History Main / PowerLimiter

-> My uncle made this locket. It was supposed to "protect" me. But it did that by keeping me '''''stupid'''''. It used to make me feel ''safe''. Now, whenever I think about it, it makes me ''mad''. It's a symbol of how ''awful'' my life was. The headaches, the inventions that never worked, the people who treated me like an idiot, all because of this locket.
-->--Agatha Heterodyne, Webcomic/GirlGenius

--> My uncle made this locket. It was supposed to "protect" me. But it did that by keeping me '''''stupid'''''. It used to make me feel ''safe''. Now, whenever I think about it, it makes me ''mad''. It's a symbol of how ''awful'' my life was. The headaches, the inventions that never worked, the people who treated me like an idiot, all because of this locket.
--->--Agatha Heterodyne, Webcomic/GirlGenius

--->Agatha Heterodyne, [[Webcomic/GirlGenius]]

* ''Webcomic/{{Karin-dou 4koma}}'': Seren has to wear one (in the form of bunny/cat ears!) to contain her immense power and allow her to use it for trivial things. Without it, focusing even a little bit of magical energy would make it become a high class magic.

* Given to Mewtwo in ''PokemonTheFirstMovie''. When he meets with Giovanni for the first time, he barely has control of his psychic abilities and is given the armor to slowly focus his power.

* In the PokeWars series it is revealed that [[spoiler:Pokemon ''and'' humans]] possess natural power limiters that keep their attacks to a non-lethal level and reduce their bloodlust and aggressiveness. The series revolves around what happens after those limiters are suddenly released and [[spoiler:the Pokemon are psychically commanded to kill all humans]].

* Certain held items in ''{{Pokemon}}'' act as simultaneous PowerLimiters and PowerAtAPrice. The various "Power ________" items sacrifice Speed to increase another stat's development speed. The Iron Ball cuts Speed and removes the Flying-type immunity to Ground moves, but gives the strongest possible base power for the move Fling. Certain abilities, like ''Truant'' and ''Slow Start'' act as PowerLimiters.

* FateStayNight's Heaven's Feel scenario has Shirou [[spoiler: losing an arm and having Archer's arm (and Magic Circuits) grafted on (supposed to be impossible, [[MyFutureSelfAndMe but...]])]], which would kill him if he used it much at all, thus forcing him to utilize a magical shroud to block it off. HF also reveals that [[spoiler:Rider]] has been under a power limiter the whole time as well. If not for the limiter, the ability they block might accidentally kill everyone around her. With it off, she gains increased abilities as well.

* Kili's [[PowerTattoo tattoos]] in ''TheDragonDoctors'' limit her shaman powers and protect her from [[ISeeDeadPeople insanity through dead people]]. Note that she's still the best shaman in the world, and her tattoos would ''[[PowerNullifier completely negate]]'' the powers of a normal shaman.

* Black Mage from Webcomic/EightBitTheater has a huge amount of untapped potential power that is indicated to be enough to bring about at least ''one'' of the X-clases on the ApocalypseHow scale. How does the universe stop this OmnicidalManiac from destroying all reality? His physical body limits the amount of power he can access. As a result, after [[OhCrap he died the first time]] ([[EvenEvilHasStandards and a large hoard of terrified demons]] and the ''[[PragmaticVillainy villains of the comic]]'' stuck him [[PersonOfMassDestruction back into his physical form]]), the universe has been very careful to make sure he doesn't die.
* Kin in {{Goblins}}, as part of her enslavement to Dellyn, has been fitted with a magical leash that supresses her magic abilities and prevents her from harming anyone else if the leash is being held.
* In RescuingDara, like in {{Pokemon}}, Chivais' Everstone prevents her from evolving, which would make her an even more powerful fighter than she already is.

** It's canon in the games as of [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic 2006]]. When Mephiles surrounds Shadow by duplicating himself several hundred times, Shadow removes the rings from his wrists and proceeds to curbstomp the entire clone army. He immediately puts them back on afterward.

* In GodHand, Gene wears the Deistic brace on his god hand so that he can keep control over the awesome power it contains. [[spoiler:The braces, along with Gene's other arm, are removed for the final fight.]]

* In Tolkien's classic Lord of the Rings, the Istari ("wizards"), most prominently including Gandalf (as well as Saruman and others) all have a built-in power limiter, albeit one that is barely hinted at in Lord of the Rings; for full reveal, The Silmarillion must be perused. [[spoiler: The Istari]] are actually Maiar, a subtype of Ainur, members of the first race of beings brought forth by the Creator before the dawn of time. Although of "lesser order and power" than the godlike Valar, they also are immortal of the ''CompleteImmortality'' variety, and their ethereal "natural form" vastly exceeds the power and ability levels of all but the very greatest mortals in Middle-Earth history (none of which are around by the time of the War of the Ring; Galadriel at the height of her power is little more than a reflection of the abilities of her greatest ancestors). However, because of ancient and complex rules, restrictions, and covenants, [[spoiler: they are only allowed to help in the war against the dark powers in an advisory capacity]]. While occasionally capable of feats beyond men or elves (such as the White Council banishing Sauron from Dol Guldur, alluded to in The Hobbit, Gandalf destroying the Balrog in Moria, breaking Saruman's hold over Theoden of Rohan and later stripping Saruman of his power altogether, or repeatedly repelling the Ringwraiths), most of the time they are just what is says on the tin - wizened, crotchety old men that only those in the know have any reason to be wary of. Gandalf's power limiter is not removed when he is promoted to Gandalf the White (in reward for his efforts on behalf of Middle-Earth and so that he may finish his task) - it is merely dialed down a notch. The full power of the immortal, ageless being that [[spoiler: wears the guise of "Gandalf"]] upon Middle-Earth would likely be greater than the power Sauron could wield with the One Ring on his hand (since Sauron himself [[spoiler: used to be a Maia]], and in Tolkien's world fall to evil generally reduces power).

