The Unchosen One: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

Where [[The Chosen One]] is the ultimate victim of [[Because Destiny Says So]], the Unchosen One is the ultimate perpetrator of [[Screw Destiny]]. This is the hero or heroine who stands up, not because of a prophecy, but because they feel the need or desire to stop the [[Big Bad]] (sometimes doing so ''in spite'' of a prophecy). The Unchosen One is, in essence, a Chosen One who [[Jumped At the Call|Chooses themselves]].

Compare [[Anti-Anti-Christ]] where someone is the [[Dark Messiah]] for the ''bad guys'' and tells them to take a hike.

 

 

== Anime and Manga ==

** [[Subverted Trope|Subverted]] later on the 1st season's finale, she was, indeed, the chosen one. {{spoiler|By [[Mailer Daemon|Grosser]], that season's [[Big Bad]], because it wanted [[The Hero|her]] and not the [[Mr. Fixit|Inukai]]'s [[Yamato Nadeshiko|chosen one]] to be it's vessel and allow it to [[Pinocchio Syndrome|live on the real world]].}}

* ''[[Flame of Recca]]'' - {{spoiler|Recca}} is the cursed one destined to end the Hokage clan and {{spoiler|Kurei}} was meant to be the Hokage clan leader.

'''Ryuk:''' ''I didn't choose you. The notebook just happened to fall around here and you just happened to pick it up.'' }}

** It's worth noting, though, that Light ''never acknowledges'' that he wasn't chosen; all through the plot, events fall into place for him, and at the very end [[Motive Rant|he swears blind that he was chosen]]. ''Ryuk'' may not have chosen him, [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity|but that doesn't mean destiny didn't]].

* Ahiru of ''[[Princess Tutu]]'', oh so very much.

** Well, halfway. Drosselmeyer ''did'' personally select her for the part of Princess Tutu. She just decided what to do with it.

** Averted with his father, who thought he could pull this off after being able to see visions of the future, he failed.

** Same aversion goes for Vegeta, the prince of the Saiyans.

 

 

** The script/art book reveals that originally Neo is the ''sixth'' Chosen One by Morpheus, whose poor track record is part of the reason why {{spoiler|Cypher wants back into the Matrix.}}

** [http://www.wylfing.net/essays/index.html An alternate interpretation] suggests that ''The Matrix'' [[Subverted Trope|subverts]] this one, [[Zig-Zagging Trope|zig zagging]] the entire messianic concept: The prophecy was intended by the Architect to be a [[Xanatos Gambit]] aimed at a continued recycling of the Matrix as a means of keeping the system in place. He is [[Out-Gambitted]] by the Oracle, however, who actually [[Batman Gambit|intended for Neo to evolve slightly]] with each rebooting until he'd eventually {{spoiler|reject the Architect's offer to reboot the system and force the machines to reach a settlement with Zion}} that she believed was necessary for the Machines to evolve. This is possible because [[Only I Can Kill Him|Neo was the only one]] who could beat {{spoiler|Smith}}, who was otherwise poised to bring down the entire machine network (whew!). One hell of a [[Chessmaster]], that Oracle.

* In ''[[Willow]]'', the then-infant princess Elora Danan is prophesied to destroy the [[Evil Overlord|evil queen]] Bavmorda. However, it is Willow and others striving to protect the princess who stop her. On the other hand, novels that continue the story after the movie play [[The Chosen One]] straight, as Bavmorda returns and now-grown Elora Danan must fulfill her original destiny.

** Bavmorda isn't the [[Big Bad]] of the series, {{spoiler|time traveling alternate future Elora}} is.

* In ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (film)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze]]'' the Turtles are disappointed when Professor Perry reveals that the formation of the ooze that mutated them ''and'' the accident that led to the canister finding its way into the sewer was simply one large accident.

** No Turtle was more disappointed than Donatello. He believes there's got to be more to the accident.

** However, seeing Luke tortured led Vader to [[Heel Face Turn]] and kill the Emperor, helping bring peace to the galaxy. Thus, fulfilling the prophecy of the "one who will bring balance to the Force", all thanks to Luke.

 

** 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 ==

*** And it's revealed that there are ''three'' types of Keyblade: {{spoiler|The Keyblades of Light (Sora's and Riku's), the Keyblades of Dark (Mickey's) and the Keyblades of the Hearts of Worlds (who we haven't seen anyone wield yet...)}}

* Occurs frequently in the ''[[Tales (series)]]:''

** ''[[Tales of Legendia]]'' - The bad guys have a [[Dark Messiah]] who will annihilate all of humanity if Senel Coolidge and his allies don't stop her.

** ''[[Tales of the Abyss]]'' - {{spoiler|[[Cloning Blues]]}} make it hard to determine who is and who is not [[The Chosen One]]. The most simple answer (that no-one ever seems to come up with) is that {{spoiler|both Luke ''and'' Asch are [[The Chosen One]]}}.

* In ''[[City of Heroes]]'' the player can unlock the ability to play as one of the generic Arachnos mooks by getting a Supervillain character to the max level. The mook character follows a special storyline apart from the normal missions in which they repeatedly try to become a Destined supervillain, only to realize by the end that they had already done so the second they hit level 2.

