The Chosen One: Difference between revisions

{{quote|"''It's one thing to think that you're the center of the universe -- it's another thing entirely to have this confirmed by an ancient prophecy.''"|'''[[Douglas Adams]]'''}}

Bonus points if the character is actually called "The Chosen" or "The Chosen One", or the phrase "Only You Can Save X" appears. The title of Chosen One may prove to be [[The Unchosen One|largely unnecessary]]. See also [[Only the Chosen May Wield]] for examples of how [['''The Chosen One]]''' is often identified. Compare [[It Sucks to Be Thethe Chosen One]]. Contrast [[The Unchosen One]]. Has arguably become a [[Discredited Trope]] in recent years, or is at least dangerously close to being one.

Not to be confused with [[Giving the Sword Toto A Noob]], where there is someone clearly more qualified that is able to do the job.

== Anime &and Manga ==

* ''[[Pokémon: 2000The (Anime)|PokémonMovie 2000]]'': Ash is the chosen one. It became a meme for him to be the chosen one of ''everything.''

* In ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]'', the creation of the titular [[Magical Girl|Magical Girls]]s is initially presented as an accident, but even with [[Lego Genetics]] in place, the whole thing seems too convenient. Near the end, [[Mission Control]] reveals that they were lying and had actually gone and tracked down five girls that were perfect matches for the DNA they had lying around. It's explicitly stated as [[GaiasGaia's Vengeance|the Earth itself]] having chosen the five of them to protect it.

** Fate and destiny aren't the same thing. Jiraiya had a choice, he could refuse his destiny, and in the end his choices would lead to his student ([[The Chosen One]]) either saving or destroying the world. Neji argued that fate didn't let you make any choices at all.

* Though it doesn't fit perfectly, Nasu says that in the ''[[Nasuverse]]'', only one person can be born with the potential to possess [[Evil Eye|"Eyes of Death Perception"]]. This is notable because it implies that [[Kara no Kyoukai:|Ryougi Shiki]] and [[Tsukihime|Tohno Shiki]] exist in [[Alternate Reality|separate universes.]]

* Subverted and then played straight in ''[[Ichiban Ushiro no DaimaouDai Maou]]'' right on the 1st episode where the protagonist is [[Sorting Hat|calculated]] to be this generation's {{spoiler|demon king}}. Six chapters later, {{spoiler|Hiroshi is also shown to be sorted as the next Hero, and this is confirmed by taking on the legendary weapon.}}

* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'': Yugi (the little one) is referred to as a Chosen One, though in this case, a more appropriate description might be chosen ''vessel'' as [[Sharing a Body|his body]] provides the spirit within the Millennium Puzzle with a physical connection to reality allowing ''him'' to save the world. Though {{spoiler|Yugi turns out to be the one who will defeat the pharaoh in battle allowing him to move on to the afterlife.}} Yugi tends to have more [[The Messiah|messianic]] associations to his name than Yami Yugi.

* In its various continuities, ''[[Digimon]]'' has two distinct categories of humans partnered with Digimon, [[Digimon Adventure|the first and most well known]] falling under this trope. The Chosen Children (dubbed as "Digidestined") are chosen by some higher power for the purpose of partnering with a Digimon to save the Digital World. The term is explictily used in reference to the protagonists in ''[[Digimon Adventure]]'' and [[Digimon Adventure 02|its sequel]] (who are picked by the members of [[The Obi -Wan|Gennai's]] order), and ''[[Digimon Frontier]]'' (where [[Our Angels Are Different|Ophanimon]] is the one who chose them). Unlike most examples of the trope, there are multiple Chosen Children, to the point where the ''Adventure'' continuity had an arc where the main characters assisted Chosen around the world and concluded with [[The Chosen Many|everyone in the world]] becoming one.

* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'' follows it's predecessor, with Juudai being the Chosen One to protect the ''universe'' from the Light of Ruin. Johan is also apparently a Chosen One, but of what is [[They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot|isn't ever revealed]].

* [[Invoked Trope|Invoked,]] [[Playing Withwith a Trope|played with]] [[Zig -Zagging Trope|and ultimately]] [[Subverted Trope|subverted]] in ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]''. The eponymous main character is [[Invoked Trope|identified]] early on as having huge potential as a magical girl, and [[Weasel Mascot]] ''[[Gratuitous French|du jour]]'' Kyuubey spends most of his time trying to convince her to contract with him and thus become one. [[Playing Withwith a Trope|The catch?]] Madoka, being [[The Ditz|your typical magical girl protagonist]], never actually musters up the courage to do it, or hasn't yet as of Episode 10 at least ( {{spoiler|[[Alternate Timeline|not in this timeline]], that is}}); she nearly does on a few occasions, but [[It Got Worse|something]] [[Anyone Can Die|always]] [[Dynamic Entry|intervenes]], [[I Will Protect Her|for better]] [[Crap Saccharine World|or]] [[Nightmare Fuel|for worse]]. [[Subverted Trope|The kicker?]] {{spoiler|Despite the fact that it places an enormous burden on Sayaka, who for all her heroic efforts simply isn't as strong a magical girl, and that this does not [[Heroic BSOD|end]] [[Face Monster Turn|well]], ''this is actually for the best'', [[Fallen Hero|given what]] [[And Then John Was a Zombie|magical girls]], [[Apocalypse Maiden|and Madoka in particular]], [[The Corruption|will inevitably]] [[Was Once a Man|become]].}}

** At the end of the anime, {{spoiler|Madoka becomes a magical girl and uses her wish to keep witches from being born, though she ultimately [[Ascend to Aa Higher Plane of Existence|Ascends to a Higher Plane of Existence]] because of it and renders herself [[Ret -Gone]] because the wish would have transformed her into a witch herself}}.

