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Anime and Manga
"Hey... won't you believe in him? That... even if there is no God or Buddha... there IS Kamen Rider!"
— Taki Kazuya, Kamen Rider Spirits
"Everything is all right—because I AM HERE!"
— All Might, My Hero Academia
"The people, the heroes, even the villains, I stand to set fire in their hearts."
— All Might, My Hero Academia
"If someone tells me that it's wrong to hope, I'll tell them they're wrong every time. I'll keep telling them until they believe me."
— Kaname Madoka, Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Comic Books
"No matter how many times Superman's existence is attacked, he will survive. Even if change is a constant. Because hope is the North Star of the Metaverse."
"Follow me, brothers! Follow the Blue Lantern! Even if you lose hope, I have enough for us all!
Now fight and believe! ALL WILL BE WELL! "
Now fight and believe! ALL WILL BE WELL! "
—Saint Walker, Green Lantern
"You're much stronger than you think you are. Trust me."
—Superman talking down a suicidal teen, All-Star Superman
"I think the truth is that I...I so want to be. I want people to look at me the way they look at him. At Spider-Man. I’ve seen it. They see him, and they know everything is going to be okay. They look at me and...I don’t know."
—Eddie Brock/Venom, Venom (Donny Cates)
Fan Works
She thinks of the Pearl again, the one with the swords and the fiery eyes. She wonders if that Pearl fuses, since that Pearl has already done so many things that Pearls do not do. She wonders what it feels like, to break the rules, to break everything known to her. She wonders what feeling is, if it’s the ache inside of her to know. She wonders if it matters. She is just a Pearl.
She is a Pearl, and she has something inside of her now. Questions. Knowledge. Forbidden things, for a Pearl. She keeps them, and kindles them, and wonders.
(...)
She will remember, and she will wait, and she will watch, because she is a Pearl. Because Pearls are not empty. Pearls are not nothing. And, perhaps, one day, she will show this to another Pearl. Perhaps that Pearl will show another, perhaps the next will pass it along, until they are all Pearls like that first one. Perhaps, one day, Pearls will not have to be empty and rebellions will not have to fail. Until then, they can wait. Pearls are good at waiting.
She is a Pearl, and she has something inside of her now. Questions. Knowledge. Forbidden things, for a Pearl. She keeps them, and kindles them, and wonders.
(...)
She will remember, and she will wait, and she will watch, because she is a Pearl. Because Pearls are not empty. Pearls are not nothing. And, perhaps, one day, she will show this to another Pearl. Perhaps that Pearl will show another, perhaps the next will pass it along, until they are all Pearls like that first one. Perhaps, one day, Pearls will not have to be empty and rebellions will not have to fail. Until then, they can wait. Pearls are good at waiting.
— The Steven Universe fic Vacant
, displaying a recursive example of the trope
, displaying a recursive example of the trope Each miraculous had powers and responsibilities that were unique to them and them alone.
The Ladybug restored order and brought good fortune to victims and other heroes alike.
The Black Cat had the capability to destroy any evil, to bring unto them misfortune.
But the Butterfly was meant to bring hope to those who had none.
The Ladybug restored order and brought good fortune to victims and other heroes alike.
The Black Cat had the capability to destroy any evil, to bring unto them misfortune.
But the Butterfly was meant to bring hope to those who had none.
Jake: Tell the others. There are andalite bandits here, and they’re fighting back. Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up. Not while there’s still hope.
Tom: You mean...?
Jake: I mean the yeerks aren’t winning this war as cleanly as the vissers want everyone to think. Tell everyone you can: the andalites are out there.
Tom: You mean...?
Jake: I mean the yeerks aren’t winning this war as cleanly as the vissers want everyone to think. Tell everyone you can: the andalites are out there.
— "What if they were caught during their first mission?", All Assorted Animorphs AUs
Films - Animation
I asked my Pedro for help. Mirabel...he sent me you.
— Alma Madrigal, Encanto
Films - Live Action
Peter: I kind of like to think he gives people hope.
Harry: For what?
Peter: Maybe eventually everything's going to be all right.
Harry: For what?
Peter: Maybe eventually everything's going to be all right.
"Vengeance won't change the past — mine, or anyone else's. I have to become more. People need hope, to know someone's out there for them. The city's angry, scarred, like me. Our scars can destroy us, even after the physical wounds have healed. But if we survive them, they can transform us. They can give us the power to endure, and the strength to fight."
Sam: It's like in the great stories, Mister Frodo - the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. Sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, the shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come! And when the Sun shines, it will shine out the clearer! Those were the stories that stayed with you, and meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mister Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folks in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going, because they were holding on to something.
Frodo: What're we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for!
Frodo: What're we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for!