* In ''[[Last Scenario]]'', Hilbert is initially portrayed as [[The Chosen One]] thanks to [[Heroic Lineage]]. However, {{spoiler|Zawu was lying, and he is in fact completely normal.}} This doesn't stop him from smashing the [[Big Bad]]'s schemes down ''hard'' and helping to end the infighting between the 3 or 4 countries that are the focus of the game. As Alexander put it, {{spoiler|his [[Heroic Lineage]] is real not because Hilbert is Alexander's descendant (which he isn't), but because he chose to follow Alexander's footsteps}}.

* Arguably, {{spoiler|the main character, Serdic's double}} from ''[[Rondo of Swords]]''. He's pretty much dragged in the whole mess by the destruction of Bretwalde in the beginning, which also results in the death of the real Chosen One, Prince Serdic, who's the only one who can properly wield the holy sword. Eventually he has to choose whether to fulfill Prince Serdic's final wish of restoring Bretwalde ({{spoiler|which requires him to ascend as Emperor wielding the holy sword... which results in him having to kill Princess Marie to purify the sword}}) or fulfill the Prince's request to protect his sister ({{spoiler|which forces Marie to become the Queen, and causes the double to gain the name 'Altrius' after a legendary hero and become her bodyguard}}). Either way, he's pretty much just at the right (or wrong) place at the right (or wrong) time.

* Though she's certainly [[The Chosen One]] for a lot of other legends in Arcadia, {{spoiler|April Ryan turns out to ''not'' be the next Guardian}} in ''[[The Longest Journey]]''. {{spoiler|Her job turns out to just be finding the old one}}, which is pretty damn important in itself.

* Shepard of ''[[Mass Effect]]'' was a completely ordinary (though [[Badass]] - any one of the [[Multiple Choice Past|possible pasts]] Shepard can have involves overcoming impossible odds through sheer willpower) soldier who basically tripped into knowledge of the oncoming danger to the galaxy, and chose to dedicate him/herself to preventing it. In the sequel, this leads into Shepard becoming an ''actual'' [[Chosen One]] for a vast conspiracy group (still heroic, but working for some decidedly [[Anti-Hero|AntiHeroic]] people) and into him/her becoming [[Memetic Badass|a galactic legend.]]

* Arguably [[Spyro the Dragon]] is this, in the reboot trilogy. [[Big Bad]] Malefor insists that it's their destiny as purple dragons to bring about the end of the world; Spyro disagrees and fights to save it even though he fears Malefor may be right.

* Adol Christin of ''[[Ys]]'' is an inversion: he became [[Badass]] not because he was [[The Chosen One]], he became (or repeatedly gets picked as) [[The Chosen One]] because he's [[Badass]]. Because if your land needs a savior, it's an excellent idea to pick [[Badass Normal|the guy]] who's already killed enough dark gods to fill a pantheon. In the sixth game's Trials of Alma sidequest, the daughter of the goddess running said trials isn't very impressed with this random guy who just showed up, but when Adol started passing the trials, apparently she went and asked around about you. She becomes ''much'' more impressed and respectful after that.

* [[Subverted]] in the ''[[Baldur's Gate]]'' series as a whole. It is implied in the first game that your character, good or bad, is just saying [[Screw Destiny]], and that's true enough in regards to {{spoiler|their divine parent's}} plans. But in the last installment, when it's time to finally put an end to the events foretold by the prophecy that's been haunting their lives, it's revealed that it {{spoiler|actually comes with a clause saying that the protagonist is [[The Chosen One|the one]] who can prevent it and save the world a lot of strife (again, even if they choose the evil option).}}

* A rather low-key example due to her [[Eleventh-Hour Ranger|late arrival]] and [[They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character|consequent lack of character development]], but Princess Himi of Yamatai in ''[[Golden Sun: Dark Dawn]]'' qualifies. Because of a prophecy, her adventurer brother Takeru is away from home {{spoiler|searching for the Warriors of Vale}} when the {{spoiler|Grave Eclipse happens}}, and Himi takes it upon herself to join our heroes and save the day, over her father's protests.

* 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.

* Roy Greenhilt from ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'' fits this pretty well. Originally he took on the quest to destroy [[Big Bad|Xykon]], his father's personal nemesis, out of a desire to [["Well Done, Son" Guy|prove himself]]. In the process, he discovered that Xykon represents a significant threat to the universe. After telling his father to shove it, Roy decides that he's going to take down Xykon regardless of his father's wishes, just because it needs to be done.

 

== Western Animation ==

* In ''[[Ben 10]]'', Ben is surprised, and deeply disappointed, to learn that the Omnitrix had actually been sent to Earth for his grandfather Max, and attached itself to him only by mistake. This is later weakened a little by its creator Azmuth talking about how [[Because Destiny Says So|destiny chose Ben]].

** Either way, a Tennyson was meant to have it.

** Also, the Darkness wasn't evil at all, the fairies just assumed that because it ''[[Dark Is Not Evil|looks]]'' [[Dark Is Not Evil|like an evil entity]].

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Fate and Prophecy Tropes]]