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1[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/GreenLantern https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gl_1.png]]]]
2[-[[caption-width-right:350: "[[ComicBook/BrightestDay In brightest day]],\
3[[ComicBook/BlackestNight In blackest night]],\
4[[BadassCreed No evil shall escape my sight]].\
5Let those who worship evil's might\
6Beware my power--\
7Green Lantern's light!"]]-]
8
9->''"...'Others'? Wait, you're telling me that there are people out there who have supernatural powers just like me?"\
10"Well... yeah. Are you kiddin me? There's thousands; we're an organization. Did you think you were 'special'?"\
11"...Yes."''
12-->-- Exchange from a ''Series/{{Leverage}} [[RolePlayingGame RPG]]'' [[http://lolli1066.livejournal.com/2382.html session]]
13
14Being TheChosenOne doesn't mean being TheOnlyOne.
15
16A hero may find that hero has stumbled on a powerful artifact, or awaken MagicAndPowers that set said hero apart from everyone else the hero knows know only to find out that this particular hero is not so exceptional. Not only is there another, but a whole [[HeroesUnlimited bunch of them]]. While similar to SendInTheClones, these fellow heroes have been organized and operating long before the hero ever came on the scene. All of them have the [[IdenticallyPoweredTeam same power set]] and usually more experience using them under their belt. Bonus points if it turn out the hero's stylistic, "unique" costume that might've come with the powers turns out to be nothing more than a standard uniform.
17
18In narrative terms, this discovery can go down in various ways:
19* Often [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer the hero's peers are condescending towards the hero]] due to his inexperience and lack of "proper" training, leading to an episode where their [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs base gets attacked by the corporation's arch nemesis]] and our hero has to save all of them. At that, those peers slowly realize that [[InstantExpert this rookie will become the greatest of them all]].
20* The newbie hero will enter some sort of training period and then have to pass a test in order to become a full-fledged member of the society, probably one that involves DieOrFly, a staged TrainingAccident or a test that goes bad [[ThisIsNotADrill for real]]...
21* The hero will be underwhelmed when the hero’s peers prove to be [[NoHeroToHisValet less than morally upright]]; either taking advantage of their powers for personal gain, being {{smug super}}s or LawfulStupid. In these cases, they'll have to make an effort to give their group a ConspiracyRedemption "light".
22* The world is thrown into peril by a powerful force that can only be stopped by the combined abilities of each and every last member, main character of the story included of course. If the characters come from diverse backgrounds, the special is invariably used to promote [[ThePowerOfFriendship teamwork and world unity and good stuff like that.]]
23* The organization is holding an annual tournament/picnic that all members are invited to attend, allowing them all to come together, rub shoulders, and enjoy a nice day to themselves. Inevitably, it's disrupted by one of the previous examples about halfway in.
24* In the SuperHeroOrigin story the hero is recruited in haste and [[HowDoIShotWeb he finds himself struggling to control his weapon/powers]], feeling incompetent and having no one to turn to in this strange situation. Finally, he meets a comrade of The Chosen Many who leads him to the headquarters [[YouAreNotAlone where he learns he is not alone, but part of a larger world]] with new friends and mentors ready to help him.
25* TheProtagonist finds an AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome only to find out, he's not the only one to have one.
26* A character may know of this group, but is TheChosenWannabe until this person is proven worthy to truly join.
27
28A lesser-used variant is to for the protagonist to be either partially or fully aware that he's part of some large organization or race right from the get-go, but the story is intentionally written in such a way that the hero or those around him never have to bring this up and the audience is led to believe otherwise for a period of time. When its finally revealed, it's usually treated as YouNeverAsked on the viewers' part.
29
30If a character is in a place where he always knew that getting superpowers was common and expected of everyone, however, then it may be EveryoneIsASuper.
31
32Compare ThereIsAnother, SendInTheClones, LegacyCharacter, LegacyOfTheChosen, HeroesUnlimited, and the fan-made member SailorEarth. Contrast LastOfHisKind. Not to be confused with TheChosenPeople.
33
34[[noreallife]]
35----
36!!Examples:
37
38[[foldercontrol]]
39
40[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
41* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'': [[spoiler:Even though Yorichii Tsugikuni is the only one that could deliver a CurbStompBattle to Muzan Kibutsuji, he ultimately couldn't finish him off and dies of old age while the latter is still alive and scheming. However,]] Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the leader of the Demon Slayers in the Taisho era, has unbelievable faith in the current batch, believing the Hashira he has is the finest that's ever built, Tanjiro Kamado is some sort of TheChosenOne who would provide even more hope to the corps, and Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke surviving and defeating both the Upper Moon 6 demons being an omen that would inch closer towards Muzan's downfall. [[spoiler:And sure enough, the combined efforts of Lady Tamayo injecting him with a rapidly aging drug, followed by Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke, Kanao, Giyu, Mitsuri, Obanai, Gyomei, Sanemi, the more generic Demon Slayers, and even the ''Kakushi'' are the ones who ultimately weaken and stall Muzan respectively just enough for the sun to finish him off]].
42* In more than one ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' film, Doraemon and friends are inevitably the "Chosen Ones" to save whatever world-ending threat they're facing:
43** ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheHauntsOfEvil'' sees the gang travelling to the hidden world of [[SmallSecludedWorld Bauwan]], where they discover they're involved in a prophecy where "Ten Foreigners Will Liberate Bauwan From Destruction", although there's only five of them (Doraemon, Nobita, Shizuka, Gian and Suneo). Turns out there's a ProphecyTwist where [[spoiler:the other five are the gang's selves from ''the future'', [[HelpYourselfInTheFuture having traveled to the past]] in the story's DarkestHour]].
44** In ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasGreatAdventureIntoTheUnderworld'' the gang meets Miyako, the MagicalGirl, who reveals that they're the world's only hopes for defeating Demaon and his Demon army. When Nobita and Doraemon tries protesting, Miyako brings out her clairvoyant CrystalBall to show them the prophecy, where images of Doraemon, Nobita, Shizuka, Gian and Suneo immediately appears on it.
45** The quintet are Chosen Ones again in ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasChronicleOfTheMoonExploration'', as the Saviour of the Espals, owing to a child {{seer|s}} named Arun who can see the future.
46* ''Franchise/SailorMoon''
47** At first, it seems like Sailor Moon is the only magical girl of her kind. It expands to five over the course of the [[Anime/SailorMoon first season]]. Then four others show up over the next two seasons, rounding out the Solar System, fair enough. This brings us to nine, plus our heroine's KidFromTheFuture who will grow up to be her successor, so a reasonable ten. In the fifth series, it's revealed that many heavenly bodies has a Sailor Senshi that it powers, and yes, asteroids ''do'' count. (On top of that, the villains are [[spoiler: evil anti-Sailor Soldiers led by a renegade one, with the monsters of the week taking on parody-Soldier appearances.]]
48** It started that way in the original story, ''Manga/CodenameSailorV'': while in ''Sailor Moon'' you know since the beginning there's Sailor V and thus exists at least another Sailor Senshi. In ''Codename: Sailor V'' Minako at first seemed the only one, and she learned about (some of) the others only in the final chapter.
49* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':
50** Goku learns in the Saiyan Saga that he is one of a few surviving [[HumanAlien Saiyans]] and that there are others like him. Piccolo however, is a closer fit, as his planet is still around there's a lot of Namekians still alive.
51** Among the Saiyans, there was the "legendary Super Saiyan", a Saiyan of incredible power, and a modern interpretation was that the next Super Saiyan would be strong enough to overthrow [[GalacticConqueror Frieza]] and liberate the Saiyan race. [[WarriorPrince Vegeta]] thought he was the Super Saiyan, though it was revealed [[GoldenSuperMode to be a transformation]], first achieved by Goku. [[UniquenessDecay Eventually attainable]] by Vegeta as well as their children. Vegeta himself acknowledges the great myth merely becoming "a child's plaything".
52*** The concept of the "Legendary Super Saiyan" was revisited with the recurring NonSerialMovie villain Broly, who ''did'' fulfill the criteria. Broly appeared to have natural access to a unique Super Saiyan form (other Saiyans had to undergo a degree of emotional trauma to achieve it), and while other Super Saiyans got a huge power up, moderate increase in muscle mass, golden hair and BattleAura, Broly's [[InsistentTerminology Legendary]] Super Saiyan form made him incredibly burly, gave him [[SicklyGreenGlow light green]] hair and aura, and became absurdly powerful, easily the strongest opponent they fought up to that point.
53** Super Saiyan God can be achieved by any Saiyan with a righteous heart, but there needs to be six of them to perform the ritual. Goku absorbs the power of godhood into his being, keeping the power of Super Saiyan God even after the time limit runs out, and would later use and the Super Saiyan in conjunction to achieve Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan (otherwise called Super Saiyan Blue). Vegeta would achieve this on his own by training with [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Whis]].
54* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' expands the Digidestined far beyond the three new guys. Each part of the world has at least one Digidestined team, complete with an Obi-Wan who's identical to our heroes' mysterious sometime-helper Gennai. They eventually come into play by helping out during the World Tour arc and the Finale.
55** ''Anime/DigimonDataSquad'' goes further with its Digisouls. Originally just the few characters who have their partners express their Digisoul, but during the final confrontation every human on Earth expresses a Digisoul to help avert the Digital World's impact.
56* In ''Literature/IsekaiMonsterBreeder'', Goddess Aphrodite is facing the coming of a demon king so powerful, ruthless, and vile, that she needs to summon '''dozens''' of "heroes" from Earth to deal with it, two of them, protagonist Souta and one other, are mentioned by name. The rest work in the background until the final battle.
57* In the ''Literature/{{Konosuba}}'' universe, we learn that the preferred method of dealing with any threat to the human race is to recruit hero from Japan after hero from Japan and throw them at the problem one at a time until it goes away, and the gods didn't care which hero did it so long as it was done. Kazuma is chagrined to learn that he dealt a blow against the forces of Good by taking Aqua as a cheat item because she was skilled at making life as an Isekai hero/heroine sound more fun than reincarnation or going to Heaven. Without her, the supply of heroes dried up.
58* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' has the main character turning into a magical girl. Then her rival, another magical girl turns up, which surprises her. Then the Time-Space Administration Bureau, an entire police force of people using magical powers, arrive. Nanoha eventually pursues a career as a part of their numbers, becoming [[spoiler: a Captain of their Air Force and the head Tactical Instructor.]] Nanoha is actually an UnchosenOne.
59* The first story arc of ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' centers around the rivalry between TheHero Kenshiro, the chosen master of Hokuto Shinken, and the TokenMotivationalNemesis Shin, a master of the rival Nanto Seiken style. After Shin dies, it is revealed that there are actually over 108 schools of Nanto Seiken in existence, with Shin's style being just one of them. And then, later on in the saga, it's revealed that Kenshiro has brothers who also know Hokuto Shinken...
