Unskilled but Strong: Difference between revisions

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[[File:~~Trope_~~-~~_Unskilled_But_Strong_2_6669~~.jpg|link=Incredible Hulk|frame|Are you really going to criticize his poor form?]]

[[File:Trope - Unskilled But Strong 2 6669.jpg|link=Incredible Hulk|frame|Are you really going to criticize his poor form?]]

{{quote|''This is the dreaded Damien? He moves like an amateur! Wait... [[Playing with Fire|that fire]] could easily win him most fights, [[Healing Factor|he can regenerate]], and he's supposed to have [[Super Strength]]... he's never ''needed'' skill before! [[Superpower Lottery|His fighting style is totally dependent on his powers!]]''|'''Elliot, on [[Big Bad|Damien]]''', ''[[El Goonish Shive]]''}}

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[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|As the name implies]], this is the inverse of [[Weak but Skilled]].

A character who is [[Unskilled but Strong]] lacks the refined technique of formal training, but compensates in various ways through raw power. They may [[Made of Iron|eat anti-tank missiles the way a glutton goes through an all-you-can-eat buffet.]] They may be [[Super Strength|so strong they kick tanks around like footballs]] or [[More Dakka|have the firepower to crush the US, China and Russia in a conventional conflict.]] They may [[Super Speed|make a Bugatti Veyron look slow]] or [[Super Reflexes|waltz through a]] [[Dodge the Bullet|point-blank crossfire of]] [[Gatling Good|Gatlings]] with ease that makes [[The Matrix|an Agent]] envious. They may have won the [[Superpower Lottery]]. However it is, they are [[The Gift|so very naturally talented]] they don't ''need'' skill. They tend to have the attitude that if brute force doesn't work, [[When All You Have Is a Hammer|it's just because]] they [[Gonna Need More Trope|didn't use enough of it.]]

A character who is '''Unskilled but Strong''' lacks the refined technique of formal training, but compensates in various ways through raw power. They may [[Made of Iron|eat anti-tank missiles the way a glutton goes through an all-you-can-eat buffet.]] They may be [[Super Strength|so strong they kick tanks around like footballs]] or [[More Dakka|have the firepower to crush the US, China and Russia in a conventional conflict.]] They may [[Super Speed|make a Bugatti Veyron look slow]] or [[Super Reflexes|waltz through a]] [[Dodge the Bullet|point-blank crossfire of]] [[Gatling Good|Gatlings]] with ease that makes [[The Matrix|an Agent]] envious. They may have won the [[Superpower Lottery]]. However it is, they are [[The Gift|so very naturally talented]] they don't ''need'' skill. They tend to have the attitude that if brute force doesn't work, [[When All You Have Is a Hammer|it's just because]] they [[Gonna Need More Trope|didn't use enough of it.]]

When seen in a protagonist, their lack of skill is typically only because it's the first episode and they've only just discovered their powers. The initial stages of the series, if not the series as a whole, will then focus on improving the protagonist's innate talents. It also gives the series a justification for why a complete newbie to whatever power they've uncovered is able to fight with or against people who have more experience, or why they can come along in training relatively quickly. One common type of this is the [[Super Prototype]] that the [[Ordinary High School Student]] is [[Falling Into the Cockpit]] of.

In an antagonist, an Unskilled But Strong character is commonly either the very first foe the protagonist faces or one of the last. In the former case, they're a [[Starter Villain]] and may be fond of [[Badass Boast~~|Badass Boasts~~]] but prove all talk in the face of the much more skilled protagonist. In the latter, they provide a hurdle against which the protagonist must disprove the theory that [[Hard Work Hardly Works]].

In an antagonist, an Unskilled But Strong character is commonly either the very first foe the protagonist faces or one of the last. In the former case, they're a [[Starter Villain]] and may be fond of [[Badass Boast]]s but prove all talk in the face of the much more skilled protagonist. In the latter, they provide a hurdle against which the protagonist must disprove the theory that [[Hard Work Hardly Works]].

Compare [[Skilled but Naive]]. Contrast [[Weak but Skilled]]. Often pursues a [[Bigger Stick]]. Can also overlap with [[Brilliant but Lazy]], or [[Incompletely Trained]] (or both). This character is often the Goliath in [[David Versus Goliath]]. Characters with explicitly superhuman abilities can have this cured with [[Boxing Lessons for Superman]]. If they never get formal training, they may instead be [[Taught By Experience]].

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** A shadowy figure in the Yomi base hints that Berserker may be coming back, although without the "unskilled" part.

* Similarly, Bunshichi Tawara in ''[[Tenjho Tenge]]'' is reported to be entirely self-taught, but was able to defeat a powered up Shin Natsume in a fight.

