Power Fist: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

There's just something [[Good Old Fisticuffs|primal and gratifying]] about the image of [[Barehanded Blade Block|bare hands]] [[Never Bring a Knife to A Fist Fight|beating swords]]. However, it gets really, really ridiculous when the main character has to try and do that every episode.

{{examples}}

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* ''[[Mazinger Z]]'': The titular mecha not only sported a [[Rocket Punch]] -it is the [[Trope Namer]] and [[Trope Maker]], in fact-, but in one episode extendable cutters were added to the forearms (the Iron Cutter). And in another episode, its fists got reinforced to make them sturdier.

** ''[[Great Mazinger]]'': Great Mazinger sports a [[Rocket Punch]] reinforced with cutters run along the forearm.

 

== Comic Books ==

* A [[Silver Age]] story had [[Batman]] gain this power temporarily as a result of an experimental chemical splashing on Bruce Wayne's hands, which was later activated when Batman got splashed by a fire hose from a criminal (note this isn't [[Super Strength]]; his hands were just reinforced to withstand impact). This example overlaps with [[Blessed with Suck]] as Batman realized this meant he can't fight someone directly, as punches that could dent wrecking balls or smash through brick walls would kill people out right.

* The [[Fantastic Four]] enemy the Super-Skrull likes to turn his hands into copies of [[Fantastic Four|The Thing]]'s (no, not [[The Thing (film)|that one]]) and combine rocky-skinned superstrong punches with the long reach of Mister Fantastic and sometimes adds a flame and forcefield combo to add to his punches', er, punch. In fact he once used this destructive combo-punch and his [[Voluntary Shapeshifting]] powers to impersonate Powe...I mean, Iron Fist.

* Gully from ''[[Battle Chasers]]'' has her father's gauntlets which seem to provide the wearer with [[Super Strength]] and invulnerability. Bonus points for Gully being a [[Cute Bruiser|cute little ten-year-old]].

* The original prototype for the [[Green Lantern Ring]] was in power glove form.

 

== Film ==

* ''[[The Dark Knight]]'' has Batman's hydraulic gauntlet, which can bend gun barrels and pierce the bodywork of a van. [[Awesome but Impractical|Sadly, it doesn't get much screen time.]]

* Gamera in the film ''[[Gamera|Gamera: Revenge Of Irys]]'' gains the ability to form a fist out of plasma after his real hand is amputated. He uses said plasma-fist to {{spoiler|Punch a hole into Irys and kill him.}}

* Near the end of "[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon]]", Optimus Prime deploys a claw attachment to his punching hand, allowing him to basically tear an enemy in half. Of course, since Optimus is 40 feet tall and made entirely of metal, his hands fit this trope all the time.

* A deservedly-obscure John Saxon movie, ''The Glove'', prominently features a so-called "riot glove", armored with metal plates and allegedly used by police to beat up hippie demonstrators.

 

== Literature ==

* In ''[[Inheritance Cycle|Eragon]]'', the title character magically alters his hands so that they have lumps of bone on top, because otherwise [[Invulnerable Knuckles|his hands would fracture every time he hit something]].

* In ''[[The Malloreon]]'', Zakath uses a cestus (essentially a boxing glove that's weighted and spiked to hurt ''more'' instead of less) in his first fight after joining the group because he's out of practice with his sword.

** Also many instances of Rachel's bear paws coming into play in this manner.

 

* ''[[Doctor Who]]'': In "The End of Time", Rassilon wears a medieval-style gauntlet on his left hand that can act as a remote control for other devices and can vaporize a Time Lord with a gesture ([[Killed Off for Real|sorry, no regenerating]]!). It wasn't used much, so we don't know what it's really capable of.

* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'': The lightning-shooting Glove of Myneghon in the episode "Revelations", which may have inspired the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' example in this section.

* ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'': the Ninja Megazord has one on the end of each arm. It's [[Finishing Move]] is a powered blow with both of them together.

* This is one of ''[[Kamen Rider Fourze]]'s'' signature attacks, which is a jet-powered fist in the shape of a ''rocket''.

 

== Music ==

* [[Disturbed]]'s "Land of Confusion" [[Animated Music Video]] has [[Mascot|The Guy]] finish off the [[Anthropomorphic Personification]] of [[Greed]] with this.

 

== Professional Wrestling ==

* [[CHIKARA]] took this to a comically ridiculous level. In order to counteract Mike Quackenbush's powerful palm strike attacks, Mecha Mummy unleashed [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QLZL32f2Cs palm strikes with a giant, metal hand of his own.]

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* The [[Trope Namer]] is ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'', where our friend in the picture above comes from, which features among its close combat weapons, massive mechanical fists a good three to five times regular size that are loaded with servo-motors that radically increase the user's strength and wreathed in an energy field that tears apart anything it touches on the atomic level. The game also features:

** Power Claws, which are the same thing but with giant crushing blades instead of fingers;

** Marneus Calgar, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines, has [[Ancestral Weapon|"The Gauntlets of Ultramar"]], ''two'' Power Fists. With storm bolters loaded with [[Abnormal Ammo]] strapped to the underside of each, just to add that extra dash of [[Badass]] and [[More Dakka|dakka]].

