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1->''"But the most wonderful thing about tiggers is... I'm the only one!"''
2-->-- '''Tigger''', ''WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'', "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers"
3
4Something that applies to many a videogame boss (especially in the case of a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere), {{kaiju}} or MonsterOfTheWeek — you come across a creature that looks unlike anything else you've seen or will see in that work's universe, [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment but only once]].
5
6Creators contemplating for the existence of more of these tends to be a gap in their WorldBuilding, but tends to be a case where the MST3KMantra applies in full force. It would be hard for an ecosystem to support more than one of it, after all, so just enjoy the game. And there are ways of justifying the existence of one single creature in works that [[{{Fantasy}} bypass]] natural laws, [[ScienceFiction at least as we know them]].
7
8For LongRunners, this may become a temporary trope, as a family/species and natural habitat may be created for the being in question [[ChekhovsBoomerang at a later time]].
9
10Obviously different from the OneGenderRace as there's only one specimen, and the concept of gender may not even apply. Also different from LastOfHisKind, as that implies the existence of more of the same species in the past, or AKindOfOne, where a whole species is known by the name of its most famous member, who may initially have been this.
11
12Note that a Single Specimen Species is defined as being basically unexplained and therefore ecologically implausible. So the LastOfHisKind can't "become" this, since that includes human survivors of a lost tribe, animals that were wiped out and so forth. However, AKindOfOne may become an example in ''subsequent works'', following the original; in which case it may be a case of CallASmeerpARabbit since the characters have certainly never seen it before, but [[PopCulturalOsmosis the readers have]].
13
14Not to be confused with OnlyYouCanRepopulateMyRace (which is ecologically implausible for [[AdamAndEvePlot entirely different reasons]]). UniqueEnemy is the video game version — an enemy which pops up only once, though not necessarily because they're the only one in the world.
15----
16!!Examples:
17[[foldercontrol]]
18
19[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
20* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
21** [[https://dragonball.fandom.com/wiki/Buyon The Buyon,]] which could resist a Kamehameha in a relatively early stage of the series, was present only in a "boss tower" surrounded by an ecosystem in which it couldn't survive (FridgeLogic can be an important part of this trope — in this case, how did they bring the creature into the tower, and where from?). No other specimen ever appears again for the whole series, but it's interesting to see what would have happened if invaders had come across others of the same species — if others existed at all. Averted in ''VideoGame/DragonBallOnline'', where several of the same species (revealed to be aliens) appear as bosses.
22** Majin Buu has been around for a long, ''long'' time, but nobody, even those who were around when he first went on a rampage, seems to know where he came from, and if there are others like him they've never been seen. While Shin states that he was created by the wizard Bibidi, Creator/AkiraToriyama said that Buu has existed since time immemorial and Bibidi only figured out how to awaken him. Averted as of ''VideoGame/DragonBallOnline'', as there's a whole race of Majins that spawned from [[MonsterProgenitor Buu]].
23* The ''Manga/FourKnightsOfTheApocalypse'' setting has only one naturally born nephilim (goddess/demon hybrid), that being Tristan. His mother being both a goddess ''and'' a human, something almost as unlikely, probably had something to do with this.
24* Both used and subverted in ''Manga/{{Toriko}}''. Many animals are so bizarre you don't expect to see another specimen, but sometimes one will show up.
25* Unlike the games, ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' doesn't regard most legendary Pokémon as this trope:
26** The Poké-Gods (i.e. Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and Arceus) are known to be one-of-a-kind, while Lugia is shown to have a breeding population, and many of the legendary birds (Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres) and legendary beasts (Raikou, Entei, and Suicune) are shown to have different members of the species encountered by the main heroes during the course of the series. Likewise, there has been shown to be more than one Deoxys in the series, and the Mew in ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'' is a different Mew from the one in ''Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew''. ''Anime/Pokemon2000'' seems to imply that a specific set of the legendary birds (perhaps the progenitors of their respective species, but this isn't spelled out) are uniquely important despite looking the same as the others, since capturing them was catastrophic to the entire planet's weather. ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions'' features another set of Legendary Beasts that are different from the norm due to being [[PaletteSwap shiny]].
27** [[Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie Mewtwo]] was created by humans and was the only member of its species as [[NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup its creators were killed]] and all the research describing its creation was destroyed. That is, until ''[[Anime/PokemonGenesectAndTheLegendAwakened Genesect and the Legend Awakened]]'' introduced a second Mewtwo that has no relation to the first ([[PlotHole don't ask how that's possible, by the way]]). In the same movie, five Genesect are introduced as opposed to the lone one in the games.
