History UnexplainedRecovery / VideoGames

* In the final act of ''AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'', [[spoiler:Princess Rosa is hit by a missile while skydiving, with seemingly nothing but her helmet left.]] Guess who contacts you via radio in the very next mission.

** In ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand''; After defeating [[spoiler:Magolor]], he is warped away and presumably dies in the process. And yet, he still manages to show up in ''Kirby's Dream Collection'' looking none the worse for wear. And after 11 years of guessing, ''Return to Dream Land Deluxe'' finally gives us the answer [[spoiler:with the Magolor Epilogue, detailing Magolor's journey through the depths of Another Dimension after his defeat in the main game.]]

* Strange as it may seem, this is almost ''always'' subverted in ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', at least as far as canonical deaths go. There's usually a pretty good explanation given when this happens (which, granted, does tend to occur a ''lot''). The only real exception was Sheeva, who was supposedly killed by Kano at the end of ''MK3'', but back in ''Armageddon'', with no explanation as to how.

* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'', almost any time you run into an NPC who could have joined your team in the first game, you are given the option "But I killed you," or "What are you doing here, I saw you die!" as any character can die permanently. This is essentially what all the characters reply.
** The setting does have resurrection magic, but said magic does have its limits...

** Similarly, if the player ended up killing Leliana in the first game, she shows up in future games with little explanation as to why she's still alive other than claiming possible divine intervention. In other words, AWizardDidIt. [[spoiler: The ''Trespasser'' DLC of ''Inquisition'' provides an answer: it wasn't Leliana. A spirit, probably of Faith, broke the Veil and impersonated her.]]

** Even more blatant use of this trope is seen in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' in which [[spoiler:ALL but five of the player's party members suffer tragic deaths, with all of them - even Cid, who ''[[NoOneCouldSurviveThat rode a nuclear bomb into a pit, was at the epicenter of the explosion, fell several thousand feet and landed on some pointy rocks, had even more rocks fall down from thousands of feet above to seal the passage between the underworld and the upper world (this being the POINT of setting off the bomb)]]'', then dragged himself several miles to the dwarf city to rest up - coming back near the end. [[KilledOffForReal Except Tellah]]]].
*** Contrast to [[spoiler:Edward. Leviathan attacks the ship--leading to Edward apparently twisting his ankle. Apparently, he shattered his shinbone, because he will be bed-ridden or, at the very best, chair-ridden (in the tank at the end) for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Yang (same Leviathan incident) can still fly through the air with his foot out in battle. Rydia also suffers in the same boat accident and is seen being eaten by a giant sea snake![[note]]Leviathan attacked the ship specifically to get Rydia and bring her to the Land of Summons; it wouldn't make any sense for him to harm her in the process.[[/note]] Yang goes through an even less survivable experience: he destroys the Tower of Bab-il's [[WaveMotionGun Super Cannon]] by apparently ''stuffing himself into the barrel before it fires'', resulting in a massive explosion that destroys the entire chamber containing the cannon. He's presumed dead until you discover that a bunch of sylphs found him and nursed him back to health. Palom and Porom turn themselves to stone which is accompanied by sad music and the distraught characters trying to revive them only to find they can't. Then near the end of the game, they just turn up again saying their elder healed them (note, Tellah who is hailed as the greatest magic user in the world and had already recovered all his forgotten abilities claims they can't be revived). Oh, and Cid, the "Old Man" (quoth Edge about 10 times), back to blacksmithing approximately 3 hours in-game time after blowing himself up. Yang's case is, while still egregious, not ''quite'' as bad given that he ''is'' the WorldsStrongestMan if his stats are to be believed]].
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'': Kefka survives being stabbed by Celes, and the destruction of the floating continent, as the party survives an airship being torn apart, "the very day the world collapsed", shown as a series of explosions visible from space, and the rearranging of the continents.
*** Kefka absorbed the essence of Magic from the Warring Triad and became the God of Magic; it's pretty easy to guess how he survived.

*** Additionally, contrary to popular belief, Tseng never died in the original game either. The line with Elena who implies he's dead is actually a mistranslation for 'Messin' my boss up'.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas''. Villain Toreno seemingly explodes in a helicopter. Several missions later, he's having C.J. ride around in a monster truck. No explanation is given for living--or for the truck.
** Its implied through his dialogue he just fooled CJ into thinking he got on the helicopter - he knew CJ was trying to kill him, and needed him to think he had in order to get his help.

