The Ace: Difference between revisions
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See [[Ultimate Lifeform]] for a character that is ''literally'' perfect.
{{noreallife|It's unrealistic. No one is great at everything.}}
{{examples}}
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* Kei Takishima from ''[[Special A]]'' is consistently ranked #1 in the school, filthy rich, handsome, and athletic to the point that it borders on [[Charles Atlas Superpower]]. About the only thing he can't do is get Hikari to realize that he likes her.
* Similar to Kei is Takumi Usui of ''[[Kaichou wa Maid-sama]]'' who excels at anything he does, whether it be athletics, cooking, academics, music, or anything else you can think of. Misaki thinks he's a space alien. It's probably true.
* Tsubasa Ohzora from ''[[Captain Tsubasa]]'' constantly walks the thin line between The Ace and [[Boring Invincible Hero]] (and [[
* Keigo "Ore-sama" Atobe from ''[[The Prince of Tennis]]'' is pretty much the incarnation of this trope.
* Chao Lingshen in ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]''. Mentally, she's a genius inventor, engineer, and studies robotics, medicine, bio-engineering and quantum physics at university level. In talents, she's an expert at Chinese cooking. Financially, she's a wealthy entrepreneur thanks to these cooking abilities and her business management skills. Athletically, she's a specialist in Shaolin Kung Fu. {{spoiler|Supernaturally, she's a [[Playing with Fire|fire-using]], device-based [[Time Master]]}}. She also happens to be fifteen years of age and the most intelligent student in the school (this school happens to hold over 30'000 residents).
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* [[FoxTrot]] gives us Grandma, Andy's mom, who has apparently traveled the world, is a world-class chef and well-informed in most all subjects. However, she [[Deconstructed Trope|deconstructs]] the trope when Andy finally reveals that living under her and her [[Monty Oum]] levels of awesome has made her almost unable to connect with her and feel seriously inferior to her.
* Samuel Steele from [[Don Rosa]]'s ''[[The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck]]'' is a perfect example of The Ace. Not only does he give Scrooge a run for his money, but he [[Bullet-Proof Fashion Plate|stands unscathed as a warehouse full of kerosene explodes in his face point-blank]] (while everyone around him ends up with [[Amusing Injuries]]), simply because it is not ''proper'' for a superintendent of the North-West Mounted Police to be 'blown up'.
* ''Rex the Wonder Dog'' from [[DC Comics]] is quite possibly the first and only instance of this being applied to a non-talking, non-anthropomorphic dog. Rex can and has literally done everything and anything. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090105113559/http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/2860252.html He can drive boats and cars. (?) He's a great fisherman]. He can ski. He can rope cattle. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080506030854/http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/2888811.html And he once killed a Tyrannosaurus rex using an atomic bomb]. (?!) All without opposable thumbs. Did we mention that he's a lauded investigative reporter and camera man? Or that he's a decorated [[World War II]] veteran and [[Super Soldier]]? And that [[Unusually Uninteresting Sight|nobody seems to find any of this the slightest bit strange?]] One only hopes that this was just meant as a huge satire. He ''can'' talk ''now'', after having drank from the Fountain of Youth some time in the late '80s, but by that point his glory days were behind him.
* In early strips of ''[[Zits]]'', Jeremy's [[Aloof Big Brother|older brother]] Chad was this (at least in the eyes of his [[Always Someone Better|jealous]] brother) to the extent that he was [[The Faceless]]
* The reason for Solaris The Tyrant Sun's second [[Face Heel Turn]] in [[DC One Million]] was that every single descendant of Superman proved far nobler than him, causing great jealousy on his part.
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* The Hunter in ''[[With Strings Attached]]''. At least, Jeft is desperately trying to show the four that he's the Ace and they're feeble jerks. Unfortunately for him, the four {{spoiler|force [[Character Development]] upon him, and he turns into quite a decent guy}}.
* From ''[[Turnabout Storm]]'', ''[[Ace Attorney]]'' and ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' crossover, there's the [[Posthumous Character|murder victim]] [[Original Character|Ace Swift]], an Equestrian pegasus athlete known for winning every event he's ever compited in (which lead to rumors of him cheating and using dubious methods to do so).
