History Main / GreatnessMistakenForFailure

How can this happen? Maybe the character [[AppealToTradition refuses to do things the standard way, and thus is perceived as incompetent]], even if their way gives better results. Maybe they're subjected to an exam, but end up with a failing grade because their genius-level knowledge doesn't fit into the standardized answer key. Or maybe any attempts at measuring their skills fail, because the in-universe ranking systems, skill tests, power meters, etc. aren't built to handle their might. Power meters either [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale fail to give any readings]] or [[ReadingsBlewUpTheScale outright explode]], which onlookers blame on "shoddy equipment".

How can this happen? Maybe the character refuses to do things the standard way, and thus is perceived as incompetent, even if their way gives better results. Maybe they're subjected to an exam, but end up with a failing grade because their genius-level knowledge doesn't fit into the standardized answer key. Or maybe any attempts at measuring their skills fail, because the in-universe ranking systems, skill tests, power meters, etc. aren't built to handle their might. Power meters either [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale fail to give any readings]] or [[ReadingsBlewUpTheScale outright explode]], which onlookers blame on "shoddy equipment".

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

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* [[https://myartofwellness.com/wisdom-story-dr-tan-bian-que-king/ A traditional Chinese tale]] tells of three physician brothers – the most famous treats only life-threatening illnesses, offering dramatic cures that win him great renown. His second brother skillfully treats ailments as they arise. The youngest brother, who focuses on preventing disease through healthy living, is known only within his village. Ironically, this most skilled doctor is the least renowned, since his preventative success leaves no dramatic illnesses to cure and gain recognition.
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barometer_question The barometer question]] is variously attributed, although not to Niels Bohr as some versions would have it, but starts with a physics exam question intended to elicit the answer of using a barometer to measure the difference in air pressure at two altitudes to determine the height of a building. A student is marked as failing when they provide a different but technically correct method, then is able to give a satisfactory answer involving another principle of physics, and finally provides several other solutions that differ from the expected procedure. The furthest one from physics is to offer the maintenance person in charge of the building the expensive barometer in exchange for information about the building's height. The story is used by various teachers and texts to illustrate that not only is there often more than one correct solution, but that creativity (even genius) can be quashed by rigid adherence to rote and regurgitation.
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** In the soft ball throw, he gets the ''worst'' mark in the class, because he tosses the ball sky-high instead of away from himself, so it falls down fairly close to him.

* ''Literature/SupposeAKidFromTheLastDungeonBooniesMovedToAStarterTown'': Lloyd is the weakest person in his village that is right next to the final dungeon. [[NormalFishInATinyPond He is ridiculously overpowered compared to everyone else in the capitol]] but still thinks he's weak. He fails the entrance exams to the military academy because he's so fast and strong, no one can see him perform the physical tests. His magic knowledge is based off of an [[OldMagic ancient magic]] that very few people in the capitol would recognize, so the examiners think he just wrote down gibberish.

* UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein told his biographer, "my parents were worried because I started to talk comparatively late, and they consulted a doctor because of it." It turned out that his reluctant speech came from the same cause as his difficulty paying attention in elementary school classrooms-- not from what appeared to be a learning disability, but from such advanced cognitive abilities that the young boy was spending his time thinking about more complex concepts than his Kindergarten teachers were testing.

* Rather infamously, ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' ''tried'' to do this in "Men at Work", where Jimmy takes a BurgerFool job and uses his smarts to calculate every sale personally; his dimwitted manager Skeet interprets this as him being too dumb/lazy to use the cash register ("No human brain can add three things at the same time, dude") and puts him on mop duty. The vast majority of teenage and adult viewers [[StrawmanHasAPoint side with Skeet on this]], pointing out that a cash register and its receipts are any business's ''first'' line of defense against an employee StealingFromTheTill.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In the episode ''[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E9TheQualityOfLife The Quality of Life]]'', the Enterprise crew meet a scientist who has invented a new type of repair robot called an [[InTheFutureWeStillHaveRoombas Exocomp]]. When one of the Exocomps seems to exhibit self-preservation instincts (by fleeing a conduit just before it explodes), Data believes they may have [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming developed sapience]]. He tries to test it by sending the Exocomp into a conduit which is broadcasting a signal that will make the Exocomp think the conduit is going to explode. It seems at first that the Exocomp has failed the test, as it doesn't try to flee the conduit, but it later turns out that the Exocomp realised that there was no real danger and simply deactivated the overload signal.

* In "Literature/BlackJewels", the current incarnation of Witch, Jaenelle Angelline, is by far the [[BlessedWithSuck most powerful Blood to have ever lived]]. Because of the enormity of her power, she is unable to perform the most basic Craft tasks, like finding her shoes. Her biological family thought she was completely inept. The problem is that she cannot 'tone down' her powers enough to navigate basic tasks.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In the episode [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E9TheQualityOfLife The Quality of Life]], the Enterprise crew meet a scientist who has invented a new type of repair robot called an [[InTheFutureWeStillHaveRoombas Exocomp]]. When one of the Exocomps seems to exhibit self-preservation instincts (by fleeing a conduit just before it explodes), Data believes they may have [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming developed sapience]]. He tries to test it by sending the Exocomp into a conduit which is broadcasting a signal that will make the Exocomp think the conduit is going to explode. It seems at first that the Exocomp has failed the test, as it doesn't try to flee the conduit, but it later turns out that the Exocomp realised that there was no real danger and simply deactivated the overload signal.

