History Main / SummonEverymanHero

* ''Anime/AuraBattlerDunbine'' put an interesting twist on this and the TrappedInAnotherWorld tropes. The magical force called aura energy that powers [[MagicalLand Byston Well]]'s [[HumongousMecha aura battlers]] is actually stronger on ''our'' side, so the BigBad's initial MO is to summon random people from the Upper Earth since they have much stronger aura potential, and the aura machine's firepower is drastically increased to WMD levels when [[spoiler:they all cross over to our world.]]
* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}''
** The Digidestined from ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' could count as an example of this, since the summoners were "totally blind that [these guys are] going to need a lot of training to be useful."

* ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth''. The Princess Emeraude, the Pillar of Cephiro, summons the Magic Knights at the moment they all meet (coincidentally) in Tokyo Tower, to rescue the princess from the [[SpikesOfVillainy evil]] [[TroubledButCute Zagato]]. [[spoiler:Or so they assumed. It's not, and they didn't need a hero -- they needed a ''outsider to kill the malfunctioning BarrierMaiden'']].

* ''Literature/MushokuTenseiJoblessReincarnation'' had this attempted by an unknown nation, summoning [[spoiler:Akito, one of the students Rudeus tried to save]]. While willing to help, he was a completely ordinary boy and was killed in one blow by the enemy army. [[spoiler:The Rewind Miko's attempt to save his life resulted in Rudeus' reincarnation and the Mana Calamity]].

* Several of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' books: ''Literature/PrinceCaspian'', ''Literature/TheLastBattle'', and possibly ''Literature/TheSilverChair''. It's explained in story that the heroes have to been [[HumansAreSpecial Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve]] and that only children and devout believers understand Aslan, explaining the kid thing. Why some kid with ninja training skills wasn't summoned instead, though, is a mystery.

* Terisa Morgan in ''Mordant's Need'' by Stephen Donaldson. What they wanted was a mighty warrior from another world armed with [[EnergyWeapon powerful rayguns]]. What they got was a [[LonelyRichKid lonely rich girl]] with microscopic self-esteem and no combat skills. [[spoiler:They tried again.]] And anyone who GenreSavvy enough will not be surprised that [[spoiler:Terisa turns out to be just the champion they needed after all. Though the guy with the rayguns helps eventually, even if he originally panics and blasts a hole in the castle.]]

* William "Wiz" Zumwalt from Rick Cook's ''Literature/WizBiz'' series. At first (in ''Wizard's Bane''), he appears to have no magical abilities, despite being summoned to fight against powerful evil wizards. [[spoiler:Turned out that the summoner ''did'' pick the right guy -- a computer programmer was just what was needed. Once he learns that [[PowersAsPrograms magic can be programmed]]...]] And then improved on in the second book (''The Wizardry Compiled'') when [[spoiler:to improve Wiz's original code, they bring over ''an entire programming team'' recruited at a SCA war... two of which [[IChooseToStay join him in the magical world]] at the end of that book.]]

* ''VideoGame/BraveFencerMusashi''

* The term for this in the ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' universe is "spiriting away," and Yukari likes to do this with mortals she finds interesting. Also, ''[[FridgeHorror severely]]'' [[FridgeHorror deconstructed]]; outsiders are considered fair game for more [[ImAHumanitarian predatory]] youkai unless they can find protection by nightfall.

* Inverted in the ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' episode "Planet of the Capes", which featured a planet full of superheroes with exactly one powerless "ordinary guy" living there, whose job is to be constantly rescued by the supers. However, he's gone missing, so they fetch Darkwing Duck to replace him since, although he's a [[NonPoweredCostumedHero "superhero"]] on his own planet, they know he has no actual superpowers and thus should make a perfect ordinary guy. [[spoiler:Turns out the last ordinary guy got sick of the job and became a technology-powered SuperVillain, whom Darkwing ends up defeating while all the supers are useless.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans,'' this happens to Cyborg when he is pulled back in time to the Bronze Age by a witch to help save her people from monsters. Subverted twice in that Cyborg is not an "everyday" hero (he does begin to lose his powers, from lack of electricity, though) and in that [[spoiler: the summoning was part of an evil scheme all along]]. It does otherwise fit the trope, however, including the part about falling in love with someone you cannot stay with.

