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| 6 | %% Image and caption selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1389674954016278600 |
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| 9 | [[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_sits.png]]]] |
| 10 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[AC:[[Literature/LeMorteDarthur Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise King born of England]]]]]] |
| 11 | |
| 12 | ->''"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of... THOR."'' |
| 13 | -->-- '''Inscription on Mjölnir''', ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'' |
| 14 | |
| 15 | In a fantasy story, or sometimes even a sci-fi series, there will be certain special items, such as a MagicalWeapon, that [[LoyalPhlebotinum only an attuned person can use]]. The most famous of these is the Sword in the Stone: Only Myth/KingArthur could remove the sword from the stone in which it was lodged, and thus proved that he was [[ReallyRoyaltyReveal the true king of England.]][[note]]Naturally enough, this is often assumed to be the same sword as Arthur’s famous blade {{Excalibur}}; see below for multiple examples. However, as it isn't the only story about how Arthur acquired Excalibur, this isn’t certain. DependingOnTheWriter is OlderThanPrint, after all. That being said, in some cases anyone could ''wield'' Excalibur, but only Arthur could ''remove'' it.[[/note]] |
| 16 | |
| 17 | May be the first evidence of BecauseDestinySaysSo or TheChosenOne. Such an item may also be TheChooserOfTheOne. If the wielder also happens to be TheChosenZero they might also be TheTeamBenefactor by virtue of providing access to it. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | A SisterTrope to OnlyTheWorthyMayPass. Compare SituationalSword, FindersRulers (which this trope can result in). See also OnlyTheChosenMayRide. For those who are not attuned, see [[RejectedByTheEmpathicWeapon here]]. |
| 20 | ---- |
| 21 | !!Examples: |
| 22 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 23 | |
| 24 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 25 | * In ''Manga/BlackClover'', four-leaf clover grimoires, which are said to bestow good luck, only choose mages with exceptional potential, with [[TheGift Yuno]] being blessed with one. |
| 26 | * ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'': |
| 27 | ** How the Digidestined received their Digimon and powerups (in the form of eggs on stone pillars) in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02''. Also used at least once in ''Anime/DigimonFrontier''. |
| 28 | ** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' episode "[[Recap/DigimonAdventureE8EvilShowsHisFace Evil Shows His Face]]" reveals a variation when Leomon tells Tai that only the Digidestined can get the Digivices to work, which is how the former concluded that the latter and his friends were just that. |
| 29 | * The Z Sword from the Buu Saga of ''Manga/DragonBall'' is suggested to be such a weapon in Kai legend, but in reality it just seems that it's ''really, really heavy''. It's stuck in a stone pillar on a planet in the afterlife, and Gohan has to go Super Saiyan 2 before he can pull it out. It's still incredibly heavy once it's removed, too - he can barely lift it without transforming. [[spoiler:Then the good guys ''break it'' by accident while training, releasing the old Kaioshin sealed within it, who turns out to be a lot more helpful than the sword itself.]] |
| 30 | * ''Manga/HeroTales'' has the Kenkaranpu, which can only be drawn by a "true hero". In the first chapter Taito was able to draw it [[spoiler:but it was promptly stolen...]] |
| 31 | * ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'': |
| 32 | ** Holy swords like Excalibur and Durandal can only be wielded by people with a lot of light attribute in their bodies. The evil Archbishop Valper Galilei developed a means of harvesting light attribute from people who naturally had it, which killed them in the process, so he could endow others with the ability to use them. The Church later develops a method of producing artificial light attribute so many more wielders are created. |
| 33 | ** Siegfried, actually a clone of the original mythological Siegfried, wields the swords Gram, Balmung, Nothung, Dáinsleif, and Tyrfing. Since he doesn't train to actually master them and just wields them carelessly, the swords start to get fed up with him, with Gram forcing him to [[CastFromLifespan give up his lifespan to use it]]. During a fight against Yuuto Kiba, Gram senses that Kiba is more worthy and jumps into his hand, allowing him to use it to kill Siegfried. Afterwards, the other swords choose Kiba as their master and he trains to master Gram so it doesn't drain him. |
| 34 | ** In the light novel version, Issei Hyoudou is given a replica of Mjölnir, but he is unable to lift it until the goddess Chimune Chipaoti blesses him. In the anime version, he can lift the real one with no problem after Odin personally handed it to him and gave him permission. |
| 35 | * ''Manga/IkkiTousen'' has five swords - the "Hyakuhekitou" - that were stuck in one stone. One BigBad manages to free several of them at once by destroying the stone. |
| 36 | * ''Anime/{{Inuyasha}}'': |
| 37 | ** Tessaiga was meant for Inuyasha and only allows Inuyasha to wield it. If its power is stolen that power will find its way back to Inuyasha as quickly as possible. Although it possesses a barrier that prevents full {{youkai}} from touching it, that barrier is a magical addition to determine who cannot wield the sword rather than who can. |
| 38 | ** Tenseiga was given to Sesshoumaru and it only allows him to wield it. Even though he doesn't want the sword, the sword wants him. He even tried breaking the sword and throwing it away once. Tenseiga promptly reforged itself and returned to him -- [[ClingyMacGuffin he can't get rid of this weapon even when he tries]]. |
| 39 | ** Toukijin was an EvilWeapon so powerful it could even possess its own creator, and the UltimateBlacksmith Toutousai couldn't even approach. Sesshoumaru was so powerful, it couldn't possess him, so it accepted Sesshoumaru as its wielder and true master. At least until Sesshoumaru's compassion finally became too powerful for the sword's hate and shattered the sword, that is. |
| 40 | * In ''Literature/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon'', Lilliluka steals Bell's "Hestia Knife" and attempts to sell it. However, the pawnshop will only give her about 30 [[FictionalCurrency vals]] for it, when a typical generic weapon is worth several hundred or thousands. He tells her the knife is dull and won't cut. After the knife is returned to Bell, the hieroglyphs inscribed on it immediately light back up, making her realize the weapon is only useful in his hands. Technically speaking, the knife is enchanted to work for anyone who is a member of the Hestia Familia, it's just that Bell was the only member at the time. Later, the new member Mikoto Yamato is able to wield it effectively. |
| 41 | ** In the movie ''Anime/ArrowOfTheOrion'', Bell is the only one who can free Artemis' spear from a crystal, with Artemis saying it is because of his pure heart. Afterwards, anyone can carry it, but Bell is the only one who can invoke its powers. |
| 42 | * In ''Anime/KillLaKill'', only Ryuko Matoi can fully synchronize with [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman Senketsu]] and [[LivingClothes hear what he's saying]]. [[spoiler:Satsuki and Mako]] both wear him, but are unable to understand what he's saying. Justified, since Ryuko's father designed Senketsu specifically for her to wear. |
| 43 | * In the manga version of ''Manga/KingdomHeartsI'', Sora passes his Keyblade to Donald before performing his HeroicSacrifice. Unfortunately, Donald wasn't worthy as it disappears from his hands. Fortunately, Sora came back. |
| 44 | * Meta Knight's legendary sword Galaxia in ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'' will shock (sometimes to death) anyone not powerful enough to wield it if they so much as touch it. [[EmpathicWeapon It will also demand to know who they are and what they think they're doing.]] |
| 45 | * In addition to the Master Sword, ''Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess2016'' features the Gaurof Sword, an ancient blade in a pedestal that leads to the Twilight Realm, but can only be pulled by Link. |
| 46 | * ''Manga/TheLegendaryHeroIsDead'': When the legendary hero Shion is killed, the necromancer Anri inserts Touka's soul into his body so that he can play the role of Shion. Unfortunately, Touka quickly gets outed as an imposter because he cannot wield Shion's holy sword (he can lift it, but when he tries to attack with it, the blade turns limp and dull). After Touka develops into a true hero, the sword accepts him and allows him to use it. |
| 47 | * The Escudo weapons from ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth''. If anyone else tries to hold them, even each other, Umi's turns to water, Fuu's gets incredibly heavy, and whoever grabs Hikaru's is set ablaze. |
| 48 | * In ''Manga/MagicalCircleGuruGuru'', the magic sword of light, Kira Kira, can only be called upon by a true Hero. |
| 49 | * In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans''[='=] second season, the Gundam Bael is essentially treated as Excalibur in the form of a HumongousMecha, with claims that it possesses the soul of Gjallarhorn founder Agnika Kaieru and whomever can pilot it is the organization's rightful leader. [[spoiler:[=McGillis=] Fareed, who obsessively studied Kaieru since his childhood, discovered its secret (it was made to use the [[BrainComputerInterface Ālaya-Vijñāna System]], which Gjallarhorn later declared taboo), allowing him to claim it. The "rightful leader" part is then subverted when [=McGillis=] tries to take charge of Gjallarhorn and the vast majority of the organization stays loyal to their current leadership.]] |
| 50 | * ''Anime/NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater'' has the titular Blue Water, which can only be wielded by Atlanteans. [[spoiler:When Gargoyle tries, he disintegrates into salt.]] |
| 51 | * In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Nami's knowledge of weather as well as her innate instincts allow her to use the Clima-Tact to the best of its ability. Even Usopp, who created it, [[NotTheIntendedUse is flabbergasted at what Nami is capable of with it]]. |
| 52 | * In ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', it is stated that the Pokémon will only obey the original person that caught, trained, and raised it (and only if it considers him/her worthy). So care must be taken when loaning other people your Pokémon, or gifting them to others, or trading them to instruct the creature to "do whatever so-and-so tells you to do." The best example of this being Ash's Charmander, which becomes rebellious when it evolves to a Charmeleon/Charizard, as it belonged to another trainer before joining him. Charizard only starts obeying him when he saves it from being frozen in ice. |
| 53 | ** This is averted, however, if the Pokémon are familiar enough with the individuals in the group. For example, Ash's Pokémon have no issues with obeying Misty or Brock when separated from Ash, even without permission. It can also be averted with certain Pokémon that are loaned to trainers and trained to (temporarily) obey whoever is controlling them; even so, their original trainers can reassert control if it's necessary (such as when Team Rocket tried to steal some of them). |
| 54 | ** Ash's Froakie from the ''XY'' saga is an interesting case, as it has a history of ditching trainers who don't measure up. Ash is the first trainer it considers worthy and the only one who unlocks its SuperMode. |
| 55 | * In ''Anime/PrettyCureAllStars - Spring Carnival'', the main villain, having stolen the heroine's collective Transformation Trinket, tries to use them to turn into a so-called "Cure Thief". However, it's pointed out by one of the fairies that only the "Legendary Hero Precure" (re: our heroines) can use them. [[IMeantToDoThat He laughs it off and claims he knew that.]] |
| 56 | * In an episode of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', Kunō pulls the magic sword Wishbringer out of a stone. Subverted, as he was only able to pull the sword out because he was the one-millionth to try. However, once he claims ownership, Wishbringer will only listen to his voice. |
| 57 | * A variation from ''Manga/RaveMaster'' occurred with the tenth form of the Ten Powers sword. It was a sword specifically made for Shiba, the first Rave Master, so its final and tenth form could only be wielded by him. When Haru became the second Rave Master, Musica had to make a new tenth form of the sword specifically for him just before the final battle. |
| 58 | * In ''Anime/RebornToMasterTheBlade'', Hieral Menaces are [[EquippableAlly Equippable Allies]] that are extremely choosy about who gets to use them in their weapons forms. In-universe, you need a Rune to wield magical Artifact weapons, getting one is rare, and even rarer still to have the top-tier Special-class Rune that's needed to even start wielding them, let alone use them effectively. Hence, most of the time, they fight in their humanoid forms with weapons themselves. |
| 59 | * In ''Literature/ReincarnatedAsASword'', weapons that are sufficiently powerful, sentient, or both, are very, very choosy about who wields them. The gods of the world agree with this philosophy and eventually the Goddess of Chaos puts a curse on "Shisou" that anyone who tries to wield him, without her consent, will receive a CruelAndUnusualDeath if knowing about the curse but tries anyway. Those that try but don't know about the curse will just receive a nasty electric shock. |
| 60 | * ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'': The Legendary Weapons and the Vassal Weapons can only be used by their chosen wielder. When Kazuki tries to claim the Vassal Katana, it repels him and teleports into Raphtalia's hands. However, some of the villains have devices that can fool the Vassal Weapons and allow anyone to use them. |
| 61 | * In ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'', Moka's PowerLimiter rosary can only be properly removed by Tsukune. |
| 62 | * In ''[[Manga/RurouniKenshin Rurouni Kenshin: the Hokkaido Arc]]'', this seems to be the case with [[FlamingSword Mugenjin]], the sword formerly wielded by Shishio. The only person after Shishio's passing who has been able to draw it out of its sheath is Ashitaro Hasegawa. His friend Alan Inoue actually makes the comparison with the Excalibur when explaining why it couldn't be drawn, though this only when he was trying to sell it to someone (they all thought that the sword had warped in its scabbard, causing it to get stuck), before Ashitaro had drawn it out. |
| 63 | * In the ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' [[Manga/SailorMoon manga]] and ''Anime/SailorMoonCrystal'', although the other Senshi can wield the Holy Sword, only Sailor Venus, as the destined leader of the Sailor Senshi, can actually free it from the rock that it's embedded in. |
| 64 | * The Cloths of ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' have to be earned for the right to be worn. Sometimes, a specific cloth can be allowed to be worn by someone else other than their proper owner (such as Seiya wearing the Sagitarius Cloth and Odin's Robe at different points), and also, a cloth could deem its owner ''un''worthy and abandon them voluntarily (happens to Cancer Deathmask). |
| 65 | * ''Anime/SDGundamForce'' gives us Musha Daishinshou, a semi-sentient HumongousMecha that can only be controlled by The Dai-Shogun, surpeme ruler of Ark. It's stated that without the Dai-Shogun, Daishinshou would go on a rampage, so it spends most of the series [[SealedEvilInACan locked up in a castle.]] Villain Kibaomaru thinks ''he'' can use Daishinshou, and looks for a means of releasing it. It's revealed that the one to use Daishinshou is the one who has the power to release it; [[spoiler:his son, Genkimaru]]. |
| 66 | * Excalibur in ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'' can only be wielded by a worthy hero of its own choosing. Currently, only King Arthur himself can wield it. [[spoiler:This is used ''against'' him when Cusack uses his [[PeoplePuppets Resonant]] magic to brainwash Arthur into impaling himself with Excalibur. Since only Arthur can lift Excalibur, no one else can save him by removing the sword from his chest, preventing Elizabeth from using her healing magic on him. Eventually, Merlin takes his body to a magic lake that brings him back to life, allowing him to pull the sword out.]] |
| 67 | * Several weapons in ''Manga/SilentMobius'' are bound to specific bloodlines. Grosspoliner's connection to the Liqueur blood is a plot point. |
| 68 | * In ''Manga/SoulEater'', all weapons are assigned to a particular partner upon enrollment in Shibusen, based on the interlocking personalities of the weapon and meister. Generally speaking, it is impossible for a weapon to be wielded by someone who isn't their partner because their inner natures tend to clash. Adult Meisters/Weapons appear to be free of this restriction, which is said to have something to do with the fact that wielding a Weapon is about how the souls of both meister and Weapon react to one another, and seems to rely on some level of mutual understanding and compromise - too much conflict spoils the resonance and people get hurt, or even fall flat on the ground if they happen to be up in the air when you start arguing. As such, it's implied that the Adults are much better at handling their composure, allowing for a wider range of partners. This isn't to say if an Adult pair start to argue they'll stop resonating, or that there are pairs that would never be able to work, just that that's never been depicted in the series. The fact that most Adults seem to have a preferred/assigned partner supports this. |
| 69 | ** {{Excalibur}} is also present in the series and is the only weapon who averts this trope by being ''potentially'' able to be wielded by anyone: His numerous powers include the ability to adjust his soul wavelength to go along perfectly with anyone... Except his personality is so extremely obnoxious that no-one ''wants'' to get within two leagues of him. |
| 70 | * In ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'', only those of royal Juraian blood can hold Sword Tenchi. Those who aren't are given a PAINFUL shock. It confuses Ayeka as to why Tenchi, a boy from Earth, could wield it and it isn't until Tenchi's grandfather Katsuhito spells out everything [[spoiler:(namely, that Katsuhito's her long-lost brother Yosho)]] that she understands why. It's unknown if Ayeka's tiara or other royal Juraian devices have the same defense, though. |
| 71 | * In ''Literature/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'', [[InfinityPlusOneSword Mythical/God-class weapons and equipment]] can only be used to their full potential by wielders they deem worthy. For example, while in theory anyone strong enough could use Rimuru's {{Hihiirokane}} [[BlackSwordsAreBetter black katana]], only Rimuru can unleash its full power by channeling his magical energy into it to [[TechnicolorBlade reveal its rainbow form]] since it's attuned to his magical energy. The few times a God-class weapon/armor changed owners was when the user was on their death bed and passing it to the successor directly [[spoiler:such as with Tatsuya Kondou giving Carrera his [[BlingBlingBang golden revolver]]]] or when the previous user had not yet "acclimated" to it [[spoiler:as was the case when Caliguro [[SuperEmpowering Awakened]] into a Saint and unlocked his God-class gear's power, but was slain shortly afterwards due to his inexperience (and subsequently revived BroughtDownToNormal) and the armaments instead went to Albert.]] |
| 72 | * One appears in ''Manga/UQHolder'', where Touta is naturally the one to pull it out. Turns out it was a [[GravityMaster gravity-controlling sword]], and Touta was the only one to notice it had a [[{{Magitek}} switch]] to make it light enough to pull out. |
| 73 | * This is a side effect of the Armed Virus in ''Anime/ValkyrieDriveMermaid'' The weapons on which its carriers transform after being aroused can only be wield by a special set of infected denominated as Liberators. |
| 74 | * In ''Manga/WorldTrigger'', Trigger users with high [[LifeEnergy Trion]] can sacrifice themselves to create powerful one of a kind Triggers called Black Triggers. However, each one can only be used by a select few, potentially influenced by the personality of the creator. |
| 75 | * In ''Franchise/YuGiOh'', certain cards can only be wielded by a chosen duelist, including the [[PhysicalGod Egyptian Gods]], the [[ForcedTransformation Legendary Dragons/Knights of Atlantis]], the [[EldritchAbomination Earthbound Gods]], and the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Signer Dragons]]. And then there are the Millennium Items. |
| 76 | ** ''Anime/YuGiOh'': |
| 77 | *** The Millennium Items tend to kill holders they don't deem worthy. |
| 78 | *** People who try to use counterfeit versions of the Egyptian God Cards get hit with a BoltOfDivineRetribution. |
| 79 | *** Marik Ishtar has Strings duel Yugi with the Egyptian God Card Saint Dragon of Osiris/[[DubNameChange Slifer The Sky Dragon]]. They get around the restrictions because Strings is an EmptyShell and Marik, who ''is'' worthy, is controlling him, so in reality, Marik is the one wielding it. |
| 80 | *** Gurimo steals the Egyptian God Card, Obelisk The Tormentor, and uses it against Yugi. He gets around the restrictions with [[ArtifactOfDoom The Seal of Orichalcos]], which is powerful enough to control Obelisk. Even then, Obelisk struggles and the strain of controlling him takes its toll on Gurimo. |
| 81 | *** After the Pharaoh gives into temptation and uses The Seal of Orichalcos, his Legendary Dragon, The Eye of Timaeus, deems him unworthy and disappears from the duel, then disappears whenever he tries to play it. He eventually redeems himself and regains Timaeus' trust. |
| 82 | *** Strangely, despite using the Seal of Orichalcos, Valon is able to use his Data Brain card to copy Rocket Hermos Cannon, which was created by the Legendary Dragon, The Claw of Hermos, and wield it without any ill effects. |
| 83 | *** Offscreen, Mai Valentine took Joey Wheeler's Legendary Dragon, The Claw of Hermos, and tried to duel Rafael. Since she had previously used The Seal of Orichalcos, Hermos deemed her unworthy and disappeared when she tried to play it, leading to her loss. |
| 84 | ** ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'': Franz uses a counterfeit version of the Egyptian God Card, The Winged Dragon of Ra. He gets around the restrictions with a card called Mound of the Bound Creator, which binds Ra to his will, though Ra struggles and cries. Judai frees Ra and takes control of it, and shocks Franz by being able to control Ra without Mound of the Bound Creator, hinting at Judai's specialness. |
| 85 | ** In ''Anime/YuGiOhCapsuleMonsters'', a sword in the village of the fifth trial is like this. Yami has to lure the five dragons to said village before he's capable of lifting it. |
| 86 | * ''Manga/ZatchBell'': Each of the 100 demons/mamodos has a SpellBook written in unintelligible demon characters. It can take months, even years of searching before any given demon finds their human partner, whose heart has just the correct wavelength to resonate with the demon's so the human can read and cast the spells. |
| 87 | [[/folder]] |
| 88 | |
| 89 | [[folder:Asian Animation]] |
| 90 | * In Season 10 of ''Animation/HappyHeroes'', one of the characters finds a trident possessed by evil and somehow manages to wield it, when Big M. and Little M. are incapable as seen in their previous attempts. Similarly, Careful S. finds the Sword of Justice to combat this evil, and it is revealed only those empowered by justness can wield the sword. |
| 91 | [[/folder]] |
| 92 | |
| 93 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 94 | * ''Media/XsOmnibus'': Subverted. When Maurice gifts X his powers, he later mentions that powers are not given to "chosen ones," but instead to those with strong passion or loyalty. |
| 95 | * ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'': |
| 96 | ** All Green Lantern Rings -- and all the other colors -- require a user to have a sufficient amount of the emotion that powers it, and be mostly free of the emotion that opposes it. The Sinestro Corps rings vary slightly in that they rely on their wearers' ability to ''instil'' fear in others. One of them tried to recruit [[TerrorHero Batman]] in the lead-up to the ''ComicBook/SinestroCorpsWar'', but he rejected it. |
| 97 | ** This was actually a {{retcon}} as, during the Silver Age and further on, anyone could run around with a Green Lantern ring if they were taken from their user. Since ''ComicBook/GreenLanternRebirth'', the sufficient amount of emotion was set in place; during ''Rebirth'' Green Arrow tried to use a back-up ring but his cynical willpower left him feeling like he hadn't slept for a week when the only construct he created was a single arrow. |
| 98 | ** While, with most of the Corps, many embody the emotion enough to wield the ring, for the Orange lantern corps, effectively only one can be "worthy" to wield the Orange Ring’s power. The Orange Ring emotion is Greed, and whoever is Greedy enough to wield the power of the Orange Ring is too Greedy to share it. |
| 99 | ** The White Lantern Battery in ''ComicBook/BrightestDay''. Hal and Carol refer to it as the sword in the stone, to Sinestro's confusion. |
| 100 | * In ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast1992'', only Link, the Legendary Hero, can pull the Master Sword out of its plinth. |
| 101 | * ''ComicBook/MarvelComicsOneThousand'': The Eternity Mask — a mystical mask that blesses it's wearer with equal power needed to battle whatever threat they face — has only one caveat; it will '''only''' allow itself to be used by people who truly believe in equality for all people, and will revoke it's blessing if the wearer ever tries to oppress the innocent. This results in a disproportionately high number of Eternity Mask wielders being Americans, thanks to the US ideals of freedom, democracy, and all men being created equal. |
| 102 | * ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'': |
| 103 | ** Only a handful of beings have been able to wield the legendary hammer Mjölnir to date: Odin, Thor, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, [[Characters/MarvelComicsStorm Storm]], Franchise/WonderWoman (in the crossover ''ComicBook/MarvelVersusDC''), ComicBook/SpiderMan2099, ComicBook/{{Thunderstrike}}, ComicBook/BetaRayBill, [[ComicBook/Thor2014 Jane Foster]], Puddlegulp the frog, and [[ComicBook/{{Venom}} Eddie Brock]]. If someone is unworthy, they will be unable to budge it from the ground. However, if a worthy person is holding it, an unworthy person will still be able to lift them. Note, however, that this trope does not come from Myth/NorseMythology: in the myths, Mjolnir is simply a hammer so heavy that only Thor, the strongest God of all, can lift it (and even requiring a special belt called Megingjörð and a set of iron gloves called Járngreipr to augment his strength even further). In fact, it was even stolen by the Giant Thrym in the ''Literature/PoeticEdda'', who requested a marriage with Freya as ransom. Creator/JackKirby had to rely to this trope when he created the character because the Franchise/MarvelUniverse was already a setting with characters with superhuman strength. Being "worthy" was just a way to ensure that only Thor would lift the hammer, and for a long while nobody else was. In-universe, the "worthiness" requirement was imposed by Odin rather than being intrinsic to the hammer. It's also possible for somebody who was previously unworthy to ''become'' worthy (as seen with Eddie Brock) or to lose their worthiness (as seen temporarily with Thor) if their mentality changes to become more or less noble than they used to be. |
