Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"By opening all eight gates, you could attain power beyond even the Hokages. The only drawback is... you die."''
|'''Kakashi''' on Rock Lee's Hidden Lotus technique, ''[[Naruto]]''}}
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.]]
Perhaps the technique conducts a horrible toll on the person's [[Cast
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]].
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If the hero is ''lucky'', it could just be a [[Heroic RROD]]. But it's often worse than that.
Compare [[Deadly Upgrade]], [[Cast
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* ''[[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.
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** 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.
* In ''[[Dragon Ball]] Z'', Goku was taught the Kaio-Ken by King Kai, but was told not to use it at more than double capacity. When he fought Vegeta, he used it at triple capacity. When he fought Frieza, he used it ''multiplied by twenty''
** 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.
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** 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.
* Ryoga Hibiki's "Shishi Hōkōdan" in ''[[Ranma
** Surprisingly, Genma himself developed his own
** 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.
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** 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.}}
** And even then, it's only a temporary fix.
* In ''[[The Slayers]]'', Lina's Giga Slave is the mother of all
* 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.
* It's revealed in the third season of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' that [[Finishing Move|Starlight Breaker]] causes considerable strain on Nanoha's body, and that her constant usage of it, as well as her tendency to use [[Deadly Upgrade
** 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.
* Jin from ''[[Samurai Champloo]]'' learns his master's
* [[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.
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* Parodied in [[Ninin ga Shinobuden]], where the technique that has been "banned ten years ago because it was so dangerous" is...duct tape underpants.
* In ''[[Code Breaker]]'', Toki Fujiwara's usage of his Gauss Cannon will damage whatever arm that he uses to fire. Thus meaning he can't fire more than twice overall in a fight. Every code breakers are in danger of suffering "after effects" when they overexceed usage of their powers.
* The Experts in ''[[Giant Robo]]'' apparently have this. For some, using their powers to an extraordinary extent is
* In ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'', human transmutation is the sole taboo when it comes to performing alchemy, and rightly so. The law of equivalent exchange is
* 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.
** The other technique is the Athena Exclamation, a technique so devastating, so powerful, it has the power to annihilate the Earth. Therefore, it was declared taboo by Athena's Saints. It consists of three Gold Saints focusing all their [[Battle Aura|Cosmo]] into a single point, discharging a blast with the same power as the Big Bang itself. Naturally, it was used in the final arc. And once ''that'' taboo [[Godzilla Threshold|was broken]], it was used twice
* 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}}.
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* 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.
* In ''[[Raideen]]'', the titular mecha has the powerful "God Voice" attack, which ends up ruining his vocal cords every time he does it. In the ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'' games, Akira will actually end up being unable to speak if you use this too many times before a certain point.
* The kemonozume technique in ''[[Kemonozume]]'' involves ''cutting off your own arms''. Ther is also a large risk of going berserk if the user's willpower isn't strong enough.
* The GUND format of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury]]'' allows pilots who have been injected with "[[Green Rocks|permet]]", a rare substance found on Mercury and (later) Earth's moon, to have a [[Brain-Computer Interface]]. Originally designed for controllable [[Artificial Limbs]], it was eventually adapted to giving pilots superior control over [[Humungous Mecha|mobile suits]]. While lower levels of "Permet score" like two are relatively safe (though still feel like "a hand reaching so roughly into [the user's] brain"), the score can be increased higher and higher for more effectiveness at the risk of causing permanent physical damage to the user. This is the (at least official) reason the ruling [[Mega Corp]]s agree to violently ban the technology during the episode ''Prologue'', branding its users as [[Black Magic|witches]] and slaughtering ([[Genocide Backfire|almost]]) the entire development team responsible for weaponizing it.
== Comic Books ==
* In the Marvel universe, there exists a weapon called the Ultimate Nullifier which can [[Ret-Gone]] anyone or anything the user chooses.
