100% Adoration Rating

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

"The Lienid love their princes."

There are rulers whom everyone hates. There are plain old bad rulers -- God Save Us From the Queen, the Royally Screwed-Up, or The Caligula. There are useless rulers. Then there are characters such as The High Queen, The Good King, The Wise Prince and those who do their job so well they have Vetinari Job Security.

And then there are people with this.

Everyone loves them. They aren't just loyal. They aren't just grateful to have these rulers in charge. They actually care about their rulers on a personal level. A simple request—not an order, but an appeal—will get immediate results. They will be hugely honored when a favor is granted to them. Threatening or insulting their ruler triggers anger. If a ruler is sick or hurt, they'll worry like it's their own family. They follow wherever the rulers lead, but never forget that they're human. These rulers have a Hundred Percent Adoration Rating. They are almost always Royals Who Actually Do Something and almost always Modest Royalty, and their kingdom will often be a Mary Suetopia.

Contrast 0% Approval Rating. An adventurer (not a ruler) treated this way has a 100% Heroism Rating. When the adoration is enforced by others, it's Unacceptable Targets.

No real life examples, please; it's just not possible to please everyone. The closest we should get is Real Life people being described in fiction as having one.

Examples of 100% Adoration Rating include:

Anime and Manga

  • Prince Kail, later King, and Yuri, later Queen, of Anatolia Story/Red River. Notable in that Yuri gets this treatment without actually being royal at first, though her cover was as the prince's concubine and incarnated goddess.
  • The titular Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.
  • In One Piece, King Cobra and his family are normally treated this way in their home country, Alabasta, until Crocodile shows up.
  • It was apparently the same for Arika in Mahou Sensei Negima, before she was framed and scapegoated for the war and Omnicidal Maniac terrorists. And even then, most of her people don't believe a word of it.
  • In Kyou Kara Maou, to know Yuuri is to love Yuuri. And once he starts getting out there and doing things, having met him is no longer a prerequisite. Thousands of years of racism can be eroded by his smile.
  • Though she isn't the ruler (her father is the democratically-elected Chairman of the ruling council), Lacus Clyne of Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny is held in this regard by ZAFT. She is held up as a paragon of kindess and gentleness (which, honestly, she kind of is), and a few words from her are enough to calm the population down from sheer panic and rage over the Earth attacking them with nukes. She actually does end up taking control of ZAFT following the Second Bloody Valentine War, gaining her father's old position as Chairperson of the Supreme Council.

Literature

  • The Lienid in Kristin Cashore's Graceling tend to feel this way about their princes, as the page quote indicates—a sea captain is explicitly described as worrying about one such prince "as if it were a member of her family". King Leck of Monsea is beloved by his people. And so kind to children and animals. His mind control powers help, though.
  • The Princess Bride: Princess Buttercup was described in this way.
  • In the Dune prequels, the Atreides are portrayed like this on Caladan. It is implied that this has been the case for generations.
  • The short story American History portrays John F. Kennedy as regarded this way.
  • Discworld series: Captain Carrot of the City Watch exudes some kind of charisma field (bags of it) that causes everyone to like him, and actually behave like decent and kind people. The worst-kept secret in Ankh-Morpork is that he's the rightful heir to the throne—not that this matters, because he firmly believes the city needs a king "like A fish needs a...er...a thing that doesn't work underwater."
  • Aragorn at the end of The Lord of the Rings.
  • Richard in the Sword of Truth, at least amoung the D'Harans.
  • Conan the Barbarian: In "A Witch Shall Be Born", Tamaris. Making the Fake King gambit by her Evil Twin sister, The Caligula, that much more shocking.

Taramis, whom all Khauran loves, betraying her people to that devil from Koth!