| 104 | ** Interestingly, in one story set in the far future, Captain America wielded the hammer but would regularly announce that on certain days, he'd set the hammer on the ground and allow anyone to try and lift it. He viewed wielding the hammer and the subsequent power and responsibility that came with as simply too much, and genuinely hoped someone worthy would come along to relieve him. Miguel O'Hara (ComicBook/SpiderMan2099) took up the hammer and used it to take over his corrupt corporation and set it on a more noble and altruistic path. The Board of Directors didn't like what he was doing, and he had a novel way of dealing with their complaints... |
| 105 | --->'''Miguel:''' "Oh, you don't like the job I'm doing? Fine." (Sets Mjolnir down) "Pick up ''that'', and the job's yours. |
| 106 | ** In ''ComicBook/JLAAvengers'', Franchise/{{Superman}} wasn't naturally able to use it, but due to the desperate situation, Odin temporarily suspended the enchantment so Superman could use it to save the day. Superman feels a moment of self-doubt when he is unable to lift the hammer after the battle is over, but Thor praises his performance with it, saying, "Perhaps it was but briefly... but it was in good hands." The general presumption is that being the weapon of a ''Norse'' god, "worthiness" includes a warrior component, which Wonder Woman meets but Superman doesn't. |
| 107 | ** One issue of ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'' had him get the hammer, and all the powers contained therein. It all turned out to be an illusion created by Loki to mess with Thor's head. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Shame]]... |
| 108 | ** In a storyline based in an alternate future, Thor becomes unworthy after becoming an EvilOverlord. His son Magni proves worthy and takes up the hammer. Eventually, when Desak the God Slayer is about to kill Magni, Mjölnir lets Thor use it again to save his son's life, since his love for his son redeemed him. |
| 109 | ** In one issue of ''ComicBook/PowerPack'', Mjölnir permits Zero-G (Alex Power) to use it when he catches it on the backswing. |
| 110 | ** ComicBook/BetaRayBill's personal hammer, Stormbreaker, has a similar enchantment, although the Skrulls were able to split it into a pair of axes and give it to a Super-Skrull during ''[[ComicBook/SecretInvasion2008 Secret Invasion]]''. In the story ''Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter'', Bill became unworthy and could not lift Stormbreaker after he became so obsessed with revenge against ComicBook/{{Galactus}} that he started blowing up the planets Galactus intended to consume in an attempt to starve him to death, and infected one race with a bioweapon when they refused to evacuate. Bill redeems himself and regains his hammer when he saves Galactus' life. |
| 111 | ** During the events of ''{{Comicbook/Axis}}'', ComicBook/{{Loki}} could wield it. It's unclear how much of that happened thanks to their [[Comicbook/LokiAgentOfAsgard own attempts at redemption]] or because they were under the [[MirrorMoralityMachine inversion spell]], but either way it was temporary and after the dust settled, it quickly became clear Loki was back to not being able to wield it. |
| 112 | ** For a time after the events of ''Comicbook/OriginalSin'', no god could wield Mjölnir, not even Odin himself, which turns out to be because of Thor — during [[DespairEventHorizon a particularly bad period]] — agreeing with Gorr the God Butcher that the gods are evil and do not deserve worship and unwittingly influencing Mjölnir's enchantment. Once Thor comes to his senses thanks to a pep talk from Beta Ray Bill, he and any other worthy gods become capable of wielding it again. |
| 113 | ** In an issue of ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' Don Blake's LoveInterest Jane Foster finds the hammer instead of him and becomes Thordis. |
| 114 | ** Another "What If" story involving ComicBook/BlackWidow shows just how quickly one can change from "unworthy" to "worthy". Nat tries to budge the hammer during a fight, but can't. Then, still in danger, she shoots down a monster attacking someone else rather than defend herself. [[http://freedominwickedness.tumblr.com/post/82924766873/thefingerfuckingfemalefury-whosoever-holds Boom.]] |
| 115 | ** ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies'' has its version of Thor (zombified) using a hammer made from concrete and rebar, as the Hunger Gospel has left him unworthy of Mjölnir. |
| 116 | ** In ''ComicBook/SecretEmpire'', it seems that Steve Rogers, having been corrupted into being a HYDRA agent, was still worthy of the hammer. However, it's revealed that [[spoiler:a shard of the Cosmic Cube changed the magic around the worthiness to allow him to do so and, when the real Steve came back and history was restored, the other Steve discovered, to his horror, that he wasn't worthy anymore.]] |
| 117 | ** ComicBook/RedHulk is unworthy, but he managed to bypass the enchantment and use the hammer against Thor by taking advantage of the fact he was in a zero gravity environment. He also exploited the fact that he could still lift Thor while he was holding the hammer. In a rematch, he tried to grab it while on Earth; Thor immediately let go, and the hammer promptly crushed his hands under its weight. |
| 118 | ** ComicBook/{{Magneto}} and ComicBook/MoonKnight are both able to manipulate Mjölnir and use it against Thor, thanks to unique circumstances; Magneto because his [[MagnetismManipulation metal-controlling]] powers work on the hammer, Moon Knight because Mjölnir was forged using a moon rock-based ore (uru) and he is the champion of a [[{{Lunacy}} moon deity]]. While this allows them to telekinetically move it, however, they explicitly cannot truly "wield" it in the traditional sense. They cannot lift it with their bare hands and don't gain the power of Thor, as they are essentially just "bypassing" the enchantment with their powers, much like Red Hulk did by grabbing it in space. |
| 119 | ** The rule also applies to sentient robots like ComicBook/{{Ultron}} and ComicBook/TheVision, who are subject to the worthiness clause as anyone else. However, it does ''not'' apply to robots without a will of their own, or to other machines. However, despite being sentient and evil, [[AnimatedArmor The Destroyer]] has no problem picking up the hammer, with some claiming it is because it is not alive. |
| 120 | ** In one ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' issue, Rogue becomes worthy of wielding Mjölnir, mostly because she has completely absorbed Thor. |
| 121 | ** During the final battle of ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulkFutureImperfect'', the Maestro, an evil version of the Hulk from a BadFuture, attempts to use Mjölnir against the mainstream Hulk. Predictably, it fails to even budge and when a baffled Maestro curses that he's more powerful then ever, Rick Jones reaffirms that one's physical strength is meaningless; if you don't meet the hammer's criteria of goodness, ''you aren't lifting the damn hammer'', and a blood-soaked dictator like Maestro most certainly does not meet the criteria. |
| 122 | ** During [[ComicBook/Thor2020 Donny Cates' Thor run]], Mjölnir is destroyed and has to be reconstructed. Unfortunately, something goes awry with the reforging process and the defect causes the worthiness enchantment is [[InvertedTrope inverted]], with everyone '''except''' Thor being capable of wielding, even people who would have ''never'' been able to use it before like ComicBook/IronMan, Loki, and even a completely random farmer. |
| 123 | * ''ComicBook/NewAvengers2015'': Slightly parodied with Excelsior, sword of the prophesied savior of the Kree and Skrull races. Hulkling is abducted by a group of Kree-Skrull hybrids and told he must pass a test to pick up the sword from a pillar of fire, but if he's unworthy he'll die. The guy telling him this doesn't even get through the whole spiel before a very bored Teddy comes back with the sword. |
| 124 | -->'''Teddy:''' Found this. Looks like a sword. Can I ''go'' now? |
| 125 | * PlayedForLaughs in ''ComicBook/PS238''--unlike Marvel's Mjolnir, [[Myth/ClassicalMythology the Hammer of Hephaestus]] is apparently a TalkingWeapon and [[http://ps238.nodwick.com/comic/2020-02-23/ willing to negotiate]] with a half-reformed supervillain. |
| 126 | * ''Franchise/TheSmurfs'': The magic locket on Puppy's collar, which in the cartoon show says it contains "the key to all magic", could only be opened by one individual, as all others who try to open it are shocked or zapped with a lightning bolt. In both versions of Puppy's origin story, Baby Smurf is the one who succeeds in opening the locket to reveal its secrets. |
| 127 | * In ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' story ''ComicBook/TheDayTheCheeringStopped'', billions attempted to seize the Sword of Superman throughout countless eons, but neither of them managed to even touch it. However, when Superman was in trouble, the Sword came to him and granted him its power. In the aftermath of the battle, Superman threw the Sword back into space, and it will remain soaring through the galaxy until the Man of Steel needs it again. |
| 128 | * The ''ComicBook/{{Witchblade}}'' in the comic of the same name was like this. |
| 129 | * In ''Franchise/WonderWoman'', the Lasso of Truth can only be wielded by one who is worthy. |
| 130 | ** Despite being evil, the villainesses Genocide and Devastation are able to wield the Lasso, thanks to their unique origins that fool the Lasso into thinking they are Wonder Woman. |
| 131 | ** Played in reverse in ''ComicBook/JusticeLordsBeyond''. [[spoiler: Wonder Woman uses the Lasso of Truth to strangle/snap the neck of her Justice Lord counterpart for killing Lord Batman, and so she is no longer worthy and the lasso disintegrates.]] |
| 132 | ** In ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil2013'', Cheetah manages to steal the Lasso, but when she snares ComicBook/SteveTrevor with it, he's easily able to escape. He explains that Cheetah wasn't worthy so she couldn't use its powers, then snares her with it and knocks her out. In the unworthy's hands, it's just a rope and they can't access any of its magic powers. |
| 133 | [[/folder]] |
| 134 | |
| 135 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 136 | * In ''ComicStrip/PrinceValiant'', only a member of the royal family of Thule can wield the Singing Sword and make it sing. |
| 137 | [[/folder]] |
| 138 | |
| 139 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 140 | * In ''Fanfic/AvengersInfiniteWars'', as well a Wenwu passing on the Ten Rings to his son, the Rings are later revealed to be part of the sequence necessary to unlock the Infinity Gate that sent the Avengers to the other galaxy. While Hydra's agents used Tesseract energy to activate the Gate, the spirit of a Kwa sorcerer is able to adapt the Rings to trigger the Gate when used by ten different people, each of whom represents some aspect of each individual Ring rather than one person using them all at once (Shang-Chi is still the only one able to wield all ten Rings as weapons, but these other nine are able to activate the Gate). |
| 141 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13767800/1/Birth-of-a-Legend-V2 Birth of a Legend V2]]'': Shirou loans Arturia a copy of Caliburn. Though she is an ordinary human, she can wield it because she is either the reincarnation or AlternateSelf of Saber. Later, when Alec Gascoigne tries to steal the sword, it blasts him with lightning. |
| 142 | * ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has Mjolnir, which is primarily wielded by Thor, but others are noted as being Worthy. The first of these is Steve... [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments who apparently had absolutely no idea of the significance and ended up using it as a doorstop]]. During the story itself, two others wield the hammer when Thor's either out of commission or not around: [[spoiler:Diana]], during the Battle of London, and [[spoiler:Maddie]] at the Red Room facility after a HeelFaceTurn. It speaks volumes of the significance of being judged Worthy that when she appears with Mjolnir in hand, before handing it back to Thor, everyone takes it for granted that she's telling the truth about her HeelFaceTurn. |
| 143 | ** Intriguingly, [[spoiler:Maddie's]] case demonstrates both the fact that Mjolnir has some kind of mind of its own and the CharacterDevelopment from Unworthy to Worthy - when [[spoiler:Maddie]] investigates it with her PsychicPowers, she's initially immediately rebuffed as Unworthy, but when she inquires further, Mjolnir shows her images of prior wielders, how they were Worthy, and how in one crucial instant wiped from her memory, she showed that she could be Worthy too. |
| 144 | ** The Green Lantern Ring is also sentient, to an unknown extent, and picky about wielders, requiring insane strength of will - for instance, it doesn't usually take teenagers, but it's willing to relax its rules in that specific regard where necessary (i.e. where the wielder meets every other requirement and the fate of the universe is at stake). |
| 145 | ** The Swords of the Cross (including ''Amoracchius'', the sword most people think of as Excalibur) are also choosy. At best, they simply won't do anything more than an ordinary sword, or ''be'' anything more than an ordinary sword. At worst, they will bite. ''Hard.'' |
| 146 | ** The original Excalibur actually subverts this trope. Which only the Chosen is ''meant'' to wield it, it's based on the ''Series/Merlin2008'' version, which is more like the Sword in the Stone - it started out as an ordinary but excellent sword, got reforged/enchanted in the flames of a dragon, leaving it able to (among other things) kill the undead. However, anyone who got their hands on it could theoretically wield it, which is exactly why it got stuffed in a rock by Merlin in the first place, to prevent anyone he didn't allow from removing it. As mentioned, the second Excalibur, ''Amoracchius'', plays it straight. |
| 147 | *** Related to that, Harry's sword follows a very similar path: it's forged by Uhtred, a very talented but otherwise ordinary young warrior and [[TheBlacksmith blacksmith]] out of ordinary materials... or their Asgardian versions, anyway. Then, it gets reforged/enchanted by the connivance of Doctor Strange, [[spoiler:who grew up in Camelot and witnessed the original at work,]] under similar circumstances. Doctor Strange's enchantments wove these together, and ensured they had lasting effects. No one's entirely sure what all of those are yet, but one of the things that Loki immediately identifies is that Harry should be very careful who he lets touch it, as it might... ''bite.'' |
| 148 | * In ''Fanfic/CrimsonRising'', only the Phoenix Ranger can wield the Phoenix Saber, to the extent that Hunter Bradley (the heir to the Phoenix power) once dropped the weapon on a beach before he was captured by the villains, and nobody else could pick the blade up until he escaped captivity and returned to retrieve his weapon. |
| 149 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12672275/1/A-daughter-and-a-legend A daughter and a legend]]'': The [[VideoGame/FateGrandOrder Servant version of Charles-Henri Sanson]] runs into his counterpart from the ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'' universe. Even though the [=DxD=] version is an ordinary person with no powers, he can pick up and wield the Servant's weapons because they are technically the same person. |
| 150 | * In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11298331/1/A-different-weasel-makes-a-difference A different weasel makes a difference]]'' Lightbringer can only be wielded by Azor Ahai. Anyone else who tries... |
| 151 | ** Daenerys Targaryen is able to grab it, but doing so nearly kills her and causes a small eruption from the Dragonstone volcano. |
| 152 | ** Undeterred by this, another ''seventy-nine'' random people try and all die horribly. |
| 153 | ** In the final battle, [[spoiler:King Stannis Baratheon, Thoros of Myr, and and an unknown knight]] all wield it. All three die, but each wields it long enough to give humanity a fighting chance. |
| 154 | ** Shortly after the above, the true Azor Ahai is revealed to be [[spoiler:Ygritte, kissed by fire]]. |
| 155 | ** In a non Lightbringer example, Black Dawn one of the two swords made by melting down [[AncestralWeapon Ice]], develops a (seemingly justified) reputation that any non Stark to wield it will die. Stannis may or may not have deliberatley given it to [[spoiler:Loras Tyrell]] in the hopes this would kill him (it did). |
| 156 | * When Harry forges his sons' weapons in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13034223/1/A-Discordant-Note A Discordant Note]]'', he includes a spell that combines this with LoyalPhlebotinum. Their weapons can only be wielded by them or someone worthy of the weapon with a preference for family. Harry considered tying the weapons to his sons' bloodlines but decided against it in case their descendants "prove troublesome". |
| 157 | ** In the sequel ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13701065/7/Metagaming Metagaming?]]'', the Holy Moonlight Greatsword (and presumably Holy Moonlight Greatbow) cannot be used in service of the Old Gods. When Arko'narin is mind controlled by Prophet Skeram, she immediately drops her sword as it becomes "heavier than a mountain" due to Elune's disapproval of her actions. Once Luna removes the mind control, Arko can use her sword like normal. |
| 158 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14197660/1/Dueling-Zero Dueling Zero]]'': In this crossover, [[TabletopGame/YuGiOh Duel Monster]] spirits are summoned as Servants for the [[Literature/FateZero Fourth Holy Grail War]]. |
| 159 | ** The girl who becomes the [[https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Condemned_Maiden Condemned Maiden]] is summoned as Lancer and has the [[https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Forbidden_(archetype) Forbidden]] items as her Noble Phantasms. Since in life, she stole them and was never truly considered worthy, they damage her every time she uses them, and she realizes if she keeps using them, she will die. Interestingly, at different points, she [[GiveMeASword passes the Forbidden Lance, Dress, and Chalice]] to Sky Striker Ace Roze, Dragon Core Hexer, and Irisviel and they are able to use them without being harmed. |
| 160 | ** To prepare for the final battle, Irisviel uses her connection to the Holy Grail to pass [[https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Reinforcement_of_the_Army Reinforcement of the Army]], a Noble Phantasm of Marauding Captain, to Roze. Since it is not officially hers, using it damages her and the effect is much weaker. |
| 161 | * The Sword of Sin and the Sword of Salvation in the Franchise/{{Batman}} ''Dusk to Dawn'' series: |
| 162 | ** The first book features the Sword of Sin, which requires its wielder be pure or touching it will be burn them. [[PureIsNotGood Not necessarily pure good]], just someone who has no doubt or hesitation in what they're using the sword for. Same as in canon, it is the signature weapon of Azrael, the Order of St. Dumas' enforcer trained to be fanatically devout and therefore pure enough to use it. [[spoiler:When the last Azrael stops the Order from executing her sister as a demon, she loses the ability to use the sword, and Batman locks it up in the Batcave's vault.]] |
| 163 | ** The Sword of Salvation appears four books later in ''Grudge Match''. Unlike its twin, it's an EmpathicWeapon possessed by [[spoiler:Siavash/[[MeaningfulRename Matthieu]], Ra's al-Ghul's former [[SwornBrothers blood brother]]]]. It was in a cave for centuries, protected by a magic test of worthiness. [[spoiler:Only Damian passes the test and takes the sword out its pedestal, and it recognizes him as its master from then on. He can [[SummonToHand summon it to him]], and [[LoyalPhlebotinum it becomes too heavy to use when anyone takes it from him]].]] |
| 164 | * ''Fanfic/FateAzureDestiny'': Ritsuka Fujimaru [[TakeUpMySword wields]] Mashu Kyrielight's shield, Lord Camelot, after her death. He can lift it like it was as light as a feather, but other people cannot budge it. |
| 165 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11896019/1/Fate-Crazy-Knights Fate Crazy Knights]]'': PlayedForLaughs when Gilgamesh punishes Kirei, Risei, and Hassan of the Hundred Faces by using his Gate of Babylon to plant Mjolnir on the toilet seat lid of the church's only toilet. Since they are not worthy and can't lift it, they are forced to find another toilet. Later, Gilgamesh is subjected to a LaxativePrank and rushes to the restroom of Tokiomi's house, only to discover that one of Hassan's split personalities was worthy and earlier moved Mjolnir to this toilet seat lid. Since Gilgamesh isn't worthy, he can't even put it back into the Gate of Babylon and is forced to find another toilet. |
| 166 | * ''Fanfic/FateGenesis'': Sonic the Hedgehog once [[VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight played the role of King Arthur]]. Because of this, he is able to use Saber's Noble Phantasms, like Avalon. |
| 167 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14202023/1/Fate-Grand-Dungeon Fate Grand Dungeon]]'': Achilles meets an alternate universe version of his mother, Thetis, and loans her his shield, the Noble Phantasm Akhilleus Kosmos. When Thetis is attacked, the shield reacts to her emotions and divinity and activates, projecting a miniature world to protect her. However, she is unable to lift the shield when it is activated and the narration points out it is as heavy as a world in this state. Only Achilles, the true owner, can lift it while it is active. |
| 168 | * ''Fanfic/FateKill'': |
| 169 | ** Only members of the royal family can touch an emblem of the Empire because they burn anyone else. |
| 170 | ** When Shirou is knocked out and captured, no one can pick up his sword Caliburn. Esdeath gets around this by covering it with a layer of ice so she isn't touching it directly. |
| 171 | ** When Shirou sends everyone into [[MentalWorld Unlimited Blade Works]], Kurome curiously tries to examine the sword Balmung, but it burns her hand, though her own training means she doesn't cry out in pain. Several of Esdeath's forces are similarly rejected by the Noble Phantasms, and the few that do manage to hold them can't actually use them. |
| 172 | * ''Fanfic/GodSlayingBladeWorks'': As in canon, any Noble Phantasm Shirou Emiya creates belongs to him so he can use them. He loans Beautiful Head Taker, the naginata of Tomoe Gozen, to Illya because of a story where Gozen loaned it to one of her female servants, which allows any woman to wield it. He loans the Halberd of Lu Bu Fengxian to Luo Hao, Gae Dearg to John Pluto Smith, and Trap of Argalia to Godou because their powers are always active, allowing anyone to use them. Guinevere and Lancelot can use Rhongomyniad and Excalibur because they are part of King Arthur's legend. Shirou is able to give Arondight to Lancelot because Lancelot is the alternate universe counterpart of its original owner. |
| 173 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14135512/1/A-Hero-s-Dream A Hero's Dream]]'': The spirit of Avalon assures Shirou Emiya that he is worthy of Excalibur and can use it. |
| 174 | * In ''Fanfic/ImaginarySeas'', Percy Jackson is able to activate machines that would normally only be accessible to the Olympians or those working for them thanks to being gifted his father Poseidon's Divine Core. He gets numerous doses of nanomachines (Klironomia) this way. He's also been bestowed with Poseidon's armor and trident, enhancing Percy's already immense powers. His Savior of Olympus skill also grants him the right to use any of the Mysteries of Ancient Greece and Rome, which lets him draw upon any Noble Phantasm he's ever owned through his other Noble Phantasm, Perseus Khresmos. This is also implied to be what makes him compatible with any of the gods' nanomachines, which Athena warns would tear him apart if they rejected him. |
| 175 | * ''Fanfic/InfinityCrisis'': |
| 176 | ** While Hela has Thanos recreate Mjolnir for her, she is unaware of the worthiness enchantment, which prevents her from using it against Thor. By contrast, when Jane Foster touches the hammer after Hela stabbed Jane through the chest, her determination allows Jane to become the hammer's new wielder, Thor allowing her to keep his old weapon. |
| 177 | ** In chapter 8 of ''Counterpart Conferences'', [[spoiler:Morgana tries and fails to claim Excalibur and ends up with a hand that looks like it's been dunked in acid]]. |
| 178 | ** During ''Brothers of Thunder'', [[spoiler:the various Thors develop the 'habit' of testing their counterparts' identities by allowing the other Thor to lift their version of Mjolnir]]. |
| 179 | * ''Fanfic/KabbalahThePassiveConqueror'': Circe has the Noble Phantasm Rule Breaker, which normally belongs to her niece Medea. She says she has it because she taught Medea how to make it. |
| 180 | * ''Fanfic/KingdomHeartsGrandOrder'': |
| 181 | ** While fighting Saber Alter, Sora shocks everyone by stealing Excalibur Morgan and being able to wield it, even purifying it back to Excalibur. This is likely due to Sora's pure heart, inner light, and heroic tendencies that made him worthy of the Keyblade. |
| 182 | ** EMIYA attempts to Trace a copy of the Keyblade, but fails because it does not consider him worthy. |
| 183 | * ''Fanfic/TheLastSon'': |
| 184 | ** Superman's ancestor Von-El, founder of the House of El, created a sword and designed it so only himself and his bloodline descendants would be able to pull it out of the scabbard. It was one of the first known instances of Kryptonian technology being DNA codified to prevent its misuse. |
| 185 | ** Excalibur also appears in Book Four, following the classical mythology as having been created by Merlin himself and wielded by King Arthur in the past. In the present time, Brian Braddock/Captain Britain pulls it out of the stone and uses it to inflict a wound on Apocalypse. |
| 186 | * ''Fanfic/TheNegotiationsVerse'' side-story ''Fallen'' uses a couple of its MultipleEndings to [[PlayingWith play with this concept]]: |
| 187 | ** In the "Rejection" path, most of the chosen become ''unchosen'' when the Harmony Pylon is activated -- it backfires, and all of the Elements of Harmony corrode and fade away. Save for Fluttershy, whom the forces of Harmony deem to have been the only one who has actually ''honored'' her element. |
| 188 | ** "Harmony's Chosen", meanwhile, has [[spoiler:all six Elements choose Fluttershy as their sole wielder, ascending her to an alicorn before changing Twilight and Princess Celestia ''back'' into unicorns as punishment for how they abused their blessings]]. |
| 189 | * In the ''Literature/LoneWolf'' fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11258749/1/Nexus-of-Light Nexus of Light]]'', a villain tricks Lone Wolf into spilling innocent blood. This causes the Sommerswerd to deem him unworthy and shatter. Fortunately, it gets reforged and accepts him again. |
| 190 | * ''Fanfic/OogwaysLittleOwl'' explains the invisible Trident Of Destiny (which was just a throwaway gag in [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda the movie]]). It can only be seen by the person destined to wield it who, according to Oogway, will use it to save all of China. It's been waiting a long time with no apparent wielder having come, but Oogway is confident that the ChosenOne will come one day. Maybe. [[TheGadfly Unless he was just screwing with people]]. |
| 191 | * The ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2790444/1/Other-Side-of-the-Mirror Other Side of the Mirror]]'' features a variation on this when evil versions of Kim and Ron arrive in this world; while only someone with a pure heart can wield the Lotus Blade, Ron's counterpart can summon the Blade as he is pure ''evil'', observing that Sensei should have checked the fine print on that particular detail. |
