Badass Normal/Anime and Manga: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
* Guts from ''[[Berserk]]'' is just about as badass as a human can be, and eventually fights demons. At one point he {{spoiler|cuts off his own arm, in the middle of battle, to keep fighting.}}
* Reiji Takayama from ''[[Witchblade (
** His assistant, Hiroki Segawa, despite being [[The Renfield]] incarnate, stands his ground with little more than a PISTOL and balls the size of small planets, especially considering said nutcase he was fighting could have killed him effortlessly, also qualifies.
* The few characters of ''[[
** Sanji and Zoro are proud owners of [[Charles Atlas Superpower|Charles Atlas Superpowers]]. Usopp's durability is easily superhuman, but otherwise he's nothing special, getting by on ingenuity and smarts rather than just hitting his opponents till they stop getting up. Nami likewise possesses no notable physical abilities, relying on her Clima-Tact weapon to see her through battles with massively powerful superhumans.
*** [[Charles Atlas Superpower]] = [[Badass Normal]] [[Up to Eleven]].
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** Vivi didn't seem all that impressive next to the Strawhat crew, but she did make it to a single-digit agent in Baroque Works, armed only with sharp pieces of jewelry on lengths of string...and [[Almighty Janitor|probably undersold her abilities]], too.
*** Not only did she make it to single digits, but during the climax of the Alabasta Arc, she singlehandedly defeated the Mr. 7 team, while she was only ranked as part of the Mr. 9 team while she was infiltrating Baroque Works.
** Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman, has no Devil Fruit Powers. Likewise, Silvers Rayleigh, the ''first mate of Gold Roger'', is shown swimming at one point (indicating he doesn't have a Devil Fruit) and can fight against an Admiral despite being [[Retired Badass|retired]] as a pirate for twenty years.
** Shanks is a [[Handicapped Badass]], able to cross blades with [[World's Strongest Man|Whitebeard]] and walking away. And before he lost his arm, he was once rivals with ''Mihawk'', the world's greatest swordsman, who had sought him out for fights.
*** Haki too.
*** The very first chapter of the manga (the second episode of the anime) has Shanks scare a Sea King (a gigantic sea serpent, which often make humans look like tiny specks by comparison) into fleeing with a [[Death Glare]].
** On the Marines' side, there's Luffy's [[Badass Grandpa]], Vice Admiral Garp. The guy has no Devil Fruit powers whatsoever, but was offered the position of ''Admiral'', a position usually occupied by [[Nigh Invulnerable]] people who won the [[Superpower Lottery]].
* Hugue de Watteau from ''[[Trinity Blood]]'' is characterized as being the only ordinary human in the main cast who can stand his ground and actually persevere in a fight against vampires, a proficiency stemming only from extreme training and fitness and reflexes honed to perfection.
** It should be noted that Hugue is not entirely normal ({{spoiler|he's got [[Artificial Limbs]]}}). A better example would be Leon Garcia de Asturias aka "Dandylion".
* Gareki from ''[[Karneval]]'' is one; his sharpshooting skills are well-honed and exceedingly better than a top fighter of their nation's ultimate defense organization, Circus. Even when he acknowledges that his abilities are far inferior to that of those who own a Circus I.D., he is able to hold his own with a gun (that he's not actually allowed to have on him) next to the said top fighter in a fight against two psychos.
* Jounouchi/Joey from ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]!'' He's the only duelist in the core cast without a mystical Millennium item or [[Reincarnation]], but is still a pretty skilled player, regardless of what Kaiba thinks. (The only time he had a [[MacGuffin]] on his side would be during the Atlantis/Doma [[Filler]] [[Arc]].) He's also considered the third best player in the entire world by ''GX''. He would likely have defeated the [[Big Bad]] during the Battle City Arc if not for his injuries.
** That, and whereas the other prominent duelists are loaded with powerful cards, especially Kaiba, Joey's deck, ostensibly due to him being much newer to the game and a lot poorer for one, is littered with weak cards, along with chance-based cards whose effects can even things out when he gets lucky with the result. (He does get stronger cards throughout the series, most notably Jinzo.) As a result, he really has to fight for his victories, though fortunately for himself, he's one of the most driven duelists in the entire series.
