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** The film ''WesternAnimation/Home2015''. The main character, Oh, went from being universally disliked by all of the other Boov, to being elected their leader. And all it took was ''saving their entire race''.

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** The film ''WesternAnimation/Home2015''. ''WesternAnimation/Home2015'': The main character, Oh, went from being universally disliked by all of the other Boov, to being elected their leader. And all it took was ''saving their entire race''.



*** ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda4'': Zhen was initially a thief who was HatedByAll in her homeland for siding with the Chameleon. After she helps Po defeat the Chameleon though, she is not only hailed as a hero, but Po even takes her up as a successor as the Dragon Warrior.

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*** ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda4'': A newcomer, Zhen was initially a thief who was HatedByAll in her homeland for siding with the Chameleon. After she helps Po defeat the Chameleon though, she is not only hailed as a hero, but Po even takes her up as a successor as the Dragon Warrior.

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** ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1'': The chubby kung-fu fan Po suddenly gets the title of Dragon Warrior bestowed upon him, and the movie shows how he begins to train to be deserving of that title. He subsequently makes good on it several times over.

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** ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1'': The ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'':
*** In [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1 the first film]], a
chubby kung-fu fan Po suddenly gets the title of Dragon Warrior bestowed upon him, and the movie shows how he begins to train to be deserving of that title. He subsequently makes good on it several times over.over.
*** ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda4'': Zhen was initially a thief who was HatedByAll in her homeland for siding with the Chameleon. After she helps Po defeat the Chameleon though, she is not only hailed as a hero, but Po even takes her up as a successor as the Dragon Warrior.
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* ''Literature/HarryPotter'', a short boy living with an abusive family, receives a letter from a half-giant who informs him that he is a wizard, enrolls in the magic school Hogwarts, and learns that he is already incredibly famous in this wizarding world. From there on, he runs into several adventures and becomes a talented wizard, in a story leading up to his final confrontation with the dark wizard Voldemort.

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* ''Literature/HarryPotter'', a ''Literature/HarryPotter'': A short boy living with an abusive family, receives a letter from a half-giant who informs him that he is a wizard, enrolls in the magic school Hogwarts, and learns that he is already incredibly famous in this wizarding world. From there on, he runs into several adventures and becomes a talented wizard, in a story leading up to his final confrontation with the dark wizard Voldemort.
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->''"How does a bastard], orphan, son of a whore\\

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->''"How does a bastard], bastard, orphan, son of a whore\\

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thread also voted to replace the quote: [1]


[[caption-width-right:350:''♫"He was a no-one! (A zero, zero!) Now, he's a honcho! (He's a hero!) Here was a kid with his act down pat!"♫'']]



->"''He was a no-one! (A zero, zero!)\\
Now, he's a honcho! (He's a hero!)\\
Here was a kid with his act down pat!\\
From zero to hero\\
In no time flat!\\
Zero to hero!\\
Just like that!''"
-->-- "'''Zero to Hero'''", from ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}''

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->"''He was %% Caption selected per above thread. Please don't change or remove without approval from here:
%% https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1404492079030138900
%%
->''"How does
a no-one! (A zero, zero!)\\
Now, he's
bastard], orphan, son of a honcho! (He's whore\\
and
a hero!)\\
Here was a kid with his act down pat!\\
From zero
Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a\\
forgotten spot in the Caribbean by providence\\
impoverished, in squalor\\
grow up
to hero\\
In no time flat!\\
Zero to hero!\\
Just like that!''"
be a hero and a scholar?"''
-->-- "'''Zero to Hero'''", from ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}''
'''Aaron Burr''', ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}''

