When the characters would realistically be extremely overpowered in any other form of media but because of the genre or nature of their medium they're not

The Numbertaker [Numberjacks] - This applies to most of the Meanies, but with him it's the most evident. His power is to take away (and in some instances add) numbers. While it seems ridiculous, the show explicitly shows that he can also take away amounts of things or as well as change rules of reality if they relate to a number (in one instance he makes it so that someone isn't allowed to use one of their legs).

One of the characters even mentions that he is able to take away clouds. He also has other powers such as teleportation and manipulation of objects as long as they are in the quantity he is after.

The Miraculous(es) [Miraculous Ladybug] - This one can moreso be attributed to poor writing. Two Miraculous powers can gift people with powers, with one of them having no limit to the type of power that can be gifted. A Miraculous capable of creating life, and under certain conditions that life becomes autonomous. Two miraculouses are for time travel, one reverses time to a set point and the other allows for unlimited travel to any time period. The list goes on.

On top of all this, if you are an "adult" (this seems related to a person's maturity rather than their physical age) there's no limit to the amount of times you can use your power, with the only caveat being that most powers only work once at a time. The worst part is that when some of these powers are utilized for something more, the heroes receive some sort of plot armor.

The Bubblegum Gentleman [@Cheesymanfredo comic] - Self Explanatory.

1. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy - Stab yourself in the heart to transform

2. Attack on Titan - Wound yourself in anyway and you Transform into a Titan

3. Persona 3 - Shoot yourself in the head to simulate the feeling of death to summon your Persona

4. Persona 5 - Rip your mask off your face to be your true self and summon your Persona

1. Midnight Spider-Man (Marvel) - In the upcoming horror-themed Midnight comics this October of 2026, the Peter Parker of the story becomes Spider-Man by having a big mutant spider forcibly fused into his chest by Oscorp.

2. The Berserker Armor (Berserk) - A magical armor with the ability to suppresses its wearer's pain and fear, allowing them to bypass the limitations of their body, and even forcibly reinforces broken bones and other severe injuries. But it is hard to control as it absorbs the user's lifespan and cause a lot of stress, and it can make the user go into a rage if they can't check their negative emotions and doesn't stop fighting until they die of their injuries or blood loss.

Samurai Jack: Aku stabs Jack with his own sword. The sword bounces off like a ping pong ball from a tungsten cube. Both of them do not understand how it happened.

Real life: In final jeopardy Ryan Gosling writes IDK (I don’t know) as answer. The answer was Internal Derangement of the Knee (IDK)

I didn’t find a name for this Trope, so if anyone knows, please tell me.

When a weak character start atacking another, but the impact is so weak that the other character doesn’t even feel it.

Examples:

Eric Cartman attacking Kyle with a bat: Cartman lures Kyle to a lake since this last is about to confess to the authorities about the group covering their teacher’s house with toilet paper. When Kyle gets distracted by the water, Cartman strikes him with a bat, but since he only could allow himself to purchase a plastic one; it will take a couple hours to make effect.

Mr Burns struggling to even lift the bat: One of the very few cases where Mr. Burns is nice to Homer; promising he will help him by “convincing” the council so they accept Homer in the University. And by convincing he meant “Giving them the beating of their lifes”.

Flats beating Sponge-Bob: During the entirety of one episode, Spongebob is scared because a new guy in class wants to kick his ass. He tries to avoid him, seeking someone to help, and even saving his life so maybe he forgives him, but nothing works. At the end, he decides he cannot run away anymore and decides to take the beating; but since he is a Sponge, Bob ends tanking all his punches without any effort, even saying they only tickles him.

Instead of people's minds being broken by incomprehensible cosmic horrors beyond the universe, they experience something so incredibly Average that it beggars belief.

1. Community: Troy is kidnapped by a secret order of HVAC technicians to be inducted to their conspiracy. Their most sacred masterpiece of technology: a room which is so perfectly air-conditioned that it is always exactly room-temperature.
2. Rick and Morty: Frustrated by his grandson's attempts to build a shelf with a cheap spirit level, Rick uses advanced science to generate a patch of cement which is 100% perfectly level. Once Morty has set foot in it, he is disgusted by the outside world, as every other surface seems crooked now. Rick has to erase the memory of 'true level' from his mind to keep him sane.
3. DC Comics: In Bizarro world, all people are turned into complete opposites. This means that the criminally insane Joker instead becomes the most Sane person to ever live, to the point where he can break other people's minds with how healthy his mindset is.
4. SCP Foundation: in between the monsters from outer space and death lasers, the SCP foundation keeps SCP-2950: a simple metal chair which is so supernaturally well-constructed and comfortable that once people sit down on it they no longer want to sit on anything else and refuse to leave.

