History Main / OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent

* Subverted in Garth Nix's ''Literature/KeysToTheKingdom'' series, in which the protagonist essentially becomes the heir to the House (the "epicenter of creation", the denizens of which give our universe about the same casual interest as a rather exciting zoo) simply because he almost died on the right day. That's right, kids. [[spoiler:This kid essentially becomes ''God'' by nearly dying at the right time]].

* Light Yagami from ''Manga/DeathNote'' is a perfect example of this trope, until it's [[PlayingWithATrope derailed]] by the fact that he's both incredibly smart and [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity megomaniacally insane.]] Though all indications are that said insanity would never have manifested had not been granted the ability to kill anyone just by writing down their name; during a MemoryGambit he's legitimately horrified by the notion that he could be the infamous serial killer Kira.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': Main characters [[Characters/AmphibiaAnneBoonchuy Anne Boonchuy]], [[Characters/AmphibiaSashaWaybright Sasha Waybright]], and [[Characters/AmphibiaMarcyWu Marcy Wu]] before they are transported to the titular world.

They're revealed to be reincarnated ancient heroes or alien princesses RaisedByHumans. They suddenly find a use for the [[ChekhovsSkill obscure skill or art]] they've been practicing since they could walk, or they discover their entire life has been a SecretTestOfCharacter to prepare them for [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility a great responsibility]]. They find out their SecretLegacy as heirs to a BadassFamily of demon hunters, wizards, or {{Yakuza}}. They find an ancient mystical MacGuffin in their attic, buy one for a few coins from a junk dealer, or are given one by a mysterious stranger on their DangerousSixteenthBirthday. They suddenly gain a TricksterMentor or a MagicalGirlfriend. They establish secret identities as a HenshinHero or a MagicalGirlWarrior, find a way to channel KiManipulation, summon a powerful GuardianEntity or [[FallingIntoTheCockpit fall into the cockpit]] of a HumongousMecha.

* As with most MagicalGirl series, the main characters of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' fall into this category (mostly in the Ordinary Middle School Student variant) before gaining supernatural powers. The WeaselMascot, Kyubey, even mentions that it's strange [[spoiler:how much karmic potential the TitleCharacter seems to have, since girls who fall into this category really shouldn't be that significant]]. As with most typical genre tropes, [[spoiler:the show brutally [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructs]] this. It turns out that ordinary teenagers aren't the greatest fighters and actually tend to die horribly and/or [[BreakTheCutie be psychologically traumatized]] when forced to fight monsters- which is all part of [[BigBad Kyubey]]’s plan to harvest despair for energy. [[{{Reconstruction}} Then reconstructed]] when one particularly ordinary student, who constantly berates herself for being ordinary, [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence becomes a goddess]] and destroys Kyubey’s system, [[PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion followed by]] her friend/[[LesYay possible lover]] who destroys/enslaves Kyubey itself. Somewhat re-deconstructed when it’s shown that young girls may not be the best at running an entire universe..]].

* For a while [[ComicBook/Robin1993 Tim Drake]] was this being just a regular, although brilliant, kid who through diligent detective work uncovered the secret identity of the first Robin and through him Batman and the second Robin. Even after taking up the mantle and becoming the third Robin he still fit the mold for a good portion of his career; his change didn't come until ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'' led to his father's death.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicTwilightSparkle Twilight Sparkle]] grew up a student studying in magic and friendship. In "[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Equestria Girls]]", however, she is sent on a mission to another world through a MagicMirror, and the accompanying metamorphosis left her as a powerless {{human|ityEnsues}} in {{high school|AU}}.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
** Peter Parker, which was revolutionary at the time. A ''sidekick-aged'' protagonist?!
** Inverted in ''ComicBook/SpiderManLovesMaryJane'', however, in which [[Characters/MarvelComicsMaryJaneWatson Mary Jane]]--the protagonist--actually ''is'' an ordinary high-school student.
* ''ComicBook/NewMutants'': Doug Ramsey was a kid from suburban New York who was good at languages and didn't know any different until he was informed by an acquaintance from the [[ComicBook/XMen odd boarding school nearby]] that he was in fact a mutant the with powers of... [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway comprehending languages]]... and dragged out of bed in the middle of the night to come establish communications with a potentially-hostile alien.
* The ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' were all normal teenagers... who in the course of a night watched their parents kill a young woman, discovered superpowers/super gadgets/a telepathic dinosaur, fought off their parents, and ended up becoming runaways living in an underground mansion.

* For a while [[ComicBook/Robin1993 Tim Drake]] was this being just a regular, although brilliant, kid who through diligent detective work uncovered the secret identity of the first Robin and through him Batman and the second Robin. Even after taking up the mantle and becoming the third Robin he still fit the mold for a good portion of his career; his change didn't come until ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'' led to his father's death.
* Putri from an Indonesian comic ''Satu Atap'' is an ordinary human [[https://www.deviantart.com/scarlet-dragonchild/art/Satu-Atap-2-172739697 who lived with a demon, elf, forest fairy, a were-tiger, and a merman]].

* Mary Jane Watson of ''Fanfic/UltimateSpiderWoman'' was an Ordinary College Student when she began to develop her bizarre superhuman abilities, and continues to be one even as she tries to juggle a superhero career along with it.
* Jorge from ''Fanfic/TheSecretLifeOfTheBackyardKids.'' Except he's not in high school, he's in middle school.

