History Main / HadToBeSharp

* Defied in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14223068/1/A-Savage-Nature A Savage Nature]]'': Rognak thinks the veterans who want to keep Durotar a harsh desert are idiots. While they insist any life but a constant struggle to survive will make them weak, Rognak knows keeping Durotar as it was would simply result in more unncessary conflict with the Night Elves. Instead, he and Thrall use their powers to slowly transform Durotar into a vibrant greenland filled with grass and trees.

* Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian: Prevalent in Conan's backstory. While Conan himself is almost certainly an exceptional example of his people, Howard credits most of his success to his barbarous upbringing. In order to even survive living in Cimmeria long enough to get the hell out and never come back, Conan just had to be flat-out better at everything than any civilized person.
--> He knew, if the others were too stupid to know, the steel-trap muscles and blinding quickness of men raised beyond civilization's frontiers where life was a continual battle for existence, and he had no desire to loose the barbaric frenzy of the Cimmerian if it could be avoided.
-->-- ''Literature/TheGodInTheBowl''

** A detachment of Sardaukar in three troop transports was sent to attack a Fremen settlement while the warriors were away attacking somewhere else. A handful ''escaped'' in one transport (by using the attitude thrusters as weapons) with a prisoner from a defense force that consisted of "women, children, and old men". The kicker? [[spoiler: The prisoner, a small child, ''allowed herself to be captured, because she knew she would be brought before the Emperor'', which is precisely where the next phase of the war plan required her to be.]]

* This is the background of the Barbarian class in ''VideoGame/DiabloII''. Though they specifically reject technology and magic because they think it will make them weaker in the long run.

* In ''Manga/SnowWhiteWithTheRedHair'' very little is known of Obi's past outside of the fact that it was dangerous and he survived long enough as an unscrupulous sword for hire from some point in childhood till he met Zen due to approaching his life and interactions as though everything and everyone was a potential threat.

* ''Literature/SoImASpiderSoWhat'':
** The nameless protagonist was born as an incredibly weak spider in a labyrinth where nearly every other monster could kill her with ease. She had to learn how to fight, take advantage of the Skill System, and take on overwhelmingly powerful enemies on her own.
** Ariel lived through the collapse of the ancient civilization and the [[spoiler:creation of the Skill System]]. She survived during the worst of the transition while the rest of Sariel's children died and is now the most powerful mortal in the world.

* ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'': Deconstructed. Vladek was a cutthroat businessman even before the Holocaust, and his ability to squeeze the last penny out of everything that came his way saved his life more than once. However Vladek never ''stopped'' being sharp, and even living in peace and plenty in 1980s America refuses to stop doing things like returning boxes of cereal to stores and looting fallen telephone poles for wire. His attitude alternately embarrasses and infuriates his family, and while Vladek blames it all on his Holocaust experiences, his family refuses to accept this, citing all the non-pathologically cheap Holocaust survivors they know as proof.

* ''Fanfic/{{Heirverse}}'', surviving the Rukon and Jac's 'mentoring' is for better or worse what made Aizen as good as he is. ''Pact'' and ''Cycle'' delve this in depth.
* ''Fanfic/WeaverNine'': The Society is comprised of criminals, malcontents, misfits, mutants, refugees, and capes from third-world countries. They are constantly besieged by every other power on the planet who wants to kill, enslave, brainwash, or study them. They are also considered (rightly) the most powerful villain organization on planet earth and have a fearsome reputation to match.

* ''Fanfic/BoldoresAndBoomsticks'': Lux and Nox explain to Team RWBY's new Pokémon that their Trainers are so strong because on their world there are no Pokémon to help them and so they must protect themselves.

-->He knew, if the others were too stupid to know, the steel-trap muscles and blinding quickness of men raised beyond civilization's frontiers where life was a continual battle for existence, and he had no desire to loose the barbaric frenzy of the Cimmerian if it could be avoided.

* Aiel in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' are a desert-dwelling ProudWarriorRace known and feared everywhere for being extreme badasses: in the years prior to the start of the books, a coalition of all the western countries was needed to stop them, and actually failed (the Aiel returned to the desert only when they did what they had set out to). It is also implied that this was their destiny and that they had been sent to live in the desert, 3000 years before, precisely so that they would become a reliable and powerful army for the Dragon Reborn when the time came.

* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', this trope is used to justify InstantMessengerPigeon -- Ankh Morpork rooftops are full of [[OurGargoylesRock gargoyles]], so the local pigeons have to be smarter than average. Though as Sam Vimes wryly notes, "there were things growing on old damp bread that were more intelligent than most pigeons."
* In the Literature/CoDominium universe the second most feared troops in the galaxy (after the {{Super Soldier}}s of Sauron) are from Frystaat. A [[HeavyWorlder high gravity]] world with intense heat, blinding sunlight, and [[DeathWorld lethal wildlife]].
* In Literature/TheSilmarillion the three tribes of the Edain which arrived in elven lands, had arrived there after spending generations ''marching through Morgoth's territory''.

* Barrayarans in Literature/VorkosiganSaga. After being confined on a {{Deathworld}} with no access to technology and subjected to generations of eugenic infanticide and civil wars, they are invaded by the Cetagandans who were centuries ahead of them in technology. Miles is a special example of this, as everyone considers him a "mutie" even if he is a prince, and he is driven to succeed. As Barrayar is patterned after UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia it [[MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong makes sense.]]
* Subverted in Creator/HGWells' short story ''The Land Ironclads'', one side is from a rural environment and the other live in cities. The rurals think that they are going to slaughter the soft city-folk because they've been hunting for as long as they could hold a gun. But it turns out that human strength means nothing against [[TankGoodness superior firepower]].
* ''Literature/WingsOfFire'':
** This trope is why Moon is so talented at hunting. She was alone for most of her childhood and had no meat except what she could catch herself. (Dragons ''can'' eat fruit, but few ever develop a taste for it.)
* ''Literature/{{Noob}}'' mentions Olydri being much more hostile in the time of the {{Precursors}}, which motivated them to build an advanced civilization.
* ''Literature/TheWitcher'':
--> For decades they said about [[http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/Kovir_and_Poviss Kovir]] that its only riches are sand and seawater. This joke was still remembered when Kovir de-facto monopolized the world market of glass and salt.
* ''Literature/{{Domina}}'': The city is a WretchedHive filled with [[BioAugmentation bio-augmented gangs]], random monsters, and only the slightest amount of government oversight. Basically everyone in the city has at least a little bit of combat experience; even Ling, who is repeatedly demonstrated not to be a real fighter, had to hunt monsters as a child to help her orphanage make ends meet. When America invades, [[AwakeningTheSleepingGiant they find the fight much more difficult than expected]].
* ''Literature/TheTravelersGate'': Invoked in Valinhall. It is filled with traps, monsters, and hostile natives who will all try to kill you, in order to force you to always be aware and strong. And if they do actually kill you, then obviously you wouldn't have been able to cut it in the outside world.
* In ''Literature/ShadowOfTheConqueror,'' due to the imminent threat of [[OurWightsAreDifferent the Shade]], almost everyone trains with some kind of weapon from an early age, [[HeroesPreferSwords usually swords]].
* Downplayed example in ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar''. The mercenary captain Kerowyn is an excellent shot with a bow because she's had "survival and hunger" as her teachers; which is to say, she's been in situations where you ''must'' hit your target or you'll die. She's also acquired the habit of looking at everything as a potential weapon, which she passes on to her students.
* ''Literature/CookingWithWildGame'':
** When thousands of migrants were relocated to the [[ExplosiveBreeder kiba]]-infested jungle of Forest Edge, a full '''third''' of them died within the first few years. The remainder raised fearless, fiercely honorable descendants who hunt [[FullBoarAction the gigantic beasts daily]] and whose ''smallest children'' are stronger than any adult inhabitant of the city.
** The blacksmiths of Sym are a very specialized example. Sym has barely any supplies of iron, yet swords made there are far superior to those from regions where iron is abundant. This is because Sym blacksmiths have the motivation and time to make the most of what metal they do have, resulting in unique, handcrafted creations.
* Vin in ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'' grew up on the streets, a vulnerable child with allomantic abilities, something a skaa urchin could be executed for, moving from thieving crew to thieving crew as they were caught or turned on her, with only trace elements in the water to fuel her powers. [[{{Deconstruction}} The trilogy goes into great detail about what kind of mental scars that kind of life would lead to.]]
* ''Literature/IntoTheBrokenLands'': Lord Ryan realizes that the Lord Protector {{Invoked|Trope}} this in sending him on an expedition into the titular DeathWorld. With the Lord Protector's health failing and his intended heirs recently dead, a challenging leadership role was the fastest way to prepare Ryan to inherit the Protectorship.
* In ''Literature/ShipCore'', protagonist Alex has to mature and become a competent ship captain ''fast'' because she's stuck in the middle of nowhere, no way to call for help, aboard a failing spaceship, and her life is in near constant jeopardy.