* [[Blood Knight|Kenpachi]] from ''[[Bleach]]'' relies on raw power and bloodlust, and it works out quite well. No [[Super Mode|bankai]], no functional ''shikai'', no kido, no special techniques. He acquired his position simply by [[Klingon Promotion|killing his predecessor]]. His idea of a sword technique is ''[[Crowning Moment of Awesome|using both hands to hold his sword]]''~~--and~~ when he does, {{spoiler|he ''easily'' defeats an opponent who had been fighting him to a standstill for several episodes}}.

* [[Blood Knight|Kenpachi]] from ''[[Bleach]]'' relies on raw power and bloodlust, and it works out quite well. No [[Super Mode|bankai]], no functional ''shikai'', no kido, no special techniques. He acquired his position simply by [[Klingon Promotion|killing his predecessor]]. His idea of a sword technique is ''[[Crowning Moment of Awesome|using both hands to hold his sword]]''—and when he does, {{spoiler|he ''easily'' defeats an opponent who had been fighting him to a standstill for several episodes}}.

** Ichigo, as well. His incredibly high spiritual power is remarked upon from the very beginning, yet he is often completely outclassed by more experienced opponents. However, he relies on being [[Taught By Experience]], something remarked on multiple times in the series.

** Wonderweiss is so fast and strong that he can take on [[Badass Grandpa|Yamamoto]]. The old man complements his power, but quickly reveals that his vastly superior skill and experience is more than enough to turn the tide.

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== Fan Works ==

* All of the four in ''[[With Strings Attached]]''. Because they're [[Actual Pacifist~~|Actual Pacifists~~]], they have no intention of getting more skilled with the combat aspects of their magic, though they love figuring out new things to do with it.

* All of the four in ''[[With Strings Attached]]''. Because they're [[Actual Pacifist]]s, they have no intention of getting more skilled with the combat aspects of their magic, though they love figuring out new things to do with it.

* Discord in the ''[[Pony POV Series]]'' is stated to be possibly the fifth most powerful being in creation {{spoiler|due to exploiting [[Cannibalism Superpower]] and eating two of his family members for power}}, but because of his [[Reality Warper|near unlimited power]], he never bothered learning hand to hand combat. While he's very creative and skilled with his [[Reality Warper]] powers, his hand to hand combat abilities are lacking.

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** In the 6th season the otherwise physically unremarkable Warren Mears temporarily became this thanks to some [[Applied Phlebotinum]]. In a fight with Buffy the far more skilled Slayer got in several punches and kicks to every blow Warren landed on her - but while he shrugged off her hits almost at once Buffy felt every one of his and was visibly tiring before she was able to destroy the source of his power.

** Caleb from Season 7, as well as the Turok-Han (prior to the finale induced [[Villain Decay]]). Punch-for-Punch, Buffy is noticeably outclassed by both, serving as a potent reminder about the overconfidence the Slayer Strength may bring.

* The Evil Queen / Regina from ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'' is the [[Manipulative Bastard]] version of this. She's not very smart, and completely [[Genre Blind]]. But she has tools to make up for ~~that--in~~ the fairy tale realm her army and her magic, in the real world she can cower everyone with her status as mayor. With her hate driving her, she uses these to plow through any obstacle in her path.

* The Evil Queen / Regina from ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'' is the [[Manipulative Bastard]] version of this. She's not very smart, and completely [[Genre Blind]]. But she has tools to make up for that—in the fairy tale realm her army and her magic, in the real world she can cower everyone with her status as mayor. With her hate driving her, she uses these to plow through any obstacle in her path.

* ''[[Kamen Rider Fourze]]'' protagonist Gentaro Kisaragi starts off like this, having no fighting skills when he [[Jumped At the Call|straps on the belt]] and starts fighting [[Monster of the Week|Zodiarts]]. This puts him at a disadvantage when he comes up against more skilled opponents, like the Unicorn Zodiarts (a member of the school's fencing club) and [[Second Rider|Kamen Rider Meteor]] (a practitioner of [[Bruce Lee|Jeet Kun Do]]). Eventually he [[Took a Level In Badass|takes a level in badass]] thanks to some training from his homeroom teacher Haruka Uesugi, who's a talented kickboxer.

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== Video Games ==

* A metafictional example of this is present in almost all video games with [[Character Level|level-up systems]]. Endgame will have some [[Smash Mook~~|Smash Mooks~~]] that, [[Statistically Speaking]], could probably destroy a planet with a well placed punch due to their STR and may have [[Marathon Boss|a lot of HP]]...but they have no techniques other than variations on "hit the heroes", and AI scripts that border on [[Artificial Stupidity]] at best, thus: [[Unskilled but Strong]].

