History AdaptationalBadass / FanWorks

** ''AdaptationalBadass/CitadelOfTheHeart''

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Crossover]]
[[AC:{{Crossover}}]]
* ''Fanfic/BelieveInTheWeirdAndWild'': Due to being raised by a royal family of magic that's trained him since he was five, Steven is capable of beating up monsters and has great control of his shield, bubble, and floating abilities at age nine, while canon Steven only discovered his powers at age twelve and [[HowDoIShootWeb floundered with them for quite a while]] before learning how to really use them.
%%* ''Fanfic/CodeGeassPaladinsOfVoltron''
%%** Milly, Rivalz, and Shirley get this as the Paladins of Voltron.
%%** Lelouch, too - his Geass somehow gives him [[ShockAndAwe control over red and black lightning]]. It's hinted that this has something to do with Quintessence.
%%** Allura's mother was the original purple paladin.
%%** While he already was a badass in canon, [[spoiler:Zarkon now has a "black" Geass.]]
* Several background ponies get turned into much more effective fighters in ''Fanfic/AceCombatEquestriaChronicles''. Especially those flying in the [[AmazonBrigade Mirage squadron]].
* Remember how [[NonActionGuy Yuuno]] was in ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha''? In ''Fanfic/BloodThatFlows'', he's easily as badass as any of the main characters and can hold his own against Gods and Demons just as well as any of the other characters in the story.
* In ''Fanfic/IncarnationOfLengeds'', Rakia gets this big time as with [[spoiler:Romulus]] helping them, the army becomes a lot tougher and more successful, going from a complete joke for Orario to defeat under Ares' control to something that threatens to conquer the Royal Alf Forest.
* In addition to their Aura, weapons, and fighting skills, characters from ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' in ''Fanfic/BoopTheSnootForCriticalDamage'' get the ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' treatment and are way more badass than their canon selves, which is combined with AgeLift since they're all now fully licensed Huntresses and not just students. Vice versa for major ''Borderlands'' characters as they now have Aura and Semblance.
** Team RWBY as a whole are far more combat savvy than they were in the series. Ruby is a Siren with all the power that implies, Yang is a notorious bounty hunter, Weiss has a combat drone alongside already having a firm grasp on her summoning abilities, and Blake is far more effective on her own to the point of surviving two years on a murderous island by herself with a pretty high body-count of the island's creatures.
** Bandits are often fighting alongside/bonded with Grimm due to being connected via their masks. They're also amplified because of them.
** Jaune is a native to Pandora, and has survived living there his entire life. He's still a ButtMonkey, but he's a much better fighter.
** Pyrrha, in addition to being a champion tournament fighter, also has multiple cybernetic enhancements as well.
** Handsome Jack was easily one of the biggest baddies in the ''Borderlands'' universe, but much of his time and resources were dedicated to opening the Vault on Pandora and his victories were either against bandits or when he caught his enemies off-guard. Here, he's waging war with the other corporations such as Atlas, and according to Ironwood, ''he's winning''.
** Willow never showed any combat skills in canon, though she was clever enough to have security cameras all over the house to catch her husband red-handed. Here, she's pretty deadly with her father's battle-axe and knows her way around a fight.
** After being given an Insta-Youth, Maria is restored to her physical prime at twenty years old.
** Gaige not only gets the ''RWBY'' benefits of Aura and Semblance, but she's also got more robots to summon to her aide besides Deathtrap and is working on making her own personal robot army.
** Penny was already a powerful robot (doubly so after her upgrades), but here, she's an '''artificial Siren'''.
* In the stories written by Crossoverpairinglover on Fanfiction.net, virtually every character gets upgraded to a point they are badasses. Genuine Lockharts, super saiyan-like Sakuras, Apollos who create black holes, etc.
%%* Jack in ''Cave Story Versus IM Meen'', to the point where he becomes a BadassBookworm who literally has the ability to use ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure ZA WARUDO.]]''
* ''Fanfic/ChildrenOfAnElderGod'': The three main characters are a bit more heroic and way more badass than their canon counterparts. Shinji pilots his giant robot willingly and gains powers, Asuka becomes a better fighter and gains fire powers, Rei is terrifying...
* Mrs. Johannsen, of all people, gets this treatment in ''Fanfic/DariaInMorrowind''. [[spoiler:Being a House Telvanni agent can have that effect.]]
** All the characters would be tougher than their canonical counterparts simply due to living in a less sedentary environment. But most of them are pretty average by Tamrielic standards.
* While [[Franchise/AceAttorney Shelly De Killer]] was always a skilled assassin, his combat skills get a huge boost in [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10849348/1/No-More-Turnabout No More Turnabout]], being able to hold his own against the likes of [[VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes Henry Cooldown and later on, Travis Touchdown]], nearly killing the latter had Sylvia not intervened.
* While Taylor Hebert was already badass in ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', she ups her badassery by several orders of magnitude in ''Fanfic/TheLastDaughter'', where she is actually [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Kryptonian]]. Virtually every fight she's in is a CurbStompBattle in her favor, and she actually manages [[spoiler: to kill ''[[TheJuggernaut Behemoth]]''.]]
* The main Digimon characters from ''Fanfic/DigimonFusionKai'' are [[SuperFic given the ability]] to become beings that look like Super Saiyans.
* While in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', Ayaka was a self-taught martial artist with her own personal form, she was only Asuna's equal up until CantCatchUp took effect. In ''Fanfic/EqualAndOppositeAttraction'', she becomes a front-line fighter who was trained by Setsuna.
* In ''Fanfic/LegacySekiroKimetsuNoYaiba'', Tamayo is the daughter of [[VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice Emma the Doctor]] in this story. As a result, she's trained in Emma's brand of Ashina-style swordsmanship. When combined with her demonic strength and agility, she's a dangerous opponent on par with Wolf.
* ''Fanfic/ArcticRim'' does this to [[WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}} Anna and Elsa]], the former becoming a hilarious badass and Elsa becoming a bona fide BadassInCharge. The Precursors are also a ''lot'' more proactive here than in ''Film/PacificRim'', with one in particular (the story's BigBad) who borders on MagnificentBastard.
* ''Fanfic/{{The Games We Play|TheGamerRWBY}}'' turns Jaune from ButtMonkey to legitimate badass via the mechanics of ''Webcomic/TheGamer''. In canon, he's far, far behind any of the other main cast. Here, he's able to, among others, beat [[spoiler:Weiss]], turn a DelayingAction against [[spoiler:Penny]] into a win, fight [[spoiler:Pyrrha]] to a draw, bluff his way out of fighting [[spoiler:Cinder Fall]], and outfight [[spoiler:''Raven'']]. And he hasn't even gotten into Beacon yet!
* ''Fanfic/TheHeroesOfTime'' does this to the Creator/HannaBarbera universe. Most of the characters in the shared world are rather peaceful people, and never mean harm. But when TheHeartless invade and start swallowing worlds, it's time to take up [[CoolSword Keyblades]] and fight.
* In ''Fanfic/Hottie3TheBestFanFicInTheWorld'', the FanSequel to the novel ''Burning Ambition'' by Jonathan Bernstein, [[TheHero Hottie]] co-pilots her own ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''-inspired Gunman. The other co-pilot is ComicBook/SquirrelGirl hersel. She later gains three {{Super Mode}}s, each more powerful than the last. The most powerful SuperMode, Super Hottie Goddess, makes her a PhysicalGod.
* ''Fanfic/JustAnUnorthodoxThief'' takes Risei, an intelligent enough character in canon, and tuns him into Tokiomi's HypercompetentSidekick.
* In ''Fanfic/MagicalPonyLyricalTwilight'', [[spoiler:the Nachtwal]] received a massive power and skill boost, including changing its canonical ClippedWingAngel into a proper OneWingedAngel.
* ''Fanfic/TheMarvelousWorldOfDC''
** [[FishPeople Abraham Sapien]] is a lot more proficient in martial arts, enabling him to wipe the floor with [[ReligiousVampire the Church of Blood]] and go toe-to-toe with [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Karl Ruprecht Kroenen]] himself.
** Granted, the Mask was already Badass in canon, but here, he was created by Loki to kill Thor.
* ''Fanfic/MortalKombatVsTheOwlHouse'': {{Downplayed|Trope}} with Shang Tsung while he is about as powerful in terms of magic and skills as he is in canon, we do get to see him defeat more opponents than in canon including some he has canonically lost to like [[spoiler:Liu Kang and Shao Kahn]] though with InUniverse reasons for both.
* In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow'', the [[TimeMaster Chronomage]] was just a quickly defeated obstacle. In ''Fanfic/MyLittleCastlevania'', he's an active villain, able to fight Aeon one-on-one repeatedly, and wins several times.
* ''Fanfic/NoGodsOnlyGuns'', [[AssInAmbassador Ambassador Donnel Udina]] becomes a full-on GuileHero, humiliating the batarian ambassador in front of the Council, and also possessing an eyepatch and cybernetic hand. Doctor Michel, usually a DistressedDamsel, takes a buzz-axe to the goons threatening her. And Niftu Cal, a volus who claimed to be a biotic god while doped out on drugs, proves himself to be a very powerful biotic who can back up his claims.
* In ''Fanfic/NoHoper'', Light Yagami, a NonActionBigBad in canon, is now [[OurVampiresAreDifferent a vampire with powers over the elements]], a HunterOfHisOwnKind, and a MasterSwordsman.
* Both Shinji and Kaworu in ''Fanfic/ShinjiAndWarhammer40K'' go from canon runty, troubled kids, to nigh-PhysicalGod {{Magnificent Bastard}}s who excel at XanatosSpeedChess.
* While [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Naruto Uzumaki]] has grown into a powerful badass in his own manga, ''Fanfic/ShinobiOfTheHighSeas'' turns him into a ShowyInvincibleHero that manages to go through the Grand Line and ultimately fight Akoji, one of the most powerful admirals in ''Manga/OnePiece'', to a standstill.
* ''FanFic/StormsOverhead'' has Louise and Henrietta get an upgrade; the former packs new Void element spells that [[spoiler: can defy the laws of physics, including matter destruction (or at least, appears to be so)]] while the latter commands her nation with equivalents of modern day policies. Seeing that they're both mentored by a scientist/scholar, it was bound to happen.
* ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'': In the original ''Evangelion'' show Shinji was a wimp, Rei was properly trained but she was weak, and Asuka was a good warrior but she got her butt kicked constantly. In this crossover with ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', the three pilots gain huge powers and take several levels in badass: Shinji becomes a sorcerer with psychic powers, Asuka a berserker super-soldier and Rei a plaguemaster.
* ''Fanfic/TimeLordsAndTerror'', a ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Friendship is Magic]]'' and ''Series/DoctorWho'' crossover, re-imagines the events of [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie1986 the G1 movie]] as a CosmicHorrorStory. Instead of kid-friendly villains, Hydia, Draggle and Reeka are now TheFairFolk-inspired aliens. [[spoiler:They now beat ponies bloody and harvest their life force to awaken the S'Muz (aka the Smooze) an OmnicidalManiac, [[ThePowerOfHate driven by hate]], EldritchAbomination that causes a wave of madness by its mere unsealing, that wants nothing more than destruction of all universes.]]
* The basic premise of ''FanFic/ToHellAndBackArrowverse'' is that Barry, Oliver, Kara, and Kal-El all spent a decade on Lian Yu and then with the League of Assassins. Oliver, no slouch already, becomes even better than his canon self, Barry becomes an EmpoweredBadassNormal and even more of a BadassBookworm, and Kara undergoes BoxingLessonsForSuperman that, combined with her ComboPlatterPowers, allow her to curb-stomp her way through UnskilledButStrong Kryptonian mooks (though she does have trouble with the most powerful villains, such as Astra and Grodd).
* In ''Fanfic/{{Unfamiliar}}'', almost every canon character from ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' (but especially Princess Henrietta) gets a massive competence boost and a power upgrade. Considering that they're expected to cope with OneManArmy [[VideoGame/{{Prototype}} Alex Mercer]], this is perfectly understandable.
* In ''Fanfic/JusticeSocietyOfJapan'' while Mordred has a relationship to Morgaine Le Fey similar to how he was depicted in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', in this continuity, the preteen is now less of a RoyalBrat and more of a [[UndyingLoyalty Loyal]] ImplacableMan. Also, [[Anime/CodeGeass Shirley Fenette]] has been upgraded from a schoolgirl to one of the main heroes.
* ''Fanfic/LastChildOfKrypton'' does this to plenty of characters, but first and foremost is Shinji Ikari, who turns out to be half-[[Franchise/{{Superman}} Kryptonian]] in the story. Later examples also include [[spoiler: Asuka, Toji, Rei, Kaji, and Naoko Akagi]].
* ''Fanfic/SOE2LoneHeirOfKrypton'': Asuka was the best HumongousMecha pilot in the original story, but she was still a physically fit thirteen-years-old human. In this story she has Kryptonian DNA with all it entails: she is super-strong, faster than a speeding bullet, nearly invulnerable... and she can fight giant {{Eldritch Abomination}} with her bare fists.
* Many canon characters from ''Fanfic/YuYuGiDigiMoon'' have given power ups: such as the Digimon Tamers receiving beast powers base on the Four Chinese Symbols, and the Sailor Senshi receiving the mysterious Valkyrie forms.
* ''Fanfic/JusticeLeagueOfEquestria'': ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} has always been a skilled fighter in Franchise/TheDCU, but here he manages to get the drop on Rainbow Dash (this universe's equivalent to Franchise/{{Superman}}) in their first encounter, and then manages to almost defeat her again during their fight in Cloudsdale.
* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has a number of these:
** Sean Cassidy goes from C-List X-Man (B-List on a good day), famous for screaming loudly and (somehow) flying, to a deadly spy with decades of experience and, thanks to a NoodleIncident, the physique of a man in his prime. And as he [[BodyHorror demonstrates]] on HYDRA troops, his abilities go far beyond simple screaming and he most definitely knows how to use them.
** The Winter Soldier progresses from street level nightmare and DarthVaderClone to the terror of the entire Western World, an immortal wraith-like figure and OneManArmy who induces pants crapping levels of terror from just about anyone who hears of the possibility that he might be around. While part of this is his legend taking on a life of its own, he backs up the hype: he's [[OneHitKill one shotted]] [[PhysicalGod a former Captain Britain]], for instance. In one of his rare on-screen appearances, he's killed [[spoiler:James Bond]] with minimal effort. And he killed Kennedy. Loki calls him possibly the most dangerous assassin in the Nine Realms, and it's kinda hard to argue with the guy.
*** In chapter 60 he shows what he's really capable of by ambushing [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Steve]], [[ComicBook/BlackWidow Natasha]] and [[ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} Clint]] and having them dead to rights.
** Harry packs increasingly more power than in canon; initially magical, later [[PsychicPowers psychic]] (on a scale that he's the only person other than [[spoiler: Maddie Pryor]] who's even in the same weight-class as ComicBook/JeanGrey) and physical as well, meaning that he goes through the gears from OneManArmy to PersonOfMassDestruction [[HadToBeSharp (which is good, because it's that or die)]]. He's also growing into a fully fledged GuileHero who goes from random {{Indy Ploy}}s that function as tactical ConfusionFu (and don't always work) to full on XanatosSpeedChess flavoured with a BatmanGambit or two in the sequel. He's also a lot more confident and assertive, and has [[WindsOfDestinyChange Wanda's blessing]] at his back, meaning he's even more of a MagneticHero than ever.
** Voldemort. Apparently, he went toe to toe with ''Magneto'' at one point when both were younger, as well as James Braddock at another. And on top of that, [[spoiler: he steals some of Harry's PsychicPowers]], which as the start of ''Ghosts of the Past'' shows has made him a thousand times more dangerous. And more dangerous even than that is the fact that this incarnation is a CombatPragmatist with no inclination towards the kind of BondVillainStupidity he showed in the books.
** In the MCU, Thor is a FlyingBrick with ShockAndAwe powers (though he admittedly starts to grow beyond this in ''Ragnarok''). In this version, he proves that he has roughly ''1500 years of experience,'' meaning that he can do far more with his powers than just throw around lightning or whip up cyclones, and even without Mjolnir, can still go hand-to-hand with the Juggernaut.
** Though it's downplayed, Sirius Black, already no slouch with magic in his canon form, is a master duellist, having earned the RedBaron of "The Marauder." He doesn't like it much.
** Canon Wanda Maximoff suffered from constant PowerCreepPowerSeep. How powerful is she here? Well, she's the former apprentice of [[TheArchmage Stephen]] [[BigGood Strange]], and, in an OffscreenMomentOfAwesome, pulled a ColonyDrop on '''Nicodemus Archleone.'''
* On ''Fanfic/CoreLine'', this is the essential fate of anybody who enters the post-[[TheMultiverse multiversal]] RealityBleed WorldOfBadass of the setting. They all [[HadToBeSharp have to become sharp]], or risk dying (at worst). And as such, whenever any two characters of two differing fandoms clash (''any two''), it's up in the air who will win (if they are not cut down mid-fight by a BadassBystander who's had enough).
* ''Fanfic/TheGoodTheBadAndTheDemon'' has [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 April O'Neil]] and her best friend, [[VideoGame/SoulHackers Hitomi Tono]]. In the former's case, using more of her psychic abilities ever since [[spoiler:she found she's half-human, half-Kraang]], while the latter has learned to fight with April's help.
* ''Fanfic/WeissReacts'':
** Cardin went from vaguely wimpy JerkJock to badass GentleGiant who is considered TheDreaded.
** Blake now has the [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Gurren Lagann]] at her beck and call. She also uses Spiral Energy in addition to Aura.
** Jaune is a lot less wimpy and a lot more savvy, capable of holding his own in a fight. Also, Nora now utilizes ConfusionFu and, in some chapters, borrows her mother's ''[[NoKillLikeOverkill rail]][[ShockAndAwe gun]].''
** [[spoiler:Tukson, who was killed in the first two minutes of Volume Two,]] is a master Huntsman and martial artist capable of taking on Team RWBY by himself here. Not only that, but he doesn't ''need'' weapons; he's a BareFistedMonk who uses KiManipulation.
** Over in ''Fanfic/LucinaReacts'', [[TheQuietOne Kellam]] is turned into TheAce, who matches the canonical Ace Cordelia for competence. This is a {{downplayed}} example in that Kellam was already a canonical badass, but much more understated and less focused on.
** In ''Fanfic/HomuraReacts'', Hitomi is turned from a rather average {{Ojou}} to a LadyOfWar capable of taking on Sayaka and Kyoko on a two-versus-one fight and win with her [[MegatonPunch bare fists.]]
* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'':