  • The Neverending Story: The Childlike Empress. Every inhabitant of Fantastica from the kindly talking donkeys to the terrifying malevolent giant spiders is aware of her status as the Barrier Maiden and gives her the utmost respect.
  • King Håkon the Good of Norway in Heimskringla. He is so popular that, when he is killed in battle against the sons of Erik Bloodaxe, not only his subjects but even the Erikssons cry for him: “Both friends and foes wept over his death and said that never again would such a good king come to Norway.”
  • Princess Ozma from The Land of Oz books. Dave Hardenbrook, author of the third-party novel The Unknown Witches of Oz, claims Ozma is "the only world leader with an unwavering one-hundred-percent job approval rating!". (Hardenbrook's writing style is of a far more ironic and snarky vein than that of Baum or other contributors to the franchise.) Possibly an exaggeration, as some villains might claim otherwise, but in all the books, you will never find one of her subjects with anything negative to say about their beloved queen.

Film

  • Padme Amidala in the Star Wars prequels, though it should be noted that Queen of Naboo is an elected position. Elected, yes, but her constituents tried to change their laws to allow her to serve beyond the accepted number of years in her terms. Padme declined, of course, which probably made them love her even more. Justified in that she was a war hero and in Real Life, they always do well politically after the war.

Live-Action TV

  • Subverted in the Blackadder Back and Forth special. It ends with 21st Century!Blackadder as the King of England, so wildly popular that he was able to disband Parliament and make himself an absolute monarch...because he stole Baldrick's time machine and manipulated history to put himself on the throne.
  • Like the Sword of Truth example above, Richard in Legend of the Seeker gains such approval in an Alternate Timeline caused by Cara never becoming a Mord'Sith and stopping him from using the Boxes of Orden. His closest advisor is Darken Rahl, his older brother (father in novels) and enemy. Of course, the Keeper has to go and break the boxes, returning control of D'Hara to Rahl.
  • Ted from Better Off Ted is adored by all of his workers who will do virtually anything to curry his favor. Even his Ice Queen boss Veronica adores him.

New Media

Stanislav: The Lord of Darkwood does not practice the lord's right. You and your lover do not need his leave to consummate your marriage–
Peasant Husband: Actually she and I were kinda looking forward to it. Can you please do us a favor and ask him to reconsider? We can wait if the lord is too busy right now–
Peasant Wife: The lord is very handsome, isn't he? I would be so happy if my first babe was his!

In fairness the dude risks his life against the supernatural on behalf of his subjects on all the time. (Not that they know that. They think he's an invincible badass that looks out for them, unlike their previous lords who were apathetic or outright cruel).

