[[quoteright:266:[[StarWars http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kenobi.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:266:Obi-Wan would like for the article to use TheForce.]]

There is someone else in a work -- a friend or [[{{Mentors}} mentor]] -- who is better, faster and [[OlderAndWiser more experienced]] than the protagonist. However, that someone else ''isn't'' TheHero -- the lights don't dim and the music doesn't swell when they enter the room. They are the Obi-Wan.

The goal of the Obi-Wan is to [[PassingTheTorch pass the torch]] to the protagonist, [[ThePlotReaper before dying]]. [[MentorOccupationalHazard Which they almost always do]]. Afterwards, they'll then become a SpiritAdvisor, either as a literal "spirit" or in {{flashback}}s. If they ''don't'' die, they will stick around giving advice, but not actively adventuring (unless GondorCallsForAid).

The [[{{Mentors}} mentor]] role can also play MrExposition.

In film, the Obi-Wan typically bites it at the end of Act 2 in an ObiWanMoment, passing the torch to the young hero who then goes on to avenge his death.

The Obi-Wan is an ArchetypalCharacter. The BigBrotherMentor is a subtrope that happens when the Obi Wan is older, but not ''too'' much older, than the protagonist. If the character is simply demoted early on in the plot, he's only TheObiWrong.

For more information concerning "The Mentor" and other narrative archetypes, see [[http://www.everything2.org/index.pl?node_id=947547 Vladmir Propp's theory of narrative]].
See also OldMaster, TheDumbledore, CoolOldGuy.

Warning: this is a death trope, there be spoilers ahead.
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!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* Balgus in ''{{Vision of Escaflowne}}'' is Van's Obi-Wan. Albeit an Obi-Wan who can swing a sword over 3 metres long...
* Roy Focker from ''[[{{Robotech}} Robotech/Macross]]'' is one of the most famous examples of a classic variation of this trope - the "Veteran Ace Pilot".
* Gai Daigouji in ''MartianSuccessorNadesico'', who some fans see as a parody of Focker.
* Kamina in ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', who some fans see as a CaptainErsatz of Daigouji.
* Subversion: Shion, Aya's primary mentor in the ''WeissKreuz'' Radio Drama ''Endless Rain'', serves the role of TheObiWan including his death protecting Aya during a mission gone wrong... but in the subsequent RadioDrama ''Dramatic Precious'', [[spoiler: it turns out he'd faked his death and has become a NietszcheWannabe BigBad.]]
** Kikyou from ''Endless Rain'' also qualifies as TheObiWan for Aya, down to playing SpiritAdvisor in Aya's dreams following his death... [[spoiler: which was at Aya's hands, Kikyou ''also'' having performed a FaceHeelTurn and gone AxCrazy. His visitations in Aya's dreams tend to involve him expressing pleasure that Aya is becoming like him and will be joining him in Hell.]]
* [[spoiler:Baron Zepellin]] in the first part of ''JojosBizarreAdventure'' not only dies, but admits he knew it would happen, because YouCantFightFate.
* Gennai from DigimonAdventure acts as the mentor and MrExposition. In his younger days (and post-revitalization in DigimonAdventure02), Gennai also bears a striking resemblance to Obi-Wan Kenobi in Episode I.