* In the original ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead'', the protagonist's girlfriend, Sophie, is apparently killed after being gravely injured by the Chariot. Not only is she shown alive and well in the good ending, but she actually goes on to marry Thomas, with their daughter Lisa appearing as one of the main characters of ''House of the Dead III''.

* Perhaps the better question in ''VideoGame/LufiaIIRiseOfTheSinistrals'' is where in the world did Dekar get ''[[BigLippedAlligatorMoment a whale]]'' to return from his HeroicSacrifice on the back of.
** His recovery in the remake, ''VideoGame/LufiaCurseOfTheSinistrals'', is explained. [[spoiler:He got thrown into another dimension...so he '''blew up the entire dimension'''.]]

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'''s DLC, [[spoiler:Zaeed Massani]] survives a bullet in the head. His "explanation" is "A stubborn enough person can survive just about anything. [[ThePowerOfHate Rage is a hell of an anesthetic]]."
** On the mission when Shepard goes to recruit Thane Krios, [[spoiler:Nassana Dantius]] exclaims ''"But you died."'' Shepard's response: ''"I got better."''
*** That said, Shepard's recovery is fully explained in-game: (S)he was brought back from being technically dead via an awful lot of expensive medical and cybernetic work. By one of his/her enemies, no less. That said, it becomes a RunningGag that (s)he isn't inclined to go into the whole story with every character (s)he runs into who is surprised to see him/her alive.

** Zero's infamous "I hid myself while I tried to repair myself" when he returns in ''VideoGame/MegaManX6''. In the prior game, he was ''blown in half'', and the entire plot of ''X2'' revolved around the fact that repairing Zero is not an easy thing to do.
*** Almost subverted as he, when he has the occasion to do so, [[spoiler:asks Doctor Light if he's the one who repaired him. After a short silence, Doctor Light say [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything his resurrection was a miracle]]]]. But no proper explanation is ever given. Even the popular fan theory that [[spoiler: Wily did it]] conflicts with ''another'' popular theory that [[spoiler: Isoc is Wily]] because [[spoiler: Gate mentions at one point that Isoc is searching for Zero's body, implying that he thinks Zero is still dead]].

** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' it seems that [[spoiler:Liquid is ''still'' not dead, but instead possessing the body of Revolver Ocelot. By the time ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' rolls along he's in full control]].
*** Of course, [[spoiler:it turns out that the possession was a fake in ''[=MGS4=]'', but real in ''[=MGS2=]''. And the legitimate possession gave Ocelot the idea for his greatest GambitRoulette]].

*** Not to mention [[spoiler: the entire ending sequence with Big Boss]].
*** [[spoiler:[[AWizardDidIt Nano]][[MemeticMutation machines]].]]
* ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' features [[ImplacableMan tough, brawny]] Allen O'Neil, who slumps over in a spray of blood at the end of his encounter in nearly every game (even being EATEN BY A WHALE in 2) with a death cry of "See you in Hell!", and yet is alive and kicking in the next game, or in the case of ''Metal Slug 3'', LATER THAT LEVEL.

* In ''VideoGame/MetalWolfChaos'', you can shoot down and blow up a reporter's helicopter. When you do, he says "My fellow viewers, please rest at ease, for I, Peter [=McDonald=], have somehow managed to escape. I'll return to the action in another helicopter."

* Anyone in the first 2 ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' games who is not a main character can die; however, they will mysteriously show up in the sequels. Some of them, (Luc, Sheena) actually have snarky comments about this.

* Bowser from the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series. No matter how Mario defeats him, he will be back in the next game. The same applies to his underlings. The fact that "1-ups" are a tangible object that exists in this series may have something to do with it.

*** There's also Zagi. He survives an explosion on a burning ship in the middle of the ocean, as well as falling from a very high fall.

** [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart2 Scarecrow]] is a confusing case. The Joker murdered the doctor to get a hold of his fear toxin which kick-started the plot of the [[VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs first game]], making Scarecrow the first character to die in the story-line, as revealed by the prequel comics. In ''Injustice 2'', the good doctor reappears with no explanation, and in one of the pre-fight interactions he comments on the Joker stealing his fear gas, [[SkewedPriorities but not on the whole killing him part]]. Other interactions, however, suggest that the Scarecrow persona became a LegacyCharacter and that it is not Jonathan Crane under the mask.

