Destiny in fiction
Destiny is one of the laziest ways to excuse plot convenience in fiction, and we can thank religion for it, since it became famous through it. Ancient epics and chronicles are all about fatalism, since at a time when mankind didn’t know much about science, it was looking for hope at supernatural entities. No religion would be able to maintain its followers if its gods weren’t certain of what the hell it’s going to happen next, so they were making everything to seem like it’s part of a masterplan.
The story of Jesus Christ refined the formula by making the chosen one to be looking and acting like an everyday human being, thus far easier to relate with compared to the distant deities of previous centuries. Literature borrowed this concept in its fiction and used it in the making of the archetypical messianic figure of today, or what anime fans came to call a Jesus-kun.
The appeal of the archetype lies in the double standards of behaving like a relatable normal person on one side, while being destined to rightfully win at the end for being better than the rest, on the other. This way the audience can like the character no matter what he does.
The thing is, this model was working fine while fiction was not preoccupied with character development. For as long as personalities remained monolithic representations of certain ideals and mentalities, destiny was simply reaffirming the justice and righteousness of the good archetypes over the evil archetypes. This changed during the booming of 19th century coming of age stories, which were all about the characters growing up and learning from their experiences.
Came to be known later on as the tale of the underdog, and it involved common people, not just nobles and other privileged sects. Overcoming obstacles not by being born to win but by giving their best and never giving up despite the unfavorable odds and the outcome not being predetermined.
The underdog is not about winning, it’s about not relying on popular expectations or fixed resolutions to keep going. Losing is still possible but not because fate said so, like in the older epics, but rather because in many cases it was more pragmatic for common people to being unable to overcome problems far beyond their capabilities.
Destiny takes away meaningful internal conflicts. A basic aspect of a relatable character is not being a boring Gary Stu, who is doing everything perfectly. He has flaws like doubting himself, making mistakes, feeling guilt and insecurity. These things don’t mean anything if fate has predetermined everything. Jesus Christ’s temptations in the desert are as hollow as finding out Naruto is a chosen one instead of an underdog.
Giving up or hopelessness do not mean anything because you know you will eventually follow a predetermined path regardless of how you feel or what you do in the present. There is no free will, characters behave like robots, and that is not relatable. Destiny is a terrible plot device, used for lazy copouts and creates bad fiction. It must never be taken seriously.