28** Also, Latios and Latias are shown to be the offspring of another pair of Latios/Latias in ''Anime/PokemonHeroes'', and Shaymin in ''Anime/PokemonGiratinaAndTheSkyWarrior'' is actually part of a group of Shaymin. There also appear to be two different Jirachi in ''Anime/PokemonJirachiWishmaker'' and the ''Best Wishes'' episode "Wish on Jirachi: The Seven Day Miracle" (although the existence of two Millennium Comets is harder to explain).
29** ''Anime/PokemonHoopaAndTheClashOfAges'' manages to complicate matters by having its star Pokémon, Hoopa, capable of summoning a great number of legendary Pokémon from ''other dimensions''. Almost all have appeared in previous movies, but it isn't known if the ones that appear in this movie are the same individuals (apart from Rayquaza, which is a shiny variant in ''Clash of Ages'', making it a different member of a SingleSpecimenSpecies).
30** On the other hand, this appears to be played straight for one specific normal Pokémon. It's implied that Ash's Lycanroc is the first - and so far only - Dusk Form Lycanroc.
31** The Galarian fossil Pokémon in the anime are single specimen species due to being "frankenstined" from four unrelated organisms. Goh received an Arctozolt (a combination of a plesiosaur back half and a velociraptor front) and Ash received a Dracovish (a dunkleostus head on the tail of a stegosaurian).
32* ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'', in contrast to the anime, keeps the tradition of only one specimen with all Legendary/Mythical Pokémon. The only exceptions so far are Deoxys (where the only two specimens were twinned from the same space virus) and the Cosmog line (who are already known to avert this trope in the games' continuity).
33[[/folder]]
34
35[[folder:Comic Books]]
36* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'': [[http://greenlantern.wikia.com/wiki/Adam_(Space_Sector_1055) Adam]] is the only member of his species. He dies whenever he gives birth but his Power Ring lets him keep memories from previous generations.
37* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'': When the protagonist Dream, Morpheus, [[spoiler:dies, there is a replacement Dream from a child named Daniel. Although Morpheus is definitely dead, Dream isn't. While the new Dream came from Daniel, he is not Daniel. And while the new and old Dream are treated differently by the rest of the cast, they aren't quite considered separate beings. As Abel put it, it's the same concept but a different perspective.]]
38* ''ComicBook/StarWarsAdventures'': Only one Argora can be alive at a time, putting it at high risk of extinction.
39* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'': While in some iterations of the comic's winged horses are a relatively common mount for Amazons, in [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 Volume 2]] Pegasus retains his unique status from mythology and is reborn after centuries when Medusa gets her head chopped off again.
40[[/folder]]
41
42[[folder:Fan Works]]
43* ''Fanfic/DiscordsNewBusiness'': It turns out that not even Discord has seen another member of his own species, making him possibly the only one of his kind.
44* Unusually for a ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' fanfic, ''Fanfic/IntelligenceFactor'' averts this with most [[OlympusMons legendaries]] — it's explicitly stated that there are multiple Latis, Darkrais, Cresselias, and Tapus. It's played straight with Regigigas, though; only one has ever existed, because it was created by Zygarde for the sole purpose of shaping the world. Diancie is also a one-of-a-kind mutation.
45* ''Fanfic/MasterControl'' sees the Omnitrix create [[spoiler:a half-Anodite/half-human form after encountering Gwen, Verdona, Itsuka, and Nolan, the latter two being a counterpart species known as Adronites]]. Similarly to Nanomech, the form is a unique entity.
46[[/folder]]
47
48[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
49* Franchise/{{Godzilla}} and other more traditional kaiju sometimes are shown to have offspring, so they're right out. However, the viewers see no indication of a Gojiru population from which it might have sprang. The known Godzilla population is Godzilla ([[Film/Godzilla1954 1954]]), Godzilla (Showa), Minya, Godzilla (Heisei), Godzilla Junior, Godzilla Millennium, Godzilla ''[[Film/GodzillaTokyoSOS SOS]]'', and ''[[Film/GodzillaFinalWars Final Wars]]'' Godzilla. However, thanks to CanonDisContinuity, it's hard to tell if there are any others or of what relation they all are to one another in the first place. In ''Film/Godzilla2014'', he is [[LastOfHisKind the last survivor of a race of alpha predators]]. Film/ShinGodzilla is the first of a species actually ''created'' by radiation [[spoiler:and marine microorganisms]], not simply awoken or empowered by it, [[spoiler:[[TrulySingleParent though potentially not the last]]]].
50* ''Film/KingKong'':
51** In [[Film/KingKong1933 the original]], to their knowledge they never see anything that could possibly breed with it on that island.
