is bonded to a plant becomes a permanent scar which, to [[TrueSight second sight]], moves and changes. Henry, Darius, Mordecai and Monmouth all carry these.

* In the fanfic ''Fanfic/TailsOfTheOldRepublic'', a crossover/ FusionFic between ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' and the videogame ''Franchise/StarWars: VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', Tails the fox is covered in scars owing to a much DarkerAndEdgier backstory. His body is a circuit board of old bullet wounds and lacerations, and he knows them all by "date, opponent, and serial number". To him, his scars are much like the medals pinned to a soldier's uniform. Unlike Sonic, who can perform suicidally stupid stunts and escape mostly unscathed, Tails has to ''work'' for his heroism.

* Before he got his EyepatchOfPower, a prototype Wolf O'Donnel from ''VideoGame/StarFox'' had a scar over his eye instead. The eye was discolored, but the size of his profile image makes it hard to tell if he's supposed to be able to see with it or not. Interestingly, this was over the opposite eye his eyepatch ends up on.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|2003}}'':

** The [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 next series]] follows this trope as well, with Raphael having a crack in his plastron that he's had all his life (with a FlashbackEpisode revealing that he got it [[spoiler: when Splinter was trying to escape the Kraang]]).
* Panthro from the ''[[WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011 [=ThunderCats=]]]'' reboot has a noticeable scar from his right eye.

* In ''Anime/TransformersEnergon,'' half of Starscream's face is damaged. This is another case that probably shouldn't be because it can't be damage left over from his death the previous season. [[spoiler: He was ''vaporized'' during his HeroicSacrifice in Armada, and had an entirely new body created for his recovered [[OurSoulsAreDifferent Spark]] by the Alpha Quintesson. What, did Alpha Q just not have enough dark robo-god innards left to make a complete faceplate for Screamer?]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' has Baron Underbheit's missing lower jaw, part of his being an AffectionateParody of Dr. Doom. He uses a metal replacement. Billy Quizboy lost an eye and a hand and uses an eyepatch and prosthetic. He originally had a convincing prosthetic eye but lost it. [[spoiler: The Phantom Limb needs prosthetics after the Season 2 finale, as well.]]

TruthInTelevision as when a person is injured, the wounded skin attempts to pull itself back together using collagen (a protein that binds the skin cells together), but for the more severe cases (deep cuts, third-degree burns, etc), the body goes in emergency mode and tends to leave an effective, but very messy and haphazardly done structure -- that is the scar. Most if not all scars ''really'' are permanent -- some are just more visible than others. Real scars will often fade over time, though, so having a scar ''completely unchanged'' even decades later is less likely.

*** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRebirth'': Tifa is revealed to have gotten a scar on her abdomen when Sephiroth went mad and attacked Nibelheim. Extensive surgery kept to large a scar from developing, so it is only visible when she deliberately shows Cloud.

** Reed's scar from the taxicab killer slicing his throat in '[[Recap/CSINYS04E20 Taxi]]" is still visible in his last episode, "[[Recap/CSINYS06E17 Pot of Gold]]."

** Gunn from [[Recap/AngelS03E11Birthday the alternate reality where Cordelia became a TV star]] intead of joining Angel Investigations has a prominent facial scar.

** Mac's scar from being burned on the chest during his time in the Marines is seen in two episodes. (It is missing in his shirtless scene in episode 5.08, "My Name Is Mac Taylor," but that was likely justified. He was swimming, and makeup plus water doesn't always go well. Once he's out of the pool, he has a towel draped around his neck which would've hidden it anyway.) After "Near Death," he also has a permanent bullet wound scar on his back.
** Reed's scar from the taxicab killer slicing his throat.
** A witness has scars on her face from a perp who carved her with a knife while threatening her not to identify him.
** Chief Carver's adult nephew still has horrible scars on his back from his mother's abuse of him as a child. The make-up department did a flawless job of matching the scars on the two actors portraying him at both ages.

* It's a common fanworks belief that Tifa Lockhart from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' to have a long scar across her chest from when Sephiroth slashed her with his BFG when he flipped his shit. There's even a Dead Fantasy art of it. Actual canon didn't say one way or the other until the Remake showed her chest in better definition in her dress that she conclusively doesn't have one. The novel ''Literature/FinalFantasyVIIRemakeTraceOfTwoPasts'' would finally address this saying the surgery to save her life included a skin transplant.

** ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'': Zack's scarsare integral to his major moment of CharacterDevelopment and remain in spite of his mako-infused SOLDIER abilities.

** Anne's received burn scars in a fire when she was fifteen (the location and severity of which differ depending on the adaptation)., after which she was kicked out of her house because the scar would make her useless for a political marriage. Eight years later she's bonded with Katarina only for her father to return proposing a marriage to an ugly and abusive old count because it's the most use he can wring out of her for being 'damaged goods.' However, Katarina interferes before she's forced to go through with it.

** Anne's received burn scars in a fire when she was fifteen, after which she was kicked out of her house for being useful because the scar would make her useless for a political marriage. Eight years later she's bonded with Katarina only for her father to return proposing a marriage to an ugly and abusive old count because it's the most use he can wring out of her for being 'damaged goods.' However, Katarina interferes before she's forced to go through with it.

