Invincible Hero: Difference between revisions

Compare [[Invincible Incompetent]], where the hero is still usually untouchable, but more due to [[The Fool|dumb luck]] and [[Laser-Guided Karma]] than any real competance of their own.

 

 

Contrast [[Kryptonite Factor]] and [[Good Flaws, Bad Flaws]], the main ways to make an [[Invincible Hero]] more... [[Perfectly Cromulent Word|vincible?]]

*** Also inverted in a very cruel way with Fubuki Tenjyoin, who {{spoiler|never wins a single duel in the Anime but is a champ in the manga.}}

* Initially [[Subverted Trope]] in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's]]'', of all places. The real bad guys, the Dark Signers, spend most of their arc mopping the floor with Team Yusei. It's not until episode 50 that the Signers really gain [[Incredibly Lame Pun|momentum]] in their battle with the Dark Signers.

** Yusei's "victory" over Team Unicorn through the sheer power of his super-charisma also has this trope written all over it.

* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' usually averts this (Negi generally loses at least one fight with any villain before he beats them), but the [[Tournament Arc]] followed the subtrope of getting to the finals and then losing. Although in that case, the victory was in ''reaching'' the finals, and what happened then.

** Alternatively, his father Nagi Springfield ''has'' been explicitly stated to be completely invincible. Through all the flashbacks, we've yet to see him greatly struggle ({{spoiler|with the exception of a tie and a climactic battle against someone by the name of "[[Red Baron|Lifemaker]]"}}).

* Oddly Justified in ''[[Flame of Recca]]''. Recca never loses a fight past a certain (fairly early) point in the series, but then again his powers come from a [[Deal with the Devil|deal he made with the dragons inside him]] so if he ever loses anything he'll die. His teammates lose all the time though, especially since much of the series is a team based tournament where they just barely win enough matches to move on every single time.

** Actually, he simply cannot die, losing is fine. If he dies without fulfilling his duty to his master, he will simply become a useless dragon with no power who will take up unnecessary space in another Flame Wielder's arm. And considering most of his enemies are [[Ax Crazy]], it's probably best to not lose at all.

** The witch Dorothy plays this trope straight, however, as she also remains undefeated throughout the tournament. Even though she gets beaten down rather badly several times, she is able to pull through with sometimes seemingly impossible feats. {{spoiler|She does die in the anime, but eventually [[Battle Royale With Cheese|revives along everyone else]] for the final battle.,}}

* Lina, the heroine of ''[[Slayers]]'' is less of this trope than it warrants, but it is painfully obvious how fellow mages Zelgadis, Amelia, and Sylphiel are out-classed against her, as she is the only person among them (and probably the entire world) who can both beam-spam the most powerful spell in the verse's [[Black Magic]], and can also draw power from [[Guardian of the Multiverse|the Lord of Nightmares.]] She also shows ridiculous insight and intelligence often in random bursts, whereas normally she is fairly smart, but not inquisitive - the reverse happens with [[The Smart Guy|Zelgadis]], normally book-smart, but fails rather epically with battle strategies. It is her that takes down just about every single demonic being that the group encounters, which makes Xellos' comment of all four main characters being "[[Title Drop|Slayers]]" of demons far less credible - Lina defeated Shabranigdo while the others were taken down in one blow each. Filia, a Golden Dragon, Naga, [[Goldfish Poop Gang|her alleged rival]], and Pokota, a prince, are probably the only people that could rival her, but Filia is a [[Holier Than Thou|stuck-up, prissy, and naive]] priestess who often refuses to take a part of the group's antics, Naga is incredibly flaky, and Pokota is stuck in the body of a [[Ridiculously Cute Critter|stuffed animal]], knocking down his use by a solid margin. This mostly applies to the anime and the novels.

* ''[[Angelic Layer]]'', although there wasn't much of a choice for the writers outside of maybe a double-elimination round or two--the entire tournament was a vehicle for [[Character Development]] and an opportunity for the main to confront her [[Missing Mom|absent mother.]]

** She lose battles outside of the tournament. And every fight was won after taking a beating first while she figured out her opponent's style and tricks, it was never a [[Curb Stomp Battle]].

