History Main / HArdWorkHardlyWorks

* ''Clash of the Titans'' depicts several egregious uses of this trope, such as when Perseus has a pegasus show up for no apparent reason and ''literally finds a magic sword laying on the ground.'' The original ''Clash'' at least attempted a justification by showing the gods interfering in the course of events. While jarring to a modern audience, this kind of thing was actually very common in the original Greek myths. So common, in fact, that they served as the origin of the phrase, ''deus ex machinae.''

*** Played straight, as [[spoiler:he's now stronger than Aizen (and, by extension, every single other character who's been introduced up to this point) after training for the equivalent of three months, even though Aizen's gone through at least four [[ShonenUpgrade power-ups]] [[AssPull which came from nowhere]] since he defeated most of the cast.]]

->''"When was it that the transformation to the legendary warrior of the saiyan race was reduce to a child's plaything?!"''
-->-- '''Vegeta''', ''{{DragonballZ}}''

** Worse yet, Tienshinhan and Chiaotzu eventually more or less pretty much spent ''all their time'' training after a certain point, and remained hopelessly behind the Saiyan characters nonetheless. It was almost a WallBanger with how neither of them could even put a ''scratch'' on Nappa. Even though they [[spoiler:Managed to survive the Human Extinction Attack Majin Buu did]] and later showed up against Super Buu...Super Buu practically only needed to cough to send Tien flying (though that's more thanks to the algorithm of evil).
*** Really, anyone who isn't Goku (and to a lesser extent, Gohan) falls victim to this trope. Piccolo, despite having no family or friends to distract from his constant training, and at one point being STRONGER than the Saiyans during the Android Saga, is nowhere near as strong any time afterwards.

** Vegeta may not ''quite'' be able to keep up with Goku at ssj3( they tied at ssj2), but he comes a damn sight closer than anyone else in the universe. There's a ''reason'' Frieza was scared of how powerful the Saiyans might become.

** Rock Lee is the poster boy child for the opposite side. Intense training, incredible strength, [[TheWorfEffect never manages to enter a fight he can win]]. It doesn't help that he always saves his best techniques for the most dire situation, where they [[TheWorfBarrage will also fail to work]].
*** According to the fanbook, Kishimoto wanted to use Lee to send a message in support of hard work, as he felt that it wasn't seen as "cool". While this does fly in the face of Lee's repeated losses, 1)Lee initially wasn't even very good at taijutsu, so he'd be doing even worse if he didn't try (fans tend to forget that Rock Lee has only been training incredibly hard since he met Guy a couple years ago), and 2)It's noted that hard work isn't everything, as Guy tells Lee that he also has to believe in himself (According to Kurenai, Hinata also worked very hard, but failed at missions because of her lack of self-confidence) 3)Lee is the poster ninja for hard work, but not the only hard-working one- Sasuke, Hinata, Neji and even Naruto are shown at various points working very hard.

** When [[spoiler: Pein invades Konoha]] Everyone from ANBU to Chunnin to named characters like Kakashi and Ibuki and Ebisu join the fight. These are all high ranking ninja with ''decades'' of experience and trainning, but out of all of them, who is the first one to get an untarnished victory? [[spoiler: Konohamaru, a gennin of ''two years''.]] To make it more of a WallBanger, it was an InstantDeathBullet.

* ''{{FEAR}}'' is a particularly jarring case, as it's suggested this is your character's first time working with the team, and fresh out of training. You promptly take out an entire army of clones, while your teammates are either turned into ash or helpful chatterboxes by the end of the first level. It ''is'' eventually justified, as the BigBad that fried your teammates only wants to give you a hug [[spoiler: that would instant kill you]].

** It should be noted that this trope is subverted towards the end of the series as while Azula has been shown to ahead of Zuko in firebending for most of their lives, by the end of the series, Zuko's skill has grown to the point where Azula can no longer easily defeat him and they are now evenly matched. This troper believes that this may be another cause of [[spoiler:Azula's VillainousBreakdown]]. (Ironically, [[spoiler:that same breakdown is what gives him an edge in their final battle.]])
** But all of them get bending so easily compared to {{Mooks}} of the Fire Nation and the RedshirtArmy of the Earth Kingdom. Apparently, years of training combined with battle experience mean nothing when facing a couple of kids armed with TheGift. Poor guys.
** Feel particularly bad for the Terra Team. Explicitly described as EliteMooks, and something like a [[RedshirtArmy dozen get taken down]] in less than a minute by [[strike:two]] one ''[[BadassNormal non-bending]]'', teenaged ''minion'' of {{the Dragon}}.
** Iroh is the one person besides Aang who really should have powers like that. He ''has'' had many more years of experience than any other characters. Aang gets them because he's the Avatar, it's his job to be the world's strongest bender.
*** Granted, in the series finale Iroh is acknowledged as the world's most powerful Bender next to the Avatar, or at the least tying for second with the BigBad (or at least, when the comet is overhead).
*** Iroh has ''invented'' at least one entirely new firebending technique, likely more.
** It's also subverted in that despite being the Avatar, Aang apparently can't specialize in each elements and unlock their full potential like Katara (healing and bloodbending), Toph (Metalbending) and Zuko (Lightingredirection) can.