** Little Yugi, when up against Atem in the Ceremonial Duel, would be another. Whereas the latter is locked and loaded with all three Egyptian god cards and by this point the ability to will his topdecks with his Millennium powers, the non-magical Yugi takes him and his gods down with much weaker monsters augmented by strategic use of spells and traps, and in spite of Atem's ability to [[Winds of Destiny Change|select what he draws every turn]], Yugi manages to stay one step ahead, culminating in his calling out Atem's final strategy of revive Osiris. (Added in the anime version was Kaiba's presence, where he offers Yugi to choose among his rarest and strongest cards for help against Atem, but Yugi chooses to rely on his own cards. Not only that, [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|he takes down all three god cards at once]]!)
** To a lesser extent, you also have Mai Valentine in the Battle City arc. We only see her duel twice, but she defeats [[Prince Charming Wannabe|Jean-Claude Magnum]] pretty easily, and engages [[Super-Powered Evil Side|Marik]] in a duel, and fares exceedingly well against him. {{spoiler|She only loses due to a trick of the Winged Dragon of Ra unrelated to dueling. She'd have beaten him handily without it.}} Atem and Kaiba were both exceedingly impressed with her.
* Crow from ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!
** {{spoiler|However with the Second Season Finale, the Crimson Dragon, probably wondering why the hell it didn't choose him in the first place, has given him the [[Power Tattoo|Tail Birthmark]] and made him into a [[Chosen One|Signer]], which sadly means [[Badass Abnormal|he can't be classified]] as a Badass Normal anymore.}}
* Nenene Sumiragawa from the ''[[
** In both the OVA and TV series, Drake Anderson is able to defeat several superpowered beings using only his army training and machinery.
* Mireille Bouquet is one of the best assassins in the world, but compared to the rest of the cast of ''[[Noir (
* Natsuko Aki in ''[[Cutey Honey|Re: Cutey Honey]]'' inspires Cutey Honey to fight, after laying siege to a villain's hideout with just the artillery on her back and sheer guts.
* The "Nanaya Shiki" of [[Tsukihime
* Kiyone in the ''[[Tenchi Muyo!]]!'' Tenchiverse timeline had none of the exotic magical or [[Sufficiently Advanced]] powers enjoyed by most of the main cast, or even her partner Mihoshi's consistently extraordinary luck, but still managed to at least register on their scale thanks to great skills with her array of high-tech weapons and gadgets.
* Nicholas D Wolfwood of ''[[Trigun]]''. At least in the anime, he was basically just a regular if not well trained guy with a really big gun. Despite this he's able to go head to head with large groups of angry thugs, a killer robot and was at least Vash's equal in a quick draw tournament.
** This is clarified a bit in the manga. Chapel raised Wolfwood on some steroid-like chemicals that made him incredibly strong with lightning fast reflexes, much like Vash. Unfortunately, the drug did a number on his pituitary and caused him to age rapidly. He's a teenager, but looks to be in his thirties. Actually, given that Chapel lets it slip that Wolfwood is 17 in the anime and his childhood is still kept pretty secret, the implication is that his backstory is the same in both versions: it's just not revealed in the TV show. You have to read the manga [[All There in the Manual|if you want to know all the details]].
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** And how have we gotten this far without mentioning Pip? Or Heinkel (at least before the end of the series) and Yumie?
* Genjyo Sanzo in ''[[Saiyuki]]'' is the only full human in his quest party and his main weapon, a small handgun, seems to be devoid of special magic. DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR BEING A PUSHOVER. He is an ''extremely'' good shot, a skillful strategist, and could best adult men at hand-to-hand martial arts by the time he was 14. They don't give you a [[Sutra]] just for chanting pretty words.
* Togusa from ''[[Ghost in
* Major General Olivier Milla Armstrong in the ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' manga is the older sister of Alex Louis Armstrong. She's also a sword-wielding maniac who terrifies the Elric brothers. Even though she has no alchemic abilities, and relies only on her sword, she has put more fear in them than the Homunculi, Scar, and [[Big Bad|Father]] combined.
** And her whole garrison. {{spoiler|Who did most of the work of taking over the country toward the end of the series.}}
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** Sig proves that his muscles isn't just for show in the last arc when he {{spoiler|kills Sloth alongside Alex Louis by throwing him on a spike}}.
** Ling Yao {{spoiler|before becoming the new Greed}} is quite the badass. While he has no knowledge of alchemy, he's quite skilled with his sword and at one point holds his own against Wrath while holding an injured comrade across one shoulder. His bodyguards Lan Fan and Fuu aren't too shabby, either.