** In ''VideoGame/Rockman4MinusInfinity'', [[spoiler:Shadow Man]] becomes a BonusBoss in Wily Stage 4 if you unlock him, even though he had died in Cossack Castle 1.

** Thanks to being a RecurringBoss of the series, Ridley is the poster dragon for this trope. He gets destroyed in nearly every game, sometimes in incredibly extravagant ways, yet he's back and better than ever by the time the next game rolls around. He even returns multiple times in ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3''. However, unlike most examples, [[SubvertedTrope he actually does get somewhat of an explanation]] for [[JokerImmunity his miraculous recoveries]]. In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', it is revealed that Ridley was revived as Meta Ridley through cybernetic augmentation after his defeat in the original ''Metroid'' game. In the remake ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'', [[spoiler:Ridley is shown to have shed most of his mechanical parts, providing a direct link from the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'' to ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'']]. And ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' reveals that Ridley was KilledOffForReal in ''Super Metroid'', and that the Ridley seen in the game is actually a clone created by the Galactic Federation from the cells taken from Samus' armor. That clone gets killed by the Queen Metroid, and it's implied that his corpse is taken to the B.S.L. station, where it becomes Neo-Ridley in ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion''. It doesn't explain all of his deaths, but it's still better than none.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

** Goopy Le Grande, who gets [[InstantGravestone Intstant Gravestoned]] between his second and third phases, and while he doesn’t appear in the good ending, WordOfGod has since confirmed that he is indeed alive.

* Strange as it may seem, this is almost ''always'' subverted in ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', at least as far as canonical deaths go. There's usually a pretty good explanation given when this happens (which, granted, does tend to occur a ''lot''). The only real exception was Shiva, who was supposedly killed by Kano at the end of the ''3'', but back in ''Armageddon'', with no explanation as to how.

* Franchise/{{Kirby}} does this even more confusingly, given he ''eats'' his foes. This is most obvious with Bandanna Dee from the ''Revenge of the King'' game in ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Ultra'': Cut him, zap him, burn him, swallow him whole and he'll still show up for the Masked Dedede fight.

*** Contrast to [[spoiler:Edward. Leviathan attacks the ship--leading to Edward apparently twisting his ankle. Apparently, he shattered his shinbone, because he will be bed-ridden or, at the very best, chair-ridden (in the tank at the end) for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Yang (same Leviathan incident) can still fly through the air with his foot out in battle. Rydia also suffers in the same boat accident and is seen being eaten by a giant sea snake![[note]]Leviathan attacked the ship specifically to get Rydia and bring her to the Land of Summons; it wouldn't make a y sense for him to harm her in the process.[[/note]]Yang goes through an even less survivable experience: he destroys the Tower of Bab-il's [[WaveMotionGun Super Cannon]] by apparently ''stuffing himself into the barrel before it fires'', resulting in a massive explosion that destroys the entire chamber containing the cannon. He's presumed dead until you discover that a bunch of sylphs found him and nursed him back to health. Palom and Porom turn themselves to stone which is accompanied by sad music and the distraught characters trying to revive them only to find they can't. Then near the end of the game, they just turn up again saying their elder healed them (note, Tellah who is hailed as the greatest magic user in the world and had already recovered all his forgotten abilities claims they can't be revived). Oh, and Cid, the "Old Man" (quoth Edge about 10 times), back to blacksmithing approximately 3 hours in-game time after blowing himself up. Yang's case is, while still egregious, not ''quite'' as bad given that he ''is'' the WorldsStrongestMan if his stats are to be believed]].

