History Main / HeartIsAnAwesomePower

[[folder:Comic Books]]
[[AC:Franchise/TheDCU:]]
* ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} is absolutely ''not'' as weak as MemeticMutation would [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman have one believe]]. A combination of RequiredSecondaryPowers (he can swim like a fish and punch people while under [[WaterIsAir 500+ atmospheres of pressure]], which is ComicBook/{{Superman}}[=-level=] asskickery) and FridgeHorror (he commands ''everything'' that lives in the ocean; guess where Franchise/{{Godzilla}}, Franchise/{{Cthulhu|Mythos}}, and the [[Literature/TheBible Leviathan]] live?) have had many writers portray him as horrifically powerful and outright feared by heroes and villains alike, and for very good reasons.
-->''"He could control every creature that lives in the sea. But I don't think either of you know what that really means. Do you know, do you understand, do you have any idea how much life there is in just one single square mile of sea? I don't think you do... and if you multiply that by lots of miles in every direction... I'd never seen anything like it in my whole life... [[GoMadFromTheRevelation and God as my witness, I hope to never see it again]]."''
--->-- ''ComicBook/TheBraveAndTheBold'', Vol 3, #32
** Perhaps the most awesome (and funny) example is Aquaman's friendship with sea life used to defeat [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]] in ''ComicBook/MarvelVersusDC''. Poor Namor never knew what hit him when he had an ''orca'' dropped on him.
** [[DependingOnTheWriter A few writers]] give him the ability to command not only sea life but also any animal with any connection to the sea, even vestigial or ancestral. Considering life originated in the ocean and every animal has an aquatic common ancestor, that means he can control every animal that has ever existed, ''including humans''. It even included Martians kind of impersonating humans (or possibly just humanoid aliens), most likely indicating that the author had forgotten about his own reveal.
** ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueTheFlashpointParadox'' has the Justice League disarm Thawne/Zoom's 25th-century explosives he plants on the Rogues to destroy Central City. How does Aquaman do it? He travels to a nearby lake and tosses him in. When the Rogue, the Top, asks Aquaman if he's gonna do something, Aquaman calmly responds that he is... he is commanding a million aquatic microbes to eat the bomb's wiring. Once done, he grabs and crushes it. Simple and effective, being one of the few to stop the bombs before detonating.
* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'':
** Among the massive roster of Batman's lesser-known enemies, there's the Carpenter, originally part of Mad Hatter's crew, who is [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment a carpenter]]. Sounds pretty lame, but who do you think built all those [[SupervillainLair evil lairs]] and [[DeathTrap giant traps]] the big-time villains love to use? Given the bill she presented Selina in ''ComicBook/GothamCitySirens'', she makes a good living off her work. There was even one instance where she saved Batman from a stage covered with booby traps she had made for the Director, then took out the Director [[HoistByHisOwnPetard with one of the traps he had commissioned her to build]].
** Another of Batman's C-list foes is a guy called Signalman, who commits crimes and uses gadgetry based on signs, signals, and symbols. He's pretty firmly a joke, but every so often a writer will demonstrate that it's a very dangerous motif to operate off of when handled correctly, and Signalman has performed acts like hijacking Gotham's air traffic control system or using glow spots to disrupt the human nervous system.
* How many comic book-loving tropers don't think much of ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica member Vibe because of his vibrational powers and EthnicScrappy tendencies? [[http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p278/lammal412/Vibe1.jpg Check out this example of sheer power.]] [[http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p278/lammal412/New/Vibe3.jpg And how about this sequence]] [[http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p278/lammal412/New/Vibe4.jpg in which he stabilizes time eras]] during ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''? The ''ComicBook/New52'' reboot of Vibe drops the CaptainEthnic elements and makes him a more fully realized character. His abilities allow him to sense breaches from other dimensions, making him the Justice League's guardian of TheMultiverse.
* This is a grand tradition for the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes, or, more often, The Legion of Substitute Heroes. Most characters have only one power, and it's not always something very impressive.... at first.
** One of their first recruits was Triplicate Girl, with the ability to transform from one ordinary teenage girl... to ''[[SelfDuplication three]]'' ordinary teenage girls. [[MundaneUtility Useful for doing chores]], but not much good in combat. At least, not until she became [[WeakButSkilled a master of Tri-Jitsu]], a martial art based around the fact that you have six arms, six legs, and three potential points of attack to coordinate from. She is also an expert infiltrator. Go somewhere and be seen to walk back out... after leaving ''two'' of your selves hidden somewhere, have them gather information, and then reunite to share and correlate. To top it off, splitting in two or three is a pretty handy way to dodge attacks.
** Bouncing Boy can turn into a giant bouncy ball. It sure seems ridiculous...at least until a 200-pound near-invulnerable sphere ricochets off a wall and slams into you at about 80 miles an hour.
** Matter-Eater Lad can... [[ExtremeOmnivore eat anything]]. Hardly a power to write home about. However, seeing as Tenzil Kem's personal definition of "stuff" includes ''laser beams'' and ''doomsday computers,'' you might want to keep him around in case you need to get rid of something. In one story he ate [[CosmicKeystone a supposedly indestructible wish-granting device]] and so saved The Legion from the invincible monster it had created after everyone else failed. It drove him mad, but hey, he saved the universe! In at least one version, being able to bite through and chew up anything meant the {{Required Secondary Power|s}} of acidic saliva, providing a potentially nasty ranged attack.
** Chemical Kid can alter chemical reactions. In the ComicBook/New52, he is terrified and asks why everyone is counting on him to subdue a rampaging Daxamite (Daxamites have all the same powers as Kryptonians). Element Lad talks him through slowing down the chemical reactions in the Daxamite's brain, causing him to pass out, then reversing the chemical reactions in his skin that let him absorb and process sunlight, taking away his powers. This means Chemical Kid can defeat Superman if he wanted to. "Altering chemical reactions" has every potential to be ''lethal'' if it can affect living organisms, which kind of depend on carefully balanced and regulated chemical processes to keep working. (Note, though, that things like transmuting elements or causing/affecting ''nuclear'' reactions don't technically fall under "chemistry".)
** Almost all of the Substitute Heroes qualify in one form or another. To wit:
*** Color Kid is perhaps the best example of the trope. He can make things change color. Doesn't sound like much, but during his tenure, he turns green kryptonite into (harmless to Superman) blue kryptonite, switches the color of the sky and the ground (confusing fighter pilots), create clouds of "black" to blind opponents (and power up his teammate Night Girl, who loses her powers in daylight), change someone's entire body to match a wall to provide camouflage, and fire day-glo beams that blind and confuse opponents. Turning yellow sunlight into red might instantly de-power any Daxamite or Kryptonian opponent as well, [[DependingOnTheWriter depending on the writer's interpretation of how quickly that weakness kicks in]].
*** Chlorophyll Kid can accelerate plant growth, but he couldn't control any other aspect of them. But over time, he learned to control the direction and (to an extent) shape of plants he's speeding the growth of, making him much more useful in a fight and depending on just where a plant starts growing from, like say on or ''in'' an opponent, it was useful even before he started working on it.
*** Infectious Lass spontaneously generates infectious diseases that she herself is immune to. Turns out being able to bring people to their knees with nothing more than a sudden stomach bug is pretty damn handy.
*** Stone Boy can turn himself into an immobile stone statue. It's got a surprising amount of utility; his teammates can use him as a weapon by throwing him at or dropping him on enemies (or he can do the job himself with a Legion flight ring), and his stone form is nigh-indestructible, granting him some serious defense. Preboot Stone Boy even learned how to [[PartialTransformation turn select parts of his body into stone]] and move when fully transformed.
* On a similar note to Spider-Ham below, in ''ComicBook/TheMultiversity'', ComicBook/{{Captain Carrot|AndHisAmazingZooCrew}} comes from an AlternateTooniverse where everything runs on ToonPhysics, which he brings along when he visits the other worlds of the multiverse, allowing him to survive things that would kill anyone else, like taking a hit from a Hulk-analogue or getting decapitated.
* ''ComicBook/NewGods'' has Glorious Godfrey. His power is to be extremely handsome and charismatic, and was basically an afterthought of Apokalips for decades -- until Darkseid used his power as a WMD in ''ComicBook/{{Legends|DCComics}}'', having him become a television pundit named G. Gordon Godfrey and use his persuasive powers to convince everyone on Earth that superheroes were a problem.
