History Main / MusclesAreMeaningless

* Knuckles in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' is roughly the same size as Sonic and has [[NoodlePeople skinny arms like the rest of the characters]], but has the power to match the likes of Vector, Storm, Big, Omega, [[VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames Wario, Bowser, and even Donkey Kong]].

** Nora Valkyrie is rather petite, but she can smash through a stone bridge and once hit Yang hard enough to launch her into the sky. Like Yang, it's justified due to her semblance.
** Jaune Arc started out so weak he couldn't even pull Pyrrha's spear out when it pinned his hood to a tree. When Pyrrha awakens his Aura abilities, he becomes strong enough to block strikes from monsters with one arm and has no increase in muscle.

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', the draw strength on the Great Eagle Bow is noted to be almost impossible for anyone else to do, yet [[ArcherArchetype Revali]], its original owner, is on the slender side compared to beefier [[BirdPeople Rito]] like Kass. Link is even smaller than Revali and has no trouble wielding it either.

* Discussed in ''Series/CornerGas'' when Brent explains to Lacey that arm size doesn't directly translate to arm wrestling victory... well, unless they're Lacey-small.

** Odin looks like a scrawny old man, but proves he is the King of Asgard for a reason when he effortlessly overpowers Kratos whenever they grapple.

* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok'': Kratos' son Atreus brings this up when he notes he is approaching his father in strength, yet is still skinny, eagerly asking when he will grow muscles like Kratos. Kratos points out that to those with godly heritage, strength has nothing to do with muscle mass since it comes from magic. The reason why Kratos is muscular is because he worked out simply because he wanted to. If Atreus wants to be buff, he'll have work for it.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Peter Parker]] possesses incredible strength but also has a thin physique that earned him the nickname "Puny Parker". When Peter is shirtless or in the skin-tight Spider-Man outfit he's typically drawn as having a decent physique, just one more befitting a gymnast or runner rather than the bulk of someone with a lot of upper body strength. [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]], for example, has much larger arm and chest muscles despite Spider-Man being several times stronger. Creator/StanLee was even asked in a letter, why none of Peter's classmates could see how muscular he is. Lee replied that if Peter's peers ''felt'' his arms they would understand how strong he is; the ClarkKentOutfit is in effect for Peter. One of [[JerkJock Flash Thompson]]'s friends actually feels Peter's bicep and then tries to warn Flash before he fights Peter in a boxing match, but Flash just laughs it off. [[CurbStompBattle To his cost]]. It also DependingOnTheArtist, as the likes of Mark Bagely and Sara Pichelli draw Spidey super skinny while others such as Todd [=McFarlane=] and Ryan Ottley draw him as reasonably buff.
** Characters/{{Carnage|CletusKasady}} is as lean as Spider-Man and tiny compared to ComicBook/{{Venom}} yet he’s far stronger than both of them being able to toss them around like beach balls.

** [[Characters/X23LauraKinney X-23]] is one the few people smaller than Wolverine but she’s twice as savage and can kill opponents many times her size and strength.

* ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'': The Flag-Smasher super soldiers received a version of the serum that grants enhanced strength without obvious changes to the user's physique, allowing them to look completely normal until they start tossing foes around like rag dolls.

* ''ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}}'': While ComicBook/CarolDanvers is reasonably buff under the pen of some artists, she is generally smaller than ComicBook/SheHulk. Nevertheless, Carol can toss meteorite around, lift trains and even punch over the hulking Thanos. Justified in later comics as its revealed Carol is a HalfHumanHybrid with her mother being a Kree.

