History Main / SemanticSuperpower

A power that that is defined solely by wording, and thus capable of a great deal of stretching what it is capable of. An example would be a hypothetical power of 'Pushing' being used to 'push' people at massive speed in order to fake teleportation, to push concepts or to push away attacks. Can be used to justify HeartIsAnAwesomePower. Done poorly, it comes across as an {{Asspull}} unless it's obviously being PlayedForLaughs.

A power that that is loosely defined and thus capable of a great deal of stretching what it is capable of. An example would be a hypothetical power of 'Pushing' being used to 'push' people at massive speed in order to fake teleportation, to push concepts or to push away attacks. Can be used to justify HeartIsAnAwesomePower. Done poorly, it comes across as an {{Asspull}} unless it's obviously being PlayedForLaughs.

** And platelets, resulting in him using one as a ride and calling it 'Platelet'.

A power that that is loosely defined and thus capable of a great deal of stretching what it is capable of. An example would be a hypothetical power of 'Pushing' being used to 'push' people at massive speed in order to fake teleportation, to push concepts or to push away attacks. Can be used to justify HeartIsAnAwesomePower. Done poorly, it comes across as an Asspull.

A power that that is loosely defined and thus capable of a great deal of stretching what it is capable of. An example would be a hypothetical power of 'Pushing' being used to 'push' people at massive speed in order to fake teleportation, to push concepts or to push away attacks. Can be used to justify HeartIsAnAwesomePower.

* Parodied by ''WebComic/EightBitTheater'': Red Mage is constantly showing his companions OneStatToRuleThemAll versus a DumpStat. Lockpicking can be accomplished, for instance, using the pickpocket skill because it's just removing a lock from a pocket in a door. The interrogation skill is simply emptying pockets of information in people's minds. This being 8-Bit Theater, InsaneTrollLogic is completely applicable [[AchievementsInIgnorance if you're stupid enough to not wonder how it's at all possible.]] Likewise, Thief can steal things that are intangible or that ''don't exist'', basically doing anything as long as can be called theft.

A power that that is loosely defined and thus capable of a great deal of stretching what it is capable of. An example would be a hypothetical power of 'Pushing' being used to 'push' people at massive speed in order to fake teleportation, to push concepts or to push away attacks.

* Parodied by ''WebComic/EightBitTheater'': Red Mage is constantly showing his companions OneStatToRuleThemAll versus a DumpStat. Lockpicking can be accomplished, for instance, using the pickpocket skill because it's just removing a lock from a pocket in a door. The interrogation skill is simply emptying pockets of information in people's minds. This being 8-Bit Theater, InsaneTrollLogic is completely applicable if you're stupid enough to not wonder how it's at all possible. Likewise, Thief can steal things that are intangible or that ''don't exist'', basically doing anything as long as can be called theft.

* In Tsukihime and KaraNoKyoukai there exist the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception which allow you to see the "lines of death" of objects, which cause the object to be destroyed when cut. This has been applied not only to destroy inanimate objects and mortal beings but also numerous immortals, poisons, telekinetic attacks and barriers and even space. The concept of death is stretched to tbe point where it is said that by the end of KnK [[spoiler: Shiki at full power is said to be basically a god.]]

* On ''WesternAnimaton/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold,'' {{AQUAMAN}} can his power to telepathic connection with fish to control silverfish. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverfish Which are insects]]. [[TheAtom Ryan Choi]] {{Lampshades}} it.

* On ''WesternAnimaiton/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold,'' {{AQUAMAN}} can his power to telepathic connection with fish to control silverfish. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverfish Which are insects]]. [[TheAtom Ryan Choi]] {{Lampshades}} it.

* The titular Keys of the ''{{Exalted}}'' webcomic ''Webcomic/KeychainOfCreation'' have the simple ability to unlock things, including the seals on the local {{Cosmic Horror}}s. However, according to WordOfGod, obtaining all five Keys grants the wielder omnipotence, as long as they can phrase the desired action as "unlocking." For example, the [[OmnicidalManiac Deathlords]] are immortal, or one might say "locked" to life, and thus can be killed with proper use of the Keys.

