Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

There are [[The Dark Arts|some attacks]] in the media that come at a price. Actually, there are a ''lot'' of attacks in media that [[Power At a Price|come at a price.]]

 

 

Whatever the case, the character's mentor will tell him that he can only use said attack a set number of times or he's never supposed to use it unless some requirement is met. Expect the [[Old Master]] to inform the hero that [[You Are Not Ready]]. And [[Rule of Drama|naturally]], a situation ''will'' come up where the character has no choice but to use the technique, or if it has a limited number of times it can be used safely, he or she will be forced to use it more than the safe number of times. Like [[Forbidden Chekhov's Gun]], this technique (or rather, its overuse) comes at a ''heavy'' price. Unlike [[Forbidden Chekhov's Gun]], the price is [[Necessary Drawback|nearly always paid]].

If the hero is ''lucky'', it could just be a [[Heroic RROD]]. But it's often worse than that.

 

 

* ''[[Naruto]]'' has lots and lots and lots of these. In fact, there exists a specific subset of the Shinobi arts called 'Kinjutsu', literally "Forbidden Techniques". For one reason or another they have been banned from being taught, used, or both by the commanding shinobi. They are either jutsu that damage the user to a fatal extent (e.g. Mass Shadow Clone Technique), jutsu that are viewed as ethically wrong (such as Edo Tensei which resurrects the dead) or jutsu which involve other crimes (e.g. murder in case of the "Edo Tensei," because a [[Human Sacrifice]] is needed to resurrect someone). There also exists a wide range of techniques that are not officially 'kinjutsu' but fit this trope.

** Sasuke's Chidori is only supposed to be used twice, but he uses it a third time; the result is that his cursed seal activates and nearly takes over (the technique later loses its "Dangerous" element, as Sasuke is able to spam the crap out of it without becoming exhausted). Just about every move Rock Lee uses that isn't a basic punch or kick carries some heavy toll on his body (such as his use of the Chakra Gates), and as a result, Gai forces prerequisites upon him, so that he must be protecting someone or defending his ninja way when he uses said moves.

** Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu also has an ultimate technique that involves putting yourself in significant danger. If you hesitate even the slightest amount, you either die or lose your leg. If you don't hesitate, you might still lose your leg.

** Sanosuke's [[Megaton Punch|Futae No Kiwami]] becomes one over time due to its overuse. His hand injury was said to be even worse than the damage Kenshin suffered against Shishio. Though his hand never really heals, he finds ways to minimize damage.

** The only time it really hurts him is when he pushes it to times four while fighting Vegeta, at which point he was apparently barely able to fight. The other times he uses it, apparently, his body's toughened enough to negate the negative effects.

*** Not quite. While his body was strong enough to withstand it after the Vegeta fight, when he used the 20x kaioken against Freiza, it ate away almost all his ki, leaving him defenseless.

** In ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'', there's also something called the "Cyber Legacy", which Kaiser Ryō is the inheritor to. Normally, he and the other duelists in the Cyber-Style dojo (yes, the Legacy is apparently so powerful, you need to train in a dojo to properly duel with it) practice the normal Cyber-Style (Cyber Dragon and other Cyber-type monsters), but there's another set of cards known as the Cyberdark-Style that's sealed away from even the Legacy's heir due to its immense and dangerous power. {{spoiler|Ryo learns just why it's so dangerous and forbidden [[This Is Your Brain on Evil|the hard way]].}}

** In the real game cards deemed too powerful are forbidden from official tournaments. If only they could be consistent on what overpowered means.

