Holding Out for a Hero: Difference between revisions

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** On the other, the citizens of Paragon City often hold out for a hero when criminals and villains confront them (some of the purse-snatching gang members will even accuse their victims of this), knowing full well that a hero will (hopefully) step in and save them. Many are still ungrateful about it, though ("There you are! There's never a hero around when you need one!").
** On the other, the citizens of Paragon City often hold out for a hero when criminals and villains confront them (some of the purse-snatching gang members will even accuse their victims of this), knowing full well that a hero will (hopefully) step in and save them. Many are still ungrateful about it, though ("There you are! There's never a hero around when you need one!").
** And the trope is turned upside-down in the City of Villains expansion. There, the global criminal organization [[Everythings Worse With Spiders|Arachnos]] has somehow legally become the government of what's now known as the Rogue Isles. The police basically exist to minimize the threat to the government rather than serve and protect the common people, and Lord Recluse has reduced the laws to "[[Social Darwinism|Do what you have the power to get away with]]". Crime is so rampant that, for the first 30 or so levels, a villain character ''only fights other villains to come out on top''. The trope comes into play because most citizens have completely given up hope of proper law and order being reinstated, and rather than hold out for a hero usually just live constantly looking over their shoulder and ready to duck for cover.
** And the trope is turned upside-down in the City of Villains expansion. There, the global criminal organization [[Everythings Worse With Spiders|Arachnos]] has somehow legally become the government of what's now known as the Rogue Isles. The police basically exist to minimize the threat to the government rather than serve and protect the common people, and Lord Recluse has reduced the laws to "[[Social Darwinism|Do what you have the power to get away with]]". Crime is so rampant that, for the first 30 or so levels, a villain character ''only fights other villains to come out on top''. The trope comes into play because most citizens have completely given up hope of proper law and order being reinstated, and rather than hold out for a hero usually just live constantly looking over their shoulder and ready to duck for cover.
* Averted in ''[[Osu Tatakae Ouendan]]'' and its American counterpart, ''[[Elite Beat Agents]]''. "Ouendan" can be roughly translated as "cheer squad"... and that's your job, my friend. The duty of the Ouendan and the Agents is to provide encouragement through song and dance - the person being aided does the actual work. The only exception in either series is {{spoiler|the last level of either game, where the Ouendan/Agents act as the focus for the [[Combined Energy Attack]].}}
* Averted in ''[[Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan]]'' and its American counterpart, ''[[Elite Beat Agents]]''. "Ouendan" can be roughly translated as "cheer squad"... and that's your job, my friend. The duty of the Ouendan and the Agents is to provide encouragement through song and dance - the person being aided does the actual work. The only exception in either series is {{spoiler|the last level of either game, where the Ouendan/Agents act as the focus for the [[Combined Energy Attack]].}}
* Averted in ''[[Okami]]'': Although you, playing [[A God Is You|Amaterasu]], have been helping the braggart swordsman Susano achieve fame by performing miraculous feats which he believes are his own, it doesn't take him long to realize that he's being "played with" by the gods. He then renounces any further help and goes off on his own. {{spoiler|(Although you do get to assist him one last time, against Orochi, he deals the final blow all by himself.)}} Additionally, although Amaterasu is able to defeat {{spoiler|Yami, the Lord of Eternal Darkness, it's only because [[Combined Energy Attack|the faith of all the people of Nippon]] granted her the divine might to do so.}}
* Averted in ''[[Okami]]'': Although you, playing [[A God Is You|Amaterasu]], have been helping the braggart swordsman Susano achieve fame by performing miraculous feats which he believes are his own, it doesn't take him long to realize that he's being "played with" by the gods. He then renounces any further help and goes off on his own. {{spoiler|(Although you do get to assist him one last time, against Orochi, he deals the final blow all by himself.)}} Additionally, although Amaterasu is able to defeat {{spoiler|Yami, the Lord of Eternal Darkness, it's only because [[Combined Energy Attack|the faith of all the people of Nippon]] granted her the divine might to do so.}}
* ''[[Ultima IX]]'' was strongly themed on this trope. The Avatar was originally intended to be a role model, an example to follow, but after saving Britannia so many times, the people simply held out for the Avatar to solve all their problems. This was Lampshaded by the [[Big Bad]], and in Moonglow, the town of Honesty a cranky citizen laid down the most brutal truth.
* ''[[Ultima IX]]'' was strongly themed on this trope. The Avatar was originally intended to be a role model, an example to follow, but after saving Britannia so many times, the people simply held out for the Avatar to solve all their problems. This was Lampshaded by the [[Big Bad]], and in Moonglow, the town of Honesty a cranky citizen laid down the most brutal truth.
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