| 192 | * In the ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'': |
| 193 | ** The Elements of Harmony, naturally, but also their Chaotic counterparts, the Elements of Chaos. However, there's a bit of a twist: worthiness is embodying the attribute, not necessarily embodying it ''positively'', but the Element can only be used to their fullest potential if they do. Further more, following being turned into their current form, the Elements of Harmony draw power directly from [[TopGod Fauna Luster]], who can ''withhold'' her power and render the combined form of them unusable unless replaced with something else, such as sheer extremism. The corrupted versions also have different names, such as the corrupted Element of Magic/Friendship being called Domination and the corrupted Element of Fantasy being called Deceit. |
| 194 | ** [[spoiler:After retrieving Cupid's bow, Lovestruck (Cupid's successor and {{Reincarnation}}) is instructed to bring it to her adopted mother Venus. Due to it previously being used for evil by the False Princesses, Venus and several of her siblings put an enchantment on it so that only someone worthy of it can so much as move it to prevent this from happening again.]] |
| 195 | ** The Alicorn Amulet in this verse is an evil version, as it will only allow those it ''chooses'' to use it. As [[spoiler:Sonata]] found out the hard way, trying to use it otherwise can end badly if you're not strong enough to forcibly subjugate it. Trixie is considered such because [[spoiler:she's descended from its creator]], and it'd actively tried to bring her to it for years. |
| 196 | * In one of the ''Fanfic/QueensOfMewniSpinoffs'', ''Future of Mewni'', the last spell Helena the Persistent created before passing the wand to Nova the Cosmic was a spell that enforced this trope by only allowing the Queen, her heiress, or anyone pure of heart to wield it. This stems from the beginning of her reign, when she found out her sister Solia stole the wand and used it to usurp the throne from Helena. |
| 197 | * ''Fanfic/RobbReturns'': |
| 198 | ** This seems to be the schtick of the ThunderboltIron {{Ancestral Weapon}}s made by the First Men: |
| 199 | *** [[CoolSword Dawn]] quivers in the hand of anyone that is not meant to wield it. [[spoiler: It's revealed that during Ned's battle at the Tower of Joy, the sword had rejected Arthur Dayne and "failed" him when he needed it the most, [[WorfHadTheFlu which may have been a factor in his loss]].]] |
| 200 | *** [[spoiler:When Mace Tyrell tries to take Otherbane from his son Willas, his hand is burned by the spear.]] |
| 201 | *** [[spoiler:Joffrey tries to wield [[{{BFS}} Stormbreaker]] while Robert is busy training, and the sword shocks him, burns his hand, and [[BlownAcrossTheRoom throws him across the room]].]] |
| 202 | *** In spite of these examples, Ser Barristan notes that his ancestors could act as Sword Bearers to the Storm Kings, just like he does for King Robert now; and Jory Cassel acts as a Mace Bearer to Lord Stark. Ser Barristan believes this is because they made no claim to owning it, nor viewed themselves as worthy of owning it, and carried it with the permission of the true owners. Whether or not only certain families can be the bearer for the true owner is unclear. |
| 203 | ** [[spoiler:In the depths of the Nightfort lies the original Throne of Winter, which is inscribed with runes that say that anyone who isn't a Stark that sits in it will be [[SanitySlippage driven insane]].]] |
| 204 | * ''Fanfic/RWBYZero'': |
| 205 | ** Jaune Arc and Mordred are deemed unworthy to wield Excalibur, so they cannot draw it from its sheath. Eventually, when Mordred develops into a more compassionate person, she becomes worthy and is able to draw it. |
| 206 | ** Gilgamesh is the only person worthy to wield Ea. Not even Lancelot's Knight of Owner ability or Salem's magic and Black Mud can get around this. [[spoiler:Of course, Ea becoming its own person and gaining free will, on the other hand...]] |
| 207 | * Subverted in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/series/717477 Second Chances]]'' when Loki reveals that Tony Stark's belief that Mjolnir was keyed specifically to Thor was actually correct. Odin's spell of "only the worthy may wield" was actually bullshit and the spell simply kept Thor from wielding Mjolnir for a few days until he'd reflected on his actions (Loki compares it to sending Thor to his room). The reason Vision could wield it is because the Mind Stone made him an OutsideContextProblem. |
| 208 | * In the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse/''Franchise/HarryPotter'' crossover "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/26698570/ Strange Potter]]", Doctor Strange creates a wand for Harry Potter, with the wand at least partially made of vibranium and with a hair from Thor as its core. A particular trait of the wand is that no one with ill intent can pick it up, and it will react if it is touched by someone it doesn't already "know"; the wand gave Ollivander a mild shock when he just picked it up out of idle curiosity, but it seriously burnt Snape's hand when he tried to take it away from Harry. |
| 209 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10247248/1/Unlikely-Heroine-Version-2 Unlikely Heroine]]'' adds [[Film/Carrie2013 Carrie White]] to the ranks of [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse the Avengers]], and she is shown to be capable of wielding Mjolnir when she joins the initial confrontation between Captain America, Iron Man and Thor, which Thor attributes to the fact that she sought to end that fight to protect others rather than to win anything. |
| 210 | * ''Fanfic/TheVastoOfWhite'': |
| 211 | ** Shirou is able to create a copy of Aizen's Zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu, but even after he learns the sword's True Name, he is unable to use it. The sword's spirit only respects Aizen and says he is the only one worthy of wielding her. The only benefit Shirou gets is that he is immune to Aizen's illusions. |
| 212 | ** Ayon picks up a copy of the stone axe-sword of Heracles. The spirit of the sword judges him for a few minutes before deciding he is worthy of wielding it. |
| 213 | * [[https://imgur.com/gallery/Ru3w7vI#iSbbkWS One fan comic]] has ''Creator/FredRogers'' meeting Thor and wielding Mjolnir. Mr. Rogers, in a beautifully heartwarming way, then talks to Thor about how different people are good at different things, and there might be people who can do things that he and Thor can't even imagine. [[SincerityMode Thor thanks him for his counsel, and Mr. Rogers thanks Thor for visiting.]] |
| 214 | [[/folder]] |
| 215 | |
| 216 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 217 | * ''WesternAnimation/HulkVs'': In "Hulk vs. Thor", Loki possesses the Hulk's body and beats up Thor. Loki arrogantly thinks that since his new body is stronger than Thor, he'll be able to lift Mjölnir. He fails to budge it, since worthiness has nothing to do with physical strength. |
| 218 | * In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueThroneOfAtlantis'', only Atlantean royalty can wield the Trident of Poseidon. Anyone else who tries to hold it gets electrocuted. |
| 219 | * In ''WesternAnimation/{{Minions}}'', Bob is crowned king when he pulls Excalibur from the stone while being chased by the police. |
| 220 | * This is implied to be the case with the demigod Maui's magical fishhook in ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}''. It was a gift from the gods that grants Maui great powers, including VoluntaryShapeshifting but he loses it during his first battle with Te Ka, the fire demon. To help Moana on her quest, they go to recover the fishhook from the monstrous giant crab, Tamatoa. We are shown that both Tamatoa and Moana are capable of picking up the fishhook, but neither are shown being able to tap into its magic. |
| 221 | * ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'': Big Jack Horner has Excalibur as part of his collection of magic items from various stories. However, since he can't pull it from the stone, the stone is still attached to the end of it. He just uses it as a giant blunt weapon. |
| 222 | * ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'' plays with this. The BigBad Ruber is able to wield Excalibur and he even magically merges his hand with it in the final battle. Then the heroes trick the villain into thrusting Excalibur back into the stone. Since King Arthur is the only one able to pull the sword from the stone, Ruber is stuck. Then the stone's power obliterates Ruber, leaving Excalibur free for Arthur to reclaim. |
| 223 | * ''WesternAnimation/UltimateAvengers'': Though the Hulk is unworthy, he is strong enough (with effort) to lift Mjölnir with pure brute force, much to Thor's utter shock. Hulk noticeably struggles to keep it aloft for the short time he's using it (nor can he use its electricity), but he's able to do so long enough to hurl it at Thor with enough strength to knock him out and then pick it up again to try and decapitate Thor with the ax-end before Captain America knocks him away and gets the weapon out of his hands for the remainder of the fight. |
| 224 | [[/folder]] |
| 225 | |
| 226 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 227 | * ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'': When Arthur Curry/Aquaman attempts to claim the Trident of Atlan, its guardian, Karathen, warns him that if he isn't the true heir of Atlan, he won't be able to lift it. Fortunately, he qualifies. |
| 228 | * ''Film/BeautyAndTheBeast1946'': Belle's necklace will only remain a necklace if she wears it. It turns into rotting/smoking rope when in her sisters' hands. Perhaps similar to TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf as this could also be viewed as a reflection of the sisters' inner hearts. |
| 229 | * ''Film/DraculaTheDarkPrince'': The Lightbringer is the only weapon capable of destroying Count Dracula. At first glance and in the hands of anyone else, its just a simple staff. But when held by a descendant of Cain, it turns into a scythe. As such, [[LovableRogue Lucien]] is the [[TheChosenOne only one]] that can kill Dracula. [[spoiler: [[TheStarscream Renfield]] is able to bypass this issue entirely when he bites Lucien and spits his blood on the staff, activating it and allowing him to wield it]]. |
| 230 | * ''Film/{{Dredd}}'': The Lawgivers are biometrically locked to the judges they are assigned to, and any unauthorized attempt at using a Lawgiver will result in the weapon blowing up [[spoiler:as Kay finds out the hard way when he tried to use Anderson's Lawgiver to shoot her]]. |
| 231 | * ''Film/{{Excalibur}}'': Not only was Arthur the only one who could draw the titular sword from the stone, he pulled it from the stone ''again'' just to prove he could, since no one was around the first time. When he did something unworthy (using the sword's power to defeat Lancelot, who should rightly have won their duel), the sword ''broke'', and when he repented it was fixed. |
| 232 | * ''Film/TheFellowshipOfTheRing'': Explicitly stated during the Council of Elrond. |
| 233 | -->'''Boromir''': Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!\ |
| 234 | '''Aragorn''': You cannot wield it, none of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master. |
| 235 | * ''Film/KingArthurLegendOfTheSword'' |
| 236 | ** Having been warned that the RightfulKingReturns, King Vortigern has his soldiers bring everyone in his kingdom of the right age to be his missing nephew to where the sword is in the stone to attempt to pull it out, branding them after the test. Arthur is brought in when he's questioned and discovered not to have the brand. In a subversion, Arthur is knocked out and easily captured after removing the sword because [[PowerIncontinence he can't handle the power and memories that overwhelm him]] when he grasps the hilt. [[spoiler:The stone is later revealed to be Arthur's father TakenForGranite after deliberately impaling himself on Excalibur so his evil brother couldn't take it.]] |
| 237 | ** Invoked later [[spoiler:when Vortigern uses Excalibur to kill a [[AnimalAssassin mage-controlled snake]] as it leaps at him from a pillar, but the sword gets stuck in the stone pillar so he can't remove it to defend himself when a much ''[[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever bigger]]'' magical snake attacks.]] |
| 238 | * ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'': Thor's hammer, Mjölnir, arguably goes on as much of a journey as any of the characters throughout the franachise. |
| 239 | ** ''Film/{{Thor}}'': Thor is exiled to Midgard (Earth) and stripped of his power, and his hammer Mjölnir is given an enchantment from Odin that allows only those who are worthy to wield it. Thor initially tracks the hammer down, intending to regain his power, but is shocked to discover that he isn't worthy. After CharacterDevelopment and a HeroicSacrifice, the magic judges him worthy, and the hammer flies to him and restores his powers. Thor would also ''weaponize'' the hammer's worthiness in this and later films. |
| 240 | *** ''Film/{{Thor}}'': Towards the end, he pins Loki to the ground by putting the unliftable hammer on his chest. |
| 241 | *** ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'': He momentarily distracts The Hulk by having him catch the hammer but be unable to move it. |
| 242 | *** ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'': [[SuperSpeed Pietro Maximoff]] catches it in midair but is sent flying until he lets go. |
| 243 | *** ''Film/ThorRagnarok'': At the start, he casually stops a dragon by putting Mjölnir in its mouth. |
| 244 | ** ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'': |
| 245 | *** The Avengers try to lift Mjölnir in a drunken party game. In a nod to his worthiness in the comics, Steve is able to shift it slightly, which causes Thor to look nervous for a second. Tony, in his traditional snark, tries to shoot down the idea: |
| 246 | ---->'''Tony:''' It's biometrics, right? Like a security code? "Whoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints" is, I think, the literal translation.\ |
| 247 | '''Thor:''' Yes, well, that's a very, very interesting theory. I have a simpler one: ''(lifts Mjölnir)'' You're all not worthy. |
| 248 | *** [[spoiler:After coming to life, Vision innocently, casually, and single-handedly passes Thor his hammer, instantly proving to the team (and the audience) that he's one of the good guys. Though Steve and Tony later ponder whether it was because Vision is a machine.]] At the end of the movie, Tony and Steve have a discussion about worthiness, noting they've seen Thor rest the hammer on the floor of an ascending elevator and it continued to rise, snarking that the elevator was worthy. |
| 249 | ** ''Film/ThorRagnarok'': |
| 250 | *** Thor uses the worthiness clause to expose the fact that Loki is posing as Odin. Thor throws Mjölnir into the distance, grabs "Odin" by the neck and holds him in the hammer's return path. The real Odin, who is worthy, would be able to catch the weapon himself and avoid injury. Loki, who ''isn't'' worthy, has to yield and drop the charade so he doesn't get hit in the face. |
| 251 | *** [[TheWorfEffect As a signal to the audience how strong Hela is]], she catches Mjölnir in midair, holds it up, then effortlessly ''destroys'' it. |
| 252 | ** ''Film/AvengersEndgame'': |
| 253 | *** After spending the last five years wallowing in misery, Thor borrows Mjölnir from the past during the group's time travel mission, and is beyond estatic to discover that he's still worthy. [[spoiler:Later on, Steve wields it to save Thor's life during the final battle. Cue a KnewItAllAlong from Thor.]] |
| 254 | *** A person not being chosen to wield is being played with in the final battle - [[spoiler:Spider-Man is cornered by enemies, so Steve throws Mjölnir overhead towards him, Spider-Man grabs on to it and is promptly dragged along with it and out of immediate danger, since being unable to lift it off the ground and being unable to stop its momentum is the same thing.]] |
| 255 | ** ''Film/ThorLoveAndThunder'': Following it's destruction by Hela, it turns out nobody could move the shattered pieces of Mjölnir, so they dug out the ground and turned it into an exhibit. When Jane Foster passes by the shattered hammer, the pieces sense her worthiness and the weapon comes back together for her to wield. In flashbacks, it's shown that Thor asked Mjölnir to always watch over Jane, unintentionally enchanting it to respond to her as a wielder. To Thor's shock, though he can still lift it, the hammer seems to reject him and prefer Jane as its wielder. [[spoiler:He only regains the hammer when Jane dies. Thor's adopted daughter, Love, can evidently lift Mjölnir as well, since she moved it offscreen to a different spot from where it was resting.]] |
| 256 | * ''Film/PrinceValiant1997'': Only the rightful king of any nation (regardless of morality) can wield Excalibur. If anyone else tries to use it, it will embed itself into the ground and refuse to come out. King Arthur (Camelot) and Prince Valiant (Thule) can use it. Sadly, Sir Gawain is surrounded by enemies at one point and attempts to pull out the sword to defend himself, but fails and is killed. The Viking King is unable to use it, much to his surprise. His [[TheDragon second-in-command]], who was unable to use it earlier, says it's because he's weak and incompetent, making him unworthy. He kills him, making him the new Viking King through KlingonPromotion, and gains the ability to use it. |
| 257 | * ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'': It's a matter of this trope combined with OnlyTheWorthyMayPass. [[TheChosenOne Neo]] and friends follow TheProphecy of the Oracle to end the Man/Machine war by way of a stack of living and non-living {{Plot Coupon}}s and {{Plot Device}}s that must be first discovered or destroyed, culminating with a [[ImDyingPleaseTakeMyMacGuffin minor character dying, passing on a key for Neo]] to open a door to the source of the Machines. [[spoiler:It was all for nearly nothing, as all the protagonist's work is yet another way for the Machines to keep control.]] Despite that, Neo [[ScrewDestiny figures out another option in time]]. |
| 258 | * ''Film/ShredderOrpheus'': Has Orpheus learn of a mysterious parking garage that can only be traversed with the right kind of skateboard. [[spoiler:Hades' network is more than willing to provide said board.]] |
| 259 | * ''Film/SiegeOfTheSaxons'': ExcaliburInTheStone can only be drawn from its scabbard by the rightful King or Queen of England. |
| 260 | * ''Film/{{Stardust}}'': On his deathbed, the king of Stormhold drains the color from an ancestral ruby and casts it out into the realm. As only a male of royal blood can restore the color, his four surviving sons set out to find the gem, all of them dying along the way. In the end, protagonist Tristan Thorne - the king's unknown grandson - is the last one left alive, thus restoring the ruby by his touch and becoming king. |
| 261 | * ''Film/SuperMarioBros1993'': Only Daisy can withstand the force of the meteorite. When Lena uses it to merge the dimensions, its power disintegrates her. |
| 262 | * ''Film/WarGod'' have the trusty Green Dragon Saber of Guan Yu (yes, [[UsefulNotes/GuanYu this Guan Yu]]) which can only be used by the deity himself. In the climatic battle, one of the Martian villains tries stealing the saber for himself, only to receive a painful electric shock after touching the weapon. |
| 263 | [[/folder]] |
| 264 | |
| 265 | [[folder:Gamebooks]] |
| 266 | * In the ''Literature/LoneWolf'' series, the Sommerswerd can only be used to its full potential by a Kai Lord. If wielded in combat by anyone else, it is said that its power will fade and be lost forever. Being the last of the Kai Lords at the beginning of the series, Lone Wolf is naturally TheChosenOne. |
| 267 | [[/folder]] |
| 268 | |
| 269 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 270 | * ''Literature/TheAdversaryCycle''. In ''Nightworld'' the protagonists reforge a magic sword that's their last chance to defeat the GreaterScopeVillain who's causing TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Literature/RepairmanJack is the obvious candidate to replace the aging Glaeken who's wielded it in the past, but Jack balks at an eternity of servitude to the Ally, and so offers everyone else in the room a chance. [[spoiler:The sword fails to respond to them, so Jack bites the bullet and grasps it... only for it to fail to respond to him either. Turn out only the original hero (who hasn't died and therefore can't expect Jack to TakeUpMySword) is acceptable. After a millennia or so of service Glaeken definitely doesn't want to start all over again, but the sword rejuvenates him as the young warrior he was, and so Glaeken gets a chance to take out his frustrations on the BigBad.]] |
| 271 | * The Orb of Aldur in ''Literature/TheBelgariad'' can only be touched by a purely innocent person or by the true heir of Riva. It's even more impressive when it's fused to the Sword of Riva Irongrip, which was forged from a [[ThunderboltIron fallen star]]. |
| 272 | * In ''Literature/TheBlueSword'' (and the prequel, ''Literature/TheHeroAndTheCrown''), you have Gonturan, the titular Blue Sword, which can only be safely wielded by women and boys younger than 20. |
| 273 | * In ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'', the Knorth get two of them: |
| 274 | ** The Kenthiar will decapitate anyone who wears it who is not the rightful Highlord (and has chopped off the fingers of unworthy candidates who have simply handled it). |
| 275 | ** Kin-Slayer maybe an aversion. It is reputed to only be magic when wielded by by the Knorth. Jame finds that it's powers seem to be unlocked by wearing the Knorth signet ring. Then again, she is also a member of the family. |
| 276 | * Creator/LloydAlexander's ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'': |
| 277 | ** The story makes use of the Welsh sword Dyrnwyn. In the first book the protagonist is told it should only be drawn by someone of "[[RoyalBlood royal blood]]". He arrogantly tries to draw it anyway and the flash of lightning from the blade burns him and knocks him out. At the end of the series, in desperation and without thinking, he draws it again — and this time it responds to him. It turns out that "royal blood" was a poor translation (which Eilonwy, the translator, had actually said from the very beginning), and it should be better rendered as "noble worth", which the sword now recognizes in him. |
| 278 | ** Only the "rightful" Ruler of Annuvin can wear the Iron Crown of Annuvin, and the only way to be proved worthy is to defeat the previous Ruler. [[spoiler:When someone who hasn't defeated the previous Ruler puts it on, it heats up like a poker and becomes impossibly tight and cannot be removed, burning through his skull.]] |
| 279 | * In the ''Literature/DeltoraQuest'' series, only the true king of Deltora can use the full power of the Belt of Deltora, though others can still benefit from the magical properties of its seven gems. The Belt glows when first worn [[spoiler:in its correct configuration]] by the true heir to the throne, clearly indicating who is worthy of it. The Belt will also reject a living ruler in favor of the next in line if it deems them unworthy, as it did with King Endon. It only shone for Endon after his father's death, but after [[DismantledMacGuffin the gems were stolen]] while it was supposed to be under Endon's care, the Belt shone for [[spoiler:his son, Lief]] while Endon was still alive. |
| 280 | ** The RoyalBlood requirement is exploited in the sequel series: [[spoiler:to ensure Deltora will be safe should anything happen to him, Lief tracks down his distant cousin Marilen in Tora, who is also a descendant of the first king Adin. Presumably some of the Masked Ones, being descended from a later king's brother, are also eligible.]] |
| 281 | * Subverted in Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', specifically during "Literature/MenAtArms". Generally the citizens of Ankh-Morpork are dersive of the idea that pulling a sword from the stone makes one qualified to be King. If anything they should be looking for whoever put the sword through stone in the first place, as THAT's someone special. And of course, Carrot does just that at one point. The characters also theorize that the original example was a setup, where whoever they wanted to make king was planned in advance. Prehaps something like a Dwarf inside the stone holding it with pliers to keep it there, until the right bloke comes along, he pulls the sword and all the peasants are suitably impressed. |
| 282 | * In ''Literature/TheDivineCities'', Voortya was the Divinity of War, and having reached the Vooryashtani afterlife, Mulaghesh ends up having to wield [[CoolSword Voortya's Sword]], which is only given to her because of her long and bloody history as a career soldier. |
| 283 | * ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': |
| 284 | ** The three holy Swords used by Knights of the Cross are named ''Fidelacchius'', ''Esperacchius,'' and ''Amoracchius''.[[note]]In ''Ghost Story'' reveals their other historical monikers to be [[spoiler:Kusanagi, Durandal and Excalibur]].[[/note]] Each Sword responds strongly to powerful faith, hope, and love, respectively. Holding to that ideal is key in allowing the Sword to draw out its full strength on behalf of the bearer.[[note]]Note that none of these feelings need be towards God, just focusing on the base feeling. A man who believes in right overcoming wrong, that one person can make a difference, can wield the Sword of Faith, while a supernatural-monster mother defending her daughter from the forces of evil can draw out the Sword of Love's power even if she is tainted by evil herself. Sanya, Knight of Hope, doesn't even believe in God, taking an agnostic view, but has never had trouble drawing out his Sword's power[[/note]]. Further, it's revealed in ''Small Favor'' that several of the most recent Knights have royalty in their ancestry[[note]]Shiro was descended from the last king of Okinawa, Michael is descended from Charlemagne, and Sanya's ancestry links him to Saladin, [[spoiler: which strongly implies that Butters has royal ancestry as well]][[/note]]. It is also important to note not every wielder is meant to be a life-long Knight. Many Knights are one-timers, who take up the Sword during some crisis, wield it to victory, and leave it aside once the danger has past. Note that unworthy mortals can still ''pick up'' and fight with the Swords, but the weapons don't provide them with any particular advantage over plain steel, unless their motives are pure and become worthy in their choices. Moreover, if a treacherous person is given authority over the blade, say the Knight gives a thief the Sword to defend himself when the Knight is out of commission, wielding a Sword in a treacherous or unjust manner renders the holy blade vulnerable to destruction, either physical or (if used to kill an innocent) spiritual. |
| 285 | ** In the Fae Courts, there are the respective Mantles of the Summer and Winter Knights. Each Knight is selected for the position by one of the court's three Queens. In order of strongest to weakest, they are The Queen Who Was, The Queen Who Is, and The Queen Who Will Be. Now, while a Knight could be considered suitable by one of the Queens, if an older one deems the Knight unworthy, they can kill the Knight and claim the mantle to select a new knight. |
| 286 | ** Of the strongest of holy magics, Soulfire, the thing He and His angels used to make Reality, can be given to a mortal to wield, but can only be done when Lucifer has acted first with giving his agents Super-Hellfire. Soulfire, when invoked, makes the magic or action have more substance, making it able to break through some mystical defenses that a foe might have. [[CastFromHitPoints However, it eats at the soul of the user]] and if one uses too much, the person will not recover. Fortunately, souls regenerate fairly quickly in this setting - even faster if you do something positive, like hang out with friends and have fun. |