* Ernest Rutherford said, "We don't have the money, so we have to think." The beginnings of physics saw a lot of creativity funnelled into making tools and experimental devices in a barn -- sometimes literally. The early scientists used to improvise in experiments simply because there were ''no'' established methods in their area. Even Lord Rayleigh made his own equipment out of near-junk, despite being a lord in his land -- and many, many others. On the way, they made ''a lot'' of great inventions. Robert Williams Wood was not only the PatronSaint of EducationThroughPyrotechnics but, as one of the pioneers of physical optics, made state-of-the-art spectroscopes using materials like sewer pipes or a tombstone, and cleaned one of these by shoving a ''cat'' into the pipe and closing it so that the cat had to exit from the other end. Oh, and among other things [[http://www.victorian-cinema.net/wood.htm he was a co-inventor of film animation and cartoon as we know these]] (you might call him the grandfather of WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse), color photography and ultrasonic echolocation.

** TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}} got [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Scro]]. Orcs and other goblinoids in the First Unhuman War were cornered and pushed back by elves until they ended up in a barren DeathWorld. When they finally [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge emerged]]... [[TheJuggernaut uh oh]]. They see common orcs as backward louts for a reason.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'':
** Norsca is a frigid boreal hellscape not only populated by trolls, giants and other monsters but also continually bathed in the foul energies of Chaos emanating from the north. Norscans are the fiercest and most violent warriors in the world, spurning the sickle and ploughshare in favour of the axe and sword, taking what they will from the weak men of the Empire and Bretonnia.
** The Empire's toughest soldiers tend to come from Nordland, Ostermark, and Stirland. Norsca is only across the sea from Nordland and so the province is frequently attacked by the Norscans. Ostermark and Stirland meanwhile both share a border with dreaded Sylvania, so people who live on that border find themselves fighting undead very often.
** The nation of Kislev also has a border with Norsca and the Chaos Wastes. Its inhabitants have to endure regular conflict with rampaging Chaos warriors. They tend to look down on the Empire for being weak.
* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'':
** The Temur Frontier of Tarkir live in a snowy, brutal place that they had to grow tough enough or die trying. When the dragon Atarka takes over the clan, this trope is taken even further in that the only members of the former Temur left are the only ones that Atarka deemed worthy enough, or else they become her next meal.
** In the ''Shards of Alara'' block, the plane of Alara was split apart into five "Shards", sub-planes where one color of mana dominated with its two compliment colors, with the other two cut off completely. The White, Blue, and Green shards got off pretty easy, as Bant is downright Arthurian, Esper is a world of unquestionable progress, and even the untamed jungle shard of Naya is so full of life and vitality that it's practically pastoral. The Red and Black shards, however...
*** The Red shard of Jund is defined by constant predation. There is no "prey" in Jund; Even the smallest and weakest creatures are still dangerously venomous, and [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]] sit at the top of a food chain where every link is lethal.
*** By ''sharp'' contrast Grixis, the Black Shard, is very literally a DeathWorld; The mountains are large piles of bones, there are more undead than as not, the few communities of living people must constantly hide in fear of being killed, reanimated, and/or enslaved by demons. Necromancers, who usually make up a scant minority in other settings, are flagrant and abundant, as the ones who typically keep them in check are nowhere to be found.
* In ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost'', the Seemings that empower and alter human captives may be forced on them by [[EldritchAbomination Fae]] surgery...or they may evolve naturally to help a captive survive the savagery of Arcadia. Someone who spends their Durance creeping around to avoid predators may become a stealthy, semi-invisible Darkling. Someone held in a realm of unearthly hot flames and magma golems may become a Fireheart, luminous and swift.
-->''...And because that's all they had, that's what gave them strength.''
* Kafers in ''TabletopGame/TwentyThreeHundredAD''. They actually evolved to literally become smarter when in a tough situation - their equivalent of adrenaline boosts their intelligence. The harshness of their environment, and their recognition of that harshness making them sharper, is reflected in their language; for example, their name for their homeworld, Ka'ra!'ah, literally translates as "Cruel Mother".

