Half-Baked Redemptions

A Half-Baked Redemption is when a villain who is written to be very evil suddenly redeems without any hints of redemption before this happened. This kind of redemption is a poor move in terms of writing and teaching mercy and forgiveness in fiction.

Examples

 * Rei Isurugei (Gegege No Kitaro (2018 – 2020)) The anime practically ignored both the fact that he already crossed the Moral Event Horizon more than once with his attacks on yokai and the fact he refused multiple times to let go of his revenge. Instead it had the heroes force him to redeem because they didn't want to kill him (even Kitaro has been willing to kill if necessary) and used his tragic backstory as an excuse to justify showing mercy even though he never showed any. All of this plus the fact that shōnen manga and anime tend to force redemption and mercy even if the said villain does not deserve it.
 * The Diamonds (Steven Universe)
 * Spinel (Steven Universe: The Movie)
 * Snowball (The Secret Life of Pets)
 * Erisio (Kirakira★PreCure a la Mode (2017))
 * Queen Barb (Trolls: World Tour)
 * Gabby Gabby (Toy Story 4)
 * Stalyan (Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure (2017-2020)) Not only was her redemption forced, but it also created a double standard saying we can never fight and/or imprison women even if they are criminals who have committed terrible things.
 * Gai Amatsu (Kamen Rider Zero-One)
 * Bucky (Z-O-M-B-I-E-S)
 * Miss Nettle (Sofia the First (2013-2018))
 * Prisma (Sofia the First (2013-2018))
 * Princess Ivy (Sofia the First (2013-2018))
 * Nyx and the Fairy Scouts (Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast)
 * Tess Tyler (Camp Rock)
 * Quipue (Elena of Avalor (2016-2020))
 * Douglas Davenport (Lab Rats (2012-2016))
 * Colonel Tinker (Rupert (1991-1997))
 * Raiden the Moon King (Kubo and the Two Strings)
 * Master Xehanort (Kingdom Hearts Series)
 * Big Tex Arkana (Buddy Thunderstruck (2017))
 * Xian Lang (Mulan (2020))
 * Ayato Kirishima (Tokyo Ghoul)
 * Toru Mutsuki (Tokyo Ghoul:re)
 * Discord (Season 3 of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (2010-2019)) His redemption in Season 3's "Keep Calm and Flutter On" was rushed, but in later seasons (most notably season 4's "Twilight's Kingdom") his redemption is more justified.
 * Chancellor Neighsay (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (2010-2019)) Like Discord, his redemption was rushed, but unlike Discord's, his redemption had little-to-no justification rather than the insistence to include villains when saving "everyone".
 * Void Dark (Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance)
 * The Spy Girls (UglyDolls)
 * Orochimaru (Naruto)
 * Obito Uchiha (Naruto)
 * Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)
 * Madara Uchiha (Naruto)
 * Kaname Asagiri (Magical Girl Site) Unlike Sarina, his redemption was when Aya wanted to make him realize his cruel nature by protecting him from their father's abuse.
 * Sarina Shizukume (Magical Girl Site) Her redemption was when Aya teleported her to her empty desk to make her realize her bullying.
 * Most of the humans (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (2020)) While Doag and Greta were passable, everyone else was practically forced to redeem just to avoid having the heroes kill them and insist that communication and mercy are better then violence despite the fact that they already helped Emilia cure a handful of the major mute characters. This also ruins Kipo's character development, making her never accept that she can't redeem everyone.
 * Gene (Wreck-It Ralph)
 * King Poseidon (The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run)
 * Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi (The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part)
 * Abraham van Helsing (Hotel Transylvania 3)
 * Merle Dixon (The Walking Dead)
 * Gabriel "Sylar" Gray (Heroes)
 * Fairytale villains (Shrek The Third)
 * Baron Draxum (Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
 * Zeta (The Angry Birds Movie 2)
 * The Dino-Birds (Ice Age: Collision Course)
 * Heidi Turner (South Park (season 21))
 * Terence (Tom & Jerry (2021 film))

Why this Happens

 * Many parents and writers think it is the right way to teach children the importance of mercy.
 * People often confuse the idea of justice with revenge or violence.
 * Some people are scared of the very concept of death and want to avoid it at all cost.

Why The Trope Sucks

 * 1) These redemptions are thrown in their stories, lacking any proper structure and skipping important steps of a redemption arc.
 * 2) It creates a misguided and false belief that everyone can AND WILL redeem.
 * 3) Many of these examples are villains who have already crossed what is called the Moral Event Horizon, which means they have committed an act so evil or selfish or have crossed so many lines that audiences won't want them redeemed anymore, meaning these redemptions are forced down audiences' throats!
 * 4) *Also, making a villain commit terrible acts and refuse to give up, only to have the heroes force them to redeem is a waste of suspense!
 * 5) Insisting on this kind of redemption all the time can make audience members annoyed and become tired of the idea of redemption ALL TOGETHER.
 * 6) It is extremely limiting to viewers of all ages.
 * 7) While it does succeed in teaching that mercy is possible, it purposely leaves out the fact that it does not always work.
 * 8) This move means the villain is getting away with the terrible things they did without any punishment whatsoever and they are still a threat, and it’s being treated like it’s a good thing!
 * 9) Making characters who are supposed to be “heroes” force this kind of redemption and treat it as a good thing turns those characters into one-dimensional, unrealistic, and worst of all...downright flat!
 * 10) It is also a bad influence to viewers as anyone in reality could be easily killed or have their lives ruined by a bad person or someone evil when they do show mercy.

The Only Redeeming Quality

 * 1) While many of these redemptions are forced, some redemptions are executed very well. Such as Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
 * 2) Even Catra from She-Ra and The Princess Of Power is well thought-out with the relationship with Adora despite the complaints that some people finds it rushed that find Adora too forgiving.

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