History Main / CharlesAtlasSuperpower

* ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar''/''Hokuto no Ken''. Everybody without a mohawk has a CAS. Everyone with a mohawk is just cannon fodder, as weak and defenseless as [[{{Mooks}} fanged bunnies]]. Ken mentions at one point that most humans ever use only a small fraction of what their bodies are capable of, and the Hokuto Shinken school teaches (in addition to the pressure points) how to apply your full potential.

* Elizabeth in ''Manga/IGotMyWishAndReincarnatedAsTheVillainessLastBoss'' is a strange case. She is born with strong magical powers. However, she only has physical capabilities [[WorldsStrongestWoman to match]] because the person who reincarnated into her was a DelicateAndSickly girl in her past life who's too frail to even leave the bed, and as a result post-reincarnation she ''over''compensated for it.

** Speaking of Rouge, she fits this too. She's not genetically engineered like her longtime partner [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogShadowTheHedgehog Shadow,]] nor is she a walking arsenal like E-123 Omega. Yet she's able to keep up with Knuckles in combat and destroys tons of robots alongside Shadow and Omega. Her abilities were honed over the years she's spent globetrotting as a master jewel thief, long before she met any of the series cast.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'': Lady is quite mortal ([[spoiler:albeit descended from an unnamed mortal priestess whose blood was used to seal Temen-Ni-Gru]]), yet is capable of incredible feats of agility, hauling around a squad's worth of firearms on her person, and takes a knife through the thigh and continues to stagger on out of sheer heroic determination. It's remarked upon in-game that she has no real exceptional strength of body -- it seems these kind of abilities are standard issue in the ''Devil May Cry'' 'verse if you just believe hard enough.

** Suzaku Kururugi is stronger and faster than normal humans. This is demonstrated rather memorably when he dodges fire from an automated ceiling-mounted machine gun, runs up a nearby wall, and destroys the turret with a HurricaneKick (and all of this '''before''' [[spoiler:he got geassed]]). The geass placed on Suzaku [[spoiler:was the command to live, removing all hesitation during combat and made him use his superhuman reflexes optimally, moving fast enough to beat even someone who could see the future]]. Apparently, this was going to be explored at some point, but ExecutiveMeddling with the second season forced the writers to focus on other plotlines and leave this unexplained.

* In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'', it is implied if not outright shown that the Furious Five can handle just about anything thrown at them in a kung fu fight, no matter whether that particular animal is truly that strong or resilient in real life. Mantis, somehow, is able to hold up a broken suspension bridge with five other people on it, including the very heavy Tai Lung and Tigress, while Crane, though spindly as hell, is able to carry Tigress out of the gorge. It is Shifu, Tai Lung, and Po who truly take the cake however, as between the two climactic fights they engage in, these three somehow manage to survive things no one possibly could, emerging only with mussed fur, bent whiskers, and the occasional dazed stagger.

** Born an ordinary human, [[Characters/DaredevilSupportingCharacters Elektra]] developed her powers through years and years of training -- and, as seen in her ''ComicBook/DarkReign'' crossover, is capable of [[DodgeTheBullet dodging bullets]]. Mostly. Corrupt government agents were plinking at her. The commanding officer figures out the best BLAM! Don't go on about it too much and she can be hit.

** Tails and Amy both fit this. They’re not naturally super-fast, like [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogSonicTheHedgehog the Blue Blur they always hang around with,]] nor are they naturally super-strong like [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogKnucklesTheEchidna the Guardian of the Master Emerald.]] Instead, both of them developed their abilities over the tons of adventures they’ve done throughout the series’ games. They’ve both demonstrated abilities nearing that of Sonic and Knuckles, and trashing Eggman’s machinery is as easy as breathing for them. In Amy’s case, in striving to earn Sonic’s respect, she became inspired to undergo Training From Hell, which included boxercising with weighted training gear. In Tails’ case, it’s chalked up to the years he’s spent as Sonic’s KidSidekick. In ''VideoGame/SonicRivals2'', Rouge gets surprised by his speed when Tails beats her in a race at the start of his story. Tails outright tells her how he’s been training with Sonic.

** Kaede wields [[{{BFS}} shuriken that's taller than she is]], and in the [[WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue epilogue]] has apparently learned to traverse space [[BatmanCanBreatheInSpace without a suit or ship]].

The standard line here is that "[[UninhibitedMusclePower the average person only uses ten to fifteen percent of their potential strength]]". It's possible for the brain to use far more muscle power than the person would normally consider their limit, but usually only by shutting down most other major body processes (digestion, the immune system, etc.) and flooding the body with adrenaline-- otherwise known as the "fight or flight" response. In other words, it's a DangerousForbiddenTechnique only ever used for BigDamnHeroes moments. It's common for a ProtoSuperhero to derive his or her extraordinary talents this way, as such characters pre-date most stock SuperHeroOrigin stories.

The standard line here is that "[[UninhibitedMusclePower the average person only uses ten to fifteen percent of their potential strength]]". It's possible for the brain to use far more muscle power than the person would normally consider their limit, but usually only by shutting down most other major body processes -- digestion, the immune system, etc. -- and flooding the body with adrenaline. Otherwise known as the "fight or flight" response. In other words, it's a DangerousForbiddenTechnique only ever used for BigDamnHeroes moments. It's common for a ProtoSuperhero to derive his or her extraordinary talents this way, as such characters pre-date most stock SuperHeroOrigin stories.

** Adin, the first King of Deltora [[spoiler:(and Lief's ancestor)]], could hold his own against a Jail Knight in a sword fight and then Adin was taught skilled swordplay by said knight before continuing his journey and [[ArcherArchetype with bow]] he could kill a proto-Vraal with one arrow.

*** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'': Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer, [[spoiler: can instantaneously shift between her appearance to match any fictional character.]]

** Another variation is Fujiwara no Mokou, a [[PlayingWithFire phoenix-themed pyromancer]] OptionalBoss, which puts her at a pretty high SuperWeight even by Touhou's standards. Unlike most of them, she isn't of a Youkai super-race or blessed by triple 7's in the SuperpowerLottery - she just has CompleteImmortality and honed her skills to that level over time.

* Downplayed in ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' thanks to this series' more realistic take on the ComicBook/{{Batman}} mythos and somehow justified with Bruce Wayne's TrainingFromHell in ''BatmanBegins'', he still shows some nearly superhuman skills like disappearing without others noticing or having enough power to lift a mafia boss out of his car over the course of the movies. In ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' a several injured Bruce also is able to heal from his back being broken and escape a prison hole thanks to sheer willpower.