** First off, Zoro. His first one is a huge diagonal scar that takes up his whole chest, from being all but cut in half, and always reminds him of his reason to fight (to defeat the man who gave it to him). The second (and third) are two matching scars around his ankles from when he tried to cut his own feet off. Oddly enough, they have absolutely no sentimental significance and haven't even been mentioned since they happened. After the TimeSkip, Zoro has another scar down his left eye.

** For a more minor example, Nami's backstory shows that she was kidnapped as a child after Arlong shot her adoptive mother Bell-mère. Nami's ParentalSubstitute Genzo tried to save her but got slashed all across his body and face as a result. In the present day, he still has those scars.

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', Setzer's face is heavily scarred and seems to have been that way for quite some time.
** The most iconic scar in the series probably goes to Squall Leonhart in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII''. However, the game opens with him and his rival Seifer both getting their scars on the same day as the game's events begin, so for once it actually makes sense for them to still sport them since the game only takes place over a short time period. That said, the trademark scars they share are so iconic they are even present for their very different roles in ''Franchise/KingdomHearts,'' and we are given no explanation for how either got them[[note]]Squall is a survivor of a Heartless-torn world, but several years older; meanwhile, Seifer is a town bully in a world with ''no sharp weapons''[[/note]] so this trope is present in a meta sense.
*** This is also played straight with GuestStarPartyMember Ward, however, who sports the same large scar on his face for apparently most of his life. We are given no explanation for where it came from.
** Zack's scars in ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' are integral to his major moment of CharacterDevelopment and remain in spite of his mako-infused SOLDIER abilities.
** There is also Basch of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', who has a scar angled over his left eye. The scar doesn't seem to have faded at all in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIIRevenantWings'', which takes place a year later.
** By the midpoint of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXVI'', Clive has a large scar on his left cheek, where he used to bear a SlaveBrand after being captured by the Empire. Tarja, another former slave who works as the Hideaway's chief doctor, has a similar scar on her left cheek. [[spoiler:Around the same point in the game, Gav has a large scar across his right eye, which he lost during Kupka's raid on the original Hideaway.]]
* Darth Sion of ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' is almost completely composed of scar tissue and shattered bones. The only thing holding him together is the power of the Dark Side.

* Despite being quite darned hard to kill, single-handedly conquering the world, (un)living some thousand years and evolving past his human form, the titular character of ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' carries a scar from the sword that killed him.
** [[spoiler:At least until his "firstborn" Raziel gives up his (un)life to heal and purify him. In accordance to a prophecy. No, don't ask me to explain it to you.]]

* Ganondorf carries the blade that was used to execute him in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', and he has a large glowing scar on his chest.
* Depending on player preference, any version of Commander Shepard from ''Franchise/MassEffect'' can have a fairly prominent scar, gained during the decisive events of his or her MultipleChoicePast (although the selection of scars available for female Shepards are overall [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished less prominent]] than the ones available to males). The sequel, meanwhile, plays around with the trope; when Shepard [[spoiler:is killed and restored to life]], the process removes any facial scars they already had and leaves him or her with a whole new set. These can either heal away completely in a relatively short space of time or become even more pronounced if Shepard allows their aggressive tendencies to aggravate them.

* In ''Film/PaleRider'' Eastwood's back is observed by the milquetoast husband to be covered with numerous healed exit-wound scars, none of which should ever have healed (given the fatal nature of each original wound).

* In ''Film/ThePrincessBride'', Inigo points out his facial scars, but they're hard to notice before or after unless you're looking closely.
** Played straight in the book, where they are mentioned as a prominent feature.

* Tony Montana from ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}'' has a scar across his right eye from a knife fight as a kid.
** [[TruthInTelevision So did Al Capone]], hence "Scarface".
* In ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', Mal still has scars from being stabbed by Crow and later tortured by Niska in ''{{Series/Firefly}}''.
** In the series, [[GoodThingYouCanHeal however]], the scars [[FanService obvi]][[ShirtlessScene ously]] are gone by the episode "Trash".

* Hanako Ikezawa from ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'' has burn scars covering a large portion of her face and body. It's possible that we're seeing her ''after'' they tried fixing them. The scars are still an inflamed-looking purplish-red, [[spoiler: despite the house fire that gave her the scars happening 8 or 9 years ago, at least.]]
** Hisao himself has a scar on his chest from when he had surgery on his heart. In Shizune's route, in which he never explicitly tells her about his condition, during the first sex scene, he's relieved that [[RightThroughHisPants they're able to have sex without taking off his shirt]], so that she won't have to see it. He also uses the scar [[NotSoDifferentRemark to show Hanako that they aren't that different]] in her route, and when Lilly runs her hand over this scar during her first sex scene in her route, she becomes concerned about whether sexual activity is healthy for Hisao. (He reassures her that yes, it is, and they do it anyway)

** By the midpoint of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXVI'', Clive has a large scar on his left cheek, where he used to bear a SlaveBrand after being captured by the Empire. Tarja, another former slave who works as the Hideaway's chief doctor, has a similar scar on her left cheek.

** In the third book of the same series, Evrim loses an arm fighting the snow equivalent of a sea monster. He’s really depressed and awkward about it for two more books until he’s reunited with his father-in-law and wife, who are basically just relieved he’s not dead.

** There's a deep groove that runs along Roy Cohn's nose which was caused by a (presumably) botched cosmetic surgery when he was only a toddler.