* 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 the [[DC]] universe, the Anti-Life Equation is a Technique like this long associated with [[Darkseid]] and [[The New Gods]]:
** Initially, it was a [[Formulaic Magic|mathematical transcendental formula]] that implants a belief in the mind of sapient beings that life is meaningless and that freedom and hope are futile concepts. Anyone who has the Equation presented to them will fall into the [[Despair Event Horizon]] and submit to the user’s will. Even worse, it’s highly contagious, and can infect an entire species or world if one resident succumbs to it. Gaining the full formula was Darkseid’s goal for most of his career, although his attempts to master and enhance it only got himself and the rest of the New Gods killed. More than once, actually.
** The [[New 52]] expanded this theme, revealing that the Anti Life Equation is, in fact, [[Eldritch Abomination| a sentient being]], its roots lying in [[Villain World|the Antimatter Universe]]. That’s where [[The Dreaded|the Anti-Monitor]] came from. You know, the [[Big Bad]] from ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]? Yeah, it’s ''that'' dangerous.
** While the Anti Life Equation is often viewed as an [[Evil Counterpart]] to the Life Equation, a similar formula that implants the belief that life does have meaning and that concepts like hope and love are potent forces, it should be noted that the Life Equation [[Light Is Not Good| can be just as dangerous]] in the wrong hands. Consider the leader of a [[Church of Happyology]] using something like this to “share” his vision with entire planets, turning his cult into a galactic empire. Highfather once tried to use the Life Equation against Darkseid, but started to realize it was making him [[Not So Different| just as much a tyrant]] as his foe. He eventually relinquished it after concluding that, good or evil, [[No Man Should Have This Power]].
* The entire point of [[The Dark Side]] of [[The Force]] in ''[[Star Wars]]''.▼
▲== Films ==
** Per [[All There in the Manual|The Expanded Universe]], the [[Implausible Fencing Powers|lightsaber]] form [[Ax Crazy|Juyo/Vaapad]], which is the most powerful of them all but [[Power At a Price|relies on the heavy use of aggression]]. For that reason, it's forbidden to most Jedi except those who demonstrate they're capable of handling it safely (eg. [[Badass|Mace Windu]]).▼
▲The entire point of [[The Dark Side]] in [[Star Wars]].
▲* Per [[All There in the Manual|The Expanded Universe]], the [[Implausible Fencing Powers|lightsaber]] form [[Ax Crazy|Juyo/Vaapad]], which is the most powerful of them all but [[Power At a Price|relies on the heavy use of aggression]]. For that reason, it's forbidden to most Jedi except those who demonstrate they're capable of handling it safely (eg. [[Badass|Mace Windu]]).
* 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.
* The use of "balefire" in Robert Jordan's ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'' is forbidden by the magic users of the world, and when people use it anyway, they're exceedingly careful with it - because balefire doesn't just obliterate its target, it goes ''back in time'' to do so, with all the potential paradox that implies. Entire cities and their recent histories disappeared from the face of the earth before the mages, good ''and'' evil, decided that maybe gratuitous use of balefire wasn't such a good idea... When Rand begins using it for more than minute uses it is seen as a sign of his rapidly deteriorating mental state impacting his judgement, though he is technically correct that balefire is the only way to ensure enemies such as the Forsaken are not
** 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.)
** Picking apart a weave of the One Power rather than leaving it to dissipate is a
*** 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.
** It's also mentioned many other times in her other Valdemar works, and used at least once more on a very powerful scale. Where {{spoiler|Vanyel's already massive power results in a Final Strike that is so literally earth-shaking that the geography of northern Valdemar is forever altered}}, in the ''Owl Knight'' trilogy {{spoiler|poor old almost-powerless Wizard Justyn must expend his Final Strike to destroy the single bridge that stands between a marauding barbarian tribe and his fleeing village}}. In its own way, it's just as much a [[Dying Moment of Awesome]].
* The ''[[Harry Potter]]'' series has spells that count as Dangerous Forbidden Techniques, such as the Unforgivable Curses and Fiendfyre.
