History Main / NecessaryDrawback

* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games that use the Active Time Battle system usually couple powerful spells with longer wait times between inputting the command and the actual execution, in addition to the obviously higher MP costs. This can be deadly in a heated battle against enemies who like to spam powerful spells, since these restrictions [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard don't seem to apply to them]]; when your only option for healing is Curaja, everybody ''else'' will likely have had their turn before the casting is finished.
** The cast time restrictions do apply to to the AI, but it uses inhumanly precise micromanagement to avoid common human mistakes.

* The laws of aerodynamics and hydrodynamics mean that every airplane and yacht is a compromise. Fast. Dry. Easy to handle. Pick two, you cannot get third. Or airplanes: fast - safe - manouevreable - pick two but not third. Except when you're just willing to spend more money, time, and resources on a design. Compromises don't always exist, especially when you're willing to pay them away.

* Manga/InuYasha learned how to use the wind scar technique at any time, instead of using it only when he could sense the right moment. But from that point on, he encountered enemies who were able to overpower or even counter the wind scar, making his mastery of it a moot point.

** A subverted example from the same series comes from the space fortress Libra's WaveMotionGun, which requires massive downtime after firing and thus can't be used consecutively. In the penultimate episode, we learn that its creators (the Gundam Engineers) added the drawback on purpose to prevent its abuse. [[spoiler:And it's strongly implied that Zechs Merquise, the guy in charge of Libra, asked them to do it.]]
* Played with in ''Manga/HunterXHunter'', as the Nen users are able to intentionally give their abilities specific downsides or limitations, which directly results in a massive powerup to the ability.

* Traditionally, in the ''ResidentEvil'' series, the various types of magnum are extremely powerful weapons, capable of killing multiple enemies in a single shot. However it has a very slow firing rate and ammunition is typically rare. In the few instances the game does start giving you more bullets to play with, [[SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity it typically means you're gonna' need every bullet you have for whatever is coming next]].

** Turbocharged engines have the drawback of turbo lag, the period of time between when the gas pedal is pushed and when the turbo kicks in (if the turbo only activates at high [=RPMs=], for example, then there's a noticeable difference in acceleration power until the turbo kicks in). Generally speaking, the larger the turbocharger, the more power it can achieve, but the longer it takes to kick in. One particularly ingenious design, first introduced in a BMW diesel sports car (according to TopGear) features a small turbo for lower [=RPMs=], and a massive turbo for higher [=RPMs=].

* Most of the artifacts in ''Series/Warehouse13'' and its predecessors, as {{lampshaded}} by the ArcWords "There's always a downside". For esample, there's a metronome that can bring someone BackFromTheDead, but only by making the person who revived them [[AttackReflector feel their pain]], a phoenix medallion that makes someone invulnerable to fire at the expense of their loved ones or {{Protectorate}}, a cigarette case that gives a blues musician amazing talent at the cost of taking on other peoples' pain, and an astrolabe that can [[ResetButton undo the previous day]] but produces an EnemyWithin.

[[folder:Anime]]

* A WhatIf story on ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' theorized that without the existence of [[KryptoniteFactor Kryptonite]], Superman himself would not be nearly as powerful. His strength is measured by the ability to weaken him. The more weaknesses he has, the more powerful he is. Hence his PowerCreepPowerSeep from "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound" to...well, ''[[GodModeSue Superman]]''.

* The .357 Magnum in ''VideoGame/{{Half-Life 2}}'' has pretty much perfect accuracy regardless of distance and can take out most enemies with one shot, but ammo for it is rare and you can't carry much with you. That, and it has a fairly long reload time.

