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16th Apr '13 4:46:38 PM MarkLungo

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->''"Because it is always plagiarism, especially when it isn't."''

Sometimes, two works are obviously [[WholePlotReference inspired by each other]], or the younger one contains minor {{Shout Out}}s to the older one, or they are coincidentally considered DuelingMovies.

This page is '''not''' a collection for them. Here, we should experiment with finding some less obvious, and probably ''nonexistent'' connections, through wordplay, and selective examples of plot points.
----
!!Examples:
* A corporation is secretly engaging in shady science experiments in a remote and hostile location and through a catastrophic accident opens a portal to a harsh alien realm, unleashing its horrific denizens into our world, who then go on a killing spree and wipe out most of the inhabitants in the laboratory and its surrounding buildings. The hero has to go up against them with little to no aid in an attempt to close the portal that is allowing them in. When he reaches the portal, he discovers the only way to close it is to travel through it into their dimension and destroy some monstrous creature on the other side.
** ''{{Half-Life}}'' or ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}''?
* Our story centres around a forbidden romance, the likes of which are so iconic that the character's names have entered pop culture and are recognizable amongst people who don't know the story. Our heroine is a teenage girl who while heartbreakingly passive throughout most of the story makes a startling act of defiance towards the end. Our hero is well-known for his [[PurpleProse wordyness]] and childlike attitude that may make him unsympathetic. The lovers are forbidden from contact by society, most vehemently her parents, but eventually they come together under hard-to-keep secrecy. The story ends in tragedy when they are separated and both of them die
** ''{{Lolita}}''? Or ''RomeoAndJuliet''?
* An impulsive young protagonist travels to a thick forest full of SceneryPorn as part of an evil corporation bent on exploiting its natural resources for personal gain. He was not chosen for the job for his intelligence. Through poorly-explained means, he becomes one of the forest's differently-sized and mystical natives. He learns to interact with the environment, falls in love with the first [[FanService fanservicey]] native girl he meets, rides their flying mounts, and finally decides to stop the exploitation of his newfound people. After single-handedly destroying one of the corporation's terrible machines (which is much, much larger than himself), he rallies the natives, drives off the humans trying to exploit the natural resources, and uses the power of the forest itself (channeled by the natives) to [[EarnYourHappyEnding secure his victory.]] The audience learns an [[{{Anvilicious}} anviliciously]] GreenAesop.
** ''Film/{{Avatar}}'', or ''[[FernGully Ferngully: The Last Rainforest]]''?
* A young man goes into hibernation, and when he wakes up, he is in the distant future. This young man is a bit of a slob who likes to drink beer and is usually referred to by his last name. He becomes friends with a robot who likes to watch a robot-themed soap opera. He is in love with a woman who is smarter than he is. He has lots of adventures travelling through space, and he is somehow his own ancestor.
** ''Series/RedDwarf'' or ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''?
* Man comes from another world to harvest a highly valued resource unique to only this strange world whose natives resent outsiders. Ends up being forced to live among the natives and learn their ways from a local girl who he ends up falling in love with. Has to ride a fearsome creature as a rite of passage into manhood, and then becomes the leader of the local clans and leads them to battle against culture from which he originally came.
** Is it ''{{Dune}}''? Or ''Film/{{Avatar}}''?
* Our heroes obtain an ancient magical artifact from a small, old creature who talks to himself in third person. Said artifact must be destroyed to kill the EvilOverlord, but it ''can't'' be destroyed through normal physical or magical powers. Eventually, the artifact that the heroes wear around their neck feels unusually heavy, tries to possess them, and influences the team to split up permanently.
** ''LordOfTheRings'', ''[[HarryPotter The Deathly Hallows]]'', or ''MemorySorrowAndThorn''?
* Neurotic and emotionally unstable teenage girl falls in love with a FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire who attends her high school. There is lots of talking. Eventually, the two get caught up in love triangle with a werecreature that ends with the girl and the werecreature deciding to be JustFriends.
** ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' or ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}''?
* Neurotic and emotionally unstable teenage girl, living in a small town in Washington state, learns that an ancient supernatural being is sexually interested in her, and often climbs through her window into her room while she is sleeping.
** ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' or ''TwinPeaks: Fire Walk With Me''?
* These two works feature the tale of a FarmBoy who discovers a PlotCoupon sent to a [[TheObiWan wise old mentor]] by a [[DistressedDamsel captured princess]], and has his uncle who raised him killed by the impenetrably hooded servants of the EvilEmpire. The two set off for justice. The mentor is a former knight who teaches the farmboy how to use his mystical powers in about five days (not that his magic is much use until he becomes stronger) and gives him a sword that belonged to his father before he "bought the farm". Luckily, the farmboy meets up with a {{Badass}} AntiHero, rescues the princess, who is also a major player in the Rebel army, and joins [[LaResistance the rebellion]], becoming a key member before going to train with a half-mad old hermit in the forest. After this, he discovers that his father was TheEmpire's [[TheDragon right-hand man]] and he's been betrayed by his own family...
** Now, are we in fact talking about ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' or ''Franchise/StarWars''?
** Alternatively, an angsty orphan discovers he has rare mystical powers. He leaves home at the behest of a stranger to study them, gaining a new weapon along the way. He later discovers it is his destiny to confront the evil DarkLord, [[MentorOccupationalHazard his mentor dies]] (twice!) and the villain's [[TheDragon right-hand man]] was [[TheAtoner not such an awful person]] after all.
*** [[HarryPotter The boy who lived]] or [[StarWars the last of the Jedi]]?
** And yet another: A blond, tunic-wearing boy (again, an orphan) leaves his home and gains a shiny new sword. He is given advice by a wise old mentor (who eventually leaves him), escapes several fantastic creatures and finds out the true identity of someone close to him. The final duel between him and the villain takes place in their stronghold over a huge pit.
*** StarWars or ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]''?
** A man's plans [[GoneHorriblyWrong go horribly wrong]] and he wakes up after surgery to a robotically altered body and a dead wife. After [[BigNo screaming]] and [[TrashTheSet smashing up the surgery room]], he sinks into despair and becomes the slave of an evil power. Eventually he is redeemed by a good-hearted young hero and dies saving the boy's life.
*** [[StarWars Darth Vader]] or [[Film/SpiderMan Doctor Octopus]]?
* A military man, sent to remote outpost, befriends the indigenous population and comes to sympathise with their cause, making him an intolerable aberration in the military.
** ''DancesWithWolves'', ''TheLastSamurai'', or ''Film/{{Avatar}}''?
* Common spaceman turns out to have amazing teleportation powers and can teleport through time.
** ''Literature/TheStarsMyDestination'' or ''MartianSuccessorNadesico''?
* A young girl who thinks her life is too ordinary has her family kidnapped by a predatory fairy being who can give you every little thing you want, but at a terrible price. With some help from those who are familiar with the fairy's ways, the girl enters the fairy's unreal, cobbled-together world, does battle with her, and through pluck and brains manages to defeat her and rescue her family.
** ''Discworld/TheWeeFreeMen'', ''Literature/{{Coraline}}'' or ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}''?
* Clumsy but endearing Japanese school girl meets a mysterious stranger (a JerkWithAHeartOfGold) and before she knows it, she's pulled into supernatural adventures with him and his FiveManBand. They discover that she has a unique power that they desperately need. Over time The Crew grows close until they are [[TrueCompanions almost like family]]. Though they try to deny it, eventually the girl and no-longer mysterious stranger admit that they care for each other.
** Is it ''Manga/InuYasha'', ''Manga/CrescentMoon'', ''FruitsBasket'', or ''{{Blackbird}}'' ?
* The story is a musical starring an ambitious young woman who faces prejudice because of the color of her skin. Her best friend is a perky, spoiled, blonde who loves pink and has her eye on a happy-go-lucky prince. Said prince ends up falling in love with the heroine instead, despite the fact that she is green.
** ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' or ''ThePrincessAndTheFrog''?
* A blue hero regularly defeats an evil robot-building scientist, picking up lots of new friends over the course of many games, including a red FriendlyRival. Later in the series, they meet an amnesiac character who turns out to have been created for evil purposes but who ends up catching morals and performing a HeroicSacrifice. However, they prove popular enough to appear in the next game anyway with little explanation.
** ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' or ''SonicTheHedgehog?''
* [[http://xkcd.com/370/ This]] Webcomic/{{xkcd}} strip. (Redwall, Lord of the Rings)
* A handsome man travels everywhere in his [[CoolCar vehi]][[CoolShip cle]], which he [[CompanionCube loves like a person]], and he fights monsters/evil beings. He's incredibly lonely, but there's a second man that he's incredibly close to, though that man may or may not be evil. Lately, a lot of battles have put these two on opposing sides. He meets lots and lots of girls along the way. He's also developed a friendship with an [[CoolOldGuy old]] [[BadassGrandpa man]], who makes a great and very loyal companion. Along his journey he starts out all adorable, but [[BreakTheCutie gradually grows more and more depressed and screwed up]].
** ''Series/DoctorWho'' or ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''?
* A powerful man who once was a morally superior good guy gets seduced by a greater evil power. He becomes very evil himself, even though some doubt it has happened. He leads part of a huge army and is the public face for the larger evil that is widely feared but stays hidden for most of the time. In the end he inevitably meets his downfall by betrayal. Also, the man is played by ChristopherLee.
** Is this man [[StarWars Count Dooku]] or [[LordOfTheRings Saruman the White]]?
*** Or is he one Lee away from [[GreenLantern Sinestro?]]
* A classic {{Disney}} musical about British children starved of parental attention who come under the care of a woman with magical powers, including the ability to fly and to make inanimate objects come to life. Mostly live-action, but includes a memorable sequence in which the protagonists visit a fantasy world rendered in animation, with talking animals and a sporting event with an unlikely outcome. Features David Tomlinson in a major role and numerous songs written by TheShermanBrothers.
** ''Film/MaryPoppins'' or ''BedknobsAndBroomsticks''?
* Let's see...the human race discovers ancient alien technology on Mars, gets into a first contact war with another alien race, eventually joins a UN styled space station run by representatives from three major alien races and several minor representatives from others, eventually the main character steals a massive prototype space ship and breaks away from the government to fight an ancient alien race that resembles a large organic spaceship.
** ''MassEffect'', or ''Series/BabylonFive''?
** Also, both sets of representatives eventually employ an elite security organization that's above the law, and only accountable to the person/persons at the very top of said station's TheFederation (SPECTRE's and Rangers).
* A black-haired, green-eyed boy with a miserable home life is approached by a mythological being and informed that he himself is no mere human, which explains the strange things that have happened to him up until that point. He is sent to an institution created especially for the purpose of teaching children like him how to use their supernatural powers. Features of the institution include magical beings as servants and competition between different factions among the students. In time the protagonist learns that even among his peers, he is special--he is the subject of a prophecy concerning a DarkLord who is gradually regaining strength and followers after a crippling defeat some time ago. Our hero and his two best friends--a wisecracking BigEater and a brainy girl with whom the protagonist shares {{UST}}--have several encounters with said DarkLord and/or his minions over the course of the series, culminating in an all-out war between the forces of supernatural good and supernatural evil.
** ''Literature/HarryPotter'', right? Are you sure it's not ''PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians''?
* This DarkerAndEdgier installment begins with the main hero of the story in heaven after having fallen to his/her death near the end of the previous arc. He/She comes back wrong before getting better. Meanwhile, his/her powerful wizard ally becomes obsessed with increasing hir magical power, and, in a KickTheDog moment, callously disintegrates a SmugSnake villain who had themselves just crossed the MoralEventHorizon by murdering a likeable supporting character. Said wizard also undergoes a power upgrade combined with a darker, evil new look after hir loved ones are threatened and begins the next arc back to normal but still trying to atone for and deal with what (s)he did during hir flirtation with evil.
** ''[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick Order of the Stick: Don't Split The Party]]'' or Season 6 of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''?
* A God-girl creates an [[GroundhogDayLoop endlessly repeating summer month]], because she has unfinished business. Only the resident StrangeGirl remembers the past events, and she decides to do absolutely nothing for thousands of loops, getting quite depressed in the process. At the end, the protagonists' companions (that is "officially" organized as a school club that spends most of its time with board games in a classroom), figures out that teamwork is the solution for breaking the loop. The story also frequently references the sound that cicadas make as the symbol of these summer evenings.
** ''Endless Eight'' from Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya, or ''VisualNovel/HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi''?
* This {{Pixar}} feature concerns an isolated widower who sets out on an adventure, picking up a flighty traveling companion not long into the trip. The two travel to a region all but unknown by their community, encountering strange creatures and facing terrible dangers along the way. Ultimately, the widower learns that he can't let his lingering grief prevent him from experiencing the joys that yet remain in life, and he and his companion become fast friends.
** ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'', or ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}''?
* In a society dominated by class prejudice, a young man with incredible strength and ingenuity, who grew up in poverty and had to steal and salvage for survival, is arrested and tattooed so that he can be easily spotted after his release. An incredibly zealous cop makes it a personal campaign to put him back behind bars, complicating TheHero's genuine efforts to help people, such as a friendless, abused woman. Meanwhile, a LoveTriangle starts between a young woman, a young man she's known for awhile, and a woman he just met. Although someone initially plans for the guy and girl to die together, she manages to save him at the last minute and wrenches many tears out of the audience when she dies in his arms right before the finale's battle.
** ''Literature/LesMiserables'' or ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds}}''?
* A painfully average young man meets an eccentric, [[BlitheSpirit blithe, spirited]], unrestrainable StrangeGirl who violates all rules of common etiquette, propriety, and modesty...and he's inexplicably attracted to her in some bizarre, frightened way. Despite the danger/folly of associating with her, he can't stay away, no matter how uncomfortable her strange habits, such as her history of serial dating, make him.
** ''Literature/DaisyMiller'' or ''[[Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya Suzumiya Haruhi No Yuutsu]]''?
* A group of rebels fighting against the oppressive regime of an immortal godlike being, is led by a {{Badass}} who mentors a younger, less confident character for the first third of the story, only to have a DyingMomentOfAwesome leading to the rebellion's first victory. The real hero of the story steps forward, and inspired by their LoveInterest and their friends, defeats the BigBad. The heroes establish a democratic state and live in peace briefly, only for it all to collapse into anarchy when it's revealed that the previous villain was only protecting them from the embodiment of entropy and despair. Following numerous reveals, epic cosmic battles, and [[HeroicSacrifice Heroic Sacrifices]], the heroes defeat the great evil and return to live in peace, except for TheHero and their love interest, who do not get such happy endings.
** ''{{Mistborn}}'' or ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''?
* [[http://www.cracked.com/funny-4445-home-alone/ This]] Website/{{Cracked}} article proves that ''HomeAlone'' and ''Film/DieHard'' are the same movie.
* Due to circumstances beyond her control, a down-to-earth working-class girl is forced to hang out with a flighty UpperClassTwit and other eccentric characters, including a big guy who's friends with a much smaller guy and a hopelessly romantic blonde who starts out with a crush on one of the major characters, despite having never met them. Despite driving each other up the wall (and the occasional intervention of a creepy black magic practitioner with a shadow motif), the guy and girl grow to love one another.
** ''ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' or ''OuranHighSchoolHostClub''?
* We open with our antihero, a man with a Scottish name and a nickname that means something significant in Latin. He's a war veteran who now finds himself in a less noble line of work. In the pilot, after a meeting with a potential client goes south, the client explains that it's offensively obvious that our antihero thinks he's better than all this. But does he really? While he doesn't like to talk about his origins, we eventually learn that he grew up as a poor, adopted farmhand before a traumatic event in the war prompted him to transform himself. Now, he struggles to be honorable even as he must constantly deceive. Women in his life: well, there's the one who's been devoted to him for years, but he just takes her for granted. The woman he wants is fiercely independent, and it drives him crazy to have to stand by as she sleeps with an endless succession of other men. Then there's the much younger woman who works for him, but there's no tension there. She's just interested in the new guy, who drives our antihero crazy with his arrogant ambition and elitist style. Witty, feminist, and original, the show enjoys a cult following and critical acclaim. It's never quite made it to the mainstream. Special mention has to go to Christina Hendricks's character, a talented redhead who tries to use a marriage as a means to an end, only to have it backfire horribly.
** ''{{Firefly}}'' or ''MadMen''?
* In the future, two guys head to the past. Now in that past, there are two other guys just having fun when the two guys from the future appear. Now in the past, one of them is planning to cause trouble, while the other one is trying to save the world. This heroic act of theirs leads to a misunderstanding with the two guys from this time period the two from the future are in. The misunderstanding then leads to a fight between them. Some time after that fight, the guys that live in this time period find out that the guy they just fought against is trying to save the world and that the other guy is trying to destroy their time period. Then they team up to defeat the guy who wants to destroy the world. After this fight the guy who came from the future to save the world, and the guy who came from the future to destroy the world head back to their own time period. Of course the guy from the future, who came back to save the world gives the two from the time period that he visited a gift for helping him, before heading back to his time.
** Now am I talking about ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers Of Time/Darkness/Sky'' or ''[[MegaManBattleNetwork Rockman.EXE: Operate Shooting Star]]''?
* In a world long in decline, there are holy rituals to reverse said decline for a period of time, creating a new Golden Age that leads to much rejoicing amongst the populace. The game's heroine is an anointed holy woman with the power to steer the world towards said Golden Age, but she is far from alone: by the game's second town, she has four companions, one of whom is the hero and viewpoint character. Said hero and heroine become entwined romantically as the game goes on, visiting a handful of shrines full of puzzles that increase her powers until one of her magical attacks is a force to be reckoned with in any battle. However, as the story progresses, the heroine falls out of favor with several groups of powerful people, a member of one of those groups will join up and NOT be a spy, and the heroine must be saved from various situations - though she does rescue herself at least once from a particularly threatening one. There are two major catches, though - her Golden Age is far from permanent due to the sadistically-designed nature of the rituals, and if she succeeds in saving the world and creating her Golden Age, she will perish in the process...and the hero is completely unaware of that fact because those who were in the know couldn't bring themselves to tell him that his plans for a HappilyEverAfter with the girl were futile. As it is, though, TakeAThirdOption is exercised at the last second and the world is truly saved after several more hours of gameplay.