* ComicBook/BlackWidow is a slim woman who is often dwarfed by her male peers yet thanks to a SuperSerum can snap a man's neck with one kick and once ripped off a lizard man's tail and swung it around. In a similar vein, Characters/{{Mockingbird|MarvelComics}} is a slim lady who thanks to some enhancements can dent steel with her bare hands.
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
** Averted with Characters/PowerGirl, who [[AmazonianBeauty is often drawn with a bodybuilder's level of muscularity. ]]
** This trope is so common that, when Characters/{{Supergirl|TheCharacter}} returned [[ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton2004 in 2004]], [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 her solo book]]'s writers were easily able to tease the fan base with the idea that the slender 16-year-old girl might be stronger than her fully-grown, powerfully built cousin Superman.
** In ''[[ComicBook/Supergirl1972 her first solo book]]'' Kara met a bunch of guys who were larger than her. Neither of them could move planets (which she did back in the Bronze Age).
** In ''ComicBook/SupergirlBeingSuper'' Kara's friend Jen is taller and brawnier. However, Kara can bench press vehicles.
** At some point during ''ComicBook/TheKillersOfKrypton'', an alien tries to bully Supergirl. He is twice as tall as her, his arms are twice as thick as hers, and he is easily taken down anyway.
** In the ''ComicBook/EscapeFromThePhantomZone'' crossover, one of the minions of the BigBad Xa-Du is a muscle-bound giant who absolutely ''dwarfs'' Supergirl and Batgirl. They knock him out with two punches (keep in mind Supergirl was depowered at the time).
** This applies to Kryptonian children, too--see, for example, [[http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/superman/images/8/8a/Christopher_Kent.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090608181303 Superman's foster-son Chris]] in ''ComicBook/LastSon''.
** The third ComicBook/{{Superboy}}, [[Characters/SupermanJonathanSamuelKent Jonathan Samuel Kent]], is a fairly normal-looking ten-year-old. Being Kryptonian, he casually tosses aside Olympic-level athletes like Robin and regularly takes on super strong villains. During the Black Dawn arc, his inhibitors were undone by Manchester Black, making him powerful enough to stagger Superman himself.
* ComicBook/CarolDanvers aka [[ComicBook/MsMarvel Captain Marvel]]/Captain Marvel while reasonably buff under the pen of some artists is generally smaller than She-Hulk. Nevertheless, Carol can toss meteorite around, lift trains and even punch over the hulking Thanos. Justified in later comics as its revealed Carol is a HalfHumanHybrid with her mother being a Kree.

* ''ComicBook/SheHulk'': Zig-zagged with She-Hulk. Much like Wonder Woman or Power Girl whether she’s skinny, AmazonianBeauty or monstrously muscular is entirely DependingOnTheArtist, but the most recognisably iconic version of her is [[ComicBook/TheSensationalSheHulk the fourth wall breaking green supermodel]] who can lift well over 100 tons and match her cousin and Thor in strength. ''ComicBook/TheAvengersJasonAaron'' averted this by making a Jen a ogress for a good while, though she eventually went back to her skinnier look.
* ''[[ComicBook/BatmanVampire Batman: Crimson Mist]]'': Though now little more than a walking skeleton, the now-vampiric Batman is nonetheless strong enough to easily overpower Killer Croc and nearly kill him.
* Similar to the ''Immortal Hulk'' example [[Characters/{{Juggernaut|MarvelComics}} The Juggernaut]] was at one point literally had all his skin and internal organs removed by the EvilSorcerer D'Spayre but to the latter’s horror Jugs still kept kicking his ass even as a ''giant red skeleton'' because nothing stops The Juggernaut.
* Fawcett's (and later DC's) character Captain Marvel Jr. looks about 12 and has a spindly physique, but thanks to the ComicBook/{{Shazam}} powers is one of the world's strongest heroes. Artist Mike Raboy used to draw young Mr. Freeman as a Dickensian waif -- he based his appearance on Freddie Bartholomew -- whichever form he was in.
* Zig-zagged with ComicBook/GhostRider as DependingOnTheArtist it’s just his head that’s a [[ButterFace flaming skull while his body is drawn to be buff]]. Other artists play this straight Ghost Rider is a walking skeleton with demonic super strength who can go toe to toe with Hulk and Thor.
* [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] possesses incredible strength but also has a thin physique that earned him the nickname "Puny Parker". When Peter is shirtless or in the skin-tight Spider-Man outfit he's typically drawn as having a decent physique, just one more befitting a gymnast or runner rather than the bulk of someone with a lot of upper body strength. [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]], for example, has much larger arm and chest muscles despite Spider-Man being several times stronger. Creator/StanLee was even asked in a letter, why none of Peter's classmates could see how muscular he is. Lee replied that if Peter's peers ''felt'' his arms they would understand how strong he is; the ClarkKentOutfit is in effect for Peter. One of [[JerkJock Flash Thompson]]'s friends actually feels Peter's bicep and then tries to warn Flash before he fights Peter in a boxing match, but Flash just laughs it off. [[CurbStompBattle To his cost]]. It also DependingOnTheArtist, as the likes of Mark Bagely and Sara Pichelli draw Spidey super skinny while others such as Todd [=McFarlane=] and Ryan Ottley draw him as reasonably buff.
** Characters/{{Carnage|CletusKasady}} is as lean as Spider-Man and tiny compared to ComicBook/{{Venom}} yet he’s far stronger than both of them being able to toss them around like beach balls.
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsNormanOsborn Norman Osborn]] is usually depicted as a skinny middle-aged businessman, yet he can match the super strong Spidey blow for blow thanks to the Goblin Serum. Although artists usually have him be well built when he’s in the Green Goblin outfit.
** Several [[ComicBook/SpiderWoman Spider-Women]] are incredibly strong despite their supermodel physiques, Jessica Drew in particular can lift 7 tons as well as stagger Spidey and ComicBook/SpiderGwen can crush cars and villains through brick walls. Subverted with ComicBook/SpiderGirl who explicitly has only half the strength of her father in his prime.
** Characters/{{Black Cat|MarvelComics}}, generally willowy as any other comic book hottie, thanks getting empowered can lift well over 800 lbs and lift regular people such as MJ off the ground one-handed.
** During Spider-Island, Pete's then love interest Carlie Cooper got spider powers with everyone else. Though her physique hadn't changed her spider strength is still evident without demonstrating it because her muscles were all rock hard.
* ComicBook/TheFlash much like Spidey is rarely drawn as super muscular which is fitting given his [[SuperSpeed superpower]] allows to hit hard and go up against gods without needing to be physically strong. Some writers however make Flash out to be a FragileSpeedster to compensate though as popular science explains Flash gathers more mass the faster he goes making him a LightningBruiser. This also applies to other Flashes such as Wally West, Bart Allen, and Iris West II who are generally skinny but all super power thanks to the Speed Force.
** The Flashes all being so slim becomes FridgeBrilliance when the “Strength Force” is introduced and temporarily turns Barry into a [[HulkingOut Hulk-like figure]].

* ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'''s [[PintsizedPowerhouse Molly Hayes]]. ''Or'' "Princess Powerful". Just ''do not'' call her [[BerserkButton "Bruiser"]]. Her strength appears to be [[MindOverMatter psionic]] in nature, based on the BattleAura matching the visual cue of her parents' telepathic abilities.
* [[Characters/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyModern Gamora]] is drawn with average build for an athletic woman and even She-Hulk at her leanest is buffer than her. Yet she’s incredibly strong and deadly having years TrainingFromHell from her father [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]] and has cybernetic upgrades to boot.
** Similarly [[Characters/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyModern Nebula]] and Promixa Midnight while more toned compared to most alien women, are still far stronger and powerful than their builds suggest. Corvus Glaive (Midnight’s husband) has a hunched withered-looking physique yet him and his wife causally fight and overpower the Hulk in ''ComicBook/{{Infinity}}''.
* Violet Paige, the title character of ''ComicBook/MotherPanic'', possesses SuperStrength but has no significant muscle tone.
* ComicBook/RedSonja's signature ChainmailBikini shows off her slim build, but she's canonically stronger than six men and routinely beats heavily-muscled opponents in melee combat.
* As if ComicBook/LuckyLuke's [[FastestGunInTheWest ridiculous]] [[TheGunslinger skills]] [[ImprobableAimingSkills with guns]] weren't enough, he also sends opponents much bigger than himself flying away in fistfights with inexplicably powerful haymakers.
* In ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', Knuckles and Mighty are both roughly the same size as Sonic (Knuckles is a little shorter) but possess incredible strength. In Mighty's case, he was [[spoiler:given super strength by Mammoth Mogul]], while Knuckles was [[spoiler:experimented on at birth]].
* ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'': Herr Kleiser, an alien disguised as a human, looks like an average toned human man, but he can fight well against Captain America and the Hulk.
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':
** The eponymous character is occasionally drawn with a [[AmazonianBeauty with a fairly muscular build]], but even when depicted with a slender frame is still one of the strongest heroes in the DC Universe, with Superman generally being the only hero who can rival her. Justified as Diana is an Amazon with divine powers
** This also applies to other primary Amazon characters such as Artemis of the Bana-Migdhall and the Wonder Girls, Donna Troy, Cassie Sandsmark and Yara Flor. However, Artemis has also been drawn as AmazonianBeauty at times, just like Diana.

