History Main / TheGhost

* ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'': King Zahard, the ruler of the Tower. Furthermore the [[TheDreaded Irregulars]] Phantaminum, and Enryu. And finally the Director of the 2nd Floor, Evankell.

->'''Jerry:''' You sure have a lot of friends. How come I never ''see'' any of these people?."\\

->'''"I'll have my tailor shorten those legs for you," he'd say, and carry them into the back room. "Take about twelve inches off the legs, Pierre." ''Whack! Whack!'' "Ah, thank you, Pierre!" Pierre himself was never seen or heard, but for a Frenchman he was pretty handy with a machete.''
-->-- '''Creator/PatrickMcManus''', ''The Grogan Look''

** The Little Red-Haired Girl was seen in full in both ''It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown'' and ''Happy New Year, Charlie Brown'' (which also claimed her name was Heather). However, despite the fact that [[WordOfGod Charles Schulz]] wrote the scripts for both specials, he claimed both were non-canonical. She appears again in ''WesternAnimation/ThePeanutsMovie'', although her face is never seen in detail or close-up until [[spoiler:Charlie Brown gets a chance to talk to her]].

Compare and contrast with TheFaceless where a character's face is never visible. For a character who is frequently mentioned but never seen because they died before the story began, see PosthumousCharacter and DeathByOriginStory. For a character whose existence can only be inferred see UnknownCharacter.

For actual ghosts and spirits, see OurGhostsAreDifferent. Not to be confused with the radio character [[Radio/TrueCapitalist known as the Ghost]], the industrial saboteur of the same name from ''ComicBook/IronMan'' comics, the film/Broadway musical ''Film/{{Ghost}}'' or the CoolStarship from ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels''.

* Frederico Castero in ''VideoGame/CountdownVampires'' only ever communicates with Keith via e-mail.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* TheGhost/{{Literature}}

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* The Shinigami King on ''Manga/DeathNote''. At least until the one shot sequel was released.
* ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'':
** Naota's older brother Tasuku, only appearing as a silhouette in an episode 2 flashback and as a picture with his American girlfriend in a later episode, which is of course obscured by glare.
** [[EvilInc Medical Mechanica]] remains a near-complete mystery throughout the series. We never see anything of them other than the giant clothing iron in the center of the city, and the occasional killer robot that pops out of Naota's head.
** The Pirate King Atomsk ''nearly'' becomes this trope, only being alluded to with a mysterious symbol on Canti's monitor [[spoiler: and Naota's forehead]] whenever he's harnessing his power, with the first time he's even referred to by name being at the end of the second-to-last episode. He makes his first and only appearance in the last few minutes of the season. In ''[[Anime/FLCLProgressiveAndAlternative FLCL Progressive]]'' he appears during the end credits of each episode, but viewers who haven't seen the first season might not recognize him since he's back to being referred to in vague terms and hasn't been mentioned by name.
* Shinou ('The Great One') up to the end of Season 2 of ''LightNovel/KyoKaraMaoh''.
* ''Manga/MaisonIkkoku'' has several ghosts:
** Mr. Ichinose started out like this, but he did eventually appear (in a story where his appearance was the main focus). Oddly enough, he recognized everyone from Maison Ikkoku on sight, and knew many things about them. However, none of the tenants recognized him. He continued to make appearances in expected places for the rest of the manga's run.
** Kyoko's deceased husband, Soichiro. While ''partly'' a PosthumousCharacter, even when he IS shown in flashback any exposed skin (face, hands) is blacked out. In universe, Godai, Kyoko's new love interest, never even gets to see a picture of him [[spoiler:until nearly the end of the series when he sees a picture from Kyoko's first wedding. Even then the READER only gets to see a part of Soichiro's hand.]]
* Toji's sister in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' started out as this. In fact, her full name isn't even given in the show itself. She receives a first name, "Natsumi", in the [=PS2=] game ''Neon Genesis Evangelion 2'' and even becomes SuddenlyVoiced, but even in that game, [[TheVoice her mugshot only shows a silhouette]]. [[http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa305/secondgryphon/Sketches/EVA/Screencaps/r2-19-Sister.jpg She finally appeared]] in ''Rebuild 2.0''. [[spoiler: She reappears in ''Rebuild 3.0'', and her first name is revealed to be "Sakura"]].
** The sensei who Shinji lived with before the series began; we don't even know their ''gender''.
* Lina's older sister Luna in ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}''. She's mentioned several times (especially in ''TRY''), but we never do see her on screen, or in the novels that the anime was based on. WordOfGod says that she'll never appear in canon outside of the opening sequences, because she's so ''ridiculously powerful'' that she would unbalance the rest of the cast.
* Maka's mother from ''Manga/SoulEater''.
* Himeko from ''Manga/SKETDance'' will occasionally make a passing reference to "Nakatai-san from Class A". Late in the series, Bossun finally points out that he has no idea who that person is. This leads to an entire chapter where he tries to meet the character, only to keep missing her due to increasingly improbable events. [[spoiler:He does manage to catch a partial glimpse of her at one point.]]
* Contrary to popular belief, Yugi Mutou from the original ''Anime/YuGiOh'' ''did'' have a mother, and she ''wasn't'' dead. She was seen in one brief scene in the manga, and one scene in one episode after the Duelist Kingdom arc (which was cut from the dub) but that was it. Exactly why she kept herself hidden all the time wasn't clear.
** Jonouchi's father was someone who was never seen, except in one panel in the manga, but he was talked about often. Apparently, he was an alcoholic whose illness had caused his marriage to end in divorce. Jonouchi's mother got a small amount of screen time; she kept custody of his sister Shizuka, and was very reluctant to talk to Jonouchi until Shizuka's surgery.
* Leina's parents, Owen and The Head Archangel are only mentioned in all the adaptations of the ''Anime/QueensBlade'' franchise, except in the animated ones when they physically appear for first time, albeit Leina's mother previously appeared in a non-canonical light novel side-story.
* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' has the #6 Level 5 Esper. Known only by process of elimination for most of the story, it's eventually mentioned that they do not appear in public, meaning their gender, appearance and presumably even ability are not known by anyone. Thirty volumes into the story, their name was finally revealed to be the GenderBlenderName Aihana Etsu, but even that wasn't confirmed to be their real name for another half a dozen volumes. Multiple people have impersonated them, a process that Etsu actually encourages for unknown reasons.
* Mahiro's father in ''LightNovel/HaiyoreNyarkoSan''; when his mother Yoriko first shows up, she implies that Dad'll be stuck at the office for a while making up the time they took off for [[HappilyMarried their most recent honeymoon]]. As of the end of the series, his only appearance is in the second anime season during a FlashBack to his and Yoriko's courtship, and even then his face is obscured.
* In the first episode of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', Ash winds up with Pikachu because three other trainers beat him to Professor Oak's lab. One was Gary, the other two are never seen or even given names. However, through the start of season one trainers and gym leaders Ash meets tell him he doesn't measure up to the three trainers from Pallet Town ahead of him. Oak eventually tells Ash and Gary that the other two weren't successful in getting the required badges.
** The second episode is the only time Ash's dad is mentioned as Mrs. Ketchum says he would have been proud of him.
* Fittingly for the adaptation version of a faceless PlayerCharacter, the [[ACommanderIsYou Admiral]] in ''Anime/KantaiCollection'' is never shown on-screen. The most the audience gets to see of them is their shadow, and [[HeWhoMustNotBeHeard their voice is never heard]]. [[NumberTwo Secretary Ship Nagato]] tends to be the one relaying their orders to the girls.
* Karel and Liera Harlaown from ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'' are mentioned several times, but the only time the actually appear is in a family photo that their aunt Fate keeps by her bedside.
* ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' has the General Affairs and Auditing officers in the student council. According to the volume 4 extras, they're both third year students that aren't on good terms with the rest of the council, so they do their work separately. Following Shirogane's reelection in volume 7, the Auditing officer was replaced by Miko and the General Affairs position is presumably unfilled.
* The father of protagonist Izuku Midoriya, of ''Anime/MyHeroAcademia'', exists, is working overseas and can breath fire. That's about all we know about him.
* At one point in the second saga of ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'', that saga's protagonist Dana mentions she has a little brother. While that explains her TeamMom tendencies (she had been his ParentalSubstitute while their parents were in space), he remains unseen ([[JustifiedTrope because Dana can't get a leave to visit the town he lives in and would obviously keep him away from the frontlines]]) and is never mentioned again.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Lawrence and Mobile of ''Comicbook/ScottPilgrim'', both of whom the story teases by mentioning why they are just barely offscreen as a RunningGag. [[spoiler:Until they both appear near the end of volume five. When they do, Scott initially confuses them for Gideon, as they all have dark hair and glasses.]]
* ''ComicStrip/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable'' has several:
** Bob's sister (who is the mother of Croix and Hunter)
** B.A.'s mother (although she does become TheVoice occasionally)
** Crutch's 'old lady', Casey Mae
** Crowbar, Switch's partner-in-crime was this for years until he finally appeared on-panel in Hawg Waller's.
** Brian's uncle (and former guardian)
** Dave's father and brother.
* Little Ego's therapist.
* Believe it or not, Mary Jane Watson was this until her first appearance in ''Amazing Spider Man #42''. Before that, she was sort of a RunningGag by the writers, someone who Aunt May and Mary Jane's own aunt were trying to have Peter meet, but never succeeding. The first time she appeared, her face was hidden. When she and Peter finally met, it came as quite a shock to Peter.
* [[Comicbook/{{Empowered}} Empowered's]] mother. (They sometimes talk on the telephone, but we never hear what she says.)
* ''ComicBook/TheCartoonHistoryOfTheUniverse'' portrays Mohammed this way, out of respect for mainstream Islam's prohibition on visual representations of historic Muslim figures.
* Traditionally, this is true for the original members of the Yancy Street Gang, the ones that [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Ben Grimm]] knew when he was a member; they are never fully seen in the comics, only heard from the shadows, from the windows of buildings, or shown with hardhats or other headwear covering their faces. However, the younger "new generation" of the Gang was seen in full.
* The "Enemy" in ''ComicBook/{{Sturmtruppen}}'' is never ever shown, except for one single strip (which is still pitch black).
* SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker was given this treatment in the ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}''. After the events of Batman: Detective Comics #1, he ''apparently'' "retired", and the only thing left of him is his ''face'' after he had another psychotic criminal surgically remove it for some reason. He still manages to cause trouble for Gotham -- in the wake of his disappearance, he gets in-universe DracoInLeatherPants treatment from a bunch of idiots who dress up like him to form angry mobs that accuse Batman of murdering the Joker. His face (which is currently being held by Gotham police) is also being treated as an object of worship by the Joker's crazier fans. The few times Joker appeared, it was either in a flashback or an impostor. He finally returns in Batman #13, where he retrieves his face. This leads to [[BatFamilyCrossover an event]] called ''ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily'', in which he goes after every member of the Bat-Family.
** As of ''Batman #36'' [[spoiler: Joker has made his official return with a new, albeit tight to the point of looking UncannyValley, layer of skin on his face.]]
* [[ComicBook/GastonLagaffe Gaston Lagaffe's]] aunt Hortense.
* Boneville from ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}'' is a whole ghost '''town'''. Despite all the references the Bone cousins make to it, creator Jeff Smith has never actually depicted it, saying because Boneville isn't the focus of the story. Whatever Boneville looks like is up to the reader's imagination.
** Kind of averted in the Spin-off novels "Quest for the Spark" which was written by Tom Sniegoski (Jeff Smith still illustrated it) starts off at the Boneville adventurer's guild. Yet true to the original story, it still doesn't describe anything of what Boneville actually looks like.
* The Director General in ''ComicBook/UnionJack'' is never seen, even though she's being scapegoated for British government's lackluster response to the R.A.I.D. attack.
* ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}'': Spider's book editor is never shown, never described, never gendered and only referred to as "The Whorehopper".
* Father Time, a character from ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' cartoon show, is this type of character in ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' comic book adaptation of "The Smurflings." His workshop does appear in the comic book universe, but although mentioned, he himself does not appear in the story.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fanfic ''Fanfic/DanseMacabre'', Tom Riddle is this so far. He is mentioned several times, but has yet to appear.
* In ''Fanfic/TheParselmouthOfGryffindor'', the villainous Mosag is behind the darkest event in the story but is defeated off-screen by Dumbledore before the heroes, or the readers, have had a chance to meet her.
* Rafiki in ''Fanfic/TheLionKingAdventures''. He is mentioned a few times in the series, but was never seen. He presented Simba at his birth, and also confirmed that he had the Kulaani illness in ''Sick Simba''. WordOfGod claims he died after Series Three.
* Not only is Hayate never shown in ''Fanfic/PerfectionIsOverrated'', but nothing is revealed about this person apart from being Toki's most important person, someone for whom she'd risk a temporal paradox- not even Hayate's gender is revealed. The Usurper wonders what Toki sees in Hayate, but she refuses to elaborate, a reference to the shallow and hastily established romances some MarySue characters have.
* Crime king Felix Drachner from ''Fanfic/WhatAboutWitchQueen'' has never been seen by any POV, only heard once. He apparently "dropped off the surface of Earth" about ten years before and remained free despite being chased by three governments, many guilds and countless criminals. Despite not appearing, he's likely the biggest player in the fic, causing [[spoiler:among others, Anna's kidnapping, Weselton attacking Arendelle and Elsa's assassination attempt.]]
* Enforced in ''Fanfic/TheUniversiad'' with regards to the Moderators. Due to Gideon (the author)'s insistence that only the appropriate users can "play" the characters representing themselves, and none of the actual mods deigning to join in, they will remain offscreen for the foreseeable future.
* The character Hope from ''FanFic/JusticeSocietyOfJapan'' is a huge fan of [[Anime/TigerAndBunny Wild Tiger]], but the character never appears on-screen (not counting a dream sequence).
* ''Fanfic/BadFutureCrusaders'' has [[FallenHero Queen Twilight Sparkle]]. It was her FaceHeelTurn and transformation into a despotic tyrant that instigated the plot, but as of this writing, she's yet to appear personally.
* ''Fanfic/WeissReacts'' has Weiss' grandfather. He set in motion most of the tragedies that befall the characters in the backstory but isn't actually seen during the present as of this writing.
* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'':
** The pony characters speak of Queen Chrysalis with dread frequently, and it's a plot point that Mothra Lea's Equestrian form slightly resembles her, forcing her to hide her appearance to prevent a panic. At one point, Destroyah nearly kills a Changeling and it escapes and decides to report to Chrysalis what happened. It takes until Chapter 31 for her to appear in person.
** Flash Sentry's father Stalwart Sentry is fondly spoken of by the others as one of the greatest members of the Royal Guard who ever lived and personally trained Shining Armor and Blueberry Frost. He is mentioned to be living in retirement. In chapter 38, he appears in a flashback.
** In the spin-off ''The Bridge: Sound of Thunder'', Raiga's MirrorUniverse counterpart is mentioned when Raiga is compared to her. Main universe Raiga is a BoisterousBruiser while she is a ShrinkingViolet.
* ''Fanfic/FireEmblemFatesAftermath'': Xander's fiancé/wife is mentioned multiple times, but she never shows up in person and her identity is unknown to the reader.
* ''Fanfic/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesVengeanceOfTheFootClan'': While mentioned frequently, the Turtles don't physically appear at all until the penultimate chapter of ''War of the Heart of Darkness''; a big part of Ethan, Jess, and Kaela's mission is finding them.
* ''Fanfic/PokemonStorySinnohJourney'': Two characters named Isabella and Caecus were namedropped when Ian talked to Jacob. They never make an appearance in this story.
* ''Fanfic/{{crawlersout}}'': Since the beginning of the story is set during Tom's pre-Hogwarts years, Albus Dumbledore has yet to appear, despite being slated to be a major character. His influence is still felt, however, as Fem!Harry is still very fond of him and it colors her... ''complicated'' relationship with her StalkerWithACrush, his former best friend and own crush, Gellert Grindelwald. Grindelwald himself is similarly fond of Dumbledore in spite of himself, but holds somewhat of an enmity/rivalry with the man (despite having not interacted with him in over thirty years by that point).
* ''WebVideo/UltraFastPony'' is an AbridgedSeries, so it's forced to keep important characters off-screen when it deviates too far from the original episodes' plots. So, in "Mob Wars", a CanonForeigner named Snuggle Berry wins an award for being an upstanding, much-loved member of the community, then dies in a rabbit stampede, all without appearing on screen once. And Princess Luna, in spite of having a lot of screen time in the first two episodes, is shoved off-screen for the rest of season one. There are several references to Luna being the royal court's ButtMonkey, and a several-episode-spanning subplot in which she gets kidnapped--all without her putting in a single appearance.
* ''FanFic/ChildhoodsEnd'' has the PlayerCharacter [[VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}} hunter]]. The main group hasn't met him or her yet, but they're mentioned by the Chapel Dweller and is the one who killed Father Gascoigne.
* In ''Fanfic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', major Franchise/DCComics superheroes like ComicBook/WonderWoman are regularly mentioned but never seen due to working outside of Japan. Other frequently mentioned characters include Franchise/{{Batman}}, ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}, and [[Characters/Earth2GreenLantern Alan Scott]].