** Now, though, is this ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' or ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia''?
* You wake up one day in a mysterious house. You're the only normal person in town. The others seem to come and go at random. The whole place is shut off from the outside world except for a well-guarded exit controlled by the town and a shoreline that has, at most, one active boat, and is the site of odd things, or half-dead people, constantly washing up onto the beach. Both of these routes only take you to another near-identical village, and even then you inevitably return to your home town anyway. The nominal leader is rarely if ever seen and does nothing at all, but the "second" most powerful figure controls absolutely everything, and yet only ever seems to do any business with you, nobody else. The only buildings are oddly decorated houses, a single clothing store, a single other store that sells everything else, a town hall, which does everything, and a museum, which also revolves entirely around you for no apparent reason. There is only one source of news for the town, and it only ever covers local things. Very local things. And personal ads. Violations of the rules are enforced by an unstoppable entity who will attack you at the drop of a hat when summoned. Incredibly often, the whole town breaks out into a random bizarre celebration. And the most popular fashion accessory? Bizarre parasols.
** ''[[spoiler: AnimalCrossing]]'' or ''[[spoiler: Series/ThePrisoner?]]'' [[BrownNote Now you can't un-think it.]]
* An indie AdventureGame in which the protagonist arrives to an abandoned Victorian mansion on England, events happen that prevent him from leaving the house, there's a terrible sordid history about the mansion's previous owners, strange hair-raising noises plague the house, a sinister presence that appears to be supernatural looms in the mansion and its focus is an [[spoiler: African artifact]], and the inclusion of the [[spoiler: MadWomanInTheAttic]] trope.
** ''[[ChzoMythos 5 Days a Stranger]]'' or ''{{Scratches}}''?
* A [[AWorldHalfFull dark, but ultimately idealistic]] {{seinen}} anime series starring an ''extremely'' morally dubious TallDarkAndHandsome AntiHero with a DarkAndTroubledPast, [[BigBrotherInstinct sister issues]], and the apparently unwitting ability to [[ChickMagnet cause anything with two X chromosomes to melt into a puddle of]] {{squee}}, both in [[MrFanservice and out]] of the story. Thanks to his behavior in his SecretIdentity, the fandom [[TheCowl often compares]] him to {{Batman}}. The plot is a GrayAndGreyMorality-filled MeleeATrois involving a corrupt government, LaResistance, and psychics with one very specific power apiece, of which the protagonist is one. There's a HeroAntagonist with whom there's a certain amount of ShipTease and {{UST}} going on (complicated by the fact that they don't know their friend is the criminal they're trying to stop) and a MysteriousWaif with green hair who knows more than she lets on, is a good bit [[OlderThanTheyLook older than she looks]], and has a complicated emotional relationship with the protagonist that may be at least partially romantic. Said green-haired character is obessively loved by a murderous WhiteHairedPrettyBoy. The anti-hero also has a PhenotypeStereotype rival who is more personally pleasant but also more ruthless. He is dubbed by TroyBaker. The second season is considered hit-or-miss in part due to a difficult-to-follow plot and the fact that the hero is much less likable for part of it, and features a younger character who shows up near the beginning and joins the protagonist ([[ReplacementScrappy earning the wrath of part of the fandom]] for [[SpotlightStealingSquad "stealing the real main character's spotlight"]]). There's a good bit of Pizza Hut ProductPlacement (to the point that [[MemeticMutation it's become an internet joke]]), and the soundtrack is ''[[CrowningMusicOfAwesome amazing]]''.
** Am I talking about ''Anime/CodeGeass'' or ''DarkerThanBlack''?
* A rather posh, blonde girl meets a white rabbit, who leads her to fall into a strange, unfamiliar world, full of talking animals and unusual characters. These include a grumpy bug, a sleepy creature who tells stories that go nowhere, a pair of twins who do battle and a malevolent monarch who wants the protagonist dead.
** ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'' or ''BrandyAndMrWhiskers''?
* Our hero is a sensitive, if rather passive, young man, living in a dystopic society. One of his parents has been notably absent from his life, while the other one is manipulative and controlling. Due to the influence of said parent, he is forced into an uncaring social system that devastates his sense of self-worth and leads him to commit soul-destroying actions. A potential love interest offers temporary relief, but communication problems surface, and the characters drift apart, unable to overcome external pressures and their own insecurities. Under great stress, the protagonist withdraws to the safety of his own mind, walling himself off totally from the world. A MindScrew sequence drenched in NightmareFuel (and loads of SoundtrackDissonance) results. In the end, however, there is the briefest suggestion that things may be better in the future. [[GainaxEnding Or not]].
** Now tell me -- is this ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''? ''[[Music/TheWall Pink Floyd's The Wall]]''? Or ''Film/{{Brazil}}''?
* (Admittedly, part of this is probably a ShoutOut). A man with prodigious powers of illusion and trickery is prohibited from entering the United States, though he dearly wishes to, referring to it as "going home." Meanwhile, a younger man's father has just died in Australia, leaving behind unresolved issues in their relationship, though they were close enough that the son has taken up his father's profession. The son takes his father's body on a flight from Sydney to LAX for the funeral. Once over the ocean, though, the son becomes ensnared in the illusionist's scheme. He's subjected to a series of surreal experiences, culminating in a final reconciliation with his father. Along the way, he's followed by a mysterious series of six numbers, and ends up having to enter them into a device, without ever really understanding what's going on. On the other side of the fourth wall, the audience is [[TheUntwist surprised]] by the final revelation that, though parts of the story were illusions, the whole thing did not turn out to be a dream (that we know of, anyway). On the other hand, since the father and son's last name refers to an ancient profession associated with Jesus's apostles, maybe EverybodyIsJesusInPurgatory.
** Wait, whose subconscious are we going through exactly? [[{{Inception}} Robert Fischer's]] or [[Series/{{Lost}} Jack Shephard's]]?
* A man is inspired by an encounter with a supernatural entity to attempt to assassinate a king. Meanwhile, his wife/girlfriend goes insane and ultimately dies off stage, possibly by suicide. The man also contemplates suicide, but is instead slain in combat. Written by William Shakespeare.
** ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' or ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}''?
* A RichIdiotWithNoDayJob becomes a vigilante SuperHero, comes up with a gimmick and emblem designed to strike fear in his enemies whom he believes are "superstitious" and easily scared, and falls in love with [[DatingCatwoman a woman who is initially part of the enemy force he has made it his duty to fight against]], forcing him to [[CelibateHero subdue his feelings and hide behind a mask of indifference]].
** ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'' or ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}''?
* The setting is France. The protagonist has all the talent he needs to accomplish something but is unable to because of what he is or how he looks. He finds someone who has the necessary physical appearance but none of the talent, and the two scheme so that the protagonist can exercise his powers through the latter.
** ''CyranoDeBergerac'' or ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}''?
* A idealistic young man with a strong moral compass obtains god-like abilities, and decides to use them to make the world a better place by stopping criminals. He is quickly given a nickname by the press, and there is much speculation about the true identity of this great crusader for justice. Eventually, he comes to the attention of a [[TheChessmaster calculating]] man whose first and last initials are both 'L', and the two of them become archnemeses, with a good bit of FoeYay.
** [[SuperMan Clark Kent]] or [[Manga/DeathNote Light Yagami]]?
* A recent, bestselling UrbanFantasy book series about the (often unpleasantly exciting) life of a wizard named Harry. He's FamedInStory for beating down bad guys completely out of his league, but isn't very popular with the hidebound and old-fashioned wizarding authorities, who sometimes go out of their way to try to get rid of him; this isn't totally surprising, since a few agents of the BigBad have infiltrated their ranks and made their way into important positions. His parents both died when he was very young, and he was raised by an [[AbusiveParents abusive]] guardian before a CoolOldGuy wizard took him in and taught him about the right way to use magic and avoid TheDarkSide. He's sometimes suspected of BlackMagic anyway, whether this is justified or not. He uses CanisLatinicus spell incantations.
** [[HarryPotter Potter]] or [[TheDresdenFiles Dresden]]?
* LoveAtFirstSight MayflyDecemberRomance story between an ageless supernatural creature and an emotionally disturbed human [[SingleTargetSexuality who claims to have never felt attraction to another individual before]]. Despite suffering a great deal of physical or emotional abuse at the hands of the immortal, the human continues to maintain that their romance is based on True Love, and is eager to consumate their relationship, which the Immortal is hesitent to do.
** [[Literature/{{Twilight}} Edward and Bella]] or [[{{Durarara}} Celty and Shinra]]?
* Despite being a principal character in the story, this teenage boy takes the EmoTeen stereotype and moves it UpToEleven -- he seems to perpetually shift between angsty brooding and social awkwardness. To his credit, he can also be a {{Determinator}}, and his [[WhenSheSmiles When He Smiles]] moments are quite heartwarming. His personality to a large extent originated because of his father, a ManipulativeBastard who sent him away from the family as a young child for not being good enough -- and only later took him back when it seemed his son had something to offer him. (His mother loved him, but she disappeared from her son's life at an early age.) Luckily, he has an older adult in his life who serves as a cross between a guardian and a TricksterMentor, trying to get him to lighten up and relax while also take his duties seriously. His peer group includes two girls of about his age, one who is contemptuous, bitchy, and often mean to him ([[JerkassWoobie although this behavior is a front to hide her own insecurities]], which [[spoiler: later bring her to the point of insanity]]), and another one who is [[{{Kuudere}} unemotional and stoic]]. The character in question has romantic tension with one of these females (including an awkward kiss scene), and is related to the other one ([[IncestSubtext which hasn't prevented some fans from shipping them anyway]]). In the end, the boy is forced to face up to the expectations others have placed on him, and realize that maturity means choosing his own path.
** [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Prince Zuko]]? Or [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji Ikari]]?
* A man and his wife become the emperor and empress of TheEmpire, they have a son and a daughter, and the wife disappears. Years later the man and his son have a fight and the son decides to leave home. Fast forward a few years later, and the son has joined a rebellion against his dad, while his little sister is still in favor. Towards the end of the series, he finally [[CallingTheOldManOut confronts said dad]] and [[spoiler:becomes emperor himself despite the expectations of every politically-savvy person in the country.]]
** The [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Fire Nation]] or the [[Anime/CodeGeass Britannian Empire]]?
* Paraphrased from a wonderful person on MyAnimeList.net: A guy beats the shit out of whiny bitches with superpowers and can negate said superpowers when his right hand makes contact with said whiny bitches.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' or ''ToaruMajutsuNoIndex''?
* The story mainly is mainly focused on the adolescence of a character who is [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating wider considered a Complete Monster]] in their own universe when they die, and the complicated relationship they have with their best friend of the same gender. The main character is somewhat cynical, very intelligent, and grows into some very strong supernatural powers; the best friend is more idealistic, not as intelligent and tends to react more based on emotions. The lead has a younger sister in a wheelchair, and a mother who died very young and [[spoiler:it is revealed at some point the man in charge of the kingdom is the lead's father, whom they loathe.]] They are sent away by their father to a distant place, where they meet up with the future best friend. They initially loath one another for their differences, but eventually become incredibly close trusting friends. Both, at separate points, indicate that they love another character, and both wish to make the land they live in a better place, but disagree on methods. Eventually this disagreement causes them to end up as enemies; the cynical lead bringing rebellion against rulers, the more idealistic best friend becoming part of the system. The lead causes the best friend to lose the person they both loved, amping up the dislike between the two. [[spoiler:Eventually, they confront one another and are willing to forgive each other for their mutual betrayals. The lead is "killed" off, causing much celebration in the land; the best friend is left as the most powerful figure in the newly peaceful realm.]] There is a lot of HoYay between the lead and their best friend.
** Is it ''Anime/CodeGeass'' or ''Literature/{{Wicked}}''?
* This is about {{Bishonen}} [[TheHero hero]] of a quite [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism cynical]] story who somehow gets bad publicity. Arguably a CharClone. Voiced by JohnnyYoungBosch on at least one occasion. He has a pacifistic girl companion who wants world peace. While a girl of the LaResistance he belongs in had a case of BodyguardCrush with him, too bad he's a CelibateHero. To achieve world peace, he do things most people see as "questionable". His enemies include a HeroAntagonist who later helps him at the end, and a horrifyingly evil [[TheEmperor Emperor]]. In the end of the story, he pulls out a HeroicSacrifice, and while other people cheered at it, his companion girl cries in sorrow. [[EarnYourHappyEnding Earn Your]] BittersweetEnding indeed...[[TearJerker T_T]] And many fans who truly (or [[FanDumb excessively]]) loves him says that HesJustHiding.
** And for the last point, his name is [[MyHeroZero Zero.]] Hey, wait a minute - Am I talking about [[Anime/CodeGeass this Zero]] or [[VideoGame/MegaManZero that Zero?]]
* This is about a bad guy who is shown as a good guy at first. He's a great MagnificentBastard whose XanatosRoulette are very convoluted[[spoiler:, not to mention his iconic "[[MemeticMutation Just as planned]]"...]] He also doesn't mind killing his own underlings to further his own plans. With a [[PersonOfMassDestruction great power]] on hand, he [[AGodAmI believes that he's a god]] and trying to bring out his [[EvilPlan "divine plan"]] which involve killing many people.
** [[Manga/DeathNote Light Yagami]] or [[MegaManZX Master Albert]]? Maybe even [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Sosuke Aizen]]?
*** How about [[VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou Joshua Kiryu]]? (minus the spoiler, of course.)
*** [[Franchise/ResidentEvil Albert Wesker]]? He and Master Albert share the same name and have a superweapon called {{Ouroboros}}.
* Our four main characters include a borderline retarded man who, despite always being drunk, is an AntiSue; the retarded man's wife, whose independence and personality is eschewed for sex appeal; the retarded man's douche of a friend who acts as the voice of reason; and a sociopath who quickly descends into comic relief. Many [[NonSequitur WACKY AND RANDUM]] adventures ensue.
** ''[[CtrlAltDel Control Alt Delete]]'' or ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''?
* The protagonist of this story is a teenage boy [[GenderBender who turns into a girl]] [[MurphysLaw at the worst possible times]]. He soon meets his future love interest, a girl named Akane who [[{{Tsundere}} alternates between shy/calm and rude/bitchy]] (One has red hair and the other has blue hair, but I can't remember which has which). Eventually, the protagonist soon nets a [[HaremGenre Harem]] of both girls and guys which he has trouble escaping. Several characters who enter the story are animals with human-like tendencies. Eventually, the show itself gradually switches from an action series with some {{fanservice}} to a comedy that ramps the fanservice UpToEleven.
** ''RanmaOneHalf'' or ''LightNovel/{{Kampfer}}''?
* This is about a red-clad sword-wielding ChaoticGood {{Badass}} hero. Somewhat of a MartyStu. He's an [[TheAtoner atoner]] who [[HunterOfHisOwnKind hunts his own kind,]] and interestingly enough, he's the original of his kind. He's also TheObiWan to his naive blue-clad partner. While he is [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold certainly good-hearted, he acts cold]] and doesn't hesitate to ShootTheDog. He also has lived for [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld about a hundred years or so.]]
** [[VideoGame/GuiltyGear Sol Badguy]] or [[VideoGame/MegaManX Zero]]?
* Again, about a red-clad sword-wielding ChaoticGood {{Badass}} hero. A GlassCannon fighter (Possibly) with a SwissArmyWeapon. He's affiliated with a LaResistance who goes against an Utopia-like, but actually corrupted [[TheEmpire Empire]]. He's also a OneManArmy who succesfully makes TheEmpire having headaches, and thus, is hunted by them. Like the above, while he is [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold certainly good-hearted, he acts cold,]] [[PerpetualFrowner perpetually frowns]] and [[GoodIsNotNice doesn't hesitate to]] ShootTheDog. It's hinted that he's destined to [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt bring out world destruction]], but he ultimately [[ScrewDestiny choses to be]] [[AntiAntiChrist the one who bring world peace]]. Considered a [[TheWoobie Woobie]], but that will [[IronWoobie never slow him down.]] His enemies include an [[AnIcePerson ice-powered]] HeroAntagonist who is [[FoeYay too interested to take him down]], and a BigBad who is somewhat AxCrazy. His ending isn't very good, to say the least.
** [[VideoGame/BlazBlue Ragna The Bloodedge]] or [[VideoGame/MegaManZero Zero]]?
* Even ''New York Times'' op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd has joined in the fun: read her [[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/opinion/10dowd.html?_r=1&ref=opinion column]] and see if you can guess what work of art she is talking about.
* Our protagonist is a young man who wakes up with [[LaserGuidedAmnesia severe amnesia]] and [[ShapeshifterWeapon the ability to morph his body into living weapons]]. He discovers that something recently happened ([[SuperPrototype possibly related to him]]) that is unexpectedly turning ordinary people into mutants. The young man tries to discover the source of his amnesia and stop the mutants from killing everyone, mostly by absorbing their mutations. The young man also deals with two separate organizations. One is an offspring of the military that is solely focused on the annihilation of all mutants, [[WellIntentionedExtremist no matter what the cost]], and the other is the mutants, led by [[BigBad a mysterious person]] [[HumanoidAbomination who can control his/her mutations]] and wants to kill all humans.
** ''GeneratorRex'' or ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}''?
* A lighthearted musical retelling of an older work. A young as innocent soprano falls in love with a man in the midst of a single musical number, but is subsequently kidnapped by someone who wants her body and taken from her home and family, thereby putting her innocence and availability at stake. She is rescued but somehow ends up in the hands of another man who wants to marry her. Meanwhile the man she loves learns of her abduction and searches for her. The girl is desperate to go back to the man and her family and is helped by new friends along the way, but many greedy villains, and the hands of fate, keep her and her boyfriend apart. In the end they are reunited against the will of those who want to either marry or showcase her. Initially a commercial failure. Also features characters [[DisneyDeath supposedly being killed but not actually dying.]] Originally starred Barbara Cook.
