History Main / PurposelyOverpowered

* And in the ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' corner we have [[TrueFinalBoss Unlimited Ragna]], who out-tanks the MightyGlacier character, Iron Tager, with his 3 folded HP; [[LightningBruiser can, quite easily, deal damage in the mid-thousands; is much,]] ''[[LightningBruiser much]]'' faster than his original form]]; can air-dash 3 times, while most characters can dash 1 or 2 times at most; has automatic Heat gain; and has a massive life drain on top of that! (He also has one super move that can [[ThisIsGonnaSuck take off 2/3s of his opponent's HP]] [[OhCrap and regenerate 1/2 of his own]], so that's fair...) All of this is completely and utterly justified, because Unlimited Ragna has activated his titular ArtifactOfDoom.

** Still not quite fair compensation for what we went through trying to get the bead away from [[ThatOneBoss Blockhead Grande]]. Seriously. [[spoiler: Good luck getting the bead unless you have a VCR and a dry erase marker.]]

** The event-exclusive Arceus is worth a mention, as it is overpowered even when compared to other overpowered Pokémon - the only mon that can reasonably expect to duel it and win more often than not is Mewtwo. On top of the normal reason, the reason for Arceus' sheer power is because it is heavily implied to be the god of the Pokemon universe.

* And in the ''BlazBlue'' corner we have [[TrueFinalBoss Unlimited Ragna]], who out-tanks the MightyGlacier character, Iron Tager, with his 3 folded HP; [[LightningBruiser can, quite easily, deal damage in the mid-thousands; is much,]] ''[[LightningBruiser much]]'' faster than his original form]]; can air-dash 3 times, while most characters can dash 1 or 2 times at most; has automatic Heat gain; and has a massive life drain on top of that! (He also has one super move that can [[ThisIsGonnaSuck take off 2/3s of his opponent's HP]] [[OhCrap and regenerate 1/2 of his own]], so that's fair...) All of this is completely and utterly justified, because Unlimited Ragna has activated his titular ArtifactOfDoom.

** Or you could just [[BribingYourWayToVictory have Yojimbo instakill him.]]
*** [[RandomNumberGod If he feels like it.]]

* A few GuestStarPartyMember characters in various ''FinalFantasy'' games. The others, [[OverratedAndUnderleveled not so much]].
** Leo in ''FinalFantasyVI'', the one time you get to use him.
** Sephiroth in ''FinalFantasyVII'' is absurdly overpowered when he's in Cloud's party in a flashback. This is meant to show that Cloud is scared of him and doesn't really expect to ever be able to beat him. Not to mention Sephiroth is literally invincible for every battle.
** Beatrix from ''FinalFantasyIX'' also counts. Sort of a Nerf from when she was an [[HopelessBossFight unbeatable boss]], though.

** Seymour from ''FinalFantasyX'', when he briefly joins your party for a boss battle. Though he's not as overpowered as most of the other examples on this page.
* You basically need the legendary weapons in ''FinalFantasyX'' to beat Penance. Oh, and nearly maxed out stats too.

* Another bonus boss example is the bonus Weapons in ''FinalFantasyVII''. Knights of the Round is a GameBreaker on anything else, but killing the bonus Weapons without it is maddeningly difficult.
* Once you get the Mascot Dressphere in ''FinalFantasyX2'', you'll never need to use a different one again. [[GuideDangIt Good luck getting it.]]

* ''CrisisCore: FinalFantasyVII'' has the Heike's Soul item, which combines the benefits of many other accessories. Naturally, it's a reward for completing all missions, which includes defeating the BonusBoss.

* Orlandu in ''FinalFantasyTactics''. A legendary swordsman, Combining the entire skill sets of 3 good special classes, having enhanced stats and one of the best swords in the game (that also compliments him by giving him auto haste).

** In ''Dragon Quest 5'', Pankraz, your father, demonstrates his strength when following him in the world map in the beginning of the game and in a later dungeon. You're also awarded with exp. He later becomes less physically dominating: he's level 20 and has good equipment (including his awesome sword), but you're doing damage almost on par with him at level 12, and your HP is getting close to his at that level as well.

* [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Dark]] [[{{X-Men}} Phoenix]] in ''MarvelVsCapcom3'' (released upon Phoenix getting knocked out while having five full Hyper Gauges in stock), presumably to compensate for the fragility and shortcomings of normal Phoenix. And because in the comics, Dark Phoenix came within about two seconds of [[ApocalypseHow destroying the entire universe]].

* In the {{Morrowind}} expansion Tribunal, you can [[spoiler: kill King Hlaalu Helseth.]] If you managed to do that, you can loot the best defensive item in the game: A ring with 100% Reflect, 100% Resist Magicka, 100% Resist Paralysis, AND health and fatigue restoration. Note that all of these effects are ''constant''.

* Ash's final class, the Vandalier, in ''VandalHearts'', which can only be obtained after going through several difficult steps. Ash gains access to all spells in the game (including ones cast only by items and enemies), very high attack damage, and is virtually invulnerable from any direction but the back. It's a level of domination that can't be unintentional.

* The Dragonrend Shout in ''TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' fits. You get it near the end of the main quest by reading an Elder Scroll on the Time Wound, which causes you to flash back to witness the people who first created and used it. It only affects Dragons, by causing them to fall out of the sky and become more vulnerable. Without the ability to fly, Dragons become far easier to fight.

* And in the ''BlazBlue'' corner we have [[TrueFinalBoss Unlimited Ragna]], who out-tanks the MightyGlacier character, Iron Tager, with his 3 folded HP; [[LightningBruiser can, quite easily, deal damage in the mid-thousands; is much, ''much'' faster than his original form]]; can air-dash 3 times, while most characters can dash 1 or 2 times at most; has automatic Heat gain; and has a massive life drain on top of that! (He also has one super move that can [[ThisIsGonnaSuck take off 2/3s of his opponent's HP]] [[OhCrap and regenerate 1/2 of his own]], so that's fair...) All of this is completely and utterly justified, because Unlimited Ragna has activated his titular ArtifactOfDoom.

