History Main / RemovedAchillesHeel

** ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'': The Second Death Star was planned to be built without the weakness of the first one. Instead of a single thermal exhaust port large enough for a pair of proton torpedoes to enter, its reactor would instead dissipate heat through millions of millimeter-sized heat dispersion tubes, which would render it immune to that tactic. Fortunately, it was destroyed before it was fully completed, when there were still many openings in its superstructure leading to the reactor.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}''

-->-- '''Rahab''' on his immunity to [[KillItWithWater water]], ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain: Soul Reaver''

** Moebius has a scepter that is enchanted to weaken any vampires he uses it against. Raziel is completely unaffected by the scepter due to him being [[CameBackWrong 'remade']], and while Kain is initially affected by the scepter, he discovers that he's become immune to its effects when Moebius tries to use it against him towards the end of ''Defiance'' (as a side-effect of [[spoiler:Raziel ripping Kain's heart from his chest during a previous encounter]]).
** And in ''Soul Reaver'', the Rahabim Vampires have evolved into amphibians, overcoming [[KillItWithWater the vampiric weakness to water]] [[spoiler:(but [[DiscardAndDraw losing the ability]] to [[WeakenedByTheLight resist sunlight]])]] in the process. By [[spoiler:killing their leader Rahab and absorbing his soul]], Raziel also overcomes this weakness.

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', the only surefire ways to kill a Demon is to either behead them with Nichirin swords or by sunlight. [[spoiler: Muzan Kibutsuji, the manga's BigBad, as well as the top three-ranked Demons, Kokushibo, Doma and Akaza are immune to beheading due to sheer BodyHorror the former employs, and the other Demons having a higher will to resist dying; while Nezuko herself is immune to sunlight.]][[spoiler:When Muzan revives and possesses Tanjiro in a last-ditch attempt to save himself, he's also immune to the sun.]]

* This trope pops out multiple times in Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba. Normally, a demon can be destroyed only by [[WeakenedByTheLight exposing them to sunlight]], [[OffWithHisHead cutting off their head]] with a Nichirin Blade, or by using poisons mixed with [[SupernaturalRepellent Wisteria flowers]]. Multiple strong demons throughout the series gained a resistance or outright immunity to one or more of these weaknesses. A few examples:
** Daki can survive being decapitated because she's connected to another demon ([[spoiler:her brother Gyutaro]]): decapitation only works if they both lose their heads at the same time.
** Several high-ranking demons are resistant to Wisteria poison. Depending on the dose and potency of the poison in question, they can either be temporarily paralyzed or weakened, or ignore the poison outright.
** [[spoiler:Nezuko]] eventually develops an immunity to sunlight.

* In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'', the otherwise hard to damage {{Mech|anicalMonster}}on are easily dispatched by [[LegendaryWeapon the Monado]]. Early on in the game, however, Faced Mechon show up who can NoSell the Monado like any other weapon, which in turn forces the heroes to take them down the hard way. [[spoiler:In turn, the Monado later gets a MidSeasonUpgrade which lets it take on Faced Mechon with ease.]]

* The Angels from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' had a Core that, if destroyed, would mean the Angel's destruction as well. But the eleventh Angel Ireul was a HiveMind made of nanoscale entities, meaning that they didn't have a core, at least not that the heroes could detect and destroy as usual. Iruel ''also'' had an AdaptiveAbility that allowed it to learn and become immune to anything that they used against it.
** The eponymous Evangelions usually become sitting ducks when their energy runs out unless they go berserk, [[spoiler:as their armor's safeguards activate and immobilize them.]] However, [[spoiler:Eva-01/Yui Ikari eliminates her weakness by eating Zeruel's core, absorbing the Angel's power source for her own uses.]]

* In the ''Fanfic/FacingTheFutureSeries'', one of the benefits of Skulker's armor being upgraded by Technus is that he's now immune to Tucker hacking into his operating system.

* An episode of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' featured a trainer that made her [[ColdIron Steel-type Skarmory]] fight exclusively against [[PlayingWithFire Fire Pokémon]] until [[ScissorsCutsRock it overcame its weakness against Fire]].
** Another episode featured another trainer who had his [[DishingOutDirt Ground-type Sandshrew]] repeatedly dive into a pool to help it overcome its weakness against [[MakingASplash water]].
** Another trainer came up with a way to let her [[BlowYouAway Flying Pokémon]] ground [[ShockAndAwe electricity]] without getting seriously hurt.

* ''Film/Gremlins2TheNewBatch'': When the Gremlins break into the genetics lab, one of them mutates into a [[MixAndMatchCritters Bat-Gremlin hybrid]]. Brain Gremlin, who had just gained sentience from drinking a brain hormone, injects his winged compadre with genetic sunblock, which makes him resistant to the Gremlins' [[WeakenedByTheLight fatal weakness to sunlight]] so that he can go on a rampage in the city. Why he didn't give the formula to ''all'' the gremlins is another matter.

** In [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Battle Tendency]], a Pillar Man who wears a Stone Mask empowered with the Red Stone of Aja will become immune to both sunlight and the Ripple, the only two things that could kill them.