** The Shishi Hōkōdan is actually an interesting example on two accounts. First, Ranma tries and fails to beat Ryoga at his own game, and realizes the flaw in the principle-namely, as the tide of battle turns, the loser will gain great power for the technique by his depression at losing the fight while the winner's lightened spirits will depower the technique. So he creates his own, Not-So-Dangerous, Not-Actually-Forbidden Technique in the form of a [[Ki Attack]] fueled by boundless confidence. Second, Ryoga is baffled when the scroll he learns the technique from indicates a general sense of downwardness; it turns out that in it's purest form Shishi Hōkōdan isn't a directed beam, it's more like a weight dropping on the user from the heavens; the user is protected from his own attack because he's emotionally empty when he uses it. Ranma uses this against Ryoga by jolting him out of his reverie mid-attack with [[Panty Shot|something he knows Ryoga wants from Akane]]; the surging hope and anticipation leave Ryoga open to being clobbered by his own technique.

* ''[[Outlaw Star]]'' featured the Caster gun which fired spiritual Caster Bullets (each type represented by a number, but the differences were never fully established for most of them.) Eventually, Gene realizes that there are three numbers that never come up, so he tracks down the gunsmiths that make these bullets. Each one gives him one of these bullets (except for the #4 bullet, which he receives 2 of), but explain that they draw on the gunner's soul, so if he fires all three, he will die. Sure enough, he needs all three.

** And {{spoiler|chapter 265, we see [[Unstoppable Rage|just why]] this could become a problem}}.

** And the ''real'' direct consequence of Dark Magic finally shows up with {{spoiler|Negi basically overdosing on magic and poisoning himself, which is now requiring him to have to battle inside himself to get an upper hand on the dark magic. Eva isn't even sure this is ''possible'' because as she noted earlier, Negi has already surpassed her in his mastery of this technique. Oh, and even if he wins he apparently won't be exactly human anymore.}}

* Suffering from [[Dating Sim]] withdrawal, Keima of ''[[The World Only God Knows]]'' resorts to "Capturing God Mode" in order to clear his backlog, playing six games at once at blinding speed while still able to react emotionally to each one, and eventually passes out under the strain.

** Actually, it was Nanoha's training regimen that resulted in her being low on energy during a battle, and the wounds she got very nearly killed her. However, the [[Deadly Upgrade]] that is the Blaster System defintely qualifies for this trope: if Nanoha's body is likened to a massive wooden building with fireplaces which supply magic to her, the Blaster System doesn't add fuel to the fire so much as it ''sets part of the building ablaze.'' In the following supplements, it's revealed that {{spoiler|her use of the Blaster System during the JS incident permanently decreased her magical potential by about eight percent.}}

*** It is, however, revealed that the [[Wave Motion Gun|Starlight Breaker]] compresses magic in such a way that when used the way Nanoha does it, compared to the way Reinforce [[Sphere of Destruction|used it]], actually does put tremendous strain on her body, when combined with her training regimen, is what caused her to get critically injured.

* [[Zoids]]: New Century has a mecha version: Among the three alternate armours available for the Liger Zero is the [[Mecha Expansion Pack|Panzer armour]]- effectively turning the Liger into a walking tank with [[Wave Motion Gun|huge guns]] and [[Macross Missile Massacre|lots and lots and LOTS of missiles]]. However, it's so [[Deadly Upgrade|heavy and power-consuming that the Liger can barely move, and quickly overheats just from wearing the armour]]. The armour is still useful, but has to be ejected on the battlefield right after each use to avoid melting the Liger Zero.

* In ''[[Soul Eater]]'', using Tsubaki's {{spoiler|Fey Blade}} mode takes a toll on Black☆Star's health. Early on, he can only maintain it for a short duration before passing out. At one point, the normally [[Yamato Nadeshiko|submissive]] Tsubaki refuses to use it out of fear for her partner's well-being.

** And Sven's eye ability makes him very tired after using it, which limits him as well, though his ability isn't near as badass.

* Parodied in [[Ninin ga Shinobuden]], where the technique that has been "banned ten years ago because it was so dangerous" is...duct tape underpants.

* Only two attacks are explicitly called thus in ''[[Saint Seiya]]'': the Bronze Dragon Saint's "Rozan Kou Ryu Ha," which grasps the enemy from behind in a crushing bearhug and launches both user and target into outer space, where either air friction during the ascent or exposure to outer space will kill both people. Dragon Shiryu specifically noted how his master, Dohko, had banned this technique, and he only ever used it against the otherwise unbeatable Capricorn Gold Saint, Shura.