52** Both the original ''King Kong'' and its [[Film/KingKong1976 1976 remake]] had sequels where [[ThereIsAnother a second giant gorilla shows up]];
53*** ''Film/TheSonOfKong'' has Carl Denham go back to Skull Island to find a second giant ape, who is thought to be the son of the original.
54*** ''Film/KingKongLives'' has an explorer go to Borneo (which used to be connected to Skull Island) to find a second Kong to give the original a blood transfusion. He finds a single female which he brings back to America. By the end of the movie, Kong is dead again, but his mate and son live on.
55** Creator/PeterJackson's [[Film/KingKong2005 2005 remake]] and ''Film/KongSkullIsland'' kick this trope out the door, since it shows a lot of bones from Kong's species - he's made out to be the LastOfHisKind. Completely averted as of ''Film/GodzillaXKongTheNewEmpire'', where it's revealed that an entire tribe of Kongs are alive and well in the Hollow Earth, led by the film's BigBad, the Skar King.
56* ''Franchise/StarWars'': The [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi Sarlacc]] and the [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack Exogorth]] ([[SandWorm Space Worm]]), prior to the somewhat dubious explanation for each in the [[AllThereInTheManual Extended Universe]] novels and books.
57* Subverted in ''Film/{{Rodan}}''. The eponymous mutated Pteranodons are shown to be a breeding pair.
58* The Heisei ''Film/{{Gamera}}'' films:
59** Averted with the Gyaos. They can reproduce asexually and are soon able to attack in large swarms.
60** Likewise, subverted with Gamera himself. At first glance, it seems that he's the only one of his species. Then, during ''[[Film/Gamera3AwakeningOfIrys Awakening of Irys]]'', we see that there were '''thousands''' of Gamera that existed before him, but were all killed out leaving him to be the ''last'' of his kind.
61* Gonzo from ''Franchise/TheMuppets'' was this for awhile [[spoiler: before being revealed as an alien]], since he himself didn't even know what he was. Invariable he was referred to as something like "a whatever he is".
62* The title creature of ''Film/TheWaterHorseLegendOfTheDeep'' is explicitly stated to be a Single Specimen Species. "The rarest of all creatures", there can only be one at a time. The creature is not depicted as magical, nor does the issue go unexplored: it's explained that each water horse lays a single egg and dies before the egg hatches, making the protagonists determined to protect the one they have in their possession.
63* Audrey Jr. from ''Film/TheLittleShopOfHorrors'' is the only one of his kind in existence as he was a crossbreed between a butterwort and a Venus flytrap. In [[Film/LittleShopOfHorrors the musical]], he's an alien so there are probably more of them in space but the only other one we see is in Seymour's flower bed after the original Audrey II is killed.
64** The play and the musical's [[ReCut Director's Cut]] have them breeding and taking over America.
65* Ego from ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'' formed alone in space and had to search the universe for other lifeforms. He refers to himself as a Celestial, it's not clear if he's related to the "celestial beings" from the [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014 first movie]] which were based on the Celestials from the comics. This is possibly implying that Ego is a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boltzmann_brain Boltzmann brain]].
66* The ''Indominus Rex'' from ''Film/JurassicWorld'', counts but also falls under being the Main/LastOfHerKind when it's revealed that Ingen initially created ''two'', but the bigger one ''ate its smaller sibling.''
67** Played straight with the ''Indoraptor'' from the sequel ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'', as only one was ever created, being a [[PsychoPrototype problematic and aggressive prototype]] for their planned weaponized dinosaurs.
68** This applies to the Mosasaurus. There isn’t any indication that Ingen or Masrani ever cloned another, leaving her as the only one of her kind on earth after surviving the abandonment of the park and managing to escape her lagoon into the open ocean.
69*** To a lesser extent, several other dinosaurs have become, or are implied to be, the LastOfHisKind as of this film--particularly, Blue is directly stated to be the last living ''Velociraptor'' after the rest of the Raptor Squad was killed in the previous film and Rexy, the original Tyrannosaurus rex is the only known surviving member of her species. [[spoiler: However, the fourth and fifth seasons of ''WesternAnimation/JurassicWorldCampCretaceous'' and ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion'' reveal that there are other raptors and Tyrannosaurs, meaning Blue and Rexy are not yet the last of their kinds.]]
70** This is also the case with the ''Spinosaurus'' from ''Film/JurassicPark3'', which is confirmed through viral marketing to have been something of a prototype ''Indominus'' as another hybrid, albeit one that actually resembles a fossil species.
