History Main / ItWasWithYouAllAlong

* ''WesternAnimation/{{BIONICLE}}: Mask of Light'' sends Takua the Chronicler on a search for the Toa of Light, which results in ''him'' transforming into the Toa of Light.

** ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1'': [[spoiler:This is the lesson of the Dragon Scroll, which merely shows the reflection of the one 'reading' it. Po gains wisdom and confidence from this. Tai Lung... [[VillainousBreakdown doesn't]].]]

* In one of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaAkiraHimekawa mangas]], Ghanti's earrings turn out to be the weapon they will need to defeat their enemy.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BarbieInTheNutcracker'', Clara[=/=]{{Franchise/Barbie}} helps the eponymous Nutcracker find the legendary Sugarplum Princess, who they eventually identify as Clara.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'': [[spoiler: Miguel spends a good chunk of the movie searching for Ernesto de la Cruz, who he believes is his great-great grandfather. It turns out that his actual great-great grandfather is Hector, the man who was helping him find Ernesto.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'', "Show Yourself" is about Elsa searching within Ahtohallan for the source of the voice, only to realize [[spoiler:it's really an echo of her origin and that she's really always been searching for herself.]]

'''Riku:''' This *points to Sora's heart*\\

* In ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'', much grief was given through Case 2-5 regarding the whereabouts of [[spoiler: Klint van Zieks's will]] as it was the only way to deal the decisive blow to the final trial. It would turn out [[spoiler: it was hidden within the sword Karuma's hilt the entire time and if Kazuma or Ryunosuke turned the head of the hilt at anytime, they would have found it.]] In an interesting variation of this trope, this actually helped the protagonists in the long run that they did not discover [[spoiler: Klint's will]] sooner. If they had tried to confront [[spoiler: Lord Stronghart]] before Case 2-5, it could have led to their incarceration or assassination. If they tried to go to [[spoiler: Judge Jigoku]] for help instead, [[spoiler: he would have also had them killed since he was also in on it.]]

** In the episode "Eclipse Lake", several of the protagonists head to the titular lake in order to collect a rare and powerful magical substance known as Titan's Blood, which is required to power a portal door. However, the account of the lake being a source of Titan's Blood is several centuries outdated, and when they finally arrive [[AllForNothing they find it's literally bone-dry]]. Only then is it revealed that Titan's Blood is inside the portal door key, which they already had, and even worse, Amity is forced to give it to the enemy, leaving them with only a tiny smudge of blood left. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that King is an infant Titan, so they actually had ''two'' sources of Titan's Blood in their possession and had no clue.]]

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', there's this exchange between Sora and Riku:
-->'''Sora:''' Hey, Riku? What do you think it was? The Door to the Light?\\

%%Needs more context. Was anyone looking for Kairi's heart?** In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'', [[spoiler:Kairi's heart]] has been with you all along.
%%Needs more context. Was anyone looking for new hearts?** ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' reveals a particularly cruel twist: [[spoiler: Nobodies naturally develop a new heart over time, but BadBoss Xemnas kept this fact from Organization XIII so he could manipulate them towards his own goal.]]

* Subverted for black comedy in the Roald Dahl short story ''Lamb to Slaughter''. A woman beats her husband to death with a frozen leg of lamb. When the police come over, she invites them to stay for dinner. They rule her out as a suspect because they don't see how she could have disposed of the murder weapon in time; they have no idea that they're eating it.

** ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'': [[spoiler: This is the lesson of the Dragon Scroll, which merely shows the reflection of the one 'reading' it. Po gains wisdom and confidence from this. Tai Lung... [[VillainousBreakdown doesn't]]]].

** In ''Literature/{{Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows}}'', Harry needs to gather three artifacts. One has been with him the whole book without him knowing it ([[spoiler:the Resurrection Stone]]), another has been under his control and technically "his" even if not in his possession since halfway through the book ([[spoiler:the Elder Wand]]), and the third has been with him for the ''entire series'' ([[spoiler:his Invisibility Cloak]]).
** Some of the horcruxes have appeared as cursory items long before they became important. In ''Literature/OrderOfThePhoenix'', a medallion is found in Sirius Black's house, which Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys attempt to open before they throw it to the trash. ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'' also has Harry spotting a crown on a statue in the Room of Requirement while discarding the Half-Blood Prince's diary. ''Deathly Hallows'' reveals that both are actually horcruxes (Slytherin Locket and Ravenclaw Diadem, respectively). The biggest example, however, is Harry spending the entirety of ''Deathly Hallows'' on a quest to find horcruxes, only to learn that [[spoiler:he himself is a horcrux]].
* Literature/LandOfOz series:

->'''Wizard:''' And Dorothy, you wanted herpes, but [[LittleDidIKnow little did you know]], you've had herpes all along!\\

* The sixth volume of ''LightNovel/TheUnexploredSummonBloodSign'' revolves around the search for the Founder's Gallery, a repository of valuable knowledge. At the end, Kyousuke pieces together the clues and realizes that it's in the same building as Aika's apartment... the same apartment he's been using as a base for the entire series. And Aika knew about it all along, being the self-appointed guardian of the gallery.

* A dark example of this in ''LightNovel/FateZero''. [[spoiler:After Kiritsugu shoots Ryuunosuke, the serial killer looks at his blood pooling in his hand, and remarks that it is the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and that he'd finally found what he was looking for. It was inside him all along]].

* ''Literature/NightWorld'': In ''Literature/Huntres1997'', Jez and her allies have spent nearly the entire book searching for [[TheChosenOne the Wild Power]]. In the climax it's revealed that [[spoiler:''Jez herself'']] has been the Wild Power all along and she finally consciously uses her powers [[spoiler:to defeat [[BigBad Lily]] and her minions]].

* In ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', Roam reveals that he is seeking the Silver Arrow spoken of in the Book of Mudora, which prophesied that Ganon can only be defeated by a sacred arrow. Although he reveals to Link that he has yet to find it, Roam continues to search for the Silver Arrow to defeat Ganon with it and prove himself to be the legendary hero. However, when Link and Zelda arrive to Ganon's Tower, Roam returns and admits he has failed to find the Arrow. After Roam dies saving Zelda, the princess snatches up Roam's crossbow and takes aim at Ganon. As it whistles through the air, the power of the Maidens, Zelda, Link, and Roam, turn the arrow into the Silver Arrow.

** Also in ''Deathly Hollows'', Harry is on a quest to find all of Voldemort's Horcruxes. He discovers that [[spoiler: he himself is the final Horcrux]].
** In ''Literature/OrderOfThePhoenix'', a medallion is found in Sirius Black's house, but it doesn't seem important until the seventh book, where it's revealed to be [[spoiler:a ''Horcrux'']].