History Main / RightfulKingReturns

* Happens in ''MitsumeteKnight R: Daibouken Hen'' with [[spoiler: TheHero [=MacLeod=]]], if you finish the game in a odd-numbered playthrough holding the "Licence of Heartless" item: in this storyline, [[spoiler: [=MacLeod=], [[TheReveal revealed as]] [[NobleFugitive the prince of the fallen kingdom Parmet]], achieves his {{revenge}} against TheEmpire Orcadia by destroying it, then restores Parmet Kingdom and becomes its King]].

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* Maharajah [[TheHero Marthanda Verma]] of [[{{UsefulNotes/India}} Kerala]] was forced into exile as the result of a coup by his cousins, who wanted the throne, and their allies the "[[CorruptCorporateExecutive Lords Of The Eight Houses]]" - the nobles of the state, who disliked his popularity with the people. After the king's disappearance, the state began a steady deterioration into chaos. His cousins even attempted to [[KickTheDog loot the sacred temples of the state]], prevented only by the common citizens [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome taking up arms and fighting off the troupe of heavily-trained soldiers and mercenaries]]. Before things spiraled completely, however, Verma returned with allies and supporting armies and, after several battles, [[BigDamnHeroes reclaimed his kingdom]]. The conspirators and murderers were executed. AndThereWasMuchRejoicing. Needless to say, Verma has been highly popularized in Kerala's literature.

[[caption-width-right:315:Bad things happened in his absence -- that's why he returns.]]

* Subverted in the ''{{Exalted}}'' adventure book ''Return of the Scarlet Empress''. The Empress also heralds the return of some of world's overthrown creators, but it is a ''[[SealedEvilInACan very]] [[HellOnEarth bad]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt thing]]''.

* Elyon in ''{{WITCH}}''.

* Epidemic in the {{Ruritania}}n Romance. [[{{Ptitlewo6dni8e}} Dorothy L. Sayers]] satirized it in her LordPeterWimsey novel ''Have His Carcase'' where the murder victim was obsessed with his claimed RoyalBlood and his right to the crown of Russia. [[spoiler:The murderers used that to lure him to his death.]]

* The ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode "Rightful Heir" plays with this. Klingon messiah [[CrystalDragonJesus Kahless]], the first Emperor of the Klingon Empire, seemingly returns, as he promised to, and claims the vacant throne of the Empire. It turns out that he is just a clone of Kahless raised to think that he is him, but Worf notes that he is still the [[TitleDrop rightful heir]], and so he is installed as emperor, in a ceremonial role.

* The manga adaptation of ''[[Manga/TheLegendOfZelda]]: ALinkToThePast'' by Himeakawa ends this way, with the return of the missing Princess Zelda (who is immediately crowned Queen, thus making it the Rightful Queen Returns).

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Elyon in ''{{WITCH}}''.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheRealAdventuresOfJonnyQuest'', it turns out that Hadji has RoyalBlood, and was to become the Sultan of [[SimSimSalabim Bangalore]], except his evil uncle and cousin killed his father, locked his mother up and tried to kill ''him'' to take the throne, back when Hadji was just a little kid. Of course he didn't die, he was saved by Pasha the Peddler and eventually adopted by Dr. Quest. Later on, with the help of the Quest Team, he saved his mother took back his throne.
* Dreamy Smurf in ''TheSmurfs'' is treated by the Pookies as this in a dream ([[OrWasItADream or so it would seem]]) when his SecondComing portends that they will be able to defeat the tyrannical Norf Nags.
** Papa Smurf also plays this role in "King Smurf" when he returns to stop the fighting among all his little Smurfs and to put an end to King Smurf's role as king.
[[/folder]]

* The ZeldaManga adaptation of ''ALinkToThePast'' by Himeakawa ends this way, with the return of the missing Princess Zelda (who is immediately crowned Queen, thus making it the Rightful Queen Returns).

* Played with in ''FinalFantasyIV''. The true king's dead, but you take his place.
** ''FinalFantasyXII'' uses this trope with Lady Ashe.

