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{{trope}}
[[File:jesuschristmessiah.jpg|link=Jesus|
While the word "messiah" has different meanings in different cultures and there have been [[wikipedia:List of messiah claimants|dozens of claimants to the title]] according to [[Wikipedia]], for most Western intents and purposes, the term has been [[Hijacked
In media, the
Some takes on what makes a
It's also not necessary for the archetypal character to be even remotely Christian. The [[Ur Example
See [[Away in
When the persistence of this trope causes you to see Messianic Archetypes everywhere, it's [[Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory]].
Remember that while many Messiahs die, this is still '''not a [[Death Trope]]''', so spoilers should still be marked.
{{noreallife|Your proposed example is someone else's faith. Remember the [[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment]].}}
{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* ''[[
** [[Dark Messiah|Light]], {{spoiler|is a failed Messiah. His death causes everything he's worked for to collapse.}} The lyrics to the first OP (full version) even include the line "Am I a broken Messiah?"
* Toki from ''[[Fist of the North Star]]''. When given the power of the Hokuto arts, he uses them for healing instead of harming, and often performs miracles for sick people. When he has to kill, he uses a technique that causes the victims to experience great euphoria as they die.
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* Usagi Tsukino in ''[[Sailor Moon]]''. {{spoiler|Who is even called the Messiah in ''Sailor Moon S'' and for the duration of that series possesses an item called the "Holy Grail." All of this was naturally censored from the US dub, though only by removing religious names and not the actual plot elements.}}
** Better examples are the ending of the first season - {{spoiler|She uses the silver crystal to defeat Metalia, dies, and makes a wish on the crystal that she, Mamouru and the other senshi be returned to life [[I Just Want to Be Normal|as normal people]]. Of course that doesn't last long...}}
* Lelouch Lamperouge in ''[[Code Geass]]'' can be seen as a
* Son Goku of ''[[
** This is more evident in the English Dub. During the Frieza saga, Goku refers to himself as "Justice, peace, light, and truth". This isn't present in the original manga, however.
*** As it shouldn't be, since he's more properly just a heroic version of a [[Blood Knight]].
* In the prologue of ''[[Princess Tutu]]'', we're told a fairytale about a good Prince and an evil Raven who were locked in a furious battle. The fairytale was unfinished because the writer had died in the middle of writing the tale, but the Prince and Raven escaped the story so as to finish their battle. In the end, the Prince used forbidden magic to stab himself in the heart and shatter it, which [[Sealed Evil in
* Chrono and Rosette of ''[[Chrono Crusade]]'' share duties for this, in a way. Chrono {{spoiler|falls in love with a women known as Mary Magdalene}} and after her death sleeps in her grave for 50 years until he's woken up by Joshua and Rosette. Rosette, on the other hand, is spending her lifespan to give Chrono his powers and in the manga {{spoiler|does eventually die from it...but comes back to life partially through [[Determinator|sheer force of will]]}} {{spoiler|and partially with the help of Mary's soul}}. In the anime this is made [[Anvilicious|even more obvious]] when Rosette {{spoiler|receives stigmata marks that allows her to heal people and harm demons. Both her and Chrono die in the end of the series and ''don't'' come back to life...[[Shoot the Shaggy Dog|although Aion does]].}}
* Hanyuu from ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro
* This is being rather horrifically subverted in the ''[[Berserk]]'' manga; the people of Midland are suffering. The plague is decimating the populace. Bandits
** Guts, however, [[Messiah Creep|is becoming a straight example.]] Farnese decides to follow Guts after seeing his strength of will during the events at Albion, where he fought off a horde of demons while everyone else simply panicked. Isidro admires Guts' martial skill and strives [[Hero Worshipper|to be as much like him as possible]]. Schierke grows a crush on him and her experiences with him change her misanthropic viewpoint that humanity is not worth saving. Even Serpico, who is initially a rival of Guts', slowly grows to admire him.
* [[Monster (
** Justified, in that the [[Big Bad]] of the series, Johan, really is the [[Complete Monster|worst person ever]], and is sometimes referred to by other characters in the series as the Second Hitler, [[The Antichrist]] and even the Devil himself.
