Apocalypse Maiden: Difference between revisions

 

Subtrope of the [[MacGuffin Girl]].

 

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* Rei Ayanami from ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'', as part of an [[Assimilation Plot]]. (She was the FORMER PAGE IMAGE!) She is unusual in that {{spoiler|she actually ''succeeds'' in obliterating all life on Earth}}. [[Assimilation Plot|Sort of]]. [[Mind Screw|Maybe]]. [[Gainax Ending|We think]].

** This is, not incidentally, the point where most first-time watchers start baying for the blood of the show's ultimate [[Big Bad|antagonists]]. Not because of [[The End of the World as We Know It]] - that's just what villains do, you can't ''really'' hate 'em for it - but for doing that to {{spoiler|the insanely [[Moe]] [[Woobie]] Nia}}.

** {{spoiler|Cruelly played with in the ending where after [[Storm the Castle|overcoming imposible odds and saving the entire galaxy]] from the Anti Spirals Nia [[Tear Jerker|fades away on her and Simon's wedding day]] - as a virtual lifeform created by the Anti Spirals, [[No Ontological Inertia|she can't exist without them]]}}.

* Hotaru Tomoe (Sailor Saturn) from ''[[Sailor Moon]]''. The Outer Senshi misunderstand her job thinking it is a bad thing (And confuse her with Mistress 9 who's possessing her and is [[The Antichrist]]) and try to prevent her from awakening. They fail and she explains her job is to serve as a reset button in the event that the bad guys win, allowing Moon to restore the world into its' proper form. She doesn't get to destroy the world in the anime (she defeats the [[Big Bad]] with Moon's help, then is reborn as a baby), but does in the manga; Sailor Moon restores it moments later.

* One of the main characters of ''[[Blue Seed]]'' gets this status near the end of the series...

 

== [[Fan Works]] ==

* [[Lucky Star|The Hiiragi twins]] in ''[[Stars Above]]''. {{spoiler|They're the focal points of the multiverse, so if anything happens to them, all universes collapse.}}

 

* Played with in [[Les Legendaires]] during the Anathos Cycle; the story starts with the protagonists learning that one of them is gonna serves as a host for the reincarnation of a [[Omnicidal Maniac]] [[God of Evil]] known as Anathos. When they finally find out which one of them it is, it turns out to be Shimy, the group's elf. Team Leader Danael then pull out a [[Batman Gambit]] to prevent Anathos from reincarnating into her... only to end up [[Out-Gambitted]] by the God, who turns out to have planned this and reincarnate into ''him'' instead.

 

* In ''[[Night Watch (novel)|Night Watch]]'', the center of a coming apocalypse causing storm is a seemingly normal [[Innocent Bystander]]. As the story goes on, we discover she is an Other (basically a witch) who is riddled with guilt over manipulating her mother into rejecting a life saving kidney transplant by revealing she was the donor. The spiraling guilt would have destroyed the world had Anton not talked her down (er, up?) from her depression. In the process, he gained a love interest for the next movie who was also {{spoiler|one of the two most powerful Others in existence. This is (somewhat) subverted in the novels. The apocalypse was actually a feint by The Dark Side to convert her, rather than being caused by her own actions}}.

 

== [[Literature]] ==

* In ''[[Percy Jackson & the Olympians|Percy Jackson and The Olympians]]'', the Olympians discuss killing him—to his face! -- because he ''might'' be a dangerous prophecied-of character.

* In ''[[His Dark Materials|The Amber Spyglass]]'' the priests send an assassin to whack smartass kid Lyra because it is prophecied that she will be '''the new Eve''' and bring about a new fall of Man. Just one of the many reasons why there won't be any sequels to ''[[The Golden Compass]]''...

* Garth of ''The Lords of Dûs'' trilogy was destined to bring about the Age of Destruction by taking up the sword of Bheleu. By doing so, he also started the clock on the Age of Death, said to be the end of Time itself. Turns out {{spoiler|[[Death of the Old Gods|it was only the God of Time dying; the world went on without him]].}}

 

* ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'', with Gordon (and associates) trying to kill Sam before he can go bad and lead demon armies to conquer the world.

** Gordon isn't the only one who has it in for Sam. His own Dad was afraid killing Sam might be necessary some day (which might go a long way in explaining the guy's obsession and control issues).

*** But then the angel {{spoiler|Anna}} says no problem, they'll just {{spoiler|kill Sam and prevent Lucifer from bringing him back to life by scattering Sam's molecules throughout the entire universe. [[I Cannot Self-Terminate|Apparently not even this will work]]}}.

** And in an actual ''literal'' example, {{spoiler|Lilith}} is literally the final seal to release the apocalypse. Of course, Sam doesn't find this out until he realizes that maybe [[Idiot Ball|the tortured demonic soul of a former witch who got him hooked on demon blood might not be entirely invested in his best interests]].