71* Before Yaddle was created for ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', Creator/{{Lucasfilm}} didn't want ''Franchise/StarWars'' ExpandedUniverse writers mentioning Yoda's species. They wanted it left vague if he was unique or there were a whole race of them.
72[[/folder]]
73
74[[folder:Literature]]
75* ''Literature/CthulhuMythos'': most of the Great Old Ones. They ''can'' reproduce with each other (e.g. Lovecraft outlined Cthulhu's family tree), but for some reason the resulting offspring usually resembles neither parent.
76* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'':
77** The Watcher In the Water, a strange mass of tentacles that hangs out in a relatively small and shallow lake waiting for passersby toting [[ArtifactOfDoom Artifacts of Doom]] to prey on.
78** Tom Bombadil; even [[ShrugOfGod the author]] isn't quite sure ''what'' he is, but he seems to be completely unique. His wife Goldberry also seems to be a completely unique being.
79* In the ''Literature/{{Mithgar}}'' books, which started as Tolkien fanfic complete with pseudo-Moria and pseudo-Watcher, there is eventually an explanation both for the ecology and how such a huge monster got into the isolated lake - it's a kraken, they're part of a BizarreSexualDimorphism with dragons, and a dragon flew by and dropped it into the lake to annoy the dwarves. [[spoiler: The dwarves manage to kill it by breaking the dam and draining the lake.]]
80* The title "character" in ''[[Literature/{{Illuminatus}} The Illuminatus Trilogy: Leviathan]]'' is a gigantic single-celled organism at the bottom of the ocean, a result of the first cell division that just got bigger and bigger while the rest of life on Earth developed into multicellular organisms. [[spoiler:It's actually just a metaphor for the State. Straight out of Thomas Hobbes' article of the same name.]]
81* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''
82** In ''Literature/TheLastContinent'', the Wizards of Unseen University visit an island populated only with single specimen species. This is because the island is home to the god of evolution, who personally engineers each animal (and tweaks it as it goes along), and is blissfully unaware of things like sexual reproduction.
83** ''Literature/CarpeJugulum'' [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructs]] this trope vis a vis ThePhoenix, arguing that one of anything, even if it can renew itself, won't last forever.
84* Adam in ''Literature/TheBible'' qualified, before Eve entered the picture. {{God}} Himself too.
85%%* The Incredibly Deadly Viper in ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents''
86* Tigger from ''Literature/WinnieThePooh''. He gleefully rejoices in it too.
87* The Goo in ''Literature/FlukeOrIKnowWhyTheWingedWhaleSings'' is an enormous, unique, single-celled organism much like that from ''Illuminatus'' above, although it's not a metaphor, it's a great huge organism on the bottom of the sea. [[spoiler: It's also the god that whales pray to which ensures there's always plankton. And it does.]]
88* The main characters in ''Literature/TheLongEarth'' met First Person Singular that was travelling from its homeworld which was a Joker Earth (ItMakesSenseInContext) where life evolved in an utterly different direction, staying at germ size but cooperatively working together to create intelligence. It covered the entire ocean, with land that's lifeless. However, when it stepped side-wise to the next Earth, only a portion of it went, so it's not a perfect example after stepping discovery.
89** In the sequels, this is retconned so there are millions of Earth's which evolved in a similar manner, and many examples of similar organisms wandering around the Long Earth. This is despite First Person Singular having been explicitly stated to be unique, and having been viewed as a major threat to the whole Long Earth by the trolls who have been living in and travelling it for millions of years. It goes from the main threat and climax of the first book to being handwaved as nothing special and then never mentioned again.
90* Sun Wukong himself from ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' is the one and only specimen of Stone Monkey. According to Buddha, there are other three unique monkeys with singular powers; one of them, the Six-Eared Macaque, uses his powers to take Sun Wukong's form and tries to KillAndReplace the real pilgrims.
91* The last ''[[Literature/TheTwilightSaga Twilight]]'' book, ''Literature/BreakingDawn'', has Renesmee - a human/vampire hybrid - as a {{Subverted}} example.
92* When arguing with Geralt about the existence of golden dragons in ''[[Franchise/TheWitcher The Witcher:]] Literature/SwordOfDestiny'', Borch Three Jackdaws suggests their legends could have been based on a one-off mutant. [[spoiler:He later turns out to be one so he could know what he's talking about.]]
93[[/folder]]
94
95[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
96* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
97** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E10TheBattleOfRanskoorAvKolos "The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos"]], the Doctor mentions that there have only ever been two Ux at any one time. Since the Ux are near-immortal {{Reality Warper}}s, that may explain how they reproduce.
98** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E10TheTimelessChildren "The Timeless Children"]] drops the revelation that [[spoiler:the Doctor ''themself'' is technically one of these instead of an ordinary Time Lord, the only known example in this universe or dimension and possibly originating from another one. In fact, the Time Lords' ability to regenerate was taken from the Doctor, who has had countless regenerations prior to the first one the current Thirteenth Doctor is aware of — all the previous ones had been wiped from her memory. (Although they're not the ''only'' person in the universe exactly like them anymore, however: remember [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E6TheDoctorsDaughter Jenny]]?)]]
99* ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}'': Henry and Adam each believed themselves to be the only immortal in the world, until they learned of each other's existence.
100* One episode of ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' had Marshall and Lily discover a small animal living in their apartment that had the characteristics of both a cockroach and a mouse: they dubbed it a cockamouse. No such creature is ever heard of again after they threw it out the apartment window (don't worry; it can fly). The cockamouse turns up in a later episode, in a room in a rundown hotel that Ted stays in for plot-related reasons. He cheerfully reports that it's had babies.
101* In ''Series/TheOriginals'' universe, there is only one tribrid, Hope Mikaelson.
102* ''{{Series/Probe}}'''s "[[Recap/ProbeComputerLogic Computer Logic]]": Steve is a species of spider that exists only because Austin decided to mutate his great-grandmother with gamma rays and released her to the basement to observe the effects.
103* Subverted in ''Series/StargateSG1''. It looks to be a straight example when the Unas is first shown (his name certainly gives the impression). Another doesn't come along until two seasons later, at which point their nature as a species is explained (and Jack {{lampshade|Hanging}}s the confusing name.
104* A number of entities and creatures in the various ''Franchise/StarTrek'' series.
105** In ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries The Original Series]]'':
106*** The Guardian of Forever from "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E28TheCityOnTheEdgeOfForever The City on the Edge of Forever]]". While the ruins around it seem to imply that it was artificially created, it claims to have always been. (Or at least to be older than Earth's sun.)[[note]]At least [[Literature/TheQContinuum one EU trilogy]] claims that it was built by the Q way back when they were still mortal beings.[[/note]]
107*** Redjak from "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E14WolfInTheFold Wolf in the Fold]]", an entity who feeds on fear and death, and claims to be as old as time.
108** In ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation]]'':
109*** The "Crystalline Entity" from "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E12Datalore Datalore]]" and "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E4SiliconAvatar Silicon Avatar]]" is a space-faring creature that consumes organic matter from entire planets. No other examples of its species are seen (until the MMORPG came out, at least).
110*** Ronin from "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS7E13SubRosa Sub Rosa]]" is a ghost-like lifeform apparently from Earth that bonds symbiotically with a human female, giving her pleasure in exchange for some kind of sustenance.
111** In ''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager Voyager]]'':
112*** The Nebula Creature from "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS1E5TheCloud The Cloud]]", a massive organism that the ''Voyager'' crew mistake for a nebula.
113*** The Telepathic Pitcher Plant from "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS5E14Bliss Bliss]]", a giant space monster that mind-controls the crews of passing starships to fly into its mouth so that it can eat the ship whole.
114*** Bevvox from "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS5E19ThinkTank Think Tank]]", a huge organism which previously wandered the stars by itself for thousands of years. Unlike some of the others listed here, instead of bragging about how ancient it is, it's apparently sensitive about its age.
115[[/folder]]
116
117[[folder:Mythology]]
118* Myth/ClassicalMythology:
119** Many of Echidna's monstrous children such as Cerberus and the Hydra are these.
120** Similarly, there was originally only one {{Pegasus}}, born from the blood of Medusa.
121** The Minotaur. Most versions have a bull's head, with horns, hooves instead of feet, hands as hard as horns with a bull's strength in striking, and a taste for raw flesh. It was uncontrollable and had to be imprisoned in Crete's Labyrinth -which makes the pictures of him with the ring in his nose rather odd.[[labelnote:*]]The ring is in the sensitive part of the nose and is used, with a rod and hook, for keeping the bull under control.[[/labelnote]]
122** The Chimera, a three-headed female monster that was part goat, part snake, part lion, with a head for each and breathes fire. It terrorized Lycia as some sort of ancient {{Kaiju}} until it was slain by Bellerophon.
123* ThePhoenix -- the western one -- was the only member of its species. "As singular as the phoenix" was a common comparison.
124* Most of Loki's offspring in Myth/NorseMythology including the giant wolf Fenrir, the giant Snake Jörmungandr and the half-humand half-corpse Hell.