** Kaizer Ghidorah became an expert at close combat in addition to his already overwhelming strength and energy attacks.
** Anguirus is considerably stronger than in canon, having more abilities he didn't in cannon. The most telling factor is during Final Wars he fought the Simian Mechagodzilla, and while taking a beating, ultimately managed to destroy it whereas in canon he was curbstomped by it.
** While extremely powerful in the unused projects that would have featured him, [[spoiler:Bagan is a straight up PhysicalGod here.]]
** [[spoiler:G1 Grogar was a HeroKiller and one of the biggest threats in the series as it was, here? He's [[PhysicalGod as strong as Bagan and Harmony]] and thus powerful enough to ''[[CurbstompBattle curbstomp Grand King Ghidorah]]'' if they were to fight.]]
* ''Fanfic/PersonaEG'': Flash Sentry, as the main character, is a Wild Card, is very good at playing Guitar, seems to be a ChickMagnet, and has gotten good at swinging a battle axe around. Not bad for a fairly minor character from the Equestria Girls movies.
* ''Fanfic/PaperMarioX'' gives Malon archery skills and magic music power. The bosses are also much tougher to make the fights more interesting due to how many more characters they're fighting at once.
* ''[[http://fanfics.me/read2.php?id=127043 A RWBY Zanpakuto]]'':
** Ichigo Kurosaki has four zanpakutos, the weapons of Team RWBY, and access to his Hollow, Quincy, and Fullbringer powers during the Soul Society arc.
** Uryuu Ishida is much more creative in applying his powers, [[spoiler:and manages to kill Mayuri in a way that gains him his knowledge.]]
** Orihime Inoue is more willing to fight, and gains a limited teleportation.
** Chad actively trains with Yoruichi and becomes powerful enough to actually challenge Arrancars.
** Rukia becomes a Visored and gains her Bankai early.
** Tatsuki becomes a Fullbringer and becomes powerful enough to challenge Arrancars. [[spoiler:She's also the one who defeats Tsukishima.]]
** A Hollow's HealingFactor can repair damage to internal organs, while in canon it could not.
** Ulquiorra has an AdaptiveAbility.
** Aizen has a SwordBeam attack, actually uses his Bankai, and his final battle with Ichigo is much more impressive.
* While in canon, Foquet the Crumbling Dirt was skilled at making giant golems and [[CripplingOverspecialization not much else]], in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11175004/8/ Star Wars Episode I: The Familiar of Zero]]'' she's a badass Square Class earth mage capable of matching a Sith in a sword fight. Her claim that fighting her "is to fight the earth itself" isn't an empty boast either as she can strengthen her body, create pits of quicksand, and conjure nigh indestructible adamantine golems. If Guiche's reaction is anything to go by, she's the earth mage equivalent of Karin the Heavy-Wind.
** Kirche is a dangerous melee combatant, using magic to conjure an axe and shield to fight with. She even manages to beat Louise who's not only wielding [[InfinityPlusOneSword Derflinger]] but has been studying under a Sith lord.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12213237/1/Metroid-Kamen-Rider-Generations-Vol-2-Ex-Aid-Era-feat-Cross-Ange Metroid: Kamen Rider Generations Vol 2 - Ex-Aid Era feat Cross Ange]]'' takes it UpToEleven as [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus]] becomes a Kamen Rider at her own right as Kamen Rider Huntress after [[Series/KamenRiderExAid Kuroto Dan]] gives her [[spoiler: a Mighty Action X SP Gashat and Gamer Driver.]]
* ''Fanfic/FairyWithoutWings'' does this simply because of its setting to the entire case of ''Anime/CodeGeass''. In addition, [[MsFanservice Jenny]] is a legitimately powerful mage, [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething Princess Hisui]] has shown she's not [[DamselInDistress Princess]] [[Videogame/SuperMarioBros Peach]], and the Rune Knights are now capable of fighting some of Fairy Tail's best with some of their best.
* ''Venus Flash'' does this to Hikaru Sorano: in ''Manga/CodenameSailorV'' she's merely Minako's {{Muggle}} best friend, but here it turns out she's actually an amnesiac [[spoiler:Anime/CuteyHoney]], and as soon as she remembers she becomes a force to be reckoned with.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10448834/32/Six-Paths-of-Rebellion Six Paths of Rebellion]]'' makes a fair number of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' characters anywhere from slightly to immensely more badass than canon. While Kallen gets a Geass, Rakshata, Sayoko, Euphemia, and Nunnally all gain the [[Anime/{{Naruto}} Rinnegan]] and become one of C.C.'s [[TitleDrop Six Paths of Rebellion]]. While Rakshata uses hers to become an extraordinary healer, Euphemia and Nunnally both train to become fighters with Nunnally taking up the mantle of Infinity to act as Zero's protector.
* ''[[https://mega-poneo.deviantart.com/gallery/62840836/Tomica-Hero-Rescue-Pups Tomica Hero Rescue Pups]]'': ''Where do we start?'' The ''WesternAnimation/PawPatrol'' pups start by defeating several Axto when in their own show, the pups barely ever engage in combat. And this badassery only [[SerialEscalation escalates from there]], seeing that the author repeatedly has them reference ''Franchise/StarWars'' and ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}''. Notably, Chase has a stun baton now while Skye gets a blaster and later a lightsaber. Then the pups begin to unlock their own sets of Force powers. Also applies to the Axto, since they now have lightsabers, blasters, TIE Fighters, [=AT-ATs=], and eventually Death Axto based on [[Film/RogueOne Death Troopers]].
* [[Franchise/OnePiece Makino]] in ''Fanfic/StallionoftheLine'', joins Luffy/[[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Ranma]] on his journey and due to training with both Luffy and Garp, knows Armament Haki.
* From ''Fanfic/DuelingTriggerFinger'': [[Anime/YuGiOh Rex Raptor]] gets to show just how competent of a duelist he is while dueling [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc Makoto]]. Even though Makoto wins, it was ''not'' easy.
** [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc Celeste]] was already competent to start with in canon, but here she's a freaking treat. Not only is she one of the more skilled duelists in the story, but she is putting that gambling talent of hers to work given her collusion with [[ArcVillain Marik]].
* Comicbook/BlackWidow in ''[[https://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-31969-2/Nycorson+Vacation+means+Chaos.htm Vacation means Chaos]]'' is much more dangerous than her movie self. Not only has she taken the same SuperSerum as Comicbook/CaptainAmerica, but she's also been an assassin since World War II, putting her more inline with her comic book self. [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Xander]] notes that even Buffy probably couldn't take her in a fight.
* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', the protagonist, Izuku, is a [[MuggleBornOfMages Quirkless]] boy who is gifted One for All, which grants him incredible SuperStrength that comes at the cost of wrecking the bones in whatever limb he used the power in. In ''Fanfic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', he's a Kryptonian LightningBruiser with ComboPlatterPowers and NighInvulnerability. Do the math.
** In the comics, [[spoiler:the Ultra-Humanite]] is known for his vast intellect and superhumanly strong gorilla body, but mainly relied on his various gadgets to take on the Justice Society of America. In this story, he has a powerful Quirk called "Over Man", which reduces the physical capabilities of all humans within 100 m of him by 75%. With this, he's able to take on Izuku and All Might simultaneously!
** In the manga, Tokoyami's "Dark Shadow" is [[FightingSpirit a fairly powerful Quirk]]. In this story on the other hand, it's [[spoiler:a [[RealityWarper genie from the 5th Dimension]] named Tskymi, who can grant wishes to Tokoyomi without being limited by anything so quaint as the laws of physics]].
** In one {{Elseworlds}} story titled "Be Humble", little Eri, a BrokenBird in the original My Hero Academia, is imbued with the powers of the Greek goddesses by the wizard Shazam, making her the super-powerful FlyingBrick ComicBook/{{Shazam}}.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5244652/1/The-Secret-Keeper The Secret Keeper]]'' and its sequels, the reason why Bella Swan of ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' was so passive and lacking in self-confidence in the novels is revealed; she's actually a muggle-born witch who has spent the last six years attending [[Literature/HarryPotter Hogwarts]] before Voldemort's return and the death of Dumbledore prompted her to return to the states, leaving her uncertain how to interact with non-magical people and significantly behind in what is expected of her coursework. Needless to say, once she's able to tell the Cullens about her magic, she swiftly impresses them with some fancy Transfiguration skills and a fully-formed lion patronus, among other tricks.
* ''Fanfic/GuardiansWizardsAndKungFuFighters'':
** Daolon Wong is much more powerful than in canon, having access to magic created by the Demon Sorcerers.
** Jade [[TookALevelInBadass ends up]] counting as this too, as [[spoiler: her new Ben-Shui and Shapeshifter powers]] make her strong enough to fight Cedric or Wong on equal footing, making her more or less as strong or even stronger than an individual Guardian.
** This story's version of the Dark Hand takes the cake, however. What in canon was nothing but Valmont's personal organization, already fallen from grace by the start of the third season, here becomes a global criminal empire, spawning over five continents, each under the influence of one of the organization's five branches, with the likes of Bartholomew Chang and Vanessa Barone as their leaders. They are shown to be far more competent and resourceful than in canon, and [[spoiler: after the WhamEpisode that was Chapter 19, it's revealed that the Dark Hand is nothing but the tip of the iceberg of a kind of a GovernmentConspiracy, pulling a FalseFlagOperation with the likes of Section 13 so Earth gets aware of and weaponizes magic. One of their leaders is even Captain Black's direct superior.]] A far cry from what canon was, indeed.
** As is common for JCA fics that utilize them, the Samurai Khan are treated as EliteMooks, rather than the {{Fake Ultimate Mook}}s they were in canon. They're physically stronger than other tribes, are slightly resistant to magic, and have enough self-awareness to adapt their combat strategies.
* ''Fanfic/CitadelOfTheHeart'' now has [[AdaptationalBadass/CitadelOfTheHeart it's own page]] for this due to the overabundance of examples not even listed yet.
* In ''Fanfic/MyHuntsmanAcademia'', all of the ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' characters that have been transplanted into the story have all the benefits of possessing an Aura, including a constant [[DeflectorShield forcefield]], varying levels of SuperStrength, and a HealingFactor. Izuku makes extensive use of the last one to use his finger-breaking Smashes more liberally without risking long-term harm to himself.
** Aizawa's Semblance also doesn't have the restriction of being unable to cancel out constantly active Semblances the way his canon counterpart does with Quirks. This comes in handy when he and Toshinori are facing down [[spoiler:the Noumu at Mountain Glenn, as Aizawa is able to temporarily cancel out the Noumu's regeneration so Toshinori can soften him up.]]
* The titular character of ''Fanfic/PetuniaEvansTombRaider''. A mere {{Muggle}} only known for being a shrew of an aunt in canon, here she is a fully-accredited AdventurerArchaeologist employed by Gringotts to work alongside their Curse-Breakers (here Squibs can see magic and are immune to Muggle-repelling charms). Her EstablishingCharacterMoment is [[FeedItABomb blowing up a Sand Drake]] with a ''[[{{BFG}} rocket launcher]]'', and she is integral in [[spoiler: Voldemort's final defeat]]. [[AdaptationalHeroism Oh, and she's good at raising Harry as a single aunt]].
* In ''Fanfic/OmniEvolution'', [[spoiler:Ben's powers have been amped. Not only can he transform with a mere thought, but he doesn't have any time limits like he does in canon. To add to this, he's only nine years old yet all this power lets him casually steamroll the [[WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution X-Men]] without much trouble.]]
* ''Fanfic/{{Glowworm}}'': [[Literature/{{Worm}} Taylor]] gains the powers of ComicBook/{{Shazam}} from The Wizard, making her the physically strongest hero on Earth Bet.
* In ''Fanfic/{{Firebird}}'', [[Literature/{{Worm}} Taylor]] gains Jean Grey's powers, which eventually entails to her gaining the powers of the Phoenix Force. [[spoiler:This leads to her easily defeating Simurgh and resurrecting the entire population that was killed in their ensuing battle with little more than words.]]
* Many characters get it in ''Fanfic/TheDimensionalWar''. [[Franchise/StarWars Finn]] is the '''prime''' example. In canon, he wasn't barely a match for a Force-Sensitive, while here he is TheDreaded for the powerful and cruel demons. He eventually [[spoiler: gets power from [[PhysicalGod The Daughter herself]], and can match [[BigBad Ganondorf]]]]...
** ... who also gets this treatment, having sold his soul and redeeming traits for a lot more power. Now he can control the hate and Dark of others. Plus, he gains an even stronger form.
** The other characters are buffed less, but still. Rey beats demons while pregnant, Kylo can summon comets and Hellfire, Link brings down Star Destroyers, Rose Tico manages to nearly turn the tables in a fight, Zant has now a [[OneWingedAngel second form]]...
* Downplayed with Ryuji in ''Fanfic/ThievesCanBeHeroes''. In this story, he has a SuperSpeed Quirk. While Ryuji can run extremely quickly for short bursts, his CareerEndingInjury effectively cut the power and duration of it in half, forcing him to use it sparingly lest his knee give out on him.
* In ''Fanfic/Earth27'', [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo Mystery Inc.]] Fred is a former Army Ranger, Velma has doctorates on several fields, Daphne honed her martial art skills, Shaggy is an (unpolished) amateur sorcerer and Scooby Doo is his familiar.
* ''Fanfic/LoudEdDrama'' Heather is still the [[BigBad main antagonist]] of the story, but she is more socially savvy than she was in canon, where she let herself be openly hated at all times.
* ''Fanfic/{{Unlimited}}'': Izuku, Mei, Dabi, Stain, and Bakugo are all "Anomalies": people with abilities far beyond human in a way unrelated to their Quirks. Mei creates technology at least half a century ahead of its time, including a self-evolving AI. Dabi seems to be undead, has SuperSpeed, and creates flames even hotter than Endeavor's. Izuku is basically [[WebComic/OnePunchMan a proto-Saitama]] and can go toe to toe with All-Might. Stain is even faster than Izuku. And Bakugo, who seems to have "awakened" after meeting Izuku again, managed to beat the entirety of Class 1A by himself with only minor injuries to show for it and later almost beats Shigaraki and Toga, only losing when Dabi steps in.
* ''Fanfic/JWITCHSeason1'':
** Done to a certain extent with Valmont. By the time Season 3 of ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' came around, [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen his criminal empire was extinct and he was reduced to a petty thief]]. Here, he manages to maintain enough resources to stay in business, if at a lower capacity than before.
** Yan Lin was already a RetiredBadass canonically, but she gets to take more part in action in this fic. For example, she knows the [[PressurePoint Vulcan neck pinch]] and basic chi stun-spells.
** [[spoiler: In her return thanks to Tarakudo, [[SuperPoweredEvilSide the Queen]] can summon the Ninja Khan and the Razor Khan. It's theorized that it's because the Razor Khan mask had been worn for the first time in centuries.]]
** [[spoiler: Jade being cured of her second stint as the Queen by Will using the Heart creates a ''sixth'' Auremere bound to her, turning her into a Guardian with [[CastingAShadow shadow powers]].]]
* Basically a requirement in ''Fanfic/TheInfiniteLoops'': practically all Loopers acquire WrongContextMagic or tech or abilities from other Loops.
* ''Fanfic/RemnantInferisDOOM'':
** In ''RWBY'', Jaune didn't display any combat proficiency until after his training with Pyrrha. Here, he manages to take on and kill several Possessed during the assault on Vale ''before'' he unlocked his Aura.
** Since Marcus Black was killed off-screen as part of Mercury's origin story, it made his status as a notorious assassin come across as an InformedAttribute. In this story, he not only survives his son's attempt to kill him, but he's the leader of the Demon cults on Remnant and is capable of fighting the Doom Slayer, Qrow, Hazel, and Ozpin ''[[OneManArmy at the same time]]''.
** In ''DOOM Eternal'', Deag Nilox was quickly killed by the Slayer at the beginning of the game and only stood still and cowered, while here he uses magic to defend himself and repel both Ruby and the Slayer.
** The Marauder plays with this trope. In ''DOOM Eternal'', while one of the toughest enemies in the game, he could still be defeated by the Doom Slayer on his own. Here, his first appearance is one of the few times the Slayer is backed into a corner and beaten to the point where he can barely move, and his second appearance required that the Slayer work together with teams RWBY and SSSN along with the White Fang to kill him. However, by the time they encountered in ''Eternal'', the Slayer was much stronger thanks to all the enhancements and weapons he gained over the course of the game, while his encounters with the Marauder here are before he gained those enhancements and his arsenal at the time had fewer tools, so it's less of the Marauder being genuinely stronger than canon and more of a standard Marauder fighting against a lesser Doom Slayer.
* ''Fanfic/OfGemstonesAndWatches'' offers quite a few examples.
** In the original canon, Ben's fighting style was focused almost entirely around his aliens. Here, he incorporates his soccer skills into his combat style as a human. When he fights with Cardin as a human in chapter 39, he destroys the jerk. He also gets his Aura unlocked by Maria in chapter 44, though it's apparently on Kylie's level compared to Ruby's due to his Osmosian genetics from his grandmother.
** Yang managed to go toe to toe with both Fourarms and Cannonbolt, aliens who have taken down giant robots and survived re-entry into Earth...and win.
** The authors give Roman a semblance, akin to Loki- he uses his "silver tongue" to persway others to do his bidding. It apparently has some limitations though, it doesn't work on Fistrick, for starters.
** Albedo is much more equipped to deal with Ben; his forms are "edited" in a sense, with his Humungousaur having his canonical Ultimate's "missile arm". His ultimates are also...much, much more different.
*** Albedo's Ultimates also have a buff in this universe- Ultimate Grey Matter can create life from nothing, Ultimate Arctiguana can freeze objects in place similar to using Zero Point Energy and Ultimate Wildmutt has three heads, each with their own respective elements.
* ''Fanfic/ThereWasOnceAnAvengerFromKrypton'':
** Hawkmoth can not only give people powers, but he can also mind control them as well.
** Ms. Bustier is more proactive with her students and was also [[spoiler:a previous Miraculous holder]].
** Chi Chi, rather than be a stay-at-home mother, is an instructor at Kame House.
** Max Tennyson was the previous wielder of the Omnitrix in this series. While certainly a badass in canon, he never wielded the watch outside a What If? episode and was considered unstoppable with it.
** Zig-zagged with Julie. She doesn't gain Ship, but she does gain [=StarForce=] training, a bionic arm, and showcases better unarmed combat skills.
* ''Fanfic/MyMiraculousAcademia'':
** With the Ladybug Miraculous, Momo's "Creation" quirk has a significant boost since the Ladybug Miraculous grants ThePowerOfCreation.
** With the Cat Miraculous, Tomura's "Decay" quirk has a significant boost since the Cat Miraculous grants [[PowerOfTheVoid The Power of Destruction]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:B-C]]
[[AC: ''VideoGame/BackyardSports'']]
* Jorge Garcia in ''Fanfic/TheSecretLifeOfTheBackyardKids''. He outruns Pablo Sanchez on all fours, gets superpowers, and basically becomes Bricksfield's equivalent of Franchise/{{Zorro}}.

