History Main / UniqueProtagonistAsset

* In ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'', Hiccup is the only person riding a Night Fury. No one else has one. In ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'', it's speculated that Toothless may very well be the LastOfHisKind, justifying the trope, and in the third movie, it's revealed that the Night Furies were hunted to near extinction by the BigBad, confirming it.
* The Furious Five from ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' subvert this trope, being set up as master martial artists who go out to defeat the movie's villain but suffer a CurbStompCushion. Po, however, plays this trope straight (albeit subtly) in that his special ability is to learn extremely rapidly when food is a motivation. The plot of the third film has him try to use the same methodology to teach [[spoiler:the rest of the pandas]] to fight.

* ''Fanfic/EquestriaGirlsFriendshipSouls'': Magic is this in general. Thanks to how magic mixes with spiritual powers to [[AmplifierArtifact awaken, enhance and accelerate its growth exponentially]], Sunset Shimmer, the Humane Five, Human Twilight Sparkle, [[spoiler:and Adagio Dazzle]] have managed to awaken their abilities and rapidly climb the power rankings via NextTierPowerUp and TrainingFromHell in weeks and months what takes most being decades if not centuries to achieve. All sides of the Soul Reaper/Quincy/Hollow war are aware of this and several have gone out their way to study magic in the hopes of harnessing it for themselves for their own exponential growth and make the "unique protagonist" part null and void [[spoiler:with [[MadScientist Grogar]] intent on using it to accelerate Hollow evolution (especially of himself) and Human Starlight Glimmer wanting to use it in her campaign against the [[GreaterScopeVillain Zero Division]].]]
* ''Fanfic/FateRevelationOnline'': Discussed; as in Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} canon, people are born with an affinity for various elements of either the Western or Eastern arrays. Sometimes, however, people can have a "Rare Element" that does not match any of these, and is often unique. The players semi-jokingly refer to these people as "Protagonists" since it's such a common anime plot for the main character to have some rare special ability. Rosalia mentions that many people have Rare Elements that are [[CripplingOverspecialization too specialized and weird to make good use of]]; these people usually don't get called Protagonists. Shirou (as in canon) has the Sword element, which is even more useful in a game completely built around swords. Silica has the Beast element, and Illya begins collecting Rare element holders at Kayaba's request.

* Superman in ''Film/ManOfSteel'' is the only non-villainous character with superpowers.
* Batman throughout the ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' stands out due to his ninja training, martial arts prowess, and gadgets.
* Neo from the ''Franchise/TheMatrix'' is '''The One''', the prophesied quasi-messiah whose ability to control the titular Matrix will lead humanity out of bondage to the machines. However, [[Film/TheMatrixReloaded the sequels]] complicate this, as while he may be the One, he's not the ''first'' One. According to the machines, there needs to be an "anomaly" who will periodically "save" humanity from the Matrix; his very existence is necessary to the functioning of the system. Neo is merely the most recent incarnation of this anomaly.

* Subverted in ''Film/ABeautifulMind''. At first, we are made to think John Nash is a genius mathematician who is the only person skilled enough to crack Russian spy codes, but [[spoiler: it turns out he's just insane and it is all part of his mental illness]]. Double subverted [[spoiler: when he uses his genius intelligence to realize that his hallucinations are not real, thus curing himself.]]

* {{Downplayed}} in ''Literature/BewareOfChicken''. The fact that Meiling ''has'' medicinal qi is not unique, as just about all healers learn to generate it. What ''is'' unique, or at least very rare, is that Meiling's qi is naturally medicinal, instead of needing to be transformed.

* ''Literature/TortallUniverse''

* ''Literature/TheLicaniusTrilogy'': Davian's [[OurLichesAreDifferent undead]] state makes him the only person who can safely traverse the Deillanis time rift (the energies of the rift are anathema to life, and would annihilate any living thing on contact).
* ''Literature/CradleSeries'': Lindon has four of them, contrasting Yerin's BoringButPractical MagicKnight style, and Eithan's ConfusionFu SkilledAndStrong style.
** First, he has pure [[{{Mana}} madra]]. This isn't actually unique; every child is born with pure madra. But since it's only useful as AntiMagic, everyone always quickly gives it up for something else once they reach the rank of Copper (which is generally before they're teenagers). As an adult with pure madra, he has an unexpected trick up his sleeve, and has an advantage in soulsmithing.
** Second, he split his core in two. On the surface, this is a disadvantage; he has to raise two separate cores instead of one, and all he got was defense against a few extremely rare abilities that target cores. But having a second core means he can fill one of them with a different type of madra and still keep his pure madra in the other one.
** Third, he walks the Blackflame Path. This is an extremely dangerous Path that built the Blackflame Empire, only for the imperial family to die off on their own as the madra crippled their bodies and minds. But Lindon's overpowered HealingFactor, combined with his ability to switch to a pure core to take the stress off and clean his madra channels, means he can use the Blackflame Path with no danger.
** Fourth, he's the only known member of his world with [[spoiler:a Presence, in this case Dross. Essentially a combat ArtificialIntelligence living inside his head, Dross gives Lindon perfect TrueSight, PhotographicMemory, and reliable (though not perfect) CombatPrecognition]]. This is an item normally exclusive to the [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Abidan]], and Lindon got it by [[KarmicJackpot being nice to a literal piece of trash]].

