It's the Journey That Counts: Difference between revisions

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== Anime & Manga ==

* [[Dragon Ball|Goku]] spent a good while trying to catch Corin before finding out that catching him ''was'' the training; the "magic water" was just that: water. Master Roshi, on the other had, spent a lot longer trying to catch Corin (and finding out the truth).

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* ''[[Popotan]]'': The protagonists never even discover the objective or even the purpose of their journey but when the burden gets to be too much and they're offered the chance to quit (at the price of losing each other) they realize that they can't do that either.

* ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'': The heroes discover a [[MacGuffin]] which could theoretically be used as a [[Reset Button]] to prevent the war but decide not to use it because the sacrifices they have made mean too much to discard.

== Fan Works ==

* In the ''My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' fanfiction ''[[~~Its~~ a Dangerous Business Going Out Your Door]]'', Twilight Sparkle comes down with a terrible case of Horn Rot, and [[Power Trio|Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity]] go on a long and dangerous quest to [[Find the Cure]]. While a lot of fans of the story pointed out that [[Fridge Logic|they could have just asked Twilight's mentor]] [[Big Good|Princess Celestia]] for help, over the course of the story the three girls learn and accomplish a number of things they never would have if they hadn't done it themselves.

* In the ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic]]'' fanfiction ''[[It's a Dangerous Business, Going Out Your Door]]'', Twilight Sparkle comes down with a terrible case of Horn Rot, and [[Power Trio|Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity]] go on a long and dangerous quest to [[Find the Cure]]. While a lot of fans of the story pointed out that [[Fridge Logic|they could have just asked Twilight's mentor]] [[Big Good|Princess Celestia]] for help, over the course of the story the three girls learn and accomplish a number of things they never would have if they hadn't done it themselves.

== Film ==

* ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]'' had the Dragon Scroll: after much build-up the scroll turns out to be blank, shiny paper. Later, the eponymous Panda realizes it's a mirror, and learns the lesson.

* ''Circle of Iron''. The protagonist Cord goes on a quest for the Book of All Knowledge. When he finally finds it, he opens it and discovers...a mirror.

** And then laughed at the monks who guarded the Book when they practically begged him to tell them what was in it - they were forbidden to look, after all.

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* In ''[[The Neverending Story (film)|The Neverending Story]]'' Atreyu is outraged that the Empress knew how she could be cured all along yet still sent him on his harrowing quest. She explains that he needed to carry out the quest so a human child, Bastian, would follow him.

* ''The Last Dragon'' starts with Leroy Green's master telling him there is no more he can teach him. "Bruce Leroy" insists on learning more. His master gives him a dragon-shaped amulet and tells him to seek out a master of "The Final Level" in Chinatown. Throughout the film, Leroy protects his friends, family, girlfriend and neighbourhood from villains, and unlocks [[Dangerous Forbidden Technique|"the glow"]], but returns to his master in shame, never finding the hidden master of Chinatown. Whereupon his master informs him he learned everything he needed to in his struggles, and the amulet was merely a belt buckle.

* Subverted in [[National Treasure]]. When they enter the {{spoiler|fake treasure room,}} Ben's group starts into this to him. {{spoiler|Then they find the real treasure.}}

* Subverted in ''[[National Treasure]]''. When they enter the {{spoiler|fake treasure room}}, Ben's group starts into this to him. {{spoiler|Then they find the real treasure.}}

== Literature ==

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* In ''[[The Stormlight Archive]]'', part of the [[Badass Creed]] of the Knights Radiant is "Journey Before Destination". Their philosophy is that this idea applies to one's entire life, and it's ''how'' you got to the end that matters.

* In [[Robert Bloch]]'s story "The Hell-Bound Train," protagonist Martin makes a [[Deal with the Devil]] that the Devil can have his soul if he, Martin, has the power to stop time when he reaches the moment of perfect happiness. Because Martin is always convinced that he could be happier, he never uses that power during his lifetime. After his death, he acknowledges this trope {{spoiler|and uses his power to stop time aboard the hell-bound train so he can enjoy an endless journey with "all the jolly crew" of the damned}}.

* ''Day of the Dissonance'' by Alan Dean Foster has the apprentice making a lonnnnng journey to find medicine for the very ill mentor. The apprentice is not amused by the lesson, but does understand it. Extra: The apprentice, Jon-Tom, is a UCLA law student pulled into the magical world, which are the setting for 8 books, called the Spellsinger ~~Series~~. This is the third. {{spoiler|The medicine is aspirin, which Jon-Tom had with him in his college backpack at the mentor's house when the wizard first started feeling poorly.}}

* ''Day of the Dissonance'' by Alan Dean Foster has the apprentice making a lonnnnng journey to find medicine for the very ill mentor. The apprentice is not amused by the lesson, but does understand it. Extra: The apprentice, Jon-Tom, is a UCLA law student pulled into the magical world, which are the setting for 8 books, called the ''[[Spellsinger]]'' series. This is the third. {{spoiler|The medicine is aspirin, which Jon-Tom had with him in his college backpack at the mentor's house when the wizard first started feeling poorly.}}

== Live Action TV ==

* Subverted on [[Glee]] when Mr. Schuester tries to teach the Glee Club this. {{spoiler|~~when~~ they place last in regionals}} they still ~~apreciate~~ the journey, but it still sucks.