[[AC:''Anime/BattleOfThePlanets'']]
* Security Chief Anderson in the ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/series/394162 Battle of the Planets:2163]]'' arc gets an upgrade to badass on the grounds that you don't get to be the Chief of Galaxy Security by being a nice person. He carries a gun and isn't afraid to use it, to the consternation of his staff. He's also TheSnarkKnight which is an extension of some of his better lines in the actual series.

[[AC:''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'']]
* [[SorcerousOverlord The Horned King]] was a NonActionBigBad in the movie. (A ''[[KnightOfCerebus scary]]'' NonActionBigBad, but still.) In ''Fanfic/HopeForTheHeartless'', in which he's ResurrectedForAJob, he gets in several fight scenes, proving in all of them that he's ''[[LightningBruiser not]]'' [[LightningBruiser someone to be trifled with]].

[[AC:''Manga/{{Bleach}}'']]
* ''Fanfic/AProtectorsPride'': Ichigo starts the Arrancar arc with access to his Hollow powers. All the the good guys in general are a lot smarter and pragmatic than in canon, especially Chad and Orihime, who are ''not'' useless.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11021904/1/ White]]'' drastically powers up the Espada. ''Eight'' of the ten are Vasto Lordes and those who were Vasto Lordes in canon are generally more skilled and/or powerful from training with White/Ichigo.
** [[AmazonBrigade Apacci, Loly, and Menoly]] are each barely weaker than the Ninth Espada due to having eaten Yammy prior to becoming Arrancar.
** Ayon is considerably more powerful (requiring multiple Sternritters to fight) because not only is he composed of five arrancar rather than three (Apacci, Loly, Menoly, Mila Rose, and Sun-sung), but they pull off a full FusionDance to create him rather than tear off their arms and combine them.
** Karin awakens Shinigami powers and Yuzu awakens Quincy powers.

[[AC:''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'']]
* Calvin was always a bit adventurous, but his CharacterDevelopment in ''Fanfic/TheCalvinverse'' furthers it, leading to him becoming a GadgeteerGenius and eventually a ManipulativeBastard.

[[AC:''Anime/CodeGeass'']]
* C.C. is outright superhuman in ''Fanfic/TheBlackEmperor'' because she can consciously push her body past its normal limits and heal off any damage as it occurs. Likewise, Lelouch is actually fairly athletic and highly skilled with his BladeBelowTheShoulder.
** Later chapters show Milly's a skilled marksman and gains a geass for herself in the second chapter.
** Euphemia not only gains her own geass but is also an observant and intelligent commander from her years following Cornelia from battlefield to battlefield.
* In the original anime, Lelouch had plenty of courage and was good with a gun, but him being out of shape was a RunningGag and he didn't stand a chance in a fistfight. In ''Fanfic/CodeGeassThePreparedRebellion'', he's much more athletic and quite proficient in martial arts.
* Both Sayoko and Jeremiah in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12201158/4/Darwin Darwin]]'' undergo multiple surgeries upgrading themselves with cybernetics. While Jeremiah is a hulking figure with a titanium skeleton and massive muscles, Sayoko had her nervous system upgraded, greatly increasing her speed and reflexes. Both also have bulletproof skin and cybernetic eyes with a plethora of features.
** Kallen gets a cybernetic implant that allows her the directly interface with a Knightmare frame. Rather than using the controls, she pilots the Knightmare with her thoughts.
* In canon, C.C. was a decent Knightmare pilot but nothing special. In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13437733/8/Lelouch-of-the-Apotheosis Lelouch of the Apotheosis]]'', she is one of the three first Knightmare pilots along with Bismark and Marianne. According to C.C., they quite literally wrote the book on Knightmare combat, as evidenced when she completely curbstomps Cornelia despite using an older model.
** Nunnally function as MissionControl rather than sitting on the sidelines for most of the series. She also later is the one to kill V.V. and take his code.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6200608/1/More-than-just-a-Man More than just a Man]]'' both Lelouch and C.C. are more physically capable than canon. Lelouch is only slightly better, though with far superior hand eye coordination (being able to disable a Knightmare by shooting it's factosphere with a pistol), due to being a newly turned vampire. Meanwhile C.C. is ''far'' more physically capable given that she's an over two thousand year old vampire who has every Geass ability displayed in canon (here, they're vampiric abilities).
* Euphie is generally seen as an AllLovingHeroine who is ultimately TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth, but there are fics that change things up a bit for her:
** ''Fanfic/AColdCalculus'' has her start out as Britannia's exchequer, rooting out corruption and [[spoiler:sneaking away resources for her, Cornelia and Schneizel to use in a planned coup against Emperor Charles]]. Later, she becomes a political powerhouse in Japan and successfully de-fangs the resistance movements with effective policy changes and hearts-and-minds campaigns, and would have won the country without a fight if it weren't for the EU. And in the second half, [[spoiler:after becoming Empress of Britannia]], she prosecutes a war of vengeance on the EU that is sure to end in her victory and all negotiations essentially boil down to her asking them "Just how badly do you want to lose?"
** ''Fanfic/RiseOfANewMoon'' has her as a supporting character, but one who starts out the story as having joined Camelot as a test pilot, having wanted to flex her skills after being taught by Cornelia. When [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters the Blood of the Samurai]] attack the capital, she takes to the field with Suzaku and defends Ashford Academy.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:D-K]]
[[AC:''Franchise/TheDCU'']]
* Stephanie Brown in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9503887/1/Macushla Macushla]]''. After her father is killed for unknown reasons by the League of Shadows, she's taken to serve under Talia al Ghul. She's a master assassin before she's 18 years old and becomes Damian Wayne's bodyguard/MoralityPet. (After [[spoiler:Talia fakes Stephanie's death and sends her away because she and Damian were too close, he leaves the League and asks to join Dick Grayson of his own will]]).
* Minor character Salvatore Maroni gets this in ''Fanfic/BatmanRevisited'', as he is [[CompositeCharacter the supervillain Firefly]] here, and considered a dangerous enough threat to be locked up with [[ImprobableAimingSkills Deadshot]] and ''Killer Croc'' in a maximum security wing of Blackgate Penitentiary.
* Dana Tan in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11837447/1/The-Bat-and-the-Cat The Bat and the Cat]]''. In the original cartoon, Dana was Terry's LoveInterest who was LockedOutOfTheLoop regarding his secret identity as Batman. This version of Dana becomes ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} and her relationship with Selina Kyle mirrors the relationship Terry has with Bruce.
* ''Fanfic/DaughterOfFireAndSteel'': In the comics, [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]] tends to fluctuate between being a standard Kryptonian civilian or having some combat training prior to her planet's destruction. Here, she's a soldier and one of Zod's sub-commanders.

[[AC:''Anime/DeathNote'']]
* In ''Fanfic/SilentPartnerUnfinishedBusiness'', Naomi Misora gets to show off why L was considering her as his successor, and why she got the nickname "[[CrusadingWidow Massacre Misora]]". Misa Amane works her way up from TheChick to BadassAdorable.

[[AC:''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'']]
* In ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' [=MaloMyotismon=] is built up into a major threat only to be swiftly deafeated with in the [[AntiClimax most anti-climactic]] way possible by TalkingTheMonsterToDeath. ''Fanfic/Zero2ARevision'' on the other hand, builds him up into a major threat thanks to all of his schemes and planning. His power is so great that even the TimeMaster Xeedmilleniummon and the [[PhysicalGod Guardian Beasts]] will fall before him. To defeat him, the Digidestined and their Digimons fused together and after a long and tough battle, in the end managed to defeat him.
* A fair amount of the cast in ''Fanfic/Digimon02TheStoryWeNeverTold'' falls under this umbrella. The older Digidestined take a much more active role in the post-Digimon Emperor arcs. Sora avoided her {{chickification}}. [[spoiler: Ken built his own anti-Digimon weapons after the death of Wormmon. Kari mastered her powers over light. Dagomon is a threat equal to the Dark Masters. Sora and Matt's fathers (plus Izzy's parents) are revealed to have been the original Digidestined]] But the crown jewel goes to [[spoiler: Yukio Oikawa]]. [[spoiler: In canon, he was nothing more than a pawn of Myotismon. Here he's the BigBad, a former Digidestined, and comes very close to destroying, or rather merging, both worlds. He not only invented most of Ken's technology, but also proved capable of reprogramming the code of the Digital World, he created the D3s, D-Terminals, AND Veemon, Hawkmon, and Armadillomon. And to cap things off, he manipulated everyone from the Digidestined all the way up to the Digimon Sovereigns and Dagomon himself]]. FromNobodyToNightmare barely scratches the surface of the difference.

[[AC:''Franchise/DragonBall'']]
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5189405/1/Dragonball-Divergence Dragonball Divergence]]'', Chi-Chi decides to keep training [[ForWantOfANail after having a conversation with Kami during her and Goku's wedding reception]]. As a result, she's a much more capable fighter than in canon, joining the Z Warriors and playing important roles in the defeats of several villains.
* Everyone in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5390962/1/AU-A-Saiyan-Warrior AU: A Saiyan Warrior]]'' ends up stronger as a result of Bardock leaving a message in Kakarot's pod before he's sent to Earth. By the time Raditz arrives on Earth, Kakarot is roughly ten times as strong as Goku was in canon. Special mention goes to Krillin as he, not Kakarot, receives training under King Kai and thus becomes one of the Z Fighters' heavy hitters.
* In ''Fanfic/LegendOfTheMonkeyGod'', Goku knows about the Oozaru transformation and spends some time trying to train it. With Bulma's help, he manages to gain almost full control during his first canon transformation at Pilaf's castle. He also displays a (weak) ki attack before learning the Kamehameha and the ability to fly.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13535703/1/Prodigal-Sons Prodigal Sons]]'': All of the Z Fighters are stronger than canon, with everyone having a power level of around four thousand or more by the time Raditz shows up. In particular, Chi-chi can keep up with Goku in spars.
* ''Fanfic/DragonBallZDynasty'' has plenty:
** Chichi in canon never fights after marrying Goku. Here, she continues her training learns to use KiManipulation from Gine, and even helps in some of the fights.
** King Cold, ''big time''. In canon, King Cold was easily dispatched by Future Trunks. Here, his OneWingedAngel form is strong enough to fight three Super Saiyans and a Great Ape evenly.
** Cell as well. In his first form, he was a weakling that spent most of his time running away, and didn't return until he absorbed hundreds of thousands of humans' worth of power. Here, he starts kicking ass from the moment he shows up.
** Gohan this time around actually choose to fight Cell on his own [[spoiler:after seeing his father being beaten close to death]].

[[AC:''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'']]
* Canonically, Saito was just a regular guy until he was chosen as Louise's familiar. However, in ''Fanfic/ZeroNoTsukaimaSaitoTheOnmyoji'', he was already a fully-accredited mage, and being summoned to Halkegenia only made his powers greater.

[[AC:''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'']]
* ''Fanfic/FateHaremAntics'': Sakura is able to use spells and fire blasts of darkness at will, while in canon, she was never taught how to use Magecraft until after the Holy Grail War ended and could only fire darkness when extremely distressed.
* ''Fanfic/PathOfTheKing'': Here, before he died, Kiritsugu actually gave Shirou proper training in Magecraft (meaning he can use a lot more spells than just Structural Analysis, Reinforcement, and Projection) and warned him about the Holy Grail War. Shirou then took martial arts lessons from Souichirou Kazuki. As a result, this Shirou is much more competent and prepared.

[[AC:''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'']]
* Kunsel is a normal [[SuperSoldier Second Class]] with being a well informed and vaguely gossipy MrExposition as his distinguishing trait and doesn't stand out in a company with the likes of Sephiroth and Zack Fair. In the ''Fanfic/TheFifthAct'', he is shown to match [[TheAce Zack]] in skill when given the motivation and to be far more perceptive and knowledgeable than people realize. Kunsel is upgraded to being a powerful KnowledgeBroker having a vast information network, being everyone's go to guy for information and in the Omakes, being better informed than the Turks.

[[AC:''Manga/FruitsBasket'']]
* In one apparently non-[=AU=] [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9458466/8/Tohru-s-an-Animal-Element fic]], [[AllLovingHero Tohru]] is a respected mob boss and cold-blooded killer, for some reason.

[[AC:''Franchise/HarryPotter]]''
* ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'':
** [[ProperlyParanoid Severus]] [[CrazyPrepared Snape]] has been spiking Lord Voldemort's father's grave with every dangerous drug and poison known to wizardkind (and LSD--because it ''might'' affect him), as well as every other grave in the cemetery on account of Voldemort might have moved the gravestone, ''and'' the graves of every other ancestor of Voldemort's that he and Dumbledore could track down, ''just in case''. [[OutGambitted Too bad]] [[MagnificentBastard Voldemort]] foresaw this contingency and, since he couldn't move his father's bones if he wants the resurrection spell to work, moved ''the entire rest of the cemetery'' to an entirely different location and memory-charmed the local Muggles.
** Harry Potter, in so many ways. Here's his following plan:
-->"Note to self: [[WellIntentionedExtremist overthrow government of Magical Britain at earliest convenience]]."
** Draco Malfoy went from TheBully to ManipulativeBastard, TheStarscream to Harry, and scion of a long, proud line of [[TheManBehindTheMan Men Behind the Man]].
** Quirrell in canon is a simpering stutterer who's [[spoiler:a host to Voldemort]]. WordOfGod says this Quirrell is possessed by Voldemort, which now makes him an EvilMentor to Harry, a sixth-''dan'' in an unspecified martial art, and he horcruxed the pioneer probe! Oh, and then he went and tricked Harry into [[spoiler:breaking Bellatrix Lestrange out of Azkaban]].
** [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Blaise Zabini]] went from Draco's crony to a ''quin''tupple agent in a war with only three sides.
* ''Fanfic/CruciamentumEternus'' includes Lucius Malfoy during the time period of the last book. In the canon he was broken, pathetic, weak, and didn't fight Voldemort until it was safe to (and Narcissa pushed him). In this story, Draco's murder has him secretly murdering Death Eaters from almost the moment he's released from Azkaban, while still feigning allegiance to Voldemort's side, with the ultimate plan of killing Voldemort himself. If nothing else that requires at least an epic feat of Occlumency and a strength of will he never shows in the books.

[[AC:WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures]]
* Fanfic/ProjectDarkJade:
** ''Fanfic/QueenOfAllOni'' has the Samurai Khan. While in canon they're {{Fake Ultimate Mook}}s, here they're just as strong as they look, serving more as EliteMooks.
** In ''FanFic/{{Webwork}}'' the Samurai Khan get the same treatment, with a WorfHadTheFlu explanation: their General wasn't properly bonded to his host, halving the Samurai Khan's power. They were also being poorly managed.
* ''Fanfic/JackieChanAdventuresOlympianJourney'': In her one canonical appearance, Vanessa Barone was a DarkActionGirl who could go toe-to-toe with Jackie, but ended up being tied to a tree by the JCA equivalent to the Girl Scouts. Here she's now capable of short-range teleportation thanks to absorbing the powers of the Eye of Aurora during that encounter.

[[AC:''Series/KamenRiderFourze'']]
* In ''Fanfic/HorseshoesAndHandGrenades'', nearly every single character who ever appeared in ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'' have gone into fighting mode. This ranges from [[{{Otaku}} Yuki Jojima]] using her Hayabusa Plushie as a boxing glove, [[ButtMonkey Chuta Ohsugi]] fighting off his former love interest, Sarina Sonada and minor characters like the ones in the Amanogawa High Glee Club consist of a sword wielder, a samurai and a ninja.

[[AC:''Anime/KillLaKill'']]
* In ''Fanfic/NaturalSelection'', plenty of characters are way stronger than they were in canon.
** Ryuko, as the ruler of Honnouji Academy, is far stronger than she was in canon. She wears Junketsu at almost all times with no strain and spends much of her time dishing out {{Curb Stomp Battle}}s to anyone who tries to fight her.
** Mako in this story is a Three-Star uniform bearer and one of Ryuko's most powerful Elite while the most powerful she ever got in canon was a Two-Star.
** Maiko here is a Three-Star uniform bearer and a member of Ryuko's council. In canon, she was at most a BadassNormal who was a MonsterOfTheWeek villain.
** Sanageyama, rather than his Three-Star Goku uniform, has a '''Four-Star''' Goku Uniform, mastered Shingantsu before the start of the story, and has reportedly defeated Ryuko at least once in a sparring match, which is more than what others can attest to.