**In fact, young Gennai's robes are quite like that of a Jedi, to the point of he and his people being referred to [[FanNickname by the fandom]] as the Jedi Knights.
*Also in ''DigimonAdventure'', but to a limited extent, Wizardmon plays the Obi-Wan. It's his friendship and wisdom that results in Gatomon's HeelFaceTurn. Oh, [[spoiler: and then he dies. HeroicSacrifice. And comes back as a spirit in Season 2 to warn the protagonists.]]
* {{Naruto}} [[spoiler: has the recently lost Jiraya and now Naruto's learning with his teacher, a frog, how to become as powerful as him.]]
** [[spoiler:And shortly thereafter the frog is presumed killed, too.]]
***[[spoiler:False alarm, HeGotBetter]].
* Miyu (and later Mai) from ''{{Mai-Otome}}'' serve as Obi-Wans to Arika, but both characters ultimately survive.
* In ''SamuraiDeeperKyo,'' Muramasa acts as Kyo's Obi-Wan.
* Kaito briefly acts as one in the first chapter/episode of ''HunterxHunter'', then [[spoiler: fully endorses this role at the beginning of the Chimera Ant Arc, biting it about halfway.]]
* Meta Knight more or less takes this role in the {{Kirby}} anime, among with a number of other repurposed characters. Although he doesn't seem to have died yet, he's made the odd non-fatal HeroicSacrifice for Kirby's sake.
* Of all of ''KenichiTheMightiestDisciple''s six masters, "The Philosophical Jujutsu User" Koetsuji Akisame best fits the description of the Obi-Wan. Other eligible candidates are [[DirtyOldMan Ma Kensei]] and [[BadassGrandpa Hayato Fuurinji]].
* Sword Saint Shiba of ''RaveMaster'' passes the titular role to Haru Glory and sends Haru to the man best suited to repairing the Rave Master's blade after it's broken. True to trope, he experiences an ObiWanMoment upon his reunion with Haru. It's subverted slightly in that [[spoiler:Shiba dies by challenging Haru to a duel to the death. Haru didn't directly kill him. The potion he took to restore his youth for the fight did.]]
* Subverted with Hiko Seijuro, Kenshin's master in Rurouni Kenshin: [[spoiler: he fully expects to die at Kenshin's hand after passing on the succession technique, but Kenshin's ReverseBladeSword saves his life. Hiko then goes on to pull a BigDamnHeroes moment later in the arc, arriving in the nick of time to save Kenshin's protege Yahiko from being killed.]]
* Parodied in ''ExcelSaga'' when [[AuthorAvatar Nabeshin]] appears to give [[GenkiGirl Excel]] the technique needed to defeat a [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome bowling-themed terrorist]], complete with TrainingMontage. Afterwards, Excel gives the typical speech that one gives over the body of a fallen mentor, despite Nabeshin's protests that he isn't dead.
* Rakan in ''MahouSenseiNegima'' becomes this to Negi. He later questions whether Negi should be the type of 'hero' who he'd be doing this for.
--->''"You're not actin' much like a main character, are you? You're one of those characters who dies holding off the enemies three chapters before the end of the series!"''
* In ''OutlawStar'', "Hot Ice" Hilda served as lead character Gene's mentor until her HeroicSacrifice against Tao Pirates, which she did by [[BadAss using a bomb to blow up the safety line keeping the pirates (and herself) from falling into a star]].
* Mentor? Check. The most best hitman in the world but does nothing except shoot the protagonist in the head? Checked. MrExposition? Check. Dies? [[spoiler: Yes, in the future]]. Reborn, the home tutor of the protagonist in KatekyoHitmanReborn looks awfully like one (though his size is much closer to Yoda).

