History Main / StoneWall

* Violet of ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': near-impregnable defense thanks to her BarrierWarrior abilities, but she's hard-pressed to actually do anything to her aggressors. Somewhat averted in the [[WesternAnimation/Incredibles2 sequel]], where she learns to use her force fields offensively, such as when she used them to hit a hypnotised Voyd so that she could prevent being hypnotised herself.
* Po from ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' is a large Panda. He is slower than most of his allies and his opponents, and his own punches rarely hit hard, but Po's fat allows him to literally rebound many attacks and ignore otherwise debilitating hits. Even as his speed increases in the films he still takes out most of his foes by hitting the enemy back with their own attacks.

* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': During the Second Battle of Axum, the Republic Navy deploys a trio of ''Mandator II''-class star dreadnaughts from Kuat Drive Yards. At [[MileLongShip eight kilometers long]], the Mandators are one of the few warships the Republic Navy has which can match the Imperium's [[UnnecessarilyLargeVessel gigantic capital ships]] in size and power. However, the Mandators are severely undergunned due to heavy armament restrictions placed on the ship's designers by the [[FictionalGenevaConventions Ruusan Reformations]]. The ship designers compensated for this by focusing on drastically improving the energy output of the Mandator's shield generators. As a result, the Mandator has extremely powerful DeflectorShields capable of withstanding a prolonged barrage from Imperial warships (every other Republic ship normally goes down after taking a [[OneHitKill single hit]] from their Imperial counterparts). At one point during the SpaceBattle, the Imperial flagship [[RammingAlwaysWorks rams]] the lead Mandator at full acceleration and fails to break through its shields.

* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': During the Second Battle of Axum, the Republic Navy deploys a trio of ''Mandator II''-class star dreadnaughts from Kuat Drive Yards. At [[MileLongShip eight kilometers long]], the Mandators are one of the few warships the Republic Navy has which can match the Imperium's [[UnnecessarilyLargeVessel gigantic capital ships]] in size and power. However, the Mandators are severely undergunned due to the heavy armament restrictions placed on the ship's designers by the [[FictionalGenevaConventions Ruusan Reformations]]. The ship designers compensated for this by focusing on drastically improving the energy output of the Mandator's shield generators. As a result, the Mandator has extremely powerful DeflectorShields capable of withstanding a prolonged barrage from Imperial warships (every other Republic ship normally goes down after taking a [[OneHitKill single hit]] from their Imperial counterparts). At one point during the SpaceBattle, the Imperial flagship [[RammingAlwaysWorks rams]] the lead Mandator at full acceleration and fails to break through its shields.

* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': During the Second Battle of Axum, the Republic Navy deploys a trio of ''Mandator II''-class star dreadnaughts from Kuat Drive Yards. At [[MileLongShip eight kilometers long]], the Mandators are one of the few warships the Republic Navy has which can match the Imperium's [[UnnecessarilyLargeVessel gigantic capital ships]] in size and power. However, the Mandators are severely undergunned due to heavy armament restrictions placed on the ship's designers by the [[FictionalGenevaConventions Ruusan Reformations]]. However, the designers compensated for this by focusing on drastically improving the energy output of the Mandator's shield generators. As a result, the Mandator has extremely powerful DeflectorShields capable of withstanding a prolonged barrage from Imperial warships (every other Republic ship normally goes down after taking a [[OneHitKill single hit]] from their Imperial counterparts). At one point during the SpaceBattle, the Imperial flagship [[RammingAlwaysWorks rams]] the lead Mandator at full acceleration and fails to break through its shields.

** "Parking the Bus" is a term used to describe teams that after gaining a lead, drop almost all of their players back behind midfield for defense. Chelsea (during the Mourinho era) made this their primary strategy in the UsefulNotes/EnglishPremierLeague. Ironically enough, "Parking the Bus" is a phrase that is attributed to Jose Mourinho himself, in criticism of teams which played against his squad using this strategy.

* When he was still active as a football manager, this was what defined Tony Pulis' template for the teams he organised. It was often billed as an ultra-pragmatic style of football, utilising two DEFENSIVE banks of four, with the second striker often falling back into midfield to create a defensive overload across the length of the pitch - meaning that at any point that his team wasn't in possession, the opponent would have NINE players with their backs to their own goal '''at all times'''. Further reading on 'Pulisball' [[https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/tony-pulis-the-old-school-manager-that-ripped-up-the-premier-league-rulebook here]].