[[AC:''Franchise/KingdomHearts'']]
* The Princesses of Heart in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1048901/42/Stygian-Solace Stygian Solace]]''. [[SilkHidingSteel Snow White]] can hold her dying world together with sheer force of will despite being the only human survivor and all of them together can force ''[[BigBad Id]]'' and Maleficent through a HeartBeatDown and their powerful light magic. Kairi unintentionally can [[CreatingLifeIsUnforeseen create life]] [[spoiler: as seen with Yami.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:L-M]]
[[AC:''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'']]
* While Korra was undoubtedly badass in canon, she is even more so in ''Fanfic/TheSagaOfAvatarKorra'', accomplishing or gaining abilities sooner than her canon counterpart due to being raised and put through a TrainingFromHell regiment by the Red Lotus for fourteen years, and delivering {{Curb Stomp Battle}}s to characters who were more difficult for her to defeat in canon, such as Unalaq, Desna, Eska, and Kuvira.

[[AC: ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'']]
* In the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker original game]], Mila is just a background character at the beginning and a sidequest character at the end. In [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13105443/1/The-Legend-of-Zelda-The-Wind-Waker this novelisation]] of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'', she gets off to a rocky start by [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu insulting Tetra, a pirate,]] but near the end of the novel, she travels all the way to Diamond Steppe Island (which is really far away from Windfall Island in the original game. Even further in this since the novel expands the world dramatically) through unknown ways, climbs up the island and [[GuestStarPartyMember teams up with Link]], quickly learns how to swing on a grappling hook before doing it perfectly without assistance and even saves Link's life when he has to jump across a gap and almost falls in. [[PluckyGirl All of this just to escape poverty]]. She later turns up at Link's house with several others, now wearing normal clothes rather than rags.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', Gohma is simply a BreatherBoss to introduce you to the boss mechanic in the game. In [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13189099/1/The-Legend-Of-Zelda-Ocarina-Of-Time a novelisation]] of the game, she starts of as a shelled spider that gets corrupted by Ganondorf and becomes a variant similar to the one from ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' with bladed forearms, hooked legs, [[RedEyesTakeWarning one massive, red eye]] that can '''shoot lasers''' and change colour, a mouth that can spit acid and [[BadassBaritone very masculine grunts]]. She even gives Link a run for his money in both of his fights with her, badly injuring him in the first.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', Navi acts as an ExpositionFairy that reminds Link of his objectives and gives him hints on an enemy's weakness. In ''Fanfic/TheBoyWithoutAFairy'' she is much more involved in combat than her game-counterpart; she has the ability to unleash a flash of light to blind foes, is willing to ram her entire body into foes as a distraction to take the attention off Link, and can come up with complex strategies on the fly. Her role in combat is especially prominent early in the story when Link is completely inexperienced in fighting and has to heavily rely on Navi's support just to stay alive.
* In ''Ocarina of Time'', [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/9657467/chapters/21816098 a novelisation by DragonRand100]] there are many examples.
** Navi frequently darts into the eyes of monsters to temporarily blind or distract them enough for Link to recover at crucial moments. She even tries to take on a boss or two (with mixed results).
** The Happy Mask Salesman plays a significant role and handles himself in precarious situations with clever wordplay and his wits.
** Kaepora Gaebora: Instead of just being a voice for exposition, this owl can use his talons to attack minions and drop them from great heights.
** Ingo kills a Gerudo with a pitch fork during a botched raid on Lon Lon.

[[AC:''Manga/LoveHina'']]
* ''Fanfic/ContractLabor'': In direct contrast to the ExtremeDoormat he was in canon, Keitaro actually has some backbone and is far more willing to stand up to and for the Hinata's residents, even managing to defeat Motoko in an honor duel.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9305815/1/The-Merry-Killers The Merry Killers]]'' every girl at the Hinata Sou from Haruka to Shinobu is a skilled assassin. Even Kitsune, who specializes in organizing and managing their hits, manages to hold her own against [[Manga/Golgo13 Golgo]]. While Keitaro isn't an assassin or even really a fighter, he's still NighInvulnerable, even shrugging off JumpingOnAGrenade and being annoyed at most upon being hit by a sniper round.

[[AC:''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'']]
* ''Fanfic/{{Game Theory|LyricalNanoha}}'':
** [[MonsterOfTheWeek The Jewel Seeds]] get a serious upgrade in their power and threat level. As the author explains:
-->'''Aleph:''' Nanoha showed us that the Monsters of the Week could be a backdrop to the real meat of the plot, the character interaction, but then [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Madoka]] came along and showed us that the Monsters can still be legitimately, vividly scary. And Game Theory is very much a post-Madoka story, with the harsher rules and the scarier monsters and so on.
** Pretty much all the characters over the age of about sixteen or so get a significant competence boost. They aren't any more powerful[[note]]At least at first. During the sequel, it's shown that Alicia far greater magical power and understanding than her canon counterpart did, on account of her revival being accomplished by essentially merging her with a Jewel Seed. And when Raising Heart and Bardiche get damaged fighting the Wolkenritter, Alicia upgrades them with ''[[ArtifactOfDoom Jewel Seeds]]'' instead of the cartridge system, giving Nanoha and Fate access to potentially similar boosts...though she restricts the amount of the Seeds' power that can be accessed as a safety measure.[[/note]], but they use what they have ''much'' more effectively because they employ proper tactics, especially Precia (since the entire premise of the story is that she's only ''slightly'' insane instead of full-blown bonkers). The Wolkenritter in particular have received a major upgrade in skill, showing the experience and tactical acumen that would be expected of centuries old combat constructs.

[[AC:''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'']]
* In {{Creator/madsthenerdygirl}}'s ''Fanfic/MCURewrites'', [[ComicBook/Agent13 Sharon Carter]] is given more focus that shows her to be a competent fighter. ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/11652534 Captain America: Ghosts of HYDRA]]'' has her accompany Steve Rogers in his mission to help Bucky Barnes and take down what's left of HYDRA. She mows down numerous HYDRA agents, gets into a fight with Brock Rumlow/Crossbones, [[spoiler:and takes on [[SuperSoldier Winter Solder Josef]] and comes out on top by [[BoomHeadshot shooting him in the face]].]] In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/11652651 Avengers: Civil War]]'', [[spoiler:she helps Maria Hill bust Scott Lang, Clint Barton, and Sam Wilson out of the Raft Prison and blow it up.]]
* Laura Barton's maiden name in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/16646174 Security]]'' is [[ComicBook/{{X23}} Laura Howlett]]. While their powers aren't stated, her children with Clint are also mutants.

[[AC:Franchise/MarvelUniverse]]
* This trope is a staple for the villains of ''FanFic/UltimateSleepwalker: The New Dreams'' and ''FanFic/UltimateSpiderWoman: Change With The Light''. Characters like 8-Ball, the Brothers Grimm, the Chain Gang and Jack O'Lantern were all C-lister villains, at best, in the original comics. In the Earth-2706 verse, though, they're exceptionally deadly threats, forming the focus of the Fics.

[[AC:''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'']]
* ''Fanfic/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiDuo'': Over the course of the fic, Kaito, Nagisa, and Masahiro get their own personal idol forms, allowing them to fight alongside the Mermaid Princesses.

[[AC:''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'']]
* ''Fanfic/RiseOfPaonneAndRenardRouge'': Because [[spoiler:Gabriel is an experienced RetiredBadass hero in this continuity]], the Collector is a much bigger threat. Ontop of having fighting experience, his legitimate corruption (as opposed to simply acting like a victim of akumatization like in-canon) means that he does not hold back, making him a super-effective fighter against all four heroes. Hawk Moth even remarks that he might be one of the best villains he has created given his effectiveness. It takes the combined efforts of Paonne, Chat Noir [[spoiler:and what was left of the original Quantic Team]] to take him down.
* Marc Anciel in ''Fanfic/MarcBeingInAGangRights'' is the youngest member of a Parisian street gang. He is perfectly capable of self-defense, it a bit of a KnifeNut, had managed to talk Nathaniel out of trouble for being in possession of a knife on school grounds (having been the one to give it too him for self-defense reasons), has aided in undoing the mugging and kidnapping of his boyfriend twice and had organized

[[AC:''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'']]
* ''Fanfic/WhatsinAHoard'':
** Izuku and his father can both transform into dragons, with Hiashi having once been the number six hero in Japan before losing his arm in what's implied to be a battle against All For One.
** All-Might never received his GameBreakingInjury so he can use One For All constantly without worry, first evidenced when he spends a full hour chatting with Izuku and Bakugou after saving the former, rather than running off immediately.
** Uraraka earns the most points of anyone in the Entrance Exam and is the one to take out the Zero Pointer by lightening a piece of rubble and throwing it at the robot's head. It's later shown that her Quirk doesn't negate gravity, but allows her to move mass from one object to another. During the Sports Festival, Ochako defeats Mina by pulling weight out of the ground and putting it into Mina's body, leaving her unable to move.
** Bakugou is a fair amount stronger than canon due to his rivalry with Izuku pushing him further.
* ''Fanfic/HeroClassCivilWarfare'': Izuku/Kingpin shows the ability to consciously control Black Whip unlike his canon counterpart who, at that point in the series, had never even activated it yet. When fighting his canon self, Kingpin also shows greater skill at using One For All in a way that doesn't injure himself, unlike canon Izuku whom he derides for trying to imitate All Might even though they aren't suited for his fighting style.
* ''Fanfic/TheEmeraldPhoenix'':
** Izuku is a psychic who has telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, and healing flames which he uses to great effect.
** Bakugo can detonate his sweat from anywhere on his body rather than just from his hands.
** Iida's Quirk is changed from a Mutation style to Transformation, allowing him to create different engines all over his body.
** Jirou can create more sounds than just her heartbeat, such as Morse code.
** Momo can further alter objects she creates so long as she maintains contact with them.
** Uraraka doesn't have to touch herself to change gravity on herself and can increase or decrease gravity rather than just negating it.
* Izuku in ''Fanfic/BloodForTheBloodGod'' was able to come out of the Heroes vs. Villains Exercise much better than he did in canon completely overwhelming Kirishima and Sero by himself, this version of him having a quirk that he has learned to use his entire life.
* While canon!Izuku was quirkless, in ''Fanfic/TheNorseHeroFenrir'' he was born with a quirk with the qualities of the beast of Myth/NorseMythology Fenrir. He has SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, all of the enhanced senses of a wolf, a HealingFactor, the ability to exude smoke and embers he holds limited control of and a number of werewolf-esq {{Super Mode}}s he can shift between.
* ''Fanfic/TheSaintAndTheSinner'':
** Thanks to his training from Aizawa and his negative qualities being toned down, Mineta is more perceptive and competent in a fight than he was in canon. Case-and-point, he almost singlehandedly won his team the match in the Hero vs. Villain exercise using careful timing and planning. He also makes it all the way to the two-on-two matches in the Sports Festival. His increased bravery is also shown in his interactions with Bakugo, as he's more willing to call him out on his attitude and disparage him. He even starts learning Balintawak martial arts during his internship.
** Thanks to some advice from Mineta, Midoriya unlocks Full Cowling before the Sports Festival instead of after it in his training with Gran Torino. He also has an overall much better performance during the Sports Festival. He defeats Kirishima without too much damage to his person and fights Todoroki to a stalemate resulting in a double ring-out. Unlike canon, he only breaks one arm instead of nearly all his bones.

[[AC:''Anime/MyHime'']]
* Yukino in ''Fanfic/PerfectionIsOverrated''. In the original series, her Child was only good for surveillance, and left her easily defeated by Shizuru. In this fic, she realizes that while she's not the best in a straight-up fight, she can use her powers to tip the balance of power in her favor at crucial moments, such as when she [[spoiler:incapacitates Shiho, enabling Mai to win her battle without Yuuichi dying]], and when she, in the final battle, uses her Child's abilities to immobilize one of the last remaining [=SUEs=]' Child long enough for Natsuki to finish her off.