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%% Image selected per Image Pickin thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17100456240.17332800
%% Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread.
%%
[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/herczerotohero.png]]]]
%%
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* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'': Chipp Zanuff is a triumphant example. He was taken in by a man named Tsuyoshi who taught him martials arts, and then was killed by an assassin. Harnessing his ninja training and Ki energy - noting aside that Chipp is one of a tiny number of non-Japanese people in the whole world who can use Ki, he hunts down the man who did it and learns that vengeance begets nothing but suffering. Taking this to heart, he tries to enter politics (bear with us, ''Guilty Gear'' is a strange game), [[DefeatMeansFriendship defeats and befriends]] [[BadassBureaucrat Answer]], and then travels to anarchy-ridden South Africa to beat up the local warlords. He forms a kingdom called the "Eastern Chipp Kingdom" where he is President, and becomes a major player in saving the world from the machinations of the Conclave. Not bad for a kid who started out his story as a ''homeless crackhead''.
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* At the start of ''Videogame/YakuzaLikeADragon'' Ichiban Kasuga is a 42 year old bottom barrel ex-Yakuza who after a disastrous reunion with his former boss is dumped on the streets of Ijincho with nothing but a bullethole and the clothes on his back. By the end of the game he not only manages to gather a group of loyal friends from all circles but becomes a fringe politician and potentially a local captain of industry who becomes a champion of the poor and disenfranchised as well as a major thorn in the side of the Governor of Tokyo.

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* At the start of ''Videogame/YakuzaLikeADragon'' Ichiban Kasuga is a 42 year old bottom barrel ex-Yakuza who after a disastrous reunion with his former boss is dumped on the streets of Ijincho with nothing but a bullethole and the clothes on his back. By the end of the game he not only manages to gather a group of loyal friends from all circles but becomes a fringe politician and potentially a local captain of industry who becomes a champion of the poor and disenfranchised as well as a major thorn in the side of the Governor of Tokyo. By the beginning of [[VideoGame/LikeADragonInfiniteWealth the sequel]], he has also become a folk hero among former yakuza looking for honest work after the Tojo Clan and Omi Alliance's dissolutions.
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'': Mario goes from a struggling plumber who a lot of people don't respect to becoming the hero of both Brooklyn and the Mushroom Kingdom with his father's full respect, alongside his brother. Ironically, he never aimed to be the hero to begin with, he was merely going along Princess Peach's plan to save Luigi, but he did step up to the plate after he achieved his goal, without a second thought.

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* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'': Mario goes from a struggling plumber who a lot of people don't respect to becoming the hero of both Brooklyn and the Mushroom Kingdom with his father's full respect, alongside his brother. Ironically, he never aimed to be the hero to begin with, he was merely going along with Princess Peach's plan to save Luigi, but he did step up to the plate after he achieved his goal, without a second thought.
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The H may be mute in these names, but that doesn't mean it should be omitted


* ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'': In the main continuity, Sara was just a waitress working her way through community college, but after [[Film/TheTerminator her first encounter with a T-800]], she travels the world gaining combat experience, and becomes obsessed with giving birth to the leader of the human resistance. Her son, Jon Connor starts out as a juvenile delinquent, [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay but after he, Sara and a reprogrammed T-800 destroy a T-1000]], they go to live in Mexico where Sara dies, and Jon drops off the Grid. When he goes back to the [=U.S.=] Jon becomes an anonymous drifter making a living either by working odd jobs or by stealing, [[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines but after a T-850 tells him he marries Katherine Brewster, the daughter of an high ranking general, and become leaders in the resistance after surviving Judgment Day]], they set out to stop it, only to learn that Judgment Day was inevitable. [[Film/TerminatorSalvation Decades after Judgment Day, Jon is a low ranking officer in the human resistance]], but after the high command is killed he accepts his role as their leader.

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* ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'': In the main continuity, Sara Sarah was just a waitress working her way through community college, but after [[Film/TheTerminator her first encounter with a T-800]], she travels the world gaining combat experience, and becomes obsessed with giving birth to the leader of the human resistance. Her son, Jon John Connor starts out as a juvenile delinquent, [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay but after he, Sara Sarah and a reprogrammed T-800 destroy a T-1000]], they go to live in Mexico where Sara Sarah dies, and Jon John drops off the Grid. When he goes back to the [=U.S.=] Jon John becomes an anonymous drifter making a living either by working odd jobs or by stealing, [[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines but after a T-850 tells him he marries Katherine Brewster, the daughter of an high ranking general, and become leaders in the resistance after surviving Judgment Day]], they set out to stop it, only to learn that Judgment Day was inevitable. [[Film/TerminatorSalvation Decades after Judgment Day, Jon John is a low ranking officer in the human resistance]], but after the high command is killed he accepts his role as their leader.
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%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!