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'': The [[BigBrotherBully brothers]] of Prince Hans are only mentioned, but never appear in person due to him visiting Arendelle alone. They technically "appear" in ''Literature/AFrozenHeart'' where four of them are named and both their mother and [[GreaterScopeVillain their father]] are introduced, but the book has no illustrations. Their only official appearance is artwork for a video for ''Frozen - Live at the Hyperion'' that reuses concept art that's been tweaked for each brother, though it's unknown if this would be their official appearance or just placeholders. To date, the main characters have not met them.
* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheCurseOfThe13thGhost'', in spite of serving as a FullyAbsorbedFinale to ''WesternAnimation/The13GhostsOfScoobyDoo'', dispenses with Scooby's nephew Scrappy-Doo aside from a brief mention of him by Flim Flam.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/SinceYouWentAway'' is a film about life on the American home front during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, with Anne Hilton and her two daughters getting along after Anne's husband Tim goes away to the army. Tim Hilton is a presence throughout the film, via his pictures, messages from him, and constant talking about him, but he never appears onscreen.
* ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ANewHope'' had two Ghosts: the Emperor and Jabba the Hutt. Jabba was originally supposed to appear in the film, but his scene was cut, and his character was reimagined as a giant, slug-like alien. His scene was restored in the [[ReCut Special Edition]] with a CGI version of Jabba inserted over the original actor and his dialogue dubbed over with Huttese. Though Emperor Palpatine briefly appeared in [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack the following film]], it wasn't until ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' that Jabba finally appeared onscreen. A variant for Palpatine is that Darth Sidious only appears to the Trade Federation he's commanding in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' as a {{hologram}} - a [[VirtualGhost Phantom]] [[AntagonistTitle Menace]].
** In one scene in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', Palpatine mentions Darth Plagueis the Wise, a Sith Lord of legend who discovered a way to cheat death with the Force. The implication in the film is that Plagueis wasn't an ancient Sith, but instead Palpatine's late master, and that Palpatine is framing the story as an ancient legend in order to manipulate Anakin. This was confirmed in the Expanded Universe, but the new canon has yet to address the story.
* In the ''Film/JamesBond'' movies, most of the other 00 agents qualify, with [[Film/{{Goldeneye}} one notable exception]]. Not counting ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'', where they're all seen in the background, at best they're only seen when dead or three seconds from dying. 008 in particular is never seen onscreen, though M always threatens to replace Bond with him if he keeps disobeying orders.
* In ''Film/WaitingForGuffman'', the characters spend the entire movie preparing for the arrival of Broadway talent scout Guffman. During their performance, [[spoiler:a distinguished man arrives late and takes Guffman's seat, but we later find out that he's just a random guy. Guffman never appears]].
* Dagmar Geech in ''Art House''.
* General Kemidov and Floyd Thursby in ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon''.
* The title character of ''Theatre/{{Oscar}}'' appears only for a moment in the very last scene.
* The title character in ''Edward, My Son'' is never seen or even pictured.
* In the George Cukor classic ''Film/DinnerAtEight'', many threads of the plot are driven by the anticipated presence at the title event of English aristocrats Lord and Lady Ferncliffe, whom main characters Oliver and Millicent Jordan befriended while visiting England the previous year. However, the Ferncliffes never appear, cancelling their stay in New York in favour of going to Florida instead.
* Claude Daigle, the boy Rhoada murdered from ''Literature/TheBadSeed'', is only referred to in past tense, though he may have been glimpsed at the school picnic.
* Al Capone in ''Film/RoadToPerdition'' is referred to a number of times, but he never appears. A scene was shot with him, but it was cut out to make his presence more abstract and ominous.
* In ''Film/TheBadSleepWell'', Iwabuchi has a superior at the Unexploited Land Development Corporation with whom he talks on the phone sometimes. The superior is never seen.
* ''Film/{{Patton}}'' does this with General [[UsefulNotes/DwightDEisenhower Eisenhower]], both on purpose and by accident. They couldn't find an actor that looked enough like Eisenhower, so they decided to have Eisenhower be an unseen, ominous figure.
* ''Film/MyDinnerWithAndre'' is full of them. The cast literally consists of two guys, a waiter, and a few extras. Throughout the film, Wallace talks about his girlfriend Debbie, and Andre talks about quite a few people. The closest we ever get to seeing any of them is a single black and white photograph of a Polish woman Andre worked with one time.
* ''Film/TheBigLebowski'': Walter's ex-wife, Cynthia. She is mentioned a few times, Walter even takes care of her dog, but she is never seen or heard.
* ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries'':
** Norman Osborn gets this treatment in [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan the first film]]. We never get a clear look at him and all we hear about is that he founded Oscorp, [[spoiler: he's dying from an unknown disease, and he is linked to Peter's parents somehow. TheStinger suggests that he may know more about Spider-Man and everything else going on than he lets on...]] We finally see him in [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2 the sequel]], shortly before [[spoiler:his death from the disease.]]
** J. Jonah Jameson is this as well, in both films. In the first, it's at least implied that Peter works for ''The Daily Bugle'', which Jameson is presumably [[DaEditor the editor]] of; in the sequel, he actually talks to Peter by way of email.
* ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'' has a few Ghosts, the most prominent one being Morris Frye, Cameron's father. All we know of him is related or implied by Cameron or Ferris, and none of it is pretty. Some film scholars have argued that he, not [[DesignatedVillain Rooney]] or [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Ferris]], is the [[GreaterScopeVillain true villain]] of the film despite never physically appearing.
* Despite having the film named after him, Mohammad never appears in ''Film/MohammadMessengerOfGod'', for very [[AgainstMyReligion obvious]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Islam}} reasons]]. While the film does show his point of view a few times, the closest the viewer ever gets to seeing him is getting glimpses of his sword, staff, and camel, respectively.
* ''Yield to the Night'', a British crime drama, was about Mary Hilton (played by Diana Dors), a woman sentenced to die for murdering her boyfriend's other lover. The victim shows up in the opening scene, when the murder is shown, and a few other times in flashback, but her face is never completely visible to the camera. (The movie was loosely based on the case of Ruth Ellis, and in an odd coincidence Ellis had actually been in another Diana Dors movie, ''Lady Godiva Rides Again'', as a beauty pageant contestant.)
* We never see (or even hear) Dwight Eisenhower in ''Film/IntoTheStorm2009'', despite him having some bearing in the plot. The same also goes for Adolf Hitler and Mussolini, neither of which ever appears in the movie, but bear heavily in the plot.
* In ''Film/ImperiumAugustus'', Augustus' wife Scribonia is never shown onscreen. His marriage and divorce with her is only briefly mentioned in the aging Augustus' narration. This is despite the fact that one of the movie's main plot points is Augustus' attempt to rise to power by marrying her for money and later leaving her for [[LoveInterest Livia]].
* In the 1997 informative video ''Film/TheKidsGuideToTheInternet'', Lisa and Andrew's mother drops them off and is heard honking to pick them up, but doesn't come in and talk to the Mom and Dad.
* ''Film/ZeroDarkThirty'''s UsefulNotes/OsamaBinLaden. He's never seen, as well as his TheDragon, Abu Ahmed. At the end, both are shot and killed in a raid
* The title character in ''Salvatore Giuliano'' only appears onscreen as a corpse. The film nonetheless covers Giuliano's life and exploits in considerable detail.
* This was the general idea for the Mandarin in ''Film/IronMan''. He's alluded to as the leader of the Ten Rings terrorist cell, and through them has a hand in the plots of the first two movies before appearing in the third. [[spoiler: Except that ''that'' Mandarin is just an actor hired by Aldrich Killian, who claims to be the real Mandarin. However, according to the One-Shot ''All Hail the King'', the real Mandarin is still out there, so this trope is still in effect.]]
* Mrs. Ferrars, in Creator/AngLee's adaptation of ''Film/SenseAndSensibility'', never actually appears onscreen (though she does appear in the book). Her influence is still felt, mostly as the means of making her son Edward's life rather difficult, but the audience never sees her.
* ''Film/TheUsualSuspects'': Agent Kujan repeatedly threatens Verbal with the wrath of Ruby Deemer, a local loan shark who has some sort of grudge against him. Ruby never appears or factors into the narrative.