This is distinct from a character deliberately [[WillfullyWeak suppressing]] or hiding their power level to seem weak; this represents the case where the character has a poor reputation, despite not actively trying to do so. Sometimes, it may lead to UnderestimatingBadassery. See also ObfuscatingStupidity, when the character ''wants'' people to think this. Compare and contrast CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass and LetsGetDangerous, when the character genuinely ''is'' a ditz but is also a badass.

This is distinct from a character deliberately [[WillfullyWeak suppressing]] or hiding their power level to seem weak; this represents the case where the character has a poor reputation, despite not actively trying to do so. Sometimes, it may lead to UnderestimatingBadassery.

* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': Tedd Verres was thought to be magically impaired, despite his parents both being wizards, due to his inability to gain spells and his parents' magic analysis wand not registering any magic in him as a baby. He later learns he is in fact a ''very'' powerful wizard, but of a rare variety that can't gain spells. [[spoiler: He is actually a seer, one who can literally see how magic works and create wands that other wizards can learn spells from.]] The magic analysis wand didn't work around him [[spoiler: because the noise it made scared baby Tedd so much he accidentally resisted its power, something only a really strong wizard could do.]]

How can this happen? Maybe the character refuses to do things the standard way, and thus is perceived as incompetent, even if their way gives better results. Maybe they're subjected to an exam, but end up with a failing grade because their genius-level knowledge doesn't fit into the standardized answer key. Or maybe any attempts at measuring their skills fail, because the in-universe ranking systems, skill tests, power meters etc. aren't built to handle their might. Power meters either [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale fail to give any readings]] or [[ReadingsBlewUpTheScale outright explode]], which onlookers blame on "shoddy equipment".

** In the 100m dash, he takes off by using the full force of his muscles, and promptly falls over because the ground of the school stadium isn't built to withstand such impact and breaks under him.

** In the chin up test, he does fifteen chin ups so fast that nobody even notices him doing it. When asked to repeat, he ends up breaking the bar with his sheer power, much to the teacher's fury.
** {{Subverted|Trope}} in the end, however, as the teacher passes him after seeing Baki beat a 800m run world record.
* ''Manga/CipherAcademy'': Ensa Kasuri is quite smart and is the fastest-moving student in the class, to the point of solving complex jigsaw puzzles at SuperSpeed. She is so fast, she completes assignments before anyone notices her working, so the rest of the class thinks she is incompetent and sluggish. It doesn't help that, most of the time, she is unmotivated and unwilling to draw attention to herself.

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/11843493 Fourth Floor]]'', a Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse AlternateUniverse fic, Steve is a student at the local wizard college, trying to follow in his mother's footsteps but failing to produce any magic, despite his knowledge of theory. When his drawings start coming to life, he at first attributes it to a fluke or to living at the Night Light, until Phillips takes notice and tells Steve he should look into visual magic and transfer schools, because the magic infused in his drawings is ''incredibly'' powerful. As he explains it, trying to get Steve to do traditional spells (which are more like coding in this universe) is like "trying to make a double bass play high C".

* In ''Literature/TheFootfallsOfChessHorses'', Tyupa is a twelve-year-old who [[ChildProdigy develops his own non-Euclidean geometry]]. His attempts to explain it at school result in him being dubbed stupid, contrary and unruly and barely passing the class. Finally, he meets with Professor Rekordarsky who recognizes his talent and gets him transferred to an elite school with a focus on maths and physics, where Tyupa's gifts can finally blossom to the fullest.

--> '''Brittany:''' My entire life, people have always told me that I was stupid. And after a while I started to believe them. And it wasn't until I walked in this room and I joined this club that I really started believing in myself. And as soon as I did that, as soon as I started believing that maybe I was smart after all, I think the whole world did, too.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In the episode [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E9TheQualityOfLife The Quality of Life]], the Enterprise crew meet a scientist who has invented a new type of repair robot called an [[InTheFutureWeStillHaveRoombas Exocomp]]. When one of the Exocomps seems to exhibit self preservation instincts (by fleeing a conduit just before it explodes), Data believes they may have [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming developed sapience]]. He tries to test it by sending the Exocomp into a conduit which is broadcasting a signal that will make the Exocomp think the conduit is going to explode. It seems at first that the Exocomp has failed the test, as it doesn't try to flee the conduit, but it later turns out that the Exocomp realised that there was no real danger and simply deactivated the overload signal.

* ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'': It's the RunningGag of the series that Saitama is the most powerful hero in the world, but very few people know him as such. There's at least one case where it happens due to his sheer power: In a bonus chapter, the genius inventor Child Emperor uses a helmet that measures power levels. It fails to give a reading for Saitama (since [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale Saitama's power is way above what it can measure]]), which Child Emperor inteprets as Saitama being too ''weak'' to be properly graded.

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