* ''[[Princess Mononoke]]'' title character. In a world containing spirits, gods, and some guy with a possessed super-powered arm, San is just a girl with a spear, knife, and wolf. Which are apparently enough to go over a thirty foot wall.
** Lady Eboshi only has intelligence and restraint to think things through before she acts. By the end of the movie {{spoiler|she pretty much defeated everyone with only minor casualties. At the same time! Things only turn bad when the actual god of the forest intervenes, but that actually takes place ''after'' she killed him in single combat!}}
* Ein and the adult version of Bat from ''[[Fist of the North Star]]''. While they don't have same [[Charles Atlas Superpower|martial arts training]] as Kenshiro and other martial artists in the series, they're capable on holding their own against the bad guys. The two of them working together managed to punch an entire fortress filled with goons to death. Some of the bad guys, like Jackal, may qualify for this trope as well.
* Kai, David, and Lewis from ''[[Blood
* Limelda Jorg in ''[[Madlax]]'' is an ordinary military officer positioned as [[The Rival]] to the eponymous [[Extraordinarily Empowered Girl]], who is [[Cursed
* Daisuke Ido from ''[[Gunnm]]'' is likely the only Hunter-Warrior in the Scrapyard who is ''not'' a cyborg.
** You can't mention ''[[Gunnm]]'' in this trope without bringing up Figure 4 - He frequently takes down cyborgs, and often times does it unarmed
* [[Colonel Badass|Colonel]] Shikishima from ''[[
** Kaneda himself is another example. Anyone who can face down a superpowered psychic psychopath with nothing but a laser rifle without getting splattered definitely qualifies.
* In a school inhabited by super-powered [[Magical Girl|Magical Girls]], Haruka Suzushiro from ''[[
** The most exemplary moment of Haruka's Badass Normal tendencies is during the Searrs invasion where she uses her brute strength to take out a pair of fully armed soldiers... and also kicking one of their ''tanks'' and somehow not breaking her foot. Wow.
* While several of the characters in ''[[Baccano
** It's worth pointing out, however, that Ladd is [[Ax Crazy]] and Claire thinks he ''is'' immortal.
** In the light novels, Claire takes this trope even further - {{spoiler|he manages to best a ''vampire'' in a fight.}} The author of the novels has even stated that, if such a situation were to come up, Claire would be able to win against all of the many characters in the series with little effort; the reason the author plans to avoid such a fight is simply because should Claire be pitted against the rest of the cast, the story would come to a swift and uninteresting end. What's more, {{spoiler|at the age of 90, Claire - still a mortal - continues his eccentric activities, traveling around the world and locating treasures ''merely to impress Chane.''}}
** The light novels themselves note that the only character that ''might'' match up against Claire in a fight is Ronnie Suchiart. To clarify, {{spoiler|the resident ''demon/[[Eldritch Abomination
* In ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]!'', most of the characters at the least use some kind of given [[Hermetic Magic|magic]] or [[Ki Attacks|Ki]]. But some of them are at least able to touch ground with the more powerful people. Asakura showed sly cleverness -- enough to manipulate anyone in the class -- long before she got her {{spoiler|spying device pactio weapon}}. Kuu Fei in particular was only recently able to properly utilize Ki, and even then hold her own against the more magically capable opponents. Although she rarely gets placed in a situation where it would become applicable due to her "clueless [[Muggle]]" status, Ayaka also proved herself capable of holding her own in battle during the school trip arc.
** Negi's father also counts; even without his magic {{spoiler|charging into an [[Anti-Magic]] valley filled with monsters is no problem if his woman is in danger.}}
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* In the anime version of ''[[Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch]]'', Nagisa, despite being a [[Dogged Nice Guy]] with little to no knowledge of the [[Masquerade]], has a few moments of his own... like resisting a spell to immobilize humans, attacking the person responsible and destroying the item he was using to do it, despite being one of {{spoiler|the only two}} normals in the entire cast, simply because Hanon was in pain.