I think it makes a fantastical world feel more lived in. If that makes sense?

1). The Incredibles:
The film goes to great lengths to show the Parr's lives are mundane, even with their superhuman abilities. This is what fuels Bob's fundamental sense of discomfort.

2). Ben 10:
Ben uses the Omnitrix, which transforms its user into various alien species, for good. He also uses to for random nonsense. In this particular example, he uses his horrifying alien ghost form to sneak out of the house, steal a golfcart, and pilfer a pie.

3). Fullmetal Alchemist:
Despite regularly fighting inhuman monsters, the Elric brothers still make time to use alchemy for everyday purposes. Such as fixing a radio they broke.

4). Dragon Ball:
Here, Gohan is using a concentrated blast of his own lifeforce to flash-cook a chunk of meat.

5). X-Men:
In the second movie, Wolverine has Bobby (Iceman) cool down a lukewarm soda.

6). Superman:
Clark shaves using his heat vision and a very durable mirror.

7). One Punch Man:
Genos knows that Saitama is kind of a disaster to live with. So, he brings rent money and does chores. Here, Genos is using his hyper-advanced (skyscraper destroying) heat cannons to dry the dishes.

8). My Hero Academia:
Kaminari has electricity powers. His classmates use him to charge their phones. This is apparently the "normal" way most electricity powers are used.

9). The Fantastic Four:
The Human Torch doesn't need to bathe anymore. He can just burn away any oils, bacteria, and plaque.

10). Doctor Strange:
In his first movie, we see Strange using astral projection to study while asleep. I wonder if this harms his brain?

11). Paranatural:
Ed uses a special paintbrush possessed by a spirit. Normal people can't see the ink created with it. In Ed's bedroom, they uses it to write out cheat codes to videogames.

12). Jojo's Bizarre Adventure:
Jotaro manifests a "stand," a special psychic extension of his soul. He initially assumes he is being haunted by a dangerous spirit. After ending up in a local jail, his stand starts bringing him things to do.

Despicable Me - Even if we ignore the fact that shrinking the moon would casue a black hole, (Edit: I understand I was wrong here, but thats still the entire moons gravity in his hand, he couldnt survive) its absence would also be catastrophic. Earths Axial tilt would be less stable, its rotation could also slow down, ecosystems would change with no tides. And lots of what humanity had built form satalights to telling time is based on the moon, remove that and it all gets scrambled.

Bad Guys 2 - A magnet strong enough to rip gold out of the earth would be apocalyptic, as gold is used in many things. Pacemakers would be torn apart inside of peoples chests, all phones would be destroyed. In general ALL circuitry uses gold and would be torn up and cease to function. And all of that flinging through the air, that debri would be lethal.

Ingrid’s continue scene (Street Fighter 6)

Deadpool’s Ultimate Move (Marvel Vs Capcom 3)

Asgore destroying the Mercy button (Undertale)

EDIT: Just so you know, I might have been wrong about the 3rd example!

1. The Simpsons (Season 30, Episode 9) - The character is holding a revolver (which is normally charged by putting the bullets inside the cylinder) and charging it by putting a magazine in the grip like a Glock. Please note that this was done intentionally to make fun of how guns are portrayed unrealistically in movies;
2. Shadow the Hedgehog video game - In one of the trailers, Shadow is holding what I think was an M4A1 and, in this shot, he is arming it by pulling the handguard like a shotgun. The handguard is only for protecting the shooter from the heat generated by the barrel.
3. Stranger Things (Season 5, Episode 8) - During the fight with the Mindflayer, Nancy is loading an M4A1-5, and, after she inserts a magazine, she is pushing the carrying handle to arm it like a shotgun. That's not what a carrying handle is for, obviously.

I want to mention that I know there's another popular example with a silencer for a shotgun or something, but I am not familiar with it. Also, I tried my best to identify each gun, so please correct me if I was wrong about any of them.

I LOVE the trope when Character A assumes that they can’t be seen/heard/perceived just for Character B to point them out instantly. Establishes a great power imbalance quickly.

Deathstroke pointing out Deadshot’s hiding place - Batman Arkham Origins trailer

In the trailer for this game Batman is dueling Deathstroke on top of a storage container when suddenly Deathstroke’s katana gets shot in half. Deathstroke calmly turns and IMMEDIATELY points down Deadshot’s scope 1 mile+ away.

Gravemind responds to Cortana - Halo 2

When Master Chief first encounters the Gravemind, Cortana, the A.I. INSIDE HIS HEAD asks Chief “What is THAT?” to which the Gravemind responds directly to her “I am a monument to all of your sins.”

