Worthless Treasure Twist: Difference between revisions

* The episode of ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'' with the Shield card explains that the spirit of said card has, appropriately, an instinct for guarding things and will, in the absence of proper guidance, find some treasure, latch onto it, and protect it from all comers (including, in this case, the very annoyed rightful owner). The treasure it selects is not revealed until Sakura breaks through the shield and captures the card, and turns out to be of purely sentimental value {{spoiler|a bouquet of flowers in memory of Sakura's late mother, treasured by her cousin aka Tomoyo's mom.}}.

** In this same episode is a similar example, revealing Tomoyo's most prized possession. Tomoyo is filthy rich, has her own bodyguards, cool high-tech toys, and a seemingly limitless budget to dress up Sakura in cute costumes and film her. Her most prized possession is {{spoiler|a child's eraser, in the shape of a bunny rabbit, worth maybe ten yen, given to her by her best friend Sakura on the day they met and lovingly cherished for years afterwards}}.

* ''[[The Law of Ueki]]'' has a [[Double Subversion]]: The team finds a treasure box as part of a competition, and [[The Power of Friendship|considering the theme of the show, its pretty clear what its going to be]]. But then they open it... {{spoiler|and its a series of rare trading cards with the Celestial King's face on them. Not for resale, either.}}

* A little short story in the ''[[Ouran High School Host Club]]'' manga dealt with the host club trying to find the perfect soup that their principal had sampled when he was younger. Turns out {{spoiler|it was a very common soup and that the one giving the soup to the principal would later [[Love At First Sight|be his wife]]}}.

* Subverted in [[Mahou Sensei Negima]], after the <s>Baka Rangers</s> low-ranking students in the class go on a quest for a magic book that will let you pass any test. The book exists, but a complicated series of events leads to a [["Friend or Idol?" Decision]], and they spend a few days studying the old fashioned way. They all pass, and learn a lesson about hard work or something.

* Pulled twice in an episode of [[Mahoraba]], when the residents of Narutakisou go on a treasure hunt. What they pulled out turns to be photos of the residents three generations before, along with a note saying that the earlier group went on the same hunt and found nothing but a note that said "Good Job".

* [[Double Subversion|Double Subverted]] in ''[[Dragon Ball]]'': the leader of the villainous Red Ribbon Army sends his [[Mooks]] after the title artifacts so that he can make a wish, something that could potentially grant the army vast powers and resources. His subordinates are not pleased to discover that his planned wish is {{spoiler|to be taller}}.

* In [[One Piece]], man-stuck-in-a-chest Gaimon has spent at least twenty years obsessing over a few treasure chests sitting on the top of a small peak he can't climb up. Luffy offers to go up and fetch them, but when he does refuses to give the chests to Gaimon. Gaimon realizes that the treasure he had been looking forward to is already gone, but soon decides that at least now he can get on with his life, and really enjoy the island he's been trapped on.

* ''[[Skies of Arcadia]]'' did this. Daccat sets up an entire dungeon filled with monsters, traps, twin fire-and-ice elemental spirits, and a complicated clockwork mechanism; Daccat's treasure is a single gold coin and a note that tells the heroes that they already have the greatest treasure, [[The Power of Friendship]] (the dungeon leading to the treasure chest depends on two teams working together and could not possibly be completed by a single hero). Then it's subverted when you find out that the coin's age and previous ownership makes it worth plenty of money.

* The plot of ''Sonic Riders'' ended in a variation on this when the treasure they raised a legendary city for and fought a nearly-all-powerful genie for turned out to be a single flying carpet. It's the one time Eggman technically wins: he wanted the legendary treasure, and he got it. Too bad it can't help him conquer the world...

* Early in ''[[Suikoden II]]'', the party is recruited to help a stuck-in-a-rut innkeeper explore some dangerous ruins for what he claims is "a valuable treasure". The treasure (unsurprisingly) turns out to be some herbs that the innkeeper angrily throws away in disgust. Upon returning to the inn, in another unsurprising twist, his wife is stricken with a malady, and the nearest doctor is much too far away. Cue the hero returning to the ruins and grabbing the herbs, which heal the woman. Everyone learns something valuable {{spoiler|except the soon-to-be primary antagonist.}}

* A family treasure variation is a side quest in ''Arcanum''.