* While he's not exactly an everyman, Sonic gets this in ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Sonic and the Black Knight]]''. When Merlina cast the spell,[[note]]"O brave knight, swift as the wind! Heed my call!"[[/note]] she likely wasn't expecting a blue hedgehog [[DeadpanSnarker with an attitude]].

* {{Player character}}s in ''VideoGame/{{Wizard 101}}'' arrive in the game world having been summoned from ours by the headmaster of the wizard school. How they promptly develop magical abilities is never really explained.

* ''{{Konjiki no Wordmaster}}'' has the Huma (human) kingdom summoning four classmates as Heroes to aid them in their fight against the Evila kingdom. However, the ritual also brought in another antisocial classmate named Hiiro who is treated as an 'Innocent Bystander'. He ditches the other four both because he doesn't feel any obligation to help them or the kingdom and because he doesn't trust the king. [[spoiler:Which turns out to be the right call.]] Hiiro decides to explore the new world on his own and is especially interested in the cuisine it has to offer, being a bit of a glutton.

%%* While it wasn't on purpose, ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' results in this. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that he isn't ''exactly'' an "everyman".]] (Explain the summoning and how Saito is not actually an Everyman).

* ''LightNovel/TheHeroIsOverpoweredButOverlyCautious'': The gods set up a system where they summon people from Earth, grant them fantasy abilities, and send them off to save worlds in danger of being conquered by demons. This is because they're limited in how much they can interfere in mortal affairs. In a twist on this trope, the story is told from the summoner's POV, not the hero.
* Rem and Shera from ''LightNovel/HowNotToSummonADemonLord'' summon a guy from Earth and turn him into his [=MMORPG=] character but their enslaving spell bounces back at them due to his [[AttackReflector Demon King's Ring]] and they become his slaves.

* ''LightNovel/{{Konosuba}}'': This was actually Aqua's job before Kazuma took her with him to the fantasy world. She gathered up the recently dead to make them fight the overlord, but ''nobody'' she summoned (Kazuma included) actually wanted to do it and went off to populate the rest of the land. [[spoiler: One of them even became an overlord -- keyword here is ''a'', because Kazuma later learns that the overlord he and the party defeat is just one of many.]]

* ''LightNovel/MushokuTenseiJoblessReincarnation'' had this attempted by an unknown nation, summoning [[spoiler:Akito, one of the students Rudeus tried to save]]. While willing to help, he was a completely ordinary boy and was killed in one blow by the enemy army. [[spoiler:The Rewind Miko's attempt to save his life resulted in Rudeus' reincarnation and the Mana Calamity]].
* ''LightNovel/ReZero'' is an example of this, as Subaru is a fairly unremarkable high school dropout walking home from the convenience store when he suddenly gets pulled into an archaic fantasy world, and has to undergo a lot of CharacterDevelopment before he's anything more than a LoserProtagonist. However, in an unusual variation, [[spoiler: he was summoned by a villain]].
* {{Deconstructed}} in ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero''. Four young otaku are summoned to become the four Legendary Heroes, as the mechanics of the Legendary Weapons prevent local people from wielding them. However, because they are normal people, none of them have actual training with weapons, and three of them treat the world they are in as a videogame, causing a lot of problems that only get solved because the fourth player (who HadToBeSharp and has had to learn on his own things the other three took for granted) helps solve those problems.
* ''LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'': What the Otherworlders known as "Summons" effectively are, and the key difference from "Reincarnators" who end up in this world at random (usually via death and NewLifeInAnotherWorldBonus). In theory, it's ''supposed'' to be a ritual meant to summon someone with the potential to become a Hero, blessed with incredible powers and skills that will be strong enough to someday challenge even the might of the strongest Demon Lords. In practice, it's been abused by many kingdoms who want the advantage of summoned Heroes with enhanced abilities and powerful Skills gained from crossing over to this world ([[GivingRadioToTheRomans or even just knowledge of their original world that could be put to military use]]) to serve as a bolstering force for their military might, and the most unscrupulous ones can carve special runes into the Summons' souls that bind their loyalties to their summoners on threat of death (and they're very much aware of this). And the Summoned doesn't exactly get a choice in the matter or even the chance to ''refuse'', plucked from their old lives at any moment. The process is especially bad when [[KidHero children]] are involved, as they often don't develop the special skills needed to channel their large reserves of acquired magicules, and will usually die in a few years' time without stabilization from bonding with an elemental spirit. It's ''technically'' illegal to perform these for said moral reasons, but nations can and will lie about it for the possible benefits. Rimuru truly thinks it's a horrible thing from the first moment he learns about it from Veldora, and once he starts getting influence through Tempest's economic and political power starts advocating for further cracking down on Summons.

