History Main / OnlyICanKillHim

* In Creator/EstherFriesner's novel ''Literature/TheSherwoodGame'', a programmer creates a VR Robin Hood game, and creates a specific rule that his character is the only one who can kill the Sheriff of Nottingham. He comes to regret this when he has to play the game [[YourMindMakesItReal with the safeties off]].

* Literary example: ''[[Literature/TheAdversaryCycle The Keep'' by F. Paul Wilson. A great undead villain reawakens from his sleep, and the only person who can stop him is on the other side of the world -- fortunately, he's psychically attuned to the villain and promptly gets moving.

* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', ComicBook/ForTheManWhoHasEverything, Franchise/{{Batman}} tries everything to bring Franchise/{{Superman}} out of the [[LotusEaterMachine Black Mercy]]-induced dream because only he could defeat Mongul.

* ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy XIII-2}}'': [[spoiler: Only Noel can kill Caius.]]

* The first season of ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' had a field day with this. Supposedly, the prophecy said that the Signers and the Dark Signers (the servants of the Crimson Dragon and Earthbound Gods, respectively) would battle every 5,000 years, and that each participant was unbeatable by anyone but a member of the opposing group. The actual conflict had a few parts that may or may not have contradicted this, depending on how you interpreted it, the biggest one being Crow defeating Bommer. (Crow wasn't a Signer at the time, but he would become one later; on the other hand, Bommer was a replacement Dark Signer, so whether he truly belonged in the conflict or not is debatable.) Of course, seeing as the story was related to the heroes by [[BigBad Rex Godwin]], [[VillainsDontLie it may be hard to truly take ''[[VillainsDontLie any]]'' [[VillainsDontLie part of it at face value.]]

* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}},'' [[AntiHero Macbeth]] and [[KnightTemplar Demona]] are both immortal until one kills the other, at which point ''both'' will die. Ironically it seems like most other people aren't aware of this fact, as [[FantasticRacism the Hunters]] have been trying to kill Demona themselves for nearly a thousand years and the heroes declared NoOneCouldSurviveThat on each of them at least once. (Though [[ItMakesSenseInContext that Macbeth wasn't even real anyway...]])

* Literary example: ''TheKeep'' by F. Paul Wilson. A great undead villain reawakens from his sleep, and the only person who can stop him is on the other side of the world -- fortunately, he's psychically attuned to the villain and promptly gets moving.

* SpiderMan didn't know it, but he was a literal case towards his enemy Kraven the Hunter for a while; a flaw in the evil ritual that his children used to bring Kraven back to life cursed him so that only Spider-Man could kill him. However, this curse was apparently broken when Kaine (as the ScarletSpider) temporarily killed Kraven by stopping his heart with a blow to the chest and then restarted it with the same move.

** Happens all the time in Manga/{{Bleach}}, but most strangely in the Captain Amagai FillerArc. [[spoiler:Ichigo has almost nothing to do with Amagai; he only meets him for the first time shortly before he fights and defeats him. And this is in a city filled with BadAss captains. The only possible reason he would have for being the one to kill him is because he can overcome Amagai's zanpakuto-suppressing ability.]]

* Played straight in ''Series/{{Angel}}'' - Connor is destined to kill Sahjhan, which appears to mean no one else can. [[spoiler: When Sahjhan is trapped in a magical urn, his enemy Cyvus Vail insists that Connor be brought back to finish him, knowing that such things ''never'' hold the bad guy forever.]]

** This also applies to the Guardian of the time portal. According to prophecy, only one person will ever be able to slay him and use the portal successfully. Guess who that person is?

** This also applies to the Guardian of the time portal. According to prophesy, only one person will ever be able to slay him and use the portal successfully. Guess who that person is?

* Played straight in ''Series/{{Angel}}'' - Connor is destined to kill Sahjhan, which appears to mean no one else can. [[spoiler: When Sahjhan is trapped in a magical urn, his enemy Cyvus Vail insists that Connor be brought back to finish him off, anticipating that such things ''never'' hold the bad guy forever.]]

* In ''Film/TheWolfman2010'', after many days of sleepless research, Gwen discovers only how to kill Talbot, not how to cure him. In desperation she searches for the Gypsy fortune-teller, but she only confirms it: a werewolf can only be slain with silver, ''and'' only by someone who loves him.

* In the second ''Film/{{Transformers}}'' movie The Fallen can only be defeated by a Prime for ill-defined reasons.

* Subverted in the movie ''Film/ThroneOfBlood''. Washizu is killed by his own nameless EvilMinions - indeed we do not even see the faces of the archers who loose the first arrow and the last. In the original ''Macbeth'' the villain died in a duel with a major character; in ''Throne of Blood'' that character is completely absent.

* One example occurred in the movie ''KingArthur'', where Tristan's attempt to slay the BigBad ended in his inevitable death.

* Justified in ElGoonishShive. Grace was granted specific genetic modifications since birth, that grant her immunity to Damein's powers. (Namely, she's fireproof, while Damien is a Pryomancer of insane powers).

* ''Literature/HarryPotter''. Period.
** By WordOfGod subverted in that anyone with the equivalent of a shotgun could have killed Voldemort once his horcruxes were gone.
** More or less subverted by the fact that it's Voldemort's BondVillainStupidity which made him allow Harry to defeat him, precisely because the prophecy said so (defeat meaning not only the final fight, but the entire quest).

* Justified in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender.'' [[spoiler:Only the Avatar, as the mortal representative of the spirit world, is allowed to defeat Fire Lord Ozai.]]

** Justified in ShootfighterTekken by the main hero's father having become a pacifist at this point, but since his son shows an unstoppable drive to face down the BigBad anyway, he tutors him specifically to do so. Lampshaded by other characters fighting other mooks, or being ambushed by them, but everyone in the entire series knowing and stating only the hero can take on Iron Kiba. In hospital scenes and conversations between trainers, it's acknowledged even further. Only Kiba does not seem to know, [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou as he is completely focused on the hero's father instead]] because of their battle in the past, and views the kid as being little more than a training exercise. Interestingly, he was nearly proven right, as the hero didn't take the fight seriously at first, and the first 60 seconds was essentially a cock-measuring contest of insults and posturing, each believing the other wasn't a serious challenge.

* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', ComicBook/ForTheManWhoHasEverything, {{Batman}} tries everything to bring {{Superman}} out of the [[LotusEaterMachine Black Mercy]]-induced dream because only he could defeat Mongul.

** Another literal example shows up in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening''. [[spoiler: The player's character is the only one who can permanently destroy the dark dragon Grima, due to their souls being connected. [[HeroicSacrifice However, choosing to do so will result in his/her destruction, as well.]]]]