| 287 | ** On the other side, there are the thirty siver Denarii and their power. Each Denarius houses in it a FallenAngel, one of Lucifer's top forces who joined with him against God or otherwise betrayed God[[note]]Lucifer chose them not just for their power but out of concern they would work to overthrow him one day. Better to send them away to cause problems elsewhere.[[/note]]. If the Coin lacks a host, then when a person's skin touches the coin a shadow of the Fallen imprints itself into the mind of the person. It is at this moment what "worthy" means comes into play. If the Fallen sees the mortal as a weakling in spirit, mind, or body, they will break the mortal's spirit and subsume their will to the Fallens. The mortal then becomes a puppet and the Fallen will control the body but not have as much power as in other situations. If the mortal has a strong spirit, the Fallen will work to make their goals similar to the mortal so they will work in concert, granting the mortal more power and the Fallen more freedoms. As each Fallen has different values and goals, what might make one a worthwhile partnership to Lasciel the Webweaver would not Ursiel the brute. |
| 288 | * ''Literature/EarthAbides'', possibly the first viral apocalypse story, developed this well. At the start, Ish (the protagonist) finds a hammer left by miners in the mountains he's walking in, researching his thesis and missing the end of the world. He takes it as an artifact of that time. It comes in handy, but he thinks little of it. Years later, when he's met other survivors and formed a tribe, he asks his son to get the hammer to fix something, and the son is shocked: he couldn't possibly touch such a holy object. At the end, as Ish dies, the younger tribesmen are pressing him to tell them who to pass the hammer to, and with it leadership of the tribe. |
| 289 | * In the ''Literature/EnchantedForestChronicles'', the sword of the king of the Enchanted Forest is instrumental in [[TheChooserOfTheOne choosing]] the next king, and only the rightful king can access its quite formidable magic, while to anyone else it's just an unusually durable and sharp sword. And because the king also has some influence over the magic of the Enchanted Forest, in a sense the sword also chooses who has the right to wield the kingdom itself. Furthermore, if the sword is taken out of the Forest, it will burn anyone who isn't a member of the royal family, or married into said family. |
| 290 | * ''Literature/{{Fablehaven}}'' features Vasilis, the Sword of Light and Darkness, which can only be given to a new wielder if the old one voluntarily does so. Additionally, if the wielder falls in battle, only a friend can take it up, not an enemy. The sword magnifies the wielder's emotions. |
| 291 | * In ''Literature/TheFindersStoneTrilogy'' novel ''The Wyvern's Spur'', not just anyone can use the titular spur to [[ScaledUp transform into a wyvern]]. Only a member of the Wyvernspur family that the family crypt's undead guardian has marked as her favorite can do so, and she only bestows that favor to one member of the family each generation. |
| 292 | * ''Literature/GoblinsInTheCastle'': The light-providing amulet that Granny Pinchbottom gave William. It only works in his hands, as evidenced when it doesn't glow for Herky and even stops when William hands it to Fauna. Once it's back in his hands, it comes back on with no problem. |
| 293 | * In the ''Literature/GriffinsDaughter'' series, it isn't said whether or not only the Elf royal bloodline can wear the White Griffin (a ring that is the symbol of the royal family), but it will only glow when worn by someone of royal blood. It's how Jelena is confirmed as being [[spoiler:King Keizo's]] daughter. |
| 294 | * ''Literature/HarryPotter'': |
| 295 | ** Only ''true'' Gryffindors can draw Gryffindor's sword from the Sorting Hat. Or more precisely, someone with Gryffindor "qualities" such as bravery and valor. A ''true'' Gryffindor is not just someone who got Sorted into the house, but someone who truly upholds the ''ideals'' that Godric himself prized. In all the series, only Harry and Neville were confirmed to be able to summon the blade to their side. They needed to uphold these ideals and, in addition, still have the humility to ask the Hat for help. |
| 296 | ** "The wand chooses the wizard". A wizard ''can'' use a wand not their own; wands are stolen, borrowed, or inherited fairly frequently. But magic channeled through another's wand will never be as easy or as powerful as when the wizard uses his own. On the other hand, a wizard who defeats/kills another in a WizardDuel will often be able to command the obedience of his vanquished opponent's wand. Willingly returning the wand to its owner will cancel this transfer of magical ownership, though. Meaning that wizards who duel for practice or sport aren't going to be at constant risk of losing command of their wand. [[spoiler:After Professor Snape kills Albus Dumbledore, Lord Voldemort claims Dumbledore's wand, the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in the world. Because he is not the true owner, he cannot use it to its full potential. Thinking that since Snape killed Dumbledore, he is the true owner, Voldemort kills him. What he didn't know was that shortly before Dumbledore died, Draco Malfoy disarmed him, making Malfoy the true owner unknowingly. Harry later beats Malfoy in a physical fight, making Harry the true owner. In the final battle, Voldemort tries to use the Elder Wand to kill Harry. The Elder Wand refuses to harm its true owner, foreshadowed in an earlier scene where Voldemort used [[AgonyBeam Crucio]] on Harry to test if he was playing dead, but it did nothing to him, so it backfires and kills Voldemort.]] |
| 297 | ** If a basilisk counts as a weapon, only the rightful Heir of Slytherin could command it, meaning it wouldn't have listened if Harry tried to use Parseltongue to communicate with it. |
| 298 | * The hero of ''Literature/TheIronDream'' is able to wield a large truncheon so constructed that only someone with the right genetic pedigree can even pick it up. |
| 299 | * ''Literature/InsteadOfThreeWishes'': The short story ''The Baker King'' includes a prophecy that only a true member of the royal family of Monemvassia may sit on the Kingdom's throne, and any usurper who take the seat will be struck down by a terrible curse. When Spiro the Bandit invades the kingdom and declares himself king he falls dead the moment he sits upon the throne. [[spoiler:Whether or not the curse is real is up to debate, as Spiro was bitten on the rear by the venomous cliff snake hidden in the chair cushions by the [[KingIncognito disguised crown prince]].]] |
| 300 | * In ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'', the Dragon King of the Eastern Ocean has in his armory a piece of magic iron that was used to measure the depth of the Milky Way. It is 20 feet long and as thick as a barrel. No dragon can lift it. Then one day it begins to glow, and soon Monkey arrives seeking a weapon. He picks up the rod and tells it to become smaller: it shrinks to fit him (but is still as thick as a rice bowl and weighs many thousand pounds -- Monkey is quite a hero). He can get it to be any size he wants, and when not in use, he reduces it to the size of a needle and stores it in his ear. |
| 301 | * The Arisian-built Lenses in the ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series are each specifically created for an intended Lensman, and will not only fail to work if someone else tries to use it, but will kill someone touching with bare skin it if it's not being worn by its user. This even extends to other Lensmen. When Clarissa receives her Lens, Kinnison takes it out of its shipping container by using insulated gloves to not touch it directly, while Virgil Samms has the dangers demonstrated to him on Arisia by being invited to touch Roderick Kinnison's Lens very delicately and briefly. It still causes him quite a lot of pain. |
| 302 | * ''Literature/LightAndDarkTheAwakeningOfTheMageknight'': The sword of the original mageknight can only be grasped by his successor. [[spoiler:This is because only his successor has Ghost Sight, which is necessary to by-pass the optical illusion protecting it.]] |
| 303 | * In ''Literature/TheOdyssey'', Penelope's suitors have to pass the test of bending Odysseus' bow in order to get her. They all fail. A beggar comes and request to try bending the bow, in which he succeeds, revealing himself as Odysseus. |
| 304 | * See also Pratchett's short story "Once and Future", in which [[TimeTravel time traveler]] and supposed wizard Mervin has placed the sword in an electromagnet, which he can switch off without anyone noticing. |
| 305 | * ''Literature/PahuaMoua'': Only the legendary shaman Shee Yee can wield the lightning axe. As his reincarnation, Pahua can use it too. |
| 306 | * In ''Literature/PleaseDontTellMyParentsImASupervillain'' the two [[SupernaturalMartialArts Pure Fist]] scrolls grant a superpower to a true master of their martial arts school, but will kill anyone else who touches them. Until Marcia grabs both of them at once and somehow manages to get the opposing forces within each scroll to fight each other instead of devouring her. No one else had been suicidal enough to try such a thing, and a little while later she destroys both scrolls to prevent anyone from replicating this exploit. |
| 307 | * Inverted in ''Literature/SecretOfTheSixthMagic'' by Creator/LyndonHardy, in which Jemidon is the one person who ''can't'' handle an enchanted sword or pull it out of the ground. [[spoiler:Turns out that this is a clue Jemidon is a metamagician: someone who can't personally use magic, but can enhance magical abilities in others and manipulate the rules governing magical effects.]] |
| 308 | * In ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'', the Dragon Ring grows and contracts and glows only for Boy 412. |
| 309 | * The [[CoolSword Sword of Shannara]] of the ''Literature/{{Shannara}}'' series is an unintentional example of this. It was created with the intent of anyone being able to wield it, but everyone had come to believe that only a member of the Shannara bloodline could use it. Due to the changing, unpredictable nature of magic in the series, [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve that genuinely became the case]]. |
| 310 | * The ''jivatma'' in Jennifer Roberson's ''Sword Dancer'' series are attuned blades with magic powers which can only be used by the one who knows the blade's name. |
| 311 | * ''Literature/TogetherlyLong'': The magic spear of the great hero Yushii, which he planted in the ground 100 years ago and which every boy from the village tries to pull free on their tenth birthday. The legends say that whoever pulls the spear will gain Yuushi's great power and is one day destined to lead the villagers to a new land. |
| 312 | * ''Literature/TooManyCurses'': The Sword in the Cabbage, which can only be removed from whatever it is thrust into by a true hero. Unfortunately, its last wielder was going blind when he decided to retire and accidentally stabbed it into a leafy vegetable, much to the [[TalkingWeapon sword's]] embarrassment. Sir Thedeus discovers that he can pull it out, and the sword can even suppress his curse, for a few minutes per day, after which he transforms back into a tiny bat with nowhere near the strength to lift, much less wield the sword and drops it into something else it has to be pulled from. [[spoiler:By the end of the book it's the Sword in the Hellhound skeleton, a much worthier resting place in its opinion.]] |
| 313 | * In Creator/GrahamMcNeill's ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' ''Literature/HorusHeresy'' novel ''Fulgrim'', invading the temple of the Laer turns up a literal sword in the stone. Fulgrim draws it out. Justin "hears" a voice tell him to let Fulgrim take it, though it feels quite wrong. |
| 314 | * In William King's ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' ''Literature/SpaceWolf'' novel ''Wolfblade'', when Haegr tells Ragnor that he is [[ChosenOne marked for greatness]], Ragnor is dismissive, saying he has brought great catatrosphe on the Chapter, losing the Spear of Russ. Haegr says that he ''wielded'' the Spear of Russ, which is evidence enough of greatness. |
| 315 | ** In a later book, this becomes a subversion. Russ actually hated the spear and was constantly losing it - often while drunk. To him, it was an embarrassing gift from his dad, not a symbol of worthiness from the God-Emperor. |
| 316 | * Callandor in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' could only be taken from the Heart of the Stone of Tear by the [[ChosenOne Dragon Reborn]]. |
| 317 | * ''Literature/WingsOfFire'': The Eye of Onyx will kill anyone besides the [=SandWing=] queen who tries to use it. During the civil war for the throne, Blister tries to take it believing it will choose her as queen [[spoiler:but after Sunny gives it to Thorn, it chooses her and kills Blister]]. |
| 318 | [[/folder]] |
| 319 | |
| 320 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 321 | * ''Series/ArthurOfTheBritons'' has a [[{{Demythification}} "realistic"]] twist on the tale: Arthur calls all the other Briton chiefs together and shows them a sword wedged ''under'' a stone. Whoever pulls the sword from under the stone shall lead them. All the other chiefs get to pushing and lifting the stone, and Arthur [[GuileHero quickly grabs it]] before anyone else does. He also points out that he couldn't have retrieved it if they hadn't worked as one, but the lesson is lost among the squabbling chiefs. The sword itself is never named. |
| 322 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': In season seven the Scythe is embedded in stone, and only a Slayer can pull it free. When [[SinisterMinister Caleb]] tried to steal it, massacring the guards and priests of what he assumed was its hiding place, he found only a message that came very close to quoting the trope: ''It is not for thee. It is for Her alone to wield.'' He tries to get around this by having his Bringers chip away the rock around the Scythe, but fortunately Buffy finds it first and "[[PersonAsVerb King Arthurs]]" it from the stone. |
| 323 | * ''Series/{{Camelot}}'': SubvertedTrope in the Showtime series. The sword is indeed stuck in a stone, but the problem with removing it is that it's at the top of a waterfall, covered in moss, and the ground is naturally wet (since it's, you know, submerged). It is indeed stuck, and anyone that tried to remove it previously inevitably loses their grip and falls off the waterfall to their death. However, Arthur (thanks to some contrary advice from Merlin) realizes that in order to free the sword, it must first be pushed into the rock, adjusted so that it won't catch, and then pulled out. It's heavily implied that ''anyone'' could have done this, they just didn't know it. [[spoiler: Arthur also falls off the waterfall, but he gets better.]] |
| 324 | * PlayedWith in the ''Series/Charmed1998'' episode "[[Recap/CharmedS6E8SwordAndTheCity Sword and the City]]". In this version anyone can wield Excalibur, but it will corrupt anyone but its destined master. The sisters, sent to help the Lady of the Lake, arrive just in time for her to put it in a stone before being killed. Piper is able to draw it out, making her believe that she's its new master...except no, it makes her start turning evil. It turns out that ''[[GooGooGodlike Wyatt]]'' is the sword's real master; Piper can draw it out because she's the new Lady of the Lake, meant to give it to him when he's older. |
| 325 | * ''Series/{{Galavant}}'': There is a legend of a king who will come and bring all the kingdoms under his reign in peace. The mythical sword is even in a stump with a sign engraved on the stump telling people this is the real sword. The titular hero Galavant even comes across it [[spoiler:but doesn't try pulling it out. He doesn't even read the sign. Neither does his companion, the former evil King Richard, who pulls the blade out of the stump, realize the meaning of this event]]. Later in the series finale, the True King loses the sword, it landing in a rock but the BigBad cannot pull it out. After he is defeated, the True King shows off his ability to put the blade in any rock or ground and be able to pull it out. |
| 326 | * ''Series/TheGoodies''. Spoofed in the King Arthur episode; faced with the Sword In The Stone problem, Graeme Garden just picks up the whole lot and thumps the VillainOfTheWeek with the rock on the end. |
| 327 | * ''Series/HouseOfAnubis'': The locket. Despite everyone being able to actually wear it, only the Chosen One or the Osirian can actually use it for its real purpose. Also the Mask of Anubis, and the Cup of Ankh, two treasures that only the Chosen One can actually use. If someone who isn't Chosen or at least pure of heart wears the mask they get [[spoiler:sucked into the underworld]] and only the Chosen One can put the Cup together. |
| 328 | * ''Franchise/KamenRider'': |
| 329 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderHibiki'': While anyone is allowed to ''try'' using the Armed Saber, any Oni who isn't sufficiently strong will instead lose their powers altogether. This actually happens to Hibiki himself the first time he tries using it, requiring him to train enough to regain his powers and then further strengthen them so he can properly attune to the sword. |
| 330 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderKiva'': Only the current vampire king can use the Zanvat Sword, which absorbs and amplifies vampiric power. In a nod to the Sword in the Stone, the sword embeds itself in a castle wall and refuses to let anyone pull it out until Kiva tries. |
| 331 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'': The Haouken Xross Saber is speculated for quite a while to exist within the Sword of Fire, but refuses to appear until someone can successfully unite the wielders of all eleven Sacred Swords under a common cause. Once the title character does, the other swords come to life and summon the Xross Saber in recognition of his worthiness. Oddly this is ''not'' his King Arthur-themed powerup, which came much earlier. |
| 332 | * ''Series/TheManFromUncle'': SubvertedTrope in one episode: a [[{{Ruritania}} small European country]] had a legendary sword stuck in a stone, and the leader of a coalition of criminals arranged for a safecracker to secretly apply modern lubricants so he could pull the sword out and claim the throne. Amusingly, another criminal, who did a HeelFaceTurn and fought the leader, was named Artie King. |
| 333 | * ''Series/TheMandalorian'': While the trope is already downplayed to a degree with Jedi lightsabers (the kyber crystal within responds ''best'' to the Jedi who attunes to it, but the weapon itself can be picked up and used by anybody), the Darksaber is a much more straightforward (but still played with) example. Built by a Jedi that went on to become the first Mandalore, it will grow heavy and unwieldy in the hands of someone not entirely focused on their goal, which more often than not happens to be the security and advancement of the Mandalorian people. |
| 334 | * ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'': In the BBC series, Merlin magically embeds Excalibur in a stone, to keep it safe until Arthur is meant to wield it. In a subversion of the norm, Merlin's magic isn't empathic in any sense: the sword is impossible to remove by hand, and Merlin simply tricks Arthur into thinking he is the only person able to do it. Merlin loosens the blade with magic once Arthur is in the right mindset. |
| 335 | * On ''Series/OnceUponATime'', Charming can't pull Excalibur out of its stone, but Snow White, the rightful queen, can. Subverted when Rumplestiltskin reveals it to be just a normal sword; Charming stuck the sword in the stone himself and pretended to be unable to get it out. (The whole thing is a MagicFeather plot to convince Snow she can stand up to and defeat Regina.) |
| 336 | * ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' has various examples of this with the Rangers themselves. In most cases other parties choose the Rangers, most commonly when dealing with the Rangers who more explicitly get their powers from technology (''Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue'', ''Series/PowerRangersSPD'', ''Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive'', etc.). However, when dealing with those Rangers who are at least potentially powered by {{Magitek}}, their mentors often affirm that the power chooses the Rangers rather than it just being random, such as the animal crystals of ''Series/PowerRangersWildForce'' and the Dino Gems of ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder'' only "activating" once they are brought into contact with the relevant future Ranger. Only a few cases have explicitly discussed the idea of the Rangers alone being able to wield their powers; |
| 337 | ** ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy'': The five Quasar Sabers from the planet Mirinoi, which like Caliburn/Excalibur are firmly planted inside a stone until the chosen ones finally pull them. The only Ranger born on Mirinoi, Maya, had already tried to remove one as a kid, so either she spent all that time trying to free the ''wrong'' saber or the sabers themselves have some say in when they're released. They're not one-to-one, either, as two of the sabers are [[TakeUpMySword passed on]] during the series; Mike Corbett drew the Red Saber originally but passed it on to his brother Leo before he apparently died, and after [[spoiler:Pink Ranger Kendrix was killed in battle, her spirit appeared to pass her saber on to former villain Astronema/Karone]]. The question of 'why don't you just smash the rocks' is also addressed: [[TheDragon Furio's]] first instinct upon his failure to pull the sword out is to try that...[[NoSell and he can't even scratch the rocks]], something he himself remarks is insane, implying the magical spell protecting the swords is also protecting the rock. |
| 338 | ** The thirtieth-anniversary special '' Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangersOnceAndAlways'' explicitly acknowledges that the Rangers' power sources choose them in some way. When original Yellow Ranger Trini Kwan is killed in battle, her daughter Minh attempts to use the Yellow Sabretooth Tiger coin for herself, but is initially unable to use the coin as she only wants to fight out of a desire for revenge for her mother's death. [[spoiler:After Minh risks her life to save Billy- the original Blue Ranger- from another attack, the Yellow Coin responds to Minh and allows her to morph. The other Rangers speculate that this is because Minh acted to save a life rather than to punish an enemy, with fellow Yellow Ranger Aisha Campbell assuring Minh that she is now a worthy Ranger]]. |
| 339 | ** ''Series/PowerRangersCosmicFury'' opened with the [[Series/PowerRangersDinoFury Dino Fury]] team losing their original powers and zords, requiring aid from Billy Cranston to gain a new power source and new morphers. The most significant result of this was former Pink Ranger Amelia becoming the team's new Red Ranger (their original Red had been seemingly killed and returned as the Zenith Ranger), with Billy assuring Amelia that she wouldn't be the Red Ranger if the power didn't believe she was worthy. |
| 340 | * ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': In "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E14TheNightTheLightsWentOutInGeorgia The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia]]", Miles' "lucky" Bowie knife, which proved to be less-than-lucky for Alec Penner (to whom Miles had gifted it some years earlier). So far it's credited with having saved the lives of three generations of Mathesons over a 75-year period. What are the odds Charlie will end up with it? |
| 341 | * ''Series/{{Sliders}}'': One episode has the heroes end up in a world where magic is real. At the end of the episode, they are facing off an EvilSorcerer, who has previously wiped out the Mallory clan of druids, as they are the only ones with the power to stop him. Guess what? Despite being from a non-magical world, Quinn Mallory can fulfill the prophecy just as well. A local woman (the sorcerer's former apprentice) tells the heroes that the sword hanging on the wall is the only weapon that can harm the sorcerer (who has turned into a dragon). Rembrandt runs after it, dodging flaming breath, but is unable to take the sword. She explains that the sword can only be wielded by a Mallory, which prompts an angry look from Rembrandt. Quinn is able to grab the sword and kill the sorcerer/dragon. |
| 342 | * ''Series/StargateSG1'': In the episode "Avalon", Merlin's cavern has a sword in the stone (which probably inspired the Arthurian legend in-universe), unable to be removed. After the team completes the tests, Mitchell is able to pull it out, and he discovers that it's a hologram. Only he can interact with it as if it was physical, and when he [[GiveMeASword throws it to Teal'c]], it just passes through him. It's also the only thing that can defeat the knight guarding the place. A second is later found on the ''planet'' Camelot, outside Merlin's house. This one is a physical object, but otherwise has the same rules. |
| 343 | * ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': |
| 344 | ** Gleefully spoofed in "Like a Virgin". Dean needs a sword that can kill a dragon; conveniently the local expert has one of the only surviving swords in her basement. Unfortunately it's embedded in a huge stone, both to prevent people stealing it and well, because [[ExcaliburInTheStone it was fashionable a while back]]. Only a brave knight can remove the stone, so Dean rises to the challenge... and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TivWgU3u0M& fails ignominiously as shown here]]. TimeForPlanB, which involves [[CuttingTheKnot cracking the stone with plastic explosive]]. It works, only for Dean to discover he's cracked the sword in half too. |
| 345 | --->'''Dean:''' We're just going to have to get a little closer, that's all. |
| 346 | ** In season nine, in order to wield the First Blade and kill Abaddon, Dean needs to bear the [[RedRightHand Mark of Cain]]. Cain agrees to give it to him in exchange for help with his [[ICannotSelfTerminate self-termination problem]]. |
| 347 | * ''Series/UltramanOrbTheOriginSaga'': The power of Ultraman Orb only will allow someone it believes is worthy to obtain its power. [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Jugglus Juggler]] was not worthy. [[TheHero Gai Kurenai]] was. |
| 348 | * ''Series/WynonnaEarp'' has Peacemaker, the demon-slaying magic gun passed on to the heirs of Wyatt Earp. The gun is in some ways semi-sentient, burning any demons that touch it and sometimes lightly burning good beings if it doesn't want to be held by them any longer. It can typically be held by anyone who isn't a demon, but it doesn't fire at all - it only works for the ChosenOne Earp heir, the oldest Earp currently available. [[spoiler: Since the Earp sisters are the first generation to contain more than one child, it's not clear whether the stipulation is actually 'oldest' or if any Earp can wield it, because the only sister unable to is Waverly, who is not an Earp by blood.]] |
| 349 | [[/folder]] |
| 350 | |
| 351 | [[folder:Myths & Religion]] |
| 352 | * Myth/ArthurianLegend: |
| 353 | ** After the death of Uther Pendragon the Britons cannot agree on who should be the next king, as Uther's only son Arthur has been taken away by Merlin to be raised in secret. When the nobles turn to Merlin for advice, Merlin shows them a sword lodged in an anvil or rock placed in a churchyard at Westminster and prophesies that only the true king of Britain will be able to pull the blade out. When Arthur has grown, his kingship is revealed when he succeeds in pulling the sword out, after many others have tried to do so in vain. The tale of the Sword in the Stone first appears in Robert de Boron's ''Merlin'' and later also in ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur''. |