* In ''[[Haruhi Suzumiya]]'', Nagato, Asahina and Koizumi tell Kyon that he is [[The Chosen One]]—theOne—the person that Haruhi has chosen.

** In "The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya," Koizumi speculates on whether Haruhi herself is some sort of [[The Chosen One|chosen one]]—chosenone—chosen by the true god to fix a flawed world.

* In the ''[[Doctor Who Magazine (Magazine)|Doctor Who Magazine]]'' comic strip "The Glorious Dead", the power behind the Omniversal Spectrum intends to pass its power to one of two adversaries, representing good and evil. The Master believes the Chosen Ones are the Doctor and himself; they're actually the renegade Cyberman Kroton and the Master's [[The Dragon|Dragon]], Cardinal Morningstar.

* In ''[[Ultimate X -Men]]'', Jean Grey is believed to be the reincarnated Phoenix God and is being fought over by two [[Church of Happyology|cults]]. It's deliberately ambiguous whether she is, or is just a very powerful mutant with a lot of mental problems.

* [[Sonic the Hedgehog (Comic Bookcomics)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'s sidekick, Miles "Tails" Prower, was named as the Chosen One in a prophecy made by the Ancient Walkers that said he would collect the Chaos Emeralds and begin the "Great Harmony." Though this fact has been tapped on numerous occasions, Tails has yet to bring about the "Great Harmony" prophesied.

** Actually, he did, sorta -- [[AIA.I. Is a Crapshoot|A.D.A.M.]] used Tails (in his [[Super Mode]]) as a focal point to gather together all the Chaos Emeralds in ''the universe'' on Mobius, where they were eventually thrown into the [[Alternate Dimension|Special Zone]] and fused into a single set of seven.

* ''[[Evil Dead]]'': The comics go into much further expositions and machinations that revolve around just how much it sucks being The Chosen One. (Aside from all your friends and loved ones going [[Not Using the Z Word|deadite]] ) Makes sense seeing as [[Tome of Eldritch Lore|The Necronomicon]] itself has its ties directly to each one of each generation. {{spoiler|Even going so far as to have a Werewolf [[Ascended Fanboy|assistant]] type with his mentors full journal account of the last generations Chosen One who apparently worked himself into the Jack the Ripper mythos}}

** There is a [[JMS Spider -Man|Spider-Man story arc]] which explains that Spider-Man is the Chosen avatar of the Spider God, and most of his villains are the avatars of various Animal entities as well.

* Zerain in ''[[Megalex (Comic Book)|Megalex]]''. He's destined to lead the Undergrounder rebel tribes against the evil technocrats on the surface of the titular [[City Planet]].

* John Connor is the chosen one to save mankind from destruction to the machines in the ''[[Terminator]]'' series. Mainly because of a [[Stable Time Loop]]. [[Time Travel|Thinking]] [[Timey -Wimey Ball|about]] [[You Already Changed the Past|this]] [[Idiot Plot|is]] [[Mind Screw|not likely to help your sanity.]]

* In ''[[The Neverending Story (Filmfilm)|The Neverending Story]]'', Bastian is the one chosen to stop [[The Nothing After Death|The Nothing]]. It seems this calling was given to him the moment he opened the book and began reading.

* In ''[[The Golden Child]]'', Chandler Jarrell is the man chosen to save the titular child from death. He's [[Resigned to Thethe Call|not at all happy about it]].

* Cale from ''[[Titan AEA.E.]]'' is the only one able to operate the ultimate [[Treasure Map]] to Mankind's salvation.

{{quote| '''Cale:''' For your information, I happen to be Humanity's last great hope.<br />

* Subverted in ''[[Willow]]'', where a baby girl is prophesized to be the one to bring about the evil Bavmorda's downfall, but what actually happens is that all the people trying to protect her end up defeating the evil queen [[Prophecy Twist|while she's still a baby]]. This happens in no small part due to a healthy dose of [[Self -Fulfilling Prophecy]] on the [[Big Bad]]'s behalf.

* In ''[[The Mummy Returns (Film)Trilogy|The Mummy Returns]]'', Brendan Fraser is suddenly revealed to be the chosen one, even though the first film never made any mention of a prophesied chosen one, and every other character was a reincarnation of some ancient Eqyptian/ninja. Same thing happened in ''[[Chronicles of Riddick]]'', but without the Eqyptian/ninjas.

* Liu Kang in [[Mortal Kombat (Filmfilm)|Mortal Kombat]]

* ''[[Harry Potter (Filmfilm)|Harry Potter]]'', straight and subverted just like the book.

* [[JRRJ. TolkienR. (Creator)|JRRR. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' is chock full of them: Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins, Aragorn. Although it can look like Frodo chose his task by himself, both he and Bilbo seem to have been pre-destined to carry the Ring: "Bilbo was ''meant'' to find the Ring, and...[Frodo was] ''meant'' to have it." [[Word of God]] has confirmed that Frodo's apparent 'choice' was accepting his destiny, and mentions that no-one except Frodo could have {{spoiler|got the Ring all the way to Mount Doom}}.

** Brutha from [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Small Gods|Small Gods]]''. The trick here is that Brutha doesn't want to become the prophet, but is actually the [[Only One]] that believes in Om...

** Subverted in the later Discworld novel ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Going Postal (Discworld)|Going Postal]]'', in which Moist von Lipwig is the Chosen One simply because he's the One ''who happens to be available''. "At a time like this, any One will do!"