[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''The Ambassadors'' by Creator/HenryJames, the mother of Chad Newsome, who guides much of the novel's action by sending her fianc&eacute Strether to Europe, never appears in the book.
* Regular ''Literature/{{Barkwire}}'' contributor [=BiGDOG=] can't get through one post without praising Panzer, but never provides any detail. The only image ever posted of Panzer only shows as an error symbol.
* Arianllyn, Adaon's betrothed in ''[[Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain The Black Cauldron]]''. He references her repeatedly, and it's heavily implied that he loves her very much; but [[spoiler: since he dies two-thirds of the way through the book,]] the reader never gets to meet her.
%%** Math son of Mathonwy, the High King of Prydain, is this until the absolute last book in the series.
* In ''Literature/BreakfastAtTiffanys'' and [[Film/BreakfastAtTiffanys its movie adaptation]], it's Fred, Holly's mentally retarded brother who joined the army. In both versions, [[spoiler: he dies: killed in action overseas in the original (set during World War Two), perished in the road accident in the adaptation.]]
* In ''Literature/TheCatcherInTheRye'', Jane Gallagher is one of the few people Holden respects and admires. Thinking she might have had sex with Holden's boorish roommate sparks the fight that sets the plot in motion. Holden considers or tries to call her at various points during the novel, but never reaches her.
%%* The Emperor Over The Sea in ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''.
* In his ''Literature/{{Confessions}}'', St. Augustine neglects to mention his pre-conversion girlfriend even though his relationship with her is one of the greatest regrets of his life. She is never given a name, a line of dialogue, or a description outside of vague references to Augustine's sin.
* The eponymous character of ''Literature/DaddyLongLegs'', by Jean Webster. Since almost the entire EpistolaryNovel consists of protagonist Judy's letters to her [[AnonymousBenefactor unknown benefactor]], this makes sense. Subverted in the end, however, when [[spoiler: it's revealed that "Daddy" is Jervis, the man she's in love with and has written about extensively.]]
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
** Bergholt Stuttley "Bloody Stupid" Johnson, the most [[BunglingInventor infamous inventor]]. His works are present throughout the series, but Johnson himself never makes an appearance. It's pretty strongly implied that he's been [[PosthumousCharacter dead for decades]].
** It's mentioned that Sybil Ramkin's father shot the man when he started to work his particular landscaping genius on their estate, although whether this is what killed him is unclear.
** Mrs. Colon was The Ghost up to ''Discworld/{{Snuff}}''; often mentioned, but part of the joke was that she and Fred barely saw each other, and the two communicated almost exclusively through notes left about the house. Vimes at one point wondered how they managed to have kids, eventually chalking it up to some very persuasive notes.
** Gravid Rust is mentioned several times, and has a major role in ''Discworld/{{Snuff}}'', but is never seen.
** Old Man Trouble, an AnthropomorphicPersonification of, well, trouble, who never actually appears, but is referenced several times when discussing anthropomorphic personifications. All that is known of him is that he takes the form of a figure in a ragged coat and broad brimmed hat, those who lack both musical ability and love may [[WaxingLyrical find him knocking on their door]], and -- even by the standards of anthropomorphic personifications -- he's considered a bit weird.
** The Soul Cake Duck is the AnthropomorphicPersonification of Soul Cake Tuesday and pretty much the Disc's equivalent to the Easter Bunny. However, the duck doesn't appear in any of the books, even though Susan claims to have met the Soul Cake Duck in ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime''.
* OlderThanSteam example besides Creator/WilliamShakespeare: In the novel ''Literature/DonQuixote'', [[TheDulcineaEffect Dulcinea]] -- or, to be more precise, the peasant woman whom Quixote apparently renames "Dulcinea" -- never appears.
* The Hittite king [[InherentlyFunnyWords Suppiluliuma]] I is a constant presence throughout ''Literature/TheEgyptian'' -- we hear of his plans, we see his armies and what he does, but he never appears on-stage himself.
* ''Literature/{{Emma}}'':
** Augusta Elton is expecting a visit from her fashionable sister Selina and her husband, and she never hesitates to mention them, but they never arrive.
** Frank Churchill's aunt and uncle are mentioned frequently but never seen.
** Frank ''himself'' had been The Ghost in Highbury for several years prior to the events of the novel.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' has several Ghosts (apart from the ones who haunt the school):
** Eloise Midgen. We know that she has unfortunate acne, that Ron doesn't want to go with her to the Yule Ball, and that she's one of the first to go home in the sixth book during Voldemort's reign of terror, but we never see her. (She does appear in one of [[Film/HarryPotter the films]], however.)
** Nicholas Flamel, from the [[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone first book]]. Very important to the plot, having created the eponymous MacGuffin, but never actually appears in person.
** Professor Aurora Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher, is mentioned but never shown, except for one brief mention of her dancing with Moody at the Yule Ball.
** Aside from a tiny mention where she's almost concussed by Hagrid, Professor Vector, the Arithmancy Teacher, is the same.
** Ron's Great-Auntie Muriel is this until Book 7.
** Played straight in the books with Newt Scamander, the writer of ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'', but averted in the filmverse with the release of [[Film/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem the ninth movie]].
* ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' is brimming full of ghosts. There's ex-president of the galaxy Yooden Vranx, acclaimed writer Oolong Colluphid, the long-lost Guide editor Lig Lury Junior, and of course, Eccentrica Gallumbits, the triple-breasted whore of Eroticon VI.
* Iggie from Creator/JudyBlume's ''Literature/IggiesHouse'' is never seen in the story, as she moved away from the neighborhood sometime before the Garbers moved in. The story's protagonist, Winnie Bates, [[RunningGag constantly tries to write her a letter, but ends up having to start over whenever some new development happens in the story]]. By the time the story ends, Winnie has finished writing her final version of the letter.
%%* The Raven King in ''Literature/JonathanStrangeAndMrNorrell''. [[spoiler: Although he has a {{cameo}} near the end of the book.]]
* The letters that ''Literature/LastDragon'' consists of are addressed to Esumi, a character we never meet in the story and about whom we learn very little.
* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'':
** Sauron, the titular Lord of the Rings, never appears in the story's plot. Not so much in TheFilmOfTheBook. Many mistakenly believe that Sauron either has no visible form at all, or that his visible form is the Eye of Barad-dur (the films in particular encourage the latter interpretation). However, a couple of passages in the books make it clear that the Eye existed ''before'' Isildur cut the ring from Sauron's finger, and Gollum says that while he was tortured in Mordor, Sauron personally tortured him, and confirms he has a physical body. Indeed - the third film briefly shows his physical form holding his palantir.
** Same with Radagast, whom we only knew from Gandalf's words. As with Sauron in [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings the previous film trilogy]], he is rescued from this status in ''Film/TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney'', where he appears onscreen and has a fairly prominent role.
* In ''Literature/TheMachineriesOfEmpire'', the Kel Command is the one to approve Jedao's usage, give Cheris her orders and keep tabs on them both, eventually [[spoiler:sentencing them to death]], but Cheris only ever interacts with one of the lesser command composites.
%%* ''Literature/TheMalteseFalcon'': Floyd Thursby and General Kemidov, the ''real'' MagnificentBastard of the story.
* In ''[[Literature/TheMazeRunner The Maze Runner Trilogy]]'', Chancellor Paige is never seen or interacts with anyone, only having her memoirs at the end of each book. This is {{averted|trope}} in [[FilmOfTheBook the movie]].
* ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'':
** Lord Hasting, a powerful noble, is never met by the main characters. He was originally going to have a one-shot appearance when Kelsier was posing as an informant, but his role was given to the much more important Straff Venture.
** Crews Geffenry a Mistborn and and knife fighter, who Kelsier frames for an assassination. He never actually appears in the story, unless he was the Mistborn aiding Lady Shan Elariel when she [[spoiler:tried to assassinate Lord Elend Venture]] near the end of ''Mistborn: The Final Empire''.
* ''Literature/NightfallSeries'': Lucien. He is mentioned as one of the vampires hoping to take Vladimir’s place. The Prince seems to think he is worse that the Duchess, who is already terrifying.
* Creator/JasperFforde ''Literature/NurseryCrime'': Professor Angus MacGuffin in ''The Fourth Bear''. He almost appears near the end, but has vanished when someone turns to introduce him - because, [[MeaningfulName of course]], he's just a [[MacGuffin plot device]] and doesn't have to actually exist.
* Margaret, the mother of Alison in Creator/AlanGarner's ''The Owl Service''. Many of the events pan out as the characters try desperately to keep her happy, but she never appears in the book. Similarly occurs in the TV series, to the extent that you see parts of her clothing and even hear her play piano in the same room, but never actually hear or see her.
* ShowWithinAShow example: In ''Literature/ThePhoenixGuards'', Paarfi compares one of his own characters to the Marquis of Havenwood, The Ghost from the in-universe play ''The Return of Duke Highwater''.
* In ''Literature/PinkiePieAndTheRockinPonypaloozaParty'', Pinkie's third sister, Maud Pie, is only mentioned ([[NoNameGiven and not by name]]). She's running the rock farm while her relatives are visiting Ponyville.
* ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'': There are many characters mentioned from long ago that never appeared. "King Mortspear" "The First Reguba" "Almost all the Badger Lords/Ladies before Stonepaw" whom if Brian Jacques hadn't passed away, they may have likely got a chance for a story. But then again, he seemed to have made it clear he was finished with prequels.
* ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'': Despite the importance of the Kingdom of Dohlar, and various people from it, to the series' plot, the nation's ruler, King Rahnyld III, never once appears on page. Coupled with several other factors, he comes off as a monarch who tries to avoid his duties as much as possible. Hell, he doesn't even appear when [[spoiler:Earl Thirsk stages a coup in book 9 and forces him to abdicate in favour of his son.]]
* ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' has a wide backstory and several characters are only ever referred to. The most notable example is probably R., the Duchess of Winnipeg.
* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** Howland Reed of Greywater Watch is a longtime friend of Eddard Stark, and is mentioned a number of times throughout the story, but he has yet to appear himself. He's the only surviving member of Eddard's group of men who went to the Tower of Joy, making him the only person who might know what promise Eddard made to his dead sister, Lyanna.
** Willas Tyrell, heir to Highgarden, brother to Loras, Garlan and Margaery, [[OddFriendship friend]] to Oberyn Martell, GentlemanAndAScholar, the hero of [[spoiler:Sansa Stark]]’s dreams, if only for a short while… has yet to make an appearance.
** Stannis Baratheon is discussed frequently in the first book, with some arguing that he is Robert's heir, but he does not appear in the series until the second book.
%%* The "GA" (Great Aunt) of Nancy and Peggy in ''Literature/SwallowsAndAmazons.'' [[spoiler: She does make a brief appearance at the end of ''The Picts and the Martyrs'', though.]]
* Inversion in ''Literature/ThursdayNext: First Among Sequels'': [[spoiler:Jenny never appears because she's actually a mindworm implanted in the first-person narrator's mind. This was revealed when her family explained it to her to stop her freaking out over an abandoned Jenny - only to have the mindworm blank out her memory of the conversation afterwards.]]
* Erzo Gwyn-Raven from the ''Literature/TowerAndTheHive'' series. The youngest of the Rowan and Jeff Raven's kids, he's only ever mentioned in passing or in context to events that happened off screen.
* Silver's [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] wife in ''Literature/TreasureIsland''. All we know is that she's "a woman of colour" and is trusted with Silver's finances while he's on the ''Hispanola'' (specifically, to sell everything, clear the account, and meet up with him somewhere).
* Prismia is only mentioned in a flashback and does not make any sort of present day appearance in ''Literature/TwilightSparkleAndTheCrystalHeartSpell''.
* Not really literature, but who exactly ''is'' Uncle John of ''Literature/UncleJohnsBathroomReader''? He's referenced countless times in the series. Its not the person on the back of the books either, they've pointed out multiple times his name is Larry Kelp and he's merely a technician for the Bathroom Readers Institute.
** Uncle John just seems to be an alias for whatever persona happens to be convenient for the remarks prefacing an article--in the article on microwaves it makes comments about how he once swore he'd never have anything to do with the device, but now he thanks the appliance gods every time he pulls a pizza out of the freezer to keep the kids from killing each other.
** Uncle John ''might'' be humorist John Javna, who was one of the co-creators of the series and who contributes to every book, but Javna nor the BRI have ever confirmed it's supposed to be him.
* ''Literature/WhatTheHellDidIJustReadANovelOfCosmicHorror'': Played for comedy with Nicky, John's on-again, off-again girlfriend. Dave describes her as pure evil and says that the reason she hasn't shown up in any of his previous books is because he tries to avoid even talking about her. [[spoiler:It's subverted in the end, when she actually does shows up at the very end and seems perfectly normal]].
* ''Literature/TheWitchlands'': Ragnor the Raider King is the BigBad of the series, and his lackeys often discuss him and busy themselves making life harder for the heroes in his name, but the man himself is yet to appear, speak or even send a letter to anyone on-page.