* The ''[[Gundam]]'' multiverse is a difficult issue, as it depends on the universe, what you consider a super power. ''UC'' would go with psychic Newtypes and ''SEED'' with coordinators, G-verse is full of people with [[Charles Atlas Superpower|Charles Atlas Superpowers]] beating the crap out of others. Also in a mecha anime, you might consider fighting with a normal suit with or against way superior opponents a Badass Normal action. Examples (and also note that these characters also have to be directly compared to a newtype or coordinator, not just have them exist somewhere in that [[Alternate Universe|universe]]:
** Garrod Ran of ''[[After War Gundam X]]'' is just a normal human, even though he exists in a world with Newtypes. His "normal" status is a first for a main series protagonist, since his predecessors were a series of of potent Newtypes, a man [[Designer Babies|genetically engineered]] for his job, and a super powered martial artist able to kick entire ''buildings'' clear into the sky.
** In a war where Newtypes are the only ones getting a hit on the enemy, ''[[Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
** ''[[Gundam IGLOO|MS IGLOO]]''. Oliver May in the Big Rang.
▲** ''[[Gundam IGLOO|MS IGLOO]]''. Oliver May in the Big Rang. 'Nuff said. To give you an idea, he was an engineer with no piloting experience who got inside a patched-up MA made of a Bigro attached to a custom-built support platform, and completely stomped Fed forces all over A Baoa Qu, to the point they thought he was Char.
*** In the second movie series, there's Ben Barberry, who has the highest MS kill count achieved ''on foot'', and Arleen Nazon, who's team was pretty much the only support Big Tray needed in their ground assault on the Dabudes in Operation Odessa.
** UC Aces have a number of well known badass normals aside from Jerid and Yazaan, Hughes to date is canonically the oldest Gundam pilot (32 years old!), the Twin Stars of Carnage are so badass that they punched out Amuro's G3 Gundam once.
*** Look further and you'll find [[Mobile Suit Gundam
** The ''00'' series features this a lot in many characters.
*** Graham Acre is the biggest of them, being the first character in the series to come close to taking down a Gundam in a straight fight. Had his fight with the Eins continued, he would have literally chopped it to pieces with the beam saber he jacked from the same unit.
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*** Setsuna F. Seiei at the beginning of the second season when he performs a personal intervention against the A-Laws. Although he nearly gets killed in the fight, it should be kept in mind that his Gundam was essentially a lost one since it was a makeshift repair of a 5 year old model using outdated technology. To add the icing on the cake, his weapon couldn't thrust because it had no point and the cutting edge was beaten to pieces. This carries over to the 00 later on because although the Gundam is technically a [[Bigger Stick]], it was no bigger a stick than the average enemy suits since it could not go Trans-Am, at least not until the Trans-Am Raiser was equipped. Then that title goes to hell.
*** Among the Gundam team we must not forget Lockon Stratos! Compared to the other pilots {{spoiler|Setsuna was a child soldier in the Middle East, Al was a tykebomb, experimented with to become a super-solider and has a super powered evil side, and Tieria a creation that was meant to purge emotion and be a fighting machine,}} is just an ordinary guy. An ordinary guy who pilots a Gundam, is the unofficial leader of the four, could have any woman, or man, and {{spoiler|near the end of the Season 1 was able to force back Ali, the guy who was whupping the main character once he got the Zwei, without trans-am! Mind you the Zwei was built for close combat and the Dynames meant for sniping and yet Lockon was winning in close combat without his dominate eye!}} BAD-ASS-NORMAL!
*** Another contender is Sergei Smirnoff, a [[Cool Old Guy|middle aged man]] in a [[Mecha
** [[Rebellious Princess|Cagalli Yula Atha]] of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
* Geronimo from ''[[Kinnikuman]]''. In his first fight, he's just an ordinary person, but manages to not only survive getting crushed and stabbed in the torso, but destroy his opponent by screaming at him, only stopping to make his stopped heart start beating again by reaching into his own chest and massaging it. The fact that he's not even technically a superhero at this point makes this even more amazing. After becoming a superhero, though, he never wins another fight. Apparently, [[Good Is Dumb|super powers make you weak]].
* Gourry Gabriev of ''[[Slayers]]''. In a show where practically [[Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards|every hero and villain worth their money can fly, cast devastating spells, and create force-fields]], he is the idiot with the sword who somehow manages to hold his own. Sure it's the [[Laser Blade|Sword of Light]] ({{spoiler|at least until the end of ''Slayers Try''}}), but still.
** Jillas qualifies even better: he has no magic ability nor wields a special weapon, but with his bombs he sometimes manages to be quite [[Badass|badass.]]
