History Main / MusclesAreMeaningless

** MusclesAreMeaningless/''OnePiece''

** [[Characters/MarvelComicsStorm Storm]] is the first real example of this, though she’s more robust than Jean and [[StatuesqueStunner barely shy of six feet tall on her calluses]] Storm is still rather willowy, compared most of her male colleagues. Somehow this doesn’t stop Storm from doing the BridalCarry to Wolverine and Colossus (who are very heavy) as well as flipping grown men over, trouncing another woman in a [[KnifeNut knife fight]] and [[http://i.imgur.com/sjvRlTv.jpg pulling Stonewall out of the water with one arm]].

** [[Characters/XMen70sMembers Nightcrawler]] is one of the few male X-Men who isn’t buff in the slightest and yet he can still [[HoistHeroOverHead hoist Calisto above his head one handed]] and overpower Sabertooth in close quarters combat. Though his TeleportSpam tends to even the playing field.

** [[Characters/XMen80sMembers Rogue]] is drawn as an athletic woman, but rarely with muscles anywhere approximating what she can do. Justified in that [[PowerParasite she stole the strength powers from]] [[ComicBook/MsMarvel another hero]]. Funnily enough, when Rogue uses the powers of Hulk or She-Hulk, her [[HulkingOut body’s bulks up]] significantly as well her skin going green.

* [[http://www.bodyimplants.com/ Muscle implants]]. They are completely non-functional 'aesthetic muscles'.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** Batman is a large and powerfully built man. Franchise/WonderWoman 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 ComicBook/{{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.
** ComicBook/TheJoker 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]]''.

** Fellow ComicBook/{{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, ComicBook/{{Mockingbird}} is a slim lady who thanks to some enhancements can dent steel with her bare hands.
* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':
** Averted with ComicBook/PowerGirl, who is often drawn with a bodybuilder's level of muscularity.
** This trope is so common that, when ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} 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.

** The third ComicBook/{{Superboy}}, 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.

** Hulk himself dips into this in ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'' as he one point gets his muscles [[BodyHorror taken away]] by Absorbing Man and loses barely a margin of his strength. At another point, he’s changed back into Bruce Banner but has Joe Fixit (Grey Hulk)’s persona and is still strong enough to overpower PsychoForHire Bushwacker. Although it’s still made clear he is far stronger with his [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Hulk-physique]].

* Similar to the ''Immortal Hulk'' example [[ComicBook/JuggernautMarvelComics 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.

* Franchise/SpiderMan 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. ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, 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.
** ComicBook/{{Carnage}} 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.
** ComicBook/NormanOsborn 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.

** ComicBook/BlackCat, 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.

* Franchise/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.

** All Asgardain since they’re divine extradimensional beings can lift well over 30 tons no matter how physically fit they are. This means [[Characters/MarvelComicsAsgardians Lady Sif, Amora and Valkyrie]] (who look no different like slim human women) can match massive monsters and superhuman opponents. Amora herself lampshades this in ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984'', stating she could physically crush mere mortals between her fingers, she just doesn’t want get her hands dirty. Though [[CurbStompBattle unfortunately]] for Amora, she made that BadassBoast to ComicBook/SheHulk ''who is anything but mere''.
** ComicBook/{{Loki}} in contrast to his hunky brother Thor is usually a beanpole. However he’s still a Frost Giant with Asgardian attributes meaning he can lift 50 tons, punch a building over and repeatedly hold his own against his bro even without using magical buffs.

** ComicBook/{{Storm}} is the first real example of this, though she’s more robust than Jean and [[StatuesqueStunner barely shy of six feet tall on her calluses]] Storm is still rather willowy, compared most of her male colleagues. Somehow this doesn’t stop Storm from doing the BridalCarry to Wolverine and Colossus (who are very heavy) as well as flipping grown men over, trouncing another woman in a [[KnifeNut knife fight]] and [[http://i.imgur.com/sjvRlTv.jpg pulling Stonewall out of the water with one arm]].
** ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}} is one of the few male X-Men who isn’t buff in the slightest and yet he can still [[HoistHeroOverHead hoist Calisto above his head one handed]] and overpower Sabertooth in close quarters combat. Though his TeleportSpam tends to even the playing field.
** ComicBook/{{Psylocke}}: slim supermodel physique, once carried a 90-pound flail with one hand and a baby in the other. Psylocke also once kicked Sabretooth in the gut so hard his feet left the ground. Though it’s clear Psylocke usually prefers using her telekinetic powers over raw melee.
** ComicBook/{{Rogue}} is drawn as an athletic woman, but rarely with muscles anywhere approximating what she can do. Justified in that [[PowerParasite she stole the strength powers from]] [[ComicBook/MsMarvel another hero]]. Funnily enough, when Rogue uses the powers of Hulk or She-Hulk, her [[HulkingOut body’s bulks up]] significantly as well her skin going green.
** ComicBook/{{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.
** ComicBook/{{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.

