History Main / ClingyMacGuffin

* ''Literature/TheMisenchantedSword'' by Creator/LawrenceWattEvans is about a sword that is a flawed ClingyMacGuffin. It makes one almost invincible in single combat (against adult males) about 100 times -- then will pick a new owner and kill its old owner. And each owner will get betrayed faster. When sheathed the sword must stay within a certain distance from the wielder, but it becomes far more clingy once drawn and prior to killing; the blade must maintain contact with the wielder at all times. Trying to throw it away or hide it won't work, and is dangerous -- the spells used cause an earthquake to return it at one point. On the other hand, nothing ''except'' the sword can kill its owner. The way the owner deals with it is refreshingly different than you'd expect: he used it as a mantle piece. Someone tried to steal it, and the resulting chaos almost wrecked his bar. Finally he got tired of it and just kicked it under his bed.

* ''Series/{{Lost}}'''s mysterious numbers are an intangible but ClingyMacGuffin for Hurley. They keep turning up, though Hurley runs from them at every turn.

* In a {{Meta}} sense, plot-relevant items which cannot be removed from your inventory are this ''especially'' if item space is limited and '''infuriatingly''' if they are completely or nearly useless. For example, the Mars Star you drag around for the entirety of ''VideoGame/GoldenSun1'' and the ATM Card[[note]]While you can technically store it, you can't replenish your money without it[[/note]] from ''VideoGame/EarthBound''.

* Link and Zelda are stated to have had parts of the triforce [[ItWasWithYouAllAlong with them all along]]. In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', this forces Zelda to disguise herself as Sheik to stop the BigBad from getting it, implying that there's no way to just remove it and hide it somewhere. In Link's case, this is implied to be the reason he's the one who has to go on the quest to save the world.
** The Master Sword is this in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild''. Unlike all other weapons, it can't be dropped, thrown or broken, with it merely 'resting' until it recharges if it's used too much. It's also likely this in most other games in the series (since outside of the final battle in Ocarina of Time Link never drops it or has it taken away from him), though the fact ''every'' item he ever picks up is a ClingyMacGuffin with a few odd exceptions means it's hard to be sure.

* In one ''Creator/RoosterTeeth'' short, Geoff experiences this trope with a box he stole from the Devil in a dream -- it was on his chest when he awoke, throwing it into a dumpster only causes it to leap back out, and in spite of leaving it at home that morning, it was sitting on his desk when he got to work.

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* When Parson ends up in [[spoiler:Transylvito]] during a failed escape in ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'' he offers to buy back his prediction bracer as part of the [[spoiler:prisoner ransom]]. When [[spoiler:Benjamin]] says they might not want to return it ''at all'' Parson stops smiling and offers his unsure theory that this would be a very bad idea and that the bracer would just end up returning to him anyway, probably harming [[spoiler:Benjamin and Transylvito]] in the process. Though Parson wasn't entirely convinced that the bracer was a ClingyMacguffin, the bracer's own prediction confirmed it when asked.
* In ''WebComic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', Roy's sword, because of everything he has gone through with it, has become a Legacy Weapon, which counts among its abilities the capability to return to its owner's hand if it is thrown or lost, upon being called to come. This becomes useful when he loses it while in a fight on a zeppelin and they don't have the time to go back for it. [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1078.html See here]].

** Subverted in the immediate sequel, ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce''. The series finale reveals that Ben has learned how to remove the watch himself using a voice command and OverrideCommand, so it's not technically a ClingyMacGuffin anymore. [[spoiler:It gets destroyed before the episode ends and is replaced by a new device.]]

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* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'': The [[http://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/163 artifacts]] that give Sydney her powers. She can't get more than [[http://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/184 a few meters from them.]] The opposite is also true; Maxima assumes she can drag Sydney out from under an ambulance by pulling on the orbs, [[http://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/370 but instead they simply won't move past a certain point.]]
-->'''Maxima:''' That's impossible! Do you have any idea how strong I am!?