[[AC:''Franchise/MyLittlePony'']]
* Cadence in canon, while admittedly having some badass moments, is still mainly a supporting character. On the other hand, Cadence from the ''FanFic/BloomingMoonChronicles'' has wanted to be a soldier ever since she was young, rather than sit back and be a princess. Over the course of the series, she eventually grows more proficient at fighting, being able to utilize both weapons and magic to her advantage. She becomes part of the Orphans, an elite fighting force that keeps [[TheMultiverse the worlds]] safe from threats. At one point, she takes on [[spoiler: [[BigBad Loki]] himself]], and is capable of going head-to-head with some of his strongest forces.
* In ''Fanfic/BodyguardAU'', Twilight is a princess' bodyguard and is more hands-on in terms of her fighting abilities than in canon.
* ''Fanfic/CodexEquus'':
** Queen Mzazi is the Mother of All Zebra, and an incredibly powerful 4 million-year-old goddess who once shredded an armada with a lightning storm. She's also G1 Zigzag, one of the Pony Friends from G1.
** Queen Dazzleglow of the Glimmering Isles was originally a G1 unicorn mare that was part of the "Glow 'n Show" pony toyline. Here, she's a Sparkle Pony, a type of mutated pony that could manipulate light and stardust, and is an [[PhysicalGod Alicorn]] (though she did appear as an Alicorn in the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales'' series).
** Rainbow Dash in canon is the fastest pegasus alive, an Element of Harmony, and is the only one capable of pulling off a Sonic Rainboom. Here, she's a [[EverythingsBetterWithRainbows Rainbow Pony]], a type of mutated pony that could manipulate light, energy, and rainbows, [[AchievementsInIgnorance though she remains unaware of her full potential]]. Luminiferous, the Alicorn god of Perfection and Potential, is interested in unlocking her development so she could perform the Rainbow Ponies' fabled "[[FasterThanLightTravel Rainbow Warp]]".
** In canon, Thorax physically transforms into a Changeling King after defeating Chrysalis with ThePowerOfLove, but is still rather meek, awkward, and struggling with being a leader. Here, Thorax's confrontation with Chrysalis resulted in him becoming a newborn Royal Changeling, the Changeling equivalent of a ''demigod'', and the 'Progenitor' of his own hive, which contains transformed Changelings who were purified of their [[HorrorHunger Curse]]. He has so much potential that he accidentally blasted [[SuperToughness Changeling King Zorpheus]] across Avalon with a magic beam that would have ''killed'' anyone else. When Luminiferous briefly unlocked his potential to fight Apertus, Thorax emerged from his cocoon as a ''Changeling Emperor''.
** Ahuizotl is presented as a much larger threat, to the point he managed to clash with King Brachion in wits and power.
** Prince Blueblood, the boorish {{Jerkass}} who mistreats Rarity in canon, is a WarriorPrince who is a skilled water mage and an esteemed Commander of the Royal Equestrian Navy, whose soldiers regard him as a hero for [[NoOneGetsLeftBehind leaving no one behind]]. In addition, his compass rose Cutie Mark means that he has a special talent in clairvoyance, which helps him find things that people need and redirect government power and authority to places that need it most. He's no slouch in physical combat either, as his military training allowed him to [[AssassinOutclassin defeat numerous assassins]] sent by rivals and enemies in their attempts to get rid of him.
** Prince Léon, originally a one-shot Alicorn character who appeared in a French magazine as Celestia's very young cousin, is a divine Godling in the Codexverse, being capable of powerful [[TheEmpath empathy]] and [[HolyBurnsEvil divine purification]]. For one, he ''[[AchievementsInIgnorance accidentally]]'' purged the current host of Mr. Hide, one of Ispita's Fallen angels, significantly harming Mr. Hide and defeating him. However, while he's got a lot of potential, [[RealityEnsues he's still a toddler, so he wouldn't be fighting much for the time being until he's older]].
** In ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'', Jushtin Butterfly had brief access to magic thanks to his mother, Queen Skywynne, allowing him, having held high hopes for him as a potential King... only to be superseded when Skywynne gave into peer pressure and gave birth to a daughter, because her subjects didn't want a male ruler in a matriarchal kingdom. He was able to become a diplomat, but he faded into obscurity after that, with his only reputation coming from his being an "un-queen". As Jushtin's {{Expy}}, Sparkling Wing shows what could've happened had someone continued showing faith in Jushtin and giving him a chance to show off his own potential, instead of letting him fade into obscurity because of his sex. While Sparkling Wing wasn't able to inherit the throne from his mother, he still showed signs of becoming a great leader and king, and the influence of [[MentorArchetype Luminiferous]] and his many adventures and good deeds were what eventually allowed him to become an [[PhysicalGod Alicorn]] and a powerful mage.
** Being [[CaptainErsatz inspired]] by [[Manga/TheKurosagiCorpseDeliveryService the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service team]], the members of the Black Heron Corpse Investigation Team are ''much'' more capable and powerful than their character inspirations. Namely, their good deeds in helping the dead got them recognized by the Shinseina pantheon, [[DeityOfHumanOrigin who decided to "promote" them and turn them into demigods]] as a reward.
** While [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 the Emperor of Mankind and his Primarch sons]] have always been badasses, here they're much so. Golden Scepter is depicted as a bonafide ancient god who embodies Psionics, Leadership, and Judgement as well as the collective good and bad traits of mortal Ponykind, instead of a mere psychic mortal wearing a powerful glamour. Meanwhile, his many sons are powerful ''demigods'', as they were sired with a mortal pegasus mare, Blessed Skies, and having achieved their own Ascension in different ways based on what they each embodied as individuals. Presently, they have the potential to become full-on divines like their father if they choose to.
** Compared to [[Anime/MaryAndTheWitchsFlower Great-Aunt Charlotte]], Scarlet Bell takes a more proactive role in the Codexverse than her character inspiration. Notably, unlike Great-Aunt Charlotte, she would get in a magical fight with her teachers as a foal, saving her classmates from being experimented on by them. And years later, the ''moment'' she discovered that [[AdultFear her former teachers were in the same country as her and still preying on young foals and teenagers, including the young son of a neighboring family she knew]], she immediately called the authorities and tried finding Midnight Bell, her grandniece, by herself after the latter ran away from home to save Page Wheel alone. She even punched a now-magically powerless Noble Grace in the face for all the horrific actions she had done to her loved ones during their public confrontation, [[WorthIt something she doesn't regret]].
** Unlike [[Anime/MaryAndTheWitchsFlower Peter]], whose magical transformation into a [[MagicEater magic-eating]] BlobMonster was completely reversed with a spell, restoring him to normal, Crystal Prism was revived and turned into an Alicorn demigod after he was killed. Due to embodying Rebirth and Transformation, his magic is centered around [[LightEmUp light]] and [[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth butterflies]], and since gaining his divinity and new powers, he has been doing a lot of good deeds in the world thanks to the benevolent influence of those who cared for him, despite the incredible trauma he went through. Notably, he played in a role in Button Mash's victorius defeat of [=CreepEntity513=], and with the help of Luminiferous, Gavisus Manes and Audens Manes, he personally traveled into the video game realm to rescue Button Mash and all of the gamers [=CreepEntity513=] had imprisoned and tortured over the Ages. He also participated in the "Battle of Hornbridge" event, where he and his friend, Midnight Bell, helped drive away the tribalist Scions of Hurricane and Children of Platinum factions from their hometown.
** Sigvald the Magnificent in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' is an [[TheAgeless ageless]] mortal whose powers were only made possible by becoming Slaanesh's favored champion. Here, Prince Stoltur Skjöldur, who is based off of him, is born a demi-divine son of an Evil Bogolenya Deer goddess of Lust and Pride through a mortal father, but eventually Ascended to true godhood.
** Downplayed with Ruby Heart. In ''VideoGame/StoryOfTheBlanks'', she would teleport Apple Bloom to the safe edge of the Everfree Forest to make up for accidentally leading her into danger. Here, she was turned into a {{Psychopomp}} by the [[TheGrimReaper Three Deaths]] and became a "Confessor" who listens to people's sins and helps them earn repentance, with a few additional abilities like {{Intangibility}} and the ability to [[DetectEvil see people's sins in the form of bound chains]]. However, she doesn't have much in the way of combat due to being a ghostly filly, making her weaker compared to Mitta, who became a powerful Guardian of the Everfree Forest in the Codexverse.
** Mitta, Ruby Heart's older sister, is a straighter example. In ''VideoGame/StoryOfTheBlanks'', she would [[BigDamnHeroes suddenly intervene]] while Apple Bloom is fleeing the overgrown ruins of Sunnytown, [[YouShallNotPass holding off the zombies trying to get at the filly by herself]]. Here in the Codexverse, it's explicitly mentioned that after ''centuries'' of enduring psychological abuse from Grey Hoof and his followers, she would finally gather the strength to break herself out of the building she was imprisoned in as soon as she heard Apple Bloom's cries for help. And when she confronted Grey Hoof himself, she would reveal her hidden strengths for the first time by unleashing her plant magic and hordes of timberwolves onto the villainous Sunnytowners, further hampering their efforts to "protect" Apple Bloom. She would proceed to become a divine champion, thanks to Celestia and Luna empowering her as a reward from Pakak for breaking free of his curse and redeeming herself, and as Guardian of the Everfree Forest, she is an experienced and powerful fighter in her own right.
** In canon, Twilight Velvet is only a supporting character. The Codexverse greatly expands on her personality, role, and abilities, turning her into a benevolent and fiercely protective noblemare who commands power, respect, and fear as an Equestrian Duchess. She is also an incredibly powerful MagicKnight with impressive magical talent and skills in swordsmanship, enough that she became Rarity's personal tutor when the latter approached her out of concern that she CantCatchUp with her friends, who are either [[DivineParentage descendants of gods]] or have helpful mutations.
** While Dragon Lord Ember is already quite badass in canon, here she is involved in a war (The Storm King Crisis) and helped avert catastrophe in two story arcs, the "Revenge of Apertus" arc and the "Dr. Toxikon" arc, demonstrating potential to achieve far greater things that [[TheChosenOne some would like to see realized in full]]. She is also a proficient sword fighter.
** In [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek mythology]], Anteros is a minor god of Requited Love who's a son of Aphrodite and Ares, being created to be a brother/playmate for Eros on the reasoning that Love cannot thrive if it is not reciprocated. Canteros, his Codex counterpart, is the Preeminent/Primeval god of Requited Love and Reconciliation, as well as the eldest son and child of Amareros, who is the Grand Primeval god of Love and thus the most ancient Love deity in existence.
** In the MLP comics, King Aspen was just the ruler of the Deers of Thicket, skilled in wielding [[GreenThumb plant magic]]. In the Codexverse, he's an ''Ascendant Godling'', a powerful Seer (specifically, he's a god of Prophecy), and a prodigy in druidic magic such as animal control, nature manipulation, and potion-making. Of note, a group of Hydianite Covens suffered a decisive and ''brutal'' defeat at the hooves of a vengeful Aspen, who paid them back for what they did to his fawnhood kingdom by decimating them down to the last warrior, and then forcibly converting their headquarters into forest territory by sprouting trees, displacing and killing those who were in the area of impact.
** In the MLP comics, Urtica is an ordinary Changeling librarian from Thorax's Hive who helps Princess Twilight protect an ancient document addendum from a treacherous Griffon Lord. Here, her actions combined with being in the presence of multiple deities during a public ceremony celebrating said actions led to her Ascension to demi-godhood. She also [[AssassinOutclassin neutralized a surprise assassination attempt on herself]] by dropping an entire library's worth of books on her attackers.
** Also in the MLP comics, Blacktip is just an ordinary Dragon bureaucrat who helped foil a treacherous Griffon Lord's plot to seize the land of Equestria. Here, he's a demi-Ryujin, the Dragon equivalent of a demigod, with powers based around teaching and passing on knowledge to others, as well as encouraging noble traits in others. He's also a decent fighter and very intelligent overall.
** Mary from ''VideoGame/DreamingMary'' is implied to be a RealityWarper of some kind, a power inherited from her [[MissingMom deceased mother]], but is otherwise a little girl who is helpless against her abusers in both her dreams and the real world. Here as Rosy Dreams, she unlocked her psychic powers after trying to escape her abusive father multiple times, and killed 'The Chaser' with a psychic burst after losing Mr. Penguin in a HeroicSacrifice (which references the game's '[[GainaxEnding Bonus Ending]]' where Mary kills the Chaser with a [[Franchise/StreetFighter Hadouken]]). She successfully drives off and ''psychically injures'' [[Literature/DoctorSleep Rose Knot]]'s astral form after the latter tries invading her mind, and helps Sleep Well kill Rose Knot by luring her to a great demon that feeds on 'psykers' like her. And when she, Hopeful Moon, Gliding Butterfly, and Mercy come under attack by a Dream Demon, she is temporarily turned into an Alicorn goddess of Dreams, Guardianship, and Art by Hopeful Moon's accidental SuperEmpowering, revealing she has potential to Ascend to godhood like many of her adoptive family members. However, it's downplayed as she's still a filly recovering from physical and mental trauma, so whether she realizes her true potential or not remains to be seen.
* ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': Comes into play in the sequel ''Diplomat at Large''. [[spoiler:In canon, the Storm King wanted the powers of the alicorns to give himself new powerful magic, for storm generation. Here, he already ''has'' lightning and wind generation when the fight begins and is set on specifically usurping the magic that makes them PowersThatBe.]]
* ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/341014/duelists-of-the-autumn-crown Duelists of the Autumn Crown]]'' has Flash Sentry. While we don't know how skilled he was in the movie, there he's the best duelist in the school second only to Sunset Shimmer, and with her there are light implications that she's cheating somehow.
* In the ''Fanfic/HarmonyAndValor'' series, Flash Sentry and Sweetie Drops are martial art masters who are strong enough to toss thugs around like ragdolls.
* ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'':
** Mimic is said by Princess Luna to have been the first, and only, mortal pony to injure Discord, by ''kicking him in the face at supersonic speeds'' until she knocked his tooth out. He killed her afterwards, but still. [[spoiler:Starsong probably also counts, managing to fend off Discord's brother Anarchy for a considerable time.]]
** While Princess Cadence turned out to be pretty badass in canon, the version of her in this series was able to [[spoiler:take on an avatar of Discord's father [[EldritchAbomination Havoc]] and not only survive, but it's implied that she ''won''.]]
** There's also the CMC, who manage to be BadassAdorable in this universe, Minuette and Twinkle Shine, who ''really'' get to show off their Gifted Unicorn credentials, Shining Armor, who [[spoiler:''saved the world'' from an Imagination Demon]], and Trixie [[spoiler:who becomes the SixthRanger and grows to be able to fight Twilight on fairly even standing (though played with in that regard: she at first ''avoids'' and ''fights'' her Element of Magic because she hates the idea of being 'back up Twilight' until she eventually realizes she represents magic in a completely different way).]] Honestly it's easier to count the characters that ''don't'' count.
* ''Fanfic/RainboomsAndRoyalty'' has Zecora, while still being the mentor to the Mane Six like in canon, also proved personally fantastic repeatedly over the course of the series, with such highlights as [[spoiler:saving Rainbow Dash from the Shadowbolts, fighting Nightmare Moon one-on-one, and saving Dinky, Pipsqueak, and Alula from King Sombra's bushwoolie {{Mooks}}.]]
* ''Fanfic/{{Xenophilia}}'' turns [[RecurringExtra Lyra Heartstrings]] into a grandmaster of the Still Way, the only Unicorn-exclusive martial art. She's described by Rainbow Dash as "probably one of the five or six most dangerous ponies in Equestria, even counting the Princesses," and the only pony in town other than Twilight who could beat her in a serious fight. Chapter 9 reveals her to be [[spoiler:an auxiliary Royal Guard, and we also see her in action.]]
-->'''Lero''': Wow. I had no idea. She's always been really friendly to me.\\
'''Rainbow Dash''': ''[giggling]'' Yeah, I’ve heard that about her. ''Total'' sweetheart, you’d never guess that she could kill you in half a second from, like, three hundred bodylengths away.
* Rarity is slowly heading in this direction within the ''Fanfic/TriptychContinuum'', and it comes from recognizing her own limitations. She has strictly average [[InsistentTerminology field]] strength, knows ''no'' spells for direct offense or defense, her physical abilities are nothing special -- and she's been placed in a position where she regularly has to risk her life in direct combat. So how is she dealing with this? [[CombatPragmatist Through becoming the single dirtiest fighter anypony's ever seen.]] Take a telekinetic with exceptionally fine directional control who regularly carries sewing needles with her, then pray she doesn't have a straight shot at your eyes. And in physical combat, she'll go for joints, sensory organs, vulnerable spots, and everything else offered without caring about dignity or the pain of the other party, because all that pales in significance to her goal of coming out alive. Compared to the others, she may not bring much to bear -- but what she does have is targeted with terrifying efficiency.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:N-R]]
[[AC:''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'']]
* In ''Fanfic/{{Vapors}}'' because she was found by the Third Hokage and adopted into the [[BadassFamily Uzumaki Clan]] as well as studying under [[BloodKnight Anko,]] Karin here is capable of holding her own with [[TheAce Sasuke]] in combat and is often paired with him on missions.
** In canon Konan got caught by Jiraiya, acted as support during Pain’s attack on Konoha, and got killed by Tobi. Here she demonstrates exactly why she’s TheDragon.
* In canon, [[BigBad Kaguya]] is a joke, an AntiClimaxBoss that was defeated by Naruto’s Reverse Harem Jutsu. In ''[[Fanfic/BlackkatsReverse Reverse]]'', however, Kaguya is the HeroKiller and caused the extinction of the human race and Kurama’s plan boils down to [[PeggySue preventing]] her from awakening.
* ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'' does this to Naruto and his peers, and with a justified reason in-story: [[spoiler: as a result of the Uchiha clan's uprising]], Konoha suffers a major blow to its military manpower, and thus they're forced to up the standards in the ninja academy to ensure that the graduates are better prepared to handle future threats. This includes teaching them chakra control, [[ElementalPowers elemental]] and medical ninjutsu.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3665921/1/Black-Flames-Dance-In-The-Wind-Rise-of-Naruto Black Flames Dance in the Winde: Rise of Naruto]]'', not only is Naruto S-Rank at graduation, but Anko, Zabuza, and a few others are all S-Ranked as well.
** The Forest of Death is changed from a fairly dangerous forest that moderately skilled Genin can traverse without too much trouble to a nightmarish hellhole that even Jounin have to be careful in. WordOfGod confirms that the forest is filled with demons, mutations, and animals the evolved to eat both.

[[AC:''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'']]
* It's somewhat of a FandomSpecificPlot to make Shinji (and often other characters along with him) more badass, or at least less traumatized, due to the severe WhatMeasureIsANonBadass he has going on.
* ''Manga/Evangelion303'': Several characters are more badass than their canon counterparts:
** Shinji is an adult, seasoned soldier in contrast to his untrained teen pilot canon self.
** Touji, Hikari and Kensuke are jet fighter pilots rather than average teenagers.
* ''Fanfic/NeonGenesisEvangelionGenocide'' allows Asuka to fully show off the prowess that the original series hinted at and ''The End of Evangelion'' gave but a short taste of. When one of the new "Angels" has send Rei down for the count and is about to give Shinji CoupDeGrace, she gets a full-on ShesBack moment, and proves what she is capable of by ripping the Angel apart. She goes on to remain a competent pilot throughout the story.
* In ''Fanfic/NobodyDies'' Kei Ayanami was originally just another one of [[QuirkyMiniBossSquad The Ree]] with BondVillainStupidity as her Quirk. And then [[RecursiveFanfiction The Kei-Files]] came out, and she was changed into a {{Manipulative|Bastard}} [[JerkassWoobie Woobiefied]] badass girl with dorky and [[BrokenBird Fragile]] traits, making her one of the most [[EnsembleDarkHorse beloved]] original characters of the fic.
* ''Fanfic/EvaSessionsSomeplaceVastAndDry'':
** Asuka's father Martin Langley is a former Feldwebel (Sergeant) in the German Army, and briefly worked as a security contractor for NERV. [[spoiler: He later starts teaching Rei and Asuka martial arts when the girls get tapped to become Evangelion pilots.]]
** Fuyutsuki is an academic variant; whereas Fuyutsuki in canon was based in a small underfunded lab at Kyoto University and was eventually reduced to working as an unlicensed back-alley doctor after Second Impact, ''Someplace'''s Fuyutsuki is a respected bioengineering researcher with the university naming ''an entire state-of-the-art research building after him''.

[[AC:''Series/OnceUponATime'']]
* ''Fanfic/MrAndMrsGold'': While she is still Rumpelstiltskin's MoralityPet and is a force for good, here Belle gains magical abilities [[[spoiler:from the ritual used to bind her on their wedding day]]. She earns her own infamous status as "the Caretaker", some rumors speculating that she is even worse than Rumpel, and is one of the few characters aside from Rumpel capable of intimidating Regina.

[[AC:''Manga/OnePiece'']]
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11920014/5/ Logia Luffy: Rise of the Dark Emperor]]'', Kuro is given a Zoan Devil Fruit, mostly to keep his fight with Luffy from being too one sided.
* In ''FanFic/ThisBites'', [[spoiler:Hattori]] is actually a dangerous assassin capable of using the Six Powers.
** Several of the Straw Hats become stronger sooner due to Cross giving them hints regarding their future abilities. Special note goes to Chopper who develops a JekyllAndHyde personality and creates his own explosives, earning himself a 66 million bounty, and Nami who gained [[spoiler:Ohm's Eisen Dial]] and ''fried ten battleships'' at Enies Lobby, making her a Supernova with a bounty of 125 million.
** Gecko Moria undergoes a TraumaticSuperPowerAwakening during the events of Thriller Bark. [[spoiler:The result is that he ''Awakens'' his Devil Fruit, taking his already formidable [[CastingAShadow umbrakinetic]] powers from canon up ''multiple'' notches.]]
* Miss Valentine in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11137293/21/One-Piece-Truly-Precious Truly Precious]]'' has some level of ability with Armaments Haki, making her considerably more dangerous than canon.
* In ''Fanfic/WatashitachiWaRogerKaizokuDesuWeStillStandProud'', Buggy knows both Armaments and Observation Haki with mention that there's no way someone who was on the Oro Jackson for years wouldn't know both. While Crocus genuinely thinks Buggy was trying to kill Luffy, in reality he was just testing the boy, like he does all East Blue rookies.
** Rather than just some civilian woman, Rouge was a pirate captain herself and apparently one of the big names up there with the likes of Roger and Whitebeard.

[[AC:''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'']]
* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11725053/1/The-Bald-and-The-Esper The Bald and the Esper]]'' as Tatsumaki starts off weaker than canon but with far more varied skills (using her telekinesis to create bombs, laser blades, and more) then starts training under Saitama. By the Sea Folk Arc, she's learned how to turn someone's energy against them. While against Saitama, it only nudges his fingers, against a monster, it spins them with so much force they rip apart.
** The Sea King is also more dangerous to counter Tatsumaki's different skill set from Genos. Here, he can split into three equally powerful bodies to overwhelm enemies or act as distractions.
** While we never actually see him in combat, Metal Knight is now S-Class Rank 2. He has an entire army of robots at his command and he is the sole protector of an entire city. Additionally, Dr Bofoi himself is a powerful cyborg, the only clue WordOfGod reveal of his true power? "[[VideoGame/MetalGearRising Nanomachines, son.]]"

[[AC:''LightNovel/{{Oreimo}}'']]
* In canon, Kousaka Kyousuke is the type of person who lets [[{{Tsundere}} his sister]] walk all over him. Contrast this to ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7330418/1/My_Life_Cant_Lose_Its_Normality My Life Can't Lose Its Normality]]'' where he (as well as Ayase, Akagi, and Miura) are a team of martial-arts mastering, {{Yakuza}}-killing vigilantes who pull off stunts normally reserved for paramilitary organizations and special operatives.

[[AC:''VideoGame/Persona5'']]
* In the game, Shiho was a victim of [[EvilTeacher Kamoshida's]] physical abuse and implied sexual harassment, to the point where she [[DrivenToSuicide attempted suicide]]. in ''Fanfic/TheEvilQueen'', [[ForWantOfANail where Kamoshida was ousted before things got that bad]], Shiho is a much stronger individual to the point where [[spoiler:she becomes a Persona user]].
* With the exception of [[spoiler:Maruki]], the adult confidant characters in the game were all normal people. In the ''Webcomic/Persona5AdultConfidantAU'', on top of being [[AgeLift de-aged]], the adult confidants (plus Shido) are now all Persona users and take up the role of the Phantom Thieves.

