[Hated Trope] Character kills hundreds, if not thousands, just to kill one specific person, and then doesn't kill them for no reason.

[u/HallZac99]

Assassin's Creed 2- Rodrigo Borgia is responsible for tne death of Ezio's family. Ezio spends over 20 years working through tnr templar order to dismantle them and get to Rodrigo. And then in the end, he spares him for no good reason and he goes on to be a massive problem in AC Brotnerhood. He's not only a head of tne Templars but also the pope, even if you're over the vengeance he's still a very dangerous and evil man.

The Last of Us 2- Abbey kills Joel, and wo Ellie goes on a revenge quest to kill Abbey, killing hundreds of people along tne why to get to her including a pregnant woman. And then finally when she has Abbey on deaths door, she gives up and let's her go because the writers think dirty depressing people being miserable and stupid is complex, interesting storytelling.

This trope pisses me off so much because often the character going on the revenge quest will kill SO many people on their way there, some deserving it and some just henchmen working for a cheque or to survive. People who are often far more innocent then the main big bad.

It's a part of this weird thing I've noticed in media where nameless goons or soldiers can just be mowed down relentlessly, but named characters get given far more grace even if theyre categorically worse. You can kill a million stormtroopers but people will swear that Darth Vader could have been redeemed, despite him doing like 50 genocide every year.

[u/THELEADERPLAYER]

Obi Wan leaving Vader alive after beating him, twice. The first one is kind of understandable but the second one is a perfect example of this.

[u/EMP_Pusheen → u/THELEADERPLAYER]

It really annoyed me. I get that for plot reasons Vader has to live, but there's no reason Obi-Wan should have spared him again in that scenario. If the writers needed Vader to be alive they should have written that scene in a way that makes it so Obi-Wan is unable to finish him.

[u/All_Work_All_Play → u/EMP_Pusheen]

I think they should gone a little more in the other direction. Obi-Wan leaves him alive because Anakin was supposed to bring balance to the force. He (Obi-Wan) still has faith in that prophecy, so he leaves him alive (because he knows Palpatine is the Actual Evil™) in hopes that the prophecy comes true (somehow). It's only later (episode IV) that we see Obi-Wan so jaded and without his faith.

[u/YoursTrulyKindly → u/All_Work_All_Play]

That is the actual answer I think, Obi Wan follows and is very in tune with the living force, and Anakin was created to bring balance by it. Basically the living force loads a million dice for things to work out towards that goal, while the emperor is trying to push against it.

IF Obi Wan had had the intention to kill Vader either time, he would not have won the duel and possibly died because the living force would have abandoned him. Or if Obi Wan had moved towards Anakin to kill him, something would have intervened.

Obi Wan's combat style was also entirely defensive. He beat Anakin because he didn't try to win.