* ComicBook/PlasticMan. Hoo boy, Plastic Man. Many villains underestimate Plas for his goofy demeanor and the stigma that [[RubberMan stretching powers]] are [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway useless]]. Well, Plas ''doesn't'' have stretching powers, he's a ''[[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifter]]'', and possibly the greatest in Franchise/TheDCU at that. He can change his size, shape, and density, enabling him to shrug off damage that could kill many members of the Justice League outright and raise the density of his fist to be able to ''explode your head'' with one blow (but he's too nice for that). His shapeshifting is so radical that he can pretty much hide in plain sight any time he wants by changing shape into everyday things, too, so you won't see him coming. He doesn't age, and he's effectively immortal -- at one point, he was frozen, shattered into thousands of pieces, and scattered across the ocean floor. Once someone reassembled the pieces a few millennia later, he was just fine. Oh, and as a side effect to his shapeshifting powers, his brain changes shape so drastically and constantly that he's effectively ''[[PsychicStatic immune to psychic powers]]''. Let's not even ''get'' into OrificeInvasion. Pissing off Plastic Man is a ''[[BewareTheNiceOnes terrible]]'' idea.
-->'''Batman:''' He could kill us all. For him, it would be ''easy''.
** When ComicBook/MartianManhunter was taken over by a SuperpoweredEvilSide that lacked the standard Martian weakness to fire (rendering him a shapeshifting telepath with Superman-caliber FlyingBrick powers and ''no weaknesses''), Batman had a very simple contingency plan for such a scenario: send Plastic Man to fight him alone. In a similar vein, the literal contingency plan for Plastic Man going rogue is simply "Really hope it doesn't happen".
* ''ComicBook/SecretSix'':
** Ragdoll underwent a surgical process that made him "triple-jointed", essentially making him the world's best {{contortionist}}. This allows him to (among other things) wrap around someone like a snake and crush them, fit inside spaces no actual human should be able to, and dodge attacks like nobody's business. BewareTheSillyOnes indeed.
** The ''ComicBook/New52'' run introduces Porcelain, who has the ability to make things brittle like glass or even outright shatter. This makes for an exceptionally useful skill for breaking in and out of places, and even better at hand-to-hand combat (since you know, breaking bones). At one point, Porcelain was within an inch of killing frikkin' '''SUPERMAN'''.
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Super Vacuum Breath -- essentially using SuperBreath to inhale air instead of expelling it out -- sounded so silly that even pre-Crisis Superman and ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} (who thought nothing of their super-ventriloquism ability) considered it a ridiculous power. Still, it saves ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'s life in ''ComicBook/HowLuthorMetSuperboy'' when Lex Luthor exposes him to Kryptonite, and while Clark is lying in agony, waves a flask of K-antidote over his face. Quickly, Superboy breathes in air, wrenching the flask from Luthor's hands and sucking in the antidote.
* ''ComicBook/SwampThing'': Creator/AlanMoore thought about what a character with complete empathy with/control over plants could do and he reworked the character. The fast grow method leads to a striking BodyHorror demise for one of Swampy's foes after he eats a burger containing tomato slices, lettuce, pickles, onions...
* [[ComicBook/HawkAndDove Dove]] of the ComicBook/TeenTitans is a low-level FlyingBrick, who also has the power of "perfect peace". In the ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' crossover, this not only allowed the previous Dove to ''not'' come back as a {{zombie|Apocalypse}} but also [[spoiler:allowed the current Dove to destroy hordes of the otherwise-unstoppable emotion-powered zombies at once]].
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* ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'': Some of the Falcon's powers include talking to birds and seeing what they see. It doesn't sound too promising until you realize that these birds can aid him in battle and act as his spies from ''everywhere''. It's been implied that between ComicBook/NickFury and all of the resources of ComicBook/{{SHIELD}}, and Falcon with all of the pigeons in New York, Falcon has the better intelligence network. His powers also affect other creatures that have some sort of avian ancestry. An issue of ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' has him rescuing the team from a group of raptor-like aliens by using his abilities to force the creatures to flee. People also forget that his wings are pretty powerful melee weapons. This is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''[[ComicBook/UltimateGalactusTrilogy Ultimate Nightmare]]'' when ComicBook/BlackWidow jokingly says that Falcon wouldn't impress Unicorn by flapping his wings, only to retract her statement when he uses them to eviscerate the villain.
* ComicBook/{{Dazzler}}, Marvel's very own FadSuper, has the ability to absorb sound and [[LightEmUp convert it into light]]. This may not sound like much at first glance, but she can do things like blinding people with bright flashes (duh), creating a strobe effect that upsets equilibrium, creating holograms, and even [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]]. She's also immune to sound-based attacks because they just make her stronger. Her ability is shown to be obscenely powerful, as Galactus once recruited her to retrieve one of his Heralds and exposed her to unimaginable sounds, including the explosion of an entire galaxy,[[note]]Yeah, yeah, no sound in space. He's Galactus, he has no care for your paltry human physics.[[/note]] to boost her to sufficient levels. In fact, Black Bolt of ComicBook/TheInhumans, who's considered one of the top-tier powerhouses of the Marvel Universe, can have his voice absorbed by her but not his full-on "Quasi-Sonic scream" because it's not an actual sound attack but rather him manipulating electrons to create the attack. It's also suggested that one day, she could expand this property to cover ''other'' fundamental forms of energy. Ever set off a nuclear explosion with a boombox?
** Notably, Dazzler's solo series involved her teaming up with Black Bolt in a battle with the Absorbing Man, a guy who gives [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] fits on a regular basis. Black Bolt supercharged Dazzler with so much raw sound that she was able to completely overload the Absorbing Man's powers and knock him out. Keep in mind that the Absorbing Man is a guy who's tanked cosmic energy blasts and cyclones from '''Odin''', Thor's father and a PhysicalGod.
* Seiji from the ''ComicBook/{{Muties}}'' miniseries has the ability to telekinetically animate his toys. It's mostly just good for making playtime more entertaining, right up until Seiji reaches his limit with his abusive step-dad and commands every toy he has to ZergRush him. And Seiji's got a whole ''army'' of toys.
* ''ComicBook/NewWarriors'':
** Deborah "Debrii" Fields has low-range telekinesis. She can levitate herself off the ground to allow for flight, and she can telekinetically move small objects within her immediate vicinity. Sounds rather weak, but she makes up for it by controlling every single small object near her with such precision that it's scary. Fighting in a junkyard, she effectively created a tornado of junk to batter her opponent and even formed a "mech suit" of junk around her body. Fighting her on a beach would mean her opponent would be up against a vicious sandstorm. And that's not even getting into the fact that even the human body has small parts, such as certain bones, muscles, and even eyeballs.
** Night Thrasher, the founder of the New Warriors, has no powers. He eventually evolves into a GadgeteerGenius, but he's best known as [[FadSuper the hero who rode into battle on a skateboard in the '90s]]. Though he drops it in later versions, his return in ''ComicBook/ContestOfChampions2015'' has him reclaim his old board and use only it to take down an alternate universe telepathic Madame Hydra and a more ruthless alternate version of Elektra. He neutralizes both of them with only his skateboard, noting how it's a transport, a weapon, and a shield. He doesn't care how silly it sounds in concept -- it's still really effective. Lampshaded by '''ComicBook/ThePunisher,''' of all people:
--->'''Frank Castle:''' I called it stupid? It serves as a weapon and a shield at the same time. Maybe ''I'' should get one.
* In ''ComicBook/SecretAvengers'', the Scientist Supreme informs D-list supervillain Mentallo that his limited psionic abilities are quite laughable, but could be invaluable if utilized correctly. Cut to the next issue, where Mentallo throws the U.S. government into a state of emergency after mentally hijacking their entire fleet of [[AttackDrone Iron Patriot drones]].
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
** Peter once ripped part of ComicBook/NormanOsborn's face off when he stuck to it with his [[WallCrawl stickum' powers]] during ''American Son''. Not how Creator/StanLee imagined it being used, but awesome regardless.
** On a similar note, Spider-Man's clone Kaine once used his sticking powers to tear off a piece of wall and beat the Rhino over the head with it. He would also use his sticking powers routinely to leave the "Mark of Kaine" on his victims, in the same manner that Spidey would later use them in the above-mentioned ''American Son'' example.