* {{spoiler|Mobius}} in ''[[Ace Combat: The Equestrian War]]'', though it's justified, since he's a ponified version of the [[Player Character]] from {{spoiler|[[Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies]]}}.
** The griffins have Black Star and Red Cyclone, though the latter is more of a [[Broken Ace]].
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* Professor John Kenner of the [[Michael Crichton]] novel ''[[State of Fear]]'': graduated from an MIT engineering course and a Harvard Law course both at higher than average speed, became a professor at MIT at 25 and still manages to be a hot-shot federal agent. Oh, and he is apparently able to quote geological surveys from memory. The only thing keeping him from being absolutely perfect is him at one point confessing he isn't good at languages and a major [[What an Idiot!]] moment.
* ''[[Discworld]]'''s Carrot Ironfoundersson. So much so that it was played for full shock effect when in ''The Fifth Elephant'' he challenged the [[Big Bad]] to a fair fight (a very foolish move in itself) and promptly got his ass handed to him. He got to Ace his way out of danger again by the end, though.
* [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tycho_Celchu Tycho Celchu], an [[Ace Pilot]] of the ''[[X Wing Series]]''. He's a fairly major character, but never the main one, which is just as well since he could very easily become a [[Canon Sue]], at least in the novels - in the comics he's one pilot out of twelve and mostly distinguishable because of his origin, his original hairtrigger temper, and his romance with Winter. He's an ''insanely'' good pilot, as a Force-Sensitive protagonist [https://web.archive.org/web/20100426121353/http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Quote:Tycho_Celchu#I.2C_Jedi finds] - so good that flying against him is apparently the hardest thing Corran has ''ever'' done, and he'd fought a Sith Lord not that long before - and gets a lot of praise from the people on his side, to the point where everyone on his side who doesn't think he's a double agent loves him. He's also a bit of a [[The Woobie|woobie]] in-universe and [[Ensemble Darkhorse|very, very popular]] out of it. This exchange, taken entirely out of context:
{{quote|'''Celchu''': "I've been reviewing engineering records and damage statistics."
'''Janson''': "While we've been maneuvering?"
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Lord Flashheart, Lord Flashheart, you're sexier by far. }}
** Also: "Hurrah! It's the Scarlet Pimpernel!"
* Occasionally seen as a visiting doctor in ''[[
** The drunk doctor (played by Alan Alda's father) was a veteran of WWI and WWII, and he simply explained that war and age had taken their toll such that experience and expertise were of no avail against the ravages of time and the horrors of war.
* ''[[Scrubs]]'':
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** Dr. Molly Clock, a brilliant shrink who could not only heal ''The Todd'', make any character realize their problems, but her everlasting good mood couldn't be crushed by Dr. Kelso and Dr. Cox ''combined'' either.
* On ''[[Leverage]]'', the entire [[Badass Crew|main cast]] is largely this. [[The Big Guy|Eliot]] even falls into the category of [[Invincible Hero]].
* Starbuck from the original ''[[Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]''. But see also...
* Starbuck in the 2000s ''[[Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' started out this way, but in a subversion, she began slipping over the course of the series due to childhood trauma, her tumultuous relationship with Apollo, and the machinations of the Cylon Leoben Conoy. By the end of season three, the character is a nervous wreck incapable of flying a simple patrol mission without endangering the fleet.
* ''[[Chuck]]'':
** Captain Awesome in the TV show ''[[Chuck]]''.
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* Tom Goodman from ''[[No One Lives Forever]]''. Subverted {{spoiler|because he's already dead, and the one you meet is an impostor}}.
* By reading his CV, it is clear Santino from ''[[Tales of Monkey Island]]'' was every bit the ace... [[Dem Bones|Just too bad that by the time you meet him, he's been dead for decades]]. None of his crew-members seem to have realized this, however, as they still think he's awesome.
* Subverted by ''[[
* Deconstructed in ''[[Fire Emblem:
** [[Fire Emblem Tellius]] has a few of them. Ike qualifies in his Radiant Dawn incarnation, the Black Knight is busy {{spoiler|being the best general for both Daein and Begnion ''at the same time,''}} and Bastian seems to be a man of many talents.
