History Main / AlwaysNeedWhatYouGaveUp

* ''Nier'' has this to some extend. Those somewhat worthwhile goat hides with good value? Welcome to hours of killing goats for a quest. The expensive but otherwise easy money when sold as VendorTrash? You need those for another quest. That gives better pay.

* In the ''SonicTheHedgehog'' game ''Sonic Adventure 2'', Knuckles the Echidna, fighting over possession of his precious Master Emerald with FemmeFatale Rouge the Bat, notices Robotnik stealing the gem away from under their noses. Instead of attacking Robotnik directly to get the gem back, he...shatters the Emerald, explaining that he can always gather up the pieces later. Seems like a good idea at the time...until it's realized the gem is needed to help stop [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt a giant space station powered by Chaos Emeralds from crashing into Earth]]. Oh, and Rouge is a master jewel thief with technology that can help her find the broken shards just as well as Knuckles' internal Chaos detector can. (Knuckles probably also should have shattered it with less force, as the shards are sent all over the continent.)

* In the movie ''Superman II'', Superman gives up his superpowers for Lois Lane -- just before he needs them in order to defeat the Phantom Zone villains. In the original cut of the film, the means by which he recovers his abilities -- by consuming the energy that powered the Fortress of Solitude's holographic projections of his parents -- is not revealed to the audience, as Marlon Brando had refused to appear in the movie after original director Richard Donner was fired. The recently released Donner cut of the film includes this scene.

* MMOs seem to have this happen to new players. Alot of people who've had these experiances seems to horde every item they gain until they're completely sure they don't need them. [[spoiler: Bonus points if they sold them and still needed them.]]

* In the ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh GX}}'' manga, Manjyome buries his "Light and Darkness Dragon" (whose Duel Spirit fills in the role of the Ojamas), because he wants to prove that he's good enough to be in Obelisk Blue on his own (which he confesses was later due to fear of losing with Light and Darkness Dragon). Manjyome immediately recovers the card after Judai uses ''his'' Duel Spirit to defeat him, and [[spoiler:wins in their rematch in the finals of the academy tournament]].

* In the ninth ''ThePendragonAdventure'' book, ''Raven Rise'', Mark gives his Traveler ring to a villain because he figures that since Bobby can't communicate with him anymore anyways, it's useless and will save his parents without hurting anybody. It ends up literally causing the apocalypse.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' [[VirginNewAdventures New Adventures]] novel ''Human Nature'', and the TV two-parter based on it, Doctor turns himself into a human schoolteacher, with none of the knowledge or abilities of his normal self. In the TV story, it's to avoid being tracked by the MonsterOfTheWeek, but in the book it's just to experience what his companions go through (having been given the idea by, it turns out, one of the villains, deliberately so that he could be taken advantage of in his reduced state).

* In part three of ''TheMatrix'', some of the secondary characters pull a BigDamnHeroes moment by flying their hovercraft into the dock and activating the EMP, shutting down every robot in the place -- [[NiceJobBreakingItHero only to be informed by the general that this has also disabled all of their best defenses against the next wave]]. Might be a subversion, however, as the dock was already said to be lost when they conceived the plan; Lock was just looking for a scapegoat.

* ''VideoGame/Nier'' has this to some extend. Those somewhat worthwhile goat hides with good value? Welcome to hours of killing goats for a quest. The expensive but otherwise easy money when sold as VendorTrash? You need those for another quest. That gives better pay.

Contrast with {{Brought Down to Normal}}, where the loss is never voluntary, and sometimes enjoyed -- and the lost power is returned just in time to use it. Compare CantStayNormal, which is the usual result.

This is also used sometimes as an explanation for ChaoticNeutral or ChaoticStupid actions. Contrast {{I Did What I Had to Do}}, which does the same as in this case, but for LawfulNeutral or LawfulStupid actions.

* In the movie ''Superman 2'', Superman gives up his superpowers for Lois Lane -- just before he needs them in order to defeat the Phantom Zone villains. In the original cut of the film, the means by which he recovers his abilities -- by consuming the energy that powered the Fortress of Solitude's holographic projections of his parents -- is not revealed to the audience, as Marlon Brando had refused to appear in the movie after original director Richard Donner was fired. The recently released Donner cut of the film includes this scene.
* The plot of ''Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome'' could be seen as a delayed Good Idea. Man had hunted whales to extinction in the 21st century. In Kirk's time, a probe arrives that will destroy Earth unless someone responds to its call... which turns out to be the song of a humpback whale. TimeTravel and AnAesop against the dangers of overwhaling are of course involved.

* In ''FinalDestination 2'', Clear Rivers was the last of the survivors of the Flight 180 crash from the previous movie. [[YouCantFightFate Death has a list with her name on it.]] She spent all of the first movie thwarting Death's attempts at claiming her and successfully escaped every seeming "accident". In the second film she had decided that the only place safe for her from these "accidents" was to lock herself up in a small padded cell, living like a prisoner, with no sharp objects or anything that could conceivably kill her. She is safe... until the next group of people on Death's list seek her out. She is reluctant to help at first but later decides to leave the protection of her cell and start living again. Unsurprisingly, she dies before the end of the film.