** Jean Grey, [[TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]], and [[TheMightyThor Thor]] w

** Jean Grey, [[TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]], and [[TheMightyThor Thor]] were intended to be this in the second game.
* The [[{{Disgaea}} Majin]] and [[SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters Gideon]] classes in NipponIchi games.
** To clarify: the Disgaea Majin outranks everyone at everything. Granted, unlocking this class pretty much requires previous knowledge of the requirements, but from the instant he's unlocked, he's already broken. In the two next games the game tells you how to unlock them, but they got heavily nerfed to the point that raising him to his full potential is a dreadfully boring task, given that he actually starts worse than any basic class and requires way more experience to level up.
** The Gideon from SoulNomad has the highest stats out of pretty much every class, and his attack pattern hits every member of the enemy squad for heavy damage. The drawback is that deploying additional squads with them will cost a lot of money. Doesn't block the player from adding 7 of them in the main squad and kill everyone that comes near.
** Arguably half the material in NipponIchi games.
*** Practically anything beyond main plot, which usually takes about 100 levels. Out of almost 300000 stored plus 9999 active. With bonus bosses many times more powerful then the final boss, you ''need'' those [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus One Everything]].
** The main character in ''MakaiKingdom'', overlapping with ATasteOfPower.
** Also Adell in the third game as he was a taste of the power of DLC characters.
** Tyrant Valvatorez was said to have been extremely powerful before his vow to never drink human blood {{De Power}}ed him. Since ''de-powered'' Valvatorez is acknowledged to be [[BroughtDownToBadass unusually strong for someone who's had his power depleted]] (or just for anyone in general), Val as a Tyrant would have to be a grade-A GameBreaker for him to be anything but OverratedAndUnderleveled -- so they made him a grade-A GameBreaker.
* The {{roguelike}} ''Omega'' gave unlimited free wishes if you became an Adept. You couldn't wish for artifacts, but you could easily create any mundane items you wanted.
* Several characters in the various ''[[DynastyWarriors Warriors]]'' games, usually noted as having really BEEN badass in reality. In ''DynastyWarriors'', Lu Bu is always vastly more powerful than any of the other fighters (In [=DW6=], he gets his own campaign where he kicks the collective ass of Ancient China. Then all the noteable fighters who are already dead come back to life just to get another shot at him, and he STILL beats them all.) In ''SamuraiWarriors'', there's Miyamoto Musashi, legendary master of DualWielding [[KatanasAreJustBetter Katanas]], who is significantly more fearsome than any of his contemporaries. And in ''WarriorsOrochi'', well, basically every member of the 'Orochi Party'. Da Ji, Himiko, Sun Wukong, Kiyomori Taira, and of course, Orochi himself, who has abilities generally above those of mere mortals. [[spoiler:And then there's Orochi Z, who's even MORE overpowered.]]
** Though it's quite notable that Lu Bu seldom actually is overpowered. Yes, his stats are great, and he's easy to use... but he's not as invincible as Ma Chao is on a horse in most Dynasty Warriors games(without taking acount its lack of damage in higher difficulty). In the Orochi games, he seldom ranks in the top ten- in fact, he was in the bottom fifteen in the first game, with Diao Chan being the by far best character. In the second game, EVERYONE is broken with Almighty.
** The second orochi game is pretty notable for giving easy to use or downright broken character right of the bat. You already get the Three King(who have fast combination attack that can be spammed with Sun Jian's special), Musashi Miyamoto, Orochi which can spam C1-1 all day to end a stage, Kunoichi and her broken Invincibility Special. This without counting how early some other great character is unlocked(Zuo Ci being the most notable)
** In ''VideoGame/FistOfTheNorthStarKensRage'', Raoh, being the final boss of many characters' Dream Modes, as well as the boss of Kenshiro and Toki's Legend mode, is made so powerful that even with his base starting stats, he makes even Orochi look like a joke. His starting Signature Move is far and away the most powerful 1-bar (the game uses a slightly modified stock system from other Warriors games) move in the game, strong enough to essentially (and instantly) kill all enemies in sight for a good 100 feet, has outrageously powerful normals with a great reach and tons of guard break, the potentially most powerful Hyper Signature in the game (although pretty much everyone's Mastery 3 Hyper Signature is strong enough to wipe the screen, even of bosses), and can summon Kokuoh-Go, a gigantic horse that, when ridden, instantly kills all Mooks on contact and lasts the entire rest of the stage after being used only once. Don't be surprised when you look at the online high score screens and see Raoh's face on almost every spot.
* The two secret unlockable airships in ''{{Kirby}} Air Ride'', [[FragileSpeedster Dragoon]] and [[MightyGlacier Hydra]], the former of which can fly to near-limitless heights at a very respectable speed, while the latter takes nearly a full minute to charge completely and thus be able to move faster than a paraplegic snail, but once charged moved at ridiculous speeds and could instantly knock out an opponent in a single high-speed hit.
** A fully-charged Hydra ''needs'' the high health it has, since you often go TooFastToStop!
* Oersted in ''LiveALive'' levels up like crazy in his chapter, has amazing stat growth, and some amazing attacks such as Hexaflange. [[spoiler:He becomes Odio, the BigBad]].
* ''DragonQuest 4: Chapters of the Chosen'' lets you play as [[spoiler:Psaro]] when you beat the game once, then backtrack to get a certain item and perform a certain event, then reach the place where you defeated him the first time. He joins your party at a starting level of 35, not so impressive sounding considering you should be level 45-50 when you beat the game... and yet he still manages to outperform your party at every turn. He also learns many powerful skills when leveled up, many of which weren't initially seen until the latter games in the series.