60** However the introduction of Kenshiro's brothers is also a subversion since the rules of Hokuto Shinken state that only one student may inherit the art's secrets and that those not chosen must renounce their pursuit of the art or risk having their fists crushed or memories erased. Still the introduction of other Hokuto styles in later works, like Hokuto Ryuken, Hokumon no Ken and the Hokuto Sankaken branches from ''Manga/FistOfTheBlueSky'' (which the Ryuken style is a part of), are more direct examples of this.
61* ''Manga/YumeiroPatissiere'': Vanilla chooses Ichigo as her partner, then she meets the Sweets Prince's partners, Tennouji's partner Honey, and finally Maron partners with the Heiress. [[spoiler: Then all of them go to Paris and discover that every team member on the Cake Grand Prix has a spirit partner, even Henri-sensei.]]
62* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': It's eventually revealed in conversation that the school Shinji, Asuka, and Rei attends is a front organization for the powers that be, and that ''all of Shinji's classmates'' (if not the entire student body at the school) are potential Children candidates.
63* The Dex Holders of ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'', as every generation adds two to four kids to the roster. As for the team-up aspect, the ''Emerald'' chapter had half of the then-active members, including NaiveNewcomer Emerald, go up against a "powerful force" scenario [[spoiler:in part to free the other half from being TakenForGranite]] ''followed by'' the tournament/picnic. However, there has been little-to-no significant inter-squad action in the subsequent chapters,[[note]]counting the ''Diamond and Pearl'' and ''Platinum'' chapters as separate[[/note]] either among the three then-active teams or with the later groups. Blue did show up in Kalos to support the main characters in the ''XY'' arc, but that's about it.
64* The ''Anime/PrettyCure'' franchise adds a new group of chosen ones per continuity, increasing the cast size of the BatFamilyCrossover every year. It started with two chosen ones (2004) and now there are 64 + three [[EleventhHourRanger Eleventh Hour Rangers]] + one RetiredBadass + two movie characters (2020).
65* At the beginning of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', it seems as if there's only a small number of Puella Magi. As the series goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that there are potentially thousands of magical girls out there[[spoiler:, and [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy there have been for millennia]]]]. Counting spinoff characters [[spoiler: [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie and witches]]]], and the total number of magical girls seen over the various series could go as high as 64. However, it's also somewhat subverted, since there doesn't seem to be any kind of real organization to them and they're not exactly friendly to one another.
66* In a less mystical variant, in the original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' the RX-78-2 Gundam was an extremely powerful, one-off SuperPrototype and more or less the most powerful mobile suit in the entire One Year War. Subsequent spinoffs set during the same time period such as ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamThe08thMSTeam'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0080WarInThePocket'' have introduced about a dozen other RX-78 series Gundams, plus the 20-unit limited production RX-79 Ground Gundam line.
67* ''Anime/MegaManNTWarrior2002'': In "Rockman.exe Stream", Duo marks 13 individuals with the "Crest of Duo", enabling them to see his comet, as well as become one with their Net Navis through Cross Fusion, as a test to see if Earth deserves not to be destroyed by him.
68* ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'':
69** The four Legendary Weapons which protect the world can only be wielded by individuals selected by a summoning ritual. The Heroes are considered saints or even gods, which causes a lot of early problems for all of them to one degree or another.
70*** The current Four Heroes are not the only people to have wielded the Weapons. Naofumi at one point visits the past and works alongside a previous Shield Hero.
71** The Seven Star Heroes wield the seven Vassal Weapons, along with Fitoria who has the Vassal Wagon. Vassal Weapons chose the most compatible wielder from the world rather than via a summoning ritual. While respected, they are not deified like the Four Heroes.
72** The Waves connect the world of Melromarc to another universe where a similar arrangement of four Legendary Weapons and eight Vassal Weapons exists.
73* Deconstructed in ''Manga/SerialKillerReincarnatedInAnotherWorld''. Desperate at the time, The Goddess [[NewLifeInAnotherWorldBonus reincarnated and empowered]] a total of twelve people from Earth in hopes they will be powerful enough to defeat the Demon Lord and save the world she watches and protects her entire existence. Unfortunately for her and the world, it made the reincarnators think that they are gods themselves who deserved to lord over everyone else once the Demon Lord is killed just because they are "special" with their overpowerfully divine cheats and joined forces to achieve that goal. Shirukyi is the thirteenth reincarnation and newest addition tasked with taking down the other twelve, but without the corrupting influence of power this time,in order to fix The Goddess' mistake.
74* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', Eren is the first known case of a human with the ability to transform and harness the powers of a Titan. This makes him pivotal to humanity's survival....but then it slowly becomes clear that Eren is merely one of several such people, the majority of which are antagonistic. Naturally, Eren is typically left trying to figure out how his powers work while his similarly-powered opponents demonstrate exceptional skill and control. [[spoiler:In the past, the Nine Titans were the leaders and protectors of the Eldian people, but in-fighting became an issue over time. This led to the collapse of the kingdom, and seven of the powers being stolen by the Marleyans. Only two remained out of their hands, and are now both possessed by Eren]].
75* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', all users of Conquerors Haki are all King candidates chosen by Heaven with such potential, that their fame has earned themselves both numerous allies and enemies.
76* [[MagicalGirl Heroes]] in ''Anime/YukiYunaIsAHero'' and the rest of the ''Franchise/YuushaDeAru'' franchise are pure girls chosen by the WorldTree to protect the world. However, they're also essentially [[spoiler:{{Human Sacrifice}}s in all-but-name]].
77[[/folder]]
78
79[[folder:Comic Books]]
80* ''ComicBook/NineteenSixtyThree'': The situation with the original Green Lantern is specifically pastiched, where Hypernaut, during a time travel adventure, meets with a [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] counterpart. While the two compare notes, the Golden Age Hypernaut is dumbfounded at the idea that there is an entire cosmic order of others like him.
81* ''ComicBook/AntMan'': Inverted with Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man. He was killed off in ''ComicBook/AvengersDisassembled'', but almost as soon as he was resurrected in ''ComicBook/AvengersTheChildrensCrusade'', Marvel killed off Eric O'Grady, Lang's successor. Now Lang stars in ''ComicBook/{{FF}}'' while Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, operates without a CodeName [[NotWearingTights or costume]].
82* ''ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'': Inverted. Similarly to Batman above, Aquaman's supporting cast were killed off one by one to add drama to the book and boost sales.
83* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Inverted following ''ComicBook/BatmanWarGames''. Batman's TrueCompanions were imploded piece-by-piece, with the exceptions of marketable stalwarts ComicBook/{{Robin|1993}} and ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}. Orpheus dead, Spoiler dead, long-time confidant Leslie Thompkins implicated in killing the latter "to teach Batman a lesson", current ComicBook/{{Batgirl|2000}} Cassandra Cain realizing a FaceHeelTurn, former Batgirl ComicBook/{{Oracle}} bombed out of her headquarters and sent away from Gotham City along with her ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey team, Onyx inexplicably vanished from the books, Commissioner Gordon (who'd already retired by then) moving out of Gotham, the rest of the GCPD pretty much turning against him... Some of these got [[AuthorsSavingThrow undone]]: Steph [[BackFromTheDead wasn't really dead]], and became the new ComicBook/{{Batgirl|2009}}, Cass turned out to be under mind-control and joined Batman Incorporated as Black Bat, Jim Gordon moved back and was reinstated as commissioner, the GCPD resumed relations with Batman, and Babs returned to the Bat-fold as Batman Inc's computer specialist.
84* ''ComicBook/BlueBeetle'': Another DC example are the Blue Beetles; besides the ones on Earth there are plenty of other Blue Beetles in the galaxy belonging to different alien species. The catch is they are agents of the Reach, who use the Beetles to infiltrate world to gather information on them, and conquer them when they are ready.
85** Inverted in the ''ComicBook/New52'', as Jaime Reyes is now the first Blue Beetle. He isn't the first user of the Scarab, but the previous user was a ''Mayan astronomer'', meaning both Dan Garrett and Ted Kord were not his predecessors. Ted Kord ''is'' still around running Kord Industries, but he didn't do anything for years until ''DC Rebirth'' set him up as Jaime's mentor.
86* ''ComicBook/CaptainBritain'': The Captain Britain Corps is a multiversal organization, where each different Britain in the Marvel multiverse has a Captain Briatain variant to defend the country. Most of them are different versions of Brian Braddock, but this isn't always the case. Since there's one for almost every reality, not every Captain Britain is Caucasian, male, or even good for that matter. There have been at least two Nazis in the role, since they technically represent the ideals of their Britain. Also Captain Granbretan and Captain Angleterre, who come from Britains that had been conquered by Napoleon. More esoteric Captains Britain have included [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour Captain Airstrip-One]], Britanicus Rex, [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire Centurion Britannus]], [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Captain Colonies]], [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Spider-UK]], and at least two Skrulls. Oh, and Captain UsefulNotes/{{Wales}}.
87* ''Franchise/TheDCU'': Inverted with ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' and ''ComicBook/BrightestDay''. In the former, the number of non-legacy characters who died and ''stayed'' dead was exactly one, [[ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} Tempest]], with other casualties including [[ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} Hawkgirl II]], [[ComicBook/HawkAndDove Hawk II]], Damage (one of the numerous inheritors of the original [[ComicBook/TheAtom Atom]]'s mantle), Gehenna Hewett (half of ComicBook/{{Firestorm|DCComics}} II), and Doctor Polaris II, the last of these only receiving an offhand mention and never actually being shown. Seeing a pattern here? ''ComicBook/BrightestDay'' killed off yet another Atom legacy and [[ComicBook/MartianManhunter Miss Martian]] was presumed dead for a couple issues, too. The fans didn't take any of this particularly well, and it added more fuel to the EpilepticTrees that the DC suits want UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} back.
88* ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': Inverted in ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', as Bart Allen absorbed the entire [[MetaOrigin Speed Force]] into himself, and became the only speedster. The ensuing series lasted only 13 issues, and ended in favor of a ''Flash'' series by Mark Waid, the guy who pretty much built the previous "Flash Family", focusing on Wally West and his [[SpinOffspring superpowered kids]].
89* ''ComicBook/GhostRider'': Every nation has its own Spirit of Vengeance. Atleast until they were all killed except for Johnny and Dan, but even then a power such as Zadkiel's can't truly erase a Rider from existence, as was seen in the last issue of ''Heaven's on Fire'' when every Rider in history showed up to take him down.
90** While [[ComicBook/AllNewGhostRider Robbie Reyes]] resembles the classic Spirits (fiery head, fiery vehicle), he has a somewhat different origin and power-set, being bonded to an actual ghost rather than a Spirit of Vengeance.
91* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'': The Green Lantern Corps are made up of members from all over the universe and this trope's original TropeNamer. Being an Earth-based Green Lantern is doubly non-impressive, because there are ''seven'' human [=GLs=] already, though they tend to be [[HumansAreSpecial among the best]] in the Corps. However, this has varied over the years, as the Corps has wavered between a pure police/military outfit and a 3600-member super-hero team where everyone just happens to have the same power. Today, it's somewhere in between: All Green Lanterns have the same power and order is strictly enforced, but individual members can have highly distinctive costumes and styles of using said power. For instance, John Stewart has a fairly standard costume but his ring constructs are highly-detailed pieces of engineering, whereas Guy Gardner has a very unusual costume but just blasts things with his ring, and honorary member Alan Scott's costume is ''bright red and purple'' and his ring constructs appear covered in spectral flames[[note]]in the Golden Age, there was no Corps or Guardians, and Scott actually ''was'' unique; this has since been retconned all over the place, but in most reimaginings of the character he's only distantly connected to the Guardians and the Corps at best, and his ring is powered by a different source[[/note]].
92** Ironically, despite there being thousands and thousands of members, the '''''usual''''' standard-operating-procedure for members of the Corps is [[OneRiotOneRanger to act solo or with one partner]]. Though patrolling the entire universe does tend to spread things a bit thin. (Even downsizing the scale to a galaxy, as is sometimes suggested, would give each GL a little less than a second on average to devote to each star system in his sector in a given year-- assuming zero travel time and that he/she/it doesn't need to sleep, eat, or maintain a secret identity. No wonder they aren't supposed to also routinely help with some ''other'' sector's problems.)
93** Ever since ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' back in the 1980s, it has been DC canon that most of the universe is lifeless, and those star systems that can and do support sapient life tend to be clustered together. The official number of such planets given at that time (in Marv Wolfman's 1986 ''History of the Universe'') is not so large that 7200 Green Lanterns couldn't handle them. Thus far, no one has provided a different number than that given in 1986, nor has the book been removed from official DC canon. Furthermore, it's also held that most sectors have a lot less going on in them than Sector 2814 (Earth's sector), which is considered the "bad neighborhood" of the universe. This is why it was the first sector to be assigned two Green Lanterns before the expansion from 3600 to 7200 members made that a standard arrangement. Not only isn't Green Lantern unique, but the Green Lantern ''Corps'' isn't unique; Sinestro and Star Sapphire have formed parallel Corps (Yellow/Fear and Violet/Love), and there are also the Red, Blue, and Indigo Lanterns for Rage, Hope and Compassion. The exception is the Orange Lantern Corps (of Avarice); it only had one member, ''Larfleeze'', who hogged all the rings for himself. ''Lex Luthor'' became member #2, and as expected they had issues with sharing.[[note]]Technically the Orange Lantern Corps has lots of members...it's just that none of them are alive. Whenever Larfleeze kills someone he steals their soul and turns them into a ring construct. Larfleeze's prolonged contact with the orange light has caused him to become one with it, and he has the power to summon ''thousands'' of Orange Lantern Constructs at a time[[/note]].
94** One of the later human Green Lanterns, 11-year-old Keli Quintela, became one in unusual circumstances -- while most Green Lanterns were usually chosen by Green Lantern Rings seeking new potential recruits, Keli got her hands on a Green Lantern Power Battery and hacked into it, managing to channel its energy through a gauntlet and becoming an unofficial Green Lantern. Due to her becoming part of ComicBook/YoungJustice's adventures while on her way to Metropolis for an internship at the Hall of Justice, the Green Lantern Corps remained completely unaware of the so-called Teen Lantern until John Stewart encountered her by the end of ''ComicBook/YoungJustice2019''. As of ''ComicBook/DCInfiniteFrontier'', Keli's in the process of becoming an official Green Lantern, with ''ComicBook/DCFutureState'' showing a potential future where she is an actual member.
95* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': Inverted in ''ComicBook/Hulk2014'', where an intelligent version of the Hulk known as Doc Green ran around the Marvel Universe, depowering all the other gamma-powered characters regardless of alignment, exposure, or popularity. At the end of the storyline, the only remaining gamma mutates were Hulk himself, ComicBook/SheHulk and the super villain The Leader.
96* ''ComicBook/IronFist'': In ''ComicBook/ImmortalIronFist'', Danny Rand discovers not only is K'un Lun not the only capital city of heaven, but each city has its own Immortal Weapon, its own protector and representative like him. Also, he learned that there were lots of other Iron Fists throughout history, including the terminally awesome Wu Ao-Shi, the Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay. And also when he first met his arch rival, the Steel Serpent, he learned that K'un Lun housed another sacred and ancient power that rivaled the Iron Fist: The Serpent Sting. There are seven main colored Lantern Corps in DC and seven Immortal Weapons, so there's that too.
97* ''ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica'':
98** Inverted with the entire Justice Society in ''ComicBook/LastDaysOfTheJusticeSociety'', to get rid of the extra [[ComicBook/TheFlash Flash]], extra ComicBook/GreenLantern, extra ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}, etc. They were brought back several years later. And then most of them were killed off in ''Zero Hour'' [[CListFodder just to crank up the drama]], leaving Wildcat, Jay Garrick (the original Flash), Ted Knight (the original ComicBook/{{Starman|DCComics}}), and Alan Scott (the original Green Lantern).
99** Inverted in the ''ComicBook/New52''. The Justice Society has suffered a major legacy implosion, with the all of the children and grandchildren wiped from existence and the original JSA members becoming young again. The divide between ''ComicBook/Earth2 and the main DCU also has brought up a kind of OneSteveLimit, in that ComicBook/TheFlash and ComicBook/GreenLantern are the only superheroes with ongoing stories to have versions in both universes[[note]]Earth 2 also had versions of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, but they get killed off in the prologue of the series[[/note]]. Every other superhero is editorially confined to either one continuity or the other. So, for example, ComicBook/TheSpectre, traditionally a JSA character, is now in the main DC universe instead of Earth 2 with the rest of the rebooted Golden Age characters.
100* ''ComicBook/{{Nova}}'': The Nova Corps is basically the Marvel counterpart to the Green Lantern Corps, but with helmets that turn its members into {{flying brick}}s instead of imagination-based power rings.
101* ''ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures'': The Guardians of the Galaxy in the third series.
102* ''ComicBook/{{Robin}}'': The third Robin, Tim Drake, was forced out of the role by Damian Wayne, who became the fifth. Tim subsequently became ComicBook/RedRobin, then for a brief period Drake (after the animal) before -- in yet another inversion of the trope -- becoming Robin again after Damian quit.
103* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
104** [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Spider-Man]] started out as a guy who got powers from a radioactive spider... until it was revealed he was connected to a supernatural force called the Web of Life, which also empowers every other arachnid-themed hero and villain.
105** [[Characters/MarvelComicsVenom Venom]] was originally a super suit that Spidey himself wore to augment his powers. However, it was later revealed to be a sentient alien symbiote... and even later revealed to be just one member of an entire race. It was also capable of self-replicating, and so far several symbiotes have appeared in the comics canon.
106* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
107** In ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'', Superman is seen teaming up with Supermen and ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}s from other times (essentially, his descendants) to fight threats against time. [[spoiler: The organization is led by Superman himself from a little over a million years in the future.]]
108** During ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', Superman teamed up with Supermen from [[TheMultiverse alternate Earths]], including his [[EvilTwin evil opposite]] Ultraman and a [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Dr. Manhattan]] {{Expy}}, in ''Superman Beyond.''
109** Inverted with ''ComicBook/PostCrisis''. The biggest change to Superman was the decision that "last son of Krypton" meant ''last'', as in no other Kryptonians ever, period. General Zod becomes a Russian, Kandor becomes an alien ghetto and thus devoid of actual Kryptonians, ComicBook/PowerGirl becomes an Atlantean, and ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} dies and becomes replaced by non-Kryptonian Supergirls.
110* ''ComicBook/SwampThing'': During Alan Moore's tenure as writer, Swampy met the Parliament of Trees, and discovered that not only had plant elementals like him existed through history, but that they had ''all'' been created when a man with a name like "Alec Holland" had burned to death in a swamp.
111* ''ComicBook/TheVision'':
112** Inverted. The main Vision died during ''ComicBook/AvengersDisassembled'', and was "replaced" by a new model in ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers''. As soon as Creator/BrianMichaelBendis brought the original Vision back and had him rejoin ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'', the teen Vision [[DroppedABridgeOnHim had a bridge dropped on him]] in the finale of ''ComicBook/AvengersTheChildrensCrusade''.
113** Inverted. ''ComicBook/TheVision2015'' killed off Victor Mancha, Vision's half-brother, so that Vision himself would be the sole "son" of ComicBook/{{Ultron}}. ''ComicBook/RunawaysRainbowRowell'' promptly brought Victor back, although [[UnwantedRevival he has mixed feelings about this]] in-story.
114* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 Vol. 2]]: Inverted. Themyscira was destroyed, leaving Diana as the last Amazon and stranded in the wider world. The next writer brought Themyscira and the Amazons back by revealing they had been shunted into another dimension by Circe where they had to fight for survival and many died before they made their way back.
115* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Inverted, as after ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'', millions of mutants all over the world were depowered, except for 198, supposedly chosen at random. Very few characters anyone cared about at all lost their powers, and those who did gained them back pretty quickly. The eventual birth of Hope Summers signaled the return of mutants to the wider Franchise/MarvelUniverse.
116[[/folder]]
117
118[[folder:Fan Works]]
119* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11481821/ Another Way]]'': The PRT is somewhat alarmed by the number of low-level Brute/Mover capes working for Marquis, able to make short work of the mooks from other gangs and get people to sign up in droves for his protection plans. In fact, they're not capes at all, they're just enhanced by Marchioness to be stronger, faster, and tougher, often with subdermal armour and reinforced organs. Her personal bodyguard is her guinea pig, and can bench press half a ton due to the changes she's made, but even the rank and file can easily take down two or three times their number of Empire or ABB hoodlums.
120* ''Fanfic/TakamachiNanohaOf2814'': All the many magical girls of the verse thought they were the only magical girls around until Green Lantern-Chan (i.e. Nanoha) arrived on their doorstep and [[MyCard exchanged cell phone numbers]].
121* The MegaCrossover ''Fanfic/BattleFantasiaProject'' begins with a MagicalGirl OriginalCharacter [[DrivenToSuicide attempting suicide on television]] in order to see if this trope exists -- and if it doesn't, to at least escape her suffering. She's rescued by [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha Nanoha and Fate]], and magical girls throughout the world realize they aren't alone...
122* ''Fanfic/TheInfiniteLoops'' has the Anchors, selected individuals from each loop that remain aware every time their world [[GroundhogDayLoop resets.]] Unlike most examples of this trope, Anchors don't have any additional special abilities... aside from being much more experienced then other loopers.