125[[/folder]]
126
127[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
128* In early editions of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', any creature with a Frequency of "Unique" was this trope, as there was only one of them. Many of them aren't actually species unto themselves, such as deities or DemonLordsAndArchDevils, but some were, such as the tarrasque.
129** The fluff indicated this for the Tarrasque in later editions, as well, with the crossover-relevant proviso that unique means ''per world'', not for the entire multiverse (''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}'' had an apparent exception to that as well -- a world crawling with Tarrasque-like beasts... that are docile lithovores. It is theorized to be the Tarrasque homeworld, and the native state of the being when not exposed to other atmospheres).
130** For a given definition of ''species'', Andres Duvall from ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' might qualify, being a ''Bard'' lich. His existence is entirely by accident, having tried to use a potent spell book as shield against a Lightning Bolt spell. Not only is he unique in having become a lich without actually dying (he's still undead, he just never went through the process of normal death), but also in being a Bard, since only classes with much stronger magic than that can become liches via conventional methods.
131[[/folder]]
132
133[[folder:Toys]]
134* ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}'', taking place in an artificial world, has quite a few of these, though only a few, like Artakha, Karzahni, and Tren Krom, are confirmed as only having one member. Can also apply to mutants like Voporak of which only one was made, but using species that have many members. A non-sentient example is the [[MixAndMatchCritters Rahi Nui]].
135[[/folder]]
136
137[[folder:Video Games]]
138* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'': every single one of the [[EldritchAbomination Great Ones]] apart from Amygdala (there are several Lesser Amygdala lurking in Yharnam). While they'll all referred to under that term, "Great One" is just a general descriptor rather than a species, and it's explicitly noted that each Great One is unique and unlike the others (their forms vary from a large brain with arms to a formless energy being to a three way cross between a spider, human and an octopus). What appear to be MiniMook spawn of some of them (like Rom's spiders or the mermaid-like creatures surrounding Kos) are actually [[WasOnceAMan corrupted humans]], not their offspring. This is actually a major plot point: the Great Ones all desire children, but have no common mates to reproduce with. This leads them [[InterspeciesAdoption to]] [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence some]] [[FaceFullOfAlienWingWong pretty]] [[HalfHumanHybrid extreme]] [[WasOnceAMan measures]].
139* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' has a number of "legendary" and "mythical" Pokémon with only a single obtainable example per game, though not all of them are indicated to be truly unique individuals: There is explicit confirmation of multiple examples of the original legendary birds running around, for example. However, they are usually defined as genderless (or at least the player can't tell) and will not breed in captivity. It should be noted that recent games (starting with ''Omega Ruby'' and ''Alpha Sapphire'', but hinted at in earlier games) have started implying that each individual playthrough is considered an AlternateUniverse in canon -- there may be only one Mewtwo in ''your'' universe, but there's nothing stopping you from trading for a second one from the next universe over.
140** A number of Pokémon [[OlympusMons are on the level of demigods]] and almost certain to be one-of-a-kind.
141*** [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza]] are personifications of the continents, the ocean and the sky. The games strongly imply there is only one of each and that they're all mostly dormant.
142*** [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Palkia, Dialga and Giratina]] are in turn representations of space, time and apparently antimatter. Their creator Arceus plays with the trope: In ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'' it indicates that if it finds a trainer worthy enough, it will grant them a fragment of itself to travel with. Thus, in theory, two trainers could both have Arceus with them, but it would really be the same individual. It can also create more of the first trio, but such an action certainly wouldn't be done casually given that it apparently has to remake creation to do so.
143*** Regigigas is credited with singlehandedly dragging the continents around before going to sleep. It apparently created multiple versions of the Regi set of legendaries, which can sometimes be found dormant in ancient temples.
144*** [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Xerneas, Yveltal]], [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Alola's "Tapu" guardian deities]] (Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Fini), [[VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon Necrozma]], and [[VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet Paldea's "Treasures of Ruin"]] (Ting-Lu, Chien-Pao, Wo-Chien, and Chi-Yu). [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Zygarde]] might also count [[TheWormThatWalks depending on how you define "single specimen"]].
145** Other Pokemon have unique origins, such as being human creations or the result of a singular event.
146*** An unnamed dragon [[LiteralSplitPersonality split itself]] into [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem]]. While not godly itself, Pecharunt also mutated three other Pokémon into [[VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti]].
147*** You've also got one-off results of human experimentation: [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Mewtwo]], [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Genesect]], and [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Magearna]]. Mewtwo is a clone of a powerful ancient Pokemon mostly (but incorrectly) believed to be extinct while Genesect is a result of a great deal of genetic experimentation.
