History Main / TheUnchosenOne

* ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' has [[spoiler: Yorick, who is the only human male on the planet to survive [[ThePlague the Gendercide]], which causes many different groups to want to get their hands on him. Partway through, they all switch targets to the ''other'' last surviving male, Yorick's pet monkey Ampersand, when it turns out that he's the one with the original immunity, and Yorick just picked it up from him.]]

* In ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'', the Toa Metru eventually hit upon evidence that reveals they ''weren't'' supposed to be Toa, but rather it should have been the six Matoran who discovered the location of the Great Disks. [[BigBad Makuta]], anticipating that [[TheMentor Lhikan]] would seek to create a new team of Toa to succeed him in protecting the Matoran of Metru Nui, divined the stars and searched out evidence that revealed to him the supposed heroes, and then he implanted the names of the Toa Metru into Lhikan's head in an attempt to ScrewDestiny. As he reveals later, even if the Metru succeeded in temporarily foiling his plans (which they did), he could still take solace in that he defied his brother's plans. This knowledge ''crushes'' the Toa Metru since [[BecauseDestinySaysSo destiny]] is a big thing in this universe and makes them wonder if their failure [[YouAreTooLate to save the city and prevent their friends from lapsing into comas]] was all because they weren't the true chosen, [[spoiler:and is just another part of catalysing the already-unstable Vakama's temporary FaceHeelTurn.]] [[spoiler:However, it's {{subverted|Trope}} when Karzahni eventually revealed to Vakama that they're the real deal, and that it was ''Makuta'' who got played by Mata Nui and his HeroesSecretService in a BatmanGambit of fabricated evidence and had the Metru's names implanted in ''his'' mind by Mata Nui. This knowledge gives Vakama the resolve to face off with Makuta one final time and force a temporary truce.]]

* The ''Literature/WingsOfFire'' series opens with one of the five eggs that was supposed to hatch into the chosen ones being destroyed. Unable to find another Skywing egg in time, the Talons of Peace decide to steal a Rainwing egg as a replacement even though the prophecy called for a Skywing. The egg hatches into Glory, who ends up suffering a ton of abuse from the chosen ones' caretakers for being the wrong species. When the Nightwing who foretold the prophecy finds out, he orders her to be killed, setting off the plot as the chosen ones decide to escape to save Glory's life, which ends up completely derailing the Nightwings' plans.

* From Creator/FromSoftware: The player characters from ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'', all three ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' games, and ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' are all only special because [[{{Determinator}} they don't die]] when they realistically should. The running theme of the franchise comes down to the idea of even the smallest being being able to affect immense change through dogged determination. To wit:

** Son Goku is a fine example. For numerous reasons, such as being the son of a low class warrior, being labeled as such himself, but moving on to become one of Earth's finest heroes despite being supposedly sent there to ''destroy'' it. Actually -- as of a [=Retcon=] by Toriyama -- his parents sent there to save him from the genocide at the hands of Frieza.

** Son Goku is a fine example. For numerous reasons, such as being the son of a low class warrior, being labeled as such himself, but moving on to become one of Earth's finest heroes despite being supposedly sent there to ''destroy'' it. Actually -- by a Retcon by Toriyama -- his parents sent there to save him from the genocide at the hands of Frieza.

** The ArcWords of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestBuilders'' are "You're Not A Hero" to the Builder. In this AlternateUniverse to ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'', the [[FallenHero Hero fell]] and accepted the [[BigBad Dracolord's]] DealWithTheDevil. The Builder's job is to set up all the {{MacGuffin}} so a new Hero can come. They don't have RPG mechanics where they can level up killing monsters. This does not stop them.

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''

* ''Franchise/MassEffect''

** The protagonist of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' is just a well trained American/Japanese (depending on which version you play) soldier chosen to be part of the Strike Team sent to investigate the [[DarkWorld Schwarzwelt]]. He's a completely normal human with no affinity for magic, equipped only with the adaptive [[PowerArmor Demonica suit]] and the MagiTek weapons made with the materials from the Schwarzwelt itself. [[spoiler: By the end of the game, not only have you killed several god-like entities in the form of the Mothers, but also either destroyed the Schwarzwelt itself or changed the world forever with the power of the Cosmic Eggs.]] There's a reason why the fanbase [[FanNickname nicknames]] him "[[VideoGame/{{Doom}} Doom Guy]]"

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'', the party are the chosen ones known as the Warriors of Light destined to kill [[BigBad Chaos]] and end the StableTimeLoop they're trapped in. However in ''VideoGame/StrangerOfParadiseFinalFantasyOrigin'', the party are an entirely separate group of adventurers who decide to take up the mantle of the Warriors of Light themselves and try to kill Chaos in an earlier version of the loop.

The reasons for this can vary. Perhaps the Chosen One [[MissedTheCall missed]] or [[RefusalOfTheCall refused the call]], or was killed or incapacitated by a [[ScrewDestiny Destiny-Screwing]] villain. Or, in a twist, the Chosen One ''is'' the villain and the Unchosen One decides to stop them. If all the prophecies say evil will triumph, the Unchosen One's reply would be [[ScrewDestiny "screw that."]] Perhaps they were RefusedByTheCall and decided that they should go on adventuring anyway on their own terms. It could also be nothing more than a simple chance encounter allowing them to intercept the CallToAdventure in place of the real Chosen One. Every so often, the Unchosen is also a Chosen One who's decided to save the world of their own will, regardless of what fate has in store for them.

** Shepard was a completely ordinary soldier who basically tripped into knowledge of the oncoming danger to the galaxy, and chose to dedicate him/herself to preventing it. In the sequel, this leads into Shepard becoming an ''actual'' ChosenOne for a vast conspiracy group (still heroic, but working for some decidedly {{Anti Hero}}ic people) and into him/her becoming [[MemeticBadass a galactic legend.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Dex}}'' is a strange [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair blue-haired]] girl who wakes up to assassins trying to kill her, and discovers she has a superpower; the ability to remote hack from her mind ''without any cyberware whatsoever''. Except she quickly augments herself with cybernetics anyway, and the superpower has recently manifested in a small but substantial percentage of the local population, called Crows, [[spoiler:because they're all test tube babies, their superpower had to be refined over MANY disturbing failures, and they're all the genetic descendants of the most powerful woman in the solar system who spawned them for her own benefit]]. And every Crow past a certain age has also been hunted down by assassins -- she's the one who survived.

Compare AntiAntiChrist where someone is the DarkMessiah for the ''bad guys'' and tells them to take a hike. Not to be confused with ThePoorlyChosenOne, who is a Chosen One who does a bad job being one.

** Son Goku is a fine example. For numerous reasons, such as being the son of a low class warrior, being labeled as such himself, but moving on to become one of Earth's finest heroes despite being supposedly sent there to ''destroy'' it (actually -- by a Retcon by Toriyama -- his parents sent there to save him from the genocide at the hands of Frieza).

