One of the most obvious differences between real life and fiction is that in one, death is permanent, and in the other, it's only usually permanent. There are countless ways in which fiction can be used as an escape from the real world, and one of them may well be how it allows you to get attached to characters who'll never shuffle off this mortal coil.

RELATED: TV Character Deaths that Hurt Most

Sometimes, death in fiction can be just a flesh wound (if that). Sometimes, the death lasted a few minutes, sometimes as long as a television season or more. In some instances, the character's return from the dead was genuinely surprising, but fans probably saw it coming in most instances.

There are spoilers ahead for all shows discussed.

Jon Snow in 'Game of Thrones'

Kit Harington as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones

99% of the time, death remained permanent in Game of Thrones, which is rare for a fantasy show. Magic was occasionally shown to bring certain characters back (often with some consequences), but it wouldn't have become as notorious for its devastating character deaths if resurrections were commonplace.

That being said, the most significant exception to the brutal, permanent death-related rule of the show was Jon Snow's (Kit Harington) temporary demise at the end of Season 5. Sure, viewers had to wait almost a year to see him resurrected at the beginning of Season 6, but he was too important to the events the show was building up to for most to believe the writers would keep him dead.

Brian in 'Family Guy'

Family Guy - Brian

Family Guy briefly tricked some (definitely not all) of its viewers into thinking it was genuinely going to kill the Griffin family's beloved talking dog, Brian (Seth MacFarlane). Despite the show being full of cartoon violence and bloodshed, when Brian's hit by a car in the infamous "Life of Brian” episode, it seems actually to be fatal, at least for a short while.

However, it was never going to be permanent and only existed to stir some controversy and discussion. Maybe it worked at the time, but the episode is now regarded as one of the worst in Family Guy's history, and justifiably so.

Jack Bauer in '24'

24 - Jack Bauer

The protagonist of 24, Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), has what must be one of the shortest deaths in TV history. In the back half of 24's second season, there's a scene where Jack's foes torture him to the point where he ends up dying rather than giving them the information they want.

Within seconds, they're doing all they can to resurrect him, of course, and then once he's resuscitated, he makes his escape. But for a moment or two, Jack Bauer is declared legally dead. The vast majority of the other characters aren't so lucky and stay dead, but Jack Bauer demonstrates his famed toughness here better than almost any other point in the show, as it all but confirms the universe just won't — for whatever reason — let him die.

Kenny in 'South Park'

South Park - Kenny

Kenny (Matt Stone) is legendary for dying in almost every episode during South Park's first five seasons, a typical and unsurprising pickSouth Park's first five seasons. The death would never last, though, and he'd seemingly be fine in the next episode...only to die in some other hilarious or gruesome way.

When it became clear South Park would last for way more than five seasons, Kenny was killed off "permanently" for about the length of one whole season before returning for good. Since then, his iconic deaths have become less frequent, as maybe 70-ish deaths and resurrections over approximately five years were seen as more than enough.

Buffy Summers in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Buffy
Image via WB

Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), despite being the main character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was not spared from death. She died twice in the show's run: once for a few moments at the end of Season 1 and then again for a much longer time in the final episode of the show's fifth season.

RELATED: The Best Episodes Of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'

She was brought back to life at the start of the show's sixth season, after presumably a couple of months (at least), and much of that season deals with her difficulty in readjusting to the world of the living. Like many things in the often emotional show, things come with a price, and one of the Season 6's bleakest moments is when Buffy reveals to her friends (during the otherwise light-hearted musical episode) that when they brought her back to life, they effectively yanked her out of heaven. Ouch.

John Locke in 'Lost'

Lost - John Locke

Many people died on Lost, and depending on what you think happened near the show's end, potentially everyone died? Sort of? Maybe? But the finale aside, episode to episode, most deaths stuck, which is surprising considering all the science-fiction and fantasy elements. Fans could at least take comfort in dead characters sometimes returning in flashbacks or dream sequences, but death tended to be permanent within the show's "main" timeline.

John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) was an exception, though. Late in Season 3, he's shot by Ben (Michael Emerson) and left to die, but it turns out the bullet was far from fatal. In confusing Lost fashion, Locke seems to die again later in the series (when things get truly weird) and comes back, but not as himself? Or partly as himself? Lost is confusing when you think about it, but the varying ups and downs in quality and coherency add to its charm, in a way.

Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan - Eren Yeager

The protagonist of Attack on Titan, Eren Yeager (Yuki Kaji in Japanese, Bryce Papenbrook in English), appears to die a shockingly violent and sudden death just a few episodes into the famed anime series. First-time viewers could be forgiven for assuming it's permanent, as no one else has been shown to survive getting eaten by one of the show's giant antagonist titans, his arm gets chomped off, and the world of the show has already been set up as cruel and unforgiving.

Of course, it didn't stick, and several episodes later, it's revealed Eren survived, regenerated his arm, and has gained the ability to transform into a titan himself. From there, naturally, things keep getting wilder.

Angel in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Angel

Angel (David Boreanaz) was undoubtedly one of the most important characters to get a dramatic death scene during Buffy the Vampire Slayer, after Buffy herself. Though like his girlfriend/soulmate, he didn't stick either.

RELATED: 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Cast Celebrates the Show's 25th Anniversary

The scene in question still has a tremendous impact, though. Buffy's forced to kill the only man she's ever loved to prevent one of the show's many apocalypses and tearfully does so. He comes back by the next season and takes a while to recover fully, but then he lives long enough to star in five seasons of his spin-off show.

Nathan in 'Misfits'

Misfits - Nathan

A rare comedic example of temporary death, fan-favorite Misfits character, Nathan, appears to die at the end of Season 1 before realizing his superpower: he's immortal.

The only problem for Nathan (Robert Sheehan) is he realizes this shortly after his funeral while buried underground. That's pretty horrifying, but it doesn't last long before his fellow superpowered friends dig him out, and he can resume being a lovable pest in their presence. It's a memorable moment from a somewhat inconsistent show and demonstrates that a character dying and coming back to life doesn't always have to be a severe or dramatic affair.

Tony Almeida in '24'

24 - Tony Almeida

For the first four and a half seasons of 24, Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard) was one of its most important characters. Initially an obstacle to protagonist Jack Bauer, he was one of the few people to realize Jack was somehow almost always right and eventually became a close ally.

That made his death halfway through Season 5 sting. While it didn't seem as definitive as other death scenes, he vanished for a good season and a half, not returning alive and well (but a little eviler) until Season 7. Most other 24 characters weren't so lucky and remained very dead.

KEEP READING: TV Characters Who Died Just Because It Was the Final Season