History Main / HeroicBuild

* Most characters in ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'' e.g Might Guy, Rock Lee, Tsunade, Sakura, Sasuke, Itachi and Naruto's dad Minato are extremely powerful despite being very skinny. Played with however as Naruto has a Heroic Build with his [[ClarkKentOutfit shirt off]] and there are strong characters like A and Killer B who are muscle-clad.

* All Might in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' qualifies. He towers over 7ft and is extremely muscular. In his prime he was always that way, but after All For One badly injured him, he resorted to a sort of flexing to maintain his physique in public while hiding his true form, which is a skeletal, emaciated wreck.

* Since its 2000 revival, almost every main Kamen Rider has had a perfectly identical physique once they henshin. The reason: with two exceptions[[note]]Kuuga and Hibiki[[/note]], they've all been played by one man, Seiji Takaiwa, who's often called Mr. Kamen Rider for this reason.

* All Might in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' qualifies. He’s tall and extremely muscular. In his prime he was always that way, but after All For One badly injured him, he resorted to a sort of flexing to maintain his physique in public while hiding his true form, which is a skeletal, emaciated wreck.

* All Might in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' qualifies. He’s tall and extremely muscular. In his prime he was always that way, but after All For One badly injured him, he reaorted to a sort of flexing to maintain his physique in public while hiding his true form, which is a skeletal, emaciated wreck.

** Despite being the strongest of the main characters, Luffy is a rather beany person, something that is often lampshaded. When the TimeSkip happened, ''Usopp'' gains a Heroic Build while Luffy remains as skinny as ever. He is also ''much'' stronger than Usopp. While Usopp has indeed gotten much stronger by building those muscles, he's still below average [[WorldOfBadass New World pirate standards]].

* The soldiers of ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' are all shown to be in ''incredible'' shape, with washboard abs and lean, muscular physiques. It's entirely justified, as their equipment and standard [[BuildingSwing method of fighting]] requires them to be able to perform on the level of an Olympic gymnast or professional acrobat. A strong core and powerful leg muscles are
[[AllThereInTheManual noted]] to be absolutely vital to using the 3-dimensional Maneuver Gear safely. Since the artist uses professional Mixed Martial Artists as models and references, their builds tend to accurately reflect how different body types build up muscle.
**Levi in some ways can be considered an aversion, being one of the strongest and most skilled characters while he's of slight build, short and has more delicate features (aside from his ever present death glare).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': Mr. Incredible is a {{Justified|Trope}} example, as he is indeed shown to [[FormerlyFit lose shape with age]] until he started training again. He doesn't go all the way back to his youthful heroic build, either.

**Levi in some ways can be considered an aversion, being one of the strongest and most skilled characters while he's of slight build, short and has more delicate features (aside from his ever present death glare).

* Erwin in ''Anime/AttackOnTitain'', is 6'4 broad shouldered, and full of muscle! Combined with his blond hair and blue eyes he cuts the standard heroic figure.
**Levi serves as an aversion. One of the strongest and most skilled characters and he's of slight build (especially before season four where MAPPA bulked everyone in the cast up) roughly 5'3, and has more delicate features (aside from his ever present death glare). It adds to his dynamic as a protagonist that he served as the opposite of Erwin at least in what a hero looks like.

* The soldiers of ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' are all shown to be in ''incredible'' shape, with washboard abs and lean, muscular physiques. It's entirely justified, as their equipment and standard [[BuildingSwing method of fighting]] requires them to be able to perform on the level of an Olympic gymnast or professional acrobat. A strong core and powerful leg muscles are [[AllThereInTheManual noted]] to be absolutely vital to using the 3-dimensional Maneuver Gear safely. Since the artist uses professional Mixed Martial Artists as models and references, their builds tend to accurately reflect how different body types build up muscle.

* In ''WebVideo/DragonBallAbridged'', Tien's shoulders can vary by the shot (per the source material), but the way they get, Chiatzou expresses worry about training them up any further and Tien grouches that that warning is "why we don't see that doctor" anymore.

** Also, since the Exemplar power works at least in part on the mutant's self-perception, it can go to exaggerated degrees as well, such as Bravo's absurdly-sized LanternJawOfJustice or Attributes' GagBoobs.

* In FireForce Captain Obi of Company 8 has trained immensely to catch up to his superpowered teammates despite having no pyrokinetic abilities. Not only does this make him incredibly ripped, but as a result of his daily intense regimen, he has become a powerhouse who possesses strength bordering on superhuman levels.

*** Maki Oze, thanks to her time in the military before joining company 8, maki is a very lean and muscular young woman. Due to her well muscled build and military training, she is considered to be the second strongest member in terms of close quarters combat.

Note that in classical sculpture, the term "heroic proportion" refers to characters with healthy figures who stand eight or more heads high (i.e. their head is an eighth or less of their total height). This imposing figure was used for statues of Greek gods and later biblical figures (Creator/{{Michelangelo}}'s ''David'', for instance). It is a given that almost all western superheroes and supervillains are eight-and-a-half heads tall or more, and most fashion designers sketch their ideas onto outlines of over eight heads. [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness However, in early Marvel comics, as well as a few from other houses, this rule was subverted]]: heavily built figures were often drawn with huge heads in proportion to their height so that they looked squat and burly despite being over six foot (see early versions of the Thing, Hulk or the Kingpin).

** Also Damian Wayne, justified as he's only about 10-11 years old. When people ''do'' draw him with a full out heroic build, it nears UncannyValley.