* In ''[[Inazuma Eleven]]'', {{spoiler|Teikoku}} has some hissatsu techniques, explicitly called "forbidden techniques", which are extremely powerful but strain the user's body; a single use is enough to cause searing pain, and three uses in a single match is liable to send the user to the hospital with the possibility of permanent injuries.

* ''[[Prince of Tennis]]'' has the technique "Dash Hadoukyuu", [[The Big Guy|Kawamura's]] most powerful shot {{spoiler|until final hadoukyuu}}. The original hadoukyuu already puts a great deal of strain on the arm, while the Dash Hadoukyuu is restricted to once per match. {{spoiler|naturally, he breaks this rule against Gin Ishida}}.

* The NT-D ("Newtype Destroyer") system in ''[[Gundam Unicorn]]''. Built in to the eponymous Gundam, the system activates if it detects a Newtype (or cyber-Newtype) somewhere in the vicinity. It then releases all of the limiters on the Gundam's systems, directly linking all the suit's functions to the pilot's mind. This allows the pilot to gain extreme reflexes, almost mechanical precision, and even {{spoiler|the ability to hijack Psy-Commu weapons, which are generally a Newtype's most dangerous weapons}}. However, this system can override the pilot's own morals with the system's programming to destroy Newtypes, and runs a very real risk of burning out the pilot's mind and causing severe brain damage.

* In ''[[Bamboo Blade]]'' as well as real-life Kendo, the throat strike is treated this way, because of the high risk of seriously injuring your opponent if done incorrectly. In the series, it is used mostly by morally ambiguous or outright villainous characters, although the main protagonist Tamaki will also attempt to use it when sufficiently provoked or against an especially skilled opponent. In real-world Kendo, throat strikes are only permitted to be used only by high-ranking Kendoka.

 

== Comic Books ==

* The "Demon Ball" technique in ''[[Bowling King]]''; Its creator injured himself badly attempting to perfect it and was forced to retire from professional bowling.

 

* In ''[[Kiss of the Dragon]]'', [[Jet Li]] describes the titular technique as "very secret, very forbidden".

** Though that technique actually represents no danger fot the user at all. What it does, however, is cause a slow, painful, messy death for the one it's used upon.

* In ''[[Blades of Glory]]'', the Iron Lotus is a technique developed by the coach in his "wild youth", but only one country was crazy enough to try it - North Korea. The only attempt resulted in the woman's head cut off by the man's ice skate (as impossible as this sounds). According to the coach, the only way for the technique to be performed successfully is by a pair of two men.

 

== Literature ==

* Death magic in [[Lois McMaster Bujold]]'s ''Chalion'' series causes both the target and the caster to die as their souls are borne off to the Bastard's Hell (when it works at all). Not to mention that unsuccessful attempts/research are regarded as attempted murder at best and dealt with by temporal authorities as such.

** It wasn't just the cities disappearing that almost broke reality, but also having them reappear again as the destroyers were killed with balefire, and then having them vanish ''again'' if the person who did that ''also'' got killed with balefire. (Though Robert Jordan waffled on this a bit, at one point saying that the effects of balefire couldn't be undone by more balefire.)

*** And a lasting "fallout" effect that makes it difficult to cast spells in the entire region or a year or more.

* [[Mercedes Lackey]]'s ''[[Heralds of Valdemar|Last Herald Mage]]'' trilogy mentions the "Final Strike", in which a mage uses up all his energy in an offensive spell, thus killing himself along with whatever is aimed at. It works, too, in the [[Downer Ending|tragic]] ending of the trilogy.