** [[Royals Who Actually Do Something|Prince Phillionel]], Amelia's ogrish father, is equally as worthy, as all he has to rely on his is hulk-like strength, which is powerful enough to defeat a lesser demon and even harm a low-ranked Mazoku/Monster.
* While it's emphasized that usually only the characters smart enough to wear the [[Clothes Make the Superman|Hunter suits]] are [[Genre Savvy]] enough to survive a game of ''[[
** Kaze technically qualities as well, having {{spoiler|killed a few raptors with his bare hands before he gets to the point of wearing his suit.}} Of course, like Kurono, the act of donning the aforementioned Hunter suits puts him well above the average Gantz participant.
* Gene Starwind of ''[[Outlaw Star]]'' can be seen as a Badass Normal. Certainly, he has some fancy tech and a space ship, but when his crew are made up of a ninja-esque assassin (capable of killing anything with a ''wooden'' sword), an alien catgirl who can turn into a beast form and is nigh-invincible already and his navigator is a bio-robot, it certainly makes the plain outlaw Gene look underwhelming.
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** Jim, who is a 13 year old kid (Gene himself only being about 17 in the series) whose only power is being brilliant.
** Shimi of the Anten Seven is a grand example. Unlike his comrades, he doesn't use any special powers in combat but is no less deadly because of it. Before his showdown with Gene, he first fights Jim, Aisha, and Suzuka all at once using nothing but conventional weapons and ''beats all three of them within the span of a minute''. He then proceeds to give Gene a thorough trouncing and probably would have killed him had he not decided that the only honorable way to finish his quarry was through a quick-draw shoot out. He lost this showdown due to a faulty pistol, but even being shot and then buried didn't stop him from surviving and ''digging himself out of his grave''. Truly he is a manly man among normal men.
* Many people consider Kyon from ''[[
** Worth pointing out that it's been made more or less clear that the S.O.S. Brigade members actually seem to be more loyal to him than Haruhi. Particularly in the case of Yuki who seems to take commands from him more often than Haruhi. Inspiring that kind of loyalty is indeed all kinds of badass.
* Li Meiling from ''[[
** To fully get the picture on Meiling's Badass Normalness: Sakura is a [[Magical Girl]]. Syaoran is a pint-sized [[Bruce Lee Clone]]. Kerberos, Yue and Rubymoon are magic guardians. Meiling can't even see the Clow Cards properly... but she's still a [[Hot-Blooded]] [[Cute Bruiser]], and once she's even ''vital'' in capturing The Twins card: whereas Sakura fails to synch her attacks with Syaoran's own, Meiling does it ''[[Crowning Moment of Awesome|perfectly]]''.
* Kallen Kouzuki from ''[[Code Geass]]'' is one of the few major characters without a Geass or some sort of inhuman skill, and yet she's arguably the best pilot in the series. She's able to pilot the Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. after its creator stated that even Suzaku shouldn't be able to, then {{spoiler|narrowly defeats Suzaku in his own custom built Lancelot Albion, despite him using his [[Super Mode|"live on"]] command through all of their fight}}.
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* The Obstinate Arrow task force from ''[[Scrapped Princess]]''. {{spoiler|Centuries ago, the Guardian Factor was seeded in human DNA to produce people with the strength and will to protect the Providence Breaker when she is born. None of these people are in the task force which confuses the hell out of Zefiris when they come to the Pacifica's rescue and join her side.}}
* Demon slayer Sango is ''[[Inuyasha]]'''s resident Badass Normal. Of the main [[Five-Man Band]], she is the only one that doesn't have either demonic or spiritual power, instead relying purely on her enormous boomerang, extensive combat training, and nigh-encyclopedic knowledge about all manner of demons and their weakness. Sango is, notably, the second strongest combatant in the group, formidable enough to impress even Inu-Yasha himself. Miroku sums it up when he's forced to try to take her down while she's mind controlled - he pulls it off eventually, but not without incurring some nasty injuries, and she's clearly not fighting at full potential.
{{quote|
* ''[[
* Even ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' has a few of these, particularly Kino Makoto/Sailor Jupiter, who established her badass credentials in her debut episode by smacking around a bunch of thugs who were harassing Usagi, then doing it again later in the episode to ''[[Quirky Miniboss Squad|Zoicite]]''. This was ''before'' she awakened as Sailor Jupiter, mind you, and for that matter it was before Sailor Moon even knew she was an unawakened Senshi. When she ''did'' awaken and turned into a [[Badass Abnormal]], she was one of the only Senshi to ever kill a [[Monster of the Week]] ''without'' the use of Sailor Moon's [[Finishing Move]].