** On an emotional level, it gets even ''worse'' because Utena berates the student council (and a few of those that would become Black Rose duelists) for their emotional issues, yet it's clear that she has some herself. However, she never grows out of her "I want to be a prince that saves princesses" attitude through the entire series, even after {{spoiler|[[The Reveal]] about Anthy being incredibly passive-aggressive towards everyone. Anthy is mixed with many emotional conflicts, namely the choice to be free in a world that berated her or be stuck in a horrific relationship in a cozy environment - Utena does not see through ''any'' of that, and cannot comprehend why Anthy (and the others for that matter) have such emotional reserves.}} Mikage holds true that she is like him, and unlike her, he admits it.

* ''[[Noir]]'' has its leading ladies usually come out on top, often with ridiculous ease, but considering that they're assassins the other option would end the series. There are a few exceptions, and they do get close a few times: Mirielle nearly dies in the first episode and only survives thanks to Kirika [[Big Damn Heroes|showing up]], and Kirika herself gets seriously wounded in an early episode because of a stupid mistake.

** Once she does {{spoiler|lose to a superior opponent, she does not know how to handle it ''at all'', having never lost before}}. Unfortunately, the anime at least ends before it properly tackles the consequences of this, but we're given a fair impression that it is an issue that will be dealt with.

* ''[[Hades Project Zeorymer]]'' takes this about as far as it can go. The machine itself is ridiculously fast and can teleport, plus it's armored enough that it can shrug off ''nuclear weapons without even being at half power.'' And the few times it's seriously damaged in the manga, it just teleports in replacement parts from a parallel dimension. It doesn't help that the pilot is a [[Complete Monster]] with an [[Omniscient Morality License]] and never gets any real comeuppance for all the crap he pulls.

*** Want to see [[Up to Eleven|something even MORE insane?]] In [[Super Robot Wars Judgment]], Zeorymer can be '''UPGRADED''' into the Great Zeorymer. Feel free to let out an [[Evil Laugh]] as you see the enemy throw everything but the kitchen sink at it and die as the Great Zeorymer retaliates with all the Hakkeshu attacks.

* [[Schoolgirl Lesbians|Saki and Nodoka]] from ''[[Saki (manga)|Saki]]'' both lose ONE time, and against the same opponent.

* Suzaku Kururugi of ''[[Code Geass]]'' is a [[Perspective Flip|perspective flipped]] version of this trope. He's always able to take down the "bad guys" with his [[Super Prototype]] [[Mini-Mecha|Knightmare Frame]], and always foils [[Magnificent Bastard|Lelouch's]] plans--but Lelouch is the ''protagonist''. Invoked by the Camelot research team, who name the afore-mentioned [[Super Prototype]] '''[[Fridge Brilliance|the "Lancelot"]]'''. Played ''very'' straight toward the end when {{spoiler|he and Lelouch end up on the same side and he effortlessly defeats the most powerful knight in the series, even after he reveals his future-reading superpower}}.

* [[Golgo 13]] never fails an assignment, or for that matter misses a shot. If he did, he'd lose his reputation as an assassin and there would be no series. Later chapters solve the problem by focusing more on the people who hire him and how their situations deteriorate to the point that they need to bring in a hitman. (Infamously, he doesn't appear in one story at all; the central character merely uses Golgo 13's reputation as a weapon.) The fact that the stories are standalone and bounce around time help in this regard. For completeness sake, there have been several occasions of him missing, at least once by weapons sabotage creating a misfire, and one complete miss caused by the target's allegedly psychic bodyguard.

* ''[[Bobobobo Bobobo]]'' is invincible. But since the show and character are both [[Widget Series|crazy]], it's played for laughs and not to be taken very seriously. He does have weaknesses and gets hurt a few times, but never seriously enough to matter. {{spoiler|Except during the final battle of the original series, but even then he eventually [[He's Back|recovers]]}}.

* In ''[[Sonic X]]'', [[Sonic the Hedgehog]] leans into this territory on occasion. He is often presented with a cocky, unphasable [[Bugs Bunny]]-esque attitude, treating his often effortless victories against [[Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain|Dr.]] [[Affably Evil|Eggman]] as little more than a game.

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

** [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] in a comic where he competes against another super-hero character who {{spoiler|is dying because of a method he used to rejuvenate himself. Superman's friends point out this strange energy and Superman reveals what he has learned. Because his opponent cheated, his opponent}} technically loses, making Superman remark "When you're Superman, what's one more victory?"

** ''[[I'm A Marvel... And I'm A DC]]'' uses this quite well to actually make Superman relatable again. He's constantly lamenting how no one seems to care about him anymore, having moved on to the more fallible and relatable characters in Marvel's comics, and is frozen by self-doubt when Lex Luthor's newest scheme wipes out every other superhero in the world. He's finally able to win with the realization that all of those other heroes are relatable because they're all doing the same thing we all are, trying to be more like Superman. (Made slightly humorous/heartwarming in that it is [[Stan Lee]] that points this out to him.)