** The use of Horcruxes is so forbidden that it's nearly impossible to find any information on how to use it.

*** Probably not least because it involves fracturing the soul, and doing ''that'' involves murdering people.

* The ''[[Dragaera]]'' series has "Elder Sorcery", which involves the direct manipulation of raw chaos, and the practice of which is a capital crime by imperial edict. Those who research and practice it do so mainly out of curiosity and/or for the search for knowledge, since elder sorcery has long since been supplanted by the ''much'' safer and easier use "normal" sorcery, where the energy of raw chaos is first filtered through the Imperial Orb before being used. However, there are some circumstances where normal sorcery doesn't work, forcing the characters to resort to elder sorcery.

* In ''The Magician's Nephew'', the first chronological book in the [[Chronicles of Narnia]] series, there is a dark spell the Deplorable Word. When it is spoken, every form of life in the world with the sole exception of the speaker is killed instantly. [[Big Bad|Jadis]] actually boasts about the extensive measures she took to learn this and then use it to kill everybody in her homeworld as part of her backstory.

* In Garth Nix's ''[[Old Kingdom]]'' series (''Sabriel'', ''Lirael'' and ''Abhorsen''), the last of the bells of the necromancer throws everyone that hears it deep into Death. What's it called? [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|Astarael]].

 

* ''[[Juken Sentai Gekiranger]]'' features the Ju-Ju-Zenshin-Hen, which allows the user to take on a super-powerful beast-like form. The bad news: transformation is permanent. The worse news: if your technique isn't perfect, your life's gonna ''suuuuuuck.'' A Wolf Fist user winds up transforming into an out-of-control werewolf periodically, but at least he gets restored into his human form. The Fly Fist user (no, really) isn't so lucky, winding up an anthropomorphic fly who is about the size of a mouse. He ends up getting swallowed by an evil Chameleon Fist user and is resurrected along with her after she dies...

* ''[[Mahou Sentai Magiranger]]'' also has one. Anyone who uses Chronogel's forbidden time spell will die via getting sucked into a wormhole that appears on their chest while it sucks other things like matter and time into it. This curse was deliberately placed on it - apparently, the use of time magic is so dangerous that ''making sure the universe is screwed if you use it'' is the best way to protect it. Yeeeah.

* [[Kamen Rider Double]]'s Twin Maximum, in which he activates two [[Finishing Move|Maximum Drives]] at the same time, temporarily taking his power up to 200%. However, this puts an incredible strain on his body, {{spoiler|as demonstrated when Shotaro impulsively uses it in one battle, which lights him on fire and severely injures him. In the final battle of the series, Double's [[Super Mode]] is powerful enough that he can combine the Xtreme and Prism Memories' Maximum Drives without ill effect.}}

* The bonehead maneuver in [[Babylon 5]].

 

== Professional Wrestling ==

* Technical wrestlers generally avoid this as most submissions don't actually put that much pressure on the body.

 

** There also exists an incredibly powerful dispel spell called ''Mordenkainen's Disjunction'', which can destroy just about any magic effect, even those created by gods. If it is used for this purpose, however, the caster may permanently lose all his magic abilities and/or anger the effect's creator. And he is no slouch, believe us.

* ''[[Genius: The Transgression]]'' has Deep Inspiration, which lets you draw out Mania directly from the Genius's mind, even if the Genius is "empty". Unfortunately, doing so too often or with too much power runs a very real risk of turning you into an [[Insufferable Genius|Unmada,]] and if you keep pushing it even after becoming Unmada...[[The Unfettered|Let's just say]] [[Complete Monster|it's a bad idea]].

* ''[[Changeling: The Lost]]'' features Goblin Contracts, magical powers that are cheaper to buy than standard Contracts and have nice effects (open all the locks on a building, see the future, drain an enemy of all their [[Mana|Glamour]]). The catch? Well, they also have side effects that will likely screw you over (respectively, your locks fail the first time someone tries to break in, [[Mad Oracle|you go mad]], you lose all ''your'' Glamour).

