History Main / HandicappedBadass

%%%

%%%

%%Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1305984395070741000
%%Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

[[caption-width-right:320:[[ComicBook/{{Oracle}} She]] doesn't need ''legs'' to kick [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker his]] ass.]]

[[caption-width-right:320:[[ComicBook/{{Oracle}} She]] doesn't need ''legs'' to kick your ass.]]

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', being set in a WorldOfBadass, has numerous examples ranging from amputees (Mercury Black, James Ironwood, [[spoiler:Yang Xiao Long]]), blind characters (Fox Alistair, Maria Calavera), one mute character (Neopolitan), and several characters dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder throughout the series.

This trope is often seen in RealLife among people who don't accept the DreamCrushingHandicap as the final word. Of course, not everyone wants to follow this trope and be "{{inspirational|lyDisadvantaged}}". Instead, they'd rather [[IJustWantToBeNormal go about their lives]], maybe with (God forbid) a few ''accommodations''. On the bright side, at least it isn't [[DontYouDarePityMe vomit-inducing pity]]. Compare PregnantBadass. On the more intelligent side, compare GeniusCripple, and if both of these tropes overlap with each other, you'll get GeniusBruiser.

* Parodied in ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''. Scientists have discovered cures for everything and doctors are out of a job - but everyone finds this universal perfect health rather boring. Then they realise that "nothing turned, say, a slightly talented composer into a towering genius faster than the problem of approaching [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven deafness]]". So the medical profession is resurrected to provide artificial injuries, diseases, and disabilities to boost people's performance - "you always overcompensate for your disabilities."

* The ''TableTopGame/WerewolfTheForsaken'' splatbook "Tribes of the Moon" talks about the legend of a Blood Talon called Boneless Harald, who was born with deformed legs. After his first change, he bulked up his arms, got a huge sword, and rode into battle on a litter. Whenever the guys carrying it got killed, he wolfed out and dragged himself around by his arms, ripping chunks out with his teeth.
* The Second Edition of ''TabletopGame/BlueRose'' introduces a new order of heroes to the Kingdom of Aldis: The Quiet Knights. When you keep losing adventurers to the seductive song of a siren, who better to send against it than a deaf warrior? Gorgons keep petrifying your soldiers? Send blind Knights to fight them.

%%* Suzy in the ''WebAnimation/CyanideAndHappiness'' short [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3thQUC_tLY Gym Class]]. And how.

* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'':
** Blind inventor Jericho. He once stopped two power armor-clad mercenary assassins. When he was without his armor.
** Kludge is paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair. It hasn't stopped her from being on a super-team at Whateley Academy. And she's a front-liner.

* ''Literature/FearLoathingAndGumboOnTheCampaignTrailSeventyTwo'': [[spoiler: George Wallace, of all people. He turns his own paralysis into a sign that he understands the troubles of the common man, and shakes off his segregationist past. He is even able to goad Spiro Agnew into insulting his paralysis to make an impassioned plea. All of which help him become president in 1976. Unfortunately, the stress of the presidency [[{{Deconstruction}} takes a huge toll on his already fragile health]], and he decides not to seek re-election. However, in the sequel he eventually recovers his health, becomes a powerful opponent of the tyranny of Donald Rumsfeld and returns to the governorship of Alabama]].

* Venom, member of the rival guild ''Axis of Anarchy'' in ''WebVideo/TheGuild''. Total badass.

* Subverted with the Invalid Commandos in ''WebVideo/BallGrillPolice''. Like TheCavalry, they arrive from the woods to aid the policemen against Uncle Sam but are unable to do anything, as they are, well, invalids.

Handicapped? Perhaps... Disabled? Far from it!

Specific subtropes include BlindWeaponmaster, BlindSeer, and DeafComposer. The BlindBlackGuy usually fits this trope (and is usually based at least partially on Music/RayCharles or Music/StevieWonder). In the case of a villainous Handicapped Badass, like the aforementioned Vader, Silver, and Hook, this trope will also overlap with EvilCripple.

* HandicappedBadass/WebComics

!!Example Subpages:

!!Other Examples:

* ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'': [[spoiler: Merle loses both his arm and his left eye, but still manages to be fairly badass]].

** One case has Phoenix serve as the defense attorney on a trial while ''suffering from amnesia from a blow to the head'' and having no idea what's even going on.

[[quoteright:297:[[ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/oracle_1_5085.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:297:[[ComicBook/{{Oracle}} She]] doesn't need ''legs'' to kick your ass.]]

* Stephen Hawking and, in a way, Darth Vader, in ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory.'' [[spoiler: Which makes it rather fitting that they wind up working together.]]

->''"He knows my every move yet he cannot see. As my mind fights to make sense of the impossible he has turned my advantage into a liability."''
-->-- '''Huey''' (dreaming about a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot blind black samurai]]), ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks''

-->-- '''Huey''', dreaming about a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot blind black samurai]], ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks''

!!Examples:

* HandicappedBadass/{{Fanfiction}}
* [[HandicappedBadass/AnimatedFilms Film — Animated]]
* [[HandicappedBadass/LiveActionFilms Film — Live-Action]]

* HandicappedBadass/{{Webcomics}}

[[folder:Mythology & Religion]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]

[[folder:Role-Playing Games]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Venom, member of the rival guild ''Axis of Anarchy'' in ''WebVideo/TheGuild''. Total badass.

* Stephen Hawking and, in a way, Darth Vader, in ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory.'' [[spoiler: Which makes it rather fitting that they wind up working together.]]

* Subverted with the Invalid Commandos in ''WebVideo/BallGrillPolice''. Like TheCavalry, they arrive from the woods to aid the policemen against Uncle Sam but are unable to do anything, as they are, well, invalids.

%%* Suzy in the ''WebAnimation/CyanideAndHappiness'' short [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3thQUC_tLY Gym Class]]. And how.

* Suzy in the ''WebAnimation/CyanideAndHappiness'' short [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3thQUC_tLY Gym Class]]. And how.