** Garrison Klum/Mr. Brownstone from ''ComicBook/SpiderManBlackCatTheEvilThatMenDo'' can teleport matter... a few grams at a time. He uses those powers to become a drug dealer catering to wealthy clients wishing to indulge in heroin without any nasty needle marks. Naturally, he can also teleport drugs to people's systems against their will...
** ComicBook/{{Mysterio}} often catches flack for his [[FishbowlHelmet goofy]] [[FashionVictimVillain appearance]], his [[LargeHam over-the-top persona]] and his villain abilities coming from [[SpecialEffects special effects wizardry]] rather than any physical attributes. Yet his use of said special effects [[WeakButSkilled is consistently dangerous]], with him being able to make [[KillerRobot working robots]], [[MasterOfIllusion create realistic illusions]] and even nearly drove Spider-Man (and later, ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}) [[DrivenToMadness insane through his machinations]].
** ComicBook/SpiderHam is a cartoon pig with spider-powers (or more correctly, a cartoon spider bitten by a radioactive pig). This means that, as a cartoon character, he has [[ToonPhysics the same properties as them]]. Bringing them to the more grittier and rougher worlds, such as Earth-616, this turns him into a MadeOfIron hero. A good example is during ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'''s version of ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse'', when he coerces a Thor to punch him. He takes it, gets knocked through many walls, comes to a stop at a break room, and casually gets up and walks off, taking Electro's sandwich while he was at it. This also allows him to eat pork without it being considered cannibalism.
** Supporting character Razorback has the mutant ability to instinctively operate any vehicle -- including alien HumongousMecha that didn't exactly come with [[UnusualUserInterface instructions]].
* ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'':
** ComicBook/TheWasp sometimes gets crap for being "useless" and "lame," especially from younger fans. ''ComicBook/TheUltimates2002'' has her single-handedly defeat the Hulk in a single blow -- turns out no matter how strong your muscles get, your brain is still as weak as always. An issue of ''ComicBook/TheUltimates2'' shows what happens when she uses those energy blasts of hers at full size. Finally, ''[[ComicBook/TheUltimates Ultimate Avengers]]'' #3 has [[LegacyCharacter Red Wasp]] single-handedly killing an entire room full of terrorists, demonstrating how incredibly deadly her abilities actually are. Turns out [[FridgeHorror having the power to shrink and fry someone's brain from the inside out]] isn't something to laugh at, huh?
** In ''ComicBook/UltimateGalactusTrilogy'', Professor Xavier uses the improved Cerebro system to attack Gah Lak Tus with the sum of all of humanity's thoughts.
** The Vision's power is to talk... but she talks in all the alien languages available, and in some cases, [[StarfishLanguage for aliens who developed language in exceedingly inhospitable environments]], [[WordsCanBreakMyBones mere words are weapons in themselves]].
* ComicBook/TheUnbeatableSquirrelGirl has [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the power to control squirrels]], and has become a RunningGag and Marvel's LethalJokeCharacter by defeating the most powerful supervillains in existence... [[SecondHandStorytelling off-panel]]. The off-panel thing is becoming mostly subverted, as she easily defeats Wolverine in a sparring match, shown mostly in silhouette but still visible, and she was also shown ripping killer Nazi mechas to shreds, chewing through steel doors, and burrowing through multiple layers of sewer. In her case, this is crossed with FlightStrengthHeart, as she actually has a pretty useful (if not overly impressive) set of abilities due to her squirrel nature -- superhuman strength and agility, superhuman senses, the ability to leap huge distances, and nasty claws. Yet, she manages to draw mileage even out of her actual "Heart" power -- the ability to talk to squirrels -- since apparently, [[DeathOfAThousandCuts being swarmed by dozens, if not hundreds of tiny clawing and biting critters]] can be [[https://www.thefandomentals.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/actual-doom-e1481862014714.jpg surprisingly effective]]. ''Then'' came "Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe", in which her evil...ish clone Alleene outlined and executed a terrifyingly simple plan to cripple all humanity with her squirrels.
* ''ComicBook/XMen'':
** Jubilee's original power set makes her a frequent source of ridicule since on the surface her fireworks seem incredibly useless. But then you remember that she's manipulating ''plasma''. Emma Frost once stated that had Jubilee exercised her powers to their ''full'' potential, she was capable of detonating matter at the ''sub-atomic'' level, making her a ''[[PersonOfMassDestruction walking fusion bomb]]''. And the only limitation on where she manifests her fireworks seems to be range. You know what happens when a firework goes off ''inside your skull''? Luckily, nobody except one Omega Sentinel has ever had to find out.
** Doug "Cypher" Ramsey of the junior team ''ComicBook/NewMutants'' originally had the power of [[CunningLinguist comprehending languages]], and that was it. Then he died and [[DeathIsCheap came back]], with his powers [[CameBackStrong expanding]] to all forms of "language". This includes computer language (making him a master hacker and programmer; he once managed to disable ''an entire Sentinel facility'' just by communicating with Master Mold in this way), arcane languages (letting him cast spells), body language (giving him the ability to fight all the New Mutants at the same time and win), and even the structure of buildings, allowing him to pinpoint their weak spots instantly. TookALevelInBadass, indeed. Many fanfic writers anticipated the potential broader interpretation/application of his powers even before his demise. Canon finally caught up with them.
** E-list member Fabio Medina has the ability to generate golden balls of organic matter. He can shoot them pretty fast and hard, but it's hardly anything special, so he mostly stuck around in the background with the AtrociousAlias Goldballs... until people started looking into his powers a little more deeply, and discovered that his ''actual'' power was to generate what were essentially giant inert eggs. With a little tinkering and help from others, these eggs could then hatch, and be infused with the DNA and minds of others. He ended up on a team including characters like Elixir, Hope Summers, and Proteus because all of them working together could ''bring the dead back to life''.
[[AC:Other:]]
* One of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Captain Planet|AndThePlaneteers}}'' comic books actually has Ma-Ti lamenting over how lame "Heart" is as a power after Wheeler makes fun of him for it. Later in the issue, Ma-Ti uses his ring to reach and understand the hearts of all the creatures in the forest to help the other planeteers, including {{bears|AreBadNews}}.
* Amelia Mintz from ''ComicBook/{{Chew}}'' can write or talk about food so vividly that it can cause people to actually taste it. While it definitely makes her a good restaurant critic, it doesn't look very useful in other situations... until she sends several armed terrorists to the hospital by loudly reciting an unabridged review of a particularly bad restaurant. And then she was revealed to be able [[spoiler:to induce fatal food poisoning]].
* ''ComicBook/{{Empowered}}'': Emp's suit gives her a [[ComboPlatterPowers long list of powers]], most of which (besides the obviously awesome ones like NighInvulnerability or SuperStrength) are rather random. Top of the list is probably her invisibility, which ''sounds'' great, but [[{{Fanservice}} it actually only makes the suit itself invisible]]. And even that's unreliable, as when she tries to make her mask invisible she makes everything ''but'' her mask invisible. But since everyone knows that Emp loses all her powers when her suit is torn, she is able to trick a villain by letting him think her suit is completely gone, only to reveal that it's merely invisible. Cue NoHoldsBarredBeatdown.
* ''ComicBook/{{Lanfeust}}'':
** Cixi's powe is to change water's state between liquid, solid, and gas. Said like this, it doesn't seem that powerful, but it becomes horribly creepy when you realize humans are mostly ''made'' of water. At one point, BigBad Thanos has her causing a man's blood to boil until he is literally burnt from the inside.
** Heck, the comic is filled with examples of the trope. For example, after Thanos manages to take over Troy's capital, a man whose power is reading the future in animal entrails (e.g. a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruspex haruspex]]) uses said power (shown earlier to be somewhat useful but nothing special [[EveryoneIsASuper by the setting's standards]]) to run a ''very'' efficient [[LaResistance underground insurgency]], and one of his best elements is a big, middle-aged woman with the power induce horrible, crippling indigestion in people just by looking at them (something she does to {{mooks}} with great relish).
* ''ComicBook/MegaManArchieComics'':
** The Robot Masters built by Dr. Light in the classic ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}}'' series are always initially used for some sort of [[SuperPoweredRobotMeterMaids industrial applications]], before being repurposed by the BigBad for combat. Most of these uses are either obvious or well explained in the games' backstories, with one glaring exception: Time Man, who was designed for time travel experiments, but who can only slow time down. This is justified in that he's a prototype from before the perfection of time travel theory, but it still leaves him without an obvious MundaneUtility. The comic, however, reveals one use that would be ''invaluable'' to anyone involved: [[spoiler:surgery]].
