History Main / StrongFleshWeakSteel

Not to be confused with Thulsa Doom's philosophy in ''Conan the Barbarian'', which is more of a spin off of MightMakesRight, and the role of the individual's own power against any weapon which they could wield or be used against them. Usually a case of GameplayAndStorySegregation. The ChunkySalsaRule is a reaction to this. Played straight with MechaMooks, but almost always averted with {{Mechanical Monster}}s.

In certain kinds of games, it is inexplicably easier to destroy something made of armored steel, like a tank, than to destroy an ostensibly flesh and blood character (often a boss of some sort), even without specialized weaponry. Compare InvulnerableKnuckles, MadeOfIron. Whenn applied to weapons rather than opponents, it is GunsAreWorthless . You know this trope is active when the best way to defend a structure is for a character to stand in front of it and take the damage as a meat-shield. This can lead to comic relief when someone starts smashing and smashing but the person either feels no pain or feels tons of pain but no respite.

** Poison and sniper weapons specifically avert this, usually having a strength value too low to harm tanks at all[[note]]tanks have a minimum armor rating of 10, while unless the poison/sniper weapon is applied to another type of weapon, it will have a Strength of 1. To harm a tank, the weapon must roll a 6 sided die and the combined total of the dice and strength must meet or exceed the armor value of the tank. Since they're all strength 1, the maximum result the can get is 7.[[/note]] but are highly effective against monstrous creatures as they completely ignore the monster's toughness value (and, in the case of most poison weapons, a ridiculous amount of attacks).

** Poison and sniper weapons specifically avert this, usually having a strength value too low to harm tanks at all[[tanks have a minimum armor rating of 10, while unless the poison/sniper weapon is applied to another type of weapon, it will have a Strength of 1. To harm a tank, the weapon must roll a 6 sided die and the combined total of the dice and strength must meet or exceed the armor value of the tank. Since they're all strength 1, the maximum result the can get is 7.[[/note]] but are highly effective against monstrous creatures as they completely ignore the monster's toughness value (and, in the case of most poison weapons, a ridiculous amount of attacks).

* Real Life: Bonesaws. Even though it stands to reason that a mechanical circular blade can easily tear flesh, it is designed to be unable to penetrate through tough tissue, yet it can saw through bones or plaster with ease. Don't let [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 the Medic]] tell you otherwise.
** Of course, they are ''not'' circular saws. Bonesaws use a rapid back and forth movement small enough to not tear soft tissue, but which rapidly saws through hard materials like bone. In the same way a glass blade would shatter on impact with, say, a rock, while a steel blade would only get a dent.

* Blaster rifles in ''Franchise/StarWars'' aren't ''steel'', but this trope comes up in ''LukeSkywalkerAndTheShadowsOfMindor''. Luke, held captive by stormtroopers, is not sufficiently quiet, so one [[BullyingADragon keeps hitting him with a blaster rifle even when Luke politely tells him not to]]. Finally Luke catches the business end of the rifle and it shatters.

* Averted in ''VideoGame/TheGodfather: The Game'', as pretty much a departure of nearly every game of it's type. No matter how powerful the boss, how much armor they have, how powerful their weapons are, or how much dramatic fanfare they get when they appear, a shot to head will still be a shot to the head. Of course, the danger lies in having mobs of enemies to fight against.

* A conflict very common in ''MagicTheGathering'', where the colours Green and Blue are pitied against each other - the former, which represents life and "nature", is so good at dealing with metallic things that the latter, which represents inovation and is associated with technology, can only defend itself by countering spells. [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Phyrexia]], however, just takes the BodyHorror middle ground, fusing artifice with life in horrific and deadly ways.

-->-- '''Thulsa Doom''', ''ConanTheBarbarian''

* The most obvious example are games like ''VideoGame/{{Haze}}'' or ''DarkSector'' which feature armoured vehicles with fixed hitpoints but a player character [[WalkItOff with regenerating hitpoints]]. While the tank can only take a tank's worth of damage, ''ever'', you're still safely moving along after taking enough hits to destroy Brazil.

Not to be confused with Thulsa Doom's philosophy in ''Conan the Barbarian'', which is more on the role of the individual's own power against any weapon which he could wield or be used against him. Usually a case of GameplayAndStorySegregation. The ChunkySalsaRule is a reaction to this. Played straight with MechaMooks, but almost always averted with {{Mechanical Monster}}s.