[[folder:RealLife]]
* Some historians claim that Literature/{{Aesop|sFables}} suffered from ''two'' birth defects, and was a dwarf ''and'' a hunchback. Still, his name is pretty much synonymous with "fables", and despite his disabilities, he was never known to have complained.
* As said above, Captain Okita Souji of UsefulNotes/TheShinsengumi was ''the'' most fearsome MasterSwordsman serving under the Tokugawa Shogunate, even as he was coughing bloody chunks of his lungs out and dying from tuberculosis.
* [[http://deadspin.com/the-one-legged-wrestler-who-conquered-his-sport-then-l-452888181 Anthony Robles,]] the college wrestling champ born with one leg. Get this, he was so good that some fans claimed his disability is an ADVANTAGE against his able-bodied opponents, which may make his story an example of DisabilitySuperpower.
* [[http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2012-12-20/news/garrett-holeve-an-mma-fighter-with-down-syndrome-is-on-his-way-to-changing-the-sport/full Garrett Holeve,]] aspiring mixed martial-arts fighter with Down's Syndrome. He wants beat the crap out of Music/ChrisBrown "[[WifeBasherBasher because he beats women]]." It's not clear due to his disability that he'll ever get a UFC contract like he wants, but he's badass either way.
* Michelle Akers was one of the centerpieces of the US women's national [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball soccer]] team in the 1990s, with perhaps her greatest accolade coming when Pelé named her as one of only two women[[note]]the other being her longtime teammate Mia Hamm[[/note]] on his list of the top 125 living players. She did this despite numerous concussions, more than a dozen knee surgeries, a broken cheekbone... and, to top it all off, chronic fatigue syndrome.
* High schooler Nico Calabria loves playing soccer and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro when he was 13, not letting minor details like ''being born with one leg'' stop him.
* Another sporting example: Arvydas Sabonis, a Hall of Fame UsefulNotes/{{basketball}} center who had a long and immensely successful career with a couple of European clubs, the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Portland Trail Blazers]], and the USSR and Lithuania national teams, qualified late in his career. When the Blazers were preparing to sign him in 1995, the team doctor told the general manager that Sabonis' leg X-rays would ''qualify him for a handicapped parking space''. He wound up playing seven seasons in Portland... and when he returned to Lithuania for one last playing season, he was MVP of the [=EuroLeague=].
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Conrad Pete Conrad]] got himself a full-ride scholarship to [[UsefulNotes/IvyLeague Princeton]], became a [[AcePilot carrier pilot, instructor, and test pilot]] in the US Navy, and finally was certified as an astronaut, eventually becoming the third man to walk on the Moon...and all that while dyslexic.
* UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt is considered by many to be one of the greatest American Presidents, and an incredible leader who was able to maneuver the country and keep up their morale during the dark years of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. He also had polio, which crippled the use of his legs. Did that stop him? Of course not! To reassure the nation, he kept up appearances that he was either not sick or constantly recovering. He refused to use his wheelchair in public (enough that only two photos of him in it exist), gave all his speeches standing, used leg braces and his sons to lean on when he needed to walk, and had the first car modified with hand controls before automatic transmissions existed. FDR must have inherited a ton of [[UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt his cousin's]] badassery.
* UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt himself was essentially an IllBoy for his entire life, not to mention becoming blind in one eye (through a boxing match) and getting shot in the chest. Those didn't stop him...''at all.''
** He suffered from asthma. [[MemeticBadass Seeing this as a challenge, he proceeded to beat his asthma to death, ate the asthma's raw flesh, and ran 100 miles off the energy it gave him.]]
** One of his sons, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt III, landed with the troops at Normandy, on Utah Beach. While in his 50s and suffering from arthritis. He used his cane as a baton to direct his troops during the fighting. It may have ultimately been too much for him, as he [[DeconstructedTrope died of a heart attack a month later.]]
* Another presidential example: UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy suffered from Addison's disease and chronic problems with his lower back. He also commanded patrol torpedo boats in the Pacific Theater, once towing a badly-injured crewman through the water to a nearby island after his PT-109 was rammed and sunk. By gripping a strap from the injured man's life jacket with his teeth. And after the sinking had exacerbated his own back problem. And then got back in the water and hauled the man along ''again'', to get to a second island where rescue awaited.
* [[http://captain-raviolevi.tumblr.com/post/63673980790/failurebydesigner-jeans-hurraaid This guy]] helping to stop a robbery.
* Among ''Website/{{Cracked}}'''s [[http://www.cracked.com/article_20653_5-people-whose-major-disabilities-only-made-them-stronger.html 5 People Whose Major Disabilities Only Made Them Stronger]] are a legless mountain climber, one handed martial arts champion, and a blind pilot.
* Douglas Bader. A World War II airman who lost both his legs and went back into service as soon as he was physically capable. He was captured in 1941, and the Nazis had to take his prosthetics away to stop him from repeatedly trying to escape. Even that didn't stop him trying.
* Alexey Maresyev, another [=WW2=] fighter pilot. Shot down beyond enemy lines in 1942, got both feet injured, spent 18 days walking and crawling through winter forest with hardly any food.[[note]]He found several tins and crusts in a massacred and looted Soviet hospital, he picked some nuts, berries and a hedgehog on his way, but he nearly starved to death.[[/note]] Partisans found him and called a rescue airplane. His legs were amputated below knees because of gangrene, but he learned to use prosthetics and came back to service in summer 1943, just in time for a major air battle at Kursk. Retired in 1946. The story was the basis of a novel, a film and an opera.
* At least according to legend, there's Genseric, fifth-century king of the [[BarbarianTribe Vandals]]. Apparently, a fall he took in his youth left him lame in one leg, leaving him unable to ride a horse. Undeterred, he simply focused the Vandals' military conquests on maritime affairs. End result: The Vandal Kingdom ruling ''Carthage''.
* Captain Carlos Dardano of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TACA_Flight_110#Dramatization TACA Flight 110]] who landed his crippled 737 on a levee in UsefulNotes/NewOrleans despite having lost an eye to crossfire in his native El Salvador several years previously.
* The UsefulNotes/ParalympicGames are basically one big celebration of this trope.
* Creator/StephenHawking suffered from a severe, horribly progressed case of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was almost completely paralyzed, and could only use his cheek muscles to control the movements of his wheelchair and voice synthesizer. Despite this, he was as upbeat and optimistic as it gets, and was also one of the brightest and most intelligent scientists on the planet. When he died on March 14th, 2018, he managed to live for 55 years after his initial diagnosis in ''1963'', when the doctors predicted he would only have two and a half years to live.
* Missouri resident and ''[[UsefulNotes/AmericanNewspapers USA Today]]'' sportswriter [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Timanus Eddie Timanus]] is a handicapped ''[[WhatMeasureIsANonBadass smartass]]''. He made history on ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'' not only as the first blind contestant on the show, but the first blind contestant to become a five-time undefeated champion. (At the time, five times was the limit.) There were ''a few'' changes made to accommodate Timanus: the first was that he received a card with the category names printed in Braille before each round, and a Braille keyboard to type out his name on the podium's computer and his response and wager for Final Jeopardy. There were also no video-based clues during his appearances. Later, he appeared in the ''Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions'' and then the ''Jeopardy! Battle of the Decades'' tournament, and was also a lifeline on ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire''. In one appearance on ''Jeopardy'', host Alex Trebek asked him about how he was mentioned in ''TabletopGame/TrivialPursuit'', and he [[DeadpanSnarker half-jokingly replied]], "Well, the problem is, nobody wants to play Trivial Pursuit with me anymore."
* UsefulNotes/HarrietTubman, the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad, suffered from narcolepsy as the result of a severe head injury sustained when she was young. She would have fits, or just fall asleep and be unable to be woken up. The narcoleptic fits would sometimes strike ''in the middle of an escape.'' And there was nothing that the rest of the party could do except move to a presumably-safe location and hope that Tubman would wake up soon. Clearly, she never let this stop her.
* Music/LudwigVanBeethoven wrote his Eighth Symphony when his hearing ability was greatly reduced, and the Ninth Symphony after becoming completely deaf.
* [[UsefulNotes/ThePope Pope John Paul II]] had ''horrible'' health late in life; he suffered from Parkinson's disease, terrible osteoarthrosis (that led to a broken femur and dislocated shoulder, requiring him to walk with a cane), poor hearing, and on top of it, survived the attack of a would-be assassin in 1981 that required a colostomy (which he insisted they reverse with a second surgery, as he didn't want to "live more dead than alive"). Despite it all, he was more active than most other popes in history. He was one of the most travelled world leaders in history, beatified more people and canonized more saints than all popes in the past five centuries combined, and at the time of his death, he had named most of the College of Cardinals, consecrated or co-consecrated a large number of the world's bishops, and ordained many priests. He is also credited by many by being instrumental to the fall of Communism, as he was a Polish priest. Poland's Communist government was atheist but it didn't stop the population from practicing Catholicism as they have done for centuries. With a Polish Pope preaching freedom the Poles became more vocal in their demands.
* UsefulNotes/RichardIII, according to recent finds, had severe scoliosis and uneven shoulders, yet was known as one of England's foremost warriors, and was the last English king to die in battle. According to the autopsy on him, he went down swinging with multiple head wounds.
** His scoliosis was so bad that he would have qualified to participate in the 2012 London Paralympics. (Now imagine how Sir Richard Gloucester-Plantagenet would have done in men's fencing, wrestling and riding...)
* Canada has three famous such people in the 1980s who performed marathons that were thought impossible with their handicaps.
** Terry Fox attempted to run across the country on an artificial leg to raise funds for cancer research. Although he had to stop about midway due to his cancer spreading to his lungs, Fox became one of the great Canadian heroes.
** Another amputee, Steve Fonyo, decided to repeat the feat and eventually was hailed as a hero himself after he passed Fox's stopping point and made it all the way to the Pacific coast.
** Finally, there is Rick Hansen, a personal friend of Fox and paraplegic athlete who went for an around-the-world marathon tour in his wheelchair and was an international hero by the time he returned to Canada. His story inspired the song "Man in Motion," which was used as the theme song of the film ''Film/StElmosFire''. Yes, the line "All I need is a pair of wheels" is talking about a wheelchair, not a car.
* Creator/GeorgeOrwell constantly suffered from frequent chest infections which became TB. Didn't stop him from not only being one of the most powerful writers in the English language, but from serving in the British Imperial Police and fighting in the Spanish Civil War, where he survived a shot in the neck.
* May have been the case with Viking raider Ivar the Boneless. His nickname has been interpreted in multiple ways--some believe he was lame in the legs, others say he had no legs, and there's even a theory that he had brittle bone disease. If any of these was the case, they didn't stop him from earning a reputation as one of the most brutal chieftains of his era of the early Middle Ages, and he was renowned as both a leader and a berserker. Yes, despite having been carried around he still put the fear of the Norse into the enemy army on the battlefield.
* UsefulNotes/JanZizka, Czech national hero, and Hussite rebel, lost an eye early in his career. He later lost the sight in his other eye, and was forced to campaign blind. He's one of the few military leaders in history to have never lost a battle, and his battlewagons were the precursors to the modern concept of the tank.
* UsefulNotes/TimurTheLame, better known to the west as Tamerlane, was an Uzbek Khan of Turkish and Mongol descent, and a bonafide megalomaniac ("As there is only one God in Heaven, so there should be only one ruler on Earth."). His armies overran the Chagatai Khanate and the Il-Khanate, making him the master of Central Asia, and in the process, earning himself a reputation as a real life EvilOverlord (seventeen million people are calculated to have died in his wars). He managed to humble the Ottoman Empire by capturing its Sultan Bayezid and at the time of his death he was planning an invasion of China, and one of his great-grandsons would go onto found the Mughal dynasty in India. As his nickname would indicate, he was lame in the legs, a fact which didn't stop him from becoming the most feared man in Asia.
* Enrico Dandolo, the blind Venetian Doge who sacked the Byzantine capital of Constantinople and burned it to the ground, is also one.
* Louis-Auguste, duke of Maine and bastard son of Louis XIV of France, had a leg about five inches shorter than the other. In spite of that, he was named general of the galleys, lieutenant general, great master of artillery and knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit.
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_J._Armes Jay J. Armes]] A-list private investigator, and possible escapee from a RatedMForManly story by a gifted but overcaffeinated 12-year-old. Having lost his hands in a childhood accident with a railroad torpedo[[note]]a small, powerful firework-like explosive used as an emergency signal to train drivers[[/note]], young [[PropheticNames Julian Armas]] found himself having to relearn how to live life with simple [[HookHand hook-pincer prosthetics]]. Like any good comic book character escaped into reality, he of course grew up to do a stint in Hollywood, become an extremely successful top-notch private investigator, ''pilot helicopters'', and develop numerous SwissArmyAppendage attachments for his limbs. And yes, this includes [[ArmCannon more than one gun hand.]] He was launched into brief international fame in the 1970s when he landed his first high profile case, tracking down [[Creator/MarlonBrando Marlon Brando's]] son- who turned out to have been sent to Mexico with a band of hippies by his mother in a staged kidnapping and hidden in a cave, nearly resulting in the boy's death from pneumonia. In the years since, Armes has developed his one man business into a large investigation firm, investigated international crimes, and generally been an omnidiciplinary badass. Armes was inducted into the Investigator's Hall Of Fame in 1998, was one of the National Association Of Investigative Specialists's Top Ten Investigators of the century for the 1900s, and may have provided inspiration for a somewhat well known cartoon character by the name of WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget.
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethany_Hamilton Bethany Hamilton]] lost her left arm in a shark attack at age 13 while surfing, went back to surfing with one arm, published a book about her experiences, which was then turned into [[Film/SoulSurfer a movie]]. Later, after marrying her husband Adam Dirks, they both competed in the [[Characters/TheAmazingRace25 25th season of The Amazing Race]] where she was shown to be just as capable as her fellow contestants with two arms. They finished 3rd in the race, not due to any physical limitation, but due to a very difficult FinalExamFinale Roadblock.
* A non-human example would be [[https://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150107-dwarf-elephant-beats-up-large-rival?ocid=twert this adult male Asian Elephant]], This individual has disproportionate dwarfism, resulting in having a normal sized head and body, but short stubby legs. If it were any other wild animal, this condition would be a death sentence. Despite that, not only is it managing to survive in the wild, it actually takes on other male elephants for mating rights and ''wins''. It uses its unusual size to its advantage since he can just charge ahead into rivals, while the rivals have to awkwardly stoop to do the same. Since females are generally smaller than males, he also has no problems with mating.
* At least two famous admirals count as this:
** The great Chinese navigator Zheng He was a eunuch -- and yet he had more figurative balls than most people with literal balls could ever hope to have. Also counts as a CelibateHero.
** Several centuries later in England, UsefulNotes/HoratioNelson lost an arm and was blind in one eye -- and outmaneuvered UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte ''twice'', netting himself a DyingMomentOfAwesome during the last time.
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_IV_of_Jerusalem Baldwin IV of Jerusalem]] managed to kick ass even though he was a leper.
* Brevet Colonel Anthony Durnford, commanding officer of the British troops at Isandlwana, had lost the use of his left arm in an earlier skirmish, suffering permanent nerve damage to the underarm and hand. While his abilities as a commander have been questioned many times, his bravery and ability as an individual combatants has not been. When he realized the battle was lost, Durnford ordered his native soldiers to escape, while he and a mixed group of regulars and colonial volunteers held up one of the Zulu army's "horns", buying his surviving men time to flee.
* Best Halloween costume ''ever'', won by [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-paralympian-with-one-leg-creates-the-best-halloween-costumes_563133a0e4b0c66bae5acc1c this guy]], a Paralympian who is an amputee.
* By definition, any disabled professional wrestler. Examples include Zack Gowen (whose left leg was amputated when he was a child), Gregory Iron (cerebral palsy), Leva Bates (partially deaf) and Crazzy Steve (legally blind).
* The manga author [[Manga/GeGeGeNoKitaro Shigeru Mizuki]] lost his dominant arm in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, but eventually learned to draw with his other hand. [[CoolOldGuy He]] not only lived to age 93, but popularized {{Youkai}} manga (which even profoundly [[BigNameFan influenced]] Creator/OsamuTezuka) and wrote at least two stories that criticized UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan's war crimes.
* Blas de Lezo. Lost an eye, an arm and a leg in three different battles. Led the Spanish garrison in Cartagena de Indias to a brutal CurbStompBattle of the invading British.
* UsefulNotes/IndyCar driver Will Power revealed in his autobiography that he's color blind--which doesn't seem that big a disability until you remember he's a ''race car driver'', where color plays a major role (lights, flags, etc.) Despite that, he's an accomplished driver with one championship and several wins (including the 2018 Indianapolis 500) under his belt.
** Speaking of UsefulNotes/IndyCar, there's also Charlie Kimball and Conor Daly, both drivers racing while diabetic. They and their respective teams take extra precautions to make sure the drivers don't go into insulin shock, but that they're racing at all is badass (especially considering a driver was kicked out of the Indy 500 in 1933 ''because'' he was diabetic). Charlie has one win to his name while Conor has won a couple minor championships (and competed in season 30 of ''Series/TheAmazingRace''!).
* Dave "[[RedBaron The One-Armed Bandit]]" Levey of Season 6's ''Series/HellsKitchen'' won the competition even after breaking his wrist in the 3rd episode. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isWyzqc1xhM Watch him]] handle multiple stations [[OneManArmy on his own.]] Kevin from the same season also twisted his ankle and made second place.
* ''Series/MasterChef'' contestant Christine Ha was legally blind and won Season 3.