** We see Bright Man prior to the plot of ''VideoGame/MegaMan4'', where his only power (made to explore dark places) is being able to generate light on the level of a decently powered lamp. Wily, though, quickly realizes [[OverclockingAttack that a bit of rerouting]] turns him into a walking flash grenade.
* In ''ComicBook/{{PS238}},'' the titular SuperheroSchool has the Rainmaker Program, to help students find uses for powers not suited to combat. Uther can make anything edible? He can be the world's greatest chef! A little girl who's the human incarnation of Hestia, the Greek goddess of family? She could be a marriage counselor, a family therapist, etc.
* ''ComicBook/RisingStars'' has Laurel Darkhaven, who can telekinetically manipulate very, very small objects. Such as your carotid artery. She becomes a government assassin. She later uses the ability to control "very small things" to telekinetically sift ''every'' inch of arable soil under the entire Middle East in order to make the entire region fertile again. The results can be seen from ''orbit!'' Turns out many powers are like this because of implications or aspects directly hidden. Poet's powers are supposed to be just minor energy abilities, but they're actually control over the Power itself...
* ''ComicBook/SecretWeapons'' focuses on rejects from the Harbringer super-empowering project, whose powers were dismissed by the founder as useless. However, over the course of the series, they discover greater use for them:
** Nikki can talk to birds, which allows her to spy across the whole of Oklahoma City and track enemies. Combined with her acrobatic skills she's the most capable member of the Willows rejects.
** Avi can only turn into an immobile marble statue, but that still allows him to become bulletproof mid-fight. By jumping above enemies and then turning to stone he can also easily snap limbs.
** Owen unpredictably creates random objects out of thin air. But he is slowly figuring out how to control his power, allowing him to block projectiles with suits of armour and conjuring a grand piano above an enemy.
* ''ComicBook/{{Stormwatch}}: Team Achilles'' has a character whose superpower is to make plants grow really fast... and he works as an assassin. The thing is, most people at any given time have seeds in their digestive tract from the vegetation they've eaten, and growing those up to full plants in a few seconds leads to a nasty death from internal injuries and/or choking.
* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'':
** During the Shadowplay arc, we are introduced to [[MeaningfulName Glitch]], an [[{{Mutants}} Outlier]] with the powerful ability to... [[WalkingTechbane short out machinery]], and just temporarily so most of the time. An ability that he has trouble controlling and actually hurts him nearly every time he tries to use it purposely. It proves useful sometimes, like when he deactivated the security mechanisms of a building he and his team were doing a heist in, but more often than not it's a nuisance, as Glitch can accidentally damage important equipment [[PowerIncontinence just by touching it]]. Cut to some years later, and [[spoiler:as [[FromNobodyToNightmare Tarn]], he has full control of his powers, to the point that he has not only learned how to weaponize it to lethal levels, but also he's now able to kill fellow Cybertronians with just the sound of his voice, quite literally ''talking them to death''. Turns out that when [[MechanicalLifeforms your entire species is mechanical in nature]], being a WalkingTechbane is actually pretty damn scary]].
** Minimus Ambus is a particular variety of [[SuperSoldier Point One Percenter]] called a Loadbearer, a Cybertronian whose body can withstand dozens of augmentations without collapsing under the strain. What good is this? ''Plenty''. Not only does it let him [[spoiler:operate as the legendary Ultra Magnus by way of PoweredArmor]], but he survives getting ''his head crushed'' by constructing a larger version of his own body and hiding inside that. Then, he takes it one step further by [[spoiler:going full-on HumongousMecha courtesy of the Maximus Ambus armor, armed with enough firepower to put any tank to shame.]]
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[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Arknights}}'', while Amiya is shown to have offensive Arts abilities, it's her empathy (admittedly a bit more than [[MemoryPalace just being sensitive]]) that contributes to the main plot and allows her to be Rhodes Island's [[GradeSchoolCEO young leader]] rather than [[ChildSoldiers just another child soldier]]. However, this ability extends way, way further - [[spoiler:as Amiya is able to relieve a traumatized Jessica from the stress and eventually able to telepathically communicate with Patriot and influence the Sarkaz common consciousness]].
** A very similar case is going on with [[spoiler:Theresa, whose Arts has a calming influence. She has been shown using it to calm down entire hordes of Sarkaz troops. She is very highly implied to have transferred at least part of her into the aforementioned Amiya as well]].
* ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac'' has the titular character being initially a MasterOfNone, until you can unlock his special starting item... the D6, a six-faced die that rerolls pedestal items. At first, the power of rerolling items seems pretty unimpressive compared to things like Maggy's MightyGlacier stats, Eve's [[CriticalStatusBuff Whore of Babylon]], or Azazel's flight. Yet the ability to change an item if it doesn't fit your playstyle is considered one of the most valuable skills you can get in the game.
* In the InteractiveFiction game ''[[https://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=2fa5imp327k84ox Chuk and the Arena]]'', the titular Chuk enters a fighting competition despite being a small, physically weak alien whose only power is to change the color of his skin -- but as it turns out, changing colors is really helpful in disguising oneself, sneaking around to collect useful items, and even befuddling an alien species who's unable to see certain colors, especially when in the hands of a GuileHero.
* In ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'', one of the least-played Controller powersets was MindControl; it had a bad rep due to not having a summonable combat pet as a tier 9 ability. This would seem to give it "WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway" status, except for the minority of players who used this set could attest to just how powerful it is in capable hands. It makes the immobilization powers found in other sets seem obsolete.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} IV'', India's special unit is the Fast Worker, the Worker unit with one additional movement point. Compared to, say, Germany's [[TankGoodness Panzer]], China's [[AutomaticCrossbows Chu Ko Nu]] or America's [[BadassArmy Navy SEAL]], it is a bit underwhelming. However, the BoringButPractical Fast Worker is one of the most useful special units in the entire game, capable of allowing cities to flourish with more growth and industry and also being more useful for maintaining larger empires and also being the only special unit that is available throughout the entire length of the game, from the stone age to the modern-day.
* This is part of ''VideoGame/CopyKitty'''s premise: Entanma are beings who possess a single ability that makes them a local RealityWarper. Protagonist Boki Lamira's ability is [[PowerCopying the power to copy something]]. She was so desperate to gain a cool superpower her sheer envy awakened her own power to mimic others, she doesn't think much of it. Her uncle Savant thinks differently and sends her a VR training program to convince her of how versatile her powers can be. Turns out, he's right: PowerCopying might not sound all that great, except that Boki can perfectly copy fighting styles, copy an enemy's MookMaker abilities to summon her own minions, or even ''power herself up whenever a boss TurnsRed''. Oh, did we mention that Boki can combine those copied powers into a wide variety of ludicrously destructive attacks? How about the part that involves copying a (giant) robot's {{Magitek}} AI in order to take control of it?
** Taken to [[NightmareFuel terrifying]] extremes during the [[spoiler:[[EldritchAbomination Exgal]]]] fight. Whatever Boki's limitations are, [[spoiler:the DangerousForbiddenTechnique powering Exgal's abilities (that was ''never meant to be copied'') isn't one of them. It doesn't end well for Exgal or [[HeroicRROD Boki]]]].
** What's more, Boki's only just learning how to use her copy power, Savant hints and confirmed by WordOfGod that Boki's potential is vast. With proper training and the right abilities, she could potentially put a dent in [[GreaterScopeVillain the Cybers]]' ranks on her own.
* ''Franchise/DanganRonpa'' doesn't have superpowers per se, but Ultimate talents serve pretty much the same narrative purpose. You get into Hope's Peak by being extremely good at a mundane or semi-mundane profession or skill, which can be pretty much anything. Some talents are obviously pretty awesome, like Mukuro Ikusaba the Ultimate Soldier, Miu Iruma the Ultimate Inventor, and Mikan Tsumiki the Ultimate Nurse, while some are useless in-game, like Celestia Ludenberg the Ultimate Gambler, Hiyoko Saionji the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, and Toko Fukawa the Ultiamte Writer, but many students get surprising use out of theirs.
