All-Powerful Bystander: Difference between revisions

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Our heroes might be good at what they do, but this person is on [[Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence|another level altogether]]. For some reason, this makes [[The Gods Must Be Lazy|them]] [[Good Is Impotent|useless]].

An [[All Powerful Bystander]] is a being who is ''so'' powerful that it seems likely they could just solve the entire plot with a snap of the fingers. They are, effectively, [[God]].

An [[All-Powerful Bystander]] is a being who is ''so'' powerful that it seems likely they could just solve the entire plot with a snap of the fingers. They are, effectively, [[God]].

But they're not going to fix the problems facing the universe. Why? Well, there are a variety of reasons:

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* It would mean breaking an [[Obstructive Code of Conduct]].

* It's not "fair". This is our universe and we deserve to be allowed to live our own lives by our own rules without having a [[Deus Ex Machina]] solve our woes.

* They're "not allowed". There are ''other'' [[All Powerful Bystander|All Powerful Bystanders]] out there, so any action they take would be rendered null and void by an [[Balance Between Good and Evil|equal and opposite reaction]] by one of them. Also, they would likely punish the [[All Powerful Bystander]] for trying anything.

* They're "not allowed". There are ''other'' [[All-Powerful Bystander|All Powerful Bystanders]] out there, so any action they take would be rendered null and void by an [[Balance Between Good and Evil|equal and opposite reaction]] by one of them. Also, they would likely punish the [[All-Powerful Bystander]] for trying anything.

* They like to see creatures expand and perhaps even ascend to their plane of existence ''at some point in time''

* [[God Is Evil|They enjoy the suffering.]]

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== Anime and Manga ==

* Ryuk, from ''[[Death Note]]''. He could use his shinigami eyes to kill L and solve all of Light's problems at any moment, but chooses not to. This is because, in his own words, [[Intrigued by Humanity|"Humans are so interesting."]]

* Yuuko Ichihara from ''[[xxxHolic]]'' is the [[All Powerful Bystander]] for a collection of universes or "dimensions", she's knows all or nearly so and is capable of granting any wish... for a price, she has stated that something terrible would happen if she doesn't take some payment of the same value and thus her usefulness gets massively handicapped.

* Yuuko Ichihara from ''[[xxxHolic]]'' is the [[All-Powerful Bystander]] for a collection of universes or "dimensions", she's knows all or nearly so and is capable of granting any wish... for a price, she has stated that something terrible would happen if she doesn't take some payment of the same value and thus her usefulness gets massively handicapped.

** Expanded on when {{spoiler|Watanuki}} takes over the job from her. He keeps undercharging, and gets mysterious injuries proportional in severity to how much he undercharges.

* Seijuro Hiko from ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'' taught the main character every sword skill he knows, except that, unlike Kenshin, Hiko's got the raw muscular power to use Hiten Mitsurigi style to its fullest, and doesn't bother with Kenshin's [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]] philosophy. [[Word of God|The author stated outright]] that Hiko was far too powerful for anyone else in the series to handle. That's why he was made too apathetic and anti-social to ever go after the [[Big Bad|Big Bads]] himself.

* Evangeline in ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]''. She's quite possibly the most powerful character to make an appearance yet (curbstomping a demon god and {{spoiler|Fate Averruncus, who [[Memetic Badass|Rakan]] was only ''slightly'' better than}}) yet is completely disinterested in helping out (though she has the excuse of being under a [[Power Limiter]] most of the time). In fact, she stops the headmaster from interfering during Mahorafest and makes him sit on the sidelines and watch the events unfold!

** This is only valid during the Mahorafest Arc. After that, she becomes a much more active ally.

* Kisuke Urahara from ''[[Bleach]]'' definitely qualifies as an [[All Powerful Bystander]]. He has incredible powers as a {{spoiler|former Soul Reaper}} and yet it seems that he prefers to sit by and let Ichigo and the others do all the work.