[[AC: ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'']]
* In canon, Ash Ketchum is a rather bumbling, childish, and well...stupid, trainer. In ''Fanfic/TheChosenOnesJourney'', all that is replaced with maturity, responsibility, discipline, and pure badass.
* Due to the result of a PeggySue plot, ''Fanfic/AshesOfThePast'' has pretty much ''everyone'' that Ash has come into contact with become a bona-fide badass. This ranges from Ash actively pursuing his Aura Guardian training and fighting Pokémon with his bare-hands, to Charizard learning the Poké-equivalent of a ''tactical nuke'', to Squirtle (as a now-[[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Kamina]] expy) breaking the laws of physics on a regular basis.
* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' has this a lot. Bar the characters who have the titular bloodlines and the badass gains from such abilities, a wide variety of characters are much more impressive than their canon selves: The Team Rocket Trio can actually steal Pokemon, Georgia is a militarily trained Dragon Buster whose job it is to arrest corrupt gym leaders and elite four members, Ash's Pokemon evolve earlier and have new, more powerful moves they lacked in canon like Aerial Ace, Brine, and Zap Cannon, and Mabel from the XY anime went from granny to Lumiose Conference winning granny. Badassery isn't even just in physical power: Erika is shown to have sizeable monetary and political power she has never been shown to have in other canons.
* ''Fanfic/CommonSense'' is based on a simple premise: what if the TR Trio was actually competent? The answer: this trope. For bonus points, in response to this additional pressure, the "twerps" and their Pokémon are also more formidable than in canon.
* Both ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12803123/1/Shudo-cross-Modern-Ash-The-Trainer-who-Questions-Humanity Shudo cross Modern Ash: The Trainer who Questions Humanity]]'' and ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12840662/1/Shudo-cross-Modern-Ash-The-Professor-Who-Observes-his-Charges Shudo cross Modern Ash: The Professor Who Observes his Charges]]'' have an Ash with more evolved Pokemon and farther placement in the leagues he entered.
* In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', Yancy was merely a side character who only traded with Nate, the male PlayerCharacter, during her respective sidequest. In ''Fanfic/AsFateWouldHaveIt'', she has a full, balanced, team of [[TheFairFolk Fairy-types]], defeated all 8 Unova League gyms offscreen, and proves her strength when she [[spoiler:effortlessly defeats Hugh, a pretty strong trainer in the original games, in a Pokemon battle]].
* In canon, Misty's sisters gave away gym badges due to being lousy trainers and more focused on their water shows. In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13023277/3/Legend Legend]]'', they give away badges because they're so strong that they've gotten in trouble with the league for "discouraging trainers".
* ''Fanfic/{{Traveler}}'':
** In canon, Ash was an IdiotHero known to slack off his training and earning half his badges without beating the gym leaders at the beginning of his journey. In ''Traveler'', he's reasonably intelligent, spends most of his waking hours training his team, and wins every badge legitimately. After getting his eighth badge, Ash tours Kanto again and beats each gym leader's real team. Finally, Ash takes second place at the Indigo Conference and gets taken on as an Elite Four trainee.
** The Legendaries. Rather than OlympusMons that are powerful but can be beaten and even captured by the right strategy, or even just a strong enough opponent, in ''Traveler'', the Legendaries are {{physical god}}s whose mere presence empowers nearby Pokémon and create storms that threaten entire nations.
** Bruno is able to use aura to some degree as a form of CharlesAtlasSuperpower.
** Ace Trainers in the games are merely NPC trainers that are somewhat stronger than most. Here, they're ACE trainers and are essentially the Pokémon Trainer equivalent of special forces like Navy Seals, SAS, and KGB.
** All Elite Four and League Champions (including former ones like Steven) have access to [[SuperMode Mega Evolution]].
* ''Fanfic/TheRoadToBeAPokemonMaster'':
** Ash only used his Aura powers sparingly. Here, he uses them more often and receives training in how to use them. Also [[spoiler:Serena]] has PsychicPowers that she didn't have in canon.
** Serena catches many more Pokemon than in canon, and is generally a much better battler than her anime counterpart, who only battled sparingly, and rarely won against opponents other than the Team Rocket Trio.
** Due to imprinting on Ash and Serena rather than Misty, Ash actually trains Togepi and grows strong enough to take part in Gym and League matches.
** Some of Ash's Pokemon that never evolved in canon, like Squirtle or Totodile , do evolve here.
** Gym leaders in general have stronger teams than they had in the anime.

[[AC:''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'']]
* ''Fanfic/RanmaSaotomeChiMaster'' has the title character arrive to Nerima with greater strength and skill, and an excellent understanding of Chi to boot. Moreover, under his tutelage, Akane [[TookALevelInBadass becomes increasingly formidable]].

[[AC:''Franchise/ResidentEvil'']]
* In canon, Claire is only ever mentioned as being in [=TerraSave=] in a somewhat senior position. In ''Fanfic/TheProgenitorChronicles'', she’s the leader of [=TerraSave=], only stepping down in favor of Neil around the end of Volume II (~2010).

[[AC:''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'']]
* The White Fang get this treatment in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13038418/1/Black-Out-The-Sky Black Out The Sky]]''. In the original series they pose a valid threat, but still end up getting foiled by main characters more often than not. In the fic they manage to effectively TakeOverTheWorld and utterly outgun any resistance they still have to face. Adam Taurus in particular goes from being merely a skilled combatant to a OneManArmy capable of wiping out a huntsmen team in a matter of seconds.
* ''Fanfic/TheCommission'' takes the formidable, but still in training, girls of Team RWBY and makes them TheDreaded. They're the leaders of each of their groups, all acquired via hostile takeovers, and are engaged in their own [[TheConspiracy conspiracy]] with ruthlessness and efficiency that scares the original show's vilains. Heck, those villains appear in this fic as the girls' subordinates.
* Several characters in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12574905/1/In-the-Kingdom-s-Service In the Kingdom's Service]]'' get badass upgrades. Cardin, Ciel, Velvet, and Yang are all secret agents while Oobleck is the director of Vale Secret Service. But the biggest change is Penny, who is a weaponized Relic made to kill Maidens.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12909945/1/Professor-Arc-Student-of-Vacuo Professor Arc: Student of Vacuo]]'': While a few characters are generally more capable, Jaune and Roman are the two standouts. Jaune is just as skilled as his resume portrays him, rather than the untrained weakling from canon and ''Fanfic/ProfessorArc''. Notably, rather than barely dodging Cardin's attacks until the boy tires himself out like in ''Fanfic/ProfessorArc'', Jaune and Neo easily trounce the entirety of Team CRDL without taking a single hit. Meanwhile Roman is changed from skilled enough to take on a member of Team RWBY but not Huntsman level to being stronger than Jaune and Neo combined and good enough to hold his own against Qrow. And rather than not having a Semblance, Roman has some form of Dust manipulation, as shown when he fights Pyrrha and ''catches'' one of his own shots to hit her with it.
* ''FanFic/RWBYReckoning'' takes the normally bumbling Jaune Arc, a guy who is nothing like his legendary ancestors, and makes him able to build a functioning time bomb with approximately 18 flares, some duct tape, and some scraps. And it's powerful enough to shred the stomach of a very large Grimm.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:S-Y]]
[[AC:''Franchise/SailorMoon'']]
* ''Fanfic/CosmicWarriors'' takes the normally cheesy Tuxedo Mask and has him [[CaneFu wielding his cane like a real weapon]] with [[SwordCane a hidden sword within]]. On top of that, his cane seems capable of more tricks, like shooting five rechargeable red thorn darts from the base.
%%* ''Fanfic/BeautifulDestroyerSailorMoon.'' Pick a main character, ''any main chracter.''
* ''Sailor Moon: Legends of Lightstorm'':
** Sailor Moon now fights primarily with sonic screams powerful enough to annihilate buildings, her energy disk can slice through almost anything, and her physical strength is great enough to punch through ''rocket-proof'' armor.
** Sailor Mercury impales things on gigantic ice spears and can stand up to the toughest of Negaverse drones single-handedly.
** Tuxedo Mask has fighting skills that rival Lightstorm's can cut through virtually any substance with his razor-roses, hits hard enough to knock gigantic drones off their feet, and can withstand explosions strong enough to shred drone armor.

[[AC:''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'']]
* ''Fanfic/CatRa'':
** Adora is able to manipulate shadows thanks to a magic headband, ultimately getting her own superpowered form.
** Orbko, the story's version of Emily's Kid Sister, is even more powerful with its learning and shapeshifting abilities, plus quickly developing free will, thanks to [[spoiler:Entrapta being able to make use of the Kingdom of Snow's resources with Frosta having joined the Horde]].

[[AC: ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'']]
* ''Fanfic/SonicXDarkChaos'':
** Tails goes from being a weak, shy GadgeteerGenius into a MagnificentBastard captain who gains a LovecraftianSuperpower [[spoiler:and ends up saving the entire universe from an EldritchAbomination at the cost of his own life]].
** Cream stays with Sonic and friends to the end, even after seeing things that would make most adults break down. In Episode 66, she and her chao Cheese ends up beating Astorath the Prince of Darkness on her own.
** Cosmo saves several planets before becoming acting captain of the Blue Typhoon, and she is also appointed leader of the Metarex during the final battle. And in the rewrite, when Astorath and Beelzebub land on her ship, ''she runs out onto the flight deck with Venus' demon scythe and rips them a new one.''
** Chris Thorndyke goes from being a whiny, dependent brat to a GeniusBruiser, pulls off a BigDamnHeroes and unleashes DeathFromAbove with the Typhoon in the rewrite of Episode 69, and later on fights Beelzebub and Astorath alongside Cosmo during the final battle.
* ''Fanfic/TalesOfSonicTheHedgehog'': While Sonic has never really been a wimp, most incarnations suffer from SuperDrowningSkills, which media like ''Anime/SonicX'' turns into severe hydrophobia to the point landing in a simple puddle of water triggers a FreakOut. Here, while still afraid of water, Sonic ''is'' capable of swimming.

[[AC:''Manga/SoulEater'']]
* ''Fanfic/SoulEaterTroubledSouls'': An increasing number of canon characters show more skill or competency than their original counterparts, which is saying something. They are even gifted more techniques and moves than normal, especially those who lacked them. Here are some specific examples:
** This fic plays up Tsubaki’s abilities as a ninja or assassin. She also seems to be a bit more resourceful.
** In canon, Ox has a pretty limited repertoire of techniques and moves. Here, he has plenty to spare, up to and including a Soul Resonance between him and Harvar.
** Crona receives stronger forms, learns Soul Resonance, can fight Medusa on equal or better footing, overcomes Mad Blood, and is saner. Oh, also, "badass" as in [[spoiler: kills Medusa ''permanently'']]!
** Kim fends off ''Medusa Gorgon'' long enough until The Cavalry comes ''without'' her Regeneration Magic.
** The Mizunes, specifically their fully combined form. In the original manga, that form of Mizuna is only seen in a fanservice cat fight with Blair. Here, this is the sisters' most powerful form, and they [[CurbStompBattle absolutely]] ''[[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown destroy]]'' [[BackToBackBadasses Caius and Tsuji]] in the Cobra Island arc.

[[AC: ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'']]
* Cackletta wasn't really much of a threat in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'', being an unimpressive mage with an easy boss fight halfway through her game. In ''Fanfic/ClashOfTheElements'', on the other hand, she's a ManipulativeBastard of the highest degree, a [[spoiler:two-thousand year old remnant of the Dark King's forces who caused the legend of the [[VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor Shadow Queen]] just to extend her own life]], and a [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] who successfully managed to outwit {{Big Good}}s. Implications exist to suggest she has also been able to control [[Franchise/KingdomHearts the Heartless]].

[[AC:''WesternAnimation/SuperWhy'']]
* The original Super Readers don't even fight against their enemies and for the most part either talk to the villains to [[EasyEvangelism join their side]] or run away if things get dangerous. Super Readers in ''Fanfic/SuperReadersBiggestAdventure'' receive [[MidSeasonUpgrade power upgrades]] and proceed to kick the butts of the [[DemonicPossession possessed citizens of Storybrook]], as well as the [[BigBad Evil Reader]] and [[TheDragon Lexicon]]'s. Special mention goes to Alpha Pig and Wonder Red, since both [[TookALevelInBadass went up a couple of levels]], but as of Chapter 20 [[spoiler:Super Why has one upped them]].

[[AC:''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'']]
* In ''Fanfic/TheKiritaChronicles'' Kirita, the {{Gender Flip}}ped version of Kirito, is more capable of being able to defend herself in the real world than he could. After quitting Kendo, she took up karate classes and is capable of delivering curb stomp battles to bullies and her fellow karate students. In canon, it is assumed Kirito focused solely on computers and video games. After being trapped in the video game, Kirita trains even harder to become stronger because she believes players will consider her vulnerable if they find out she is a female player.

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'']]
* ''Fanfic/NewTamaran'':
** Scarecrow can normally be easily taken out by Batman, but here he goes toe-to-toe with an Amazon princess and an overpowered half-demon. Of course, he does fight both with magically enhanced fear toxin.
** Zig-zagged with Steve Trevor. While he’s never been a weakling, he tends to be overshadowed by characters with god-like strength. Here, he leads an assault on an invading Tamaranean army, and even after he loses his plane, he still manages to take out several alien attackers before going face-to-face with Wildfire and punching him into the Washington Monument.

[[AC:''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'']]
* [[EmotionlessGirl Nia]] in ''Fanfic/TengenToppaGurrenSolvernia'', gets an upgrade through character development, since now it's she who's [[BigBrotherMentor mentored by Kamina]]. Simon, or rather, [[spoiler: Prince Simon Teppelin]] already starts as a badass, taking on a ganman with only a sword.

[[AC:''Franchise/TouhouProject'']]
* Rumia is lowest of the low in Gensokyo's hierarchy, weak and with [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway a useless power]]. It's widely speculated however that she possesses a SuperpoweredEvilSide, meaning most fan works featuring her give her an appropriate power boost, though the degree of the boost varies vastly; ''Fanfic/ImperfectMetamorphosis'' for example makes her into a WalkingWasteland and [[spoiler:a FallenAngel]], whereas in ''Webcomic/TouhouNekokayou'' she's slightly more powerful but ''still'' comic relief.
* Cirno, another canonically weak boss who is a [[EnsembleDarkhorse fan favorite]] due to AwesomeEgo, also gets this treatment quite often whenever she's not the MemeticLoser instead. [[http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss151/SuperFush/badasscirno.jpg Does this look like a stage 2 boss to you?]]
* ''Fanfic/ImperfectMetamorphosis'':
** Kotohime was a generally ineffectual and totally delusional combatant in her original appearance. In this Fic, she's graduated to the rank of BeleagueredAssistant to Yukari herself, running Gensokyo's first police force, and at one point she delivers a beatdown to [[PersonOfMassDestruction Marisa Kirisame]] for disintegrating one of her officers ([[FromASingleCell she got better]]).
** Yuuka Kazami in canon is certainly powerful and has aspects of TheDreaded, but there are plenty of characters who could take her in a fight. Yuuka in ''IM'' is the most feared being in Gensokyo's history, a nightmare who no-one dares confront directly, and who shrugs off all the attacks leveled at her by Yukari and her team she assembled specifically to kill Yuuka, in the process revealing her nature [[spoiler:as an [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Outer God]]]].
* Mokou is already an immortal powerhouse and [[BonusBoss EX-Boss]]. ''Fanfic/TouhouIbunshu'' in addition has her possess the powers of a PhysicalGod, giving her the strength to go toe-to-toe with Yukari ''after'' creating an army of thousands of [[OurZombiesAreDifferent kashoyo]].
* ''Fanfic/MaidensIllusionaryFuneral'' takes Yukari and Ran, already ancient sages with near-unsurpassed abilities, and makes them both TheJuggernaut who cleave through groups of specialist youkai hunters without a scratch. This in turn makes Yuyuko one as well, given she nearly killed Yukari while still trying to restrain her powers.