* In the ''Manga/SoulEater'' prequel ''Fanfic/SoulEaterZeta'', Kami (the unseen mother of Maka Albarn in canon) starts out this way.
* Suzaku in ''Fanfic/MyMirrorSwordAndShield'' is ordinary high school student making average grades who ends up time-travelling in his adoptive father’s time machine and ends up as an AcePilot for the EvilEmpire warring with his native people. Despite the hints of Suzaku having his canonical relations and backstory, he retains his backstory of being a normal person and [[spoiler: willingly goes back to normalcy in the end]].
* In ''Fanfic/LetUsBeYourPoison'', Ruby Rose is a normal teenager who goes to Southtown High. After stopping a criminal, she's accepted into Beacon Academy, a prestigious huntsman academy, despite the fact she is two years too young and wasn't already enrolled in a huntsman school.
* ''Fanfic/SuperwomenOfEvaLegaciesTrueBlue'': Well, junior high school student. Hikari is one of the few teenaged superwomen in the series to actually serve as an example of this trope, since most of the others were already mecha pilots, part Angel, child soldiers, child prodigies, or some combination thereof before ever getting superpowers.

* ''Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. The movie, unlike [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer the show]], starts with Buffy not even knowing about vampires and Slayers.
* ''Film/{{Clockstoppers}}'' features an Ordinary High School Student who stumbles upon a device that allows him to functionally stop time.
* [[BrotherSisterTeam Carmen and Juni Cortez]] in ''Film/SpyKids''.

* Bella Swan in ''Literature/{{Twilight}}''. Until she falls in love with a vampire--or, more to the point, the vampire falls for ''her''.
* In the lovely juvenile novel ''Wings'' by Bill Britain, the main character is an Ordinary High School Student who inexplicably develops a huge pair of fully-functional bat-like wings.
* The [=DHIs=] in ''Literature/TheKingdomKeepers''
* Neal Shusterman's ''Literature/ScorpionShards'' trilogy features a group of ordinary teenagers who turn out to be [[spoiler:shards of a far-off star born as humans to eventually save the world]].

* ''Literature/TheExilesViolin'': When the story begins, Jacquie is on her way home from school. The school itself is never seen because her life is blown up and she goes straight to vocational training, so to speak, under her foster father. Occasionally, she'll reflect back on this time with regret, thinking of lost opportunities.
* David Rain from ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles'' is an Ordinary College Student. [[spoiler:For awhile.]]
* Played with in ''Literature/StrengthAndJustice''. The story starts with Jeremy Itsubishi's role as a law enforcement cadet with ImprobableAimingSkills as his superpower. It's only after that we find out he's a high school student as well. Then he's pulled into the main conflict, playing the trope straight.
* Initially subverted, then played straight in Literature/UnLunDun. Zanna is said to be obviously special to all who see her, and she is the "Shwazzy", the prophesied savior of [=UnLondon=]. Until [[spoiler:she is attacked and her memory of [=UnLondon=] is removed]]. Then her friend Deeba--the completely normal, non-prophesied high schooler--must save the city instead.

* Terry [=McGinnis=] in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' until he was chosen to become the new Batman when Bruce Wayne became too old and weak for it.

* ''Film/{{Transformers}}'': Sam Witwicky was just an Ordinary High School Student until he bought his first car. Turns out it was an alien robot. Who knew? His special quality is just being the great-grandkid of the man who found Megatron.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': Main characters Anne, Sasha, and Marcy before they are transported to the titular world.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'': Ben was this, but was the star of the (apparently hugely popular for high school) soccer team at the end of the TimeSkip. Well, he was the goalie anyway.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': Both Marinette and Adrien were these until they were chosen to become Miraculous guardians Ladybug and Cat Noir.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Twilight Sparkle grew up a student studying in magic and friendship. In "[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Equestria Girls]]", however, she is sent on a mission to another world through a MagicMirror, and the accompanying metamorphosis left her as a powerless {{human|ityEnsues}} in {{high school|AU}}.

They're revealed to be reincarnated ancient heroes or alien princesses RaisedByHumans. They suddenly find a use for the [[ChekhovsSkill obscure skill or art]] they've been practicing since they could walk, or they discover their entire life has been a SecretTestOfCharacter to prepare them for [[WithGreatPower a great responsibility]]. They find out their SecretLegacy as heirs to a BadassFamily of demon hunters, wizards, or {{Yakuza}}. They find an ancient mystical MacGuffin in their attic, buy one for a few coins from a junk dealer, or are given one by a mysterious stranger on their DangerousSixteenthBirthday. They suddenly gain a TricksterMentor or a MagicalGirlfriend. They establish secret identities as a HenshinHero or a MagicalGirlWarrior, find a way to channel KiManipulation, summon a powerful GuardianEntity or [[FallingIntoTheCockpit fall into the cockpit]] of a HumongousMecha.

Sometimes, instead of gaining superpowers or TakingALevelInBadass, they merely become a WeirdnessMagnet: for example, they gain ''something'' that makes the [[ChickMagnet opposite sex flock to them]], and possibly the [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer odd member]] [[EvenTheGuysWantHim of their own]], whether they [[UnwantedHarem want the attention or not]]. Or they are a CosmicPlaything who frequently find themselves in the unenviable position of having to SaveTheWorld [[{{Muggles}} without any special powers]].

Whether or not they discover their PowersInTheFirstEpisode or merely receive a CallToAdventure that sends them on a [[IAmWho quest for their true nature]], it usually quickly becomes apparent they are anything but ordinary. Or even if they really are as ordinary as they seem, they won't ''stay'' ordinary for much longer.

* The film and book of Stephen King's ''Film/{{Carrie}}'', and the film sequel, ''Film/TheRageCarrie2''. At the start of the story, Carrie is only notable for being one of the school outcasts. In reality, Carrie has supernatural powers that even she was not entirely aware of.

* Sorata from ''LightNovel/ThePetGirlOfSakurasou'', a pretty average boy, was first sent to the local QuirkyHousehold for keeping a cat, then had the responsibility of looking after an IdiotSavant dumped on him...