* Former ChampCar and Formula 1 driver Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi lost both of his legs in 2003 as the result of a terrifying accident at the [=EuroSpeedway=] Lausitz. Despite such a life-changing injury, he returned to compete in motorsports, winning multiple races in the World Touring Car Championship for BMW before switching to para-cycling, winning four gold medals at the Paralympics in 2012 and 2016. Then, just to prove he had not unlearned anything from his previous profession, he proceeded to return to motorsport, winning the final race of the 2016 Italian GT Championship.
* Another motorsports badass would be Frédéric Sausset, a quadruple amputee[[note]]he had both of his legs amputated at the knee, along with his left arm at the elbow and his right hand, following a bacterial infection[[/note]] who competed in a modified LMP2 at the 2016 UsefulNotes/TwentyFourHoursOfLeMans.
* Galvarino was a Mapuche warrior from Chile that had both his hands cut off by the Spanish during the Arauco War to [[MakeAnExampleOfThem make an example of him]]. This backfired, as his mutilation only incensed his fury and that of his fellow tribesmen, so he attached a [[BladeBelowTheShoulder pair of blades to his stumps]] and personally led his army to get revenge, killing 30 soldiers in the battle and cutting the enemy's second-in-command to ribbons. Of course, this being real life, his army was beaten by the Spanish using guns and Galvarino was re-captured, though this time the Spanish were [[WorthyOpponent impressed by his ferocity]] and offered leniency. He told them that [[FacingTheBulletsOneLiner if they let him live, he'd rip them apart with his teeth]] and they opted to [[FedToTheBeast throw him to the dogs]].
* [[Film/{{Deatlt}} Richard Turner]], a card mechanic (the term he prefers to "magician", though that's pretty much what he is) and fifth-degree black belt in Wado-Kai karate, all after losing much of his eyesight to scarlet fever at age 9. He remains extremely physically active into his 60s, and claims to have never missed a workout with his sensei. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwFIJyWKs1k Here he is thoroughly swindling Penn and Teller]].
* Music/NeilYoung counts as this among musicians. He's been assaulted with sickness and pain throughout his life -- childhood polio and post-polio syndrome, diabetes type 1, a serious back injury, epilepsy following a beating from a cop, possible radiation sickness, migraine headaches, scoliosis, osteoporosis and a life-threatening brain aneurysm -- which was repaired through neuroradiology, then he almost bled to death from the incision. Never stops him. He is 73, and still actively recording, performing and speaking up to save the earth.
* UsefulNotes/{{Tutankhamun}} was believed to have been a sickly and frail youth for some time. [[DatedHistory However]], [[https://archive.archaeology.org/1003/etc/tut.html new research]] seems to indicate that he was a bona fide WarriorPrince -- despite suffering from multiple congenital defects and developing bone necrosis in his left foot at some point.
* John Gotti was deaf in one ear (which played a role in his downfall as when meeting with his underlings they would play the radio and Gotti would demand they turn it down, making it easier for bugs to pic up conversation). He also walked with a limp after his foot was crushed by a cement mixer and needed a toe amputated.
* American Embassy clerk Virginia Hall had her hopes for a diplomatic career crushed when she lost her left leg below the knee in a hunting accident. But when World War II broke out, she found her true calling in espionage, working behind the German lines to deliver all kinds of devastating intelligence to the Allies. The Nazis ultimately called "the limping lady" the most dangerous Allied spy and put her on the most wanted list, but she escaped and spent the rest of the war training resistance forces in guerrilla warfare. After the war ended, she was the only civilian woman to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, presented personally by OSS head William Donovan.
* [[https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/27114444/mike-brolylegs-begum-most-extraordinary-street-fighter-competitor Mike Begum]], known as [=BrolyLegs=], is a member of the UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity who was born with a rare muscular development disorder that caused the muscles in his legs and hands to not develop normally. Since he cannot use a controller with his hands, he instead uses a controller with his ''mouth''. On top of that, his condition makes it impossible for him to use two of the six buttons needed to play his favorite game, ''Franchise/StreetFighter''. In spite of his unconventional method of playing, he is a well-known competitive ''Street Fighter'' player, especially as the character Chun-Li—all of whose moves can be performed with the buttons he ''can'' use. On one occasion, he won 2-0 against the comparatively able-bodied (and infinitely more of a SoreLoser) WebVideo/LowTierGod.
* Creator/MiguelDeCervantes continued his military career — as a marine, even — for a few years after his left arm was crippled by a bullet. Later, when he took up a literary profession, he was understandably irritated by rivals who made jokes about his crippled arm, pointing out that he gained his disability fighting for his nation and his religion.
* Creator/ChristopherReeve, best known for starring in ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' and its sequels, broke his neck in a horse riding accident in 1995. He became an advocate for stem cell research and even continued acting.
* Wild west legend Doc Holliday was diagnosed with tuberculosis at the age of 21 and continued to suffer from it through his adult life. No effective treatment existed at the time, and the doctor's prognosis was that he had mere months left to live. At the age of 30, he took part in the gunfight at O.K. Corral alongside the Earp family. He finally succumbed to the illness six years later.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Batman himself becomes one in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Blind as a Bat", especially when the helmet he uses to compensate for his blindness breaks and he fights - and defeats - the Penguin while, well, blind as a bat.
* Bruce Wayne in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' is about 80 years old, needs meds for his ailing heart, and has to walk with a cane. Which doesn't stop him from [[spoiler:beating information out of one of the Jokerz]] with said cane. Plus his incredible mind and intellect are still as sharp as ever.
* In a ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode where the present-day League ends up time travelling to the time period of ''Beyond'', Old Bruce Wayne's reaction to ''himself as Batman interrogating a mook'' is an embarrassed "[[IHatePastMe I can't believe I was ever that green]]".
* From earlier down the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse timeline, ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} ''[[Awesome/JusticeLeague cuts off his own hand]]'' to save his son. He then has a hook ''welded to his wrist.'' That's right, Aquaman is ''more'' badass with a hand cut off in the [[FanNickname Diniverse]]. That was based on the comic book Aquaman, who lost his hand in a different way, but also had a hook (that could change into various other tools) to replace it. He was really presented as more of a cyborg than "handicapped" though. (And later he had the metal hand replaced with a "living water" one that could create shapes out of solid water (and no, not ice - water that was hard as metal at above freezing temperature).
* Hoss Delgado from ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' is missing both an eye ''and'' a hand. The former is a reference to Snake Plissken from ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork''; the latter, a reference to Ash from the ''Franchise/EvilDead'' films. In the Underfist special, it's shown he's also lost a leg. What does he replace it with? [[ChainsawGood A bloomin' chainsaw!]]
* Joe Swanson of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' is paralyzed from the waist down, but can still kick some major ass.
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
** Toph Beifong is small, blind, and innocent-looking. She is also perhaps the best Earthbender the world has ever known and one of the most badass characters in the whole series, rivaled only by [[OldMaster Iroh]] and [[HeroKiller Azula]]. Born blind, she learned to sense her surrounding with echolocation using earthbending at a very young age. Other earthbenders may train their bending several hours per day for many years, but Toph is constantly using her abilities all the time, pushing her skill completely outside the commonly believed limits.
** Nowhere near as badass as [[MemeticBadass Toph]], but still awesome: Minor character Teo has a ''[[SuperWheelchair flying wheelchair]]''. His GadgeteerGenius father may have ''built'' the thing, but only his own kickassery could have allowed him to rival ''Aang'' in stunt flying.
** Combustion Man, whose ArtificialLimbs contribute a lot to his badassery. WordOfGod says he was born with an overdeveloped Thought Chakra, which resulted in his unique form of Firebending. It also caused him to [[BlessedWithSuck accidentally blow off an arm and leg while learning to control it]].
* Season 3 of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' gives us [[DarkActionGirl Ming-Hua]] of the {{Re|negadeSplinterFaction}}d [[BombThrowingAnarchists Lotus]], who has no arms but uses water CombatTentacles as replacements. Even within a group that's TheDreaded in-universe, she's a ''[[BloodKnight scary]]'' lady.
* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'', when Granddad gets tripped by a mean old blind man named Stinkmeaner. Huey seems convinced that Stinkmeaner must be one of those "blind samurai", so sensitive to movement around them that they are somehow superior fighters in battle compared to those with sight. Granddad spends a lot of time getting in shape preparing to fight him back; but it turns out he was just a blind man who had gotten lucky, and ends up getting killed by Granddad.
%%** Played straight with Billy Matthews, the neurodivergent basketball star.
* In ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'', Larry Flynt is portrayed this way, being able to fight a match with Hugh Hefner while just as wheelchair-bound as his RealLife counterpart. [[spoiler: And he wins the match, too.]]
* Cotton Hill from ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''. Dude has no shins but is still able to take on a group of able-bodied orderlies. A feat made even more badass by the fact that he was pushing 80. Course he's a WWII vet [[MemeticMutation who killed fiddy men]], so there's that too.
* Armond from ''WesternAnimation/MummiesAlive'' has only one arm but you'd never notice the way he pulls off that Egypt-su. The awesome is slightly diminished when he gets a mechanical arm to replace the missing limb when he gets his [[PoweredArmor power-up armor.]]
* Garrett Miller from ''WesternAnimation/ExtremeGhostbusters''. He was born a paraplegic but still manages to be the 'jock' of the group. The only times his disability really impairs him is when there's steps involved. A ramp was built into the Ecto-1.
** Apart from steps, Garrett's only notable instance of being impaired was in the early episode "The True Face of a Monster", where he is tipped out of his wheelchair and mocked by some racist jerks he had thought were his friends. There isn't much he can do (though he clearly tries) until he can get back in. Most times when knocked out of his wheelchair, it is near enough for him to climb back into.
** In fact in the episode "Grease", when handcuffed by the CIA, he uses his disability as leverage to get them to take the handcuffs off so he will sign a full confession, snivelling, "What am I going to do; run away?" Then he kicks their butts (metaphorically speaking). While he's snivelling, his teammates actually look at each other, as if they ''know'' what he's going to pull.
* Felix Renton from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' is TheAce in a wheelchair. His supergenius mother built it for him; it can hover and has extendable arms. He's a reoccurring ally on Team Possible and beats Ron in basketball. Both Garrett and Felix are voiced by Creator/JasonMarsden. He's not handicapped but he is awesome.
* On ''[[WesternAnimation/TotalDrama Total Drama World Tour]],'' being a temporary wheelchair user did not stop [[ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend Sierra]] from wheeling herself into the ocean and ''[[ThreateningShark beating up a shark]]'' to rescue her [[BetterAsFriends more-than-a-friend]] Cody.
* [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules Halcyon Renard]] from ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' is an old, reclusive billionaire in a wheelchair. A fully-grown male gargoyle just broke out of a ''steel'' cage right in front of him? "[[DisabledSnarker I'm trembling in my chair.]]" Said chair has a laser gun built into the armrest. He also later takes part in the battle against [[TheFairFolk Oberon]], who is a PhysicalGod.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':
** Timmy, who is astonishingly capable for being a mentally handicapped boy in a motorized wheelchair. He can accompany the main four cast on almost any escapade, including [[Film/TheyLive recreations of famous fight scenes]]. He can even ''use'' ''Photoshop'', of all crazy things.
** AscendedExtra Jimmy Valmer takes this even further, doing all kinds of crazy stunts on crutches, from fighting in car chases to being an Olympic athlete (with [[PsychoSerum a little help]]).
** Ned Gerblansky, Uncle Jimbo's old war buddy, is this in the earlier seasons (before [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome fading out of the limelight]]). He's a [[ManlyMenCanHunt manly hunter]] who often ends up helping to lead the town and save the day...even though he's a one-armed Vietnam vet with an electronic voice box.
* Leela from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' counts, as she flies an intergalactic spaceship and kicks much ass despite no depth perception.
* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' Bumblebee lost his voicebox after being captured by the Decepticons and refusing to divulge information to Megatron. He is still able to communicate with the other Autobots, but cannot speak clearly to humans other than Raf.
** Breakdown loses his eye after being captured and dissected by MECH, this does not visibly affect his performance on the battlefield.
** Ultra Magnus loses his right hand while battling Predaking. It is replaced with a claw-like appendage due to lack of appropriate materials. He's back on active duty a short time later.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': Billy Quizboy and Phantom Limb are subversions. Billy Quizboy loses a hand and an eye, then get ''dragged'' into badassness unwillingly. Phantom Limb, villainous example, was born with misformed limbs, but doesn't get seriously badass until an experiment to give him normal sized limbs goes awry and he ends up with invisible, and deadly, arms and legs.
* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice,'' [[spoiler:the original Roy Harper]] has his arm amputated by [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness the Light]]. Guess how many arms you need to operate a bazooka?
-->"Gotta love modern weapons tech. Easier for a one-armed man to fire a missile launcher than pull on his pants."
* The [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 2012 version of Shredder]] is the first incarnation to have a physical handicap--he is covered in burn scars and is blind in his right eye. Despite this, he has impressive and potentially lethal ninjitsu moves. He handily defeats the green teens at their first meeting.
** His right hand man, Hattori Tatsu, is a [[BlindWeaponmaster blind swordsman]] who is skilled enough to hold his own against ''seven'' opponents (all of whom are skilled fighters) with little hassle. But he still has one weakness: ''he can't see''. The Turtles use Casey Jones' explosive pucks to hide where Karai is going to be so she can set up a head strike. With out his hearing he's completely powerless as he can't tell where his opponents will strike next, rendering his skills completely useless.
* In ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', the Scotsman has only one leg, having lost the other sometime in the past. It's hardly a problem for him; he simply replaced it with a peg-leg that's ''also a machine-gun'', making him even ''more'' of a badass. In season five, he's missing an eye and he's too old to stand so he's stuck in a wheelchair. It doesn't stop him from trying to attack Aku's fortress [[spoiler:and sacrificing himself for his army of daughters]].
* Two of the three titular characters of ''WesternAnimation/BikerMiceFromMars'' qualify. Thanks to experimentation done on them by Dr. Karbunkle, Throttle is blind and wears special shades to see and Modo wears an eyepatch and has a robotic arm. In spite of these handicaps, both Throttle and Modo are just as good at kicking butt as Vinnie.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'': Amaya, Prince Callum and Prince Ezran's CoolAunt, is deaf. She is also one of Katolis Army's highest-ranking generals, a ruthless fighter, and so far she's the only [[BadassNormal non-mage human]] to defeat [[ActionGirl Rayla]] in a one-on-one fight.
* Though the actual extent of how "handicapped" her eyes make her is unknown, Derpy Hooves in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is [[https://derpibooru.org/1601869 implied to have been]] an extremely talented flyer before her eyesight went south as a child. In spite of this, she's still brave and skilled enough to be [[https://derpibooru.org/1716661 the only non-Wonderbolt to attack Tirek]] and [[https://derpibooru.org/1336153 among the first Ponyville citizens to attack The Tantabus]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Mosa Zuberi from ''[[Webcomic/TwoMasters 2Masters]]'' is missing both arms, and almost lost his two legs. He can also take it off at will.
* ''Webcomic/DreamCatcher'' has a blind ninja/assassin.
* Victor Vasko in ''{{Webcomic/Lackadaisy}}'' lost an eye in a labor dispute and was kneecapped by his ex-partner, leaving him with one knee that bends a little bit. Victor is still about 250 pounds of Slavic badass and took out a squad of well-armed gunmen before taking a load of Double-Ought buckshot in the side. He survived.
* ''Webcomic/LastRes0rt'' has Daisy Archanis with a robotic leg. There's plenty of nifty stuff to do with it... assuming she can keep her balance.
* As in the original mythology, mentioned above, the ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'' incarnation(s) of Sir Bedevere lost a hand during the Roman War. In the Space Arc, his prosthetic enables him to jack directly into the ''Excalibur'' communications console. Largely for the sake of a pun about hand signals.
* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'':
** Terezi is blind, but more than makes up for it with her skill at both [[ManipulativeBastard manipulating other characters]] and beating up Imps in the Medium [[CaneFu with her cane.]] She sees through taste and smell.
** [[SmugSnake Vriska Serket]] is half blind and has a robotic replacement arm for a good part of the story. [[spoiler:She was the one responsible for blinding the aforementioned Terezi, and she did so with her psychic powers in the immediate aftermath of the explosion that handicapped her, while she was still bleeding from her eye and stump.]]
** [[GenerationXerox Similarly]], Vriska's ancestor lost an eye and an arm when she was captured by Terezi's ancestor, but she still escaped from her trial and killed the monstrous judge, even snarking that it was good that Redglare took her arm because it prevented her fight with the judge from being a boring curb-stomp.
** Tavros, who is wheelchair-ridden, not only gets a rocket chair but can also commune with animals [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower and underlings]].
** [[spoiler:Lord English]] has a peg leg.
** Parodied with Terezi's alternate history counterpart, TotallyRadical LargeHam Latula, who has no sense of smell. Characters alternate between being impressed by her courage in living life to the full even when it can't be smelled, and loudly proclaiming that having no sense of smell isn't anywhere ''near'' as disabling enough to qualify one for this trope.
** Because of the kernelsprite prototyping, [[ArcVillain Jack]] loses his left arm when he takes the Black Queen's ring. It doesn't stop him from being a scarily effective OmnicidalManiac. Also applies to [[spoiler: PM, after she takes the White Queen's ring]].
** Sollux gets blinded partway into the story. He doesn't mind so much though since that injury also left him unable to hear the voices of the soon-to-be-dead, which he finds to be a huge relief. Besides which, he knows Terezi gets by just fine with her blindness and hopes to learn from her how to sense the world the way she does.
* Marilyn from ''{{Webcomic/Spinnerette}}'', who can barely even ''speak'', much less move, without [[spoiler:her Mecha-Maid power armor]].