148* ''VideoGame/Pikmin2001'': The Puffstool and Smoky Progg are fought only once and do not appear in the sequel games. The Progg, however, is claimed to be a mutant baby Mamuta by the end credits.
149* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'': Forgotten Beasts are forgotten remnants from when the gods created a given world. Each one is unique as a result of being procedurally generated, and can vary in terms of limb count, tails, flight, dangerous excretions, and sometimes being made of inorganic things like glass or mist. This gets weird when there is no feasible way for them to survive until they reach you. Creatures made of Mist, Fire, Water, and Dirt [[GoodBadBugs are universally killed in one or two hits because the materials they are made of tend to fall apart when attacked; your dwarves tending to punch heads, this causes heads to break apart, killing the creature.]]
150* ''Franchise/MassEffect'': The Thorian is the only specimen of its species shown or mentioned. The fact that there should logically be other thorians is never brought up even once.
151* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': It's implied that Tails is the only multiple-tailed fox on the planet.
152* In ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'', two unique Zerg entities appear during the ''Heart of the Swarm'' campaign. Izsha probably doesn't count so much, given she [[WasOnceAMan was mutated from a Terran woman]], but Abathur is a totally unique abomination created by the Overmind itself to serve as the chief geneticist for the Swarm; Abathur even notes during the campaign that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for his geno-structure to be recreated and for more like him to be made.
153* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' features numerous [[PublicDomainCharacter gods and demons]] as its {{Mons}}, and while lesser demons like the [[HotAsHell Lilim]] or [[OurCryptidsAreMoreMysterious Mothmen]] can exist in quantity, the likes of [[OlympusMons Zeus and Loki]] necessarily fall under this trope. Several games enforce it in gameplay, most notably the ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' subseries where various demons are marked as "Unique" so the player can only have one of them in their party at a time.
154* Torkscrew in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam''. This boss... is never really explained species wise, and the game itself actually has characters who wonder what the hell it is and whether things like that live in the desert now. Additionally, you could also say this applies to the Zeekeeper, although that's probably due to him being a deity.
155* Played many ways in different ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' games. Some bosses, such as the Sheegoth and the Metroids, are mature metamorphoses of a mook species, others like the Ing gain unique forms by consuming technology, some creatures like Thardus are not even classifiable as biological organisms. Then there's Ridley who, despite [[spoiler: being revealed to have a metamorphic growth cycle]] in ''Other M'', has only one known body at a time.
156* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' has Nah, the [[HalfHumanHybrid half-human]], half-[[OurDragonsAreDifferent Manakete]] daughter of Nowi, who, according to the Manakete princess Tiki in their [[RelationshipValues support conversations]], is the first and (presumably) only non-full-blooded Manakete in the history of Ylisse (and possibly Archanea, as Awakening is a loose sequel of the game). However, this gets averted if the player marries Nowi or Tiki herself.
157** [[BigBad Grima]] itself is eventually revealed to be a species of its own as well. As the creation of an ancient MadScientist that merges human and divine dragon blood with unknown dark magic, Grima is a unique being in the setting. Despite this, it does share a relation with the descendants of its creator who donated his blood to form it, which allows them to use its power to a degree.
158* In ''VisualNovel/MarcoAndTheGalaxyDragon'', Arco—the titular Galaxy Dragon—is the only one of her kind in the entire Milky Way galaxy.
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160
161[[folder:Webcomics]]
162* ''Webcomic/Aurora2019'': Kendal is a unique being who is neither a human nor a god, originating as the empty body of a god given life.
163* ''Webcomic/DarwinCarmichaelIsGoingToHell'': The Hodag says there's only one of his kind. Apparently you can get some crazy scholarships if that's the case.
164* ''Webcomic/FifteenMinds'': The dino from ''Blue Moon Blossom'' is a sauropod, and the only one of their kind depicted in the comic. In fact, they're also the only non-avian dinosaur in the entire story, adding to their vaguely 'other' feel.
165* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': The Writer's Block is a block with cat ears, paws, and tail with its name on the side and only one has ever been seen in the comic.
166* Jones from ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' would be this if she considered herself to be a species - immortal and unchanging, she thinks of herself more as ''scenery''.
167* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': While some of the monsters on Jake's island show up in numbers, others appear to have just a single specimen running around.
168* ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'': Molly qualified until Dean Martin cloned her to make Golly.
169* ''Webcomic/ZebraGirl'': Sandra is the only representative of her race. [[spoiler:At least, until Gregory shows up.]] Hell's inhabitants call her a Nefastis.