* The protagonist of ''[[Radiant Historia]]'' is this; he was able to learn an invisibility spell after seeing an enemy use it ''once''. From the perspective of the non-time travelers, its even more ridiculous. "We need a one-of-a-kind magic item protected by the most powerful army in the world!" "Oh, I have that right here in my pocket." Of course, he had to jump between two different timelines a few dozen times to get it, but they don't see that.
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* [[Tales of the Abyss|Van Grants]] is ''the'' Ace in a world that's just a few competent civilians short of being a [[World of Badass]] {{spoiler|and, in a weird way, while he's very much a [[Broken Ace|broken one]], [[Reconstruction|he's also a straight one]]... [[Big Bad|to the villains]].}}
* Deconstructed in the [[Hentai]] game ''Season of the Sakura''; protagonist Shuji Yamagami is instantly good at any sport<ref>[[Super Drowning Skills|except swimming]]</ref> without needing to practice or train, but refuses to participate in any club unless its members can beat him fair and square. Eventually he explains to his friends that he tried being the "school hero", but [[Hard Work Hardly Works|the people who actually had to work to get where they were]] resented him for just having skill handed to him on a silver platter, and he ended up being shunned and hated, which was why he transferred to this new school in the first place.
* Invoked in ''[[Battle Golfer Yui]]'' when Dibot claims he's the number #1 golf player in Japan. Yui can put that idiot in his place. Still, Dibot manages to figure out the plot twist of {{spoiler|Ran disguising herself as Yui's caddy}} through rumormongers in the Ghyll Country Club.
== Webcomics ==
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* In ''[[City of Reality]]'', newcomer Hawk thinks that SUEPR Team Five leader Todo is this: idealistic and generous to a fault, skilled enough to defeat any challenge, and recipient of general acclaim and affection. However, as the entire story is a [[Deconstruction]] of a [[Mary Suetopia]], Todo's idealism is sorely challenged by the world outside Reality.
* Carlyle from ''[[Sam and Fuzzy]]'', a very humble form as he does not seem to want to be identified—he is [[The Faceless]] and shows up on several points to dispense [[Koan]]s to the characters (who never realize it's him); most of his heroic deeds happen off-screen and are referred to by others. The first major arc of the comic kicks off when [[Unlucky Everydude|Sam]] tries to take on one of Carlyle's assignments and ends up in a spat of trouble with the Ninja Mafia.
* Will from ''[[Fanboys (webcomic)|Fanboys]]''. Made sixty-thousand-plus a year in prize money from gaming tournaments, can hold his own in a fight against {{spoiler|Berserk!Lemmy}}, has ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20140720150650/http://fanboys-online.com/index.php?comic=86 "hacked" a board game]'', and now he's apparently a Bond-style government agent.
* Dora of ''[[Questionable Content]]'' has serious issues with her brother Sven due to his being an Ace.
** Sven himself has serious issues with him being an Ace. He becomes a [[Broken Ace]] when he starts to realize he doesn't really have much to his personality besides picking up hot chicks, using wacky situations to get out of uncomfortable ones and writing music he hates.
* Sheldon Flaco is a former cosmonaut, a gold medalist in the modern pentathlon, read several hundred books over the course of one summer, and - according to one strip - will eventually become an admiral in the Bulgarian navy. Did we mention that he's a foot-tall lizard who talks in squeaking sounds?
== Web Original ==
* The [[Whateley Universe]] has this with Chaka, whose instinctive ki mastery lets her pick up more than just wire-fu martial arts tricks within moments and who's certainly prone to hamming it up. Or going after [[Eldritch Abomination|half-demonic hybrid weres]] with a rolled-up newspaper.
* Captain Hammer ("the Hammer is my penis") from ''[[
* Super 55 from ''[[AH Dot Com the Series]]'' is an example turned all the way up to [[Canon Sue]] levels for comedic purposes.
* Ace from [[The Insane Quest]] was ([[Meaningful Name|fittingly]]) one of these at first, but as time went on his team began to lose respect for him when he started becoming less of an ace and more of a traditional [[Marty Stu]]. Lori could also be considered a female example.
