Far too often, we hear writers talk about how the idea of a “chosen one” has been done time and time again and that the trope should be dropped. In fact, many talk about how the trope is now boring, overused, and uninteresting. Despite these claims, we still see that most stories that we enjoy today are structured around the “chosen one.” Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Percy Jackson, and more all utilize the chosen one trope. Even my own books have a chosen one in them!
The key to writing about the chosen one is that you just need to make the story around said chosen one compelling. You need to ensure that readers will connect with the struggle of the chosen one and actually enjoy the story.
The History of the Chosen One
The idea of writing about a fantastical person who has somehow been chosen for an extraordinary thing dates way back to the times of early mythology and theology. For the most part, Greek epics focused on a chosen person. Even dating back to the times of ancient Mesopotamia, we see the idea of a chosen one in “The Epic of Gilgamesh.”
For the most part, the idea of a person being the center of the story and the idea of this chosen person embarking on a journey or saving the world or something like that has been our method of storytelling.
Even our most famous stories such as The Lord of the Rings features Frodo Baggins, who is basically chosen to cast the Ring into Mordor and stop Sauron. Sure, Frodo gets a lot of help along the way, but he is the one who ultimately stops the bad guys, basically. Sure, he’s not some all-powerful wizard or someone with extraordinary abilities, but he’s still basically the one tasked with this incredibly difficult role.
We cannot disconnect the chosen one from literature without basically discrediting all of these amazing literary pieces. But you see what the common link in this whole thing is? Literature that is great is great, even if the idea of a chosen one is front-and-center to the story.
Why do People Hate the “Chosen One?”
The idea of a chosen one has often been dunked on lately because of quite a few reasons. We need to know about these reasons so that we can actually craft stories that avoid falling into being way too cliche and predictable.
We Know What to Expect by Now…
Speaking of predictability, that’s basically the first reason why people don’t like the idea of the chosen one in literature. Basically, an ordinary person somehow discovers that they are this super powerful person and must stop the bad guy. This is a very predictable storyline and everybody knows it at this point. It doesn’t leave room for excitement in the reader’s eyes.
Relatable or Not?
Others don’t like the chosen one because the chosen one isn’t relatable. I mean, how many of you have woken up one day to find out that you’re actually an ancient spirit that has been reborn or something absolutely insane like that? I’m going to wager none.
That’s a big issue for a lot of readers, because they can’t find themselves actually relating to a chosen one because the chosen one is facing really big obstacles that most people would never in their entire lives face.
But to be fair, I’d argue that this isn’t necessary for writing any story. Relatability is sometimes the opposite of what you want to achieve, because many read fantasy for escapism purposes. More on that later though…
Every Story Basically Has This Trope!
The chosen one, like I mentioned earlier, has basically been used in so many stories and movies and games and TV shows that it’s gotten really basic and boring for a lot of people. I mean, if you play something like Assassin’s Creed, basically every game has you play as someone that must stop the Templar threat–or the Order of the Ancients. So, isn’t that you being a chosen one every time? You’re the last hope. The guy who’s gonna stop ’em all.
How about Skyrim? You’re literally the Dragonborn! FUS DO RA! You’ve got magical dragon powers and you can do whatever you want!
I think I’m getting too deep into games here, but you get my point. Everything from movies to video games includes a chosen one at this point.
It’s Too Simple
A lot of people hate the chosen one because this trope is very simplistic, and that’s not inaccurate. For the most part, good vs evil is basically all people talk about when it comes to the chosen one. The good guy–the chosen one–must stop the bad guy–basically someone who’s pure evil.
But, like I mentioned in my post about writing purely evil villains, you can really make these types of stories interesting by ensuring that your characters are well-crafted!
So, Why Write the Chosen One Trope?
Up until this point, it seems like I’m dunking on the chosen one trope, aren’t I? Well, let me switch gears for a second here and explain to you why you shouldn’t dunk on the chosen one. Let me explain why the chosen one is actually a great trope when done right!
Everyone Loves the Hero’s Journey
Whether we like it or not, even stories that claim that they do not include a chosen one, stories almost always include the hero’s journey. This idea was crafted during the days of Ancient Greece, but the hero’s journey is a universal one. It involves someone going from the bottom of the rung to becoming someone entirely different by the end of the story.
The hero’s journey involves struggle and triumph, trials and tribulations, and transformation. It’s a quest of self-discovery and ability. It resonates with people because we love to see success after difficulty. We ourselves face this sort of cycle in life where we struggle but when we succeed, it’s rewarding.
When something is challenging, the end-result feels more powerful to us. (This is also why Dark Souls has so many fans FYI and why I refuse to stop playing Elden Ring even if I want to break my controller while doing so).
The hero’s journey is something that has existed throughout many cultures and it still has validity in the heart’s of people. I would not discredit the hero’s journey because it means something to readers.