** Actually, Sailor Mars destroyed one in her debut episode.
*** Still impressive, since Sailor Mars is a [[Miko]] and thus, have her own supernatural powers even without transforming. Sailor Jupiter has only her own strenght, and its more than enough.
** The rest of the [[Fan Nickname|Inner Senshi]] also became this trope for a brief period during the [[Filler Arc]] of ''[[Sailor Moon|Sailor Moon R]]''. Sailor Moon got her powers and memories reawakened in the first episode, but the other four Senshi still just think they're normal girls, because Luna and Sailor Moon wanted them to be able to live normal lives. When the [[Monster of the Week]] shows up, they [[Jumped At the Call|jump into the fight without any powers or knowledge of their nature.]] And while they aren't perfect, they do better than the solo Usagi.
** Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Mask. He doesn't have any of the finishing attacks of the Sailor Senshi but is usually the last one to go down, making great use of his tactical mind, physical strength (which is a little above average, but not ''that'' much), and a few key weapons. This guy is basically Japanese Batman.
* Hubb Lebowski of ''[[
* ''[[Psycho Busters]]'' has Kakeru, who, despite being the only one ''without'' psychic powers, is still able to kick ass by analyzing the flaws of each psychic and using it to his advantage. {{spoiler|However, he may actually be a [[Badass Abnormal]] instead since he ''does'' have psychic powers sealed inside him, but he's unaware of it.}}
* ''[[Claymore]]'''s {{spoiler|Raki, post time-skip}}. Unlike the ladies, he has no Youki to increase his strength, no ability to sense demons beyond the regular five senses, and he certainly is a lot less durable... Not to mention he presumably heals at the same rate as a normal human. He's just a regular guy with seven years of sword training under his belt... And he easily kills the sort of youma that was giving Clare trouble at the beginning of the series.
* Captain Bravo from ''Busou Renkin'' would seem to fit this trope. Although he does have a kakugane, it is simply a metal shield, however he is able to destroy the ground and kill people with a single punch, pull out of a spinning kick in mid air, etc.
* Looker (Handsome in Japan) in ''Pokemon''. He first comes off as a slightly bizarre detective, but he dares to actually ''fight bad guys '''HIMSELF''''' instead of relying on any Pokémon.
** Bad girl Domino in ''[[Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns]]'' held off and pushed a Scyther away herself among other things. She was one of the few human characters who did not have a Pokémon and did things herself quite well, of course, she was [[Crazy Prepared]].
** Looker and Domino both impressed in their worlds, but it's more common in the ''[[Pokémon Special]]'' manga for trainers to fight against Pokémon on their own, usually out of necessity. You could easily expect such out of Bruno and Chuck, but then there's Sapphire, who is first seen fighting a Seviper ''alongside her Torchic'', and later has her Aron chew off a bit of a fountain ''before breaking it off herself to save another Pokémon trapped inside''!
** And in ''Best Wishes'' both of Ash's traveling companions, [[Little Miss Badass|Iris]] and [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass|Cilan]] prove that they can battle a Pokémon without the need of using one. Iris has demonstrated many ninja-like movements being incredibly fast compared to other Pokémon, has shown to dodge many attacks coming to her and was able to {{spoiler|befriend Drilbur that later evolved into her powerful Excadrill because of it}}. As for Cilan, while he does more thinking than actual battling, he's shown to be a pro at fishing. He battled a Stunfisk just using his fishing rod {{spoiler|and caught it after Ash caught his Palpitoad.}}
* Hareta from ''[[Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure]]''. He's abnormally athletic, and unusually strong, which blends well with his [[Hot-Blooded]] personality. He's fought against Pokemon essentially trying to murder him on various occasions.
* Yumi of ''[[Saki (
* Jubei of ''[[Ninja Scroll]]'', facing various mutants and mystical opponents with nothing but a sword and his skill with it.