* In ''Laura Leander'' series, the titular heroine gives up her power as Light Guardian in order to get her mother RescuedFromPurgatory. It seems a perfectly valid idea, since an ancient agreement forbids Dark Guardians from using their powers to hurt anybody who isn't a Light Guardian directly. Unfortunately, [[spoiler: The BigBad, who desires revenge on her for previous defeats, finds a way to hurt her ''past self'' (from times she was a Guardian), and she has to assist her past self with her powers now gone...]]

* In the ''{{Sonic the Hedgehog}}'' game ''Sonic Adventure 2'', Knuckles the Echidna, fighting over possession of his precious Master Emerald with FemmeFatale Rouge the Bat, notices Robotnik stealing the gem away from under their noses. Instead of attacking Robotnik directly to get the gem back, he...shatters the Emerald, explaining that he can always gather up the pieces later. Seems like a good idea at the time...until it's realized the gem is needed to help stop [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt a giant space station powered by Chaos Emeralds from crashing into Earth]]. Oh, and Rouge is a master jewel thief with technology that can help her find the broken shards just as well as Knuckles' internal Chaos detector can. (Knuckles probably also should have shattered it with less force, as the shards are sent all over the continent.)
** Many of Knuckles' recent strategies in guarding the Master Emerald could be taken as a sign that he's accepted the futility of his job -- i.e. one guy who still has to sleep being expected to guard an incredibly powerful, important, and desirable {{MacGuffin}} 24/7 all by his lonesome. What seems like a better idea to you -- spending all your time lurking next to it, pouncing on every stray sparrow that happens by in case of ill will, or going off and doing your own thing and then just going to retrieve it when it inevitably is stolen?

* Nale in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0067.html This strip]] of ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick'' strip, and his twin brother Elan in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0232.html this one]].

* In Disney's {{Disney/Hercules}}, Hercules agrees to surrender his SuperStrength as part of a deal with Hades. As soon as the deal is complete, Hades frees the Titans from imprisonment and launches his invasion of Greece and Mount Olympus.

* In ''MahouSenseiNegima!'', Negi seals his magical talent for three days in order to avoid the temptation to "fix" his class's test results with a spell. He immediately finds himself in a dangerous situation where he must rely upon his students for safety.

* The plot of ''StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome'' could be seen as a delayed Good Idea. Man had hunted whales to extinction in the 21st century. In Kirk's time, a probe arrives that will destroy Earth unless someone responds to its call... which turns out to be the song of a humpback whale. TimeTravel and AnAesop against the dangers of overwhaling are of course involved.

* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWar II'', Kratos drains his divine power into an artifact so that he can destroy the (animated) [[ImplacableMan Colossus of Rhodes]]. Of course, given that the whole thing was just a BatmanGambit on the part of Zeus, Kratos shortly learns the drawback of vesting all your power in an artifact, as Zeus betrays him and sends him to [[PlanetHeck Hades]].

* A variation in {{Sherlock}}: Irene [[spoiler: fakes her death and sends her phone to {{Sherlock}}.]] She soon has to get it back.

* In ''{{God of War}} II'', Kratos drains his divine power into an artifact so that he can destroy the (animated) [[ImplacableMan Colossus of Rhodes]]. Of course, given that the whole thing was just a BatmanGambit on the part of Zeus, Kratos shortly learns the drawback of vesting all your power in an artifact, as Zeus betrays him and sends him to [[PlanetHeck Hades]].

* In Disney's {{Hercules}}, Hercules agrees to surrender his SuperStrength as part of a deal with Hades. As soon as the deal is complete, Hades frees the Titans from imprisonment and launches his invasion of Greece and Mount Olympus.

* In the ''{{He-Man and the Masters of the Universe}}'' episode "The Problem with Power", He-Man surrenders the sword that gives him the power of Grayskull because Skeletor tricks him into thinking that he's killed someone. Once He-Man discovers the truth, he has to retrieve the sword to regain his power.

* A painful example in ''{{Gantz}}''. Kurono [[spoiler:earns 100 points and chooses freedom to be with his girlfriend at the cost of his memory. The end result: he thinks his girlfriend is a stalker, and he and his little brother are both murdered by vampires]]. %%Possibly useful information: was all this permanent? If so, it may qualify as a subversion.

* And, of course, in ''{{The Lord of the Rings}}'', BigBad Sauron pours a significant portion of his might into the forging of The One Ring, which can then magnify this power and control all of the ''other'' magic rings. Until some scrawny little hobbit drops it back down the volcano, that is.

* Several times in ''TheMask'' animated series, including the pilot, Stanley tries to give away or bury the eponymous artifact only to desperately need it again by the halfway point.

Contrast with {{Brought Down to Normal}}, where the loss is never voluntary, and sometimes enjoyed -- and the lost power is returned just in time to use it. Compare [=~Can't Stay Normal~=], which is the usual result.

** This almost borders on {{What an Idiot}}, mostly because this particular villain (or at least the villain she directly works for, knows several things about Traveler powers that the protagonists don't and is a ''master'' of the XanatosGambit, and Mark damn well knows it.

* In ''{{God of War}} II'', Kratos drains his divine power into an artifact so that he can destroy the (animated) [[ImplacableMan Colossus of Rhodes]]. Of course, given that the whole thing was just a XanatosGambit on the part of Zeus, Kratos shortly learns the drawback of vesting all your power in an artifact, as Zeus betrays him and sends him to [[PlanetHeck Hades]].