* Kisuke Urahara from ''[[Bleach]]'' definitely qualifies as an [[All-Powerful Bystander]]. He has incredible powers as a {{spoiler|former Soul Reaper}} and yet it seems that he prefers to sit by and let Ichigo and the others do all the work.

** The Fake Karakura Town arc would have been much shorter and less painful for all concerned had Yamamoto actually intervened more than once (taking out the monster of Harribel's fraccion). Somewhat justified in that he needed to prepare his own attack on Aizen, and was quite probably expecting his subordinates to fall, one way or another, before he took the Big Bad on. He then makes good on his Badass Boast about having been the gotei 13's commander for a millennium.

* Seravy from ''[[Akazukin Chacha]]''. By far, the most powerful character in the series, he was able already to ''unconsciously'' defeat the most powerful veteran adult magicians even as a [[Tyke Bomb|grade-schooler]] ''without even being aware of it''. In fact, he is considered the only real threat by the [[Big Bad]] and in fact is likely the only reason why the rest of the magical world hasn't actually been conquered yet at the start of the series.

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* From the ''[[Cirque Du Freak]]'' series, Desmond Tiny, Evanna and Mr Tall. All powerful enough to pretty much decide the outcome of the war single-handedly, but they're not allowed to directly interfere, or else {{spoiler|all hell breaks loose.}}

* The Childlike Empress in ''[[The Neverending Story (novel)|The Neverending Story]]'' plays this role for most of the book.

* Preservation and Ruin are a pair of good and evil [[All Powerful Bystander|All Powerful Bystanders]] from the ''[[Mistborn]]'' books. They are literally balanced out, being exactly equal in power, though both have found ways to nullify the other at different times. {{spoiler|Preservation sacrificed his power and most of his consciousness to bind Ruin thousands of years before the series began. Ruin then uses what little power he has left to alter a series of prophecies, thereby tricking mortal heroes into freeing him, leaving him the unchallenged god of the whole world. Preservation in turn had plans to elevate a successor...}}

* Preservation and Ruin are a pair of good and evil [[All-Powerful Bystander|All Powerful Bystanders]] from the ''[[Mistborn]]'' books. They are literally balanced out, being exactly equal in power, though both have found ways to nullify the other at different times. {{spoiler|Preservation sacrificed his power and most of his consciousness to bind Ruin thousands of years before the series began. Ruin then uses what little power he has left to alter a series of prophecies, thereby tricking mortal heroes into freeing him, leaving him the unchallenged god of the whole world. Preservation in turn had plans to elevate a successor...}}

* The Archive in ''[[The Dresden Files]]''. She's almost [[The Omniscient|omniscient]] and at ''least'' as powerful as the [[Physical God|old gods]] still hanging around. She's also magically bound to neutrality and unable to take sides except in self-defense.

** There are a number of other very powerful divine beings in the cosmology of the setting, but they do not directly intervene or act because of others. A good example of this is [[God]] and [[Satan]]; they do not act in the mortal world unless mortal will chooses for them to exert some influence, and when they do the other is able to act accordingly. For example, if Satan lends some extra [[Hellfire]] to his Denarian servants on the mortal world, then the Archangel Uriel in turn is allowed to give someone else access to [[White Magic|Soulfire]].

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* The Powers That Be in ''[[Angel]]''. The Senior Partners of Wolfram and Hart would count as the evil variety.

* Kosh and the Vorlons during the middle seasons of ''[[Babylon 5]]''. Subverted when the characters eventually decide they would prefer living in a galaxy without the Vorlons or their counterparts the Shadows.

** The original Kosh is definitely an [[All Powerful Bystander]]; the other Vorlons, not so much, because {{spoiler|they aren't mentoring the other races so much as using them as pawns in their war with the Shadows}}.

** The original Kosh is definitely an [[All-Powerful Bystander]]; the other Vorlons, not so much, because {{spoiler|they aren't mentoring the other races so much as using them as pawns in their war with the Shadows}}.

** And Lorien.

* The Guardians in ''[[Doctor Who]]''