Basic Trope: A character goes through hardships, but end up happy as a result.
- Straight: Hiro and his True Companions have gone through perilous times due to their battle against Emperor Evulz and his minions, but in the end, it was Worth It.
- Exaggerated:
- Hiro and his crew have survived severe catastrophes, oppressive regimes, monstrous villains, and minor setbacks just to change the Crapsack World; in the end, it paid off so well that even the villains' casualties come Back from the Dead and everyone lives Happily Ever After.
- Surprisingly Happy Ending
- Downplayed: A sweeter Bittersweet Ending.
- Justified:
- Having accomplished whatever goal he set out to accomplish, the hero has that if nothing else.
- All the mishaps were a Test Of Faith set up by St. Peter for Hiro's possible admittance into heaven.
- Inverted:
- Earn Your Bad Ending note
- For non-games, a Sudden Downer Ending.
- The main characters spend the whole story taking the easy way out of decisions and living in luxury, but in the end it all comes crashing down on them and leads to a Downer Ending.
- Evulz is a Villain Protagonist who repeatedly Kick the Dog and betrays everyone, so what's the Downer Ending to him because of his bad decisions ended up seeming like Laser-Guided Karma at it's finest, and he becomes an Asshole Victim for the viewers.
- Subverted: Diabolus ex Machina. All that hard work the heroes went through to get a happy ending, and just when things look like they're gonna be alright, a Giant Space Flea from Nowhere appears and kills everyone.
- Alternatively, a Deus ex Machina hands them a happy ending preventing them from having to actually earn it.
- Double Subverted: Deus ex Machina. A Bolt of Divine Retribution kills the space flea stone dead and then brings everyone Back from the Dead.
- Parodied: Everything is bleak and helpless, until a Deus Ex Machina shows up and makes everything better within the last five seconds, causing the heroes to forget everything bad that has happened to them.
- Zig Zagged: Hiro endures trials and tribulations, and in the end he gets his good ending. Lance does the same, but gets completely shafted. Space Flea kills the background cast and gets a good ending. Bob does absolutely nothing and gets the happiest conclusion of anyone.
- Averted:
- There is No Ending, happy or otherwise.
- The heroes don't have to earn their happy ending.
- Enforced:
- The author wants to create a positive story wherein determination allows the characters to save the world.
- Alternatively, the author believes that a story without conflict and hardships makes a boring story.
- Lampshaded: "We may have been damaged, and we may have lost many things, but look where it got us."
- Invoked: A God or other deity takes an interest in Hiro and decides to put him through numerous obstacles, rewarding him when he pulls through it all.
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: Lance, the Sour Supporter, isn't happy about going through their perilous journey.Lance: It was worth it? It was worth it?! "It was worth it" my ass! Do you realize what happened to us along the way?! The city is a wreck, all of us have gone through the worst pain and suffering imaginable, some people have died, and all you can do is say it's worth it?! It's not! I can't believe you dragged me along in this stupid journey just for all of this unnecessary hell! I'd rather be dead than celebrate this pointless victory! Enjoy your stupid "rewards" that will probably last for a while before another hardship gets here, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm out!
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Deconstructed: Hiro and his friends return from the war against Emperor Evulz, but are so shell-shocked and battle-scarred that the end of the story borders more on Bittersweet Ending, at best. At worst, they are left wondering in paranoia if their peace and prosperity will last forever.
- Reconstructed: Hiro and his friends didn't come out of the battle against Emperor Evulz unscathed, so their ending isn't entirely happy. As such, their experience has not only shaped them for the better, but they decide to keep alive the stories of their adventures so history won't repeat itself.
Back to Earn Your Happy Ending.
