History Main / SealedGoodInACan

* Type 1: '''Sealed by allies.''' Similar to SealedBadassInACan. There was something in the future they would be needed to combat, so to make sure they would be ready, the Good let themselves be sealed. If the future threat was simply "bad guy I need to beat up," it's probably a case of SealedBadassInACan instead.

* Type 2: '''Sealed by enemies.''' A straight inversion of SealedEvilInACan. There was a great foe that no one could defeat, so they sealed him away instead. Only difference is that the foe is the good guy, and the sealers evil. This, in turn, can overlap with BadassInDistress, particularly if the sealed good is a Badass who had to be captured prior to the sealing.

* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', it is revealed [[spoiler:the dragons Igneel, Metalicana, Grandeeny, Weisslogia, and Skiadrum]] were this the entire time, [[spoiler:sealed inside their dragon slayer children, with Igneel leaving Natsu's body to fight off Acnologia while the others destroyed every unit of the magic destroying Face]]. The reason they sealed themselves was because [[spoiler:one, they needed to provide anti-bodies to prevent the Dragon Slayers from turning into dragons; two, to recover their power while hiding from Acnologia; and three, to have a mean of traveling 400 years into the future, where there would be more magic to absorb]].

* In ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts: From The New World'', the light of Will (the [[EvilCounterpart good counterpart]] of the Malice animating the BigBad and TheDragon) is sealed inside a big tower in a salt lake.

Occasionally used as a more subtle form of DeusExMachina; may qualify as HoldingBackThePhlebotinum, but on some occasions these can be the main hero. See SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan for when the Good is imprisoned inside a living being, SealedCastInAMultipack for when several characters (good or evil) are canned, or SealedBadassInACan for a neutral variant. See GirlInABox for the usual female version. See ArtifactOfHope, which could qualify as "the can." Compare FlingALightIntoTheFuture. Contrast KingInTheMountain, who is usually ''not'' let out. May be caused by SupernaturalSealing. See also AwakeningTheSleepingGiant, which is where the Good is less "sealed in a can" and more "lazy". Contrast with TrappedInTheHost.

* [[ImpliedTrope Implied]] for [[GodEmperor Prince]] [[GreaterScopeParagon Dios]] in ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena''. In nearly any given Utena incarnation, all the audience initially learns of him is that he resides in an unreachable floating castle, that [[MysteriousWaif Anthy the Rose Bride]] can summon his InfinityPlusOneSword, and that Utena can either summon or [[WillingChanneler channel]] him to [[GuardianEntity grant her victory]]. Beyond this, information is vague, but all evidence points to him being both powerful enough to [[ArcWords bring the world revolution]] and a benevolent, selfless savior of the weak prior to his current imprisonment. [[DeconstructorFleet This being Utena]], this gets several subversions depending on the version:

** Movie: [[spoiler: Dios [[{{Tulpa}} was never real to begin with]], born from [[RealityWarper Anthy's]] [[BigBrotherWorship need to see her brother as a hero and protector]], instead of the [[SissyVillain weak]], [[BrotherSisterIncest perverted]] [[RapeAsDrama rapist]] he really was.]]

*** Ironically, Zero was actually [[SealedEvilInACan Sealed]] ''[[SealedEvilInACan Evil]]'' [[SealedEvilInACan In A Can]] at the start of the X series, as shown in ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'': he [[spoiler: killed an entire Hunter unit, then [[CurbstompBattle effortlessly beat the ever-loving crap out of the then-good]] [[BigBad Sigma]] when the latter tried to stop him– and ''laughed about it the entire time''.]] That version of Zero made a return in ''Zero 3'' as [[spoiler:[[TheDragon Omega]], [[TomatoInTheMirror sort of]]]], who was again SealedEvilInACan; [[spoiler: albeit a can that can move, speak and wreck stuff on its own. Heck, Zero himself opens Omega's can unintentionally, possibly making this a NiceJobBreakingItHero scenario.]]