** 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 Pendragon Adventure]]'': It turns out that {{spoiler|all Travelers can pretty much warp reality like [[Big Bad|Saint Dane]] can, but doing so drains the life force of [[Heaven|Solara]]. Saint Dane avoids these drawbacks by relying on a warped version of Solara based on darkness.}}
* In Anthony Reynolds's ''[[Warhammer
* 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.
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* 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]].
▲== Live Action TV ==
* ''[[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.
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* [[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]].
* Subverted in the [[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' episode "The Enterprise Incident", where Spock appears to kill Kirk using a powerful Vulcan technique called the "Vulcan Death Grip". In reality, this was part of a plan devised by Kirk, Spock, and Bones to infiltrate the Romulan ship, which involved Spock becoming a [[Fake Defector]]; Spock actually only used a more intense version of the more familiar Vulcan Nerve Pinch to render Kirk unconscious and make his vital signs undetectable, claiming he had killed him to win the Commander's respect. There is actually no such thing as a "Vulcan Death Grip". They were counting on the Commander to not know that, as Kirk later told Nurse Chapel.
== Professional Wrestling ==
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* Technical wrestlers generally avoid this as most submissions don't actually put that much pressure on the body.
* In ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'',
▲== Tabletop RPG ==
**
** 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.
** This is the point of the corrupt spells in the Book of Vile Darkness (and their Exalted Deeds counterparts, sacrifice spells). They are notably more powerful than other spells of their
** Something else mentioned in the Book of Vile Darkness is the [[Artifact of Doom]] called [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast| the Death Rock]]. Artifacts are always dangerous, but this one is worse than most; its history does say that its owners tend to obtain great power and are able to conquer empires, but tend to lose the power at the worst possible times, and are usually overthrown in violent insurrections by their enemies. Here's how the Rock works: It gives the user incredible dark powers of [[Necromancer| necromancy]], giving him the potential to raise vast armies of undead soldiers. But it has a terrible cost; once a week, it demands the user slay his closest friend or loved one, and claim him or her as a zombie slave. If he is unwilling or unable to do so, the Rock and all powers associated with it vanish. Clearly, all former users never realize that if you are willing to do this, you're going to run out of friends and loved ones ''very'' quickly (as most of them will likely stop being your friends before you can use them as the required sacrifices) and be unable to make any new ones; on the other hand, you'll probably make hated enemies ''very'' fast...
** Prior to the 2nd Edition, Orcus was murdered by Kiaransalee, the drow goddess of undeath, who usurped his realm in the Abyss. However, in the ''Dead Gods'' module, he [[Came Back Wrong]], becoming an undead demon named Tenebrous, possessing a spell called the Last Word that was so lethal, even gods were afraid to use it. This didn't stop Orcus, however. Despite the fact that it was literally consuming him from within, he used it in his campaign to restore himself to life killing several gods using it in order to reclaim [[Artifact of Doom| his dreaded Wand]] and regain his domain in the Abyss. (He succeeding in doing all that, but fortunately, failed in his ultimate goal: becoming a true god.) After gaining back his true form and position, he lost the ability to use it. The gods have since taken steps to prevent anyone from using it again.
* Several of the noble families from the [[Ravenloft]] supplement ''Legacy of the Blood'' possess the knowledge of a [[Dangerous Forbidden Technique]] or two, usually in the form of feats that only family members or their elite henchmen can select.▼
* In the ''[[
▲* Several of the noble families from the ''[[Ravenloft]]'' supplement ''Legacy of the Blood'' possess the knowledge of a
* In the Sorcerer game from the ''[[Mage: The Ascension]]'' line, there is one Path that can have this effect: Cursing, which is [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]]. Specifically, you can create an absolutely ''vicious'' curse rather than the normal version. The problem is, though, that it renders the caster a vegetable.▼
* In the ''[[Mystara]]'' setting, Glantrians' use of the Radiance is considered this trope even by the Alphatians, who normally consider even the darkest sorts of magic to be permissible. This isn't because it's dangerous to the wielder (which it is), but because {{spoiler|using the power of the Nucleus of the Spheres threatens to drain all magic from the world, bit by bit}}.