| 354 | ** The Siege Perilous is the only unlabeled seat Merlin places at the Round Table, and it incinerates anyone who sits in it except "He who shall surpass all other Knights", and according to Merlin only this knight is able to find the HolyGrail. The Siege Perilous appeared first in the ''Queste del Saint Graal'', when the knight destined to occupy the seat was Perceval; but in ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur'' it is instead Sir Galahad. |
| 355 | * Myth/NorseMythology: |
| 356 | ** In the Old Norse ''Literature/VolsungaSaga'', Odin plunges a sword into a tree inside a king's hall, and only the young prince Sigmund is able to pull the weapon out. The sword was called Gram (from Old Norse "Gramr", meaning "wrath"), and Sigmund's son, Sigurd would eventually kill the dragon Fafnir with it. |
| 357 | ** In ''Literature/TheSagaOfHrolfKraki'', the prince Bjorn leaves his three sons three weapons struck into a wall of rock. When the sons later arrive to retrieve the weapons, everyone of them can only take the one weapon intended for him. |
| 358 | * In the ''Literature/{{Ramayana}}'', the hero Rama wins Princess Sita's hand in marriage by lifting a supernatural bow that no other man can lift and could not even be approached by selfish people. Though as a [[SuperStrongChild child]], Sita herself was strong enough to lift the bow and the table it was resting on. |
| 359 | [[/folder]] |
| 360 | |
| 361 | [[folder:Professional Wrestling]] |
| 362 | * The Hammer Of Peace in Wrestling/{{Chikara}}, which has only been successfully wielded by The Estonian Thunderfrog and by Icarus. The weapon is powerful, however, as it was used to finally defeat Deucalion. |
| 363 | [[/folder]] |
| 364 | |
| 365 | [[folder:Puppet Shows]] |
| 366 | * ''Series/PiliFantasyWarOfDragons'': The divine Dragon Bone Sacred Sword can only be wielded by its chosen; anyone else touching it dies. So far only three people have wielded it, and one other touched it. |
| 367 | [[/folder]] |
| 368 | |
| 369 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 370 | * One chapter in a ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost'' sourcebook deals with legendary items infused with the magic of the Wyrd (such as the shears of the Fates or Bran the Blessed's cauldron). The fiction for the chapter has a lone changeling finding a magical sword and being somewhat disenchanted that it's still [[PostModernMagik just a magic sword]] after all these years -- mind you, in one concession to modernity, it's embedded in an engine block. |
| 371 | * ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has its share of magical items (even without [[EmpathicWeapon their own minds]]) that will help only "worthy" users and usually are dangerous for everyone else. |
| 372 | ** Intelligent swords in general tend to act like this. They will only fully function for characters of the same alignment as the sword and working toward the weapon's special purpose (if any). Some weapons and magic items only work in the hands of certain races or certain sexes or some other criteria. And usually try to harm and/or dominate any would-be wielders they don't approve. |
| 373 | ** [[http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Blade-rite Blade-rite]] of ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' elves, including two prominent groups of artifacts [[EmpathicWeapon bonded with their wielders]]. |
| 374 | *** Elfblades are regalia of high offices and prevent anyone who isn't up to the task or whom they don't appreciate from wielding them and thus from holding an office: "unworthy" claimants suffer harm, curse or instant death, depending on the blade and failed condition. Since claiming the Ruler’'s Blade was the only legitimate way to the throne, in Myth Drannor it caused a [[BlackComedy morbidly hilarious]] scene when hundreds of elves waited in the queue for their chance to raise on top of the tower, grab the pommel and get blasted into ashes in full view of the crowd... and then started a fight to get there faster. |
| 375 | *** Moonblades were designed as a means to choose the single "best" clan as the royal family of their new realm. They kill all claimants who aren't "worthy" ''and'' of proper blood (namely, moon elves, hence the name--their creator was a moon elf, can you tell?), while growing both in powers ''and'' requirements with each generation until they're practically impossible to both claim and wield. Until they ended up with the King Sword that stayed unclaimed for years after the king's death, while members of the royal family were inexplicably [[http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1888&whichpage=40#103394 plagued]] by either lethal accidents or sudden calls of adventure carrying them far away from the line to the throne. |
| 376 | ** The Holy Avenger, ''Carsomyr'', is an extremely powerful +5 two-handed sword that dispel magic with every hit. It can only be wielded by paladins. |
| 377 | ** [[InfinityPlusOneSword The Sword of Zariel]] in ''TabletopGame/BaldursGateDescentIntoAvernus'' is a sentient longsword that belonged to Zariel before she fell from grace and became the archdevil that rules Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells. If the sword deems you worthy of its power, then you not only get a +3 weapon, but one that gives you several perks; you get resistance to radiant and necrotic damage, learn the Celestial language, your charisma is increased to 20 if it's not already that high, you can fly, and you get TrueSight. The sword itself has two minor beneficial properties (chosen at random), gives advantage on insight checks, can give off light that gives fiends a disadvantage on attack rolls, and deals extra radiant damage that can potentially blind your target with every hit. However, [[AngelicTransformation you're transformed into an angel in all but name]], which changes your alignment to lawful good and overwrites your personality to a degree, the transformation is irreversible, and you potentially have to give the sword back to Zariel to redeem her. |
| 378 | * In ''TabletopGame/HeroesUnlimited'', anyone can pick up an Enchanted Weapon and swing it around, but unless the wielder's alignment matches that of the weapon, the weapon will not [[PowersViaWeapon grant them its mystical powers]]. So heroic characters cannot use the powers of an evil weapon, and supervillains cannot use the powers of a good weapon. |
| 379 | [[/folder]] |
| 380 | |
| 381 | [[folder:Toys]] |
| 382 | * In ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'', the Kanohi Ignika has a mind of its own, and only chooses to grant its power over life to those with no hesitation or fear in their hearts. While previous Toa had been able to wield its power for its primary purpose [[spoiler:of restoring Mata Nui's failing life [[HeroicSacrifice with their own]]]], the hesitation they always had in their hearts kept them from being able to tap into its true ability. Matoro was the first who ever wielded its power with no fear for his own death, which is what prompted the Ignika to give him full control of its power [[spoiler:in order to save his friends before he sacrificed his own life to resurrect the dead Mata Nui]]. |
| 383 | * The Matrix of Leadership from ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' can only be opened and wielded by a Prime or his chosen successor, like Optimus Prime and Rodimus Prime. Galvatron and Ultra Magnus, who are roughly equal in strength to Optimus Prime, cannot budge it. |
| 384 | ** And it's ''not'' a Prime who chooses his successor, it's ''[[LoyalPhlebotinum the Matrix itself]]'' [[TheChooserOfTheOne who chooses]] a Prime's successor, what makes it a quasi/sort of EmpathicWeapon. Ultra Magnus was chosen by a Prime to be his successor, but he wasn't able to use it. |
| 385 | ** Though just because it choses someone doesn't necessarily mean they're a good choice, as [[AGodAmI Nova Prime]], [[{{Jerkass}} Sentinel Prime]], and [[ItsAllAboutMe Zeta Prime]] can attest. Not to mention the time Thunderwing, an extremely powerful Decepticon, got his mitts on it in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel''. Or Starscream, though at least in his case it soon started making Starscream ''good''. |
| 386 | [[/folder]] |
| 387 | |
| 388 | [[folder:Theater]] |
| 389 | * Riffing off a mythological example given above, Music/RichardWagner in ''Theatre/DieWalkuere'' has Sieglinde tell Siegmund how an old man, whom she recognized as her father Wälse (who is really the god Wotan), thrust a sword into an ash-tree, declaring it would belong to the one who could pull it out. Siegmund proceeds to do this, naming it Nothung (from German ''Noth'', "need, travail"); however, Wotan, convinced by his wife Fricka, betrays Siegmund and shatters the sword. It can only be [[ReforgedBlade reforged]] by a hero without fear -- Siegmund and Sieglinde's son, Siegfried. |
| 390 | [[/folder]] |
| 391 | |
| 392 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 393 | * ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'': |
| 394 | ** Parodied in ''Aria of Sorrow''. Soma can find the Sword in the Stone, but he's not destined to rule, so he can't pull it out. However, by this point he has enough strength to wield it anyway, [[Funny/{{Castlevania}} stone and all]]. |
| 395 | ** More importantly, the iconic weapon of the series, the magical whip known as Vampire Killer, can only be used by members of the Belmont clan or their close relatives. In anyone else's hands it's just an ordinary old whip, and even though relatives of the Belmonts can make use of its magical power, doing so will kill them or at least noticeably shorten their lifespan. |
| 396 | * ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' has the [[SwissArmyGun Service Weapon]] and the [[SupernaturalPhone Hotline]], which can only be used by the Director. Anyone else who tries suffers severe injury or death by [[NothingIsScarier [REDACTED[=]=]]]. Notes you can find speculate that this isn't something inherent to the objects themselves, but a condition actively enforced by [[AmbiguouslyEvil the]] [[BenevolentAbomination Board]], because trying and failing to bind other Objects of Power only results in minor psychic backlash or nothing happening at all. |
| 397 | * ''VideoGame/DivineDivinity'': |
| 398 | ** ''VideoGame/DivineDivinity'' has a sword in a stone in northern area of Dark Forest. [[spoiler:The sword is sealing a demon, and if you get that sword out, the demon will come out and attack you. Killing it will only send it back to the stone, which it would come out again. Not sealing the demon away after it retreated and left the map will result in the demon killing all [=NPCs=] in the map. Don't take the sword!]] |
| 399 | ** ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'': The [[FantasticDrug Blackroot]] ritual is essential for [[TheChosenMany Godwoken]] to commune with their gods and [[TimeToUnlockMoreTruePotential awaken their Source powers]]. If any non-Godwoken attempts it, the drug is deadly. |
| 400 | * ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins:'' A random encounter has the Warden approach of group of commoners, all staring at an ax lodged in a stump. One says [[Myth/ArthurianLegend whoever pulls it from the stump will be king of all Thedas]]. Another dismissively says that [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail pulling an ax from a stump is hardly the basis of government. Then they notice you and say you look fairly regal, since you're not covered in dung]]. |
| 401 | * In the "Zenithian Trilogy" of ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'', only the chosen hero can wield the legendary equipment required to advance the plot. In ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestV V's]]'' case, you are not the chosen hero, but [[spoiler:your son is]]. |
| 402 | * ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': |
| 403 | ** Throughout the series and in the backstory, one of the most important items to the Empire of Tamriel is the Amulet of Kings. According to legend, it was created as the "Chim-el Adabal" by the [[AbusivePrecursors Ayleids]] out of the crystallized blood of the [[GodIsDead "dead" creator god]] Lorkhan ([[IHaveManyNames also known by many other names]]), which was collected after falling from [[CosmicKeystone his heart]] as it flew across Tamriel, having been cut out by the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Aedra]] (in vengeance for Lorkhan supposedly tricking them into sacrificing large parts of their divine power to create Mundus, the mortal plane), tied to an arrow, and fired across the continent. Following the [[SlaveLiberation Alessian Revolt]], in which [[FounderOfTheKingdom St. Alessia]] and her Nedic peoples (precursors to most of the modern races of Men) overthrew the (primarily) Daedra-worshiping Ayleids with the aid of the [[HornyVikings Nordic Empire]], [[TokenHeroicOrc rebel Ayleid lords]], and the [[HumansAreSpecial Aedra themselves]], Alessia made covenant with Akatosh, the [[DragonsAreDivine draconic]] TopGod of the Aedra. Akatosh imbued Alessia with his "[[DivineParentage dragon's blood]]" and placed her soul in the central stone of what is now known as the Amulet of Kings, symbolizing his pact with mankind. The Amulet of Kings can only be worn by those of royal blood, recognizing them as Alessia's (and Akatosh's) metaphysical heirs to the Ruby Throne of Cyrodiil and confirming those who can wear it as TheChosenOne. |
| 404 | ** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' The Moon-And-Star ring is said to be blessed by Azura to kill anyone trying to wear it other than Nerevar (or his reincarnation, the Nerevarine). Whether this is for real or a story made up to scare off pretenders is never discovered. One popular theory is that being the Nerevarine is more a matter of ''becoming'' than something you are born as -- if you fulfill the requirements to be the Nerevarine, and follow what the prophecy says the Nerevarine is supposed to do, then you ''are'' the Nerevarine, and so can wear Moon-and-Star. In other words, only the Chosen may wield, but the Chosen is partly self-chosen. |
| 405 | ** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' |
| 406 | *** The Crusader's Relics (and weapons) can only be wielded by the Divine Crusader in the expansion ''Knights of the Nine''. In addition, if the wielder gains two points in infamy then the artifacts cannot be used until the pilgrimage is undertaken again. |
| 407 | *** The Amulet of Kings makes its first in-game appearance, passing from the Emperor to the PlayerCharacter in the early stages of the game. True to lore, the player character cannot wear it, getting a message that it simply "slips off" your neck if you try. [[spoiler:It eventually makes its way into the hands of the Emperor's HiddenBackupPrince, Martin, who performs a HeroicSacrifice at the end of the main quest with it. The Amulet is destroyed, but it summons an avatar of Akatosh who banishes [[BigBad Mehrunes Dagon]] and saves the world]]. |
| 408 | ** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' reveals that Deadric artifacts function this way. While the artifacts themselves aren't sentient, the Daedric Princes who created them can be really picky about who uses them. For example, Hircine, not liking a werewolf who uses his ring removes all control the man has over his transformations (though if you attempt to help the werewolf Hircine will make the ring work correctly for you) while one necromancer spent decades working defects into Azura's star to remove her control over it so he could live forever using it. |
| 409 | *** A Creation Club event adds the Crusader's Relics to the game. Again, if you’ve been doing evil things, you won’t be able to wear them until you pray to the gods. |
| 410 | * ''VideoGame/EXTRAPOWERGiantFist'': The bracelet unearthed at the start of the game. Though sought after by many, only an ancient Latour warrior or their descendant are able to safely use it. Anyone else who tries to wear the ring finds their body forcibly transformed until they die a bloody death. |
| 411 | * Subverted in ''VideoGame/FableI''. The Sword of Hewn doesn't need any special requirements, you just have to be physically strong enough to get it out of that rock - a hard feat indeed. [[spoiler:This is then beautifully subverted ''again'' in the fact that you don't actually pull the sword out of the rock; you actually pull ''the sword '''and''' the rock'' out of the ground.]] |
| 412 | ** In the extended cut version, The Lost Chapters, this is how [[spoiler:you get the sword Avo's Tear. In the core game's original ending, if you opt to forsake the evil option and cast aside the Sword of Aeons, you are deemed worthy and noble enough to wield Avo's Tear]]. |
| 413 | * Uther Pendragon from ''Roleplay/FateNuovoGuerra'' uses a sword that is technically the TropeNamer ''before'' he put it in the stone. |
| 414 | * In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'', anyone who tries to wield the Ring of the Lucii better be of the Lucian royal family, or else they're going to get it. Trying to wield it for selfish reasons costs Ravus his arm. [[spoiler:Ignis]] managed to negotiate sixty seconds of power in exchange for his eyesight. [[spoiler:Nyx]] gets until sunrise to use its power, and loses his ''life'' on the dawn. |
| 415 | * Commonly seen in ''Franchise/FireEmblem'': |
| 416 | ** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'', the Royal Sword can only be wielded by one of royal blood. Tobin (an ordinary commoner) finds it unwieldably heavy, while Alm ([[spoiler:the hidden prince of Rigel]]) finds it as light as a feather. |
| 417 | ** The Holy Weapons of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'' are tied to specific bloodlines and require "major" Holy Blood to wield. |
| 418 | ** The Mani Katti blade from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade''. It's sort of an Arthurian thing... Lyn successfully removed it from its scabbard after the level boss failed. Of course, she had to kill him to get it done. That said, the trope is played with since the priest guarding it had specifically put a spell to keep it from being drawn and dispelled it after the boss was killed. That said, the Mani Katti glowing in Lyn's hands as it chose her is its own doing. |
| 419 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'': |
| 420 | *** The Falchion is tied to the Ylissian royal family and is fairly picky even among them, [[spoiler:even if Lucina has Grimleal blood]]. It's an interesting example because, technically, anybody can ''use'' it. The blade just becomes too dull to be any good for fighting if it's not in the hands of a royal family member. This also becomes a plot point in Lucina's supports with her sibling[[note]]who can possibly be Brady, Inigo, Kjelle, Cynthia, or a male Morgan[[/note]], when she ponders if he/she can wield it too, especially if he/she ended up ''needing'' to because Lucina died in battle. After some angst over the subject (because the sibling didn't want to think of his/her sister dying), they finally test it against a log. [[spoiler: Lucina ends up leaving before finding out, the sibling walks away thinking he/she can't, but a line of dialogue from Chrom reveals he/she can.]] |
| 421 | *** Walhart has a battleaxe known as the Wolf Berg, which only he can wield. |
| 422 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'': |
| 423 | *** The Avatar's Yato, Xander's Siegfried sword, Ryoma's Raijinto katana, Takumi's Fujin Yumi and Leo's Brynhildr tome, among others. [[spoiler:The only time these weapons are used by others is during the ''Heirs of Fate'' DLC, where their owners are ''dead'', and the new wielders were their children]]. |
| 424 | *** Ophelia has a tome named Mysteltainn (a CallBack to the similarly named sword from ''Genealogy of the Holy War'' [[spoiler: and her dad Odin's unrelated blade]]), and no one but her can use it either. |
| 425 | ** The Heroes' Relics in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' are a downplayed case. Anyone with a Crest, a special power in certain bloodlines, can use most Heroes' Relics, but only people with a Crest that matches the Relic's will be able to use its combat art or gain additional benefits. Anyone who uses a Heroes' Relic with no Crest at all will either be injured by it or [[spoiler:be turned into a Demonic Beast.]] |
| 426 | ** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'' there are a number of weapons that are only [[https://feheroes.gamepedia.com/Category:Exclusive_weapons exclusive]] to the unit it's attached to, and can't be inherited by another unit using Inherit Skill. |
| 427 | * In ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'', The Society installs fail-safes into their weapons because they're far too dangerous for anyone without the proper training to wield since they're dormant Moon-dweller Automagods. The Spear of Arvess burns anyone who tries to steal it to a crisp. Given it's a really fancy spear made of gold and magical crystals, it happens a lot. |
| 428 | * Humorously parodied in the fourth installment of ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic''. Upon locating a giant slayer sword on the world map and picking it up, a message comes up concerning its [[GameplayAndStorySegregation completely unrelated to the game play]] recovery. A hero stumbles upon a sword in a stone, and having heard the legend of weapons of such power being lodged in rocks, yanks at it with all his strength. This results in the sword not budging an inch. So he spends the next hour or so with a hammer and chisel to retrieve it. Played straight in the campaign "The True Blade". The Gryphonheart blade can only be drawn by a member of the Gryphonheart lineage. Sir Worton tries to wrest control over the little kingdom of Palaedra from its founder Lord Lysander (who had previously refused to be king because of his loyalty to the Gryphonheart line) by drawing a forgery of the blade from its scabbard. Lysander did not trust Worton and went on a quest to seek the true blade. [[spoiler:During the final battle, Lysander without thinking draws the true Gryphonheart blade from its scabbard, proving that he is actually a descendant of the Gryphonhearts.]] |
| 429 | * In ''VideoGame/HeroinesQuest'', the sword Balmung is stuck in a tree, which is straight from the Nordic myth that formed the inspiration for Excalibur in the Stone. The titular heroine ''can'' draw it out, but only if her honor score is near its maximum; otherwise she's not worthy and it doesn't budge. |
| 430 | * ''VideoGame/HeavenlySword'': Deconstructed, as the belief that only a single mortal man could be born to wield the Heavenly Sword is all but confirmed to be a superstition, that lead to Nariko being ostracized when ''[[StayInTheKitchen her]]'' birth contradicted the prophecy. |
| 431 | * Keyblades in the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series. In the first game, it looked as though Sora was the only chosen one, with a brief tug-of-war for control with RivalTurnedEvil Riku. Then King Mickey was revealed to have one at the end, and it's become TheChosenMany since then. While key bearers can borrow or inherit each others' weapons, anyone trying to use one without its permission can expect it to disappear. Interestingly enough, Sora alone is considered to be TheUnchosenOne, as his Keyblade was rightfully meant for Riku, and he was otherwise never chosen to have one in the first place, making him the only known key bearer to prove his worthiness of the weapon ''after'' wielding it. |
| 432 | * ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' has a complicated twist on this with [[TheChosenMany a sub-race of "chosen ones"]] and the magical element "True Ice". True Ice is a god-formed, unmelting version of ice that [[KillItWithIce can and has been made into weapons]], but it's so pure that any normal living being attempting to touch it will perish. The only exceptions are Iceborn, a hereditary lineage of humans and other races that are immune to the cold and can thus withstand [[AnIcePerson and manipulate their power]]. Perhaps the most significant Iceborn of the game -- [[LadyOfWar Ashe the Frost Archer]], [[BarbarianHero Sejuani the Fury of the North]], and [[LadyOfBlackMagic Lissandra the Ice Witch]] -- are the most tied to the Three Sisters, the source of the Iceborn heritage (Ashe and Sejuani are believed to be reincarnations of Avarosa and Serylda, Lissandra herself [[TheAgeless is the third sister]]). |
| 433 | * The Master Sword in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' games. Whenever the sword appears in the series, Link is invariably the only person who can pull it out of its pedestal. |
| 434 | ** In some games, Link has to prove that he is the ancient legends' prophesied Hero before he is able to draw the sword. Before winning the Pendants of Virtue in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'', Link will not be able to pull the Master Sword. In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'', the sword sits on the other side of a massive stone door that only opens with the gathering of the three Spiritual Stones. |
| 435 | ** In other cases, the game prevents Link from finding it (and the plot usually doesn't even make mention of it) until a certain point. In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'', for example, Link is chosen from the get-go, being a descendant of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime the Hero of Time]] and the bearer of the Triforce of Courage (which is explained when he's granted the clothes of the hero). When he goes to get the Master Sword, it's simply a matter of finding it; it did not require any kind of proof of the gods (other than possibly having to solve their puzzle, which itself may only have required his lineage to complete). A similar circumstance transpires in ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'', where the primary difficulty in getting the sword is the army of ghost soldiers who are [[BrainwashedAndCrazy being manipulated to stop him from reaching it]]. It should be noted that in both of the above cases, Link has already accomplished a number of heroic feats by the time he goes for the Master Sword, which may be proof enough for the gods without the need for additional tests. |
| 436 | ** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'', as the chronologically first ''Zelda'' game, serves as something of an origin story for the Master Sword. It starts off as the Goddess Sword, which doesn't have the chosen-hero-exclusive circumstances; during his first battle, [[BigBad Ghirahim]] will catch your sword if you telegraph your attacks, rip it out of your hands, and wield it himself. However, once it is reforged in the flames of the Golden Goddesses and bathed in the power to repel evil, Ghirahim is reduced to trying to stop the blade from even touching him. (Phantom rematches with the first fight courtesy of [[BossRush the Thunder Dragon's Lightning Round]] still allow him to catch and wield it, but nobody takes that as having story impact.) The text box that appears after [[spoiler: Zelda/Hylia]] blesses the sword, finally unlocking its full power, even specifically says that Link is now the only one who can wield it. |
