Armor Is Useless: Difference between revisions
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This trope probably stems from the fact that armor—especially [[Helmets Are Hardly Heroic|helmets]]—in movies, games, and other media often serves not to protect characters but to render them [[Faceless Goons|faceless and anonymous]]. Thus dehumanized, they make excellent [[Red Shirt]] and [[Mooks]]. The [[Unspoken Plan Guarantee]] may also be connected; the armor represents a plan to be invulnerable, which, once presented to the audience, has to fail or it'd be boringly predictable. (This helps explain why ''hidden'' [[Bulletproof Vest]]s usually work.)
See also [[The Law of Diminishing Defensive Effort]]. The logical extreme of this trope is the [[Full-Frontal Assault]]. For non-armor objects that make for bizarrely non-useless armor, see [[Pocket Protector]]. Contrast [[Heavily Armored Mook]], where the armor is genuinely useful to the detriment of the player.
{{examples}}
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* In ''[[Battle: Los Angeles]]'', the Marines' armor is ineffective at stopping the aliens' weapons, as the incendiary rounds they have burns right through them and they impact with enough force to consistently throw people off their feet and backwards.
* In ''[[Only the Brave (2017 film)|Only the Brave]]'', {{spoiler|the Granite Mountain Hotshots attempt to use their fire shelters to ride out the Yarnell Hill Fire. Said wildfire burns so much hotter (2000 degrees Celsius compared to fire shelters rated only for 500) that they die anyway.}}
* Averted in ''[[John Wick]]''. John and several other characters get bulletproof suits that their opponents need to aim for exposed areas against. High Table [[Heavily Armored Mook]]s wear full-body SWAT-style tactical gear that is bulletproof everywhere and John either has to grapple them to expose weakpoints or use special [[Armor-Piercing Attack]]s in order to kill.
== [[Literature]] ==
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* Zigzagged in ''[[Gauntlet (1985 video game)|Gauntlet]]''. Thot doesn't need armor - he avoids 30% damage despite [[Walking Shirtless Scene|being bare-chested!]] On the other hand, Thyra wears plate armor, and she resists 40% of damage.
* In ''[[Lethal Company]]'', all employees wear [[Hazmat Suit]]s, but it doesn't do anything to protect them from the bloodlike substance a Masked vomits.
* Averted in ''[[Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice]]'' with the Armored Warrior, who wears full plate and is immune to Wolf's attacks. Instead, he is a [[Puzzle Boss]] whose poster the player must break in order to knock off a ledge.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
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