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* Obviously, the TropeNamer is Obi-Wan Kenobi of ''StarWars'', who mentored Luke until he died at the end of Act 2 of the original film -- and a [[SpiritAdvisor while after that]].
** The prequels give us Qui-Gon Jinn, who was, ironically, TheObiWan to Obi-Wan himself.
** The prequels also show Obi-Wan as a mentor to Anakin.
*** Which is an astute observation, but is completely irrelevant to this trope, since Obi-Wan does not step aside or die to allow Anakin to fill his role, instead Anakin pushes him aside and takes a new path - very separate from Obi-Wan's.
* Avoided in the ''[[TheMatrix Matrix]]'' trilogy, in which Morpheus (who in most respects fills the role of the Obi-Wan) is [[spoiler:the only one of the three regulars to survive to the end]].
* Fr. Merrin in ''TheExorcist'' is TheObiWan to Fr. Karras, showing up with a wealth of experience and skill and then dying in time for Karras to finish the demon all on his own.
**Of course, it doesn't end up too well for Karras either...
* In the ''{{Highlander}}'' movie, Connor [=MacLeod=]'s Obi-Wan was Ramirez, played by Sean Connery. He's killed by the Kurgan, leaving Connor himself to face him more than five hundred years later.
* In ''TheMaskOfZorro,'' the original Zorro, Don Diego de la Vega, plays the Obi-Wan to his chosen successor, Alejandro Murrieta.
* In ''BatmanBegins'', the young [[{{Batman}} Bruce Wayne]] is mentored by a servant of Ra's al Ghul, appropriately played by Liam Neeson (who also played [[StarWars Qui-Gon Jinn]]). [[spoiler: The servant turns out to the real Ra's al Ghul, ironically making the Obi-wan also the antagonist]].
* [[TheGodfather Vito Corleone]] is a type of TheObiWan to his son Michael.
* An interesting variation of this occurs in ''{{Men of Honor}}''. The racist Bill Sunday (RobertDeNiro) makes Carl Brashear's (Cuba Gooding Jr) life miserable but still guides him in his quest to be a Navy diver. He even coaches Brashear personally when he's disabled and must re-hab in order to continue. He also plays a huge part in Brashear's {{CMOA}}.
* Mickey in the first three {{Rocky}} movies.
* John Wayne's character in ''The Cowboys''.
* In J.J. Abrams [[Film/StarTrek 2009 reboot of]] StarTrek [[spoiler: Mainline, future]] Spock plays this role to a young Kirk [[spoiler: and to this Universe's version of himself.]]
** Which is amazingly cool because it's ... you know ... [[spoiler: really him. 'Spock Prime' is played by the original Spock himself.]]
** Also Pike.
* In ''JudgeDredd'', Chief Justice Fargo has most of the qualities of TheObiWan (mentors Dredd, dies partway in to give him a motive for revenge, provides {{Exposition}}, etc.).
* In "Serenity" (and to a lesser extant in Firefly) Shepherd Book is this trope to the letter for our BigDamnHeroes[[spoiler: and he appropriately dies for his troubles]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* In the ''Toku'' version of Spiderman,[[spoiler:Garia is killed.]]
* Master Po in the flashbacks in ''KungFu''.
* It doesn't get much more obvious than the character of Mentor on the {{Filmation}} live-action ''{{Shazam}}!'' series, though "the Elders" (Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury) also acted in this role to a lesser extent. In the comics, however, the role is filled by the wizard Shazam (who dies literally right after giving Billy his powers, but whose spirit can be summoned by lighting a brazier at the Rock of Eternity), except for an [[DorkAge era of the comic where it was deliberately imitating the television show]], and Uncle Dudley, normally a lazy and incompetent bumbler, became Mentor.
* A possible Obi-Wan on TV would be Methos, from ''{{Highlander}}''. He was certainly smarter and more experienced than the hero, though not stronger or faster, and usually dispensed various bits of wisdom. He was somewhat odd in that he didn't appear until several years into the series, but he definitely served an Obi-Wan function once he appeared. His character was added to the show not long after Darius, a more traditional Obi-Wan, was killed off.
* The dad's ghostly role in ''SixFeetUnder''.
* For most of ''HappyDays' ''(literal) pre-[[JumpTheShark Shark Jump]] episodes, The Fonz was TheObiWan to Richie Cunningham and the gang.
* Godbold, the wise old hermit reincarnated as a plumber is Adam's Obi-Wan in ''TheWandererTVSeries''. In addition to being the only one who seems to understand what's going on he is a mean wrestler. But he doesn't die.
* [[CoolOldGuy Bobby]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse Singer]] to the Winchester Brothers on ''{{Supernatural}}''.
* [[TricksterMentor Claude]] [[{{Invisibility}} Rains]] to Peter Petrelli on ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', until he was PutOnABus.
* A recurring gag on ''TopGear'' is to send presenter James May (alias 'Captain Slow') out to learn how to drive properly. Thus far he's been the student of racing legends Jackie Stewart and Mika Häkkinen. May explicitly compares each of them to Yoda at one point in the segment.



