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{{trope}}
<!-- %%Pulled per this thread (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1325187262018220100). -->
In a fantasy story, or sometimes even a sci-fi series, there will be certain special items that [[Only the Worthy May Pass|only an attuned]] [[Loyal Phlebotinum|person can use]]. The most famous of these is [[The Sword in
May be the first evidence of [[Because Destiny Says So]] or [[The Chosen One]]. Such an item may also be [[Loyal Phlebotinum]].
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== Anime and Manga ==
* How the Digidestined received their Digimon and powerups (in the form of eggs on stone pillars) in ''[[
* In a episode of ''[[Ranma One Half]]'', Kuno pulls the magic sword Wishbringer out of a stone. Subverted, as he was only able to pull the sword out because he was the one-millionth to try. However, once he claims ownership, Wishbringer will only listen to his voice.
* The Escudo weapons from ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]''.
* Mai gets her [[Mons|CHILD]] in ''[[Mai-HiME]]'' by removing a sword from a stone... wall.
* The Tessaiga of ''[[
** It should be noted that the sword's qualifications were somewhat lax, as Sesshoumaru managed to do so simply by attaching a human arm to his stump with a jewel shard to make them work together.
*** Only a human can hold it but only a youkai can activate its power.
** Tenseiga was given to Sesshoumaru but it only allows him to wield it. Tokijin also only works for Sesshoumaru, since he's the only person strong enough to subdue the evil that powers it. Anyone else becomes a berserker until the sword's [[Battle Aura]] vaporizes them.
* ''[[Ikki Tousen]]'' has five swords - the "Hyakuhekitou" - that were stuck in one stone. One [[Big Bad]] manages to free several of them at once by destroying the stone.
* In ''[[
** [[Public Domain Artifact|Excalibur]] is also present in the series and is the only weapon who averts this trope by being ''potentially'' able to be wielded by anyone: His numerous powers include the ability to adjust his soul wavelength to go along perfectly with anyone... Except his personality is so extremely obnoxious that no-one ''wants'' to get within two leagues of him.
* In ''[[
* Several weapons in ''[[
* ''[[
* Meta Knight's legendary sword Galaxia in ''[[
* The Z Sword from the Buu Saga of ''[[
* In ''[[
* In the ''[[Pokémon]]'' anime, it is stated that the Pokemon will only obey the original person that caught, trained, and raised it (and only if it considers him/her worthy). So care must be taken when loaning other people your Pokemon, or gifting them to others, or trading them to instruct the creature to "do whatever so-and-so tells you to do."
* [[SD Gundam Force]] gives us Musha Daishinshou, a semi-sentient [[Humongous Mecha]] that can only be controlled by The Dai-Shogun, surpeme ruler of Ark. It's stated that without the Dai-Shogun, Daishinshou would go on a rampage, so it spends most of the series [[Sealed Evil in
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== Film ==
* In ''[[Thor (
** Then, in ''[[The Avengers (
== Literature ==
* In ''[[Journey to
* Only Gryffindors can use Gryffindor's sword in ''[[Harry Potter]]''.
** Not necessarily - only a Gryffindor can draw it from the Sorting Hat, but there doesn't seem to be any reason why {{spoiler|Snape couldn't have used it if he wanted to while he had it in ''[[Harry Potter (Franchise)/Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows|Harry Potter]]''}}.
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* [[Lloyd Alexander]]'s ''[[Chronicles of Prydain]]'' makes use of the Welsh sword Dyrnwyn. In the first book the protagonist is told it should only be drawn by someone of "[[Royal Blood]]". He arrogantly tries to draw it anyway and the flash of lightning from the blade burns him and knocks him out. At the end of the series, in desperation and without thinking, he draws it again - and this time it responds to him. It turns out that "royal blood" was a mistranslation and it should have really been rendered "noble worth," which the sword now recognises in him.
** Also from the same story, only the 'rightful' Death-Lord can wear the iron crown of Annuvin. {{spoiler|When someone else puts it on, it heats up like a poker and becomes impossibly tight and cannot be removed, burning through his skull.}}
* Subverted in [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[
** And of course, Carrot does just that at one point.
** The characters also theorize that the original example was a setup. Someone decided ahead of time who the rightful king was and had a dwarf inside the stone holding onto it with pliers. When the right bloke comes along he pulls the sword and all the peasants are suitably impressed.