* Himeno, as the White [[Prétear]], falls into this archetype at the end of the series. She puts her heart and soul into saving the Dark Magical Girl, and accomplishes it by {{spoiler|feeding all of her life energy to the demon that Fenrir created. This causes her to fall into a deep sleep, but since this ''is'' based loosely on "Snow White", [[True Love's Kiss]] wakes her up.}}
* Yugi Mutou of ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' is a clever deconstruction of this. Everyone who knows him agrees that he's basically [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness|pure light]] and they would do virtually anything for him, but against the world as a whole, he's a tragically misunderstood innocent - his pacifism gets him beaten up by school bullies on a regular basis, for example.
** Pharaoh Atem could also with the trope. Seeing as he sealed his soul away in an 'unsolvable' puzzle for 5000 years (or 3000 years depending)in order to save the world from being consumed by the shadow realm.
* Tragic of ''Mythic Quest'' is believed to be this by the Church of the Seeker, which was founded on this belief alone, despite his quite publicized decision to [[Save the Girl Screw The World]].
* Yui Ikari (''especially'' if you ask Gendo), Rei Ayanami {{spoiler|who was a clone of Yui}} and Kaworu {{spoiler|"[[Memetic Mutation|He Died For Your Sins]]"}} Nagisa from ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''. Shinji also has some Messianic elements, but ''really'' doesn't want to be one of these, but ended up {{spoiler|acting as the channel for all the souls of humanity, along with Rei.}} The parallel goes as far as Shinji forgiving everyone and deciding to redeem them, despite all the shit the world put him through.
** {{spoiler|Shinji's not a particularly GOOD Messiah Archetype, more leaning to somewhat a [[Dark Messiah]], since he only "forgives" anyone after causing [[The End of the World
* As the long-awaited Priestess of Suzaku, [[Fushigi Yuugi|Miaka]] is definitely this to the people of Konan.
** Also, in the [[Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Kaiden|prequel]], Takiko is this to the people of Hokkan when she becomes the Priestess of Genbu. She doesn't think she's worthy of it, though.
* [[Tenshi
* [[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann|Kamina]] {{spoiler|[[Memetic Mutation|died for our sins.]]}}
* {{spoiler|Madoka}} in ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'' becomes this in the ending. There are also alternative timelines in the series where she is this from the very start.
* {{spoiler|Elenore}} in ''[[Madlax]]'' tragically becomes one.
* D-boy or Takaya Aiba from ''[[
== Comic Books ==
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* [[Fantastic Four|Adam Warlock]] for a stint had the [[Fan Nickname]] of "Space Jesus".
* X-Men has three, all related in some way or another:
** The first and best-known is Jean Grey, who as Phoenix saved the entire universe from [[Apocalypse How|extinction]] and then [[Heroic Sacrifice|committed suicide to keep herself from blowing it up]]...then [[Back
** Second came [[Nineties Anti-Hero|Cable,]] as mentioned above.
** And now we've got Hope Summers, the first mutant born after the [[Brought Down to Normal|Decimation]], prophesied to be the last hope of mutantkind. What this means at this point is still anyone's guess, but she's become kind of a walking [[MacGuffin]] for everyone with ideas regarding the future of mutants.
== Film ==
* Neo in ''[[The Matrix]]''.
* Mr. Carpenter in ''The Day the Earth Stood Still''.
* E.T. in ''[[E.T. the
{{quote|
* The titular character in ''[[Schindler's List]]''
* Chance the Gardener in the film ''Being There'' subverts this by appearing noble, wise, compassionate, and brave - to everyone except his former co-worker (and the audience), who can see that he is actually [[The Fool]] - until the [[Twist Ending]], which implies a more literal form of the trope.
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* Joe Kenehan from Sayles's ''Matewan''. He's a charismatic leader who's also an [[Actual Pacifist]], his first action when coming into town is to heal someone and he {{spoiler|dies at the end.}}
* Bruce Wayne / [[Batman]] of ''[[The Dark Knight]]''. He's motivated by an unflagging belief in the essential goodness of the people of Gotham. Twice he [[Taking the Bullet|takes a bullet]] for someone else (albeit [[Car Fu|while he's inside his car]]), first intercepting Joker's bazooka, then protecting Mr Reese from that guy in the big truck (even though Reese had been trying to expose Bruce less than an hour before). And then at the end, he takes Harvey Dent's sins upon himself.