** [[Badass Grandpa|Commissar Sebastian Yarrick]] got his arm severed at the elbow by an Ork Warboss. Yarrick, being the [[Badass]] that he is, would not stand for this and immediately decapitated the Ork, and now uses the Ork's Power Klaw in place of his severed limb.

** ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]'' has the ogre ironfist (a sort of hybrid shield and punch dagger) and Dwarf engineer Burlok Damminson's [[Steampunk]] claw.

* A classic ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' item -- "Gauntlets of Ogre Power", though the manual strength enhancement isn't limited to bare hands.

 

== Video Games ==

* ''[[Xenosaga]]'' featured [[Death Seeker|Ziggaurat 8]] ("Ziggy"), a cyborg whose left arm and both legs are visibly robotic and used to devastating effect. [[Hot Scientist|Shion]] used an odd sort of power-knuckle device equipped with various gadgets and weapons.

* ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' games often have weapons like this for the Monk or Monk-analogue. Mash/Sabin of ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'', Tifa of ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'', Zell of ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]''. Though sometimes they just wear really durable, cool-looking gloves. Monks in ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'' also have the above-mentioned footwear, that boosts the power of their kick attacks ([[Guide Dang It|although you wouldn't know unless someone told you]]).

 

== Web Comics ==

* ''[[The Adventures of Dr. McNinja]]'' featured a person who invented rocket boots. He used them to kick people, a rare example of a kicker for this trope ''and'' a practical use for otherwise silly technology. {{spoiler|He was killed one night by assassins because he didn't wear his rocket boots to bed}}

** [[Alt Text|Always wear your rocket boots to bed.]]

 

== Web Original ==

* ''[[Whateley Universe]]'':

** At Whateley Academy Chaka gets a set of power gauntlets as a christmas present. They only work twice a day and require her to [[Calling Your Attacks|call her attack]] but they will go through the local [[Powered Armor|power armour]] with little difficulty.

** There's also "Dark Claw," the leader of a gang of thugs working for Lady Jettatura who was given a massive magical gauntlet to make him more useful.

* Burger in ''[[Sockbaby]]''.

 

== Western Animation ==

* ''[[Kim Possible]]'': When Shego isn't using her [[Power Glows|glowing]] energy as a ranged attack, she uses it to power up her punches in combat. The energy exerts concussive force on her target, and she can even use it to [[Disintegrator Ray|burn things to ashes]].

** Gemini has a prosthetic hand that can deliver electrical shocks and launch miniature missiles.

* In ''[[Batman: The Brave And The Bold|Batman the Brave And The Bold]]'', Batman has Nth Metal Knuckledusters that allow him to ''punch ghosts''.

* ''[[Transformers Cybertron]]'' joins this with [[Combining Mecha]] to give us Savage Claw Mode. Leobreaker transforms into a massive arm that can take the place of one of Optimus Prime's arms (Optimus must be in [[Super Mode]], though). It becomes even more devastating when Leobreaker deploys his [[Nitro Boost|Cyber]] [[Amplifier Artifact|Key]]-activated claws, which extend over the fist. With the claws out, Optimus can perform an attack inspired by Goldymarg's Shining Finger move. After Megatron creates Nemesis Breaker, an [[Evil Knockoff]] of Leobreaker, he can combine with N.B. for Dark Claw Mode.

* Junko from ''[[Storm Hawks]]'' has his "Knuckle Busters", which enhance his strength and punching power when activated, though he doesn't really need them.

* ''[[Generator Rex]]'': One of the machines Rex can generate [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWdm5CWKrwk is this]. It seems to be his favourite so far.

* ''[[Xiaolin Showdown]]'':The fist of Tebigong grants the user this ability.

 

== Real Life ==

* The stun glove, a glove that shocks anything it touches when turned on.

* The other obvious real life example would be brass knuckles/knuckle dusters/etc., which are illegal in much of the United States. Slightly more legal are SAP gloves, which are partially filled with lead shot or powdered metals to add more "oomph" to a punch while reducing the chances of injuring one's hand when hitting someone. They see some use among law enforcement officials.

* The cestus, the classical precursor to the boxing glove. It started out in ancient Greece as a hand-guard of woven leather thongs used in pankration. Later the Romans added metal plates, spikes and studs for bloody gladiatorial combat. [[Deadliest Warrior|These things statistically triple the wearer's punching force.]]

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Rule of Cool]]

[[Category:Anatomy Arsenal]]

[[Category:Weapons and Wielding Tropes]]

[[Category:Hand Tropes]]

[[Category:Power]]