History Main / WhatIfGodWasOneOfUs

* The plot of ''BruceAlmighty''. Starts as The Despot, [[spoiler: tries to be The Savior but isn't up to the task.]]

* The GodEmperor of ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer 40000}}'' is a mix of The Self-Denouncer and The Shepard. He considers himself to be a human and thinks humanity should [[HumansAreSpecial worship themselves]] rather than any deities while at first he just guided humanity instead of making his presence known until [[CrapsackWorld shit hit the fan.]]

* The GodEmperor of ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer 40000}}'' is a mix of The Self-Denouncer and The Shepard. He considers himself to be a human and thinks humanity should [[HumansAreSpecial worship themselves]] rather than any deities.

It's a simple question, really. What if someone were a god? Being GodInHumanForm or DeityOfHumanOrigin would probably be much harder than one would think. For starters, there's a very good possibility you'd not be omnipotent; in fact, your powers may be very, very limited. For another, there's the whole "human psyche" aspect to worry about. What happens when the powers of a god are encased in a mortal shell? Even if only ''perceived'' as such, and not a god in actuality, what would the psychological ramifications be? Would you use this for power, for justice? Would you even care, or would you revile the idea?

* '''[[ComesGreatResponsibility The Savior]]:''' You follow the creed of WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility and devote yourself to helping others outwardly, hoping you will have a greater effect on society.

* '''The Shepherd:''' You know the truth, and must show the world the true path, the righteous way; you shall teach men to fish, and they shall be fed for a lifetime.

* '''[[AGodIAmNot The Self-Denouncer:]]''' You are not a god, nor might there even ''be'' a god at all; you wish people would believe in themselves and others, [[StopWorshippingMe rather than worship you and some fairy tale.]]
* '''[[{{NietzscheWannabe}} The Nietzsche Wannabe]]:''' You are a god. Fine. Then how are mortals or their morals and troubles any concern of yours?
* '''The Oblivious:''' You haven't the faintest idea that you are a god, or even anything other than human. You may not even notice all the [[RealityWarper odd things that tend to happen around you...]]

See AGodAmI, KnightTemplar and several other tropes for the ends-results of WhatIfGodWasOneOfUs.

* {{Superman}}, PreCrisis, is a clear-cut example of a Savior-type. PostCrisis, however, he is a combination of a Reluctant Messiah and Self-Denouncer type - he hates being called a god, but wishes he were the god people make him out to be.

* The entire premise of the ''HaruhiSuzumiya'' series is that Haruhi is The Oblivious. She's bored with ordinary life, so she regularly goes out of her way [[CloudCuckooLander looking for interesting things]], or [[WrongGenreSavvy trying to imagine mysteries where none exist]], but she doesn't even realize some of her friends are aliens or time travelers, who may or may not exist because she wished them into existence.

* Arguably, one of the central themes of ''{{Exalted}}'' is to explore this question. Given that there are several thousand of them, the titular Exalted tend to run the gamut of archetypes presented here, with the possible exception of Obliviousness--Exaltation is hard to miss.

* Light Yagami of ''DeathNote'' is a perfect example of The Prince. He uses godlike powers to kill evildoers and those who stand against him, so as to gain the fear and admiration of the weak populace as a true god, all to ultimately bring order and peace to the world - with him as God Almighty reigning over it, of course.

* In ''TheWorldEndsWithYou'', [[spoiler: Joshua]] shows elements of The Prince and The Shepherd, trying to [[spoiler: erase all of Shibuya, shooting Neku twice, and using him in a pawn in his game.]] On the other hand, [[spoiler: -he-]] also keeps the Game running as a means of judging the dead and refining their Imaginations, and Neku, Shiki and maybe Beat seem to have grown from their experiences in it. [[spoiler: Hanekoma]], meanwhile, seems to be a straight example of The Shepherd.
* ''DevilSurvivor'': [[spoiler: The Main Character in the King of Saints ending is the Prince, with some Shepherd-like characteristics. In the King of Demons ending, he acts like he's The Ubermensch, but this is actually a smokescreen: he's actually The Savior in a somewhat twisted way. In the other endings he gives up or fails to attain the power of Bel, though an argument could be made for him acting as The Shepherd and The Self-Denouncer in Atsuro's route, as he gives power to humanity instead of seizing it for himself. Gin's route is pure Rebel, while Yuzu's is an unusual Rebellion in that the MC [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere simply drops the problem and runs away]] rather than fighting to save the world.]]

<<|ReligionTropes|>>

It's a simple question, really. What if someone were a god? Being GodInHumanForm would probably be much harder than one would think. For starters, there's a very good possibility you'd not be omnipotent; in fact, your powers may be very, very limited. For another, there's the whole "human psyche" aspect to worry about. What happens when the powers of a god are encased in a mortal shell? Even if only ''perceived'' as such, and not a god in actuality, what would the psychological ramifications be? Would you use this for power, for justice? Would you even care, or would you revile the idea?

