The Worf Effect: Difference between revisions

Compare [[Badass in Distress]] and [[The World's Expert on Getting Killed]], both of which can overlap. Killing off a [[Red Shirt]] or two is a slightly different method for achieving a similar effect. If the character beats up a whole ''army'''s worth of Worfs, [[Conservation of Ninjutsu]] is probably at work. Contrast [[Fight Dracula]], in which a writer has a pre-established character (as opposed to a new one) demonstrate their awesomeness by fighting Dracula (but not necessarily winning).

 

 

{{noreallife|we'd be here all day. There's [[Always Someone Better]].}}

 

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

* [[Batman]] has been used this way at least twice. When [[Green Arrow]] and [[Green Lantern]] came back from the dead, they both established that they were the real deal in short order by socking the ''Goddamn Batman'' square in the jaw.

* Ultimate Thor from ''[[The Ultimates]]'' has over the years often played this role. Several sentences or an issue would be built up to establish how badass he is only for him to get taken out in about two panels. For ever high showing he has there are three or more low ones.

* Years ago, Eric Larsen had the [[Spider-Man]] villain Dr. Octopus deliver the Hulk a severe smackdown during the "Revenge of the Sinister Six" storyarc. In the story, "Doc Ock" was given [[Applied Phlebotinum|extremely powerful adamantium limbs]] which made him far more dangerous. Hulk writer [[Peter David]] accused Larsen of a making a personal attack when he wrote that story and responded with a story written for the sole purpose of mocking Dr. Octopus. Larsen explained that it made sense to use the Hulk for the purpose of this very trope.

* ''[[Street Fighter]] versus [[G.I. Joe]]'' mini-series, M. Bison - the notorious [[Big Bad]] of the first series - loses to Jynx - a novice from the second - in a fight that lasts about ten seconds. {{spoiler|Downplayed, as [[Throwing the Fight| he took a dive]]; the heroes' plan required him losing, and [[Enemy Mine| he was "in on it" with them]].}}

* There are many examples in Steve Alten's ''[[Meg]]'' series where a [[Megalodon]] defeats equally large and dangerous predators (to the point of bordering on [[Villain Sue]]), but only the opening scene of the first novel qualifies (wherein Meg eats a [[Tyrannosaurus Rex]]) because the marine reptiles are too obscure to the general public to be this trope.

* Possibly lampshaded in ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' novel, ''Daemon World''. When a group of Word Bearer Chaos Marines board his ship, {{spoiler|Arguelon Veq}}'s first target is Vrox, an Obliterator (which, for the uninitiated, is a mutated monstrosity twice the size of regular Chaos Space Marines and can spawn weapons and armor from his body). After he kills Vrox with relative ease, he even comments that he was the least threatening of the Chaos Marines on board.

* In ''[[Animorphs]]'', [[Sixth Ranger Traitor|David]] subjects [[Standardized Leader|team leader]] Jake to this during their duel. Up until this point, Jake's tiger has been one of the most lethally efficient morphs the team has. Despite having a year of experience on the new Animorph, Jake still loses. Handily.

* ''[[Septimus Heap]]'': Nicko Heap in ''Physik'' is mentioned to be strong enough to tackle virtually anybody, but when he tries to attack Queen Etheldredda, she just swats him out of the way.

* Anyone Roran is sent to replace in ''[[Inheritance Cycle]]''. Especially with {{spoiler|Queen Islanzadi near the end of the final book.}}

 

* On the video commentary for the episode "Errand of Mercy" on the ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' Season 1 Blu-Ray, the [[Worf Effect]] is very clearly referred to by VFX designer David Rossi. He notes that the production staff consciously used Worf as the "measuring stick" by which the strength and [[Badass]]-ery of villains was determined.

** In "Conspiracy", an adversary casually tosses around Riker, LaForge ''and'' Worf before Dr. Crusher calmly walks in and phasers his ass. Multiple shots at high setting were required, though, one lasting as long as three to four seconds.

** In one episode of ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine|Deep Space Nine]]'', Worf himself deliberately utilizes this trope by letting Martok defeat him in a duel so as to restore the crew's confidence in Martok. This scene echos the TNG episode ''A Matter of Honor'', in which Commander Riker, on detached duty to the Klingon warship ''Pagh'', intentionally provokes the ''Pagh's'' captain into backhanding him so the man could take back his command [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|with honor]]. The episode also proves that a [[Klingon Promotion]] isn't always fatal.

{{quote|'''Guinan:''' Don't feel bad. I was doing this long before ''you'' were born.

And he's never claimed or been shown to be that good a shot. Give him a Bat'leth, however, and diced El-Aurian would have been on the menu that night. }}

* In ''[[Power Rangers Mystic Force]]'', Daggeron was unstoppable in his first two or three appearances, but after that, he suffered The Worf Effect often. ''Mystic Force'' '''did''' have tougher monsters than other seasons, and anyone who could beat on Daggeron could ''maul'' the main five, but he was always the first one in and the first one down.

** This "[[Sixth Ranger]] Syndrome" can be seen in almost every season of ''[[Power Rangers]]''—the new, super powerful extra Ranger debuts, defeats the enemy in a few hits, and two episodes later is jobbing out to anything thrown his way.

* Several episodes of the BBC's [[Walking with Dinosaurs|Walking With...]] series follow the same pattern. As an opening a bad-ass dinosaur/scorpion/shark is shown hunting down some poor critter only for the real star of the episode to suddenly appear and bite them in half.

 

* Tigers in East Asian fables tend to get sacrificed to show the badassery of various characters.

** Oni are almost always depicted as wearing a tiger skin on some part of their body, or at least tiger-teeth jewelry.

** Contrast with the film ''[[Unforgiven]]'' (to which the trope doesn't apply anyways because it is a one-time encounter) where the writer speculates that Munny took out his opponents in the final shoot out in order of their dangerousness. Munny says no, he's just been lucky that way.

* This is actively subverted in White Wolf's ''[[Werewolf: The Forsaken]]''. The Rahu Auspice are the designated tough guy in any pack. What inborn ability do they gain for being Rahu? The ability to tell at a glance whether or not they could take a given opponent in a fight.

** A variation occurs, because of the [[Metagame]]: If a card turns out to be a [[Game Breaker]], there will be instant answers to it next set, though (as per the rules) there are always answers to everything. Storyline-wise, Lin Sivvi was a [[Game Breaker]] in the Masques block; she died at the very beginning of the Invasion block.

* ''[[Exalted]]'': the Bull of the North is recommended for this in Compass: North, while Return of the Scarlet Empress sets up {{spoiler|as much of the Fivescore Fellowship as the Storyteller wishes to take out}}, and especially Chejop Kejak.

* Done in ''[[Kim Possible]]'' where [[Alien Invader]] Warmonga easily took on both Shego and Kim, the latter of which was wearing her [[Story-Breaker Power]] battlesuit. Only a miracle allowed them to survive. Then in the [[Grand Finale]], Warmonga returned with the more powerful Warhak who was able to knock both females out with a single punch. It was then reversed to show just how awesome Ron was by taking both aliens down with his Mystical Monkey Power.

* In ''[[WITCH]]''{{'}}s second season, if you weren't the Guardians, the Regents or Caleb, you were going to get Worfed. Elyon, Kadma and the Oracle end up getting captured by Nerissa due to her wonderful skills in [[Xanatos Gambit]]-ing.

 

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[[Category:Characters As Device]]

[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]

[[Category:Truth in Television]]

[[Category:Esoteric Trope Names]]

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