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%% This page list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add new examples Take care to put your example in the correct order. Thanks!its proper place in accordance with Administrivia/HowToAlphabetizeThings!



'''As this is an EndingTrope covering the entire arc of a story and/or character, spoilers are a given and will be unmarked from this point forward. Read on at your own risk.'''

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'''As !!As this is an EndingTrope covering the entire arc of a story and/or character, {{Ending Trope|s}}, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff unmarked spoilers are a given and will be unmarked from this point forward. Read on at your own risk.'''
abound]]. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned Beware]].









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* Invoked in ''Literature/HelenAndTroysEpicRoadQuest''. While the National Questing Bureau tries having trained agents take on the role of questing, most of the time it's some normal schmoe who finds themselves having to go on daring adventures whether they like it or not. All the National Questing Bureau can do really is find them, fill them in on what they're in for, provide travel expenses and let it happen.
--> '''Neil Waechter:''' We've tried having trained questers in the NQB, but it never really worked out. Even if you put them in the right place at the right time, they never get picked. it's always some poor sap who happens to be walking by, some unfortunate farm kid, a bank teller, a reluctant rogue. it's never the guy or gal who should be saddled with the burden. It's always the one you don't expect.
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* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'', in a similar vein to ''Elder Scrolls'', has your character go from humble beginnings to deciding the fate of large swaths of the American wastelands.
** ''VideoGame/Fallout1'': You leave your Vault because its water chip broke down, and need to get a new one before your remaining water stores run out and everyone dies. Along the way, you discover, and subsequently crush, a rising army of Super Mutants.
** ''VideoGame/Fallout2'': You set out to find the GECK, a top-secret pre-war device that can convert arid wasteland into fertile farmland. You succeed in not only doing that, but defeating a neo-fascist military faction.
** ''VideoGame/Fallout3'': Your dad has lest the Vault, and you've gone out in search of him. Along the way, you wipe out the remnants of the neo-fascist military faction that was stinking up the other side of the country.
** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'': Your adventure begins with you shot in the head and buried in a shallow grave, saved from certain death by a robotic good Samaritan. You would then go on to become the deciding factor in the three-way war between the local government, the marauding horde of slavers, and the eccentric billionaire who holds control over the Hoover Dam.
** ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' [[ZigZagged zig-zags]] this with your character's pre-established history as a veteran soldier (or his wife) before the Great War. Then your family gets frozen. Then you are briefly thawed to watch your spouse get murdered and your son get kidnapped. Then you break free into the post-apocalyptic wastes and shape the face of a Boston caught in a war between a shadowy cabal of mad scientists sending RidiculouslyHumanRobots into the wastes, a ''new'' neo-fascist military faction, and an underground resistance movement (plus the local peacekeeping militia, if you help them return from the brink). Depending on who you help, you can also establish several thriving communities.
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Updating Links


* Dave Lizewski, aka ''ComicBook/KickAss'', who is just a comic book-loving nerd donning a homemade suit and goes out to fight crime... only to have his ass handed to him. However, over the course of his endeavors, he slowly becomes more adept at the vigilante hero thing. It also helps that other people look up to him for the stand he takes towards crime, with some even getting inspired to do the same.
* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' was just a scrawny teenager named Peter Parker until he was bitten by a radioactive spider. Gifted with a platter of spider-based powers, he eventually becomes one of the most recognized (if not always respected) superheroes in the world.
* Similar to Spider-Man above, ComicBook/{{Static}} was the victim of bullies. He gained super powers during a gang brawl.

