- InuYasha: When Sesshoumaru is rendered weaponless, Naraku decides that's the perfect moment to steal the last jewel shard that Sesshoumaru is protecting. He does this by releasing the dark will of the Shikon no Tama itself. Not only is this the most powerful evil in the entire story, but it actually strategises as well, targeting Sesshoumaru's only arm to render him incapable of fighting. Both Inuyasha's Infinity +1 Sword and Sesshoumaru's Situational Sword are neutralised during the fight culminating in Sesshoumaru being Impaled with Extreme Prejudice through the heart. At that point, Sesshoumaru gets so angry that he pulls a sword right out of his very soul, his true power given physical, weaponised form. Bakusaiga is immediately lampshaded as being something Naraku doesn't stand a chance against and Naraku therefore has to kidnap Rin and trap her inside his body for the rest of the story to ensure Bakusaiga can't end the story with a single swing.
The reason why I don't think Bakusaiga is an example is because it did not kill Naraku completely even when Sesshoumaru hit him directly with it, it was destroying his body but it was Kagome's purification arrow that ultimately killed him. It was probably because Naraku had already absorbed the Jewel but it was expected that he would eventually do that, so for Bakusaiga to really fit this trope it would've had to be able to kill a Jewel empowered Naraku.
"Killing Naraku with that sword was explicitly stated as possible"
Byakuya says Naraku doesn't stand a chance against Bakusaiga but he was taunting Sesshoumaru to use it. It was also stated that Naraku couldn't be killed by a sword.
In the end it really was a group effort between Kagome's arrows, Meidou Zangetsuha and Bakusaiga that destroyed him.
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Well, the reason why I thought it was More Than Infinite is because everyone in the story (inside and outside the body) acknowledged that Bakusaiga ended things for Naraku, broke his body apart and was the reason the jewel could be separated from Naraku's body. Even Naraku indicated a couple of times that he could still be physically killed while fused with the jewel, and that did happen. Kagome's power was required to fight the soul, which the swords couldn't do - but even she couldn't do that until Bakusaiga had destroyed the body and jerked loose the jewel.
However, I notice the trope is talking about power reaching infinite levels and requiring a power that is even better than that... which I have to admit (having reread the fight) that nobody's power ever reached. Naraku and the jewel were not infinite powers and neither Sesshoumaru nor Kagome had infinite powers. Sesshoumaru's sword (in fact both of them) could do things no other sword in the story could do, but I wouldn't describe either Sesshoumaru or Kagome as overcoming an 'infinite power'.
So, I agree to drop the sword from the trope.
Edited by 2.100.126.153 If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
While I still disagree with some of your points, it's moot since we agree about the trope. Thanks for discussing it.
For Animated Films, specifically Toy Story, should Buzz Lightyear's catchphrase "To infinity and beyond" be listed, perhaps as this trope being invoked/discussed?
Linking to a past Trope Repair Shop thread that dealt with this page: Is this really a distinct trope?
, started by Spark9 on May 27th 2011 at 1:19:19 AM
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