* [[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 ComicBook/{{Thanos}} and has cybernetic upgrades to boot.

* ComicBook/RedSonja's signature chainmail bikini shows off her slim build, but she's canonically stronger than six men and routinely beats heavily-muscled opponents in melee combat.

* ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|1}}'' allows you to gain the same strength as Gutsman, a boss robot at least twice your size. The strength Mega Man shows at the end of [[VideoGame/MegaMan5 the fifth game]] needs to be seen. The former is justified by his nature as a robot as well as his power set, but the latter case is absolutely ludicrous for a robot designed to be a lab assistant. In its spinoffs, ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'', both versions of the title character show surprising strength despite their thin frames, wielding weaponry as large or larger than they are with ease. This is taken further in the anime, where the first action scenes have them punching out a Navi twice their size and catching a falling train car with ease respectively.
** Even without Gutsman's strength, Mega Man can [[https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/14/142946/4863731-4.gif stop]] Wily's tower collapsing on him and Dr Light despite being so small compared to the Robot Masters.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Adventurers}}'', [[http://adventurers.keenspot.com/d/20020114.html Webrunner explains]] that muscularity has no real relation to strength in RPGMechanicsVerse: "Often scrawny kids can be strong enough to destroy ''gods'' without getting any visible muscle tone."

* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'':
** Usually, Kim: perfectly willing and able to knock down men twice her size. Even discussed when she and Shego faced two huge wrestlers while TrappedInTvLand; "Well, this shouldn't be a problem."
** Ron and Drakken's henchmen wear muscle-enhancing rings in "Ron The Man", but it's still Kim and Shego doing most of the fighting, maybe even more than usual.
** Señor Senior Junior is the most buff-looking of the regular villains but doesn't get into fights. Maybe he doesn't want to mess up his hair.
** In the TimeTravel episode arc, future Drakken is [[FutureBadass a mass of muscle]], but he gets swatted aside by Ron after Shego gloats about [[BerserkButton destroying Bueno Nacho]].
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''. They can defeat a muscular and super-intelligent talking monkey, several large criminals, the finest in technology and human advances that money could buy, an extremely muscular (and kinda fat) pink hillbilly monster who's only truly terrifying when he actually does flex his muscles, several giant robots, monsters, genetic mutations, and even Satan himself. Keep in mind that we're talking about three kindergarten girls.
* Bamm-Bamm as an infant on ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones''. [[WesternAnimation/ThePebblesAndBammBammShow Later, he becomes a buff teen]].
* Ed, Sarah, and Rolf from ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' have virtually no muscles but are incredibly strong, but Rolf does when he flexes or becomes enraged.
* [[WesternAnimation/TheLifeAndTimesOfJuniperLee Juniper Lee]] displays remarkable super strength compared to her appearance. Justified in that she's the [[TheChosenOne Te Xuan Ze]] and her super strength is magical.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
** Stewie Griffin can brutalize adults and fire an automatic weapon with no recoil problems despite being a baby. And then he'll get his ass whooped by an infant younger than him.
** Joe Swanson, in later years, has become wimpier despite the fact that he has muscles. It went to a point that he gave up a fight just because he was tripped off of his wheelchair.
* June from ''{{WesternAnimation/KaBlam}}!''. Judging by her usually adorable appearance, no one could believe that she's pretty buff.

* WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo, despite being a muscular TopHeavyGuy, is regularly shown to be beaten by people at the most half his size.
* WesternAnimation/DaveTheBarbarian is a very tall muscular guy but he's a total wuss who can't fight worth a damn and always gets his ass kicked by people and animals smaller than him. His sister, Princess Candy has SuperStrength despite being a normal-looking teenage girl, though whether or not she's stronger than Dave is unknown, she's just the one willing to use it.
* Alucard in ''WesternAnimation/{{Castlevania}}'' You can see in his ShirtlessScene that he isn’t really muscly at all (female viewers likely [[LongHairedPrettyBoy won’t care]]) and he looks a pushover compared to the always [[WalkingShirtlessScene shirtless]] muscular vampire God Brand (who's actually far weaker). Alucard regardless is still a {{Dhampir}} who humiliated the more muscly Trevor Belmont by displaying his SuperStrength twice first when [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom first fighting him]] and secondly when lifting rubble that Trevor could barely carry with ease. Played with however as while Alucard can easily physically overpower normal humans, monsters, and vampires when fighting his imposing father {{Dracula}}... he got his ass beat into next week (twice).

* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] by Cody of ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama''. He's able to knock out Duncan in one episode but can't even lift a cardboard box in another.
* In ''WesternAnimation/SilverHawks'', GeniusBruiser [[BrotherSisterTeam twins]] Steelheart and Steelwill exemplify this perfectly. Steelwill is huge and brawny, to the point his facemask looks like a ''football helmet''. Steelheart looks like a very athletic woman, but even she looks positively tiny next to her brother. And yet, they're equally strong and evenly matched in any physical contest, making Steelwill's towering bulk look... ''inefficient'' next to his sleeker, more compact sibling.
* Ahsoka Tano from ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' is a rather skinny teenage girl, yet she can break [[EliteMooks Bx-series Commando droids]] with a single kick, [[EffortlessAmazonianLift pull up Obi-Wan from the edge of a cliff]], throw opponents much larger and bulkier than herself over her shoulder, and protect herself in hand-to-hand combat against two meters tall LizardFolk. She can also effectively parry [[DualWielding multiple simultaneous lightsaber strikes]] from the {{cyborg}} General Grievous ''one-handed''.
** She's also a Jedi, and considering Anakin's PapaWolf tendencies, it wouldn't be out of character for him to teach her how to amplify her strength with the Force. It can be done, and this might be what happened, as up to about season two to mid-season three (pre-timeskip), she possessed strength normal for a girl her age, i.e. unable to lift Anakin, a 6'1" adult man [[EffortlessAmazonianLift (which she later did in Season Five)]].

* ComicBook/{{Starfire}} from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' isn't noticeably muscular in build, yet she can bench more than ComicBook/{{Cyborg}} without difficulty. Her secret? "Boundless confidence!"

* Black Canary demonstrated this in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' as she easily bested Superboy in a sparring match despite the fact that being half-Kryptonian, he was much stronger than her. This is mostly due to A) her being a highly-skilled fighter, and B) Superboy's anger clouded much of his judgement.
* WesternAnimation/FoghornLeghorn of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' is a large, powerfully-built rooster who is constantly getting his butt kicked by baby Henery Hawk! Of course, he has no problem picking on a dog his own size, as long as said dog isn't on the lookout.

* Mr. Slave from ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' is very muscular but he's a wimpy, effeminate, submissive, and emotionally fragile stereotypical gay guy.
* While [[MusclesAreMeaningful muscles were meaningful]] in the first two seasons of ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', the last few played this trope to a ludicrous extent thanks to VillainDecay. One blatant example was a Season 5 episode where Joker's hulking henchmen Punch and Judy get beaten up by a teenage Dick Grayson in two seconds flat, despite being mountains of muscle that stand head and shoulders taller than ''Batman''.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheHollow'': Adam's strength is well in excess of what his muscles should provide. [[spoiler: Then again, he is in a video game, so...]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/DotaDragonsBlood'' Mirana and Marci are pretty petite compared to their male companion Davion who has a HeroicBuild. Yet in the majority of fights they get into, both women (but especially Marci) easily kick the asses of men way bigger than them.
* In a short of ''Dingbat and the Creeps'' which played in the [[WesternAnimation/HeathcliffAndTheCatillacCats Heathcliff Show]], Sparerib is hired as a circus strongman after the ringer witnessed him lifting the stage platform with one arm. The kicker is that Sparerib is a [[DemBones skeleton]] with no muscles so to speak.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985'': Referenced in the episode "The Book of Omens". As they prepare to face each other in unarmed combat, Lion-O points out Mumm-Ra's arms are skinny because he's a mummy. Mumm-Ra says, "It is not the strength of arms that will win this battle. It's the strength of will!"
* ''WesternAnimation/ClassOf3000'': Philly Phil is shown to be fairly physically strong despite being a borderline [[NoodlePeople Noodle Person]]. Possibly justified, as he's a bass player and has to have some degree of strength to carry around a double bass plus the case.

* UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln was unusually tall and thin, but according to several sources, [[http://www.lincolnportrait.com/physical_man.html was quite a good wrestler in his youth.]]

* First played straight in ''Literature/{{Graceling}}'', as Katsa's extreme talent, flexibility, and speed make her too badass for strength to matter much, but subverted once she meets another Graced fighter ([[spoiler:though of course Po's Grace is a bit more complex than that]]) and realizes her size and relative weakness do disadvantage her.

* Extremely common in superhero comics, for [[SuperStrength obvious reasons]].