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', Cloud absorbs the memories and skills of the more competent, [[IdealHero heroic]], and glamorous Zack, who got shot [[PosthumousCharacter before the game started]], and would have been a much better candidate for an {{Eastern RPG}} hero. By the time Cloud unpacks his memories, the angle of his ArchEnemy Sephiroth who is also his EvilCounterpart is dispensed with, and Cloud continues on his quest 'without pretending' out of a genuine desire to save the world (from a mess [[NiceJobBreakingItHero he was partially responsible for]]).
* Benjamin, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyMysticQuest'', gets this ''twice''. First, the wise old man who declares him to be the knight of TheProphecy later says "it was really more of a guess." And at the end, [[spoiler:the final boss reveals that the prophecy itself was just a story he made up for lulz. Doesn't deter Ben or Phoebe from taking him down.]]

* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', it's eventually revealed that [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien the Ellimist]] subtly manipulated events to ensure that Cassie[[note]]a "sub-temporally grounded anomaly," who's existence disrupts attempts to change space-time[[/note]], Marco[[note]]the son of Visser One's host body[[/note]], Tobias and Ax[[note]]the time-displaced son and dutiful younger brother of Andalite war hero Elfangor[[/note]] would be part of the six-person group. This leaves Jake and Rachel unaccounted for. [[spoiler: As Rachel dies, the Ellimist admits that he didn't pick her, and that she was "a happy accident" -- but no less important for it.]]

* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', it's eventually revealed that [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien the Ellimist]] subtly manipulated events to ensure that Cassie, Marco, Tobias and Ax would be part of the six-person group, for various reasons. This leaves Jake and Rachel unaccounted for. [[spoiler: As Rachel dies, the Ellimist admits that he didn't pick her, and that she was "a happy accident" -- but no less important for it.]]

* ''VideoGame/DragonAge4'': Varic specifically [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxqBle_O6jI says]] that, this time, the Main Character is this. No prophecy or destiny or marked hand. Just a regular person deciding to do something about the world they live in.

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' -- Colette and Zelos are {{The Chosen One}}s of their respective lands. However, it is IdiotHero Lloyd Irving who rallies everyone to try and fix everything the BigBad has done. [[spoiler: And the whole [[TheChosenOne Chosen One]] system was all set up by the BigBad, anyway. Fulfilling their duties would've just played right into his hands.]]

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Professor Ozpin -- and [[LegacyOfTheChosen his successor]], Oscar -- is the TheChosenOne, inheritor of a divine mandate to redeem humanity. However, after [[ForeverWar millennia spent fighting]] an InvincibleVillain, Ozpin is [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne burned out and exhausted]] while [[ResignedToTheCall Oscar]] is young and untrained. Ruby [[JumpedAtTheCall becomes involved]] once she realises there's [[SecretWar something wrong]] in the world and that she has [[UniqueProtagonistAsset an ability]] that can help. [[BigGood Ozpin]] tells [[FarmBoy Oscar]] that Ruby possesses an [[TheParagon unquantifiable spark]] that inspires others even in the darkest times, which eventually leads to Ruby becoming the de facto leader in the fight to save the world from [[BigBad Salem]], and Oscar's primary role-model.

Compare AntiAntiChrist where someone is the DarkMessiah for the ''bad guys'' and tells them to take a hike.

* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'''s ComicBook/DaimonHellstrom aka ''Son of Satan'' not only rejected his destiny as the Antichrist, not only worked as a superhero, but was actually ordained as a Christian priest!

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* ''Anime/CorrectorYui'' desired to become a hero so much that she was able to overcome learning she was ''not'' TheChosenOne and [[spoiler: [[IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight save the true one]]... when she was BrainwashedAndCrazy by the BigBad.]] Afterward, she remains TheHeroine of the story. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] later on the 1st season's finale, she was, indeed, the chosen one. [[spoiler:By Grosser, that season's BigBad, because it wanted her and not Inukai's chosen one to be its vessel and allow it to [[PinocchioSyndrome live on the real world]].]]
* ''Manga/FlameOfRecca'': [[spoiler:Recca]] is the cursed one destined to end the Hokage clan and [[spoiler:Kurei]] was meant to be the Hokage clan leader. Subverted in that [[spoiler: Recca really ''did'' end the clan. He defeated their final remaining enemy in the modern day and thus ended the need for the Hokage clan to exist. The spirits of the former dragon clan leaders could finally rest in peace thanks to him "ending the clan."]]
* To quote ''Manga/DeathNote's'' Light Yagami: "The world is rotting and those who are making it rot deserve to die. Somebody's got to do it because the world can't go on like this. And if somebody's got to do it, why not me? In fact, I'm the ''only one who can...''" This is also explicitly stated by Ryuk, when Light asks him why Ryuk chose him and Ryuk notes he ''didn't'', the notebook just happened to land where Light picked it up. However, Light ''never acknowledges'' that he wasn't chosen; all through the plot, events fall into place for him, and at the very end [[MotiveRant he swears blind that he was chosen]].
* Sugimoto from ''Literature/TheTwelveKingdoms'' was not chosen -- indeed it was her friend Youko whose destiny was to rule as a Queen. That doesn't stop Sugimoto from [[JumpedAtTheCall and insisting that she is the chosen Queen, and trying to usurp the position from Youko.]]
* Duck of ''Anime/PrincessTutu'', at least in part. Drosselmeyer ''did'' personally select her for the part of Princess Tutu. She just decided what to do with it. For in fact, Drosselmeyer picks specific roles for the cast characters, but they eventually grow strong enough to pick different roles. Duck, Fakir, and Kraehe are perhaps the best examples.

* Simon from ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' is a rather good example. He was just a kid with the right stuff who was lucky enough to stumble across the right mecha at the right time.

** Son Goku is a fine example. For numerous reasons, such as being the son of a low class warrior, being labeled as such himself, but moving on to become one of Earth's finest heroes despite being supposedly sent there to ''destroy'' it (actually -by a Retcon by Toriyama-, his parents sent there to save him from the genocide at the hands of Frieza).

* Made fun of in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' where Kuno was destined to be the one to pull the legendary Wish Bringer sword from the stone, simply because he was the one millionth person to draw. The students even commented that there must have been some mistake.
* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}:''
** In contrast to the Chosen Children of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' and ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'', the cast of ''Anime/DigimonTamers''[[note]]Well, besides Ryo, who was technically a chosen child in the Adventure Universe[[/note]] were not specifically chosen to save the Digital World. They're just kids with Digimon, and for the bulk of the series, it's not clear that they even have anything to save. ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'' returned to a Chosen Children model, but ''Anime/DigimonDataSquad'' and ''[[Anime/DigimonXrosWarsTheYoungHuntersWhoLeaptThroughTime Hunters]]'' also had unchosen leads. ''Anime/DigimonFusion'' falls somewhere in the grey area.[[note]]Taiki and the others ''were'' chosen , but by "ordinary" (albeit powerful) Digimon, rather than the divine Digimon of ''Adventure'' and ''Frontier''.[[/note]]
** A group of four Unchosen Children appeared in the last stretch of ''Frontier'', though a common fan theory is that they would have been the ones to wield to the Earth, Wood, Water, and Steel Spirits had Cherubimon not been corrupted and given them to a quartet of evil Digimon.
* The title character of the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise. As pointed out in the [[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikerS third season]], it was only through sheer happenstance that Nanoha Takamachi encountered a being who knew about the existence of magic and that she happened to have great magical potential. It was she who chose to involve herself in an inter-dimensional case that would later allow her to [[DefeatMeansFriendship meet and befriend]] a troubled DarkMagicalGirl, and later be instrumental in stopping a world destroying tome. If not for that one incident, she would have lived a normal, carefree life.
* Amuro Ray in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', as a civilian, is not supposed to interfere with the warfare in Side 7, but he decides to get on the titular Gundam to kick Zeon's asses. As the story progresses, he goes on maturing as a soldier with his own willpower and the support from the White Base crew and ultimately becomes a hero and source of inspiration to the Earth and the Federation, as well as a [[MookHorrorShow nightmare for any Zeon pilot]] he goes up against (up to the point of calling him the "[[RedBaron White Devil]]").
* In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn'', Bright tells Banagher that this has been the case for every single Gundam pilot in the UC timeline to date: all of them came by their Gundam by circumstance or luck, they were never "chosen" to pilot it. Nonetheless they made the decision to pilot it and combat the evil they saw before them, and through that became heroes. This speech helps Banagher to make that same decision as well.