* In ''VideoGame/TheBureauXCOMDeclassified'', William Carter is the only XCOM agent who can analyze the battlefield in an instant, give orders to the other agents on the fly, and react to enemy actions with nigh-superhuman speed. [[spoiler:It's actually an [[EnergyBeing Etherial]] named Asaru who is controlling Carter like a puppet and using its psychic abilities to augment its chosen human vessel]]. Near the end of the game, one of three other characters exhibit the same abilities ([[spoiler:as Carter forces Asaru to leave him, resulting in Asaru finding another vessel]]).

* The Hero of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'' is immune to curses. This allows him to survive the initial curse cast on Castle Trodain, letting him tag along on Trode's journey, leading eventually to the game's resolution. Post-game, it's even revealed that [[spoiler: having a curse on him is what [[CursedWithAwesome let him be immune to further curses]].]]

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'': The world hasn't seen any Espers since the end of the Magi war. So protagonist Terra Branford's status as a HalfHumanHybrid bridging Espers and humanity is a large part of the plot. [[spoiler:The destruction of the Espers takes her focal viewpoint out of the way and Celes takes over as the lead, who is the only other natural mage of the party.]]
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXVI'': The world of Valisthea is home to 8 Eikons of extraordinary power whose human Dominants influence shake every corner of the planet. Clive has the unique position of being the Dominant of Ifrit, a never before seen Eikon who can absorb the power of the other Eikons from their Dominants.

** Lute, as the main protagonist of the game as a whole, has...nope, nothing. He is, in fact, the second-weakest character in the game at start (only Asellus, at her game-start, is weaker), just a human with low stats and no skills. This is [[MagikarpPower a kind of power in itself]], though, as he learns extremely quickly and can be developed however you like, be it as a swordsman, a gun user, a martial artist or even a magician, and he can get most of the available allies in the game who aren't specific to one player's quest.

* While Ren Fujii from ''VisualNovel/DiesIrae'' has to play by the rules of Die Ewigkeit like everyone else, what makes him different is that he is a living Ahnenerbe capable of wielding other Ahnenerbe created by Mercurius. That means that while others are only able to use a single relic, he can use multiple at once. This also gives him unrivaled growth, allowing him to gain power far faster than anyone else could ever dream of. And finally, his very first relic is powered by what is basically the soul and curse of a demi-goddess while everyone else are powered by a finite amount of regular human souls. The only thing really holding him back is his lack of experience and understanding of his full toolset as well as the utterly overpowered individuals he has to go up against.
* In ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', Shirou Emiya is by no means a great Magus. However, his ability to replicate swords plays a very large role in the story, varying based on the route; common among all the routes is that his ability allows him to at least temporarily fight the very superhuman Servants head-on, something that even first-rate Magi like Rin can't accomplish. [[spoiler:Archer's ability to do the exact same thing tips the audience off to the fact that he is Shrou's FutureBadass self]].

%%* Subverted in ''Webcomic/{{Paranatural}}'' when [[http://www.paranatural.net/index.php?id=60 Max gains his spectral powers.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' and ''Westernanimation/TheLegendOfKorra,'' the Avatar alone is capable of mastering all four elements. While normal benders can apply principles from the other schools to control their element in interesting ways, they're still limited to that one element.

* Callum from ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'' is the only human in the world with a connection to a Primal Source, which gives him the ability to do magic.

* In ''Anime/YuGiOhVRAINS'', it's established that every Duelist has [[SignatureMove Skills]], which are one-use perks that complement the Duelist's play style or strategy. Playmaker's Skill stands out in its ability to obtain new Link Monsters in the middle of a Duel, which then become physical cards for future use. [[spoiler:This makes the reveal that Revolver has the same Skill a lot more impactful.]]

* Neo from the ''Franchise/TheMatrix'' is [[StealthPun the one]] to end up with Matrix-warping powers at the end of the first film.

* ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'': Steve Rogers is the only super-powered individual in the war, having been given the super-soldier serum designed by Dr. Erskine. (Red Skull took a prototype version, but it had [[RedRightHand unfortunate side effects]].)However, there are two interesting twists to his story.

* Peter Parker from ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' has superpowers with only the main villain having powers as well.

* ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'': Steve Rogers is the only successfully created super soldier in existence (Red Skull took a prototype of his treatment, which is why he has a ''red skull''). Interestingly, Erskine believes that what makes Steve so special is not the treatment that gave him his powers but the strength of character that he showed even before it.

* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'': [[InexplicablyAwesome There's no real reason]] a random cop from Jersey can use BulletTime, fly through the air without hurting himself or shrug off waves of bullets by popping pills other than he's the protagonist.

* The protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' is the only (still-living) human character among a cast of monsters. This makes them special due to humans in the series having [[TheDeterminator Determination]], which manifests in the series as an in-universe SaveScumming ability. [[spoiler: The only other monster characters who possess Determination are Undyne, who can access it for a HeroicSecondWind but whose body literally ''melts'' when she tries to use it, and Flowey, who was the result of experiments to grant monsters Determination, though the process also afflicted him with a LackOfEmpathy.]]

-->''"[[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Nothing. I'm just a kid from Brooklyn.]]"''

** Eren also gains the ability to physically transform ''into'' a Titan early in the story. This leads the protagonists to making significant discoveries about the nature of Titans in general and gives humanity its first true victory against them in over a century. The uniqueness doesn't last, as not long after the existence of antagonistic Titan Shifters is confirmed.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': Every character is noted to be quick on their feet, but Sonic stands above them all as ''the'' fastest thing alive. Mildly subverted as there are two characters who can match his speeds; EvilKnockoff Metal Sonic, and AntiHero Shadow the Hedgehog.

%%[[folder:Web Comics]]

%%[[/folder]]

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Admitted to the elite [[ExtranormalInstitute Beacon Academy]] two years early, [[TheUnchosenOne Ruby Rose]] has developed astonishing skills from an early age because she is [[HeroicSpirit so driven]] to become a [[HunterOfMonsters Huntress]] who protects people like [[IdealHero storybook heroes]]. Being born with rare [[MagicalEye silver eyes]] gives her the ability to slay the [[AnimalisticAbomination Grimm]] with the [[LightEmUp power of Light]]; it also [[BornWinner endows her]] with the potential to become one of the [[WorldsGreatestWarrior world's greatest warriors]]. The BigBad has been hunting Silver-Eyed Warriors for nefarious reasons, TheHeavy has a [[AchillesHeel unique vulnerability]] to this power, and the BigGood thinks she has an "unquantifiable spark" that allows her to inspire people -- [[TheChosenOne including him]] -- even in the darkest times. [[{{Deconstruction}} This ends up being deconstructed in a number of ways,]] as Ruby herself ''doesn't'' like being special, wanting to be a normal huntress and to help people like anyone else. The fact that the Silver Eyes also puts a giant target on her back, and [[EmotionalPowers requires her to be in tune with her happiest memories and emotions]] (something that's very difficult for someone as emotionally repressed as her) to use effectively makes the Silver Eyes a mixed bag for her at best.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Admitted to the elite [[ExtranormalInstitute Beacon Academy]] two years early, [[TheUnchosenOne Ruby Rose]] has developed astonishing skills from an early age because she is [[HeroicSpirit so driven]] to become a [[HunterOfMonsters Huntress]] who protects people like [[IdealHero storybook heroes]]. Being born with rare [[MagicalEye silver eyes]] gives her the ability to slay the [[AnimalisticAbomination Grimm]] with the [[LightEmUp power of Light]]; it also [[BornWinner endows her]] with the potential to become one of the [[WorldsGreatestWarrior world's greatest warriors]]. The BigBad has been hunting Silver-Eyed Warriors for nefarious reasons, TheHeavy has a [[AchillesHeel unique vulnerability]] to this power, and the BigGood thinks she has an "unquantifiable spark" that allows her to inspire people -- [[TheChosenOne including him]] -- even in the darkest times. This ends up being deconstructed in a number of ways, as Ruby herself ''doesn't'' like being special, wanting to be a normal huntress and to help people like anyone else. The fact that the Silver Eyes also puts a giant target on her back, and [[EmotionalPowers requires her to be in tune with her happiest memories and emotions]] (something that's very difficult for someone as emotionally repressed as her) to use effectively makes the Silver Eyes a mixed bag for her at best.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Admitted to the elite [[ExtranormalInstitute Beacon Academy]] two years early, [[TheUnchosenOne Ruby Rose]] has developed astonishing skills from an early age because she is [[HeroicSpirit so driven]] to become a [[HunterOfMonsters Huntress]] who protects people like [[IdealHero storybook heroes]]. Being born with rare [[MagicalEye silver eyes]] gives her the ability to slay the [[AnimalisticAbomination Grimm]] with the [[LightEmUp power of Light]]; it also [[BornWinner endows her]] with the potential to become one of the [[WorldsGreatestWarrior world's greatest warriors]]. The BigBad has been hunting Silver-Eyed Warriors for nefarious reasons, TheHeavy has a [[AchillesHeel unique vulnerability]] to this power, and the BigGood thinks she has an "unquantifiable spark" that allows her to inspire people -- [[TheChosenOne including him]] -- even in the darkest times.