* This can be seen in {{MMORPG}}s as well. Since character appearances are purely aesthetic, a large muscular character could be defeated with ease by a smaller character.
** Extremely apparent in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' and ''City of Villains''. A player making a Brute or Tanker character can take Super Strength, War Mace, or Battle Axe and the strength of the attacks will be the same whether you're an [[TheBigGuy 8-foot high hulking man]] or a [[CuteBruiser 4-foot tall anorexic-looking girl]].
** Create a male draenei or orc mage in '' VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', and you've got a GlassCannon whom a {{boss|Battle}} can easily one-shot. However, due to [[OnlySixFaces all characters of any given race and sex using the same model]], he'll ''still'' be huge and beefy. Roll a female [[OurElvesAreDifferent blood elf]] paladin, on the other hand...your character appears to weigh less than her weapon but is probably a MightyGlacier.
*** Or a gnome, who in many cases will be swinging weapons larger than themselves, and is just as capable as a tauren of tearing you to shreds.
** Not just [=MMOs=], any game with a customizable [[StatisticallySpeaking strength stat]] is susceptible to this because often the character model doesn't match the stats. Case in point, in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', a properly-trained [[WhiteMagicianGirl Yuna]] can do more physical damage than any other character, including [[TheHero Tidus]] and [[BadassLongcoat Auron]]. With a blunt stick, no less!
*** Try attacking a Behemoth with a levelled up Yuna doing 99999 damage. The wimpy sound she makes as she swings her staff just makes it that much stranger.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* Bun-Bun from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' is a KillerRabbit about the same size as a plushy, and about as soft. Doesn't stop him from [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=980122 kicking]] [[http://archives.sluggy.com/book.php?chapter=15#1999-11-28 serious]] [[http://archives.sluggy.com/book.php?chapter=59#2009-05-12 butt]].

* In ''Webcomic/{{Adventurers}}'', [[http://adventurers.keenspot.com/d/20020114.html Webrunner explains]] that muscularity has no real relation to strength in RPGMechanicsVerse: "Often scrawny kids can be strong enough to destroy ''gods'' without getting any visible muscle tone."
* [[Webcomic/IronVioletTheShyTitan Iron Violet]] is a lithe young woman with vast superhuman strength.

* In evidence in ''Literature/TalesOfMU'', where many characters' strength comes from magic. The protagonist Mackenzie Blaise is among the stronger characters but appears to be an underdeveloped eighteen-year-old girl. [[PsychoLesbian Puddy]] is more muscular in appearance, but not enough to account for the fact that she's sometimes stronger than a dragon.
* 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.

* In ''Literature/EntirelyPresentingYou'', Alexis gets thinner and thinner as the story progresses, yet she boasts incredible super strength.

* ProWrestling usually averts this trope, but when {{Wrestling/WWE}} had [[Wrestling/GregoryHelms The Hurricane]], he would often chokeslam wrestlers several times his own size. (The chokeslam normally being reserved for [[TheGiant huge wrestlers]].) Hey, he is supposed to be a SuperHero, after all. However this was only the case when he was a good guy; when he first entered the WWE as a villain, it was played for laughs.

* ComicBook/CarolDanvers aka [[ComicBook/MsMarvel Captain Marvel]] while reasonably buff under the pen of some artists is generally still smaller than She-Hulk. Nevertheless, Carol can toss meteorite around, lift trains and even punch over the hulking Thanos.

[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
* In Guatuso mythology, hummingbirds are attributed a huge strength contradictory to its small size. An example is given in the story about how the Gods decided to exile the Sun from this world, and, since there was no one who could take it to the sky they created a hummingbird to take charge of this task.

** Batman is a large and powerfully built man. Franchise/WonderWoman 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, muscles don't need to mean much when what she does have is enhanced by divine magic.

* ComicBook/{{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 ComicBook/{{Thanos}} and has cybernetic upgrades to boot.
** Similarly [[ComicBook/NebulaMarvelComics 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}}''.

** Cassandra Cain is noted in the comics 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.

** This trope is so common that, when ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} returned [[ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton 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.

* ''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.

* X-5 series transgenic supersoldiers in ''Series/DarkAngel'', frequently seen beating the crap out of men twice their size. While Zack is fairly bulky, Max and Alec have roughly the same level of enhanced physical prowess as he does and more slender frames.

* X-5 series transgenic supersoldiers in ''Series/DarkAngel''. While Zack is fairly bulky, Max and Alec have roughly the same level of enhanced physical prowess.

*** 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.

** Juri while not willowy isn’t as muscular as Chun-Li but she’s still presented as one of the deadest women in the series able to knock around muscular guys like Rashid and Vega around with ease. In ''Anime/StreetFighterIVTheTiesThatBind'' Juri actually beats the ripped Guile with a single strong kick.

* Creator/ScottAdkins is on record that when he packs on the muscle to make Yuri Boyka, who he plays in the ''Film/{{Undisputed}}'' series, he certainly looks more intimidating but the extra muscle mass actually makes it ''harder'' for him to pull off acrobatic martial arts moves when filming the fight scenes for the films.

** Batman is a large and powerfully built man. Franchise/WonderWoman is a slim and athletic woman (DependingOnTheArtist), obviously a lot lighter than him. Guess which one can bench press a tank.

* While having larger muscles - thus more muscle fibers - certainly increases stenght, 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.