Best Epic Redemption Arc Fanfics
Redemption Arc fanfics over 100,000 words — the long-form treatment of the trope. Curated from AO3, ranked by kudos.
Top 14 Epic Redemption Arc Fanfics
Ranked by AO3 kudos. Each fic is tagged with redemption arc and falls in the over 100,000 words range.
The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy
by speechwriter
The night that Harry and Dumbledore return from the cave, the Death Eaters are delayed from reaching the top of the Astronomy Tower for one more minute. Draco Malfoy lowers his wand.A Deathly Hallows rewrite in which Draco accepts Dumbledore's offer to fake his death and go into hiding with the Orde
Trust Me
by ChicoFeels
Hashtag yearns to connect more with Starscream and she can't stand at how the world doesn't want to give him a second chance. She also wishes he wasn't so hostile towards the world. Her solution? To welcome Starscream into the Malto family as a new uncle and shower him with the love and support he n
Last Hope
by TheWasp1995
Immediately after the fall of Ben Solo, Luke Skywalker has exiled himself to the planet of Ahch-To to live out the rest of his days in shame and to end the Jedi once and for all. But when offered a chance to undo all of the horrible events of the past, Luke takes it and embarks on one last hero's jo
Spun back to Hallownest
by Draco_1850
After defeating Grand Mother Silk, Hornet, Lace, and Ghost are sent back to Hallownest, just before the Hollow Knight is sealed. But what awaits those who now bear the mark of the primal source of Silk—and possess far too much knowledge about the world?
Imagining the world outside does not exist
by Zephira
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The homage of a SECOND CHANCE to Grant Douglas Ward, the far most fascinating character in Agents of Shield!And to Skye/Daisy/Mary Sue/Quake and their tormented wonderful love as well!-------------
Ancient Memories
by Enmadokairos
In a world where Quirks define heroes, Izuku Midoriya discovers something that shouldn’t exist. An old deck of cards.A forgotten game.A power the modern world has erased from memory. Unseen by the heroes of today, darkness stirs beneath the city.This is a story about forgotten power, impossible choi
Tears fall in my heart
by nom_aleatoire
- Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.In the rain-soaked ruins of Ame no Kuni, Sakura Haruno finds Itachi Uchiha exactly where Konoha told her he would be: sick, dangerous, and waiting for death.Keeping him alive was supposed to be the mission.Understanding him was
Worshipped by Riddle 🥀
by The_failed_Lady
Beyond his cold quest for a broken throne, a hauntingly beautiful, dark obsession consumes Tom Riddle—and its name is Severus Snape. In this utterly gripping, morally grey universe, Severus is a deeply traumatized soul, living in a silent purgatory of past violations and endless grief. But when the
Shinjiro "Kelly" Aragaki
by LaughingCossack
Written by me, Beta read by @MazeOfmyDesign, https://www.tumblr.com/maze-of-my-designNew chapters out when they're ready.Shinjiro Aragaki dies in 2009, unknown to himself he holds the same potential that his leader had. He then is given a second chance to realise said potential and to learn to live
Two Souls Who Should Have Died
by eternalstoryteller
Giyu Tomioka. The false Water Hashira saved the true Flower Hashira from certain doom. But how can someone who's already drowning in the belief that he should have died help confront another soul who now believes that she should have died that day?
Treason of the Heart
by the_enchanted_quill
What if Harry had a twin, and what would happen if she ended up entangled with one of the most dangerous wizards around? An attempt at snooping around Malfoy Manor for the Order goes disastrously awry, and our heroine finds herself in the power of Lucius Malfoy.
A Life Not Programmed
by LordRioichi
Waking in a world that left her behind, Galatea finds Hamilton dead, Cadmus gone, and the war she was built for long over. Haunted by her past and unsure of her future, she's offered a second chance aboard the Watchtower. As she rebuilds herself piece by piece, one unexpected speedster may be the ke
The Young Deer
by tcm007066
Lyle Morgan becomes an outlaw in 1870, dragging his young son Arthur into a life of crime and hardship on the American frontier. From dusty trails and desperate heists to the harsh realities of survival, Lyle's choices shape the boy who will one day ride with Dutch van der Linde. When Lyle's path en
Harry Potter and the Others Who Lived
by thegrindylowdown
The war is over, but Hogwarts isn’t the same and neither are the people returning for their eighth year. I told Ron and Harry that just because the war is over doesn’t mean everything will go back to normal. As it turns out, that was rather optimistic. Harry is not okay. Ginny is determined to estab
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About Redemption Arc
A character who has done genuine harm works to become someone better, earning forgiveness slowly or sometimes never receiving it at all. Redemption fics take a villain, an antagonist, or a fallen hero and ask what atonement would actually cost them.
There is something deeply hopeful about watching a person claw their way back from their worst self, especially when the narrative refuses to make it easy.
Common scenarios: A former villain doing community service alongside the heroes who defeated them, or a war criminal spending years quietly making amends to the families they hurt.
About This List
This list of 14epic Redemption Arc fanfics spans 5,419,964 total words. Kudos range from 20 on the newest entries to 25,967 on the most established. Most entries are ongoing works, so subscribe on AO3 for update notifications. The most common rating is Teen And Up Audiences (7 of 14 fics).
Recurring tags across this list: Redemption · Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence · Slow Burn · Angst · Time Travel.
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