123* ''Fanfic/{{Drakonophobia}}'' has two variants, the first variant is a combination of heroes old and new, including [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Dragonborn]], the Mane of the Khajiit, a descendant of Talos and [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind the Nerevarine]], as well as [[spoiler: the [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion former Champion of Cyrodiil come Daedric Prince Sheogorath.]]]] The second variant is [[spoiler: when Sotrahkun summons Dragonborn from [[AlternateTimeline alternate timelines]] to fight each alternate Alduin during the great battle in Whiterun Hold.]]
124* Until their disappearance, the WesternAnimation/{{Daria}} Expanded Universe had the ''Corps of Ringbearers'', each of whom had a [[SwissArmyWeapon Defender Ring]], a couple of PsychicPowers and ElementalPowers (for the times when or if the [[CrazyPrepared ring might somehow get taken away or shut down]].
125* In ''Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic'', Lightning and Celesto are the only two alicorns that can use the Uniforce... besides Cerise, a one-shot character from ''My Brave Pony: Starfleet Magic II''. Oh, [[spoiler:and Raven can do it too]].
126* In ''Fanfic/ToTheStars'', (a ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' fic set in the future) one of the most significant changes is that magical girls are now a united force, and often work in concert. The collective's power extends into various martial, religious, and cultural institutions.
127* In ''Fanfic/TheBridge'', a version of Franchise/SailorMoon exists in Neighpon, across the ocean from Equestria. The difference is the Senshi Guardians are a generational team of heroes because their aging isn't frozen, and the conflict with Queen Beryl has been ongoing for a thousand years. As the current team ages, the Silver Crystal gradually redirects their power to a worthy successor over some years before they themselves age and retire. This helps the current guardian find their successor and train them. Over 50 generations have passed.
128* {{Deconstructed}} in ''Fanfic/HarryAndTheShipgirls'': The Morrigan has a group around the world known as the Select, non-magical bloodlines that she assigns the task of fighting against the darkness...by finding a heroic member of that bloodline who she feels is heroic and making them a WeirdnessMagnet, forcing them to either fight against the supernatural threats that come after them or die. None of them are even remotely sane as a result of this.
129* ''Fanfic/ThereWasOnceAnAvengerFromKrypton'': As revealed in Chapter 34 of ''The Girl Who Could Knock Out the Hulk'', [[spoiler:Doctor Doom and the [[AlternateSelf original]] Reed Richards are explicitly trying to create and subtly "guide" as many heroes as possible in order to minimize the damage Thanos can do to Earth.]]
130[[/folder]]
131
132[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
133* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', every female descendant of Sun Yee can turn into a giant red panda once they come of age and since she lived during the UsefulNotes/MingDynasty there are potentially thousands of them.
134[[/folder]]
135
136[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
137* In ''Film/{{Jumper}}'', David Rice believes he is the only person in the world capable of teleportation, until he meets Griffin, who signifies this trope with the line "What, did you think you were the only one?"
138* The Jedi Knights in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequels. (Although with Luke and Anakin, both were well aware that the order existed before either started their training, and with Luke he ''was'' the only active Jedi at the time, considering Yoda and Obi-Wan had effectively retired while the rest of the Order had been murdered by TheEmpire. ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' revealed that various other Jedi survived the purge, but they went into hiding like Yoda and Obi-Wan.
139** FlipFlopOfGod has come into play regarding the 'Chosen One' prophecy of the prequels. Creator/GeorgeLucas said it was Anakin. Creator/DaveFiloni who runs the shows said it was Luke. The general consensus now is that the Skywalkers in general are a [[LegacyOfTheChosen chosen bloodline]] (outside of the Creator/{{Disney}} ContinuityReboot).
140* Played with in ''Film/{{Seventh Son|2015}}''. There USED to be a whole order of "spooks," knights who battle the forces of darkness - but all but one of them are dead or have done a FaceHeelTurn before the movie begins.
141* Neo in ''Film/TheMatrix'' film series. Mentioned by Morpheus in the first film and by the Architect in ''Reloaded'' , Neo [[spoiler:is an "anomaly", the sixth "One" of his kind that]] appears when the Matrix code must reboot.
142* In ''Film/BulletproofMonk'', Kar is informed of three prophesies that must be fulfilled in order to become the next Bulletproof Monk. After he completes the third prophesy, he discovers that his girlfriend Jade has also completed the three prophesies in a different manner. Kar and Jade end up sharing the power and title of Bulletproof Monk.
143[[/folder]]
144
145[[folder:Gamebooks]]
146* The Kai Lords of ''Literature/LoneWolf''.
147[[/folder]]
148
149[[folder:Literature]]
150* In the climax of ''Literature/ConstanceVerityDestroysTheUniverse'', one of the ways Connie manages to prevent PhlebotinumOverload is by evenly distributing the excess entropy across the multiverse, essentially creating countless new Caretaker Destinies in the process. It's implied that Risky, the girl Connie and Byron consider adopting at the end of the book, is one of them.
151* In ''Literature/DanceoftheButterfly'', the [[spoiler:demon hunters]] are very rare in comparison to the overall human population on earth, but there are still many of them. They use their special abilities to fight for humanity.
152* ''Literature/ADirtyJob'' by Creator/ChristopherMoore features the protagonist as the newest GrimReaper, one among many.
153* In ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'', after Tris finds out [[spoiler: she is Divergent, she learns that many others, including her own mother, are as well. Unfortunately, identified Divergents are persecuted by the [[{{Dystopia}} dystopian]] government in charge]].
154* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/DreamingIsAPrivateThing": [[{{Creators}} Dreamers]] are rare people with the ability to create stories. They're scouted very young, with an eye to children whose imagination is vivid and detailed.
155* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''
156** There are the Knights of the Cross, the Chosen Three. Three men or women take up one of three holy swords with a single nail placed into the hilt. (Yes, ''[[Literature/TheBible those nails]]'' that pierced Christ to the Cross.) And with these swords, which represent Faith, Hope, and Love respectively, they fight various supernatural evils in the world. While the most prominent Knight is Catholic, it should be noted that this is not a prerequisite for this position. One Knight was a Japanese Baptist, another is an atheist and [[ArbitrarySkepticism stubbornly agnostic]], and the latest is Jewish, but apparently draws his faith and inspiration from Franchise/StarWars. [[spoiler:Karen Murphy]] would briefly serve as a Knight on and off again (it was once mentioned the median service for Knights was three days before death or giving up the sword), she probably drew her faith from her belief in [[spoiler:Law]].
157** And there are people who are called "starborn." These are mortals who were born under a specific alignment of stars which allows them [[spoiler:to be able to actually harm [[EldritchAbomination Outsiders]], creatures from outside reality. Surprise, Harry's one of them. And [[MagnificentBastard his mother]] probably arranged it herself.]]
158** The Winter and Summer Knights are mortals who, generally speaking, are selected by one of the Fairy Queens of their respective courts. It sounds like something out of a fairy tale, but it's much less so when you know that the fairies, while they look like regular people, [[TheFairFolk are actually inhuman and capricious]]. Possessing [[SuperEmpowering the Knight's Mantle]] means there is only one Knight to each Court. They serve as the personal servants of the Queens with the Winter one usually acting as the hitman of the Winter Queens and the Summer Knight would move to defend whomever Winter wants dead.
159* ''Literature/FateStrangeFake'' has nearly the entirety of Lord El-Melloi II's class. All of them, save for Flat Escardos (who joined as the master of False Berserker) and Yvette Lehrman (who they didn't include because they know she'd betray them), are the collective Master of True Rider. This would be impossible under normal circumstances but Snowfield's war is clearly anything but normal, and Verner Caesarmund used his family magic to split the Command Spell across the students.
160* ''Literature/TheGreatCities'' has city avatars, human beings selected as the ''[[GeniusLoci genii locorum]]'' of their cities. There's several dozen such worldwide.
161* In the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series, youngsters with potential psychic or magic powers ''and'' a dutiful, self-sacrificing temperament are recruited as Heralds by Companions (spirit-beings who know how to look for such things). They usually find their real home and family in the Heraldic Circle, which is useful since too close a tie to home and family can interfere with their duties to the Kingdom as a whole. Although it should be noted that while the work of a Herald may at times be dangerous if they're assigned to the field, most of them don't actually have all that interesting lives or do anything particularly remarkable. How much it's random chance and how much fate if a Herald ends up being interesting or average is unclear. If their Companion is a Grove-Born (magically appeared instead of being born as a result of two Companions having sex), though, you can be sure that the person is destined to be important even among Heralds, at least in-universe.
162* In ''Literature/TheHouseOfNight'', every vampyre is personally chosen by [[GodOfGood Nyx]]- and there are a lot of vampyres. Given how involved Nyx gets into the lives of mortals (and that vampyres are her favourite pawns to work through), the Change is basically a sign that She wants or will want you to do Her bidding.
163* In ''Literature/InFuryBorn'', the Imperial Cadre consists of no more than 40,000 individuals, however this is in comparison to a human population of ''trillions''. Each drop commando is such remarkable individual that the absurdly competent Alicia [=DeVries=], considered a MasterOfAll as a regular marine and topping the scales in intelligence, physical ability, leadership, and other measures, is told that that as a new recruit to the Cadre she's, at best, just above average.
164* ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles'':
165** [[spoiler:Liz and Lucy aren't the only descendants of Guinevere running around, and on the flipside, Gwilanna isn't the only nasty sibyl...]]
166** In ''Fire World'', [[spoiler:the Tapestry of Isenfier features David, Rosa, Penny, Angel, Gadzooks, and Mathew.]]
167* The Lensmen in ''Literature/{{Lensman}}''. The original TropeNamer (Green Lantern Corps) was [[OlderThanTheyThink inspired by Lensman]].
168* ''Literature/TheMessengerSeries'': For centuries, Favour has been choosing Messengers to ride with him and save people from evil and misery. Rose isn't the first, nor is she the last.
169* In Creator/GrahamMasterton's horror series ''Literature/TheNightWarriors'', God has chosen 3 special individuals to be his super-powered champions and their first task is to hunt down the sex demon Asmodeus. One battle goes south and so a fourth Night Warrior is recruited to rescue the team. The next book in the series, a new strike force of Night Warriors is recruited and from then on each novel there's a new team added to the roster. It turns out in the past, there's been 85 Night Warriors active at once, before they got slaughtered by Asmodeus.
170* ''Literature/NowhereStars'': Keepers are children chosen by (allegedly) the goddess Claiasya to become [[MagicalGirl Magical Girls]] (or boys, or occasionally non-binaries) to protect humanity from the [[EldritchAbomination Harbingers]]. Every child on the planet dreams of being chosen to become a Keeper, but very few do; it's also not known exactly ''what'' the criteria for being chosen are, and the Messengers ([[MentorMascot Mentor Mascots]] that speak for Claiasya) don't even seem to understand the question when asked.