* ''ComicBook/SheHulk'': Zig-zagged with She-Hulk. Much like Wonder Woman or Power Girl whether she’s skinny, AmazonianBeauty or monstrously muscular is entirely DependingOnTheArtist, but the most recognisably iconic version of her is [[ComicBook/TheSensationalSheHulk the fourth wall breaking green supermodel]] who can lift well over 100 tons and match her cousin and Thor in strength. ''ComicBook/JasonAaronsAvengers'' averted this by making a Jen a ogress for a good while, though she eventually went back to her skinnier look.

* Makoto Nanaya of ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'', despite being a [[LittleBitBeastly squirrel girl]] who only weighs 49 kilograms (108 pounds), is one of the most powerful characters in the game, able to do a lot of physical damage with just her fists. This is not GameplayAndStorySegregation either. In one cutscene she drops from the air and leaves a large crater where she punched the ground and, to further let you know how powerful she is, she effortlessly picks up and carries off an unconscious Tsubaki like she were a rag doll.

** Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}} is a large and powerfully built man. Characters/{{Wonder Woman|TheCharacter}} is a slim and athletic woman (DependingOnTheArtist), obviously a lot lighter than him. Guess which one can bench press a tank. Justified since Diana is a mystically empowered Amazonian Demigoddess.

** Originally Characters/{{Robin}}s (Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake) were drawn as skinny teenage boys but still can fight the crime of Gotham as effectively as Batman himself. Averted later as Dick, Jason and Tim have muscular builds as they grew older. Only Damian plays this trope straight being a small child capable of killing a grown man with a finger.
** [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] is a beanpole who can go toe to toe with trained ninja martial artist-Batman, and to make matters worse the Joker ''draws [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1d/02/0c/1d020c9f12523902061229027bd51f1a.jpg strength from pain.]]''
** Cassandra Cain is noted as being far stronger (and faster) than even a highly athletic girl her size should be. This is mostly down to her [[MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours training]]. She very rarely lets loose, but when she does she is fully capable of punching a recently-zombified Joey N'Bobo [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe in half,]] kicking through brick walls, shattering three-inch-thick glass, and throwing around 8-foot tall metahumans.
** Fellow Characters/{{Batgirl}}s Barbara Gordon and Stephanie Brown are also [[DependingOnTheArtist usually]] pretty skinnier but can keep up with males Bat-Family members easily.
* ComicBook/BlackWidow is a slim tall woman who is often dwarfed by her male peers yet thanks to a SuperSerum can snap a man's neck with one kick and once ripped off a lizard man tail and swung it around. In a similar vein, Characters/{{Mockingbird|MarvelComics}} is a slim lady who thanks to some enhancements can dent steel with her bare hands.

** Averted with Characters/PowerGirl, who is often drawn with a bodybuilder's level of muscularity.
** This trope is so common that, when Characters/{{Supergirl|TheCharacter}} returned [[ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton2004 in 2004]], [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 her solo book]]'s writers were easily able to tease the fan base with the idea that the slender 16-year-old girl might be stronger than her full-grown powerfully built cousin Superman.
** In ''[[ComicBook/Supergirl1972 her first solo book]]'' Kara met a bunch of guys. All of them were buff and larger than her. Neither of them could move planets (which she did back in the Bronze Age).

* [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] possesses incredible strength but also possesses a thin physique that earned him the nickname "Puny Parker". When Peter is shirtless or in the skin-tight Spider-Man outfit he's typically drawn as having a decent physique, just one more befitting a gymnast or runner rather than the bulk of someone with a lot of upper body strength. [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]], for example, has much larger arm and chest muscles despite Spider-Man being several times stronger. Creator/StanLee was even asked in a letter, why none of Peter's classmates could see how muscular he is. Lee replied that if Peter's peers ''felt'' his arms they would understand how strong he is; the ClarkKentOutfit is in effect for Peter. One of [[JerkJock Flash Thompson]]'s friends actually feels Peter's bicep and then tries to warn Flash before he fights Peter in a boxing match, but Flash just laughs it off. [[CurbStompBattle To his cost]]. It also DependingOnTheArtist, as the likes of Mark Bagely and Sara Pichelli draw Spidey super skinny while others such as Todd [=McFarlane=] and Ryan Ottley draw him as reasonably buff.

** Characters/{{Mystique}} has gone up against the muscly Wolverine and countless other powerhouses despite being quite willowy. Though it’s strongly implied her VoluntaryShapeshifting can make her stronger.