* Series/UltramanDyna in the film, ''Film/UltramanSaga'', prior to (and during) the climactic battle between Franchise/UltramenZero and [[Series/UltramanCosmos Cosmos]] against ''[[BigBad Giganto Zetton]]''

* In ''Film/TheGamers: Dorkness Rising'' the... adventurers... players... whatever you may call them are officially on a mission to regain a cursed artifact for the High Priest of the local goddess of LawfulGood, Therin. [[spoiler:Said High Priest is shown to have a powerful artifact of LawfulGood, which is later to be revealed the prison of Therin. The party destroys the prison, freeing the goddess and are rewarded by her afterward.]]

* In ''Film/{{Jumanji}}'' Alan Parrish is sucked inside the boradgame itself for twenty-six years until Peter Shepherd let's him out when he rolls a five.
* The Four Main Characters Get Sucked into the game Jumanji in ''Film/JumanjiWelcomeToTheJungle'' and are trapped they until they finish the game. Alex Vreeke, someone who joins the main characters in escaping has been sucked into the game before them and stayed there for 20 Years!

Occasionally used as a more subtle form of DeusExMachina; may qualify as HoldingBackThePhlebotinum, but on some occasions these can be the main hero. See SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan for when the Good is imprisoned inside a living being, SealedCastInAMultipack for when several characters (good or evil) are canned, or SealedBadassInACan for a neutral variant. See GirlInABox for the usual female version. See ArtifactOfHope, which could qualify as "the can." Compare FlingALightIntoTheFuture. Contrast KingInTheMountain, who is usually ''not'' let out. May be caused by SupernaturalSealing. See also AwakeningTheSleepingGiant, which is where the Good is less "sealed in a can" and more "lazy".

* ''Literature/TheCrimsonShadow'': Brind'Amour put himself in stasis long ago, then awoke to find Eriador has been overrun by an evil wizard's forces.

* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', it's mentioned that an eccentric Volus billionaire is spending his fortune excavating a planet of ruins for "lost beings of light" who are intended to fight "machine devils from beyond the stars". [[spoiler: Unfortunately for the people of the galaxy, this apparently ended up being a RedHerring]].

** It's implied that the Protheans may have been responsible for sealing the Charon Relay in ice to intentionally keep Humanity undiscovered and isolated from the rest of the galaxy, possibly to prevent the Reapers discovering them if they had not advanced to the space-age by the next extermination Cycle. Or maybe just another ace in the hole if their plans with [[spoiler: the Asari]] fell through.

* In Guy Gavriel Kay's trilogy, ''Literature/TheFionavarTapestry'', King Arthur and Lancelot are both examples. King Arthur is awoken by one of the protagonists to fight the big bad. Arthur finds Lancelot under a mountain and wakes him. Guinevere is already present, SealedInAPersonShapedCan. Arthur is doomed to fight evil when called upon to do so, and the others are doomed with him to relive their own tragedy whenever he does so. [[spoiler:Until the end of the trilogy, when they are freed as a result of a heroic sacrifice allowing Arthur to live to see the end of the battle for the first time averting part of the "doom."]]

** The Toa Mata were put in stasis 100 000 years ago, so that were Mata Nui ever to be struck down, they could be immediately launched in their pods to hurry to his aid. Due to a malfunction, however, their canisters remained floating in the Endless Ocean for a 1000 years, under which time their flesh decayed and their memories were wiped. [[GoodThingYouCanHeal Good thing they could heal.]] This backstory was, by the way, part of Franchise/{{LEGO}}'s marketing: giving the toy containers and the figure's assembly actual storyline importance.

* ''Literature/FineStructure'''s BigGood is revealed in an OptionalCanon story to have been sealed in a can and released before the main action of the series began. Ironically, that story is evidence for a much darker AlternateCharacterInterpretation of him.

** Anime: [[spoiler: "Dios" (as well as his castle) were illusions all along. Dios himself is real and free - he just cranked FallenHero UpToEleven in the intervening centuries and became Akio. His [[SealedBadassInACan powers]], on the other hand...]]

Occasionally used as a more subtle form of DeusExMachina; may qualify as HoldingBackThePhlebotinum, but on some occasions these can be the main hero. See SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan for when the Good is imprisoned inside a living being, SealedCastInAMultipack for when several characters (good or evil) are canned, or SealedBadassInACan for a neutral variant. See GirlInABox for the usual female version. Compare FlingALightIntoTheFuture. Contrast KingInTheMountain, who is usually ''not'' let out. May be caused by SupernaturalSealing. See also AwakeningTheSleepingGiant, which is where the Good is less "sealed in a can" and more "lazy".