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* ''ComicBook/KickAss'': Dave Lizewski, aka ''ComicBook/KickAss'', who is Lizewski was just a comic book-loving nerd donning a homemade suit and goes out to fight crime... only to have his ass handed to him. However, over the course of his endeavors, he slowly becomes more adept at the vigilante hero thing. It also helps that other people look up to him for the stand he takes towards crime, with some even getting inspired to do the same.
* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Peter Parker was just a scrawny teenager named Peter Parker until he was bitten by a radioactive spider. Gifted with a platter of spider-based powers, he eventually becomes one of the most recognized (if not always respected) superheroes in the world.
* Similar to Spider-Man above, ComicBook/{{Static}} ''ComicBook/{{Static}}'': Virgil Hawkins was the victim of bullies. He gained super powers superpowers during a gang brawl.
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[[folder:Gamebooks]]
* ''Literature/LoneWolf'': Although the titular character is a member of the MagicKnight Kai Order, he starts as a bumbling apprentice who in the first edition became the SoleSurvivor by accidentally knocking himself out, and whose first adventure consists in merely surviving long enough to warn his king of the danger. By the end of the series, he's become not only the head of the Order who saves the world many times over, but a cosmic warrior who can ''casually [[KillTheGod kill a god]]'' on his way to more important battles and eventually a GreaterScopeParagon in the sequel series.
[[/folder]]
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* ''Franchise/Ben10'' started out as Ben Tennyson, a regular 10-year-old boy with a normal life. Then, while going on a road trip with his grandpa and cousin, he encounters the Omnitrix, a watch that can transform him into 10 different aliens with different superpowers. From then on, Ben was no longer a normal kid with a boring life; now he's a hero who saves the day 24/7!

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* ''Franchise/Ben10'' started out as [[Characters/Ben10BenTennyson Ben Tennyson, Tennyson]], a regular 10-year-old boy with a normal life. Then, while going on a road trip with his grandpa and cousin, he encounters the Omnitrix, a watch that can transform him into 10 different aliens with different superpowers. From then on, Ben was no longer a normal kid with a boring life; now he's a hero who saves the day 24/7!



* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': The Mane Six started out as six ordinary foals -- unbeknownst to them united by the same incident. Twilight becomes Princess Celestia's personal student, and then when they form a bond of {{Fire Forged Friends}}hip, they go on to save the world multiple times, and Twilight becomes the Princess of Friendship.

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* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicTheManeCast The Mane Six Six]] started out as six ordinary foals -- unbeknownst to them united by the same incident. Twilight becomes Princess Celestia's personal student, and then when they form a bond of {{Fire Forged Friends}}hip, they go on to save the world multiple times, and [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicTwilightSparkle Twilight Sparkle]] becomes the Princess of Friendship.



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* ''VideoGame/SunHaven'' has the player character, known as the Farmer. They initially start out taking over some dilapidated and untended farmland. By following the main story line, however, they eventually become [[spoiler:a diplomat who manages to broken a peace treaty between Sun Haven and the isolationists Ne'lvari and Withergate, ending countless centuries of hostilities, and going through Herculean trials all over the regions with or without ever getting into combat. Such feats include retrieving valuable magical minerals from the depths of dangerous wildernesses; deciphering a lost ancient language and piecing together the clues to rediscover an intentionally HiddenElfVillage; breaking through an ancient and powerful magical barrier and infiltrating a massive monster metropolis; and either putting up a king's ransom to satisfy Dynus the Moon Dragon, or fighting him in single combat until he yields and recognizes them as an equal.]]
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* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'': It's revealed that Numbuh 1 used to be just a normal kid, to the point where Numbuh 5 had to hack into the Kids Next Door database in order to give him a passing grade to get into the organization. By the end of the series, he's become the single greatest Kids Next Door operative on the planet.
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* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', the [[PlayerCharacter Warrior of Light]] is some nobody adventurer that came out of the woodwork among ''many'' identically capable individuals who began their journeys at the same time. But the Warrior soon becomes a famed god-slayer, a OneManArmy, and eventually the WorldsBestWarrior, thwarting the villains' plans at every turn. [[spoiler:Archbishop Thordan found this out the hard way, explicitly planning around the Warrior's intervention only to still be slain after he became a primal. All he could do at that point was [[WhatAreYou be terrified and ask what they were]] as he dies.]]
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** ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'': Zigzagged in the original with Hiccup. He is the son of the chieftain, but his lack of bloodthirst and strength isolates him from the rest of the village. However, these traits prove incredibly useful for approaching and studying dragons, which allows him to solve his tribe's dragon crisis.
** ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'': The chubby kung-fu fan Po suddenly gets the title of Dragon Warrior bestowed upon him, and the movie shows how he begins to train to be deserving of that title. He subsequently makes good on it several times over.