** Roland, from ''[[The Song of Roland]]''. Although he has to die in order to be the [[Doomed Moral Victor]] (and because the actual Roland died in that battle), most his wounds are somewhat self-inflicted things, like when his temples explode because he's blowing so damn hard on that horn in order to warn Charlemagne's army. Also note that he keeps fighting even when his brains are running out his ears and onto his army.

* [[Magnificent Bastard|Leto Atreides II]] in the last third of ''Children of [[Dune]]'' when he becomes a [[Kill It with Water|nigh immortal]] [[Half-Human Hybrid]] capable of [[Curb Stomp Battle|curb-stomping]] even his aunt [[Regent for Life|Alia]]. Essentially a superhero without a supervillain.

* Some book reviewer once commented that the protagonists of [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s later novels never have problems, "only transient difficulties."

* Any protagonist from a [[James Byron Huggins]] novel. All of them (with the exception of Longinus in ''Nightbringer'') are [[Badass Normal|Badass Normals]] who no matter what they are facing -- superhuman nephilim (''Nightbringer''), a genetically-engineered government-built dragon (''Leviathan''), squads of highly-trained [[Mook|Mooks]] (''The Reckoning''), prehistoric Hulk analogs (''Hunter''), or an ancient Egyptian sorcerer (''Sorcerer'') -- they will always contemptuously beat them.

* Richard Rahl from ''[[The Sword of Truth]]'' flirts with this trope. Every book, he spends his time working himself into a more and more impossible situation, only to casually brush it aside at the climax.

* Matthew Sobol's [[Daemon]] from Daniel Suarez' books skirts this trope closely in the first book because of the incredibly complicated [[Gambit Roulette]] Sobol puts into place that apparently comes off without a hitch. It's justified by the fact that Sobol put lots and lots of redundancy and backup plans into the system, but that shifts the [[Invincible Hero]] status to Sobol. Although he is an [[Invincible Villain]] in this case. {{spoiler|[[Necessarily Evil|Or is he?]]}} However, there is still enough risk and danger to the plan from all sides to prevent it from ever being ''boring.'' The sequel ''Freedom(tm)'' ramps up the action to put serious question into the ''Invincible'' part as well.

{{quote|The press was free.... Yet there had been nothing to report but that:

(a) an armada of staggering size had erupted with no real warning from the Black Horse Nebula; and

* The City Watch of the ''[[Discworld]]'' books has been threating to turn into a collective version of this for some time: the Watch is now so large, powerful and influential - many of its personnel are serious [[Badass|Badasses]] in their own right that very few plausible threats are much of a threat to it anymore. Noticably since ''Jingo'' most storylines have involved either actual wars or seperating Sam Vimes and the other main characters from their vast resources via distance (''Snuff'') or time (''Night Watch'') with the bulk of the Watch functioning as [[The Cavalry]].

** In the Discworld series as a whole, Vetinari's plans ''never'' fail. '''''Never'''''. If Vetinari is involved with the main character of the book in some way, their schemes will turn out successful (even if not in the way the main character expects).

 

 

* Sportacus from ''[[LazyTown]]''. He has no character flaws, never fails at anything he tries and is hero-worshiped by everyone (except Robbie Rotten). The ''only'' thing that keeps him from being a [[Mary Sue]] is that he's as naive as everyone else in the show (except, again, Robbie) to the point where it becomes [[Adorkable]].

* Has come close to killing ''[[Survivor]]'' a few times. Often, one tribe comes into the merge so down on numbers that the members only have a shot at winning if the other tribe breaks. More recent seasons have added extra means of immunity to counteract this.

* Shawn Spencer in ''[[Psych]]'', others might one up him once or twice an episode but it's pretty much always Shawn (except maybe for [[A Day in the Limelight]] episodes) who makes the final break and solves the case. He's [[Smug Super|so damn smug]] about it, you find yourself wishing he'd lose in his own arena at least ''once''.

* Peter Petrelli and Hiro Nakamura in ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]''. Peter could gain any other superhero's ability simply by standing near them. Hiro could stop time, teleport, and travel through time, making him nearly impossible to defeat in battle. However, the problem with these heroes was that they were given too many opportunities to solve all the problems of the plot too quickly. This meant that they had to clutch an [[Idiot Ball]] in order to keep the plot moving, leading to many [[Kill Him Already]] moments among fans. Even the writers realized this and had both characters significantly weakened for a time.