| 437 | ** This leads to some tension between Link and Zelda in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]''. In preparation for the coming of Calamity Ganon, Link is quickly found to be the true wielder of the Master Sword and is made Zelda's bodyguard in response. Zelda, on the other hand, is unable to unlock her "Sealing Power" necessary to defeat Ganon; she thus finds Link's presence a constant reminder of her own failure to fulfill her destiny. Only by gradually opening up to her protector does she find out that Link is just as nervous as she is about the upcoming fight against Ganon. [[spoiler:And when Link goes to reclaim the sword after the Great Calamity, he has to prove himself worthy to wield it again despite having done so in the past and in numerous past lives. The process of pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal slowly drains Link's life, and should the player fail to have the necessary hearts (or [[TooDumbToLive have taken sufficient damage when they go for the attempt]]) then [[NonstandardGameOver Link dies attempting to pull it out]] (although the Deku Tree will stop him at a quarter-heart the first time he tries). ''[=TotK=]'' indicates that this second proving is a consequence of the damage that the sword took during the Great Calamity; when Link draws it again in a flashback shortly before the events of the sequel, the Deku Tree claims that it has fully recovered, and he pulls it from the pedestal without struggle or fanfare.]] |
| 438 | ** In ''[=BotW=]'''s sequel, ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom Tears of the Kingdom]]'', the corrupted and broken Master Sword is placed in a pedestal made of [[spoiler:the headfur on the Divine Light Dragon to be repaired and healed. In order to extract the sword this time, Link has to have two full rings on his Stamina Wheel (so five additional stamina vessels on top of his default) - not because of any trial posed by the sword itself, but because the Light Dragon starts to ''writhe'' when he pulls on it, and he needs to be able to hold on long enough to get a good grip]]. |
| 439 | ** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Wind Waker]]'' puts a twist in this; since the Link from this game is TheUnchosenOne, he must first collect three {{MacGuffin}}s ''and'' fight his way through a massive dungeon just to reach the Master Sword, and then [[spoiler:fight his way out again once he has it in his hands]]. And then it turns out [[spoiler:that it wasn't at full power anyway, and Link must put in even ''more'' effort to restore it before it can serve its intended purpose]]. |
| 440 | * ''VideoGame/LoveOfMagic'': The protagonist is unable to pull Excalibur from the stone, but Emily (as Arthur's heir) is able to help him. This was a safety valve created by Merlin - for the protagonist to come into his full power without Emily's moderating influence could doom the world. |
| 441 | * Dual Blade in ''VideoGame/{{Lufia}}'' resonates with spiritual power. Sufficiently powerful beings can make it ring, unleashing its full power, and all of these beings are gods, until Maxim comes along. |
| 442 | * Althena's Sword in ''VideoGame/{{Lunar}}'', weapon of the Dragonmaster, which can only be claimed by the strong and pure of heart. [[spoiler:Spends [[ChekhovsGun most of the first game]] as a decoration in a stone monument.]] |
| 443 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Magicka}}'', the Excalibur is a possible weapon. However, since your character is not the true King, you end up taking the stone along with the sword, and the whole thing works as a hammer-class weapon rather than a sword. |
| 444 | * The [[TransformationTrinket Biometals]] in ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' can only be wielded by TheChosenMany, but no one not on the villain's side is entirely certain what the criteria for ''being'' a "Chosen One" is at first. The creator of Models X, Z, H, L, F, and P [[spoiler:(aka Ciel from ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'')]] notes in her reports viewable in full in Aile's story that she was only able to make them by using the data obtained from studying the original Biometal [[ArtifactOfDoom Model W]] and thus anyone who can use them also fulfills the unknown criteria for using Model W. This quietly disturbs Aile since it makes her wonder if she's [[NotSoDifferentRemark really not that different]] from [[YouKilledMyFather Serpent]], especially once she learns one common thread she, he, and [[ParentalSubstitute Giro]] all have is that they were survivors of Maverick raids at a young age. ''Advent'' reveals that [[spoiler:[[BigBad Master Albert]] designed Model W (and later his back-up system Model A) to only be usable by someone with his DNA, [[TheChooserOfTheOne which played into his seeding of various candidates]] by genetically tampering with various humans and Reploids with his DNA through his connections as one of Legion's Sage Trinity and then using Maverick raids to hunt those people down and turn them into the driven/damaged people that would be suspectible to [[TheCorrupter Model W's influence]].]] |
| 445 | * ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'': |
| 446 | ** The Hammer of Ironfist, which can only be wielded by a member of Clan Ironfist. To top it off, it only allows the use of its full power when the user is wearing The Belt of Ironfist and The Gauntlet of Ironfist, so it is also a reference to Mjǫllnir. [[spoiler:Most players will have helped Khelgar with his personal quest to become a Monk by the time the Hammer is found, and a Monk cannot use hammers, making it a PowerUpLetDown.]] |
| 447 | ** The Sword of Gith can only be used by the Kalach-Cha for a different reason. It will only work if all the shards are together, and one of them is embedded in the KC's chest. |
| 448 | * In ''VideoGame/NexusClash'' only Angels can wield [[HolyHandGrenade Holy]] weapons and only Demons can wield [[UnholyNuke Unholy]] ones. Anyone else gets hit with a nasty backlash of the damage type they were trying to use...not that that stops some people from [[SelfImposedChallenge trying]]. |
| 449 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'', the Shimada brothers, Genji and Hanzo can use mystical-seeming Asian dragons as part of their ultimate abilities. In the ''Dragons'' cinematic, after Genji reveals his ability to summon a dragon, Hanzo declares that only a Shimada can control the dragons in disbelief, suggesting that only their family has this power. |
| 450 | * In ''VideoGame/PizzaTower'', the level "Pizzascape" is a medieval-themed level featuring the Knight transformation as its primary gimmick, initiated when Peppino grabs a sword out of a stone in an homage to the legend of King Arthur. [[spoiler:The other half of this trope is shown during the final boss fight, where Pizzahead attempting to pull a sword up to the battlefield upheaves an entire chunk of the tower with the sword in the stone still attached, flinging hapless Forknights onto the battlefield as a temporary hazard.]] |
| 451 | * Aegislash (a Steel/Ghost royal sword pokemon) from ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' can detect the qualities of leadership. According to legend, it can recognize those destined to become king. Pokémon in general will only obey a trainer they respect, this is reflected by traded Pokémon only obeying you up to a certain level unless you have the right gym badge (otherwise they might act randomly in battle). |
| 452 | * Suggested, but not altogether proven, for the Shield of Albion in ''[[VideoGame/PuzzleQuest Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords]]'', which is an heirloom of the player character's family. |
| 453 | * ''VideoGame/{{Rimworld}}'' has Biocoded weapons -- weapons with a system that blocks anyone except the weapon's owner from wielding it. Absolutely noone but the designated wielder can use a Biocoded weapon; if their owner dies, they can only be scrapped for their materials, thrown away, or given away in the market. [[EmpathicWeapon Persona weapons]] without the Freewielding trait will form a similar bond with whoever equips them first and will refuse to be wielded by anyone else, and this bond will only break if its wielder dies. |
| 454 | * In the [[HGame H-RPG]] Roundscape Adorevia, the "Aetherius" sword has its blade stuck in a large rock and no selfish/cruel heart can dislodge it. Only those that have proven themselves to be truly just with at least 50 Morality in his/her stats can pull the sword free, and offers incredibly vast power to those it deems worthy. |
| 455 | * In a variation, the Rusty Sword in ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' can only be pulled free from its resting place by the Hero, who in this case is Randy. However, once it's pulled free, ''anyone'' can wield it, which is how it earned so many names (Excalibur, Durandal, etc). At the end of the game, however, Randy is the only one that can wield the empowered sword when it is converted to the Sword of Mana by the power of Dryad's magic: if the Girl or the Sprite are wielding the sword, the spell will fail. |
| 456 | * The Staff of Ages from ''VideoGame/{{Shadowgate}}'' can only be used by the bloodline of kings, starting with Lord Jair, the hero of the original game. [[spoiler:This comes up later in ''VideoGame/Shadowgate64TrialsOfTheFourTowers'', where civilian Del Cottonwood must wear a ring owned by said bloodline in order to even carry the Staff safely. And when the time comes to defeat the Warlock Lord with it, he has to give the Staff to a ''statue'' of Lord Jair, then put the ring on it, whereupon it comes to life and kills the Warlock Lord.]] |
| 457 | * ''VideoGame/ShadowHeartsFromTheNewWorld'': [[McNinja Frank]] can obtain the Legend Saber, a mystical sword still sealed in its stone, with an extra hilt stuck on it to match all the other {{Improbable Weapon}}s in his collection. |
| 458 | * ''VideoGame/ShiningResonance'': The Armonics are sacred weapons that also function as musical instruments. Each was formed from the Shining Dragon's body and bestowed to his most devoted followers. An Armonic chooses its wielder by resonating when [[ChosenOne the one it deems worthy]] to possess it draws near, which is first seen when Barmonium begins to resonate within the vault of the Imperial treasury the moment Marion is brought to Astoria's Capitol. This causes Sonia some level of angst since the Armonic that belongs to her father still hasn't resonated with herself, [[spoiler:though when King Albert is injured against Excella it finally does deem her a worthy bearer.]] |
| 459 | * PlayedWith in many ways in ''VideoGame/{{Solatorobo}}'': |
| 460 | ** The amulet chooses who may use it in the next Rite of Forfeit to [[SealedEvilInACan seal Lares]]. Naturally, Red blunders upon it and it picks him. [[spoiler:[[PoweredByAForsakenChild Poor Red]].]] |
| 461 | ** Escaping the [[spoiler:HumanSacrifice that the amulet tries to pull when sealing or super-powering Lares]] is only possible for Hybrids. [[spoiler:Lucky for Red, he happens to be one even though he never knew it.]] |
| 462 | ** While anyone could presumably use Dahak as a normal MiniMecha, only Red is capable of wielding its full potential [[spoiler:by using his Hybrid abilities to fuse with it.]] |
| 463 | ** Lares [[spoiler:and Lemures]] can be controlled from the inside, but at the cost of the wielder's LifeEnergy. However, if you're [[spoiler:immortal like Elh and Béluga]], the Titanomachina won't kill you; it'll just [[spoiler:take your immortality away. Ah, well, WhoWantsToLiveForever]] |
| 464 | * {{Downplayed|Trope}} in the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries''; anyone can hold and swing Soul Calibur and Soul Edge, but only someone that Elysium and Inferno, the [[EmpathicWeapon spirit of each sword]] respectively, decides are capable of [[ManipulativeBastard fulfilling their own personal goals]] can unleash their full-power. For instance, Soul Edge in the hands of Cervantes was able to be shattered by weapons that, while augmented, were relatively ordinary compared to itself, but Siegfried/Nightmare merely grabbing the hilt caused the [[WorldWreckingWave worldwide cataclysm of the Evil Seed]]. |
| 465 | * Zamzeed's ultimate attack in ''2nd VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'' parodies this. Zamzeed summons a katana from the earth, then tries to pull it out. After repeated pulling, the sword doesn't come out of the ground, but a ''mountain'' does. Mio, the Zamzeed's pilot, breaks off the top of the mountain, leaving the sword stuck in a giant boulder several times the size of her mecha. Then she runs down the hill and shatters the bolder on her target's head before using the now-freed sword to finish the attack. The attack also has a hidden animation when the attack misses: on the initial swing, the sword slips out of the rock, causing it to fall on top of Zamzeed instead. |
| 466 | * The Ring of the Tyrant, the Amplifier Artifact that gives someone enough power to pretend they have a chance against the titular ''VideoGame/TrillionGodOfDestruction'', can only be used by an Overlord currently holding the crest of a [[SevenDeadlySins deadly sin]]. While there are actually nine sins, two are out of commission by the end of the HopelessBossFight and one belongs to a ghost, leaving only six candidates. [[spoiler:Three more are found when Elma inherits Gloom from her died-during-the-prologue brother, Cerberus claims Wrath since Zeabolos is now Great Overlord and doesn't actually need it, and Lillith passes on so Faust can take the crest of Vanity. If they all die, the Ring itself bends the rules to give Zeabolos one last chance to end things under his own power.]] |
| 467 | * The Extars from ''VideoGame/ValkyrieDriveBhikkhuni'' work in this way. |
| 468 | * In ''VideoGame/WarCraft III'', the crazy-powerful sword Frostmourne can only be broken out of its floating chunk of ice by someone who promises to bear any curse it can throw at him/her. |
| 469 | ** Good news: Once you get it, Frostmourne is indeed the thing that can turn the tide and drive out the invaders, etc. |
| 470 | ** Bad news: Frostmourne is excellent at coming up with curses, which may include killing your best friend, literally eating your soul, and making it so you don't even WANT to repel the invaders anymore and end up joining them instead. Just go with a regular drop. Way safer. |
| 471 | * Subverted in ''VideoGame/WildArms2'' with the Argetlahm, which was used to save the world from a great evil in ancient times. There's even a ceremony near the beginning of the game where newly recruited "heroes" take a shot at drawing the sword. Sure enough, the main character fails his first attempt... But after being [[DemonicPossession possessed by a demon]] shortly afterward, touching it causes them to cancel each other out and seal the demon inside of him. The sword itself disappears, and he was still never "chosen" [[spoiler:until the final battle, when he's trapped inside his own soul and uses ThePowerOfFriendship to draw the sword and kill the demon]]. |
| 472 | * Several of the artifact weapons in the Legion expansion of ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' work this way. |
| 473 | * ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'': |
| 474 | ** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'': The [[LegendaryWeapon Monado]] can't be wielded by just anyone, and may [[WeaponWieldsYou temporarily take over anyone who tries]]. It ''can'' be wielded by someone with sufficient willpower even if they aren't the chosen one, as seen with Dunban. But this comes [[PowerAtAPrice at the cost of increasingly severe damage to his body]] to the point of permanently paralyzing his right arm and nearly killing him when he starts using it with his left. The only one who can properly wield it unharmed is Shulk. This is because [[spoiler: it's a LivingWeapon (and [[EvilWeapon not a nice one]]), containing the soul of an EvilGod, Zanza. Shulk can use it freely only because he's said God's chosen vessel, and he's [[UnwittingPawn unwittingly been doing exactly what Zanza wanted]].]] |
| 475 | ** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'': |
| 476 | *** The Core Crystals that give Blades their form require a sort of aptitude or potential to manifest the entity and the weapon it carries. Those found inadequate are harmed, or even killed, on mere contact with the Core Crystal. A small, scrawny Gormotti (who is a viable Driver) is shoved aside by a larger, bulkier man who grabs the crystal, cries out in pain, and passes out with blue particle effects bursting from his body; the way the other characters talk about it, it's not a pretty sight. From there, only that Driver can fully bring out that Blade's power and effectively use its weapon; there are some cases of a Driver grabbing the weapon of another's Blade to use, but those are usually extremely desperate moments when their own Blade isn't fighting for some reason. There's also nothing stopping a Driver from resonating with multiple Blades. [[spoiler:Rex and Amalthus can resonate with and use ''any'' Blade, even ones awakened by someone else, due to being designated as the "Master Drivers" due to their links to the Aegises]]. |
| 477 | *** Party member Tora ended up with a three-day-long nosebleed after failing to resonate with a crystal, but luckily for him, him and similarly lacking in aptitude father and grandfather are all brilliant engineers who decided to just ''make'' [[ArtificialHuman Artificial Blades]] that anyone can use even without Driver aptitude. Such results include Tora's Blade [[RobotGirl Poppi]], [[NinjaMaid Lila]], [[DownloadableContent Poppibuster and his "pilot" Poppi Mk. II]] (who sure enough can be equipped to any Driver in the party aside from Tora himself without needing to use an Overdrive Protocol to transfer ownership), [[spoiler:and the fully mechanical ones Tora's father was forced to build under threat of death.]] |
| 478 | *** It should be noted that the proper aptitude for wielding a Blade is fairly arbitrary. Ever so often, you'll find a BossInMooksClothing that is a ''monster'' that has happened to come across and resonate with a Blade, which now follows it around and defends it. Such is the case for the story fight with an [[GiantSpider Elder Arachno]] who bonded with the Rare Blade [[FaceOfAThug Wulfric]], with the party claiming his Core Crystal after killing the monster. [[spoiler:Even Blades can become the Drivers of other Blades, though all the cases shown of these Driver-Blades were also Flesh Eaters, Blades who integrated human cells to gain independence from needing a link with a Driver to survive in the first place, or an Aegis, aka the original Blades who have the ability to directly link with any Core Crystal since they're the overseers of the whole system.]] |
| 479 | *** A key part of the plot is the "core crystal cleansing process." Cores are shipped to the Praetorium, where Praetor Amalthus does something that makes it easier for people to resonate with them. It's still not ''easy'' to find Drivers, but it is much easier than the normal way, so every nation sends their cores to Amalthus, and this makes his religion a political powerhouse. [[spoiler:As it turns out, Blades accumulate data every time they are activated. As they live and grow, they become more powerful, eventually evolving from Common Blades into Unique Blades. The downside, however, is that they also become much pickier about who can resonate with them. Furthermore, once a Blade has accumulated enough data it will evolve into a Titan, one of the massive beasts that people live on. The reason no more continent-sized Titans are being born is because of the cleansing process. Amalthus is fully aware of this, and furthermore is aware that the dwindling livable land is causing more wars and will eventually result in the end of the world... but he doesn't care, [[OmnicidalManiac because he hates everyone]].]] |
| 480 | ** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'': |
| 481 | *** One of the key gameplay mechanics is class switching, where the heroes use each other's weapons and the abilities that come with it. However, while everyone can use Noah's Veiled Sword, that's actually the sheathe of his ''real'' weapon, the Lucky Seven. This is the only weapon that can cut through the otherwise invincible Flame Clocks. In ''[[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3FutureRedeemed Future Redeemed]]'', it's strongly implied that [[spoiler:Lucky Seven has the core crystals of both Pneuma and Logos, two of the Aegises, in it, explaining why it's so powerful]]. |
| 482 | *** The first story DLC introduces Ino, an Artificial Blade in the same vein as ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2''. She declares that Noah is her destined Driver, and successfully forges an affinity link with him. This confuses everyone else to no end, because [[OutsideContextMagic that's not how Blades work any more]]. |
| 483 | * Parodied in ''Videogame/YakuzaLikeADragon'', where Ichiban and his friends find a baseball bat stuck in the pavement. After being the only one able to pull it out (likely after the others loosened it when they tried pulling it), Ichiban's [[MrImagination overactive imagination]] and delusions of grandeur begin to run wild as he sees the bat as the weapon of the RPG Hero he was always destined to be, thus unlocking his "Hero" class. |
| 484 | [[/folder]] |
| 485 | |
| 486 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 487 | * Longinuslanze Testament from ''VisualNovel/DiesIrae'' can only be wielded by the most charismatic being in the world, and the main BigBad Reinhard Heydrich fits the lance's requirements. Anyone else who tries to even look at the lance will have their minds burned and their souls erased. Even those who are part of Reinhard's legion who have innate resistance to soul damage have trouble keeping consciousness in its presence. And should anyone unworthy touch the lance then it will erode their existence as long as they remain in contact with it. This last trait have Reinhard weaponized, usually just resting the lance against his victim while he himself holds them still. |
| 488 | * ''Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}'': Heroic Spirits possess "Noble Phantasms": Weapons, armour, or other tools that are as much a part of their legends as they are, and which only they know how to use properly (which includes the TropeNamer, as King Arthur is a Heroic Spirit). WordOfGod has it that if a Servant's Noble Phantasm were to be stolen, the thief would find the stolen Noble Phantasm unwieldy and be unable to invoke its powers. Of course, there are a myriad of exceptions, each with a justification of their own. |
| 489 | ** ''Literature/FateZero'': |
| 490 | *** Gilgamesh has the Noble Phantasm Gate of Babylon, a pocket dimension that holds, in addition to his own unique Phantasms, a copy of the "prototype" of nearly every legendary weapon in existence. Because he is considered their original "owner" he is able to wield them, though far less effectively since while he has some swordsmanship skill, he is not an expert and he doesn't know how to use his weapons' abilities efficiently. Gate of Babylon doesn't have certain items like Excalibur, Rhongomyniad, Avalon, Knight of Owner, God Hand, Kavacha and Kundala, and Vasavi Shakti, because they were either created after Gilgamesh's time, or were created by fairies and not distributed to mankind. In the alternate universe of ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya'', Gilgamesh discovers to his chagrin that Gate of Babylon doesn't have any of Julian Ainsworth or Darius Ainsworth's Noble Phantasms like Authoritarian Personalism, Apneic Beauty, and Shadow Hand of Code. [[spoiler:This is because Darius created these Noble Phantasms recently with a combination of his powers and Pandora's Box, another item not in Gate of Babylon, meaning they had never existed before and only he or those with his permission can use them.]] |
| 491 | *** Berserker has a Noble Phantasm called Knight of Owner that allows him to become an InstantExpert for any weapon he takes into his hands - including an enemy's Noble Phantasm, should he wrest it from their grasp. |
| 492 | *** Kiritsugu Emiya had acquired Saber's Noble Phantasm, Avalon, which heals its holder's injuries and works for any holder, but it only responds to Saber's mana, so it only works when Saber is near the holder. Kiritsugu and his wife Irisviel both make use of it. At the end, he plants it into Shirou, and though Saber is gone, it had stored enough of Saber's mana to heal him. It then goes inert until Saber is summoned again in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. Even then, Saber ([[spoiler:and Shirou when he projects it]]) are the only ones who can use Avalon's true function as an absolute defense against attacks. |
| 493 | ** ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': |
| 494 | *** Archer [[spoiler:and his past self Shirou Emiya]] have Unlimited Blade Works, a MentalWorld that makes them able to copy any weapon they see, including Noble Phantasms. Due to the nature of their magecraft, they are also considered an "owner" and are able to mimic the original wielder's skills to a degree. They are unable to copy divine weapons like Excalibur because they lack divinity and cannot copy it. [[spoiler:In the ''Fate'' route, though Avalon is divine, Shirou is able to copy and use it because he holds the original inside his body and he has a spiritual connection to Saber. He loses the ability in the ending when he returns the original Avalon to Saber and then she disappears back to her time. In one of the ''Heaven's Feel'' route's endings, Shirou goes beyond his limits to copy Excalibur, but using it kills him]]. However, Archer's counterpart in the ''VideoGame/FateExtra'' series is able to copy Excalibur because it takes place in {{Cyberspace}}, allowing him to bend the rules. |
| 495 | *** While noncanon, the 2006 anime has Caster put Sakura Matou under mind control and pass her Caster's Noble Phantasm, the dagger Rule Breaker, to ambush Saber. After Sakura stabs Saber, Caster comments that since it wasn't actually her wielding Rule Breaker, its power was weakened. Instead of being able to steal Saber's Servant Contract, the stab simply weakened her. |
| 496 | ** In both ''VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia'' and ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya'': Bazett Fraga [=McRemitz=], a human, is able to use the Noble Phantasm Fragarach. Its original owner, the god Manannán mac Lir, gifted it to the god Lugh, who in turn gifted to her ancestor. Her family possesses a Sorcery Trait known as Traditional Carriers – God's Holders, which allows them to pass on their abilities through bloodline rather than teachings, so she inherited her ancestor's ability to wield it. |
| 497 | ** ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya'': Several human magi can use Class Cards to take on the powers and skills of Servants, allowing them access to their Noble Phantasms. Since Chloe von Einzbern and the Miyuverse version of Shirou Emiya bonded with the Class Card for the Archer of ''stay night'', they inherited his ability to copy Noble Phantasms. In this alternate universe, they are able to copy divine weapons at the cost of them becoming hollow and brittle. Beatrice Flowerchild wields Mjölnir itself, which makes everyone assume that her Class Card is Thor, since only Thor can wield Mjölnir, but it turns out to actually be Magni, the son of Thor who inherited Mjölnir after his death. Magni and thus Beatrice also inherited Thor's belt Megingjörð and iron glove Járngreipr. |
| 498 | ** ''VideoGame/FateExtra CCC'': |
| 499 | *** Karna gives his armor and earring, Kavacha and Kundala, to his Master Jinako Carigiri to protect her. In his legend, he traded Kavacha and Kundala to Indra for the spear Vasavi Shakti, so he cannot use Vasavi Shakti unless he removes his protections. Since Kavacha and Kundala's protective powers are always active, Jinako doesn't have to do anything to benefit from them. |
| 500 | *** Passionlip carries a portion of Brynhildr's Divinity, allowing her imitate Brynhildr's Noble Phantasm, Brynhildr Romantia. It is modified into a RocketPunch instead of a spear, but it has the same properties of increasing in strength the more she loves the target. |
| 501 | ** ''VideoGame/FateExtellaTheUmbralStar'': Altera wields the Sword of Mars, Photon Ray, because her original self, Sefar, defeated Ares in combat and took it as a trophy. Ares is really pissed off about this, and no matter where or when she is, when she invokes the sword's powers, Ares senses it and tries to reclaim it by trying to smite her with a KillSat-like strike, which she cleverly redirects into her opponents. When Ares is briefly summoned in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', he uses a different sword since he never got Photon Ray back. |