** Synchro Monsters are powerful and easy to Summon, but even they have a few drawbacks. One of the monsters needed to summon it has to be a Tuner, and only one (some Synchro Monsters need multiple Tuners to Summon, though XX-Saber Gottoms has the option of using more than one Tuner to Summon it). Going even further than this are the Xyz Monsters, the third Extra Deck monster type. They have power comparable to Synchros, but their effects require monsters attached to them as a resource. This means they can only use their effects two or three times.[[note]]However, there are cards that give Xyz Monsters extra Xyz Materials so they can continue using their effects.[[/note]] Furthermore, a player can only have 15 cards in the Extra Deck (Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz), so the right monsters have to be chosen carefully, depending on the deck.

If the drawback is that the enemies are more powerful because you have become more powerful, it can be factored into SoLastSeason and the SortingAlgorithmOfEvil. The KryptoniteFactor is also a part of this as well as WeaksauceWeakness. Characters such as {{Superman}} and [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampires]] will have these weaknesses automatically or else there is no drama involved, just an unstoppable force. Just giving someone a simple problem like "[[FlawExploitation They care too much]]" is enough. {{Mary Sue}}s are often hated because [[InvincibleHero they don't have any drawbacks]]. To avoid that, authors usually build in a FantasticFragility to powers and devices.

There is a danger however that inept balancing can lead to too much drawback without enough benefits. If the drawback is worse than the effect, it can become AwesomeButImpractical. Drawback without added practical benefit can further slide into CoolButInefficient. At the other end is FakeBalance, where the developers thought they had balanced a character but [[AvertedTrope didn't]] [[DevelopersForesight have enough Foresight]] and failed to remove a GameBreaker aspect or two.

* All the more powerful gear in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'' comes under this in some way, with the increased stats being part of a tradeoff for some other drawback. The Crystal items raise stats massively, but can break during use and be destroyed. The Dark items do the same, but hurt the wielder for every attack. And the Legendary Wear boosts every stat you have by a pretty big amount... with the not so minor drawback that you automatically get KOed in two turns. There are also a few badge effects which have great effects for the user... 50% of the time (with the alternative being 'potentially KO everyone on the field at once').

* Lots of good-tasting foods are awful for the waistline, while many health foods and products aren't tasty or are outright sour or bitter. This is due to the fact that the easiest way to make food taste good involves adding more sugar, fat, or salt[[note]]Our bodies crave these nutrients on a very basic level, due to their vital importance and relative scarcity in the harsh world from whence our ancestors evolved. In a post-scarcity civilization, they're all readily available, but our bodies are still hardwired to keep craving them long after we've satisfied our metabolic requirements.[[/note]]. There are exceptions that taste good and are good for you, but they tend to be more expensive and less profitable, leading to less variety and availability.

* The myriad laws of conservation mean that as far as Science can tell every technological advancement comes with a laundry list of drawbacks that weren't present in earlier devices. The key (and some might say the ''art'') lies in making sure that as few as possible of these new drawbacks affect what Joe or Jane Average does with the technology in 99% of their intended everyday use. Many plausible methods have been proposed for overcoming one or more of the laws but ''their'' drawbacks tend to be the massive costs involved (monetary or otherwise). As an example, E-books are lightweight, cheap, and consume less paper than a stack of books carrying the same amount of information. On the downside, e-book readers require power and are made with several materials that are toxic if not disposed of properly, plus have a high up-front cost that has no analog for paper books. You could write an essay detailing the necessary drawbacks of both mediums.

*** Introduced in ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'', some Pokemon are capable of Mega Evolution, a transformation that changes the Pokemon's appearance, grants a huge stat boost (the stats of the Pokemon are different from the original form, but almost all gain an additional 100 points on top of their original base stat total), and even grant new abilities and types that further boosts their power. The drawbacks? The Mega Stone takes up an item slot, and you can only have one Pokemon Mega Evolve in a given battle. If it faints, it reverts back to its original form and can't Mega Evolve for the rest of the battle, even if you revive it. The sole exception to the former rule is Rayquaza, who instead needs to know Dragon Ascent to Mega Evolve -- and this exception helped make it so powerful that {{Website/Smogon}} banned it ''from'' Ubers, something they had never done before.