** Is it Don Bluth's ''WesternAnimation/{{Thumbelina}}'' or Leonard Bernstein's ''{{Candide}}''?
* A musical about how a hero leaves home and becomes a celebrity because he dislikes his normal life, or else it has been unkind to him. A villain wants to either enslave him or kill him for his own selfish reasons. In order to weaken the will of the hero, he sends a girl, who works as his slave due to te consequences of her own selfishness, and who also parades around in seductive dress, to seduce him. The girl, however, develops an actual crush on him and helps him escape the villain. In the end, the villain is no longer dominant over the hero and he gets to be with the woman he loves. Involves several instances of characters escaping death, and one instance of the hero being restored to his original self.
** ''Disney/{{Hercules}}''? Or ''Theatre/DamnYankees''? How about ''RockADoodle''?
* A blond man who's pretty good with a sword arrives in the middle of a plot he doesn't understand. His love interest, a brunette, turns out to know more about the plot than she lets on. He meets a mentor character who is strangely similar to a legendary soldier he's otherwise familiar with. He has various battles with a man who refuses to drop dead no matter how many times he's killed and proves why you should hate him by killing someone which agitates a major character. He learns that his childhood was mostly fiction and is repeatedly visited by a person of ambiguous gender with their face covered. He's swallowed by a huge, unnatural sea monster controlled by his father figure, confronts his father figure in a replica of a location he knew from a simulation and fights giant robots.
** Is this ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' or ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2''?
* A spaceship, with the same name as the series, is on a routine flight and somehow gets a huge distance away from where it's supposed to be. The limited crew, which includes a smug hologram obsessed with slideshows, attempts to get back to Earth. Their experiments with FTL travel are a disaster and most of the entertainment on board is VR gaming, much of which is presented in monochrome. The crew encounter a cyborg who succeeds in becoming unique and integrates with the original crew members, but disagrees with the ship's superior officer whenever possible. The main threats are from cyborgs and genetically-engineered monsters. A central theme is that space travel perhaps isn't as great as it's made out to be. %%% In "DNA", Kryten apparently has enough organic in his brain for the DNA-altering machine to make him human, so, yes, he is technically a cyborg.
** ''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager Voyager]]'' or ''Series/RedDwarf''?
* A movie musical with heavy visual effects (though most of them focused on aspects of one particular character) and score by Alan Menken. Stars two protagonists, one girl and one guy. The guy is downtrodden or misunderstood and the girl is blonde. The girl desperately wants to leave her home area but can't. The villain, who is given [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome at least one show-stopping number]], acts as a force gradually growing stronger against one of the protagonists, who knows a secret that is vital to the villain's life. The villain also sings songs to keep the protagonist on a leash in order to gain nourishment. Features an adorable green character. One of the characters has a [[DisneyDeath near-death experience]] caused by the villain. Also, a major plot point involves a plant with some kind of unique supernatural power. At least one of the songs has once been sung by Mandy Moore.
** We're talking about ''{{Tangled}}'', right? Or could it be ''Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors''?
* A man in a long, black coat and his female associate challenge people to possibly deadly games which usually involve blades and makeshift devices. Contestants are briefed on the challenge beforehand and have a few hours to complete the challenge. All the materials required to succeed are available, but they must go to great lengths to acquire them. If they do, there's usually a face-off with their enemies before they can be considered winners. Their games end up being great re-run material for [[ChannelFour Channel 4]].
** This is ''{{Saw}}'', of course. Or is it ''ScrapheapChallenge''?
* This show is the sequel series to another show, becoming DarkerAndEdgier in the process. Many of the concepts from the first show are {{Retcon}}ned to come from aliens; for example, the protagonist turns out to have descended from aliens, despite looking human. One of the villians from the first series joins up with the hero, now much older than the first series, and the protagonist's female sidekick, the smartest of the group, acts as [[TheChick the group's bonding force]]. The female sidekick begins having a romance with a dark, brooding villain who switches sides every so often, while the hero becomes friends with one of the most powerful beings in the universe. One of the main plots in the show includes the heroes journeying from planet to planet to find several parts of a whole item which grants power beyond anyone's comprehension. Also, the show is criticized for having quite a lot of filler. The show, which was aired on Creator/CartoonNetwork, had a sequel series; whether this is better than the original or not depends on the viewer.
** So, is this ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' or ''Manga/DragonBall Z''?
* LoveMakesYouCrazy the series. MiyukiSawashiro voices a foreigner living in Japan, and HiroshiKamiya is a well-educated {{bishonen}} whose family goes for weird names.
** ''Literature/{{Durarara}}'' or ''SayonaraZetsubouSensei''?
* A man from a BBC One series of the mid-Noughties, with a brown coat and a massive female fan base, played by an actor whose voice is completely different to his character's. He has various companions in different series, including one named Tyler, but he is in all of them. He is the rival and occasional friend of a time-traveller played by John Simm and is eventually saved by [[spoiler:the character sacrificing himself at the end of the series]]. He's [[spoiler:technically died]] at least once.
** [[Series/DoctorWho The Tenth Doctor]] or [[Series/LifeOnMars2006 Gene Hunt]]?
* A young man obsessed with honor and banished by his father falls in love with his closest childhood friend, a LonelyRichKid WellExcuseMePrincess. The fandom, however, passionately ships him with a young woman he meets on his travels who has the power to heal, never turns her back on those in need, and comes from a nation whom his own people have persecuted for centuries. The creators are forced to give a direct TakeThat to the FanPreferredCouple's shippers.
** ''Literature/{{Ivanhoe}}'' or ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''?
* After his parent's death, a now outcast FeudalFuture noble fakes his death and lives far away from his home, years later becomes the MagnificentBastard DarkMessiah [[MightyWhitey leader]] of the inhabitants oppressed by TheEmpire, forms them into a LaResistance, and eventually overthrows and replaces TheEmperor, but becomes as bad as the previous one. He has an older female [[MentorArchetype mentor]] who is the source of his power, a female [[BodyguardCrush bodyguard]] who's his main LoveInterest, a younger sister, and his right-hand man is a ProudWarriorRaceGuy and former leader of the oppressed inhabitants before the noble replaced him.
** [[{{Dune}} Paul Atreides AKA Muad'Dib]] or [[Anime/CodeGeass Lelouch vi Britannia AKA Zero]]?
* A blond IdiotHero is born shortly after his father dies protecting his comrades from an event machinated by a man that later opposes the hero again, as well as the hero's hyper-intelligent dark-haired loner [[TheRival rival/]][[HoYay "best friend"]] who [[spoiler: loses his family]]. The hero also has grey-haired mentor and a tsundere lady friend.
** ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' or ''Film/StarTrek''?
* A charismatic former revolutionary who was captured by the regime he tried to defeat. Said regime commits MindRape and a mindwipe on him. The revolutionary breaks free of the programming, steals a ''very'' CoolShip, and proceeds to raise hell. May have been trying to fight a greater evil coming from outside known space with said revolution. Before we get any real answers, however, he vanishes into the unknown and dies ignobly. Said cause was taken up by one of his followers who previously refused to go along with the revolution, gets a couple former crew members and two AI units from his/her predecessor, and the cool ship...only to die ignobly with the man whose influence s/he could never escape.
** Are we talking [[Series/BlakesSeven Roj Blake and Kerr Avon]] or [[KnightsOfTheOldRepublic Revan and the Exile]]?
* In this Disney AnimatedAdaptation of a fairy tale, the heroine yearns for excitement and adventure beyond the sheltered world she's known. She falls in love with a man whom she teaches to be less selfish, to the point of [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy sacrificing his own well-being for her freedom]], creating a contrast in context between selfless, true love and possessive, controlling, abusive "love." The couple is forced to separate for awhile but soon reunite, only for the villain to stab the guy right before [[DisneyVillainDeath dying during a fall]]. The girl holds her [[DiedInYourArmsTonight dying lover in her arms]] and cries over him, bringing him BackFromTheDead via ThePowerOfLove mixed with the effects of an enchanted flower. A peasant [[HotConsort marries a royal]], and they live HappilyEverAfter.
** ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'' or ''Main/{{Tangled}}''?
* This story begins underground, with a burrowing colony whose philosophy is to dig as often as possible to avoid danger from the outside world. One digger, whose name ends with "-imon", accidentally causes animal-like creatures to attack the colony. He is then exiled from said colony, joining up with a large, boisterous friend. Eventually, the digger meets and rescues a young, innocent child who is related to the BigBad, left for dead. The digger relays his philosophy to said child and, after a TimeSkip, they go off to defeat the BigBad and his forces.
** This is ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', right? Or is it [[spoiler: ''[[TheLionKing The Lion King 1 1/2]]'']]?
* The BigBad attacks a heroic character, which results in said character getting a scar on the forehead and in the two of them being [[{{Synchronization}} linked mentally]]. This link makes the hero feel unclean and unworthy to be around their friends and it proves to be both useful and dangerous for them both, as they can spy on what their enemies are doing but run the risk of exposing their own secrets and plans to the enemy as well. Eventually, the villain decides it's in his best interest to block the connection, leaving the hero and their companions free to track down and [[GottaKillEmAll destroy]] his {{Soul Jar}}s so they can ultimately destroy him. AnyoneCanDie (but not without getting a DeadGuyJunior), and the powers of [[ThePowerOfLove love]], [[ThePowerOfFriendship friendship]], and having a cause worth fighting for prove to be more BadAss than the forces of evil. Religious allegory abounds.
** ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' or ''HarryPotter''?
* Let's see...four person main cast, but LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters among the guest stars, including politicians, alien ambassadors, allies and a large RoguesGallery. [[TheHero The field commander]] is borderline suicidal and lost his family due to tragedy. TheChick is a scientist who likely has the most common sense, but is still a trained fighter. [[TheSmartGuy There's a Ph.D.]] who signed on reluctantly, is grossly underpowered compared to his teammates, but can be really dangerous if pushed. And a [[TheBigGuy walking tank bred to be a fighter]] who is the only non-human crew. The commander back home has the unenviable task of putting up with both the team's antics and the crooked politicians trying to shut the project down.
** ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'' or ''Series/StargateSG1''? (Lampshaded [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2A7mdZ6mcQ here]] with the German version of the ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers Galaxy Rangers]]'' theme)
* One day, a young boy without a mother or father is recruited by a teacher from a school of magic. He quickly gets acquainted with other students, including an intelligent girl he becomes fast friends with, and a blonde male that views the boy as a rival that's getting undeserved fame. Using a strange power he had since the day he was born, the boy overcomes all odds and finds success. However, it is because of this power that his friends are constantly put into near-death scenarios. In the end, the young boy uses everything he's learned at the school to try and save it, and accepts that he might have to die for the danger to go away for good. Oh, and the black-haired teacher that poses a threat to the boy near the end of his adventures had a ''really'' close relationship with one of the boy's parents.
** Was the boy named [[HarryPotter Harry]], or [[spoiler:[[ManaKhemiaAlchemistsofAlRevis Vayne]]]]?
* A kind-hearted male protagonist in a nice jacket goes back in time to [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong prevent the deaths of those around him]]. His main skill is to manipulate small objects in order to effect changes in the timeline. When he uses his power, the world turns DeliberatelyMonochrome and TimeStandsStill. The protagonist finds out that [[spoiler:the main villain has a twisted, murderous obsession that's gotten worse over the course of many years and a power that directly complements his own. The villain uses this power to directly oppose the hero and MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight]]. The result is a complex story spanning multiple timelines, and an ending which is a bit of a MindScrew if you're not paying attention. The villain [[spoiler:can be talked out of his craziness]]. A mysterious cat proves central to the story, as it [[spoiler:time-travels while carrying the source of the hero's power and becomes immortal as a result due to an unexplained temporal effect]].
** Which Nintendo DS game is this? Is it ''TimeHollow'', or [[spoiler:''GhostTrick'']]?
* Having spent a whole game fighting 'liquid', the good characters fight a team which includes a bald, overweight man who avoids walking, an inappropriately-clothed woman who [[spoiler:has her own agenda]], and a character who is enough like one of the protagonists to pass for him. Having gained access to a 50-year-old weapons concept, these characters attempt to take over EagleLand using a superweapon disguised as a science facility and a cyborg lizard, and the President gets involved somehow. It turns out that everything was planned decades ago by a dead bloke. In the finale, the teams realise they have to work together and there's a rush through the superweapon, followed by a battle with the lizard. The superweapon tries to pull a ColonyDrop of sorts, and there's a final showdown in front of the superweapon. Oh, and that old guy who gets killed in the ending? [[spoiler:He didn't; the guy with the moustache rescued him and put him in a sort of stasis, but we don't know this until two games and a handheld title of ambiguous canonicity later.]]
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'' or ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''?
* He's a humanoid alien with special powers, who outlives the rest of his species. Except when he doesn't. He relies heavily on ObfuscatingStupidity, sometimes wears glasses even though his vision doesn't need correcting, famously travels in time and space, and frequently saves the Earth even though it's not actually his homeworld, which was destroyed. Depending on which version of canon you prefer, it's possible that his species has eschewed sexual reproduction in favor of more artificial means. He has cheated death through a technobabble-ish process that's described using the word "regeneration", and has a half-human clone. He almost never tells anyone his true name, instead going by a simple English descriptor; when he poses as a human, he has a standard name he uses, consisting of a first and last name that are both one syllable long and fairly generic. One of his most famous human companions is an intrepid young female reporter. He used to own a dog-like pet with amazing abilities, but gave it to one of his friends. His enemies include a genocidal alien cyborg with a network of wires running across his bald head and a megalomaniacal survivor of his own species, who often, but not always, has a BeardOfEvil. Oh, and he's spawned a long-running franchise.
** {{Superman}}? Or [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]]?
* A hyperactive high school girl [[TheAce who is superior to everyone in her class at anything]] gains a role of power, dragging [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent her perfectly ordinary best friend]] with her. All is fine and dandy until a GenreShift occurs, revealing that the girl is a literal GodModeSue, causing others to try and take her power for their own use. It's up to her best friend to protect her and the school from these mentally unstable unnatural beings.
** ''[[Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' or ''MedakaBox''?
* A girl is annoyed with her baby brother. However when he gets kidnapped by the shapeshifting monarch of TheFairFolk, she allies with some eccentric but good-hearted beings to rescue him. Amongst the challenges she faces are illusions designed to hold her back: one that she's back home and it was AllJustADream, and one of a [[DancesAndBalls glorious ballroom]]. In the end, she defeats the monarch through sheer willpower. Oh, and early on she discovers that [[OurFairiesAreDifferent winged fairies]] are basically vicious humanoid insects.
** Is her name [[Film/{{Labyrinth}} Sarah]] or [[Discworld/TheWeeFreeMen Tiffany]]? (Actually, given Sir Terry's fondness for {{Shout Out}}s, it's possible elements of this one ''are'' intentional).
* A girl with low self-esteem (despite being revered like a goddess by everyone around her, especially male admirers, who can't wait to risk their lives to protect her) moves against her will to a dark, gloomy, Gothic landscape. She is in a StarCrossedLovers plot with a guy for whom StalkingIsLove and who admits that he is bad news but claims he is so madly, passionately in love with her, he can't stay away. She literally can't function when she's separated from him. She meets a NiceGuy who would be a much safer, more dependable partner but rejects him in favor of [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys her bad boy]].
** ''Literature/TheMysteriesOfUdolpho'' or ''Literature/{{Twilight}}''?
* We've got an {{Atlus}} game here. The story focuses on a messy-haired hero who hears of a mysterious rumor. Around that time, he meets a mysterious girl in white, after which he seems to be trapped in a twisted dream with people who are like people he's met before, but with a radical difference. The hero now has to make a series of choices which will affect how the story plays out. Said hero is also in a LoveTriangle with an odd, somewhat exotic girl and the GirlNextDoor he's always known.
** Is this ''{{Catherine}}'', or the first ''VideoGame/{{Persona}}''?
* The story takes place AfterTheEnd, with a mentally fragile {{Bishonen}} protagonist and his severely messed-up friends. There's an older girl named Misato who hides her sadness by acting perky and sometimes drinking while having a strained relationship to someone from her past, a redhead who only hates the protagonist because she wants attention after being left alone, and an EmotionlessGirl who has a mysterious aura to her, but breaks down by the end of the story. The protagonist also has some [[spoiler:hidden mommy issues]]. He does find some normalcy in his two friends, the guy who has a soft spot for his sister and the normal, yet rather off guy. In an alternate continuity, he [[spoiler:kills everyone and becomes God [[MindScrew (or something)]]]].
** ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', or [[spoiler:''CrossChannel'']]?
* A mysterious, handsome vampire is attracted to and intrigued by a clumsy human girl, who considers herself unattractive, because he can't read her mind. Said vampire is part of a family of vampires whose patriarch is trying to bring them to a new style of life and abandon old-fashioned stereotypes. [[OurVampiresAreDifferent They are immune to sunlight and garlic]]. Oh, and the vampire has a bratty sister who absolutely hates the human girl. The human girl has a variety of friends/allies, including a tribe of pugnacious, loyal fighters and a very attractive man who can shapeshift into a furry animal, and is fighting against an army of evil vampires who have been created as a fighting force.
** The ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' Saga, or [[Discworld/CarpeJugulum Carpe]] [[Literature/{{Discworld}} Jugulum]]?
* A brilliant but ruthless and rather amoral revolutionary takes on a totalitarian dictatorship in a postapocalyptic world, driven by personal pain from being a victim of said dictatorship's most terrible prison. Along the way, he picks up a teenage girl as a protege and becomes ShroudedInMyth. In the end, he dies, but [[MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning his death is just the beginning]].
** ''{{Mistborn}}'': ''The Final Empire'' or ''VForVendetta''?
* A caped nobleman loses his grip on sanity upon the loss of his fiancee, becoming a villain as his entire world and civilization (though not his fancy castle) crumble around him. When the heroes confront him, they bring with them the truth of his fiancee's fate, and her declaration of everlasting love forces him to confront reality as his castle collapses.
** ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' or ''ProfessorLaytonAndTheDiabolicalBox''?
* A barefoot long-haired girl with light-based powers is kept in a remote tower by her mother for the mother's own selfish and sinister purposes. A social outcast stumbles upon the girl and, armed mainly with an improvised weapon, helps her earn her freedom.
** ''{{Tangled}}'' or ''VideoGame/{{Ico}}''?
* A woman becomes the undisputed ruler of her domain, with the aid of her weak-willed male companion. She believes everyone should be happy, and so creates a brightly-uniformed CulturePolice that ruthlessly deals with people who don't fit her definition of how things should be, subjecting them to CoolAndUnusualPunishment. Then the GuileHero and companion(s) show up, and deliberately defy her, allying with the locals and eventually forcing the ruler to confront the falseness of her beliefs. The heroes then leave, with the people free to act however they want.
** ''Discworld/WitchesAbroad'' or "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E2TheHappinessPatrol The Happiness Patrol]]"?
* An evil FairyGodmother is the power behind the throne, having transformed a frog into a puppet ruler. She wants to consolidate her power by [[ArrangedMarriage arranging a marriage]] for kingdom's princess. The princess has other ideas, and allies with the heroes. Lots of {{Fractured Fairytale}}s take place before the big confrontation during the palace [[DancesAndBalls ball]], WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve.
** ''Discworld/WitchesAbroad'' again, or ''{{Shrek}} 2''?
* A young man recieves the power to [[HenshinHero transform]] into a superhero [[BadPowersGoodPeople through less than heroic means]]. Refusing to serve the evil forces than created his powers the new hero rebels and fights against them and in the end saves the world. As a bonus two of the characters both ride motorcycles, a trait that is shown in their superhero names. Similarly two of the charaters have insect-like armour in their heroic forms.
** ''KamenRider'', ''Comicbook/GhostRider'' or ''[[BlueBeetle the third Blue Beetle]]''?
* A warrior of justice who has [[AnimeHair dark spiky hair]] and wears [[LimitedWardrobe the same blue-and-white outfit every day]] has just made the wrong enemy. The [[EvilIsSexy pretty-boy villain]], nominally an agent of justice himself but corrupted by his inflated ego, [[FalseFriend pretends to be his friend]] while secretly masterminding a plot to have him taken out of commission. What the villain doesn't count on are the spiky-haired guy's young successors: while the successors may not have been strong enough to take out the villain on their own, they continue their predecessor's work and ultimately expose the truth. [[spoiler:The VillainousBreakdown at the end is the stuff of legends.]]
** ''Manga/DeathNote'' or ''ApolloJusticeAceAttorney''?
* A half-hour animated sitcom, starring a character from 1930s cartoon shorts. The character is now a father, living in a small town. The villain of the shorts (whose profession in the originals would change to fit the setting) is now a [[HonestJohnsDealership second-hand car dealer]], and also has a son. The focus is more on the sons than the fathers, though.
** ''GoofTroop'' or ''{{Popeye}} And Son''?
* A long-running video game series primarily concerning a feud between two people. On one side, a chubby guy with a BadassMustache and a TrademarkFavoriteFood. On the other side, a spiky anthropomorphic animal who just wants to do what he wants, but the mustached man gets in the way. The bad guy has been subject to some VillainDecay, but is occasionally still able to show some badassery. The hero has a girlfriend in pink and an EvilTwin - well, more of an AntiHero Twin - and is a major industry mascot, [[ConsoleWars especially in the 16-bit era]].
** ''SuperMario'' or ''SonicTheHedgehog''?
* A slacker with a guitar tries to impress a girl with oddly coloured hair and rollerblades by facing a gauntlet of enemies headed by shadowy, yet charismatic man. Along the way, he gains an acoustic theme about his love, a realization about what he's fighting for, and a serious self-confidence boost by the final boss. While treated favorably by critics, it wasn't too profitable.
** ''ScottPilgrim'' or ''GitarooMan''?
* A boy who had his mother [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence go to a different plane of existence]] when he was young grows up to be a MagnificentBastard MessianicArchetype who controls his own army and confront his MagnificentBastard father who abandoned him and is planning {{Instrumentality}}. One of his {{Love Interest}}s is a {{Tsundere}} [[HeroesWantRedheads red-head]] with a red HumongousMecha, and the other is a DeadpanSnarker [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair exotic-haired]] [[MysteriousWaif girl with mysterious origins]]. He also confronts a secret society of people with special abilites like his own and his rival is a white-haired boy.
** ''Anime/CodeGeass'' or ''Fanfic/ShinjiAndWarhammer40K''?
* A group of British siblings [[BlitzEvacuees sent to live in the country during World War Two]] discover magical secrets in the house where they are staying. There's a witch who intends to use her spells to win a war, and a world inhabited by talking animals with a lion as their king, and a climactic battle between good and evil, with swords and magic both in heavy use.
** Now, is the witch [[TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe the Big Bad]] or [[BedknobsAndBroomsticks one of the good guys]]?
* During this game's expansion pack, an elderly official ranking in the seemingly good guy faction attempts to [[WellIntentionedExtremist establish peace and prosperity, albeit in a controversial and questionable way]], with the use of a special weapon. However, an army led by the previously villainous faction intervenes and meddles with the elder's plans. The official leads an army in white uniforms.
** [[StarCraft Gerard Dugalle of the UED]] or [[VideoGame/CommandAndConquer Rupert Thornley of FutureTech]]?
* A group of criminals enter into a wealthy man's dreams to trick him out of his secrets. In the course of the adventure, multiple layers of dreams are entered, "bigger guns" are summoned by the protagonists, the ultimate trick involves confronting the dreamer with a loved one that they're estranged from, people are removed from the dream by falling, and there's a risk that people stuck in the dream will enter a form of Limbo and go crazy if they stay in too long.
** ''{{Inception}}'' or DonRosa's [[Comicbook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck Dream of a Lifetime]]?
* This work has become one of the most well-known examples of a popular genre of the late 80s-90s, despite being in many ways a more philosophical Deconstruction of that genre, possibly due to CreatorBreakdown. It concerns a young man whose estranged father commands him to become a man of action; contrary to most of the genre's heroes, however, the son struggles with the psychological and philosophical implications of this role, even though there are moments when he performs admirably; in one scene, he performs the sort of action that his father wanted him to while his mother is present. The work lends itself well to Freudian analysis, probably because of the main character's mother issues. His only real confidante is a male friend with whom there is a hint of sexual attraction; one of his female love interests has to be instituionalized before dying along with most of the other characters in a KillEmAll ending.
** Am I talking about ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' or ''{{Hamlet}}''?
* A girl kept alone in a high tower for unscrupulous reasons is rescued by a smart-alecky thief who's initially after a big treasure connected to the girl's heritage. She ends up falling in love with him as he helps her earn her freedom. At one point, she tries to bargain with the villain in order to save the thief's life after he gets mortally wounded.
** ''{{Tangled}}'' or ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro''?
* This story is about an ordinary schoolboy with ''[[AnimeHair really]]'' spiky hair. However, he is unaware that [[SealedEvilInACan a powerful, sometimes cruel spirit lives inside of him]], possessing the boy in times of great emergency. This boy soon becomes friends with many people, eventually meeting three siblings who come from a far-off area: a sister, a brother, and their little psychopathic brother. [[HeelFaceTurn They all become good eventually, though.]]
** ''Anime/YuGiOh'' or ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''?
* He's a Chinese badass who likes to put on a front of ObfuscatingStupidity, during which he's generally EyesAlwaysShut and his BigEater status is played for humor. He started out as a BadassNormal, but was turned into a BadassAbnormal and managed to avoid the sociopathy typically associated with those powers. He has a possible love interest voiced by NanaMizuki.
** Hei of ''DarkerThanBlack'' or Ling of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''?
* An genetic experiment is undertaken by a group of scientists to create, from the genes of the strongest and brightest man/men on the planet, a superhuman. After two infants are born from this experiment, they're separated, with one being raised and taught by the best of the best to be an ubermensch, and the other is put through hardship for his life. In the end, we find out that one was deliberately made with the superior genes, while the other got the bad genes.
** Liquid and Solid Snake of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', or Jules and Vincent from ''Film/{{Twins}}''?
* A man is pulled from his enjoyable but uneventful existence up North and thrust into a world he thought he'd left behind. He doesn't appreciate conflict and often disagrees with his superiors' methods, but gets the job done. His rival is a Western fan known for his methods of extracting information, who secretly [[spoiler:has a noble purpose]]. Halfway through, he has to rescue his could-be lover from a family member he didn't know much of. Most of the story involves a Gene of some kind. It's followed by a sequel in which a more feminine counterpart encounters similar situations a few years later. It's often difficult to figure out what's real and what isn't.
** Is this ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' or ''Series/{{Life On Mars|2006}}''?
* A man assembles a BadassCrew, who use their various skills and talents to perform a heist that many had thus far considered impossible. The man claims that this mission will be his last job, with the ultimate goal for most crew members being the money at the end. Along the way, our hero ends up jeopardizing the mission due to complications with his ex-wife. In the end, the mission is successful and our hero makes his way home.
** Is this ''Inception'' or ''Ocean's Eleven''?
* This show focuses on two main characters: a kind but dim-witted young boy and a non-human who wears little clothing. The two live at the boy's house with his young yet intelligent little sister, and go to school with a variety of unusual characters, all of which are simply regarded as students despite their extraordinary origins. At one point, a ghost schoolgirl possesses the body of one of the protagonists to indulge in her own desires.
** ''ToLoveRu'' or ''TheAmazingWorldOfGumball''?
* This show is about a lazy, misanthropic, unhygienic man with the emotional capacity of a 12-year old and his young and more successful foil. In each episode, the lazy man drags his foil into some hair-brained scheme, which will inevitably backfire in some way.
** ''DanVs'' or ''{{Kochikame}}''?
* This story is about aliens that come to Earth. They're here to prevent humans from eventually developing technology that will destroy the universe. They give a HannibalLecture to the humans when they meet face-to-face, and the encounter ends with the aliens being defeated. Whether or not the universe is still doomed is left to the viewer's imagination.
** ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' or ''PlanNineFromOuterSpace?''
* A webcomic about [[Main/AnthropomorphicPersonification Anthropomorphic Personifications]] of countries, centering on a PowerTrio consisting of a scrawny, excitable hedonist with a phobia of being alone, a larger and more level-headed man with whom the first man is in a long-term relationship, and a third character who is reserved, tech-savvy, and something of an outsider to the first two. The comic derives much humor from the inevitable CultureClash as the various characters interact, and also from re-interpreting historical events as interpersonal relationships. Most of the fans, though, are in it for the ambiguous--and not so ambiguous--[[YaoiFangirls yaoi]].
** ''AxisPowersHetalia'' or ''ScandinaviaAndTheWorld''?
* The setting -- seven participants are involved in a battle royale. Each one has certain innate advantages and disadvantages -- one is bigger and more powerful than the rest, one finds it easy to create a safe zone at the edge of the conflict and influence events from the sidelines, and so on -- but the various skill levels of the participants also have a major impact on their chance of success. What is more, the players tend towards different personalities -- one is [[GoodIsDumb stupidly honest]], another suffers from ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, and in most scenarios there is one guy who [[SmugSnake thinks he's hot stuff, but in reality doesn't even quite understand the rules, let alone possesses a good chance of winning]]. In any case, alliances are repeatedly made and broken, long periods of leisurely conversation are followed by scenes of intense action, and although the format points to a ThereCanBeOnlyOne ending, it is more than possible for two or more to win by cooperating with each other.
** ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''? Or your average game of {{Diplomacy}}?
* This is a comic about a young adult living in a video game-esque world. He fights a variety of people who, in his mind, are out to get him, fighting for what he sees to be his true love. [[spoiler: However, he isn't as perfect as he thinks.]]
** ''{{Sonichu}}'' or ''ScottPilgrim''?
* A girl becomes friends with her [[IllGirl Ill Boy]] of a cousin and helps her cousin improve himself in a dark, [[BigFancyHouse big, fancy]], rambling Gothic mansion, owned by a reclusive, Byronic man (whose sanity began significantly slipping after the death of his beloved), located at the edge of a moor where the wind is always "wutherin'."
** ''Literature/WutheringHeights'' or ''TheSecretGarden''?
* This story is an epic SpaceOpera. The main character is an emperor with a prolonged lifespan who finds himself fighting an old foe from his past, and switches between fighting with and aiding another monarchy.
** ''TheFiveStarStories'' or ''[[http://calvinandhobbes67186.yuku.com/sreply/18837/Hobbes-Wars-Restoration-Project Hobbes Wars]]''?
* In this video game, a protagonist with a blue and red color scheme and [[AnimeHair very odd hair]] is just trying to do his job, but has to deal with a GenkiGirl sidekick, a lolitastic LoveFreak and a flamboyantly sophisticated rival. All of these characters, particularly the protagonist and his rival, turn out to be more closely connected than we originally thought. In a later game, the blue and red protagonist is replaced by a red and white one with some [[ParentalAbandonment family issues]]. Although most of the original cast are nowhere to be seen, the original protagonist is still there, and one female character returns for another important role. The new rival is blonde, famous and plays the guitar, and the new female lead is the subject of a major plot twist toward the end. Also, a blue creature with googly eyes, supposedly based on a RealLife animal, serves as a mascot in the series, and there's one guy who incorporates as much GratuitousForeignLanguage into his daily speech as possible.
** ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' or ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea}}''?
* A group of people are gathered to a mansion on an island and are killed off one by one in accordance to a bizarre poem, with their alleged host nowhere in sight. This group includes devoted servants, a doctor, and a {{Jerkass}} detective. The female character who is essential to the plot is still reeling from the harsh rejection of her lover, and [[spoiler: it was this rejection that ultimately drove her [[{{Yandere}} insane.]] ]] Some of its adaptations are loved by fans; others are absolutely reviled. And the ending [[BrokenBase has the fan base sharply divided.]]
** ''AndThenThereWereNone'' or ''VisualNovel/UminekoNoNakuKoroNi''?
* It takes place in the Pacific Northwest. There's a character whose name begins with "Ed". One of the characters can predict the future, or at least says she can. A guy falls in love with someone in a way that could be interpreted as creepy and stalkerish, and they end up together.
** ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'', right? Or is it ''{{Frasier}}''?
* Two swordsmen, a girl with guns and a super-intelligent LittleMissBadass fight against a large authority that is secretly an evil organization. The white-haired, red and black clad hero holds a massive grudge against a member of his family, but [[spoiler:it turns out they aren't so bad]]. The final boss is [[spoiler:a TreacherousAdvisor to one of the main characters, who turns out to be both a former hero of legend and the de facto leader of the evil organization.]]
** ''VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice'' or ''VideoGame/BlazBlueContinuumShift''?
* A series that chronicles the occasionally weird [[SliceOfLife everyday adventures]] of a group of female friends, which includes a somewhat naive bookworm, an energentic and boastful girl who fancies herself a great athlete but is actually kind of a klutz, her hard-working and more level-headed FriendlyRival, a girl who frets over her appearance a lot and is usually the most serious of the group, a bashful animal lover, and one girl who's [[CloudCuckoolander not all there.]]
** ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' or ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''?
* A brilliant weapons designer discovers that his weapons are being used by forces of evil and so he stopped building weapons and created a suit to take down those weapons. He had help of a redhead friend, he saved the day.
** ''IronMan'' or {{Steel}}
* A cartoon series whose establishing shot is of the main character, a muscular young woman, wearing a sleeveless shirt and with her arms at her sides, looking down from a high place at a city based on Shanghai.
** ''{{Canaan}}'' or ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''?
* Within the backstory, there is a legend of two very closely related entities with god-like power who ruled the land. The elder one was associated with light, the color white and had control over fire while the younger one was associated with darkness, the color black and had control over lightning. Eventually, the younger one grew dissatisfied with the status quo and started to fight with the elder one, which threw the land into complete chaos. Eventually, one of the entities [[SealedEvilInACan sealed the other within a circular object]] and peace was restored to the land. However, by the climax of the main story, the sealed entity is unsealed and six others have to face and defeat it with with the PowerOfFriendship. None of these characters are human.
** Is this ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' or ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''?
* Fantasy book series with a shallow, dark-haired, {{Muggle}}-[[FantasticRacism hating]] unstable woman named Bella ([[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent who is acquaintances with a werewolf]]) who obsesses and slavishly devotes herself to a pale, immortal, powerful man who does not reciprocate her feelings. Their relationship is at best shallow and one-sided, and at worst abusive and unhealthy. [[spoiler:Bella is killed in the final novel.]]
** Bella and [[Literature/{{Twilight}} Edward]] or [[Literature/HarryPotter Voldemort]]?
* In the 24th century, a new starship and crew, very early in their adventures, encounter a group of orange skinned, agressive, ugly humanoids with no regard for humans. These aliens are the major threat of their part of the galaxy, and the heroes regard them with trepidation. However, the aliens were poorly conceived by the show's creators, and the fans did not react well to their involvement. Therefore, the aliens were moved into the background and a new threat emerged: an army of relentless, unstoppable cyborgs.
** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', or ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''?
* For as long as anyone can remember, the prosperity of civilization has been possible due to the presence of mysterious magical artifacts left behind by an ancient race. These artifacts come in many forms and serve a variety of purposes, from the mundane to the spectacular; from warding off enemies to providing locomotion; from enhancing physical abilities to supplying an entire town with water. Their use is commonplace and widespread. There are institutions devoted to studying the powers of these artifacts. However, some artifacts can also be used as devastating weapons, and there are those who would seize that power for themselves. Indeed, cataclysmic wars in which the artifacts were both fought over and employed have taken place in the past. Now, the artifacts have once again brought conflict sweeping across the land.
** Which artifacts are we talking about? Is it the [[VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia blastia?]] Or the [[TheLastRemnant remnants?]] Or maybe [[MortalEngines Old-Tech?]]
* An EvilOverlord in a China inspired land wants to TakeOverTheWorld but is afraid of [[TheChosenOne a certain race]] defeating him. So he destroys all of that race [[LastOfHisKind except one]]. Now, it's up to that last guy to save the world with the help of some friends.
** ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' or ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2''?
* This beloved classic animated movie begins with the birth of the main character, a TalkingAnimal. He grows a bit older, meets the female lead, and grows very close to a parent who protects him and tells him about where his life is destined to take him. This parent is killed in a disaster during a series of events that began with the lethal intentions of the main villain (a predatory animal with a wounded eye). The grieving main character runs away, and promptly begins meeting new friends, and is then reunited the female lead, who stresses the threat posed by the villain but is initially ignored by the main character. Eventually, however, he comes to his senses, and he and his friends lead an attack on the villain (who ends up falling to his doom). At last, the hero stands on a rock overlooking the land that is his home. If we also mention that he sees his dead parent in a cloud at one point and remembers what he was taught, and that the supporting cast includes a duo of significantly mismatched size and a flying guy who usually frustrates the main character, then it should be obvious to anyone that this movie is ''The L''...
** ...''[[TheLandBeforeTime and Before Time]]'' or ...''[[TheLionKing ion King]]''?
* This takes place in a world where the time period and technology level/aesthetic [[SchizoTech don't quite add up.]] The story centers around a [[DysfunctionJunction dysfunctional]] [[TrueCompanions yet tight-knit]] team of nine mercenaries. Said mercenaries include: [[TheMedic a medic]]; [[TheEngineer a friendly, easy-going mechanic]]; [[InsistentTerminology a Professional With Standards]]; [[ScaryBlackMan an intimidating black person]]; [[ShellShockedVeteran a soldier who's still stuck on a war that ended long ago]]; someone who's [[MysteriousPast past is unknown]] because he is secretive; someone who's [[MysteriousPast past is unknown]] because he/she is [[TheUnintelligible imcomprehensible]]; an [[GenkiGuy enthusiastic]], [[ManChild somewhat childish]] guy; and a [[TheBigGuy rather large,]] HotBlooded fellow who is [[ICallItVera very attached to his guns.]] Oh, and there are {{Nice Hat}}s aplenty.
** ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', or ''{{Firefly}}''?
* The AffectionateParody of [[DisneyAnimatedCanon Classic Disney Films]] stars two acquaintances: A fat guy who's main color is green, and a somewhat annoying horse-like animal. Together they go on a huge journey, and have all kinds of strange adventures, including trying to cross a rope bridge but destroying it in the process, at the same time, each one discovering the friend he never had, while the fat green guy is trying to stop some homes from being destroyed. Sometime later in their journey, they encounter a ferocious kitty cat.
** ''{{Shrek}}'' or ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove''?
* This musical based off a children's book series has characters, including a FunnyAnimal and a rather messed up, unlucky guy as main characters, in a SliceOfLife series going through the seasons. Many adventures ensue, such as a story about flying a kite and various other mundane tasks. It also has very few actors, some playing the parts of others.
** ''[[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown]]'' or ''Theatre/AYearWithFrogAndToad''?
* The story centres on the only active human in a vast, almost lifeless expanse; his animal companion; and a slightly sinister character who orders them around, despite not having a proper physical form. The human's ultimate goals are to revive a woman he seems to care for and to return home with her. From a central base, he explores the wastes with his animal companion, while the other one stays back and leads from behind. Almost every living being they encounter is out to kill them. [[spoiler:The human does eventually get to 'revive' the girl, and the one without a physical form is reborn with a body. The human even gets a visit from other humans, but they think he's done wrong, then everything falls down and he's back to being almost alone. The other guy ''might'' be dead.]]
** Is the human's name [[Series/RedDwarf Dave]] or [[ShadowOfTheColossus Wanda]]?
* A child starts out treated badly in an orphanage and ends up adopted by a wealthy gentleman. Seeking to kidnap the child are a poor, money-craving person who takes care of orphans, a vicious criminal, and his girlfriend, [[spoiler: one of whom has a HeelFaceTurn in at least one version]]. The story takes place in a famous city, and one of the characters has a dog.
** Is the child named [[OliverTwist Oliver]] or Theatre/{{Annie}}?
* This films stars a pampered pet living in a certain part of the United States. After ending up in his/her species's native land (a Hispanic/Latino country) our protagonist is captured by humans planning on using him/her for illegal purposes. After escaping with the help of a friend of the opposite gender, the duo trek through the country to find our hero/heroine's owner. Meanwhile, these evil humans send their nasty pet off to find our protagonist and bring him/her back. This duo also encounters two locals who serve as comic relief. When the protagonist finds his/her owner, he/she finds love and has BabiesEverAfter. Also, the animal villain suffer an embarrassing fate right before the credits.
** ''{{Rio}}'' or ''BeverlyHillsChihuahua''?
* A girl with supernatural abilities travels through alternate universes, trying to find one that doesn't conclude in a BadEnd. In every world, she relives mostly the same period of time, and meets the same people. In the end, she is able to make a "good" world with the help of her TrueCompanions and ThePowerOfFriendship, and settle down. And somewhere around exists a "dark" version of said girl, which [[WildMassGuessing may be]] a fusion of the girl's alternate-reality selves.
** [[Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero Michikyuu Kanae]] or [[VisualNovel/HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi Furude Rika]]?
* A legendary hero takes on a quest for a blonde girl and, accompanied by his regular comrade, sets out to help her. Shortly after arriving, he befriends a young girl under the tutelage of a professor, and begins assembling a force of natives to accomplish his goals. The blonde spends much of the game in the custody of a seemingly cybernetic character whose intentions are unclear to begin with. The BigBad has an AI under his command, but it doesn't seem to know who to fight with. As the story progresses, the hero grows his fledgling army and travels through a forest, where he encounters a new female companion, before tackling a gigantic mech. Shortly after that, he visits a gloomy town with a dark secret. Before he can get the bottom of what's going on, he has to track down a character by visiting a variety of locations he has previously cleared. [[spoiler:The AI turns against its controller, but pays with its 'life'. The blonde is the final boss.]]
** Is the legendary hero's name [[PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor Mario]] or [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker Big Boss]]?
* A man whose first name is never given, but is referred to with a title, is bored with his life. He meets a badass guy who who the main character tries to be more like. Later he meets a girl, who eventually leaves him because he starts to go crazy. It is later revealed that the badass guy is actually [[spoiler: an alter-ego of the main character, who later "dies" due to a shot to the head.]]
** Is it ''AmericanIdiot'' or ''FightClub''?
* A DiabolicalMastermind creates a mechanical doppelganger of QueenVictoria to replace her during her diamond jubilee.
** ''TheGreatMouseDetective'' or [[spoiler: ''TheGirlInTheSteelCorset''?]]
* A very neurotic man gets a job at an establishment. He believes it something strongly, and tries to run a tight ship. However, most of his employees and guests are weird, and his wife is very tired of him. There isn't a day where something goes wrong at said establishment.
** ''TheBrittasEmpire'' or ''FawltyTowers''?
* These stunningly-beautiful, black-skinned nonhumans live underground and come to the surface only to raid for captives. They are considered to be some of the fiercest fighters in a WorldOfBadass and as a race are ShroudedInMyth. They worship a power-mad goddess, follow a religion which teaches that they are the MasterRace, and their aristocracy is noted both for its decadence and bloodthirstiness.
** Are they the drow of ''DungeonsAndDragons'' or the First Born of ''JohnCarterOfMars''?
* Boy gets famous for defeating a God-like villains. His two best friends get together in the end, and the boy gets an extremely powerful weapon. One of the bad guys turns out not to be quite as bad as he seems. His mentor is somewhat eccentric.
** HarryPotter or WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien?
* A group of people travel to places and always seem to get caught up in some kind of strange occurance. They have a vehicle that they travel in which may not be reliable and one of the groups companions has been or is a dog.
** ''Series/DoctorWho'' or ''ScoobyDoo''?
* This film is a cult classic, iconic for its use of BMovie tropes. In Cold War era America, a traveling couple are forced by circumstances to seek the hospitality of a hammy, EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette sexual deviant who employs an [[RedRightHand odd-looking]] CrustyCaretaker and isn't entirely human. It doesn't end happily, but at least [[FountainOfMemes many memes are spawned]] along the way.
** ''Film/ManosTheHandsOfFate'' or ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow''?
* This is the Gothic story of a highly talented but equally insane MadArtist from the early 1900s who is [[FacialHorror horribly scarred and disfigured]], hides behind a mask, dresses all in black, goes around killing people (strangulation being his specialty), and becomes obsessed with a woman who [[DramaticUnmask unmasks him dramatically]] after he kidnaps her. Remakes/adaptations of the original version move said MadArtist closer to the center as a VillainProtagonist, whereas the heroic female lead was closer to the center in the original version.
** ''ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' or ''Film/HouseOfWax1953''?
* An animated story about a career-driven loner who gets stuck in a small town, and reluctantly befriends the locals despite initially thinking they're all crazy. The aid of the protagonist's new friends is invaluable when they eventually leave the town to pursue their original goal. Once the excitement has died down, the protagonist adopts the small town as their new home.
** ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' or the pilot of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''?
* A Cold War era homoerotic bromance ends tragically when the depth of the friends' ideological differences becomes clear, and one of the guys winds up getting shot.
** Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr in ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' or [[spoiler: Jim Prideaux and Bill Haydon]] in ''Film/TinkerTailorSoldierSpy''?
* The sibling and partner of a beloved goddess is corrupted and turns into an intimidating, gothy villain who exemplifies DarkIsEvil. They're then banished to a dark, faraway realm, but set free by an astronomical event.
** [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Princess Luna]] or [[{{Pathfinder}} Zon-Kuthon]]?
* [[spoiler:[[SherlockHolmes Professor Moriarty]]]] seeks to [[WarForFunAndProfit start a world war]] in the late 19th century so he can sell his {{Steampunk}} weaponry to both sides and make a fortune, prompting the protagonists to stop him.
** ''SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows'' or ''Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' movie?
* Two people are stuck in a situation where they live together, even though they don't exactly get on. One is very neurotic and believes he is the best at everything, while the other is more laid back. They have two other friends that the laid back person likes more than the neurotic man. One friend is full of himself and thinks about sex all the time, and the other is of a different ethnic background, but is polite and timid. The laid back guy wants to date a girl that is from a different background than him, but the neurotic guy doesn't think it would ever happen. [[spoiler: The couple ''do'' get together in the end, though.]]
** ''TheBigBangTheory'' or ''Series/RedDwarf''?
* This story takes place during a war between Capitalist and Communist nations. Among the more notable characters on the Soviet side are a manipulative leader, a subordinate played by Andrew Divoff whose name starts with "Kr", and a worrysome scientist. [[spoiler:The scientist makes an attempt to defect to the Allies.]]
** Is Divoff's character [[VideoGame/CallOfDuty Kravchenko]] or [[RedAlert3 Krukov]]?
* An iconic duo in British popular fiction, consisting of a multitalented man who is far smarter than most of the other people in the cast, and his less intellectually brilliant devoted chronicler, who typically narrates their adventures. The genius, while never going into VillainProtagonist territory, can get into GoodIsNotNice or ManipulativeBastard territory at times. The chronicler is likable and popular with women, but his relationship with the genius outlasts any of his romances. Together, they're the most famous creations of a prolific author, and their adventures have been adapted into a Granada TV series.
** [[SherlockHolmes Sherlock Holmes and John Watson]] or [[Literature/JeevesAndWooster Bertie Wooster and Jeeves]]?
* Adventure series from the early '90s. A group of colour-coded adventurers travel through various diverse locations, known as 'Zones', trying to gather mystical jewels. Locations generally include ancient ruins and/or castles, mechanical environments and space stations. It often culminates in a time-limited showdown in space, where the jewels make things easier. Later adventures heavily involve a black-haired guy from the past, whose love interest is a dead girl on a space station.
** ''TheCrystalMaze'' or ''SonicTheHedgehog''?
* An animated film from the nineties with a message about nature and the environment. A native princess lives in a civilization in the forest with her father and crazy animal sidekick(s), and takes advice from a wise matriarchal figure. When some intruders show up to overrun their land, she meets a long-haired blond guy who wears blue. They learn about each other and fall in love. But a shirtless native is jealous, and an EvilBrit wants to take over their homeland. [[spoiler:The native and the guy don't end up together in the end.]]
** ''Disney/{{Pocahontas}}'' or ''[[FerngullyTheLastRainforest Ferngully?]]''
* Aired in the 1997-98 season, this TV series featured an extragovernmental organization hires five agents to [[SequelSeries continue]] its mission of fighting for justice and protecting mankind. The organization's original mentor is no longer at his post. These five agents are given five vehicles. These vehicles can combine into other machines.
** ''Series/TeamKnightRider'' or ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo''?
* An ordinary person meets a mysterious, anarchist DarkMessiah with big plans to change the world. Though some circumstance out of the persons control, they end up living with the Anarchist. Though the two trust each other from the start, it is not until after a [[NightmareFuel Horrific]] [[InitiationCeremony Initiation]] that the mysterious begins to trust the other person well. The mysterious persons forms a giant army, which [[spoiler: ends up in at least one hard to watch casualty]]. Also, [[spoiler: The DarkMessiah ends up dead, but his ideas live on]], and in the movie versions of both, [[spoiler: at least one important building collapses in an explosion set to CrowningMusicOfAwesome]].
** Is this ''FightClub'', Or is this ''VForVendetta''?
* He's capable of feats none of his contemporaries can match, and his assistance is frequently sought out by those around him. He's a canonical CelibateHero (although his love life has been the subject of some controversial extracanonical speculations) with a devoted friend and follower named John, and an association with a woman named Mary M. He makes a dramatic return from the dead after three standard units of time. The stories of his life and activities have become major influential texts in Western culture and spawned a devoted following around the world, as well as inspiring [[FountainOfExpies many fictional imitators and homages]]. In visual adaptations, he's normally depicted with dark hair.
** SherlockHolmes or [[Literature/TheBible Jesus of Nazareth]]?
* A tyrannical government forces children to play a game where they must to go to an isolated arena and simultaneously survive the elements and kill each other until only one if left standing, for a bunch of convoluted reasons that basically boil down to ForTheEvulz. During one of these games a young boy and girl with a shared history come together to help each other survive. Over the course of their journey it is revealed that one of them has had long held a crush on the other and the other eventually reciprocates the feelings. In the end they both survive the game by tricking the game makers and end up fighting the government that created it.
** ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' or ''Literature/BattleRoyale''?
* This series is notorious for its high levels of NightmareFuel and complex, ever-deepening plot without too many straight answers. One of the key figures is a man who's always seen smoking a cigarette, first appeared as a background character in the first season, and is involved with a shadowy group of conspirators. In the second season finale, the protagonist and a woman who has joined him on his quest get into a Mexican standoff with a murderous character named Alex K. The same woman disappeared mysteriously in Episode 6 of the season. Plenty of creepy men in suits lurk in the dark depths of the forest in:
** ''MarbleHornets''? Or ''TheXFiles''?
* He is a character that is incredibly well known. So well known that he's the first character you think of when you hear his name (A common male given name starting with the letter "M"). He's not only the main character, but he's also the mascot of his parent company and practically defines the very medium he mostly appears in, although he also appears in other ones from time to time. However, despite being so well known, apart from his status as a heroic [[TheEveryman Everyman]], his personality is deliberately kept flat. His friends and enemies have more personality and characterization then he does. He also has a penchant for wearing WhiteGloves and the media he appears in is usually very kid-friendly.
** Is this MickeyMouse or [[SuperMarioBros Mario]]?
* A MassivelyMultiplayerCrossover with truckloads of AlternateContinuity {{Disney}} characters, a BigBad obssessed with taking hearts and preventing happy endings, a town no one seems to know where it came from and that no one seems able to leave, where identites are split, erased, stolen, and re-written. Our hero (or at least he thinks he is) is a kid with light brown hair who can travel in and out of worlds as he pleases, armed with ThePowerOfLove, ThePowerOfFriendship, a journal containing the clues behind the massive conspiracy (albeit with plenty of incomplete data and false leads), and a keyring that seems to lock or unlock any door.
** Is that kid [[KingdomHearts Sora]] or [[Series/OnceUponATime Henry]]?
* A young girl with no parents, and a special locket as an OrphansPlotTrinket, dreams of having a loving family. She escapes from her evil guardian, only for a policeman to bring her back to said guardian, who pretends to be overjoyed about it. The second time she gets away, she becomes the subject of an advertisement that causes her to become a LivingMacGuffin due to how much money she is worth, especially for the guardian and her [[LargeHam hammy male accomplice.]] The girl ends up with a wealthy father who lives in a mansion, and her friends are given a home. A family musical with its share of [[EarWorm Ear Worms,]] an AwardBaitSong, and a VillainSong about wealth.
** It's ''Theatre/{{Annie}}'', right? Are you sure it's not ''[[spoiler:WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTheMovie]]''?
* A group of kids become friends and a hang out together. As their get to know each other a love triangle develops between them. One vertex of the triangle dies tragically and all of them drift apart. Several years later the one who was supposed to be dead appears before the main character and causes the once separated friends to come back together and repair their broken relationship. Also one of them is a bit of a jerk who wears fabulous clothes.
** Is it [[spoiler:Anime/AnoHanaTheFlowerWeSawThatDay]] or is it [[spoiler:VideoGame/TalesOfGraces]]?
* A famous musical film based on a book, widely hailed as a classic. A young girl [[TrueBlueFemininity wearing blue]] who has a small animal as a pet is unsatisfied with her normal life and sings an IWantSong expressing her longing to be in another world. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor Shortly afterwards,]] she is transported to a fantasy world that satirizes the real one, and becomes the [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Girl.]] She ventures through the world largely by "following" something. While there, she meets many different creatures, including a very unique cat, some talking plants, and a loud and intimidating political leader, whom she confronts. An evil woman becomes intent on killing her because of an accident that wasn't the girl's fault. In the end it turns out to have been AllJustADream.
