History Main / InvincibleHero

* Marty Robbins' "Big Iron" sidesteps this problem by having minor characters narrate the story. [[TheHero The ranger]] presumably knows he will win, but the townsfolk looking on do not: the dramatic tension comes from ''their'' fear.

* The ''Franchise/{{Arrowverse}}''’s Sara Lance is an odd example; she ''can'' die and has died multiple times, the issue is making her ''stay'' dead. Across her tenures on both ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' and ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'', she has been assumed dead a total of ten times, with five of those times actually killing her.

** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode ''[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE41JokersWild Joker's Wild]]'', when after Batman returns from yet another seeming demise, The Joker shouts "Why can't he ever stay dead!?" A bit rich [[JokerImmunity coming from him]].

* Cartman tries to act like one on ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', in the "Good Times with Weapons" episode. Every time the other kids give their ninjas a power, Cartman immediately jumps in and declares that he has a better version of the same power.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', our protagonist never loses. Both justified by her main power being ''luck'' and downplayed by the drawbacks her hero life have on her civilian life. However, there are moments that her main partner, Cat Noir, isn't even necessary and Ladybug wins by mix of PlotArmor, ZanyScheme, and NewPowersAsThePlotDemands.

* This is the reason Yoda rarely got ADayInTheLimelight on ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': the writers had problems coming up with something that would challenge him. He directly fought the Separatists only once, and eventually starred in a Force-themed story.
* Rick from ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty''. [[NominalHero For a certain definition of "hero"]]. Even given the SadistShow nature of the series, Rick is notable for his impressive win record against villains. He has gone up against galactic governments, alien scientists, impossibly vast and powerful extradimensional beings, and even the Devil himself, and he has outsmarted and defeated all of them. Even alternative versions of himself have been made fools of. Only a single episode so far has ended with Rick not coming out on top. [[spoiler:It's ''not'' the Season 2 finale which sees him being arrested by the galactic government; he allowed himself to be captured so he could bring it down from the inside. [[OneManArmy And he does]].]] [[spoiler:He has, however, been bested by Evil Morty. He only escapes death because Morty saves him at the last second.]] The Season 3 finale is also another rare failure for Rick, as [[spoiler:all has plans have fallen apart and Jerry is back with Beth, and the family are stronger than ever.]] Season 4 finale also is a moment of failure for Rick, [[spoiler: as both Space Beth and Normal Beth have rejected Rick alongside Morty and Summer, and that episode ends with Rick lamenting upon his mistakes.]]

* Played for laughs with Brock Samson in ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers''

** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'': [[SociopathicHero Mikazuki Augus]] is virtually unstoppable, using one of the most powerful mobile suits in existence and benefiting from not just one, but ''three'' [[BrainComputerInterface Alaya-Vijnana implants]], which let him pilot it with preternatural skill. He's a ruthless CombatPragmatist who has never been defeated in combat and very rarely even finds himself on the defensive. In fact, he's a {{Deconstruction}}, as he [[UndyingLoyalty outsources his moral thinking to Orga]] and takes desperate measures to win [[HeroicRROD even if it costs him the movement of his limbs]]. At the same time, some of his enemies [[AntiVillain have sympathetic backstories]] and/or are genuinely good people, but are [[AlasPoorVillain killed off]] [[KilledMidSentence unceremoniously]] all the same, which might make the audience uneasy about rooting for Mikazuki when he kills them. However, this comes around in the finale, where Mikazuki becomes one of the few ''Gundam'' protagonists to [[TheHeroDies die]] at the end of the show. Forced into a defensive battle against insanely overwhelming odds, he and his fellow pilots sacrifice their lives to buy time for their allies to escape their base via a hidden tunnel. Mika in particular gets his Gundam ripped to pieces by an OrbitalBombardment but fights on until the blood loss catches up with him, resulting in the HumongousMecha equivalent of DiedStandingUp.