* A major theme in Luca Turilli's album ''Prophet of the Last Eclipse'', particularly the song ''Demonheart''.

 

* Shiva is said to dance the dance that creates, sustains, and destroys the universe all the time. However, it is specifically noted that he does this when his wife, Sati, sets herself on fire after being insulted (by her father) for marrying Shiva in the first place. It took Vishnu's discus cutting up Sati's body to stop Shiva from completely destroying the world. Similarly, Shiva acts as a [[Barrier Maiden]] when his wife in another form, Kali, goes on rampages.

* Oddly enough, ''[[Jesus]]'' according to Christian belief. His Second Coming in the [[Book of Revelation]] foretells [[The End of the World as We Know It]]. [[Subverted Trope|However]], it's ultimately [[The Antichrist]] who brings about the End of Days.

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

* Another example might be ''[[Devil May Cry]] 3''. It turns out that everyone involved (except [[Chessmaster|Arkham]], who's orchestrating it all) is required to open the gates of hell, meaning that if any of them had died before then, hell can stay closed forever. Of course, it was prophesied that the Sons of Sparda would save the day, so it may be a subversion (odd in that the demons seem have it out for them)

* {{spoiler|Shana}} from ''[[Legend of Dragoon]]'', along with {{spoiler|all the moon children that Rose continued to kill every time one was born}}. The prophecy didn't come to pass because {{spoiler|[[Big Bad]] Melbu Frahma [[Nice Job Fixing It, Villain|made himself the next moon child]], effectively saving Shana from her role in destroying the world}}.

* In ''[[Final Fantasy XIII]]'', generally anyone who has been branded a "Pulse l'Cie" will be given a Focus to become an Apocalypse Maiden (Ragnarok). Once branded they either have the choice of carrying out their Focus (destroy the world) or becoming a mindless monster if they refuse.

* In ''[[Fire Emblem]]: Sacred Stones'' Lyon the prince of Grado gets possessed by the demon king, an evil monster who was about to spread darkness over the world but was [[Sealed Evil in a Can|sealed into one of the sacred stones]] which Lyon then breaks in half. After that he holds on to the stone with the demon king in and becomes a vessel for him.

** It's a little more complicated than that. {{spoiler|The Bhaalspawn exist to bring back Bhaal (he sired them in response to a prophecy of his own death, which has since come true), and the current prophecy deals with the doom involved in any of the Spawn resurrecting or replacing their father. The protagonist is trying to avert this end... [[You Can't Fight Fate|''which is also discussed in the prophecy'']],}} making them both the possible agent of the apocalypse and the potential means to avert it.

* In ''[[Lunar]]'', {{spoiler|Luna AKA The Goddess Althena}} nearly destroys the world after being brainwashed by the Magic Emperor.

* The Dark Elf of the ''[[Mega Man Zero]]'' series. Originally created to become the cure to [[The Virus]] that caused the war in the ''[[Mega Man X]]'' series, she was later corrupted into servitude under a [[Complete Monster]], who uses her as a way of committing genocide on the planet.

 

* {{spoiler|Sakura}} in the Heaven's Feel path of ''[[Fate/stay night|Fate Stay Night]]''.

** {{spoiler|Ilya}} too, for related yet mutually distinct reasons.

*** The holocaust at the end of the previous Heaven's Feel demonstrates just how much. {{spoiler|It would've been worse if Kiritsugu hadn't destroyed Ilya's mother Irisviel}}.

 

== [[Web Comics]] ==

** Her last name is also Megido, a name derived from the mountain connected to the end of the world (Armegeddon is a shortened form of Har Megidon), and her title is Maid of Time.

** More directly and on the evil side, there's Snowman, a member of the Felt whose life is tied to the life of the universe. {{spoiler|It's actually ''her heart''.}} She mostly uses this to mess with Spades Slick without him being able to fight back. {{spoiler|Eventually he does shoot her, destroying their universe.}}

 

== [[Web Original]] ==

* In the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'', Esmeree is a sorceress and a member of the evil Circle of Black Thorns. She became a black magician after her mother (an oracle) produced a prophecy that said that Esmeree would become great in the knowledge of the Black Arts, and would in the fullness of time overthrow heaven and destroy the world. It hasn't happened, yet...

* A lot of people in the ''[[Whateley Universe]]'' believe Carmilla is going to be this. Right now, the protagonists are treating her as their best friend, to the point that Bladedancer is trying to find out who is trying to kill Carmilla. This could turn out really badly somewhere down the line.

* In ''[[The Gamers Alliance|the Gamer's Alliance]]'', {{spoiler|Leon Alcibiates}} becomes this when he almost manages to regain his Andain powers during the First Battle of Remonton. He realizes at that moment that as long as he exists as a revenant, his existence will eventually make magic disappear and cause the end of the world.

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

 

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[[Category:Unisex Tropes]]

[[Category:Characters As Device]]

[[Category:Women Are Delicate]]