* '''The Self-Denouncer:''' You are not a god, nor might there even ''be'' a god at all; you wish people would believe in themselves and others, rather than worship you and some fairy tale.

* [[{{Watchmen}} Doctor Manhattan]] is essentially a god, and is explicitly called that by one character. Because he sees everything at its molecular level, and all time exists at the same time for him, though, he's become The Ubermensch. In flashbacks (such as the Vietnam War), he's more of an ExtremeDoormat who doesn't fit any of the archetypes, though he tries to be The Savior.

* Arguably, one of the central themes of ''{{Exalted}}'' is to explore this question. Given that there are several thousand of them, the titular Exalted tend to run the gamut of archetypes presented here, with the possible exception of Obliviousness--Exaltation is [[{{Understatement}} a little hard to miss]].

* '''[[{{NiezscheWannabe}} The Ubermensch]]:''' You are a god. Fine. Then how are mortals or their morals and troubles any concern of yours?

* '''[[{{Ubermensch}} The Ubermensch]]:''' You are a god. Fine. Then how are mortals or their morals and troubles any concern of yours?

It's a simple question, really. What if someone were a God? Being GodInHumanForm would probably be much harder than one would think. For starters, there's a very good possibility you'd not be omnipotent; in fact, your powers may be very, very limited. For another, there's the whole "human psyche" aspect to worry about. What happens when the powers of a god are encased in a mortal shell? Even if only ''perceived'' as such, and not a god in actuality, what would the psychological ramifications be? Would you use this for power, for justice? Would you even care, or would you revile the idea?

* Joan Osborne's song 'What If God Was One Of Us' is based on this trope.

* ''DevilSurvivor'': [[spoiler: The Main Character in the King of Saints ending is the Prince, with some Shepherd-like characteristics. In the King of Demons ending, he acts like he's The Ubermensch, but this is actually a smokescreen: he's actually The Savior in a somewhat twisted way. In the other endings he gives up or fails to attain the power of Bel, though an argument could be made for him acting as The Shepherd and The Self-Denouncer in Atsuro's route, as he gives power to humanity instead of seizing it for himself.]]

* The entire premise of the ''SuzumiyaHaruhi'' series is that Haruhi is The Oblivious. She's bored with ordinary life, so she regularly goes out of her way [[CloudCuckooLander looking for interesting things]], or [[WrongGenreSavvy trying to imagine mysteries where none exist]], but she doesn't even realize some of her friends are aliens or time travelers, who may or may not exist because she wished them into existence.

* In BaldursGate, [[spoiler: the PC is The Oblivious for much of the game.]] In BaldursGate2, the ending determines whether he will be The Despot, The Savior with shades of Rebel, or Rebel and leave the mantle on the floor.

* In TheWorldEndsWithYou, [[spoiler: Joshua]] shows elements of The Prince and The Shepherd, trying to [[spoiler: erase all of Shibuya, shooting Neku twice, and using him in a pawn in his game.]] On the other hand, [[spoiler: -he-]] also keeps the Game running as a means of judging the dead and refining their Imaginations, and Neku, Shiki and maybe Beat seem to have grown from their experiences in it. [[spoiler: Hanekoma]], meanwhile, seems to be a straight example of The Shepherd.

* '''The Rebel:''' You are you, god or not; you are flesh and blood, and will decide your fate for yourself. If that means becoming the opposite of what you were intended to be, then so be it.

* '''The Savior:''' You follow the creed of WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility and devote yourself to helping others outwardly, hoping you will have a greater effect on society.
* '''The Despot:''' You flaunt your power over others, declaring AGodAmI and using this power for personal gain and satisfaction.

* '''The Prince:''' You will rule over all you see, for only you are capable of preventing these wretches from drowning themselves in their own filth.

* '''The Ubermensch:''' You are a god. Fine. Then how are mortals or their morals and troubles any concern of yours?

* [[{{Watchmen}} Doctor Manhattan]] is essentially a god, and is explicitly called that by one character. Because he sees everything at its molecular level, and all time exists at the same time for him, though, he's become The Ubermensch.

* In {{TheWorldEndsWithYou]], [[spoiler: Joshua]] shows elements of The Prince and The Shepherd, trying to [[spoiler: erase all of Shibuya, shooting Neku twice, and using him in a pawn in his game.]] On the other hand, [[spoiler: -he-]] also keeps the Game running as a means of judging the dead and refining their Imaginations, and Neku, Shiki and maybe Beat seem to have grown from their experiences in it. [[spoiler: Hanekoma]], meanwhile, seems to be a straight example of The Shepherd.

* In BaldursGate, [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready the PC is The Oblivious for much of the game.]] In BaldursGate2, the ending determines whether he will be The Despot, The Savior with shades of Rebel, or Rebel and leave the mantle on the floor.