** Also subverted by Carrot. From the first book he appeared in (''[[Discworld (Literature)/Guards Guards|Guards! Guards!]]''), it has been obvious that he was the [[Chosen One]] to be king of Ankh-Morpork: he was a poor farm boy, he's [[Lawful Good]], he has a cool sword, etc. However, even though later books have made it obvious that Vimes, Vetinari, Carrot, and other members of the Watch know he is the Chosen One, Carrot prefers to remain in the Watch.

** And inverted with Rincewind in ''[[Discworld (Literature)/The Light Fantastic|The Light Fantastic]]'', who learns that he was Chosen by the Eight Spells to carry one of them around in his head. Not because he's actually expected to do anything heroic or impressive, but because he's a coward who's good as escaping danger, so can at least be expected to ''survive'' until the spell is needed.

* In [[L. Ron Hubbard]]'s ''[[Battlefield Earth]]'', Johnny Goodboy Tyler is recognized as ''the one'', the individual who almost single handedly defeated an empire of billions of beings on thousands of planets. He is even introduced to the alien ambassadors as a ''force majeure'', an unpredictable and unstoppable factor whose coming changes the whole [[The Multiverse|Multiverse]].

* Subverted twice in ''[[Good Omens (Literature)|Good Omens]]'' by [[Neil Gaiman]] and [[Terry Pratchett]]. First, {{spoiler|the Antichrist (who is the Chosen One in this case) is accidentally [[Switched At Birth]] one too many times, leaving the forces of Heaven and Hell to prepare the wrong boy for Armageddon for 11 years.}} Second, {{spoiler|when they both finally track the real Antichrist down, he reveals he doesn't want to destroy the world or [[Take Over the World]], plus he manages to convince both sides to just forget the whole thing.}} There are strong hints that the [[Powers That Be]] [[Xanatos Roulette|intended all of it to happen from the start.]]

* Subverted in ''[[Jonathan Strange and& Mr. Norrell]]'' where there is a prophecy about the two bringing magic back to England and they think of themselves as chosen ones, restoring magic to its peak, except that they don't match the [[Messianic Archetype]] at all (especially the unsympathetic Norrell). Additionally, their skills pale in comparison to those of earlier magicians, and in essence, they are pawns setting events in motion to hasten {{spoiler|the Raven King}}.

* In ''[[The Belgariad]]'' and ''[[The Malloreon]]'', Garion (or Belgarion, his adult name) is the Chosen One ([[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|his actual prophetic title]]) who has to save the universe, kill the bad god, raise the new one, and keep control of his wife. And that is no mean feat. Then he has to do it all again in the sequel series.

* Torak in ''[[The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness]]''. It's not exactly easy for him, but it does get him a [[Non -Human Sidekick|wolf friend]].

* A lot of the ''[[Ea Cycle]]'' revolves around finding [[The Chosen One]].

* The Pevensies in [[CSC. LewisS. (Creator)Lewis|CS Lewis]]'s ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia|The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe]]'' are a Chosen Quartet.

** Actually, Squirrelflight, Leafpool and Stormfur (if his short time as a protagonist in ''Moonrise'' counts as being a main character) weren't [[The Chosen One|Chosen Ones]]. And it turns out that {{spoiler|Hollyleaf wasn't one, either}}.

** Firestar got to be [[The Chosen One]] ''twice''.

* At the end of [[Dan Abnett]]'s [[GauntsGaunt's Ghosts]] novel ''Ghostmaker'', with the eldar who could have closed the Way dead, Inquisitor Lilith must take his place. The eldar there are struck by her name, which they take as Lileath, and Gaunt points out that her whole life has led there. It merely states, however, that [[Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane|"perhaps" she had been born to do that]].

* In [[James Swallow]]'s [[Warhammer 4000040,000]] [[Horus Heresy]] novel ''The Flight of the Eisenstein'', the [[Old Retainer|housecarl]] Kaleb prays over his master, Garro, who revives, convincing Kaleb that the God-Emperor had chosen him. This inspires Kaleb to regard his own actions [[Because Destiny Says So|as part of the Emperor's work]] and {{spoiler|to [[Heroic Sacrifice|sacrifice his life to save Garro]]. It makes a deep impact on Garro, who, on more than one occasion on their [[Bring News Back|flight]], takes an action in faith that his purpose will bring him through -- including one that he knows, and everyone else knows, will kill them all if it fails.}}

* In [[James Swallow]]'s [[Warhammer 4000040,000]] ''[[Blood Angels (Literature)|Deus Encarmine]]'', when Arkio picks up the [[Blade Onon a Stick|Spear of Telesto]], he briefly takes on the appearance of the primarch Sanguinius, and all the Blood Angels (even his brother Rafen) regard the miracle as evidence of his status. Shortly thereafter, one of them observes that those who object to this are dying and those who accept are living, which must be an omen, which is the point at which Arkio [[Blessed Withwith Suck|says he doesn't want it.]] But he is talked into carrying on, with all his doubts.

** In ''Deus Sanguinius'', both Arkio and Rafen foresee a [[Cain and Abel]] confrontation between them. When Arkio's forces confront those under Mephiston, [[Combat Byby Champion]] is proposed. When Mephiston is about to face, Rafen shouts from among Arkio's men that he will do it. Mephiston reads his mind and discovers that he is not only [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness|pure]] but has been touched by a vision, and he stands aside to let Rafen take the challenge.