*** See also Pratchett's short story "Once And Future", in which [[Time Travel|time traveller]] and [[Doing in
* In ''[[The Blue Sword]]'' (and the prequel, ''[[The Hero and The Crown]]''), you have Gonturan, the titular Blue Sword, which can only be safely wielded by women and boys younger than 20.
* The hero of ''[[
* In William King's ''[[
* In [[Graham McNeill]]'s ''[[
* The three swords used by ''[[
* Callandor in ''[[
* The ''jivatma'' in Jennifer Roberson's ''Sword Dancer'' series are attuned blades with magic powers which can only be used by the one who knows the blade's name.
* The Orb of Aldur in the belgariad was like this and was sometimes attached to a [[BFS]], where the entire sword acted in this way. Only someone who was pure (i.e. innocent) or was of the rivan royal line could hold it, anyone else who tried to would be burned by it.
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* Inverted in ''Secret of the Sixth Magic'' by [[Lyndon Hardy]], in which Jemidon is the one person who '''can't''' handle an enchanted sword or pull it out of the ground. {{spoiler|Turns out that this is a clue Jemidon is a metamagician: someone who can't personally use magic, but can enhance magical abilities in others and manipulate the rules governing magical effects.}}
* In the ''[[Deltora Quest]]'' series, only the king's heir can use the belt's powers.
* In ''[[
* In ''[[
* In ''[[
* The Orb of Aldur in the ''[[Belgariad]]'' can only be touched by a purely innocent person or by the true heir of Riva. It's even more impressive when it's fused to the Sword of Riva Irongrip, which was forged from a [[Thunderbolt Iron|fallen star]].
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* In the ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' episode "Avalon", Merlin's cavern has a sword in the stone (which probably inspired the Arthurian legend in-universe), unable to be removed. After the team completes the tests, Mitchell is able to pull it out, and he discovers that it's a hologram. Only he can interact with it as if it was physical, and when he throws it to Teal'c, it just passes through him. It's also the only thing that can defeat the knight guarding the place.
** A second is later found on the ''planet'' Camelot, outside Merlin's house. This one is a physical object, but otherwise has the same rules.
* Subverted in a ''[[The Man
* In season seven of ''[[
* The five Quasar Sabers from the planet Mirinoi in ''[[Power Rangers Lost Galaxy]]''. The only Ranger born on Mirinoi, Maya, had already tried to remove one as a kid, so either she spent all that time trying to free the ''wrong'' saber or the sabers themselves have some say in when they're released. They're not one-to-one, either - two of them are [[Take Up My Sword|passed on]] during the series.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TivWgU3u0M& Sent up] in ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]''.
* In the BBC series ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'', Merlin magically embeds Excalibur in a stone, to keep it safe until Arthur is meant to wield it. In a subversion of the norm, Merlin's magic isn't empathic in any sense: the sword is impossible to remove by hand, and Merlin simply tricks Arthur into thinking he is the only person able to do it. Merlin loosens the blade with magic once Arthur is in the right mindset.
* Subverted in the Showtime series ''Camelot''. The sword is indeed stuck in a stone, but the problem with removing it is that it's at the top of a waterfall, covered in moss, and the ground is naturally wet (since it's, you know, submerged). It is indeed stuck, and anyone that tried to remove it previously inevitably loses their grip and falls off the waterfall to their death. However, Arthur (thanks to some contrary advice from Merlin) realizes that in order to free the sword, it must first be pushed into the rock, adjusted so that it won't catch, and then pulled out. It's heavily implied that ''anyone'' could have done this, they just didn't know it. {{spoiler|Arthur also falls off the waterfall, but he gets better.}}
== Mythology ==
* In the Old Norse ''[[
* In the ''[[
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== Tabletop RPG ==
* ''[[
** Intelligent swords in general tend to act like this. They will only fully function for characters of the same alignment as the sword and working toward the weapon's special purpose (if any). Some weapons and magic items only work in the hands of certain races or certain sexes or some other criteria. And usually try to harm and/or dominate any would-be wielders they don't approve.