[[AC:''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'']]
* ''Fanfic/CastSwap'':
** Sammy, thanks to avoiding early elimination this time, is able to develop into a much braver and stronger competitor able to face the ultra-intelligent Scarlett in the finale.
** Sugar too. While still a villainous character like in canon, she is much more devious, manipulative, and strategic in this story.
** Cody demonstrates himself to be a competent competitor throughout ''All-Stars'' and makes it to the final 2 compared to his canon run in ''World Tour'', where he was mostly carried by Sierra and got eliminated shortly after Sierra was because of that.
* ''Fanfic/ACodetteWorldTour'':
** [[AscendedExtra Team Victory]]. Infamous in canon for getting completely wiped out by [[ManipulativeBastard Alejandro]] before the season's halfway point, the fic makes them much more successful in challenges and more difficult for Alejandro to annihilate with two canonical members reaching the merge. Said two are Bridgette and DJ, who stand out especially as DJ loses his status as TheLoad due to having no animal curse plot in the story while Bridgette is not the first girl eliminated for the second time in a row, allowing both to really show their skills and win first class more times than in canon.
** A more minor example is Courtney. In canon, Duncan cheating on her severely weakened her emotionally, making her vulnerable to Alejandro's manipulative flirtations. Here, she instead enters an UnstoppableRage over Duncan's infidelity, taking her aggressive CompetitionFreak {{Determinator}} attitude UpToEleven and making her outright impossible for Alejandro to manipulate at all.
* ''Fanfic/DespairIsland'': Justin is a lot more competent and devious than in canon, essentially taking the spot of Heather as the main villainous contestant.
* ''Fanfic/TheLegendOfTotalDramaIsland''
** Dawn is canonically a psychic with [[AuraVision aura reading]] and ambiguous [[PsychicPowers additional powers]]. In the reimagining, she is explicitly a full-fledged sorceress, and her "psychic" abilities are [[FunctionalMagic actually magical in nature]].
** When a monstrous beetle menaces Lindsay, Harold casually tosses a shuriken and neatly skewers the insect. Had he tried this in the PlayedForLaughs original, he would surely have failed in an amusing way.
** Heather is a significantly better strategist than her canon counterpart, albeit still [[EvilIsPetty prone to pettiness]].
** Although still a whale, Sadie is tough, smart and effective, and was generally none of those things in the canon. The [[AllThereInTheManual pseudo-canonical text bios on the show's website]] do at least say she is supposed to be smart.
** Tyler is a [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] example. The canon version fails at every athletic endeavor he attempts, but the reimagined version is an excellent sprinter and extremely strong. He retains his main canonical flaw of poor coordination, though.
* ''Fanfic/LoudEdDrama'': Heather is still the [[BigBad main antagonist]] of the story, but she is more socially savvy than she was in canon, where she let herself be openly hated at all times.
* ''Fanfic/MyRidonculousRace'':
** Tom and Jen (originally the 5th team eliminated) last much longer in this story, getting eliminated in [[spoiler: India]]
** The same can also be said of Dwayne and Junior who not only last longer but also win a leg, something they never did in the original work.
* ''Fanfic/TotalDrama60Club'': Lindsay, Tyler, and Beth flip from being benevolent nice people into some very powerful manipulators, causing several eliminations. To some, they may be considered [[OCStandin OC Stand-ins]].
* ''Fanfic/TotalDramaActionAllIn'': Although he retains his laziness and primadonna habits, Justin is much more devious and competent in his villainous role compared to his canonical self, even managing to manipulate Heather and succeed at emotionally crushing her.
* ''Fanfic/TotalDramaAllStarsRewrite'': Duncan and Gwen both get this.
** The finale shows Duncan being strong enough to knock down trees and even beating [[spoiler:Mal]].
** Gwen is an overall more active character, hunting down Chris and Chef during a challenge when Chris pushes her too far, and even making it to the Final Three, [[spoiler:winning in the finale.]]
* ''Fanfic/TotalDramaIslandANewBeginning'': Justin doesn't resemble his canon counterpart so much as his canonical {{expy}} Alejandro, who was created in canon to be the villain that Justin was meant to be but never really became.
* ''Fanfic/TotalLoudIsland'': In the canon season, the Killer Bass were the inferior team to the Screaming Gophers, with fewer team members remaining by the time of the merge. Here, the roles have been reversed, thanks to Dawn's mystic powers and Lincoln's natural resourcefulness, meaning the Gophers end up having fewer members than the Bass when the merge rolls around.

[[AC:''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'']]
* In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'', Optimus was an Elite Guard washout and was brought online after the events of the Great War, initially not posing much of a threat to the Decepticons. In ''Fanfic/TFAKaleidoscope'', he's a front-line soldier who fought in the Great War, having killed numerous Decepticons during his time and matches Starscream in their battle.

[[AC:''WesternAnimation/{{Trollhunters}}'']]
* Being a Gumm-gumm in this version, Jim in ''Fanfic/SonOfTheBlack'' isn't nearly as spooked by adversity as his canon counterpart. Steve is less of a bully to him and more of an irritant he has no problems decking and reacts to being forced to become the Trollhunter less with fear and more with anger and irritation. While he struggles to wield a sword and has avoided fighting for years, he has enough experience in fighting to defend himself. Not only that, but he had learned basic rules of magic from a mage in his travels and has since learned various other tricks, including removing troll's natural weakness to the sun and multiple human disguises (his favorite being his canon appearance).

[[AC:''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'']]
* In the fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12126095/1/Recursion Recursion]]'', the normal FinalBoss of the Genocide run, [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Sans]], is actually one of the first bosses [[SympatheticMurderer Frisk]] has to fight. The character that takes his place as the last and most difficult challenge before Asgore? It's ''[[TheQuietOne Napstablook]]'', who, after hearing about both of their cousins Mettaton and Furlablook dying, decides to fight... and gives Frisk a battle that puts Sans to shame.
--> '''Chara:''' (After seeing Napstablook's opening attack) ''"[[StunnedSilence I, uh... wow]]. I knew Napstablook before. [[BewareTheQuietOnes Didn't know they... uh, had it in them.]]"''
--> '''Frisk:''' "[[ThisIsGonnaSuck This is going to be Sans all over again, isn't it]]?"
** For starters, Napstablook's ''opening move'' is to transport Frisk into the space that you see during your time in his house... a massive ''intergalactic space'' not connected to Earth, [[StatingTheSimpleSolution where they decide to leave Frisk at first to die of starvation and/or thirst]]. When Frisk gets them to start fighting, however, Napstablook brings out a massive mix of mechanics from his fight, Sans's, and Mettaton's to give [[WellIntentionedExtremist Frisk]] [[ItMakesSenseInContext and Chara]] a ''very'' bad time...
** When the fight begins, Napstablook uses his own version of the Gaster Blasters: magical speakers that blast out sound waves.
** When Frisk manages to survive that, there are mini-Napstablooks akin to the mini-Mettaton's found in the battle with Mettaton EX (which, due to Frisk lacking a yellow soul, can't be targeted and destroyed) that fire musical notes and attack in tandem.
** Napstablook also has the "not really feeling up to it right now" words from his Pacifist fight. Which they use to sucker-punch Frisk when he tries to catch his breath by rushing him with acid tears.
** To top this, there's a "copy" mechanic that saves the positions of Napstablook's attack's at a certain time... which he combines afterwards with a ''paste'' mechanic. As in, ''[[OhCrap pasting the attacks he had when he copied onto the field in addition to the attacks already taking place.]]''
** After a while, Napstablook unveils a unique soul-affecting mechanic; a "soul tether", that makes Frisk to stay within a certain area or be yanked back into it forcibly, which they can also use to ''drag Frisk into the paths of their attacks.'' Later on, it turns out that they can tie Frisk to ''two'' different soul tethers, restricting his field of movement even further.
** And the two scariest parts about all this? First, Napstablook is a ghost, and can't be hurt without magic, [[NoSell which Frisk doesn't have]], meaning Frisk has to find a way to demotivate Napstablook enough to get them to leave. And second, Napstablook admits during the battle that they're out of practice. [[spoiler:And then it turns out the fight has a '''TimeLimit'''; when they decide that they've warmed up enough, Napstablook makes '''four''' soul tethers, forcibly anchors Frisk down with them, and blasts him with speakers until he dies]].
* ''Webcomic/InvertedFate'' has this with several NPC's, such as Bratty and Catty, in that they have joined the Royal Guard, and actually have battles.
** The Snowdin Canine Unit are much tougher than in Undertale proper, giving Frisk a harder time.
** Alphys is captain of the Royal Guard, and while she uses a crossbow and focuses on strategy over strength, she still the captain of the Royal Guard, and is much stronger than canon Alphys.

[[AC:''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'']]
* ''Fanfic/OldScars'' takes Sarah, one of the biggest liabilities in the game, and makes her more independent and self-aware, which allows her [[TookALevelInBadass Take A Level In Badass]] and become more capable and emotionally stable than her video game counterpart.

[[AC:''Literature/{{Worldwar}}'']]
* In ''Fanfic/WorldwarWarOfEquals'', all of South America, Central America, and Eastern Europe put up much more of a fight than they did in the source material. Human tanks qualify as well. In the original novels, even the best Human tanks of the 1940s could easily be destroyed by a single [[TankGoodness Landcruiser]]. Thanks to tank technology advancing in the last couple of decades, our tanks are either equal to or superior to their Landcruisers.

[[AC:''Literature/{{Worm}}'']]
* ''Fanfic/{{Quicken}}'': In the original story, Emma was a powerless, cowardly girl. Here she’s a regenerator super-human capable of detecting other super-humans and stealing their powers and memories after killing them, and prone to go berserker.

[[AC:''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'']]
* In ''Fanfic/YoungJusticeTitans'', the Scarecrow gets a serious badass bump. Thanks to becoming a member of the Church of Blood, he's given supernatural powers, and is hinted at being essentially a real living scarecrow now, with impossible flexibility, his Sythe that he pulls out of his [[BodyHorror mouth]], and fear gas in both Gas and solid forms. He's even able to fight a team with powers far beyond him (including a Green Lantern). He's also almost unkillable too.
* Following in Young Justice tradition, Onomatopoeia in ''Fanfic/WithThisRing''. In the comics, a guy with a gimmick. Here? A powerful magic user that uses onomatopoeia as the incantations for his spells.
** And also Dark Druid. In comics, he was a villain from the U.K. and thus barely even mentioned. Here, there are hints at him being a [[spoiler:herald of the Black Lantern Corps]].

[[AC: ''Anime/YuGiOh'']]
* All cards used in ''Fanfic/ArcVedProtagonists'' use their real world effects be prioritized over their anime version's effects. As such this trope can apply for some cards while other's get [[AdaptationalWimp the opposite]] depending on what the effects of the two versions are. Such as Yuto's Phantom Knights, which in the card game, have effects that can be activated in the graveyard by banishing them that they didn't have in the anime. As such Yuto's deck is capable of more combo's and has better consistency here.
[[/folder]]

%%* Jack in ''Cave Story Versus IM Meen'', to the point where he becomes a Main/BadassBookworm who literally has the ability to use ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure ZA WARUDO.]]''

* While in ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'', Ayaka was a self-taught martial artist with her own personal form, she was only Asuna's equal up until CantCatchUp took effect. In ''Fanfic/EqualAndOppositeAttraction'', she becomes a front-line fighter who was trained by Setsuna.

* ''FanFic/TheHeroesOfTime'' does this to the Creator/HannaBarbera universe. Most of the characters in the shared world are rather peaceful people, and never mean harm. But when TheHeartless invade and start swallowing worlds, it's time to take up [[CoolSword Keyblades]] and fight.

* ''FanFic/JustAnUnorthodoxThief'' takes Risei, an intelligent enough character in canon, and tuns him into Tokiomi's HypercompetentSidekick.

* ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'': In the original ''Evangelion'' show Shinji was a wimp, Rei was properly trained but she was weak, and Asuka was a good warrior but she got her butt kicked constantly. In this crossover with ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', the three pilots gain huge powers and take several levels in badass: Shinji becomes a sorcerer with psychic powers, Asuka a berserker super-soldier and Rei a plaguemaster.

* ''FanFic/JusticeLeagueOfEquestria'': ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} has always been a skilled fighter in Franchise/TheDCU, but here he manages to get the drop on Rainbow Dash (this universe's equivalent to Franchise/{{Superman}}) in their first encounter, and then manages to almost defeat her again during their fight in Cloudsdale.

* ''FanFic/TheGoodTheBadAndTheDemon'' has [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 April O'Neil]] and her best friend, [[VideoGame/SoulHackers Hitomi Tono]]. In the former's case, using more of her psychic abilities ever since [[spoiler:she found she's half-human, half-Kraang]], while the latter has learned to fight with April's help.

* Fanfic/PersonaEG: Flash Sentry, as the main character, is a Wild Card, is very good at playing Guitar, seems to be a ChickMagnet, and has gotten good at swinging a battle axe around. Not bad for a fairly minor character from the Equestria Girls movies.
* ''FanFic/PaperMarioX'' gives Malon archery skills and magic music power. The bosses are also much tougher to make the fights more interesting due to how many more characters they're fighting at once.

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', the protagonist, Izuku, is a [[MuggleBornOfMages Quirkless]] boy who is gifted One for All, which grants him incredible SuperStrength that comes at the cost of wrecking the bones in whatever limb he used the power in. In ''FanFic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', he's a Kryptonian LightningBruiser with ComboPlatterPowers and NighInvulnerability. Do the math.

* ''[[Fanfic/OfGemstonesAndWatches Of Gemstones and Watches]]'' offers quite a few examples.

** ''FanFic/AColdCalculus'' has her start out as Britannia's exchequer, rooting out corruption and [[spoiler:sneaking away resources for her, Cornelia and Schneizel to use in a planned coup against Emperor Charles]]. Later, she becomes a political powerhouse in Japan and successfully de-fangs the resistance movements with effective policy changes and hearts-and-minds campaigns, and would have won the country without a fight if it weren't for the EU. And in the second half, [[spoiler:after becoming Empress of Britannia]], she prosecutes a war of vengeance on the EU that is sure to end in her victory and all negotiations essentially boil down to her asking them "Just how badly do you want to lose?"
** ''FanFic/RiseOfANewMoon'' has her as a supporting character, but one who starts out the story as having joined Camelot as a test pilot, having wanted to flex her skills after being taught by Cornelia. When [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters the Blood of the Samurai]] attack the capital, she takes to the field with Suzaku and defends Ashford Academy.

* Stephanie Brown in [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9503887/1/Macushla Macushla]]. After her father is killed for unknown reasons by the League of Shadows, she's taken to serve under Talia al Ghul. She's a master assassin before she's 18 years old and becomes Damian Wayne's bodyguard/MoralityPet. (After [[spoiler:Talia fakes Stephanie's death and sends her away because she and Damian were too close, he leaves the League and asks to join Dick Grayson of his own will]]).
* Minor character Salvatore Maroni gets this in ''FanFic/BatmanRevisited'', as he is [[CompositeCharacter the supervillain Firefly]] here, and considered a dangerous enough threat to be locked up with [[ImprobableAimingSkills Deadshot]] and ''Killer Croc'' in a maximum security wing of Blackgate Penitentiary.

* FanFic/ProjectDarkJade:
** ''FanFic/QueenOfAllOni'' has the Samurai Khan. While in canon they're {{Fake Ultimate Mook}}s, here they're just as strong as they look, serving more as EliteMooks.

* While Korra was undoubtedly badass in canon, she is even more so in ''FanFic/TheSagaOfAvatarKorra'', accomplishing or gaining abilities sooner than her canon counterpart due to being raised and put through a TrainingFromHell regiment by the Red Lotus for fourteen years, and delivering {{Curb Stomp Battle}}s to characters who were more difficult for her to defeat in canon, such as Unalaq, Desna, Eska, and Kuvira.

* In the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker original game]], Mila is just a background character at the beginning and a sidequest character at the end. In [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13105443/1/The-Legend-of-Zelda-The-Wind-Waker this novelisation]] of VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker, she gets off to a rocky start by [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu insulting Tetra, a pirate,]] but near the end of the novel, she travels all the way to Diamond Steppe Island (which is really far away from Windfall Island in the original game. Even further in this since the novel expands the world dramatically) through unknown ways, climbs up the island and [[GuestStarPartyMember teams up with Link]], quickly learns how to swing on a grappling hook before doing it perfectly without assistance and even saves Link's life when he has to jump across a gap and almost falls in. [[PluckyGirl All of this just to escape poverty]]. She later turns up at Link's house with several others, now wearing normal clothes rather than rags.
* In VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime, Gohma is simply a BreatherBoss to introduce you to the boss mechanic in the game. In [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13189099/1/The-Legend-Of-Zelda-Ocarina-Of-Time a novelisation]] of the game, she starts of as a shelled spider that gets corrupted by Ganondorf and becomes a variant similar to the one from [[VideoGame/HyruleWarriors Hyrule Warriors]] with bladed forearms, hooked legs, [[RedEyesTakeWarning one massive, red eye]] that can '''shoot lasers''' and change colour, a mouth that can spit acid and [[BadassBaritone very masculine grunts]]. She even gives Link a run for his money in both of his fights with her, badly injuring him in the first.
* In VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime, Navi acts as an ExpositionFairy that reminds Link of his objectives and gives him hints on an enemy's weakness. In ''Fanfic/TheBoyWithoutAFairy'' she is much more involved in combat than her game-counterpart; she has the ability to unleash a flash of light to blind foes, is willing to ram her entire body into foes as a distraction to take the attention off Link, and can come up with complex strategies on the fly. Her role in combat is especially prominent early in the story when Link is completely inexperienced in fighting and has to heavily rely on Navi's support just to stay alive.
* In Ocarina of Time [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/9657467/chapters/21816098 a novelisation by DragonRand100]] there are many examples.

* ''FanFic/ContractLabor'': In direct contrast to the ExtremeDoormat he was in canon, Keitaro actually has some backbone and is far more willing to stand up to and for the Hinata's residents, even managing to defeat Motoko in an honor duel.

[[AC:''Anime/MaiHime'']]
* Yukino in ''Fanfic/PerfectionIsOverrated''. In the original series, her Child was only good for surveillance, and left her easily defeated by Shizuru. In this fic, she realizes that while she's not the best in a straight-up fight, she can use her powers to tip the balance of power in her favor at crucial moments, such as when she [[spoiler:incapacitates Shiho, enabling Mai to win her battle without Yuuichi dying]], and when she, in the final battle, uses her Child's abilities to immobilize one of the last remaining [=SUEs=]' Child long enough for Natsuki to finish her off.

* ''FanFic/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiDuo'': Over the course of the fic, Kaito, Nagisa, and Masahiro get their own personal idol forms, allowing them to fight alongside the Mermaid Princesses.

* ''Fanfic/WhatsinAHoard''

* Rarity is slowly heading in this direction within the ''FanFic/TriptychContinuum'', and it comes from recognizing her own limitations. She has strictly average [[InsistentTerminology field]] strength, knows ''no'' spells for direct offense or defense, her physical abilities are nothing special -- and she's been placed in a position where she regularly has to risk her life in direct combat. So how is she dealing with this? [[CombatPragmatist Through becoming the single dirtiest fighter anypony's ever seen.]] Take a telekinetic with exceptionally fine directional control who regularly carries sewing needles with her, then pray she doesn't have a straight shot at your eyes. And in physical combat, she'll go for joints, sensory organs, vulnerable spots, and everything else offered without caring about dignity or the pain of the other party, because all that pales in significance to her goal of coming out alive. Compared to the others, she may not bring much to bear -- but what she does have is targeted with terrifying efficiency.

* In ''FanFic/{{Vapors}}'' because she was found by the Third Hokage and adopted into the [[BadassFamily Uzumaki Clan]] as well as studying under [[BloodKnight Anko,]] Karin here is capable of holding her own with [[TheAce Sasuke]] in combat and is often paired with him on missions.