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* Wrestling/MontelVontaviousPorter had {{the gimmick}} of being "the highest paid free agent in [[InsistentTerminology sports entertainment]]" and [[Wrestling/WWESmackdown general manager]] Theodore Long had a hard time dealing with his unseen contract negotiator.
* During the Wrestling/{{TNA}} Wrestling/AcesAndEights angle, Wrestling/DLoBrown and [[Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys Bully Ray]] would make frequent reference to other chapters of the group. For obvious reasons(Aces And Eights being a real motor cycle gang) these were never shown.
* [[Wrestling/BrayWyatt Bray Wyatt's]] beloved "Sister Abigail," whom he refers to often in his promos and has even named his FinishingMove after, but who has yet to actually appear. (Assuming that she is a person, not a disembodied entity. [[UnreliableNarrator Also assuming she even exists.]] For what it's worth, what Bray's said about her heavily implies that she is a real person, but she died some time ago.) From what he has said of her, she is responsible for making him into what he is today (so she's either evil herself or [[CreateYourOwnVillain just plain]] [[NiceJobBreakingItHero messed up bad]]) and possesses the power to save the world with a touch or destroy it with a kiss.
* The somewhat infamous Anonymous Raw General Manager. He'd send his directives via emails to a laptop on a podium that Michael Cole would read out loud. His identity was eventually revealed as a joke long after the bit had been dropped.

[[folder:Radio]]
* Sabrina Thwaite (and husband Richard) in ''Radio/TheArchers'' are often "just missed" on-air, pulling out of Christmas pantos at the last moment and so forth, usually explained by tutting disapproval from the regular characters.
** A long-standing trope in ''The Archers''. Mr Pullen, whose troublesome prostate has been a RunningGag for many years, is never heard. Freda the Middle White sow used to be heard sometime but not Freda Fry, cook at The Bull and long-suffering wife of Bert Fry. Most notoriously, the late Pru Forrest went unheard for years only to be {{lampshaded}} in a special anniversary episode by being voiced by Creator/JudiDench.
* Duffy, the owner of the eponymous eatery in the the 1940s radio show ''Duffy's Tavern''. Every episode opened with the manager Archie answering the phone with the words "Hello, Duffy's Tavern, where the elite meet to eat. Archie the manager speakin'. Duffy ain't here -- oh, hello, Duffy."
* Samantha, the scorekeeper for the panel game ''[[Radio/ImSorryIHaventAClue I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue]]''. Since ThePointsMeanNothing, the game doesn't need a scorekeeper; she only exists as the focus of elaborate {{double entendre}}s.
** Colin Sell, the pianist, has sometimes been assumed by listeners to be fictional too (if you decided they were just playing prerecorded piano music, then Colin would be in a similar position of only existing [[ButtMonkey to be abused]] in elaborate wordplay). Humphrey Lyttelton once claimed that someone had come up to him to ask whether Samantha and Colin were real and he told them that Samantha was but Colin wasn't.
* Mrs. Bradby, Mr. Lamb's landlady in ''Radio/TheMenFromTheMinistry'' is often mentioned in great detail, but never actually appears in the show.
** There's also Mr. Rudge and Fatty Scott, two civil servants who are often subjects of various [[NoodleIncident Noodle Incidents]].
* Sir Harold Dixon in season one of ''Radio/AbsolutePower'', who has employed Prentice [=McCabe=] for unspecified reasons which Martin has studiously avoided doing anything about, and who he therefore refuses to take phone calls from. In the last episode of the season, Sandy briefly works for Sir Harold, but he still never actually appears.