171* In ''Oh. My. Gods.'' by Tera Lynn Childs, the main character finds out she is a demigod and finds out that there is a whole school of them in Greece.
172* In ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'', the title character finds out that he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon and soon gets taken to Camp Half blood, a camp where other young offspring of Greek gods reside and train. Percy, at first, believes that he is the only current son of Poseidon, but in the second book, he finds out that he has a half-cyclops brother named Tyson. (Although really, anyone with a passing familiarity with Greek mythology should've seen ''that'' coming...) It's also implied at the end of the first book that Percy may have more half-brothers and sisters out there, but it's never brought up after that.
173* ''Literature/{{Raybearer}}'': To ensure that Raybearers would become humble rulers willing to truly share their power with others, the Storyteller made two of them. One Raybearer represents courage and compassion, the other represents wisdom and charisma. Both have times when they are right and the other is wrong.
174* The protagonist of Creator/PoulAnderson novel ''There Will Be Time'' is a man who discovers, at an early age, that he somehow has the power to travel through time. Initially he uses this ability to have fun and broaden his mind by studying history and never really thinks too hard about whether anyone else out there is doing the same thing, but after he goes forwards far enough to see a BadFuture coming he starts searching for others, by the simple expedient of going back to one historical event that someone would ''have'' to be interested in: The Crucifixion of Jesus. He succeeds, but in doing so discovers that not everyone is using said power in a benign way, setting up the main conflict for the rest of the story.
175* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''
176** The Night's Watch, an army set up to protect Westeros from supernatural threats from the high North, was ''originally'' this. By the events of the books themselves, however, the Watch has effectively become a PenalColony, manned almost exclusively by [[TradingBarsForStripes sentenced criminals]].
177** The late Prince Rhaegar once said to his sister Daenerys in a vision ''"The dragon must have three heads"''. We have seen only Daenerys hatching three dragons and bonding with Drogon, the largest, but she believes she must be meant to find two other riders, possibly from her family. Fandom [[EpilepticTrees has many]] who might be [[WildMassGuessing candidates]].
178** So far all of the obvious signs of who could be Azhor Ahai aka the Prince Who Was Promised have pointed at either Daenerys Targaryen or Jon Snow. With it being such an obscure and ancient prophecy, it could well be both of them.
179* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': Surgebinders are all individually chosen by their [[ElementalEmbodiment spren]] for unknowingly fulfilling certain moral codes; Windrunners, for example, focus on protecting people above all else. In ages past, the Surgebinders banded together into ten Orders, called the Knights Radiant. But after the fall of the Knights thousands of years ago, the spren stopped bonding with humans, and the powers were lost. Now, as the story begins, the powers are returning, but the new Surgebinders have no idea what is happening. Several of the burgeoning Knights accidentally kill their spren due to not understanding how the bond fluctuates with their morality.
180* In ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'', Mara Jade had been the Emperor's Hand, a personal enforcer to the now-deceased Emperor Palpatine, and believed that she was the sole Emperor's Hand. At one point, [[MagnificentBastard Admiral Thrawn]] informed her that Palpatine had granted the title of "Emperor's Hand" to many people, who each believed they were the only one. This revelation that the Emperor lied to her and regarded her as a tool and not a person was a major step in her slow but sure HeelFaceTurn.
181* In ''Literature/WearingTheCape'', Hope Corrigan gains [[FlyingBrick Atlas-type powers]], making her one of dozens (although she ''is'' A-class--in the top 10% and therefor a hot commodity). After trying to dissuade her from taking up a superhero career, Atlas offers to train her and she joins the Sentinels as a probationary member while working on her certification.
182* [[spoiler:{{Deconstructed}}]] in ''Literature/WingsOfFire''. The Dragonets of Destiny are prophesied to end the War of [=SandWing=] Succession. However, that prophecy is thrown off right away by the death of the [=SkyWing=], who is replaced by [[TheUnfavorite Glory.]] Morrowseer reveals at the end of book four that [[spoiler:the entire prophecy was made up as part of a huge, elaborate plan to seize more territory for the [=NightWings=].]] This only makes [[BreakTheCutie Sunny]] more determined to stop the war, and she (along with the other [=DoD=]) become TheUnchosenOne.
183* ''Woof!'' is a children's book (and TV series) about a boy who turns into a dog. At the end of the book, he meets several other people who are the same, and they suggest that there are others all over the world.
184* In ''Literature/YoungWizards'', after Nita takes the Oath and gets her power, she gradually learns that there are wizards among every living species on Earth, and every alien race we know of.
185[[/folder]]
186
187[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
188* ''Series/AvataroSentaiDonbrothers'': Parodied and Lampshaded. The reason the Donbrothers have so many "predecessors" (''Almost 5000'' to be precise) is that the Donblasters were [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter horrible judges of character]] that frequently ended up in the hands of sleazeballs that immediately abused their power for personal gain and were promptly fired. #21's citizen of the week is one of these predecessors who [[EvilCannotComprehendGood spends the episode wondering why the current Saru Brother isn't selfishly using his powers]].
189* Gary Hobson of ''Series/EarlyEdition'' believed he was the only "man who gets tomorrow's paper today", till he starts meeting others. One of the first being some guy from New York who is the antithesis of everything humble Hobson is: The guy uses the paper to give him an edge in the stock market, owns a chain of fancy restaurants, and even has a hired team of people who carry out the paper's tasks for him.
190* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', first there was Buffy the Chosen One, the "one girl in all the world who had the strength and skill to fight the vampires..." However, after a temporary clinical death, it turns out that she isn't ''the'' Slayer anymore (first Kendra, then with her death, [[DarkActionGirl Faith]]) and the line no longer goes through her. Then, in the series finale, [[spoiler:Buffy has Willow cast a spell that activates the powers of ''all'' Potential Slayers, making an army of thousands.]]
191* ''Series/{{Angel}}'' introduced the concept of "Champions", each selected by the Powers That Be to do acts of good in our world. The main one was the title character, who got his mission postings in the form of psychic visions from his friend Doyle (then Cordelia starting halfway through Season 1), but it was made clear others existed, including [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer the Slayer]] by definition.
192* ''Series/DoctorWho'' has gone back and forth on this one a couple of times:
193** It was not until "The Time Meddler" that viewers learned that there were others of the Doctor's race with the ability to time travel.
194** The 2005 revival set up the complete destruction of all Gallifreyans ''and'' the Daleks during the TimeSkip (for want of a more applicable trope) between his last appearance on screen and the first episode, leaving the Doctor as the last of the Time Lords... until the Master returned at the end of the third season. Naturally he also had a run-in with the last surviving Dalek early on, which died at the end of the episode. [[JokerImmunity That didn't stick either]], dumping yet more angst on the Doctor because the TakingYouWithMe gambit that had been supposed to rid the galaxy of the Dalek scourge forever at the cost of his entire race[[note]]with the possible exception of Literature/FactionParadox, but their canon status is at best questionable and he wouldn't exactly be overjoyed if they ''had'' survived[[/note]] was AllForNothing.
195** Gallifrey is saved in the post-Series 7 [[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor 50th anniversary special]], absolving the Doctor the guilt of the genocide. He doesn't ''return'' to it until the end of '''Series 9''', and having been betrayed and tortured by the Time Lords and lost his beloved companion Clara to the grave along the way, he tries to save her and becomes a renegade on the run once more. Also, Gallifrey and its people are now deliberately ''hidden'' at the end of time so enemies won't find them, meaning the revival proceeds as usual otherwise. The exception so far is, once again, the Master.
196** Come Series 12, [[spoiler:the Master kills all Gallifreyans on the planet... but some Time Lords had been exiled or were off-world when he did it, so there're still a few knocking around the place, one of whom, Tecteun, shows up in Series 13. However, while confronting the Master in Series 12, the Doctor discovers that [[SexShifter she's]] ''not'' Gallifreyan by birth, she's actually a SingleSpecimenSpecies of unknown origin the Gallifreyans took in, which means her current status quo is that her adopted people have been virtually wiped out, and her people of origin are a mystery.]]
197* ''Franchise/PowerRangers''. At first we are led to believe there's only the Rangers seen on the show. Then it turns out that there's alien Power Ranger teams out there in the galaxy, and various types of SixthRanger. Of course this all becomes a total MindScrew in the episode "Forever Red", which features many past Red Rangers. Given how a new show with a completely new Ranger team is introduced every year, you'd be inclined to believe that within the PR universe, almost any dope with enough resources, spare time and money or ancient wisdom to tap into the Morphing Grid with tech or magic to create morphers, armor, weapons and zords can create his own Power Ranger team. Previously, it seemed that only Zordon had the means of making morphers and creating Rangers. These days, almost anyone from ancient ninja/kung fu masters to modern-day pizza chefs (who are also kung fu masters) can create their own morphers and start up their own Power Ranger team.
198** The comics and ''Series/PowerRangersDinoFury'' elaborated that the Morphing Grid, via the Morphing Masters, reaches out to those that are worthy and need the power to fight evil and enable the connection.
199* ''Series/TheGreatestAmericanHero''. When Ralph and Bill finally meet one of the aliens in the ship, he discovers the secret leaders behind his superpowers with the implication that there are more like him elsewhere in the galaxy. Another episode revealed a previous bearer of the suit. He used it to become rich and it was eventually taken away.
200* Franchise/{{Kamen Rider}}s often cross over with each other, and while they don't all have a unified power source, they do all have similar themes (grasshoppers, riding motorbikes and kicking things until they explode). They all team up quite often in movies, not to mention half the plot of ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'' being LetsYouAndHimFight.
201* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', Sam thinks he is the only one with psychic powers, but soon meets other [[Characters/SupernaturalSpecialChildren Special Children]] and finds out that the Yellow-Eyed Demon has plans for them.
202* The final season of ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' reveals that past [[VictimOfTheWeek POIs]] Joey Durban, Logan Pierce and Harper Rose work as Team Machine's Washington DC branch, and there are probably others like them all over the world.
203* The series ''Series/Warehouse13'' establishes that the titular storage unit is just the latest in a long line of similar warehouses, all built to keep various [[ArtifactOfDoom dangerously empowered objects]] safe from the world at large. Similarly, the Warehouse is staffed by people who each possess a natural special ability, and while the structure only has one Caretaker, it has a special board of directors, known as Regents, who come from all over the world.
204* ''Series/FortyFourHundred'': Isaiah preaches to the 4400 that they were chosen by God, sent through time by him for some unknown divine purpose.
205* ''Franchise/UltraSeries'': Over the course of [[LongRunners nearly 60 years]], dozens of humans have been the host of an Ultra to defend the Earth from kaiju and alien invaders (with some exceptions in which the human identity is actually [[AliensAmongUs the Ultra in human form]]). In entries that use this formula, the chosen one is often hand-picked by the individual Ultra after witnessing them sacrifice their lives to save others, leading to the Ultra [[FirstEpisodeResurrection fusing with the human and kickstarting the show's plot]].