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', the only surefire ways to kill a Demon is to either behead them with Nichirin swords or by sunlight. [[spoiler: Muzan Kibutsuji, the manga's BigBad, as well as the top three-ranked Demons, Kokushibou, Douma and Akaza are immune to beheading due to sheer BodyHorror the former employs, and the other Demons having a higher will to resist dying; while Nezuko herself is immune to sunlight.]][[spoiler:When Muzan revives and possesses Tanjiro in a last-ditch attempt to save himself, he's also immune to the sun.]]

* The ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' 3rd Edition sourcebook ''Draconomicon'' offered a selection of "Monstrous Feats" suited for dragons, with the [[{{Determinator}} Iron Will]] feat as a prerequisite. Suppress Weakness downgrades how much additional damage a creature would take from an energy type they're vulnerable to, so an ice-breathing white dragon with the feat would take 25% extra damage from a fire attack instead of 50%. The improved version of the feat, Overcome Weakness, removes that energy vulnerability altogether, so all attacks of that energy type would deal standard damage.

* In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'', Gwyn was noted for his vulnerability to parrying; a skilled player could give him a truly dreadful time with it. [[spoiler:As the second phase of the Soul of Cinder]] in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', [[spoiler:he can no longer be parried; players have reported hearing Gwyn's battle music go, instinctively going for a parry, and ending up getting torched]].

* Becoming this is Deacon Frost's goal in ''Film/{{Blade}}''. Until he completes the dark ritual, he and his followers have to use a thick covering of sun lotion to survive in sunlight.

** The Vulture Droids of the [[Characters/StarWarsTradeFederation Trade Federation]] and the [[Characters/StarWarsSeparatistAlliance Separa]][[Characters/StarWarsSeparatistMilitary tists]] could be remote piloted, allowing them to fight automated or help people out in certain situations, as first shown in ''[[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E18MysteryOfAThousandMoons Mystery of a Thousand Moons]]'' where 4 of them owned by Jaybo Hood are controlled by R2 to get rid of the prototype of the Death Star's superlaser preventing people from leaving Iego. After the rise of the Empire, [[Literature/StarWarsThrawn Nightswan/[[spoiler:Nevil Cygni]] and his band of insurgents would acquire at least 400 of them to fight future Grand Admiral Thrawn at Umbara, who remarks how effective that strategy is, since a small team could handle the dogfighting against Imperial prosperity.]] However, it adds new weaknesses such as maintaining a connection 24/7 and making sure the data center controlling them isn't shot down.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': In ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', the Second Death Star was planned to be built without the weakness of the first one. Instead of a single thermal exhaust port large enough for a pair of proton torpedoes to enter, its reactor would instead dissipate heat through millions of millimeter-sized heat dispersion tubes, which would render it immune to that tactic. Fortunately, it was destroyed before it was fully completed, when there were still many openings in its superstructure leading to the reactor.

-->'''Trantor:''' I've grown too strong for that. [[NothingCanStopMeNow Not even milk can stop me now!]]

* ''Film/Gremlins2TheNewBatch'': When the Gremlins break into the genetics lab, one of them mutates into a [[MixAndMatchCritters Bat-Gremlin hybrid]]. Another Gremlin who recently gained sentience because of a brain potion injects his winged compadre with another mixture that makes him resistant to the Gremlins' [[WeakenedByTheLight fatal weakness to sunlight]] so that he can go on a rampage in the city. Why he didn't give the potion to ''all'' the gremlins is another matter.

* ''Film/Gremlins2TheNewBatch'': When the Gremlins break into the genetics lab, one of them mutates into a [[MixAndMatchCritters Bat-Gremlin hybrid]]. Another Gremlin who recently gained sentience because of a brain potion injects his winged compadre with another mixture that makes him resistant to the Gremlins' [[WeakenedByTheLight fatal weakness to sunlight]] so that he can go on a rampage in the city. Why he didn't take the potion himself is another matter.

* ''Fanfic/WithThisRing'': New Gods are [[SuperToughness much more resilient than humans]], especially if it relates to their divine domain, and they have a significant HealingFactor, but radion weapons will bypass their divine resistance and poison them. Except that New Gods are ''also'' perfectly capable of using power rings, which have no special weakness to radion -- as [[spoiler:Vandal Savage]] learns to his cost when facing the Renegade with a radion pistol.
--> '''[[spoiler:Vandal Savage]]:''' I was told that your kind were vulnerable to radion weapons.\\

* Franchise/{{Pokemon}}

** There's an entire playstyle that revolves around this concept. It uses the move Trick Room, which inverts the speed check for several turns. Basically, fast mons move slow and slow mons move fast. This turns [[MightyGlacier Mighty Glaciers]] like Conkledurr and Alolan Marowak into full on [[LightningBruiser Lightning Bruisers]], while [[FragileSpeedster Fragile Speedsters]] like Tapu Koko and Weavile become pretty much useless.

* The Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Slaking has some of the best stats in the game, comparable to some Legendaries, but is held back by its ability, Truant, only allowing it to attack every second turn. Yet there are some moves and abilities, like Skill Swap or Neutralizing Gas, that can remove or replace this ability, allowing the ape to unleash his full potential every turn.

* In the Wii installment of ''VideoGame/PunchOut'', many opponents cover up their weaknesses during Title Defense. For example, Glass Joe wears headgear to protect his glass jaw while King Hippo wears a manhole cover over his stomach. Special mention, however, goes to Bald Bull. Normally, Bald Bull will instantly be knocked down if he's punched in the stomach during his Bull Charge. In Title Defense? Bald Bull will keep his balance and go right back to fighting.