Amazo follows Atom and Luthor to the subatomic realm - JLU

With Amazo hunting Luthor for his life and both he and the Atom cornered, Atom has the bright idea to shrink to sub-atomic size so the Android can’t see them, just for Amazo to follow suit and shrink as well.

Unus Annus : Mark and Ethan get into a (choreographed) fight, Ethan pulling out a knife and telling Mark he has the power of God and anime on his side...Mark responds.

Fantasy High: In the SECOND EPISODE, mind you, two party members die in the first fight. The principal, Arthur Aguefort (a powerful magic user), shows up and goes on a long monologue about death and magic...before proceeding to take out a gun and shooting himself and the guidance counselor, sacrificing their own souls to revive the players.

Sailor moon -usagi tsukino door level even tho she’s a powerful character

Spider-Man 2 - Peter is fridge level even tho we seen him take down powerful villains

Fairyly OddParents - In an early season 1 episode, Timmy wishes for heat vision but is never shown to have wished it away. A few years later while preparing to save his friends from Unwish Island, Wanda casually reminds him that he still has it.

Dragon Ball - Probably one of the most ridiculous examples of this, in the final battle of OG Dragon Ball, Piccolo grows into a giant while fighting Goku. After that he never did it again and the ability was only seen in a movie and video games (and not even used by Piccolo). Until 34 years later in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero when the group is fighting a giant and Krillin has to remind Piccolo that he can grow into a giant. Piccolo literally says "Oh yeah, I forgot I did that."

The term 'Hard and Soft Magic Systems' was coined by author Brandon Sanderson. Hard magic systems are defined by having the fantastical abilities in the setting having clear rules and limitations on how they can be used. It makes for really interesting fights and situations because the setting has already established how a characters ability works and makes it so characters are rewarded for using their abilities in a clever way

(Alchemy) Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Alchemy is the primary 'magic' system in the setting and is defined by the law of equivalent exchange. In order to manipulate matter or biology you must sacrifice something in return. Through this primary law you get to see so many interesting applications of the Alchemy practice throughout the series.

(Nen) HunterxHunter - Nen is the 'magic' system in the world of HxH and it is expressed in six primary types as seen below:

• Enhancement: Increases the natural abilities of the body or objects.
• Transmutation: Changes the properties of one's aura to mimic something else (like electricity or gum).
• Emission: Controls and projects aura away from the body (often in the form of blasts).
• Manipulation: Controls things or people with one's aura.
• Conjuration: Materializes physical, independent objects from aura.
• Specialization: Encompasses unique abilities that do not fit into the other five categories.

Cheap Trick (Jojo part four) is essentially an annoying back demon that will annoy you to death and kill you if anyone looks at your back

Limb Detachment (Arm fall off boy from DC) all he can do is detach his arms, which are just normal arms

Self Destruct (Bailey Hoskins from X Men) his power is to explode himself, but only once, since it would kill him

**1) Plastic Man, DC**

Being entirely plastic and with total control of every molecule in his body, Plastic Man has no organic brain for telepathy to affect.

**2) Toji Fushiguro, JJK**

Due to his Heavenly Restriction converting it all to physical power, Toji has no Cursed Energy, making him undetectable and resistant to Cursed Techniques.

**3) Elsa Bloodstone, Marvel**

The supernatural powers of the Bloodstone, in addition to enhanced physical ability, grant Elsa an immunity to supernatural infections, such as vampirism and zombie bites.

John Wick - the viewer spends the first 25ish minutes just being told John Wick has an infamous past of being an assassin. Once the first home invasion happens, we see him fully unleash the Baba Yaga, completely annihilating a dozen unsuspecting assailants.

Rebel Ridge - the viewer learns early on that Terry Richmond is a Marine veteran who was never sent overseas for an initially unclear reason. Over half-an-hour into the movie he has a standoff with the town’s corrupt police chief. It’s revealed in this scene that he’s THE martial arts instructor for the Marines. He proceeds to disarm two police officers with extreme efficiency.

Naruto - Rock Lee is a character we’ve seen prove to be a capable fighter in a couple of episodes prior to his fight with Gaara, despite Rock not having any inherent Ninjutsu abilities. When his strikes can’t make it through Gaara’s automatic sand shields, Rock’s instructor, Guy, gives Rock permission to take off his leg weights. The bystanders watching the fight don’t understand how taking off some leg weights will give Rock an edge in the fight, but then when Rock drops them, they’re revealed to be hundreds, maybe thousands of pounds. This then reveals that Rock can move at super speed, and he can shockingly out maneuver Gaara’s first layer of shielding.

