Talent vs. Training

"I wasn't born rich, I wasn't born of privilege, I was born in Cleveland destined to flip burgers at my dad's Mr. Hero for the rest of my life. People told me that I was average, that I would never amount to anything. But I didn't make that a self-fulfilling prophecy, no. I went out on my own, followed my dreams, and proved everyone wrong! I found my way through the real world, and I did it, and I became a champion, I became the most must-see WWE Superstar of all time! I did that, and I did it on my own! You know, say what you want about me, whether you booed me or cheered me for the year; but you can never deny my work ethic! I'm always proud of myself working harder than everybody else, because I believe hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard enough!"

— The Miz

In fiction, there are generally two ways to become good at something. One way is through dedicated study, the other is through natural talent. When these are contrasted against each other, we get the trope known as Talent Vs. Training.

The talented character is someone who succeeds entirely or mostly through raw talent. They need little to no training in their chosen field and will likely be an Instant Expert who learns things as easily as a fish takes to water. They are most likely to be Born Lucky or simply have The Gift. If the story is trying to deconstruct this type of character, they might be a case of Small Name, Big Ego. Getting hit with a serious challenge for the first time may give them the motivation they need to actually train.

The character who believes in serious training will be one who defies, or at least tries to defy Hard Work Hardly Works. Even if they don't reach the same heights as the talented ones, they will be able to give them a run for their money because they put in so much effort to be the best. They are also likely to be a Determinator and may even be a Humble Hero.

The trained character may resent the talented one for picking up on things the former spent nearly a lifetime trying to learn with staggering ease. In other cases, the trained character may despise or fear the fact that their innate talent isn't enough to stop someone from surpassing them.

This trope may overlap with Technician Versus Performer, with the talented character most likely to be the performer and the trained character most likely to be the technician (although it is possible for the reverse to be the case if the trained character looks to avenues the talented one doesn't due to the latter's laziness). It may also overlap with All Work vs. All Play. See also Talented, but Trained when talent and training are combined in the same individual. When two parties from opposite ends of the spectrum join forces, it often overlaps with Technician/Performer Team-Up.

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Examples:

Anime & Manga

• All Rounder Meguru: Hard Work Hardly Works is brutally defied. While talent is an important factor, it takes a lot of training and dedication to learn advanced techniques.
  • Meguru has a talent for analyzing his opponents' techniques, strengths and weaknesses, and can easily learn techniques used on him. However, he had to train intensely before he could put this talent to proper use and his tutelage involved learning the basics of MMA. He also needs more work than average to keep his physical strength, which is why, in spite of being a lightweight (up to 65 kg) coming from karate, his usual trainer is Nabe, a middleweight (up to 77 kg) wrestler who works him to the bone.
  • Momoko is a genius judoka who quickly learns ju-jitsu, but always skips reinforcement training. Because of that, whenever she takes part in a tournament she always loses in the semifinals or finals due to being too tired.
  • Mitsuya is well known for his talent, even having been a candidate for the Olympic Games and was expected to win the All Japan Amateur Shooto Tournament — but due to his exceptional talent he failed to take things seriously, and that cost him both his chance for the Olympic Games and the qualification for the national tournament, in the latter case losing (barely) to Meguru in the finals of the Kansai tournament. He has learned from his defeat, and at the Kanto Open Tournament he mops the floor with Yudai (noted to be almost Meguru's better in grappling and his overall equal).
• Buso Renkin: Animal-type homunculi tend to rely on brute strength, which makes them relatively easy prey for Alchemist Warriors. Washio is a step above: a hawk homunculus created from a JGSDF veteran, he trained hard to develop his abilities and presents a far greater threat than any of Starter Villain Koushaku Chouno's other creations.
• Castle Town Dandelion: Hikari decides to become a pop idol to earn support for the upcoming royal election. She is naturally talented and her power over age allows her to change herself to the ideal physique as an idol. Her fellow performer, Sacchi, works diligently to learn choreography and singing and worked hard to get where she is. As such, Sacchi is initially bitter toward Hikari and later fears what would become of her when she sees Hikari actually buckling down and applying herself.
• A Certain Scientific Railgun: Subverted. One of the earlier Arc Villains complains about being a low-level Esper who needs the Level-Upper Fantastic Drug to be competitive. This is mocked by another character who points out that Mikoto is the third-most powerful Esper not just because she's naturally talented, but because she worked her butt off to develop her skills. the main series double subverts this with the Parameter List, a top secret document that reveals which Espers would respond better to the Power Curriculum Program, meaning that, yes, Mikoto was destined for greatness from the start.
• Clean Freak! Aoyama-kun: Aoyama is a natural football genius. His rival is the wealthy and Hot-Blooded Kaoru who puts effort and hard work into their football matches.
  Kaoru: (monologuing) I don't have the skill or talent Aoyama has. But you know what? It doesn't matter if the opponent is a famous school or not... I want to win! [...] I'm giving football everything I've got here!
• Dragon Ball:
  • This is the main factor in Goku and Vegeta's iconic rivalry. While both are members of the exceptionally powerful warrior race known as the Saiyans, Goku was born with a very low power level and became the impressive fighter he is known as today thanks to the training and trials he went through on Earth. Vegeta by contrast was born with the high power level expected of a Saiyan elite, and while he was a powerful fighter in his own right, he frequently finds himself playing second to Goku when it comes to getting stronger. That Goku unlocked the fabled Super Saiyan form before Vegeta only inflames Vegeta's wounded pride.
  • Before he crossed paths with Goku, Frieza was considered the most powerful mortal in the universe. By his own admission in Dragon Ball Super, the training he did to achieve his Golden Super Mode was the first time he actually had to put in any effort when it came to developing his fighting skills.
  • Gohan has more raw power than his father Goku and could potentially become more powerful than him. The only reason this is not the case is that Gohan doesn't really like fighting and doesn't train as much as Goku.
  • Goku himself can be on the other end of this trope, particularly when it comes to human fighters. While it took Roshi nearly a century to master the Kamehameha, Goku was able to pick it up just by seeing Roshi do it once.
• Eyeshield 21: Agon Kongo is a gifted football player who plays any position. His brother Unsui lacks such natural talent but makes up for it with dedication and being a better strategist. The two also count as All Work vs. All Play, with Unsui being the hard worker who has little interest in having fun while Agon is a lazy slacker who's never really needed to work.
• Haikyuu!!: Oikawa has this dynamic with his naturally talented rivals Kageyama and Ushijima, but it's more apparent with the former. Oikawa detests people with innate talent and thus holds a grudge against Kageyama due to his feelings of inferiority surfacing when compared to Kageyama who has been hailed as a prodigy in volleyball. It reaches a point where Oikawa mistreats Kageyama due to the latter gaining more recognition and surpassing him. He also fails to defeat Ushijima which motivates him to push himself harder.
  In front of [Oikawa] there stood an insurmountable wall. Wakatoshi Ushijima, the "giant" of Shiratorizawa middle school academy... was quickly recognized as the prefecture's undisputed best. [...] So he trained, harder and harder aiming to reach an even greater stage. But for 3 years he never broke through that wall. Then... another prodigy [Kageyama] appeared, this time right in his own shadow.
• My Hero Academia:
  • Izuku Midoriya/Deku is one of the few people in the story's setting born without a Quirk. However, he was bequeathed the One For All Quirk by his idol All Might. Deku's smarts and dedication to improving himself enable him to utilize One For All to its full potential and then some, allowing him to hold his own against extremely powerful, naturally-born Quirk users like Bakugo and Shoto.
  • All Might and Deku are contrasted in this way when it comes to using One For All. Unlike Deku, All Might very quickly got used to using One For All at maximum power. However, since All Might never struggled with the Quirk, he never got to receive visions like other users. This meant his knowledge of the Quirk is incredibly limited compared to Deku who had a much more difficult path to mastering One For All but was able to unlock potential that All Might never realized.