"The people of Earth are different from us, it's true. But ultimately, I believe that's a good thing. They won't necessarily make the same mistakes we did. Not if you guide them, Kal. Not if you give them hope. That's what this symbol means; the symbol of the house of El means "hope". Embodied within that hope is the fundamental belief in the potential of every person to be a force for good. That's what you can bring them."
— Jor-El, Man of Steel
"Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them how to hold on a second longer."
— May Parker, Spider-Man 2
Literature
"What good is a god that gives you everything you want? It's the hope that's important. Very big part of belief, hope. If you give people jam, they'll just sit there and eat it. Jam tomorrow, now, that'll keep them going for ever."
1157. Offer hope.
— Life's Little Instruction Book, Volume III
Lord Ruler: I killed you, once.
Kelsier: You tried. But you can't kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent the thing you've never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope.
Kelsier: You tried. But you can't kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent the thing you've never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope.
Live-Action TV
The Moment: You know that sound the TARDIS makes? That wheezing, groaning? That sound brings hope.
The War Doctor: Yes, I like to think so.
The Moment: To anyone who hears it, Doctor. Anyone. No matter how lost. Even you.
The War Doctor: Yes, I like to think so.
The Moment: To anyone who hears it, Doctor. Anyone. No matter how lost. Even you.
"If you do end up losing everything else... I'll be there to bring you hope."
— Souma Haruto, Kamen Rider Wizard
"I am the final hope."
— Souma Haruto, Kamen Rider Wizard
"And when you show yourself to the world, it will be a different age than ours, Clark. A silver age of heroism, that will start when they look up into the sky at you with hope for tomorrow. And you will help everyone to embrace it."
— Dr. Fate to Clark Kent, Smallville, "Absolute Justice"
Tabletop Games
"Oh, child of the noble family of the Immaculate Dragons. Do not despair. Though your mind is fevered and your senses are not with you, know that you will be made whole. For many years I have plumbed the mysteries of life and death. For all of my life I have meditated upon the mysteries of the healing hearts. Now, let go of your fear."
— Ragara Bhagwei, Exalted
There's more to the Void Engineers than endless war (though you wouldn't know it to hear some of the Border Corpsmen bitch in a bar). We fight to keep the flame of exploration alive in the hearts and minds of the Masses. Because if they don't dream of the stars, we'll lose everything. Every Void Engineer beyond the Biospheric Horizon is there because he or she dreamed of being there. And we lose good people every day. If we don't keep inspiring, we'll lose everything we've worked for since the Order of Reason formed. If we don't keep inspiring, there is no future for humanity, whether up among the stars or down on the mudball.
— Mage: The Ascension - Convention Book: Void Engineers (Revised)
Few people remember when rationalism first swept across the world. There was such joy in imagining that man could truly understand the universe. Where has that joy gone? It's been squashed under the jackboots of people with no sense of imagination or humor.
The Virtual Adepts want to bring wonder back to the world. They plan on doing this by coding people's dreams into Reality 2.0 - not as an escape route or hiding place, but as a beacon of hope for everyone. Everybody who codes knows that you test your programs before you take them online. Get R2.0 up and running, then download it to realtime. Then, and only then, will the Dream come alive.
— Mage: The Ascension - Tradition Book: Virtual Adepts (revised)
Sorin: I suppose false hope is better than none.
Nahiri: Any hope is better than none. Always.
Nahiri: Any hope is better than none. Always.
The High Elves were reduced to fighting a guerrilla war in their own land while the servants of Darkness reigned everywhere. But now a new rumour filled all ears: a sorcerer was abroad and no-one could stand against him. He was a pale youth who wore the War Crown of Saphery. Where he walked, the Dark Elves trembled, for he commanded the powers of magic as if born to them. His words summoned lightning. He cast down monsters and destroyed Chaos warriors with a word. The Slaaneshi Champion Alberecht Numan challenged him to a duel, but he and all his followers were in an instant reduced to dust. He intervened at the battle of Hathar Ford and slew Ferik Kasterman's Coven of Ten - the most feared Tzeetchian sorcerers of the day. These were small victories, but in those days of darkness, they gave the High Elves hope. Hope was what the folk of Ulthuan's many kingdoms desperately needed.
— Warhammer: High Elves Army Book (4th Edition)
Video Games
"How can the world know fear – true dread – when there is you? A stalwart knight, ever ready to slay monsters. Fear isn't true biology, Batman. It's more than instinct. True fear is the absence of hope. And hope is the spread wings of a bat, shining in the clouds."
— Scarecrow, Batman: Arkham Knight
"It was a dark time. There was one light."
— Dagna, Dragon Age: Inquisition, on the Warden
"All right, children. It's time for Three Dog to be honest with ya. Here it is, plain as day - I used to think we were all well and truly fucked. The good ole U.S. of A? Ahhh, she's a mess. I had pretty much written us all off. But that was before a certain kid from Vault 101... I've always given it to you straight, have I not? For good or ill, Galaxy News Radio has been the voice of truth on these airwaves. So believe me when I tell you that I was wrong. Dead wrong. That kid from Vault 101 is the last, best hope of humanity. We'll get through this, children. You just gotta believe."