* On ''BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold,'' {{AQUAMAN}} can his power to telepathic connection with fish to control silverfish. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverfish Which are insects]]. [[TheAtom Ryan Choi]] {{Lampshades}} it.

* Cypher of XMen, whose only power is the ability to understand all languages. After being written as completely useless 99% of the time, writers upgraded his powers to include programming languages and a dozen other things most sane people would never label a language.

* Parodied by ''WebComic/EightBitTheater'': Red Mage is constantly showing his companions OneStatToRuleThemAll versus a DumpStat. Lockpicking can be accomplished, for instance, using the pickpocket skill because it's just removing a lock from a pocket in a door. The interrogation skill is simply emptying pockets of information in people's minds. This being 8-Bit Theater, InsaneTrollLogic is completely applicable if you're stupid enough to not wonder how it's at all possible.

* The Kayoss Royal Family in ''LsEmpire'' are all granted a single word. Any definition of that word is available to them as a power. The current king has the power of sound; so he can control sound waves, [[CompellingVoice make whatever he says perfectly believable]], and put anything into a perfect (sound) state.

* Yukari Yakumo of the ''[[TouhouProject Touhou]]'' series is pretty much the embodiment of this trope, for the fanon at least. Her power is, as stated in the [[AllThereIntheManual manual]], [[BarrierMaiden control over borders]], which doesn't sound too great until you realize that "border" is meant in the most metaphysical way possible. By tweaking things like the borders of life and death, reality and fantasy, possible and impossible, etc, she's [[RealityWarper basically God]]. Maybe. The creator is rather vague about whether she has any limits (cue the fans coming in and claiming that even if she had limits she'd remove them with her power) but it's generally agreed that you shouldn't mess with her.\\
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Suika has the ability to manipulate density. This lets her change her size, create mini-Suikas, use spirit bombs, and ''cause people to sub-conciously gather for a feast''. In general, powers seem to work semantically, it's just that Yukari got an especially broad one.

Suika has the ability to manipulate scarceness. This lets her change her size, create mini-Suikas, use spirit bombs, and ''cause people to sub-conciously gather for a feast''. In general, powers seem to work semantically, it's just that Yukari got an especially broad one.

* Cipher of XMen, whose only power is the ability to understand all languages. After being written as completely useless 99% of the time, writers upgraded his powers to include programming languages and a dozen other things most sane people would never label a language.

* It's common in ''Manga/OnePiece'' for Devil Fruit users to not have any obvious limits to their powers, though many of them fall into HeartIsAnAwesomePower. In fact, it's stated that one of the true marks of a strong fruit user is how much experience they have with their powers and by extension, how many of these uses for their powers they can figure out. A good example is Kuma, alluded to in the trope description, who has the power to repel things. He often uses this to repel attacks, but it turns out he can repel the pain from a person's body, or send someone basically anywhere in the world they can travel via a straight line.

* It's common in ''Manga/OnePiece'' for Devil Fruit users to not have any obvious limits to their powers. A good example is Kuma, who has the power to repel things. He often uses this to repel attacks, but it turns out he can repel the pain from a person's body. In fact, it's stated that one of the true marks of a strong fruit user is how much experience they have with their powers and by extension, how many of these uses for their powers they can figure out.

* Yukari Yakumo of the ''[[TouhouProject Touhou]]'' series is pretty much the embodiment of this trope, for the fanon at least. Her power is, as stated in the [[AllThereIntheManual manual]], [[BarrierMaiden control over borders]], which doesn't sound too great until you realize that "border" is meant in the most metaphysical way possible. By tweaking things like the borders of life and death, reality and fantasy, possible and impossible, etc, she's [[RealityWarper basically God]]. Maybe. The creator is rather vague about whether she has any limits (cue the fans coming in and claiming that even if she had limits she'd remove them with her power) but it's generally agreed that you shouldn't mess with her.