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** ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'': ''WesternAnimation/{{How to Train Your Dragon|2010}}'': Zigzagged in the original with Hiccup. He is the son of the chieftain, but his lack of bloodthirst and strength isolates him from the rest of the village. However, these traits prove incredibly useful for approaching and studying dragons, which allows him to solve his tribe's dragon crisis.
** ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'': ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1'': The chubby kung-fu fan Po suddenly gets the title of Dragon Warrior bestowed upon him, and the movie shows how he begins to train to be deserving of that title. He subsequently makes good on it several times over.
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* Lint begins ''Manga/RiseOfTheOutlawTamer'' as a nobody D-Rank adventurer. Less than a month after meeting A-Rank adventurer Belina, he is a renowned B-Rank DragonTamer with an absurdly powerful BattleHarem who can hit well above his stated weight class.
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* Ash Ketchum from ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' starts out with his ambition ToBeAMaster, but his knowledge and skills are clearly sub-par. Fortunately, his {{determinator}} spirit and ThePowerOfFriendship help him grow into a truly competitive trainer and prove himself TheChosenOne on multiple occasions, eventually allowing him to [[spoiler:win the Alola League and become a champion]].

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* Ash Ketchum from ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' starts out with his ambition ToBeAMaster, but his knowledge and skills are clearly sub-par. Fortunately, his {{determinator}} spirit and ThePowerOfFriendship help him grow into a truly competitive trainer and prove himself TheChosenOne on multiple occasions, eventually allowing him to [[spoiler:win the Alola League and become a champion]].champion before eventually becoming the WorldsBestWarrior]].

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* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Luffy once was a loud, ambitious kid from a small village in the East Blue ocean, which is commonly regarded as "unremarkable" compared to the other big seas in the world. He then forms the Straw Hat Pirates with only a small crew (all of whom have their own humble beginnings) and proceeds to make a name for themselves as they venture between islands in search for the titular One Piece. Post TimeSkip, the crew is considered one of the most infamous, especially as they have tangled with at least 2 major governmental facilities, and Luffy having a very high bounty.

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* ''Manga/OnePiece'': ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** MonkeyKingLite
Luffy once was a loud, ambitious kid from a small village in the East Blue ocean, which is commonly regarded as "unremarkable" compared to the other big seas in the world. He then forms the Straw Hat Pirates with only a small crew (all of whom have their own humble beginnings) and proceeds to make a name for themselves as they venture between islands in search for the titular One Piece. Post TimeSkip, the crew is considered one of the most infamous, especially as they have tangled with at least 2 major governmental facilities, and Luffy having a very high bounty.bounty.
** Luffy's {{foil}} Koby was much the same way. He started out as just a random kid who was the first friend Luffy made on his journey when he rescued him from a life of slavery, and aspired to be a hero like him but [[HeroAntagonist on the opposite side as a Marine]]. Thanks to TrainingFromHell from Luffy's Marine grandfather Monkey D. Garp, he becomes a Captain with CharlesAtlasSuperpower and KiManipulation equivalent to early post-TimeSkip Luffy. Same goes for Koby's partner-in-crime Helmeppo, who [[HeelFaceTurn started out as his enemy]] and was a powerless SpoiledBrat but TookALevelInBadass alongside him.
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* ''Literature/TheElminsterSeries'': The titulat Elminster went from an unlucky boy farmer to becoming TheArchMage and one of the most powerful heroes of the world of Abeir-Toril.
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'': Mario goes from a struggling plumber who a lot of people don't respect to becoming the hero of both Brooklyn and the Mushroom Kingdom with his father's full respect, alongside his brother. Ironically, he never aimed to be the hero to begin with, he was merely going along Princess Peach's plan to save Luigi, but he did step up to the plate after he achieved his goal, without a second thought

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* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'': Mario goes from a struggling plumber who a lot of people don't respect to becoming the hero of both Brooklyn and the Mushroom Kingdom with his father's full respect, alongside his brother. Ironically, he never aimed to be the hero to begin with, he was merely going along Princess Peach's plan to save Luigi, but he did step up to the plate after he achieved his goal, without a second thoughtthought.
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None

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*''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'': Mario goes from a struggling plumber who a lot of people don't respect to becoming the hero of both Brooklyn and the Mushroom Kingdom with his father's full respect, alongside his brother. Ironically, he never aimed to be the hero to begin with, he was merely going along Princess Peach's plan to save Luigi, but he did step up to the plate after he achieved his goal, without a second thought

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