It doesn’t need to be relatable in its entirety, but the idea of triumph following struggle is relatable for everyone on Earth, guaranteed.
Escapism and Wonder
Fantasy is especially home to the hero’s journey, and a lot of people really like fantasy because of the fact that it is a good way for them to escape their day-to-day lives. Fantasy offers up a new world with so much going on that it excites people. It’s different from what we see in our daily lives. It’s also a great way to wonder and explore new ideas.
The chosen one is also a bit of an escape. When someone normal becomes someone not-so-normal, that is really a great form of escapism. Readers imagine themselves as this person who has suddenly been thrust into the violent world of whatever villainy awaits, but they know by the end that they will triumph. It’s how they triumph that gets them excited.
It’s like when you play Skyrim and you’re the Dragonborn. You know by the end that you’ll succeed, but how you succeed is where the real adventure is. And that adventure allows for you to place yourself in the shoes of the protagonist.
The Chosen One is Symbolic
The chosen one is inspirational because the chosen one is a symbol of the extraordinary. As readers, we often find ourselves searching for the hidden meanings behind things in literature. I’m sure if you’ve taken any English class at any point in your life, you’ve been told to find the symbolic meaning behind things time and time again.
But we actually really like symbols in our lives. The chosen one is typically the manifestation of some sort of struggle and triumph, so that’s symbolic to readers. As a writer, it’s important to give the characters in my story some sort of meaning.
How to Elevate the Chosen One
I would say the biggest issue in fantasy isn’t the chosen one, it’s how the chosen one is written. There are some subtle ways you can make your chosen one actually interesting for readers and not just like the older stories or like other stories overall.
What if the Chosen One Isn’t so Good Afterall?
We often see stories about the chosen one where this chosen one is just the pinnacle of being the “good guy,” right? We all know stories like this. The hero can’t hurt the villain despite hurting all the grunts, right?
I’m just here to let you know that this is the boring part about the chosen one. Nobody wants to read a story about someone who’s so good they can’t do any wrong when it comes to the villain. The same villain who maybe, I dunno, destroyed the world or something like that.
So, mix things up a bit. What if your chosen one is basically the worst person you can meet? What if your chosen one is an assassin with no moral compass?
My books actually do this all the time. I never like to write about goody-goody people. In fact, the main character and I guess you could say “chosen one” in my series The Fallen Age Saga is an actual psychopath. Not figuratively–literally a psychopath. And he’s a former mercenary and a cybercriminal. I mean, what could get more morally gray than that?? I mean, why not have your chosen one be a literal dragon beast or something cool like that? I like to put a spin on the chosen one trope like that personally.
The Chosen One MUST Struggle
Another good way to keep your readers interested in your chosen one is to have the chosen one struggle. I mean genuinely struggle. Put obstacles in their path that are so detrimental that you actually have to sit back as a reader and wonder how they’ll get out of this one. Sort of like Elden Ring…
Sometimes, writing as though you’re a reader helps a lot. So, pretend that you’re reading your book–can you predict what happens next? Is the struggle actually powerful or impactful? Ask yourself these questions. For readers, watching a character grow or adapt to struggle is part of the process of building a dynamic and interesting character.
The Chosen One Isn’t All-Powerful
One of the biggest problems that some authors run into with the chosen one is trying to make the chosen one this unbeatable force of epic and amazing power. And while I absolutely love overpowered characters–especially because in media it makes for amazing visuals–but overpowered does not equate to being all-powerful. Unless your character is literally a god, then I mean… I dunno, you may be the exception in this case. But in mythology, gods are often written with human traits and human issues, so even then, they’re not totally perfect.
But the idea is that you can make a super strong and overpowered main character without making them totally invincible and impermeable to all outside forces. There needs to be something stronger. Otherwise, your character won’t be able to struggle and your readers can’t really see the human side of your character.
The Chosen One Doesn’t Need to be Ordinary At the Start
So, one of the things you notice with chosen ones is that the chosen one is usually pretty plain and pretty ordinary at the beginning of the story. Just a regular teen in a regular town, right? Well, why not make your chosen one be different? Why not make the chosen one someone already pretty powerful like a prince? The chosen one trope doesn’t need to only revolve around regular people, you know?
At the end of the day, my point is that you should take the chosen one from a different angle than other authors. Don’t fall into the idea that your chosen one must fall in line with Harry Potter for example. The chosen one can be anything you want it to be, and that’s what makes creative writing creative!
My chosen one is an alien warlord from outerspace, but he’s actually not the only “chosen one” of the bunch. There’s a lot of “chosen” people in my series The Fallen Age Saga, but the main chosen one is an alien who is overpowered but struggles and has issues of his own.
Just because some people say it’s a bad trope doesn’t mean you should never ever write this trope ever again. Just be creative with it and have fun! That’s the most important part–having fun. If you’re having fun, the writing will come to you naturally.
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