206[[/folder]]
207
208[[folder:Podcasts]]
209* In ''Podcast/PokemonAdventuresInTheMillennium'', someone can become Chosen simply by interacting with a member of the Creation Trio (Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina). In order to halt one of the villain's plots, one person from each member is needed. The end of Act IV reveals that [[spoiler: there are twelve Chosen in the region at the time, four for each member of the trio, with the main characters included (Belle for Giratina, Julian for Palkia, and Gabriel for Dialga).
210* ''Podcast/MissionToZyxx'' has the Zima Knights, whose sacred scrolls designate who is destined to perform certain tasks. These Chosen eventually make their way to planet Zima Prime to fulfill their destinies such as "Keep the Zima Prime spaceport clean" or similar.
211[[/folder]]
212
213[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
214* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'':
215** This is the game's central premise -- your character is empowered by the gods of the setting to become a divinity in their own right. And so are the rest of the seven hundred Celestial Exalted, thousand or so Alchemical Exalted, and roughly twenty thousand and counting Terrestrial Exalted. (And no, Exalted ''do not'' necessarily get along.)
216** Some Exigents (the Exalted of [[OddJobGods the lower-ranking gods]], introduced in 3e) are a downplayed aversion, because they're the only one chosen by their divine patron. They may well meet other Exalted, but there won't be any like them, since a god's nature and personality informs the Exaltation, and two gods of similar domains may end up creating very different Exigents.
217* In ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'', you are one of the Awakened, a human who has trascended the Lie and become a full-fledged RealityWarper. Thing is, you're not the only one to do this and, indeed, apart from the two villain factions (one of which only wants Awakenings "controlled" -- i.e. on their say-so) and paranoid types who believe that more mages equals less magic, pretty much every mage ''wants'' more humans to Awaken.
218* ''TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful'': Each Princess was chosen by the Light to be an avatar of hope and an examplar of human virtues, but they are explicitly intended to work together and support each other. Indeed, Princesses actually have a number of special features that enable them to more effectively support other Princesses.
219** [[DefiedTrope Defiance]] of this trope is called out as the FatalFlaw of the Court of Mirrors. Each Lightbringer is told by her Queen that she is the True Heir, the one destined to drive back the Darkness and restore the Kingdom. However, a key part of Mirrors philosophy is that the True Heir [[TheOnlyOne must stand alone]]. At best she can have others as lieutenants or followers, but she definitely cannot have equals or permit others to take the spotlight.
220* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
221** Psykers are supposedly a one-in-a-million occurrence, and blanks as rare among psykers as they are among humans, yet they appear quite frequently in media. It's less of a problem when you consider that the Imperium still holds onto billions of worlds, many of them hive cities with populations in the trillions ''per hive''.
222** Similarly, the very exacting demands SpaceMarines have of their candidates and their even harsher training (where not all recruits are expected to survive) still allows them to maintain a thousand men across ten companies (not counting the innumerable Mechanicus support staff and Chapter serfs for their vehicles), and those are just the ones who limit themselves to a thousand fighting men because the Codex Astartes says so.
223[[/folder]]
224
225[[folder:Toys]]
226* In ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'', the six Toa were first thought to be a unique group of heroes, until after three years of storyline Vakama spoke the words: "You are not the first Toa." From then on, more and more Toa were featured and there was even mention of a war in which several hundred Toa fought. Subverted somewhat in that Tahu and his team were indeed chosen among the others to save the Matoran Universe by awakening Mata Nui; they were made to be fail-safes to protect Mata Nui should anything happen to him.
227[[/folder]]
228
229[[folder:Video Games]]
230* ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' gradually escalates this trope (with the major twist that there's nothing inherently ''heroic'' about being a Bhaalspawn. In fact, most important ones are evil, though that might be because they are important ''because'' they are the most ruthless, villainous Bhaalspawn around) -- first you find out you're not alone along with finding out what you are, then the ending to ''Baldur's Gate'' reveals to the player the sheer number of Bhaalspawn around, then ''Shadows of Amn'' reveals one of your oldest friends is one too, and then ''Throne of Bhaal'' has a plot revolving around the (many) surviving Bhaalspawn duking it out or trying to survive.
231* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'' takes this trope in a different direction: a small handful of victims of the mind flayers' abductions and subsequent infection are approached by a MysteriousBacker in the Astral Realm that is able to stall the progression of their tadpoles' maturation for the purpose of defeating the Cult of the Absolute. [[spoiler:The "Dark Urge" origin character also revisits the idea from previous games of the protagonist being a Bhaalspawn, albeit an [[AmnesiacHero amnesiac Bhaalspawn]] with no memory of their divine link to the God of Murder.]]
232* ''VideoGame/TheBardsTale'': The protagonist is appointed to ''TheChosenOne'' whose mission is to free the princess. Later he learns about previous Chosen Ones who died trying to accomplish this and even meets some of them, every one thinking he is the One. [[spoiler:Of course, the Chosen Ones are all {{Unwitting Pawn}}s to Caleigh, who is actually a Demon Queen posing as a princess.]]
233* In ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCentralFiction'', those who are not reduced to goo because of what Izanami did were called "The Entitled". Summoned to fight and decide the course of the world due to one strong wish that they had. [[spoiler:The only exception here is, for some reason, Litchi Faye-Ling. The only reason she was still around was because her pet Panda has an essence of Entitled. Also, deconstructed that while all of them were chosen, they also bear selfish desires about how to change the world, making the world unable to change and forces [[TheHero Ragna the Bloodedge]] to face on these Chosen Many as the world's enemy, just so they stop sticking with their selfish desires and move on.]]
234* ''VideoGame/ChicoryAColorfulTale'': [[spoiler:Invoked at the end of the game. After learning to make their own brushes, Pizza and Chicory decide to help other people create their own brushes to keep color around but not perpetuate the cycle that created the corruption.]]
235* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes''
236** Incarnates are individuals touched by the Well of the Furies, obtaining the power of the gods as a result. At first, it looks like there are only two incarnates on Primal Earth: [[TheCape Statesman]] and [[EvilOverlord Lord Recluse]]. The AlternateUniverse version of Statesman not withstanding, those were the only two we knew of. As it turns out, there are ''far'' more Incarnates out there than we realized. [[spoiler:Half of the enemies on Mercy Island, for instance. Oh, and the Hamidon. Yes the giant amoeba. Really.]] Not only that, but anyone (I.E. PlayerCharacters) can potentially attract the Well's attention.
237** Prior to recent updates to the game, the Villain side storyline indicated that all PlayerCharacters were all recruited as part of "Project DESTINY", as "Destined Ones" who are foreseen to help lead Lord Recluse and [[RedShirtArmy Arachnos]] to victory over the heroes. [[spoiler:The [[AvertedTrope aversion]] comes in not because the player pretty clearly knows they aren't the only "Destined One", but that your [[PropheticFallacy predetermined fate is actually irrelevant]], you have to ScrewDestiny in order to make sure Lord Recluse doesn't [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness sacrifice your character]] in service to his plan]].
238 * ''VideoGame/DCUniverseOnline''
239** All player characters, including some non-player characters, are empowered by Exobytes thanks to Future Lex Luthor spreading them across the planet to create a large enough force to combat Braniac. Those characters are then recruited by either the Justice League or the Secret Society of Villains, and while they never achieve the notoriety of any of the named characters, later episodes imply that they manage to build up at least a small reputation for themselves.
240* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'': Your character isn't the first Chosen Undead. Heck, there's every chance there are multiple Chosen Undead running around simultaneously, even before you consider Lordran's [[TimeyWimeyBall very tenuous grasp of linear time]]. The title goes to any old human with a darksign who goes chasing after an ancient rumour, and several bosses turn out to be actively filtering or exploiting this endless source of Humanity. The PlayerCharacter only starts to really stand out once they acquire the Lordvessel.
241* In ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'', soon after Kris and Susie end up in the Dark World, they meet Ralsei, who tells them that they are part of the three legendary heroes, which consist of a Human (Kris), a monster (Susie) and a Prince of the Dark (Ralsei).
242* ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'''s Guardians, i.e. the player base, all started out as corpses. Each one was resurrected by a [[RobotBuddy Ghost]] who detected a spark or potential in their remains, signifying their worthiness to live again as one of the Traveler's chosen Light-bearers. The first of these Risen ended up as brutal Warlords duking it out for personal gain and lording over post-apocalyptic humanity, but later generations got their act together, wiping out those Warlords who refused to become nicer people and taking on the mantle of Guardians proper.
243* In all the ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' games, all of the classes are canonically involved in the quest, regardless of which one the player chooses, though the player never meets the others in a single-player campaign.
244* You are not the only Arisen in ''VideoGame/DragonsDogma'', you are just the latest of many. Through the course of the story, you learn that Duke Edmun and the Dragonforged are both Arisens who were made so by the current dragon, Grigori. Given they're still alive, considering what we see happens to Arisens when the dragon that picked them dies, it's possible that Barroch and Olra are contemporaries of yours as well.
245* ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestIV Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen]]''. Although [[TheHero The Hero / The Heroine]] is the one who can use the Zenithian Equipments, The team are considered chosens as a whole.
246* ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'' has [[TheAllAmericanBoy Ness]], [[GirlNextDoor Paula]], [[ScienceHero Jeff]] and [[WarriorPrince Poo]] as four chosen teenagers destined to save the universe from [[GalacticConqueror Giygas]], who returns to seek revenge after [[spoiler: [[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings his previous encounter with Ninten and friends]].]]
247* This trope applies to ''VideoGame/EldenRing'', in which the player is the latest of many Tarnished to be resurrected by the guidance of grace and commanded to become Elden Lord, repair the shattered Elden Ring, and restore order to the Lands Between. After a certain point, you even gain access to the Roundtable Hold, a gathering place for Tarnished who seek to become Elden Lord. However, when you get there, it turns out most Tarnished don’t really care about any of that, and have actually ''lost'' their chosen status as a result — after ignoring (or actively revolting against) the guidance of grace for long enough, they’ve stopped being able to perceive it and no longer gain its benefits. The only Tarnished who are confirmed to still see Grace are yourself, Sir Gideon Ofnir (who's quite frustrated about his fellows getting distracted from their quest), and Goldmask.
248* ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness: Sanity's Requiem'' invokes this by name, with Ellia being told she is "One of the Chosen Many, Flesh and blood." The main characters live all around the world in different eras trying to fulfill a common goal: Preventing [[OurLichesAreDifferent Pious Augustus]] from summoning his master. [[spoiler: It's all a BatmanGambit by the Great Ancient Mantorok to destroy all of his enemies in one stroke.]]
249* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' has a number of these, usually in the form of four "Warriors of Light'' chosen by the world's {{Power Crystal}}s.
250** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI:'' Four people with different combat specialties find dulled pieces of elemental crystal and set out to restore the bigger versions.
251** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII:'' The crystals are okay, but they pick four local orphans to restore the balance between light and dark. In an earlier era, there were [[DarkIsNotEvil Warriors of Darkness]] to [[LightIsNotGood stop a flood of Light]].
252** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV:'' The crystals are shattering and grant the powers of ancient warriors to four [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits oddballs]] to protect them. They more or less fail utterly, but they [[{{Determinator}} don't let that stop them]].
253** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV:'' Hydaelyn selects and empowers a large number of player characters and even some [=NPCs=], giving them the Power of the Echo, unusually strong aetherial reserves, as well as protecting them from [[BrainwashedAndCrazy primal tempering]]. Unusually, she also continues to help after Choosing, up to and including deflecting a magical nuke. Slightly more morbidly, the dialogue implies that there's not much difference between receiving the Echo and being [[{{Brainwashing}} tempered]] or [[DemonicPossession joining the side of her dark reflection, Zodiark]]. [[spoiler:This last bit is ultimately subverted - while Hydaelyn is indeed a Primal herself, she's also a transformed Ascian whose power predates and dwarfs the corruptive Primals of the present day, so her blessing is just her giving superior power to tempering to those she chooses, this granting them immunity - their wills are still their own.]]
254** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyThe4HeroesOfLight:'' Four kids from Horne are given powers by the Crystal and told to stop the darkness. They immediately get distracted and bumble around the world [[NiceJobBreakingItHero not being helpful]] until halfway through the game.
255** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyDimensions:'' The Crystal of Lux chooses four people to be Warriors of Light and another four to be [[DarkIsNotEvil Warriors of Darkness]].
256** The crossover game ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasyOperaOmnia'' has potentially ''every character in the series'' be a bearer of Light, although it comes with a side of LightIsNotGood.
257* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheeHouses'' has an unusual example of villainous origin: [[spoiler:Those who slither in the dark had abducted several people and experimented on them with implanting crests into the bodies of those already possessing a crest. Almost everyone they experimented on have died: the only known survivors are Edelgard and Lysithea; and while they have been granted immense power from the experiments, it has ravaged their bodies and [[YourDaysAreNumbered vastly diminished their lifespans]].]]
258* ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' Prophecies features this. The White Mantle seeks out the Chosen in Kryta to [[spoiler: Prevent the Flameseeker prophecies from being filled; as this will result in the death of most of the Mursaat, their unseen gods]]. The Chosen is not one, but many, and in fact, it's even revealed that [[spoiler: ''all'' the player characters, Henchmen, Heroes, and all, are in fact, TheChosenMany.]]
259* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
260** In the first game, Sora's Keyblade is presented as the only one in existence, and he's the only chosen master (after a brief tug-of-war with [[RivalTurnedEvil Riku]]). Then, at the very end, King Mickey shows up with another, taken from the Realm of Darkness.
261** The sequels add Roxas and Xion ([[spoiler:both of whom are extensions of Sora]]), Riku (for real this time) and Kairi, while Xigbar claims to have met Keyblade wielders ''before'' Sora.
262** The prequel shows he wasn't kidding: there were 7 or possibly 8 (Terra, Aqua, Ven, Master Xehanort, Master Eraqus, Mickey, [[EnemyWithout Vanitas]] and the retired Yen Sid) before the "new generation". Even this, however, pales next to the army of thousands, possibly ''millions'' (there were enough for five Unions) in the distant past. Problem was, they all got distrustful of the others and went to war with each other, plunging the world into the darkness, and leaving behind an enormous FieldOfBlades, but the hearts of children managed to restore the world but it was splintered to the various different worlds we know of today.
263** Then Played With, as the list of Keyblade wielders grows. As it happens, sometimes previous wielders can specifically bestow Keyblade wielder status on people, but sometimes the hearts of worlds can also do so autonomously. There just turned out to not be any other active ones at the time that Sora got his. By the 'present day' of the series, there are over a dozen.
264* ''VideoGame/TheLastSovereign'': The Chosen are young men blessed with great power by the goddess Ivala and sent off to slay evil. Unfortunately, [[ExtremeOmnisexual raging libidos]] and [[TooDumbToLive lack of self-preservation]] lead to high mortality rates. One of them, who ultimately [[RefusalOfTheCall renounced his status]], rightfully likens selecting a Chosen to giving incredible power to an impudent child who never got told no.
265* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' has recurring characters in the Sages, a group of [[RuleOfSeven seven]] powerful individuals who are part of the endless cycle in the battle over the Triforce. They usually have some special duty depending on whatever form of evil is threatening Hyrule in that era.
266** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' introduced the Seven Sages (originally translated as "Seven Wise Men") as part of the backstory, where they sealed Ganon away in the DarkWorld. Their present-day descendants, the Seven Maidens, are kidnapped by [[BigBad Agahnim]] in order to break the seal, and serve as [[LivingMacguffin living items for Link to rescue]] on his quest.
267** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''
268*** The game greatly expanded the role of the Sages, explaining that the seven of them were the guardians of the Sacred Realm who could absorb the powers of evil that [[SorcerousOverlord Ganondorf]] had unleashed on Hyrule. Whenever a crisis arises, the Sacred Realm sends out [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive a summoning call]] to those individuals fated to become the new Sages, each ColorCodedForYourConvenience and representing a different element (Light, Forest, Fire, Water, Shadow, and Spirit). In an odd case of FiveTokenBand, the first six represent the major races of Hyrule (Hylian, Kokiri, Goron, Zora, Sheikah, and Gerudo), while their leader is Princess Zelda herself.
269*** The game also reveals that Link and Zelda themselves are part of such a group. At any given time, there are [[RuleOfThree three individuals]] destined to receive a piece of the Triforce if it is split by someone with an unbalanced heart. Link is the destined recipient of the Triforce of Courage, and Zelda is the destined recipient of the Triforce of Wisdom. Every split in the series has been caused by Ganon, who receives the Triforce of Power because it is the piece that embodies his desires. As a result, the destined recipient of the Triforce of Power, who would complete the triad along with Link and Zelda, never receives their piece and remains unknown.
270** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' took the "Sage" theme of ''Ocarina'' even further by revealing that there was an ''entirely different'' pair of Sages in addition to the main Seven. These individuals--the Sages of Earth and Wind--have the job of praying to the gods in their respective temples to keep the power to repel evil active in the Master Sword; without those prayers, [[GodNeedsPrayerBadly the sword can't defeat the forces of darkness.]]
271** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'' offers a new batch of Sages, descended from those from ''Ocarina''; their job is to keep the Triforce of Courage hidden until it is absolutely necessary to retrieve it.
272** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' changes the formula slightly by introducing the Four Champions. Like the sages from ''Ocarina'', they represent four races in Hyrule--in this case, Zora, Goron, Gerudo, and Rito--but unlike that game, they aren't divinely selected (although each does possess a different magical power); rather, they were the best warriors of their respective tribes, and so the Royal Family chose them to help lead the charge against [[BigBad Calamity Ganon.]]
273** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom Tears of the Kingdom]]'' has its own Sages which predate the Champions in ancient Hyrule and have successors in the present day. Each is bound to a Zonai stone of incredible power, and each has its representation in the six races - Light (Rauru, no successor), Time ([[spoiler:Sonia, later Zelda]]), Spirit ([[spoiler:Mineru]]), Fire (unknown Goron[[spoiler:, later Yunobo]]), Water (unknown Zora[[spoiler:, later Sidon]]), Lightning (unknown Gerudo[[spoiler:, later Riju]]), and Wind (unknown Rito[[spoiler:, later Tulin]]). Unlike ''Ocarina'', there is no Sage of Shadow, because the only time a Zonai stone was attuned to Darkness was [[spoiler:when Ganondorf took it literally over Sonia's dead body]].
274* The Nexus Force from ''VideoGame/LEGOUniverse'', split into four factions:
275** '''Assemblers''': The group who builds models out of LEGO bricks. Led by [[GadgeteerGenius Doc Overbuild]].
276** '''Sentinels''': The group specializing in fighting the [[TheHorde Maelstrom]]. Led by [[BloodKnight Duke Exeter]].
277** '''Venture Force''': The exploration-based team. Led by [[SpacePirates Hael Storm]].
278** '''Paradox''': The DarkIsNotEvil group, which uses the dark energies against the enemy. Led by [[{{Ninja}} Vanda Darkflame]].
279* In the ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' series, anyone who has the potential to use a [[SoulJar Bio]][[TransformationTrinket metal]] is referred to as a [[TheChosenOne Chosen One]], and there are multiple such beings on both sides of the conflict. It's also possible to use more than one Biometal, but not just anyone can use one in the first place. [[spoiler:This is because [[BigBad Master Albert]] designed the system so that only those who had his [[TheChooserOfTheOne special blood donation]] ([[LukeIAmYourFather or are his descendants]]) could access the Biometal's power, all in the name of finding someone worthy of accessing the true power of [[ArtifactOfDoom Model W]] and gathering the data to [[GodhoodSeeker become the Mega Man King]]]].
280* ''VideoGame/OctopathTravelerII'': In the [[VideoGame/OctopathTraveler original game]], the eight travelers [[TheUnchosenOne aren’t chosen for anything special in the grand scheme of things]]. They are just eight people pulled in the circumstances and driven by personal motives. [[spoiler:Yet they easily derail the BigBad Lyblac’s master plan to resurrect Galdera]]. Making them feel more like [[SpannerInTheWorks Spanners In The Works]]. But here in the sequel, it’s completely different. It's all but stated that the eight travelers are chosen by the eight gods as the inheritors of their wills, as the altars scattered around representing each deity will only bestow their blessings when that character is in the party. In the final chapter, [[spoiler:each Sacred Flame and the statues of the divinities protecting them resonate with the travelers, and each one willingly takes the fight against Vide himself to reseal the ancient evil like the gods did once before]].
281* In ''VideoGame/Persona1'', several {{Ordinary High School Student}}s play the "Persona" game in a classroom, inadvertedly invoking the power to summon their inner selves as deific or demonic guardian entities. Some time later, when the barriers between reality and the collective unconscious begin to fray, this power manifests and helps them fend off a group of zombies, access the Velvet Room where they can be granted new Personas, and most importantly, meet [[BigGood Philemon]], their guide and mentor.
282* Implicit in ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'': the Nameless One had led at least one previous party into the Fortress of Regrets, consisting of [[spoiler:Morte, Dak'kon, Deionarra and Xachariah]].
283* In ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonGatesToInfinity'', [[spoiler:the player character is not the only one who was summoned from the human world to save the Pokémon world, but is the only one left due to all the others being defeated and banished back.]]
284* In ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'', you play one of many agents chosen by Gaia to save her from [[MysticalPlague the Filth]]. A side character offhandedly remarks that the Filth may be the reason so many Chosen of Gaia have been showing up in recent times: the world is evolving defence systems against it, like an immune system producing antibodies against a virus.