* Subverted by ''[[Monty
* The 1995 film ''Powder'' (not to be confused with the [[Powder|video game]]), which either replicates the story of Jesus Christ, or replicates the story of ET. Either way, someone deserves some royalties for the story of a boy whose mother was [[Lightning Can Do Anything|struck by lightning]] when she was pregnant, leading to an outcast son with incredible intellect and human empathy, who can raise the dead by his touch, only to be raised to the heavens when he is struck by a bolt of lightning when refusing to bow to the laws fo society... or something like that.
* Even though some elements of this are present in the comic book, the ''[[Superman (
{{quote|
* Anakin Skywalker in ''[[Star Wars]]'' is [[The Chosen One]] conceived by the Force itself. His character is a good example of why you generally want [[The Messiah]] to be paired with this trope.
** To a certain extent, Luke is as well. He is [[The Chosen One]] - the one whom Obi-Wan and Yoda train to become a Jedi. He gains a group of devoted followers (the Rebel Alliance, though mostly Han, Leia, Chewie, C3P0 and R2), and gallivants about spreading good and performing miracles like blowing up two Death Stars. At the end of the sixth movie, he refuses to fight or resist his fate, then is zapped by the Emporer's lightning (his "death" scene). He manages to redeem evil while he's at it.
*** Ironically, other Jedi expected both of them to bring balance to the Force. Perhaps they did, but it took a [[Prophecy Twist]] (Anakin having kids and turning evil) or two to get them there.
* Luke from ''[[Cool Hand Luke]]''
== Literature ==
* Mc Murphy in ''[[One Flew Over the
* Paul "Muad'dib" Atreides in ''[[Dune]]'' plays on this by manipulating people into thinking he's a Messiah to achieve his own goals. He genuinely ''does'' have several amazing powers, but the one that really ruins his whole life is his clairvoyance.
* Pacifica Casull, the eponymous ''[[Scrapped Princess]]'', follows this trope to the letter.
* Aslan in ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'', aka [[Crystal Dragon Jesus|Talking Lion Jesus]], and/or [[Kung Fu Jesus|Combat Jesus]].
** As [[That Guy With
{{quote|
'''Aslan:''' ''Because I'm Jesus!'' }}
* John Galt in ''[[Atlas Shrugged]]'', complete with {{spoiler|a [[Crucified Hero Shot]] as he's enduring [[Electric Torture]] at the hands of the villains}}. Subverted, since he's not acting out of altruism.
** Arguably Galt is an ''inversion'' of at least some components of the trope. His plan of {{spoiler|going on strike in order to bring economic activity to a halt, and thus causing civilization to collapse and rebuild itself}} involves ''witholding'' a "salvation" and forcing society to confront the actual consequences of its morality of Comtean altruism (the morality which is basically at the core of the
* Brutha in the ''[[Discworld]]'' book ''[[
* Father Zosima in ''[[The Brothers Karamazov]]'' is a mix of the
* Rand al'Thor from Robert Jordan's ''[[Wheel of Time]]'', a [[Chosen One]] hated and beloved. Prophecy states that his blood will spill to free mankind from the Dark One, most people think to mean that Rand must die, including himself (the insanity doesn't help him not to think such a thing). ([[Like You Would Really Do It|Yeah, right, sure he will.]])
* [[Harry Potter]]. {{spoiler|To finally vanquish Voldemort, Harry realises that he must sacrifice himself in order for the Horcrux within him to be destroyed. However, once he has "died", he chooses to come back to life to finish the job and kill Voldy in person. Phew - it is a tad complicated!}}
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* Aenea, from Dan Simmon's [[Hyperion Cantos|''Endymion'']] - referred as Messiah throughout the novels. Besides other supernatural attributes, clearly shows Messianic touch and gathers a large following throughout the galaxy in a short period of time. {{spoiler|Willingly lets herself be tortured and burnt to death by... the Vatican.}}
* Jesus Christ from ''The Bible''. [[Trope Namer|No further explanation needed]].