▲* In the ''Sorcerer'' game from the ''[[Mage: The Ascension]]'' line, there is one Path that can have this effect: Cursing, which is [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]]. Specifically, you can create an absolutely ''vicious'' curse rather than the normal version. The problem is, though, that it renders the caster a vegetable.
* ''[[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).
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* 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.
** The Infernal Exalted get a good number of these, mainly because they're learning Charms that make them more like their [[Eldritch Abomination|Yozi]] patrons. Learn a Charm that gives you increased authority over lesser demons? That means greater demons are allowed to walk all over you. Learn a Charm that perfectly blocks Social attacks? That's because it turns all noise into wretched discord that makes you want to kill. Learn a Charm that allows you to communicate telepathically? Shame you can now only vocalize laughter for the rest of your days.
* The [[Words Can Break My Bones|Words of Power]] from ''[[GURPS]]: Thaumatology''. Saying one will knock most characters unconscious and the most control you can ever have over a Word is none at all
* ''[[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 ''[[Diablo]] III'', the Wizard differs from the Sorcerer and Sorceress of the previous two games in that s/he practices "dangerous and forbidden magics", which eventually caused him/her to be voluntarily exiled from his/her homeland. This explains why the Wizard has a greater array of [[Elemental Powers]] than either of its predecessor classes, including [[Mana|Arcane]] and [[Time Master|Time]].
* Similar to his [[Sonic X|anime counterpart]], [[Sonic the Hedgehog|Shadow the Hedgehog]] can gain an extreme power boost whenever he removes the bracelets from his arms. Unlike the ''[[Sonic X]]'' version, however, it doesn't appear to drastically drain his energy. He only used this power once in ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (2006
* In the Fate scenario of ''[[Fate/stay night]]'', Saber comes under this limitation because using her Noble Phantasm requires all the mana she's currently holding to activate (and her flawed summoning means Shirou can't provide her with any), and she ends up facing at least three enemies that
** In Heaven's Feel, projection {{spoiler|(more specifically, projection using Archer's arm)}} becomes this for Shirou. While it puts a strain on him in all three paths, this path
** Furthermore, each Servant has a power known as the Broken
* 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.
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** 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]].
*** Not exactly a
* 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.
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** {{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.
* ''[[Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume]]'' has a [[Player Punch|heartbreaking]] example in the Destiny Plume. Left by Lenneth on Wylfred's father's body and corrupted by the goddess Hel, it can make any unit absurdly powerful - ten times as powerful in every single stat. And at the end of the stage, they die. Wyl is forced to use its power on his best friend and would-be [[Lancer]] at the beginning of the game...
** Exactly how forbidden to make it is left up to the player, though, and [[Multiple Endings|affects the outcome of the plot.]]
* ''[[Castlevania
** 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!]]
*** Uh yeah, that's because it takes longer than a day (and it's only a day they spend in Drac's castle), Johnathan shows no ill effects. It's implied that that will come later. He probably won't survive to see Drac's resurrection in 1999 if he keeps using the whip or doesn't somehow lock its power back up. It has also been said that using the whip too much will cause death, making it a possibility that he didn't use it well enough. Jonathan was urged not to over use it by various characters.
* ''[[Breath of Fire
* ''[[Vagrant Story]]'' has learned techniques that, when used, [[Cast
* 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.
** A sillier example is the close combat Ullapool Caber. Is it a giant log that takes health of the user when you swing it? No. It's a stick grenade, that you whack people with. It only works once, and you sure as hell are going to feel it if you don't have any bonuses because it explodes in your face. Despite the fact that you are dead if you come across another enemy, it's quite deadly, and can be useful as a last resort or for
* 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.
** Focus Punch is extremely powerful, but at two costs. 1. It takes one turn to power up, leaving it open for attack. 2. If your
** 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 ''[[Live Powerful Pro Baseball|MLB Power Pros]]'', Alvin has a special pitch, the Mirage Knuckler, but it is extremely dangerous to try to catch it, so much after Alvin and Mark, [[Genius Bruiser|the catcher]] train with it for a week, Mark is covered with bruises.
