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{{trope}}
{{quote|''The winner!!
''The winner is born a winner!
''He never will have to worry about his dinner!
''He never will have to think about getting thinner!
''{{'}}Cause he's a winner,
''A Nature Boy,
''A hero,
''A hero in a story,
''A story with a wonderful sequel:
''Men are created unequal!!''|'''Sam''', ''Trouble in Tahiti''}}
|'''Sam''', ''Trouble in Tahiti''}}
 
The '''Born Winner''' is a [[Badass]]. Of course they are; they were born that way. '''Born Winners''' are badasses because of what they ''are'' rather than what they ''do''. They're [[Alien]]s among [[Puny Earthlings]], [[Obake|demons]] among mortals, [[Ridiculously-Human Robots|robots]] among meatbags, or a [[Magic and Powers|magic-user]] among [[Muggles]]. [[The Hero]] is usually the '''Born Winner'''; if there's a group of people besides [[Muggles|"normal" humans]], the main character will be one, or at least [[Half-Human Hybrid|partially]]. If other's in the setting [[Super Weight|have superpowers]], expect the Born Winner to have won the [[Superpower Lottery]] by comparison. If [[The Hero]] is a '''Born Winner''', [[The Rival]] usually will be too. Usually, a mundane human will be part of the main character's [[True Companions]] and generally be able to hold their own at first, but as the [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil]] kicks in, expect them to be [[Overshadowed by Awesome]] or even [[Killed Off for Real]] in order to fuel the main character's [[Unstoppable Rage]].
 
The heart of this trope is that a '''Born Winner''' is absurdly powerful because they were ''born'' that way, not because of anything they ever ''did''. They have some innate trait that makes them awesome; no one lacking that trait can ever acquire it, any anyone without it is doomed to mediocrity. Done badly, it comes off as a cheap ploy to make the '''Born Winner''' seem more awesome by dropping the effectiveness of his companions to somewhere just above that of the [[Redshirt Army]] (and often has a [[This Loser Is You]] [[What Measure Is a Non Super|side effect]], seeing as viewers would presumably identify more easily with the now-useless [[Badass Normal]] than the alien/demon/vampire/whatever '''Born Winner'''). When it's done well, it can be a compelling reason for why the main character is the [[Only One]] without relying on a blatant [[Because Destiny Says So]].
 
Compare [[Puny Earthlings]], where the earthlings are ''so'' puny that not even [[Training from Hell]] or a [[Charles Atlas Superpower]] lets them overcome it; they simply [[Can't Catch Up]]. '''Born Winners''' are a leading reason why [[Hard Work Hardly Works]]. They may or may not have been [[Born Lucky]]. Beware those who are [[Weak but Skilled]], though...
{{examples}}▼
 
▲{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* ''[[Bakuretsu Tenshi]]'' - [[Artificial Human]]s. Meg doesn't counts for being a [[Faux Action Girl]].▼
* ''[[Bleach]]'' - Mere humans like Orihime and Chad are as nothing next to the [[Shinigami]] Ichigo. It's even explicitly stated that the only reason they developed powers in the first place was from hanging around Ichigo so long, they absorbed some of his aura leaking out.
** Orihime may count as a subversion, though, since despite this rather ignominious origin story, [[Story-Breaker Power|she is potentially the most powerful character in the setting]] ({{spoiler|her powers allow her to [[Power of the Void|deny the existence]] of undesirable events or objects in 3 ways}}), but her abilities are based off confidence, which she severely lacks for most of the story.
* ''[[Blood Plus+|Blood+]]'' - [[Our Vampires Are Different|Chiropterans]]
* ''[[Blue Gender]]'' - Yuji and the other Sleepers' with their "B-cells"
▲* ''[[BakuretsuBurst TenshiAngel]]'' - [[Artificial Human]]s. Meg doesn't counts for being a [[Faux Action Girl]].
* ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'' - Only those born with magic power are really any use. [[Lampshaded]] in one episode where Mei-ling complains about not being able to contribute due to her lack of magic power; results in a [[Plot Tailored to the Party]] where she uses her martial arts skills to help defeat the Twin card.
* ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' - [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Saiyans]] and their [[Half-Human Hybrid|descendants]] eventually overpower ''everything'' (including [[Physical God]]s) by a wide margin.
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* ''[[Vampire Hunter D]]'' - Vampires (and [[Half-Human Hybrid|dhampyrs]]) again.
* ''[[Zettai Karen Children]]'' - Although psychics in general qualify, Level 7 psychics are vastly more powerful than lower level ones, and they alone seem to have enough control over their powers to find new and creative uses for them after sufficient practice. For example, a low level telekinetic might be able to cheat at a crane game in an arcade, but the most skilled Level 7 we've seen is basically a [[Reality Warper]].
* The Gorans from ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20120307030701/http://www.itplanning.co.jp/bbimages/body.img/BE1/FBEAT1.HTML Buzzer Beater]'' by Takehiko Inoue. Humans aren't really destined for greatness in intergalactic basketball. {{spoiler|The main character is a Goran but doesn't know it until later.}}
* Many of the characters from ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' have some reason why their magical powers are miles beyond average, whether [[Artificial Human|genetic engineering]], [[Hollywood Cyborg|cybernetics]], or the power of an [[Artifact of Doom]]. The main character herself is a freak of nature, extremely powerful with only a handwave about how people from Earth tend to be very strong on the very small chance that they have magic.
 
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