Line #32 PlayingWith/TheChosenZero


1	'''Basic Trope''': TheChosenOne is jerkish, incompetent, cowardly, or otherwise seemingly useless.
2	* '''Straight''': Bob, chosen to save his homeland of Tropeon from Emperor Evulz, is a cowardly, selfish loser who would rather get rich than save the world.
3	* '''Exaggerated''': Bob can't even hold a sword properly, treats the people of Tropeon like garbage, and doesn't care about his Chosen One duties. His {{Mentor}} and Emperor Evulz laugh at him.
4	* '''Downplayed''':
5	** Bob [[MrViceGuy has his flaws]], but is still basically decent enough that the people of Tropeon can see him as a hero, and he possesses enough clearly heroic traits that he is accepted after some initial skepticism.
6	** Bob's basic decency is never in question, only his talent and ability to carry out the task.
7	* '''Justified''':
8	** Bob was chosen because someone who [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre has to learn to be a hero]] gains more from the process than someone who already is.
9	** The entity that chose Bob saw potential in him that no one else does, and Emperor Evulz underestimates [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass the threat Bob poses]] ''because'' of how useless he looks.
10	** Bob's [[UnscrupulousHero character flaws were what enabled success where others failed.]] Previous chosen ones [[SheatheYourSword would attempt to fight guardians who should not be fought]]. Even his callous refusal to risk himself for a princess in distress [[DecoyDamsel turns out to be the right thing to do]]. His lack of honor leads to him agreeing to join Emperor Evulz only to [[SlainInTheirSleep kill him while he sleeps to claim all of the treasure for himself]].
11	** Bob was chosen to teach the villagers independence by showing [[AntiRoleModel the worst of dependence]].
12	* '''Inverted''':
13	** Bob, TheUnchosenOne, is TheParagon.
14	** Bob finds the CrapsackWorld he was destined to save [[ItIsBeyondSaving not really worth all that effort]] and lets it get destroyed.
15	* '''Subverted''':
16	** While it looks like Bob is hopeless, his specific talents are actually what is needed to defeat Emperor Evulz, and he [[TookALevelInBadass wises up]] [[LetsGetDangerous when the situation gets serious]].
17	** Bob [[FakeUltimateHero isn't]] actually TheChosenOne, and is [[DecoyProtagonist actually the real Chosen One's sidekick]].
18	** The entity is EvilAllAlong and chose Bob because he's too inept to interfere with its plans.
19	* '''Double Subverted''':
20	** ...but Bob is still the Chosen One, just more useful as a sidekick.
21	** Bob learns that the entity is evil and manages to foil it anyway.
22	* '''Parodied''': Bob is utterly [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan]] about his role, views being TheChosenOne as an inconvenience, and, while not heroic at all, is GenreSavvy or [[IdiotHero oblivious]] enough to get the job done anyway.
23	* '''Zig-Zagged''': Bob is a {{Jerkass}} when he is selected as the Chosen One, and during his quest to defeat Emperor Evulz he undergoes CharacterDevelopment and becomes a better person in the process. However, [[DudeWheresMyRespect he still has trouble being taken seriously]], and [[MrViceGuy is still prone to some less-than-heroic impulses or behavior]].
24	* '''Averted''':
25	** TheChosenOne is someone more along the lines of a traditional hero.
26	** There is no prophecy or Chosen One.
27	* '''Enforced''': The creator believes that an AntiHero Chosen One is a more interesting character than a traditionally heroic one.
28	* '''Lampshaded''':
29	** "Why Bob? I mean, the guy's totally useless!" "Yeah, Chosen One standards must have gone down."
30	** "TheChosenOne is an intolerable {{Jerkass}}. Who else saw this coming?"
31	* '''Invoked''':
32	** Emperor Evulz kills off all of the more likely Chosen One candidates in the hopes that the one he faces will be somebody absolutely pathetic.
33	** It is revealed eventually that the MacGuffin that the Chosen are meant to wield inevitably makes them all DrunkOnTheDarkSide and the more successful they were before getting a hold of it, the faster the taint manifests, and that the forger of said device was a very firm believer in the concept of [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger powerless people having a better understanding of using said power for good when they are offered it]]. So Bob is a perfect Chosen One ''[[CursedWithAwesome because]]'' he's a worthless, hopeless loser.
34	* '''Exploited''': ???
35	* '''Defied''': Because the situation is too dire to train Bob in time, ThePowersThatBe choose a more traditional hero.
36	* '''Discussed''': "Chances are we'll be stuck with Bob as TheChosenOne. ThisIsGonnaSuck."
37	* '''Conversed''': "Who chose Bob to be TheChosenOne? Were the spirits asleep or something?" "[[ItMakesSenseInContext Maybe you should have watched the first three episodes first.]]"
38	* '''Deconstructed''': Bob makes a FaceHeelTurn or [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere ignores his duties]] because he has nothing to gain from saving Tropeon and isn't about to risk his neck for people who don't respect him, or he snaps as a result of the expectations placed on him.
39	* '''Reconstructed''':
40	** For all his faults, Bob has enough basic decency [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone to feel ashamed of himself]] for abandoning people who depended on his help. He [[HesBack returns]] to redeem himself, standing up to Emperor Evulz and defeating him, proving himself to be TheChosenOne after all.
41	** Bob's {{Mentor}} finally discovers a method to train him by appealing to Bob's talents, regaining his faith in Bob and shaping him up enough to fight Emperor Evulz.
42	** Because of this, Bob's sidekick, who is a more normal hero in terms of morals but an even bigger loser from a narrative standpoint, [[DecoyProtagonist picks up Bob's role and completes the mission]]. The narration makes very clear that he would not have steeled his resolve had he [[DeliberatelyBadExample not seen what kind of jerk would refuse to help people]].
43	* '''Played For Laughs''':
44	** Bob is blissfully oblivious to how much everyone laughs at him, and approaches his duties with zeal despite his incompetence. Alternately, his unsuitability for the task becomes a RunningGag.
45	** Bob is a [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] {{Jerkass}} who spends most of his time complaining about being TheChosenOne, and is only in it for the money and fame.
46	** Bob quits the "Chosen One" job as soon as he can and the plot continues to follow him as his more mundane actions [[InMysteriousWays somehow]] act as the butterfly that leads the HeroOfAnotherStory to save the world (ex. if he had not taken the last can of Coca-Cola from the vending machine, the Hero would not have gone to the general store where TheDragon was buying Pop-Tarts, and so on).
47	* '''Played For Drama''': Bob's serious flaws and lack of faith in himself provide a major obstacle for him and alienate him from the Tropeans, and a large part of his CharacterDevelopment involves overcoming them or succeeding in spite of them.
48	* '''Played For Horror''': Bob's incompetence becomes the cause of a brutal HopeSpot.
49	* '''Implied''': Bob is TheLoad for most of the story as everyone debates who TheChosenOne really is. In the end, it is not confirmed who The Chosen One is, as everyone contributes to defeating the BigBad. However, Bob is the one who ends up delivering the final blow.
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51	Go back to TheChosenZero
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53	%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
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Context PlayingWith / TheChosenZero