* In ''[[Valkyria Chronicles]]'', Valkyrur are already so powerful that not only can they fire huge lasers,
* In ''[[Zettai Hero Project]]'' Dangerama's entire skillset is composed of these. As a [[Death Seeker]], this makes sense.
* The "Mortal Draw" in ''[[
* [[Blood Magic]] in the ''[[Dragon Age]]'' [[Dragon Age II|games]]. It is ''extremely'' powerful and dangerous -- [[Bloody Murder|to]] [[Mind Control|enemies]], [[Powered by a Forsaken Child|allies]], [[Cast
** Though the [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|Grey]] [[Knight Templar|Wardens]] don't forbid blood magic.
* In ''[[Trauma Center
** 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.]]
* ''[[Dungeon Crawl|Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup]]'' has a lot of examples.
** Lugonu's self-banish causes permanent damage to HP and MP.
** As does Borgnjor's Revivification.
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** Downplayed with mid-level summonings, most of which have a chance to be hostile.
* ''[[MS Paint Adventures|MS Paint Adventures]]'':
▲== Webcomics ==
*** '''[[
** [[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.
* ''[[Last Res0rt
** [[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.
* In ''[[El Goonish Shive]]'', magic apparently drain users at various rates. Spells too powerful to handle may overtax even well-trained magic users, possibly even [[Brought Down to Normal|removing their magic for months at at a time.]]
== [[Western Animation]] ==
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** {{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}}.
* ''[[
* ''[[Transformers]]'' examples:
** 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.
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** In ''[[Transformers Cybertron]],'' Vector Prime would {{spoiler|greatly tax himself reversing time by a few minutes, and eventually die by using his time/space powers to get the team through the rift separating Gigantion from the normal universe.}}
* 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.
* In ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 series)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'', the Kur-Li Maneuver is the most Foot clan's most powerful and secret technique, only known by the proper grandmaster of the clan, which would be Splinter. When Shredder awakens the spirit of the clan's founder, claiming to be the grandmaster, Splinter is able to expose him as an usurper by using the technique on him - doing so hypnotizes and paralyzes the villain, at which point Splinter starts [[Crowning Moment of Funny|slapping him around]] in an impression of [[The Three Stooges|Curly Howard.]]
== [[Urban Legend]] ==
* In the [[The Cavalier Years|swashbuckling days]] of fencing schools (perhaps more cynically to be known as "street gangs") there were all kinds of rumors floating about of "irresistible thrusts" and "impenetrable parries" which masters would only teach to favorites. It does not seem to have been asked much what happened when someone [[Fridge Logic|tried to get through an impenetrable parry with an irresistible thrust.]] In any case a lot of them were probably just mundane dirty tricks no one ever thought of before. Modern treatise research by Historical European Martial Arts practitioners finds there ''are'' "secret" techniques listed, but they're either mundane higher risk techniques, or just part of intermediate instruction that separates an expert spear user from a drilled levy and are only "secret" in the sense the master couldn't make a living teaching them if they became widely spread.
* Fans of martial-arts legend [[Bruce Lee]] found it hard to accept that someone as tough as he was had died due to an allergic reaction to Equagesic (a brand of painkillers he took) and many claimed that foul play had been involved, some believing that members of Chinese organized crime groups had put a curse on his family. One version suggested that he had been inflicted with a deadly martial arts technique called "the Quivering Palm" which allows the practitioner to will the victim to die days after actually striking him, like a time-release death-blow. Of course, there is no proof that this technique is anything but a legend.<ref>Fun fact: the Quivering Palm was much later adapted into [[Dungeons and Dragons]] where it is a high-level ability gained by members of the Monk class.</ref>
== Real Life ==
* The destruction of HMS ''Invincible'' at Jutland. The
* 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.
** Nukes are literally forbidden by international law; even ''threatening'' to use nuclear weapons against another power
* 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.
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[[Category:Power At a Price]]
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