• Naruto comes down on the side of Talent, putting a lot of emphasis on Superpowerful Genetics bred into ninja bloodlines and the use of tailed beasts as Living Batteries. While training is important to develop skills, having inborn talent makes it a hell of a lot easier. The Chuunin Exam arc is a prime example: Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga are rival members of Team Guy. Neji is hailed as one of the greatest prodigies of his time, born to the cadet branch of an aristocratic family with Superpowerful Genetics, while Lee honed his skills in Taijutsu (martial arts) to compensate for his complete inability to use Ninjutsu and Genjutsu (magic). During the tournament rounds, Rock Lee loses to Gaara, who hosts Shukaku the One-Tail, while Naruto uses the Nine-Tailed Fox to overpower Neji and Sasuke uses his own Superpowerful Genetics to beat Gaara. De facto Muggles like Lee just can't compete.
• Pokémon: The Series: This is something of a recurring theme among Pokémon trainers, with the lead characters often learning the hard way that it takes both talent and training To Be a Master.
  • Ash Ketchum started off as the talented one, demonstrating he truly understood his Pokémon and could come up with effective tactics on the fly to hold his own against powerful opponents, but explicitly avoided training unless he was in the mood. His massive ego and immaturity also made him think he could get by on talent alone. This attitude proved costly at the Indigo League, where he lost the match against Richie, and his friends pointed out that he was lucky enough to get as close as he did considering he made no effort to train. Since then, Ash got more serious about his training, and his skill greatly improved.
  • Gary Oak, Ash's rival, was the far more serious trainer of the two, using proper strategy and rotating his roster in and out to give him ideal powerhouses to use in battles, and was far ahead of Ash in his journey (the guy earned ten badges rather than just the minimal eight required to get into the Pokémon League), making Ash insanely jealous. However, for all his training, Gary lacked that certain spark that Ash had, best exemplified when he fell short of advancing to the Top 16 when he lost his fourth-round elimination match. Even though he beat Ash in their first official battle later on using a very powerful Eevee, he still lost to Ash in their Silver Conference battle when Ash's Charizard made a spectacular comeback during a 5-3 advantage. In the end, Gary admitted Ash was the better trainer and decided to retire to become a Pokémon researcher like his grandfather. He could still keep up with Ash if he wanted, but he's focused his efforts elsewhere.
  • Like Ash, Misty is a talented Pokémon trainer. And just like Ash, she lacked the willingness to train because her ego could be just as big as her friend's, as shown when she refused to help her Psyduck improve its psychic attacks or manage Togepi's due to her respective dislike and motherly instincts towards them. Once she started applying herself, she and her Pokémon became much more formidable opponents.
  • Jessie of Team Rocket proved she had the talent to be a great Coordinator but lacked the proper training. Jessie never won any of the contests where she was matched up against May in the Hoenn and Kanto contests, mostly because she insisted on cheating her way to victory, even though May had her own set of struggles and was just as green as Jessie. It was only when Jessie stopped cheating and actually applied herself that she actually came out on top against Dawn in the Sinnoh contests.
  • Paul, Ash's rival from Sinnoh, demonstrated he was a formidable trainer. Through years of cold, calculated planning and strategy, along with selecting Pokémon with premium moves and stats, he always beat Ash at his own game by using Ash's own tactics against him, or explicitly planning his strategy around Ash's behavior, something that confounded Ash considering that Paul puts his Pokémon through all manner of hell just to make them more powerful. However, for all that hard work, Paul couldn't believe that Ash had managed to beat Brandon, the Pyramid King, whereas his own brother Reggie or even Paul himself couldn't land a scratch on him, especially since he thought Ash's reliance on friendship alone was useless. Ash beating him in the Sinnoh League using both sound strategy and his reliance on The Power of Friendship proved Paul otherwise, and he's come to accept it takes both to make a difference. Journeys shows this paid off for him, as he's been offered to become a Gym Leader, and his battle with Ash to train him for the Masters Eight shows he can effortless copy the movesets and strategies of Champions.
• Teppu: Natsuo is incredibly talented at pretty much every sport she tries her hand at, to the point she doesn't join any high school sports club because she automatically rises to the top with little effort despite not caring. Yuzuko, on her end, has absolutely no talent sports at all but has been doing MMA intensely for years without ever giving up, and due to this she beats Natsuo easily when Natsuo gets roped into an demonstration match for Yuzuko's MMA club. Natsuo spends the entire rest of the manga trying to get a rematch, finding beating Yuzuko in MMA to be one of the first thing in years she feels genuinely passionate about, and her natural talent lets her take on and win against women ten years her senior. At the end of the manga Natsuo loses their rematch at G-Girl and is devastated, though she gets some emotional catharsis from knowing she still has something to reach for.
• Tomo-chan Is a Girl!: Jun, the male lead, is insecure about his martial arts progress in comparison to his friend and love interest, the eponymous Tomo. Jun acknowledges that, as the daughter of a martial arts instructor, Tomo is a far stronger and more disciplined fighter than he is, and on her own, she could clobber most guys who stand in her way. However, he's disappointed because he, as a guy, is naturally stronger than her and despite her technique will eventually lose to him simply because of puberty. To him, this hardly even counts as a true win.
• Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Jaden's lackadaisical approach to classes belies a talented and passionate duelist who can match or surpass his more studious and hardworking rivals.
  • Zane is the first duelist to beat Jaden and shows that Jaden's talent alone can only get him so far. Even their rematch ends in a draw.
  • Aster takes Duel Monsters even more seriously than most characters in the show. He particularly despises Jaden's more carefree attitude to the game and becomes one of the only three duelists to ever beat Jaden, the other two being Zane and Kaibaman. However, Jaden is able to win in their rematch.
  • Bastion dedicates himself to analyzing the decks and strategies of other duelists and coming up with plans to counter them. Sadly, this proves useless against Jaden who proves to be just that good.