** {{Film/Captain Marvel|2019}}, much like her [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers comic-book counterpart]], is immensely powerful, and the only reason she doesn't curbstomp her opponents in her solo movie is that she's carrying a power limiter. Once that is removed there ceases to be any meaningful threat to her, to the point where in ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' she goes toe to toe with [[spoiler:a younger inexperienced]] Thanos wielding the Infinity Gauntlet and is only defeated through a Power Stone sucker punch. It's pretty telling that she had to be absent for nearly all the film for there to be any conflict, as the final battle would have ended by about the halfway mark if the flying InstantWinCondition stuck around.

** So with all of that in mind, what could possibly prevent someone as powerful as him from destroying the sense of narrative tension? Mainly, it is that both before and after [[spoiler:his RePower]], Arthur ends up fighting opponents who are much more powerful than him. Case in point, his ArchEnemy and the BigBad Agrona Vritra is an InvincibleVillain in his own right, not only because of him being an Asura, but also due to him being the top {{Chessmaster}} and ManipulativeBastard in the setting who is able to execute his plans unimpeded. Not only that, but Arthur values protecting his loved ones, Agrona and some of Arthur's other enemies have been known to [[TargetedToHurtTheHero target them]] in order to gain an advantage over him.

* Richard Rahl from ''Literature/TheSwordOfTruth'' flirts with this trope. Every book, he spends his time working himself into a more and more impossible situation, only to casually brush it aside at the climax.
* Sarah in ''Literature/TalesOfAnMazingGirl'' isn't completely invulnerable - but notably she acts that way with a cool, calm demeanor that is never frightened of the Monsters, ninjas, or Star Trek Cosplayers masquerading as ninjas she faces.
* ''Literature/TheUnexploredSummonBloodSign'': Kyousuke almost always wins his battles and manages to save everyone. While he might be at the disadvantage the first time he encounters a villain, by the second fight he's figured out a way to counter their strategy and defeat them. He can even defeat groups of soldiers in PoweredArmor without summoning. There are two exceptions to this, however. Kyousuke never manages to defeat [[TheDreaded Elvast]], even in the rematch. While he technically does figure out ways to stop the [[BigBad White Queen's]] plans, this is only possible because she's {{Yandere}} for him and considers it fun to let him win.

* Deconstructed in A. Lee Martinez's ''Constance Verity'' novels, in which Constance, due to an unwanted destiny laid on her by a fairy godmother, has been stumbling into a bewildering variety of adventures - every genre, every threat level, every part of the world and beyond- on roughly a daily basis since she was seven years old. The only ones she doesn't win handily are the rare few in which some ''other'', higher-priority adventure crops up and diverts her attention, leaving the previous one to peter out. It gets so predictable that ''she'' gets bored with being an Invincible Hero, and tries to subvert her destiny purely so she can get a life.

* Subverted with [[ComicBook/LesLegendaires the Legendaries]]; despite the fact they have the reputation of being invincible heroes, they actually appear as [[CoolLoser goofy and clumsy most of the time]], having trouble with quotidian tasks such as protecting a potion from a mere thief, only to [[LetsGetDangerous reveal]] [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass how badass they truly are]] when a ''real'' threat shows up. Even then, they are usually over-powered and have to earn their victory, especially during the [[GodOfEvil Anathos]] [[DarkerAndEdgier Cycle]].

** {{Film/Captain Marvel|2019}}, much like her [[ComicBook/CarolDanvers comic-book counterpart]], is immensely powerful, and the only reason she doesn't curbstomp her opponents in her solo movie is that she's carrying a power limiter. Once that is removed there ceases to be any meaningful threat to her, to the point where in ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' she goes toe to toe with [[spoiler:a younger inexperienced]] Thanos wielding the Infinity Gauntlet and is only defeated through a Power Stone sucker punch. It's pretty telling that she had to be absent for nearly all the film for there to be any conflict, as the final battle would have ended by about the halfway mark if the flying InstantWinCondition stuck around.

* ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo'' is invincible. But since the show and character are both [[WidgetSeries crazy]], it's played for laughs and not to be taken very seriously. He does have weaknesses and gets hurt a few times, but never seriously enough to matter. [[spoiler:Except during the final battle of the original series, but even then he eventually [[HesBack recovers]]]].

* Wrestling/JonMoxley: While this did not apply to him when he was still Dean Ambrose in WWE and before then, Moxley in AEW has been booked to be a nearly unstoppable force who's able to take down any challenger who stands in his path, has overcome formerly insurmountable wrestlers like Wrestling/BryanDanielson who could solidly defeat Moxley pre-AEW, and rarely, if ever, eats a clean pin or tapout. So far, the only people who have beaten him cleanly are Lancer Archer, Wrestling/CMPunk, and Wrestling/{{Fenix}}. And even then, Archer's victory over Moxley happened in a death match without Mox being pinned or submitted and Fenix's victory over Moxley happened as a last minute decision because Moxley got concussed during their match and decided to just let Fenix take the title off of him. So had everything gone according to booking, Punk would've been the ''only'' person to have gotten a clean pinfall or submission victory over Moxley up to this point.

* This was a major problem with ''WesternAnimation/{{Shazzan}}'': once the titular genie was summoned, that was it. He simply could not be harmed in any way and his magic powers had so few limitations that none of the villains ever stood a chance. The only danger was if Chuck and Nancy got separated, as they need to to touch their rings together in order to summon Shazzan. The show's creator called it a conceptual problem- the genie had no weaknesses so once he was summoned the episode was over.

* Martine Clocquer from the Normandy flashbacks in ''ComicStrip/NineChickweedLane''. Though judging by readers' reactions to her (particularly on ''Blog/TheComicsCurmudgeon''), it's more like [[DesignatedHero Invincible Designated Hero]]. Considering her main opponents are ThoseWackyNazis, being considered a DesignatedHero when fighting AcceptableTargets says something about how well she's written.

* A prime example: The main hero of the Japanese movie (and ''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]'' episode) ''Film/PrinceOfSpace'', whose invincibility depends largely on his ability to repel energy weapons (as well as his ability to choose really pathetic enemies.) "Your weapons are useless against me!" becomes something of a {{Catchphrase}} for the hero, who uses it no less than ''seven times'' during the course of the movie. Interestingly, this line was added by the English dubbing. In the original Japanese film, the Prince is not invulnerable, which is why he occasionally dodges laser fire.

** That about sums up Phineas and Ferb's whole situation. When you have to build your own super-intelligent A.I. and program it to trap you repeatedly in order to have a little fun, and then you defeat it effortlessly, it's difficult to ''ever'' feel afraid for you. The only times Phineas and Ferb ''can't'' do something is usually when they simply decide that they can't. Accordingly, if there's any tension in ''Phineas and Ferb'', it's usually emotional tension, such as Phineas being angry at Perry in TheMovie.

* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' when, after Batman returns from yet another seeming demise, the Joker shouts "Why won't he stay dead?" A bit rich [[JokerImmunity coming from him]].
* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' shows that The Joker feels this way about Batman even compared to ''Superman''. He swings by Metropolis and casually offers to kill Superman for Lex Luthor in exchange for a million dollars, and when Lex points out that he can't take down a "mere mortal" like Batman, Joker ''snaps'':

* ''Manga/{{Akagi}}'' never loses a game of TabletopGame/{{Mahjong}} in the anime or the manga. However, he is reported to have once been beaten by the main character in author Fukumoto's earlier work ''Anime/{{Ten}}''.
** To clarify, Akagi in ''Anime/{{Ten}}'' only lost twice, and in both cases he himself effectively forfeited the match due to [[IGaveMyWord technicalities of his own making]]. Other characters acknowledge that if only Akagi had decided to go against his word and kept playing until the end, he would have likely come out on top.