* Daisy from ''Webcomic/AbsentMindedTheater'' has one arm, no legs, and is one of the most badass characters in the comic. Her mute cousin Ted is pretty cool, too.
* Nin Wah from ''Webcomic/CommanderKitty'' may have a cyborg arm 90% of the time, [[http://www.commanderkitty.com/2011/05/15/saved-by-the-bell/ but even without it, she can beat down dozens of goons four times her size!]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Redd}}'', the heroine beats up monsters despite being born without any arms. She uses nanotechnology to psychically move robotic hands.
* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', Durkon's mother is [[AnArmAndALeg missing one arm]] in a flashback scene. She can still pull off [[TakeMyHand hanging onto someone about to fall off a cliff]]. Then there's Redcloak, who only became more dangerous and focused after the paladin O-Chul [[EyeScream gouged out his eye]]. In the goblin's own words: "what I have lost in depth perception, I have gained in perspective."
* ''WebComic/MuhPhoenix'': Subverted with Daredevil. During most fights, he just hits thin air.
* Zhor from ''{{Webcomic/Drowtales}}'' manages this despite first being in the form of a spider (ItMakesSenseInContext) and then after getting his original elven body back manages to tackle [[AxCrazy Kalki]] whilst in a wheelchair and unable to walk in order to protect his daughter, who Kalki had just brutally crippled. And said daughter, Ariel, proves this is genetic when mere minutes after losing her arm in that confrontation not only nearly wins against Kalki despite the pain and blood loss but [[AppendageAssimilation succeeds in stealing]] ''her'' arm as payback.
* Peter from ''Webcomic/BadMoonRising'' is first seen hanging from a sewer pipe lobbing a Molotov cocktail at some waterlogged vampires. Peter was born without legs and forgoes the use of his wheelchair when not doing activities that require it, like playing Murderball
* Chrome the snow leopard from "Webcomic/{{Dogfight}}" counts as this after being declawed. Fortunately, he's still a LightningBruiser without them. [[spoiler: Downplayed as well since he still has claws on his feet, which he uses when he fights seriously.]]
* Every member of the Wyre Cats in ''Webcomic/WeAreTheWyrecats'' has a disability of some kind. It's a major part of what brings them together in the first place. Their XAG suits also make them powerful enough to [[spoiler: incite the government to sabotage and shut them down]].
* The three main characters of ''Webcomic/SweetDreams'' are all disabled. Tabitha has a prosthetic arm and can only see through one eye, Charlie is a wheelchair user, and Lorelei has both hearing aids and a service dog. Valkyrach also sees a battle with a huge Nightmare monster through despite her arm and ribs being battered too badly to hold her axe anymore.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* Dr. Plain from ''ComicStrip/DickTracy'' was one of the most ruthless (and frighteningly sane) murderers Tracy ever fought, despite missing an arm.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'':
** All assassins up until Altaïr redesigns the hidden blade are all missing a finger, but they're still very good at their job.
** Malik from ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'' loses an arm early on and yet later leads only ''four'' fellow assassins against a small army. Successfully. With him ''fighting in the front.'' The small army was composed of ''fellow assassins'' who were BrainwashedAndCrazy at the time. So, Malik takes on a small army of men who have received the ''exact same training'' that he has, and he ''still'' kicks their asses. And considering that he preceded the ass-kicking of said army with a BigDamnHeroes moment by saving [[MemeticBadass Altaïr]].
** Although not actually in-game, the short cinematic 'Embers' has [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII Ezio]] kicking as much ass as ever, even as an old, sick man.
* Asura from ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' occasionally loses his arms after getting beat down enough or fights with such anger his arms will physically break off. Despite weakening greatly as far as offensive power is concerned, he doesn't slow down at all.
* ''VideoGame/BackyardSports'': Kenny Kawaguchi can, in a wheelchair, kick a football farther than most NFL players.
* The Abramovici Twins from ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity''. Despite both of them lacking an arm, they are the toughest enemies in the game, except for TITAN Henchmen (Titan is a special drug that turns the user into a massive, hulking beast) and bosses.
* From ''VideoGame/{{Battleborn}}'':
** Benedict the [[BirdPeople Buteonen Aviant]] has one wing that's crippled and requires an Aviary Exosuit to enable him to glide but he's still able to kick ass.
** Pendles the [[SnakePeople Roa]] lost an eye and his right tentacle had to be replaced with a prosthetic arm when it naturally molted off, however, Pendles' still just as deadly an assassin despite these handicaps.
* [[AmbiguouslyEvil Evil?]] [[EvilCripple Cripple]] "Bendy" from ''VideoGame/BendyAndTheInkMachine'' has a twisted foot that causes him to limp. This doesn't stop him from being the fastest thing in the studio - likely due to his demonic nature and being an EldritchAbomination. If that weren't enough to overcome his limp, he can also use ink to teleport, and thus pop up anywhere. In combat, he can [[spoiler: rip off heads]] and OneHitKill [[PlayerCharacter Henry]]. He doesn't even need to notice lesser ink beings to kill them - the tendrils of ink that cover the rooms and hallways when he's around do that on touch. "Bendy" also has vision problems due to ink constantly dripping down his face. However, he's noted for his exceptional hearing and ''will'' find and chase Henry. Basically, he's TheDreaded, and an encounter with him is RunOrDie.
* A word of advice to any and all ''Videogame/{{Bloodborne}}'' players: If you see an old man in a wheelchair, ''do not underestimate him''. Best case scenario, he'll [[MoreDakka stuff you full of lead]] or [[FireBreathingWeapon set your sorry arse on fire]]. Worst case scenario? [[spoiler:Gehrman, who on top of being chairbound is also missing a leg, will mutilate you with his [[SinisterScythe Burial]] [[SinisterScimitar Blade]] and blast a hole through you with his [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter Blunderbuss.]]]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'': Pandora is a DeathWorld. Being a badass is a requirement for staying there for any amount of time, so any handicapped character you come across automatically qualifies for this trope. One of the first examples you encounter is T.K. Baha, who is blind and missing a leg, yet he's able to sit around outside his house and enjoy the fresh air despite the [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Skags, Raks and Bandits around him.]] [[spoiler: Unfortunately, he's not very good against Psychos, which is where the poor bastard meets his end.]] Another one (non-combat example) is Patricia Tannis, who has Asperger's Syndrome worsened by almost complete isolation, yet manages to survive both the original game and the sequel.
* The Superfan in ''VideoGame/CitizensOfEarth'' is a young girl in a wheelchair. While she's one of the weakest characters and her battling role tends more towards support and buffing, she stills throws her lot against an alien invasion.
* In ''VideoGame/CrusaderKingsII'', losing an eye, hand, or leg only reduces characters' ''personal'' combat skill, which just affects the outcomes of duels and tournaments. They can still be superb battlefield commanders.
* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'':
** Knight Artorias severely broke his arm before the events that lead to your meeting. This simply means that he could not use his great shield and has to wield his greatsword one-handed ([[TheSouthpaw it's not even his good hand either]]) Does this stop him from somersaulting halfway across the arena to slam that sword into your head over and over again? Nope.
** Ironically, Hawkeye Gough, another one of the Four Knights of Gwyn, is {{blind|Weaponmaster}}, and according to himself, {{retired|Badass}}. Neither of these facts stops him from shooting down a dragon because it won't stay in one place.
** The Twin Princes Lothric and Lorian in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' are both crippled (Lothric was cursed and has been incredibly frail his entire life, Lorian is mentally damaged to the point he can't speak or use his legs due to sharing his brother's curse). This does not stop them from being a brutally effective SiblingTeam more than capable of wiping their boss chamber with you.
* Pox from the first ''VideoGame/DestroyAllHumans'', and in the sequels after he gets destroyed and gets his [[BrainUploading consciousness stored in a [=HoloPox=] Unit.]]
* The [[spoiler: Inquisitor]] from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' becomes this following the conclusion of the epilogue DLC ''Trespasser.'' [[spoiler:With the Anchor mark growing increasingly unstable, [[TricksterGod Solas/Fen'Harel]] is forced to cut their arm off to prevent the Anchor from overwhelming and killing them. Even then Solas implies that the Inquisitor is LivingOnBorrowedTime anyways due to the Anchor's damage to his/her body. Still, it doesn't seem to let the lack of half an arm phase them even a bit; the next scene is of the Inquisitor striding into the Exalted Council with one arm of their jacket neatly pinned up, where they deliver either an epic RousingSpeech or a scathing TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to the Council, and either pledge to serve as the Divine's personal honor guard to keep the peace, or disband completely. The scene ''after'' that involves them vowing to stop Solas' [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt plans]] at all costs. Even without their arm and regardless of the Inquisition's fate, it's clear that the Inquisitor is far from being done. Certain ending sliders also show that they replace their arm with a [[ArmCannon crossbow mounted on the stump]].]]
* GSD from ''VideoGame/DungeonFighterOnline'' is a blind, retired swordsman, but an insanely capable one. You get one EscortMission with him, but his level is so far above all of the enemies in the tower you have to travel through that ''you'll'' feel like the one who's being escorted.
* In ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'', thanks to [[SubsystemDamage the combat system]], anyone can become this including yourself in Adventure Mode and your dwarves in Fortress Mode. All you need is a crutch ([[ImprobableWeaponUser preferably a heavy, metallic one]]) and enough time to grind crutch walking and you are back up fighting against the best of them, or you can just crawl around and slay [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever megabeasts]], although it will be difficult because of your reduced speed.
* Xiahou Dun from ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' would also count: after being shot in the eye with an arrow, he plucked it out (arrow '''and''' eye) and proceeded to ''eat his own eyeball in plain view of enemy soldiers.'' Badass. Dun, minus one eye, tracked down the poor sod who had fired the arrow and killed him.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** Tiber Septim, the {{founder|OfTheKingdom}} of the Third Tamriellic Empire who [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascended after his death]] as [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Talos]], the Ninth Divine, could use the power of the [[MakeMeWannaShout Thu'um]] early in his campaigns. He used it to "shout down" the walls of Old Hroldan, which earned him much attention and acclaim. However, a failed assassination attempt left him with his throat slashed and unable to speak in more than a whisper. He still completed his conquest of Tamriel (with the help of the [[HumongousMecha Numidium]] at the end). He would, of course, also later ascend to Godhood.
** The Moth Priests, members of the Cult of the Ancestor Moth, dedicated to Julianos, the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Aedric Divine]] of Knowledge, are tasked with keeping and reading the eponymous [[TomeOfEldritchLore Elder Scrolls]]. Even with their special protective rituals, repeated readings of the Scrolls will render them blind. Blinded Moth Priests are sent into retirement, but despite this handicap, are still quite capable of defending themselves in combat.
** Several famous heroes have been missing an eye. St. Jiub is one famous example, as well as Hakon One-Eye and Olaf One-Eye from [[HornyVikings Nordic]] history. A massive scar over one eye is often a frequent option for {{Player Character}}s during creation, and it doesn't hinder them a bit.
* Kala Kapur in ''Videogame/{{Evolve}}''. She's blind in her left eye and has to wear an exoskeletal life support system to prevent her immune system from failing completely. It still doesn't stop her from fighting giant flesh-eating monsters.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
** Quite a few people from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. [[MagicalNativeAmerican Red XIII]] is missing an eye. [[AngryBlackMan Barret]] is missing an arm [[spoiler:(as is Dyne)]]. Everyone else is mentally unstable.
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'', [[spoiler:Ignis goes blind a little over halfway through the game. By the end, following a TimeSkip, he becomes accustomed enough to his blindness that he regains the ability to move and fight as well as when he could see]].
* The final boss in ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' is an old man... who races around in a wheelchair shooting the twin rocket launchers he strapped to it!
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
** After [[spoiler:accidentally killing his wife Elena in a magically induced rage]], Greil of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' cut the tendons in his dominant hand to ensure he'd never wield a sword again. Well even with his skills hampered, he's still a total badass with his humongous axe, with one villain even stating that "he fights like a demon!"
** [[spoiler:Queen Emmeryn]] in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' becomes this after their Spotpass chapter. [[spoiler:Her (ultimately failed) HeroicSuicide at the end of Chapter 9 has left her with TraumaInducedAmnesia and brain damage so severe that even putting together simple sentences heavily strains her. Despite this, she manages to be one of the best healer/support characters in the game.]]
** Saizo and Niles from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' each [[EyeScream lost an eye]] in separate but very, ''very'' messy incidents in their pasts. Neither is stopped by such facts, with Saizo as a very badass HighlyVisibleNinja who has the absolute trust of Prince Ryoma of Hoshido and Niles as a well-known assassin who works for Prince Leo of Nohr.
* Tyto the Swift from ''VideoGame/{{Gigantic}}'' is missing their left arm, but it doesn't stop them from being a LightningBruiser capable of superhuman feats of swordsmanship and acrobatics.
* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarAscension'': Pollux is a severely atrophied man due to being a conjoined twin to his brother Castor, having only one arm, a head and a torso. With that said, Pollux is the demigod half of the Gemini Twins and has psychokinesis as his main power. When Kratos knocks Castor out cold during the boss fight, Pollux keeps [[PowersDoTheFighting fighting using his powers]] by lifting their body with his mind and throwing everything out at the Ghost of Sparta.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'':
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' has Lester Crest, who suffers from an unidentified wasting disease that makes it painful for him to walk, and he uses a cane (or when at home, a wheelchair) to get around. He's also a criminal mastermind whose bad side is a dangerous place to be, as [[spoiler: [=LifeInvader=] CEO Jay Norris found out when Lester [[YourHeadASplode blew his head to bits on live TV]] via a rigged prototype smartphone]]. And during the "Obvious" version of the final heist, he even [[spoiler: leans out of a helicopter with a rocket launcher and blows up other attacking helis]].
** Wu Zi Mu (aka "Woozie") from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' is a Triad boss who doesn't hesitate to go in guns blazing against gangs that try to muscle in on his turf and also loves to race cars. He's also blind.
*** [[spoiler: Revealed to be a subversion: his Triad subordinates like to rig the casino games he plays with them, and he thinks CJ must be very lucky to be able to beat him at things like blackjack. But he does have instances where his "incredible luck", as the Triads call it, allows him to beat CJ at video games and drive a sports car in an illegal rural-road street race without wrecking. He's also the best shot in the game, next to CJ himself.]]
* ''VideoGame/GuildWars Nightfall'' has the Sunspear leader Kormir [[GutPunch blinded by a demon early in the campaign]]. Despite being unable to fight from that point on, she remains an important guiding force for the battle against Abaddon and later becomes [[spoiler:a goddess via HeroicSacrifice]].
** ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' has Taimi, an IllGirl Asuran who can barely walk due to crippling pain. To compensate for this, she modified a fully combat-capable golem chassis to carry her around and which she can pilot during battles.
* Baiken from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' is a badass one-armed, one-eyed swordswoman. Zato-1 is an obvious reference to Zatoichi. "One" in Japanese is "ichi."
** Ragna the Bloodedge, from its spiritual successor ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' is a handicapped badass whose arm is [[spoiler:an ''EldritchAbomination'']] because he lost his real one when Terumi, while possessing his brother Jin, cut it off. In ''Continuum Shift'' [[spoiler:he loses his other arm while freeing Noel from mind control and gets it replaced with an arm made of Lambda-11's components]]. During a good portion of Chronophantasma Ragna is unable to use his Azure powers, and by extension his right arm and eye, because of [[spoiler:Celica's ability to suppress seithr]].
* Zaird from ''{{VideoGame/Gungnir}}'' is paraplegic. He is also the final boss and deserves the status.
* Kat in ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' has lost her right arm, but her robotic replacement arm works so well that she's still in active service in an elite unit and the team's expert on fixing broken electronic equipment, even though she's right-handed. It does look pretty ghastly though, but nobody ever comments on it. Maybe they are [[DarkActionGirl too scared to risk it]].
* Take this trope and add "disturbing" in the middle and it's what you get in ''VideoGame/HauntingGround'' when you encounter [[spoiler:the final stalker, Lorenzo Belli. You'd think a crippled wheezing old man in a wheelchair wouldn't be scary or a threat, but then he starts dragging himself after you, scurrying on the ground like a spider as fast as you can run. Then you figure out that no matter what you can't hide from him, all you can do is run in desperation. ''Then'' you find out he can survive being blown up, and then minced in a rock grinder. '''''Then''''' you figure out if he catches you it's a [[OneHitKO One Hit Kill]]. To make matters worse, this is before he reveals his ability to de-age himself and drop the "handicapped" part altogether..]].
* Alexander Cayne in ''VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney''. Despite needing a wheelchair, having severe burns in his face and possibly being partially paralyzed, he is tough, [[spoiler:heads an assassin agency and is surprisingly hard to fight and kill in the final mission]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'''s Asha only has one arm. This doesn't stop him from being a good fighter ''at all''. Being able to [[TeleportSpam teleport like crazy]] helps.
* Harman Smith of ''{{VideoGame/Killer 7}}''. A wheelchair-bound old man who will destroy nearly anyone with the anti-materiel rifle he possesses on the back of his wheelchair. Con Smith as well, he's a skilled gunfighter despite being completely blind.
* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'':
** [[ColonelBadass Heidern]]. His right eye was torn out by Rugal and has since obtained an EyepatchOfPower, but it didn't stop him from kicking massive amounts of badass.
** In the manga ''G'' by Ryo Takamisaki, [[spoiler:Kyo Kusanagi]] almost has his eyes ripped out [[spoiler:by Benimaru, who was under MoreThanMindControl by Goenitz and after that incident, Kyo has to keep his eyes shut at all times]], but it doesn't diminish his badassness ''at all''.
* ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'''s Armory and Leggery is run by a man with no arms or legs, but during Zombie Slayer runs, he manages to impregnably fortify his shop against the ZombieApocalypse.