[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* Polk the teamster, in the novels ''WhitePlumeMountain'', ''DescentIntoTheDepthsOfTheEarth'', and ''QueenOfTheDemonwebPits'' is both a literary example and a rare subversion of the trope -- a drunken porter who follows the grim, hardened Justicar around under the delusion that he can pass on the wisdom of the ages. He dies in the second book -- not making a heroic last stand, but reloading the crossbow for the character who ''is'' -- and is promptly reincarnated as a badger, his ego even further inflated by the experience.
* ''HarryPotter'': Dumbledore, the wise wizard who who usually dispenses 2-3 pieces of advice just before the hero needs it, then shows up in the epilogue to tie up any loose ends. This has started to be called the "Dumbledore Explains It All" scene. [[spoiler:Dumbledore dies at the end of book 6 in a 7 book series, leaving one final story for the hero to avenge his death.]]
** In what some consider an [[{{Narm}} unintentionally amusing]] scene near the end of ''Deathly Hallows'', [[spoiler:Dumbledore gets to explain it all ''one last time'', as he and Harry have a chat in an afterlife train station. Talk about sticking to the trope.]]
* In Christopher Paolini's ''InheritanceCycle'', Brom (an obvious clone of Obi-Wan Kenobi) fills this role until his death [[strike:as our heroes escape the Death Star]] midway through ''[[strike:A New Hope]]'' ''{{Eragon}}''; in ''Eldest'', Oromis takes over the role.
** Realy? Oromis struck me more as Yoda than Obi-Wan.
*** Oromis might be more TheObiWan than Brom was, since he [[spoiler: got killed by TheDragon (no pun intended) to the BigBad at the end of the third book.]]
* Gandalf gets a bit of this, apparently dying in ''[[TheLordOfTheRings Fellowship of the Ring]]'', and [[spoiler:staying dead just long enough for the heroes to get scattered and divided. In a pre-trope subversion, he is FAR FAR more active AFTER he dies then before!]]
* Father Zosima in ''TheBrothersKaramazov'' is a mix of TheObiWan and the MessianicArchetype. He mentors Alyosha Karamazov for the first third of the book before his death.
* Osip Bazdeev mentors Pierre Bezukhov and turns him on to becoming a Freemason in ''WarAndPeace''.
* Chiun mentors Remo Willaims in the {{Destroyer}}.
* ''ThePendragonAdventure'' by DJ [=MacHale=] has Uncle Press, who is very much the Obi Wan. He is the mentor to the main character, Bobby Pendragon, and teaches almost all the other Travelers of the generation. He appears to be one of the few travelers who regularly traveled before Bobby's time, and dies at the hands of the BigBad.
* Snufkin from {{The Moomins}}, though he dosen't die he is the definition of understated.
* The old priest in {{Nation}}. Subverted by the fact that the young hero, Mau, doesn't want to hear a damn thing he has to say - in the wake of the tsunami that devastates their area of the Great Pelagic Ocean, the old priest is clinging to his faith, while Mau violently rejects it... [[FlatEarthAtheist despite being continually harassed by the spirits of his ancestors and Locaha, the god of death]]. Played straight, though, in that he helps Mau become the leader the refugees desperately need, and is killed at the end of the second act.
* Tirandys in P.C. Hodgell's ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath is The Obi-Wan for Jame, and dies tragically at the end of Book 2, ''Dark of the Moon''. Subverted in that he's TheDragon's man and was supposed to raise Jame up to be a good evil minion.
* Becca Stone, in the WhateleyUniverse, was summoned by the Tao to come to [[SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy]] and teach Bladedancer how to become one with the Tao. Becca doesn't fight, though: she's way over a hundred and was trained as a nurse back when she was a normal human.
* Doctor Morgenes of TadWilliams' ''[=~Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn~=]'' plays this role for Simon, taking the wayward kitchen boy under his tutelage and giving him some rudimentary schooling. Of course, he's really a member of the League of the Scroll, a group of scholars dedicated to preventing the [[SealedEvilInACan return]] of the [[BigBad Storm King]], and of course Simon isn't [[MosesInTheBullrushes quite what he seems either]]. Then, Morgenes dies in a HeroicSacrifice to allow Simon to escape from EvilSorcerer Pryrates. True to the trope, he continues to appear to Simon in [[DreamingOfThingsToCome dreams]], attempting to warn him of the PropheticFallacy that is about to befall the heroes.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* Mia Fey from ''PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' is a rare female example. [[spoiler:She dies in the second case of the first game, only to return as a spirit, channeled by either Maya or Pearl, who gives advice in later chapters and installments]].
* Dr. Light to X in the ''MegaManX'' games (amusingly enough, he's got the whole "force ghost" thing happening via hologram messages). Zero acted like this until X became more of an equal, and it came full circle in the ''[[MegaManZero Zero]]'' series, where X is Zero's Obi-Wan.