* Megumi of ''Anime/HappinessChargePrettyCure'' wasn't chosen to become a Cure like the rest of her fellow members -- Hime just tossed a stone out into the open because she didn't know how it worked and it smacked Megumi on the way down. It was just damn luck it reacted to her.
* Similarly to Rekka, [[spoiler:Ruru]] in ''Anime/HugttoPrettyCure'' is both TheChosenOne and TheUnchosenOne. [[spoiler:Both Ruru and Emiru desired to be Pretty Cure together and that the desire was so strong, Mother decided to split the power and let both of them become Cures. Of course, this is an AchillesHeel as if one loses that power, so does the other.]]
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': Whereas Midoriya is considered TheChosenOne for taking All Might's quirk, Bakugo considers himself this in comparison, saying that just because All Might chose Midoriya as his pupil and the one to take over his quirk, it doesn't mean he has given up and intends to still take All Might's spot.
* What [[spoiler:Daisuke]] turns out to be in ''Anime/{{Revisions}}''. Originally, AHRV foresaw his best friend [[spoiler:Keisaku]] being the most important person in the Shibuya drift and [[spoiler:Daisuke was the backup]], but due to ProphecyTwist and some applications of the TimeyWimeyBall, things became twisted.
* Lina Inverse of the ''{{LightNovel/Slayers}}'' universe is a gifted and crafty sorceress who winds up taking on several world-ending threats, [[AntiHero mostly out of self-interest]] or because they're targeting her. The Chosen One with enough dragon-god power to curb stomp those threats is technically her older sister Luna, but she [[LazyBum can't be bothered to deal with them]] [[TheGhost or even appear in the series]]. The most Luna's willing to do about a potential apocalypse is threaten Lina into fixing it.
* ''LightNovel/GoblinSlayer'': The gods are baffled and intrigued by Goblin Slayer. They didn't choose him for anything, but due to his single-minded determination to rid the world of goblins and his refusal to leave anything to chance, he is ImmuneToFate and alters the fates of several of the chosen ones, sometimes saving them when they were destined to die.
* Gold Roger in ''Manga/OnePiece'' was in a hurry to conquer the Grand Line after finding he had a terminal disease, and suddenly everything fell in place: he found all four Road Poneglyphs that reveal the final island's location and met Kozuki Oden, a samurai who could read them to determine the location of the final island. Upon arriving, however, the Roger Pirates burst into laughter -- while the eponymous treasure [[TheUnReveal isn't shown]], it involves some kind of task that requires a person who wouldn't be born for ten more years. This led to Roger turning himself in to the Marines and ushering the next generation of pirates [[ThanatosGambit through his execution]]. Ironically, Roger's will is rejected by his son Ace but is taken by Ace's sworn brother Luffy, who tends to be oblivious and indifferent to the [[SecretLegacy legacies]] that surround him.
* ''LightNovel/BeastTamerAndTheCatGirl'': Discussed. After finishing Arios's request at the Lost Forest, the girls ask Rain to explain an earlier statement that Arios was the only one who could defeat the Demon Lord. Rain explains that Arios is descended from a hero who was given the power "Limit Breaker" by the gods. This allowed the Hero, and by extension Arios, to continue to get stronger and stronger, unhindered by the "Growth Limit" that all other mortal beings are subject to, and this is needed to match the Demon Lord. Upon hearing this, Sora suggests the possibility that Rain also has no Growth Limit, as his PowerCopying makes him stronger with every contract he forms. This prompts Kanade to ask if this means Rain would be able to defeat the Demon Lord instead of the divinely chosen Hero. Rain is not against the idea, but is hesitant about the idea and asks to be able to give it some thought.
* In ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'', only individuals with a specific quality will survive getting hit with a Stand Arrow and gain a Stand, while the rest are killed. Keicho Nijimura fires an arrow at Koichi Hirose, which nearly kills him until Josuke uses Crazy Diamond to heal him. Initially, Koichi's Stand begins as an egg because he didn't have the right fighting spirit. Over time, Koichi's CharacterDevelopment to a heroic individual caused his Stand to evolve and gain new abilitites.

* [[ComicBook/RobinSeries Tim Drake]]. He doesn't have any tragic backstory that eventually led him into the path of being a hero; he became a hero simply because he wanted to help and make a difference.
* In every prophecy that describes him, ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} is the bringer of the Apocalypse. However, he chooses to fight for the good guys and routinely ''save'' the world, once responding to a lecture on his "true" destiny with an actual "[[ScrewDestiny Screw you!]]"
* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'''s ComicBook/DaimonHellstrom aka ''Son of Satan'' not only rejected his destiny as the Antichrist, not only worked as a superhero, but was actually ordained as a Christian priest!

* ''ComicBook/XMen'' foe Juggernaut, a.k.a. Cain Marko, was not Cyttorak's first choice of being the avatar of his evil power. ''Xavier'' was the one Cyttorak wanted. Cyttorak didn't mind though, since Cain was a natural sociopath who didn't need much encouragement to wreak havoc with Cyttorak's power. It's only when Cain had a brief HeelFaceTurn that Cyttorak started to regret the situation.
* ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' has [[spoiler: Yorick, who is the only human male on the planet to survive [[ThePlague the Gendercide]], which causes many different groups to want to get their hands on him. Partway through, they all switch targets to the ''other'' last surviving male, Yorick's pet monkey Ampersand, when it turns out that he's the one with the original immunity, and Yorick just picked it up from him.]]
* In Kieron Gillen's ''ComicBook/IronMan'' story ''The Secret Origin of Tony Stark'' a robot named 451 claims [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]] was genetically engineered before birth to be a genius and the man destined to make humanity a galactic power. [[spoiler:Howard and Maria Stark didn't trust 451 and adopted Tony as a smokescreen while placing their GeniusCripple biological son Arno in seclusion.]]

* ''ComicBook/Shazam2012:'' Unlike previous versions of Captain Marvel's origin, in this version Billy Batson is decidedly ''not'' pure of heart, and the Wizard rejects him, until Billy gives a speech about how there's no-one truly pure (kid's got issues). After hearing this, the Wizard decides to change the parameters of his search to someone who has the potential to be good, which Billy does qualify for.
* In ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW'', it's strongly hinted that ''Optimus Prime'' of all people is this. When he got the Matrix of Leadership, he felt incredible pain like nothing else, which he took to be the Matrix's way of letting know the burden he would bear. But then, Rodimus briefly inherits the Matrix and notes that when he got it, he experienced the most wondrous, euphoric feeling ever. [[DeconstructedTrope Optimus is deeply unnerved by the implications]]; that he was never really worthy of being Prime and that all he's doing is keeping the Matrix away from the ''real'' Chosen One.

* The "Special One" of Vitruvius's prophecy in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie'' [[spoiler: doesn't really exist. At the beginning of the movie, Lord Business dismisses the prophecy as something Vitruvius made up on the spot, and it turns out that he was ''right'' - there really ''is'' no Special One, at least, not in the way that is implied. This devastates Emmet when Vitruvius dies, but Vitruvius returns as a ghost to reveal the true purpose of the prophecy to Emmet- he made it up because the only thing anyone needs to be special is to ''believe'' that they are special, and to turn whoever found the piece into someone extraordinary. At the end of the movie, Emmet talks down Lord Business by telling him ''he'' could be the special one, too - although the MaybeMagicMaybeMundane nature of the movie leaves it ambiguous if this is just symbolic of Finn and his father working through their issues.]]

* ''Franchise/TheMatrix:''
** While ''Film/TheMatrix'' plays TheChosenOne fairly straight, ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'' and ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions'' reveal [[spoiler:the prophecy was a lie]]. Thus, when Neo continues to fight on against the Machines he has made himself an Unchosen One.
** The script/art book reveals that originally Neo is the ''sixth'' Chosen One by Morpheus, whose poor track record is part of the reason why [[spoiler: Cypher wants back into the Matrix.]]
** [[http://www.wylfing.net/essays/index.html An alternate interpretation]] suggests that ''The Matrix'' {{subvert|edTrope}}s this one, [[ZigZaggingTrope zig zagging]] the entire messianic concept: The prophecy was intended by the Architect to be an EvilPlan aimed at a continued recycling of the Matrix as a means of keeping the system in place. He is OutGambitted by the Oracle, however, who actually [[BatmanGambit intended for Neo to evolve slightly]] with each rebooting until he'd eventually [[spoiler: reject the Architect's offer to reboot the system and force the machines to reach a settlement with Zion]] that she believed was necessary for the Machines to evolve. This is possible because [[OnlyICanKillHim Neo was the only one]] who could beat [[spoiler: Smith]], who was otherwise poised to bring down the entire machine network (whew!). One hell of a {{Chessmaster}}, that Oracle.

* In ''Film/{{Willow}}'', the then-infant princess Elora Danan is prophesied to destroy the [[EvilOverlord evil queen]] Bavmorda. However, it is Willow and others striving to protect the princess who actually stop her. On the other hand, novels that continue the story after the movie play TheChosenOne straight, as Bavmorda returns and the now-grown Elora Danan must fulfill her original destiny. [[spoiler:The main villain of the books is actually a version of Elora from an alternate future, who's angst over being a Chosen One who never actually did anything kind of snowballed into conquering several planets and accidentally destroying the universe. It's complicated.]]
* In ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesIITheSecretOfTheOoze'' the Turtles are disappointed when Professor Perry reveals that the formation of the ooze that mutated them ''and'' the accident that led to the canister finding its way into the sewer was simply one large accident. No Turtle was more disappointed than Donatello. He believes there's got to be more to the accident.
* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' Sequel Trilogy, the main hero Rey [[PlayingWithATrope plays with this]]. ''Film/TheLastJedi'' shows she and many around her believe she's just a nobody from nowhere. [[spoiler:Her parents were nothing but filthy junk trading drunks who sold their child for drinking money and eventually ended up dead in unmarked graves under the sands of a lawless desert planet]]. Rey only became a hero of the galaxy by choosing to help BB-8, to go with Han Solo and Finn to find the Resistance, to fight back against Kylo Ren's MindProbe (inadvertently giving her part of his knowledge of using [[MagicByAnyOtherName the Force]]) to seek out Luke Skywalker, and to never stop trying to help her friends or those in need. ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' throws this for a loop [[spoiler:by showing she's actually the granddaughter of ''Emperor Palpatine'']], meaning she very much isn't a nobody. However, it was still very much her choice to act as she did with no expectations of some great destiny for herself.
-->'''Kylo Ren:''' You have no place in this story. You come from nothing. You're nothing. ...[[YouAreNotAlone but not to me]].
* ''Film/TheFourthWiseMan'': Artaban wishes very much to find the foretold savior and gift him with precious gems, but is delayed tending to a seriously ill man and misses the caravan the other three magi take to Judea. Undaunted, he spends the next several decades trying to find the Christ, except whenever his quest is again interrupted by people in need.

* The TropeNamer is Creator/ChinaMieville's ''Literature/UnLunDun'', in which the heroine Deeba was listed in the Book of Prophecy as the [[PluckyComicRelief "Funny Sidekick"]] to Zanna, the real Chosen One. When Zanna is injured and sent home, Deeba returns to unite [=UnLondon=] against [[BigBad the Smog]] and gets named The Unchosen One by [=UnLondon's=] residents. The odd thing about this is that the Book always turned out to be right about the things it claimed were wrong. It later realises this, and is pleased. Also, Deeba realizes that as the Unchosen One, she gets to [[SequenceBreaking ignore the parts of the prophecy that requires her to go on ridiculous sidequests.]]
* Subverted in ''Literature/SirAproposOfNothing'', where Apropos thinks he is this and hijacks the call, only to find... he was the Chosen One after all. It's complicated.
* Brandon Sanderson's ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'' trilogy just loves to play with this trope. Kelsier, Vin, and Elend were just the people around who were able to do the job. [[spoiler:And, of course, were helped by the Big Bad.]] In fact, just about every good guy in the trilogy could be said to be an Unchosen One with the exception of [[spoiler:Sazed]].
** Played straight in that [[spoiler: Vin was literally born and groomed by both Ruin and Preservation, her powers, her sister, and her spike being part of a centuries series of manuvers by both Shards]]
** Also played with in the rest of ''Literature/TheCosmere'' especially in ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' where TheChosenMany is at play, and those that appear to be the Chosen One typically are just the first ones to survive long enough to be recognized.
* [[spoiler: Percy Jackson himself]] is in fact not the hero he had heard in the prophecy in ''Literature/{{Percy Jackson|and the Olympians}}.'' Instead, the prophecy was referring to [[spoiler:''Luke'' who would sacrifice himself to destroy Kronos.]]

** Neville also applies - though he was [[MultipleChoiceChosen one of two possible candidates]], he'd never heard the prophecy, nor was he marked as Voldemort's equal, but he still manages to turn Dumbledore's Army into a pretty badass rebellion force, openly defy Voldemort even when it appeared all hope was lost, and [[spoiler:kill the snake to thus render Voldemort mortal]].
* Tad William's novel ''Literature/TheWarOfTheFlowers'' features Mud Bug Button, the [[EccentricMentor unassuming sage]] who explains carefully to the hero that he was not [[TheChosenOne chosen]], his family was not [[ItsPersonal killed by]] the BigBad, and he did not [[HeroicBSOD have a heroic epiphany after seeing an innocent child killed]]. He just thought carefully about the situation and decided that leading a revolution was something that needed to be done.
* In the ''Toys/{{Bionicle}} Adventures'' books, this is {{Subverted|Trope}}. All this time, the Toa Metru believed they were the chosen [[{{Hobbits}} Matoran]] of Metru Nui, hence why the former Toa, Lhikan, had arranged for their transformation into Toa. Then, they found evidence that six ''other'' Matoran were meant to take on the role, and their becoming Toa was only due to [[BigBad Makuta's]] tampering with Lhikan's mind. This chimed with their initial failings as Toa heroes. In reality, [[PhysicalGod Mata Nui]] anticipated Makuta's trickery, so he re-arranged the stars over Metru Nui, thereby changing the prophecies about who should become Toa. Thus, when Makuta tried to foretell these prophecies, and then attempted to prevent their fulfillment, he deliberately planted the names of the most unlikely Toa candidates into Lhikan's brain. That is to say, the names of those exact Matoran that ''were'' supposed to become Toa.
* Kavi and Jiaan both from the ''Literature/FarsalaTrilogy'' operate under the name Sorahb, who is supposed to be reborn in a time of need acording to their country's legend. There is no Sorahb reborn, and if the legend they create is anything to go by, there probably never was an original.
* When the chosen one dies in ''Literature/CannonFodder'', the soldiers who were supposed to be his escort, Kelsey and Bobbin Pike, get stuck with his mission as punishment.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire,'' [[PosthumousCharacter Rhaegar Targaryen]] once read a prophecy that convinced him he was TheChosenOne. Later in his life, he changed his mind and thought the Prince That Was Promised was his son Aegon - or rather, that TheChosenMany were his children, since he claimed that "the dragon must have three heads". [[spoiler: It could have been a huge plot point since it's revealed that his wife couldn't get pregnant again after the second child, ''so'' this could have been the reason for his abduction of Lyanna Stark. It's rather ironic that he could have been cheated by prophecies once more if TheChosenOne was his child with Lyanna all along, or his yet-to-be-born ''sister''.]]
* In ''Literature/The39Clues'':
** Amy and Dan Cahill belong to the [[spoiler: Madrigal branch of the family, founded by the fifth Cahill child, Madeline, who was born after the fire that caused the family to split up. She never got a serum, so her descendants are ''not'' blessed with SuperpowerfulGenetics like the four main branches]].
** In ''Into the Gauntlet'', Amy and Dan theorize that Creator/WilliamShakespeare was a Janus (the 'artistic genius' branch of the family). He wasn't, [[spoiler: he was a Madrigal.]]
* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', it's eventually revealed that [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien the Ellimist]] subtly manipulated events to ensure that Cassie, Marco, Tobias and Ax would be part of the six-person group, for various reasons. This leaves Jake and Rachel unaccounted for. [[spoiler: As Rachel dies, the Ellimist admits that he didn't pick her, and that she was "a happy accident" - but no less important for it.]]

* ''Literature/TheRiseOfKyoshi,'' a tie-in to ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender:'' After fourteen years of being unable to find Avatar Kuruk's reincarnation through the usual methods, his old companions discover a street kid named Yun, who is an amazing [[DishingOutDirt earthbender]] and so similar to Kuruk that they conclude that he must be the new Avatar. And for two years, Yun proves amazing at the diplomatic and spiritual aspects of the role...but can't bend the other elements. Of course, anyone familiar with the show knows that Kyoshi, his [[NiceToTheWaiter servant/friend]], is the real Avatar. Ater this is revealed, [[spoiler:Yun dies, then turns out to be alive, then turns into the BigBad of [[Literature/TheShadowOfKyoshi the sequel]]]].

* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'', as of the end of Season 2, has graduated to actively being the Not-ChosenOne after being TheWoobie since the beginning.

** The Potential Slayers, sort of... they don't have much choice on whether or not they'll join Buffy in the fight against the First for much of season 7, because if they don't, they'll probably end up dead. In the series finale, Buffy gives them a choice - [[spoiler: become real Slayers and fight the First and his army, or not]]. They choose the first option.

** Played straight however with Xander, who despite being a somewhat nerdish guy who's vastly outclassed constantly, gets swept into Buffy's larger than life MonsterOfTheWeek/[[ApocalypseHow Apocalypse of the Year]] situations, and continues to help her to the best of [[MugglePower his abilities]]. At one point in the third season he even passes on the opportunity to become a supernatural being ([[OurZombiesareDifferent a zombie]]), realizing the group needs [[BadassNormal someone normal]] (keep in mind at this point most of his friends have displayed some sort of superhuman ability or are themselves supernatural beings). Plus is not like he is always useless, striking one of the most solid hits against [[spoiler:Glory, the BigBad of the fifth season, by attacking her with a construction wrecking ball]]. This even gets {{lampshaded}} in the seventh season, with a speech he gives to Dawn, who herself at this point has become another UnchosenOne since the end of her plot from the fifth season, in which he almost calls the trope by name:

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
** Sam and Dean dive very heavily into this, particularly Dean who is even more stubborn about not embracing his destiny, and not letting Sam embrace his. Considering their destinies, this is probably for the best. Note that both of them were SUPPOSED to be TheChosenOne in different ways- Sam as TheAntichrist and Dean as Michael's host. The boys [[ScrewDestiny refused to accept the destinies]] forced upon them, then went above and beyond by creating their own roles and getting accomplishing things nobody though possible- especially for two mortal humans.
** Castiel also applies; originally an accomplished angel given the honor of protecting Michael's future host (aka Dean), but not particularly noteworthy. From Season 5 on, he starts taking initiative and [[spoiler: directly or as a direct result of his actions initiates the main plot of seasons 6, 7, and 9]], as well as becoming a major force for driving the plot along.

* In ''Series/PowerRangersBeastMorphers'', Devon and Zoey become the Red and Yellow Beast Rangers due to the fact that [[BigBad Evox]] is able to essentially capture the intended Rangers, Blaze and Roxy, and turn them into his Avatars. This is doubly so as Devon was a civilian who trespassed onto the Grid Battleforce HQ to see the Battle Simulator and Zoey ''was'' a candidate, but was cut in favor of Roxy.

** In the Series Finale, Regina puts a permanent end to the Dark Curse by [[spoiler:casting it in reverse so that, instead of ripping everyone apart from their loved ones, all the Fairy Tale Worlds are brought together in Storybrooke so no one is separated ever again]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Dex}}'' is a strange [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair blue-haired]] girl who wakes up to assassins trying to kill her, and discovers she has a superpower; the ability to remote hack from her mind ''without any cyberware whatsoever''. Except she quickly augments herself with cybernetics anyway, and the superpower has recently manifested in a small but substantial percentage of the local population, called Crows, [[spoiler:because they're all test tube babies, their superpower had to be refined over MANY disturbing failures, and they're all the genetic descendants of the most powerful woman in the solar system who spawned them for her own benefit]]. And every Crow past a certain age has also been hunted down by assassins - she's the one who survived.

** Applies to all of humanity, as explained in ''VideoGame/{{Diablo III}}''. Because of their odd origins, humans are the only ones whose destiny is not set out in the Scrolls of Fate - making them the only ones capable of [[ScrewDestiny Screwing Destiny]]. So when Destiny foretells [[HellInvadesHeaven the fall of the High Heavens]], it's a good thing that some humans are around to fix things...
** Taken a bit further, most of the protagonists are 'chosen' by something or someONE - the Wizard is outright driven by a prophecy, the Monk was selected by the Elders of Ivgorod, the Witch Doctor follows the voice of the Spirits, the Barbarian is a descendant of Bul-Kathos, the Crusader is a chosen of Akarat, etc... however, the only reason for any of this is that they are amongst the first to [[spoiler: develop full-on Nephilim powers]]. In other words, [[spoiler: they're nothing special - pretty soon, ALL humans will have similar powers.]]
** The Demon Hunter is a definite Unchosen One, especially in comparison to the other classes. They arrive in Tristram for the sole purpose of killing demons - there is no prophecy or divine mandate guiding them. Similarly, their order has no grand history or patron deity, but instead is bound by a shared hatred of the demonic. The difference between the protagonists shows up in ''Reaper of Souls'' when each class meets a ghost who aids them. For the other classes the ghost is a mentor, ancestor, and even a spirit guide. The Demon Hunter instead meets their sister, whose death as a child drove them to the order.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAge4'': Varic specifically [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxqBle_O6jI says]] that, this time, the Main Character is this. No phrophacy or destiny or marked hand. Just a regular person deciding to do something about the world they live in.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', Cloud absorbs the memories and skills of the more competent, [[IdealHero heroic]] and glamorous Zack, who got shot [[PosthumousCharacter before the game started]], and would have been a much better candidate for an {{Eastern RPG}} hero. By the time Cloud unpacks his memories, the angle of his ArchEnemy Sephiroth who is also his EvilCounterpart is dispensed with, and Cloud continues on his quest 'without pretending' out of a genuine desire to save the world (from a mess [[NiceJobBreakingItHero he was partially responsible for]]).

** In ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' you come to Boletaria due to the promise of treasure and the power of the Soul Arts, only to get lashed to the Nexus for your troubles. [[spoiler: By the end you've killed every powerful Demon and Archdemon in the land and have either lulled the Old One back to sleep or usurped Allant's position as its emissary.]]
** In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'' all you have to go on is the dying word of a fallen knight and the edict to ring a couple of bells. [[spoiler: By the end you've collected a massive bounty of souls, the four Lord Souls possessed by literal ''gods'', and have either sacrificed yourself to the First Flame for the betterment of the Age of Fire or have chosen to let it fade so you can rule the coming Age of Dark.]]

** In ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' you came to Yharnam searching for a cure for your illness and something called Paleblood, only to get thrown into the deep end of the Yharnam hunt and its horrors. [[spoiler: By the end you are the most powerful Hunter in the city that has slain countless beasts and [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]], gone through ''at least'' three different dream worlds, and have either found an escape, become the new watcher of the Hunter's Dream, or have been transformed into an Old One yourself so you may preside over the Dream and the Nightmare.]]
** In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' you are somehow even ''worse'' off than being an Undead; you're an Unkindled. In a previous life (undeath?), you ''tried'' to Link the Fire, but were unfit to do so and just got immediately incinerated for your trouble. You and the other numerous Unkindled represent not Plan A, not Plan B, but Plan ''C''. TheChosenOne who was supposed to Link the Fire refused. Several previous Lords of Cinder who Linked the Fire were then resurrected to Link it a second time, but all but one of them also refused. The Unkindled are resurrected as a last, desperate attempt to stave off the darkness, even though there's little chance of them succeeding. Things are so bad, there's nothing left to lose in trying. [[spoiler: By the end you've returned the errant Lords to their thrones, dismantled an entire religion dedicated to spreading the Abyss, given final justice to the old gods of Anor Londo for what the Cathedral of the Deep did to them, and either Linked the Fire to prolong the world just a little bit longer, let the First Flame die out for good so that a new world may someday rise from its ashes naturally, combined the First Flame with the Darksign to usher in an Age of Humanity and rule as the Lord of Hollows, or simply murder the Fire Keeper so that you can have the last dying embers of the First Flame all to yourself like a crackhead who needs his fix.]]

** This has become a recurring theme throughout the series. Despite the many [[TheChosenOne Chosen Ones]] floating around, the three biggest heroes--Sora, Aqua, and Mickey--are all this trope. In ''Birth by Sleep'', Aqua was simply an extremely skilled Keyblade wielder who wanted to look after her friends, and yet she was ultimately responsible for [[SpannerInTheWorks derailing Xehanort's plans]] and leaving him incapacitated for 10 years. Likewise, with Mickey, nothing so far has indicated any kind of prophecy or "choosing" surrounding him; he seems to have been just an ordinary (mouse) guy who formed an adventuring team, became a King and later a fully fledged Keyblade Master, simply because he wanted to help people.

** Unlike Link and Zelda, Groose in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' has no real "destiny" to speak of - a fact supported by how unlike those two, he isn't reincarnated in (chronologically) future games to continue fighting Ganon. Still, he does what he can to help Link, stop Demise and save the surface world.

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' - Colette and Zelos are {{The Chosen One}}s of their respective lands. However, it is IdiotHero Lloyd Irving who rallies everyone to try and fix everything the BigBad has done. [[spoiler: And the whole [[TheChosenOne Chosen One]] system was all set up by the BigBad, anyway. Fulfilling their duties would've just played right into his hands.]]
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'' - The bad guys have a DarkMessiah who will annihilate all of humanity if Senel Coolidge and his allies don't stop her.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' - [[spoiler:CloningBlues]] make it hard to determine who is and who is not TheChosenOne. The most simple answer (that no-one ever seems to come up with) is that [[spoiler:both Luke ''and'' Asch are TheChosenOne, making them TheChosenMany]].
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' - the hero, Yuri, is as unchosen as you get. Rather than being predestined, his involvement in almost all of the game's events is due to him suffering from severe ChronicHeroSyndrome. Which his comrades make sure to point out.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'' - Velvet Crowe ends up in the hero role, saving the world, mostly by accident. The BigBad Artorius is the one who fits most of the chosen one tropes and the one who actually aims to save the world [[WellIntentionedExtremist for a certain definition of "saved".]] This is a deliberate subversion of how straight the chosen one tropes were played in [[VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria the previous game]].
* In the "R:1" ''[[VideoGame/DotHackR1Games .hack//]]'' games, Aura originally chose Orca of the Azure Sea to be her champion. About 5 seconds after that, Skeith the Terror of Death put his player into a coma. Fortunately Orca was showing his friend Kite the game. Given she makes herself Kite's partner almost immediately after that, [=BlackRose=] could also qualify.
* Justin, the protagonist of the first ''VideoGame/Grandia1'', was never TheChosenOne. The spirits who do the choosing are eventually forced to accept him.
* In ''VideoGame/LastScenario'', Hilbert is initially portrayed as TheChosenOne thanks to HeroicLineage. However, [[spoiler:Zawu was lying, and he is in fact completely normal.]] This doesn't stop him from smashing the BigBad's schemes down ''hard'' and helping to end the infighting between the 3 or 4 countries that are the focus of the game. As Alexander put it, [[spoiler: his HeroicLineage is real not because Hilbert is Alexander's descendant (which he isn't), but because he chose to follow Alexander's footsteps]].
* ''VideoGame/RondoOfSwords'' has [[spoiler:the main character, Serdic's double]]. He's pretty much dragged in the whole mess by the destruction of Bretwalde in the beginning, which also results in the death of the real Chosen One, Prince Serdic, who's the only one who can properly wield the holy sword. Eventually he has to choose whether to fulfill Prince Serdic's final wish of restoring Bretwalde ([[spoiler:which requires him to ascend as Emperor wielding the holy sword... which results in him having to kill Princess Marie to purify the sword]]) or fulfill the Prince's request to protect his sister ([[spoiler:which forces Marie to become the Queen, and causes the double to gain the name 'Altrius' after a legendary hero and become her bodyguard]]). Either way, he's pretty much just at the right (or wrong) place at the right (or wrong) time.
* Though she's certainly TheChosenOne for a lot of other legends in Arcadia, [[spoiler: April Ryan turns out to ''not'' be the next Guardian]] in ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourney''. [[spoiler: Her job turns out to just be finding the new one]], which is pretty important in itself.
* In ''VideoGame/SepterraCore'', the BigBad Doskias believes he's the Chosen One on account of being the direct descendant of the world's CrystalDragonJesus. Instead, the person who ends up saving the world is the heroine, Maya, who doesn't have any sort of special destiny or lineage, but manages to become Septerra's savior through sheer determination. Also, ''not'' being a homicidal douche, unlike Doskias.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect''
** Shepard was a completely ordinary soldier who basically tripped into knowledge of the oncoming danger to the galaxy, and chose to dedicate him/herself to preventing it. In the sequel, this leads into Shepard becoming an ''actual'' ChosenOne for a vast conspiracy group (still heroic, but working for some decidedly {{Anti Hero}}ic people) and into him/her becoming [[MemeticBadass a galactic legend.]]
** And in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', it turns out that ''humanity'' as a species is this. [[spoiler:Javik, the last living Prothean]] reveals that [[spoiler:the ''asari'']] were chosen by the Protheans to lead the galaxy against the Reapers; to that end, they mildy tampered with their genome, influenced the development of their early civilisation and even [[spoiler:left behind a working Beacon]], all to give them a headstart in leading the next Cycle. However [[spoiler:the asari]] ended up squandering their gifts, [[spoiler:with the Beacon making them such a HigherTechSpecies, they became technologically stagnant.]] Ultimately, they did the exact ''opposite'' of what the Protheans had expected, choosing to retreat to their homeworld rather than fight the Reapers, leaving humanity to lead the charge.
** ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda:'' Ryder wasn't the first human Pathfinder, their father was. Then he dies saving Ryder after the disastrous first-landing in Andromeda, and transfers the link to SAM to them, which can't be removed without killing Ryder. Pretty much everyone, Ryder included, is aware the job shouldn't be theirs, and it takes a hell of a lot of effort on Ryder's part to prove they were a good choice.
* ''VideoGame/PanzerDragoon'':
** Kyle at the start of the first game, as the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent blue dragon's]] [[DragonRider original rider]] is killed by the dark dragon, and he just happens to be there to see it. The unnamed rider gives him his mission as his dying wish, then keels over. This also leads to the rather unfortunate side-effect of Kyle being the one rider just about everyone seems to forget, since his place in the series is seemingly nominal at best when compared to the other protagonists. However, some DO note that for the dragon to fight at maximum capacity, it needs a rider; without Kyle, it could never have accomplished its mission.
** Somewhat averted with the crossover comic ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsUnite'', where Kyle and the Blue Dragon represent the franchise and help the heroes take on Sigma, although his inclusion may be due to the fact that the first game represented the franchise in Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed. Noticeably, Kyle has no dialogue in the story.
* Played with in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' -- [[NobleWolf Amaterasu]], [[GodOfGood Goddess]] [[LightIsGood of the]] [[CueTheSun sun]], is acknowledged by all the other gods and spirits as the one to restore the beauty of Nippon, but as far as the human world is concerned, the inept and lazy Susano (and Nagi, his ancestor) are the legendary heroes. Played with still further when Susano reveals that he ''knows'' he's the FakeUltimateHero -- and then, when the chips are altogether down, summons up some heroism and delivers the final blow without any help from Ammy.
* A rather low-key example due to her [[EleventhHourRanger late arrival]] and [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter consequent lack of character development]], but Princess Himi of Yamatai in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'' qualifies. Because of a prophecy, her adventurer brother Takeru is away from home [[spoiler: searching for the Warriors of Vale]] when the [[spoiler: Grave Eclipse happens]], and Himi takes it upon herself to join our heroes and save the day, over her father's protests.
* In ''VideoGame/KingdomsOfAmalurReckoning'', everything runs on YouCantFightFate. Except for The Fateless One, who is ImmuneToFate due to being resurrected by the Well of Souls. Which is good because there is no Chosen One destined to defeat the invading Tuatha Deohn.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'':
** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'', ''you'' are not the chosen one. [[spoiler: Your son is.]] When you eventually find TheChosenOne and the special equipment, you can bench him and go beat the BigBad yourself.
** The ArcWords of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestBuilders'' are "You're Not A Hero" to the Builder. In this AlternateUniverse to ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'', the [[FallenHero Hero fell]] and accepted the [[BigBad Dracolord's]] DealWithTheDevil. The Builder's job is to set up all the {{MacGuffin}} so a new Hero can come. They don't have RPG mechanics where they can level up killing monsters. This does not stop them.
* Almost all main characters of the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'', with a few notable exceptions, are normal humans that just end up being at the right place at the right time.
** The Hero of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'' is a BadassNormal high school student that has no magical powers whatsoever, he compensates by having the ability to recruit demons. By the end of the game [[spoiler: you've killed at least one, if not both, of your best friends, one of them being the ''actual'' Chosen One of a cult. At the end of the game itself, you've either slain Archangel Michael, general of the army of Law, or Asura, general of the forces of Chaos. As shown in the sequel, he canonically killed ''both''.]]
** The protagonist of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' is just a well trained American/Japanese (depending on which version you play) soldier chosen to be part of the Strike Team sent to investigate the [[DarkWorld Schwarzwelt]]. He's a completely normal human with no affinity for magic, equipped only with the adaptive [[PowerArmor Demonica suit]] and the MagiTek weapons made with the materials from the Schwarzwelt itself. [[spoiler: By the end of the game, not only have you killed several god-like entities in the form of the Mothers, but also either destroyed the Schwarzwelt itself or changed the world forever with the power of the Cosmic Eggs.]] There's a reason why the fanbase [[FanNickname nicknames]] him "[[VideoGame/{{Doom}} Doom Guy]]"
** The protagonist of ''VideoGame/Persona3'' is (sort of) TheChosenOne in the present [[spoiler:because Aigis sealed Pharos inside them to prevent the Fall and save the world]], but the incident that led to that happening - [[spoiler:a late night ride with their parents being interrupted by Aigis fighting Death/Pharos]] - was essentially a random accident that could have happened to anyone. The protagonist just happened to be the only person nearby when [[spoiler:Aigis needed to seal Death away]].
* Toyed with in ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}''. Chell is chosen because she is the unchosen one. Her evaluation indicates that she should not be used for testing, as she is incapable of quitting and accepting defeat. Rattman puts her into the testing for this very reason, hoping that she will be able to defeat [=GLaDOS=].
* Benjamin, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyMysticQuest'', gets this ''twice''. First, the wise old man who declares him to be the knight of TheProphecy later says "it was really more of a guess." And at the end, [[spoiler:the final boss reveals that the prophecy itself was just a story he made up for lulz. Doesn't deter Ben or Phoebe from taking him down.]]
* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' seems to have followed the ''Diablo'' franchise in this trope as of ''Legacy of the Void''. [[spoiler:As it turns out, the Xel'Naga Prophecy basically includes an AlienNonInterferenceClause, and that the two species (originally thought to be Protoss and Zerg) that are to merge must do so of their own volition. Amon essentially tried to subvert this prophecy by ''making'' those two races into TheChosenOne, and therefore unable to fulfill the prophecy: The Zerg Swarm is unable to assimilate the Protoss, while forcibly merging them creates Hybrid instead of a new generation of Xel'naga. In comes Kerrigan, a powerful Terran psionic (fulfills "Purity of Form"), who as of the end of ''Heart of the Swarm'' has had her Zerg essence rebuilt from the ground up with Primal essence untouched by Amon (fulfills "Purity of Essence"). A unique case to Kerrigan in the story of the franchise, as any other Terran psionic in the game would have been killed by the process which Kerrigan underwent (which is why her survival is vital in defeating Amon), however it is implied that Terrans are quickly evolving into psionic ability, and after a few centuries they would begin rivalling even the Protoss.]]