* Jim Casy from ''[[
* Female example: Doyler's mother in ''At Swim, Two Boys''. Among other things, when she's doing laundry, much is made about the transfer of the stains from the dirty clothes to her own apron.
* Simon in ''[[Lord of the Flies]]''.
* Several examples in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', each fulfilling a different aspect of the Christ figure.
** Played straight in Gandalf as the prophet, who is a divine being ([[Our Angels Are Different|Maia]]) in human form. He sees the virtues in little "children" (hobbits), leads the fellowship, drives the hypocrite from the "temple" (Wormtongue from King Théoden's court), and comes back from the dead. Played straight
** Played with in Aragorn as the king; except for his ancestry, he is a normal human. He is the hidden descendant of a royal line, harrows hell (the Paths of the Dead), and restores the kingdom.
** Frodo fulfills the role of high priest and sacrifice (or alternatively, the One Ring is the sacrifice and Mount Doom is the altar), a hobbit who bears a terrible burden and constant temptation through the darkness of Mordor, suffering for the salvation of all good things. He also suffers a symbolic 'death' at the hands of Shelob. Subverted in that he is the [[Unchosen One]], and in the end, {{spoiler|he fails, and only with the intervention of Gollum does he achieve his mission.}}
* Thomas Jerome Newton in ''[[The Man Who Fell to Earth]]'' (both novel and film, though the novel makes this more explicit) is sent to Earth to save his people by masquerading as a human businessman, amassing a fortune through his homeworld's technology, and using the profits to build a rescue craft; not only will his people be saved, but humanity will benefit for their presence when they start new lives on Earth. He sacrifices, he suffers, {{spoiler|he's betrayed...and in the end, it's all for nothing, as he can't complete the mission, leaving him a despairing alcoholic}}.
* The Counselor in ''[[The War of the End of
* The main plot of ''Keeping Faith'' by [[Jodi Picoult]] is about a little girl named Faith who starts showing signs of being the Messiah after her parents divorce. It starts when she begins reciting Bible passages, even though the only religion she was exposed to was Judaism (and not very much at that). She then starts seeing her "Guard" (a female God), brings her dead grandmother back to life, heals an AIDS sufferer, and develops stigmata (holes in the hands where the nails went into Jesus' hands on the cross). However, after custody is given to her mother [[Meaningful Name|Mariah]], all of her messianic acts stop, making it seem like they were just ploys for attention. {{spoiler|But it is left ambiguous as to whether she still gets visits from her "Guard"}}.
* Jordan Collier in ''[[The 4400]]'' believes he is sent to guide his people, dies and is resurrected. His initials are, unsurprisingly, J.C. His temporary replacement, Shawn, also demonstrates Christ-like qualities, as he heals the sick and befriends drug-addicts. In a slight subversion, Collier is presented as more sinister than most
▲== Live Action Television ==
▲* Jordan Collier in ''[[The 4400]]'' believes he is sent to guide his people, dies and is resurrected. His initials are, unsurprisingly, J.C. His temporary replacement, Shawn, also demonstrates Christ-like qualities, as he heals the sick and befriends drug-addicts. In a slight subversion, Collier is presented as more sinister than most [[Messianic Archetype|Messianic archetypes]], and is not above using terrorist tactics in his quest to improve the world. Is it any wonder he's a [[Dark Messiah]]? It is also worth noting he really was chosen to guide humanity by what are implied to be the closest thing to good guys from the future to save the world, and for all his sinisterness, the alternative is apparently worse in the long run.
* Subverted to hell and back (literally) with Brother Justin in ''Carnivale''; he's an outwardly saintly Methodist preacher with a "special destiny"... who turns out to be the Antichrist. It takes him, and us, a while to realize that.
* Laura Roslin on
** Also in ''Battlestar'', the Number Threes see themselves as Messiahs who will find the Final Five Cylons. After proving that they consider themselves "above" the group consensus of the other Cylons, the line is deactivated.
