History Main / CiviliansAreIrrelevant

* ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'' plainly establishes that regular human beings are only "good" for the Cursed Energy they regularly emit just by being alive and having negative emotions. Otherwise, what happens to them barely affects Japan and the heroes. The Shibuya Incident and the following Culling Games arcs illustrate this perfectly; [[spoiler:a huge part pf Shibuya is obliterated by Sukuna, with plenty of the other antagonists wreaking havoc too, but the worst it does is make Yuji Itadori feel guilty and life seems to continue as normal for many.]] Add that to the fact that humanity as a whole is unaware of the sorcery world [[spoiler:until Kenjaku informs international governments about them, and even then, it's just for more warm bodies to fuel his ultimate plan]], and you have this trope.

* WhoWillBellTheCat: A group of people (typically civilians) will realize that someone brave will need to step up and stop whatever's wrong. The problem is, it's none of ''them''.

** The Authority likes to play world police and get rid of threats, and they give absolutely no shits about what the governments have to say (as the page image shows, one time some random passerby tries to ask Midnighter what is going on and the very next panel we see [[CurbStompBattle he's been knocked out and his arm broken]] because [[SociopathicHero Midnighter]] ''really'' HatesBeingTouched).

* StrawCivilian: Only those from the military are treated in a sympathetic light, anyone not them are apathetic at best, or ungrateful at worst.

[[quoteright:375:[[ComicBook/TheAuthority https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hero_abuse.JPG]]]]
[[caption-width-right:375:What happens when the "little guy" wants to have a say.]]

* WhatMeasureIsANonBadass: Characters who can't put up a fight, especially against the powerful cast, are pretty irrelevant, uninteresting, or downright annoying.

* ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'': Played straight as a razor both in this show [[Manga/{{Boruto}} and its continuation]]: it is established repeatedly that Konoha has both a civilian government and a separate Ninja government run by the Hokage, both of which work together to make the town function on a day-to-day basis (and it's also shown that other Villages are not nearly this much democratic ''and'' also mentioned that Ninja, as mercenaries, depend on looking good to potential customers, which is one of the big reasons the Chuunin Test is a TournamentArc), but in the end it just seems that if you are not a PersonOfMassDestruction you don't have any say whatsoever in how things are run. An egregious example of this involves Orochimaru, one of the BigBadEnsemble of the series, a man responsible for a hefty amount of atrocities incuding the personal assassination of two Kages (one of them being the Third Hokage, Naruto's father figure), causing wars, terrorism, MadScientist experiments on many people... and by the time ''Boruto'' happens he has earned a pardon from Naruto (now the Hokage) for his actions in the Fourth Ninja World War and afterwards and there is absolutely no mention of what the civilian government of the Hidden Leaf feels about having one of the world's greatest terrorists living among them.

This trope is a NecessaryWeasel and an UndeadHorseTrope. Since fiction tends to tell the story of a small cast of characters, all or most conflict revolves around those characters. This is especially true if there's a huge gap of power between ordinary people and the people who ''are'' relevant. This trope often overlaps with, but is not equivalent to, TheMainCharactersDoEverything (because the people doing everything here might not be the protagonists).

* [=WhatCulture=] did a video on horrifying implications in comic books, with the very first listed being the seemingly little concern that Gotham civilians (and comic book civilians in general) have with merchandising the likenesses of supervillains. The compare it to people in the real world gleefully consuming merchandise created from the likenesses of mass-murdering terrorists.

** ''ComicBook/JonathanHickmansAvengers'' {{deconstruct|ion}}s the idea of the "{{Superhero}} as World Police" trope. While the concept was arguably deconstructed first with the creation of ComicBook/TheIlluminati, this run on the title took the trope as far as it can go. In the wake of multiverse-destroying "incursions" that threaten their universe, the Illuminati decide to keep [[UnwittingPawn the public unaware of it]]. What makes this special is that the Franchise/MarvelUniverse isn't exactly unused to [[TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed an apocalypse every other week]], and this isn't the first time that the heroes have been so outclassed in power that they had no idea how to stop it. For this reason, members of The Illuminati get called out by ''everyone'' who finds out about it. [[ComicBook/AdamLegendOfTheBlueMarvel Blue Marvel]], in particular, tells Reed Richards and Black Panther that a plurality of voices and ideas from humanity would have been the right thing to do. Black Panther seems to have listened, as ''ComicBook/TheUltimates2015'' were formed specifically to deal with problems similar to what The Illuminati faced, but with input from civilian authorities.