285* ''VideoGame/TalesSeries''
286** In ''VideoGame/TalesOfEternia'', there are multiple people throughout the world who possess [[{{God}} Seyfert's]] fibril.
287** In ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' the Chosen One is actually part of a large family tree of Chosen Ones that are distributed around the world so they aren't all killed due to a single environmental disaster or other factor. When one fails the Journey of Regeneration, there's always another that will be around to take up the mantle. The current Chosen is the great-niece of her predecessor. In reality, they are selectively bred to [[spoiler:retain a genetic compatibility with Martel's spirit.]] [[spoiler: Tethealla also has their own family lineage of Chosen Ones.]]
288** In ''VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria'', the party discovers that there are supposed to be multiple Shepherds at any one time, but they have been reduced to just one for an unknown reason. [[spoiler:When [[TopGod Maotelus]] became corrupted, he could no longer empower Shepherds. Lailah took an [[EquivalentExchange oath]] to be able to do so in his stead, but she is far less powerful and only able to empower one Shepherd at a time.]]
289* Although the main storyline in ''VideoGame/TreeOfSavior'' can make you feel as if you are ''the'' Revelator (and characters will refer to you as such), it's made clear early on that your character is not the ''only'' Revelator in the story -- every player character is one, including some non-player characters. One NPC in the starting area of the western Šiauliai Woods even [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall comments]] on just ''how many'' people seem to be Revelators.
290* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'' has the six main characters, [[TheHero Noah]], [[NiceGirl Mio]], [[DeadpanSnarker Eunie]], [[TheSmartGuy Taion]], [[TheBigGuy Lanz]], and [[PintSizedPowerhouse Sena]], who were all specifically chosen by [[PostHumousCharacter Guernica Vandham]] to become the next [[FusionDance Ouroburos]], the most powerful beings in the world and the ones destined to take down the [[EvilOverlord Moebius]]. [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted, as there's definitely a finite number of chosen ones - "Only so many stones, and so many seats at the table". Guernica was going entirely off-script and furiously improvising during his final moments. The stone just happens to choose the six most viable nearby candidates when activated and Moebius just hates Ouroboros on principle. When they later meet the intended chosen ones, who have been training for years and don't have a two-years-or-less expiration date, there's quite a bit of resentment.]]
291[[/folder]]
292
293[[folder:Webcomics]]
294* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2018-02-02 one in 7 million]] humans are Seers. However, since there are over 7 ''billion'' humans on Earth, that means there are over a thousand Seers. Aside for three of them though, none of them know of any others and only five of them even know what they ''themselves'' are.
295* ''Webcomic/ILogInAlone'' Players are randomly chosen and granted wings so they could fly to Sky Island.
296* ''Webcomic/LastRes0rt'' has the Galaxy Girl Scouts, which fluctuate somewhere in-between being a purely female version of The Chosen Many and a ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' homage. The few scouts we've seen in action seem to be much more in line with being celebrity soldiers more than {{Magical Girl}}s or superheroes, though.
297* Alita in ''Webcomic/{{Nexus}}'' is told that she isn't the only one chosen by destiny to fight evil. She's only the first of many and at least four others will eventually join her in the battle.
298* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', the God of Time created the Fate Web to ensure the world is not destroyed prematurely. There are special people called "potentials" who function as this trope, having the capacity to strengthen strengthen and protect it and are directed by the Web to where they are most needed. Zoe in particular is a potential known as the "Storm Breaker", making her the God of Destruction's greatest weakness.
299* In ''Webcomic/StarPower'' Danica Maris is chosen by an entity which had been posing as a star (that she had [[TheNicknamer named]] "Mitch") that she is the latest recruit of the [[http://www.starpowercomic.com/stellar-insight/ Star Powered Sentinels]]. Then he attempts to put her in contact with her colleagues across the galaxy...
300--> '''Mitch:''' [[LastOfTheirKind "Oh dear."]]
301* In ''Webcomic/TemplarsOfTheShiftingVerse'', the immortal Augustus is joined by Loria, Dantes, and Urn at various points in history - though none of them know why they were chosen to become eternal.
302* In ''Webcomic/TheWitchsThrone'', a new girl is randomly chosen to awake as a Witch every ten years.
303
304[[/folder]]
305
306[[folder:Web Original]]
307* ''Roleplay/FireEmblemOnForums'' has a few examples:
308** ''[[Roleplay/FireEmblemOnForumsChainsOfHorai Chains of Horai]]'': The power of a Gnosis, the blessing of the Gods of the Land, is bestowed upon individuals the Gods like enough or embody the God's virtues. All of the player characters are Gnosis wielders, while [[{{Animorphism}} the Cursed]] are unnaturally attuned to earning a Gnosis, which is heavily implied to be connected to trying to break the Curse.
309[[/folder]]
310
311[[folder:Western Animation]]
312* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong''. While it is mentioned early on that Jake's the designated dragon of the States, we really don't see this trope in full effect until this global gathering that takes place in one episode, where we meet everyone from the Australian Dragon to the Egyptian dragon. There was also an episode where one of his teachers turned out to be the Korean Dragon.
313* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor''
314** The show starts out with a classic FiveManBand who we are led to believe are acting on their own, especially as they have the first 5 numbers. Later, it's revealed that the numbers go much higher than that, and KND has establishments all over the world, and even on the moon. Confusingly, the numbers are chosen by the agents themselves, rather than assigned, and are no indication of rank or seniority. Meaning that the group we follow aren't considered special, they just happened to be the ones to choose 1-5 first and everyone else gets rebuffed by the computer that confirms you can use a number.
315** On the note of KND stuff, however, when Cree was introduced, it also seemed a case of her being the only Teen Ninja, with most other teens being pretty benign, until after Chad got kicked out of the KND.
316* ''WesternAnimation/DrDimensionpants'': although the titular hero is the main character of the series, he is not the only dimensional superhero who received his powers from a Unicorn, as several others are seen over the course of the series.
317* The GrandFinale of ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' reveals that there are ten individuals, each represented by a particular symbol on a zodiac wheel, who, when banded together, have to power to complete a ritual which can banish [[BigBad Bill Cipher]]. Oddly, while all ten of the Chosen Many have a special connection to Gravity Falls itself and are clearly [[YouCantFightFate destined to be part of the Zodiac]], the symbols that represent them mostly have less to do with personality and more to do with clothing and other accessories; it's implied that their choice of apparel is something fated to happen. The Zodiac Ten are:
318** [[KidHero Dipper Pines]], represented by the Pine Tree (both a MeaningfulName and the symbol on his hat--which he didn't even have until he arrived in town)
319** [[CheerfulChild Mabel Pines]], represented by the Shooting Star (the symbol on her favorite sweater)
320** [[CoolBigSis Wendy Corduroy]], represented by the Bag of Ice (her ability to [[MetaphoricallyTrue stay "cool" under pressure]])
321** [[{{Goth}} Robbie Valentino]], represented by the Broken Heart (another MeaningfulName and the symbol on his hoodie; when Wendy points out that he's worn the hoodie for years, he [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] its special status by calling it a "destiny hoodie")
322** [[ManChild Soos Ramirez]], represented by the Question Mark (his inquisitive nature and the symbol on his favorite shirt...noticing a pattern here?)
323** [[SpoiledBrat Pacifica Northwest]], represented by the Llama (easily the shakiest connection, as she [[ContrivedCoincidence just so happens]] to be wearing a sweater with a llama on it during the ritual--and it's not even her sweater! But [[BecauseDestinySaysSo who knows why she was compelled to wear it?]]) Sharp-eyed fans have also noticed that there is a painting of a llama in the secret room in Northwest Mansion.
324** [[EnfantTerrible Gideon]] [[HeelFaceTurn Gleeful]], represented by the Eye Pentagram (the symbol on both Gideon's cape and the tent where he does his PhonyPsychic act)
325** [[CloudCuckoolander Old Man McGucket]], represented by the Spectacles (a representation of his scholarly nature before he [[GoMadFromTheRevelation lost his mind by looking into Bill's world]])
326** Grunkle Stan Pines, represented by the Fish (the symbol on his trademark fez and the Mystery Shack)
327** The Author, represented by the Six-Fingered Hand (a reference to his [[DistinguishingMark own polydactylism]])
328* The ''WesternAnimation/GreenLanternFirstFlight'' movie used the first version and kind of the second version as its story. Hal [[HumansAreBastards being from Earth]] has to go to great lengths to prove himself to the Corps singlehandedly saving it and the one guy who stands up for him initially is Sinestro who is corrupt.
329* [[TheHero Lok]] from ''WesternAnimation/HuntikSecretsAndSeekers'' finds an AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome, only to discover that many people, called seekers, possess them, and have banded together to form the Foundation.
330* In Book 3 of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Bumi miraculously develops the ability to airbend when previously Aang, Tenzin, and the latter's children were the only airbenders around. However, he and the others quickly find out that many former nonbenders have gained the ability to airbend due to the Harmonic Convergence. Korra, Bumi, Tenzin, Mako, Bolin, and Asami thereafter set out to find more airbenders to train.
331* Downplayed a bit in ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': Ladybug and Chat Noir know they each have a [[TransformationTrinket Miraculous]], as does their opponent Hawk Moth (or Papillon in the original French). They presumably suspect there might be others, but so far as they know they're on their own and no more backup is coming... although there are five extra [[FairyCompanion kwamis]] in the opening titles so the fans almost immediately figured out that this was not true. Nevertheless, it's not until the Season 1 finale that the heroes meet up with the mysterious individual who gave them their Miraculi... [[spoiler: And it turns out that there are several times more Miraculi than even the viewers had been led to believe.]]
332* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'' does this with the Guardians. At the end of the second season we learn that [[spoiler: the Guardian consul has targeted Mainframe for deletion]], in the DarkerAndEdgier third season we learn that [[spoiler: The Guardians have all been infected by the "super-virus" Daemon.]] Which serves as the plot for one of the two movies that make up the fourth season.
333* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'': Inverted with the series making Supergirl from a nearby planet (thus getting the same powers and suffering the same fate as Krypton). And Krypto is [[MythologyGag Bizarro's pet... thing.]] (The actual dog himself did make a few [[TheCameo cameos]]).
334* ''WesternAnimation/TimeSquad'' "Kublai Khan't" sees Tuddrussel captured and imprisoned by Kublai Khan, and when Larry and Otto can't rescue him, the former drops a WhamLine: "We could call for...''backup.''" It turns out that there are multiple Time Squads monitoring history--with Larry pointing out that a single team of two people couldn't possibly take care of the entire past--but actually summoning help is meant to be an absolute last resort ("Tuddrussel is not going to like this..."). Wouldn't you know it, the unit they call is led by Tuddrussel's ''ex-wife'' ("Oh, he's REALLY not going to like this!").
335[[/folder]]
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