** In ''Dragon Quest 5'', Pankraz, your father, demonstrates his strength when following him in the world map in the beginning of the game and in a later dungeon. You're also awarded with exp. He later becomes less physically dominating: he's level 20 and has good equipment (including his awesome sword), but you're doing damage almost on par with him at level 12, and your HP is getting close to his at that level as well.
* In ''Populous: The Beginning'', between the last two levels you become a god. The main effect this has is that you can cast spells anywhere in the world, without a range limit. Which makes the Blast spell (the cheapest offensive spell, previously hampered by having the shortest range) ''much'' more useful. Especially if you've learned to cast it ''next to'' your target, to throw them into [[SuperDrowningSkills water]]. Yes, the last level is meant to be easy; it appears to be designed for applying VideogameCrueltyPotential to the enemy tribes.
* Nightmare Geese, in the ''KingOfFighters'' and ''FatalFury'' series, is horrendously overpowered. He's able to fire rapid-fire projectiles mid-air, dash around at crazy speeds and create explosions in your face, having massive stats, the list goes on. He's the definitive InfinityPlusOneSword of both series, usually included just to have fun crushing every other character. He's often the last character you unlock, and often the hardest to get. Even in ''[=KOF2K2=] Unlimited Match'', where he shares a roster with Igniz (who retains his infamous infinite from ''[=KOF01=]'') and Krizalid (who gains massive amounts of meter if you ''block'' his signature projectile), he's still considered the most broken character in the game.
* And in the ''BlazBlue'' corner we have [[TrueFinalBoss Unlimited Ragna]], who out-tanks the MightyGlacier character, Iron Tager, with his 3 folded HP; [[LightningBruiser can, quite easily, deal damage in the mid-thousands; is much, ''much'' faster than his original form]]; can air-dash 3 times, while most characters can dash 1 or 2 times at most; has automatic Heat gain; and has a massive life drain on top of that! (He also has one super move that can [[ThisIsGonnaSuck take off 2/3s of his opponent's HP]] [[OhCrap and regenerate 1/2 of his own]], so that's fair...) All of this is completely and utterly justified, because Unlimited Ragna has activated his titular ArtifactOfDoom.
** In the sequel we have the not-quite-as {{Egregious}} example in the form of [[PersonOfMassDestruction Mu-12's]] Unlimited form... She can be somewhat likened to fighting a BulletHell game as the TrueFinalBoss of a fighting game. Just like with Ragna, Mu-12's overpowered-ness is completely justified, as she just happens to be [[JapaneseMythology Kusa]][[PublicDomainArtifact nagi]], [[RageAgainstTheHeavens Sword of The God Slayer]].
** Don't forget [[{{Badass}} Hakumen's]] Unlimited form! "[[BadassBoast A fight? No, this will be a]] ''[[BadAssBoast massacre]]''", indeed... Just like with the above two, Hakumen's overpowered-ness is also completely justified, as he is the Susanoo Unit, the [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Ninja Samurai Animated Armor Robot]] that slayed [[{{Orochi}} the Black Beast]]... Also, [[BroughtDownToBadass he's still unable to access his full power]].
** It could be argued that ALL character's Unlimited modes are purposefully overpowered, but Ragna's stands out as the most triumphant example to date with quite a wide margain.
* The Peacemaker from ''JakII'' and the Supernova from ''{{Jak 3}}''. The Peacemaker would send out a ball of lightning that would always hit an opponent and instantly kill it, after which most other targets that were too close (i.e. 10 meters or so) would be hit by equally lethal beams of lightning erupting from the first target. It was nerfed a bit in in ''Jak 3'' but there you had the Supernova, which is literally a mini-nuke. When fired, the whole screen lights up and when it's cleared, there's no enemy left. These two weapons were only stopped by their very low ammunition count. The Peacemaker could fire 10 shots in ''Jak II'' and 20 in ''Jak 3'', while the Supernova could only be fired twice (and uses up the same ammo as the Peacemaker).
* The ''Franchise/MetalGear'' series generally gives the player a host of game-breaking items to use on a NewGamePlus if certain conditions are met during a playthrough, some conditions more severe than others, including:
** Starting from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', there's the Stealth Camouflage, which makes Snake almost invisible to enemies (except bosses), and the Infinity Bandana, which gives Snake infinite ammunition (assuming Snake has ''any'' ammunition in the first place). These are unlocked by beating the game with Otacon's and Meryl's endings, respectively (do both, and [[AndYourRewardIsClothes you get to wear a tuxedo on your third playthrough]]).
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'' mixes it up by requiring the player to hold up a certain number of enemy sentries and collect their dog tags to unlock the previous items, as well as adding an assortment of wigs that give the player infinite grip and oxygen.
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'' swaps the bandana for face paint that does the same job, and also adds the EZ Gun to the mix. [[EasyModeMockery As you could guess from the name]], the EZ Gun is a stupidly overpowered tranquilizer pistol with infinite ammo, a silencer that never runs out and a laser sight, and it replenishes your stamina and bumps your camo index to 80% when you hold it. Normally it's only available on a NewGamePlus, but it's instantly added to your inventory if you start a game on Very Easy Mode. There's also the Patriot (The Boss's gun of choice), which is basically a [[{{MoreDakka}} chaingun with infinite ammo]], and is also unlocked for the NewGamePlus. Its only downside is wrecking your camo rating, but on the plus side, [[Film/DieHard now you have an infinite-ammo machine gun. Ho ho ho.]]
* ''PuyoPuyo Fever'' has the series mascot Carbuncle as an unlockable character, who is categorized as a "Well-Balanced Player?" by the game - the other [[JackOfAllStats all-around characters]] have no question mark.
* ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'' has the Massacre, which is a fairly powerful weapon, but only available during the final boss fight. Then there is the Null Driver, a '''literal''' GameBreaker, which is only available after finding nearly every single secret in the game and completing every achievement.
* ''StarControl 2'' has the Chmmr Avatar. Max Hp and energy. Ridiculous energy-to-damage efficiency (it can kill any ship with only half of its energy stockpile). Incredible energy regeneration. 3 orbiting satellites that intercept lots of incoming fire. For a capital ship, it is very fast. The only downside is that it's primary weapon is short ranged, but that's OK because it has a ''tractor beam'' as its secondary. Of course, you don't get access to it until right before the final battle...