* Swain's backstory in ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' had him hobble into a clinic with his leg broken to the point of exposed bone. He didn't flinch or even wince as the bone was pulled back into place, he refused magical treatment for it when there was nothing they could do otherwise, and requested a spare crutch before hobbling out of the clinic. He joined the military despite a limp that requires him to use a cane to this day, rose through the ranks, and is presently High General which ultimately makes him the leader of Noxus. And if that wasn't enough the man transforms into a giant raven monster in combat.
** Lee Sin burned himself in an act of protest against the occupation of his homeland, Ionia. Afterward, he was left blind. So, he re-trained himself as a martial artist. He aims his jumping kicks by the reverberations of the ''sonic booms he produces when he punches.''
* Louis in The Passing for ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2''. His legs are injured, so he can't run and gun to give cover as Zoey and Francis can. So what does he do? He mans the [[{{BFG}} Heavy Machine Gun]].
* ''VideoGame/{{LISA}} The Painful RPG'': Depending on the player's responses to Buzzo's sadistic choices, protagonist Brad can lose one or both of his arms as the game goes on. He's still a toughed, determined, fireball-throwing martial artist who can take out gangs, kill powerful bloated mutants, and climb ropes with his mouth. [[SlidingScaleOfGameplayAndStoryIntegration It is, however, made more difficult to do so with fewer arms.]]
* [[spoiler: Morrighan]] in the MMORPG ''{{VideoGame/Mabinogi}}'' is in fact, blind... This does not stop [[spoiler: her]] from fulfilling [[spoiler: her]] job as the [[spoiler: Goddess of War and Vengeance]] at all.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** Jeff "Joker" Moreau, the pilot of CoolStarship ''Normandy'', makes a point of how all his flight awards and commendations were ''not'' charity for his suffering from Vrolik's Syndrome, which makes his bones so brittle that he cannot walk without assistance. Good thing he doesn't need to walk for his job, then, and he lives up to his boast that he is "the best damn helmsman in the Alliance fleet", piloting the ''Normandy'' as swiftly and easily as if she were an [[Franchise/StarWars X-Wing fighter]]. [[spoiler:He ends up firing the shot that takes out EldritchAbomination Sovereign in the first game's finale.]] As if his badass-ness wasn't already established in the first game despite his brittle bones: [[spoiler:When Shepard and the Squad are evacuating from the suicide mission back to the Normandy in the second game, who do we see at the ship's door unloading a machine gun on the enemies following them?]]
** The quarians are a whole race of humanoids who are zipped up in life-support suits for their whole lives due to atrophied immune systems not adapted to any ecosystem other than their occupied homeworld. This doesn't stop some of them from taking up arms and getting into fights guaranteed to ''at least'' get some punctures in their suits that would risk them getting nasty infections. One of these quarians is the series' recurring squadmate, Tali'Zorah.
** Thane Krios does not let something like a [[YourDaysAreNumbered terminal disease]] stop him from being a deadly assassin.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
** Big Boss lost an eye, but never lost a trace of his badassness. He becomes even cooler as an old man. Hell, the eye alone doesn't do him justice: during the ill-fated Virtuous Mission, he suffers a broken arm, multiple lacerations, and a broken rib from getting his ass kicked by The Boss and thrown off a bridge into a river. The medical officer overseeing him fully admits he should be back in intensive care rather than going on Operation Snake Eater a week later, where (not even counting injuries he can get in gameplay) he ends up getting shot in the leg with a crossbow, poisoned by spider venom, electrocuted with 10 million volts, beaten to within an inch of his life by a guy strong enough to punch massive holes in concrete, and ''then'' loses his eye. He ''still'' succeeds the mission.
** Old Snake. The power suit doesn't really make him superhuman, so much as gives him just enough of a muscle assist to stay in the game. Physically Snake's in his 70s despite being 42, and after the first act, he starts having seizures due to his older generation nanomachines. And in the third act, [[spoiler: half his face is burnt off]]. And he still keeps fighting, no matter how many obstacles he must face, or how many friends try to talk him out of it.
** Revolver Ocelot lost his arm, but it doesn't stop him from [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder betraying whoever he worked for]], commanding two squads of [[AmazonBrigade Amazon Brigades]], having a one-on-one fist fight with Old Snake at the top of a submarine, and ultimately [[spoiler: [[GoodAllAlong freeing the world from the Patriots and war economy once and for all]]]]. Unlike Old Snake, Ocelot is legitimately in his 70s, and he's still as ripped as he was in his youth.
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' Raiden is more artificial than organic, to the point that he runs completely on synthetic [[AlienBlood white android blood]]. [[CursedWithAwesome This does not slow him down at all]], but his real Handicapped Badass moment comes, when he has to come to Snake's rescue after ''having lost both of his arms''. Again, with hand-like cyborg feet, this [[Awesome/MetalGear doesn't slow him down at all]].
** Disabilities are a recurring motif throughout the appropriately named ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain The Phantom Pain]]''. Numerous characters are missing limbs, are blind, mute, etc., and makes an apt physical reminder for what Snake's lost and the cause of his RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
* [[MeaningfulName Kiling]] Meehilbis "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast of the Ghosts]]" in ''VideoGame/MitsumeteKnight'' is not only a Handicapped Badass due to his blindness, he's also a cool OldSoldier; yet he's the NumberTwo of the enemy mercenary brigade Valpha-Valaharian, a master [[TheStrategist strategist]], and a powerful foe in battle using a SinisterScythe. Badass indeed!
* [[Characters/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Kenshi]] from ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' is a swordsman who was blinded, thanks to an evil trick by the sorcerer Shang Tsung. However, this hasn't stopped him unleashing many fatalities on his opponents.
* ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER}}'' series
** Duster of ''VideoGame/MOTHER3'' had a leg injury that gives him a serious limp, but not only can he keep up with the others, but he's also actually ''the fastest character in the game who can counter enemy ambushes and attacks by kicking''.
** [[TheAllAmericanBoy Ninten]], the main protagonist of ''Videogame/EarthBoundBeginnings,'' is asthmatic, but that doesn't stop him from [[CombatMedic kicking around all manner of monsters, aliens,]] and [[AnimateInanimateObject malevolent animated objects alike]] with nothing but a [[BatterUp baseball bat]]. However, the vehicular enemies can expel exhaust that causes him to have asthma attacks, which renders him unable to act. The purchasable asthma spray can alleviate this condition.
* Shinobu in the ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' series, after losing her hand to Travis post-ranking fight.
* [[CoolOldLady Ana Amari]] from ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' is one of the best snipers in the world. When she was working for Overwatch, she had a cybernetic eye that enhanced her vision to the point where she technically didn't even need a scope anymore. However, being on the receiving end of a ScopeSnipe, courtesy of Talon operative Widowmaker has left her with only her organic left eye to aim with. [[NeverMessWithGranny Not that that stops her from kicking ass well into her 60s.]]
* Wally from ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' has an unspecified breathing problem (probably asthma) that's kept him homebound for most of his life. When he finally gets a Pokemon, [[JokeCharacter it's a Ralts with no attacking moves]]. Somehow, he raises it, catches five other Pokemon, and [[TookALevelInBadass makes it all the way to Victory Road unassisted]].
* In ''VideoGame/ProjectZomboid'', it's possible to play as a character who is ''deaf''. It makes it so you only detect flanking zombies when they are extremely close to you (basically biting range) but it also gives you a whopping 12 points to spend on positive traits. You can quite easily become a deaf GeniusBruiser or BadassBookworm with a wide range of skills.
* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'': [[spoiler:Despite being [[YourDaysAreNumbered terminally ill with tuberculosis]], Arthur Morgan still manages to hold off a large number of Pinkerton agents and later fights the healthy Micah Bell to a draw. Things may have turned out very differently indeed if Arthur had been in fit condition during the ending.]]
* The ''Garradores'' in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' have their eyes [[EyeScream sewed shut]]. And can nevertheless always know where Leon is by following his footsteps or his [[TheNoseKnows smell]]. Add to that sets of 2-feet long steel claws and [[LovecraftianSuperPower a homicidal parasite dwelling in their bodies]] and you have quite the badass.
* The same thing can be said for Zorne Sepperin of ''VideoGame/{{Rosenkreuzstilette}}''. A major difference is that what happened that caused her to gain her metal gauntlet in place of her arm seems to be a mystery (though {{Fanon}} suggests that she lost it in an accident, and one source even states that her arm got caught in a belt). While it was somewhat subverted in the first game due to her being a ButtMonkey there, she got her own badass part when she [[TookALevelInBadass took her own level in badass]] in ''Rosenkreuzstilette Freudenstachel''.
* Tachibana Ukyou in ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' is suffering from tuberculosis, including having an IncurableCoughOfDeath. Doesn't stop him from stylishly kicking ass whenever a fight breaks out.
* Cyphr Wolfchild from fighting game ''VideoGame/{{Schwarzerblitz}}'' has lost both her arms, her right ear, and some internal organs when she was a child. Despite this, she worked hard to get an effective kick-only fighting style and, as a result, became one of the strongest characters in-game.
* Both Date Masamune and Chosokabe Motochika from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' are [[EyepatchOfPower missing an eye]], but it doesn't stop them kicking copious amounts of ass, and while Masamune is acknowledged as having a blind spot, Motochika doesn't seem to care.
* Bentley in the ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' series mixes this with GeniusCripple, becoming a better fighter than before after he became wheelchair-bound by building a bunch of stuff onto his wheelchair.
* Voldo from the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries''. After spending years taking care of his dead master Vercci's treasures in a cave, his eyesight is irreparably damaged, but he's still one of the most infamous characters in the game.
* Like in [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark the show]], Jimmy Valmer as The Bard in ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'' is not only TheDreaded who is known and feared by the warriors of Kupa Keep, but also serves as the [[WakeUpCallBoss first genuinely difficult boss]] in the game. He also manages to be a decent ally when he's in your party, able to use buffs and debuffs to great effect and possessing a ranged attack that can hit any enemy for moderate damage. This is all in spite of his crutches and crippled legs.
* ''VideoGame/StarOcean1'': Crutch character he may be, Ashley is 50-60 years old and has only one good arm (crippled in the original, but in the remake it was outright "forcibly amputated") yet he can still keep up with the rest of the party and go head to head with some of the nastiest monsters Planet Roak has to offer.
* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'':
** Oro, the one-armed OldSoldier from ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'', subverts this since the one-armed thing is deliberate - his other arm is hidden behind the knot in his shirt. He's never met anyone who ''deserves'' both arms.
** Sagat aka [[RedBaron "the Emperor of Muay Thai"]] is one of the most feared and respected fighters in the whole world despite lacking an eye.
** Gen once fought ''Shin Akuma'' to a standstill despite suffering from leukemia.[[note]]In fairness, Akuma stopped fighting when he realized Gen was ill. It still didn't stop Gen from surviving a Shun Goku Satsu ([[DubNameChange Raging Demon]]).[[/note]] Hell, the fact that Gen had lived at a terminal level for 10-15 years (or however much time passed between ''Alpha 3'' and ''IV'') by sheer determination to die in battle rather than succumb to his illness has to count.
* MOBA game ''VideoGame/{{Strife}}'' features Claudessa, a warrior who lost her arm slaying a dragon, Silvertongue. She took the dragon's claw as a weapon and uses a shield in place of her missing arm. Fittingly enough for this trope, she is arguably [[CharacterTiers the most powerful hero available to play.]]
* ''VideoGame/SuperFighter'': The ninja Onimaru, despite having lost a leg (and having it replaced with a peg leg), needing a staff as a makeshift cane, and having taken serious injuries to his head (needing cybernetics to replace his left eye and metal plating around the parts of his face surrounding his lost eye), he can still hold his own against all the other fighters of the cast.
* Calvina Coulange from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsJudgment'' suffered severe nerve damage to her arms when the AbusivePrecursors known as the Furies attacked the Moonbase she was stationed at, but she's just as capable a pilot as she ever was once she gets her hands on an alien mech with a brainwave interface.
* Hobyrim from ''VideoGame/TacticsOgre'' kills 2 ninjas in his first scene. He is also blind. KatanasAreJustBetter indeed.
* ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'':
** Regal Bryant of ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', formerly a martial artist of tremendous strength and skill, [[spoiler:was forced to kill his girlfriend and]] swore he would never take another life with his own hands. Later, someone else convinced him to treat the oath more literally and fight with his feet instead. Naturally, he's still one of the most powerful combatants in the game, and on top of that, he happens to be [[spoiler:a culinary genius, a philanthropist, and the President of one of the most powerful corporations in the world]].
** Milla Maxwell from ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia''. [[spoiler:Some ways into the game, she has an [[ExplosiveLeash explosive strapped to her ankle]] that will detonate if she crosses a barrier in an enemy stronghold. When she sees [[BigBad King Nachtigal]] [[MotiveRant gloating about how he's going to serve his country by enslaving all others]], not only does she cross the barrier before the ankle bracelet explodes, she actually [[OhCrap shocks him]] into getting [[CurbStompCushion a brief bit of damage]]. The incident costs Milla the use of her legs. [[{{Determinator}} Not that it slows her down much]]. At one point, when [[DuelBoss Jude and her handmaid Ivar are slugging it out over who's going to save her]], she [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere has enough of their posturing, and starts trying to crawl towards a ship]].]]
** Dezel from ''VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria'' is blind, but is just as capable in battle as the rest of the party. He claims he knows the world around him by feeling it on the wind, a natural ability of his as a [[BlowYouAway wind seraph.]]
* The Demoman from ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''. He's a one-eyed black Scotsman and despite his lack of a functioning liver and depth perception, he still rocks.
** The Demoman comes from a BadassFamily of mercenary explosives experts. All of his ancestors with his job, according to his mother, have been ''entirely blind'' by age 30. His missing eye is FridgeBrilliance as well since one of the Demoman's assets is his ability to attack outside his field of vision.
** His alcoholism is so severe that his BAC reached the point that he [[spoiler:gave alcohol poisoning to a bunch of ''robots'' who tried to drain his blood]]. He can also somehow ferment alcohol using his own bone marrow.
** The Demoman's family seal bears the following motto: [[PretentiousLatinMotto In Regionem Caecorum Rex Est Luscus]]. It means ''In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king''.
** One of the replacements for his grenade launcher, the bootlegger, literally [[SeadogPegLeg chops his leg off and places a wooden peg on the stump]]. What does it do? It makes him run faster and gives him better turn control while charging.
** Ever since the Meet the Pyro video has come out, we finally know the Pyro's mental handicap. [[SugarBowl His mind is filled with laughter, candies, and rainbows.]] Even though he thinks he's spreading joy to the world, he is actually mercilessly slaughtering his enemies.
** Lampshaded with the Rainblower weapon for the Pyro: "Your friends[[note]]enemies[[/note]] will squeal with delight[[note]]be consumed with fire[[/note]] when you cover them with sparkling rainbows[[note]]all consuming fire[[/note]]"
* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'':
** Patchouli Knowledge is both an IllGirl and a BadassBookworm. She suffers from asthma ''and'' anemia, not at all helped by [[{{Hikikomori}} spending more than a century in her library]], and is so frail it is much easier for her to float everywhere instead of walking, but that won't stop her from unleashing {{Beam Spam}}s that are impressive even by Gensoukyou standards.
** Okina Matara is not merely disabled, being a wheelchair user with some degree of independent mobility, she is ''[[DisabledDeity the God of the Disabled]]'' ([[OddJobGods among many, many other things]]) and is also, as one of the founding sages of Gensoukyou, one of the realm's most powerful residents.
* The Blind Ones race in ''{{VideoGame/Turok}} 2'' includes deadly-accurate crossbow snipers.
* Not-Robot Bunny from ''VideoGame/UltimateChickenHorse'' is in a wheelchair (due to being a reskin of the default Bunny, who is a robot with wheels). This doesn't affect its ability to navigate deadly obstacle courses, and it plays just like the other able-bodied animals.
* Undyne from ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' is openly stated to be one of the biggest badasses in the game. She is very HotBlooded and [[spoiler:able to outright resist dying]]. She is also missing her left eye.
* Birdie, the leader of the Turnbull AC's skinhead gang in the video-game adaptation of ''VideoGame/TheWarriors''. He uses a wheelchair and can only defend himself by using a gun - and his followers are STILL intimidated by him. ("Why don't you use your goddamn good legs of yours and FETCH ME A FUCKING SIX-PACK!")
* Lucky from ''VideoGame/{{Whacked}}!'' is a rabbit that has no feet, but he is a very intimidating character in the game. [[spoiler:This includes Van Tastic, who is actually the devil.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein}}'':
** In ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'', we have Caroline Becker, who is paralyzed from the waist down, but organizes a formidable resistance movement against the Nazi regime. [[spoiler:She later actively joins the fray when she downs a [[PoweredArmor Da'at Yichud power suit]] which allows her to move as well as, if not better than, an an able-bodied soldier.]]
** In ''VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus'', B.J. Blazkowicz starts off severely injured and wheelchair-bound, but is still perfectly capable of killing Nazis. He later dons PoweredArmor to help him continue fighting the Nazis. [[spoiler:It's the same power suit that Caroline wore before she was killed.]]
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
** Farseer Nobundo is not a draenei shaman; as a former [[ThePaladin vindicator]] who [[IronWoobie narrowly survived]] a SelfSacrificeScheme and went through several sorts of [[ShellShockedVeteran hell]] after the fact, he is ''[[Awesome/{{Warcraft}} the]]'' draenei shaman. That said, he's also a gimpy, arthritic Krokul.
** The blind shaman Drek'thar commands Frostwolf forces against the Stormpike dwarves in Alterac Valley and is a pretty tough boss. He's a major Horde figure both in lore and in-game, and he only becomes more awesome in ''Warlords of Draenor'', where he buries a whole contingent of Iron Horde soldiers in a landslide.
** The entire Shattered Hand clan fits the bill, who have all cut off one of their own hands and replaced them with a blade. Their leader, Kargath Bladefist, is quite possibly the most feared orc of them all.
** Zul'jin, the leader of the Amani trolls until ''Cataclysm'', was captured by his enemies the high elves, and tortured horrifically. They put out one of his eyes, and to escape, he cut off his own arm. Doesn't stop him from being one of the more difficult bosses in ''Burning Crusade.''
** Lor'themar Theron lost one of his eyes in a battle against the Scourge during the Third War. Kilrogg Deadeye, meanwhile, followed the traditions of his clan and put out one of his eyes to be granted a vision of his own death.
* Dunban in ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}} Chronicles'' injured his right arm in a battle that took place a year before the game's story began. Regardless, he springs right back into action for the purpose of protecting his hometown and friends when the need arises and does a really good job at it. He manages to completely cripple that arm in doing so, but he just comes right back using his left arm for sword-work. He also doesn't have any issues climbing up cliffs with only his left arm.