** One particular Goblin Contract is "[[The Wild Hunt|Call the Hunt]]" which has no real catch because it is its own catch; it calls forth a hunting party of [[The Fair Folk|True Fae]]. If the changeling who uses it doesn't run away fast enough, he or she will likely be killed or, even worse, dragged back to Arcadia to be tortured once again.

* Plenty of Charms in ''[[Exalted]]'' come with heavy tolls. The more common include pushing up your Limit track, and Abyssals have some that increase resonance or mean that they'll experience [[Cessation of Existence]] upon death.

* ''[[Scion]]'' has the Avatars, which allows Gods to channel the power of a Purview at the apex of cosmic power, so much that anyone who fights them has to become one in order to match. However, while the cost to activate it is rather modest game-wise, there are some major prices to be paid: first, you suffer the strongest Fatebinding upon activation, second, if you die, all the Avatars you learned to channel get loose all at once, and third, you activate it in the domain of a Titan, you'll attract every Titan Avatar in it, and chances are, they'll already have their own powers ready as well. Congrats, you now get to fight five or six beings with the same power as you.

* ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' has a bunch of cards that are effectively this. You can't miss them, because they all inform you that ''you lose the game'' after a certain amount of time or if a certain condition is met. For example, [[Hour of Power|Final Fortune]] allows the user a free turn at a cost and color that doesn't normally get it, but the user loses the game at the end of that turn if they haven't won yet. [[Immortality|Lich and its variants]] protect you from dying through life loss, but kill you under other circumstances, such as an empty graveyard.

 

== Video Games ==

* In ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]'', the sage Tellah is seeking the ultimate magic spell, Meteo(r), so that he can seek revenge on Golbez (the game's [[Big Bad]]) for the death of his daughter Anna. Sure enough, Tellah eventually learns the spell from his [[Forgotten Superweapon|repressed memory]], and uses it against Golbez, killing himself in the process. Other, more youthful mages, as well as an eternal precursor, can cast it without side effects. In gameplay terms, this means that he never ends up getting the required amount of MP to cast it.

** In the DS remake, thanks to the [[New Game+]] mode the game has, you can easily subvert this: while the items to raise your max MP wouldn't normally be accessible until after his death, they can be carried over from your previous playthrough and indeed, using one on Tellah will allow him to cast Meteor as many times as you want with no ill effects.

** And really, with the Rune influencing events so that, for instance, {{spoiler|a young boy has to choose between using its power or watching his village get burned to the ground by his own countrymen}}... It's pretty much damned if you do, damned if you don't.

** Compare the Soul Eater Rune in the first [[Suikoden I|Suikoden]] game, which...[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|eats souls]].

* In the ''[[Mega Man Battle Network]]'' games, the Dark Chips are extremely powerful, but that permanently reduce your max HP by 1 with each use. Also, each use drops your [[Karma Meter]], and enough uses will disable Soul Unisons.

** Battle Network 5 also has Chaos Soul Unisons, which allows you to use a Dark Chip as your charged shot for one round of battle without any of the permanent negative side effects. However, there is a 50-50 chance ([[Game Breaker|game-breaking glitch]] notwithstanding) that the charged shot will fail and backfire, instead summoning an invincible shadow copy of Mega Man to join the enemies and attempt to beat the crap out of you.

** {{spoiler|Hanekoma}} later proceeds to {{spoiler|revive Minamimoto as a Taboo Noise}} He reveals this himself to the player in the {{spoiler|[[Unreliable Narrator|secret reports]]}}

* Some Techniques and Spells in [[Romancing SaGa]] drain [[Life Energy]] if one is low leveled in That field of magic or if the weapon uses [[Life Energy]] for it's techniques.

** Exactly how forbidden to make it is left up to the player, though, and [[Multiple Endings|affects the outcome of the plot.]]

** To elaborate, Dominus Anger and Dominus Hatred are direct attack glyphs with each use inflicting shitloads of damage at cost to your HP, and Dominus Agony amps all your stats immensely with gradual HP loss thrown in on top of that. Unless you use a healing item at some point, prolonged uses of these glyphs by themselves will kill you. The Dominus glyph union kills everything in the area - Shanoa included save the aforementioned instance - dead on the spot.