* In canon, [[BigBad Kaguya]] is a joke, an AntiClimaxBoss that was defeated by Naruto’s Reverse Harem Jutsu. In ''[[FanFic/BlackkatsReverse Reverse]]'', however, Kaguya is the HeroKiller and caused the extinction of the human race and Kurama’s plan boils down to [[PeggySue preventing]] her from awakening.

* ''Manga/{{Evangelion 303}}'': Several characters are more badass than their canon counterparts:

* ''Fanfic/EvaSessionsSomeplaceVastAndDry''

[[AC:''WebComic/OnePunchMan'']]

* In canon, Ash Ketchum is a rather bumbling, childish, and well...stupid, trainer. In ''FanFic/TheChosenOnesJourney'', all that is replaced with maturity, responsibility, discipline, and pure badass.

* ''FanFic/TheCommission'' takes the formidable, but still in training, girls of Team RWBY and makes them TheDreaded. They're the leaders of each of their groups, all acquired via hostile takeovers, and are engaged in their own [[TheConspiracy conspiracy]] with ruthlessness and efficiency that scares the original show's vilains. Heck, those villains appear in this fic as the girls' subordinates.

* ''Fanfic/CatRa''

* ''FanFic/SonicXDarkChaos'':

* ''FanFic/TalesOfSonicTheHedgehog'': While Sonic has never really been a wimp, most incarnations suffer from SuperDrowningSkills, which media like ''Anime/SonicX'' turns into severe hydrophobia to the point landing in a simple puddle of water triggers a FreakOut. Here, while still afraid of water, Sonic ''is'' capable of swimming.

* ''FanFic/SoulEaterTroubledSouls'': An increasing number of canon characters show more skill or competency than their original counterparts, which is saying something. They are even gifted more techniques and moves than normal, especially those who lacked them. Here are some specific examples:

* The original Super Readers don't even fight against their enemies and for the most part either talk to the villains to [[EasyEvangelism join their side]] or run away if things get dangerous. Super Readers in ''FanFic/SuperReadersBiggestAdventure'' receive [[MidSeasonUpgrade power upgrades]] and proceed to kick the butts of the [[DemonicPossession possessed citizens of Storybrook]], as well as the [[BigBad Evil Reader]] and [[TheDragon Lexicon]]'s. Special mention goes to Alpha Pig and Wonder Red, since both [[TookALevelInBadass went up a couple of levels]], but as of Chapter 20 [[spoiler:Super Why has one upped them]].

* In ''FanFic/TheKiritaChronicles'' Kirita, the {{Gender Flip}}ped version of Kirito, is more capable of being able to defend herself in the real world than he could. After quitting Kendo, she took up karate classes and is capable of delivering curb stomp battles to bullies and her fellow karate students. In canon, it is assumed Kirito focused solely on computers and video games. After being trapped in the video game, Kirita trains even harder to become stronger because she believes players will consider her vulnerable if they find out she is a female player.

[[AC:''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'']]

* ''FanFic/MaidensIllusionaryFuneral'' takes Yukari and Ran, already ancient sages with near-unsurpassed abilities, and makes them both TheJuggernaut who cleave through groups of specialist youkai hunters without a scratch. This in turn makes Yuyuko one as well, given she nearly killed Yukari while still trying to restrain her powers.

* ''Fanfic/CastSwap''

* ''Fanfic/MyRidonculousRace''

* In the fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12126095/1/Recursion Recursion]], the normal FinalBoss of the Genocide run, [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Sans]], is actually one of the first bosses [[SympatheticMurderer Frisk]] has to fight. The character that takes his place as the last and most difficult challenge before Asgore? It's ''[[TheQuietOne Napstablook]]'', who, after hearing about both of their cousins Mettaton and Furlablook dying, decides to fight... and gives Frisk a battle that puts Sans to shame.

[[AC:''Videogame/TheWalkingDead'']]
* ''FanFic/OldScars'' takes Sarah, one of the biggest liabilities in the game, and makes her more independent and self-aware, which allows her [[TookALevelInBadass Take A Level In Badass]] and become more capable and emotionally stable than her video game counterpart.

* In ''FanFic/WorldwarWarOfEquals'', all of South America, Central America, and Eastern Europe put up much more of a fight than they did in the source material. Human tanks qualify as well. In the original novels, even the best Human tanks of the 1940s could easily be destroyed by a single [[TankGoodness Landcruiser]]. Thanks to tank technology advancing in the last couple of decades, our tanks are either equal to or superior to their Landcruisers.

* Following in Young Justice tradition, Onomatopoeia in ''FanFic/WithThisRing''. In the comics, a guy with a gimmick. Here? A powerful magic user that uses onomatopoeia as the incantations for his spells.

[[AC: {{Crossover}}]]

[[AC: ''Anime/BattleOfThePlanets'']]

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'']]

[[AC: ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'']]

[[AC: ''Anime/CodeGeass'']]

[[AC: ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'']]

* A fair amount of the cast in ''Fanfic/Digimon02TheStoryWeNeverTold'' falls under this umbrella. The older Digidestined take a much more active role in the post-Digimon Emperor arcs. Sora avoided her [[{{Chickification}} chickification]]. [[spoiler: Ken built his own anti-Digimon weapons after the death of Wormmon. Kari mastered her powers over light. Dagomon is a threat equal to the Dark Masters. Sora and Matt's fathers (plus Izzy's parents) are revealed to have been the original Digidestined]] But the crown jewel goes to [[spoiler: Yukio Oikawa]]. [[spoiler: In canon, he was nothing more than a pawn of Myotismon. Here he's the BigBad, a former Digidestined, and comes very close to destroying, or rather merging, both worlds. He not only invented most of Ken's technology, but also proved capable of reprogramming the code of the Digital World, he created the D3s, D-Terminals, AND Veemon, Hawkmon, and Armadillomon. And to cap things off, he manipulated everyone from the Digidestined all the way up to the Digimon Sovereigns and Dagomon himself]]. FromNobodyToNightmare barely scratches the surface of the difference.

[[AC: ''Franchise/DragonBall'']]

[[AC: ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'']]

[[AC: ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'']]

[[AC: ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'']]

[[AC: ''Manga/FruitsBasket'']]

[[AC: ''Franchise/HarryPotter]]''

[[AC: WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures]]

[[AC: ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'']]
* In ''Fanfic/{{Horseshoes and Hand Grenades}}'', nearly every single character who ever appeared in ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'' have gone into fighting mode. This ranges from [[{{Otaku}} Yuki Jojima]] using her Hayabusa Plushie as a boxing glove, [[ButtMonkey Chuta Ohsugi]] fighting off his former love interest, Sarina Sonada and minor characters like the ones in the Amanogawa High Glee Club consist of a sword wielder, a samurai and a ninja.

[[AC: ''Anime/KillLaKill'']]

[[AC: ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'']]

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'']]

* In the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker original game]], Mila is just a background character at the beginning and a sidequest character at the end. In [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13105443/1/The-Legend-of-Zelda-The-Wind-Waker this novelisation]] of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]], she gets off to a rocky start by [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu insulting Tetra, a pirate,]] but near the end of the novel, she travels all the way to Diamond Steppe Island (which is really far away from Windfall Island in the original game. Even further in this since the novel expands the world dramatically) through unknown ways, climbs up the island and [[GuestStarPartyMember teams up with Link]], quickly learns how to swing on a grappling hook before doing it perfectly without assistance and even saves Link's life when he has to jump across a gap and almost falls in. [[PluckyGirl All of this just to escape poverty]]. She later turns up at Link's house with several others, now wearing normal clothes rather than rags.
* In [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]], Gohma is simply a BreatherBoss to introduce you to the boss mechanic in the game. In [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13189099/1/The-Legend-Of-Zelda-Ocarina-Of-Time a novelisation]] of the game, she starts of as a shelled spider that gets corrupted by Ganondorf and becomes a variant similar to the one from [[VideoGame/HyruleWarriors Hyrule Warriors]] with bladed forearms, hooked legs, [[RedEyesTakeWarning one massive, red eye]] that can '''shoot lasers''' and change colour, a mouth that can spit acid and [[BadassBaritone very masculine grunts]]. She even gives Link a run for his money in both of his fights with her, badly injuring him in the first.
* In [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]], Navi acts as an ExpositionFairy that reminds Link of his objectives and gives him hints on an enemy's weakness. In ''Fanfic/TheBoyWithoutAFairy'' she is much more involved in combat than her game-counterpart; she has the ability to unleash a flash of light to blind foes, is willing to ram her entire body into foes as a distraction to take the attention off Link, and can come up with complex strategies on the fly. Her role in combat is especially prominent early in the story when Link is completely inexperienced in fighting and has to heavily rely on Navi's support just to stay alive.

[[AC: ''Manga/LoveHina'']]

[[AC: ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'']]

[[AC: ''Anime/MaiHime'']]

[[AC: ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'']]

[[AC: Franchise/MarvelUniverse]]

[[AC: ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'']]
* In ''{{FanFic/Vapors}}'' because she was found by the Third Hokage and adopted into the [[BadassFamily Uzumaki Clan]] as well as studying under [[BloodKnight Anko,]] Karin here is capable of holding her own with [[TheAce Sasuke]] in combat and is often paired with him on missions.

[[AC: ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'']]

* In ''Fanfic/WatashitachiWaRogerKaizokuDesuWeWillStandProud'', Buggy knows both Armaments and Observation Haki with mention that there's no way someone who was on the Oro Jackson for years wouldn't know both. While Crocus genuinely thinks Buggy was trying to kill Luffy, in reality he was just testing the boy, like he does all East Blue rookies.

[[AC: ''VideoGame/Persona5'']]

[[AC: ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'']]

[[AC: ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'']]

[[AC: ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'']]

[[AC: ''Franchise/SailorMoon'']]

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'']]

[[AC: ''Manga/SoulEater'']]

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/SuperWhy'']]

[[AC: ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'']]

[[AC: ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'']]

[[AC: ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'']]

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'']]

[[AC: ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'']]

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/{{Trollhunters}}'']]

[[AC: ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'']]

[[AC: ''Videogame/TheWalkingDead'']]

[[AC: ''Literature/{{Worldwar}}'']]

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'']]

* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/17249318/chapters/41377370#workskin What's in a Hoard?]]''

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14884211/chapters/34469111 Watashitachi wa Roger Kaizoku Desu (We Will Stand Proud)]]'', Buggy knows both Armaments and Observation Haki with mention that there's no way someone who was on the Oro Jackson for years wouldn't know both. While Crocus genuinely thinks Buggy was trying to kill Luffy, in reality he was just testing the boy, like he does all East Blue rookies.

** In the comics, King Aspen was just the ruler of the Deers of Thicket, skilled in wielding magic especially [[GreenThumb plant magic]]. In the Codexverse, he's an ''Ascendant Godling'', a powerful Seer (specifically, he's a god of Prophecy), and a prodigy in druidic magic such as animal control, nature manipulation, and potion-making. Of note, a group of Hydianite Covens suffered a decisive and ''brutal'' defeat at the hooves of a vengeful Aspen, who paid them back for what they did to his fawnhood kingdom by decimating them down to the last warrior, and then forcibly converting their headquarters into forest territory by sprouting trees, displacing and killing those who were in the area of impact.

* Cadence in canon, while admittedly having some badass moments, is still mainly a supporting character. On the other hand, Cadence from the ''FanFic/BloomingMoonChronicles'' has wanted to be a soldier ever since she was young, rather than sit back and be a princess. Over the course of the series, she eventually grows more proficient at fighting, being able to utilize both weapons and magic to her advantage. She becomes part of the Orphans, an elite fighting force that keeps [[TheMultiverse the worlds]] safe from threats. At one point, she takes on [[spoiler: [[BigBad Loki]] himself]], and is capable of going head-to-head with some of his strongest forces.
* In the ''Fanfic/HarmonyAndValor'' series, Flash Sentry and Sweetie Drops are martial art masters who are strong enough to toss thugs around like ragdolls.

[[folder:B-C]]
[[AC: ''VideoGame/BackyardSports'']]
* Jorge Garcia in ''Fanfic/TheSecretLifeOfTheBackyardKids''. He outruns Pablo Sanchez on all fours, gets superpowers, and basically becomes Bricksfield's equivalent of Franchise/{{Zorro}}.

[[AC: ''Anime/BattleOfThePlanets'']]
* Security Chief Anderson in the ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/series/394162 Battle of the Planets:2163]]'' arc gets an upgrade to badass on the grounds that you don't get to be the Chief of Galaxy Security by being a nice person. He carries a gun and isn't afraid to use it, to the consternation of his staff. He's also TheSnarkKnight which is an extension of some of his better lines in the actual series.

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'']]
* [[SorcerousOverlord The Horned King]] was a NonActionBigBad in the movie. (A ''[[KnightOfCerebus scary]]'' NonActionBigBad, but still.) In ''Fanfic/HopeForTheHeartless'', in which he's ResurrectedForAJob, he gets in several fight scenes, proving in all of them that he's ''[[LightningBruiser not]]'' [[LightningBruiser someone to be trifled with]].

[[AC:''Manga/{{Bleach}}'']]
* ''Fanfic/AProtectorsPride'': Ichigo starts the Arrancar arc with access to his Hollow powers. All the the good guys in general are a lot smarter and pragmatic than in canon, especially Chad and Orihime, who are ''not'' useless.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11021904/1/ White]]'' drastically powers up the Espada. ''Eight'' of the ten are Vasto Lordes and those who were Vasto Lordes in canon are generally more skilled and/or powerful from training with White/Ichigo.
** [[AmazonBrigade Apacci, Loly, and Menoly]] are each barely weaker than the Ninth Espada due to having eaten Yammy prior to becoming Arrancar.
** Ayon is considerably more powerful (requiring multiple Sternritters to fight) because not only is he composed of five arrancar rather than three (Apacci, Loly, Menoly, Mila Rose, and Sun-sung), but they pull off a full FusionDance to create him rather than tear off their arms and combine them.
** Karin awakens Shinigami powers and Yuzu awakens Quincy powers.

[[AC: ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'']]
* Calvin was always a bit adventurous, but his CharacterDevelopment in ''Fanfic/TheCalvinverse'' furthers it, leading to him becoming a GadgeteerGenius and eventually a ManipulativeBastard.

[[AC: ''Anime/CodeGeass'']]
* C.C. is outright superhuman in ''Fanfic/TheBlackEmperor'' because she can consciously push her body past its normal limits and heal off any damage as it occurs. Likewise, Lelouch is actually fairly athletic and highly skilled with his BladeBelowTheShoulder.
** Later chapters show Milly's a skilled marksman and gains a geass for herself in the second chapter.
** Euphemia not only gains her own geass but is also an observant and intelligent commander from her years following Cornelia from battlefield to battlefield.
* In the original anime, Lelouch had plenty of courage and was good with a gun, but him being out of shape was a RunningGag and he didn't stand a chance in a fistfight. In ''Fanfic/CodeGeassThePreparedRebellion'', he's much more athletic and quite proficient in martial arts.
* Both Sayoko and Jeremiah in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12201158/4/Darwin Darwin]]'' undergo multiple surgeries upgrading themselves with cybernetics. While Jeremiah is a hulking figure with a titanium skeleton and massive muscles, Sayoko had her nervous system upgraded, greatly increasing her speed and reflexes. Both also have bulletproof skin and cybernetic eyes with a plethora of features.
** Kallen gets a cybernetic implant that allows her the directly interface with a Knightmare frame. Rather than using the controls, she pilots the Knightmare with her thoughts.
* In canon, C.C. was a decent Knightmare pilot but nothing special. In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13437733/8/Lelouch-of-the-Apotheosis Lelouch of the Apotheosis]]'', she is one of the three first Knightmare pilots along with Bismark and Marianne. According to C.C., they quite literally wrote the book on Knightmare combat, as evidenced when she completely curbstomps Cornelia despite using an older model.
** Nunnally function as MissionControl rather than sitting on the sidelines for most of the series. She also later is the one to kill V.V. and take his code.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6200608/1/More-than-just-a-Man More than just a Man]]'' both Lelouch and C.C. are more physically capable than canon. Lelouch is only slightly better, though with far superior hand eye coordination (being able to disable a Knightmare by shooting it's factosphere with a pistol), due to being a newly turned vampire. Meanwhile C.C. is ''far'' more physically capable given that she's an over two thousand year old vampire who has every Geass ability displayed in canon (here, they're vampiric abilities).
* Euphie is generally seen as an AllLovingHeroine who is ultimately TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth, but there are fics that change things up a bit for her:
** ''FanFic/AColdCalculus'' has her start out as Britannia's exchequer, rooting out corruption and [[spoiler:sneaking away resources for her, Cornelia and Schneizel to use in a planned coup against Emperor Charles]]. Later, she becomes a political powerhouse in Japan and successfully de-fangs the resistance movements with effective policy changes and hearts-and-minds campaigns, and would have won the country without a fight if it weren't for the EU. And in the second half, [[spoiler:after becoming Empress of Britannia]], she prosecutes a war of vengeance on the EU that is sure to end in her victory and all negotiations essentially boil down to her asking them "Just how badly do you want to lose?"
** ''FanFic/RiseOfANewMoon'' has her as a supporting character, but one who starts out the story as having joined Camelot as a test pilot, having wanted to flex her skills after being taught by Cornelia. When [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters the Blood of the Samurai]] attack the capital, she takes to the field with Suzaku and defends Ashford Academy.

* In ''Fanfoc/NaturalSelection'', plenty of characters are way stronger than they were in canon.

** Zig-zagged with Julie. She doesn't gain Ship, but she does gain StarForce training, a bionic arm, and showcases better unarmed combat skills.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13245871/1/Changing-of-the-Guard Changing of the Guard]]'', Max is an even bigger badass than canon. In ''Ben 10'', he was already the best Plumber there was, but here, he was the previous wielder of the Omnitrix and was widely considered to be completely unstoppable prior to his retirement.

** [[spoiler: Jade being cured of her second stint as the Queen by Will using the Heart creates a ''sixth'' Auremere, bound to her.]]