* ''{{VideoGame/Yakuza0}}'': Tetsu Tachibana became a gang leader at a young age by trouncing a group of four local gangsters so soundly they begged him to become their boss. He lost an arm and most of his kidney function as an adult, but that didn't slow him down an inch.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Jack Bauer has chronic (often torture-induced) heart problems throughout ''Series/TwentyFour'', and continues to kick ass in spite of having been clinically dead ''twice'' as a result.
* Agent Sousa of ''Series/AgentCarter''. A leg injury in WWII crippled him, forcing him to walk with a crutch. However he is still a dangerously smart SSR agent, and can still hold his own in a fight.
* Wesley Windham-Price in ''Series/{{Angel}}'' used a wheelchair temporarily at one point. It's a good thing he was handy with a {{shotgun|sAreJustBetter}}. In a vision of an alternate reality, Wesley was badass despite the loss of an arm.
* Llud the Silver-Handed from ''Series/ArthurOfTheBritons''. A one-handed warlord and Arthur's adoptive father, the "Silver-Handed" epithet comes from his (non-functional) silver prosthesis.
* Alfred Bester in ''Series/Babylon5''. It's easy to miss because his badassery is more of the ManipulativeBastard variety, and it's never mentioned in dialogue, but his left hand is immobile. It only becomes really obvious in a late episode where he has to use his teeth to help remove his right glove.
* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'':
** Col. Tigh had [[spoiler:his eye plucked out]] between the second and third seasons, and if anything becomes ''more'' badass as a result.
** [[spoiler:Samuel Anders]] took a bullet to the brain, survived and was then [[spoiler:hooked up directly to the ''Galactica'''s central computer]], essentially becoming ''Galactica'' itself for the final few episodes of the show.
** Lt. Felix Gaeta [[spoiler:lost his leg and shortly thereafter started a full-scale, devastating mutiny against his CO]].
* ''Series/BirdsOfPrey'': Barbara Gordon, formerly ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}, was shot by ComicBook/TheJoker prior to the start of the series, leaving her a paraplegic. Normally she stays at the hideout as Oracle, but she's still quite capable of defending herself with gadgetry and collapsible batons (one extreme case saw her use technology to temporarily restore her ability to walk).
* Mid-season four of ''Series/{{Blindspot}}'', [[spoiler:Jane Doe manages to take down a serial killer with over three dozen known victims who had managed to capture Jane, despite the fact that Jane was currently being affected by ZIP poisoning, which has reached a point where she's practically deaf and blind while dealing with searing headaches]].
* Richard Harrow from ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire'', who suffered a horrific facial injury in World War I that cost him an eye and damaged his nerves so that eating and drinking is very difficult. But he's still a very skilled sniper.
* ''Series/BreakingBad'':
** The protagonist's Reign of Badass began with his diagnosis of terminal cancer.
** One of the Cousins doesn't ease up on his RoaringRampageOfRevenge at all after his legs are amputated.
* T-Bag in the ''Series/BreakoutKings'' episode "The Bag Man". He stabs a guard to death with his prosthetic hand and then proceeds to go an a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
* Robert Morehouse of ''Series/{{Copper}}'' lost his leg after a battle in the Civil War. Aside from being a GuileHero who can play Tammany Hall like a fiddle, at the end of the series he leads a manhunt to find John Wilkes Booth, and despite his missing leg and 1860s prosthetic he manages to be quite good at it. However, it takes its toll on him, and the chafing from the prosthetic causes him immense and crippling pain.
* Auggie Anderson of ''Series/CovertAffairs''. Went blind on a special ops mission, learned Braille in two years, is ''head of tech ops'' at the CIA, and [[Awesome/CovertAffairs kicked the collective asses of two members of the Russian mob on a moving train]], ''while {{shirtless|Scene}}.'' He probably still has nanobots in his body from his [[Series/{{Jake20}} days at the NSA]].
* ''Series/{{CSI}}'' has Doc Robbins. He has two prosthetic legs and walks with the aid of a crutch, but if he catches you in his morgue and you don't have a right to be there, he ''will'' attack you, usually ''with'' his crutch and anything else that comes to hand. And if the odds are fair, he'll probably win.
* In an episode of ''Series/DarkAngel'', Logan struggles with an assailant and hauls them both to the ground. Logan then declares, "The thing about wheelchairs: they build upper-body strength" before beating the guy.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** The [[TheNthDoctor First Doctor]] had to walk with a cane, and was just as badass as any of his future regenerations.
** Davros, an OmnicidalManiac who only has one (mechanical) eye and the use of one hand. Despite this, he and his Daleks are two of the most feared monsters in the show. Think Stephen Hawking aged several hundred years. Later on, he gets the one working hand shot off... and replaces it with a prosthetic that SHOOTS FRICKIN' LIGHTNING BOLTS.
** The Menoptera freed from the Crater of Needles in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E5TheWebPlanet "The Web Planet"]] had had their wings cut off when enslaved. They could still kick Zarbi ovipositor.
** Orcini in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E6RevelationOfTheDaleks "Revelation of the Daleks"]].
** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E5Oxygen "Oxygen"]], [[spoiler:the Doctor gets [[TemporaryBlindness blinded]] after having to give Bill his helmet during a spacewalk. He still saves the day with minimal help]].
* Dr. Kerry Weaver in ''Series/{{ER}}''. She walks with the aid of a crutch for the majority of the series, but is in no way impeded in helping her fellow doctors in emergency situations. In one episode, she assists in the arrest of a schizophrenic patient who had killed Med student Lucy Knight and seriously injured Dr. John Carter, by tripping him with her crutch. A few episodes after this, she uses the crutch to beat her way through a crowd of brawling High School footballers to help Malucci, who had been knocked unconscious in the chaos. Later, in season 8, she leaps into a crashed ambulance, surrounded by fallen power lines, in a storm, to deliver an injured pregnant woman's baby.
** Also, she's everybody's boss for a significant chunk of the series.
* ''{{Series/Fargo}}'': A recurring element in the series is the [[ThoseTwoBadGuys pair of quirky henchmen]] and of all of them, season 1's Mr. Wrench is probably the most dangerous. He's a deaf hitman (played by the also deaf Russel Harvard) who nearly kills the BigBad of the first season and much later tears through the villains from season 3 including that season's quirky henchman pair.
* Scorpius from ''Series/{{Farscape}}''. The jury-rigged hybrid product of a cruel MarsNeedsWomen project that used two species which were almost completely incompatible, he's in constant pain and almost constantly on the point of dying from heatstroke, depending on a ClingyCostume cooling system that includes a heat sink '''running through his skull into his cranial cavity'''. But as long as [[AchillesHeel his endothermic heat-absorbing rods get changed regularly]] he's a GeniusBruiser who can both beat the crap out of people and [[TheChessmaster outplot anyone in the universe]].
* In ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', the Alliance's brutal and unethical mental enhancement and training exercises leave River Tam with a case of borderline psychosis. It's unclear if she's a stone cold badass ''because'' of this or ''in spite'' of it.
* ''Series/FreakOut'', the short-lived British disabled lifestyle show, was presented by the short-armed martial artist [[http://matfraser.co.uk Mat Fraser]] and featured amputee stunt men, one who worked on Film/{{Predator2}} for the scenes where the Predator lost an arm. Another episode followed disabled hunters, but subverted the trope since, as Mat put it, it wasn't about independence as much as interdependence. Properly paired, two disabled hunters could hunt as well as any able bodied hunter.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
** Tyrion's stature certainly counts as a handicap in a world where it's mandatory for men to be big, strong and dangerous fighters. If his ability to talk, bargain or weasel himself out of dangerous situations doesn't make him badass enough, his final discovery of [[KneeCapping a useful fighting style for anyone under five feet]] certainly makes him so. That and talking a bunch of disheartened city guards into making a foray out of a city under siege.
** Although Bran can't walk, he's become quite a powerful warg and later on the second Three-Eyed-Raven.
** The Greatjon is still one of Robb's best soldiers despite losing two fingers.
** Jaime still manages to be a fairly competent fighter after having his right hand cut off, but he's understandably perturbed about losing most of his physical prowess, his only noticeable trait to the outside world (he is the ''Kingslayer'' after all) and skilled fighters like Bronn can easily knock him down, forcing Jaime to learn how to improvise. Though he does take out a Dornishman with the help of his golden hand, so there's that.
* Oswald Cobblepot of ''Series/{{Gotham}}''. Having his legs broken early in the series has made him walk like, well, a Penguin. He is still, however, an incredibly ruthless and cold blooded killer.
* An episode of ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'' called "Hookman" featured a deadly sniper with hooks for hands. The guy who played the sniper is a RealLife Handicapped Badass, private investigator J.J. Armes.
* ''Series/{{Highlander}}''[='s=] Joe Dawson has no legs and can kick your ass all day long. His cane is made to stand up to swordstrokes.
* Dr. Gregory Series/{{House}} has 1.5 legs because he lost the muscle from one due to sickness. It didn't dilute his MO of 'break into patient's houses' at all.
* ''Series/{{Ironside 1967}}'', starring Raymond Burr as a chief of detectives in a wheelchair, was a piker. The series received a [[ShortRunners short-lived]] [[TheRemake remake]], ''Series/{{Ironside 2013}}'', with Blair Underwood as a {{Race Lift}}ed version of the original character.
* In his second appearance in ''Series/JonathanCreek'', Gideon Pryke is in a wheelchair and can only move one finger, due to being hit by a sniper. With a voice-activated computer and a few other tricks built into the chair, he continues to be a brilliant and badass no-nonsense detective.
* Little known fact about Michael Knight. In the pilot, Detective Michael Long is shot in the face by a traitorous bitch. The only thing that saves him is a metal plate in his cranium from a war injury suffered ostensibly in Vietnam. The reconstructive surgery results in him becoming the ''Series/KnightRider''.
* ''Series/{{Longstreet}}'': Mike Longstreet was ''blind'' and studied ''martial arts'' with Creator/BruceLee. ''Bruce friggin' Lee.''
* {{Inverted|Trope}} and played with on ''Series/{{Lost}}''. The BaldOfAwesome is revealed to have been paralyzed in the past, then revealed that his paralyzed self was weak and sad, then revealed that he was a sad little creature even before he was paralyzed. Then reveled that he was using the IdiotBall all through the seasons even after he was healed.
* Stevie from ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' becomes a true avatar of this trope in the episode wherein Reese deliberately picks a fight with him as an easy opponent, only for Stevie to show up for the brawl in a FREAKIN' HOMEMADE EXOSKELETON and pound the tar out of him...
* In ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'', the one-legged girl's boyfriend, despite missing both legs and an arm, [[CurbstompBattle brutally kicks Earl's ass.]]
* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': Mr. Gold walks with a limp as a result of a [[spoiler:self-inflicted injury]] during the Ogre Wars. Doesn't stop him from intimidating and manipulating everyone in town, as well as [[CaneFu delivering beatings with his cane]]. Also, {{Hook|Hand}}.
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'': Finch walks with a limp [[spoiler: due to a metal spine graft caused by an explosion which killed his best friend]] and while not being a badass fighting wise, he is a master hacker, BadassBookworm and is willing to put himself in life-threatening situations to save his friends, in one case [[ToThePain threatening an assassin with death by electrocution to get him to back down]]. Also, Reese uses a wheelchair or crutches for one episode after being shot by the CIA. It doesn't stop him from taking down the villain-of-the-week.
* In ''Series/{{Powers}}'', both Triphammer and his successor, Martinez, are amputees. Bonus points for Martinez being a veteran.
* ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'': Jenna, blinded after an accident when she and the Liars were fourteen, still manages to scare them senseless on and off for seasons at a time, what with her manipulations, lies, and frame ups. [[spoiler: After the TimeSkip at the end of the last season, she is now the [[BadassTeacher life skills teacher]] at Rosewood High. And still a Badass.]]
* Anthony Ryan Auld from ''Series/ProjectRunway'''s 9th season qualifies in that despite being color blind he managed to become a fan favorite for his season and eventually win the second All Stars season. Especially since he's a ''fashion designer'' and color blindness would usually be thought of as a huge disadvantage.
* Creator/{{PBS}}'s forensic history series ''Series/SecretsOfTheDead'' did an [[http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/resurrecting-richard-iii-full-episode/1934/ episode]] on [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet King Richard III Plantagenet]]'s remains, even training a Renaissance reenactor with the same type of severe scoliosis as Richard in medieval fighting arts and getting him a custom-made suit of plate armor. Turns out that it would only have been a mild impediment on foot (mainly due to diminished lung capacity from the malformed ribcage) and no impediment at all on horseback (which neatly explains the "my kingdom for a horse" line in [[Theatre/RichardIII the play]]).
* [[spoiler:ComicBook/LexLuthor]] in Season 8 of ''Series/{{Smallville}}''. Left crippled after the previous season's finale, he is quadriplegic, and forced to breathe via a respirator. He still has [[{{Franchise/Superman}} Clark]], [[Comicbook/GreenArrow Oliver]], and all their friends quaking in their boots at the mention of his name, even though he's the one on ''life support''. Appearing for only one episode, he uses his [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] abilities to do more damage in that one than most villains do in a season. In addition to that one episode, [[spoiler: Lex]] spent most of the season as TheManBehindTheMan to [[spoiler: Tess]], further reinforcing his Chessmaster status.
* ''Series/SpaceAboveAndBeyond'': [[ColonelBadass Lieutenant Colonel TC McQueen]]. He's not crippled in the sense that he lacks full control of his body, but because due to injuries in the opening days of the Chig War, he has an electronic implant in his brain that acts as his Inner Ear. If it is exposed to High-G maneuvers, it will explode, inducing a stroke. So when an alien [[AcePilot fighter ace]] shows up in his [[AceCustom nigh-invincible prototype fighter]] and starts tearing entire squadrons apart, [=McQueen=] has the implant removed, and learns to walk, run, do pushups and chin-ups, and fly a high-performance space fighter... ''all without a sense of balance''. [[spoiler: He fights the Chig ace one-on-one, and kicks his ass after a lengthy and pitched battle.]]
* Holly in ''Series/TheSparticleMystery'' is missing half of her left arm, still has a role as the group's ActionGirl.
* In the ''Series/StargateSG1'' movie ''Continuum'' Daniel Jackson loses his leg. Still doesn't stop him from busting caps in the Goa'uld.
** Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell shattered his leg in the battle against Anubis. He still has pins holding his leg together. He is also a ColonelBadass.
* Throughout ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation]]''
*** Captain Picard. It is revealed in "Tapestry" that a hot-headed younger Picard got into a bar fight and got stabbed in the chest, requiring an artificial heart to be put in. It worked reasonably well until he was shot during a riot. It takes on greater significance because the audience learns the fight, as well as Picard losing his original heart, is what ultimately led to him becoming a galaxy-class badass.
*** Lt. Commander Geordi [=LaForge=], "a man with unique vision".
** ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]''
*** General Martok is the classic example of a Handicapped Badass. He loses an eye from several successive no-holds-barred fights with Jem'Haddar, then carries on the war and eventually heads the Klingon Empire with only ONE EYE because "I DO NOT WANT AN OCULAR IMPLANT!"
*** Melora Pazlar is a Starfleet officer who, although not disabled as such, was from a low-gravity world and used a wheelchair and braces because the gravity on the station was too high for her. The treatment that Dr. Bashir developed for her didn't solve the problem, but they ''did'' make her partially ''phaser-proof'', and she went on to turn down the gravity at a crucial moment and whip the bad guy's ass.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
** Bobby, after he gets injured and is unable to walk. He [[RetiredBadass retires from hunting]], but fights when he has to.
** Castiel is this as of season 10, as he's lost [[spoiler:his ability to fly due to his wings being broken, seemingly irreparably]].
** A season 11 episode features a hearing-impaired hunter named Eileen. Doesn't stop her from kicking monster ass.
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tate_%28TV_series%29 Tate]]'' (starring David [=McLean=] aka [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlboro_Man The Marlboro Man]]) was a travelling gunfighter and bounty hunter who had lost the use of his left arm during the Civil War.
* During the intro to the second season of ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'', Cameron suffers damage to her leg that limits her to a slow, unsteady limp. Naturally, while she is limping, Cameron becomes an order of magnitude more terrifying as she hunts the Connors.
* Billy Baxter, blinded during the war in Bosnia and ''still'' faster round the ''Series/TopGear'' test track than two of the fully sighted celebs. He also holds the blind solo motorbike land speed record.
** One of the team's challenges was to create a better off-road motorized wheelchair than the ones commercially available, and then do a navigation race against a team of former British Army soldiers that used the commercially available chairs to get to the top of a mountain. Through a variety of issues (including the fact that the team's wheelchairs were AwesomeButImpractical), the soldiers won.
* Wilson Wilson in ''Series/{{Utopia}}'' has just been [[EyeScream blinded]] at the hands of a {{cold|BloodedTorture}}-blooded TortureTechnician. When the torturer returns from a fag break, Wilson has managed to free himself and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard shoots him with his own pistol]] whilst completely unable to see. He's later sporting an EyepatchOfPower.
* The mercenary Ham Tyler (played by Michael Ironside) in ''[[Series/{{V 1983}} V: The Final Battle]]'' was originally written as wheelchair-bound. In his introduction scene, he was to knock Mike Donovan flat on his back.
* ''Series/WarOfTheWorlds'': Norton Drake is in a wheelchair, and can STILL beat your ass down with a big stick. And he'll cheat to make sure of it.
* After Omar breaks his leg jumping from a window in ''Series/TheWire'', he proceeds to kick five kinds of ass all over Baltimore. On one leg.
* Richard "Yin Yang Man" Branden of ''Series/WMACMasters'' was blind in his right eye after a car accident when he was a kid. When he confesses this to the rest of the cast, he tells about how his passion for the martial arts was reignited when he witnessed an exhibition by a martial artist confined to a wheelchair, who taught him to think of a perceived handicap as a challenge to work at overcoming.
* Alex Krycek from ''Series/TheXFiles''. Gets his [[AnArmAndALeg arm sawed off]] after escaping a Russian gulag, but it doesn't slow him down much. [[spoiler:It does eventually get him killed, though, as he can't hold a gun with his prosthesis.]]
[[/folder]]