--> '''Alexsi:''' They're not on your ears Mab.
--> '''Mab:''' Very aggressive earrings with very bad aim!

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation''

* Bakura's Millennium Ring in ''Manga/YuGiOh'' UpToEleven in the Manga, where the ring [[spoiler: embedded itself into Bakura's chest.]]]] [[{{Bowdlerise}} This didn't make it into the Anime. It did however always manage to find its way back to Bakura, regardless of what anyone tried to get rid of it.

* Bakura's Millennium Ring in ''Manga/YuGiOh'' UpToEleven in the Manga, where the ring [[spoiler:[[http://www.mangareader.net/285-20525-12/yu-gi-oh/chapter-50.html embedded itself into Bakura's chest.]]]] [[{{Bowdlerise}} This didn't make it into the Anime.]] It did however always manage to find its way back to Bakura, regardless of what anyone tried to get rid of it.

* ''TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful:'' A Princess's [[TransformationTrinket Phylactery]] is the extra-convenient version of this trope. She ''can'' be separated from it, and could even leave it behind if for some peculiar reason having it on her person would be an issue, but if she ever wants it she can summon it by spending a [[{{Mana}} Wisp]] and concentrating for a few moments. The same methods can be used to recreate a Phylactery which has been destroyed, and the rulebook specifies that cutting the bond a Princess uses to summon her Phylactery will always destroy it.
* The Signature Gear advantage in ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' is the benign version. A character with Signature Gear ''cannot'' be permenantly seperated from it unless they voluntarily give it up (at which point they lose the advantage) or it's destroyed beyond repair. It's also very hard to destroy, and even then the character will find a replacement as soon as it's even slightly plausible for them to do so.

* In ''VideoGame/TheClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures'', Joni gets an ancient Egyptian ring stuck on her finger, which doesn't come off until [[spoiler:the bad guy's goons use a magic spell to attract it]]. Said ring turns out to be [[spoiler:the key to releasing Set]].

* Ichigo's Hollow mask in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. If removed from his person it will disintegrate into nothing, but it always reappears on him, appearing to block fatal blows early on. When his Hollow gains enough power to start interfering in Ichigo's fights, it becomes downright dangerous. The "Hollow" is revealed much later to be [[spoiler:his true [[EmpathicWeapon Zanpakutou spirit Zangetsu]]; the "Old Man" really being a manifestation of his Quincy heritage. Ichigo can't get rid of it because it's part of his own soul, and [[SplitPersonalityMerge accepting it as a part of himself]] is quite the part in his CharacterDevelopment.]]

* In a {{Meta}} sense, plot-relevant items which cannot be removed from your inventory are this ''especially'' if item space is limited and '''infuriatingly''' if they are completely or nearly useless. For example, the Mars Star you drag around for the entirety of ''VideoGame/GoldenSun2001'' and the ATM Card[[note]]While you can technically store it, you can't replenish your money without it[[/note]] from ''VideoGame/EarthBound''.

* Anything designated as a "plot item" in all of ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' is undroppable and unsellable and un-give-to-party-members-able. You are stuck with it. For example, you can't get rid of the Relic of the Reaper in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights: Hordes of the Underdark''. [[spoiler:At least, not until Mephistopheles, [[ChekhovsGun who turns out to be the one who bound it to you]], takes it from you in person, and in doing so traps you in the [[CirclesOfHell frozen hell of Cania]].]] The item description specifically mentions that when you tried to get rid of it in the past it somehow always turned up among your things again.

* Anything designated as a "plot item" in all of ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' is undroppable and unsellable and un-give-to-party-members-able. You are stuck with it. For example, you can't get rid of the Relic of the Reaper in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights: Hordes of the Underdark''. [[spoiler:At least, not until Mephistopheles, who bound it to you, takes it from you in person.]]

** This is made even worse because ''Number'' cards start blank (the only common point is they're XYZ monsters) and tailor themselves to the given duelist. And Utopia DOES possess someone who holds it without protection.