Comic Books

• Marvel Universe:
  • Runaways: Tina and Robert Minoru can barely use the Staff of One despite having been training in magic for years. Their daughter Nico becomes much more proficient after just a few days thanks to having a more creative mind than her parents, a quality needed to use the Staff's power. However, Nico's creativity means nothing when she encounters her ancestor who has a much more powerful version of the staff and years more experience.
  • Spider-Man: Spider-Man verges on Master of All, being faster and having quicker reactions than anyone who isn't a dedicated speedster, stronger and tougher than most who aren't dedicated powerhouses, more mobile than anyone save flyers and teleporters, and with his Spider-Sense that gives him a precognitive warning of danger. All this makes him surprisingly formidable (especially when he stops cracking jokes and focuses on the fight. However, Spider-Man relies so much on his Spider-Sense that when it's disabled, he finds himself at a severe disadvantage against opponents even significantly weaker than he is but with greater skill. In Spider-Island, he remedies this by taking martial arts lessons from Shang Chi.

Fan Works

• Alicorn: This is the source of Twilight's resentment towards Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was born an alicorn with magical potential (although not ability) beyond the greatest archmage, whereas Twilight had to work for every bit of her power but still falls behind Rainbow. Tristar points out that Twilight may have worked for her power, but she was still born a unicorn, in a unicorn-dominated city, got to attend the best school in the country, and was personally tutored by Princess Celestia. She had just as much privilege as Rainbow Dash, she's just not seeing it.
• The Apprentice, the Student, and the Charlatan: Nova faces off against opponents with raw magical power multiple times, such as Envy, Silas Silverblood, or even Nightmare Moon. He does have raw magical talent, but as his training increases, he becomes far more competent as a mage, until he is able to hold his own, and sometimes even trounce opponents far more powerful or talented than him purely through cleverness and quick thinking.

Films — Animation

• Monsters University: Mike and Sully are contrasted as student scarers this way. Mike has the training, having studied since childhood and having thus developed an encyclopedic knowledge of scaring, but his tiny unthreatening physique puts him at a disadvantage. Sully has talent, and being massive, horned, clawed, and having a ferocious roar makes him very scary but he neglects his studies and thus struggles in the more complicated courses. With the two teaming up, Sully learns to commit to his homework and thus becomes a powerful and versatile scarer. However, Mike is unable to compensate for his lacking physicality, so he goes into an alternate career as a scarer coach instead.

