History BadassBookworm / Videogames

* The heroes of ''VideoGame/IMMeen''. Enough to fight trolls and demons bare-handed, [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu punching out Cthulu]].

* Sans from ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', despite being a LazyBum is implied to have been of scientific background. There's a book on quantum physics in his house, and some weird machine that he's been working on, not to mention that he seems to have worked with the previous royal scientist. The badass part comes from the fact that he's working as a sentry despite his scientific background... though he spends most of his time slacking off. [[spoiler:But if you want to see how badass he really is, go ahead and push his button one time too many. Just remember, [[SNKBoss you're going to have a bad time.]]]]

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'':
** The Engineer, although the "bookworm" part tends to take a backseat to the [[EverythingIsBigInTexas stereotypically Texan]] elements of his character in the actual game. He also has MadScientist tendencies.
** The Medic is this too. He's got a lot more brains than brawn, but he's tough enough to hack you to pieces with a rusty saw with a needle sticking out of it.

** In ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', the human resistance against the alien occupation is apparently founded and led by the leader of Gordon's old team, Dr. Eli Vance. The rest of the inner circle include Dr. Kleiner, Dr. Mossman, and Dr. Magnusson. While none of them are great fighters, they still have been leading the fight against an alien empire for well over a decade.

* Barry, the PlayerCharacter from ''VideoGame/{{Magium}}'', has spent years nerding out about magic (since he desires to become a mage), and it shows more often than not. How badass he is depends on the player's choices and stat distribution.

** Hahn from the fourth game also does this, but can combine it with something else to cast Holocaust (you have to be badass to get away with that level of tactlessness)

* Keats in ''VideoGame/{{Folklore}}'' goes from mild mannered skeptical IntrepidReporter to destroyer of souls with seemingly little convincing.

* Tails from ''SonicTheHedgehog''. He is a freaking genius, even making a robotic suit that rivals Eggman's, while at the same time being fairly fast, having the ability to fly, and, in some games, being able to take out Eggman by himself. Not through intelligence, though. No, through beating the ever loving crap out of him! In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', he [[spoiler: has to go and beat Eggman to a missile then take on one of Eggman's mechs by himself, saving the city SINGLE HANDEDLY]].

** On a similar note, Shauntal, the Elite Four's Ghost type specialist in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackandWhite''. She's a lot like Lucian, except that she writes books as well as reading them.

** Farore who appears in [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleOfAges Oracle Of Ages]] [[https://hydra-media.cursecdn.com/zelda.gamepedia.com/d/dc/Farore_Oracle.png?version=a55c8387659fc80c7058458a57a5e884 seems harmless]] little wallflower till you realize she's mortal recantation of ''The Goddess Of Courage''. In Minish Cap she can even boost Link's attack and defense.

** Most famous the main protagonist Dr. Gordon Freeman, who only gets to show off his scientific expertise by performing the tasks of a lowly lab technician, but [[AllThereInTheManual according to the manual]], he just returned to America from his last university job in Europe and got his new employment in probably one of the world's biggest and most secret research facilities. On the badass side, he kills hundreds of alien soldiers and monsters in the span of three days and travels to an alien dimension to kill an EldritchAbomination with machine guns, laser rifles, and rocket launchers.

* Series/ResidentEvil:
** Rebecca Chambers while she's physically weak young women is still extremely gifted in her field, especially shown in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil0'' where she's the only one who can mix herbs and make healing items unlike her partner Billy Cohen whose solely combat orientated. Outside chemistry Rebecca is shown to be a crack shot and she even defeats a Tyrant before Chris, Jill and Barry even see a zombie. Unfortunately by time ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'' roles around in the timeline, Rebecca's resourcefulness is not apparent and she's little more than DamselInDistress

** Also, Joshua. He's the most intelligent member of the playable cast, and [[spoiler: he's the Composer, which means he's a physical god.]]

* QuintessentialBritishGentleman Franchise/ProfessorLayton is one of these, even though [[WidgetSeries the games consist mostly of solving puzzles]]. One particular example of this appears in the second game, in which one cutscene shows that Layton is quite proficient with a sword.