** ...in which, hilariously enough, it's almost useless. The Sa-Matra's defensive projectiles move too fast for the defense satellites to shoot down, and the ship can't move fast enough to avoid them. Experienced players take FragileSpeedster Pkunk Furies into the fight, which can ''outrun'' the Sa-Matra's projectiles.
** To be fair, due to {{Sandbox}}-ish nature of the game, it is entirely possible to obtain the Sun Device before repairing the Ultron, and thus open Chmmr homeworld without having the Bomb. Thus you will get the Avatar about 2/3 of the game in, and can enjoy them a bit more. The point about Pkunk Furies is seconded though.
** The Utwig Juggernaut may also qualify. Its weapon doesn't take energy, so it can fire all it wants. Any attack can be absorbed by its shields, turning incoming fire into energy, which is used to power the shields, which turns incoming fire into energy, which well you get the point. Well known for being the principle prey to the above-mentioned Avatar (and pretty much the only ship that can kill an Avatar reliably while taking minimal damage). The only way to reliably kill this thing is to drain its shields by using a ship who's weapon doesn't provide more energy than the shields absorb to absorb it. So the Utwig player either drains their energy or takes damage. Getting access to this ship requires completing a long series of quests that take you quite literally to the four corners of known space. By the time you've done this, you're almost at the point where you get the Avatar.
* ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable: The Battle of Aces'' has [[spoiler:Unison Reinforce (Reinforce with Hayate intentionally [[FusionDance Unisoning into her]])]], who you could only use at the final battle of [[spoiler:Reinforce]]'s story. She comes with all eighteen skills in the game where other characters could only use four, turning the normally powerful BigBad into an AnticlimaxBoss.
* In the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series:
** ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' had Colossus armor and the unlockable Master Specter weapons. On lower difficulty levels, this turned you and your squad into unstoppable killing machines. On [[NintendoHard Insanity difficulty]] however, they were the only pieces of equipment that allowed you to survive enemy encounters.
** ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' has the M-920 Cain, a weapon that takes a couple seconds to charge up and fire, but can kill all but a handful of enemies (bosses included) in a single huge area effect blast. Its limiting factor is that it uses a massive amount of Heavy Weapon ammunition, meaning, assuming you're collecting all the heavy weapon ammo in your missions, you only get to fire it once every couple missions on average. That and that huge area effect includes you, if you're too near the target.
** The ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' CoOpMultiplayer has the Cobra Missile Launcher, which kills any enemy it hits instantly, including the DemonicSpiders that normally take precious seconds of sustained fire by the entire team to kill. Its main limitation is that you can (without upgrades) only bring 2 missiles to any mission, so they are best saved for really desperate situations.
* ''DevilMayCry 3'' has as a reward for beating [[HarderThanHard Dante Must Die mode]] the Super Legendary Dark Knight costumes. These not only give unlimited [[SuperMode Devil Trigger]] energy, but also have the HealingFactor of the normal Devil Trigger modes, unlike the Super Dante/Vergil costumes. Furthermore, Dante's version of the Super LDK can use Quicksilver or Doppelganger infinitely, something Super Dante lacks.
* ''CrisisCore: FinalFantasyVII'' has the Heike's Soul item, which combines the benefits of many other accessories. Naturally, it's a reward for completing all missions, which includes defeating the BonusBoss.
* Bleu, the hidden extra character in ''[[BreathOfFire Breath of Fire 2]]''. She gets a LOT of MP and HP, hits reasonably hard, gets the best magic (except boombada) and is not subject to highly diminishing returns when leveling up... but the game creators made her extra strong on purpose: she can't fuse with the shaman spirits.
** She's pretty much this in the ''first'' game as well, although she does level out with the rest of the party by the end of the game.
** Ryu's Dragon Forms in the other games definitely fit, ironically, Ryu's Dragon attacks in II were simply powerful attacks that blew all of Ryu's remaining MP.
* The Valkyrie character class in ''{{Nethack}}'' might qualify. Barbarian was an original class, Valkyrie was added later, with similar starting stats and quality of equipment but more special traits, spellcasting power, and much better magical items. AIUI it was designed to be easier to win the game with. In the descendant game Slash'em, Monks seem to be this, especially when the Doppleganger species.
** Given that ''Nethack'' is so difficult and unforgiving to begin with, the Valkyrie isn't anything like a guaranteed win — but it's a great candidate for a first ascension. Once you ascend a couple times with a Valkyrie, you can start playing with one of the more specialized classes for added challenge.
* In ''MagicalBattleArena'', if you hold down a button while selecting [[{{Slayers}} Lina Inverse]] she will become the Lord of Nightmares. Let me repeat that, the ''[[RealityWarper Lord of]] [[EldritchAbomination Nightmares]]''. She has absurdly high attack power and is immune to damage, but automatically loses after a set period of time.
* [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Archetype: Earth]] in ''MeltyBlood'', by merit of it being an [[spoiler:alternate form of Arcueid Brunestud, [[GrandTheftMe possessed by]] an]] [[EldritchAbomination entity]] that sits quite comfortably above gods and the soul of the world itself. As a member of THE highest rank of beings in the {{Nasuverse}}, balancing it would've been ridiculous.
** To a lesser extent, [[KaraNoKyoukai Ryougi Shiki]] as well. Justified by her Void personality being (or at least [[BadassBoast boasting]] to be) able to kill anything and everything under the sun, including {{God}}. [[spoiler:She can't kill Crimson Moon.]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'', you've got the Experimental MIRV, which fires 8 mini-nukes at once. [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill On normal, just two mini-nukes are enough to kill just about anything]]. However, its durability wears off quickly and there are only so many mini-nukes in the game.
** With the expansions come the Tesla Cannon, a [[EleventhHourSuperpower weapon that deals massive damage with low-costing and plentiful ammo, but comes up at the end of the storyline]]. It can turn [[DemonicSpiders Enclave elite soldiers]] into mush with a single shot. You'll likely never need another weapon ever.
* The [[EleventhHourSuperpower Super Gravity Gun]] in ''{{Half-Life}} 2''. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ41UmUU0QE Check it out in action]].