** Earlier in the series, ''Portrait of Ruin'' subverts the hell out of this. Pretty much for the entire first half of the game, you get warned about how having Johnathan or any other non-Belmont use the true power of the Vampire Killer will drain their life force and eventually kill them if they overuse it. But when you do actually unlock its power in game, [[Double Entendre|you can whip it all day long with absolutely no consequences whatsoever.]]

*** [[I Thought It Meant|Oh dude!]]

* Akuma's (Gouki in the original Japanese) fighting-style from ''[[Street Fighter]]'' has the Shun Goku Satsu attack, which effectively drags both the target ''and'' the practitioner into hell, where they're assaulted by demons. Until it was mastered by Akuma, it was generally assumed that using it would always be lethal to both. Of course, in-game, it's just a move that does a lot of damage...

* ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'': There is an unlockable weapon for the Demoman class called The Eyelander, a massive sword which decapitates and heals its user on a killing blow. The downside is that having the sword in your loadout reduces your max HP by 25, because the blade ''feeds on your soul''.

** Averted when, upon killing enough people with the eyelander, the Demoman becomes second in max health only to the Heavy and in speed to the Scout (or a Soldier with the Equalizer at maximum effect).

** A more appropriate example is the Equalizer. It's possible for a [[Jack of All Stats|Soldier]] to become [[Fragile Speedster|super fast]] and [[Glass Cannon|do huge damage]] when wielding the melee weapon and [[One-Hit-Point Wonder|at low health]]. Obviously while powerful, using the weapon this way is very risky, as a casual shot could kill the soldier. Oftentimes cornered soldiers with no rockets use this tactic as a last resort.

* The first four [[.hack|.hack//]] games feature Data Drain, a technique that allows the user to either severely weaken a computer-controlled enemy, or [[Mind Rape]] a human being (most humans hit with a Data Drain end up in comas). The hero, Kite, is the only human with the ability. He uses it to weaken game enemies that have been hacked so as to have infinite HP, thereby making them defeatable, and to gather virus data to hack into protected areas of the game. The catch is that repeated use will corrupt his character data with the virus, causing nasty side effects in battle and, eventually, his character's death.

* Multiple moves in the ''[[Pokémon]]'' franchise harm the user (such as [[Taking You with Me|Explosion]]), but these moves also tend to be very powerful.

** And then there's the move "Struggle," which is a rather weak move that damages the user by 1/4th of it's max HP. Chances are, you're only using it four times before you die.

** And, of course, the classic Hyper Beam and all of its variations. It has 150 base power, but also renders the user immobile on the next turn.

* In ''[[Nethack]]'', one can choose to break a magic wand in half, unleashing all the remaining power at once. Can be dangerous as most wands will simply explode.

* In ''[[Zettai Hero Project]]'' Dangerama's entire skillset is composed of these. As a [[Death Seeker]], this makes sense.

** Though the [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|Grey]] [[Knight Templar|Wardens]] don't forbid blood magic.

** This is meant to communicate to the player that they should only use it as a last resort, as doing so will negatively impact their score. [[Guide Dang It|Good luck figuring that out without trial and error, though.]]

** Lugonu's self-banish causes permanent damage to HP and MP.

** As does Borgnjor's Revivification.

** Downplayed with mid-level summonings, most of which have a chance to be hostile.

 

** [[It Makes Sense in Context|"No, you fool! Don't you realize if you initiate that attack, it will be the last thing you do??? Fiesta smacks some sense into you."]]

** Although not considered forbidden, Black Mage is only able to cast that spell once a day, and it makes a cute little [[Nuke'Em|nuke-sized]] crater wherever he aims it.