** ''Comicbook/JonathanHickmansAvengers'' {{deconstruct|ion}}s the idea of the "{{Superhero}} as World Police" trope. While the concept was arguably deconstructed first with the creation of ComicBook/TheIlluminati, this run on the title took the trope as far as it can go. In the wake of multiverse-destroying "incursions" that threaten their universe, the Illuminati decide to keep [[UnwittingPawn the public unaware of it]]. What makes this special is that the Franchise/MarvelUniverse isn't exactly unused to [[TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed an apocalypse every other week]], and this isn't the first time that the heroes have been so outclassed in power that they had no idea how to stop it. For this reason, members of The Illuminati get called out by ''everyone'' who finds out about it. [[ComicBook/AdamLegendOfTheBlueMarvel Blue Marvel]], in particular, tells Reed Richards and Black Panther that a plurality of voices and ideas from humanity would have been the right thing to do. Black Panther seems to have listened, as ''ComicBook/TheUltimates2015'' were formed specifically to deal with problems similar to what The Illuminati faced, but with input from civilian authorities.
** The ''Comicbook/SecretWars2015'' series (which is the official ending to Jonathan Hickman's run), however, ends with this trope pretty much in full display. With the multiverse destroyed, Reed Richards and his family (wife Sue Storm, son Franklin and daughter Valeria) take it upon themselves to remake the multiverse, creating entire universes from scratch, completely alone. The story pretty much acknowledges this is playing God, but argues that Reed and his family are the best people for the job.
* ''ComicBook/RainbowRowellsRunaways'': In the "That Was Yesterday" arc, the team is given one week to prepare for a mass extinction event that will kill every other human on the planet. Not only do they refuse to warn any actual superheroes about the threat, they don't even bother to give a heads-up to their few civilian friends, instead choosing to spend their last week searching for a way to TakeAThirdOption.

* ''Videogame/FinalFantasyXIII'':

** Played straight in ''[[Videogame/FinalFantasyXIII2 XIII-2]]'', where it's learned that TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt happens roughly 400 years after the present day. This, too, is somewhat justified in that a divine entity chose two specific people to deal with the issue, but ven after the protagonists inform some influential people about this, the rest of humanity is never brought on board with the problem aside from one organization created by one of the main characters. In fact, said character and his assistant put themselves in stasis (twice) so that they can make sure the project is still going smoothly centuries later and then lead everyone to the fulfillment of the plan on the day of reckoning.

** ''Videogame/LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII'' further zig-zags the trope. By the time our heroine appears as their savior, the people of the world [[{{Immortality}} have been alive for 500 years]], and since no children can be born, the world has stagnated and been in decline for a long time. While guaranteed immortality ''sounds'' like a good gig, it means that some peoples' misery (such as the sick or [[CantGrowUp ones stuck in the body of a child]]) are tired of living like this, and are actually looking ''forward'' to the fact that TheEndIsNigh. Thus, they put their trust completely in the hands of the Savior. [[spoiler:The ending implies that the new world the Savior helps create is the "real" world, but we never get any real information of what this means for the souls she saved.]]
* ''Videogame/MegaManX'': Despite our robotic heroes trying to quell the robot rebellion known as "Mavericks" to protect humanity at large, the only human we see is Dr. Cain -- and even he disappears in the fourth game onward. The game also never explores about the human perspective of the war, especially considering one of the themes involved (and carried to ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'') is how humanity respects reploids (the robots) less and less. This persists until ''Zero 4'' where we finally see a group of humans who have vocal opinions about reploids and their "petty wars".
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'': ZigZaggedTrope. In ''Videogame/ResidentEvil4'', we learn that when word got out about what the Umbrella Corporation were doing, their stocks plummeted and the public basically picked them apart at the seams. Further, new government divisions were created to specifically handle new threats in "bio-terrorism". However, by the time of ''Videogame/ResidentEvil5'' and ''Videogame/ResidentEvil6'', we see that this at best only delayed most of the problems at hand. In fact, now cities (or massive parts of them) get destroyed regularly with new outbreaks.

** Planetary defense forces are commonly seen as (and quite often are) inept and barely able to serve as a speedbump against whatever's invading them while the Imperial Guard does the work. Especially if they're the kind of backwater who haven't seen any real threat except the occasional rebellion or coup for millenia. Other worlds get their soldiers tithed by the Guard but still get little respect since their PDF consists of what even the Imperial Guard (whose take on the CannonFodder approach to warfare involves literal trillions of soldiers) didn't want.