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'': This is krogan evolution in a nutshell; their planet was so dangerous that for centuries, the most common cause of death was 'eaten by predators'. This explains why they have secondary and even tertiary organs, and why they are {{Explosive Breeder}}s.
** ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' has Nakmor Morda, leader of the krogan colony of New Tuchanka. Background chatter mentions she has a tendency to be very harsh with lawbreakers in her colony (such as throwing offenders in a pit with wild animals). As Nakmor Drack may point out, she's got an entire colony of several hundred krogan, locked up in tight quarters with scarce resources. She has to be strict, or they're in trouble.
* The Sishrak in the ''VideoGame/SpaceEmpires'' series are, by the standards of most of the other species, a ProudWarriorRace who have a reputation for being warmongers. Since they are known to be natives of another dimension who invaded the universe, it is speculated that in their own dimension they are at the bottom of the food chain and must constantly fight everything else in order to survive.
* This is the background of the Barbarian class in ''VideoGame/DiabloII''. Though they specifically reject technology and magic because they think it will make them weaker in the long run.

* In ''Videogame/LeagueOfLegends'', most of the Noxian champions who grew up without connections (i.e. on the streets) are this, because [[TheSocialDarwinist Noxians]] believe that the strong will pull themselves up on their own and the weak deserve to die. Darius and Talon are shining(?) examples of what surviving to adulthood in that environment does to a person.

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' has the Zerg deliberately invoke this. They send hive clusters or entire broods to any DeathWorld they can find to force evolution upon their forces. Notable examples include Kaldir which is only ''slightly'' warmer than deep space, Char which is a volcanic planet whose only liquid seems to be an acid marsh, and Zerus where the lack of a HiveMind means [[EverythingTryingToKillYou everything is trying to kill everything else]].
* Also invoked by the Orcs in ''VideoGame/{{WarCraft}}''. When the fleet landed in Kalimdor during the Third War, Thrall ignored fertile lands to the west and north and instead chose a patch of harsh desert and ordered a city to be settled there, naming the new land Durotar in honour of Thrall's father. The arid crags full of predators and murderous centaurs and pigmen provide the Orcs with many challenges, but the hardship also acts [[TheAtoner as a form of penance for the past sins of their race]].

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Schlock, thanks to his origin story, is rather hard to kill. Especially with chemicals. [[https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2003-07-05 "Resisting them and secreting chemical counter-attacks are survival skills. Among his kind, Sergeant Schlock is considered the ultimate survivor..."]]

* TheArtfulDodger
* TheRunaway

* TheCityNarrows
* TheDungAges
* TheWildWest

* TheCon
* TheConqueror
* TheFixer
* TheQuest
* TheSocialExpert

* In the universe of the ''LetsPlay/DreamSMP'', [[PhysicalGod Foolish Gamers]] probably qualifies as this, being a Totem. In Totem culture, young Totems at age 5 undergo Evolution to fuse with elements or animals, and for a Shark-Totem like Foolish to form, they are allegedly thrown into the ocean to sink or swim. It's also stated that [[DeathOfAChild it is normal for a Totem child to not survive their Evolution]], which indicates that Foolish is likely one of the luckier ones. Combining the cultural factor with Foolish's own centuries-long life experience, it's no wonder he's an "A-class warrior", even if Foolish has mostly retired from his days as a Warrior to become more peaceful.

* This is the background of the Barbarian class in VideoGame/{{Diablo}}. Though they specifically reject technology and magic because they think it will make them weaker in the long run.