* One of the ''[[Young Wizards]]'' novels puts a strange twist on this trope: only at the very end of the novel, right after the [[Big Bad]] has been defeated, do the viewpoint characters learn that one of them had always been [[The Chosen One]] for that particular battle, and was the only person throughout all the timelines of all the universes who could have possibly pulled it off.

* The [[Black Company]] decides to protect one after their employer turns on them. {{spoiler|In this case she's the reincarnation of The White Rose, a hero who is supposedly able to defeat The Lady. The original was responsible for [[Sealed Evil in Aa Can|putting The Lady in the can]] along with her husband and sorcerers. It's implied that she was able to do this because she nullifies all magic around her.}}

* Tamora Pierce's ''[[Tortall]]'' series has several [[Chosen One|Chosen Ones]]s, but in each case it's pretty clear who chose them and why. In fact, one girl is chosen by [[Trickster Archetype|the Trickster God]], who poses as the god of war in order to tell some people that she's been chosen. When they finally find out who ''really'' chose her, they kick themselves for not figuring it out sooner, because she was a talented spy instead of a warrior.

* Eragon of the ''[[Inheritance Cycle]]'' seems to be a Chosen One of sorts. Though he wasn't actually named in prophecy, he was chosen by the dragon Saphira to be her rider during the war between the Varden and the Empire. Since he is the only Dragon Rider not on the side of the Empire, the factions aligned with the Varden often laud him as their "only hope" to defeat Galbatorix, as they will fail without him. Not that they're very happy about this, given that he tends to ignore orders, lacks common sense, and tried to seduce one of their leadership figures. The dwarves are implied to conceal deep grudges against him. Eragon himself [[Resigned to Thethe Call|doesn't much like his position either]].

* Morgon of ''[[The Riddle -Master of Hed]]'' can't seem to get a break. The man just wants to farm, but no. Rather he acquiesces to take a simple journey to answer a Riddle (ie a prophecy) that ends up sending him halfway across the continent a few times and we still doesn't know what's going on.

* ''[[The Prophecy of the Stones (Literature)|The Prophecy of the Stones]]'' names four significant people who will play a part in freeing the land. Three of them are girls with specific tasks, who end up getting kicked out of their homes because of the prophecy and questing around the land to figure out what the prophecy means. The fourth is actually called The Chosen One and is tasked with [[Supporting Leader|leading the forces of good]] in the final battle.

* In ''[[Animorphs (Literature)|Animorphs]]'', 5 of the 6 main characters are chosen by the Ellimist, at least according to the Crayak. (Rachel was the odd one out)

* In ''[[Charmed (TV)|Charmed]]'', the sisters are referred to as the Chosen ''Ones''. Wyatt Halliwell, Piper's firstborn son, is also known as the Chosen One

* ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'':

** In "[[Doctor Who (TV)/Recap/S14 E1/E01 The Masque of Mandragora|The Masque Of Mandragora]]", Hieronymous grows certain that he is specially chosen.

* The titular character of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', as well as any other Slayer in the series (Faith Lehane, Kendra, Nikki Wood, etc). They rarely live to see their 20s, and tend to be ''chosen'' when they're extremely young, at 15-17 if they're exceptionally lucky, and didn't get discovered by the Watcher's Council particularly quickly (as appears to be the case with both Buffy and Faith and many of the Potential Slayers during season 7, but not the case with Kendra, who got an even shorter end of the stick, abandoned by her parents and raised by her Watcher). The "One" part of the Chosen One is very literal - "One girl in all the world." (At least until the end of Season One)

** It is indicated towards the end of the series that the replacement slayers are already lined up to take over when their predecessor dies, in significant numbers too. Apparently some get activated a little too early, maybe the Prophecy is incapable of distinguishing when a Slayer is going to be [[Back Fromfrom the Dead]]. {{spoiler|In the end of the series, the Good Guys do some magic to speed along the "Choosing" of the potential Slayers, essentially creating an army of girls with their Slayer activated.}}

* In ''[[Babylon 5]]'' there is not just 'One' Chosen One but three of them! Or, alternately (and [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|significantly]]), one One with three parts (as Zathras puts it, The-One-Who-Was, The-One-Who-Is, and The-One-Who-Will-Be).

*** And he specifically stated in interviews that it was intentional to remove Sinclair (a popular character on B5) during the height of the series. Straczynski designed the show to have a beginning, a middle, and an end (plus 20,000 contingency plans) unlike most shows. But Sinclair leaving and coming back in later seasons was not a contingency plan - it was JMS's decision (he realized that Sinclair's [[Character Arc]] had played out too quickly, so he had Sinclair [[Put Onon a Bus]] until he was needed again).

*** That is revealed to be true. Sheridan {{spoiler|[[Ascend to Aa Higher Plane of Existence|ascends]] and leaves beyond the Rim}}, while Delenn {{spoiler|dies of old age}}.

* The new ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined (2004 TV series)|The new ''Battlestar Galactica Reimagined]]'']] is swimming with them.

** Really, when it comes right down to it, [[''Battlestar Galactica]]'' doesn't really have a [[Chosen One]] - it has a Chosen [[Five -Man Band]], each with a specific purpose in {{spoiler|"God's"}} plan.

* Captain Dylan Hunt on ''[[Andromeda]]'' started out as a normal human (albeit genetically upgraded, which is standard for 90% of human characters in that series), but as seasons wore on he was [[Retcon|retconnedretcon]]ned to be a half-human/half-[[Sufficiently Advanced Alien]] of the Master Race, then became the ''Paradine'', spoken of in ancient prophecy, with his own prescient alien seeress by his side. (Trance Gemini, who started out as an (seemingly) innocent [[Perky Female Minion|perky alien girl]] with hints of unusual powers, but in later seasons was transformed into a [[God Mode Sue]].) [[Hercules: The Legendary Journeys|Hercules]] in Space, indeed.

