LogFAQs > #922148472

Today's trope is Despair Event Horizon. Here is the link: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DespairEventHorizon

The line that, once crossed, destroys any last remaining sense of hope. It could be for a cause, a person, a situation, or simple survival. A character has given up on it, and there is no going back. It can lead soldiers to despair or even suicide, if they don't simply lose the will to live. It can turn an Ideal Hero into an Anti-Hero or an outright villain, or even, in some cases, vice versa. It is a vital element of Tragedy.

Coming near this line is quite common in fiction; frequently, at the end of the second act or the 45 minute mark of a drama or the first hour of a film, the protagonist comes dangerously close to the edge before a Rousing Speech or Deus ex Machina or the like comes along. It makes for a Downer Ending if the protagonist does fall over the edge. Frequently, this is when the What You Are in the Dark test hits him. Alternatively, many stories have a hero "Fighting the Good Fight" and meeting someone who'd been at it longer and lost all hope.

This is often a goal of some wars. Break the enemy's morale, and you can achieve victory even without military success.

TL,DR: The moment when a character loses all hope.

Nominations:
Lucy's dog is murdered by bullies (Elfen Lied)
Sayori gets friendzoned (Doki Doki Literature Club)
Ahsoka leaves the Jedi order (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)