Films — Live-Action

• Doctor Strange (2016): This trope is subverted. Stephen Strange is noted several times to have "a talent for the Mystic Arts," but it isn't until he applies his intellect and photographic memory (the same qualities that made him a top neurosurgeon) to studying magic that he begins to advance rapidly. Strange is still several steps behind other, more experienced practitioners but his later appearances in the MCU indicate he's continued to study and improve.
• Drumline: Devon is a gifted drummer who is able to easily memorize an audition piece despite not being able to read music. Sean, while not as naturally talented as Devon, honed his drumming skills through disciplined training and learning from his mistakes.
• Star Wars: This is one of the major problems with Anakin in the Prequel Trilogy. As The Chosen One of prophecy, Anakin is a gifted and powerful Force user but chafes at the Jedi's attempts to train him properly. He has the skills and power but lacks the knowledge and wisdom of more experienced Jedi like Obi-Wan and Yoda. Jedi training is about instilling the student with mindfulness and self-control, and Anakin was too old when he was brought to the Order to be fully receptive in their ways, making him a prime target for corruption at Palpatine's hands.

Literature

• The Black Magician Trilogy: Defied when Sonea becomes the first commoner to attend the aristocratic Wizarding School due to her vast innate magical power. With prejudiced nobles claiming that she didn't really earn her place there, she trains obsessively to become both Strong and Skilled, so she can prove she's their match in every respect.
• Discworld: Discussed among the witches in "The Sea and Little Fishes" when someone accuses Granny Weatherwax of coasting by on "natural talent". Nanny Ogg says that she's the one coasting by on natural talent, whereas Granny has the top spot because she works for it.
  "Us Oggs've got witchcraft in our blood. I never really had to sweat at it. Esme, now ... she's got a bit, true enough, but it ain't a lot. She just makes it work harder'n hell."
• Reign of the Seven Spellblades: Main character Oliver Horn is contrasted with several characters in this way, particularly his Love Interest Nanao Hibiya and to a lesser extent Tullio Rossi. Oliver is extremely good at learning and adapting magic and sword techniques from others: in volume 2 he shocks Rossi in a sword duel by defeating the Ytallian's self-taught fighting style with pure, orthodox Lanoff Style swordsmanship, and is even capable of the Fourth Spellblade by making use of his mother's Ghost Memory. However, he has no techniques or skills that are truly his own nor any unique magical traits like several of his friends have: Nanao in particular is a mage of phenomenal natural talent whose foreign life experiences and worldview as a samurai of far-off Yamatsukini allow her to use magic in ways nobody has ever even heard of before.
• Villainess Level 99: Sparring with Patrick makes Yumiela realize that the only thing she has any actual skill with rather than just raw power is magic, and even then only her innate dark magic, whereas weaker but more skilled mages can use more than one element. Even though said raw power is so ridiculous that it hardly matters, she still decides she should start learning actual techniques because with her level already maxed out that's the only way she can get "stronger" than she already is.

Live-Action TV

• Better Call Saul: It's left undiscussed, but one of the many issues between Chuck and Jimmy is that Jimmy has a natural rapport with his clients and pretty much breezed his way into becoming a lawyer. For Chuck, who studied and worked hard to get where he is but relies on his partner Howard to keep the clients happy, this is too much of an insult to both the law and himself.
• Columbo: In "The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case", the killer, Oliver Brandt, has a natural intelligence, while Columbo relies on hard work. Columbo manages to solve the crime and trick Brandt into confessing, playing on his ambition. At the end of the episode, a dialogue takes place between them, discussing this trope in detail.
  Columbo: You know, sir, it's a funny thing. All my life I kept running into smart people. I don't just mean smart like you and the people in this house. You know what I mean. In school there were lots of smarter kids. And when I first joined the force, sir, they had some very clever people there. And I could tell right away that it wasn't gonna be easy making detective as long as they were around. But I figured that if I worked harder than they did, and put in more time, read the books, kept my eyes open, maybe I could make it happen. And I did. And I really love my work, sir.
  Brandt: I can tell you do. If there's one thing I've learned, Lieutenant, it's that we all have a cross to bear. Including those of us who seem most fortunate. My problem is just the opposite. Born smart, as they say. A blessing, you'd think. I had no real childhood. I was an imitation adult. 'Cause that's what was expected of me. Most people don't like smart people. Most children despise smart children. So, early on, I had to hide my so-called gift, conceal it from my own brothers and sisters, my classmates, in the service. Painful, lonely years.
  Columbo: You know, sir, I never thought of that.
  Brandt: I wonder if all those early bitter memories had something to do with my recent discovery that I simply no longer care even for my fellow intelligentsia in this club. I find them eccentric bores.
• She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Jennifer gets the hang of her Hulk transformations and keeping her mind intact when she transforms a lot quicker and easier than Bruce did. Bruce is dumbfounded that she masters everything he tries to teach her almost as soon as he starts the lesson — her career as a lawyer required her to master a level of mental discipline before she gained her powers (both for the profession itself and because she was an attractive woman working for or with many sexist men) that Bruce's career as a physicist did not.
• Spartacus: Blood and Sand: Gannicus is an incredibly talented and charismatic fighter who frequently skips out on training because he's hung over from a night of heavy drinking. Batiatus only puts up with Gannicus' antics because he's just that good, and feels Gannicus' charisma is what will pull him and his ludus to a higher station. Some of the gladiators who work hard under brutal discipline resent that Gannicus gets special treatment, but no one wants to offend Batiatus or Gannicus himself by arguing it. Batiatus' father is of a different opinion, preferring gladiators who are trained, disciplined, and reliable.