** "Parking the Bus" is a term used to describe teams that after gaining a lead, drop almost all of their players back behind midfield for defense. Chelsea has made this their primary strategy in the UsefulNotes/EnglishPremierLeague.

If the GlassCannon believes that the best defense is a good offense, the reverse is true of this guy. The Stone Wall's offense is nothing to write home about, if it even [[ScratchDamage technically exists]]. But he's tough. [[MadeOfIron Really, really tough]]. And if anything can put him down, odds are he's quick enough on the recovery to get right back up for round two.

This trope partly takes its name from a real-life example: [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson won the Battle of Bull Run]] due to his strategy to not retreat from his line, no matter how bad things went for him. And for a while, things went pretty bad. General Jackson himself is not an example of this trope despite the nickname, as outside of that particular battle, he was most noted for his offensive campaigns.

This trope partly takes its name from a real-life example: Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson won [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar the Battle of Bull Run]] due to his strategy to not retreat from his line, no matter how bad things went for him. And for a while, things went pretty bad. General Jackson himself is not an example of this trope despite the nickname, as outside of that particular battle, he was most noted for his offensive campaigns.

This trope partly takes its name from a real-life example: Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson won the battle of Bull Run due to his strategy to not retreat from his line, no matter how bad things went for him. And for a while, things went pretty bad. General Jackson himself is not an example of this trope despite the nickname, as outside of that particular battle, he was most noted for his offensive campaigns.

* In the ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' episode "The Homer They Fall", Homer is revealed to be a Stone Wall, with Dr. Hibbert noting that his brain has a fluid cushion around it that acts like a football helmet. He can withstand constant blows from his boxing opponents, but is a very weak fighter. He wins fights only by waiting for his opponents to become exhausted, and then pushing them over. However upon confronting Drederick Tatum this tactic fails as the [[Creator/MikeTyson Tyson]] {{Expy}} is heavyweight champion, and easily capable of hitting hard enough to knock out Homer.

** [[EmergentGameplay The "Lockdown" build]], which wields a [[BladeOnAStick long-reach weapon]], focuses on making [[CounterAttack attacks of opportunity]] in response to as many types of action as possible, then uses them to deliver nondamaging attacks which halt movement. While it will take a Lockdown user longer to defeat his enemies than one that counterattacks normally, it means he can keep {{Close Range Combatant}}s from getting close enough to attack him, and prevent {{Long Range Fighter}}s from getting far enough away to do the same.

* Darkness of ''LightNovel/{{Konosuba}}'' is a Crusader, prioritizing defense over offense. She takes this [[CripplingOverSpecialization to the extreme]] however; being ''so'' heavily invested in defense that it's [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy almost impossible for her to actually hit anything with her sword]] because she doesn't put any of her skill points into offense or accuracy. That said, she's also a [[TooKinkyToTorture masochist]], to the point that [[ArentYouGoingToRavishMe she ends up freaking out whomever she's fighting by going in great detail what she wants to have happen to her]].

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' plays with this: Kamijou Touma is a fairly skilled brawler [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower with above-average strength]], but his power [[AntiMagic Imagine Breaker]], together with a [[SpiderSense limited form of precognition]], not to mention him being ''[[{{Determinator}} insanely]]'' [[MadeOfIron hard to]] [[ImplacableMan kill]], makes him the perfect shield against any type of magic or esper power. However, he can be harmed by conventional means (eg., anything that isn't supernatural like guns, knives, etc).

* Another main character example is Naofumi Iwatani, the titular character of ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero''. As the titular Shield Hero, his legendary weapon is a shield, which, while leaving him near useless as far as offensive potential goes, gives him top-notch defense. He usually leaves offense to his party members- notably [[FragileSpeedster Raphtalia]] and [[GlassCannon Filo]]. Thoroughly averted when he unleashes the power of his [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Curse Series]] shield, which gives him enough firepower to shred bosses that the other heroes can barely inflict ScratchDamage on, [[CastFromSanity though it comes with a risk of losing himself to his rage]].

** The lightsaber style of Soresu is essentially the Turtling variant of this trope, created to defend both against multiple blaster-wielding foes and single opponents. However, it requires both the endurance and the concentration to last until the opponent (finally) shows a weakness in ''their'' defense, or else it will merely delay the inevitable. Obi-Wan Kenobi is acknowledged in canon as the ultimate master of this technique, and is said to be able to protect himself from up to twenty strikes per second in the novelization of ''Literature/RevengeOfTheSith''.