* Music/IceCube. "Ghetto Vet"

[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''Literature/TheLegendOfTheCondorHeroes'' we get Ke Zhen'e and Mei Xiaofeng after being blinded.
* Epic novel ''Literature/{{Aztec}}'' included an Aztec warrior who kills four other men in gladiatorial combat, despite the fact that his feet were cut off. Mixtli is also handicapped, but he always wins through cunning rather than awesomeness.
* Sniper Nessa Borough of Creator/DanAbnett's ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'' series is one of the best snipers in the Tanith regiment, despite being completely deaf. A couple of other characters also retain their badassery after being handicapped, such as "Shoggy" Domor, who is blinded, and Sergeant Varl, who lost an arm - through it got replaced with a bionic augmetic limb that can [[PowerFist punch people's heads off.]]
* Another ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' book, ''Literature/RedemptionCorps'', seems to love this trope: Major Zane Mortensen suffered burns to every part of his body crippling his nervous system so he can't feel anything who leads a squad of implied sues. Inquisitor Herrenvolk is a weak old man who has to be carried everywhere... and can impose psychic control on anyone within the star system. The Lord Commissar is so crippled that he has to live in an oxygen tent... and shouts down a captain on his own starship to hold them in a deadly, guided meteor shower. Cadet-Commissar Krieg has his most badass moments shortly after having his right arm surgically re-attached, making it useless.
* Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold has written at least two
** In the ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'', Miles Vorkosigan, whose brittle bones and stunted growth enhance his badassitude. His mother implies that if he had grown up normally and been treated like anyone else, he would have been an intelligent and valued military officer; due to his disabilities and his society's extreme phobia of mutations, he has to work harder to overcome their expectations and ends up overshooting them by miles. Like all Barrayaran military officers, Miles trained extensively in hand-to-hand. He notes once that three-quarters of the moves are barred to him in a real fight due to his brittle bones, but the one-quarter remaining is still more than sufficient for him to grab a large and healthy man by the throat and toss him around a bit during ''Literature/ACivilCampaign''.
** Dag from ''Literature/TheSharingKnife'' was a competent monster-hunter. Then he lost his left hand (among other things), got a prosthesis, went back to monster-hunting while not caring much if he survived, with successes leading to a close-to-legendary reputation, at least among monster-hunters. ('''Then''' he breaks his right arm, which leads to a spurt of his magic abilities that's unheard of for someone his age.)
* From Creator/JohnCWright's ''Literature/WarOfTheDreaming'' there is Peter "OneManArmy" Waylock, who is wheelchair-bound.
* In Doris Egan's ''Gate of Ivory'', Eln Cormallon, who was born without sorcerous abilities in a family whose business is sorcery, then was left unable to walk as a youngster. He compensated by studying sorcery more deeply and learning more about the theory of it than any of its practitioners have done, to the point of being supremely dangerous when involved in a sorcerer's duel.
* In Creator/MaryGentle's ''The Golden Witchbreed'', Ruric ''amari'' is a one-armed warrior in a society where warriors fight with two swords, one in either hand. She is the T'An Commander of the army of the Southland.
* Creator/StephenKing's ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'': Susannah Dean. Her legs were hit by a train as a child, but she still went on to join Roland's ''[[TrueCompanions ka-tet]]'' and be ''awesome''.
** Roland is a lesser example, remaining a badass [[TheGunslinger gunslinger]] after getting three fingers on his dominant hand chewed off, and later on having to deal with arthritis.
* In Creator/SarahMonette's ''Literature/DoctrineOfLabyrinths'' series, Mildmay the Fox has near crippling self-esteem issues and one of his legs is crippled at the end of the first book, leaving him in near constant pain when he walks and unable to get around without a cane. He still manages to be the biggest badass in the book and accomplishes a few feats that most able-bodied people would probably have died attempting.
* Bobby Clark in Dana Stabenow's ''Literature/KateShugak'' series of detective novels. Epitomises this trope by having no legs yet still being a ''very'' ScaryBlackMan when occasionally necessary.
* In the final showdown of Matthew Stover's ''[[Literature/TheActsOfCaine Heroes Die]]'', Caine/Hari Michaelson suffers injuries that render him semi-crippled for the rest of his life. This only serves to increase his awesomeness in the sequels, as he now has to pull off all his [[RuleOfCool impossible stunts]] and [[BatmanGambit insane schemes]] without the use of his legs. And he does.
* It seems that Captain/Admiral ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' only gets worse with every major injury and amputation she suffers.
* In the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' book "The Ultimate", Jake (TheLeader, who's been toughening up the last 2-3 years to fight Yeerks) gets flipped by James (a paralyzed kid in a wheelchair). James [[BondOneLiner follows up with]]: "You don't want to know what Kelly (another kid in a wheelchair) can do to you if she gets mad enough." Also, Tobias became a {{Mode Lock}}ed red-tailed hawk and was unable to morph for a large majority of the series. This did not stop him from being a one-man Air Force and master of Recon. He was also the main one to attack Visser Three in the majority of their battles.
* In ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', King Cho-Hag of Algaria can barely walk, due to a childhood illness. That doesn't stop him from being able to outride, outfight and outthink anyone or anything that threatens him or his people. As one character notes, when your society is based around horses, not being able to walk stops being such a problem.
** Beldin is a hunchback and suffers from dwarfism of an unspecified type. Neither condition prevents him from kicking the asses of people three feet taller than him without breaking a sweat (he treated [[TheBlacksmith Durnik]] like a basketball on their first meeting) and that's before he brings his immense magical ability and prodigious intellect to bear.
* Maedhros from ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' was a strong elf warrior who was captured by [[BigBad Morgoth]] and hung by his right hand halfway up a cliff. He was [[LifeOrLimbDecision only rescued by having his right hand cut off]]--and when he'd recovered from his imprisonment, he went on to be a more badass warrior with his left hand than he was with his right, despite being right-handed.
** Beren ''Erchamion'''s right hand was bitten off by a giant wolf...after he'd accomplished most, but not all, of the deeds for which he became famous. ("Erchamion" means "one-handed.")
* The Nazgûl in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' have such poor vision during daylight they are nearly blind (under the noon sun they are truly blind) and have to rely on their horses for guidance, and have a magic-induced fear of naturally running water. This doesn't stop them from being the most feared warriors in Middle-Earth and having far better '''night'''vision than mortals.
* In ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' there is a blind sorceress named Adie. When twenty soldiers came to arrest her, they never had time to flinch. Somewhat subverted, though, when she runs into the [[AntiMagic Pristinely Ungifted]]; since she uses her magic to make up for her lack of sight, she can't even detect them unless they make some noise.
* In Charles Bukowski's ''Ham on Rye'', little Henry Chinaski meets a kid called Red, who has a prosthetic arm. When some bullies come and start hitting them, Red beats them senseless with his fake arm.
* In the original novel of ''Literature/ThePrincessBride'', Inigo Montoya trains under “[=McPherson=], the only Scot who ever understood swords,” a master fencer who is missing both legs at the knee. He teaches Inigo how to deal with adversity in a fight, such as having to fight blind or at a different elevation.
* ''Literature/MobyDick'': Captain Ahab.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'''s Mad-Eye Moody. Over the course of his career as an Auror, he loses an eye and a leg (and a chunk of his nose) but gains a reputation as the most fearsome member of the agency. He uses a wooden leg and a magically-enhanced prosthetic eye that can see in all directions and through solid objects. You'd think that magical technology capable of coming out with something like that eye could do better than a peg leg.
* ''Literature/HollowPlaces'' has Austin. Despite missing an arm, being blind in one eye, and having a body covered in scars, he manages to save several lives and take down a serial killer. He had a bit of help by way of a partner and an anomaly which allows him to go wherever he wants, but what he accomplishes is still impressive given his handicaps.
* Yang Guo in ''Literature/TheReturnOfTheCondorHeroes''. His right arm got chopped off, but he still managed to master wielding a {{BFS}} with his [[OneHandedZweihander remaining left arm]] and develop very powerful [[KiManipulation Ki Attacks]].
* ''{{Toys/Bionicle}}'s'' Vezon, although never actually fighting, manages to remain a main character, not dead, unbelievably unscathed after being captured by the worst torture master in the MU (with the building collapsing), and unmutated by Pit Mutagen. So what makes him better than BadassNormal? He doesn't have powers, and considering how almost every breathing thing in the MU has some power or other, that's pretty crippling. He also doesn't have much of a mind, so the mental handicap comes into play. This powerless nature doesn't apply to him anymore, since ever since he got fused to the Mask of Dimensional Gates, he became a living portal into [[AlternateUniverse other worlds]] and was reduced to a mere, yet very powerful and handy plot device.
* Literature/SirAproposOfNothing has been lame of the leg since he was born and requires a staff to hobble about. And this has not at all stopped him from kicking a great deal of ass. Especially impressive considering that he doesn't ''want'' to kick ass.
* ''Literature/TheFirstLaw'':
** Captain Sand dan Glokta was badass once. He was a handsome, dashing war hero, a decorated warrior who distinguished himself in battle...And was captured by the Gurkish, and [[ColdBloodedTorture spent the next two years somewhat less pleasant than he was accustomed to]]. This left him crippled, disfigured, incontinent, and in constant pain. At this point, most people would have been happy to live out their days in comfort, resting and being brought meals in bed. Glokta decided to screw that, promptly became an [[TortureTechnician Inquisitor]], and spends the series making readers cheer as he unwinds conspiracies, conquers [[ArchEnemy stairs]], and reveals that [[spoiler:he hasn't entirely lost the ability to [[SwordCane fence]]]].
** Caul Shivers really comes into his own as a badass ''after'' losing his eye to ColdBloodedTorture.
* Several cases in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** Qhorin Half-Hand, a ranger of the Night's Watch, lost a large chunk of his right hand fighting wildlings and is still one of the best fighters in the Night's Watch, said to be even better fighting left-handed than he was before.
** [[spoiler:Bran Stark]] gets pushed out of a tower window, shattering his legs and spine; while he will never walk again, his long convalescence gave him a lot of time to hone his ability to [[spoiler:mind jack animals while dreaming]].
** Averted painfully with [[spoiler: Jaime Lannister]]: he loses his sword hand, which more or less [[BreakTheHaughty breaks him.]] He's suicidal for some time afterward, though he does pick up a bundle of GuileHero and/or BattleOfWits tendencies later on (ambiguity, yay). He becomes obsessed with recovering his skill - apparently not realising that fighting left-handed is a ''new'' skill he needs to learn from scratch - and terrified of someone finding out that he can't fight anymore.
** Tyrion Lannister, who doesn't let being born a dwarf stop him from personally leading charges in ill-fitting, last-minute armor and chopping down men twice his size. In one case, he forces his reluctant men to attack because they would look like total wimps if they were outmanned by someone they usually enjoy mocking. See also BattleOfWits. And GuileHero. Lannisters; underestimating them rarely goes well...
** Also from the Night's Watch is the blacksmith, Donal Noye, who only has one arm. This doesn't stop him from [[spoiler: putting up a LastStand against the king of the giants, and ''takes the giant with him'']].
** From the prequel series is Brynden [[HeroicBastard Rivers]], the sinister "Lord Bloodraven", who lost an eye fighting his half-brother Aegor [[BastardBastard Rivers]]. Didn't stop him becoming perhaps the best spymaster Westeros ever knew, becoming Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, [[spoiler:and being a greenseer who is still alive 48 years after he apparently died]].
* Gateman from Creator/AndrewVachss's Burke books uses a wheelchair but is enough of a crack shot that other cons respect him.
* [[spoiler:[[MagnificentBastard Gen]] ]]from Megan Whalen Turner's ''Literature/TheQueensThief'' fits this [[spoiler:after he loses his right hand. Even with that severe handicap, he's still more than a match for the ''Attolian Guard'' in one-on-one sparring matches]] [[spoiler:He]] complains about it ''all the time'', but given this is [[spoiler:''Gen'']] we're talking about, it's anyone's guess how much is genuine Wangst.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
** In ''Discworld/InterestingTimes'' and ''Discworld/TheLastHero'', Mad Hamish is 105, wheelchair-bound, and hard of hearing. But never forget that he's a very old HERO.
--> "Oh I bet the wheelchair terrifies them, especially the blades..."
** Lord Vetinari suffered a crippling injury in ''Discworld/MenAtArms''. A gun was invented, and the person who stole it shot Vetinari. They were aiming for his chest, but he stood up just in time that his thigh was hit instead. His reaction was to let Vimes carry him, not back to the palace but ''to Vimes's wedding'', say things like "It's OnlyAFleshWound" and "I seem to be losing a lot of blood" while wizards look at him, and make sure everyone in Ankh-Morpork knows damn well he's still alive. He now walks with a cane and is well known for being easily winded and lacking physical strength. You still wouldn't want to try anything on him because he isn't just absolute ruler of Ankh-Morpork. He's also a master assassin who killed own predecessor as Patrician by walking up to him and ''talking to him''. (On the other hand, in ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'' he's described as "skipping" when in disguise and the cane is not mentioned, leading to speculation among readers that he isn't as frail as he appears.)
** Arnold Sideways, a member of the Canting Crew beggars, who has no legs and travels on a small cart. He's said to have an advantage in bar fights because of the level of his teeth [[GroinAttack relative to his opponents' anatomy]], ''and'' he can kick - with a boot held on the end of a pole.
* ''Literature/MaximumRide'' has Iggy, a guy who's completely lost his sight. Does he let it slow him down? Nope! In fact, despite not being able to see, his hobby is building bombs. Which he then hides on his person and throws at people he doesn't like. That's what he does ''for fun''. The flock is constantly being attacked by various robots and mutants designed to kill them. Iggy has no trouble holding his own in the many battles and does just as well as the rest of the flock. He is ''not'' amused when Max won't let him go on a mission because he's blind. He proceeds to build an intricate system of traps and bombs to defend the house and blows the entire area up when it's attacked. Then goes and joins the mission.