* VideoGame/EarthDefenseForce2017 has the aptly-named Genocide Gun that does a million HitPoints of damage--enough to one-shot any enemy in the game--and has an enormous blast radius. But you can only get it by [[BraggingRightsReward completing all levels at the highest difficulty]].
* Jade golem and Red minister forms in ''JadeEmpire''. Both are overpowered (Red minister is immune to weapons and Jade Golem is immune to everything else) because you should use them on Jade Master.
* Upgrading your weapons in the first ''PennyArcadeAdventures'' episode makes you kill everything in one hit. Well, except for the final boss (you may be able to beat the final boss without the fully upgraded weapons, but it would take forever).
* Every ''MegaTen'' GameBreaker on every ''MegaTen'' hard mode.
* Falchion in the [[FireEmblemAkaneia first]] ''FireEmblem''. Narga in the [[FireEmblemJugdral 4th]]. Good luck beating the last bosses in the respective games without either.
** All the S (or SS, if this is ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Radiant Dawn]]'') weapons in this series are usually pretty overpowered, as are any special weapons that main characters get (Sieglinde, Ragnell, Armads, etc.).
** The Sword of Seals from ''FireEmblem [[FireEmblemElibe 6]]'' in particular has the power to turn even the most mediocre Roy into an unstoppable juggernaut easily capable of taking out the final boss in just a single turn.
* The Dreadnought in the ''DawnOfWar II'' campaign is a beast, with close-combat strength enough to crush anything less than a boss in a few seconds and an [[GatlingGood assault cannon]] capable of obliterating swarms of lesser enemies before they even get close. It is specifically added at the point in the game when the player begins to fight larger numbers of more powerful enemies (mostly [[BossInMookClothing Carnifexes]]).
** Over on the [[TabletopGames manual]] [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} side]] of the hobby, Games Workshop does this with almost a sick glee, ramping up the power level of whatever faction, race, company, chapter, tank, squad, monster, or single dude that [[MoneyDearBoy they want to sell in large numbers]]. As of February 2011 (a date must be added because there's always some new [[GameBreaker absurd unit]] that renders its predecessor as just another afterthought) the cake seems to be taken by [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Mephiston of the Blood Angels Space Marines chapter]]. Predecessors to this title included [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever the ultra-decked melee Carnifex]] (most notably the mutant [[GoneHorriblyRight Old One Eye]]), the C'tan Nightbringer (whom to this date is still [[CoolButInefficient the single most expensive model]] in the game), [[SuperSoldier Marneus Calgar]], [[KingMook Ghazskull Thraka]], the [[DemonicPossession Bloodthirster]], [[RealityWarper Njarl Stormcaller]] of the [[HornyVikings Space Wolves]], and if you're feeling generous [[BadassNormal Commissar Yarrick]], to the point where nearly every race had at least one. The shock of shocks came when it was realized that Mephiston could curb-stomp [[GeneralFailure Abaddon the Despoiler]], the most tangible and iconic enemy of mankind in the entire setting. Granted, every last one of these characters mentioned could qualify for this trope at some point, but what sets Mephiston apart from all the others is that all the others are priced prohibitively high for what they do (in the ballpark of 275 pts). Mephiston has a statline that makes all the others cry ''and'' is cheaper than just about all of the aforementioned characters. Granted, [[MinMaxing using any of these aforementioned super characters in games of 750 pts or less]] is just ''asking'' to be punched in the face.
** Of course, a more clear cut example of this trope (possibly PlayedForLaughs) is the limited edition 30th anniversary White Dwarf model. To put it briefly, he re-rolls failed rolls to hit, to wound, and forces wounded opponents to re-roll succcessful armour saves. He also has a 1+ armour save, a 4+ ward save, and HALVES the strength of any missile weapon aimed at him. (so if you thought you could just cannonball him in the face, TOO BAD.) Bear in mind, that's just Grombrindal. The model itself also consists of Gortek and Bugman, who both attack separately. Gortek deserves a particular mention, as he deals [[GameBreaker multiple, armour-piercing wounds AUTOMATICALLY (i.e. no dice roll required)]] Oh, and the amound of wounds he deals doubles against Bosses in Mook Clothing. The model's only real weakness is it has to roll on a random movement chart. (although the result that stops you moving also happens to [[StoneWall restore ALL wounds the model has taken.]])
** The 'movie marines' list featuring in White Dwarf #300 (featuring fluff-aligned {{Space Marine}}s) also completely breaks the game, with most of their weapons and stats outclassing their 'regular' equivalents many times over: Armies of Movie Marines usually cost in the upwards of 2000 points for about 10 marines, yet each of these marines are a OneManArmy and can usually kill twice their worth in forces each. The list is not tournament legal and Games Workshop made it clear it was designed that way on purpose; it's only intended for 'friendly' games (the marines even have {{Stunt Double}}s, just to give you an idea of how 'serious' it is).
* Even the GranTurismo series has those. In the third one the Escudo could be tuned to have 1843 horsepower. That's it: ''nearly two thousand horsepower''. And from Gran Turismo 5 we have the Red Bull X1, so fast that ''looks like the video is on fast forward''.
* The main characters in ''{{Persona 3}}'' and ''{{Persona 4}}'' vastly outclass the rest of their parties put together, with the ability to change their skill set, resistances, and weakness at any time. Balanced out a bit by WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou.
** Note that "vastly outclasses" does not mean "GodMode". The protagonist is 100% as vulnerable as the rest of the party, and the ability to change personas at will is tempered by the fact that those personas will not level up nearly as fast as the rest of the party, each one has a level requirement and a lot of them take a lot of time, effort and money to get, compared to the other party members who can just grind their way to high-tiered skills.
* The Staff of Oblivion in ''{{Nox}}'' will take a huge chunk out of an enemy's life when used on them long enough. By the time you acquire it, the only one who can actually stand against is is the BigBad herself, and she won't give you enough time to get the best of it. The huge army of EliteMooks she sends to take it from you are only there to demonstrate how effective this weapon truly is (before that encounter, a fight with individual EliteMooks was so complicated, the entire final act could be considered a BossRush).