* From ''[[LightNovel/BOFURIIDontWantToGetHurtSoIllMaxOutMyDefense BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense]]'' we have another main character example: the main heroine Maple has ''every'' skill point she wins invested in VIT (Defense), resulting in a build that makes her almost invulnerable to most attacks. That is, she depends on [[CombatPragmatist pragmatism]] and creative use of her other skills to defeat even mook enemies.

* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': Whenever Haara decides to sacrifice dealing damage for survivability, she can become far more tanky than monks are usually able to by casting ''sanctuary'', taking the Dodge action every turn, and healing herself for any attacks that still manage to break through. (It helps that her build also maximizes AC.) This usually happens when she needs to block a narrow chokehold, keep something's attention, or stall for time until the situation changes.

* This is the character trait of [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience Green]] characters in ''LightNovel/AccelWorld''. The Green King is known as [[{{Determinator}} The Invulnerable]], is so durable he can only lose battles by time out, and regularly goes monster hunting alone (unfortunately, later in the story this makes him a frequent victim of TheWorfEffect). Even lesser greens have similar durability, however, with the level one [[TheMedic Lime Bell]] failing to even take ScratchDamage from people several levels higher than herself.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' plays with this: Kamijou Touma's power, [[AntiMagic Imagine Breaker]], together with a [[SpiderSense limited form of precognition]], not to mention him being ''[[{{Determinator}} insanely]]'' [[MadeOfIron hard to]] [[ImplacableMan kill]], makes him [[NighInvulnerability Nigh-Invulnerable]] to any type of magic or esper power. However, he has the strength of a normal human (well, [[MusclesAreMeaningless not]] ''[[CharlesAtlasSuperpower entirely]]'' [[StrongerThanTheyLook normal]]), and can be harmed by conventional means (eg., anything that isn't supernatural).

* ''Franchise/YuGiOh''\\
** In ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'', Noboru Gongenzaka's deck focuses on monsters with high DEF, with a strategy forcing the opponent into attacking. His monsters have a lot of protection effects which increases the power of his defense as well and they don't rely on Spell or Trap Cards. Gongenzaka's Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei has also an effect that allows him to attack with his Superheavy Samurais while their are in Defense Position and their DEF will be used for the damage calculation. His Synchro Monsters can also attack in Defense Position while using their DEF for damage calculation. Unfortunately for him, far too often he couldn't get enough offense out to end the battle quickly thanks to this hyperfocus, giving his opponents a way past his defenses after several turns of grinding and flailing.

%% * ''Anime/{{Vandread}}'': Jura, a crab-like mech with astronomically powerful DeflectorShields. It can shield ''an entire planet'' against a far bigger and more powerful warship. Alternatively, it can encase itself and its allies in a shield and simply ''bash'' its way through an enemy formation.

%%** In ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'', Noboru Gongenzaka's deck focuses on monsters with high DEF, with a strategy forcing the opponent into attacking. His monsters have a lot of protection effects which increases the power of his defense as well and they don't rely on Spell or Trap Cards. Gongenzaka's Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei has also an effect that allows him to attack with his Superheavy Samurais while their are in Defense Position and their DEF will be used for the damage calculation. His Synchro Monsters can also attack in Defense Position while using their DEF for damage calculation.

%%* A rare main character example is Jil[[note]]yes, [[GenderBlenderName that's his name]][[/note]] from the Anime/TheTowerOfDruaga anime. His official job title is "Guardian", and he's got the toughness to live up to the name. He's capable of blocking just about anything with his shield, even ''catapult boulders'',.[[note]][[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome though he passed out from blood loss a short time later]][[/note]]

%%* In the ''ComicBook/MetalMen'', this is the primary function of Lead: he flattens himself out to be a impenetrable barrier against any directed attack.

%% * The [[PlanetSpaceShip Great Ship]] from Creator/RobertReed's ''Literature/GreatShip'' universe. It has a hull made of a nearly indestructible material, dozens of kilometers thick. When the ship is attacked by an alien fleet who want to seize control, the Great Ship's crew simply close all the spaceports and wait until the enemy runs out of fuel and ammunition as they futilely tried to penetrate the ship.