* Kodachi Kuno from ''[[Ranma
* Otoha of ''[[Karas]]'' is an interesting example, in that he is a Badass Normal compared to ''himself''. He was originally a yakuza enforcer who liked killing gun-toting mooks with nothing but his sword, and was actually able to hold his own (if only barely) against a full-powered ''[[Youkai|mikura]]''. Then he turned into [[Super Mode|Karas]], and anything he fought just kind of ''[[Curb Stomp Battle|died]]''.
* Hei from ''[[Darker
** And later returned to Badass Normal after [[Brought Down to Normal|having lost his contractor powers]].
* ''[[Elfen Lied]]'' has soldiers that are mostly mooks that stand no chance against the super powered diclonius unless in large numbers; except for Bando who is a Badass Normal that puts up a good fight whenever he can get the chance to. {{spoiler|Despite being augmented with high-tech prosthetics, these are actually still handicaps for him. He qualifies by being [[Crazy Prepared]] in that he will only face her in an open space on the beach that he keeps clean of debris for months by patrolling it daily. He is also very ruthless and skilled.}}
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* Minamoto from ''[[Zettai Karen Children]]'' is this trope. The protagonist of the series, he's the head of a level 7 three-person esper(ESP user) team. Not to mention he has to go up against freakishly strong espers every mission. Some of the things the espers can do is levitate fire trucks like they were nothing, ward off bullets, and read/screw up your mind. Despite this, he manages to constantly even the odds with superior tactics, usage of technology, and plain old kindness and understanding. No wonder he's respected by espers on both sides.
* Domyouji from ''[[Kurogane no Linebarrel]]'' is a common human being who can fight toe-to-toe with nanomachines-enhanced individuals (who can easily punch normal people unconscious in a single blow, and have repeatedly done that).
* In ''[[Durarara!!]]'', {{spoiler|Masaomi Kida}} doesn't have any [[Super Strength]], KGB training, [[Dark Is Edgy|control over darkness]], or a [[Hive Mind]] army like some characters: he's just a kid that's really good at street fighting. [[One-Man Army|Really,]] ''[[One-Man Army|really]]'' [[One-Man Army|good at it.]]
* In ''[[Soul Eater]]'', Mifune is one of the few characters who is neither a witch, a magical weapon, or the wielder of a magical weapon. He's just really really [[Charles Atlas Superpower|impossibly]] good at swordfighting.
* Bardroy of ''[[
* Bunshichi Tawara from ''[[Tenjho Tenge]]'' stars in a series filled with formally trained martial artists, people with inherited super powers and the mortal incarnations of [[Japanese Mythology|Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, & Susanoo]], yet still manages to be (arguably) the strongest fighter in the series without any kind of training or supernatural enhancement. Needless to say this has given him quite the reputation in series.
* [[Samurai in Ninja Town|Mifune]] in ''[[Naruto]]''. While the other leaders of the Shinobi Alliance can do stuff such as creating a sea of sand, obliterating mass, healing with such speed that it basically equals immortality, manipulating lava and acid alike, and dramatically augmenting one's physical abilities with ''lightning'', Mifune just draws his katana fast enough to prevent even high-level ninja from performing the hand-seals needed to use their special techniques.
** Lest we forget Tenten too. In a world rife with immortal ninjas, one girl seeks to take them all down with just about every type of weapon there is (though she's had little chance to shine). {{spoiler|The Shinobi World War arc implies that she's turned into a full fledged [[Action Girl]]}}.
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* Fans of ''[[Voltron]]'' would know that Sven, the original Blue Lion pilot, is one. He survives being nailed in personal combat by a robeast, {{spoiler|and survived a plunge from the heights of Castle Doom}}. Even after that, he was in good enough condition to fly Blue Lion again.
* Makoto's father in ''[[Sacred Seven]]'' is a ([[Battle Butler|sorta]]) ordinary butler in a series populated by extremely powerful monsters called Dark Stones. Any character who has ever fought one needed special powers of their own, a [[Mini-Mecha]], or a [[Frickin' Laser Beams|big laser]] [[BFG|gun]]. Yet, he managed to hold his own against one, however briefly, with only his barehands and two [[Hidden Weapons]]. {{spoiler|He later managed to defeat it by [[Heroic Sacrifice|blowing himself up]].}}
* In the manga ''[[Medaka Box]]'', Zenkichi Hitoyoshi, one of the normal main characters, is able to hold own his against an Abnormal(one who has a special ability caused by their personality) and a Minus(similar to an abnormal but a minus is morally corrupt).
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