** This has given [[Blob Monster|Mortal]] enough basis to accuse them both of being a [[Mary Sue]], of course.
** Though the author is [[Rescued
* [[Chuck Norris]], via [[Memetic Mutation]].
** And every other [[Memetic Badass]]/[[Memetic Sex God]].
* [[Proton Jon]] of [[The Runaway Guys]] by pretty much being the best at everything, except for luck.
** For example, in the Super Smash Bros video they did, it came to a point where all three of them were facing each other. Jon had to use a controller he wasn't used to, but still managed to beat both Chugga and NCS ''at the same time,'' while still having 2 stock out of 5 left. In the New Super Mario Bros Wii LP, while everyone else was having problems with their lives, Jon had reached 99 lives while still screwing everyone else (mostly Chugga) over.
* Pom Pom from ''[[Homestar Runner]]''.
== Western Animation ==
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* Rick Thunderbolt of ''[[Oban Star-Racers]]'' is famous, gorgeous (complete with waist-length black hair and [[Cool Shades]],) beloved, one of the world's best racers - and knows it. Over the course of the show's first arc, he is crippled so he can never race again, and ends up as a mentor figure to Molly, teaching her everything he knows so that she can succeed where he did not.
* ''[[Captain Star]]'' of the eponymous series is called the "greatest hero any world has ever known", and a legendary captain and explorer with hundreds of worlds named after him. Despite being effectively exiled to a remote corner of the universe still manages to save the day on numerous occasions. On his [[Show Within a Show]], he's even more so.
* Used to its fullest in the ''[[Danny Phantom]]'' episode "Identity Crisis" where [[
** All of this, however, doesn't do him any good against a ghost shield, since he is Danny's ghost half and therefore cannot change back to human.
* Hunter from ''[[Road Rovers]]'' is kind of a mix of this, [[The Hero]] and [[Idiot Hero]]. Nothing bad ever happens to him and he's always [[Casual Danger Dialog|cracking jokes during missions]].
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** Jonas Venture Jr. also qualifies... and only gets more infuriating as the series progresses.
** Jonas Venture Sr. too, albeit posthumously. Everyone who ever knew him considered him a god among men. Even Rusty, who knows full well what a self-absorbed asshat he was, can't bring himself to break out of his father's shadow.
* Experiment 262 from ''[[Lilo
* [[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]] disguises himself as the completely over-the-top Prince Ali to woo Princess Jasmine, and he's introduced with a preposteously [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM5VGfiSd3s epic song] that's one long hymn to his awesomeness.
* Brian Boitano is presented as The Ace on ''[[South Park]]'', despite never appearing on the show. According the musical number about him in ''[[South Park: Bigger, Longer
** He does appear in the 1995 "Spirit of Christmas" short, though only to give [[An Aesop]] speech.
* I.M. Weasel from ''[[I Am Weasel]]''. It got toned down in later seasons, but his first season incarnation is very much this and played the role of foil to the resident [[Butt Monkey]] I.R. Baboon.
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* Jet from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' is portrayed like this; he's strong, he's a good leader, he sweeps Katara off her feet, and Aang doesn't even seem to notice because he thinks Jet is awesome too. Only Sokka is suspicious of him, and for good reason; they later find out that Jet is rather psychotic and was willing to kill innocent people in order to wipe out a few fire nation soldiers.
* Mei Ling in ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]: Secrets of the Furious Five''. She was the top student at the martial arts academy where Crane worked as the janitor and is a [[Nice Guy|true blue friend]] who helped the underconfident bird achieve his dream to enroll in the school.
* Reggie Bullnerd in ''[[
* ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' has 3 of them. Spongebob is this compared to Squidward, as are Mr. Krabs to Plankton and Squillium to Squidward.
** Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen. He was number 1!
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:All the Tropes Superhero Team]]▼
[[Category:Mary Sue Tropes]]
[[Category:Master of the Index]]
▲[[Category:The Ace]]
[[Category:The Utterly and Completely Definitive Guide to Cool]]
▲[[Category:All the Tropes Superhero Team]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ace, The}}
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