We all know that Kira Yamato is infamous for surviving a nuke from his Gundam 2x. However , the more I thought about it, the more I think that both moments could’ve been easily rewritten.
Let me explain: both his battles with Athrun & Shinn happened near the ocean. So instead of either the Strike or Freedom exploding, what if both of them just sank into the ocean. That way, both his death & survival could’ve been believable. So if people assumed he died, it’ll be because he drowned. But, when see him alive, we can easily assume that got shipwrecked.
I dunno that’s just my take on it.
I mean, yes. If you don’t put your characters in such obviously unsurvivable scenarios and then have them miraculously survive, then people won’t react as badly. That’s writing 101. Hey, better yet, have him show some enduring negative consequences - lingering wounds or trauma - for it. Reinforce that just because you aren’t dead, being shot down isn’t a “get out of jail free card”.
On the other hand, the reason you use unsurvivable scenarios, is because if you show a main character in survivable peril… well, y’know, everyone kind of knows they’re not dead. So you have a choice: You can not really try to fake out your character’s death, acknowledge they walked away from it, maybe instead focus on what the defeat cost them besides their life. Or you can use far more perilous scenarios and actually kill them. Seed tries to have it both ways, and so fumbles it entirely.