Professional Wrestling

• During his first promo after he was betrayed by Shane McMahon, The Miz stated that he believed that "hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard enough".

Tabletop Games

• Dungeons & Dragons: Wizards gain magic from years of study, need a Spell Book to keep track of all their magical knowledge, and their casting proficiency is based on their intelligence stat, representing a style of spellcasting that relies on understanding the Vancian rules of magic. By contrast, sorcerers' magical ability is owed to either magical ancestry or something bizarre about the circumstances of their birth, and they cast based on their charisma stat, representing how they shape magic to their whim by sheer force of personality.
• GURPS: The character competence in skills is a combination of skill level and its governing attribute — training and talent, respectively. A sword skill of 17 might derive from a dexterity score of 10 with a skill level of +7, or dexterity of 17 and skill level of +0: both would come down to an equal level of Master Swordsman, but the amount of practice is sometimes important, such as if another attribute is used — supposing the less talented swordsman had a higher intelligence, he could employ his skill far more effectively in maintenance or feint, than his less trained rival.

Theatre

• Amadeus: Antonio Salieri works hard to become a famous and acclaimed composer in Europe. His main rival is Amadeus Mozart, a crass, juvenile alcoholic whose crudeness belies a musical genius whose talent is practically of divine origin. Salieri has no small amount of resentment for how easily Amadeus provides compelling music with seemingly no effort.

Video Games

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: The language of dragons, Dov, is a Language of Magic, and anyone with a deep understanding of its words can project those words into a unique spell called a Thu'um, or Shout. The Greybeards are an order of monks who unlock shouts through years of meditation on the nature of language in a secluded monastery. The Dovahkiin is a mortal born with the ability to devour the souls of slain dragons, and has an easy shortcut to this power — if they have seen a Dov word written down, they can destroy one of the dragon souls inside them to instantly gain that dragon's understanding of the word.
• Fatal Fury: Terry Bogard is a playful slacker whose fighting prowess comes mostly from natural talent and years of street fighting experience. His brother Andy is a much more serious and focused martial artist who mastered two fighting styles. Despite this, Terry always remains ahead of Andy.
• Final Fantasy XIV: Despite his dedicated study of aetherology, Ejika Tsunjika feels he will always be overshadowed by those who are simply gifted in the craft. It is for this reason that he is so resentful towards the Warrior of Light who is gifted with the Echo and the Blessing of Light.
• Fire Emblem Gaiden: Delthea was born with immense magical power, while her older brother Luthier has spent years learning and honing his own magic, and isn't nearly as powerful as her. They argue about it in their support conversations.
  Delthea: You know better than anyone how I was born with a gift. All that natural talent, and yet you still want me to defer to everyone else. It's not my fault they work twice as hard and only end up half as good! I mean, I'm risking my life out here too, you know!
  Luthier: Well... I suppose that's true. But people will soon begin to resent you if you carry yourself in such a manner.
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses: Annette's support with Sylvain has her struggle to understand a magical text despite her efforts to study while Sylvain, who is Brilliant, but Lazy, deciphers it for her with moments. She laments that Sylvain seems to be strong and smart without even trying whereas she was hailed as a "prodigy" for her constant study and hard work.
• Street Fighter:
  • Ryu dedicates every moment of his life to training and fighting to become stronger. His Friendly Rival Ken is a talented fighter who tends to slack off; if his skills atrophy, he can get back in top shape with only a month's worth of training at most.
  • This dynamic also exists between Sakura Kasugano and her rival Karin Kanzuki. Sakura is a self-taught fighter whose style is an unrefined, yet still effective, imitation of Ryu's moves. Karin by contrast is formally trained in her family's Kanzuki-ryu martial arts which is an amalgamation of the best techniques of other fighting styles.