** Wait, is this ''Disney/AliceInWonderland'' or ''Film/TheWizardOfOz?''
* After dying in an accident, a shiftless teenager gets a new job dealing with the supernatural and meets some bizarre new friends. TheGrimReaper turns out to be quite friendly.
** ''DeadLikeMe'' or ''Manga/YuYuHakusho''?
* The story centers around an OddCouple composed of a quirky, immature, dark-haired MrFanservice with unusual eating habits who wears a long billowy coat, and his shorter, lighter haired partner with post-traumatic issues. They investigate murders and have buckets of HoYay. The best-known villain of the series is a stylishly creepy SissyVillain-slash-EvilGenius who just can't stay away from billowy coat boy.
** ''YamiNoMatsuei'' or ''Series/{{Sherlock}}''?
* In RealLife: A ProgressiveRock band, who tinged their music with pop influences and partially for that reason was instrumental in popularizing the genre during their time period. They favored the traditional EpicRocking of ProgressiveRock, as well as frequent use of synthesizers. After their fifth album, commonly considered to be one of their best, they created for their sixth a two-disc RockOpera about the supernatural adventures of a boy in New York. Following this, the lead vocalist and frontman left the band and focused on a solo career; to cope with this, the band's drummer took up the mantle of lead vocalist. During this period in their history, the band released a self-titled album, which they had not done up to that point.
** Got to be Music/{{Genesis}}, right? Well, unless I'm talking about SpocksBeard...
* The story involves peril, adventure, and shadowy conspiratorial goings-on, but the emotional heart centers around an OddCouple of two men who are ''very'' fond of each other. The younger one is a genius GuileHero with killer cheekbones who has arguable sociopathic tendencies but remains on the side of good (in an antiheroic sort of way) and could even be seen as a bit of an understated woobie (or at least a sympathetic BrokenAce). The older one is a bit shorter, more cute than male-model handsome, very competent in his own skill set, and rather nicer than his partner. One of the guys has an AmbiguousDisorder. The other once served in the military and is an excellent shot. A sexually ambiguous dark-haired young man with a fondness for messing with the guys' heads makes an appearance as a villain. Who are this dynamic duo?
** Adamska and Hal, in Fanfic/{{Stray}}, or Sherlock and John, in Series/{{Sherlock}}?
* This is a series of British TV dramas, composed of multiple very short mini-series, that is based (with notable deviations) on a series of classic British tales that are icons of their genre. The title character is a tall, thin, pale BadassBookworm with curly dark hair, fangirl-bait cheekbones, and an aloof demeanor. He has a best friend/sidekick/foil who is a shorter, fairer-haired, more approachable BadassAdorable. They have lots of homoerotic subtext. One of the major supporting characters is an attractive in his own right older guy who functions as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure. A lot of the tension in the second miniseries is due to the machinations of an Irishman who has a thing against the main character. The last episode of the second miniseries involves a serious assault against the protagonist's reputation, and ends in a major character making a heartrending HeroicSacrifice.
** ''Series/{{Sherlock}}''? Or ''Series/HoratioHornblower''?
* A nerd with few friends is consistently baffled by someone in pink who has many friends, and finds a rival prone to boasting and gloating who knows magic.
** Am I talking about [[WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory Dexter]] or [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Twilight Sparkle]]?
* A sociopathic scientist from a background of poverty, who's last name ends with "er" Worked under a corrupt government/organization. This creep swallows his morals to perform horrible bio-experiments that threaten human lives. Eventually, he's confronted for his evil and presumed dead. In truth, he's become a victim of his own experiments, reborn as a bizarre hybrid creature. This new entity soon becomes obsessed with undoing his human self's crimes, even if he has to commit many more to do so. 
** [[{{Prototype}} Alex Mercer]] or [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Shou Tucker]]?
* A VideoGame {{Sequel}}. The protagonist of the first game has been kidnapped and is being held captive somewhere. Playing as their younger sibling, you have to rescue them.
** So then, am I talking about [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry Donkey Kong Country 2]], or VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaMk2?
* This is a famous cartoon series with a large PeripheryDemographic and is extremely popular over the internet, spawning [[FountainOfMemes hundreds of memes]]. The main protagonist's (who's VA's first name starts with a T) friends include a [[TheDitz ditzy]] pink BigEater, and an action-loving girl with a southern accent. There is also a villain who started out LaughablyEvil, but [[BewareTheSillyOnes turned out to be]] {{Not So Harmless Villain}}s, [[MoralEventHorizon brainwashing some of the main characters]] and turning the town into an awful hellhole, which was enough to get him onto the VileVillainSaccharineShow page. After this episode, the creator had stepped down. Also, in one episode, the friendly yellow character tried to become "more assertive" with the help of a mentor, but ended up losing friends. In another episode, the {{Workaholic}} kept on doing their job without getting any sleep, and went crazy from sleep deprivation. In fact, all of the main characters have had a [[FreakOut mental]] [[SanitySlippage breakdown]] at least once.
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' or ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants''?
* An [[TheAce incredibly talented human being]] [[BrokenAce with obvious mental problems]] [[DaydreamBeliever is so enchanted with]] [[ClicheStorm various fiction works]] [[MadDreamer that decides to live those adventures in]] RealLife. [[RealityEnsues The first time that human being intends to do so the results are disheartening]]. However, this human being knows another that seems to be it’s {{foil}}: A poor DeadpanSnarker [[ButtMonkey who will get always the worst part in this relationship]]. Together, they will have adventures in a work of fiction with no definite genre where they [[RealityWarper will change reality itself]].
** ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' or ''[[spoiler: Literature/DonQuixote]]''?
* A man wakes up finding he has superpowers which eventually develop into godlike power, turning him into an unstoppable tank. However he finds that he is not the only one, and must stop them from causing chaos in the city (which has been quarantined, resulting in a CrapsackWorld). Eventually he discovers a shady organization is behind the quarantine, and they want you dead.
** Prototype or inFamous?
* This is a really famous cartoon duo from the [[TheNineties 90's]]; two FatAndSkinny mammals. The skinny one is a {{Jerkass}} who bosses the fat one around, but has had JerkWithAHeartOfGold moments. The fat guy is [[TheDitz stupid]], red and farts a lot. Expect a lot of ToiletHumor when you see these two.
** ''[[WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow Ren and Stimpy]]'' or ''[[Disney/TheLionKing Timon and Pumbaa]]''?
* British science fiction series. A man from a North West English city, with a thing for leather jackets, ends up out of his time period. His immediate superior is a tall, authoritarian individual who is [[spoiler:technically dead]]. The man's colleagues include a guy who thinks he's a bit of ladies' man, and a bumbling but well-meaning character who lacks assertiveness. The man's love interest is also featured, but is not initially part of the team as such. The overall plot concerns the man trying to get home and, at first, to get back with his initial love interest. Along the way, he encounters his mother as a young woman, and meets himself as a child. He also finds out the truth about his apparently absent father. [[spoiler:He does eventually return to a version of his home time, but it's not quite the world he left. After a lot of soul-searching, he returns to the other time.]]
** ''Series/RedDwarf'' or ''Series/{{Life On Mars|2006}}''?
* A platonic life partnership made up of two individuals with distinctly different appearances and personalities: the dark-haired, creepy, eccentrically smart (at least in some areas) JerkWithAHeartOfGold with unconventional and somewhat disturbing interests, and his BadassAdorable MoralityPet. Fanart loves to play up the [[OneHeadTaller height difference]] between the two, with the creepy guy as the taller partner. One member of each pair wears a BadassLongcoat. The one in the coat is sometimes portrayed as high-functioning autistic in fanworks.
** [[Webcomic/{{Homestuck}} Equius and Nepeta]]? Or [[Series/{{Sherlock}} Sherlock and John]]?
* InAWorld where there exists a discrimination between two big groups of the population, a man who grew up among the less-fortunate group and believes that they are all being oppressed by the other group dons a mask due to horrible facial scarring resulting from this oppression and rallies the members of his group to rise up in a rebellion against the others. An outsider who originally had no plans to get involved in this conflict ends up being a key player in it, in no small part because of their desire to protect their friends. Along the way, the stranger learns that the masked rebel is being supplied with weapons from a corrupt dealer and focuses a significant part of his fury against a public figure with close ties to the state who turns out to be as bad as (if not worse than) the masked rebel. After this figure's malevolent nature is revealed to the public by a female subordinate, a confrontation occurs between him and the masked rebel which is a crucial point in the story.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E6TheCavesOfAndrozani Doctor Who and the Caves of Androzani]] or ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''?
* In this ElementalPowers animated series, whose theme starts with a roll call of the elements in the order "Earth, Fire, Air/Wind, Water," a group of ethnically diverse teenagers (mostly either orphaned or estranged from their parents) unite to save the world after moving in together on an island. The main romance is between a {{Tomboy}} with a focus on her [[BlowYouAway power over air]] and a boy with a DarkAndTroubledPast from the big city with [[PlayingWithFire power over fire]], who bicker as often as they flirt.
** ''CaptainPlanet'' or ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''?
* In a society divided sharply into two classes of people, the class that has been more or less abused and oppressed by the other for years rebels but goes too far, so they come across more as terrorists than as sympathetic rebels despite the fact that they have a point. They make the horrific punishment of members of the ruling class a recurring public spectacle. A foreign hero who lives across a channel of water from the CityOfAdventure arrives to stop the rebels and rescue their victims and has several loyal friends who willingly form their HeroSecretService. An inter-class romance is a major part of the plot. A woman from the rebels' class refuses to join them, believing them to be wrong. Two of the main characters lost their parents when they were children, prompting one to get a PromotionToParent and become very protective of their sibling. A suave, charismatic, cunning, and very talented ManipulativeBastard of a villain wants the much-younger-than-him heroine to work with him, but when she refuses, he takes her loved one(s) hostage to force her hand. Their confrontation ends with the heroine almost passing out from exhaustion at the end of a long journey before being carried to safety by the man she loves, when things have been rocky between them up until then. A major character has '''a lot''' in common with {{Batman}}.
** ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'' or ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''?
* A DeconstructiveParody in which a young man, well past the age of his chosen genre becomes so obsessed with the genre that he goes off and has delusions that make him consider himself to be a hero in said genre. Much conflict comes from his trying to impose the genre's tropes upon normal situations.
** HikoninSentaiAkibaranger or Literature/DonQuixote?
* The booksmart son of the most legendary hero of them all who just happens to be a tad thick when it comes to scholastics. Was separated from his friends and family at a very young age and is fighting to save them. He's got a timid personality which covers a very deep rage which gives him great power in exchange for giving him poor judgement. It was only once he started training under his father's old enemy, a monster out of legend (who really isn't all that bad anymore) that terrifies everyone in the world and is simultaneously centuries old and only a little older than himself, that he started truly coming into his own strength. Eventually, after training under a blonde of legendary power in an area that had much more time and space on the inside than it did on the outside, he mastered a form that made him a blonde as well, and during a tournament championship battle against a completely broken monster that seems to be able to do anything, he managed to make himself even blonder and more powerful than before. At various points in his story, he meets a brainy and powerful time traveler that claims to be something of an alien and related to someone he knows, who is trying to change the future.
** [[Manga/DragonBall Son Gohan]] or [[MahouSenseiNegima Negi Springfield]]?
* Introduced in the 4th generation of this popular children's franchise, She is thought of as the highest authority figure in the land, although she isn't a queen. She is equally powerful, beautiful and mysterious in plenty of ways, but at the same time she is modest about her position and prefers to be a mentor figure to the protagonist of this installment. At one point though, she did raise a dragon. However, despite her status in the series, the fandom has painted her as a MemeticMolester.
** [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Cynthia]], Champion of Sinnoh, or [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Celestia]], Princess of Equestria?
* [[AmbiguousDisorder Possibly autistic]] guy who likes to punch people has an awkward, chaste romance with a Chinese high school girl until he meets a mysterious, [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair blue-haired]] woman with a dangerous past and cosmic powers given to her by twisted experiments.
** ''ScottPilgrim'' or ''ZetaGundam''?
* An organization of {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s has an agenda to eliminate the access to ElementalPowers that the civilization and world of the series is based on. Their leader claims that this access to these elemental powers has caused nothing but pain and strife, a higher power has given him the right to rid the world of this access and will stop at nothing to achieve these ends. At first, they begin with simple protests and rallies, but as the story continues, they become more brazen and actively force the separation of the source from the local populace, committing acts of terrorism and eventually culminating in overthrowing the government. [[spoiler:It is revealed that the leader of this organization was abused as a child by his father for the purposes of being a TykeBomb and that "TheFace" of the organization has the exact powers that his organization is trying to get rid off.]]
** Is this [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Team Plasma]] or [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra The Equalists]]?
* In a city in an alternate-universe Earth, a group heavily based on rapid technological advancement and its introduction for use by the bulk of the population is suspected of partaking in less-than-savory activites by a loner. As he gradually finds out, this group is in fact in cahoots with the corrupt police force, running an operation to take poor people and criminals off the street in for their own operation, which entails their transformation into part-machine beings that have had most of their human will stripped away. The man behind the whole scheme, the group's leader, possesses a deranged pragmatism that dictates that it is but destiny that this operation should go through, bringing an age of metallic dominance upon the planet by wiping out all "imperfect" organic life. Together with a [[LaResistance group of rebels]] doing their best to oppose this group and its leader, the loner must use his own cunning and abilities to bring an end to the madman's scheme.
** [[VideoGame/{{Thief}} Thief II: The Metal Age]] or [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS2E5RiseOfTheCybermen Doctor Who and the Rise of the Cybermen?]]
* A parody of a beloved action genre wherein an inexperienced young man becomes a hero in order to stop an ArmyOfThievesAndWhores hired by a ruthless villain to depopulate a small backwater in order to make way for a lucrative transportation route.
** Film/BlazingSaddles or GekisouSentaiCarranger?
* A young hero who defies their community's strict leader and leaves their underground home to wander the post-apocalyptic wasteland in search of their father.
** [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Kamina]] or [[VideoGame/{{Fallout3}} The Lone Wanderer]].
* A LoonyFan of a particular style of heroic fiction who attempts to live out his fantasies for real, complete with its simplistic views of morality, dragging along his somewhat more sensible best friend and making things much worse for himself in the process.
** Literature/DonQuixote or [[MartianSuccessorNadesico Gai Daigoji]]?
* Now, let's see. We have: A team of archaeologists that dig out an ancient site that [[spoiler:turns out to be a spaceship]], a race of incredibly old giant alien beings that have visited Earth time after time in human history and have profoundly influenced human history, a scientist giving a presentation featuring pictograms from different human cultures depicting these beings, a True Believer who is still faithful even after having her beliefs obviously contradicted, a very old man manipulating everything for his own personal gain, a not-quite-human dude whose motives are never entirely clear, and several gruesome deaths.
** What does that add up to? ''Film/{{Prometheus}}''? Or is it the 1971 ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial ''The Dæmons''?
* A mere mortal gains ownership of a book [[ArtifactOfDoom of doom]] that could grant one powers akin to a God. Soon, people start falling victim to the power of the book and an investigation led by a genius of ImprobableAge begins. However, they fail to catch the master of the book [[LivingWithTheVillain even though said master is right under their noses]] as the book of doom continues to fill its pages with its many victims. It doesn't help that other-worldly immortals connected to the book are helping its mortal owner evade capture, and that the owner of the book is an idealistic youth who you would never suspect. Is the book's mortal master named Yagami...
** [[Manga/DeathNote Light]] or [[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs Hayate]]?
* A young man and his female hanger-on are dragged into a fight which blurs the boundaries between good and evil, thanks to [[spoiler:a major player on their side being in cahoots with the BigBad]]. On the way, they pick up someone investigating supernatural events (which ''everyone'' in the region seems to be involved in) with a {{Heterosexual Life Partner|s}} who leaves the plot after a while, a person with a close relationship to said investigator, and a strong person who ends up in a dark, small place often with a small group of people. Ultimately, the female hanger-on realizes that the male lead used to be part of the villainous organization, back when it wasn't outright ''evil'', only for another, worse one to take it's place. The ending is deliberately vague, allowing a more optimstic sequel to be made. In this world, the first game's events are generally unknown outside of legend.
** ''[[VideoGame/{{Persona 2}} Persona 2: Innocent Sin]]'' or ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum''?
* It's AfterTheEnd, and the protagonists end up being part of an attempt to fight for their lives and ultimately go to a better world than this one. Said protagonists are five adults who are given the ability to transform by the "government" of the desolated world. Among them is a StandardizedLeader, a bad boy who has a strong emotional tie to some mysterious girl who is important to the plot, a girl who is both TomboyAndGirlyGirl at different times, a PluckyComicRelief, and an intelligent person.
** ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'', or ''DigitalDevilSaga''?
* This story concerns a young, dark haired protagonist who doesn't interact with others a lot. On his journey, he meets a person who is initially quite hostile and has someone close to them injured, a girl who is only vaguely aware of the massive significance she has with the plot [[spoiler:and ends up having a god-like version of her be the final obstacle in the story]], an upbeat person with mother issues, and a boy with a dark secret that he doesn't reveal until right near the end. There's a dark-haired person who wears sunglasses during one point of the story and is [[spoiler:more villainous than he reveals, is ultimately not the BigBad]], and is related to one of the party members. There's also the chance for people to become reach a higher form of existence, but since the basis for this would be one entity linking them together, the girl and the protagonist stop it from happening. Also, the girl [[spoiler:has three different versions of her, and changes them throughout the story, but it is barely noticed until it becomes a plot point.]]
** This is obviously ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. Or is it ''VideoGame/{{Persona}}''?
* This notorious work of social oppression features a protagonist that, although appearing silent before the world, proves that he possesses a memorable personality. The story concerns this man's adventures as part of a group that rebels against an immeasurably large group known as the Combine, mainly against the member who operates closest to them. This is a figure the Combine wants the bulk of the populace to perceive as trustworthy and benevolent, but who in truth is cruel and manipulative. Near the story's end, this figure tries to put the silent protagonist's colleagues in doubt as to the true nature of a figure he views as a benefactor. Ultimately, the rebels' combined efforts, although insignificant to the Combine as a whole, manage to strip the figure of their authority for good.
** It's gotta be ''[[VideoGame/HalfLife2 Half-Life 2]]'', right? Or... is it ''Literature/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest''?
* (A) Member(s) of Law Enforcement from the distant future is stranded in the present after terrorists they were supposed to execute use a time machine to escape. While in the present they come across people who may have shaped the future they come from. There is much dilemma about how their actions will change the future both for better and worse.
** Series/{{Continuum}}, Series/PowerRangersTimeForce or MiraiSentaiTimeranger
* This Creator/CartoonNetwork DerangedAnimation series stars a mammal and a bird who live together in the same house. The bird is smarter than the mammal, though both have very hyper and [[OneOfTheKids childlike]] personalities. The two are commonly antagonized by a guy in red who [[ChewingTheScenery raises]] [[NoIndoorVoice his]] [[LargeHam voice]] a lot.
** ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'' or ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow''?
* Three incorporeal beings are looking for host bodies until their android shells are ready. Of these three, two are madly in love while the third is bitterly jealous and wants to break them up. He tries to talk the two of them into keeping their host bodies. The lovers are tempted, but realize it would be wrong to take what they promised only to borrow. Help comes from a powerful if unexpected source- also a disembodied being borrowing a host body.
** Is this the episode of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' known as "Return To Tomorrow" or the episode of {{Gargoyles}} known as "Possession"?
* A pair of fictional StarCrossedLovers (an UptownGirl and a young man [[InterClassRomance far below her own class]]) are separated forever by a real historical, disastrous, nightmarish tragedy involving water that resulted from a combination of the forces of nature and human incompetence/idiocy/laziness/complacency.
** The film ''{{Titanic}}'', or the novel ''In Sunlight, in a Beautiful Garden''?
* This young black-haired beauty has values that clash with those of her incredibly wealthy father. She falls in love with a young man (despite the bitter enmity between their peoples) whom she meets while he's trying to win a tournament to turn his desperate financial situation around. She saves his life, and there is mutual attraction between them for awhile, but he ultimately ends up with the girl he met before her (who is not a princess but is considered the incredibly important last hope for a victory, and was thus raised/sheltered/smothered like a princess all her life... a life she hates and thus rebels against her gaurdians' plans for her). She laments her loss but instead of turning into a raging ClingyJealousGirl or WomanScorned, she doesn't even get the least bit mad at or jealous of the other girl, and bears it all maturely through to the end. The LoveTriangle launched one of the most absurdly [[DieForOurShip unjust]] {{Shipping}} fandoms in history.
** Is she Rebecca of York of ''Literature/{{Ivanhoe}}'', or Asami Sato of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''?
* The protagonist of this dark, dreary piece starts out as a sad, dissatisfied everyman, whose experience with a woman suddenly causes his life to take an unexpected turn as he finds himself in the middle of a crisis that eventually comes to involve many deaths. Though the woman could be branded as the pivotal cause behind the crisis, it also revolves around a tough-guy figure that the protagonist comes to regard as his only true friend in a midst of people who treat him with contempt and adversity. As the story continues, however, the protagonist's mind becomes more and more broken, as he comes to perceive every truth and facet of the people that surround him. Things finally come to a headway at the end, as the woman is at her most helpful but the protagonist discovers that the tough-guy is in fact a[[spoiler:n ethereal, chaotic version of himself]], and the man directly responsible for all the death and destruction. After a final, decisive confrontation, only one of them survives, but it does little to quell the chaos and destruction that the tough-guy's scheming has caused.
** ''Literature/FightClub'' or ''[[VideoGame/{{Darkseed}} Darkseed 2]]''?
* This Japanese made series stars a particularly {{badass}} protagonist who has a good heart but his way of solving problems is through the merciless slaughter of hundreds of mooks using deadly techniques that he can [[PowerCopying copy]] from his opponents. His resolve is able to trump over even the mightiest of foes. However, there are a few other characters who can rival his strength and are notably badass themselves. The main motif of this series are stars.
** ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' or ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar''?
* In this film adaptation of a story that originated in print media, Edward Norton plays a mild-mannered person who has to deal with regularly losing himself to a completely uncontrollable alter-ego that revels in violence, chaos and destruction in a citywide scale.
** ''Film/FightClub'' or ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk''?
* Several years ago, a mysterious corporation (actually a subsidary of another corporation, which have a small role in the plot, but are more important in other entries into the series) conducted experiments on a supernatural being, and accidentally caused a disaster. In the present day, they try to make up for their mistake by getting teenagers to fight the protege of the supernatural being. These teenagers have powers which are a combination of personal trauma and the supernatural being, along with parts of it's body. These teenagers are - a robot girl who wants to become human, the heir to the mysterious corporation, a young man with a strong connection to his little sister, a girl who lost one parent to the mysterious corporation and doesn't have a good relationship with the other (mostly because of said surviving parent trying to remarry too soon), and a young man who is very enthusiastic about being involved in the battle, but is kept out due to his enthuasiasm (however, when it comes to the corporation's deadliest secrets, he manages to get a few victories). The protagonist is a dark-haired young man who tries to get emotional support in this confusing new world from his friends, only to discover that he is trapped in DysfunctionJunction. Add to all of this the religious symbolism and a ClassTrip. Eventually they meet a new boy, who turns out to be the final one of the supernatural being's protege, and is also what is left of said being after the experiments. His death causes the cast to mope around until the end of the world, leaving an unresolved ending full of FridgeHorror, or there is another version where they try to fight. One character ends up dying, but can survive due to the fact that they AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence. Eventually, it falls to our protagonist to save humanity from it's own self-destructive wishes.
** Is this young man's name [[spoiler:[[{{Persona3}} Minato]] or [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji]]?]] There, now that you can't unthink it, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLbpsxTLeGg go and watch this.]]
* A group of heroes, harness ThePowerOfFriendship to defeat a villain. They must find a set of Macguffins that concentrates their positive moral traits into a semi-physical power. Two of the heroes have younger siblings. At the end, it turns out that the power was inside them all along. 
** Were they using the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Elements of Harmony]]? Or the [[Anime/{{DigimonAdventure}} Crests and Tags]]?
* This television show features a preteen protagonist who manages to step up and save the day despite being entirely too young to be gallivanting around the world. He is determined to become a master but is easily distracted and often runs off to chase after various [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter strange yet adorable animals.]] His favorite creatures are a pointy-eared critter from his old home and a big beast with a bit of an attitude problem that the protagonist can fly around on. At one point he is separated from the flying beast and is emotionally distraught until they reunite. He is accompanied on his journey by two teenagers, one of whom is a girl with an affinity for water and a motherly nature, although she has been known to deliver AmusingInjuries to her often exasperating companions. She originally sticks with the protagonist because he can help her get something she needs, but soon grows to care for him. The mutual attraction between her and the younger boy is obvious but the tension won't be resolved anytime soon. The final member is the oldest of the trio, and thinks of himself as very adult and responsible. He felt limited by his responsibility to be the "man of the house" back home, which is partially why he follows the other two on their crazy adventure. He is actually incredibly competent at what he does, a fact that is often obscured by his remarkable ability to act like a total doofus, especially when attractive girls are present. Throughout their travels, [[PowerTrio our heroes]] find themselves pursued by a duo of [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Ineffectual Sympathetic Villains]] attempting to gain the respect of their superior, who is much more sinister and enjoys [[TheFaceless standing with his face obscured by shadows.]] 
** ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', right? Or... ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''?
* A TropeOverdosed animated work depicting the epic, world-changing adventures of a diverse group of undersupervised young people. While there are obvious fantastic elements, it falls well outside the conventions of MedievalEuropeanFantasy. The cast includes a kind, goofy boy on the brink of adolescence who has air-related elemental powers; a snarky teenage boy with a sword who acts as the Manly Man to the air-power boy's Sensitive Guy; a rather femme ActionGirl (whose name begins with the letter K) who tries to be the TeamMom to her similarly-aged friends and has unusual supernatural attributes associated with blood; a badass blind girl (whose name begins with a T) who learned an unusual means of nonvisual perception from supernatural creatures; a sympathetic paraplegic boy (whose name also begins with a T) with a flying wheelchair; an adorable flying bovine; a BadassAdorable girl with some {{Animesque}} traits who has an OddFriendship with a much less cutesy young aristocrat; a snarky young lady who is the Dark Feminine of a LightFeminineDarkFeminine pair and wields pointy objects; a highly competitive, manipulative, very troubled adolescent girl with an abusive parental figure, who is associated with the color blue and belongs to a technologically advanced, militaristic culture; and a cranky but sympathetic adolescent male from the same culture as the aforementioned troubled girl, who is the descendent of a Messianic figure and something of a foil to the goofy boy with wind powers. The series has a large, active fandom, including an abundance of {{Shipping}}, which the creators are aware of and have affectionately parodied.
** ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' or ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''?
* A talented, highly eccentric individual from a Commonwealth country relocates to a large American city and grows close to a snarky American of a different ethnic background. They fight crime!
** ''Series/DueSouth'' or ''Series/{{Elementary}}''?
* Set in a BadFuture version of London, this story features a society ruled over by a sinister, shadowy group whose leaders rarely, if ever, show their face in public, and if they do, it is done in disguise, mostly presenting themselves to the public via a popular personification of themselves as a whole. Despite a pretty general perception of this group being malevolent, most of the population nonetheless works for them, if only to keep their livelihood. Many of them wear blue overalls constantly, while the group's most trusted members wear black. While they try to run a mostly normal life, they know that holding any sort of contempt towards the group will bring them trouble, and so if they do, they try their very best to keep their opinion secret. The plot concerns a man who finds himself in this society but bears a strong link to the past, having lived in a time before the group seized power, with a distinct memory of an event concerning an explosion that was part of what eventually led to that. Seeking the help of the worker class, this man leads a furtive campaign against the group and their leaders after a figure he silently trusts gives him a message indicating that there are more people behind their cause. Along with his younger companion who also dresses in blue, this man meets the figure and begins to take part in a clandestine rebellion against the group's highest authorities. Along the way, the pair stumble into an old-fashioned business run by a bushy-haired caretaker [[spoiler:who later turns out to be a villain, and holds them hostage.]] At the climax's beginning, it turns out that [[spoiler:not only was the pair's supposed ally playing them, he is ultimately THE villain of the story.]]
** ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour''? ...or ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheUnwoundFuture''?
* Discomfiting information comes to light when a young adult does some genealogical research and discovers their mixed ancestry.
** ''Literature/TheShadowOverInnsmouth'' or ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117589/ Secrets & Lies]]''?
* The hero (Chris Evans), having spent to beginning of the story getting the crap beaten out of him, is injected with an experimental serum as part of a plan to defeat a superpowered villain working for a totalitarian government.
** ''[[CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Captain America: The First Avenger]]'' or ''{{Film/Push}}''?
* This Japanese show takes an odd look at the superhero concept. In it, monsters exist in parallel worlds and only those who become superheroes can fight them. Wishes and contracts are involved with being a superhero, though there is no way out of it once the contract is made, and you must fight. [[spoiler:One hero in yellow is taken out early on, emphasizing [[AnyoneCanDie the]] [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne tone]] for the story]]. Another hero, who is the second main character, makes their wish to heal the one they love after they got into a horrible accident, fights with a sword, and dons a cape. One of the pivotal players of the story is [[spoiler:a time traveler who is clearly more powerful than the other heroes combined and uses GameBreaker powers. They keep repeating time just to save the one they love most from a tragic death, who in the end tells them to stop, ending the vicious cycle once and for all, at the cost of the person's life]].
** Are the heroes [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Magical Girls]] or [[KamenRiderRyuki Kamen Riders]]?
* A young, idealistic protagonist befriends a much-imitated {{pirate}} with a very memorable method of speech and occasional trouble walking, who makes a point of insisting that he [[TheyCallMeMisterTibbs be addressed as a captain]] despite the questionable legitimacy of his claims to commanding. The pirate becomes TheMentor, before betraying the protagonist's side for the sake of power and financial gain. However, he turns out to be not so bad after all and puts himself in great danger to save the protagonist from being killed by the other pirates. In exchange for this, the protagonist helps the pirate escape execution by the British crown. The pirate's initials are JS.
** Does that stand for [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean Jack Sparrow]] or [[TreasureIsland John Silver]]?
* In this {{Disney}} movie, a strange young girl who is bullied by others makes an unlikely friend who was created to be bad and destroy things. At some point, this friend ends up destroying something personal to the girl and she hates him for it. However, the supposedly bad friend does something to regain the girl's friendship.
** ''Disney/LiloAndStitch'' or ''Disney/WreckItRalph''?
* She is the dominant power over her domain, she maintains a nuclear reaction, she has a thing for "testing" in some form or another, and she has made herself infamous for trolling. She is mostly white with yellow/gold accents, and she has a thing for cake that she will never live down. She's also appeared suspended from the ceiling.
** [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Princess Celestia]], or [[{{VideoGame/Portal}} GLaDOS]]?
* This far-right-wing author is remembered for: works devoted to promoting the virtues of capitalism and the folly of redistribution of wealth written in the 1930s-50s; creating heroes who are condemned by others for their {{greed}}, but they are proud of the fact that they earned their fortunes [[SelfMadeMan on their own]], [[HonestCorporateExecutive honestly]], and by being tougher and smarter than everyone else; and writing a romance where a man keeps a woman imprisoned for a month, working for him in his private kingdom of a hidden valley.
** Is it CarlBarks or AynRand?
* The story's central conceit is that mythic figures of childhood like Jack Frost, the Tooth Fairy, and of course the jolly fat man who brings presents at midwinter are real...not only that, but it's very important that children continue to believe in them, both for their own sake and for humanity's. The villain wishes to dispel that belief and twist children's thoughts to his own purposes. Part of his plan involves invading the Tooth Fairy's realm and stealing the stored teeth. The main protagonist is a relative newcomer to this "mythic figure" business who initially doesn't want to get involved but ultimately becomes devoted to the cause, and the belief of a child close to that person proves instrumental in defeating the villain.
** ''RiseOfTheGuardians'' or ''{{Discworld/Hogfather}}''?
* This computer-animated franchise is aimed at young girls but has a notable PeripheryDemographic due to being more smartly written and not nearly as saccharine as people would expect given previous iterations of the franchise. It is set in a society of magical beings who oversee the changing of the seasons, ruled by a female monarch associated with golden light. The central protagonist is a relative newcomer to her community who has trouble fitting in at first but soon establishes herself as intelligent and resourceful. The other five main female characters include a ditzy girl, a grower of plants with a Southern accent, a girl who is good with animals, a girl who makes things sparkle, and a snarky girl who is very smug about her flying speed. Each entry in the franchise teaches a lesson about friendship.
** We've all seen ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. Have we all seen the ''DisneyFairies'' movies?
* This young adult {{dystopia}}n trilogy, centered around StarCrossedLovers, is told in the present-tense and first-person point of view of an older teenaged female protagonist who is named after a plant that starts with the "''k-''" sound and contains the letters ''i'', ''a'', and ''ss''. This is unsurprising, since her mother works with plants and has an extensive knowledge of them. She lives in a nation ruled by a totalitarian regime that exploits the lower classes to provide the BreadAndCircuses to keep the higher classes happy. She is protective of her one younger sibling whose one-syllable name is spelled "consonant"-''r''-"vowel"-''m''. She eventually teams up with another young ally whose name contains three letters and reminds someone strongly of aforementioned younger sibling. A StepfordSmiler female chaperone is assigned to watch her every move and keep her in line. She is torn between her feelings for her oldest, best friend and a boy who once made a strong impression on her when they were children but whom she barely noticed until the ruling powers threw them together for their own sadistic entertainment. Both boys, despite being rivals, are devoted to her and [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy just want her to be happy]]. Their safety at one point requires her pretending she's madly in love with someone. She ultimately falls for the second boy, and the two of them are sent away with other young people from their nation's outlying districts to be sacrificed over a period of several weeks. The story then focuses on survival in the wilderness and having to make difficult, painful choices about weighing your own survival against others'. They are eventually taken in by the rebellion against the totalitarian government, despite the fact that they can't be trusted any more than the government they're rebelling against. There are frequent references to "odds."
** ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' or ''Literature/{{Matched}}''?
* A black-haired teenager attends a boarding school that teaches magic. The teenager learns that they are destined to fight and undead sorcerer they had encountered as an infant and who was responsible for their father's death. The undead sorcerer is revealed to have been very handsome in life, but is now a horrifying monster. Along the way, the teenager must rescue their future love interest from a form of magical captivity and is aided by a [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] [[TheAtoner atoner]] who makes no secret of his dislike for them, but aids them anywar for personal reasons. The final battle takes place back at the boarding school where the students and an adult fighting force must team up to prevent the undead sorcerer from recovering his SoulJar. The story is set in a world where there is a sharp divide between magical and mundane and many {{muggles}} don't believe magic exists, and one of the major themes is that using magic to cheat or control death is a violation against the natural order. 
** Is the teenager named ''Literature/HarryPotter'' or ''[[OldKingdom Sabriel]]''?
* This video game from the Noughties, often considered the third in its series, features a protagonist whose name is derived from the way he goes about missions and the name of a reptile. He is sent on a mission to a faraway land, because his superiors believe him to be the only one capable of doing it. He starts by chasing a woman who has handed some valuable items from the protagonist's land to a depraved villain with sinister intentions for them. He is assisted by, among others, an English-accented military man with a lot of ''[[JamesBond Bond]]'' references about him, a large but intelligent individual who provides equipment support, and a blonde woman who appears to be straddling both sides. Eventually, he arrives at the villain's mountain base, scorches them and blasts them into something. The villain [[ImplacableMan somehow survives]] to return for a vehicular battle, after which they finally meet their burning demise. [[spoiler: The female antagonist is ultimately killed in a final showdown at a lake.]]
** The protagonist: is he [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3 Naked Snake]] or [[VideoGame/SpyroYearOftheDragon Spyro the Dragon]]?
