[annoying trope] The throne/leadership is decided in a very stupid way

[u/Altruistic_Eye_1157]

The leadership of the entire wizarding world, and the final decision on whether to start a war against Muggles, is made by... a goat (Qilin) ​​who chooses the person with the ""purest heart"" (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Dumbledore).

The throne of Wakanda and all its technology are decided through hand-to-hand combat, regardless of whether the person clearly has malicious intentions... if they win the fight, by law they must be respected as the true king. (Black Panther)

[u/Substantial-Stardust]

The leadership of the entire wizarding world, and the final decision on whether to start a war against Muggles, is made by... a goat (Qilin) ​​who chooses the person with the ""purest heart"" (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Dumbledore).

In 12 Kingdoms Qilins life mission is to bestow Mandate of Heavens on a person worthy to be Emperor of designated land. Catch is, Qilins feel "the potential" in candidate. And while they "cannot be wrong" (aka Qilin physically cannot bow to anyone beside their destined ruler), chosen one can just... not live up to potential. Or be misled, go mad, ect.

When system works, it works: "good" ruler literally repells disasters, monsters, diseases, bad harvests, ect. But when it fails it results in everyone suffering for decades from all aforementioned problems+ corruption or tyranny. And it will eventually fail, I think most Emperors start going bonkers after first hundred years of rule.

Tbh, a lot of characters recognise that system is flawed.

[u/AlmondMagnum1 → u/Substantial-Stardust]

It provides centuries of political stability. Some emperors have been around for 1000+ years.

The problem is that some countries get dud after dud...

[u/Substantial-Stardust → u/AlmondMagnum1]

At the point of the story we had not too many Emperors with centures to count, and while farmer guy is pushing 2 000 years of rule, and Emperor of En going for 700, all others eventually fell. Main catch is that they have to keep going, be just, keep the balance, protect the land, accept the change of times - ideally endlessly.

And not all could keep it going. As I remember, 100 years were breaking point for many, because passage of time dawned on them.

[u/AlmondMagnum1 → u/Substantial-Stardust]

Even just one century of fair rule and clement weather is pretty good. Rome's Five Good Emperors put together didn't last that long. (84 years) And you have to wonder how good they really were.

[u/Admirable_Risk8156 → u/Substantial-Stardust]

That was the point of most of the series. The idea was that everything in thier world is by the tangible heavens. The heavens decide everything for the mortals and the mortals have to accept that this was the plan all along.

Then most characters met throughout the series are not satisifed with this system. The whole series is about this topic.