The Unchosen One: Difference between revisions

** However, {{spoiler|it is debatable since Percy does make the decision to trust Luke to do the deed. So whilst Luke is the hero, the prophecy still refers to Percy}}.

* Taran, the protagonist of the ''[[Prydain Chronicles|Chronicles of Prydain]]'' becomes involved in a war for control of his homeland because he went chasing after a runaway pig and came face to face with the series' resident [[Supporting Leader]], Prince Gwydion. He slowly works his way up from being a [[Tagalong Kid]] to a [[Badass Normal]] warrior and the equivalent of a general and eventually {{spoiler|the High King of Prydain}} because he heeds the advice of his mentors and refuses to give up on causes he believes in.

{{quote|I said you weren't ''born'' with a talent for witchcraft: it didn't come easily; you worked hard at it because you wanted it. You forced the world to give it to you, no matter the price, and the price is and will always be, high. [ ... ] People say you don't find witchcraft; witchcraft finds you. But you've found it, even if at the time you didn't know what it was you were finding, and you grabbed it by its scrawny neck and made it work for you.}}

** Neville also applies - though he was one of two possible candidates, he'd never heard the prophecy, nor was he marked as Voldemort's equal, but he still manages to turn Dumbledore's Army into a pretty badass rebellion force, openly defy Voldemort even when it appeared all hope was lost, and {{spoiler|kill the snake to thus render Voldemort mortal}}.

* Tad William's novel ''[[The War of the Flowers]]'' features Mud Bug Button, the [[Eccentric Mentor|unassuming sage]] who explains carefully to the hero that he was not [[The Chosen One|chosen]], his family was not [[It's Personal|killed by]] [[The Big Bad]], and he did not [[Heroic BSOD|have a heroic epiphany after seeing an innocent child killed]]. He just thought carefully about the situation and decided that leading a revolution was something that needed to be done.

* Kavi and Jiaan both from the ''[[Farsala Trilogy]]'' operate under the name Sorahb, who is supposed to be reborn in a time of need acording to their country's legend. There is no Sorahb reborn, and if the legend they create is anything to go by, there probably never was an original.

 

* Arguably the protagonist of ''[[The Greatest American Hero]]'' was a definition of this trope.

** He ''was'' meant to receive the costume; his alien mentor just happened to have other possible replacements, just in case.

* ''[[Firefly]]'s'' [[The Captain|Malcolm Reynolds]] was not chosen in any way to be a hero...he just happened to be the one whose boat Simon Tam booked passage on, and possessed a brutally [[Honor Before Reason|honorable]] streak. On the other hand, [[The Woobie|River Tam]] ''was'' chosen, [[The Call Knows Where You Live|but she damn well didn't want to be chosen]] and [[Phlebotinum Rebel|fought against it as best she could.]]

* Sam and Dean of ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' dive very heavily into this, particularly Dean who is even more stubborn about not embracing his destiny, and not letting Sam embrace his. Considering their destinies, this is probably for the best.

 

== Music ==

{{quote|And they say that a hero can save us, I'm not gonna stand here and wait

I'll hold on to the wings of the eagles, watch as we all fly away }}

 

== Video Games ==

* In ''[[Dragon Quest V]]'', ''you'' are not the chosen one. {{spoiler|Your son is.}}

 

* The title character of ''[[Digger]]''. Digger is an anthropomorphic wombat, and her people usually have the good sense to steer clear of any gods or magic they may encounter. Unfortunately, Digger has gotten herself first good and lost (on account of underground hallucinogenic gas pockets), then entangled (on account of being too nice for her own good) in strange goings on in a faraway land, in which both gods and magic are involved. Prophesies of several groups speak extensively of the other characters in the story, the events that Digger participates in, and even the tunnel that Digger digs up to the surface in the beginning of the story once she decides that she is completely and utterly lost - but strangely none of the prophesies say anything about Digger herself, or mention wombats in any way. Indeed, hardly anyone in the land Digger has found herself in has even heard of them. {{spoiler|As it turns out, her ancestor specifically asked that his descendants be immune to divine prying and prophesying in exchange for helping to bind a mad god.}}

* From the ''[[Crossover Wars]]'', Scale. Her own comic starts with her creators (in story) talking of a planned story which was derailed when the [[Evil Overlord|Editor]] & his forces invaded the comic & captured them. Scale's "birth" was a side effect of the Editor reaching into the metaphorical womb (a computer) and pulling out her bracer into "reality". Afterwards she had to figure out what had happened & what to do next, which involved stumbling across dimensions and assembling an army to oppose the Evil Overlords & rescuing her creators.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Fate and Prophecy Tropes]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unchosen One, The}}