* In ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'', the Schwartz (the movie's answer to TheForce) can be bottled after being condensed into liquid form and used to give a spaceship more kick.

* ''ComicBook/{{Camelot 3000}}'' is all about the Sealed Good of Myth/KingArthur being revived from a millennia-long hibernation to battle alien invaders.

* In ''Fanfic/TheBridge'', the Guardian Beasts [[note]]Anguirus, Raiga, Gamera, Yonggary, Baragon, Rodan, and Manda[[/note]] were Kaiju sealed away by BenevolentPrecursors 70,000 years ago to bolster the world's defenses against the BigBad. On the Equestrian side, the Tree of Harmony [[spoiler: is actually the sealed form of the BigGood.]]
* In ''Fanfic/DiariesOfAMadman'', the elementals were sealed in one by Discord, and one of Navarone's goals is to free them.
* ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': As in canon, the six Pillars of Old Equestria - Starswirl the Bearded, Rockhoof, Mistmane, Flash Magnus, Somnambula and Mage Meadowbrook - sacrificed themselves to imprison the Pony of Shadows in Limbo, and themselves with it. When Twilight and co. discover this, it kicks off a new story arc in which they release the six (and unwittingly their enemy as well) from the Can, and then have to take steps to rescue Stygian (the seventh Pillar) and deal with the Pony of Shadows and its fellow Umbrum once and for all.
* In ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy'', Wildfire, member of the ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'', spends one thousand years trapped in an anti-matter star until ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} stumbles upon it during one battle, giving Wildfire the opportunity to hitch a ride when she leaves.

* In ''I See The Stars'' Diana is a type 2 as the rightful leader and protector of Leisa. Of course she's only human (er... leisan) so when Ada frees her she proves to be severely traumatized and in desperate need of a therapist.

* Arceus, the creator of the Pokemon world, starts out as one in ''Fanfic/ANewWorldANewWay''. Then he gets out, and kicks off the story's plot.
* Like in the anime, Sir Aaron's Lucario remains sealed inside his staff in ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines''. However, the circumstances that led him to be sealed this time around are ''very'' different.

[[folder:Film — Animated]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]

* In ''Anime/DigimonXrosWars'', it turns out [[spoiler:the [=DigiMemories=] are actually a group of ancient, heroic Digimon that protected the Digital World. They were ultimately sealed in there in a failed attempt to stop the break up of the Digital World.]]

* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', it is revealed [[spoiler:the dragons Igneel, Metalicana, Grandeeny, Weisslogia, and Skiadrium]] were this the entire time, [[spoiler:sealed inside their dragon slayer children, with Igneel leaving Natsu's body to fight off Acnologia while the others destroyed every unit of the magic destroying Face]]. The reason they sealed themselves was because [[spoiler:one, they needed to provide anti-bodies to prevent the Dragon Slayers from turning into dragons; two, to recover their power while hiding from Acnologia; and three, to have a mean of traveling 400 years into the future, where they would be more magic to absorb]].

* In ''Manga/RaveMaster'' [[spoiler: Elie/Resha is one of these. She was sealed away to combat the threat that would arise in fifty years time.]]

* In ''ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}'', Lar Gand (Mon-El/M'Onel, ComicBook/{{Valor}}) was trapped in the PhantomZone for 1,000 years before the Legionnaires freed him.

%%This page's examples section is sorted alphabetically. It would be lovely if you'd maintain this, thanks.

* Sophia de Borghesse from ''Sabrina Goes To Rome''. Since she cannot be with her lover, she seals herself inside a locket.

** Etienne d'Amberville, an extremely powerful wizard [[spoiler: Immortal]] from the ''Castle Amber'' adventure, must be freed from his tomb to complete the scenario successfully.

* ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum'': Ahkmenrah, the Pharaoh whose tablet brought the exhibits to life, spent decades in his sarcophagus. In desperation, Larry and Nick free him from the sarcophagus, and he proves to be very gracious and helpful afterward.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': The heroes find that one of the relics they need to defeat the villainous Salem contains Jinn, a charismatic, omniscient magical being created by the God of Light to truthfully answer three questions every one hundred years.