There are three current and often quoted urban
legends that started spreading in late 1980s of an ending
to the Doraemon series.
* The first and the more optimistic ending was made public by Nobuo
Sato several years ago. Doraemon's battery power ran out, and
Nobita was given a choice between replacing the battery inside a
frozen Doraemon, which would cause it to reset and lose all memory,
or await a competent robotics technician who would be able to
resurrect the cat-robot one day. Nobita swore that very day to work
hard in school, graduate with honours, and become that robotics
technician. He successfully resurrected Doraemon in the future as a
robotics professor, became successful as an AI developer, and thus
lived happily ever after, thus relieving his progeny of the
financial burdens that caused Doraemon to be sent to his space-time
in the first place. A dôjin manga for this ending exists. [2]
* The second, more pessimistic ending suggests that Nobita Nobi is
suffering from autism and that all the characters (including
Doraemon) are simply his delusion. The idea that Nobita was a sick
and dying little boy who imagined the entire series on his sickbed
to help him ease his pain and depression no doubt angered quite a
lot of fans. Many Japanese fans staged a protest outside the
headquarters of the publisher of the series after learning about
this suggestion. The publisher had to issue a public statement that
this is not true. (This ending actually correlates to the ending
for the series St. Elsewhere, which ended in 1988.)
* The third ending suggests that Nobita fell and hit his head on a
rock. He fell into a deep coma, and eventually into a
semi-vegetative state. To raise money for an operation to save
Nobita, Doraemon sold all the tools and devices in his
four-dimensional pocket. However, the operation failed. Doraemon
sold all his tools except for one used as a last resort. He used it
to enable Nobita to go wherever he wanted, whichever time era he
wished to go. In the end, the very place Nobita wanted to go was
heaven.
There are three official endings to Doraemon that
were made. Doraemon was discontinued in two media because readers
were advancing in grades and an ending was believed to be needed.
These two are not reprinted.
* In the March 1971 issue of the magazine Shogaku 4-nensei [4]: Due
to the fact that visitors from the future were causing too much
trouble, the government in the 22nd Century passed a bill to ban
time-travelling altogether, meaning Doraemon would have to return
to his time era. He leaves Nobita.
* In the March 1972 issue of the magazine Shogaku 4-nensei:
Doraemon, for some reason, had to go back to the future but fakes a
mechanical problem so that Nobita would let him go. Nobita believes
him and promises to wait until Doraemon gets well. Realizing that
Nobita can handle his departure, Doraemon tells the truth and
Nobita accepts. Doraemon returns to the future.
The third ending was actually meant to be the official ending due
to low TV ratings and the Fujiko Fujio duo was busy with other
works. But Doraemon did not leave their minds and restarted from
next month's issue. In 1981, this episode was made into anime
(called "Doraemon Comes Back"), and in 1998, this was released as
an anime movie.
* In the March 1973 issue of the magazine Shogaku 4-nensei, Nobita
again returns home after losing a fight against Gian. Doraemon then
explains that he has to return. Nobita tries to have Doraemon stay
but after talking it over with his parents, he accepts Doraemon's
departure. They take a last walk in the park. After they split up,
Nobita encounters Jaian and gets into a fight again. After a long
duel with Nobita trying to win at all costs so that Doraemon can
leave without worries, Jaian lets Nobita win for not giving up.
Doraemon finds Nobita passed out and takes him home. Sitting beside
sleeping Nobita and after a moment of thought, Doraemon returns to
the future. (It is also found at the last chapter of the manga Book
6)
* The animated version is completely similar but lengthened. Nobita
finds a box the shape of Doraemon in his drawer. The next day,
which happens to be April Fool's day, Nobita is jeered at by Suneo
and Jaian, the latter tricking him about Doraemon's return. He
happily runs home and asked his mother whether Doraemon came back
and finds out the truth. Nobita couldn't stand it and opens the
box. Inside of it was a bottle of liquid. He hears Doraemon's voice
explaining that the potion is called Uso 800 (Lies 800) it is used
to make all untruths the drinker says true. Nobita uses it to play
a few tricks on Jaian and Suneo, like first taking cover then say
that the weather sure is good, which becomes a lie and it started
to rain heavily before he said it is raining heavily and the rain
stopped. Jian and Suneo was scared away after a few tricks and when
Nobita mentioned what is happening. Nobita was very happy at first
but quickly loses interest in the absence of Doraemon. As he walks
home, due to his earlier questioning if Doraemon returned or not,
his mother asked him if he could find Doraemon, he unwittingly
said, in great disappointment, the truth about Doraemon never
coming back, just like what Doraemon told Nobita before his
departure. Since the potion was still in effect, when he arrives
his room he finds Doraemon there, and they have a happy reunion,
but due to the effects of the potion, all his greets and joyful
words have to be spoken in the opposite way like I am so unhappy
that we can never be together again.
* The extra portion of the above ending from the animated version
is included in Book 7 of the manga series.
When the Fujiko Fujio duo broke up in 1987, the very idea of an
official ending to the series was never discussed. Since Fujiko F.
died in 1996 before any decisions were reached, any "endings" of
Doraemon are fan fiction. However, it is apparent from many
episodes and movies where Nobita travels to the future that in the
end he does marry Shizuka, leads a happy life and separates with
Doraemon, although Nobita and his friends fondly remember
him.