* Orlandu in ''FinalFantasyTactics''. A legendary swordsman, Combining the entire skill sets of 3 good special classes, having enhanced stats and one of the best swords in the game (that also compliments him by giving him auto haste).
** His son also counts; his unique class, Astrologer, has only a single move to its name... which automatically stops, immobilizes, and disarms every single enemy on the field regardless of range (separately, so immunity to any one status effect still doesn't protect them.) For free. Fortunately or unfortunately, he only joins you for one battle, and you can't control him. Many fans have commented on the absurdity of a battle where you team up with somebody as overpowered as Orran, and ''you'' are supposed to rescue ''him''.
* Most of the bonus characters in the ''SuperRobotWars'' games, who are you reward for doing various things, or just getting to the real final chapter.
* Anything made of diamond in {{Minecraft}}. They're more durable and efficient than any other materials, and greatly outperform iron, the second-best material. The diamond sword, for example, can kill most enemies in three hits, and the diamond pickax can mine the widest range of blocks and lasts six times as long as the iron pickax before breaking. Diamond armor lasts more than twice as long as iron armor, and a new set can reduce damage by 80% as opposed to 60% for iron. However, all of this is justified because diamond is by far the [[JustForPun hardest]] resource to find.
** IIRC, a full set of diamond armor in 1.0.0 will allow the player to [[ConvectionSchmonvection swim in lava]] for an unholy amount of time.
* In ''VideoGame/DeadSpace2'', the Handcannon (or Foam Finger) gun falls into this catagory as well. It can kill any Necromorph in one shot, and it kills the final boss in less than five. Oh yeah, and the thing has infinite ammo, fires as fast as you can full the trigger, and has Isaac scream out "BANG!" or "PEW!" depending on weither you use the primary fire or secondary fire. But to be fair, the gun can only be unlocked after beating the game on Hard Core mode, which can only be accessed after beating the game once already on any difficulty. Plus, on Hard Core mode, the game only lets you have three saves though out that run, and you cannot use a New Game+ to run through it either.
* Ash's final class, the Vandalier, in ''VandalHearts'', which can only be obtained after going through several difficult steps. Ash gains access to all spells in the game (including ones cast only by items and enemies), very high attack damage, and is virtually invulnerable from any direction but the back. It's a level of domination that can't be unintentional.
* [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Dark]] [[{{X-Men}} Phoenix]] in ''MarvelVsCapcom3'' (released upon Phoenix getting knocked out while having five full Hyper Gauges in stock), presumably to compensate for the fragility and shortcomings of normal Phoenix. And because in the comics, Dark Phoenix came within about two seconds of [[ApocalypseHow destroying the entire universe]].
* Good luck beating the [[BonusBoss Bonus Bosses]] in [[VideoGame/WildARMs2 [=WildARMS=] 2]] without [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Knight Blazer]].
** The Sheriff Star in every game is like this: The highest single stat boost any other accessories can give? The star gives that boost to ''all of them''. Add status immunity and elemental resistances and you've got yourself a GameBreaker. It's also the reward for the BonusBoss.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' is full of numerous examples of overpowered unlockable NewGamePlus weapons, one or two of them accumulated as bonus content from various re-releases. Perhaps the most powerful of them is the Wii version of the PRL. When originally added to the PS2 port of the game, the gun was effectively a source of infinite flash grenades when fired without charging, and when charged, it was an insta-kill laser blast. When the game was ported to the Wii, however, it was beefed up so that it's charged attack would fire ''many'' beams in one blast, each of which would auto-target a particular enemy and kill it. The end result was that ''everything in front of you'' would die in one charged shot, with even the enemies halfway across the map getting sniped down.
* In the comic books upon which ''TheRedStar'' was based, Maya was an ''incredibly'' powerful spellcaster. In the game, you have to win once in order to unlock her, and for [[BraggingRightsReward good reason]].
* ''TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' has the Fierce Deity Mask, and to a lesser extent, the Giant's Mask, which [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin turn Link into some kind of war god and a giant, respectively]]. The first is optional, requires you to have found every other mask in the game, and is found in the room before the final boss (though you can use it in rematches against the other bosses, for [[CurbstompBattle stress]] [[HilarityEnsues relief]]). The latter must be acquired to progress but not necessary to defeat the boss, though it certainly makes the battle more [[{{Kaiju}} fair]].
* Equipping the String of Beads in ''{{Okami}}'' makes it outright impossible for you to lose, even if you try. Amaterasu becomes completely invincible, has endless amounts of ink to use, and every single attack deals ''ten times'' as much damage as it would normally.
** Still not quite fair compensation for what we went through trying to get the bead away from [[ThatOneBoss Blockhead Grande]]. Seriously. [[spoiler: Good luck getting the bead unless you have a VCR and a dry erase marker.]]
* Nobunaga in ''SengokuBasara: Samurai Heroes'' is the most powerful character by far. He's also the resident BonusBoss and the most complicated to unlock.
* ''Everything'' in ''CommandAndConquerRedAlert3 Uprising'', which is why there's no multiplayer mode. The grand prize probably goes to the Rising Sun Gigafortress: a massive, self-aware battleship with several battleship guns and several rocket pods (each as powerful as a separate unit in their own right) that can transform into a flying artillery piece that takes out everything.
** Also, the campaign-only Shogun Executioner from vanilla ''Red Alert 3'', a giant mech with three instant-killing swords that can trample buildings to death. It fears only artillery, and is available only in two campaign missions. In one, it's the ''only'' unit the primary player fields.
* At the end of ''SuperMetroid'', Samus is given the Hyper Beam during the last stage of the fight with Mother Brain. It's rather important as it's the only thing that can hurt her, however you get to keep it during the [[CatastrophicCountdown timed escape sequence]] and any enemies foolish enough to get in your way are obliterated by it in one shot.
