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The Anthropic Principle as it applies to fiction is similar: Every [[The Verse|fictional universe]] has fundamental, axiomatic elements without which its story simply ''could not exist'', and the reader must accept those elements in order to enjoy the work. The ultimate expression of this trope is [[Minovsky Physics]] -these elements are actually carefully planned in advance, ensuring a logical transition from real life to the fictional universe.
 
For example, ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'' requires a lead character able to get on a TV quiz show and do surprisingly well, to the point that the show itself becomes [[Serious Business]]. For ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'' to happen, Dr. Gregory House must be able to keep his job as a genius diagnostician despite being a major [[Jerkass]]. For ''[[Snakes on a Plane]]'' to happen, there must be [[Captain Obvious|snakes on]] [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|a plane]]. For a ''[[Gundam]]'' series to happen, giant [[Mecha]] must be possible. And to the eternal enmity of all physicists, you cannot have a [[Space Opera]] without [[Faster-Than-Light Travel]] ... and the resultant [[Cool Starship]]s [[We Will Use Manual Labor in the Future|must have people on them]] (even if it's just because [[AIA.I. Is a Crapshoot|suitable machines can't be trusted]]) because [[Most Writers Are Human|it's hard to tell entertaining stories about unmanned probes.]] For an [[Adventure Game]] or [[RPG]] to happen, there must be ''someone'' who the player can guide through the [[Sorting Algorithm of Villain Threat]] and eventually beat up the [[Big Bad]] in single combat. And in all of the above cases, if Adventures of those types can be had regularly, it is an [[Adventure-Friendly World]].
 
This is in some ways the opposite of the [[MST3K Mantra]], which says that some details don't need to make sense because they ultimately don't matter; the '''Anthropic Principle''' says that certain details of the story '''do''' matter because they are the foundations that the story itself is built upon, and accepting those details on faith is critical to the audience's enjoyment of the show, even if it doesn't make much sense from an outside viewpoint.
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* This trope is surprisingly often [[Defied Trope|defied]] by critics reviewing [[Comic Book]] [[The Movie|film adaptations]] and [[Fantasy]], when they dismiss an entire genre in its opening paragraph by pointing out that the very premise of the story is realistically impossible and rests upon [[Character Archetype|childlike simplifications]]—and anyone who takes such stories seriously must by definition be irresponsible and childish themselves; see [[Complaining About Shows You Don't Like]].
 
* Conversely, the need for the plot to work ''as an actual story'' is a problem for [[Fan Dumb|overzealous fans]] who attempt to [[Doing inIn the Wizard|explain away]] an aspect of the story that requires [[Broad Strokes]]. They may foreswear any [[Death of the Author|literary]], character-driven, or [[Epileptic Trees|other]] interpretations, placing [[All There in the Manual|rigorous consistency]] above whether or not it makes [[Rule of Drama|a good story]]; and apply [[Armed with Canon|similar standards]] when judging film adaptations, even when there'd be no film if their proposed changes were made.
 
* Sometimes the author is dissatisfied and rebels against the underlying premise. Changes to the basic premise to make it "consistent" or "relevant" (due to [[Cerebus Syndrome]] or [[Executive Meddling]]) will require a [[Continuity Reboot]] or a total [[Retool]] of the premise. Compare [[They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot]].
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