* Subverted on ''[[Glee]]'' when Mr. Schuester tries to teach the Glee Club this. {{spoiler|When they place last in regionals}} they still appreciate the journey, but it still sucks.

== Music ==

* "One Tin Soldier" by Coven:

* "One Tin Soldier": "Now the valley cried with anger, 'Mount your horses, draw your swords!' And they killed the mountain people, so they won their just reward. Now they stood beside the treasure, on the mountain dark and red. Turned the stone and looked beneath it; PEACE ON EARTH was all it said."

{{quote|''Now the valley cried with anger,

''"Mount your horses, draw your swords!"

* Linkin Park's In The End- "Because from the start to the end no matter what I pretend / The journey is more important than the end or the start". (From the song's rap remix.)

''And they killed the mountain people,

''So they won their just reward.

''Now they stood beside the treasure

''On the mountain dark and red.

''Turned the stone and looked beneath it:

''PEACE ON EARTH was all it said.}}

* From the rap remix of [[Linkin Park]]'s "In The End":

{{quote|''Because from the start to the end no matter what I pretend

''The journey is more important than the end or the start.}}

* "Prime Mover" by [[Rush]]:

{{quote|''From the point of ignition

''To the final drive

''The point of the journey

''Is not to arrive}}

== Newspaper Comics ==

* In ''[[Prickly City]]'', when Carmen speculates about what they are looking for, and whether they could recognize it or find it, Winslow offers this trope. Carmen assures him he's quite a find.

== Video Games ==

* In [[Skies of Arcadia]], Vyse is split up from his friends, who wind up separately searching for the Treasure Of Daccat. At the end of their quest, they're re-united, and when they're looking inside the big honking treasure chest, all they find is a single gold coin, and a letter which lampshades the lesson, explaining that that Vyse's friends are the true treasure. ...[[Broken Aesop|Also, the single coin has just about the highest selling price of any item in the game.]]

* In ''[[Skies of Arcadia]]'', Vyse is split up from his friends, who wind up separately searching for the Treasure Of Daccat. At the end of their quest, they're re-united, and when they're looking inside the big honking treasure chest, all they find is a single gold coin, and a letter which lampshades the lesson, explaining that that Vyse's friends are the true treasure. ...[[Broken Aesop|Also, the single coin has just about the highest selling price of any item in the game.]]

* During Aqua's quest in ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep]]'', she ends up with [[Peter Pan]] and his Lost Boys on a quest for treasure. Eventually, it turns out that the treasure map simply led them all on a circle around Neverland to the same space they started—at which point Peter points out that the supposed treasure didn't matter, what ''did'' matter was that the boys pushed themselves to overcome obstacles in order to get to it.

* In the first ''[[Street Fighter Alpha]]'' Akuma's ending is a rather bitter version of this. He has reached the end of his journey to become the absolute best, but upon reaching his goal, he finds himself feeling empty. The final quote of that ending is "For some it's the path not the goal."

== Web Comics ==

* ''[[8-~~Bit Theater|Eight~~ Bit Theater]]'' mentions this trope. Then, of course, it mocks it as meaningless.

* ''[[8-Bit Theater]]'' mentions this trope. Then, of course, it mocks it as meaningless.

* ''[[Penny Arcade (Webcomic)|Penny Arcade]]'' played with this trope [http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/3/13/ here]

* ''[[Oglaf]]'' parodies this trope [http://oglaf.com/delivery/1/ here]. '''Warning: NOT SAFE FOR WORK'''.

== Western Animation ==

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** In the episode "Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes," the boys are told that in order to destroy Wall-Mart, they have to find and destroy its heart. Stan and Kyle make their way to the TV section (where the heart is said to reside) and encounter the [[Anthropomorphic Personification]] of Wall-Mart itself, who directs them to a small door. They open the door and find a mirror, which Wall-Mart says is "the heart" of Wall-Mart, i.e. the consumers. Stan and Kyle, however, take the instructions to "destroy the heart" literally, and smash the mirror, causing the building to implode.

* Parodied, like many things, in ''[[The Simpsons]]''. In an alternate future with Lisa as president, Homer decides to run around the grounds of the White House in search of Lincoln's gold. He eventually finds a chest, with a note saying that his gold is in the heart of every American. Homer isn't amused.

* The [[Continuity Reboot]] of [[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]] had this and [[Magic Feather]] as the origin of King Grayskull. Grayskull seeks the power to defeat Hordak, and is told by a seer to give up his sword and journey to find a new magic sword. When he does, he finds the seer, who returns Grayskull's sword and tells Grayskull he always had the power, he just needed the trip to focus his abilities.

* The [[Continuity Reboot]] of ''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'' had this and [[Magic Feather]] as the origin of King Grayskull. Grayskull seeks the power to defeat Hordak, and is told by a seer to give up his sword and journey to find a new magic sword. When he does, he finds the seer, who returns Grayskull's sword and tells Grayskull he always had the power, he just needed the trip to focus his abilities.

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[[Category:Its The Journey That Counts]]

[[Category:It's the Journey That Counts]]

[[Category:Plots]]

[[Category:The Quest]]