* OlderThanDirt: Horus in Egyptian religion, when he regained his father's kingdom from his murderous uncle Set, was held as the prototype of the rightful king ascending to the throne of Egypt and bringing order and justice to the land. Set, who murdered Horus's father Osiris (Set's brother), had usurped the throne of Egypt while Horus was growing up, and his unlawful reign was often depicted as a time of stife. DependingOnTheWriter, Set was either driven out in disgrace, or peacefully reconciled and shared the throne with Horus. References to this myth were made especially for royal coronations, as each reigning king was identified with Horus.

** There is a twist, however, which takes center stage beginning with book 4. Taran goes questing in search of his origins, receives [[spoiler:offers of adoption]] from kings and commoners both, and finally realizes he should just be himself. In book 5, he finds out [[spoiler: he was orphaned in one of Prydain's many wars, and even Dallben doesn't know who his parents were.]]

* The original Jewish concept of the messiah was that a descendant of David would return to resume the dynasty, making it an example of this trope. Since this is one common interpretation of passages in {{the Bible}} (including as far back as the prophetic book of Hosea), that makes this trope arguably {{Older than Dirt}}.
** And then we have {{Jesus}}, who Christians believe to have fulfilled the aforementioned role of TheMessiah, and who according to The Book Of Revelation will do it ''again.'' He incidentally is also a descendant of David, fulfilling the Jewish prophecy (assuming he's actually the Messiah, which Jews of course don't for a moment believe, but which Christians use as evidence anyway).

* Jesus' second coming in TheBible is in part to fulfill his role as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

* Subverted in a fantasy novel this troper cannot remember the name of; our heroine shows up claiming that her father was the elder brother of the tyrannical current king's father, and therefore she is the rightful heir to the throne. Her rebellion is a success, and it's not until the epilogue, set several decades into her reign, that it's revealed that she's an orphan who made the whole thing up.

* Jim Butcher's ''CodexAlera'' series is heading this way.

* Basically the main plot of the first ''SeptimusHeap'' book, ''Magyk''.

* Aragorn, from ''The Downfall of TheLordOfTheRings and the Return of the King'' (to cite the full title of the Red Book of Westmarch) was the rightful heir to the throne of Gondor.

*** Napoleon himself managed it briefly, during the "Hundred Days" of 1815.

* Played straight in LloydAlexander's PrydainChronicles. The country has a bunch of lesser kings who are overseen by one High King, and although throughout the series there is a kindly and just man in this position, the oracular ''Book of Three'' foretells the coming of a truly great High King. There is also an evil overlord threatening the land. The series follows the adventures of a foundling child, who is rescued by a great wizard and is raised by him out in the middle of nowhere. It turns out as you might expect.
** The stories draw on old mythology and folktales, so embodying this trope is not too surprising.
** What? The entire series is a purposeful subversion of this trope. [[spoiler:Taran's ancestry remains unknown and is revealed to be unimportant; he becomes king due to his worth, not his blood. And since he doesn't become king until he refuses to accompany the Sons of Don to the Summer Country, he isn't a returning king; he's becoming one. He's been secretly prepped to become a good king, sure, but he's no-one's rightful heir.]]

** Well, WorldWarTwo has come and gone...
*** Cheer up! Maybe he'll be back for WorldWarIII!
*** Maybe Churchill was a re-incarnation?
*** HIS kingdom, not the invader's.[[hottip:*:By which we mean Wales--or maybe Cornwall--not England or Britain. One doubts, however, that the Nazis would have cared.]]

* A while back, it turns out that one of the Kings of England was may have been illegitimately born, which if true would, technically, make pretty much the entire current royal family illegitimate. They tracked down the direct descendants of the legitimate heir... a Scottish lord living an ordinary life in Australia, who does not even use his use his legal title (14th Earl of Loudoun) in public.

* A while back, it turns out that one of the Kings of England was in fact illegitimately born, which would, technically, make pretty much the entire current royal family illegitimate. They tracked down the direct descendants of the legitimate heir... a typical family in Australia.
** The Edward IV legitimacy question crops up a lot, but it's ultimately not material to who sits on the throne today. Parliament decides the succession, and the current royal family has been explicitly asked to take the throne on two separate occasions (the restoration of Charles II, and the Glorious Revolution in 1688).

-->-- '''Terry Pratchett''', ''[[{{Discworld}} Guards! Guards!]]''