* {{spoiler|Dean Winchester}} as of ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' season 4. Unfortunately, the guy's gone through so much [[Break the Cutie]] trauma by this point, that it's doubtful if he can actually fulfill this role. In season 5 it's revealed that he's the intended vessel of the Archangel Michael, which he [[Screw Destiny|doesn't agree to]].

* ''[[Firefly (TV series)|Firefly]]'' desconstructs this with [[The Woobie|River Tam]]. Her exceptional intellect and implied latent [[Psychic Powers|psychic ability]] got her "chosen" - to go straight to [[School for Scheming|the Academy]]. She came out the other end a [[Mind Rape|traumatized]] [[Axe Crazy|mental wreck]] who [[There Are No Therapists|can't be treated]] and suffers from both schizophrenia and [[Power Incontinence|uncontrolled mind powers.]]

* ''[[The Collector (TV series)|The Collector]]'': {{spoiler|Morgan was God's chosen instrument to discover the cure for Plague, centuries ahead of reality. The Devil successfully distracted him from this role}}.

* In ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'', Emma Swan, the daughter of [[Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (Literaturenovel)|Snow White]] and [[Prince Charming]] is prophesied to one day save all of the fairy tale characters trapped by the Evil Queen's curse which has them living out mundane lives in our world with no memory of who they really are, and no chance to reclaim their happy endings on their own. Played with in that the only one in-universe who actually believes this is Henry, Emma's son.

* The titular character of ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'', who was chosen,we haven't a clue by who exactly, to help Arthur become the king he is destined to be and help him unify Albion.

* In ''[[Being Human (UK)]]'', {{spoiler|Eve, the newborn daughter of George and Nina, is the Chosen One, who is going to save the world from the vampires.}}

* In ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', Captain Sisko is the Emissary to the Prophets, the Wormhole entities that the Bajorans worship as gods. It takes a little while for the science-loving Sisko to embrace his role as the messiah of another race, but he manages. Sisko later learns that he is actually a Prophet's ''son'' (his mother briefly took on human form to give birth to him before leaving him with his human father). Over the course of the series Sisko, in his dual roles as Starfleet officer and Bajoran Emissary, saves Bajor from military and spiritual threats.

* Any time you run across a Chosen One in ''[[Warhammer 4000040,000]]'', they're likely to [[Face Heel Turn|fall to Chaos]] or [[The Hero Dies|get killed]] at some point.

* ''[[Xenogears (Video Game)|Xenogears]]'' revolves around a [[Chosen One]] named Fei {{spoiler|who is a reincarnation of the original [[Chosen One]], Abel. His choosing is eventually revealed to be sheer accident, as his contact with the Wave Existence occurred because Abel got lost while trying to escape the doomed ''Eldridge''. His contact allows him to survive and entrusts him with the task of freeing the Wave Existence from the Zohar, and he is destined to die and be reborn forever until he accomplishes his task. Ironically, if Abel had not gotten lost, someone (or perhaps no one) else would have become [[Chosen One]].}}

* The [[Tales Series(series)]] often uses this trope; however given that it's the ''[[Tales Series(series)]]'', you can bet that it's often played with or flat-out [[It Sucks to Be Thethe Chosen One|deconstructed]].

** Colette Brunel from ''[[Tales of Symphonia (Video Game)|Tales of Symphonia]]'', although she's not the main character and has been fully aware of her status as the chosen one her whole life, it being due to her genetics. This is also a deconstruction. It is revealed that there are entire families containing the chosen bloodline spread across the world, any member of whom can be proclaimed the chosen one by the [[Powers That Be]] whenever required. {{spoiler|And then there's the whole issue of what it turns out that the chosen is really chosen ''[[Grand Theft Me|for]]''...}}

** Speaking of the ''Tales'' series, Luke in ''[[Tales of the Abyss (Video Game)|Tales of the Abyss]]'' is [[Prophecies Are Always Right|prophesied]] to be [[The Chosen One]] who will lead his world to new heights of prosperity. {{spoiler|Which is then subverted. Then played straight again}}.

** In ''[[Tales of Eternia (Video Game)|Tales of Eternia]]'', it's implied that Reid and Ras were Chosen ones; but not entirely any specific one as more "Only these people can use the power of Seyfert's Fibril". Meredy can too, thanks to {{spoiler|Shizel, user of ''Nereid'''s fibril being her mother and all}}.

* The 2004 ''[[The BardsBard's Tale]]'' parodies this rather savagely. You are told early on that your character is the chosen one on an important quest, but as you progress through the game, you encounter a number of self-proclaimed Chosen Ones who make big speeches about their destiny, only to get killed horribly by monsters or booby traps. You eventually stumble across a whole prison full of "Chosen Ones" of various ages.

{{quote| ''It's bad luck to be you,<br />

* In ''[[Fire Emblem Tellius (Video Game)|Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn]]'', the characters that enter the game's final tower are classified as "Chosen Ones". The player gets to choose most of them though, rather than fate directly.

* Notable [[Averted Trope|aversion]] in ''[[Grandia (Videovideo Gamegame)|Grandia]]'': {{spoiler|The protagonist Justin is an ordinary boy who just wants to be an adventurer. He isn't chosen by the "Spirits" after an ancient prophecy, but is begrudgingly ''accepted'' by them after proving how awesome he is.}}

{{quote| [[The LegendofLegend of Zelda CDI Games (Video Game)|It is written: Only Link can defeat Ganon.]]}}

** Interestingly enough, in later games, Link actually has to ''earn'' the title of Chosen Hero. Most notably in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: theThe Wind Waker (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda the Wind Waker]]'', where simply being on a quest to defeat the [[Big Bad]] isn't enough, he also has to recover the pieces of the Triforce of Courage and show that he's courageous enough to actually receive it in his various adventures. His was probably because the out-of-timeline-erasure of the last [[Chosen One]] caused the Triforce to burst into 8 powerless fragments, which could not seek a bearer for themselves, like a complete Triforce-piece does. It still probably ''had'' to be Link and nobody else, since the Triforce probably wouldn't have accept anybody else for a "host".

** That's not just the later games. Proving his destined right to find and wield the Triforce of Courage is the entire point of ''[[Zelda II: theThe Adventure of Link (Video Game)|Zelda II the Adventure of Link]]''. That's when the existence of the Triforce of Courage is first mentioned; the original game had only Wisdom and Power.

** Zelda (the Zeldas?), too, would count as a Chosen One; seeing as how she received the Triforce of Wisdom. Ganondorf, though, he has the Triforce of Power, not so much; he unconsciously chose that one himself. The Zelda of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword]]'' is specifically referred to by Fi as one of great destiny and purpose, which officially deems her as such in-universe. Although it's later reveal that Zelda is {{spoiler|Goddess Hylia mortal reincarnation, so she isn't [[The Chosen One]] as much as [[God in Human Form]]}}.

* In the online Flash RPG, ''[[Adventure Quest (Video Game)|Adventure Quest]]'', {{spoiler|You are the Avatar of Hope, though it has been implied that the entire human race of Lore is the Avatar of Hope, in one of the stories posted by the admin Falerin on the forum.}}

* Your character in ''[[The Elder Scrolls III Morrowind (Video Game)|The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind]]'' is generally assumed to be a Chosen One thanks to the prophecies of the "Nerevarine," the reincarnation of the heroic Nerevar Indoril. This trope gets subverted a ways into the storyline, when your self-appointed mentor explains that "having the spirit of Nerevar" isn't literal...you're not the reincarnation, you're just qualified to follow in his footsteps and save his people from his ancient foe. In fact, there are others qualified to become the Nerevarine as well, and you'll even meet up with a few who tried and failed. So really, you don't save the day [[Because Destiny Says So]], but because ''you'' say so.

* In ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion (Video Game)|The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]]'', the player character is a Chosen One who is supposed to take the Emperor's mystical [[MacGuffin]] to the his surviving son, another Chosen One. Sometimes it seems the gods spend their time just choosing people to do stuff. It ''is'' a world guided by prophecy...

* ''[[Valis (Video Game)|Valis]]'': Yuko Ahso is generically thrust into the spotlight as the warrior who can wield the sword of Valis and defeat evil. (Okay, not quite generically--shegenerically—she's thrust into the spotlight with a big dose of [[Fan Service]] and [[Stripperific|Stripperificness]]ness. She plays the role of The Valis Warrior in the first three games, then becomes the Dream World's goddess, and in the fourth game, Lena takes over Yuko's prior role as the wielder of the titular legendary sword.

* ''[[Unreal (Video Game)|Unreal]]'' has various messages (combined with your actions) that heavily suggest that you are [[The Messiah]] who will save the Nali from the tyranny of the Skaarj. This may be a subversion however, as the tournament games ([[Word of God|said to be set after the first game]]) suggest that the Nali are still being hunted, although the reference is non-specific enough that you could easily assume your character at least made their situation far better.

* Subverted in ''[[Arcanum: ofOf Steamworks and Magick Obscura]]'', where it appears that the player character is the reincarnation of the Living One, a mystical figure, but later in the game {{spoiler|You discover that you are just a common person, that the prophecy of the reincarnation is false, and that the Living One is in fact still alive.}}

** The prophecy is still subverted in other ways, such as {{spoiler|the 'great evil' of ages past -- that is, the 'evil' version of [[The Chosen One]] you've been sent to smite -- being the almost completely helpless prisoner of the ''real'' [[Big Bad]]. And he's actually a pretty decent guy who, in his centuries of confinement, has had a chance to mull over his past actions and decide he was in the wrong.}}

* The ''[[Legacy of Kain]]'' series plays around with this, not getting around to deciding just who's [[The Chosen One]], or what they're chosen ''for'', until the end of the series. {{spoiler|In ''Defiance'', both Raziel and Kain believe they're the Champion of the vampires. Eventually, it's revealed that Raziel could be the Champion of either the Vampires or the Hylden, and as the only one with free will, he can choose. In the end, Raziel plays out both Champions' parts by giving the Hylden Overlord a sufficiently strong host body in the form of Janos Audron, and giving Kain, the Scion of Balance, everything he needs to fulfill his own destiny by erasing Nupraptor's corruption from his spirit and fusing himself with the Soul Reaver.}}

* ''[[Secret of Mana]]'' also plays with this trope. Near the start of the game, the main character pulls [[Only the Chosen May Wield|a sword out of a stone]]. He is later told that only a great hero should be able to remove the sword, but since he is too young to be a hero, it must have happened because the power of Mana is weakening. He is asked to take care of the sword until he can find a real hero to give it to. Later on it turns out that he was [[The Chosen One]] all along. {{spoiler|He's even the son of a hero!}}

** The sequel, ''[[Seiken Densetsu 3]]'', also handles this trope in an interesting way since there are six characters to choose from, and you can choose any one of them to be the main character. Destiny doesn't choose [[The Chosen One]] until shortly into the game when your first character finds a weakened fairy looking for somebody to save the Mana Tree. {{spoiler|While you inevitably fail to save the Mana Tree, your fairy friend becomes the new Mana Goddess who will eventually be able to restore it.}}