Webcomic

• The Order of the Stick:
  • Xykon is a sorcerer born with innate magic and absolutely hates being condescended to by wizards who learn their magic through study. Wizards are more adaptable than him, but those who underestimate his raw power are also more dead than him.
    Xykon: Because yes, I am a sorcerer - and this magic is in my bones, not cribbed off of "Magic for Dummies." And I can keep casting the same friggin' spell at you until you roll over and die. You can have your finely-crafted watch - give me the sledgehammer to the face any day. ENERGY DRAIN!
  • Vaarsuvius is on the other end, a proud wizard. Calling them a sorcerer (or worse, a warlock^note who got their magic through a pact with a higher being) is enough to goad them into a fight.
• Widdershins: Justified with wizards — magic works with spirits of emotion, and the spirits naturally like some people better than others. Ben Thackery is an excellent theorist but lacks the "spark" to connect well with spirits, whereas Jack O'Malley the Witch is Book Dumb but incredibly spiritually attuned. However, the greatest magic needs both sides of the coin.

Western Animation

• Avatar: The Last Airbender:
  • Princess Azula is a firebending prodigy, having shown an exceptional talent for the art from an early age. She is also one of three firebenders in the original series who can use lightning, the other two being her father Ozai and her uncle Iroh. By contrast, her bother Prince Zuko was initially quite unremarkable as a firebender when he was a child and only developed into a truly skilled one as he grew older and became more experienced. Even in the finale, he is only able to match Azula when her deteriorating sanity gets the better of her. Zuko does make up for this gap in natural talent by learning abilities Azula doesn't bother with or know about like redirecting lightning or fighting with swords. In the comics, Zuko becomes the first human to use dragon fire, likely something he owes to having learned firebending from the original firebenders.
  • In "The Waterbending Scroll", Avatar Aang and Katara find a scroll containing tips on waterbending. Aang — likely owing to his status as the Avatar and how often he has been a waterbender in previous lives — is able to master moves in mere minutes that Katara spent years trying to learn, much to her frustration. Despite this, Katara develops a great deal as a waterbender over the course of the series and gets to the point that she could be considered just as good at waterbending as Aang, if not better.
• Gravity Falls: In "The Golf War", Mabel Pines is shown to have a natural talent for miniature golf. Her rival Pacifica also plays the game, but thanks to years of training by a Sportlympic miniature golf champion, is even better than Mabel. She finds that the only way she can stay competitive is by enlisting the help of the tiny creatures who control the course.
• The Owl House: Luz Noceda has been on both ends of this trope.
  • Due to being a human, Luz lacks the innate magic witches have, rendering her unable to cast spells. However, she learns to draw glyphs — symbols that channel the ambient magic of the Boiling Isles — and gradually improves at using them to cast spells and fight alongside her very talented friends.
  • Philip was one of the first humans to arrive in the Boiling Isles and spent years studying magic, even creating vastly complicated glyph combos before learning the full set. By contrast, Luz discovers all four glyphs in only a few months and rapidly becomes proficient in them. During a fight between the two, Philip acknowledges Luz's talent, but notes that she needs a few decades' worth of practice to defeat him.
• Young Justice (2010): Superboy feels no need to take part in Black Canary's combat and tactical training since he's already super-strong and near-invulnerable. It takes an encounter with the android Amazo to make him realize that brute strength alone won't always be enough. He humbly returns to Black Canary and asks for her to train him.

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