** Makoto Naegi and Nagito Komaeda both have Luck as their talent. They're both pretty self-deprecating about it, because it basically just meant that they got into Hope's Peak by chance and not anything they did. But both of them do very well in the killing games, often making it through dangerous situations or finding important evidence because they got lucky.[[spoiler: Komaeda has this to an extreme, as his luck is insanely powerful and obvious; he can win Russian Roulette with only one empty chamber, and any part of his plans that [[GambitRoulette he leaves completely up to chance]] reliably succeeds, which he uses to ''nearly'' create a perfect murder with himself as the victim and the culprit totally unaware that they killed him. It only fails because it was based on a false premise; namely, that TheMole for the Future Foundation ''wasn't'' on the students' side.]]
** It doesn't come up much, but Sayaka Maizono says her Ultimate Idol talent comes with a surprising level of agility and endurance because she dances a lot on stage. [[spoiler:It also makes her a ''amazingly'' good at faking her own innocence; if she'd been just a little more ruthless or had chosen a better target, she would've succeeded in committing murder and framing Makoto for it.]]
** Leon being the Ultimate Baseball Player [[spoiler:means he's strong enough to break Sayaka's wrist when she tries to kill him, and he's able to dispose of evidence in the incinerator despite not being able to reach it with his pinpoint pitching accuracy]].
** Hifumi Yamada the Ultimate Fanfic Creator can whip up a cosplay disguise overnight with limited materials.
** Ibuki Mioda is the Ultimate Musician; while her music doesn't do anything, she also has hyper-acute hearing.
** Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Animal Breeder, is able to train his hamsters to [[spoiler:help him kill Nekomaru.]]
** Chiaki Nanami is the Ultimate Gamer and excels at games of all genres except dating sims. Her skills at mystery and puzzle games in particular allows her to be one of the most competent participants in the class trials.
** Servant talents, such as Chisa Yukizome the Ultimate Housekeeper and Kirumi Tojo the Ultimate Maid, mean in practice 'is hypercompetent at anything their employer might request of them', and both Chisa and Kirumi are skilled fighters as well as homemakers.
** Ryota Mitarai from the anime is the Ultimate Animator, [[spoiler:and in his quest to invoke greater emotions with his anime he invented a way for his work to ''brainwash'' the viewer. Junko was able to gain most of her followers by stealing this little innovation, his anime is the 'killer' of the Final Killing Game (brainwashing victims to commit suicide), and when he has a FaceHeelTurn he uses a brainwashing video on his phone on pretty much everyone he meets.]]
** Tsumugi Shirogane is the Ultimate Cosplayer, which also makes her the Ultimate MasterOfDisguise so long as she isn't disguising herself as a real person (she's allergic... really, she breaks out in hives if she tries to cosplay someone real).[[spoiler: The final trial reveals that she can ''perfectly'' cosplay the other characters and change clothes in mere seconds]].
* The titular character of ''VideoGame/DeBlob'' has the ability to change color by absorbing paint and then painting any object he touches. It would be pretty ineffectual if not for one important detail: Blob's entire world pretty much runs on color. In addition to his surface abilities of restoring buildings, Blob can revive dying plants, transform massive structures, and free people from mind control.
* In ''VideoGame/DontStarve'', Wilson's ability to "grow an magnificent beard" sounds pretty useless compared to being a strongman or being fireproof, but a long enough beard provides insulation to help survive winter, and it can be shaved off to provide one ingredient for a [[OneUp Meat Effigy]] and a little [[SanityMeter sanity]].
* ''VideoGame/DungeonCrawl'' features Cheibriados, the god of time and slowness. Followers are [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway rewarded for pious deeds by slowing them down]], but Cheibriados eventually rewards the slow with seriously great time-related powers and attribute boosts.
* ''VideoGame/DustAnElysianTail'' has Fidget's magic attacks, which are pitifully weak on their own, but if [[CombinationAttack caught in Dust's Dust Storm attack]] they turn into more powerful spells, and if combined with the lightning spell she eventually learns turns her into a flat-out GameBreaker capable of [[CycleOfHurting stunlocking]] nearly anything and everything.
* One of the creatures of the entropy element in ''VideoGame/{{Elements}}'' is a Schrödinger's Cat -- a weak and cheap creature that has the ability to die willingly while staying alive. It's completely useless unless it's used along with the element of death. Death has several cards that give positive effects whenever a creature is dying (vultures and condors gain a boost to attack and health, boneyard creates skeletons, etc.), which makes a creature that can die as many times as needed extremely useful.
* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'': The various demigods in the setting have a wide swathe of powers, ranging from GravitySucks to BloodMagic to a HolyHandGrenade... [[LovecraftianSuperpower and worse]]. Then there's Miquella, a childlike demigod who seems to be the MessianicArchetype and odd-man-out amongst his siblings. His goals are peaceful (providing a sanctuary for the outcasts in the Lands Between) and he ostensibly has no combat ability whatsoever, delegating military matters to his sister [[WorldsStrongestWoman Malenia]]. Nevertheless, amongst all the demigods, he is TheDreaded for having divine charisma and "wielding the power of love". In ''The Shadow of the Erdtree'' DLC - which will feature Miquella's first onscreen appearance - an NPC recounts during the trailer that "[[AnythingButThat there is nothing more terrifying]]" than the love he wields.
* ''VideoGame/EpicMickey'' uses the thinner and paint mechanic to mean destroy/kill or repair/love. There is not actually any change in battle style, except the first will remove the tank from the fight, and the second will make him fight for you. Many have also pointed out the FridgeHorror in that mind control is the far darker option.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':
** In the earlier ''Fallout'' games, you can play your character either [[CombatDiplomacyStealth combat-centric, diplomatically or stealthily.]] [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway Playing diplomatically may seem boring initially...]] but ''then'' you realize that a Diplomatic player is basically [[FighterMageThief a Mage]] with LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards in full-effect. With a high speech skill, you can effortlessly defeat the strongest opponents in the game without firing a single shot, to the point you can literally ''talk down the final boss!'' While combat is definitely possible, it's also entirely possible to negotiate your way through the game without killing a single person, and it's generally a lot more satisfying than violence.
** This ends up being hilariously subverted in ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' where trying to talk out with [[spoiler:Frank Horrigan... doesn't end well]]. Fortunately, there are other [=NPCs=] nearby who a talky character can convince to help them in the fight.
--->[[spoiler:'''The Chosen One:''' Can't we talk this over?]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Frank Horrigan:''' We just did. Time for talking is ''over.'']]
** Additionally, Charisma can be a very awesome stat too. It may seem not too useful due to your Speech stat being perfectly fine without it, but a character with high Charisma can recruit up to ''five'' companions at once, being able to swindle merchants for hilariously low prices, and generally have yourself be able to do things that would be impossible for a character with low Charisma.
** While the Bethesda-era ''Fallout'' games and later do require your character to have some levels in your other stats, a lot of quests can be easily finished or simply beaten with little effort by just tricking your opponent with speech and science checks. ''New Vegas'' alone allows you to completely subvert fighting Legate Lanius on Speech alone, and this allows you to skip the fight with the most dangerous human opponent in the game. Sure, your speech and science skill isn't going to help in a fight with a Radscorpion, but gaining access to additional weaponry, secret locations, or just easy XP by finalizing a quest with a check, is a great reason to have the skills as high as you can.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'':
** Gau has a lot of powers, but most players don't know how to use them[[note]]especially since he's uncontrollable, but all he does is an attack or do one technique[[/note]], and lament that he is uncontrollable. He also gets to attack for quadruple damage by using the rage of a lost housecat. Or he can use flowers to turn your enemies against each other with his charm ability. And he can use a [[ElectricJellyfish jellyfish]] for the one time in the first half of the game that pussycats can't kick ass. Even without the well-known overpowered strategies like "Wind God Gau", any observant player can see Gau use magic for free and earlier than normal.
** The same game also has Relm. She can draw pictures. Completely useless, right? Except that with it, she can single-handedly defeat [[LaughablyEvil the most powerful cephalopod]] in the game. Although initially her ability only lets her copy a random power, it turns out to be a MagikarpPower with the addition of a relic that allows it to specifically control an enemy's abilities.
* A villainous variant can be found in ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation'' -- or, more specifically, [[AllThereInTheManual the secret animatronic blueprints hidden in the game's files]]. In it, you find out that [[spoiler:each animatronic has some sort of child-abduction technology put in by [[SerialKiller William]] [[WouldHurtAChild Afton]] -- Circus Baby has a chest cavity designed to capture and hold children when there's only one child in the room, Funtime Freddy has a voice mimicry module, etc. So when you get to Funtime Foxy, you find that [[AmbiguousGender he/she/yes]] has the ability to... release scents. Doesn't sound that threatening... until you realize that ''[[KnockoutGas chloroform]]'' is a scent, which would explain how he/she/yes [[FissionMailed knocked you out on Night 3]]]].
