The Chosen One: Difference between revisions
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One would think that the title implies some [[Council of Angels|superior]] [[God|intelligent]] [[Crystal Dragon Jesus|being]] [[Powers That Be|or]] [[The Force|force]] actually had to make the Choice, but it's not common practice to expect a corresponding [[Chooser of the Chosen One]]. Other human beings have a lot of trouble just finding the Chosen One. And don't even get started on [[Missed the Call|when they're wrong...]]
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
Not to be confused with [[Giving the Sword to A Noob]], where there is someone clearly more qualified that is able to do the job.
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* ''[[Pokémon: The Movie 2000|Pokémon 2000]]'': Ash is the chosen one. It became a meme for him to be the chosen one of ''everything.''
* ''[[Sailor Moon]]'': the titular character, and to a lesser extent, all the other "Sailor" characters...the non-evil ones, at any rate.
* In ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]'', the creation of the titular [[Magical Girl
* Subverted in ''[[Flame of Recca]]'' where it turns out that {{spoiler|the hero is NOT the chosen flame-wielder, and the villain IS}}.
** {{spoiler|Don't worry, he is still a chosen one...[[Apocalypse Maiden|to destroy all other flame-wielders and their creations]]}}
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** Heavily subverted in that what you (and they themselves) think they're chosen for and what they're ''actually'' chosen for are in no way close.
* ''[[Naruto]]'': {{spoiler|It is revealed in part 2 that Jiraiya was told one of his students would be the one who would either destroy the world or save it. He originally thought it might be Pein, but before he dies he thinks it might be Naruto instead. Later Tsunade also refers to Naruto as the child of prophecy}}. Goes against the big speech Naruto gave Neji in part 1 about not believing in fate and destiny at least.
** 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 (
* Kamui in ''[[X 1999]]'', as well as the rest of the Dragons of Heaven and Earth.
* 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.]]
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* [[Invoked Trope|Invoked,]] [[Playing with 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 with 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 a 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
** In "The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya," Koizumi speculates on whether Haruhi herself is some sort of
* [[Perpetual Frowner|Ichigo]] [[The Hero|Kurosaki]] from Bleach is another example. I mean, {{spoiler|a sixteen year old boy being the only one able to actually defeat Aizen because of his Shikai's powers? And that's not mentioning every other time he has been, supposedly, the only one able to save people or things.}} How was this not listed before?
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* Sparhawk in the [[David Eddings]] ''[[Elenium]]'' trilogy is the one {{spoiler|destined to wield the mystical sapphire rose known as the Bhelliom. Eventually, this is explained by the fact that the Bhelliom, centuries back, actually spawned a human offspring, from whom Sparhawk is descended. Sparhawk is, essentially, a minor god and never knew it.}}
** This is about the ''only'' thing he's destined to do, {{spoiler|because he's Anakha, the Man without a Destiny - a trait that scares gods because, unlike any other person ''with'' a destiny, they can't predict what he's going to do from one moment to the next.}}
* A lot of the ''[[Ea Cycle]]'' revolves around finding
* In the [[David Drake]] military SF series ''[[The General]]'', Raj Whitehall is 'Chosen' by an ancient AI to save Human civilization on the planet Bellevue.
** Followed up with several other Chosen, in several sequel series.
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* If this editor had a nickel for every time someone said ''[[Sword of Truth]]'''s Richard was "the only one" who could do whatever needed to be done, he wouldn't have to worry about his student loans.
* Every single main character in every single series in ''[[Warrior Cats]]''. And now, as of ''Power of Three'', they're getting special powers, too.
** Actually, Squirrelflight, Leafpool and Stormfur (if his short time as a protagonist in ''Moonrise'' counts as being a main character) weren't
** Firestar got to be
* At the end of [[Dan Abnett]]'s [[Gaunt'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 40000]] [[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 40000]] ''[[Blood Angels|Deus Encarmine]]'', when Arkio picks up the [[Blade on 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 with 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 by 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
* ''[[Dune]]''- the trope is thoroughly deconstructed with Paul Atreides and his son Leto. Played straight with {{spoiler|Duncan Idaho}} in the final book.