*** Contrast to [[spoiler:Edward. Leviathan attacks the ship--leading to Edward apparently twisting his ankle. Apparently, he shattered his shinbone, because he will be bed-ridden or, at the very best, chair-ridden (in the tank at the end) for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Yang (same Leviathan incident) can still fly through the air with his foot out in battle. Rydia also suffers in the same boat accident and is seen being eaten by a giant sea snake![[Note]]Leviathan attacked the ship specifically to get Rydia and bring her to the Land of Summons; it wouldn't make a y sense for him to harm her in the process.[[/Note]]Yang goes through an even less survivable experience: he destroys the Tower of Bab-il's [[WaveMotionGun Super Cannon]] by apparently ''stuffing himself into the barrel before it fires'', resulting in a massive explosion that destroys the entire chamber containing the cannon. He's presumed dead until you discover that a bunch of sylphs found him and nursed him back to health. Palom and Porom turn themselves to stone which is accompanied by sad music and the distraught characters trying to revive them only to find they can't. Then near the end of the game, they just turn up again saying their elder healed them (note, Tellah who is hailed as the greatest magic user in the world and had already recovered all his forgotten abilities claims they can't be revived). Oh, and Cid, the "Old Man" (quoth Edge about 10 times), back to blacksmithing approximately 3 hours in-game time after blowing himself up. Yang's case is, while still egregious, not ''quite'' as bad given that he ''is'' the WorldsStrongestMan if his stats are to be believed]].

*** Contrast to [[spoiler:Edward. Leviathan attacks the ship--leading to Edward apparently twisting his ankle. Apparently, he shattered his shinbone, because he will be bed-ridden or, at the very best, chair-ridden (in the tank at the end) for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Yang (same Leviathan incident) can still fly through the air with his foot out in battle. Rydia also suffers in the same boat accident and is seen being eaten by a giant sea snake![Note]Leviathan attacked the ship specifically to get Rydia and bring her to the Land of Summons; it wouldn't make a y sense for him to harm her in the process.[/note]Yang goes through an even less survivable experience: he destroys the Tower of Bab-il's [[WaveMotionGun Super Cannon]] by apparently ''stuffing himself into the barrel before it fires'', resulting in a massive explosion that destroys the entire chamber containing the cannon. He's presumed dead until you discover that a bunch of sylphs found him and nursed him back to health. Palom and Porom turn themselves to stone which is accompanied by sad music and the distraught characters trying to revive them only to find they can't. Then near the end of the game, they just turn up again saying their elder healed them (note, Tellah who is hailed as the greatest magic user in the world and had already recovered all his forgotten abilities claims they can't be revived). Oh, and Cid, the "Old Man" (quoth Edge about 10 times), back to blacksmithing approximately 3 hours in-game time after blowing himself up. Yang's case is, while still egregious, not ''quite'' as bad given that he ''is'' the WorldsStrongestMan if his stats are to be believed]].

*** Contrast to [[spoiler:Edward. Leviathan attacks the ship--leading to Edward apparently twisting his ankle. Apparently, he shattered his shinbone, because he will be bed-ridden or, at the very best, chair-ridden (in the tank at the end) for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Yang (same Leviathan incident) can still fly through the air with his foot out in battle. Rydia also suffers in the same boat accident and is seen being eaten by a giant sea snake! Yang goes through an even less survivable experience: he destroys the Tower of Bab-il's [[WaveMotionGun Super Cannon]] by apparently ''stuffing himself into the barrel before it fires'', resulting in a massive explosion that destroys the entire chamber containing the cannon. He's presumed dead until you discover that a bunch of sylphs found him and nursed him back to health. Palom and Porom turn themselves to stone which is accompanied by sad music and the distraught characters trying to revive them only to find they can't. Then near the end of the game, they just turn up again saying their elder healed them (note, Tellah who is hailed as the greatest magic user in the world and had already recovered all his forgotten abilities claims they can't be revived). Oh, and Cid, the "Old Man" (quoth Edge about 10 times), back to blacksmithing approximately 3 hours in-game time after blowing himself up. Yang's case is, while still egregious, not ''quite'' as bad given that he ''is'' the WorldsStrongestMan if his stats are to be believed]].

* Kefka absorbed the essence of Magic from the Warring Triad and became the God of Magic; it's pretty easy to guess how he survived.

** The Delicious Last Course brings us Esther Winchester, who manages in the span of one boss fight to cook herself into sausages, have said sausages fall apart into a can, and to top it all off, the individual sausage Ángels are seen leaving the can in her knockout animation. She is perfectly fine during the credits, however.

* ''VideoGame/Cuphead'': Most of the debtors fall under this category, but some of the notable examples include:

* VideoGame/Cuphead: Most of the debtors fall under this category, but some of the notable examples include: