History Main / ToBeAMaster

The only catch? [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption They'll be lucky if they achieve this goal in the next]] ''[[LongRunner fifteen years]]'' (although there are also cases where attaining mastery isn't that far off). To Be a Master is such a successful format that these weekly TV series sometimes tend to [[LongRunners drag on for years]] (especially if it's really, really popular) in an effort to [[MerchandiseDriven exploit as much as possible]] out of the show. We're all suckers for starry-eyed youths who fight to accomplish their dreams, so expect LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters and a strict SortingAlgorithmOfEvil to keep feeding new 'challenges' to our hero week after week (year after year). Throw in the ''inevitable'' TournamentArc and levelling [[MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours powerups]] and we're ready to go!

Depending on the series' setting, the hero's opponents may not necessarily be evil, and are simply after the ''same'' prize that TheProtagonist is... They may become a DesignatedAntagonist when they oppose the hero, but [[DefeatMeansFriendship nothing prevents them from becoming friends and allies if he beats them, or they beat him/her.]] Prominent rivals may even get ADayInTheLimelight episodes that develop them 'beyond' simply the hero's latest opponent and may even get a BelatedBackStory.

[[LongRunners The story may not even ''end'']] when the hero becomes a Master. Becoming the best is one thing, ''staying'' the best in this world is another. Masters can face any number of challengers out to take their title for themselves, or even just up-and-comers who want to test their skills or build a reputation by taking them on.

* In a ''very'' twisted way, ''Manga/DeathNote'' is exactly this: a young, idealistic protagonist wants [[AGodAmI to be]] {{God}}. In terms of being a 'Master', you don't get much higher than that.

* A TournamentArc was introduced in ''Love Witch'' which would award any wish to the winner, even if it contradicted [[ObstructiveCodeOfConduct regular witch rules]]. Ai is all over this, and the story looks like it's heading in the direction of ToBeAMaster... but then the manga got canceled before she could even enter.

** ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'' has the Christmas Bowl.

* The Bees in ''Manga/LetterBee'', are trying to become Head Bee, the most skilled of the Bees who often works in the capital(living in the capital in and of itself is a great privilege). Gauche Suede in particular wants to become Head Bee in order to get money to heal his [[IllGirl younger]] [[BigBrotherInstinct sister]] Sylvette's legs. However, this is a subversion, as it ends up not being the main point of the story.

* Negi in ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' wants to be a world-class mage like his father.
** Notably averted by his grandson Touta in ''Manga/UQHolder'' (much to the shock of [[ParentalSubstitute Yukihime]]), who points out that the only reason he wanted to get stronger was so he could get permission to leave his village.
* Being a deconstruction of the FightingSeries PlayedForLaughs, ''Manga/MutekiKanbanMusume'' deconstructs this trope: No one of our protagonist wants to be the best at their jobs, but all they want to be the biggest TheBully in all town

* The King of Duels or [[DubNameChange King of Games]] in ''Anime/YuGiOh''. Note that in the original series and in ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', it wasn't the protagonist who sought the title of the best player as his primary goal (though they got it anyway, and pretty early on)[[note]]In the original, Yugi was given the title for winning Duelist Kingdom. He wasn't playing for the title, though.[[/note]] . ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' and ''Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL'', however, follow the more traditional format with a hero whose explicit goal is to become the next King of Games/Duel Champion. Also averted in ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'', where Yuya's goal is to entertain others with his Action Dueling.

* In ''Literature/TheThirteenAndAHalfLivesOfCaptainBluebear'', there is competition between liar-gladiators who compete in big arena in storytelling of made-up stories. [[spoiler:The hero quickly becomes the champion and after some time on top is asked by competition owner to lose against next chalanger because the competition owner bet money on his defeat. The chalanger just happens to be legendary champion considered to be best in history of the sport. The hero is prepared to be defeated and consider it to be honor but after being insulted from the champion decides to defeat him out of anger. The battle is longest in history but hero menage to deaft the chalanger but gets into trubble with competition owner.]] This trope is not theme of whole book, just part of the chapter.

** {{Deconstructed}} by your rival Cheren from the same games. Over the course of the game he slowly learns that being the best for purely the sake of it is completely pointless. Later {{Reconstructed}} when he seeks out a reason to be the best and, [[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 two years later]], becomes a gym leader.

** In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsDreamDropDistance'', Yen Sid puts Sora and Riku through a more elaborate Mark of Mastery exam. As they're largely self-taught, he considers them unprepared to face the return of Master Xehanort (even though they've saved the universe twice). [[spoiler: After Xehanort turns it into a life-or-death struggle, *Riku* is given official Master status while Sora isn't.]]

[[folder: Literature]]

* The Maiden of Light in ''VideoGame/LaPucelle Tactics''.
** This is subverted rather nastily as it turns out that, despite what Prier thinks, "Maiden of Light" is the ChosenOne instead of a title to be earned. And the only "perk" is that you have to end up making a HeroicSacrifice.
*** Probably explains her later career shift to Overlord. Quite possible as polar opposite a job as you can get without becoming the Dark Prince.

** This is blatantly done in the prequel ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' as Aqua, Terra, and Ven all share a dream to become Keyblade Masters. The story ''starts'' with Terra and Aqua taking the "Mark of Mastery" exam (before they even go on any world-saving adentures). Aqua passes, while Terra doesn't, and from then on his main goal is to redeem himself by finding Master Xehanort. What he doesn't know is that Xehanort sabotaged him in the first place.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Growlanser}} 2'', Wein's goal is to become an Imperial Knight. Whether he accomplishes this depends on what branches of the story you take. And even if he gets the title, the plot has long since moved on to more important matters, like the fate of the world.
* The Kid goes on quite possibly the most insane ToBeAMaster quest of all time for one reason: ''"VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy!"''
* Laharl's quest to become an Overlord in the first half of ''VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness''.
* Travis Touchdown's quest in ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' is to be the greatest asssassin. Of course, the whole thing is quite thoroughly {{deconstructed}}. For starters, Travis is a deluded {{Otaku}} BloodKnight who may qualify as a VillainProtagonist, and [[spoiler:the entire thing is a con set up by [[FemmeFatale Sylvia]].]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}} 2'' has an ancient prophecy about the three Great Hyperspace Cores awakening Sajuuk, the god of destiny and creation (actually, a big-ass ancient starship hidden in a black hole cluster). Supposedly, the one who unites the Three will get to be the Sajuuk-khar, Manipulator of the Great Maker. When Karan Sjet first hears about it while running from the Vaygr, she deduces that Makaan must also know about it and seek to acquire both the Bentusi and the Hiigaran core. Naturally, the world is doomed if he succeeds so she decides to beat him to it. The thing is, by doing that she accidentally fulfilled the prophecy herself and became the Sajuuk-khar -- which proved really useful when Hiigara was attacked by Planet Killers whose armor was impenetrable to every weapon except Sajuuk's WaveMotionGun. With the ship also activating an ancient hypergate network spanning the galaxy and having the most powerful weapons & hyperdrives of the known universe, she was practically worshipped as a living goddess (her people never became atheists during their troubled history).
* ''VideoGame/ChoroQ HG 4'', you and your rival work the ways to become the best racers.
* The unstated goal of ''VideoGame/{{Elite}}'' is to achieve the eponymous "Elite" rating. As the game is one of the first ever examples of a WideOpenSandbox, nothing particularly compels you to spend the relevant time LevelGrinding to achieve this, but legitimately doing so earns some bragging rights.
* This is the basic goal of the ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' games. The new Wii game takes it to the next level-after Little Mac wins the championships, he's then forced to defend his newly won titles against disgruntled opponents looking for a rematch. They've uped their game, so he has to prove he ''deserves'' the title. After ''that'', he realizes there's nowhere to go but down, and goes out with a bang.
* ''VideoGame/FossilFighters'' toys with this. You are trying ToBeAMaster--and you become one! In fact, you become one only about halfway through the game. However, as it turns out, there is still a ''lot'' more going on despite your mastery, and you will have to actually ''use'' your master's skills.

* ''VideoGame/LiveALive'''s modern chapter. Four words: -Strongest in the World-.

* In ''VideoGame/MocoMocoFriends'', Moco has lofty dreams of being the Charisma Master, the most powerful Plushkin master in the world.
* The goal of ''VideoGame/AceFishing'' and its numerous imitators is for the player to become a fishing master.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Rastan}}'', Rastan narrates at the end of the arcade version: "This is only part of my long story--only a part to become a king."
* The protagonist in ''VideoGame/GolfStory'' wants to be the world's best golfer.
* In ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'', all of the characters aspire to become successful and wonderful idols. Naturally, this is a rather vaguer goal than most on this page - the Main Story positions the SS as the ultimate idol competition where only the greatest can win, but it's not treated as the only path to success. Nevertheless, the drive to become better is important to a number of different storylines. For example, Akatsuki was initially founded solely to benefit ''fine'' - and in fact, Keito only joined Yumenosaki in order to aid his childhood friend Eichi, the leader of ''fine''. However, when Souma joined Akatsuki, his earnest and pure belief in being an idol slowly transformed the unit, and ultimately they became a truly powerful unit, and one that would not back down against anyone.

** In ''Dream Drop Distance'', Yen Sid puts Sora and Riku through a more elaborate Mark of Mastery exam. As they're largely self-taught, he considers them unprepared to face the return of Master Xehanort (even though they've saved the universe twice). [[spoiler: After Xehanort turns it into a life-or-death struggle, *Riku* is given official Master status while Sora isn't.]]

* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'' presents a subtle and striking subversion. The highest ranking within the Demon Slayer Corps is the Hashira rank, the elite nine amongst the hundreds of slayers; Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke start from the bottom within the 10 field ranks before Hashira, from midway through the series and beyond the boys express the desire of one day becoming Hashira: [[spoiler:Tanjiro during the first visit at the Rengoku house, telling Senjuro he will suceed Kyojuro as a splendid Hashira; Zenitsu when meets his master Jigoro one last time in the afterlife; Inosuke playfully saying that killing Doma will grant him the Hashira promotion. However, they never become Hashira in the end, because their true objective was ending all the suffering demons caused, and they suceed at that by killing Muzan thus the Demon Slayer Corps disband right after. Becoming Hashira was just a title of strength. That's what Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke really wanted; they all became strong enough to succeed Kyojuro, impress Jigoro, and protect others. Tanjiro is outright said to be at Hashira level by the end, Zenitsu performed feats of strength only the Hashira have, and Inosuke was key in defeating the Upper Rank 2]].

* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'' presents a subtle and striking subversion. The highest ranking within the Demon Slayer Corps is the Hashira rank, the elite nine amongst the hundreds of slayers; Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke start from the bottom within the 10 field ranks before Hashira, from midway through the series and beyond the boys express the desire of one day becoming Hashira: [[spoiler:Tanjiro during the first visit at the Rengoku house, telling Senjuro he will suceed Kyoujuro as a splendid Hashira; Zenitsu when meets his master Jigoro one last time in the afterlife; Inosuke playfully saying that killing Doma will grant him the Hashira promotion. However, they never become Hashira in the end, because their true objective was ending all the suffering demons caused, and they suceed at that by killing Muzan thus the Demon Slayer Corps disband right after, becoming Hashira was just a title aproval of strenght, that's what Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke really wanted, they all became strong enough to suceed Kyoujuro, impress Jigoro and protect others; Tanjiro is outright said to be on Hashira level by the end, Zenitsu performed feats of strenght only the Hashira have, Inosuke was key in defeating the 2nd strongest Upper Rank]].

* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'' presents a subtle and striking aversion. The highest ranking within the Demon Slayer Corps is the Hashira rank, the elite nine amongst the hundreds of slayers; Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke start from the bottom within the 10 field ranks before Hashira, from midway through the series and beyond the boys express the desire of one day becoming Hashira: [[spoiler:Tanjiro during the first visit at the Rengoku house, telling Senjuro he will suceed Kyoujuro as a splendid Hashira; Zenitsu when meets his master Jigoro one last time in the afterlife; Inosuke playfully saying that killing Doma will grant him the Hashira promotion. However, they never become Hashira in the end, because their true objective was ending all the suffering demons caused, and they suceed at that by killing Muzan thus the Demon Slayer Corps disband right after, becoming Hashira was just a title aproval of strenght, that's what Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke really wanted, they all became strong enough to suceed Kyoujuro, impress Jigoro and protect others; Tanjiro is outright said to be on Hashira level by the end, Zenitsu performed feats of strenght only the Hashira have, Inosuke was key in defeating the 2nd strongest Upper Rank]].

** Even then no one recognizes your achievement,and the last champion still has to fight you. Though this is averted in [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo Red/Blue]] and their remakes ([=FireRed=] and [=LeafGreen=]), where you ''are'' proven to be the Champion, but you still fight your rival.

* ''Manga/SixSixSixSatan'' (released in the U.S. as "O-Parts Hunter") has an unusual one for the main character Jio Freed. He wants to gain respect...by [[TakeOverTheWorld Taking Over The World]]!

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', the goal of multiple characters is to become the Number One Hero of Japan. While this is treated in an admirable light in regards to Midoriya and Bakugou, it drove Endeavor to despicable lengths in hopes of bearing an heir who can surpass [[SupermanSubstitute All Might]].

* The King of Games or Duel Champion in ''Anime/YuGiOh''. Note that in the original series and in ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', it wasn't the protagonist who sought the title of the best player as his primary goal (though they got it anyway, and pretty early on)[[note]]In the original, Yugi was given the title for winning Duelist Kingdom. He wasn't playing for the title, though.[[/note]] . ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' and ''Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL'', however, follow the more traditional format with a hero whose explicit goal is to become the next King of Games/Duel Champion. Also averted in ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'', where Yuya's goal is to entertain others with his Action Dueling.

** This character arc is mirrored somewhat by Anakin Skywalker's arc in the prequel trilogy. He leaves his homeworld to train to be a Jedi in ''Film/ThePhantomMenance'', and by the end of ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', he has become [[spoiler: [[ForegoneConclusion a Dark Lord of the Sith.]]]]

* The title of "Pokemon Master" in ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}''. In practice, Ash's usual goal throughout the anime is to be the champion of the current region's Pokemon League. Succeeding in this ''might'' cause Ash to consider himself a Master, which is why he's never won even once in the entire series. While he has grown into an Ace Trainer in his own right as the series has gone on -- he beat all the Frontier Brains, who are said to be at least as strong as the Elite Four -- he still sees himself as nowhere close to his real goal of being a Pokemon Master. The fact that "Pokemon Master" is a nebulous concept already doesn't really help.

* In''Anime/PowerStone'', Falcon wants to be the strongest fighter to emulate his hero Valgas. [[spoiler:It turns out that was also Valgas's motivation, except he took it even further to SocialDarwinism levels, wanting to wish for a world that was a constant fight for survival that only the toughest fighters could handle.]]

* ''Manga/AimForTheAce'' is all about this trope.

* The Platinum Princess in ''Anime/PetitePrincessYucie''.

%%** ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa''

%%** ''Anime/FutureGPXCyberFormula''