170[[/folder]]
171
172[[folder:Web Original]]
173* ''WebOriginal/MysteryFleshPitNationalPark'': The titular Mystery Flesh Pit is not only the only known member of the species ''Immanis colosseus'', it is also the only known occupant of its own ''phylum'' - Immanemqa. Emphasis on ''known''. The existence of other flesh pits has been noted to be impossible to rule out, and they're unlikely ever to be found given how deep underground they live. And something that looks a lot like the ''fossil'' of another flesh pit or similar organism was photographed by a NASA probe to ''Venus'', which just raises more questions...
174[[/folder]]
175
176[[folder:Western Animation]]
177* Any Kaiju in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''.
178* Most imaginary friends in ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends''.
179* Each of the 627 [[Characters/LiloAndStitchExperiments genetic experiments]] in the ''Franchise/LiloAndStitch'' franchise (primarily ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'' and ''Anime/{{Stitch}}'') and Leroy from ''WesternAnimation/LeroyAndStitch'' [[spoiler:though subverted with Leroy if you count the many clones of him made later in the movie.]]
180* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'': Sugilite, guardian of Petropia, is the only one of his kind, until a sample of his DNA was placed into the Omnitrix, creating Ben's Chromastone form.
181* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' Yivo is the only member of shkler species.
182* In ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies'', Gonzo is often classified as a "weirdo" because no one, including himself, knows what he is.
183* The Hydra and the Sea Serpent in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. The Hydra lives in a swamp inhabited by tiny frogs within walking distance of Ponyville and is more than eager to chase Twilight Sparkle and her friends, yet never seems to stroll over to munch on the happy little ponies. The Sea Serpent is much more friendly, can talk, and is very ''very'' CampGay, and shouldn't even be able to fit in the tiny river he lives in, let alone find enough food to keep himself going.
184* In Franchise/DisneyFairies' ''Tinker Bell and the Legend of the [=NeverBeast=]'' ‘Gruff’ the Titluar Neverbeast is a magical Creature which is one of a kind, he awakens every one thousand years to build four rock towers in order to stop [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt a great storm from destroying pixie hollow]]
185* ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'': While more of Sylvia's species is seen (and she's well established to be a Zbornak) and Commander Peepers is obviously a Watchdog, Lord Hater and just as interestingly Wander himself are as best we know it the only ones of their kinds.
186* In the third season of ''WesternAnimation/JurassicWorldCampCretaceous'' [[spoiler: the campers learn that Dr. Henry Wu, prior to creating the Indominus Rex, made the ''Scorpius Rex'' (aka E750) a far more deadly and unstable hybrid. However despite Wu only creating one this would get averted when they campers discovered that the Scorpius was able to asexually reproduce...]]
187[[/folder]]
188
189[[folder:Real Life]]
190* Tales of the [[StockNessMonster Loch Ness Monster]]. Unless it actually is a type of plesiosaur, if it exists. That would make it a LastOfHisKind scenario.
191* Scientists uncover these all the time. [[FridgeHorror Frighteningly]], it's often unknown if they are the [[LastOfHisKind last of a species]] wiped out by human activity or the tip of an iceberg that is never uncovered because a second specimen is never identified. A rule of thumb regarding species is that species with a high population are rare, and species with a low population are common.
192** The most extreme example is a bird known by [[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106749870&t=1603740758281 a single wing]]. It has never been seen since, and it is possible it was a mutation, not a different species.
193* Some long-extinct species are known from only one fossil (hence a single specimen), which can make it difficult to know which features were common to the whole species and which were specific to the organism; for example, the specimen may have had a genetic disorder, or may be younger (and hence smaller) than average. Also, even after other fossils are uncovered, the original discovery [[AKindOfOne may be so iconic]] that it is forever tied to the species, especially if the original has a name: far more people know about "Lucy" than about ''Australopithecus afarensis''.
194* Several animal hybrids exist that have had only one known representative, such as Motty the half-African/half-Asian elephant calf (deceased) born at Chester Zoo. Most such hybrids arise in captivity, as species that interbreed in the wild tend to do so more frequently than this trope demands.
195** There is one particular reason for this that extends to most of the more exotic hybrids; as animals from one side of the world will never breed even with compatible ones from the other in the wild, such breedings in captivity are often one of a kind because of species viability. As desirable as the traits of a particularly rare crossbreed might be, you would need a huge stock of both species to keep them around, as crossbreeds are usually unviable, or for one genetic reason or another incapable of producing children. Thus, any time one shows up is likely to be the first and last time.
196* The Hong Kong orchid tree is a unique hybrid that has only been found in the wild once in 1880. All of those trees today are artificial clones of the original.
197[[/folder]]

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