** Similarly, the Omega Cannon in ''MetroidPrime: Hunters''. Although it is only used against the final boss, it is the ''only'' weapon (out of a huge weapon pool) that is capable of harming it. It can also be used in multiplayer, where it is the strongest weapon of the stage.
* The Sleg in HuntedTheDemonsForge combines this with SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity as it is only available for some very difficult battles. It makes the drinker invulnerable with infinite mana and arrows and greatly increases damage turning horrendously difficult battles into near guaranteed victories. The catch? [[spoiler: It's a trap, drinking it is part of an evil plan and prevents getting the good ending]]
* Hyper Sonic in ''Sonic 3 and Knuckles''. So long as you maintain your ring total, '''nothing''' can stop you.
* The ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' DLC 'Behind Her Blue Flame' grants you control of the Imperial LadyOfWar herself, Selvaria Bles, for two skirmishes. To put it into perspective: she carries the only known machine gun in the entire game (the resident shocktroopers only carry ''sub''machine guns), which hurts like hell and is absurdly-accurate to boot, easily capable of delivering rapid-fire ''headshots.'' She also boasts near tank-like defense, soaking up enemy interception fire like nobody's business. To top it all off, she's the only playable foot soldier that has 4-digit HP - in a game where your foot soldiers usually max out at ''400.'' All of this is offset by the rest of the troops under her command, who are ''still'' easily gunned down CannonFodder, while the Gallian Army soldiers they fight hit, hurt, ''and'' dodge with the stats and skill of a high-level, player-controlled team.
** And if you're able to A-rank all [[spoiler:three]] of her skirmishes, [[spoiler:a final skirmish opens up, giving you command of ''[[SuperMode Awakened Valkyria Selvaria.]]'' In this state, her defense goes through the roof - nothing short of tank shells and ''bags'' of gatling gun bullets can even ''chip'' at her HP - and she swaps out her machine gun for her Valkyrian lance and shield, which boasts a rapid-fire mode and a single-shot, 'kill everything directly in front of me' mode. Her troops are ''still'' about as tough as cardboard, though.]]
* Heirloom items in ''WorldOfWarcraft'', also known as [=BoA=] ("Bind on Account") items, level up while you do and can be bought by higher-level characters to give to lower leveled ones on the same account. Not only are their stats better than anything else until level cap, but some of them provide an EXP boost. They aren't really ''too'' much stronger than most items, you can't do level-appropriate stuff solo, but they're generally as good as or slightly better than the best you could find at that level, and generally in a one-on-one PVP fight the guy wearing Heirlooms is going to win. This is intentional on the part of developers; heirloom items are intended to help level alternate characters faster, so that people who have already seen the main storyline and know the basics of the game don't have to slog through it on lower-level characters with feeble gear.
* In the {{Morrowind}} expansion Tribunal, you can [[spoiler: kill King Hlaalu Helseth.]] If you managed to do that, you can loot the best defensive item in the game: A ring with 100% Reflect, 100% Resist Magicka, 100% Resist Paralysis, AND health and fatigue restoration. Note that all of these effects are ''constant''.
* Battletech did this over and over, though justified in that the timelime progresses. When the game was first created, there were only 17 different weapons, all well balanced against each other, and every mech had single heat sinks. For the Autocannons, the high damage AC20 had only 40% of the range of the AC2 (9 hexes vs. 24). At the time the AC20 was also the only weapon that could take the head off a mech in 1 shot (1/36 chance of head hit, 12 damage needed to kill. Weapons that can do 12 in 1 shot are known as headchoppers). Then Star League tech was introduced, including the Gauss Rifle, which could do 15 damage at 23 hexes, making the previously badass AC20 completely obsolete. Then the Clans were introduced, who aside from all their weapons being longer ranged, stronger, and lighter, also got the Clan ERPPC, an energy (doesn't need ammo) headchopper with the same range as the Gauss, and the Ultra AC20, which was just like the AC20 except it fires 2 shots at a time. In the ensuing 15 years, 7 more headchopping weapons were introduced, all with longer range than the AC20, and many not needing ammo. The most overpowered units in the game mount several of these. For the Inner Sphere, the Thunderhawk carries 3 Gauss Rifles. For the Clans, The Annihilator C2 has 4 Gauss Rifles AND an ERPPC.
* The Classic XI team and other "legendary" teams in ''FIFASoccer'' is this. While it is expected in a sports game to have teams that are obviously better than another, these teams basically have players with maxed stats and are overall better than the best regular team. It's kind of justified since the whole team is made up of the best players throughout the history of the sport.
* Mario's [[NewSuperMarioBros2 Gold Flower]] power-up, full stop. While his speed, strength, etc. is still normal, the fireballs are ridiculously powerful. They can take out ''any'' enemy, including bosses, in one hit; give Mario a ton of coins; and even turn blocks near where they hit into coins.
* In ''VideoGame/DuelSaviorDestiny'' during the latter half of the final route you gain access to the incredibly powerful Muriel Sheerfield, also known as the academy principal. Her normal attacks are comparable to the supers of her daughter and she has truly outstanding range. She waltzes right through all of the maps she's available in, which is entirely intentional for two reasons: First, [[spoiler:she's already an accomplished hero]] and two [[spoiler:she's normally a midboss, not an ally]].
* The Dragonrend Shout in ''TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' fits. You get it near the end of the main quest by reading an Elder Scroll on the Time Wound, which causes you to flash back to witness the people who first created and used it. It only affects Dragons, by causing them to fall out of the sky and become more vulnerable. Without the ability to fly, Dragons become far easier to fight.
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* Kreia in ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic 2'' uses 42 point buy for her stats and unlike the other {{NPC}}s has basic optimization in their placement, by contrast Atton gets 28 (and has a pretty bad placement), the player gets 30. This fits into her character, the player characters mentor during the game, former Sith Lord and [[spoiler: the BigBad]].