** Attempts to duplicate the Exemplar trait by Devisors and Wizards are frequent, and almost invariably fail. The closest successes to date were Compiler (who gained a Barbie-doll like figure by means of nanotechnology but [[GoneHorriblyRight now cannot control her super-strength or super-speed]]), Spark and Reach (who did it by accident), [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} Delta Spike]] (who entrusted her life to a MadScientist and who might have been brainwashed into total subservience in the process), and [[OurElvesAreDifferent Jobe's Drow]] (who were completely transformed into dark elves by the serum) [[note]]For those counting, that makes a total of eight partial successes out of literally hundreds of attempts[[/note]]. For the majority, such as Migraine (who became [[AndIMustScream trapped in an immobile exoskeleton and went insane]]), it didn't work out at all. Outside of the school, there are several examples as well, such as [[HotScientist Dr. Venus]]' treatments (both those she [[ProfessorGuineaPig uses herself]] and [[SuperEmpowering those for her]] [[FemaleGaze 'studmuffins']]), Akelarre's potion, and whatever it was which [[spoiler:Belphegor]] appears to have used by 2016, but most have some limitations attached to them (for example, Dr. Venus' treatments only last a limited time, and eventually need to be renewed, or replaced by some new treatment).

* The page quote refers, at least in part, to Alex Louis Armstrong of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', who could, in brief, be described as three ordinary men worth of muscles crammed into a [[WalkingShirtlessScene frequently disappearing shirt]]. His devotion to displaying his exaggerated musculature at all costs is both frequently comedic (at one point he forms a lifelong friendship with the similarly strong Sig Curtis by having a flex-off) and a pretty overt case of AuthorAppeal.

* In ''Manga/FireForce''recruits seeking to be a part of the Fire Force companies, must not only have sufficiently powerful pyrokinetic abilities, but also undergo rigorous physical training, as being in great physical condition is essential to be a member of one of the eight companies they are assigned to. However, Captain Obi of Company 8 takes this to a whole other level. Due to having no form of pyrokinesis, he has to train like hell every single day to compensate. This has made him not only incredibly jacked, but has also given him near superhuman strength. Maki Oze is another member of Company 8 who developed an incredible physique from her military service in Tokyo’s armed forces. Due to her second generation powers not being the best in terms of offensive capabilities, she has to rely mostly on raw strength and her adept CQC skills when on active duty.

* In ''Manga/FireForce''In order for recruits to be a part of the Fire Force companies, they must not only have sufficient pyrokinetic abilities, but also undergo rigorous training, as being in great physical condition is essential to be a member of one of the eight companies they are assigned to. However, Captain Obi of Company 8 takes this to a whole other level. Due to having no form of pyrokinesis, he has to train like hell every single day to compensate. This has made him not only incredibly jacked, but has also given him near superhuman strength. Maki Oze is another member of Company 8 who developed an incredible physique from her military service in Tokyo’s armed forces. Due to her second generation powers not being the best in terms of offensive capabilities, she has to rely mostly on raw strength and her adept CQC skills when on active duty.

* In ''manga/FireForce''Captain Obi of Company 8 has trained immensely to catch up to his superpowered teammates despite having no pyrokinetic abilities. Not only does this make him incredibly ripped, but as a result of his daily intense regimen, he has become a powerhouse who possesses strength bordering on superhuman levels.

* in fire force, captian obi of company 8 who despite having no pyrokinetic abilities has trained immensely to catch up to his superpowered teammates. Making him physically a powerhouse who possesses strength that border’s on being practically superhuman from his daily intense regimen. Maki oze is a very athletic and muscular young woman who is considered the second strongest in terms of physical strength and close quarters combat due to her military training.

* ''fire force'' in order to be apart of the fire force members must have not only sufficient pyrokinetic abilities but also the strength and will to join the eight fire force companies. Thus leading to future members requiring rigorous training to be suitable to join. However obi takes this to extreme levels due to being a regular human being, and thus trains like hell every single day to possess downright superhuman strength to take on the extreme dangers and threats that come when being captain of company 8. Not to mention maki had been apart of the tokyo empire’s military like hinawa before joining company 8, which resulted in maki being in incredible physical shape. And due to her powers being not the most offensive relies on her honed strength and adept combat skills when in active duty.

** Any user of One for All ''has'' to be this, since the Quirk affects the body's muscles and is so strong that an unprepared body would ''explode'' if it were to be used. Izuku took a 10-month TrainingFromHell regimen to be able to use its bare minimum- and ''still'' broke whatever limb he channeled the Quirk with. All Might ''was'' a prime example, but is currently emaciated due to a devastating injury. This also limits the amount of time he can be a hero.

* in fire force, captian obi of company 8 who despite having no pyrokinetic abilities has trained immensely to catch up to his superpowered teammates. Making him physically a powerhouse who possesses strength that border’s on being practically superhuman from his daily intense regimen. Maki oze is a very athletic and muscular young woman who is considered the second strongest in terms of physical strength and close quarters combat due to her military training.

* ''fire force'' in order to be apart of the fire force members must have not only sufficient pyrokinetic abilities but also the strength and will to join the eight fire force companies. Thus leading to future members requiring rigorous training to be suitable to join. However obi takes this to extreme levels due to being a regular human being, and thus trains like hell every single day to be suitable physical condition to take on the serious dangers and threats that come when being captain of company 8. Not to mention maki had been apart of the tokyo empire’s military like hinawa before joining company 8, which resulted in maki being quite muscular. And due to her powers being not the most offensive relies on her physical strength and military training when in active duty.