*** Actually to this troper it seemed more a case of [[VillainForgotToLevelGrind Azula forgetting to train more]] and Zuko discovering a LostAncientTechnique.

* In the first episode of the original series of ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh}}!'' Yugi used an unfamiliar deck to beat Kaiba, who was an experienced duelist and had spent a considerable amount of money obtaining the rarest, most powerful cards he could.
** It's important to note that Yugi had the five Exodia cards at the time, meaning that if he got all five of them in his hand he automatically won. Meaning, among other things, that it wouldn't be far off base to call his victory an almost total fluke.
*** At the same time, Kaiba relied on the power of his Blue Eyes White Dragons, which he drew within turns of each other, to dominate the duel before Atemu/Yugi drew the final piece of Exodia, so he wasn't relying on hard work or even skill either, but rather on TheMagicPokerEquation.
** Yugi fits the trope through the entire series, as he just happens to have the millennium puzzle, a magical artifact containing the soul of an extremely talented gamer who, as its eventually dicovered, has the ability to influence what card he draws when playing Duel Monsters. You'd think that he'd get himself banned from official tournaments with that kind of advantage.
*** The draw control actually only comes into play in the very last duel of the series, after his hidden memories have been awakened. And even then, only in the anime, not the original manga.
** Likewise, Maximilian Pegasus can ''read his opponents' minds'', and would never be allowed near any tournament if that was known (and believed). However, this one ''is'' lampshaded when it all crumbles to dust: Pegasus is revealed as a pathetic cheater when [[ThePowerOfFriendship Yugi's friends]] block his mind-reading power.
*** Pathetic cheater? And Yugi isn't? "Heart of the cards," my ass.
**** Quoting a [[FourKidsEntertainment 4Kids]] line that wasn't even in the original dialogue? Tsk tsk tsk.
*** Yugi also uses his other self to do so, with Yugi laying down face-down cards that Yami doesn't know about, and which provide him the key to victory. Pegasus is also assisted by his deck of cards created specifically for his own use (some of which, like the Toon World and Sacrifice cards, are virtual {{GameBreaker}}s), which Anzu notes is an abuse of his own status as creator.
** Technically, it isn't an example of this trope, because it ''isn't him who's winning''. Yugi is technically being possessed by a master duelist who had an entire lifetime to train. This is lampshaded in YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries, where all his friends immediately point out that this means he has been cheating all along. (At one point, when someone demands he hand over the Millennium Puzzle, he exclaims "No way! Without it I can't pretend to be good at card games!")

** Ryou, Kaibaman, Edo Phoenix, Yuugi. Manjoume could've won against him on two different occasions but chose not to. O'Brien could've won in their first duel and chose not to, and tied with him in their second. Ryou is not the only exception. Yes, Juudai wins without too much hard work, but other people have beaten him. Duels in YGO (all series) are won or lost not based on skill but on the needs of the plot.
*** The latter three are examples of talent, power, and/or luck over hard work as well. Ryou of course relied on a mix of beatdown and the MagicPokerEquation (drawing out his three Cyber Dragons and fusing them into Cyber End Dragon on turn 1 on multiple occasions), Edo was the exclusive owner of a potent archetype with several real life meta-defining cards, and Kaibaman of course relied on a pure Blue Eyes beatdown deck, and would have lost against Judai if not for that last turn De-Fusion. The person who would truly qualify for the hard work not working end of the trope would be Bastion, who was unquestionably talented yes, but put his head to the grindstone creating strategies upon strategies, and multiple decks for himself, and he seldom won any onscreen duels due to plot favoritism.

** It's also subverted in that despite being the Avatar, Aang apparently can't specialize in each elements and unlock their full potential like Katara (healing and bloodbending), Toph (Metalbending) and Zuko (Lightingbending) can.

* This Troper disagrees with the above as both train just as hard. It's just that Goku gets better training. Besides, Vegeta and Goku are equally strong at SSJ2. Goku only surpasses Vegeta in SSJ3, something Vegeta doesn't have access to.

->''"When was it that the transformation to the legendary warrior of the saiyan race was reduce to a child's plaything?!"

*** Iroh has ''invented'' at least one entirely new firebending technique, likely more. SoYeah.

* ''{{Naruto}}:'' Sasuke and Naruto are largely stronger that most other characters by the former having TheGift, and both winning the SuperpowerLottery. They do, however, take their training very seriously, working day and night to get stronger. Further, Gaara had the same advantage Naruto did, and apparently much less trouble learning how to use it and how to master other forms of ninjutsu, but Naruto won their fight.