* ''LightNovel/ReZero'' is an example of this, as Subaru is a fairly unremarkable highschool dropout walking home from the convenience store when he suddenly gets pulled into an archaic fantasy world, and has to undergo a lot of CharacterDevelopment before he's anything more than a LoserProtagonist. However, in an unusual variation, [[spoiler: he was summoned by a villain]].

* The first time Creator/MichaelMoorcock's Eternal Champion is summoned goes like this; although it's only the mind that he's TheEveryman, the body he gets stuck in is significantly more formidable. Interestingly, although recalling his Everyman hero identity staves off a HeroicBSOD near the end of that incarnation, on the instances when the Champion recalls previous incarnations he tends to adopt the identity of his first summoning, as opposed to Mr. Everyman, claiming 'it was the only time I experiened true happiness'. An odd instance of BecomingTheMask, since he has innumerable masks to choose from.

* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster''. In the first episode the Ultimate Warp Zone summons perfectly average Kevin Keene to save Videoland using his skill at videogames.

And they get [[TheEveryman Bob Smith]], from Normal, Arizona! An [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent average kid]] who just happens to be what they need for the job. The summoners may be unimpressed, or be [[GenreBlindness totally blind]] that this guy is going to [[TheChosenZero need]] a lot of TrainingFromHell to be useful. Since he ''is'' TheChosenOne, he will save the day in the end and either [[IChooseToStay choose to stay in the new fantastic world]] or [[ButNowIMustGo go home and be normal again]] at the end of his adventure.

LaResistance is in peril. The forces of TheEmpire are knocking on their gate. They have no choice, they must use the DangerousForbiddenTechnique to {{summon|ingRitual}} a hero from another world to assist them.

* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'': Thomas Covenant is a normal guy except for having leprosy. [[MoralEventHorizon Infamous]] for [[FlatEarthAtheist not]] [[GrumpyBear taking]] [[{{Jerkass}} it well]]. Linden Avery fits the trope in the second series.

* In a duology within the ''Literature/SagaOfRecluce'', a spaceship suffers from a {{Hyperspace}} malfunction which lands them in a universe where magic is real. In the second book the main character ends up aiding a [[TheLostWoods magic forest]] against TheEmpire, which wants to seal the forest away. The main character's companion speculates that the magic forest might have summoned them by causing the {{Hyperspace}} malfunction in the first place.

* Accidental example in ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' where Madame Morrible creates a tornado to kill Nessarose and bring Elphaba out of hiding and brings [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz Dorothy to Oz]].

* More like Pick Up Every(wo)man Hero, but it counts: Firefly going to our world and asking Megan's help in the first ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials My Little Pony]]'' special. Megan subsequently became a regular visitor to the fantastical world where the Little Ponies hailed from, in times of crisis and peace alike. It became a second home to her.

* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'': Thomas Covenant is a normal guy except for having leprosy. [[MoralEventHorizon Infamous]] for [[FlatEarthAtheist not]] [[GrumpyBear taking]] [[MoralDissonance it]] [[{{Jerkass}} well]]. Linden Avery fits the trope in the second series.

* ''LightNovel/MushokuTensei'' had this attempted by an unknown nation, summoning [[spoiler:Akito, one of the students Rudeus tried to save]]. While willing to help, he was a completely ordinary boy and was killed in one blow by the enemy army. [[spoiler:The Rewind Miko's attempt to save his life resulted in Rudeus' reincarnation and the Mana Calamity]].