* The Blue Beetle Scarab is "permanently" infused on the back of {{adorkable}} Jaime Rayes that turns him into the 3rd (rightly named) ComicBook/BlueBeetle.

* ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryIV'' has the Dark One Sign. If you try to put it in your storage chest:

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheMummyTheAnimatedSeries https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clingymcguffin_3652.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Poor kid has to spend the rest of the series finding another MacGuffin just to get rid of this one!]]

** The series iconic Pipboy 3000 is also a canon form of this. This wrist mounted computer is nigh indestructible and can't be separated from its host (voluntarily or involuntarily in most cases). This is taken to ridiculous extremes at times: the Brotherhood outcast sawed a vault dweller's arm off to try to get his Pipboy, but the device wouldn't work afterwards. This is a little inconsistent, however--at least three games in the series (''VideoGame/Fallout2'', ''New Vegas'', and ''Fallout 4'') start with your character receiving a Pipboy which explicitly belonged to someone else. In ''Fallout 3'', it is inconsistent within the game itself as well. The very same Pipboy 3000 that your player character received at their 10-year birthday was refurbished from some undisclosed origin (either a previous owner or a cargo crate, hinted to be the former), which was [[MadeOfIndestructium bombed point blank!]] [[NotHyperbole And you thought the technician who gave you it was exaggerating...]]

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* Kazuki's kakugane in ''Manga/BusoRenkin'', which had been put in his heart's place by Tokiko so he could survive a mortal attack from a homunculus which she was trying to kill. From this, the whole story kicks off, and halfway into it [[spoiler:we find out that the kakugane is of the black variety, which tends to make the user absurdly powered, but he has to nourish on other people's energy to subsist.]]

* In ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' the Legendary Weapons must always be on the Hero's person. Luckily for them, the Weapon's size and location on their body can be adjusted, so it's possible to use both hands for bathing and eating. They are also clingy in another way, as they will punish Heroes for trying to use a Weapon that does not match their Weapon's nature.

* In ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' the Legendary Weapons must always be on the Hero's person. Luckily for them the Weapon's size and location on their body can be adjusted, so it's possible to use both hands for bathing and eating. They are also clingy in another way, as they will punish Heroes for trying to use a Weapon that does not match their Weapon's nature.

* The Omnitrix in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'' can't be removed without ''incredibly'' specialized equipment, skills, and technical knowledge -- and a whole lotta pain. You could also kill the person wearing it or cut off the limb that the Omnitrix is attached to. Naturally, the BigBad tries this but is thwarted by the good guys before he gets the chance to hack the boy's arm off. Oddly, in the WhatIf episode where Gwen gets the Omnitrix, the BigBad indicates that he ''could'' remove it a lot less painfully (though Gwen hadn't been wearing it nearly as long), but wants to hack it off anyway ForTheEvulz. And as a side note, the reason it clings to Ben in the first place is because it's keyed to his family's genetic signature; his ''grandfather'' was the intended recipient, [[TheUnchosenOne but he found it first]].
** Subverted in the immediate sequel, ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce''. The series finale reveals that Ben has learned how to remove the watch himself using a voice command and OverrideCommand, so it's not technically a ClingyMacGuffin anymore. [[spoiler: It gets destroyed before the episode ends and is replaced by a new device.]]

* The Amulet of Avalor from ''WesternAnimation/SophiaTheFirst'' is worn consistently by the titular character, and she must not take it off, ever. It is frequently perused by Cedric, and [[spoiler:eventually we learn a princess is trapped inside it.]]

* In a {{Meta}} sense, plot-relevant items which cannot be removed from your inventory are this ''especially'' if item space is limited and '''infuriatingly''' if they are completely or nearly useless. For example, the Mars Star you drag around for the entirety of ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheBrokenSeal'' and the ATM Card[[note]]While you can technically store it, you can't replenish your money without it[[/note]] from ''VideoGame/EarthBound''.