** Not quite played straight in fact, since he was chosen by {{spoiler|the Tleilaxu}} - and it doesn't ''quite'' work out as planned.
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* ''[[The Giver]]'', anyone? Jonas is chosen by his society to be the new Receiver of Memory, a very revered position. Halfway through the book he decides that pulling a [[Screw Destiny]] will work for the better of society in the long run.
* In ''[[The Restaurant At the End of The Universe]]'', Zaphod Beebelbrox is placed in the Total Perspective Vortex - a machine that tells whoever's inside it exactly how important they are in relation to the universe. This is mainly used as a form of execution, as everyone placed inside it so far has gone insane. However, Zaphod walks (not falls) out triumphant - he really is (as he thinks) the most important person in the universe! {{spoiler|Thing is, this gets subverted since he is unknowingly actually in a parallel universe created specifically for the purpose of him surviving the Total Perspective Vortex - thus since the universe was created just for him, he is by default the most important person in it. [[Rule of Cool|He then pulls a spaceship out of his pocket and travels through time.]] }}
* Tamora Pierce's ''[[Tortall]]'' series has several [[Chosen One
* Subverted in ''[[War and Peace]]'', where Pierre Bezukhov determines based on the gematria of his name that he is meant to save humanity by assassinating the anti-Christ Napoleon. Instead, he is captured for an unrelated act and forced-marched across most of Russia, where he learns the true meaning of his life.
* Played with in many, ''many'' ways before all is through by the prophecy of the Hero of Ages in ''[[Mistborn]]''. {{spoiler|The Hero turns out to be [[Badass Bookworm|Sazed]]. Vin, the actual main character, is also a Chosen One of sorts, but isn't the Hero and wasn't part of prophecy}}.
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** The fourth example (is that a record?) is the Cylon Number Three (D'Anna Biers), who becomes obsessed with seeing the faces of the Final Five and what lies between life and death. She declares herself to be a chosen one who will lead the Cylons into a new age, but instead her hubris kills her and leads to her entire line being boxed. It turns out her experiences were actually more important to furthering Baltar and arguably Starbuck's positions as 'chosen ones' (by putting Baltar in a position where he found his way back to the fleet, and by enabling Starbuck to find Earth).
** 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 [[
* {{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]].
* Referred to as the "Golden One" in ''[[Krod Mandoon and The Flaming Sword of Fire]]'' because it's [[Genre Savvy|"slightly less cliche"]] than the Chosen One.
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** Colette Brunel from ''[[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]]''...}}
*** Zelos Wilder is another chosen (the chosen of a different world, to be precise), but he doesn't really want to do it -- {{spoiler|in fact, at one point he either pretends to or actually does make a deal with the villains to betray the party in exchange for getting out of his duties.}}
** Speaking of the ''Tales'' series, Luke in ''[[Tales of the Abyss]]'' is [[Prophecies Are Always Right|prophesied]] to be
** In ''[[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 Bard'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.
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** Interestingly enough, in later games, Link actually has to ''earn'' the title of Chosen Hero. Most notably in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|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: The Adventure of Link|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|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 Keyblades in ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' tend to choose keybearers for themselves when needed. This part goes to Sora and later also to {{spoiler|Mickey Mouse, Riku, and Kairi.}} Once chosen, a keybearer has to deal with a great amount of Heartless and Nobodies, who want to kill him/her because keyblades are the only true threat to them and also simply [[Because Destiny Says So]]. Additionally, Sora was also chosen to open "the door to light" with his keyblade for reasons as yet unknown.