| 502 | ** ''Anime/FateExtraLastEncore'': Rin Tohsaka and Rani VIII were granted the powers of their Servants Cu Chulainn and Lu Bu respectively, so they can use their Noble Phantasms Gae Bolg and God Force. |
| 503 | ** ''Anime/FatePrototype'': Perseus shares two Noble Phantasms with Medusa. Harpe: The Immortal Slaying Scythe used to belong to Medusa back when she was human, but it was confiscated by the gods when she was cursed into the Gorgon and exiled to the Shapeless Isle. The gods then armed Perseus with it when he was tasked to slay her. Medusa had Bellerophon: The Bridle of Chivalry, which allows her to summon and control Pegasus, because Pegasus is her son. In this version of the story, Perseus tamed and rode Pegasus after slaying Medusa. |
| 504 | ** ''Literature/FateApocrypha'': |
| 505 | *** Saber of Red has an interesting example in her sword Clarent. While legend makes it Saber's Noble Phantasm, Mordred stole the sword from her father in life. As it was created to represent the rightful rule of the king, its theft and use against Arthur weakened the sword. When Mordred uses her ultimate attack, [[SwordBeam Clarent Blood Arthur]], she channels her anger of her father and her energy into Clarent to ''force'' it to obey her and perform at its full potential. |
| 506 | *** It is mentioned that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon rightfully belong to Nebuchadnezzar II, the man who built them, but because [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve so many people believe Semiramis built them]], Assassin of Red has them as one of her Noble Phantasms. Even then, she cannot naturally conjure them up; she has to construct the Hanging Gardens herself out of stone from her home country in order to use them. |
| 507 | *** Saber of Black/Siegfried sacrifices himself to save Sieg's life by transplanting his heart into him. This causes Sieg to inherit his powers and Noble Phantasms, Balmung and the Armor of Fafnir. [[spoiler:Near the end, it is revealed that when Berserker of Black/Frankenstein inadvertently revived Sieg with her lightning, some of her life force merged with him, causing him to inherit her powers and Noble Phantasms, Bridal Chest and Blasted Tree, as well.]] |
| 508 | *** [[spoiler:Rider of Black]] is able to successfully use [[spoiler:Rider of Red]]'s shield Noble Phantasm, [[spoiler:Akhilleus Kosmos]], but this is only possible because the shield was freely offered. Furthermore, [[spoiler:Rider of Red/Achilles]] is known for donating arms to others in his legend while [[spoiler:Rider of Black/Astolfo]] is known for borrowing others' armaments; if neither of these had been true, the shield could not have been lent. |
| 509 | *** [[spoiler:Gilles de Rais]] is able to wield Ruler's Noble Phantasm, [[spoiler:Luminosité Eternelle]], because they knew and trusted each other in life. |
| 510 | ** ''Fate/Koha-Ace'': |
| 511 | *** Toyotomi Hideyoshi is mentioned to have a Noble Phantasm called Blade Taker: Sword Hunt. This allows him to steal and use his opponent's weapons if he wins a Luck Check, based on how in life, Hideyoshi organized sword hunts where he confiscated his enemies' weapons. |
| 512 | *** Tokugawa Ieyasu, who is actually one of Ieyasu's body doubles, has the ability to switch between all seven of the regular Classes. Whenever he does this, he can use a Noble Phantasm associated with one of Ieyasu's vassals who fits the Class. For example, if he is Saber, he uses Yagyuu Tajima-no-Kami Munenori's sword, Daitengu Masaie. If he is Lancer, he uses Honda Tadakatsu's spear, Tonbokiri. If he is Berserker, he uses one of Senji Muramasa's swords. If he is Archer, Rider, Caster, or Assassin, he uses a breech-loading swivel gun, red armor, one of the Seven Jewels of Chakravarti, and a kunai, respectively, but these weapon's names and owners are not yet revealed. |
| 513 | ** ''Literature/LordElMelloiIICaseFiles'': |
| 514 | *** Gray is able to wield King Arthur's lance, Rhongomyniad, because she was RaisedAsAHost to house King Arthur's spirit. Theoretically, she should be able to wield Caliburn, Excalibur, and Avalon as well. |
| 515 | *** Servant Faker is able to use Iskandar's Skills and Noble Phantasms due to being his BodyDouble in life to the point she doesn't actually have a ''name'' of her own, simply being called "Iskandar's Shadow", represented by her own Skill "For He is Another Iskandar (Fake)". [[spoiler:As revealed in ''Grand Order'', this includes the Reality Marble ''Ionian Hetaroi'', [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique but due to who she is and its specific requirements she'll die after invoking it]].]] |
| 516 | *** Ergo can use Sun Wukong's extending staff Ruyi Jingu Bang because he was infused with some of Sun Wukong's power. Ergo was also infused with some of Set's power, allowing him to use his Noble Phantasm, Per Djet. Per Djet allows him to paralyze an enemy, and when he releases them, he can copy their Noble Phantasm. |
| 517 | *** Typhon stole Harpe and Nega-Keraunos, the thunderbolts of Zeus, in life. Bai Ruolong was infused with some of Typhon's power, giving him access to these and Typhon's personal Noble Phantasm, Blaze of Etna. |
| 518 | ** ''Literature/FateStrangeFake'': |
| 519 | *** False Assassin was a member of TheHashshashin who diligently studied the Zabaniya, or killing techiniques, of her order's leaders, [[LegacyCharacter Hassan-i-Sabbah]]. Her Noble Phantasm, Zabaniya: Phantasmal Pedigree, allows her to copy 18 of the 19 Zabaniyas (she can't use Hassan of the Hundred Faces' Zabaniya because he was her contemporary and she didn't have an opportunity to study him). |
| 520 | *** True Archer has a Noble Phantasm called Reincarnation Pandora that allows him to steal enemy Noble Phantasms, gaining the ability to use them. Notably, he can steal Noble Phantasms that are conceptual in nature, as shown when he stole [[spoiler:False Berserker's [[DemonOfHumanOrigin From Hell]], a Noble Phantasm that allows False Berserker to transform into a demon]]. He also has a copy of True Rider's magic strength-enhancing sash, Goddess of War, because in life, he killed her and took it. It is mentioned that since True Rider is the true owner of Goddess of War, her version of the sash is more powerful than his. |
| 521 | *** Saber has a Noble Phantasm called Excalibur: Sword of Forever Distant Victory, which gives him the ability to turn anything he holds into a copy of the legendary blade Excalibur, based on his [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve sincere belief]] that anything he holds ''is'' Excalibur. This includes enemy Noble Phantasms. However, since they are copies, they are not as powerful as the real one, and it is mentioned that if he were holding the real one, while he would be able to use it, he would not be able to bring out its full potential. |
| 522 | *** True Caster shares a Noble Phantasm with the Caster from ''Fate/Zero'', [[TomeOfEldritchLore Prelati's Spellbook]]. This is because True Caster is Francois Prelati, the man who created the Spellbook, and the Caster from ''Fate/Zero'' is Gilles de Rais, his student whom he gave the Spellbook to in life as a present. However, in the story, Prelati doesn't have the Spellbook with him when he is summoned because he gave it to Gilles and he wasn't able to recreate it in life, and it is mentioned Gilles needs to return it to him on a spiritual level for him to use it. |
| 523 | *** Gilgamesh arrogantly throws away the spare key to his Gate of Babylon, saying it is useless in the hands of humans. This backfires when Ishtar obtains it. Due to being a goddess and deeply connected to his legend, she is able to control his Gate of Babylon and forcefully shut it down. |
| 524 | *** The Godfelling Crossbow belonged to Qin Shi Huangdi. It is used as a catalyst to summon the spirit Jiao, who says the crossbow killed it, so it has a connection to it. Jiao hands the crossbow to the human Sigma and gives him permission to use it. |
| 525 | ** ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': |
| 526 | *** Cu Chulainn and Scathach are both able to use the spear Gae Bolg because in life, Scathach was the one who made it and she gave it to Cu Chulainn as a present when he finished his training. |
| 527 | *** One of Lancer Karna's Noble Phantasms, Brahmastra, is shared by the Saber Rama. In this case, it's because this particular weapon was capable of being wielded by multiple people across the various epics of their legends. |
| 528 | *** Parvati borrowed her husband Shiva's trident, Trishula Shakti, but it is mentioned that since she is not the true owner, she cannot bring out its full potential. Meanwhile, Rama has a Noble Phantasm called "Vishnu Bājū: Arms of the Great One", which grants him access to several divine weapons gifted by the sage Vishwamitra. This plus the fact Rama is an avatar of the god Vishnu allows him to wield Trishula Shakti. |
| 529 | *** Sita was never a warrior in life, but as an Archer, she wields the bow Haradhanu Janaka, which belongs to her husband Rama, because Rama granted her his powers and permission. Not to mention in the myth she was the only person besides Rama who was strong enough to lift the bow. |
| 530 | *** One of Queen Medb's Noble Phantasms, Fergus My Love, allows her to summon and wield Fergus' Noble Phantasm, Caladbolg: The Rainbow Sword. This is because Fergus was her lover in life and they shared many gifts. She has another Noble Phantasm called Conchobar My Love, which lets her borrow her other lover Conchobar's ability to see the future. |
| 531 | *** One of King David's Noble Phantasms is Hamesh Avanim, the sling and stones he used to defeat Goliath. Lore-wise, because of how he used it to knock Goliath out and then steal his sword, if he uses it to knock out a Servant, he can swipe their Noble Phantasm and use it. Even better, the Noble Phantasm becomes David's by God's Divine Authority, so the Servant will be unable to take it back. David also has the Ark of the Covenant, which kills anyone not authorized by God who touches it. Besides David, only people deemed worthy by God like Moses can touch it safely. It overrides other divine protection, as it killed [[spoiler:Heracles, Zeus' chosen one protected by God Hand]] when he touched it. |
| 532 | *** Xuanzang Sanzang wields Sun Wukong's extending staff Ruyi Jingu Bang, Zhu Bajie's Nine-toothed Rake, and Sha Wujing's Monk's Spade because her three disciples loved her so much that they granted them to her when she was summoned. Ironically, she doesn't even recognize the weapons, so she cannot use them to their full potential. |
| 533 | *** Lore-wise, Sir Gawain can wield Excalibur because there were times King Arthur loaned it to him in life, plus he had proven himself worthy of its sister sword Galatine. |
| 534 | *** In life, King Arthur gave Excalibur to Sir Bedivere so he could return it to the Lady of the Lake, but in this verse, he kept the sword and Merlin eventually modified it into an artificial arm for him. He has a Noble Phantasm called "Switch On - Airgetlám", his artificial arm, which he can eventually turn into Excalibur to wield. |
| 535 | *** Merlin is able to use Caliburn, the Sword in the Stone itself, since he created and gave it to King Arthur in the first place. |
| 536 | *** The Lady of Lake herself [[spoiler:who is actually a SplitPersonality of Morgan le Fay]] would logically be able to use Excalibur. |
| 537 | *** Ishtar's Noble Phantasm, "An Gal Tā Kigal Shē", has her use her authority as a goddess of Venus to use planet Venus ''[[ColonyDrop itself]]'' as a weapon. However, other deities with Venus in their domain like Quetzalcoatl can catch the attack and even take control of it to use it against her. |
| 538 | *** Rider Mordred wields Prydwen, a shield that can turn into a ship or surfboard. It belonged to King Arthur, but just like with Clarent, she stole it from her father in life. |
| 539 | *** Lore-wise, one of Musashibou Benkei's Noble Phantasms, called Eighth Implement, like True Archer in ''strange fake'', is the ability to steal and use his enemies' Noble Phantasms against them. Also this man is actually Hitachibou Kaison, one of Benkei's comrades who fled in fear while he was being killed. To repent for his cowardice, he took on Benkei's identity to spread his story. Due to taking his identity, Kaison has his skills and Noble Phantasms. |
| 540 | *** Penthesilea has the strength-enhancing sash Goddess of War because she is the sister of True Rider from ''strange fake''. |
| 541 | *** Senji Muramasa is able to forge Tsumukari Muramasa, a recreation of the legendary sword Kusanagi-no-Tachi. Since he isn't a god or demigod, using the sword kills him. However, when he gets properly summoned as a Servant, he can use Tsumukari Muramasa as many times as he wants, likely because he is creating slightly weaker versions to mitigate the backlash. He expresses awe for Ibuki-Douji, a wielder of the actual Kusanagi. |
| 542 | *** Minamoto no Raikou was the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings, so in her Berserker form, her Noble Phantasm, Ox-King Storm Call - The Inescapable Net of Heaven, allows her to create duplicates of herself that wield her subordinates' weapons. These include Sakata Kintoki's axe, Watanabe no Tsuna's sword, Urabe no Suetake's bow, and Usui Sadamitsu's naginata. |
| 543 | *** The Lancer version of Minamoto no Raikou has the spear Vajra. Arjuna is shocked and points out that Vajra belongs to his father, the Hindu god Indra, so he wonders how the Japanese Raikou has it. It turns out that Raikou's father Gozu Tennou was actually Indra under an alias, so she is Arjuna's half-sister and one of Indra's heirs. When she prayed to her father for aid, he gave her Vajra. Kama also wields Vajra because of an incident where she did Indra a favor and Indra allowed her to borrow Vajra as thanks. Vritra also wields Vajra because when Indra stabbed her with it, Vajra was lodged in her mouth, so she [[LodgedBladeRecycling pulled it out and used it]]. |
| 544 | *** The sword Usumidori originally belonged to Minamoto no Raikou, but Ushiwakamaru has it because she is Raikou's descendant and inherited it. |
| 545 | *** The Rider Mandricardo is able to wield the Lancer Hektor's spear Durindana. This is due to the connection of their legends, as Mandricardo is able to wield the sword Durandal, which was repurposed by Hektor into Durindana and was restored to its original form some time after his death. Since the sword and spear are simply two forms of the same weapon, they can wield either one without issue. Particularly notable since Mandricardo ''isn't'' summoned with Durandal because he lost it and never got it back before his death in legend, and in fact has a Noble Phantasm called Serment de Durandal that lets him give Durandal's power to any weapon he possesses, even another Noble Phantasm. His second Noble Phantasm, Rêve de Durandal, is what allows him to wield Durandal and Durindana, but it only works if Mandricardo [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve truly believes he is worthy]]. By extension, this also means Roland, the man most famous for wielding Durandal, would also be able to wield Durindana without issue. Mandricardo's skill, Armor of the Nine Worthies, allows him to use Hektor's armor, having acquired it in life. |
| 546 | *** Lore-wise, Astolfo's Hippogriff originally belonged to Bradamante, and he traded his spear Trap of Argalia to her for it, which means she would be able to use them too. |
| 547 | *** Goetia has King Solomon's Noble Phantasms because he possessed Solomon's corpse. [[spoiler:When the real Solomon shows up as a Servant, he is able to reclaim his Noble Phantasms and then sacrifice himself, cutting off Goetia's access to them.]] |
| 548 | *** Mash Kyrielight is able to wield Galahad's shield, Lord Camelot, because she was RaisedAsAHost to house Galahad's spirit. After Goetia is defeated, Galahad decides to stop helping the heroes and revokes the powers he gave to Mash. Mash finds herself unable to use Lord Camelot anymore. Ritsuka Fujimaru uses a Command Spell to order Galahad to help them, but he resists, leaving Mash with only a fraction of his power. Even with the Ortenaus device augmenting her powers, Mash is only able to use a degraded version called Mold Camelot. However, Da Vinci suspects that [[PsychosomaticSuperpowerOutage it was the shock of Galahad saying he revoked her powers that made her unable to use them]]. This is seemingly proven in the British Lostbelt when Mash loses her memories, including of Galahad, and gains full access to her powers and Noble Phantasm. She keeps her powers when she gets her memories back. |
| 549 | *** In the second Lostbelt, Gotterdammerung, [[spoiler:Surtr the Fire Giant is able to use all of Sigurd's Noble Phantasms, most notably his CoolSword Gram, because he's currently [[DemonicPossession possessing Sigurd's body and Spirit Origin]]. When his spirit is freed from Sigurd's body he loses access to them, but that was fine by him because it allowed him to unseal his ''real'' body.]] |
| 550 | *** Odin gave the Valkyries his blessing to wield his spear, Gungnir, so they all have a copy of it when they perform their Noble Phantasm, "Ragnarök Lífþrasir". It is said that their copies are weaker than the original. |
| 551 | *** During the third Summer event, Robin Hood lends his Noble Phantasm [[InvisibilityCloak No Face May King: Faceless King]] to Edmond Dantes to help the latter in [[spoiler:investigating the GroundhogDayLoop they've been trapped in without [[BigBad BB]] catching him]]. In this case, it's because "Robin Hood" is technically a CompositeCharacter of [[LegacyCharacter numerous rogues who assumed the title]], which allows him to lend it to anyone of his choosing. |
| 552 | *** For some reason, Ashwatthama has Sudarshan Chakra Yamaraj, a divine chakram owned by Krishna, even though he had never used it in life and in his myth was unworthy of it. The others are baffled and even he doesn't know why he can use it. |
| 553 | *** Lu Bu's Noble Phantasm is God Force, his halberd that can shape-shift into different forms. His beloved horse Red Hare eventually becomes a Servant, turning into a Centaur-like creature. Red Hare's Noble Phantasm is Imitation God Force, which uses a bow to fire the halberd like an arrow. |
| 554 | *** Jason and his former wife Medea both have the Golden Fleece since they had both owned it. |
| 555 | *** Poseidon granted Caenis his Divine Authority, allowing her to use his Trident. |
| 556 | *** Romulus-Quirinus has access to a version of Heracles' Noble Phantasm, [[BladeSpam Nine Lives]]. This is because of a version of his legend that says Heracles is his father. Although this is not true, [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve enough people believe this that it comes true]], giving Romulus-Quirinus the benefits of being raised and trained by Heracles, including inheriting his techniques. |
| 557 | *** The Berserker version of Brynhildr has the Noble Phantasm, Brynhildr Sigurutein, a sword which requires her husband Sigurd to use. "Only Brynhildr can summon it and only Sigurd can swing it." The sword is a replica of one that Odin gave to Tyr that Brynhildr imitates with her Primordial Rune magic. Since Odin and Tyr are both Gods of War, this is presumably why Sigurd, the King of Warriors, is required to use it. |
| 558 | *** The Lancer version of Yu Mei-ren wields a spear from her husband, Xiang Yu, by recalling the sword dance she performed at the end of his life and refining it into a spear dance. |
| 559 | *** Professor James Moriarty and Erice Utsumi both have Freikugel, the magic bullets from ''Theatre/DerFreischuetz''. Moriarty made a FusionDance with Max, who wielded the bullets, while Erice has the spirit of Samiel, who forged the bullets, inside her. |
| 560 | *** Erice Utsumi has Ame-no-Sakahoko, a replica of the goddess Izanami's spear Ame-no-Nuboko with most of the same powers. A few characters are confused at how she is able to wield it. ''Fate/Requiem'' eventually reveals that [[spoiler:Erice is Izanami's daughter.]] Sakamoto Ryouma can wield Ame-no-Sakahoko as well because in his backstory, he discovered the dragon Oryou sealed by being pierced by the spear, and he was effortlessly able to remove it. Indeed, his Lancer version wields it, [[spoiler:but during the sixth GUDAGUDA event, he [[DemonicPossession gets possessed by the evil god Ama-no-Sakagami]] who wields it through his body. However, Rider Ryouma is able to steal the spear from Ama-no-Sakagami since they are [[AlternateSelf technically the same person]] right now and the evil god is partially affected by the spear's [[KillTheGod anti-divine properties]], though Ryouma also suffers pain in the process since he abandoned the Ame-no-Sakahoko in life after freeing Oryou and "[[LivingWeapon it's a bit angry with him]]".]] |
| 561 | *** The Caster version of Altria wields Marmyadose, a sword that originally belonged to Heracles. She says she acquired it at some point during her travels in life. [[spoiler:Something that [[CrypticBackgroundReference we never get to see]], though]]. |
| 562 | *** Ibuki-Douji wields the Kusanagi-no-Tachi, the sacred sword and Imperial Treasure that the god Susanoo found within the body of [[{{Orochi}} Yamata-no-Orochi]] after slaying the multi-headed dragon god. She is able to do this because she is the daughter/avatar of Orochi, [[spoiler:and in "Hell Realm Mandala", she is able to give Kintoki the Kusanagi to use against Ashiya Douman. This is most likely due to how Susanoo was able to claim the sword from Orochi and gave it to his sister Amaterasu, as well as due to Kintoki's own natural divine nature (and even he has to use it via his [[HumongousMecha Golden Bear]] Noble Phantasm).]] |
| 563 | *** One of Siegfried's Noble Phantasms is Das Rheingold, the cursed DragonHoard he claimed when he slew the dragon Fafnir. After his original death, the treasure was eventually claimed by the Einzbern family. Because of this, Sitonai, who uses Illya von Einzbern as a host body, can control the treasure and pacify it when the gold turns sentient and attacks people, and free people who have been cursed by it, though her control is still trumped by Moshirechik Kotanechik, the actual embodiment and spirit in control of the hoard. |
| 564 | *** In the British Lostbelt, the fae spirits Barghest, Baobhan Sith, and Melusine were granted the identities and powers of Sir Gawain, Sir Tristan, and Sir Lancelot by Morgan Le Fay. They are able to use variations of their Noble Phantasms Galatine, Failnaught, and Arondight respectively called Black Dog Galatine, Fetch Failnaught, and Innocence Arondight. [[spoiler:Notably, Gawain and Lancelot's powers actually ''weaken'' Barghest and Melusine to an extent, as Barghest is a nocturnal fairy who doesn't receive as much benefit from the sun boost and Melusine is so naturally strong Lancelot's peerless combat skill doesn't actually help her much. It's implied this was even intentional on Morgan's part to inhibit their growths as [[ApocalypseMaiden Calamities]]. Also, the Morgan Le Fay native to this timeline, who ruled Camelot instead of Arthur, is the owner of several copies of Rhongomyniad. These Rhongomyniads are unique to her and she is the only one who can wield them, forcing Chaldea to negotiate with her instead of just taking them. When Altria Caster tries to use them, she notably fails and only succeeds when she converts the system into copies outputting Excalibur's power.]] |
| 565 | *** Sir Percival wields Lucius Longinus' Spear of Longinus because he and Kundry found it during his quest for the Holy Grail. In the British Lostbelt, Morgan Le Fay used to wield the Spear of Selection, but discarded it when she felt she was no longer worthy of it. This eventually allows the Lostbelt version of Percival to take it and it transforms into the Spear of Longinus in his hands. |
| 566 | *** The Lostbelt version of Habetrot kept Mash Kyrielight's [[ImmortalBreaker Black]] [[{{BFG}} Barrel]] for safe keeping for centuries (time travel was involved). This causes her to become attuned to it and become its "guardian fairy". The summoned version has a Noble Phantasm called Spinster Habetrot which allows her to summon and fire the Black Barrel, and her version does not have as many detrimental effects on the user's health. Since the summoned version does not have her Lostbelt self's memories, she does not understand why she has and can use the Black Barrel. |
| 567 | *** In the ''Arcade'' version of the game, Nebuchadnezzar II's spirit possesses a clone of Gilgamesh. This grants him Gate of Babylon, but he cannot access Gilgamesh's real treasures like Ea, Enkidu, and the Holy Grail. |
| 568 | *** The god Manannán mac Lir possesses Bazett Fraga [=McRemitz=]'s body to be summoned as a Servant. They naturally use Fragarach, and since Manannán is Fragarach's original owner they can utilize it in ways Bazett could only dream of on her own, such as being able to CounterAttack a far more variety of techniques rather than Bazett being limited solely to her opponent's "trump card". Since in legend, Manannán mac Lir originally owned and gave Diarmuid Ua Duibhne his weapons Gae Buidhe, Moraltach, and Beagaltach, they would be able to use them too. |
| 569 | *** Kriemhild wields her husband Siegfried's sword Balmung because in life, [[TakeUpMySword she used it]] to avenge his murder. Notably, while Siegfried manifests Balmung's holy side, Kriemhild manifests its demonic side. |
| 570 | *** The Saber version of Sir Gareth wields Robigus Ironside, the sword of Sir Ironside the Red Knight, because in life she defeated him and confiscated it. |
| 571 | *** The Avenger version of Erice Utsumi has Ame-no-Kagaminofune, the boat of the god Sukunabikona. She says he let her rent it due to her divine heritage. |
| 572 | *** Mori Ranmaru's Noble Phantasm is the severed head of Oda Nobunaga, which has the power to alter history. In his event, he gets mortally wounded, but prays for someone to recover the head. His prayers are answered by Mysterious Ranmaru X, a female counterpart of himself from another dimension. Since they are basically the same person, she is able to use the head to save the day. |
| 573 | *** The Britomart who appears here is actually the daughter of the original hero. She inherited two Noble Phantasms from her mother: the lance Penetrate Blaiddyd and the suit of armor Fortress Angela. In turn, her mother got these in life from the Briton King Bladud (Blaiddyd) and the Saxon Queen Angela, respectively. |
| 574 | *** Taira no Kagekiyo possessed Kiichi Hougen's student Ushiwakamaru, steals Hougen's Mallet of Fortune, and goes on a rampage with it. After Kagekiyo is stopped, the heroes point out that since Hougen is the Mallet of Fortune's true owner, she could have [[SummonToHand called it to her hand at any time]]. Embarrassed, she tries to save face by saying she wanted them to prove their strength. |
| 575 | *** Ozmandias' Noble Phantasm, Ramesseum Tentyris, lets him summon a temple with many divine beasts from Egyptian mythology like Ammit the Devourer, which he can do since he's an incarnation of Ra. Nitocris Alter can also summon Ammit since she is being possessed by her master, Anubis. Of course, the Anubis seen in ''Fate/Requiem'' can summon Ammit. |
| 576 | *** Ishtar can summon Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven. Ereskigal Alter can use the Authority "Boundary Gorge, Heaven's Thunder Palace" to mass produce Gugalanna's legs for a stomping attack. |
| 577 | *** The Saber version of Medusa wields the golden sword of her son, Chrysaor. When she is killed, she gives the sword to the heroes and gives them permission to use it, allowing Ritsuka to wield it and use its powers. |