— Three Dog, Fallout 3
"Evil will triumph over those who give into despair. But despair cannot defeat the power of hope! Hope is the voice that will never be silent! Hope is the stream that fills the wells of courage! Hope is the light in the darkness! And in the darkness, I will be that light!"
"This world needs a symbol. It needs the Superman."
"I bring hope. All is not lost."
"I bring hope. All is not lost."
— Mecha Superman, Infinite Crisis
Hackett: Shepard, let me tell you something that I've learned the hard way. You can pay a soldier to fire a gun. You can pay him to charge the enemy and take a hill. But you can't pay him to believe.
Shepard: ...I don't follow, sir.
Hackett: When you went up against Sovereign, there was no good reason to believe you'd win. But your crew didn't seem to care — they went along anyway. Your trip through the Omega 4 relay? That was a suicide mission if there ever was one. Yet there your crew was, standing beside you, proud to serve. With all you're facing out there, one thing impresses me most: you inspire confidence. I know everything hasn't gone as well as you'd hoped. Every war has its disagreements, so to speak. But... Your crew has done things no one else would even try — simply because you asked them to. Why? Because they believed in you. Their leader. That's what I need now.
Shepard: ...I don't follow, sir.
Hackett: When you went up against Sovereign, there was no good reason to believe you'd win. But your crew didn't seem to care — they went along anyway. Your trip through the Omega 4 relay? That was a suicide mission if there ever was one. Yet there your crew was, standing beside you, proud to serve. With all you're facing out there, one thing impresses me most: you inspire confidence. I know everything hasn't gone as well as you'd hoped. Every war has its disagreements, so to speak. But... Your crew has done things no one else would even try — simply because you asked them to. Why? Because they believed in you. Their leader. That's what I need now.
"I remember the day after my son died. The entire underground was devoid of hope. The future had once again been taken from us by the humans. In a fit of anger, I declared war. I said that I would destroy any human that came here. I would use their souls to become godlike...and free us from this terrible prison. Then, I would destroy humanity...And let monsters rule the surface, in peace. Soon, the people's hopes returned. My wife, however, became disgusted with my actions. She left this place, never to be seen again. Truthfully... I do not want power. I do not want to hurt anyone. I just wanted everyone to have hope...I cannot take this any longer. I just want to see my wife. I just want to see my child..."
— Asgore Dreemurr from Undertale, showing just what kind of effect this trope has on said bringer
Can you hear me? We’re all waiting. A world of darkness needs a light to shine. We’re waiting for that beacon of Light!
— Rosa Cossette d’Elise from Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown calling out for Trigger as he flies up the Lighthouse in the final mission Dark Blue
You have a curious power, Eleven. Whenever I am with you, hope seems to dawn upon us, like sunlight breaking through the clouds.
— Hendrik, Dragon Quest XI
"I'll admit, things are looking grim. We're all out of options. But that's nothing new, right? Especially not here. Here, it's been that way for a long, long time. This Lostbelt never had any future. Nothing in the way of hope. Nobody can wish for anything here. Not humans, not gods, not even giants. They don't dream about tomorrow. They don't wish for anything from their future. In which case...somebody's gotta show them what it means to hope! To wish! No, scratch that! Not "somebody"! It's gotta be ME!!"
— Napoléon Bonaparte, Fate/Grand Order
Visual Novels
"If I don't do something, everyone's gonna be consumed by despair...! You claim there's no hope left in the world. But if despair is contagious like you say... ...then so is hope! I'll use my own hope to plant seeds of hope inside everyone else!"
— Makoto Naegi, standing up to Junko Enoshima and declaring that he will use his own hope to pull his friends out of Junko's despair and revive their hope, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Web Animation
"But you're still here, despite everything you've lost, everything you could still lose, you chose to come out here. Because you felt like you could make a difference. You didn't drag us along. You gave us the courage to follow you."
— Jaune Arc to Ruby Rose, RWBY
Webcomics
Sam: Hope versus fear. Hardly an even match.
Max: That's because you think of hope as something light and fragile. My version of hope has calluses and dirt under the fingernails and isn't past bringing brass knuckles to a fight.
Max: That's because you think of hope as something light and fragile. My version of hope has calluses and dirt under the fingernails and isn't past bringing brass knuckles to a fight.
— Freefall
Gosh: Then again, the universe might be meaningless after all. But...
Bob: You hope it's not?
Gosh: Yes.
Bob: Nothing wrong with hope.
Real Life
"Nothing can stop an idea whose time has come, provided the idea has messengers."
— Dr. Robert Zubrin, President of the Mars Society
"Somewhere, in our darkest night, we made up the story of a man who will never let us down and that seemed worth investigating."