See also: BishonenLine, CuteBruiser, LittleMissBadass, BoobsOfSteel, and AmazonianBeauty for specific character design examples. May overlap with TheGift, HardWorkHardlyWorks, and WaifFu. See MonstrosityEqualsWeakness for when this, and the other side of it, is the case across the board.

** [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra The sequel]] has a number of less muscular characters, often airbenders, kicking around people twice their size, but the most notable example would be Asami Sato, who is the resident BadassNormal and can handle herself against larger people and benders despite her slim figure, in stark contrast to [[AmazonianBeauty Korra's]] [[BoobsOfSteel physique]]. She manages to ''rip the railing off'' of a door while having her hands chained to it, then snarks about the shoddy workmanship.

* ''ComicBook/SheHulk'': Zig-zagged with She-Hulk. Much like Wonder Woman or Power Girl whether she’s skinny, AmazonianBeauty or monstrously muscular is entirely DependingOnTheArtist, but the most recognisably iconic version of her is [[ComicBook/TheSensationalSheHulk the fourth wall breaking green supermodel]] who can lift well over 100 tons and match her cousin and Thor in strength. ''ComicBook/JasonAaronAvengers'' averted this by making a Jen a ogress for a good while, though she eventually went back to her skinnier look.

* ''ComicBook/SheHulk'': Zig-zagged with She-Hulk. Much like Wonder Woman or Power Girl whether she’s skinny, AmazonianBeauty or monstrously muscular is entirely DependingOnTheArtist, but the most recognisably iconic version of her is [[ComicBook/TheSensationalSheHulk the fourth wall breaking green supermodel]] who can lift well over 100 tons and match her cousin and Thor in strength. Later comics settle on Jen being a ogress however.

* This highlights Sam's power in ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8532906/1/iFightCrimeWithVictorious iFight Crime With Victorious]]'' - having her power prevents her from gaining extra muscle mass. [[spoiler:Ricky Flame]] on the other hand can, and exercises regularly to increase his superhuman strength.

** Vulcans (and their kin, the Romulans and the Remans) are twice as strong as humans - Spock has effortlessly wiped the floor with Kirk at least two times in the series.

** TabletopGame/{{Vampire|TheRequiem}}s' bodies are preserved at the moment of their Embrace, but they can still increase their physical capabilities and boost them further through Disciplines so that 90-pound wisp of a girl might be as strong as she looks - or she might be an elder that can tear someone's head off before they ever see her running at them.

** The empyreal lord Arshea is an [[OtherworldlyAndSexuallyAmbiguous androgynous]], human-sized AngelicBeauty with a lithe and graceful build - and canonically has the same strength bonus as a 40-foot-tall SuperSoldier rune giant.

* In ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'', melee damage is largely independent of muscles. While Krieg (a WalkingShirtlessScene with washboard abs whose pecs have pecs) is a devastating melee combatant, so is [=Zer0=] (an extremely noodly space ninja). As for carrying capacity and weapon weight, neither matters at all - the only relevant trait for that is inventory slots, which are bought with Eridium from the black market. This means that Gaige (a 5'4", slightly built MadScientist in her late teens) can carry just as many enormous Torgue rocket launchers and shotguns around as Salvador (same height, but a ''massive'' steroid abuser); the sole edge Sal's habit gives him is that he can [[DualWielding dual-wield]] them, he can't stuff any more in his backpack.

*** Cloud. He's 5'7", making him the shortest human male in the cast. Also, while having well-defined muscles, he is much smaller than [[TheBigGuy Barret]]. Yet he's significantly stronger than anyone else in the party, carries a {{BFS}} like it's a feather, and in ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]'' he ''carries'' Barret ''one-handed'' at high speed. {{Justified|Trope}} in that he's been enhanced via magical techniques. His actual degree of musculature varies on the [[AdaptationalAttractiveness specific portrayal]] - it caused some minor backlash when ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' was first announced, in which Cloud is less muscular than he's usually portrayed and [[NothingButSkinAndBones very, very thin]]. Many fans thought this was silly, but many others thought it was appropriate for his [[PeopleJars history]] and [[DeathOfPersonality character at that point]]. Cloud was buffed up significantly from this for the final game, but he was modelled to have the physique of 'a male ballet dancer' to indicate a slim body but with astonishing core strength. Funnily enough, Tetsuya Nomura drew Cloud with ''huge'' biceps in ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU Smash Bros 4]]'' [[http://mag.mo5.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/smash-bros-cloud.jpg promo art]] while his initial [[http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/7/70/Cloud_Strife_Sketch2.png/revision/latest?cb=20130202104438 design]] for Cloud was far more lean. In the Remake, this is referenced when a huge, muscular JerkJock named Ronnie mocks Cloud for being skinny while Jules warns Ronnie not to underestimate him. Cloud faces Ronnie in a squat contest and defeats him.