* A metafictional example of this is present in almost all video games with [[Character Level|level-up systems]]. Endgame will have some [[Smash Mook]]s that, [[Statistically Speaking]], could probably destroy a planet with a well placed punch due to their STR and may have [[Marathon Boss|a lot of HP]]...but they have no techniques other than variations on "hit the heroes", and AI scripts that border on [[Artificial Stupidity]] at best, thus: Unskilled but Strong.

* Computer controlled opponents in general are difficult to program, and are often made [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard|stronger]] and [[Computers Are Fast|faster]]<ref>In terms of raw speed, rather than finesse</ref> to compensate for their tactical shortcomings.

* In ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' and ''[[Fate/Zero]]'', all Servants are supposed to have superhuman combat skills. Servants of [[The Berserker]] class don't, losing their fighting skills as a part of being [[The Berserker]], but they gain massive power boosts in return. Berserker in ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' is so fast and so strong that actual fighting techniques are near worthless against him, as all the fancy parries and stances in the world won't help against someone who strikes faster than you can react and shatter your weapon with a single blow. In ''[[Fate/Zero]]'' {{spoiler|Servant Berserker averts this trope, as his [[Only the Chosen May Wield|Noble Phantasm]] is specifically that he retains his fighting skills despite being mad. This renders him an utter terror in melee.}}

* ''[[Castlevania]]: [[Castlevania: Chronicles of Sorrow|Dawn of Sorrow]]'' has Julius Belmont. He can't use magic (even though he should be able to, considering some of his ancestors, but whatever), which is necessary to break through sealed and permanently destroy boss enemies (if you don't, they will regenerate). He gets through the castle through equal parts his [[Ancestral Weapon]] and ''pure awesome''. This winds up [[Gameplay and Story Segregation]] though, as one bonus mode places the player in control of Julius, the game is much harder (Normal Soma mode can be beaten mostly through brute force and healing items, but Julius can't pause the game and thus can't open the inventory), and while the seal doesn't need to be drawn, the game shows the sealing animation (though with the expected sequence, Julius is joined by a mage early on).

* Marisa Kirisame of ''[[Touhou]]'' is perplexingly both [[Unskilled but Strong]] ''and'' [[Weak but Skilled]]. She lacks any inherent abilities and can only fight as well as she does by [[Badass Bookworm|studying really hard]], but 90% of that study is purely towards making bigger explosions, lacking the finesse and control of other Magicians (most notably Patchouli) and relying on [[Wave Motion Gun|Master Spark]]ing her opponents into oblivion.

* Marisa Kirisame of ''[[Touhou]]'' is perplexingly both Unskilled but Strong ''and'' [[Weak but Skilled]]. She lacks any inherent abilities and can only fight as well as she does by [[Badass Bookworm|studying really hard]], but 90% of that study is purely towards making bigger explosions, lacking the finesse and control of other Magicians (most notably Patchouli) and relying on [[Wave Motion Gun|Master Spark]]ing her opponents into oblivion.

** A straighter example is Utsuho. Not really brought up in the text, but very apparent in the fight (while Marisa [[Gameplay and Story Segregation|fights more or less the same way as everyone else]]). ''Subterranean Animism'' consists almost entirely of gimmick patterns. Except for Utsuho. Her patterns are quite straightforward, making up for that by way of having the largest bullets in the series, and spamming them. Furthermore, while most stage 6 bosses are all about variety, Utsuho sticks with what she does best, not even changing up her nonspells.

* [[The Brute|Flak]] and [[AI Is a Crapshoot|Jugger]] from the GBA [[Advance Wars]] games. Because this is a strategy game, [[A Commander Is You]] renders their units as [[Glass Cannon~~|Glass Cannons~~]], increasing their offense while hurting their defense.

* [[The Brute|Flak]] and [[AI Is a Crapshoot|Jugger]] from the GBA [[Advance Wars]] games. Because this is a strategy game, [[A Commander Is You]] renders their units as [[Glass Cannon]]s, increasing their offense while hurting their defense.

* Compared to the rest of the cast from his game, Q in ''[[Street Fighter III]]'' flails wildly and throws very telegraphed punches... But when he does hit, it ''[[Mighty Glacier|hurts.]]''

* In ''[[Iji]]'', [[The Dragon|Iosa the Invincible]] has [[Deflector Shields]] that are immune to all weapons and [[Lightning Bruiser|fast, powerful attacks]]... that are widely telegraphed, allowing a quick dodge and retaliation.

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* ''[[Tekken]]'' gives us Miguel Caballero Rojo, a Spaniard who enters a world fighting tournament with nothing but the ability to swing his legs around and throw haymaker punches as his only training. No one should dare underestimate him.