* Various ghosts get various powers in ''VideoGame/GhostTrick'', but the one who takes the cake for this trope is [[spoiler:Missile. He used "swap the location of two similarly-shaped objects" to stop someone from being shot ''after the gun has fired'' based on the principle that a bullet in flight is roughly the same shape as a harmless knit cap]].
* Discussed in ''Videogame/{{Hades}}'', where Achilles thinks that [[LoveGoddess Aphrodite]] is the mightiest of the Olympian gods, as hurricanes and thunderstorms are preferable to a [[LoveHurts broken heart]]. In-game, Aphrodite's boons grant the biggest numerical damage boost compared to other Olympians, inlcuding [[WarGod Ares]].
* ''VisualNovel/HustleCat'' has Reese. While he initially appears to have the power of extremely weak ArtInitiatesLife, it's revealed in his route that his ''real'' power is... [[spoiler:sewing]]. His friends have ShockAndAwe, PlayingWithFire, RewritingReality... and Reese is stuck with [[spoiler:sewing]]. Funny, right? [[spoiler:Yeah, well, turns out he can use a seam ripper to tear open seams in the fabric of the universe]].
* ''VideoGame/InFamous'': Conduits are basically a sub-species of humans that have a wide variety of spectacular powers (not too different from the [[ComicBook/XMen Mutants]] of Creator/MarvelComics), from the ability to wield [[ShockAndAwe Electricity]], [[PlayingWithFire Fire]], and [[AnIcePerson Ice]], to being able to transform into a gigantic monster. Hell, even the powers Delsin receives in ''[[VideoGame/InFamousSecondSon Second Son]]'', while not conventional in the least[[note]]powers include Smoke, Neon, Video, and Concrete[[/note]], still proved to be pretty powerful even without resourceful thinking. Then came [[spoiler:Celia Penderghast]], a conduit with the power to control ''paper''! You'd think [[spoiler:Celia]] would be pretty useless with a power like that, but you'd be wrong since her powers allow her to teleport, construct armor, and create extremely effective projectiles.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
** It's right there in the title. At one point in the first game, six Franchise/{{Disney Princess}}es and [[OriginalGeneration Kairi]] are kidnapped because their pure hearts are the key to unlocking Kingdom Hearts. To an even more basic extent, the strength of one's heart decides if the person is able to bear a Keyblade, a giant magical key that can cause a world of hurt on any creature it hits.
** It's hinted that despite saving the universe multiple times over with his entire self-taught Keyblade powers (including intuiting how to use Master level powers by the time of ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]]''), Sora's true power is his amazingly strong heart. His heart can forge nigh-unbreakable bonds with others, hear hearts in pain and instinctively reach out to them, and keep the hearts of several others inside his, among other things. It's even hinted that his heart is able to ''house, heal and revive people who technically never existed''. Heart may just be the key to saving the universe this time around.
** Keyblades can lock or unlock anything. This means that, among other things, it's difficult to contain their wielders within conventional prison cells as their keyblade allows them to unlock the jail door without the need to steal the warden's keys. It's also possible for them to unlock every chest they come across, unseal anything that is sealed with a sort of lock, etc. As revealed in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', the locks don't even ''have'' to look like a keyhole in order to work -- if it's a lock in one sense or another, the keyblade can work on it. In fact, the lock doesn't even have to be physical. For example, keyblades can be used to seal or unseal the hearts inside of others, open gateways to other worlds, etc.
* ''VideoGame/LegoTheIncredibles'': Power over ice-cream doesn't sound very impressive, but as shown both in her boss fight and as a playable character, it pretty much makes Brainfreezer into a less skillful version of Frozone. But what she lacks in his technique, like gliding, she makes up for in sheer power.
* ''VideoGame/MasterOfMagic'': The Halfling top-tier unit are Slingers -- a ranged unit with Luck. However, that means they always hit for maximum damage and when they're at Elite level, they can take down ''anyone''.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'':
** The [[SpinAttack Top Spin]] in ''VideoGame/MegaMan3'' is frequently regarded as the absolute worst weapon in the series. Once you figure out how to use it, however, it is one of the most ''powerful'' weapons in the game. It will [[OneHitKill one-shot]] any enemy who's not outright immune to it, with the exception of most bosses. Even some ''bosses'' are destroyed in one shot by it, including the final boss! The only thing you have to keep in mind is which enemies are immune to it, and the fact that the weapon drains energy for as long as you're in contact with the enemy, so it can empty out its energy very quickly if you're not careful.
** Other Robot Masters exist with themes and weapons that sound silly on paper but are a lot more effective than you'd expect, such as Bubble Man and ''especially'' his eventual successor Burst Man, who combines [[BubbleGun giant bubbles]] capable of [[FloatingInABubble trapping and carrying away Mega Man]] with explosives and Bubble Man's SpikesOfDoom-covered ceiling. The Bubble Lead is also extremely useful as a tool for identifying false floors.
** It's really not uncommon for this series for the final boss of a ''Mega Man'' game to be hurt the most (or in some cases ''only'' hurt) by the weapon that's the most stupid-sounding or cumbersome to use. The most infamous example is in ''VideoGame/MegaMan7'', where the weapon you get from Spring Man (Who looks about as stupid as he sounds, likewise for his attacks) is one of the best to fight [[ThatOneBoss Dr. Wily's final weapon.]]
* [[QuirkyMinibossSquad The Cobras]] in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''. The Pain [[BeeBeeGun controls bees]] and is effectively a living beehive. This makes him pretty much unstoppable on an open battlefield, stinging to death any soldiers without having to even be present himself. The Sorrow is kind of a spirit Aquaman. He didn't just talk to spirits, he could pull battle plans, orders and other assorted information regarding the opposition from ANY dead soldier, which, you know, there can be a lot of in a war.
* ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'''s Guybrush Threepwood can famously hold his breath for 10 minutes. The Pirate Elders are, to say the least, less than impressed when Guybrush mentions this as his special skill. As it turns out, being able to hold your breath for 10 minutes is [[SuperNotDrowningSkills a DAMN useful skill for, y'know, A PIRATE]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Mother}}'':
** In ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'', Paula's Pray ability produces unpredictable results throughout the game. However, it's absolutely essential to defeating the final boss, [[EldritchAbomination Giygas]]. When Paula prays during the final battle, it deals ''five-digit damage'' to Giygas and eventually kills him.
** ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' has a similar sequence, wherein after all the weapons that Ninten and company bring have failed to scratch Giygas, they defeat him... through the lullaby, his adoptive human mother sang to him as a baby. The Melody of Love causes the psychic alien to break down and cry before retreating, and presumably are what drove him to become the mindless EldritchAbomination he appears as in the sequel.
** And in ''VideoGame/Mother3'', PK Love is the name of Lucas's special move, due to his great compassion. It's what allows him to pull the Needles. That being said, sometimes Heart isn't so awesome, [[spoiler:when the villain turns your twin brother into a soulless cyborg because he has that power, too]].
* ''Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}'' examples that don't belong to the {{Anime}} section:
** ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'': Tohno Akiha's power is called Plunder, which gives her the ability to "steal body heat." ... well, okay, but we have people that can kill absolutely anything and others that can drop the moon on you, so what? How about being able to steal ''all'' of it from a person at ''any'' range, with such sudden violence that the target will instantly and functionally [[KillItWithFire Self Combust]]? [[note]] They're not actually catching on fire or anything, it just feels like it to them because they can't understand what she's doing.[[/note]]
** Shirou in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' is so limited in magic that he can only use two kinds; Reinforcement and Projection. Neither seems very useful because Reinforcement just strengthens existing objects and Projection can only create an object for a very limited amount of time. In Shirou's case, however [[spoiler:he can use Projection to recreate any weapon he's seen before as a slightly weaker copy. Shirou is surrounded by heroes and demigods who ''use'' absurdly powerful weapons. And since Shirou is making disposable copies of the weapons anyway, he can reinforce them to the point that they explode on contact with a target, eliminating the power gap between the copy and the original]]. By the end of the three routes, Shirou is... rather dangerous for a human.