* In Tolkien's classic Lord of the Rings, the Istari ("wizards"), most prominently including Gandalf (as well as Saruman and others) all have a built-in power limiter, albeit one that is barely hinted at in LotR; for full reveal, The Silmarillion must be perused. [[spoiler: The Istari]] are actually Maiar, a subtype of Ainur, members of the first race of beings brought forth by the Creator before the dawn of time. Although of "lesser order and power" than the godlike Valar, they also are immortal of the ''CompleteImmortality'' variety, and their ethereal "natural form" vastly exceeds the power and ability levels of all but the very greatest mortals in Middle-Earth history (none of which are around by the time of the War of the Ring; Galadriel at the height of her power is little more than a reflection of the abilities of her greatest ancestors). However, because of ancient and complex rules, restrictions, and covenants, [[spoiler: they are only allowed to help in the war against the dark powers in an advisory capacity]]. While occasionally capable of feats beyond men or elves (such as the White Council banishing Sauron from Dol Guldur, alluded to in The Hobbit, Gandalf destroying the Balrog in Moria, breaking Saruman's hold over Theoden of Rohan and later stripping Saruman of his power altogether, or repeatedly repelling the Ringwraiths), most of the time they are just what is says on the tin - wizened, crotchety old men that only those in the know have any reason to be wary of. Gandalf's power limiter is not removed when he is promoted to Gandalf the White (in reward for his efforts on behalf of Middle-Earth and so that he may finish his task) - it is merely dialed down a notch. The full power of the immortal, ageless being that [[spoiler: wears the guise of "Gandalf"]] upon Middle-Earth would likely be greater than the power Sauron could wield with the One Ring on his hand (since Sauron himself [[spoiler: used to be a Maia]], and in Tolkien's world fall to evil generally reduces power).

** Ikkaku possesses bankai but hides it. Even when he finally enters bankai, he doesn't power straight into its full form the way the others do. He first has to re-engage the fight with the active, but weakly powered, bankai until he makes a first cut. Only then does thr bankai "awaken". Once the dragon crest on the highest blade turns fully red, Ikkaku is finally allowed access to the proper power level of a bankai.

** When Yumichika releases his sword it rather uselessly splits from one to four blades. Then it's revealed this is a fake shikai and even name. He deliberately calls his sword by a loathesome nickname to hide his [[AlmightyJanitor true abilities]] without anyone noticing; this works because the fake name pisses his sword off, thus, it actively refuses to help him until he calls the sword by its [[SayIt proper name]]. His real release is a snaking mass of unbreakable flower vines that [[EnergyAbsorption drains]] an opponent to death. His fake shikai gives him no abilities, forcing him to fight against enemy special abilities with [[{{Determinator}} only base skill and resolve]]. However, his real shikai is so powerful that he's achieved a [[CurbStompBattle single-strike victory]] every time he's used it. The reason he won't use it is because it [[CoverBlowingSuperPower breaks]] his division's [[BloodKnight code of conduct]] for him to even possess the [[FunctionalMagic power]] let alone actually [[MagicKnight use it]].

*** In the Thousand Year Blood War arc he learns that [[Old Man Zangetsu]] has been a limiter all along. He represents Ichigo's Quincy powers [[spoiler: and is supposed to kill him if he uses any other form of ability, but doesn't want to. Instead, he fakes Soul Reaper powers and limits Ichigo's real ones, which interferes with his abilities and causes instability in his power.]] On the other hand, it's not all bad: [[spoiler:since as a Quincy it means he can use defensive abilities like Blut, which actually saved him a few times.]]

** There's also [[spoiler:Tsukune's Holy Lock, which keeps Moka's blood in his veins from turning him into a mindless massacre machine.]]
** And [[spoiler:Moka's older half-sister Kahlua, who wears a pair of cross earrings. Removing the right earring [[OneWingedAngel transforms her right arm into razor-sharp wings]]. It remains to be seen what removing the other earring would do.]]
** And [[spoiler:Sun Otonashi's notebook. At first it seems to merely be a way for the "mute" girl to use TalkingWithSigns, but it's later revealed that she's a powerful Siren who uses the notebook to help keep her lethal voice under control.]]