* Ghaleon in ''[[LunarSilverStarStoryComplete Lunar: The Silver Star]]'', because he's one of the Four Heroes. [[spoiler: And the BigBad.]]

* The Classic IX team and other "legendary" teams in ''FIFASoccer'' is this. While it is expected in a sports game to have teams that are obviously better than another, these teams basically have players with maxed stats and are overall better than the best regular team. It's kind of justified since the whole team is made up of the best players throughout the history of the sport.

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'' swaps the bandana for face paint that does the same job, and also adds the EZ Gun to the mix. [[EasyModeMockery As you could guess from the name]], the EZ Gun is a stupidly overpowered tranquilizer pistol with infinite ammo, a silencer that never runs out and a laser sight, and it replenishes your stamina and bumps your camo index to 80% when you hold it. Normally it's only available on a NewGamePlus, but it's instantly added to your inventory if you start a game on Very Easy Mode. There's also the Patriot (The Boss's gun of choice), which is basically a [[{{MoreDakka}} chaingun with infinite ammo]], and is also unlocked for the NewGamePlus. Its only downside is wrecking your camo rating, but what machine gun doesn't do that?

* ''ResidentEvil4'' is full of numerous examples of overpowered unlockable NewGamePlus weapons, one or two of them accumulated as bonus content from various re-releases. Perhaps the most powerful of them is the Wii version of the PRL. When originally added to the PS2 port of the game, the gun was effectively a source of infinite flash grenades when fired without charging, and when charged, it was an insta-kill laser blast. When the game was ported to the Wii, however, it was beefed up so that it's charged attack would fire ''many'' beams in one blast, each of which would auto-target a particular enemy and kill it. The end result was that ''everything in front of you'' would die in one charged shot, with even the enemies halfway across the map getting sniped down.

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'' swaps the bandana for face paint that does the same job, and also adds the EZ Gun to the mix. [[EasyModeMockery As you could guess from the name]], the EZ Gun is a stupidly overpowered tranquilizer pistol with infinite ammo, a silencer that never runs out and a laser sight, and it replenishes your stamina and bumps your camo index to 80% when you hold it. Normally it's only available on a NewGamePlus, but it's instantly added to your inventory if you start a game on Very Easy Mode. There's also the Patriot (The Boss's gun of choice), which is basically a [[{{BFG}} chaingun with infinite ammo]], and is also unlocked for the NewGamePlus. Its only downside is wrecking your camo rating, but what machine gun doesn't do that?

** In the FistOfTheNorthStar themed spinoff Ken's Rage, Raoh, being the final boss of many characters' Dream Modes, as well as the boss of Kenshiro and Toki's Legend mode, is made so powerful that even with his base starting stats, he makes even Orochi look like a joke. His starting Signature Move is far and away the most powerful 1-bar (the game uses a slightly modified stock system from other Warriors games) move in the game, strong enough to essentially (and instantly) kill all enemies in sight for a good 100 feet, has outrageously powerful normals with a great reach and tons of guard break, the potentially most powerful Hyper Signature in the game (although pretty much everyone's Mastery 3 Hyper Signature is strong enough to wipe the screen, even of bosses), and can summon Kokuoh-Go, a gigantic horse that, when ridden, instantly kills all Mooks on contact and lasts the entire rest of the stage after being used only once. Don't be surprised when you look at the online high score screens and see Raoh's face on almost every spot.

* In the ''Frachise/MassEffect'' series:

** The ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' CoOpMultiplayer has the Cobra Missile Launcher, which kills any enemy it hits instantly, including the DemonicSpiders that normally take precious seconds of sustained fire by the entire team to kill. It's main limitation is that you can only bring 2 (without upgrades) missiles to any mission, so it is best saved for really desperate situations.

* The original ''MassEffect'' had Colossus armor and the unlockable Master Specter weapons. On lower difficulty levels, this turned you and your squad into unstoppable killing machines. On [[NintendoHard Insanity difficulty]] however, they were the only pieces of equipment that allowed you to survive enemy encounters.
** The sequel has the M-920 Cain, a weapon that takes a couple seconds to charge up and fire, but can kill all but a handful of enemies (bosses included) in a single huge area effect blast. Its limiting factor is that it uses a massive amount of Heavy Weapon ammunition, meaning, assuming you're collecting all the heavy weapon ammo in your missions, you only get to fire it once every couple missions on average. That and that huge area effect includes you, if you're too near the target.

* ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha A's Portable: The Battle of Aces'' has [[spoiler:Unison Reinforce (Reinforce with Hayate intentionally [[FusionDance Unisoning into her]])]], who you could only use at the final battle of [[spoiler:Reinforce]]'s story. She comes with all eighteen skills in the game where other characters could only use four, turning the normally powerful BigBad into an AnticlimaxBoss.