** ''VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia'' has a non-magical example with Sella, who is really good at housekeeping. How good? ''Nobody knows'' that she's been squatting in a vacant room in Shirou's mansion until ''[[StealthExpert she]] tells them'', even though the building is cleaned regularly and has five part-time occupants.
** Your player character in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' has barely more magic circuits than a normal human. Your only actual qualities are high compatibility with Chaldea's {{Magitek}}, and ThePowerOfFriendship. The former lets you convert other sources of energy to power your spells, overcoming your lack of magic circuits, and the latter lets you command ''every Heroic Spirit ever'' with perfect obedience. By Part 2, Chaldea is actively downplaying your abilities to keep the Mages' Association from finding out and putting a bounty on your head.
** See the {{Anime}} examples for ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners''.
* The [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Advocate]] from ''VideoGame/NexusClash'' has no direct combat powers and their main class-unique ability involves spending enormous amounts of their limited [[PointBuildSystem Character Points]] on stat buffs to others that do not have any direct benefit for the Advocate. However, there's ''no'' upper limit to the number of people the Advocate can buff this way, and an Advocate who can give full buffs to dozens of characters at once edges into GameBreaker territory, altering the outcome of the whole war at the price of individual power.
* In the ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' series, starting from ''Videogame/Persona3'' this trope is used ''extremely literally''. The series uses TarotMotifs to refer to numerous characters and individuals met throughout the protagonists' joinery through the game. The protagonist is somebody represented by the Fool card, which is noted to be like the number 0 -- 'empty, but with limitless possibilities'. Interacting with people who represent the other tarots in the game and forging meaningful connections with them allows the protagonist to create a 'social link' with them, granting them benefits on their journey. In-game, this grants them the power of the 'Wild Card', allowing them to not be restricted to a single [[{{Mons}} Persona]] like their other teammates, and even use the Velvet Room to fuse enemy shadows they encounter into beneficial persona they can utilise the strong abilities of. Each persona has their own arcana connection, and increasing the corresponding social link allows the protagonist to fuse higher-level Personae as their heart becomes strengthened by the bonds they forge with others to withstand the immense power of the Persona. [[spoiler:In fact, the climax of both 3 and 4 end with the respective hero [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu successfully defeating a negative aspect of the collective consciousness of mankind]] by summoning a greater power than them through the bonds they've forged throughout their journey. In which respect, reaching OneHundredPercentCompletion and maxing out every link before that point feels even more rewarding for the player for successfully summoning the necessary power to win through their efforts all game long]].
** ''VideoGame/Persona5'': In the finale, the belief in the heroes, which has so far just been a glorified popularity poll from an in-game MessageBoard of how much you're encouraging people to stand up for themselves, [[spoiler:summons a [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever fifty-foot tall]] demon king who uses the hopes and dreams of the people of Tokyo to [[ItMakesSenseInContext shoot a giant mecha god in the head and save Christmas]]]].
* In ''VideoGame/PixelDungeon'', one of the {{Random Drop}}s you can find is a Wand of Flock -- basically, it summons a couple of indestructible sheep. Sounds lame, but these sheep can help keep mooks from hitting you.
* Some ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' have an ability called "Klutz," which makes them unable to use most held items. No healing with berries, no powering up moves of a certain type, etc. This may sound beyond useless until you remember there are a few held items with ''negative'' effects. DisabilityImmunity comes into play in competitive battles, where items that reduce speed, cause poisoning, and the like are frequently used in combination with moves that transfer held items onto the enemy. Klutz foils opponents who swap nasty items onto your Pokémon, and lets you bring your own trap items into battle without them harming your own team.
* ''The Realm'' has 5 schools of magic, magic costs mana crystals which cost gold. One of the circles is Enchantment, which lets you ''permanently'' enchant items. But the enchantment has no innate spells so its entire circle requires you to have learned other circles, but with enough ability, you can enchant ''any'' spell to ''any'' item.
* Played for laughs in the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' games ''[[VideoGame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth The Stick of Truth]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole The Fractured but Whole]]'', where the player character's "power" of gaining social media followers really quickly is treated as somehow more amazing as their [[{{Fartillery}} highly-destructive, time-warping farts]]. In the latter game, however, [[spoiler:Cartman does manage to make use of the New Kid's social media power by making them take selfies with people wearing Mitch Conner (AKA Cartman's hand) merch, which causes all the easily influenced idiots who follow them to vote Conner into power]].
** Taking a cue from the show, ''The Fractured But Whole'' also makes sure Mint-Berry Crunch still qualifies for this. Mint and Berry isn't just control over cereal, but the power to infuse allies and enemies with the very ''essence'' of Mint and Berry, respectively. And those Minted are utterly immune to those Berried, so this power over cereal has the potential to keep your entire team invulnerable to attack if you manage it well. Fittingly, Mint-Berry Crunch is top-tier as far as team members go.
* In the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series, a number of characters have moves fitting the description of this trope. However, an extreme example of this is seen in the case of [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Jigglypuff]], whose "Down-B" special attack is "[[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway Rest]]". This doesn't even heal the character, as it does within Jigglypuff's origin franchise. However, if used with perfect timing, it can cause a two-hit KO, since KO's at 30 damage, and it DOES 30 damage. Until they {{Nerf}}ed it in ''Brawl''. Even then, it can KO in 3-4 hits against an opponent with full health, as well as inflicting a health-draining status (which helps reach the KO-mark).
* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'': A lot of powers in the series may sound useless or very abstract, but have the potential to be creatively abused:
** Reimu has the power to fly, something which nearly everyone else in Gensoukyou also possesses along with their other powers. Except Reimu can also ''fly away from reality'', making her [[{{Intangibility}} completely untouchable]] for as long as she wishes.
** Kogasa is an umbrella youkai with the power of "surprising humans", and she's not even very good at it. She appears as a Stage 2 midboss and boss, and that appears to be the height of her power. Until [[spoiler:she suddenly appears as the mid-boss of the [[BonusLevel EX-Stage]], complete with the ''massive'' power boost that suggests]]! What a surprise [[BreakingTheFourthWall for us!]]
** Subverted with Yuuka, whose [[GreenThumb mastery of flowers]] is explicitly noted to be just as useless as it sounds. However, she's still [[TimeAbyss one of the oldest residents of Gensoukyou]] with [[FlightStrengthHeart physical and magical power]] [[StrongerWithAge to match]].
** Lily White has the power to announce the coming of spring. She does this by [[MoreDakka showering you with an unholy amount of bullets]].
** Rin Kaenbyou has the power to haul corpses to fuel the fires of Hell. It isn't just their body though, but also their ''soul'', breaking them from both the cycle of reincarnation and the [[DeathIsCheap easily accessible (and escapable) afterlife]]. In a setting where everyone and their grandmother wields a StoryBreakerPower, the [[{{Nekomata}} cat]] is one of the only ones that can render you DeaderThanDead.
** Koishi Komeiji gave herself a PokeInTheThirdEye to stop her {{Telepathy}} and escape [[AMindIsATerribleThingToRead all the hurtful thoughts]] people harboured about her [[ForgotAboutTheMindReader because of her power]]. This had the side-effect of making her [[EmptyShell unable to read her own heart and mind]] as well as giving her the ability to manipulate the subconscious... How exactly is that useful? Well, it gives her a PerceptionFilter that makes her so unnoticeable, you may not notice her even if you look straight at her, and also [[LaserGuidedAmnesia wipes her existence from the minds of everyone who take their eyes off her]].
** [[FlightStrengthHeart Besides being an ancient wizard-messiah with all the power that entails]], Toyosatomimi no Miko has the power to listen to ten voices at the same time... which includes the "ten desires" that make up the human psyche, meaning she can effectively read minds (or at least, personalities). This ability also causes divine spirits (physical manifestations of human desire) to be drawn to her, which she can absorb for power in a small-scale version of GodsNeedPrayerBadly.
** Raiko Horikawa can ride any rhythm, which sounds really abstract and useless... until she starts shooting lightning everywhere. Then you realize that in [[LoopholeAbuse classic Touhou fashion]] she found her way into the repertoire of another [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raijin rather notable drummer]] and suddenly her [[OptionalBoss Ex-boss]] status makes rather more sense. Another way to read her ability is that she can [[http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Raiko_Horikawa make anything follow a rhythm]], which doesn't sound too formidable either, but she could totally kill you via cardiac arrhythmia.