** [http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Blade-rite Blade-rite] of ''[[
*** Elfblades are regalia of high offices and prevent anyone who isn't up to the task or whom they don't appreciate from wielding them and thus from holding an office: "unworthy" claimants suffer harm, curse or instant death, depending on the blade and failed condition. Since claiming the Ruler's Blade was the only legitimate way to the throne, in Myth Drannor it caused a [[Black Comedy|morbidly hilarious]] scene when hundreds of elves waited in the queue for their chance to raise on top of the tower, grab the pommel and get blasted into ashes in full view of the crowd... and then started a fight to get there faster.
*** Moonblades were designed as a means to choose the single "best" clan as the royal family of their new realm. They kill all claimants who aren't "worthy" ''and'' of proper blood, while growing both in powers ''and'' requirements with each generation until they're practically impossible to both claim and wield. Until they ended up with the King Sword]] that stayed unclaimed for years after the king's death, while members of the royal family were inexplicably [http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1888&whichpage=40#103394 plagued] by either lethal accidents or sudden calls of adventure carrying them far away from the line to the throne.
** The Holy Avenger, ''Carsomyr'', is an extremely powerful +5 two-handed sword that dispel magic with every hit. It can only be wielded by paladins.
* One chapter in a ''[[
== Theater ==
* Riffing off a mythological example given above, [[Richard Wagner]] in ''[[
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* The Hammer of Ironfist in ''[[Neverwinter Nights 2]]''. To top it off, it only allows the use of its full power when the user is wearing The Belt of Ironfist and The Gauntlet of Ironfist, so it is also a reference to Mjǫllnir .
* Keyblades in the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' series. In the first game, it looked as though Sora was the only chosen one, with a brief tug-of-war for control with [[Rival Turned Evil]] Riku. Then King Mickey was revealed to have one at the end, and it's become [[The Chosen Many]] since then.
* The Mani Katti blade from ''[[
* The Rusty Sword in ''[[Secret of Mana]]'', which is revealed to be the Mana Sword after handing it over to a dwarf every now and then.
** This is actually a variation: only the chosen one (the Boy) can remove the sword from the stone it's been left in, but once that's done, ''anyone'' can use it as a weapon, as the Girl and the Sprite are able to become quite proficient with it. However, during the final battle, ''only'' the Boy can wield the true Mana Sword.
* The Moon and Star Ring of Nerevar (''[[
** Certain other moments implies that being the Nerevarine is more a matter of ''becoming'' than something you are born as -- if you fulfill the requirements to be the Nerevarine, and follow what the prophecy says the Nerevarine is supposed to do, then you ''are'' the Nerevarine, and so can wear Moon-and-Star. In other words, only the Chosen may wield, but the Chosen is partly self-chosen.
* The Crusader's Relics (and weapons) can only be wielded by the Divine Crusader in ''[[The Elder Scrolls Four]]'' expansion Knights of the Nine. In addition, if the wielder gains two points in infamy then the artifacts can not be used until the pilgrimage is undertaken again.
* Subverted in ''[[Fable
* A hidden weapon weapon in the recent ''[[Castlevania]]'' parodies this: you get the Sword, which, unfortunately, is still in the stone. At least the Stone makes a nice bludgeon.
* Something similar happens in ''[[Shadow Hearts|Shadow Hearts: From the New World]]'', [[McNinja|Frank]] can obtain the Legend Saber, a mystical sword still sealed in its stone, with an extra hilt stuck on it to match all the other [[Improbable Weapon|Improbable Weapons]] in his collection.
* ''[[
* Althena's Sword in ''[[Lunar]]'', weapon of the Dragonmaster, which can only be claimed by the strong and pure of heart. {{spoiler|Spends [[Chekhov's Gun|most of the game]] as a decoration in a stone monument.}}
* In ''[[
** Good news: Once you get it, Frostmourne is indeed the thing that can turn the tide and drive out the invaders, etc.
** Bad news: Frostmourne is excellent at coming up with curses, which may include killing your best friend, literally eating your soul, and making it so you don't even WANT to repel the invaders any more and end up joining them instead. Just go with a regular drop. Way safer.