** Sho Minamimoto. [[CrazyAwesome He will nuke you]] [[MouthfulOfPi with pi.]]

* Tails from ''SonicTheHedgehog''. He is a freaking genius, even making a robotic suit that rivals Eggman's, while at the same time being fairly fast, having the ability to fly, and, in some games, being able to take out Eggman by himself. Not through intelligence, though. No, through beating the ever loving crap out of him! In ''{{Sonic Adventure|Series}}'', he [[spoiler: has to go and beat Eggman to a missile then take on one of Eggman's mechs by himself, saving the city SINGLE HANDEDLY]].

* The character Cyrus in VideoGame/{{Octopath Traveler}} is scholar who becomes giddy when he has a chance to examine a rare book and uses his wits and keen senses to solve mysteries, but in combat, he appears to be a formidable wizard with a collection of devastating elemental attacks.

* The character Cyrus in VideoGame.OctopathTraveler is scholar who becomes giddy when he has a chance to examine a rare book and uses his wits and keen senses to solve mysteries, but in combat, he appears to be a formidable wizard with a collection of devastating elemental attacks.

* The character Cyrus in OctopathTraveler is scholar who becomes giddy when he has a chance to examine a rare book and uses his wits and keen senses to solve mysteries, but in combat, he appears to be a formidable wizard with a collection of devastating elemental attacks.

* The character Cyrus in Octopath Traveler is scholar who becomes giddy when he has a chance to examine a rare book and uses his wits and keen senses to solve mysteries, but in combat, he appears to be a formidable wizard with a collection of devastating elemental attacks.

* The first six members of [[KingdomHearts Organization XIII]] have this as part of their backstory (or so [[{{Fanon}} we assume]]); Six brilliant apprentices of a wise and loved king... who manage to release TheHeartless on the worlds and become the most powerful [[BetaTestBaddie Nobodies]] around. Zexion, who was one of the original 6 Organization XIII members, fits this trope. His weapon? A book.

* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' has Shu Shirakawa, pilot of the Granzon. He has multiple P.H.D.'s at age 21, a strong grasp on alchemy, and improved on technology granted by [[spoiler: Guest]], which involves ''weaponized black holes''. Also, he and Jade Curtiss above have the [[TakehitoKoyasu same seiyuu]].

* [[SquishyWizard Wizards]] in ''[[NexusWar Nexus Clash]]'' are frail, otherworldly scholars who focus on delving into the secrets of the planes to unlock arcane knowledge. Specifically, knowledge of [[TheGunslinger volatile chemistry, ballistics and gunsmithing]].

* A few examples from the ''PhantasyStar'' series:

*** Esbern was the Chronicler of the Blades before the group was nearly wiped out and the survivors forced underground by the [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Thalmor]]. He's spent a long time studying the prophecies of [[BigBad Alduin]] and the Dragonborn. When the [[PlayerCharacter Dragonborn]] finds him to bring him to meet Delphine, he first spends several minutes packing up what he deems his most essential books. [[BadassGrandpa Despite his age]] (the Thalmor's dossier on him says that he is 70), he's still quite badass in combat, using [[PlayingWithFire fire spells]] and summoning [[ElementalEmbodiment Atronachs]].

* Pre-augmentation, Adam Jensen of VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution was a security specialist with ex-SWAT training and an associate degree in Criminal Justice. Post-augmentation, he picked up an interest in [[PastimesProvePersonality clock-making]] and his apartment is strewn with books on the subject, as well as various others on history, psychology, criminal law and cybernetics. He is also a [[CursedWithAwesome largely-robotic]] infiltration expert who can kill you quickly, quietly and in thirty different ways.

* QuintessentialBritishGentleman Franchise/ProfessorLayton is one of these, even though [[WidgetSeries the games consist mostly about solving puzzles]]. One particular example of this appears in the second game, in which one cutscene shows that Layton is quite proficient with a sword.