* This movie start with the protagonist, an American doctor, and his wife coming to a Western European capital, where he is supposed to attend a scientific conference. They are driven from the airport to their hotel by an immigrant taxi driver. After the two arrive to the hotel, something unexpected and highly unusual happens. This makes the protagonist think there's a criminal conspiracy threatening the life of his wife. The protagonist tries to convince the hotel staff, as well as other local authorities, of the conspiracy, but they remain incredulous. He can't get the American embassy to help him either. So the protagonist has to investigate the mystery alone, in a foreign city whose language he doesn't speak. A black immigrant man leads to him a local woman who might be able to help him. This woman is streetwise, works on the shady side of the law, and is much younger than the middle-aged protagonist, but there is UnresolvedSexualTension between the two. The woman agrees to help the protagonist if he'll pay her. She takes him to her apartment. While they are there, [[spoiler:some bad guys burst in.]] The protagonist is in the bathroom when this happens, and he [[spoiler:manages to escape through the bathroom window and via the roof. He comes back to the apartment and confronts the bad guys.]] The protagonist finds out the key to the mystery lies in [[spoiler:a suitcase he and his wife had lost at the airport.]] He and the local woman get [[spoiler:the suitcase]], which indeed helps to solve the mystery. It turns out the conspiracy involves [[spoiler:the theft of a top secret technological innovation, as well as Middle Eastern politics.]] In the finale, [[spoiler: one of the two potential love interests for the protagonist is killed, while he gets away with the other.]] The movie ends with a shot of them leaving the city behind in a moving vehicle.
** Are we talking about ''{{Film/Frantic}}'' or ''{{Film/Unknown}}''?
* A man and a woman are shipped to a remote location and go on largely separate missions which are, ultimately, crucial to each other's success. Guided to some extent by MissionControl, they acquire keys and make their way towards a common goal before a deadline. Both are pursued by a tall, blond, [[LargeHam gleefully hammy]] man with a long coat, who is known only by a code name. He often gets around by helicopter, but he can and does use other forms of transport when he needs to, and at least once disguises himself as a good guy to dupe someone.
** Is this ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' or ''{{Interceptor}}''?
* A race of peaceful, yet dangerous and bizarre looking aliens that can[[HotSkittyOnWailordAction apparently mate with other species]] arrives on earth. They can't communicate with humans, and are immediately shut off from the rest of society, referred to by derogatory names. A young man with an unusual name is imprisoned for experimentation after coming into contact with the aliens (or their technology). Eventually, he develops a friendly bond with the aliens. In the end, the creatures rebel against their captor, escape, and the hero is left permanently changed by his time with them. 
** ''{{District9}}'' or the ''{{Goosebumps}}'' novel ''Egg Monsters From Mars''? 
* A person who, despite wanting to live a normal life, was forced as a youth to become a player in a conflict between two ancient groups, who have been quarreling for centuries over what should be done with some of the most powerful forces known to their worlds. This person is originally trained by an older mentor who is related to one of their parents as to how to effectively oppose the more villainous group, though this same mentor is eventually killed by one of the villainous group's leading figures. Over the course of their first major adventure, this person is also aided, supported and even admired by nearly everyone sympathetic to their cause, [[spoiler: so they find it quite a surprise when they reach the end that they are ''not'' the most crucial figure in their own crusade, but that said title instead corresponds to someone they barely know anything about, in a scene that ends up making them feel like a glorified errand boy despite everything they've been through.]] Even after this, they still manage to find the determination to keep leading the heroes and continue their struggle for justice, despite being noticeably more jaded by their experience.
** [[VideoGame/TheLongestJourney April Ryan]] or [[Franchise/AssassinsCreed Ezio Auditore]]?
* This 3-part {{dystopia}}n saga tells the story of a heroine's struggle against a totalitarian government TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture. She finds the organized LaResistance against the totalitarian regime in the third installment. As a teenager, she is OneOfTheBoys. She has one sibling. Her closest female companion in the story dies. She is at the center of a [[LoveTriangle love]] [[LoveDodecahedron polygon]], but all the men who are madly in love with her [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy want her to be happy]] no matter whom she chooses and are willing to do anything to protect and aid her, protect and aid the man she loves, and help them be together. Her oldest, closest [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friend]] DidNotGetTheGirl. At one point, she must track down the man she loves in a wilderness full of obstacles; she finds him, but they are eventually separated again for a while. She snaps when the man she loves is taken prisoner by the government. The ending is ambiguous; who survived is clear, but the future of their society is not. The plot features significant references/parallels to figures/stories from Greek mythology.
** ''AtlasShrugged'', ''TheHungerGames'', or ''Literature/{{Matched}}''?
* The protagonist is a 16-year-old {{tomboy}} associated with Fire. She is in a LoveTriangle with 2 boys with opposite personalities -- one is more aggressive, brooding, a fierce and tough warrior, a protective big brother who has been [[PromotionToParent promoted to parent]], slowly starts to realize he's in love with her long after they first met, and is also associated with Fire; the other is very strong but also sweet, sensitive, good at cheering people up, fell almost in LoveAtFirstSight with her, and is associated with the green Earth of spring. Her closest female friend is a beautiful, SpoiledSweet rich girl who is in love with the first boy but doesn't end up with him. The watch-able form of the story premiered in spring of 2012.
** ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' or ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''?
* Police detective in the Pacific Northwest is blessed or cursed with a magic he doesn't understand and can't control and finds that the world is a much more complicated and less cut-and-dried place than he thought he was. His guide and teacher in using his new magic and navigating this more complex world is a civilian with lupine qualities.
** ''Series/TheSentinel'' or ''Series/{{Grimm}}''?
* In this movie from the mid-90s, a highly successful comedian plays a divorced father who feels he doesn't get to spend enough time with his offspring. He assumes an alternate identity that massively changes his appearance, including a great deal of weight gain. This enables him to get the family time he craves, but when his ex-wife and her new paramour discover the situation, they think he's mentally ill and get his visitation rights revoked. Fortunately, the dad is able to use his new role to benefit children in general and prove his sincerity, and he makes peace with the ex and resuming seeing his kid(s), now with a better understanding of what responsible parenthood entails.
** ''MrsDoubtfire'' or ''TheSantaClause''?
* This is a video game from the first half of the Noughties. A man, who is the shorter of two brothers, arrives in an exotic town. His plane has barely touched down when he is framed for a crime. The authorities let him go, with the provisos that he doesn't leave the location and that he does what they tell him. The man sets off on a quest which takes him all around the town and its surrounding areas, and spends much of the game trying to track down a portly individual who likes to pretend he's a good guy. The protagonist can use a jetpack.
** Is this man [[GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas Carl Johnson]] or [[SuperMarioSunshine Mario]]?
* This dark-haired and dark-skinned girl possess a unique and incredible ability for the setting, but was kept isolated for most of her life. As a result, she isn't used to others and lacks social graces. She met a teacher who helps her with her abilities who could easily be the BigGood but doesn't take a very active role in the story. At the beginning of the story proper, her only friend wasn't the same species and is usually thought of as very ferocious, but is very friendly towards her. As the story progresses, she gains more friends. [[spoiler: The girl later masters this ability and gains an incredible power and a title through some sort of trial, but this is considered to be a BaseBreaker for the fanbase.]]
** Is this [[VideoGame/{{Pokemon}} Iris]], [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra Korra]] or [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Twilight Sparkle]]?
* The plot of a LesYay-filled, female-focused fantasy story starts when an insecure girl with a FriendlessBackground and NoSocialSkills starts at a new school, and is soon taken under the wing of a happy-go-lucky, naive GenkiGirl whose colour motif is pink, and who has been training her skills in magic. The offer to become a magic-user is given to our protagonist as well, and she accepts it - but after initially doing this favour for the benevolent-seeming WellIntentionedExtremist villain, she goes on the run to use her magical powers to rebel against a world-spanning corrupt system. After she tries and fails several times to stop her naive friend from helping out the villain, she ends up stoic and cynical. The story ends with the protagonist's friend finally understanding what the protagonist had been trying to tell her all along, and in a moving scene, they promise to never forget each other, and the protagonist's friend promises to finally succeed in what the protagonist had spent the story attempting to do. A subplot of the story concerns a magic-using girl who is slowly driven to evil by her love for a boy who can't love her back.
** Is this story ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' or ''{{Theatre/Wicked}}''?
* A small, fictional town in rural Japan has been plagued by a string of serial killings with which the police have not been able to find any leads to. It just so happens that around the same time as these killings unfold, a group of high school students awaken to a power that allows them to call forth a manifestation of their will that can fight alongside them. With these new found powers, these students hope to uncover the mystery behind these killings, and bring the culprit to justice.
** ''JoJosBizarreAdventure'' Part 4: Diamond Is Not Crash, or ''{{VideoGame/Persona 4}}''?
* Once upon a time, there were two siblings, one responsible for a major component of the day, the other of night. The night sibling felt unappreciated, and so decided to remove the day sibling's work. As a result, the day sibling sealed the night sibling away with a rock orbiting in space. However, the seal has begun to come undone...
** [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Nightmare Moon]] or [[Wiki/SCPFoundation He-Who-Made-Dark (look up SCP-435)]]?
* The main character's caretaker initiates a genocide against the people he despises, so he and his plucky friends must save everybody before things get out of hand. It's a musical and the VillainSong is very famous.
** Is it ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' or ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut''?
* A streetwise redhead from New York City ends up in a new land full of strange and funny characters. Our hero introduces his new friends to many things from New York and a sort-of CultureClash ensues. Two of the friends are an egotistical {{Jerkass}} and a scientific genius and inventor.
** Is it ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'' or ''WesternAnimation/MikeLuAndOg''?
* A group of peoples that have lived among humanity since its beginnings, but have always conspired to rule and manipulate others from the shadows. Many believe that the biblical Cain was their first member. Their most outspoken leaders seek peace and order through control and coercion, though there have been known cases of members of the group exploiting the benefits of being a member ForTheEvulz, and others who change their mind and attempt to rebel against the other members, having come to hate what it means to be a member of that group.
** [[VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines Vampires]] or [[Franchise/AssassinsCreed Templars]]?
* An Ordinary High School Girl discovers a supernatural family. She ends up in a LoveTriangle with two guys of feuding species (an aloof PrettyBoy and a macho dude with {{Shapeshifting}} issues) who still manage to overcome their prejudices when the girl is in trouble. She marries one of them eventually.
** Is it a popular [[Literature/{{Twilight}} novel]] or [[Manga/FruitsBasket manga]]?
* In a place where old-style values are a way of life, SinisterMinister accuses a sweet innocent of witchcraft and leads a hunt to burn and lynch him.
** ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' or ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman''
* Long ago, the solar system had a Golden Age, every planet had life, and the Moon was its capital. A great darkness escaped; and killed off all worlds but Earth; and only the child of the ruler of the Moon was left. Centuries later, that child brings together a force to defeat the darkness and bring about a new Golden Age. 
** Are we talking about ''Anime/SailorMoon'' or ''Literature/TheGuardiansOfChildhood''?
* '''MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD:''' A race of WellIntentionedExtremist aliens comes to Earth to halt the eventual destruction of the universe. Unfortunately for humanity, this plan involves [[StealthPun raising]] an army of the undead. The aliens give several [[HannibalLecture Hannibal Lecture]]s telling the human protagonists that they really should've been more careful in their endeavors when they discover the full depths of the aliens' terrifying plan. The story ends after the climactic final battle, with the zombie army being dissolved. This production is by far the best-known work of its creator.
** [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica One]] is a Japanese anime that is acclaimed by many (and [[ReferenceOverdosed Reference]]/TropeOverdosed); [[Plan9FromOuterSpace the other]] is an American movie made by "[[EdWood the worst director of all time]]", and is often considered the TropeCodifier for SoBadItsGood. (Yeah, I'm going to hell for this one.)
* A certain young girl remains stubbornly optimistic despite the misery and horror of her surroundings in this anime produced by Creator/StudioShaft and directed by AkiyukiShinbo, even when her own normal life comes to an end. Through her sacrifice she is able to save several critically depressed girls from their own misery. No one remembers her now, but she still kindly watches over her acquaintances. This anime stars AiNonaka, ChiwaSaitou and YukoGoto among others (including RyokoShintani, who plays a "normal" girl in this fantastic universe), and is noted for its use of DerangedAnimation and cynical worldview (most of the time).
** Is this ''[[spoiler:Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica]]'' or ''[[spoiler:SayonaraZetsubouSensei]]''?
* A geriatric old man with a speech impediment and an extremely unpleasant demeanour who is almost always seen sitting down. He finds himself surrounded by criminals in multiple occasions. In his youth, he was an overzealous supporter of a powerful group, and became widely feared along those who knew of his activities.
** [[Series/FatherTed Father Jack Hackett]] or [[Series/BreakingBad Hector Salamanca]]?
* A duo consisting of a man and woman of similar ages and different ethnic backgrounds, who are very close friends. The man is an eccentrically clever (bordering on {{Cloudcuckoolander}}) BadassBookworm who is probably [[AmbiguousDisorder not entirely neurotypical]]. He's not very socially adept in the conventional sense, but he is, in his eccentric way, a keen student of human behavior. The woman is a conscientious BrainyBrunette with some [[WellDoneSonGuy Well Done Daughter Girl]] traits. She's not very tall or overtly intimidating looking, but you do ''not'' want to mess with her. One of the characters has struggled with substance abuse.
** [[Series/{{Community}} Abed Nadir and Annie Edison]] or [[Series/{{Elementary}} Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson]]?
* This is the third film in a series, following a reboot of a franchise. While the first movie was a DarkerAndEdgier {{Deconstruction}} of the source material, by this point, DeconReconSwitch is in full effect, the film explores the positive role the protagonist plays in the world. The protagonist is menaced by a [[MagnificentBastard brilliant]] villain with a weird accent and facial deformity, who wants to destroy everything the protagonist stands for. Finally, while earlier entries in the series had avoided this kind of thing, this film includes a popular character from the source work as well as another character who is revealed to be such via a FullNameReveal. 
** ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' or ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''?
* Humanity is threatened with extinction by the recently-awakened lifeforms who were meant to become the planet's dominant species before the microorganisms that most life evolved from arrived on Earth. It's up to a group of dangerously maladjusted young people to either save the world or put it out of its misery.
** ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'', of course. But have you ever heard of the ''RiftersTrilogy''?
* A [[TheCharmer charming]] ne'er-do-well saves the life of an adorable furry nonhuman, who thereafter is his loyal companion. The aforementioned rogue gets mixed up in a sympathetically portrayed rebellion. With CharacterDevelopment, he becomes less self-centered, becomes a true hero of the rebellion (despite being a BadassNormal in a world in which supernatural powers exist), and wins the heart of a princess. The evil ruling regime is lead by two characters with extraordinary abilities: a [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] [[ShockAndAwe lightning-wielder]] and a FallenHero WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds whose turn to the dark side was driven by a combination of LoveMakesYouEvil and the [[TheCorrupter other villain's]] machinations. 
** ''Film/OzTheGreatAndPowerful'' or ''StarWars''?
* TheHero lives in an isolated rural area. However, his adopted father has been adventuring abroad and taken home a sword which the hero later uses. The hero is informed by TheObiWan that he is important to the fight against a great enemy to the world. He flees from the enemy with a few friends. Later TheObiWan makes a HeroicSacrifice but eventually he/she gets better.
** ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' [[http://13depository.blogspot.se/2002/03/lord-of-rings-parallels.html or]] ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime?
* The protagonist is a prince who just can't wait to be king; the villain is his close relative and EvilPrince who plans to steal the throne from him and is such a successful ManipulativeBastard that the prince trusts him unquestionably. The villain forms an alliance with his people's enemy, only to double-cross them at the end. The villain tricks the hero into going somewhere beyond the kingdom's borders, where his father has expressly forbidden him to go, and he almost gets killed before said powerful father swoops in and saves him. After this, the prince leaves his kingdom to live in a different, very unfamiliar place, where he meets his love interest and a wise, older mentor, while the villain takes over the kingdom. The villain also tricks the prince into believing he killed his father, even though the audience is shown this is a [[BlatantLies blatant lie]]. The prince returns to his kingdom after some other residents leave and find him, learns the truth about his father, defeats the villain in a one-on-one fight on a ledge (from which the villain falls but doesn't die), and has not only grown stronger as a result of his trials but learned that being king doesn't mean doing whatever you want to whoever you want all the time but [[ComesGreatResponsibility comes with great responsibility]].
** ''Disney/TheLionKing'' or ''Film/{{Thor}}''?
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5th Apr '13 10:52:05 AM DaibhidC

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5th Apr '13 10:51:36 AM DaibhidC

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4th Apr '13 6:41:04 AM Lale

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* The protagonist is a prince who just can't wait to be king; the villain is his close relative and EvilPrince who plans to steal the throne from him and is such a successful ManipulativeBastard that the prince trusts him unquestionably. The villain forms an alliance with his people's enemy, only to double-cross them at the end. The villain tricks the hero into going somewhere beyond the kingdom's borders, where his father has expressly forbidden him to go, and he almost gets killed before said powerful father swoops in and saves him. After this, the prince leaves his kingdom to live in a different, very unfamiliar place, where he meets his love interest and a wise, older mentor, while the villain takes over the kingdom. The villain also tricks the prince into believing he killed his father, even though the audience is shown this is a [[BlatantLies blatant lie]]. The prince returns to his kingdom after some other residents leave and find him, learns the truth about his father, defeats the villain in a one-on-one fight on a ledge (from which the villain falls but doesn't die), and has not only grown stronger as a result of his trials but learned that being king doesn't mean doing whatever you want to whoever you want all the time but [[ComesGreatResponsibility comes with great responsibility]].
** ''Disney/TheLionKing'' or ''Film/{{Thor}}''?

3rd Apr '13 4:35:10 PM Lophotrochozoa

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31st Mar '13 4:54:39 AM nightelf37

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some may need help on who He-Who-Made-Dark is in the SCP Foundation.

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30th Mar '13 1:13:14 PM SaraJaye

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Tamahome was nothing like Edward

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