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/WaitingForGodot''; It's not a spoiler to say that [[ItWasHisSled he never shows up]].
** The first exchange of words in the play imply that Gogo has slept in a ditch during the night, and Didi asks if "they" beat him. "Of course they did" is the answer. Who or what "they" are is never explained or elaborated further. They also never show up.
* For ''Theatre/TheGlassMenagerie'', Tom and Laura's father is frequently mentioned, but never seen. His ''absence,'' in fact, leaves a greater impact on all their lives than his presence likely would have.
* OlderThanSteam: Creator/WilliamShakespeare does these all the time.
** In the beginning of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', Romeo spends his time indulging in {{Wangst}} over his former flame Rosaline. She never appears in the play, and Romeo quickly turns his sights on Juliet. Mercutio's brother Valentine is included with Mercutio in the invitation to the Capulet ball, but never appears or gets a second mention.
** In ''Theatre/TheTempest'', the witch Sycorax is the island's original owner. She is mentioned many times throughout the play, but has died before the play begins.
** In Act I Scene III of ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'', two characters are mentioned as though significant, but never introduced or mentioned again (this has naturally baffled many scholars). The characters' names are "Signior Angelo" and "Marcus Luccios."
** Princess Elizabeth of York in ''Theatre/RichardIII''.
** The infant [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Princess Elizabeth]] in ''Theatre/HenryVIII''.
** In ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'' the changeling boy, who causes the conflict between Titania and Oberon in the first place, never even appears on stage in the script. Some productions do have him appear, but obviously he doesn't get any lines.
** An unusual example in ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'': Innogen, Hero's mother, is mentioned twice in the stage directions when listing the characters who enter a scene, but never speaks and is never spoken of in the play itself. The film adaptation removed her entirely.
* None of the husbands ever appear in Clare Boothe's play ''Theatre/TheWomen'' or its black and white film adaptation (which had the TagLine "It's all about the men!").
* Lisa in ''Theatre/WaitUntilDark''.
* George Washington in ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix''. His 'presence' is limited to the letters he sends that Secretary Thomson reads aloud.
* Matthew Shepard in ''Theatre/TheLaramieProject'', as the play is all about the aftermath of his murder.
* Mr. Stroheim in Creator/NeilSimon's ''Brighton Beach Memoirs''.
* Babe's husband Zachary in ''Theatre/CrimesOfTheHeart''.
* Mary and the late Old Man Meeks from ''Theatre/TheForeigner'' both qualify.
* The unseen Mrs. Grundy, in Thomas Morton's ''Speed the Plough'' (1798), in which Dame Ashfield continually worries, "What ''will'' Mrs. Grundy say?" of each development. Since then, the term "Mrs. Grundy" has passed into everyday speech as the embodiment of [[MoralGuardians prudery and censorship]].
* ''Theatre/{{Arcadia}}'' has a bunch, the most prominent of which are Lord Byron and Mrs. Chater. There are several other characters who are mentioned repeatedly but never appear; this is somewhat inevitable given that the play takes place in a single room.
* The title character of the opera ''Theatre/TheConsul'', who appears only as a distant, inaudible shadow. As with [[Theatre/WaitingForGodot Godot]], the protagonist waits for him in vain.
* {{God}} in ''Theatre/JesusChristSuperstar'', although He is addressed - indeed, harangued - by Jesus in the scene at Gethsemane.
* In the one-woman show ''Music/TellMeOnASunday'', none of the people [[NoNameGiven the heroine]] interacts with (most notably her boyfriends) ever appear on stage. At the most, some productions might use photos to depict them - but this is done rarely.
* The person(s) operating the eponymous device and sending bizarre messages in [[Creator/HaroldPinter Harold Pinter's]] ''The Dumb Waiter''. It may be Wilson, the unseen superior of protagonists Gus and Ben, but this is never made clear.
* This is the main joke of Tom Jacobsen's ''Bunbury: [[Theatre/TheImportanceOfBeingEarnest A Serious Play for Trivial People]]''. It features-- you guessed it!-- Wilde's Bunbury and Shakespeare's Rosaline teaming up and roaming through the Western canon meeting or becoming other Ghosts or imagined characters and changing ends as they go. Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet gets a happy ending; we meet [[Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire Blanche DuBois's]] dead husband, [[Theatre/WhosAfraidOfVirginiaWoolf Martha's]] blond-eyed blue-haired son, and a whole slew of unseen characters from ''Theatre/ThreeSisters''; and Bunbury himself becomes or is mistaken for [[Theatre/WaitingForGodot Godot]].
* ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'': Act I Scene III: Cardenal Richelieu, [[TheManBehindTheMan the most powerful man in France]] arrives to the Burgundy Theater to a box with the bars in front… or at least the public [[ShowWithinAShow (in the play)]] murmurs it so, because he is never shown. Anyway, the simple rumor of his presence is enough to command respect from the public, impose silence, and even makes [[ScrewySquirrel the Pages]] behave. He will be mentioned again at Act IV, but never seen.
* Ted, Joanne's husband in ''Vanities'', whom she finds out has been cheating.
* Father Reilly in ''Theatre/ThePlayboyOfTheWesternWorld'' by John Millington Synge. Characters worry about how he will react to events, and relay conversations they've had with him since they last appeared onstage, but he himself is never seen.
* In ''Theatre/TheMoonIsBlue'', Cynthia, David's SouthernBelle daughter and Don's ex-girlfriend, never appears onstage, nor is her voice heard when she phones him; she does appear in the film version. Vicki, Patty's slightly older roommate, appears in neither play nor film.
* Lots of characters in ''Theatre/{{Betrayal}}'', since only three real characters actually appear onstage. The most important are Jerry's wife Judith, Emma's lover Casey, and all the children of the main couples.
* In ''Theatre/BellBookAndCandle'', [[GrandeDame Mrs. de Pass]] and [[DisposableFiancee Merle Kittredge]] are characters who figure in the plot but only appear in the film version.
* ''Theatre/PokemonLive'' has Ash's father and Professor Xalrons; both are mentioned but never seen.
* French play ''L'Arlésienne'' by Alphonse Daudet (adapted from one short story ''Letters From My Windmill''). Young man named Frederic falls in love in the titular girl from Arles who never appears nor [[NoNameGiven do we learn her name]]. He finds out that she has been unfaithful and decides to renonce the wedding. To please his parents, he tries to act happy and marries another girl but after a while unable to forget his first love, he kills himself by jumping off a balcony. In french "Arlésienne" is also the TropeNamer.
* The plot of ''Theatre/MissJulie'' revolves around the titular character's father, who is never seen but whose boots and gloves are on stage throughout the play.
* In ''Theatre/{{Follies}}'', Margie, Buddy's mistress, isn't invited to the reunion, but that doesn't stop Buddy from make-believe dancing with her in "The Right Girl." A ditz addressed as "Margie" does appear in "Buddy's Blues," but so does one named "Sally" who isn't played by the actual character.
* In ''Theatre/TheGreenPastures'', UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} doesn't appear, but is sighted offstage in the final scene carrying a cross up a hill.
* In ''Theatre/ThatChampionshipSeason'', the annual reunion of the Fillmore High 1952 Pennsylvania state basketball champions only includes four of the five winning players and their coach. The fifth player, the star of the team, is conspicuous by his absence; the reason, revealed near the end of the play, emphasises how rotten the foundation of overreliance on the coach's advice upon which the other players have built their lives really is.
* [[Creator/GilbertAndSullivan Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s operettas include several of these. For example, ''Theatre/TheGrandDuke'' has the awesome offstage character of Grand Duke Rudolph's private detective. When [[MilkmanConspiracy the regicidal theatrical conspirators]] accidentally confiding [[TakeOverTheCity their plot]] to their opponent's own detective, the detective was so overtaken with laughter that he doubled over in hysterics, and wasn't able to arrest the conspirator.
--> "This comes of engaging a detective with a keen sense of the ridiculous! For the future I'll [[NoSenseOfHumor employ none]] [[NationalStereotypes but Scotchmen]]."
* In Creator/LarryGelbart's ''Mastergate: A Play on Words'', the hearing's stated purpose is to find out "What did the President know, and does he have any idea that he knew it?" The President is constantly being referred to in the testimony of various government figures, but never makes an appearance himself.
* ''Theatre/SheLovesMe'' has Paul, the optometrist Miss Ritter falls for. She, Arpad and Sipos catch sight of him at the shop window on Christmas Eve, though he never actually appears on the scene. However, the original production did cast an actor as Paul (last in order of appearance on the cast list).
* Every character in ''Theatre/ShirleyValentine'' except Shirley herself, since it's a one-woman show.
* In ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'', there's two significant founding fathers missing from it:
** Creator/BenjaminFranklin, which was a deliberate move on Lin-Manuel Miranda's part: he had intended to have a song for Franklin, but found that the LargeHam Franklin would have taken over the musical, so chose to cut him.
** UsefulNotes/JohnAdams, despite having a song named for his presidency. Miranda stated in an interview he figured everyone would have just pictured Adams as played by Creator/WilliamDaniels in ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix'' anyway, so he could get away with making Adams The Ghost.
* In Theatre/{{Rent}}:
** We never see or hear Benny's wife, Alison "Muffy" Grey, even though she's referenced several times, spoken to on the phone, and her father is seen in Life Cafe with Benny during "La Vie Boheme".
** Maureen spends the majority of Act I as The Ghost; talked about often but never seen (save a 10-second cameo as TheFaceless in the musical's titular number), until she makes her BigEntrance at the end of "Christmas Bells". Averted in the film, when she makes an appearance during "Tango Maureen".
* General La Marque of ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' is never seen on-stage, only mentioned (primarily by Enjolras), even though his death is what propels the June Rebellion plot following the second time skip. He is similarly not seen in the 2012 film, but his funeral procession becomes the main rallying point for the revolutionaries, and his hearse the base for one of the barricades (but not the one most of the second act's action centers around).
* ''Theatre/BostonMarriage'' revolves around best friends Anna and Claire, and the stresses put on their relationship when Anna gets a sugar daddy and Claire gets a girlfriend. Their respective paramours influence the plot but never appear onstage. Claire's girlfriend at one point makes it to the next room, where Anna can be heard welcoming her, but she doesn't come into the room in which the play takes place, and her response to the welcome is inaudible.
* ''Theatre/SummerOfTheSeventeenthDoll'' revolves around four friends, Olive, Nancy, Barney, and Roo. Nancy never appears, and her absence overshadows the events to the point that she's effectively a PosthumousCharacter, except that instead of dying she got married.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theme Parks]]
* In the current version of ''Ride/TheIncredibleHulkCoaster'' at [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal's Islands of Adventure]], Thunderbolt Ross makes no actual appearance in the ride, only being alluded to. This is an especially bizarre instance of this trope, as Ross is the character that the storyline centers around.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/BendyAndTheInkMachine'':
** Grant Cohen has left at least one audio log and is important enough for his office to appear in the game, but he himself hasn't.
** Henry's body is deliberately left completely off-screen at all times. Not even his arms are shown when handling objects.
** Although Wally Franks has left useful clues for puzzles in the studio, he has yet to appear in-person.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Zork}}'' games, whenever the lights go out you are warned that you might be eaten by a grue. Although you never see what a grue actually looks like (and in fact no one alive has ''ever'' seen one), if you stay in the dark for too long (2-3 turns) you will, invariably, be eaten by one.
** Not only that, but the fact that they eat careless wanderers is literally the ''only'' thing anyone knows about them. Where did they come from? Why are they afraid of light? Are they natural creatures? How do they enter spaces like attics which are completely surrounded by lit areas? How do they reproduce? How do they get adequate ''water''? How did they avoid falling into those bottomless pits that were all over the place until very recently? If Infocom has the answers, they're not interested in sharing them.
** In ''VideoGame/ZorkZero'', it's slightly averted as you have to play a card game against the Jester, one of the cards is a the "Grue" card, and shows nothing but ominous glowing eyes.
** In ''VideoGame/ZorkGrandInquisitor'', you actually hear it. At the start of the game, if you go down the well without the Lantern, you do not get a warning of the Grue. But wait long enough, you hear a slobbering, chewing, gnawing and then belch. The death text playfully criticizes you for not expecting it. "Going into a dark area in a Zork game? What were you thinking?!"
* Ellis' good buddy Keith of ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'', who must look like a pile of ground hamburger given the outrageous stories he shares at inopportune times.
** Oddly, characters like Keith have small, but dedicated fan-followings and {{Rule 34}} dedicated to them, based entirely on {{Fanon}} speculations of {{backstory}} and appearance, none of which is backed up in-game.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** The Batarians in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' are referenced numerous times in text and dialog, but, are never actually seen in the game. A DLC module, ''Bring Down the Sky'' later adds them to a single mission. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' they appear as often as the other major races.
** The Shadow Broker was the Ghost for some time, until the aptly named DLC ''Lair of the Shadow Broker''. He's also a Ghost in-universe, as nobody has ever seen him or talked to him in person. [[spoiler:Turns out the one in the game is not the first one, or the last. Since nobody ever sees or hears him, everyone who can hack into his private terminal can become the new Shadow Broker, with none of the hundreds or even thousands of agents and informants being the wiser.]]
** Many of the characters and races from the Cerberus Daily News "reports" are considered to be ghosts. The only one who ever showed up on screen was Tela Vasir, while two turians from a long-running storyline were briefly mentioned - but not seen - in the aforementioned DLC.
* The Sign Painter of ''VideoGame/WorldOfGoo'' is only known to exist based on his or her messages left on various... signs. In the final level, the Sign Painter is supposedly there [[spoiler:at the telescope]], but nothing can be seen of him [[spoiler:but his eye]].
* ''VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy'' has Takeshi Daidouji, the ill and bedridden father of the game's DamselInDistress. He is only mentioned by his brother and [[OldRetainer butler]], and never seen.
* The "Rat Man" from ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', of whom you find only stashes, hidden cubby-holes, and scrawled graffiti that either gives you hints, slightly illuminates the plot, gives you an insight into his [[SanitySlippage increasing insanity]], or all of the above. Until the ''Lab Rat'' digital comic, that is, which completely centers around him and gives more insight into his {{backstory}}. His name is Doug Rattmann, and his schizophrenia actually helped him escape [=GLaDOS=] - he always suspected she'd try to kill them, so when she did, [[CrazyPrepared he was prepared]]. His scrawlings serve as art therapy, and his only companion is the "spirit" (really a hallucinated voice) of his "dead" [[CompanionCube Weighted Companion Cube]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}: Tale of the Forsaken Land'' features 'The Great Warrior Otto' who leaves many rather helpful messages throughout the dungeon in poor handwriting, but you never actually meet him.
* The ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' games:
** The Night Gaunts, who were never seen but supposedly might kill you. Oh, they ''will'' kill you, but you [[NightmareFuel still won't see them]]. '''''Don't sleep in the forest!'''''
** Though we do get an image of them on the death screen. They seem to resemble [[LordOfTheRings RingWraiths]]
** The sorceress Erana is a more prominent example. She didn't appear at all for the first three games, but the player could find various sanctuaries created and protected by her magic. In the fourth game, when she finally makes a direct appearance, the player finds out that [[spoiler: she's been dead for a long time, but is able to communicate with her spirit and help her find peace in death]], and in the fifth game [[spoiler: the player has the option to resurrect and marry her depending on their class.]]
%%** The Purple Giraffes in VideoGame/QuestForGloryIII.
* King Minos is the villain of ''VideoGame/TheLabyrinthOfTime'', but the most you actually hear about him comes from a computer message left by a future librarian.
* According to the {{backstory}} of ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaJudgment'', the entity responsible for sending the Time Reaper back in time [[MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight to change history]] is Galamoth, better known as the main villain of ''VideoGame/KidDracula'' and the BonusBoss in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Symphony of the Night]]''. He never appears in the game, and aside from one of the Time Reaper's death screams, his identity is never revealed.
* Phoenix Wright is this in ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth'', or almost - He can be seen rowing just off the bridge in the third case, along with Maya and Pearl. He makes a similar cameo in the game's sequel.
* In the ''VideoGame/NancyDrew'' game series, a minor character named Sonny Joon is used as TheUnseen in a RunningGag, as Nancy keeps finding out he'd just been working, living, or visiting whichever place she's solving a mystery today. Sonny has never been seen or even heard on the telephone, but his habit of leaving notes and doodles everywhere means that a fair bit is known about him.
* Vercci from the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' -- he's involved in both the stories of Voldo and Cervantes and by accounts is pretty important in the story. He may have been intended to be a guest character in Soul Blade, but he never made it.
* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' has several of these, such as Youmu's former instructor Youki, Byakuren's Dead Little Brother Myouren, Marisa's unnamed father, the immortal lunar goddess Chang'e, and the Dragon, [[InformedAttribute the single most powerful being in Gensokyo]].