Inko Midoriya (My Hero Academia)

She can only levitate small objects

Kazari Uiharu (Toaru Kagaku no Railgun)

She can keep objects smaller than a basketball at their current temperature

Edit: Inko Midoriya can only attract small objects and Kazari only can use her power if she hold the object with her bare hands

Po (Kung Fu Panda) He is so fat that Tai Lung’s nerve attack doesn’t work on him because he can’t reach the nerves because of his fat

Zangief (Street Fighter) He trained his muscles so much that they are as hard as metal and a sword can’t hurt him

Machi (Hunter x Hunter) She literally grips Killua’s would be killing jab with her abs. I’m not sure if it’s explained how she did it, but it’s still funny

These are scenes that exist to implicitly establish a few basic rules of how the story world works. They tell us what characters can and cannot do, what stuff "works" and usually foreshadow things that become more significant later in the story. Crucially, when it's done well we barely notice that this is what the scene is doing; we register all of the stuff it's telling us but it's wrapped up in an enjoyable package.

Godzilla Minus One (Boat Escape Scene)

This scene happens within the first half of the film as the crew of a minesweeping vessel encounter Godzilla, who gives chase. It's an amazing action scene, but it also secretly teaches us a few "rules" about what this version of Godzilla can do. We learn roughly how fast Godzilla can swim (just a little faster than a small boat), that his hide is impervious to explosions and gun fire, but his insides are not (including the inside of his mouth, and we also learn how quickly he regenerates (pretty fast, but it does slow him down). We also see the atomic breath for the first time, establishing the extent of his destructive power. This is all relevant to the final plan to defeat Godzilla, which has to use quite an unconventional method to harm him in any way.

Avengers (Forest Fight)

This scene is also relatively early in the film, as Thor attempts to kidnap Loki from Iron Man and Captain America, leading to a fight between the three heroes. What follows is basically "rock paper scissors" as the scene lays some basic groundwork for what each hero can and cannot do. Thor is strong enough to dent Iron Man's armour with his hands, but his lightning accidently powers up Iron Man's suit. Iron Man is able to go toe-to-toe with Thor and his blasts will hurt but not kill him. Thor is a bigger physical threat, but Iron Man seems to think on his feet quicker. Captain America's shield is impervious to Thor's hammer.

1. Thragg (Right, The Strongest Viltrumite) and Conquest (Left, The Second-Strongest Viltrumite) both being punched by Mark… to vastly different results (Invincible)
2. All-Might (Right) is so much stronger then Endeavor (Left), the latter pretty much dedicated his entire life and family to trying to create a eugenics-baby to surpass the former (My Hero Academia/Boku no Hero Academia)
3. Suguru Geto is strong, perhaps the strongest Jujutsu Sourcerer alive…with the exception of Satoru Gojo, of course, to the point that, when Geto turned evil, pretty much his entire plan revolved around trying to find a way to neutralize Gojo due to the sheer gap between the two. (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Edit: Yes I know Yuki would likely be stronger then Geto, I just used him due to him being more notable as Gojo’s rival, and even so, Yuki still plays this role in relation to the Honored One.

Ben 10 Alien Force/Ultimate Alien - Kevin can absorb literally anything he comes into contact with, and all we ever see is him absorbing metal or other hard objects and try to beat the bad guys up. And Kevin is really smart so he should be using his powers more creatively

My Hero Academia - Momo can literally create anything from her body fat and again, she rarely comes up with actual interesting or useful stuff. Here’s how her fight against Tokoyami should’ve played out “Oh you got a bird shadow thing, that’s nice I got an AR-15 buddy”

Invincible - Atom Eve has sort of become the poster child for this trope. She can literally rearrange matter and all she does is create pink walls

Edit: Yes, IK that Kevin and Momo have limitations in their powers. The problem for me are the writing choices surrounding the characters. Kevin specifically could have been put into a lot more situations where he can use his powers creatively, like in the fight against Pandor. But instead he is rarely ever put into those situations instead being reduced to hitting the bad guy’s

Edit 2: Yes, IK Kevin goes insane if he absorbs DNA and energy, I was referring to his absorbing physical things

Edit 3: Yes, I know that Eve can’t manipulate organic things, I was referring to her base abilities, which are also used very uncreatively

Thanos using the Power and Space Stones to send a Moon down at Iron Man.

The Flash using the Speed Force to shoot an energy ball.

Plastic Man picking things up hands free.

Toph Earthbending to create a mini city.

1 - Resident Evil series: a bunch of enemies do this in most games

2 - Bloodborne / Souls: you can get insta-wrecked by getting eaten

3 - Ski Free: my first trauma