* In ''VideoGame/MaddenNFL'' and its sister series ''VideoGame/NCAAFootball'', height and weight matter very little with regard to how well players block or shed blocks - only the ratings (including Strength) matter, logic (or physics) be damned. Inverted in some installments, which see height and weight as the primary determining factor.

* ''VisualNovel/GalaxyAngel'': Ranpha Franboise is a martial artist, and the most athletic and physically strongest member of the Moon Angel Wing, evidenced by how easily she's able to MegatonPunch Tact in Eternal Lovers. Despite this, she has a very slender and feminine figure.

* In the web fiction Literature/WhateleyUniverse, you certainly can't judge strength by muscle bulk, because everyone at the SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy is a mutant including plenty of the teachers. Sensei Ito is a tiny little old man... who starts every term by demonstrating that he - an ordinary human with no mutant abilities - can beat the crap out of the most dangerous mutant in the room. Phase is five-foot-nothing and too skinny (he just grew three inches), but at full strength, he can dead-lift nearly two tons.

* While having larger muscles - thus more muscle fibers - certainly increases strength, it's important to remember not all muscle fibers are created equal. This is especially noticeable when comparing two different species. Human muscle fibers are designed to have extremely high ''endurance'' rather than high peak strength; as a result, many animals, pound for pound, appear considerably stronger than humans do - chimpanzees, for instance, are roughly [[http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2009/02/how_strong_is_a_chimpanzee.html twice as strong as humans are]] for a given body weight. This is also why many animals seem very fast compared to humans. Even on a human-to-human basis, some people are better at things that require a lot of power over a short period of time and some are better at things that require less power over a longer period of time as a result of their genetics. Furthermore, faster metabolisms also increase muscle power, though at the cost of high food and oxygen demands and a higher body temperature. This is why hummingbirds have ''the'' strongest muscle fibers of all vertebrates.

* This is an interesting thing about performing a suplex in wrestling. Most women's centers of gravity are low, whereas most men's are higher. Men also tend to be taller than women on the whole. This means that it's potentially - if not, actually extremely - easy for a lot of women[[note]]for many more unlisted reasons[[/note]] to suplex the majority of men, even if they aren't physically strong. The same goes for short people to tall people - grab them under the butt (around the thighs) and then just lean back. It's a pure case of physics over strength. You can [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4xpOsCcWIw see a beautiful example of this here.]]

* In ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'', melee damage is largely independent of muscles. While Krieg (a WalkingShirtlessScene with washboard abs whose [[CatchPhrase pecs have pecs]]) is a devastating melee combatant, so is [=Zer0=] (an extremely noodly space ninja). As for carrying capacity and weapon weight, neither matters at all - the only relevant trait for that is inventory slots, which are bought with Eridium from the black market. This means that Gaige (a 5'4", slightly built MadScientist in her late teens) can carry just as many enormous Torgue rocket launchers and shotguns around as Salvador (same height, but a ''massive'' steroid abuser); the sole edge Sal's habit gives him is that he can [[DualWielding dual-wield]] them, he can't stuff any more in his backpack.

* In the ''Literature/CradleSeries'', one's strength is almost entirely based on one's [[FantasticRankSystem advancement level]]. In the first book, Lindon, a tall and broad 15-year-old, is physically weaker than the eight-year-olds he fights and needs a cheat technique to win. [[PintSizedPowerhouse Sha Miara]] is a young girl who's a Monarch, one of the strongest beings on the planet.

** Probably one of the most awesome and {{Narm}} moments in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3'' is the option to have regular-sized Jill Valentine push the Hulk-sized Nemesis off a bridge into a chasm. [[spoiler:''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Remake'' has a moment even more ridiculous where Jill (who is just as skinny as in the original game) pick up the massive and heavy [[{{BFG}} Railgun]] like it's light furniture to finish off Nemesis.]]