** This is all before the final season where Gaius Baltar, whose always had religious overtones to him, gains a cult and starts saying there is only one true God. It's a Jesus symbolism overload, seriously. Not to mention D'Anna would have destroyed the fleet had she not proven susceptible to his religious urges in the past and subsequently backed down.
* Another Sci Fi example, this time from ''[[Star Trek:
* There is a strong suggestion that ''[[Lost]]''{{'}}s Locke is [[The Messiah]] to the Others or the island itself. The Others have suggested they've been waiting for him, because he is very special. Also, as seen in season 4, {{spoiler|he dies, and must be returned to the island. Season 5 update: he appears to have resurrected and gained new knowledge and confidence (as you might expect a person to in such a circumstance), but it turned out to be nothing but a trick, with him still dead after a miserable life and some ancient...power, masquerading as him}}
** Season Six Jack seems to have taken over Locke's role in this archetype.
* An episode of ''[[Kingdom Hospital]]'' involved the Reverend Jimmy being found crucified, followed by a series of miracles re-enacting those of the New Testament. Unusual in that his
* In the [[Doctor Who]] episode ''[[Doctor Who
** The Tenth Doctor may have been accepted as a messianic figure by many humans in the New Series, but the writers of the Eleventh Doctor really take advantage of this trope. River Song is convinced that Eleven is the closest thing to a god that the Whoniverse has. Eleven himself seems to believe in some sort of God instinctively, and seems convinced that a higher power is messing with his head. Eleven hates himself (at least according to one of the writers), but is unable to fully save the universe until he accepts (at least temporarily) at least one of those "flaws". For the Christmas Special, people have commented that Eleven will "save the soul of a rich man". They haven't played with the idea as much as as the Tenth did yet, but give them time...
** The RTD era is a subversion as Waters of Mars thoroughly demonstrates that {{spoiler|once the Doctor starts thinking of himself as a saviour or god, he becomes more of a [[Dark Messiah]]}} and that, ultimately, all the messiah metaphors scattered throughout seasons 1-4 aren't meant to indicate anything good. So far Moffat seems to be playing the
* Jack Harkness of ''[[
* Dean Winchester from ''[[Supernatural]]''. While he drinks, cheats, steals, and enjoys the company of loose women (at least in the first three seasons), he's also got a tendency to sacrifice himself and would do so to save a stranger's life without hesitation. He starts off as the only member of the Winchester family who hunts for the sake of saving people instead of revenge and is also the most selfless and martyr-like individual on the show. By Season 4, however, this becomes nearly [[Word of God]] as after he's sent to Hell, an army of angels descends to Hell to save him and resurrect him, complete with crucifix imagery as he claws his way from his own grave. The title of the episode this happened in brings even more religious allusions: Lazarus Rising.
** In season 5, the [[Batman Gambit|angelic plan is revealed]], as {{spoiler|Dean is "destined" to be the human vessel for the archangel Michael, the only angel powerful enough to stop Lucifer}}.
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* Captain Sheridan of ''[[Babylon 5]]''. In the episode "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars," some monks living 500 years after the events of the series are shown transcribing what looks like an illuminated Bible, in which Sheridan is said to have "risen from the dead" and then "ascended into Heaven." That's an exaggeration, but not all that much of one.
* The title character of ''[[John From Cincinnati]]'' (note the "J.C.") might be Jesus, or perhaps an angel or some other supernatural being, but the show never got around to giving a straight answer to that question, if indeed the creators ever intended to.
== Music ==
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* [[Tommy]].
== Oral Tradition, Folklore, Myths and Legends ==
* In [[Norse Mythology]], [[Friend to All Living Things|Baldur]], who like Christ is loved by all, is betrayed by one of his companions ([[Jerkass|Loki]]), and who will eventually return to rule the Earth after
▲* In [[Norse Mythology]], [[Friend to All Living Things|Baldur]], who like Christ is loved by all, is betrayed by one of his companions ([[Jerkass|Loki]]), and who will eventually return to rule the Earth after the [[Endofthe World As We Know It]]. Unlike Christ though, he didn't get better - at least not yet. [[CS Lewis (Creator)|C.S. Lewis]] ([[JRR Tolkien (Creator)|and his friend Tolkien]]) actually proposed Baldur was a [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute|Norse-friendly version of Jesus]].