* ''[[VideoGame/TheBizarreAdventuresOfWoodruffAndTheSchnibble Woodruff and The Schnibble of Azimuth]]'' has the eponymous Schnibble, the savior of the city, who everybody the player meets says is just around the corner. Near the end, it's revealed that [[spoiler: the Schnibble was a fictional person invented by Professor Azimuth to give the people hope, and inspire people to action, helping the less fortunate. Since the player has done exactly that, he has effectively become the Schnibble.]]
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' plays with this trope in regard to its BigBad, Xehanort:
** The apprentice of [[BigGood Ansem the Wise]], Xehanort, is responsible for the creation of TheHeartless and almost everything bad that happens to the protagonists across the franchise, but only appears in the flesh in a few brief cutscenes and a single portrait. Instead, his [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts heartless]], [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII nobody]] and [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep original self]] play the role of BigBad in the games themselves.
** In the original ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts'', the heroes are searching for Ansem ({{retcon}}ned into Xehanort ''calling'' himself Ansem), who created the Heartless. He remains The Ghost until the end of the game when [[spoiler: he is revealed to have become a Heartless himself, and has been TheManBehindTheMan to [[Disney/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]] all along]].
** This also applies for certain Disney characters. [[Disney/{{Hercules}} Zeus]], [[Disney/{{Aladdin}} The Sultan]], and many others are mentioned, but never appear in the game. Subverted in that we've already seen them in their source material
* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'':
** In the Artorias of the Abyss DLC, you travel back in time and can personally meet the other three knights (and even kill them). Nothing of the Furtive Pygmy, though. [[spoiler: Although it's implied that he became Manus, Father of the Abyss and BigBad of the DLC.]]
** On a similar note, several of the mentioned gods, kings, and warriors, such as Velka and Allfather Lloyd [[spoiler: and technically Gwynevere, as the one you see in Anor Londo is an illusion by her brother.]]
* Tachibana Muneshige from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' has a frightening and bad-tempered wife (for some reason he loves her dearly) who is constantly mentioned during his InnerMonologue and his letters, but never anywhere else. The reason she's absent is because she grew tired of their lord's religious fanaticism and took off. Historically her name was Ginchiyo, but Muneshige always calls her "[[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep my wife]]".
* Ulysses acts as this in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''. When you first hear about him, you never even learn his name, he just sounds like some guy that used to know the Courier somehow. Throughout the game and the various DLC's we slowly hear more and more about him but never see or hear him while everything is built up about how the final battle between him and the Courier will essentially change the fates of ''everyone''. He's finally revealed in the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC which is all about the final confrontation between him and the Courier.
* Neo is mentioned numerous times in ''VideoGame/EnterTheMatrix'', but only appears once, in a film clip of him saving Morpheus and the Keymaker. Interestingly, he is seemingly aware of your existence, as Trinity passes a message from him to you in the hacking minigame.
* Ultimately averted twice in excellent fashion in ''VideoGame/CaveStory.'' After Grasstown/Bushlands, Jack, if you talk to him, will tell you about how [[PosthumousCharacter Arthur]] drove away a red demon. Later, after defeating the Core, you're told about [[spoiler: Jenka, a woman met earlier in the Sand Zone, having a younger brother named Ballos.]] If you don't get the [[spoiler: Booster 2.0]], both of these people will never be seen. If you at least get [[spoiler: the Booster 2.0]], you'll be able to finish what Arthur started and fight the Red Demon/Ogre. If you go for the True Ending, which requires a second item in addition to the spoiler-covered item, [[spoiler: then you learn more of Ballos's backstory. The second through fifth parts of the True Final Boss battle is against Ballos, the man who created the Demon Crown.]]
* In the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series through the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series, the ''human race as a whole'' becomes this. Besides Doctors Light[[note]]An exception[[/note]], Cain[[note]]Who becomes the ghost in ''VideoGame/MegaManX4''[[/note]], Wily[[note]]the ghost for most of the ''X'' series, outside of Zero's dreams[[/note]], [[spoiler:[[BigBad Weil]]]] and the [[BigGood scientist Ciel]], no humans have any appearance. They are repeatedly mentioned as whole throughout both series, but none make an appearance unless they are the aforementioned main characters. ''Mega Man Zero 4'' finally breaks this to a degree by introducing an entire convoy of humans fleeing from Neo Arcadia and showcasing just how bitter and distrustful of reploids they've become after the ravaging of the entire planet during the Maverick and Elf Wars.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** The Pokémon Mansion journals in ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' tell of a scientist discovering a new Pokémon, naming it "Mew", and creating Mewtwo using its DNA. Nowhere outside of these will you find Mew or anyone who knows of it, GoodBadBugs nowithstanding. Notably, while Mew ''is'' in the game as a SecretCharacter, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen it wasn't intended to be]]; it was only added to the game two weeks before release when the removal of development tools left enough space for one more Pokémon species.
** Hilbert or Hilda, the main protagonists of ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite,'' become this in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2''. They are mentioned by numerous [=NPCs=] across the game, and are even talked about by their names if Memory Link is activated. There's even a random Trainer in Victory Road who fought against them in the first games that ponder on where they are now. Their mother says that they took their respective dragon and went off to search for N.
* In ''{{VideoGame/Fable II}}'' there is Nicky "the Nickname" Chalmers, who appears to be a crimelord in Bowerstone oldtown, occasionally mentioned by Afur, but never seen ingame.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' games:
** There is an ancient hero named Hikusaak who is supposed to be ageless. Although he/she has been mentioned in most of the games, they have never been seen. It is unknown if Hikusaak is still alive during any of the games, no one even knows Hikusaak's gender.
** Another notable character is Schtolteheim Reinbach III, who was mentioned in the early games but finally appears in ''VideoGame/SuikodenIV''.
* VideoGame/PajamaSam mentions his big brother Mark sometimes, but with the exception of his mom (who is TheFaceless), we never see any members of his family.
* Mental, the EvilOverlord and BigBad of the ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' games, has never been seen or in ''over ten'' years of existance of the franchise. Technically, he ''has'' been heard, but at best he'll only get at least one or two [[TheUnintelligible incomprehensible]] lines at the end of the game.
* ''VideoGame/NewSuperLuigiU'' does this with [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]], as he is replaced in multiplayer by Nabbit, and his cap rests where he normally would be in the opening cutscene. [[spoiler:Also, the M blocks that appear after beating the game that restore normal physics to Luigi.]]
* An unseen sharpshooter helps out the VideoGame/DuckHunt team in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''. His hand, armed with the NES Zapper, is the only thing seen of him in the trailer. But during the actual game, he never makes an appearance, and if one is playing the European version of the game, one might not even be aware he's there at all![[note]]This is because the characters are known as "Duck Hunt Duo" in this version, and their trophy descriptions make no mention of there ever being anyone there alongside the dog and the duck.[[/note]]
* King Taskan II in ''VideoGame/HypeTheTimeQuest'' is often referenced by the characters and is arguably one of the characters that helped Hype to get back to his own time the most (by finding the Lost City and entrusting a map to guide him there to Hype's allies), but he is never encountered in-game as he is away from Torras when Hype visits Torras during his reign.
* ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' has Tom, a second DJ for the Creator/AdultSwim-themed radio station, alongside Jon from ''Series/{{Delocated}}''. We never hear what he says, but thanks to Jon [[RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear repeating what he apparently says and describing what he does]], we can tell he's... [[TheMentallyDisturbed a bit off his rocker]].
* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'':
** Until the [=iOS=] game, ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamUnderworld'', [[TheDon Carmine Falcone]] was this, he never put in a physical appearance until ''Underworld'' (in part in ''City'' and ''Knight'' due to Hugo Strange forcing him out of the city, according to the [[AllThereInTheManual Arkham City Stories]]). According to [[AllThereInTheManual the interview tapes]] in ''Arkham City'', he's the one who caused Harvey Dent to become Two-Face ([[CompositeCharacter taking Sal Maroni's role]]) and was the true power [[AdaptationOriginConnection behind the Red Hood Gang that'd spawn the future Joker]], as well as one of his businesses, Falcone Shipping, being seen in the Joker's turf and a SequelHook to ''Arkham Knight''. In ''Origins'', the Penguin tries to use [[ComicBook/TheLongHalloween his son, Alberto,]] to force Falcone out of the weapons business and in ''Knight'', there's another Falcone warehouse.
** Likewise, while stuff tied to other villains appear, including Maxie Zeus's cell and a business he owns, the Ratcatcher's equipment, the Joker using the Ventriloquist's Scarface dummy, Count Vertigo and Toyman's cells, and some of the body parts the Great White Shark lost, they themselves don't appear in the games.
* Admiral Mattius Drake in ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' is the [[RebelLeader leader]] of the [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters New Colonial Alliance]], founding the group while he was [[TheMole still a high-ranking UNSC admiral]], with his true colors only being revealed after [[ComicBook/HaloInitiation some members of an NCA cell trying to steal the]] UNSC ''[[TheBattlestar Infinity]]'' were captured. Drake is currently in hiding, and while the NCA has involved in a number of incidents since, with Drake himself being mentioned multiple times, he has still not made a direct appearance so far.
* ''VideoGame/TheTalosPrinciple'': Elohim, the Milton Library Assistant (unless you consider the library terminals to be the latter's “body”), and all the robots that painted the QR codes (excepting yourself [[spoiler:and, if you chose the Ascension ending, Samsara and The Shepherd]]).
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
** Several races are mentioned in the series' backstory and lore but have not yet been seen in-game in the main series. These include the Imga (intelligent ape men) of Valenwood, all of the races of [[{{Wutai}} Akavir]] (the [[SnakePeople Tsaesci]], the [[CatFolk Ka Po' Tun]], the [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys Tang Mo]], and the [[EvilIsDeathlyCold Kamal]]) as well as the [[OurElvesAreBetter Maormer (Sea Elves)]], though they do finally make an appearance in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline Online]]''. Likewise, the Sload (slug-men) of Thras have so far only appeared in the ''Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard'' spin-off game but are still mentioned in the other games.
** While the [[CatFolk Khajiit]] are known to have at least 17 distinct sub-species, only two have actually been seen in the main series games to date - the [[LittleBitBeastly Ohmes/Ohmes-raht]] (''Arena'' and ''Daggerfall'') and [[PettingZooPeople Suthay/Suthay-raht]] (''Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Online''). However, the ''Legends'' digital card battle game shows the Cathay-raht ("Jaguar Men"), Dagi-raht (a smaller sub-breed with an affinity for climbing trees and using magic), and Pahmar-raht ("Tiger Men" and the largest bi-pedal sub-species).
** The Ideal Masters are immortal beings who [[WasOnceAMan were once powerful mortal sorcerers]] during the Merethic Era. After finding their mortal forms to be too weak and limiting, they entered Oblivion as [[EnergyBeing beings of pure energy]] and settled an area of "chaotic creatia", forming the [[YourSoulIsMine Soul Cairn]]. The Ideal Masters have never actually been seen, though they will use gem forms to communicate with mortals (as well as capture their souls).
** Tiber Septim, the [[FounderOfTheKingdom founder]] of the Third Tamriellic Empire who [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascended after his death]] as [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Talos]], the Ninth Divine, is an extremely influence PosthumousCharacter in the series. Even in the only game which takes place during his lifetime, the spin-off game ''Redguard'', he does not make an appearance.
** [[TheEmperor Emperor]] [[TheGoodKing Uriel Septim VII]] is one in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]''. He is mentioned frequently and is the impetus for the game's plot, sending [[PlayerCharacter the Nerevarine]] to Morrowind, but does not appear himself.
** Unless one [[spoiler:follows the Dark Brotherhood questline to its conclusion]], Emperor Titus Mede II is mentioned but never seen in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]''.
* The Hero of Ferelden has become this in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition''. They get mentioned by several characters, most particularly Leliana; statues erected in their honor are found in Redcliffe Village and Halamshiral Palace; and one late-game war room mission enables the Inquisitor to receive a letter from them. But at no time do they actually appear.
* Captain John Alder, the captain of the ''Retribution'' in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyInfiniteWarfare'', is talked about several times in the first two missions. [[spoiler:The one time he appears, he's already dead and in a body bag.]]
* In ''VideoGame/TheSpectrumRetreat'', everybody except for you, the manager and Cooper are ghosts, as you only get to hear some of them in brief, cutscene-less flashbacks or read their text logs.
* Mr. Grizz, the owner of Grizzco in ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' is never seen, unlike the other shopkeepers in the game. He communicates entirely through a speaker attached to a wooden bear carving, and even then WordOfGod implies his dialogue may actually be pre-recorded.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* Kako in ''VisualNovel/AProfile'' never makes it onscreen, though she does have a line or two. Maybe. She sounds exactly the same as her sister, you see. Apparently, by the end, even Masayuki has never met her.
* In ''VisualNovel/SayaNoUta'', Doctor Masahiko Ogai, Saya's "father", never appears in the story because [[spoiler:he's DeadAllAlong]].
* There are multiple cases in ''VisualNovel/ShikkokuNoSharnoth''. The most obvious being that Watson, Mycroft Holmes, Queen Victoria and Moriarty. [[spoiler:Except that in the end it's revealed that Moriarty was the old professor that everyone has been meeting and who may or may not be the BigBad, depending on how you look at it.]]
* [[VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry Asumu Ushiromiya]], Battler's [[spoiler:[[SwitchedAtBirth not quite]]]] mother, is often talked about but she is never shown, not even in flashbacks.
%%* Akira's unnamed boyfriend in ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'':
** Strong Badman is created when Strong Bad gets an e-mail from one "Stiny". Within the email, and in several future Strong Badman appearances, Strong Bad imagines Stiny being Strong Badman's sidekick, who he constantly shouts orders or insults toward, but he never appears.
** The Strong brothers' parents have been mentioned a few times, including an old birthday card that their mother made Strong Bad write for Strong Sad (the only physical evidence). We never see either, and in fact the Brothers Chaps themselves stated point-blank that they had '''no''' interest in resolving the mystery. ("Nice try, dodongo!")
* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Only a portion of Slima, as Jell-O of all things, has been shown in the series proper.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/AbeKroenen'' has this happen a lot, often with female characters like Ilsa or Liz (until recently). This is not so much because of gender bias in the comic as it is the fact that it's a Toy Comic and the Hellboy merchandising brigade is less than helpful.
* In the fan comic ''Webcomic/DokiDokiLiteratureGirls'', the player is absent, having previously deleted Monika after her HostileShowTakeover. As such, teh player is mentioned in passing, but plays no important role in the comic.
%%* Blossom's friends Bert and Hilda in ''Webcomic/{{Rhapsodies}}''
* All of the characters from ''Webcomic/DinosaurComics'' that aren't the main characters, bar maybe the flea that lives on the end of T-Rex's nose, but he's so small you can't see him.
%%* Frank's sister in ''Webcomic/FullFrontalNerdity''.
%%* Old Cobbley from ''[[http://www.agameoffools.com A Game of Fools]]''.
%%* Skibble in ''Webcomic/TheMansionOfE''.
* ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' has Bob's neighbors [[Radio/BobAndRay Ray]] and Mr. Fluffinougat; the Spitoonellis, named Film/HaroldAndMaude; and Voluptua's dad the Nemesite Emperor.
* ''Webcomic/FarOutThere'' had Tabitha's Mother in [[http://faroutthere.smackjeeves.com/comics/1090127/page-297-as-far-as-she-knows-we-just-came-home-early/ this]] [[http://faroutthere.smackjeeves.com/comics/1090325/happy-non-fatal-thanksgiving/ role]] before eventually upgrading her to TheVoice.
* ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'': King Zahard, the ruler of the Tower. Furthermore the [[TheDreaded Irregulars]] Phantaminum, and Enryu. And finally the Director of the 2nd Floor, Evankell.
* Invoked by WordOfGod in ''Webcomic/AliceAndTheNightmare'' when it comes to President Spade.
-->''President Spade is usually cooped up in his office and only makes brief appearances as formalities, but otherwise he's a rarely-seen dude.''
* Webcomic/{{Precocious}} has Ursula's parents. We know more about what their car looks like and that hasn't been shown either.
* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': Ensi Hotakainen, the grandmother to main characters Onni, Tuuri and Lalli. She's mentioned to have been the magic teacher to Lalli in his younger years. She's also mentioned to have made a mistake that apparently had dire consequences, that included Onni getting a PromotionToParent at sixteen, and all three of them leaving their hometown to go live in a military base when Tuuri was ten and Lalli eight. Ensi also stands out as being TheConstant, as the only character to make an appearance of sorts in both the DistantPrologue (as a pronounced baby bump) and the main story (via being mentioned by her grandchildren). The comment on a blog post illustration of her mentions that she was drawn in her forties rather than as a ninety year old (which is the exact number of years separating the main story form the DistantPrologue), which implies that she is still alive. She's finally shown via flash-back in Chapter 15.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In both of Creator/MikeDuncan's podcasts, ''Podcast/TheHistoryOfRome'' and ''Podcast/{{Revolutions}}'', Duncan occasionally mentions his wife Brandi, but she never actually shows up in the podcast (well, ''nobody'' except for Duncan ever shows up, actually). He never mentions his wife by name, either, instead referring to her as "Mrs. ''The History of Rome''" or "Mrs. ''Revolutions''" (as the case may be). His children get the same treatment; his son is consistently called "the boy" and nothing else.
* In ''Podcast/EOS10'', the plastic surgeon Dr Osolong is mentioned in one of the very first episodes and a constant subject of conversation. Two season in and he has yet to make a single actual appearance.
* ''WebVideo/{{Aaron}}'':
** Adam's girlfriend Arianna is an entirely offscreen character, but functions as a presence. Pictures of her are seen towards the end.
** The boys' mother doesn't appear either, but she does phone Chris at some point.
* Karlova, is she a real person or does [[AitorMolinaVs Aitor Molina]] love the caramel vodka too much?
* Edward James Olmos in the ''WebVideo/LoadingReadyRun'' videos, who is mentioned all the time but is never seen. Possibly because it's a small production in ''Victoria, BC,'' and he's '''Edward James Olmos'''.
* [=OpAphid=], Tachyon and Brother in ''WebVideo/Lonelygirl15'' are implied to be present in several scenes, but never shown. [=OpAphid=] and Tachyon do appear onscreen in their own series, however. Additionally, a character named Cassie is mentioned in several episodes, but never appears. She did spawn a series of EpilepticTrees theories, however.
* ''WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment'': Dr. Insano's nurse is often referred to (and even threatened to be killed) but is never actually seen or heard from by the audience.
* Dr. Kyle from ''[[Roleplay/DarwinsSoldiers Darwin's Soldiers'']] has been mentioned in every RP but has never been seen.
* ''Creator/{{Tobuscus}}'': Toby Turner's possibly fictional partner Steven.
* In the ''Film/{{Downfall}}'' [[MemeticMutation Parodies]] on Website/YouTube:
** There are a few characters who serve this role (mainly ones who were mentioned in ''Downfall'' but never seen). The most frequently mentioned character is Steiner, who is often responsible for providing Hitler's generals with bad news (resulting in a lengthy rant from Hitler) and is often involved with his latest plan in some manner. Also Wenck to a lesser extent, although his name is frequently mistranslated as "fine".
** Fegelin serves as this to a lesser degree. There are ''some'' videos where he appears, but most of them uses him as an unseen nemesis for Hitler. There's one video where he ''finally'' arrives in Hitler's office and Hitler at last gets the chance to talk to him, [[spoiler: although Hitler forgets what he wanted to talk about.]]
* Stan, the camera man from WebVideo/CrashCourse. John assures us that he really does exist.
* On WebVideo/VlogBrothers, Sarah Urist Green, Creator/{{John|Green}}'s wife, was often referred to but has yet to appear in person. In an early video, John Green referred to her as "the Yeti", because she was an important part of vlogbrothers "folklore" but was never seen, and the name stuck.
* All characters in ''WebVideo/PittsburghDad'', save for the title character, are neither seen nor heard, but only reacted to.
* Amir's dad in ''WebVideo/JakeAndAmir''. "Mickey, my friend!"
* Cazo! was this for WebVideo/TheSharkasmCrew before finally showing up at Paranormal Activity X.
* Cecil Trachenburg from Webvideo/GoodBadFlicks hosts his show without a face.
* The hosts of ''LetsPlay/AnalogControl'' occasionally refer to someone named "Mark", who is their cameraman, and less frequently to "Mike" who is their sound guy. [[spoiler: "Mark" is actually the phrase their recording VHS flashes just before recording starts, while "Mike" refers to their microphone.]]
* Website/CollegeHumor: In the video [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN7C_tE8H_A "The Six Monsters You'll Have As Roommates"]], "The Ghost" is both a figurative and literal example. He's a roommate who you never see because he's always out or going around unnoticed, to the point that you start to doubt that he even exists.
* WebVideo/JesuOtaku became one of these retroactively on ''WebVideo/WhatTheFuckIsWrongWithYou'' after his and Nash's breakup. [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes None of the episodes]] featuring him were uploaded to Website/YouTube after Blip went down, leaving only references and two off-screen lines of dialogue in "Everything Must Be Flapping".
* ''WebVideo/{{Petscop}}'': Michael Hammond and Tiara, unlike Care (who has several depictions of her in-game).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
** Fire Lord Sozin, the Fire Lord who started the war was initially this, but he made later made an appearance in a season 3 backstory episode
** Aang's old friend Kuzon was another example until he appeared in the comicbook "Dragon Days".
* ''WesternAnimation/TheTrapDoor'' has 'Im Upstairs who is the patron saint of this trope. Spoken about often, shouts from upstairs... Until he appears in one episode as an EldritchAbomination.
* Several examples in ''WesternAnimation/{{Reboot}}'':
** The Users only appear as the {{Player Character}}s in games -- though the User's (slow) keystrokes are heard during [[spoiler:the system restore]].
** Mouse was a Ghost for a few episodes after first being mentioned.
** Al of Al's Diner appears on-screen all of once, in "The Great Brain Robbery" -- completely tied up in rope except for his feet. All the viewer can deduce from this is that he's a "one" binome. The rest of the time Al is TheVoice - a voice that only ever says "WHAT?!"
%%* Chloe Montez, ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders''.
* The parents, Eddy's brother, and Rolf's Nana on ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy''. In fact, everyone outside of the core characters. [[spoiler:Eddy's brother]] finally showed up in TheMovie.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'':
** Principal Buttsavitch. Doug never met the principal in the original series (nor did the audience ever see him), and spent most of the series finale trying to find out what he looked like. (The Disney version had ex-Mayor White serve as principal, and he appeared on camera frequently.)
** Skunky Beaumont. Often spoken about, never seen, he eventually had one line in one episode. Doug walks by the guidance office and says hi to him, and he replies "Hey Doug". In the Disney series, he made his first on-screen appearance in an early episode and remained a recurring character throughout.
* Randy Beaman on ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'', who is always being talked about by his friend (originally listed in the credits as Colin, later Randy Beaman's Friend) as the "Friend of a Friend" in some bizarre urban legend (one example being the infamous Pop Rocks/Soda one). May also be an example of SecondHandStorytelling.
* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' had Dr. Slug, who is reputed as being Darkwing's archenemy as well as the #1 most wanted criminal in St. Canard. Despite this, we never actually see him (with one exception) or know anything about him; the only times he is mentioned is when other villains bring him up, usually to admire his (always unspecified) villainous deeds, sadly wish they could be more like him, or (in Negaduck's case) grouse about being bumped down to #2 criminal. Eventually this was lampshaded by having Dr. Slug actually show up at the start of an episode, only to have Darkwing pause the action two seconds in, and then inform the viewer that they weren't going to show that story and proceed to tell an entirely unrelated one.
* Colonel K's secretary, Miss Boathook, in ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse''.
* Von Goosewing's assistant, Heinrich, in ''WesternAnimation/CountDuckula''. It is entirely possible that Heinrich has, in fact, quit and that Von Goosewing has just failed to notice his absence. There's also the castle werewolf Towser, whom Duckula himself believes doesn't exist (mostly due to Igor hiding the werewolf's existence from him).
* The oft-randomly-mentioned Muffy Jenkins of ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor''. In "Operation: MESSAGE" we actually ''do'' see Muffy at the end of the episode, receiving a message Numbuh 2 spent the whole episode trying to deliver to her at lunch. The note mentions the [[OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness Splinter Cell]], the main focus of season six...which Muffy had nothing to do with.
* Mateo, the bus driver, from ''EllensAcres''. Ellen waves goodbye to him at the start of every episode, but we never actually see him.
* Moltar's beloved wife Linda on ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast''.
* Gazpacho's mother in ''WesternAnimation/{{Chowder}}''. In one episode, it is revealed that [[spoiler: Gazpacho is ''his own mother'']]. But that wasn't real. ''[[spoiler: OR WAS IT?]]''
* Trudy Beekman, Mallory Archer's nemesis on ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}''. [[ThinkingOutLoud "MEH MEH MEH, I'm Trudy Beekman. I'm on the co-op board and I'm going on a blimp! MEHHH!"]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'''s moms, they are implied to live with them and they sometimes talk about them or call out to them but they are never seen. In a book, "This Book Sucks", they shown pictures of them in a Family Tree page. Beavis's mom looks like a female version of Butthead and visa-versa.
* {{Lampshaded}} with boarder Mr. Smith on ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold''. An entire episode was dedicated to Arnold and Gerald trying to track him down to deliver a package (apparently they had never seen him either). Of course, they were unsuccessful in their attempts.
* Sandy Plankton in ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' is considered among his classmates to be the purveyor of great knowledge. His fun facts are ''almost'' right. He and the information he shares are only mentioned as he is never shown, probably considering he is "plankton" and it might require a microscope to see him.
* Spinelli's older brothers, Joey and Vito, from ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}''. T.J.'s older sister, Becky, started out as one of these, but then made her physical appearance in ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut''
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** Starswirl the Bearded is a powerful unicorn wizard who lived at least one thousand years ago.[[note]] [[GodEmperor Princess]] [[TheSacredDarkness Luna]] knew him well enough to be able to praise the accuracy of a modern-day costume, and she just finished spending the past millenium [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away in the moon]].[[/note]] He's been referenced in no less fewer five episodes, but never actually seen, even in a flashback. All we know of what he may have looked like comes from [[RobeAndWizardHat Twilight's costume for Nightmare Night]] and an [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd artistic travelling exhibition poster]]. He does appear on-screen during flashbacks in one arc of the [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW comic series]], however. [[spoiler: He finally makes an appearance in the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E25ShadowPlayPart1 Season 7]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E26ShadowPlayPart2 finale]].]]
** [[spoiler: AJ's, Apple Bloom's, and Big Mac's Parents]] are this in the Season 5 episode "Crusaders of the Lost Mark". [[spoiler:After spending the past five seasons with their whereabouts left completely ambiguous and facing numerous questions of whether or not they actually existed, turns out, they did. Where they are now, is still up in the air.]] The Season 7 episode "The Perfect Pear" [[spoiler:explores their backstory and drops an ambiguous, but [[NeverSayDie still subtle]] hint as to where they are. They really ''did'' exist, but are basically [[MyParentsAreDead dead]], or at least not in the world anymore]].
* Leela from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' periodically mentions relationship troubles she has with one of her unseen boyfriends (later ex-boyfriend) Sean. He eventually makes a full appearance in season 7, though.
* On ''Literature/{{Franklin}}'', Great Aunt Harriet is this. She's very important as she's known for giving great presents and serves as the inspiration for the name of the title character's little sister. Additionally, in the ''Franklin and Friends'' special "Polar Explorer," she provides a navigation bar that leads Franklin and his parents on an adventure to the North and South Poles. Despite all of this, she is never seen, even in pictures.
* In ''WesternAnimation/LeagueOfSuperEvil'' we have Voltar's ArchNemesis "Steve" a mild mannered yet seemingly crabby/annoyed neighbour. Whose catchphrase is "I DON'T CARE" when Voltar brags about his plans to humiliate him. We do see him in one episode, but we only see him with a bucket that fell his head as he walked around dazed.
* The General on ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'' was always heard in inaudible gibberish (his name in a comic book story was in fact General Gibberish) but was never seen on the show.
* ''WesternAnimation/BewareTheBatman'' features The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot as this. We see characters talk about him, and he is mentioned in newspapers and news casts, but is never seen. The closest we see of him is a detailed police sketch of him as a FreezeFrameBonus. However, considering the show foreshadowed characters like Tobias Whale and Harvey Dent like this, he would've likely appeared in season two.
* Subverted to a large degree on the ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', where, during the course of its very long run, almost every mentioned character is eventually seen in some form, including parents of minor characters, bosses of companies, low-level employees, even ridiculous characters originally intended simply as one-off verbal jokes. The only exceptions tend to be characters who exist as stereotypes of the standard unseen television character, such as Gil's wife, who berates him over the phone in a cliched sort of way.
* Dipper and Mabel's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Pines, in ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls''. They're home in Piedmont, California, and--according to WordOfGod--blissfully unaware of the bizarre summer their kids are having. We see their arms in the first episode.
* Madame Foster doesn't appear for all of the last few minutes of the ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' pilot movie, initially leading Bloo to believe she was dead.
* The character of Erica on ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'' is a friend of Mr. Peanutbutter's with many extreme and bizarre medical conditions.
** There's also Randy, the much-beleaguered teleprompt writer of MSNBSea constantly berated (on air) by the anchor Tom Jumbo-Grumbo for his terrible writing.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' has the mysterious diamond present at the top of the Diamond Authority symbol (both [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q2PyRJreI_U/hqdefault.jpg the old one]] and [[https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/steven-universe/images/9/9f/Diamond_Authority_symbol_current.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/350?cb=20160108015430 the current one]]) and she has [[https://i.redd.it/e79h9vpackex.png a mural in the moon base]] alongside her fellow diamonds. She has no confirmed name, although the fanbase has settled on calling her "White Diamond" due to the naming pattern the other three follow, and outside of her mural, we know nothing of her appearance. All we know about her is that she's one of the three current leaders of [[TheEmpire Homeworld]], she was present before the shattering of Pink Diamond, and she's most likely still alive today - However, based on the number of planets she's depicted with on her mural compared to the other members of the authority, still yet to be unveiled proper even over a season after the name drop of [[PosthumousCharacter Pink Diamond]], and [[https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/steven-universe/images/9/9b/The_Trial_243.png/revision/latestcb=20170531183922 what little we've seen of Homeworld including a MASSIVE structure seemingly built in her image]], it's very possible she might fall under [[GreaterScopeVillain an oft-connected trope]]. She finally makes her physical debut in "Legs From Here to Homeworld".
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'' has several of these, the most prominent being Stumpy's mom, Stumpy's girlfriend Ursula and Jean Guillaume the psychotherapist.
* In ''WesternAnimation/SpiderMan1981'', Harry Osborn is mentioned in the episode "The Vulture Has Landed", but is never physically seen.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' mentions the Hulk in some episodes, but couldn't have him make a physical appearance because his rights were tied up by [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibleHulk his own cartoon]] airing on UPN.
* The kids' parents in the various ''Franchise/{{Peanuts}}'' TV specials are never seen, and their voices are a muffled and unintelligible "wha whao" sound.
* The Easter Bunny is never seen in ''WesternAnimation/PeterAndTheMagicEgg''. All we see is his shadow.
* While the ''Franchise/LiloAndStitch'' franchise established that Jumba made 625 other [[Characters/LiloAndStitchExperiments genetic experiments]] before Stitch, which the franchise's titular duo capture and rehabilitate in ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'', only around one hundred were seen between the show, [[WesternAnimation/StitchTheMovie its pilot movie]], and [[WesternAnimation/LeroyAndStitch its finale]]. A handful more do show up in the ''Anime/{{Stitch}}'' anime, but not that much, while Chinese animated series ''Animation/StitchAndAi'' doesn't even bother to show ''any'' of Stitch's predecessors and instead has Jumba making new ones based on creatures in Myth/ChineseMythology.
** Jumba also mentions having an ex-wife in ''The Series'', but she never appears. However, we ''do'' know what she looks and sounds like thanks to Spooky (Experiment 300) impersonating her in both ''The Series'' and the ''Stitch!'' anime.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders'' has Chloe Montez, a character [[BornUnlucky who is the alleged victim of a lot of unfortunate events]]. As a result we never see her, but this is played entirely for laughs with one of the most comical explanations for her absence being that she dressed up as a contact lens for Halloween and fell on the floor so nobody could find her.
* In ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers'', WesternAnimation/BugsBunny is mentionned in a couple of episodes (including one where it's revealed that [[spoiler:he got top billing in a movie about Dodgers' life]]), but he never appeared in the flesh at any point in this show.
[[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheCurseOfThe13thGhost'', in spite of serving as a FullyAbsorbedFinale to ''The13GhostsOfScoobyDoo'', dispenses with Scooby's nephew Scrappy-Doo aside from a brief mention of him by Flim Flam.

* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'': The [[BigBrotherBully brothers]] of Prince Hans are only mentioned, but never appear in person due to him visiting Arendelle alone. They technically "appear" in ''Literature/AFrozenHeart'' where four of them are named and both their mother and [[GreaterScopeVillain their father]] are introduced, but since the book has no illustrations, it's unknown what they look like. To date, the main characters have not met them.

* ''Literature/RedwallSeries'': There are many characters mentioned from long ago that never appeared. "King Mortspear" "The First Reguba" "Almost all the Badger Lords/Ladies before Stonepaw" whom if Brian Jacques hadn't passed away, they may have likely got a chance for a story. But then again, he seemed to have made it clear he was finished with prequels.

%%* The "GA" (Great Aunt) of Nancy and Peggy in ''Literature/SwallowsAndAmazons.'' [[spoiler: She does make a brief appearance at the end of ''The Picts and the Martyrs'', though.]]
%%* The Raven King in ''Literature/JonathanStrangeAndMrNorrell''. [[spoiler: Although he has a {{cameo}} near the end of the book.]]
%%* ''Literature/TheMalteseFalcon'': Floyd Thursby and General Kemidov, the ''real'' MagnificentBastard of the story.
%%* The Emperor Over The Sea in ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''.

* Professor Angus MacGuffin in [[Creator/JasperFforde Jasper Fforde's]] ''[[Literature/NurseryCrime The Fourth Bear]]''. He almost appears near the end, but has vanished when someone turns to introduce him - because, [[MeaningfulName of course]], he's just a [[MacGuffin plot device]] and doesn't have to actually exist.

* Inversion in ''Literature/ThursdayNext First Among Sequels'': [[spoiler:Jenny never appears because she's actually a mindworm implanted in the first-person narrator's mind. This was revealed when her family explained it to her to stop her freaking out over an abandoned Jenny - only to have the mindworm blank out her memory of the conversation afterwards.]]
* Erzo Gwyn-Raven from the ''Literature/TowerAndTheHive'' series. The youngest of The Rowan and Jeff Raven's kids, he's only ever mentioned in passing or in context to events that happened off screen.

** Uncle John ''might'' be humorist John Javna, who was one of the co-creators of the series and who contributes to every book, but Javna nor the BRI have ever confirmed it's supposed to be him
* Ragnor the Raider King from ''Literature/TheWitchlands'' is the BigBad of the series, and his lackeys often discuss him and busy themselves making life harder for the heroes in his name, but the man himself is yet to appear, speak or even send a letter to anyone on-page.

** Principal Buttsavage, Doug never met the principal in the original series, and spent most of the series finale trying to find out what he looked like. (The Disney version had ex-Mayor White serve as principal, and he appeared on camera frequently.)

** Howland Reed of Greywater Watch is a longtime friend of Eddard Stark, and is mentioned a number of times throughout the story, but he has yet to appear himself. [[spoiler: What's more, he's the only surviving member of Eddard's group of men that went to the Tower of Joy, and he is probably the only person who knows exactly what promise Eddard made to his dead sister, Lyanna.]]

%%** Stannis Baratheon in the first book.

** Despite Joey Drew being at the center of events, Henry's unable to find him in Chapters 1-4.

* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': Ensi Hotakainen, the grandmother to main characters Onni, Tuuri and Lalli. She's mentioned to have been the magic teacher to Onni and Lalli in their younger years. She's also mentioned to have made a mistake that apparently had dire consequences, that included Onni getting a PromotionToParent at sixteen, and all three of them leaving their hometown to go live in a military base when Tuuri was ten and Lalli eight. Ensi also stands out as being TheConstant, as the only character to make an appearance of sorts in both the DistantPrologue (as a pronounced baby bump) and the main story (via being mentioned by her grandchildren). The comment on a blog post illustration of her mentions that she was drawn in her forties rather than as a ninety year old (which is the exact number of years separating the main story form the DistantPrologue), which implies that she is still alive. She's finally shown via flash-back in Chapter 15.

* Mr. Stroheim in Neil Simon's ''Brighton Beach Memoirs''.
* Babe's husband Zachary in ''Crimes of the Heart''.