** ''Comicbook/JonathanHickmansAvengers'' {{deconstruct|ion}}s the idea of the "{{Superhero}} as World Police" trope. While the concept was arguably deconstructed first with the creation of ComicBook/TheIlluminati, this run on the title took the trope as far as it can go. In the wake of multiverse-destroying "incursions" that threaten their universe, the Illuminati decide to keep [[UnwittingPawn the public unaware of it]]. What makes this special is that the Franchise/MarvelUniverse isn't exactly unused to [[TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed an apocalypse every other week]], and this isn't the first time that the heroes have been so outclassed in power that they had no idea how to stop it. For this reason, members of The Illuminati get called out by ''everyone'' who finds out about it. ComicBook/BlueMarvel, in particular, tells Reed Richards and Black Panther that a plurality of voices and ideas from humanity would have been the right thing to do. Black Panther seems to have listened, as ''ComicBook/TheUltimates2015'' were formed specifically to deal with problems similar to what The Illuminati faced, but with input from civilian authorities.

Stories that revolve around HumanityOnTrial tend to be ''especially'' guilty of this. Whatever verdict some deity or race of SufficientlyAdvancedAliens decides upon for our race -- all from a single trial and never more -- almost always depends on the ''specific'' individual or group of people they just so happen to judge on behalf of humanity, and that individual or group is always taken as absolute proof that the rest are either [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters the worst race in the universe]] or [[HumansAreSpecial the noblest]], never in-between. Every other human being, whether good or bad, has no say in the trial whatsoever.

** ''Comicbook/JonathanHickmansAvengers'' {{deconstruct|ion}}s the idea of the "{{Superhero}} as World Police" trope. While the concept was arguably deconstructed first with the creation of ComicBook/TheIlluminati, this run on the title took the trope as far as it can go. In the wake of multiverse-destroying "incursions" that threaten their universe, the Illuminati decide to keep [[IgnoranceIsBliss the public unaware of it]]. What makes this special is that the Franchise/MarvelUniverse isn't exactly unused to [[TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed an apocalypse every other week]], and this isn't the first time that the heroes have been so outclassed in power that they had no idea how to stop it. For this reason, members of The Illuminati get called out by ''everyone'' who finds out about it. ComicBook/BlueMarvel, in particular, tells Reed Richards and Black Panther that a plurality of voices and ideas from humanity would have been the right thing to do. Black Panther seems to have listened, as ''ComicBook/TheUltimates2015'' were formed specifically to deal with problems similar to what The Illuminati faced, but with input from civilian authorities.

[[caption-width-right:375:What happens when the "little guy" wants to have a say]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]

** Also played straight regarding Faunus civil rights efforts. Onscreen, there are very few examples of any organized efforts to fight for the rights of the Faunus aside from the White Fang and the Belladonnas. The White Fang support violent resistance, while the Belladonnas support peaceful protests and marches. However, after the [[spoiler: leaders of the White Fang (Sienna and Adam) are killed, we never see any more large-scale, organized efforts again -- not even in Atlas/Mantle, where Faunus discrimination is at its peak. We're told that the Belladonnas have absorbed many remnants of the White Fang and are presumably taking action elsewhere, but we're not shown it.

** Also played straight regarding Faunus civil rights efforts. Onscreen, there are very few examples of any organized efforts to fight for the rights of the Faunus aside from the White Fang and the Belladonnas. The White Fang support violent resistance, while the Belladonnas support peaceful protests and marches. However, after the [[spoiler;leaders of the White Fang (Sienna and Adam) are killed, we never see any more large-scale, organized efforts again -- not even in Atlas/Mantle, where Faunus discrimination is at its peak. We're told that the Belladonnas have absorbed many remnants of the White Fang and are presumably taking action elsewhere, but we're not shown it.

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
** Invoked and justified regarding the details and circumstances regarding the Grimm. The truth about the Grimm and the origins of the Huntsmen Academies is part of an AwfulTruth that is kept secret by Ozpin and the other headmasters, along with others who are part of a BenevolentConspiracy. The Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, so their reasons for keeping it secret is that the existential dread and panic that would come from knowing the truth would doom major cities to forever be magnets for Grimm. Thus, the civilian populace remains completely ignorant of the truth, relying on the Huntsmen to defend them from Grimm while a few people fight the real threat, [[spoiler:Salem and her faction]], from the shadows.
** Also played straight regarding Faunus civil rights efforts. Onscreen, there are very few examples of any organized efforts to fight for the rights of the Faunus aside from the White Fang and the Belladonnas. The White Fang support violent resistance, while the Belladonnas support peaceful protests and marches. However, after the [[spoiler: leaders of the White Fang (Sienna and Adam) are killed, we never see any more large-scale, organized efforts again -- not even in Atlas/Mantle, where Faunus discrimination is at its peak. We're told that the Belladonnas have absorbed many remnants of the White Fang and are presumably taking action elsewhere, but we're not shown it.]]
[[/folder]]