* ''[[In FamousInfamous (Videovideo game Gameseries)|In Famous]]'': Played straight. {{spoiler|If you collect enough dead drops you eventually come across one of a phone call made by Kessler to the courier service Cole worked for. He asks for Cole by name to deliver a package, which is how Cole gets the Ray Sphere in the first place when he is instructed to open it. Might be an aversion given that technically he chose himself given that Kessler is Cole from the future.}}

* The [[Player Character]] in the ''[[BaldursBaldur's Gate]]'' series gets some of this in ''Throne of Bhaal''. It turns out the outcome of the prophecy of the Bhaalspawn hinges upon them; the great destruction foretold will only happen if they fail.

{{quote| '''Prophetic stone head:'''<br />

''"The wheels of prophecy e'er turn,''<br />

''Gorion's ward hath come.''<br />

''Crossroad of past, present and future,''<br />

* [[Bio WareBioWare]] has actually been moving away from this lately, the player characters in both ''[[Mass Effect]]'' and ''[[Dragon Age]]'' are not so much the [[Chosen One]] prophesied to save the world as the ''only'' one who can save the world through a combination of circumstance and badassitude.

* ''[[Arc the Lad (Video Game)|Arc the Lad]]'' subverts this tropes: Arc was not chosen by the [[Powers That Be]]: he was chosen by his father who then went to bargain with the power that be.

* In ''[[Super Paper Mario (Video Game)|Super Paper Mario]]'', it's stated that Mario, Luigi, Peach and Bowser are the Heroes of Light chosen by the Light Prognosticus. {{spoiler|Luigi is the Chosen One for the Dark Prognosticus, being the [[Apocalypse Maiden]].}}

** ''[[Yoshis Island (Video Game)|YoshisYoshi's Island]] DS'' has the Star Children: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Wario, DK, Bowser and a newborn Yoshi (Implied to be the Yoshi from when Mario is an adult).

* ''[[EarthboundEarthBound]]'' had the Chosen ''Four''. With [[The Hero|Ness]] as a more specific Chosen One.

* Hoopz Barkley of ''[[Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden]]: Chapter 1 of the Hoopz Barkley Saga''. Whatever he's chosen for, it has absolutely nothing to do with the game itself.

* The ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' series has the modern protagonist, Desmond Miles, acting as a conduit for the [[Genetic Memory]] of his Assassin ancestors, as part of a scheme by the modern-day incarnation of [[The Knights Templar]] to locate ancient artifacts that will let them control men's minds. Well, it turns out that this is itself part of a much older scheme by the [[Precursors|makers of said artifacts]] to {{spoiler|create a nexus in time through which they can communicate with Desmond and tell him how to avert [[The End of the World Asas We Know It]]}}. Thus, Desmond comes from a family of Chosen Ones.

* The Fateless One in ''[[Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning (Video Game)|Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning]]'' is normally [[The Unchosen One]] because he/she is [[Immune to Fate]]. However, it is ''because'' of this property (and generally being a Badass) that {{spoiler|the godlike Akara}} in the "Legend of Dead Kel" DLC chooses the Fateless One to carry out his goals. Just because the Fateless One isn't bound by Fate doesn't mean he/she can't still be manipulated in other ways.

* The [[Player Character]] in ''[[Dark Souls]]'' is the Chosen Undead, whose fate is to {{spoiler|succeed Lord Gwyn and link the Fire, [[Multiple Endings|or plunge the world into darkness]].}} However, they are not the first [[The Chosen One|Chosen One]], just the one who's managed to get the furthest in the [[Everything Trying to Kill You|dangerous land of Lordran]].

* In the web cartoon ''[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/316541 Animator vs. Animation]'', a sadistic Flash animator creates a little stick man called "Victim" to torment. "Victim" quickly turns around and starts tormenting ''him'', [[Interface Screw|tearing up the Flash GUI]] and playing kickball with the mouse cursor until the harried animator manages to close the program. Things escalate in ''[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/368557 Animator vs. Animation 2]'', in which the animator makes the careless mistake of naming his creation ''[[The Chosen One]]'': not only does this nightmare creature with the power of ten million stick men destroy the Flash interface, he ''[[Breaking the Fourth Wall|escapes to the animator's desktop]]'' and begins wreaking havoc there. The only thing that stops his rampage is the timely intervention of Avast Anti-Virus, after which [[The Chosen One]] is rehabilitated as the best pop-up blocker ever (he ''incinerates'' the bastards!). Finally in ''[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/576381 Animator vs, Animation 3]'' ''[[The Chosen One]]'' escapes from his pop up blocker 'job' and begins [[Interface Screw|wrecking havok again on the animator's desktop.]] The animator is forced to create another stickman named ''[[The Dark Lord]]'' to try and destroy the ''[[The Chosen One]]''. There battles reaches all across the desktop and it ends with the computer blue-screening.

== WebcomicsWeb Comics ==

* ''[[MAGISAMAG-ISA]]'' -- In—In this comic, [http://mag-isa.thecomicseries.com/comics/pl/119154 it gets parodied].