** The two moves with the highest Base Power out of all Pokemon attacks, [[EarthShatteringKaboom Selfdestruct and Explosion]], deal massive damage, hits all Pokemon on the field save for Ghosts, and halves the target's Defense on damage calculations[[note]] that is until Gen V, where such attacks doesn't reduce the target's defense anymore, so instead of 400 and 500 BP as a result, it has only their mentioned values, 200 and 250 BP[[/note]], [[SuicideAttack but causes the user to faint.]] The Damp ability also nullifies these.

** This can play hell with the meta however: Pyro used to have the "Puff and Sting" with the Degreaser flamethrower (which switches faster) and the Axtingusher (which has extra damage on burning enemies). Before this was ''the'' way the Pyro was supposed to get kills instead of using using fire and afterburn[[labelnote: the reason]]fire is extremely unreliable due to the hit detection going farther than the particles show and lag compensation makes it go farther along with the may ways to extinguish afterburn (or at least shrug it off)[[/labelnote]]. In an effort to {{nerf}} the strategy the devs gave Axtingusher a ''75%'' slower switch-to speed (making it slower than molasses even with the Degreaser's 60% switch speed buff) and 20% slower attack speed (along with doing 1/3 less damage). This drawback was so severe that the Axtingusher stopped being the go to weapon for pyro, even as a sidegrade.

** Synchro Monsters are powerful and easy to Summon, but even they have a few drawbacks. One of the monsters needed to summon it has to be a Tuner, and only one (some Synchro Monsters need multiple Tuners to Summon, though XX-Saber Gottoms has the option of using more than one Tuner to Summon it). Going even further than this are the Xyz Monsters, the third Extra Deck monster type. They have power comparable to Synchros, but their effects require monsters attached to them as a resource. This means they can only use their effects two or three times[[note]]However, there are cards that give Xyz Monsters extra Xyz Materials so they can continue using their effects[[/note]]. Furthermore, a player can only have 15 cards in the Extra Deck (Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz), so the right monsters have to be chosen carefully, depending on the deck.
* A recurring theme in the ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' construction rules is that equipment made of lighter materials than normal ends up being ''bigger'' than normal ([[MST3KMantra never mind the logic behind that]]) and thus eats up more internal space; classic examples are extralight fusion engines, endosteel internal structure, ferro-fibrous armor, and double heat sinks. Where this principle isn't followed -- XL engines on aerospace fighters are notorious offenders, and double heat sinks arguably also qualify since, when done right, they can actually end up ''saving'' internal space as well as weight relative to the standard model --, the items in question do acquire certain GameBreaker qualities. (In-universe these things may be to some degree balanced by cost -- indeed, quite possibly the only reason internal combustion engines are still used at all is that they're notionally cheap and available, because they certainly have no actual in-game advantages whatsoever to compensate for their drawbacks --, but in actual gaming practice certain pieces of gear are just flat-out preferable to others. The Battle Value system tries to help balance things out, but it ultimately remains an ''optional'' rule that even after a couple of decades of development cannot hope to account for everything and retains a number of bugs.)

* A WhatIf story on ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' theorized that without the existence of [[KryptoniteFactor Kryptonite]], Superman himself would not be nearly as powerful. His strength is measured by the ability to weaken him. The more weaknesses he has, the more powerful he is. (Hence his PowerCreepPowerSeep from "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound" to...well, ''[[GodModeSue Superman]]''.

*** A filler arc in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' has Goku combine the Kaioken with his [[SuperMode Super Saiyan Blue]] form, which massively enhances the benefits of the former while temporarily suppressing the drawbacks. However, this has some ''new'' major drawbacks: besides reuiring a very precise ''ki'' control, lest it misfires and kills the user (which is why Goku never attemtped this until he obtained Super Saiyan Blue, which comes with perfect ki control), it causes "[[HeroicRROD Delayed Onset Ki Disorder]]", aka a temporary loss of ki and control of the user's powers some time after turning back to normal - and, if the technique is used too mach, the power loss becomes permanent.