1. MereChristian says:

    I agree but must point out that Vin and Kaladin are only underdogs due to their circumstances and psychoses. In terms of talent at magic, they are the strongest in their respective worlds in 1,000 years, barring Elend in Vin’s world, who is not as skilled though stronger.

    But that’s an interesting idea. Someone so strong, ridiculously strong, who is in jeopardy due to the giant ball of issues they have to overcome to utilize that talent.

    • sheesania says:

      I was going to mention this myself. It’s funny since two of the main tropes for fantasy protagonists are the underdog and the special chosen one, which seem opposites…and yet they’re often combined, as in Vin and Kaladin’s cases. It’s rarer to find a true underdog in fantasy who really doesn’t have any special powers or place, and yet overcomes. When it’s pulled off well, it can be even more awesome than watching the chosen ones with their cool powers. (Frodo IIRC is a lovely example.)

    • Zac Totah says:

      Good point, Timothy. Thanks for catching that. I wasn’t thinking in terms of their potential skills and powers, but rather their life situation, which you touched on at the end of your comment. It’s an underdog story, but with a twist.

      Yes, Sheesania, it’s interesting to see how those are combined, but I agree that the story of someone without the special powers who manages to overcome is even more amazing.

    • Audie says:

      –But that’s an interesting idea. Someone so strong, ridiculously strong, who is in jeopardy due to the giant ball of issues they have to overcome to utilize that talent.

      Sounds a bit like the premise of One Punch Man. The premise is of a hero who is so strong that he ends every fight with one punch, so it’s all become boring to him.

    • Josh says:

      I haven’t read Mistborn, so speaking of Kaladin, most of his struggle is internal. He thinks because he’s failed before he’ll fail again. And how many of us live with that mindset? Being an underdog isn’t just about being physically inept. Having the mindset of not being able, and overcoming is a battle all to itself. Great post, Zach!

  2. Lauren Beauchamp says:

    Sorry to be dense . . . but who are Vin and Kaladin?

    • sheesania says:

      Vin is from Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy, and Kaladin is from Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. I was a bit surprised to see Zachary using those works since they’re not as well-known as most of the SF he talks about, but they are good examples. And Sanderson’s books are really good, at least in the opinion of this fangirl. 🙂

  3. I’ll throw out Errol Stone in Patrick Carr’s A Cast Of Stones as an example of an underdog. I mean, the guy was the town drunk, and he was still a young man.

    I also thought of Reepicheep in Voyage Of The Dawn Treader. He didn’t have special physical abilities, but he had unwavering faith.

    Becky

  4. Pam Halter says:

    I think most of us know the underdog is going to win when we’re reading a novel or watching a movie if the underdog is the hero. But it’s the journey! A quote from one of my daughter’s favorite videos when she was little is: “More often than not, the search proves more valuable than the treasure.”

    In fantasy novels, my favorite underdog is Wil Ohmsford from The Elfstones of Shannara (I’ll not get into how the MTV series is SO NOT Elfstones). He’s half-elf, so bringing the Elfstones to life is hard, and it does something to him that is “not entirely pleasant”. But he does it to protect Amberle, who, in true heroic underdog fashion, succeeds much like Frodo – with help – but it costs her her life. It’s an older novel and probably wouldn’t pass today’s editors, but it’s the story that made me want to write fantasy. In which I feel very much an underdog.

  5. Becky Farb says:

    When it comes to underdog stories, I’m a sucker for the classics: Robin Hood. Isn’t he just about the ultimate underdog? I know the story’s taken many forms over the years, but my favorite has to be Stephen Lawhead’s The Raven King trilogy.

What do you think?