* All heroic spirits in the ''[[Fate/stay
** {{spoiler|Oh, Archer has a Noble Phantasm. A skill-based NP, rather than a single item, but still... [[Field of Blades|"I am the bone of my sword"]].}}
* Uther Pendragon from ''[[
* Subverted in ''[[
* Humorously parodied in the forth installment of ''[[Heroes of Might and Magic]]''. Upon locating a giant slayer sword on the world map and picking it up, a message comes up concerning its [[Gameplay and Story Segregation|completely unrelated to the game play]] recovery. A hero stumbles upon a sword in a stone, and having heard the legend of weapons of such power being lodged in rocks, yanks at it with all his strength. This results in the sword not budging an inch. So he spends the next hour or so with a hammer and chisel to retrieve it.
* In ''[[
* Suggested, but not altogether proven, for the Shield of Albion in ''[[Puzzle Quest|Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords]]'', which is an heirloom of the player character's family.
* Played with in many ways in ''[[Solatorobo]]'':
** The amulet chooses who may use it in the next Rite of Forfeit to [[Sealed Evil in
** Escaping the {{spoiler|[[Human Sacrifice]] that the amulet tries to pull when sealing or super-powering Lares}} is only possible for Hybrids. {{spoiler|Lucky for Red, he happens to be one even though he never knew it.}}
** While anyone could presumably use Dahak as a normal [[Mini-Mecha]], only Red is capable of wielding its full potential {{spoiler|by using his Hybrid abilities to fuse with it.}}
** Lares {{spoiler|and Lemures}} can be controlled from the inside, but at the cost of the wielder's [[Life Energy]]. However, if you're {{spoiler|immortal like Elh and Béluga}}, the Titanomachina won't kill you; it'll just {{spoiler|take your immortality away. Ah, well, [[Who Wants to Live Forever?]]}}
* In the "Zenithian Trilogy" of ''[[Dragon Quest]]'', only the chosen hero can wield the legendary equipment required to advance the plot. In ''[[Dragon Quest V
== Webcomics ==
* ''[[Arthur, King of Time and Space]]'', obviously. In the baseline arc, it's done straight (and straight out of [[The Once and Future King|T.H. White]]); in the space arc the ''Excalibur'' is the [[Cool Ship|flagship of the British fleet]] and can only be activated by a Pendragon bioprint.
* Played with in ''[[Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic]]''. [http://yafgc.net/?id=851 The wizard proposed] a variant of this with an axe, as an alternative to the tourney open to all nobles. [[Beat Panel]] ensues.
* In ''[[
* Shelly of ''[[Wapsi Square]]'' is able to [http://wapsisquare.com/comic/all-my-life/ pull a literal sword from a stone.] What qualifications she has that allowed her to do it have not been revealed yet, but it is implied that many people have failed in the past.
* A guy in ''[[
* ''[[
== Web Original ==
* ''[[
== Western Animation ==
* In ''[[Thundercats
** And when Lion-O himself tries to use it for hunting, the sword embeds itself into the ground and refuses to harm defenseless animals.
** Another episode featured Excalibur, which Mumm-ra tried to use to defeat the Sword of Omens, but once it got planted into the ground, Mumm-ra learned that the sword was just as resistant to being used by evil ones, as it refused to come out, spelling Mumm-ra's defeat once again. It is then recovered by Merlin and returned to the Lady of the Lake.
** In ''[[Thundercats 2011
* One episode of ''[[Super Mario Bros Super Show]]'' was a parody of King Arthur, involving a golden plunger that only Mario could pull out of a toilet. The legend went that whoever pulled the plunger would defeat Koopa and become the king of Cramalot, but that didn't stop Mario from getting cold feet and passing it on to the wizard.
* The White Wand can only be used by Timmy Turner, [[The Chosen One]], in ''[[The Fairly Odd Parents]]''.
* In ''[[
* In the ''[[Arthur (
* In ''[[King Arthur and
* An interesting subversion occurs on the [[Dilbert]] episode [[A Taste of Power|The Takeover]], with Dogbert becoming the new CEO after drawing a golf club from a bag. The episode is viewable [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIgcZ6IPoKE&feature=sh_e_se&list=SL here].
** "Wow, first guy who tried... just like the other times."
* ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
* This occurs in one episode of ''[[Kim Possible]]''. While any who posses Mystical Monkey Power can wield the Lotus Blade, only one whose heart is pure can call it. [[Fanon]] likes to expand on this.
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