** Yukari Yakumo has the power to manipulate boundaries. This seems like a fairly useless power until you realize that she can manipulate ALL boundaries, physical and otherwise, since boundaries are what basically [[RealityWarper makes up reality as we know it]]. The applications for her powers are varied and highly creative, including manipulating the boundary between truth and lie to use a reflection of the moon to commence a lunar invasion [[note]]How this works. The True Moon is hidden by the False Moon, which is what people see. Additionally, it's completely impossible to target the True Moon, so manipulating the boundary there doesn't help. (The Moon people are quite aware of her power, and put in that countermeasure.) However, [[LoopholeAbuse there is no such restriction on the reflection of the True Moon]]. Therefore she manipulates the boundary of Truth and Lies on the reflection, turning it into a reflection of the True Moon, which allows her to see where to target and open up a gap.[[/note]]. When not using it as a SemanticSuperpower, she creates gaps -- portals to an eye-filled dimension that (according to the fandom) she uses mostly for stupid pranks.
** Okina Matara has the less-than-awe-inspiring ability to "create doors on the backs of anything," [[PortalDoor these doors lead into]] [[PortalNetwork the land of the back door]] and fans quickly took to mockingly referring to her as "nerfed Yukari"... However, these seemingly unimpressive doors also allow Okina to control [[LifeEnergy physical and mental energies]], SuperEmpowering individuals, [[HopelessBossFight enfeebling them]], driving them insane and, if she applies a door to the back of an inanimate object, even allowing her to [[CreatingLife bestow that object with life.]] All of this, in addition to the fact that Okina is a goddess of formidable power, supports her boast that she could remake Gensoukyou from the ground up with a snap of her fingers if she so desired.
** The series also has an ''inversion'' with Rumia, who has an awesome-sounding power ([[DarknessEqualsDeath manipulation of darkness]]) that turns out to be really lame, or at the very least she sucks at it -- [[RequiredSecondaryPowers her vision is weakened by her own darkness]]. According to [[WordOfGod ZUN]], he intentionally gave a first boss an ability that sounds like it would be more at home on a final boss.
** Sagume can't talk about anything without having it fail: if she says she's going to take a holiday, events will conspire so she can't. This proves remarkably handy when she's talking about bad things.
* In '' VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', engineering was largely considered a joke profession, most of its unreliable gadgets being watered down versions of better spells. Then ''The Burning Crusade'' expansion was released, and some smartass figured out that you could use the otherwise pointless Gnomish Remote Control to take command of the unstoppable [[BossInMookClothing Fel Reaver]]. Hilarity Ensued. [[ObviousRulePatch Briefly]].
[[/folder]]

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has a notable example in normally C-List X-Man Sean Cassidy a.k.a. Banshee, whose power is normally limited to [[MakeMeWannaShout screaming]] and somehow flying off that. Here, about forty years of practice mean that he's explored the full possibilities of his powers, including [[SuperSenses Super Hearing]] sufficient to create a sonar that Daredevil would envy, being able to extend a field of absolute silence around himself, allowing him to move in absolute silence, shoot completely silently and even nullify the sound of ''an exploding claymore mine'', and being able to hit the resonant frequency of just about anything. This means that he can destroy almost anything. Such as wands. [[NightmareFuel Or bone.]] Or, apparently, granite, which he once ''liquefied.'' And then there's his CompellingVoice, with which he has apparently done things which give Nick Fury nightmares. Add to this the experience of having served as an Intelligence Officer in Vietnam, then as a detective for Interpol, and you get a [[BewareTheNiceOnes very scary individual.]]

** The Sheep talisman possesses the power of AstralProjection. [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeart While most characters aren't enthusiastic about it]], in "Project A, For Astral", Shendu was happy to have it, since [[SealedEvilInACan after 900 years of being trapped as a statue]], his spirit was able to wander freely and [[DemonicPossession possess the body of Jade]], who unintentionally used it.

* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'': Being the Sky Demon and possessing actual wings means that Hsi Wu has true flight instead of the NotQuiteFlight of his brethren. This allows him to be noticeably faster and more agile than his siblings while flying, as he was the one closest to escaping through Shendu's portal during the race against the other Demons thanks to this. In fact, his flying speed could be compared to that of the Rabbit Talisman.

** Ibiki Miyoda is the Ultimate Musician; while her music doesn't do anything, she also has hyper-acute hearing.

* In the ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' series, starting from ''Videogame/Persona3'' this trope is used ''extremely literally''. The series uses TarotMotifs to refer to numerous characters and individuals met throughout the protagonists' joinery through the game. The protagonist is somebody represented by the Fool card, which is noted to be like the number 0--'empty, but with limitless possibilities'. Interacting with people who represent the other tarots in the game and forging meaningful connections with them allows the protagonist to create a 'social link' with them, granting them benefits on their journey. In-game, this grants them the power of the 'Wild Card', allowing them to not be restricted to a single [[{{Mons}} Persona]] like their other teammates, and even use the Velvet Room to fuse enemy shadows they encounter into beneficial persona they can utilise the strong abilities of. Each persona has their own arcana connection, and increasing the corresponding social link allows the protagonist to fuse higher-level persona as their heart becomes strengthened by the bonds they forge with others to withstand the immense power of the Persona. [[spoiler:In fact, the climax of both 3 and 4 end with the respective hero [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu successfully defeating a negative aspect of the collective consciousness of mankind]] by summoning a greater power than them through the bonds they've forged throughout their journey. In which respect, reaching OneHundredPerceptCompletion and maxing out every link before that point feels even more rewarding for the player for successfully summoning the necessary power to win through their efforts all game long]].

* In the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series, a number of characters have moves fitting the description of this trope. However, an extreme example of this is seen in the case of [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Jigglypuff]], whose "Down-B" special attack is "[[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway Rest]]". This doesn't even heal the character, as it does within Jigglypuff's origin franchise. However, if used with perfect timing, it can cause a two-hit KO; KO's at 30 damage, and it DOES 30 damage. Until they {{Nerf}}ed it in ''Brawl''. Even then, it can KO in 3-4 hits against an opponent with full health, as well as inflicting a health-draining status (which helps reach the KO-mark).

** Koishi Komeiji gave herself a PokeInTheThirdEye in order stop her {{Telepathy}} and escape [[AMindIsATerribleThingToRead all the hurtful thoughts]] people harboured for her [[ForgotAboutTheMindReader because of her power]]. This had the side-effect of making her [[EmptyShell unable to read her own heart and mind]] as well as giving her the ability to manipulate the subconscious... How exactly is that useful? Well, it gives her a PerceptionFilter that makes her so unnoticeable, you may not notice her even if you look straight at her, and also [[LaserGuidedAmnesia wipes her existence from the minds of everyone who take their eyes off her]].

*** Mikagami Nagisa has the power to control fat. She became a political force in her school completely by accident as everyone wants her help slimming down. Not bad on its own, but then she gets into a fight and demonstrates why this is a ''dangerous'' power. One second she's rail-thin for speed, then when she throws a punch she's suddenly a hundred pounds heavier, and when she needs to escape from a trap she's skinny again.

** Koishi Komeiji gave herself [[PokeInTheThirdEye a poke in her]] MindReading ThirdEye in order to escape [[AMindIsATerribleThingToRead all the hurtful thoughts]] people harboured for her [[ForgotAboutTheMindReader because of her power]]. This had the side-effect of making her [[EmptyShell unable to read her own heart and mind]] as well as giving her the ability to manipulate the subconscious... How exactly is that useful? Well, it gives her a PerceptionFilter that makes her so unnoticeable, you may not notice her even if you look straight at her, and also [[LaserGuidedAmnesia wipes her existence from the minds of everyone who take their eyes off her]].

* ''Fanfic/HeroesForEarth'': In this ''WesternAnimation/Captain Planet|AndThePlaneteers'' story, Ma-Ti's power of Heart gets it again. Besides the canon examples, his power acts as [[TranslatorMicrobes a universal translator]], the only thing that lets the Planeteers understand each other since there isn't any language that they all share.

* ''Fanfic/HeroesForEarth'': In this ''WesternAnimation/{{Captain Planet|AndThePlaneteers}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/HeroesForEarth'', Ma-Ti's power of Heart gets it again. Besides the canon examples, his power acts as [[TranslatorMicrobes a universal translator]], the only thing that lets the Planeteers understand each other since there isn't any language that they all share.