Video Games

  • If the player chooses the Paragon ending for Mass Effect, s/he will have this from most people in Mass Effect 2. Your friends (with one notable exception based on Locked Out of the Loop) will go to hell and back for you, will quit their jobs and affiliate with a terrorist organization to work for you, and you'll even see a turian shop-owner seriously stating that he would name his first-born child after Shepard if s/he asked. In fact, only Udina and the turian Councilor seem to have a low opinion of you.
    • Though Hackett tells Shepard that s/he will have to make a Zero-Approval Gambit after s/he was forced to destroy a mass relay which went supernova and killed over 300,000 batarians, in order to avert war between humanity and the batarians.
  • Tales of the Abyss
    • Princess Natalia. When she and the rest of the group are being pursued by the king's guards, normal civilians stand in the way to stop them in order to protect their princess, even though Natalia protests, pointing out that she's not even the actual princess, but the citizens reply that they don't care about her false title of royalty, they care about how kind and helpful she was as a leader.
    • Emperor Peony has this too, as seen by talking to pretty much every NPC in Grand Chokmah. Even when the world is literally falling apart around them, they all trust that he has things in hand and will do what's best for everyone.
  • Baten Kaitos
    • Melodia is the single most beloved figure in the world. She's playing 0% Approval Rating Geldoblame like a fiddle, of course.
    • To the citizens of Alfard, Geldoblame gets this reaction. It helps that he's deliberately cultivated strong civil pride.
  • Super Mario Bros.: Princess Peach is beloved on a personal level by all of her subjects.
    • Except for the goombas, who defected to Bowser in the original storyline.
      • And on that note, Bowser himself in the eyes of his minions, Depending on the Writer. Some of the earlier RPGs showed him ruling by fear and having his troops desert, while more recent material shows they follow him just as loyally as Peach's subjects do her.
    • In Super Mario Odyssey, not one resident of New Donk City has an unkind word to say about Pauline, the current mayor.
  • The Legend of Zelda: each Princess Zelda is loved by everyone, or at least everyone shown. There's been exactly one non-villain in the entire series who didn't like her and she eventually came around. (And depending on your interpretation of Ganon/dorf, even he does.)
  • Civilization: "We Love the King Day." They sure do; they pay their city's upkeep out of their own pockets for a whole year.
    • In Civilization V, they celebrate with increased population growth. Yes, they love their ruler so much they copulate for him/her.
  • Stronghold: Building nice structures, feeding your people with a variety of foods, building churches and making sure the ale houses are built will make you beloved, how the nice structures will make your people work slower at the exchange for an army that will defend their home at all costs.
  • In Warcraft and subsequently World of Warcraft, there was a prince who was adored by his subjects. He enjoyed talking and hanging out with the common populace and when he was serving in the army he always got to know his companions and knew to take care of them. His name was Arthas.
  • Gulcasa in Yggdra Union, although you don't find out until the last third of the game (the heroes resent him for various reasons and assume that everyone else must, too). As he has spent the past three years sweating blood to repair the damage his negligent predecessor did to his country, suffered just as much as his citizens under said predecessor, and is pitifully nice to boot, the Bronquian civilians' abject adoration is a bit understandable.
  • Dragon Quest V, The Hero is revealed to be the prince of Gotha (and later the king.) For the rest of the game, people in that small kingdom loves him and the innkeeper will let his party stay in her inn for free despite that after he takes the crown, he goes rescuing his wife, goes missing, and is unable to do his job as a king for ten years. Maybe it's something to do with him being a son of a very good king and him being very heroic.
  • In The Sims Medieval you can turn your Monarch into one of these by answering Petitions (for your own populace) and passing Edicts (for annexed territories.) There's even an achievement for it. Sadly, there are few actual gameplay benefits, so you can also have a very unpopular monarch with no consequences.
  • In Tropico, you can be the El Presidente everyone honestly loves. Keep your citizens well-fed, raise wages, lower taxes, give people access to religion, healthcare, and entertainment; and don't forget to erect landmarks (some of which can be dedicated to you, but if you're really nice, it's justified). Even those who have already joined the rebel will return to citizenship!
  • Players in RuneScape can get this in the kingdom they help manage, simply by helping their subjects do their jobs. Maintaining the 100% approval rating is the way to gain the most resources in payment for managing the kingdom.
  • King Ludwig as he was depicted in the Gabriel Knight games. When the final part of his Thanatos Gambit fails and he is carted off to prison, he entrusts the final piece of The Plan to a local woman, having enough faith that his loyal subject will fulfil his final request - and she does.

Theater

  • The musical Evita tells the story of Eva Peron, beloved wife of Argentinian president Juan Peron. Both were presented as popular among the people, but she in particular was greatly adored and eventually given the title of "spiritual leader of Argentina".

Western Animation

  • Most Disney Princesses who actually are princesses.
  • TJ of Recess is loved by every one of the students, so much so that when one student doesn't like him, it's a plot point for the whole episode.
  • Princess Celestia from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic gets so much respect that the moment she show up, even Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie genuflected in silent reverence - while Twilight Sparkle, the only one who had personal familiarity with her, went for a hug. Might have something to do with her being a physical goddess. Later episodes, though, show that many of her subjects are a little intimidated by her, and frequently fuss about making a good impression (always needlessly).
  • In Superman: The Animated Series, Darkseid is revered by all of his subjects. When Superman beats him to a pulp and throws him to the downtrodden Lowlies, they immediately try to find medical attention for him.