* Horribly subverted by ''[[Farscape]]'' - the heroes are all on the losing side pretty much all the time. Even their wins can't be considered as wins, more of a just-barely-managed-to-stay-alive-one-more-day situation. It's so bad that you might actually get pissed at the show for constantly making them lose.

* Souji Tendou, the titular ''[[Kamen Rider Kabuto]]''. He effortlessly defeats every single challenge that comes his way, and any exceptions are either [[Played for Laughs]] (such as his obsession with winning a scratchcard game) or because [[I Let You Win|he let the other person win]]. It got so bad that the show had to introduce an [[Evil Twin]] just to give him an adequate challenge, and even with ''that'' it only took a few episodes for him to overcome it.

** If course, his awareness of his utter invincibility is one of the aspects of Tendou's character. [[Kamen Rider Kiva]], on the other hand...has no real excuse once he gets Emperor Form.

** The same goes in college sports. A good example is the NCAA basketball tournament. It's hyped for several months in advance, everyone fills out their brackets, people set aside work to watch the games...and the same five or six teams end up dominating. For example, when's the last time you DIDN'T see Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, Michigan State or Syracuse in the Final Four?

** Motor racing can also have this (helped that the richest constructors build the best cars - so much that every ruling body forbids or imposes something for balance). In [[Formula One]], ratings dropped as Michael Schumacher won five years in a row and broke most records.

 

== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==

* Most of the animosity [[John Cena]] receives from [[Smart Mark|Smart Marks]] stems from this, as most of his matches seem to have him get into a seemingly hopeless situation, only to miraculously come back and win (usually with the [[Five Moves of Doom|same sequence of five moves]]).

** Smarks have started joking that [[John Cena]] "runs on odds" -- the higher the odds (in other words, the less likely it is for Cena to win on paper), the more certain his victory becomes, and generally when he loses it's against an evenly-matched or lesser foe.

*** Even funnier after facing [[Sheamus]] for the championship at "Tables, Ladders, Chairs". Nobody thought Sheamus stood a chance in hell. Sheamus won. Although, as [[The Spoony Experiment|Spoony]] pointed out, it was tables match and it didn't necessarily mean Sheamus was capable of beating Cena so much as it showed Sheamus was capable of lifting a 240 pound man and putting him through a cheap table.

**** Not even that much, Sheamus never even lifted him, he pushed him from a top rope into a table, and the announcers spun it to make it seem like Cena fell on his own.

** Although this doesn't apply to all Hopeless Boss Fights; some will simply proceed as if you lost, but some will give you a new ending if you beat them.

* ''[[Disgaea]]'' spoofs this as characters are [[Genre Savvy|well aware]] that this trope is one of the privileges of the Main Character/[[The Hero|Hero]] and will [[Hostile Show Takeover|try to steal the spot]] when they can. However, in the actual storylines, the main character usually has his ass completely handed to him by character a thousand levels higher at least once.

* ''[[Valkyria Chronicles]]'': Welkin is never wrong about anything, ever (even if he's being [[Cloudcuckoolander|loopy about it]]) , and because losing him constitutes a game over in every mission, he never retreats or dies. He's also usually in the Edelweiss, which is expensive to activate and has very limited movement, and so for many missions it's easier and more efficient to have him sit pretty in the tank and have your squad do the dirty work.

* Ever use a [[Game Genie]] code for infinite lives, infinite health, or anything else that will ensure that the "Game Over" screen never appears? Nice for kids, but older players may prefer a little challenge and suspense.

* Averted in the TV series version of Disney's ''[[Hercules (Disney film)|Hercules]]''. After the movie became a hit, the mouse house decided to make a weekday afternoon toon based on it. Except that by the end of the film, Herc is incredibly powerful and has handily defeated nearly every major threat mythological ancient Greece had to offer. The solution was to make the tv show an [[Interquel]] taking place during Herc's high school years (a period skipped over entirely in the film) with Hercules always self-identifying as a "hero in training," and looking a tad scrawny compared to his adult self from the latter two-thirds of the movie.

* A sort of in-universe example happens in one episode of ''[[The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron]],'' when Jimmy is actually banned from the school Science Fair because everyone is sick of him winning year after year.

** When he was fat, he lost pretty quickly. And [[Meaningful Name|when he lost his hair (though he quickly got a second wind)]].

** After 21 took a level in Badass, Brock was given a run for his money.