* ''[[Mario Golf]]'' has the characters vary between this and [[Weak but Skilled]]. People who fall into this category include Mario (who would usually fall into [[Jack of All Stats]] in other titles), Daisy (GC), [[Donkey Kong]], Bowser, [[Original Generation|Harry]] (N64), [[Super Mario Sunshine|Shadow Mario]] (GC), [[Super Mario 64|Metal Mario]] (N64), and Petey Piranha (GC).

** Bowser is this in the Mario & Luigi [[RPG~~|RPGs~~]]. The only attacks he knows is punch things really hard, breathe fire and punch things even harder. He's good at directing his minions, though.

** Bowser is this in the Mario & Luigi [[RPG]]s. The only attacks he knows is punch things really hard, breathe fire and punch things even harder. He's good at directing his minions, though.

* ''[[Blaz Blue]]'' gives us [[Little Bit Beastly|Makoto]] [[Good Old Fisticuffs|Nanaya]], whose main form of combat involves just mostly punching people, with some [[Energy Ball]] dropping to go and some [[Doppelganger Spin]]. In-story, her Ars Magus aptitude is average, meaning that utility ars and aforementioned [[Energy Ball]] are her everyday techniques. That's the "Unskilled". She's "Strong" on the part that due to beastkin heritage, she has ''monstrous'' strength and durability (11K health when 13K is the highest on normal). So, her punches CAN [[Punched Across the Room|knock her target across the room]], [[Intimidation Demonstration|make one huge impact crater on the go]], and [[Effortless Amazonian Lift|she can just lift her friend just fine on a dead sprint]]. And thanks to that, she's counted as one of the most powerful characters in the game.

* {{spoiler|[[Runaway Brain|Julius]]}} as he appears in ''[[Kingdom Hearts 3D]]'' uses only punches, body slams, and charges for his attacks. However, the fact that he's a [[Bonus Boss]] in a ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' game should give you a good idea about how tough he is.

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** Grace herself falls into this, as well, as she defeats Damien solely because of her [[Berserk Button]]. This has since been [[Lampshaded]], and Grace has agreed to start [[Boxing Lessons for Superman|martial arts training.]]

* ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'': Xykon doesn't have the refined techniques of a wizard, and quite frankly doesn't ''want'' it. In his own words, the only two things a person needs are "Force in as great a concentration as you can manage, and style. And in a pinch, style can slide." However, you don't get to epic levels without a ton of practice.

** It's also worth noting that Xykon is also ''dangerously'' clever and full of nasty tricks. That [[Unskilled but Strong]] behavior isn't actually a lack of skill, it's Xykon being ''lazy''.

** It's also worth noting that Xykon is also ''dangerously'' clever and full of nasty tricks. That Unskilled but Strong behavior isn't actually a lack of skill, it's Xykon being ''lazy''.

* Fighter in ''[[8-Bit Theater|Eight Bit Theater]]'' is an absolute savant in swordplay, but it mostly comes from innate talent which he never bothered to improve upon. A personification of Sloth tries to get Fighter to realize the folly in this and rely as much on his mind as on his skill. Fighter kills Sloth with his swords because his brain told him that'd be faster.

* Bob the Beholder in ''[[Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic]]'' isn't terribly bright and lacks finesse. He succeeds at his tasks in spite of this because he's... [[Eye Beams|well, a beholder.]]

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* Captain Hammer of ''[[Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog|Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog]]'' seems to get everywhere on his super strength (born with the ability to "bench press 500 pounds") and damage resistance (which is a lot in a world where the super villains we know of are 1: a [[Mad Scientist]] 2: a guy who can make things moist 3: {{spoiler|a horse}}) and his plans are limited to "smash the device". The first time he gets hurt he runs away crying like a little girl.

{{quote|"OH GOD! Is this pain?! I think this is what pain feels like! MOMMY! SOMEONE MATERNAL!"}}

* Gustave and Alfred from ''[[Darwin's Soldiers]]'' are both [[Funny Animal~~|Funny Animals~~]] (Nile crocodile and American bison, respectively) with [[Super Strength]]. Neither of them is a trained martial artist so their fighting style consists of "beat the opponent with anything handy until they stop moving".

* Gustave and Alfred from ''[[Darwin's Soldiers]]'' are both [[Funny Animal]]s (Nile crocodile and American bison, respectively) with [[Super Strength]]. Neither of them is a trained martial artist so their fighting style consists of "beat the opponent with anything handy until they stop moving".

* Chair from [[Nerdy Show]]'s Dungeons & Doritos. Justified in that he was a chair [[A Wizard Did It|turned]] into a dwarf a few weeks ago. That and his player tends to [[Critical Hit|roll high]].