%%* [[Series/KamenRiderKuuga Kamen Rider Kuuga]]'s Titan form seems to invoke this, with Godai training himself to keep moving forward despite constantly being hit by a wooden sword.
%% * ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'': The fifth-season episode "Warriors," where a supremacist plans to rule the world by creating an army of these. Just the prototype is seen, and his apparent invulnerability is due to special "rapid healing" DNA that a scientist had been forced at gunpoint to share. Initially, everything that Walker throws at the enforcer is shaken off – even his patented roundhouse kick and a spray of bullets to the chest and head. This later is averted when the scientist is able to get free and finds the enforcer's weak spots.

%%** The biggest example of this trope in football right now is definitely Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid, which has become extremely well-known for its defensive cohesiveness: their league winning run in the 2013-14 saw them concede only 26 goals. They conceded even fewer goals in the 2015-16 season: 18.

%%* Tropers/{{Grognor}}: Fisk in [[http://imgur.com/Da6lLGc this one-off, untitled comic]].

%%* Finland in their 1940s wars with Russia.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': O-Chul has spent his entire career taking every survivability feat possible. This pays off when he get captured and tortured to the brink of death for months on end. As a paladin he sees himself as a protector first and an attacker second.

* This is the main hook of C.F. in ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}''. Supposedly standing for "Cannon Fodder" (although a strong argument can also be made for "Cluster Fuck"), he's... well, he's... incredibly malleable, with skin that's impossible to penetrate so much as ''stretch''. He's hurt just as easily as anybody else, but no real lasting damage is done; he once proudly showed off a scar he received when he took an RPG to the stomach. He also has very little fighting skill and is pretty dumb.
* Butterball/Boulder, a fat young man whose power of being completely invulnerable to harm also makes his body immutable; [[BlessedWithSuck he can't lose weight (except with a near-starvation diet), can't build muscle, doesn't get tired, and will never be able to develop any actual combat capabilities]]. He washed out of Camp Hammond and landed in the Shadow Initiative with minor league villains.

** Third-string member Laurel Kent is a distant descendant of Franchise/{{Superman}}. Five hundred years down the line, those SuperpowerfulGenetics have been diluted to the point that her only remaining power is Kryptonian-level invulnerability. Defensively, she could walk off a nuke; offensively, she's a girl in her late teens with some martial arts training.
* Diamond Lil, associated with ComicBook/AlphaFlight (as both hero and villain), is pretty much invulnerable, but ''not'' super-strong. She is a fair fighter and not at all slow, but wouldn't be much of a problem for true heavyweights because she just can't hit that hard.
* Similarly, Characters/{{Emma Frost|WhiteQueen}} in her diamond form. In this form she's more invulnerable than fellow X-Men, [[Characters/XMen70sMembers Colossus]], the guy who's the usual tank for the team. Unfortunately by superhuman standards, she's a flyweight who can lift at most 2 tons in diamond mode and she loses her top tier mental powers when she's transformed. So in fights where she turns into diamond she'll go up against enemy heavy weights mostly to tank their hits and then turn her attentions to the enemies she can actually hurt.
* Brit is a comic book character created by Robert Kirkman who is an average-sized man of about 60 who is completely invulnerable to harm, thanks to a serum created by his father. Unlike many other invulnerable characters in the Image universe, he has no other abilities, having the strength of a 60-ish-year-old man who works out.[[note]]Averted in Guardians of the Globe, where [[LightningBruiser he is given rocket boots (for flight) and rocket gloves (to punch harder).]][[/note]]
* [[Characters/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyModern Drax the Destroyer]] has had [[DiscardAndDraw a couple different powersets]] through the years, but this has always been one of them. Because he never had the ability to overpower [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]] and ended up relying on this, his current incarnation has given up his original FlyingBrick powers and just doubled down on his ridiculous durability, making him into an example of the berserking variant of this trope.
* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica tends to fill this role in more high-powered stories. He's no slouch in terms of fighting skill, but his lack of SuperStrength means he needs to put in a lot of work to fight characters with any kind of enhanced durability. However, his [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe signature shield]] can block pretty much anything, letting Cap survive for quite a while against characters way outside of his weight class.
* Marvel UK comics had the vigilante Night Raven. He was [[NighInvulnerability Nigh-Invulnerable]] and immortal which allows him to survive his start from the 1930s and continue his crime-fighting into contemporary times. He's got no offensive powers though so he needs his revolvers and some good brawling skills to take out his targets.