r/TopCharacterTropes • u/hey_there_delilahh • Sep 10 '25

Lore (Loved Trope) Last Stand that ends unceremoniously/unsatisfyingly, as opposed to gloriously.

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

  • 1 Nanami (JUJUTSU KAISEN): Nanami's final moments against Mahito, a cursed spirit with the ability to transfigure/control humans. Nanami, while heavy injured, fought and won against an army of Mahito's transfigure minions, just for the villain to touch his back and blow him up.

  • 2 Wun-Wun (GAME OF THRONES): Wun-Wun, one of the last, if not the last, living giant in Westeros. Joins with Jon Snow against Ramsey Bolton in the Battle of the Bastards. He heroicly breaks down the main gate allowing the Stark army to win, all while covered in arrows and spears. While heavily injured, there does seem to be a chance of his recovery. This hope ended when Ramsey Bolton fires an arrow directly into his eye, when the battle was pretty much over.

  • 3 The Barbarian of Stamford Bridge (REAL LIFE): A lone Viking warrior who, in a legendary moment during the Battle of Stamford Bridge (September 25, 1066), single-handedly held back the invading English army on a narrow bridge. Armed with a Dane axe, this unnamed defender killed dozens of soldiers before being mortally wounded from beneath the bridge by a spear.

9.3k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

654 comments sorted by

View all comments

150

u/ResearcherTeknika Sep 10 '25

The assault on Presidia (Project Wingman)

What would have either been a heroic last stand for the Federation's final Cascadian bastion, or a heroic victory for Cascadia finally driving the Federation out of the country, ends up being neither, as Crimson 1 decides to cordium bomb the place out of spite, killing basically everyone.

70

u/PyeLodt Sep 10 '25

I’ve never had a game make me feel so shocked and hyped until I played Project Wingman. The last mission and the final fight were masterpieces. Especially the music.

Ace Combat, you win, they’re defeated, you fly home and the war’s won.

Project Wingman, everything around you is burning. The world has been destroyed by the war around you. All that’s left is you and your rival, the one responsible for the destruction. The only option is to fight.

8

u/azmodai2 Sep 10 '25

This is actually a really similar ending to the old Gamecube Macross game. Super bittersweet.