| 578 | *** Typhon Ephemeros absorbed the power of Typhon directly from him due to being the fruit from his legend that weakened him when he devoured it, allowing her to call upon his powers as well as those he himself took from Zeus. [[spoiler:This also allows her to [[FusionDance merge with Typhon]] and control him directly after she allows him to eat her once again.]] |
| 579 | *** Theseus has a skill called Martial Retribution that is based on his stealing his opponents' weapons during his Six Labors. This allows him to steal his opponent's weapon and use it, but it does not work on divine, holy, or magical weapons. In game, he wields the club he took from the bandit Periphetes, the sword of his father King Aegeus, and a shield made from the mask of Asterios the Minotaur. |
| 580 | *** Ruler Uesugi Kenshin wields the sword Shiodome-no-Tachi for her Noble Phantasm Bishamonten's Eight Phases - Shiranui. The sword was a gift from her rival Takeda Harunobu/Shingen. Since the sword originally belonged to Takeda, he is able to wield it. |
| 581 | *** King Ashoka can use Buddha's Noble Phantasm, Chakravartin, because he ascended to Buddhahood. |
| 582 | ** ''VideoGame/FateExtellaLink'': Charlemagne's Noble Phantasm "Joyeuse Ordre: Exemplify the Heroic King, O' Twelve Radiant Swords That Travel the Wide World", derived from his sword, Joyeuse, allows him to summon and use the weapons of his Paladins, which includes Astolfo's Trap of Argalia. Karl der Große, an AlternateSelf of Charlemagne, also has Joyeuse, but since he is based on the mundane, real life version of Charlemagne and not the one from the myths, he cannot use Joyeuse Ordre, so he only wields it as a sword. |
| 583 | ** ''Literature/FateRequiem'': |
| 584 | *** Lucius Longinus is the original owner of the Spear of Longinus and naturally has it. Kundry can create and wield a copy of the Spear of Longinus because her legend involved her helping Sir Percival find it. |
| 585 | *** Galahad Alter has the Sword of the Strange Hangings, a holy sword that originally belonged to King David. In life, he found the sword during his adventures and was worthy of drawing it from its resting place. |
| 586 | ** ''VideoGame/FateSamuraiRemnant'': |
| 587 | *** Saber, [[spoiler:Yamato Takeru]], wields the sword Amenomurakumo-no-Tsurugi, the original form of Kusanagi, because they were given the sword and wielded it in life. It was renamed Kusanagi-no-Tachi sometime after their death. |
| 588 | *** Lancer Jeanne d'Arc gave her Master, Chiemon, permission to wield her sword, La Pucelle, and use its powers. |
| 589 | *** Miyamoto Iori can use an improved version of Sasaki Kojiro's Tsubame Gaeshi because he received training from him. |
| 590 | [[/folder]] |
| 591 | |
| 592 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 593 | * ''WebAnimation/NoEvil'' has the four Tezcatlipoca and Tlaloc's Tuning Fork (which he'd used to break the original Tezcatlipoca mirror). |
| 594 | ** The Black Tezcatlipoca had to be sealed in the second episode using the Red one because it was enveloping the countryside and forcing everyone it touched into an endless sleep without a wielder. Unfortunately a bitter child raised in the land of the dead proves to be the kind of person it wanted. |
| 595 | ** The Red Tezcatlipoca, or Judgement Scythe, can only be wielded by one with a strong will and sense of justice. It incinerated a selfish village chief who wanted to use it to gain an advantage over the local spirit, Murder, and then would have swamped the village in lava if Murder hadn't been willing to sacrifice herself to tame it. [[spoiler:In episode 35 it tries to destroy another city after Murder loses her powers and the seal she placed on it is broken. But [[TeamMom Kitty]] essentially ''scolds'' it into letting her wield it.]] |
| 596 | ** The Blue, Liberation Machete, neutralizes magic and thus rejects spirits, but it's also too much for mortals to handle. Potentially it could free those caught in the Black, but it's useless without a wielder. |
| 597 | ** The White Bow of Mercy has yet to choose a wielder, though many have tried. Its' true wielder should be able to use it as a HealingShiv, but in anyone else's hands it generates AnnoyingArrows. |
| 598 | ** Calamity came to possess the Tuning Fork after passing the SecretTestOfCharacter Tlaloc had set up, but while Tlaloc could use it to cast multiple spells she can only use the hydrokinesis spell. Ichabod can produce lightning while Huey has the tracking spell. |
| 599 | * In ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', only Tucker can wield the [[LaserBlade Great Weapon]]. If anybody else holds it, it turns off and won't turn on until it is returned to Tucker. Later in the series, another of these weapons shows up. It is revealed that these weapons only respond to the first person to find them, until they die, then they transfer to the next person who finds them. |
| 600 | [[/folder]] |
| 601 | |
| 602 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 603 | * ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'', obviously. In the baseline arc, it's done straight (and straight out of [[Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing T.H. White]]); in the space arc the ''Excalibur'' is the [[CoolShip flagship of the British fleet]] and can only be activated by a Pendragon bioprint. |
| 604 | * In ''Webcomic/DragonMango'', [[http://dragon-mango.com/comic/chapter03/dm03-16.htm the condition, according to the sign]] is RoyalBlood. |
| 605 | * This is a core plot element in ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}''. The Arkentools, powerful magical artifacts, only dislay their full powers when they 'attune' to a character. Possessing an Arkentool does not mean that it will attune, but [[McGuffin many characters want to try]]. |
| 606 | * ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Only one of the eponymous family can control Castle Heterodyne. The castle itself mentions that many times over history, the Heterodynes have disappeared, and many people have laid claim to the family name. Some were delusional, some were puppets of greater men, and some were honestly wrong. But all non-Heterodynes that were tested for control of the Castle were summarily executed, and their skulls are used to pave a floor in the Castle chapel. |
| 607 | * ''Webcomic/HeroineChic'' has the literal {{Excalibur}}, which can only be wielded by King Arthur -- except a [[LoopholeAbuse loophole]] in the rules means that the Myth/LadyOfTheLake (who bestowed the sword on Arthur, and therefore ''had'' to be able to wield it) is borrowing the blade and using it to fight crime as the modern superhero Avalon. When Zoe tries to move Avalon's sword in Chapter 2, she finds it is impossible for anyone but Avalon to lift it. |
| 608 | * ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' has Caledfwlch in it - but it isn't drawn from the stone, but instead snapped out by Dave. |
| 609 | * In ''Webcomic/{{Kubera}}'', the Sword of Return sits in the Temple of Chaos, waiting for people to attempt to draw it. In fact, the temple was built around the sword. The thing is, the sword has been successfully drawn before, multiple times. There is an annual test where hundreds of people arrive from across the world to try and pull it out; the temple had to institute various tests of strength just to try and weed out the crowds and make the process go faster. Once the sword has bonded to an owner, only that individual may use it, and [[ClingyMacGuffin the only way to give it up is to die]] (at which point it returns to its resting place in the Temple of Chaos). While the sword was designed to fight [[OurDemonsAreDifferent sura]], ironically most sura can draw it out quite easily. The problem is, the same properties that make it a nightmare against sura (it inhibits HealingFactor) apply to the owner as well, whether they are currently holding the sword or not. |
| 610 | * A guy in ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'' finds a sword in the stone with a sign that reads "Draw the Sword from the Stone and be a King". This being Oglaf: guess why the sign changes to "Draw the King from the Stone and win a Sword". |
| 611 | * Parodied in ''Webcomic/RustyAndCo''. [[http://rustyandco.com/comic/level-7-17/ Maddie is told that only the worthy can draw the "enchanted weapon" (a pitchfork) from its haystack.]] It is however magical -- because Maddie can make a weapon magical by thinking it is. |
| 612 | * There are several Excaliburs in ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[RunningGag only one so far has actually been a sword.]] One was a Legendary Pimp Cane. |
| 613 | * Shelly of ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'' is able to [[http://wapsisquare.com/comic/all-my-life/ pull a literal sword from a stone.]] What qualifications she has that allowed her to do it have not been revealed yet, but it is implied that many people have failed in the past. |
| 614 | * ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'': |
| 615 | ** Deconstructed in "[[http://xkcd.com/1521/ Sword in the Stone]]". A woman pulls out a sword out of the stone, and thus is crowned the ruler of England, but then she decides to put the sword back in because she doesn't want the burden of having to rule a kingdom. |
| 616 | --->[[AltText "That seems like an awful lot of hassle when all I wanted was a cool sword."]] |
| 617 | ** Parodied in "[[https://xkcd.com/2578/ Sword Pull]]". A guy pulls a sword from a stone, but the sword doesn't budge completely; instead, the stone starts up and begins to slowly move across the ground like a lawnmower. |
| 618 | * Played with in ''Webcomic/YetAnotherFantasyGamerComic''. [[http://yafgc.net/comic/0851-thing-king-about-it/ The wizard proposes]] a variant of this with an axe, as an alternative to the tourney open to all nobles. BeatPanel ensues. |
| 619 | [[/folder]] |
| 620 | |
| 621 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 622 | * ''Roleplay/OpenBlue'''s BackStory has [[Myth/NorseMythology Belramus]], a sword said to have been forged from a tooth of the [[{{precursors}} Iormunean Imperium's]] goddess, Iormunea. Only the leader of the Imperium's PraetorianGuard (who in turn must be [[AncestralWeapon descended from the original leader]]) can/is allowed to wield this. The other [[SmiteEvil blessed weapons]] used by the Imperial Templar also count. |
| 623 | * ''Literature/TheSwordOfGood'' instantly kills anything evil it touches. The [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Ork Wizard]] slowly bleeding to death should have been a clue. In the end [[spoiler: the so called Big Bad touches the sword to make sure he really deserves ultimate power. However, it is a Subversion - the Sword can only be used by those who truly ''wish'' to do good, without taking their actions into account. As TheHero warns the BigBad, the sword is not an absolute judge of a course of action, simply a judge of character.]] |
| 624 | [[/folder]] |
| 625 | |
| 626 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 627 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfPussInBoots'' features the Goodsword, only wieldable by the true hero of San Lorenzo. [[spoiler:It turns out the sword is specifically looking for someone too soft to kill another, as it wants to fight its former master turned evil, but it still cares about him too much to be able to kill him.]] |
| 628 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' episode ''The Return of the King'', the title character and his friends attend a Renaissance Fair/competition, where they encounter BizarroUniverse versions of themselves from Glenbrook School, led by Mr. Ratburn's former teacher. All of their counterparts turn out to be better than them at their respective events, but in the end, Arthur is the only person--adult or child--who is able to pull the Excalibur replica from its stone. The episode combined this trope with a SecretTestOfCharacter: the trick to removing the sword was to listen to the town crier, who declared "All your might won't set things right--'tis a gentle hand will rule the land." From this, Arthur [[EurekaMoment figured out]] that Excalibur had to be gripped gently on its hilt, rather than forced from the stone. The students are all impressed, and Mr. Ratburn's teacher praises him for teaching Arthur how to think for himself. |
| 629 | * ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'': |
| 630 | ** When the Mind Stone causes a mix-up between the Avengers' minds and their bodies, the one who gets Thor's body tries to lift Mjolnir but can't since he's not worthy and a FreakyFridayFlip doesn't trick the hammer. |
| 631 | ** When {{ComicBook/Thanos}} is deemed unworthy to wield Mjölnir, he gets... creative. |
| 632 | --->'''Thanos:''' If I can't hit you with the hammer, then I'll [[GrievousHarmWithABody hit the hammer with]] '''[[GrievousHarmWithABody YOU!]]''' |
| 633 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'': Naturally, this applies to {{Mjolnir}}. |
| 634 | ** When Thor [[spoiler:gets (not really) killed by Ultron]], his hammer is left on the ground. None of the Avengers can do anything about it. |
| 635 | --->'''Wasp:''' Should we, I don't know, move it? Hulk, maybe--\ |
| 636 | '''Hulk:''' Can't move it. Can't even pick it up.\ |
| 637 | '''Wasp:''' But why?\ |
| 638 | '''Hulk:''' Because I'm not Thor. |
| 639 | ** In the same show, ComicBook/BetaRayBill shows up. He is able to lift Mjölnir as well, much to all the Asgardians' shock. |
| 640 | * Excalibur appears in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse''. The leader of the Forever Knights tries to cheat by using Doctor Jekyll's SuperStrength serum. He fails. He then tries forcing Ben to pull it out for him. Ben (who is hardly "king" material) can't do it either. Hilariously, when he turns into Humongosaur he lifts the sword ''and'' the stone. |
| 641 | * ''WesternAnimation/DaveTheBarbarian'': In "The Maddening Sprite of the Stump," Lula gets stuck in a tree stump and its resident FairyTrickster declares that only the true ruler of Udrogoth will be able to remove her. The entire Royal Family try without success, and [[Myth/KingArthur then a line forms, as expected]]. [[spoiler:It turns out that it takes Dave, Fang, Candy and Oswidge all pulling at once.]] |
| 642 | * An interesting subversion occurs on the ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}'' episode "The Takeover", with Dogbert becoming the new CEO after drawing a golf club from a bag. |
| 643 | -->"Wow, first guy who tried... just like the other times." |
| 644 | * ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'': Scrooge at one time acquired an Excaliber-expy weapon and put it in his backyard as decoration. It can only be drawn by the True King of Britain. [[spoiler:When the giant mechanical Gilded Man of El Dorado is activated and wrecking the estate, it tries to draw the sword and fails. It instead lifts the sword resulting in about a cubic yard of earth being ripped up too, clinging to the end of the sword like a mace or toothpick with a small sausage on it, and then tries to bludgeon the heroes with it.]] |
| 645 | * In the first season ''{{WesternAnimation/Ewoks}}'' episode ''The Land of the Gupins'', Gupins need to open the Juniper Chest for their renewal celebration, in order for their shapeshifting powers to be renewed for another season. Despite their king being convinced he can do this, only Mring-Mring is capable of it, even after the key has been broken. |
| 646 | * The White Wand can only be used by Timmy Turner, TheChosenOne, in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents''. |
| 647 | * ''WesternAnimation/HulkAndTheAgentsOfSmash'': [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in a TimeTravel episode where Hulk wields Mjölnir before it had any enchantments to prevent non-chosen ones from wielding it. Loki gets his chance in a timeline where it never had those enchantments. |
| 648 | * This occurs in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''. While any who possess Mystical Monkey Power can wield the Lotus Blade, only one whose heart is pure can call it. {{Fanon}} likes to expand on this. |
| 649 | * In ''WesternAnimation/KingArthurAndTheKnightsOfJustice'', each Key of Truth can only be touched by the knight to whom it corresponds. The tie-in Super Nintendo game also has Arthur needing to prove he's worthy of wielding Excalibur. |
| 650 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has the [[AscendedFanon Mane Six]] and the Elements of Harmony; as indicated in the Season 2 premiere, only they can wield their power. Celestia and Luna once wielded the Elements, but they have now become more attuned to the Mane Six. The Mane Six were briefly unable to wield the Elements when Discord [[TheCorrupter corrupted]] them, but regained the ability when they shook off his influence. |
| 651 | ** In the Season Four premiere, the Mane Six were forced to give up the physical embodiments of the Elements of Harmony, which took the form of five necklaces (for Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty, Honesty, and Generosity) and a tiara (for Magic). As Twilight Sparkle suspected, the girls have become so connected to the Elements that they no longer need those symbols to use their power--they can summon the magic on their own. |
| 652 | ** Season Four's story arc also had each of the Mane Six facing a difficult choice about her particular Element (for example, Applejack, who represents Honesty, had to decide whether or not to expose a phony elixir that had a PlaceboEffect on ponies, including her own grandmother). When they inevitably chose to stand for their virtue and not let themselves be tempted, each pony received a token of appreciation from one of the citizens they helped. Those tokens turned into this trope, as they transformed into the keys to the Chest of Harmony that only the Element Bearers could open. |
| 653 | ** In the first ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls1'' movie, [[BigBad Sunset Shimmer]] steals the Element of Magic, but ''has'' to take it to another universe in order to actually ''use'' it herself. Even then, while able to twist its power (which ultimately overwhelms and twists ''her''), the Element of Magic explicitly does not belong to her and when she attempts to use it against Twilight (its ''true'' owner), it rejects her and gives Twilight and her friends the power to defeat her instead. |
| 654 | ** In "The Mean 6", Queen Chrysalis creates evil clones of the Mane Six and tries to have them steal the Elements of Harmony, saying she's aware only the Mane Six can use them but believing her clones can get around that restriction. She's wrong and the clones get destroyed when they try to use them. |
| 655 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfSuperman'': In ''The Adventures of Superboy'' episode "The Black Knight", Superboy and his friend Timmy time travel and meet Myth/KingArthur and his court. Arthur sticks Excalibur in an anvil and says whoever can pull it out will be worthy of being his successor. Superboy pulls it out with ease, but the evil BlackKnight steals it and attacks them. Superboy defeats him by using the anvil as a shield and tricking him into sticking it back in. He is unable to pull it out and is easily captured. |
| 656 | * ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbMissionMarvel'': ComicBook/SpiderMan, ComicBook/IronMan, [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] and the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] have their powers drained by Dr. Doofenshmirtz's power-drain inator. Phineas and Ferb try to duplicate the lost powers but a mix-up caused by Candace makes Iron Man receive powers made for Thor. Despite this, Iron Man can't use Mjolnir because he's not worthy. |
| 657 | * ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' and his father were handpicked by the gods to wield the sword they forged to destroy the GodOfEvil Aku. In the final season Jack loses his sword [[ThouShaltNotKill after killing some transformed goats in anger]], and is forced to go WalkingTheEarth [[TheAgeless for 50 years]] until he manages to regain his [[OnlyThePureOfHeart purity of heart]]. |
| 658 | * ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'': Sofia is the only one who can wear the Amulet of Avalor and bear its power. If the amulet is ever stolen or taken away by someone else without a pardon, this triggers the amulet's safeguard which bestows a curse on the person who took it. Season 3 reveals this was Princess Elena's doing when she was trapped inside the amulet. |
| 659 | * In ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', the titular character was able to pull the golden spatula out of the ancient grease in a museum (when no others can). King Neptune shows up but refuses to accept [=SpongeBob=] because he doesn't appear to be fry cook material, so he and challenges [=SpongeBob=] in a patty-cooking competition, promising Spongebob godhood should he win. |
| 660 | * One episode of ''WesternAnimation/SuperMarioBrosSuperShow'' was a parody of King Arthur, involving a golden plunger that only Mario could pull out of a toilet. The legend went that whoever pulled the plunger would defeat Koopa and become the king of Cramalot, but that didn't stop Mario from getting cold feet and passing it on to the wizard. To be fair, he did defeat Koopa. Mario only refused the throne upon learning that, as the king of Cramalot, he'd have to subject himself to a pasta-free diet. |
| 661 | * ''WesternAnimation/SWATKats'': In "Bride of the Pastmaster", Razor and T-Bone are sent to the Middle Ages. They find a sword in a stone that T-Bone can't pull out. When they get attacked, Razor pulls the sword out, causing the attackers to stop. They say whoever pulls the Dragon Sword out is the chosen one to save them from the Pastmaster. The people constantly treat Razor like a hero while snubbing T-Bone. However, anyone else can use the sword after it is pulled, as while Razor is busy saving Queen Callista, T-Bone uses it to slay the Pastmaster's dragon and defeat him. Callista declares they are both heroes before sending them home. |
| 662 | * ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'': According to Lord Demanitus' prophecy, the only person who can wield the moonstone and use its power for good is whoever is in possession of the sundrop, as in the wrong hands, it could be used for evil. [[spoiler:In the Season 2 finale "Destinies Collide", when Cassandra takes the moonstone right before Rapunzel could, the moonstone is able to tell Cassandra does not possess the sundrop and corrupts her as a result.]] |
| 663 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985'': |
| 664 | ** The Sword of Omens can only be held by somebody with good intentions, and only properly wielded by somebody pure of heart, like Lion-O, Jaga, Snarf, and Queen Willa. If anybody evil tries to use it, it will embed itself in the ground and not come out. One time, Mumm-Ra was struck by lightning for trying to wield it. When the evil ghost Grune the Destroyer stole it and tried to use it, it zapped and banished him. And when Lion-O himself tries to use it for hunting, the sword embeds itself into the ground and refuses to harm defenseless animals. |
| 665 | ** Also, the Sword requires both the right bloodline and the right mind/spirit/heart to be activated. In one episode, Lion-O and Wily-Kat are victims of a FreakyFridayFlip courtesy of Vultureman's technology, and neither Kat-as-Lion-O nor Lion-O-as-Kat can use it. [[spoiler:(They quickly figure out a solution, however - it works when both of them do the chant simultaneously while holding it together.)]] |
| 666 | ** Another episode features Excalibur, which Mumm-ra used to defeat the Sword of Omens [[spoiler:by taking Arthur's form]]. Once Mumm-ra [[spoiler:took true form]], it got planted into the ground, he learned that the sword was just as resistant to being used by evil ones, and it refused to come out, spelling Mumm-ra's defeat once again. It is then recovered by Merlin and returned to the Lady of the Lake. |
| 667 | ** Hachiman's sword, the Thunder-Cutter, cannot be used for evil. When Mumm-Ra tricks Hachiman into fighting Lion-O, Thunder-Cutter's refusal to let itself be drawn makes Hachiman see through Mumm-Ra's lies. In a later episode, the Lunataks steal the Thunder-Cutter and get around the sword's restrictions by giving it to a robot that doesn't understand concepts of good and evil. The restrictions are kicked in again when Hachiman touches the sword, causing the sword to destroy the robot. |
| 668 | * In ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'', the Sword of Omens is enchanted against "being touched by the hands of evil" and can only be properly wielded by those it has chosen as the King. It marks those who are worthy by giving them visions or "Sight beyond sight". |
| 669 | * ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'': |
| 670 | ** Artifacts of the Thirteen Primes in can usually only be wielded by a Prime. The Star Saber, sword of Prima, has the same restriction, with the added effect that it can't so much as be moved by a non-Prime. When Megatron found it stuck in a rock, he not only couldn't pull it out, he couldn't even break the rock around it; the sword actively protected the rock to make it impossible to remove. He had to have his ship lift the entire (sizable) rock just to transport it. [[spoiler:After losing the Star Saber to Optimus, Megatron transplants [[BorrowedBiometricBypass the arm of a deceased Prime]] onto himself to bypass the restriction.]] |
| 671 | ** The Forge of Solus Prime has this restriction for using its ability to create almost anything from raw materials [[spoiler: which is why Megatron grafted the arm of a Prime onto himself]]. For anyone else who can lift it, it's a [[CarryABigStick big slaggin' hammer]] that packs quite the wallop. |
| 672 | * Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' episode "The Hero". According to Brad Starlight's "prophecy", the hero can pull out the legendary Sword of Destiny. Wander easily pulls it out of the stone, but Brad insists that he is the hero and orders Wander to stick it back in so he can try. Brad is unable to pull it out, and his continued struggles only succeed in breaking the sword. As it turns out, it's ''Wander'' who's the hero, not Brad. Brad is definitely not hero material because of his immaturity and selfish, GloryHound tendencies, while Wander, a true hero, is brave, kind, caring of others, and has a pure heart. |
| 673 | * ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021'': |
| 674 | ** In "What If... Thor Was An Only Child?", Thor neutralizes Carol Danvers by putting Mjölnir on her to pin her to the ground. |
| 675 | ** In the season 2 episode "What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings?", Odin casts the same enchantment on Hela's crown he casts on Mjölnir in the main timeline. Like Thor in the main timeline, Hela eventually proves to be worthy and earns her powers back. |
| 676 | * ''WesternAnimation/ZakStorm'': The TalkingWeapon Calabrass can only be wielded by the person he recognizes as his captain. |
| 677 | [[/folder]] |
| 678 | |
| 679 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 680 | * There have been attempts to implement something like this in real life, with the creation of so-called "smart guns". A {{smart gun}} will only fire if it recognizes the person holding it as its owner -- the thinking is that they would prevent or reduce deaths from stolen firearms and/or misuse. [[https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/06/24/325178305/a-new-jersey-law-thats-kept-smart-guns-off-shelves-nationwide Legal issues]], [[ReliablyUnreliableGuns poor reliability]], security flaws, and rejection from the military, law enforcement and civilian gun owners alike have kept them from catching on. |
| 681 | * Braces have to be custom-made to fit the patients' teeth (which is part of why they are so expensive). As such, if a person managed to remove their braces no one else would be able to wear them, as they wouldn't fit their teeth, unless they were an identical twin or the like. |
| 682 | [[/folder]] |
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