The Concept Of The Chosen One

the idea what we are special that we are different from all of the sacks of meat beside us that out of the billions of people, it was us who was chosen. and that we didnt need to earn it, we were born with that sense of elitism i enjoyed tokyo ghoul's concept of the mc not being special or chosen. that he was in the wrong (right) place at the wrong (right) time. total coincidence.

I can it as one fantasy may have since nobody is special but in fiction there can be "that one person". Sometime I think it's just a boring cliché though.

Everyone wants to feel special, That they have a purpose, That they have something important that only they can do in life. It's a simple concept, and it obviously works very well, when done effectively. it helps dig into our inner desires of doing something great.

The red string! The idea of the chosen one is ingrained in my culture hah.The mandate of the heaven! The chosen one concept can be seen in many cultures, texts, our ancestors weren't that aware of world,nature and themselve, they knew their power was limited.To some people, they wanted to convince commoners that they were the authorities chosen by deities.

Destiny. How one poor, slave kid could become someone powerful enough to bring balance to the Force and destroy the rest of the Sith. More than just feeling special and different....but that you, and only you, and no one else in the entire galaxy is capable of accomplishing. With all the pressures of the duty that comes with it....what's expected of you and what is unacceptable for you to do. The conflict of ideals, personality, and morals that restrict you from doing certain actions and having certain beliefs....like how people say that its impossible for you to settle down with the person you love or hurting someone out of anger or hate is absolutely forbidden. When someone is destined to do something, it brings about a lot of obstacles, challenges, and development as said character confronts what they "have" to do, rather than what they "want" to do....being burdened with all the expectations, rules, and obstacles brings about many different scenarios and conflict dependent on the said chosen one's character, their personality, and their setting/situation.

I’m more or less use to seeing chosen one stuff used as a joke or implied in anime. The idea that this singular entity gets everything either fucked for them or handed to them then it’s up to the author to prevent the Mary Sue aspect. Harem anime for example you could call them the “chosen one” (implied metaphorically) sometimes they are, though it is because their self insert nature they exist and the denseness plus solving problems easily for what ever reason yet this type of story has been redone to make things interesting because of not problem solving from a narrative aspect but character interactions problems are very much a main appeal even it’s not to develop any sort of plot for them it develops the waifu plot surrounding the bland mc. Date A Live is a good example of this though it does have some good drama, personally though I think the waifu interactions+Problem solving combined help drive the appeal Or You could you could write/make an actually amazing in-depth story by fucking over the main character which is what some isekai animes try to do. Re;Zero kinda does this??? I can only think of harem animes as true “chosen ones” but not for the chosen narrative though XD

In most cases: Lazy writing + Wish Fulfillment. In some cases: A fun trope to subvert or play around with.

Also cause self inserting exists and relatability, by having people relate to said “chosen one” book feels like you can have a vicarious purpose through fictional means in today’s world through books and the sort. Though with Starwars Luke is kinda an optimist with a lot of heart so I guess people would like to find a bit of them selfs in that??? I think there’s some mark hamel YT videos from last year where he talks about Luke v.s the older Luke

Although the concept of the chosen one may have worked in mythology and literature that predates modern media, I find it rather dull and uninteresting trying to use it stories that have non-fantasy settings. Personally I can't think of a story where the "chosen one" failed, making most stories that have one all the more predictable. But if there's a way to put a twist on it, (as in the case with Star Wars), then it can still be effective. (Although I consider Star Wars to be fantasy in Sci-Fi setting, rather than Sci-Fi).