** Spells that drain the net amount of love from the universe with each use and require the sacrifice of orphans to gain in the first place tend to have a bit of a social stigma against them. Black Mage seems to find an excuse to use it nearly every day...but then again, this is [[Complete Monster|Black Mage]] we're talking about here.

** [[Word of God]] implies that abusing the form does have plenty of consequences, but it depends on how she uses it / how much damage she sustains, not necessarily how often.

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

** {{spoiler|Bloodbending, supposedly the ultimate technique of waterbending, which involves moving around the blood in a living body and making that body do whatever you want it to do. [[Nightmare Fuel]], much?}} Note that it's not dangerous, but it ''does'' fit the immoral aspect.

* In ''[[WITCH (animation)|WITCH]]'', the [[Elemental Powers|Guardians]] can choose to transform into living embodiements of their elements, giving them [[Physical God]] levels of power- at the risk of losing their personalities and humanity, and being left open to mental domination from outside forces, such as [[Big Bad]] Nerissa. {{spoiler|Fortunately, the one time they do this, they manage to come back- barely}}.

** In ''[[Transformers Generation 1]]'', Elita One turned out to have the power to {{spoiler|[[Time Master|freeze time]]}}, but as Alpha Trion had warned her, using it drained her [[Life Energy]] to a near-fatal level.

** Also in ''[[Transformers Generation 1]]'', Megatron has the ability to draw anti-matter from black holes and pretty much blow up all of his surroundings. It was used about twice in the Marvel comics, where it was explained he didn't often use it because he was liable to kill himself too.

* In ''[[Justice League]]'' {{spoiler|the League had pretty much lost against the Brainiac/Luthor hybrid,}} until [[The Flash]] saves the day by running at extreme speeds (to the point where he was circling the world in mere seconds) {{spoiler|and smacking Brainithor around by repeatedly running into him. Soon enough, he destroys all traces of Brainiac, leaving only a naked Luthor lying on the ground.}} However, in the process he was almost swallowed by the Speed Force from moving so fast, and he says he probably won't be coming back if he ever goes that fast again.

 

 

== Real Life ==

* In soccer, the awesome techniques of jumping up in the air and trying to hit a ball next to another player is usually forbidden, because it could hurt the other player if he'd get hit by a flying boot. A little more mild, but still similar is the "scissors" technique of scoring.

* [[Nuke'Em|Nuclear weapons]]. Nukes are capable of great destruction, but actually using one comes at a hefty price. Large nuclear detonations release irradiated material into the surrounding environment that remains dangerous long after the explosion is over. In a more immediate sense, several nations have active nuclear weapons that are kept ready for launch at all times. Since there is currently no viable way to defend against a nuclear weapon after it's been launched, the target has no reason not to fire all its weapons at the aggressor. This is the concept of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD,) and it effectively makes using nukes suicidal. Note that in World War II, this was not an issue; with no other nuclear-capable countries to provide the "Mutual" portion of MAD, the United States was free to attack Japan without fear of a similar retribution.

* This trope is usually very heavily subverted in real life, due to [[Combat Pragmatist|Combat Pragmatism]] being a time-honored military and general combative doctrine. If it's dangerous and highly lethal, using it is the best way to win. If it's forbidden, all the better, because that means the other guy will never see it coming.

* Overdosing on caffeine as a deadline draws nearer.

** Recreational drugs in general, actually. The more intense a drug's effects are, the more likely it is to cause harm if not moderated, along with the need for more strict moderation. And the more intense effects you experience, the more curious you'll get for even stronger experiences. Though just because an experience is weak doesn't mean the damage is light: air duster as an extreme example. Alcohol is an aversion, though: drinking more after getting buzzed actually decreases the euphoria and eventually can cause severe depression and rage.

** They can, so long as you're able to find a doctor who can properly set your broken bones and muscles so that the ligaments and tendons heal naturally. And, also, you'll need to follow his protocols for recovery ''to the letter''.

** See [[Limit Break]].

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Power At a Price]]

[[Category:That Which Must Not Be Indexed]]