* The player character in ''Videogame/WhiteKnightChronicles'' is the only character in the game that has no obligation to help out whatsoever, but is still there the entire way. The newbie wine-seller to whom no one paid much attention can also end up [[spoiler:obtaining a brand new Incorruptus called the Ark Knight, which leaves the villains sputtering in disbelief.]]
* ''VideoGame/ZettaiHeroProject'' opens with TheHero, the Unlosing Ranger, [[TheHeroDies dying in a hit-and-run accident]]. You just happen to be nearby when he croaks and [[TakeUpMySword leaves you with his morphing belt]]. When you go to confront Darkdeath Evilman, SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome occurs and [[CurbStompBattle your unprepared ass is handed to you on a platter]]. What follows is TrainingFromHell as you work on becoming the hero who will save the world, through trial and error -- lots, and lots, and ''lots'' of error.

* The title character of ''Webcomic/{{Digger}}''. Digger is an anthropomorphic wombat, and her people usually have the good sense to steer clear of any gods or magic they may encounter. Unfortunately, Digger has gotten herself first good and lost (on account of underground hallucinogenic gas pockets), then entangled (on account of being too nice for her own good) in strange goings on in a faraway land, in which both gods and magic are involved. Prophesies of several groups speak extensively of the other characters in the story, the events that Digger participates in, and even the tunnel that Digger digs up to the surface in the beginning of the story once she decides that she is completely and utterly lost - but strangely none of the prophesies say anything about Digger herself, or mention wombats in any way. Indeed, hardly anyone in the land Digger has found herself in has even heard of them. [[spoiler:As it turns out, her ancestor specifically asked that his descendants be immune to divine prying and prophesying in exchange for helping to bind a mad god.]]

* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' is about four Unchosen who basically ''steal'' the destiny of the actual Chosen and then proceed to completely waste the opportunity. And the ones who actually end up saving the world [[spoiler: are White Mage, Priest, Shaman and Healer, ending up both as Unchosen Ones themselves and as sort-of Chosen Ones in that they're putting an end to [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/03/20/episode-007-kamehameha-or-something/ the longest]] BrickJoke [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/02/20/episode-1221-longest-set-up-in-webcomic-history/ in the series.]]]]
* Almond from ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest'' is truly hero material, while her brother Cucumber is rather bookish and has never held a sword in his life. However, it is Cucumber who becomes the [[TheChosenOne Legendary Hero]] and Almond is supposed to stay home and be the damsel in distress, like the many younger sisters of the Legendary Heroes before Cucumber. Instead, she follows her brother on his journey and is determined to beat [[BigBad The Nightmare Knight]] herself, even offering to handle the quest herself. While impulsive and [[BloodKnight eager to fight]], she is a capable fighter and has already decimated one of the eight Disaster Masters.

* In ''Lamia Daughter Quest'', the Chosen Ones of Citadel kingdom are the Lightbringers, who will come together, face a Shaper of Darkness, and perform a HeroicSacrifice to defeat it. Ssen Patrick and her RagtagBunchOfMisfits are not Lightbringers, but they do manage to be in the right place at the right time to defeat threats the Lightbringers were supposed to thwart. [[spoiler: Though the Lightbringers are not actual chosen ones- they're actually victims of an elaborate form of human sacrifice designed to keep Citadel alive. The Dawnchasers being Unchosen Ones and distrupting the Lightbringers' story was a massive SpannerInTheWorks for them.]]

* While all the later incarnations of the Avatar in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' are all TheChosenOne, [[GuileHero Wan]], the first Avatar, was this. He went against the beliefs and lifestyles of the world at the time, refusing to accept that things could not be changed and would always stay the same. Through his efforts, he merged with the spirit [[BigGood Raava]] to stop [[BigBad Vaatu]], and the two began the Avatar Cycle, separated human and spirit world for their mutual protection, and allowed humanity to leave the Lion Turtles for the wider world.

* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'''s Daimon Hellstrom aka ''Comicbook/SonOfSatan'' not only rejected his destiny as the Antichrist, not only worked as a superhero, but was actually ordained as a Christian priest!

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', Cloud absorbs the memories and skills of the more competent, [[IdealHero heroic]] and glamorous Zack, who got shot [[PosthumousCharacter before the game started]], and would have been a much better candidate for an {{Eastern RPG}} hero. By the time Cloud unpacks his memories, the angle of his rival Sephiroth being his EvilCounterpart is dispensed with, and Cloud continues on his quest 'without pretending' out of a genuine desire to save the world (from a mess [[NiceJobBreakingItHero he was partially responsible for]]).