* In ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'', Redcloak is the true prophet of the Dark One, destined to make goblinoids a force to be reckoned with in the world. Redcloak's theological revelations are "refreshingly direct":

{{quote| '''Dark One''': Don't screw this up. No pressure, though.}}

** The kids aren't the only ones, any person who plays the game gets their own title and "chosen" status, as demonstrated with the Trolls' session. The series also justifies ''why'' Sburb players are [[The Chosen One|The Chosen Ones]] in the first place. {{spoiler|Someone in the session [[Mind Screw|will be responsible for the creation of the players]] through ectobiology and time travel shenanigans. In the kid's session, it was John, who also created the protagonists' guardians. Therefore, the players have to play Sburb [[Stable Time Loop|so that they can be born, so that they can play Sburb]].}}

* Subverted in ''[[Our Little Adventure (Webcomic)|Our Little Adventure]]''. Julie is the third person the [[Trickster God|Palm Tree Ghost]] has sent on this mission. If she fails/dies, it's highly likely TPTG will just choose someone else.

* In ''[[Eight Bit Theater (Webcomic)|Eight 8-Bit Theater]]'', Black Mage and Fighter were chosen by their avatars to fight for the fate of the world. {{spoiler|Both deities give up.}}

* In ''[[El Goonish Shive (Webcomic)|El Goonish Shive]]'' there is a [http://egscomics.com/?date=2004-03-03 prophecy that an individual will come to unify the seyunolu (chimera) outcasts of the world]. Damien was created to be this individual but he didn't fulfill the prophecy and became evil instead.

* In ''[[Voodoo Walrus]]'' its been revealed, at least to the reader, that [https://web.archive.org/web/20140220032945/http://voodoowalrus.com/?p=980 Grymm is some kind of prophet and Mirth and her father have a vested interest in him and a Dark One].

* In ''[[The Adventures of Shan Shan (Webcomic)|The Adventures of Shan Shan]]'', [https://web.archive.org/web/20131022203645/http://shanshan.upperrealms.com/view.php?pageid=005&chapterid=1 a golden dragon in the sky told Shan Shan he would help save the world one day.]

* Subverted HARD in ''[[Wizard School (Webcomic)|Wizard School]]'': Everyone at Bumblebane's Magical Academy thinks Graham is The Chosen One. He's actually a fake planted by the [[Big Bad]], Wyrmspawn. Everyone dismisses the fact that Graham far older than the Chosen One is supposed to be and ignores the fact that he's a completely awful person.

* In ''[[The Gamers Alliance (Roleplay)|The Gamers Alliance]]'', [[The Paladin|Marcus]] is destined to become the King of Remon and the wielder of the magic sword Dusk. [[The Ladette|Ax]] is considered to be the chosen wielder of Dusk's sister sword Dawn but after [[Jerkass Gods|Nergal's]] emotional taunting she begins wondering if she's not actually the intended wielder but only meant to deliver the sword to the ''true'' chosen one.

* Jonas Wharton in ''[[LGLG15: 15the The Resistance (Web Video)resistance|LG 15 The Resistance]]'' is described as "the One", because he is {{spoiler|the only trait positive male}}. Maggie also arguably qualifies, with her {{spoiler|super-speshul magic blood}}.

** And now, his [[Reincarnation]] Korra from ''[[The Legend of Korra (Animation)|The Legend of Korra]]''.

{{quote| '''Fry:''' "So I really am important? How I feel when I'm drunk is correct?"<br />

* In a ''[[Yin Yang Yo (Animation)!|Yin Yang Yo]]'' episode, Yin and Yang end up in a magic school, and they meet an otter named Terry, who is the Chosen One. He keeps saying this with dramatic fashion. It's a parody of Harry Potter, really.

* ''[[The Fairly Odd ParentsOddParents]]'': In the Wishology trilogy, Timmy is declared the Chosen One, and he takes every opportunity to remind everyone that he is. {{spoiler|He only is because, as it turns out, someone else [[Missed the Call]].}} Although its shown in Wishology part two that Turbo Thunder lacked the qualities necessary to be the true chosen one when he tries to attack the guardian of the ice wand without provocation. Timmy on the hand chose to ask for the Guardian's help, proving himself to be the true chosen one.

* Zak Saturday of ''[[The Secret Saturdays]]'' is suspected by his parents to have been born to counter the Kur Stone, thus stopping a massive army of killer cryptids and saving the world, if need be. {{spoiler|Now that it's been revealed that [[Tomato in Thethe Mirror|Zak ''is'' Kur]], it's destiny for Zak to take over the world (as far '''EVERY SINGLE CRYPTID''' on Earth is concerned).}}

* Jack of ''[[Xyber 9: New Dawn]]'' is the only one who can defeat Machestro, who is threatening to destroy and take over the kingdom. The show actually takes from [[King Arthur]] legend.

* In ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' episode "Homer the Great", Homer is revealed as The Chosen One of the Stonecutters, the secret society that controls the world. However, {{spoiler|his actions as leader annoy the members so much that they all quit and start the Ancient Mystic Society of No Homers.}}

* In ''[[Thundercats 2011 (Western Animation)|ThunderCats (2011)]]'' Young [[Rebel Prince]] Lion-O is marked as the Chosen One when, during a [[Rite of Passage]] designed as a [[Hidden Purpose Test|test]] of his readiness, the Sword of Omens granted Lion-O a [[Seers|vision]] of the future, [[Only the Chosen May Wield|choosing him]] as the next king. The series' [[Opening Monologue]] by [[Court Mage]] Jaga quotes a prophecy from [[Tomes of Prophecy and Fate|the Book of Omens]] concerning him:

{{quote| '''Jaga''': "For it was written that he would be born of fire, a king to lead his people to victory, against ancient spirits of evil."}}

[[Category:Empower Ment{{PAGENAME}}]]

[[Category:BernardRecipients Werberof True Empowerment]]