Oh, that is quite true of Blade Runner 2049...you're right! (It's especially obvious when you see it compared to the Black Lotus plotline where the MC is incredibly gifted right off the bat, despite being a replicant also.)
Yunica from Ys Origin comes to mind as another example of this trope: she's the daughter of a famous knight and a friend of the two goddesses who protect the realm...but she's noticeably ordinary compared to the rest of the cast and at first looked down on and even not considered for a rescue mission because she didn't have any magical abilities or special skills. She manages to get through the entire ordeal just by her determination alone and coincidentally inspires others through her actions, but she never gains any special abilities or the like and just has to accept herself for who she is.
The Simon Snow Trilogy by Rainbow Rowell also deals with this as the main character is someone who was raised to be the "chosen hero" only to find that they really didn't have any special abilities at all and has to deal with the aftermath of that for the rest of the series. Paper Girls is a completed graphic novel series (that is soon to become a Prime TV show!) that also delves into that type of storyline: as the main characters get caught up in this time travel adventure and everyone thinks they're special given that...only they really are just average people who have to come to terms with the incredible things they encounter.
The Claudia and Soren sibling plotline from The Dragon Prince also comes to mind: Claudia is obviously considered the "genius special child" by their father and everyone else, and Soren has to come to terms with the fact that he's not viewed in the same way later on and ultimately forges his own path as a result. It's not that he didn't have his own accomplishments, but they were never viewed as "enough" by the people that he wanted to view them as special. Kind of similar to Encanto in that it was a magical family with an "ordinary" child in it, though in this version of the story he has to actively step away from the abuse and disdain...which is a different but realistic take on such a toxic situation.
The entire premise behind Brave Story also fits into this as Wataru really is just an average elementary school student stuck in a terrible situation. He finds himself transported to a different world and told he can perhaps change things for the better because he is "chosen," but ultimately instead ends up accepting that there are some things he can't change (being "brave" in a different way than just going on a chosen hero adventure)...even to the point of accepting all of his fear and darker self and sacrificing his own wish to bring peace to the magical world he has grown to love instead. I found it to be a deeply moving story due to its overall messages in that vein.
...I'm sure I could come up with some other ones too if I thought on it longer, but those are the first ones that readily come to mind. :)
This was another awesome essay, very thought-provoking! ♥
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Yunica from Ys Origin comes to mind as another example of this trope: she's the daughter of a famous knight and a friend of the two goddesses who protect the realm...but she's noticeably ordinary compared to the rest of the cast and at first looked down on and even not considered for a rescue mission because she didn't have any magical abilities or special skills. She manages to get through the entire ordeal just by her determination alone and coincidentally inspires others through her actions, but she never gains any special abilities or the like and just has to accept herself for who she is.
The Simon Snow Trilogy by Rainbow Rowell also deals with this as the main character is someone who was raised to be the "chosen hero" only to find that they really didn't have any special abilities at all and has to deal with the aftermath of that for the rest of the series. Paper Girls is a completed graphic novel series (that is soon to become a Prime TV show!) that also delves into that type of storyline: as the main characters get caught up in this time travel adventure and everyone thinks they're special given that...only they really are just average people who have to come to terms with the incredible things they encounter.
The Claudia and Soren sibling plotline from The Dragon Prince also comes to mind: Claudia is obviously considered the "genius special child" by their father and everyone else, and Soren has to come to terms with the fact that he's not viewed in the same way later on and ultimately forges his own path as a result. It's not that he didn't have his own accomplishments, but they were never viewed as "enough" by the people that he wanted to view them as special. Kind of similar to Encanto in that it was a magical family with an "ordinary" child in it, though in this version of the story he has to actively step away from the abuse and disdain...which is a different but realistic take on such a toxic situation.
The entire premise behind Brave Story also fits into this as Wataru really is just an average elementary school student stuck in a terrible situation. He finds himself transported to a different world and told he can perhaps change things for the better because he is "chosen," but ultimately instead ends up accepting that there are some things he can't change (being "brave" in a different way than just going on a chosen hero adventure)...even to the point of accepting all of his fear and darker self and sacrificing his own wish to bring peace to the magical world he has grown to love instead. I found it to be a deeply moving story due to its overall messages in that vein.
...I'm sure I could come up with some other ones too if I thought on it longer, but those are the first ones that readily come to mind. :)
This was another awesome essay, very thought-provoking! ♥