** Interestingly, {{spoiler|Sora was ''never'' meant to wield a Keyblade. The one initially chosen is actually ''Riku'', but since Riku [[Jumped At the Call|jumps too quickly at the call]], Sora finds it instead. Terra chose Riku, but ''destiny'' chose Sora. They're both Chosen, but Destiny's Choice takes precedence.}} Meanwhile, {{spoiler|Aqua ''planned'' on choosing Sora, but decided against it after realizing that Terra had chosen Riku...unaware that she had already chosen Kairi ''by accident''.}}
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** The player character can also be a villainous Chosen One, {{spoiler|in which he or she meets the goddess who did the choosing while you "were in the womb"}}, if they complete the "Dark Brotherhood" quest. All while still being a heroic Chosen One in the main quest.
* ''[[Metroid]]'': Samus is sometimes portrayed simply as a singularly hyper-competent one-woman space police force, but in the NTSC version of ''Metroid Prime'', the Chozo Lore entries imply that the Tallon IV Chozo prophesied and expected Samus to come save their dying planet after the Phazon meteorite strike.
* ''[[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
* ''[[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.
* ''[[Fallout]] 2'', wherein the player character is identified as the Chosen One at the very beginning. Apparently being descended from a local legend includes inheriting some pretty big expectations.
** The player can also declare himself to be the Chosen One to many characters throughout the game world. Most of them will then treat your character as delusional, insane, or just as a plain backwards tribal following the statement.
* Subverted in ''[[Arcanum: Of 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
* ''[[Divine Divinity]]'' has you being one of the chosen three, the Marked One, one will then be selected by the Council of Seven to serve as Divine One. {{spoiler|You become Divine One after the enemies kill other two Marked Ones}}.
* The ''[[Legacy of Kain]]'' series plays around with this, not getting around to deciding just who's
* ''[[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 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
* ''[[Infamous (video game series)|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 ''[[Baldur'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.
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** [[Word of God]] states that they made Desmond's ancestors Altair and Ezio come from separate bloodlines because they wanted Desmond to be the culmination of multiple Assassin bloodlines that carry Precursor genetic material. Desmond is ''the'' Chosen One because he carries such a high concentration of Precursor DNA.
* The Fateless One in ''[[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
* Played with in ''[[Guild Wars]]''. The White Mantle seeks out people who are deemed to be chosen ones by fate it seems. Given how many, it apparently doesn't take much to be one of the chosen ones it seems. {{spoiler|However, [[It Sucks To Be The The Chosen One]] as the White Mantle will try to sacrifice you on a bloodstone. This means that the prophecy can't be fulfilled to destroy the Mursaat.}} It's revealed over the course of "Prophecies" that {{spoiler|the player character(s) are Chosen too, but it's also implied that they aren't ''the'' chosen one, so much as the only ones ''of'' the Chosen who got there.}}
== [[Web Animation]] ==
* 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 ''
== Webcomics ==
* ''[[MAG-ISA]]''
* In ''[[The Wotch]]'', Xaos [[I Just Want to Be Special|believes himself]] to be the Chosen One...chosen to [[Omnicidal Maniac|destroy all worlds]].
* Spoofed in [http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0145.html this trope-heavy episode] of ''[[Darths and Droids]]''.
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:: Although, he was "chosen" for a rather specific reason: there was no one else for the Dark One to pick. He was the newest acolyte to the religious order, but also the only one to survive the Sapphire Guard's [[Doomed Hometown|massacre of his village]].
* All four of the protagonists in ''[[Homestuck]]'', with the titles "Heir of Breath", "Witch of Space", "Knight of Time", and "Seer of Light". {{spoiler|It's also been recently shown that the Sburb beta becomes [[Unwinnable]] if any of them dies. If they can't win the game, they can't reconstruct the world after it's been destroyed by the war between the Light and Dark kingdoms. Oh wait, [[Oh Crap|the seer is dead]].}}
** 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
* ''[[A Magical Roommate]]'': An oracle of Umbria made a prophecy, and everybody immediately assumed it was about [[Main Character|Aylia.]] {{spoiler|In a rare subversion, it was about her friend X, who nobody had ever heard about. Go figure!}}
* Subverted in ''[[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.
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