** It is believed that the introduction of Christianity to Germany/Scandinavia led to a re-write of many of the myths of [[Norse Mythology]] (Thor's wedding, for one, is believed to have been written after said introduction as a way of mocking the old gods). It is possible the myths about Baldur were written or re-written to better fit the Christian faith, as was the part where Odin hung himself and was impaled by a spear much like Jesus.
* Quetzacoatl - martyred, will rise again. Unfortunately for the Mesoamericans, they thought he had. What they got instead were just [[Sufficiently Advanced Aliens|Sufficiently Advanced Spaniards]].
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* A similar myth exists about Frederick Barbarossa, who was a real historical figure, and a number of others, some real, some altogether legendary. A more extensive, but no doubt still partial list, can be found under [[wikipedia:King in the mountain|the King in the Mountain entry at the other wiki]].
* Mithra, ancient Zoroastrian god of covenant and oath.
== Tabletop Games ==
* ''[[Warhammer
* [[Crystal Dragon Jesus|Abel]] in ''[[Anima: Beyond Fantasy]]'', who's an [[Captain Ersatz|Manga/Anime Ersatz]] of Jesus <ref>
== Theatre ==▼
* Claude from ''[[Hair]]'', more of a follower than a leader, but serves as kind of an emblematic persecution sink for the hippie movement, and, in most productions, is implied to have {{spoiler|[[Ascended to A Higher Plane of Existence]] after being killed in Vietnam}}.▼
* The Lord of the Dance from...well...[[Lord of the Dance 1997|The Lord of the Dance]].▼
▲== [[Theatre]] ==
▲* Claude from ''[[Hair (theatre)]]'', more of a follower than a leader, but serves as kind of an emblematic persecution sink for the hippie movement, and, in most productions, is implied to have {{spoiler|[[Ascended to A Higher Plane of Existence]] after being killed in Vietnam}}.
== Video Games ==
* Video Game example: Fei from ''[[
** Elly/Sophia is also fits the archetype of selfless love and self-sacrifice, like her [[
** Speaking of Xeno, Chaos from ''[[
* Crono, from ''[[
** Don't forget that his casting pose is [[Faux Symbolism|eerily reminiscent to crucifixion]].
* The main character of ''[[Persona 3]]''. Just to [[Anvilicious|hammer the point home]], his ultimate [[Summon Magic|persona]] ''is'' Messiah. His [[Evil Counterpart]] Takaya serves as [[The Antichrist]].
** There's even a crucifixion scene and [[Crowning Music of Awesome|penultimate boss music]] called {{spoiler|The Battle for Everyone's Souls.}} I'm not sure it could get much more [[Anvilicious]].
* Colette is set up for this role due to her duties of [[The Chosen One]] during the first third of ''[[
* Gordon Freeman, of ''[[Half-Life]]'' fame: "And yet [[La Résistance|unsophisticated minds]] continue to imbue him with romantic power, giving him such dangerous poetic labels as the One Free Man, the Opener of the Way." There's even an Easter egg scene showing him in a stained glass window, complete with crowbar.
* [[
** More than that, it turns out that he has survived in [[Ascend to
* Yuna from ''[[Final Fantasy X]]''. Worshiped and loved by everyone around her? Check. {{spoiler|Heroic Sacrifice}}? Check. ''Walking on water''? Check.
* The [[Our Orcs Are Different|orcs]] of ''[[Dungeon Crawl]]'' are still looking for their messiah. If playing as an orcish priest of Beogh, you can ([[Dark Messiah|usually violently]]) convert the [[Goddamn Bats|numerous orcs]] into loyal followers by convincing them ''you'' are that messiah. And Beogh will eventually grant powers up to and including, yes, ''walking on water''. You don't HAVE to [[Heroic Sacrifice|die]], as per the original Messianic Archetype, although [[Everything Trying to Kill You|the rest of the dungeon]] makes this [[Nintendo Hard|the most likely outcome]].
* ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'': {{spoiler|[[The Hero|Sora]], who has always been [[The Messiah]], but is heading this way as of the [[Wham! Episode|secret ending]] to ''Birth by Sleep''.}}
* [[Mass Effect|Commander Shepard.]] Chosen to save the galactic population from imminent genocide? Check! Has a small group of loyal followers (''twelve'' in the second game)? Check! {{spoiler|Brought [[Back
** And, as the trailer for ''Mass Effect 3'' indicates, everyone is now waiting for Shepard to return to Earth and save them all...
* Sol Badguy from [[Guilty Gear]].
* Gulcasa from the [[Dept. Heaven]] series' [[Yggdra Union|episode II]][[Yggdra Unison|-related]] [[Blaze Union|games]]. Miracle birth? Check. Miracle worker and savior? Uh-huh. Twelve disciples? Yep, and one of them even backstabs him. Suffers in the process of saving people, and eventually attempts a [[Heroic Sacrifice]]? Check and check. The only discrepancy is in the fact that {{spoiler|if he actually completes his [[Heroic Sacrifice]], he'll cause [[The End of the World
* The Avatar from the [[Ultima]] series. He serves as [[The Paragon]] for the eight Virtues, and is implied to have sacrificed himself at the end of [[Ultima IX]] in order to defeat [[Big Bad|The Guardian]].
* Aerith of ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' - Half-human, half-supernatural, the planet is ultimately saved through her prayers and her death, and humanity is kept alive. In ''Advent Children'', she cures Geostigma from beyond the grave, which is effectively cancer. The disease is notably uncurable by any other means.
* [[Mysterious Waif|Sera]] from ''[[Digital Devil Saga]]''.
* ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' ''Cataclysm'' has Thrall become this in the wake of the aformentioned cataclysm.
== Web Animation ==
* In Time Squad, the online [[Web Animation]] movie of the Blockhead series, the titular character varies between this and being a [[Seemingly-Profound Fool]]. He is shown to provide simple wisdom and inspiration to the other characters during their [[Darkest Hour
▲== Web Comic ==
* In ''[[Homestuck]]'', Karkat's ancestor The Sufferer was a troll who spread a message of an Alternia free from the [[Alien Blood]]-based [[Fantastic Caste System]] that rules their culture, leading a massive revolution that was ultimately crushed by the Highbloods and ended with him being tortured and killed. However in his last moments he underwent a [[Face Heel Turn]], going from [[The Messiah]] to a [[Fallen Hero]] as he burned with rage and let out a Vast Expletive that served as his final sermon.
== Western Animation ==
* Optimus Primal in ''[[Transformers]]: [[
** In fact, the many heroic deaths of Optimii in the various Transformers series have led to the nickname "Jesus Prime".
* As above, Superman in the ''[[Legion of Super-Heroes (TV series)|Legion of Super-Heroes]]'' cartoon fits the trope more than ever, as the [[Grand Finale]] even comes with its own Judas: {{spoiler|Brainiac 5's Brainiac 1-induced [[Freak-Out]] leads to him giving Supes a crown of Kryptonite.}}
* [[Avatar: The Last Airbender|Avatar Aang]]. He's a [[Physical God]], he [[The Messiah|has a love of all life, even his enemies]], and {{spoiler|is temporarily killed at the hands of Azula}}.
* ''[[Argai the Prophecy]]''
* In the ''[[South Park]]'' episode "Margaritaville", Kyle is portrayed as a Christ-like savior who makes a tremendous sacrifice to save the economy and pay off everyone's debt. A dinner he has with his friends is portrayed as the Last Supper, with Cartman taking on the role of Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, while some of the South Park residents form a council againt the [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|"young Jew spreading lies about the Economy"]]. [[Played for Laughs|Played]], to no one's suprise, [[Played for Laughs|for laughs]].
{{reflist}}
[[Category:
[[Category:Fountain of Expies]]▼
[[Category:Archetypal Character]]
[[Category:Biblical Motifs]]
▲[[Category:Fountain of Expies]]
[[Category:Tropes of the Divine]]
▲[[Category:Messianic Archetype]]
|