*** Most notably in ''DragonBallZ'', Broly of the movies wears a technological device created by his father designed to keep him from using too much of his power and going berserk. It causes the "Super Saiyan" trademark gold hair to take on a turquoise hue instead. By the time he becomes angry enough, his power overloads the device and he achieves his maximum power, growing almost three times his normal size in muscle mass yet sacrificing none of his speed. It becomes quite obvious why his father was so adamant about keeping him under control...

** Rock Lee from ''{{Naruto}}''. He jumps on top of a structure and reveals leg weights, then undoes them, prompting those watching to remark on the futility of casting off a few leg weights. He then tosses them aside, where they gently fall to the ground... and land with a thunderous ground-cracking slam while Rock Lee takes off, showing that he has more than doubled his already-unique fighting speed.

* Kakashi from ''{{Naruto}}'' will keep his eye patch for most fights, because without his EyepatchOfPower his power is always on and will cost him all his energy too quickly. He also has a limit on his [[spoiler: Mangekyou Sharingan (which punch unavoidable holes into reality taking body parts of his enemies apart)]] - twice in one fight! That power could end any threat real quick if not for the 3 limits... the [[spoiler: holes in reality]] take a long while to get started, 2 weeks of recovering in bed for doing them, and not being able to train this dangerous power means he can't aim [[spoiler: holes in reality]] well... yet.
** The seals containing the bijuu tend to act as limiters, restricting the flow of the bijuu's chakra until their host activates it when in need.

** Ikkaku possesses bankai but hides it. Even when he finally enters bankai, he doesn't power straight into its full form the way other bankai-wielding shinigami do. He first has to re-engage the fight with the active, but weakly powered, bankai until he makes a first cut. Once his bankai has made a cut in the opponent, the bankai begins to wake up. Once the dragon crest on the highest blade turns fully red, Ikkaku is finally allowed access to the proper power level of a bankai.
** Findor Carias' mask. He becomes more powerful the more he chips it away, and can apparently match his power to that of certain Shinigami ranks, although Hisagi points out that he underestimate's a captain's strength.

*** In the Thousand Year Blood War arc he learns that [[spoiler:Old Man Zangetsu]] has been a limiter all along, or at least since the end of Soul Society. [[spoiler:He represents Ichigo's quincy powers and is supposed to kill him if he uses any other form of ability, but doesn't want to. Instead, he fakes Soul Reaper powers and limits Ichigo's real ones, which interferes with his abilities and causes instability in his power.]] On the other hand, it's not all bad: [[spoiler:since as a quincy it means he can use defensive abilities like Blut, which actually saved him a few times.]]

* In ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}}'' the "good" youkai of Shangri-La generally wear jewelry-like power-limiters to keep them human-shaped and closer to human-strength when in mixed company. After the Minus Wave, very few youkai are sane enough to even think about wearing limiters. Two of the protagonists wear limiters nearly all the time: Goku's diadem and Hakkai's ear cuffs. (Goku's is many, many times stronger than a standard youkai limiter due to his SuperPoweredEvilSide.) Hakkai at full youkai strength scares the shit out of even his friends and he's more susceptible to Minus Wave influence without the ear cuffs. Goku's unlimited form is strong enough to be a direct threat to Heaven and Sanzo's the only non-god who can put the diadem back on. In both cases, if and when the limiters come off, you'd best run and not look back.

* A future version of [[FantasticFour Franklin Richards]] known as Psi-Lord wears a specialized power armor designed to drain his immense psychic abilities. Without it, he was able to release power equivalent to the Big Bang.

* The many [[SuperpowerLottery incredibly powerful beings]] of ''Videogame/TouhouProject'' fight using the nonlethal [[BulletHell Spellcards]] instead of their true powers to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, [[TheProblemWithFightingDeath especially when beings vital to the existance of the world]] are involved.

* It is revealed near the end of VideoGame/{{Bioshock Infinite}} that [[spoiler: the Siphon actually limits Elizabeth's powers at the request of Comstock to better manage and keep her under control. By destroying the Siphon Tower using Songbird, Elizabeth gains the full potential of her powers which allowed her to see through the multi universe of the world and its truth.]]

* It is revealed near the end of VideoGame/{{Bioshock Infinite}} that the Siphon actually limits Elizabeth's powers at the request of Comstock to better manage and keep her under control. By destroying the Siphon tower using Songbird at the end, Elizabeth gained full potential of her powers which allowed her to see through the multi universe of the world and its truth.

* It is revealed near the end of {{Bioshock Infinite}} that the Siphon actually limits Elizabeth's powers and and by destroying the tower using Songbird, Elizabeth gained full potential of her powers which allowed her to see through the multi universe of the world and its truth.

* It is revealed near the end of {{Bioshock Infinite}} that the Siphon actually limits Elizabeth's powers and and by destroying the tower using Songbird, Elizabeth gained full potential of her powers.

** In ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', Erik observes that Mystique's physical strength is effectively halved because she is concentrating on [[IJustWantToBeNormal maintaining a human appearance.]] This explains her tendency to 'decloak' for her fight scenes in the original movies.

* In ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', Erik observes that Mystique's physical strength is effectively halved because she is concentrating on [[IJustWantToBeNormal maintaining a human appearance.]] This explains her tendency to 'decloak' for her fight scenes in the original movies.