* Two examples in ''Literature/TheHeritageOfShannara''. [[ActionGirl Wren]]'s {{Mentor}} is a Rover named Garth. He's a badass MightyGlacier who taught Wren everything she needs to know about how to survive in an incredibly hostile world. He's one of the few humans in series capable of fighting [[TheHeartless The Shadowen]] without the use of magic. He's also deaf. Then there's Walker Boh, who's probably the poster boy for this trope: a {{Determinator}} of a Druid who overpowers Shadowen and monsters alike, takes on the HorsemenOfTheApocalypse, and finally kills the series' BigBad, all while having only one arm.
* ''Literature/CodexAlera'':
** The main character Tavi of straddles this trope and BadassNormal ([[spoiler: for the first few books]]). He is BadassNormal in terms of what he can ''do'', but because he is an UnSorcerer (the only Aleran not to have ''any'' furycrafting), his interactions with his world is that of a Handicapped Badass.
** Captain Miles, trusted guardsman to the first lord has had a permanent limp since a cart rolled over his leg about fifteen to sixteen years before the series started. He is still a powerful fighter, deadly with a blade, and when a horde of enemies was coming at his Lord, he stood first against them.
** Maestro Killian, an old blind spy and weapons-master who uses wind magic to see around him, still trains new spies, is a powerful fighter and stood second behind Captain Miles in that same assault.
* In ''Literature/{{Spellbent}}'', Jessie Shimmer loses an arm and an eye in the first chapters. She kicks a great deal of ass over the rest of the novel.
* TheProtagonist of ''The Door in the Wall'' by Marguerite de Angeli is Robin, the son of a knight who longs to become a great warrior like his father. The story taking place in the Middle Ages, the black plague is running rampant. Robin survives what is thought to be the plague, but may have been polio, thanks to the care of a monk, but is left a lifelong cripple with misshapen legs. This does not in the least stop him from helping to save his people from invaders; in fact, it ''aids'' him, because he's able to slip past enemy lines without arousing suspicion thanks to his crutches, and then he's able to get reinforcements and defeat the invasion, being knighted for his noble spirit. He's also portrayed as quite the snarker.
* Colonel Lomax in the Literature/MatthewHawkwood novels. Pinned under a dead horse and caught in a grass fire, the left side of Lomax's body was badly burned; crippling his left arm and destroying his left eye. Still badass enough that he is the first person Hawkwood approaches when he needs allies to storm a BadGuyBar.
* Long John Silver from ''Literature/TreasureIsland'' may have lost one of his legs, but that does not stop him from being leader of the pirates and killing people standing in his way.
* Cap'n Bill, best known from the [[Literature/LandOfOz Oz books]] is an old sailor who had to retire from the sea after he lost his leg. Neither his advanced age nor his wooden leg stop him from going along on all sorts of magical adventures -- even though the books, particularly the non-Oz book ''Sky Island'', do show that the wooden leg gives him trouble from time to time (he can't run very fast and is liable to lose his balance if he tries), they also show that he's still got it when it counts and is someone you're glad to have on your side in a crisis.
* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', Harry himself after he got his hand roasted by a {{Mook|s}} with a flamethrower. Also, Michael after a confrontation with Nicodemus goes south. [[spoiler: He ends up having to give up his post as a Knight of the Cross because of it.]] Even after this, when he can barely walk unaided and it causes him great pain to try, he beats up a physically fit man ten or fifteen years his junior for hurting his daughter.
* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', Brightheart and One-Eye (originally named White-eye) each lost an eye at a young age. This does not stop them from learning how to fight just as well as others despite having a blind side and becoming warriors.
* Benedict from ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfAmber''. He lacks one arm, and he is still the most skillful fighter of all the Amberites (except ''possibly'' Oberon) in both the hand-to-hand and strategic/tactical senses. Corwin, a badass in his own right, says that he fears him, and would not even dare ''try'' to confront him.
* ''Literature/TheBlackCompany'':
** Darling is deaf and mute, and for this reason, nobody believes she could be TheChosenOne. They are hideously wrong since she grows up to be a natural leader and military genius, even without her AntiMagic powers.
** From the same series, The Limper takes this trope UpToEleven. While initially handicapped [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as his name suggests]], he just gets more and more damaged as the series continues, without ever really slowing down. At his first appearance, he walks with a pronounced limp and his face is described as "ruined." In the second book, Croaker injures him to the point that would have killed a normal man, including severing his right arm and planting a seed of evil on his body. The third book reveals that the Lady had to hurt him even more to pry said seed out of him; his injuries aren't detailed, but he is described as a "wreck of humanity" and is bolted to a magical construct that allows him to float a few feet off the ground as he would otherwise be immobile. At the end of this book, he is beheaded and his remaining body parts burned--only for his severed head to return in ''The Silver Spike'' and go on a campaign of terror the likes of which haven't before been seen in the series. At the climax of ''The Silver Spike,'' he is referred to as the most powerful single being still in the North and regarded as a threat to the entire city of Orr--despite having lost his army and approaching the city with nothing but his prosthetic body. Even so, he is a match for the no fewer than five other wizards and is only narrowly defeated.
* From ''Literature/SnowCrash'', Ng, a quadruple amputee who, instead of settling for a wheelchair, builds a gigantic van that can shoot missiles and deploy robots that can break the speed of sound. He also builds a {{BFG}}.
* Waxahachie Smith, the hero of a series of novels from Creator/JTEdson, is a gunslinger who had his trigger fingers amputated by vengeful foes. He had to work out how to wield guns without being able to physically pull a trigger.
* In ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'', one of the longest lasting characters was Lady Cregga Rose Eyes. She was a Badger Lord who became blind during a battle and was sidelined to being the babysitter of the Dibbuns. However, threaten the Dibbuns or her Abbey, and she'll still beat some ass. With the help of a young otter, she even fired a longbow from one of the top levels of the abbey and nailed a vermin dressed in the leader's armor who was extremely far away.
* Viking warlord Ivar the Boneless of ''Literature/RagnarLodbrokAndHisSons'' has no bones in his legs and is thus unable to walk, but nevertheless is carried onto the battlefield on a shield, commands the army and fights with bow and arrow.
** Inspired by the real [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivar_the_Boneless Ivar the Boneless]], though there is a debate about what his nickname meant.
* The eponymous character of Creator/EdgarAllanPoe's "Hop-Frog", as well as his female ally Trippetta. Both are dwarfs, and Hop-Frog's legs are deformed so he can't walk normally (which led to his nickname). They were taken from their homelands and are forced to "serve" (read: be constantly mocked and humiliated) in a royal court. Eventually, Hop-Frog and Trippetta decide they've had enough. \\\
[[spoiler:They organize a royal masquerade in which the king and his ministers frighten the guests while disguised as chained orangutans, wearing costumes made of tar and flax. Hop-Frog catches the "orangutans" by hooking their chains to another chain dangling from the ceiling. Then he holds a torch to their faces to "examine" them and sets their costumes on fire, burning them to death in front of the guests. After killing the king, Hop-Frog and Trippetta disappear and presumably escape to their homelands.]]
* And again in Poe's "The Man Who Was Used Up", a lighter story than most of his about Captain A. B. C. Smith. The narrator knows Smith was wounded in several different battles, but he's not sure how; at the end he discovers that all that's left of the Captain is parts of his head, and the rest is prosthesis. Some consider this story the first depiction of a cyborg.
* Burrich in the [[Literature/RealmOfTheElderlings Tawny Man Trilogy]] and the Farseer Trilogy before that was always a badass. He just happens to be losing his sight and he is almost completely blind. And that's on top of the time he got tusked in the knee by a boar (before killing it) before the first book, then taking an arrow wound on top of the scar later.
** Then there's Kinnit, a blood-thirsty pirate who took down half a dozen assassins by himself. He later lost a leg and stopped carrying a sword, but still managed to make a leap on one leg that many men couldn't make with two. Oh, and he became king.
* In ''Literature/TheSecretsOfTheImmortalNicholasFlamel'', TheGrimReaper has a HookHand which represents the sickle that Death traditionally carries.
* ''Literature/TheSagaOfGrettirTheStrong'' has Grettir's great-grandfather Onund Treefoot, a Norwegian Viking who lost one of his legs in a battle with King Harald Finehair. He replaced it with a peg leg and continued a successful career as a warrior and seafarer.
* ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' has [[spoiler:Peeta Mellark]] who spends two-thirds of the trilogy with a prosthetic left leg. [[spoiler:He's notably less badass in the second book but still he manages to fight pretty well in the arena and kills Brutus in an OffScreenMomentOfAwesome. In the third book he's somewhere in-between his badass levels of the first and second book.]]
* [[spoiler: Pedro Tercero Garcia]] from Creator/IsabelAllende's ''Literature/TheHouseOfTheSpirits'', who [[spoiler: loses [[{{Fingore}} three of his fingers]] to an IRATE Esteban Trueba who has just found out that he impregnated his daughter Blanca]], but after a very understandable HeroicBSOD manages to [[spoiler: re-learn how to play the guitar]]. He's so successful that he [[spoiler: becomes a famous guitar player and composer... '''after''' the loss of his fingers]]!
* Mary in ''Take a Good Look'' by Creator/JacquelineWilson, a partially sighted child who [[spoiler:ends up outwitting armed robbers when she is caught in a hold-up while out shopping]].
* ''Literature/FriedGreenTomatoesAtTheWhistleStopCafe'' has Buddy '[[InSeriesNickname Stump]]' Threadgoode Jr, who had his left arm cut off in a train accident at the age of six. After one event having him be annoyed about his handicap and Idgie showing him that a handicap does not mean someone is worthless, he grows up to be quite amazing. Among his achievements are being a great quarterback for his high school football team, and even being a great shot, despite lacking an arm.
* ''Literature/TheInheritanceCycle'' has Glaedr the dragon, who keeps on kicking ass after losing a leg. There's also the High Priest([[AmbiguousGender ess?]]) of Helgrind, though he or she isn't so much badass as creepy and powerful.
* Deconstructed in ''Literature/LegacyOfTheDragokin''. Rufus is a big, strong and brave man but with a bum leg there's little he can do to [[spoiler: stop Mordak and Zarracka from destroying Final Shield]]. Then again, the legs of his MiniMecha work fine and he later joins the climatic fight.
* ''{{Literature/Suspicion}}'' by Friedrich Dürrenmatt: [[NoNameGiven The Dwarf]] is not quite 80 centimeters (31.496 inches) tall and seems to suffer from some sort of mental retardation. He is also a strong and deadly assassin. Inspector Bärlach who is dying from terminal cancer [[IJustWantToBeBadAss also has traces of it]].
* Alex Treyton of Literature/TheTreytonInjections is paralyzed from the waist down. He still manages to [[spoiler: punch his much larger, much stronger captor in the chest, hard. Several times]].
* [[spoiler: Mareth loses his leg]] in ''[[Literature/TheUnderlandChronicles Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane]]''.
* In the early twentieth century, Ernest Bramah wrote numerous short stories and one novel (''The Bravo of London'') featuring blind investigator Max Carrados.
* Creator/RosemarySutcliff (who wrote more than fifty books while sitting in a wheelchair) produced, among others, Drem One-Arm, a Bronze Age warrior in ''Literature/WarriorScarlet''; lamed Roman infantryman Marcus in ''Literature/TheEagleOfTheNinth''; Aracos, a Roman cavalry hero with a dodgy ticker in ''A Circlet of Oak Leaves''; Viking admiral (and HistoricalDomainCharacter) Onund Treefoot in ''[[Literature/TheDolphinRing Sword Song]]''; clubfooted horsebreaker Vadir Cedricson in ''Dawn Wind''; clubfooted cavalryman and surgeon Gwalchmai in ''Literature/SwordAtSunset''; and Midir, a blind assassin, in ''Literature/TheMarkOfTheHorseLord''.
* In ''Literature/ChildrenOfTheBlackSun'', Isidro only has one functioning arm but is still more competent than a lot of other characters with two. In many respects, his disability has more of a psychological impact on him (coming from a culture where not being "useless" is very important) than a physical one.
* In ''[[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015BWS9J0?redirect=true&ref_=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_0 The Antagonists]]'' the main character, Minnie, is in a wheelchair, suffers chronic pain, can't lift more than five pounds, and doesn't have any superpowers to offset her disability. That doesn't stop her from kicking ass by using her environment against her opponents, exploiting the fact that her opponents will be underestimating her, relying on brains over brawn, being stubborn as hell, being able to pretty much ignore pain since she's usually experienced worse, and so on.
* Conner Penske from ''Literature/ThePeripheral''. Even though during Haptic Wars he lost his "leg, the foot of the other one, the arm on the opposite side, and the thumb and two fingers of the remaining hand", he remains a Badass. He rides a trike that he can arm with a rifle but he shows his true badassery when he controls a titular peripheral.
* ''Film/BloodWork'': Terry [=McCaleb=] is a former [=FBI=] agent who was forced into retirement after a heart failure. Even after a heart transplant, he needs over 30 pills a day but still can fight when needed. His movie counterpart is enough of a badass to be portrayed by ''Creator/ClintEastwood'' in spite of the handicap.
* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': Retina Corison is totally and completely blind in both eyes but he can still be a high ranking member in the fighter portion of the guild. His AuraVision helps.
* In ''Literature/PegasusInFlight'', Peter Reidiger overcomes spinal damage and moves around by telekinesis.
* In the first part of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfAncientDarkness'', Fin-Kedinn is injured by the demon {{bear|sAreBadNews}}, forcing him to walk with crutches for the rest of his life. That doesn't make him any less of the respected and resolute chieftain of the Raven Clan he was.
** The Walker is an insane old outcast who has lost his eye. Regardless of that, he's been able to live in the Forest all on his own for [[spoiler:over a decade]]. He also [[spoiler:retains enough power from his days as the former Otter Mage, using them to summon the Hidden People of the Mountain of Ghosts to destroy [[TheDreaded Eostra]]]].
* A character in the ''Creator/TomClancy's Op Center'' series is wheelchair-bound, but that doesn't stop him from protecting a woman from neo-Nazis in Germany during Chaos Days. The physically disabled are one of the many groups Nazi ideology is prejudiced against, so when he embarrasses them by taking out their hit squad it causes the group to completely lose faith in their leader and break up.
* Mira, one of the telepaths in ''Literature/HiveMind'', has Down syndrome. She's still an excellent telepath, apparently very nice, and a vital member of her {{arcology}}'s security forces.
* In John French’s ''Literature/ThousandSons'' novels, Kadin loses all four of his limbs during a disastrous mission and has them replaced with low-quality, poorly-fitting prosthetics. Since Kadin is a Space Marine, this does not stop him from kicking ass with a bolter or chainsword, and he can hold his own against healthy Space Marines without difficulty.
* Talos in ''Literature/{{Spartan}}''. He was born cripple, but thanks to his grandpa's training, he is able to kick your ass. Generally, he is a NiceGuy.
[[/folder]]