* Auron from ''FinalFantasyX'' may qualify, since his dispensing of advice is his whole purpose in the party. He's been there, done that, and now he's back to make sure Tidus and Yuna save the world properly, when Auron and their fathers couldn't. Being the only known survivor of a successful pilgrimage, he certainly counts as experienced, his superior badassery over the hero and others is plain, and he definitely fits the bill of a spirit guide, since [[spoiler:[[DeadAllAlong he's been dead for ten years already]] when the story begins]].
* [[spoiler:Brenner/O'Brian]] in ''AdvanceWars Days of Ruin''.
* Peppy from ''StarFox''. Not only does he play the Obi-Wan trope, there are also some... similarities... with Kenobi himself.
** To a lesser extent, Wolf in Star Fox Assault somewhat plays this role. He gave a life-saving advice to Fox which actually snaps Fox out of his troubles in the final mission, and [[spoiler:Star Wolf sacrificed themselves to let Star Fox move on]].
* Arguably Uther the Lightbringer from ''{{Warcraft}} III''. Massively subverted when the hero he's TheObiWan to kills him.
**Arguably played straight, in that Arthas killing Uther wasn't that much different than [[strike: Anakin]] Darth Vader killing Obi-Wan.
**Kel'thuzad might also count as Arthas' Obi-Wan in the Undead campaign.
* [[spoiler: Thunder Ryu]] in NoMoreHeroes plays this role to a tee; given all the game's other [[ShoutOut Shout Outs]] to StarWars, this is most likely completely deliberate.
* [[StarWars Knights of the Old Republic 2]] puts your character, a Jedi exile severed from the Force and rediscovering his/her power, in the hands of Kreia, a mysterious Force-user who's apparently neither Jedi nor Sith. She's a considerable subversion of the trope however: although she genuinely grows to love you, [[spoiler:she also lies to you constantly, manipulating you (and everybody else) to achieve her Machiavellian purposes. Eventually, she reveals herself as the BigBad, forcing you to take her down yourself]].
* Jema from SecretOfMana.
* When one thinks Mentors from Pokemon, the Profs spring to mind. But a better example is Cynthia, the Champion from the Sinnoh games. Aside from acting as a local DeusExMachina, she seems to have to taken a shine to you, and supplies you with hints and helpful MacGuffins and PlotCoupons. In Platinum, this becomes very pronounced when you go into the Distortion World with her. Unlike the darker examples of this trope, where the Hero kills the Obi Wan, when you defeat her at the end of the game, she says she's proud of you. This is Pokemon, after all.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* Miranda West in ''TheWotch''.
* Massively lampshaded in ''TheOrderOfTheStick'', when, shortly after he helped Elan literally [[TookALevelInBadass Take A Level In Badass]], the GenreSavvy Julio Scoundrél [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0392.html knowingly hopes he never meets the bard again lest he suffer a mentor-death]].
* The clone Ben Franklin in ''TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja.''
* Thaco from ''{{Goblins}}'' definitely fulfils most of this archetype, with liberal smatterings of OldMaster and CoolOldGuy.
* Dr. Herb from [[http://www.shapequest.net Shape Quest]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Master Splinter, of the various ''TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' incarnations, is very much the Obi-Wan (though he nearly always survives the experience).
* Grandpa Max, in ''{{Ben 10}}'', was an {{MIB}} when he was younger, and retired to have some peace and quiet, spend time with his grandkids... Of course, once the ImportedAlienPhlebotinum the show revolves around latches onto his grandson's wrist, Max's experience is indispensible. [[spoiler:''Alien Force'' has Max go to the Obi-Wan's inevitable fate.]]
* Jaga from ''{{Thundercats}}''.
* Magi Lune is pretty much TheObiWan to Crysta in ''[[FernGullyTheLastRainforest FernGully: The Last Rainforest]]''.
* When composing the song "Son of Man" for Disney's ''Film/{{Tarzan}}'', Phil Collins said that he thought of Tarzan's (human, birth) father watching over him as if he were Obi-Wan and the song was about all the things Lord Greystoke (that's his name in [[EdgarRiceBurroughs Burroughs]]'s books) would've liked to say to him.
*In ''KungFuPanda'', Master Oogway fills this character trope, being the OldMaster to Shifu. He seems addle minded [[spoiler:until he dies]], but the heroes realize at the end he knew ''exactly'' what he was doing.
*Female version: Miss Lilly from MillionaireDogs.
**Does that make her the Obi Wanda?
* Brother Aidan in TheSecretOfKells

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* Elijah Muhammad played this role to a young Malcolm X, appearing at just the right time in his life to change his path and train Malcolm to succeed him as leader of the Nation of Islam. Though X would have probably never become the man he became without Muhammad's guidance, the two had a very bitter falling out in later years.

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