Not to be confused with Thulsa Doom's philosophy in ''Conan the Barbarian''. Usually a case of GameplayAndStorySegregation. The ChunkySalsaRule is a reaction to this. Played straight with MechaMooks, but almost always averted with {{Mechanical Monster}}s.

** The game series is otherwise an excellent showcase of this trope. All weapons have a set damage value against different armour types (that ultimately makes the visible damage values moot), and antitank weapons tend to do little, if any, damage to things that are not tanks. The crowning example is the Eldar Fire Dragon (a high-tier antitank infantry unit with a fusion gun), whose damage per second against infantry is measured in single digits; less than most factions' scout units.

* Franchise/{{Superman}}. He can stop a bullet with his eye, and the bullet would break from the impact.
** And for comparison, the Cyborg-Superman. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin He has Kryptonian powers and is a cyborg.]] You would think his metal bits would be an advantage, but they're actually ''weaker'' than his flesh.
* In ''DeathBattle'', [[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 Starscream]] vs. [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Rainbow Dash]]. Starscream is an anthropomorphic fighter jet designed to go Mach 3 and lay the smackdown on whatever's in front of him. Rainbow Dash is a pony with wings and a cocky attitude. [[spoiler: Played straight; Rainbow wins hand down]].

In certain kinds of games, it is inexplicably easier to destroy something made of armored steel, like a tank, than to destroy an ostensibly flesh and blood character (often a boss of some sort), even without specialized weaponry. Compare InvulnerableKnuckles, MadeOfIron. You know this trope is active when the best way to defend a structure is for a character to stand in front of it and take the damage as a meat-shield. This can lead to comic relief when someone starts smashing and smashing but the person either feels no pain or feels tons of pain but no respite.

* Mostly justified in ''Franchise/{{Bioshock}}'', where the Little Sisters, girls all around the age of four or five, are invulnerable to attacks that kill genetically altered adults, combat bots, and the massively armored Big Daddies. This is due to the sea slug which the game is based around, which seems to live symbiotically within the Little Sisters, automatically repairing any and all damage to the girls. However, one would still think a direct hit from a grenade launcher would make them explode in a shower of LudicrousGibs...

!!Examples:

!!Non VideoGame Examples:

* The DragonBall anime. A bullet to Goku's head makes him say "Ouch!", and an axe to the head gives him a headache - ''shattering the axe''. He blocks rocket-propelled grenades with his arms, jumps through steel-lined floors head-first, destroys the {{Terminator}} with a ki blast, and dispatches wave after wave of tanks and helicopters like its ''nothing''.
** Averted with super-suits and the mechanical androids, but those stop working as Goku gets stronger and the villains are forced to hire more muscle. In DragonBallZ, Dr. Gero finally learns from previous mistakes and actually starts making his death machines out of flesh instead of steel. By that point, Goku's flesh can literally withstand attacks that would [[EarthShatteringKaboom blow up the planet]].
* {{Superman}}. He can stop a bullet with his eye, and the bullet would break from the impact.
** And for comparison, the Cyborg-Superman. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin He has Kryptonian powers and is a cyborg.]] You would think his metal bits would be an advantage, but they're actually ''weaker'' than his flesh.

There may be a (tiny) grain of TruthInTelevision here: living beings [[HealingFactor regenerate]], albeit slowly, but steel is incapable of regenerating all by itself. [[ScienceMarchesOn Not yet]], [[NanoMachines at least.]]

* With the exception of the FinalBoss, the Gargantua is by far the most powerful enemy in ''{{Half-Life}}'', more resilient than even the tanks and helicopters and completely immune to the player's weaponry except for explosives. Sort-of-kind-of justified in that it's massive, heavily armored and maybe engineered specifically for combat by the invading aliens. The Antlion Guard in ''Half-Life 2'' however has no justification for being able to laugh off multiple explosions to the face.

* At the beginning of ''MassEffect'', the Mako mechanized infantry vehicle is pretty durable and has good weaponry compared to Shepard and her crew. As you approach the game's level cap, however, you'll find that it's easier (and nets you more XP) to drive to the battlefield, hop out of the Mako, and engage enemies on foot.