* Sibling Tatsuya and Miyuki Shiba of ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'' are practically TropeCodifier for this, since they are both without any effort, defeat any enemy and stronger than anyone else in the novel universe, so much so that the characters themselves begin to discuss it. And although in the future it gets an explanation, since [[spoiler:Miyuki is the perfect DesignerBaby]], Tatsuya's abilities are still so abnormally powerful that he can instantly calculate the sequence of any spell or even blow up a planet.

** A level of criticism towards this manga is directed to the protagonist himself, Tsubasa Ozora, who has only suffered ''one'' defeat on-screen over his entire career (and it was fairly early in the story). It gets to the point that the recent manga stories sometimes focus on other players, or the Japanese team playing ''without'' him so as to give some drama.

[[TheGoodGuysAlwaysWin Heroes win]]. It's a general rule of fiction. Sometimes, though, you want the hero to lose a few battles; this is a good way of establishing conflict and drama. A hero may well consistently lose but learn valuable [[AnAesop lessons]] out of it, get CharacterDevelopment, and grow strong enough to win for the series finale.

And then there are heroes who never lose. ''Ever.'' Not only that, but they win ''handily'', especially in life-threatening situations. If any "losses" occur, they're typically ambiguous and open-ended, brought about by clear cheating on the villain's part, or as a forfeit from the hero due to external causes (kidnapped {{Love Interest|s}}, etc.). This of course tends to rob a given episode or movie franchise of dramatic punch when the viewer's reaction to a hero being lowered into a [[KilledOffForReal mortal]] DeathTrap is "LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt!" This type of hero is basically a walking personification of VictoryIsBoring.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheMask''. He's invincible due to deliberate cartoon physics as a given superpower. His only weakness is that his mask can be removed, but even then he can fool his adversaries with trick mask removals. Though he does have quirks that get in the way such as being genuinely insane, wacky, having a short attention span, and having {{Skewed Priorities}}. That, and [[WeaksauceWeakness the common cold]], apparently.

* ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'' features many former supervillains (teenage angst and forced MadScience murder rituals don't mix) who have immortality, and the two main characters get upgraded to this after saving the world for the first time (Actually, they were bred to be immortal, but didn't realize it until after one of the few things that could kill them was obliterated). The implication is that the story is shifting to two newly introduced characters, Astali and Castella (The fact that Astali grows GagBoobs just like the main character is great evidence for this).

* The eponymous character of ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''. This got {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in one episode by her younger cousin Joss, who began the episode idolizing Kim as an unstoppable badass, and ended it idolizing her sidekick Ron instead, declaring that Kim's invincibility just makes her boring because it's a ForegoneConclusion that she's just going to [[CurbStompBattle stomp the bad guy without even breaking a sweat]], while Ron being a CowardlyLion who loyally follows Kim into danger despite being scared out of his mind 90% of the time (and [[ComedicUnderwearExposure out of his pants the other 10%]]) actually makes him the truer hero. [[spoiler:The GrandFinale averts this. While Kim could barely stop Warmonga, Warhak was too much for her and had to be stopped by [[TookALevelInBadass Ron.]]

* Ike in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn''. He even tells the FinalBoss before fighting her that [[BadassBoast in every battle he's been in, he always comes out on top]]. Interestingly enough, Ike is actually the antagonist in several parts of ''Radiant Dawn'' when you're [[AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent playing as Micaiah]]. He even appears as a boss in one chapter, and can be fought normally-- And he still never loses! If you defeat him, you'll "win" the chapter automatically (normally it's a defend mission) he'll comment about how much trouble he's having but [[DiabolusExMachina he'll receive unexpected reinforcements]] and the following cutscene explains that [[TheBattleDidntCount you're still losing the battle]]. [[GamePlayAndStorySegregation Regardless of what side the player is on]], Ike's forces beat Micaiah's every time.