History Main / StrengthEqualsWorthiness

* In Myth/ClassicalMythology, Theseus proved he was King Aegeus's son by lifting the boulder Aegeus had placed over his own shield, sword, and sandals when he left Theseus's mother, and showing up in Athens wearing them.

* A variation in ''Manga/FairyTail'', where the person is someone other than the one fighting. [[RatedMForManly Elfman]] requires that anyone who wants to date his sister be capable of besting him physically, without magic.

See also AsskickingEqualsAuthority, MightMakesRight. Related to ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption and SisterTrope to DefeatMeansFriendship.

** The Fey clan is a {{Matriarchy}} whose [[WillingChanneler spiritual channeling]] [[GenderRestrictedAbility is only held by women]]. Because of this, only the most powerful and experienced channeler from the family's main branch can rule Kurain Village. This led to a BigScrewedUpFamily as jealous women tried backstabbing each other for power. The strong emphasis on their power also left their completely normal men ''deeply'' unappreciated, as they're forced to live outside the village and are only needed to give the Fey clan female heirs. As a result, Kurain Village has a high number of divorces.

* The Barbarian Elders on Mount Arreat in ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}} II: Lord of Destruction''.

** Both subverted and played straight in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', as you have to draw most of the summons from bosses - and not the actual summons themselves. There are a few summons where this trope is played straight, though.
*** However, one Guardian Force, specifically Bahamut, will challenge you to answer ''why'' you fight and seek strength, and only when you have given an answer that satisfies him will he actually fight you directly.

* The Boreas Seabed mission in ''VideoGame/GuildWars Factions''.

* In ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', catching Pokemon is based on this principle. Pokemon you obtain in a trade won't obey you until you possess the right gym badge since defeating a gym leader takes a lot of strength and skill, which would make you worthy in the Pokemon's eyes.
** Enforced in ''Sword'' and ''Shield'': getting a trainer badge increases the max level for Pokémon to listen to you, but also increases the max level of Pokémon you can ''catch''. If you try to catch a level 36 Pokémon while you only have the Fire badge (which allows catching up to level 35), the Pokémon "won't let its guard down" and you don't even bother to throw a Poke Ball.

* Pretty much the entire premise of unlocking characters in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' (though, in ''Brawl'', many are unlocked as you play through the campaign mode).

* ''Series/TheExecutioner''. In "Flesh Wounds", the contact for an UndergroundRailroad for political dissidents is a boxer who insists that anyone wanting to use his services get in the ring with him. Mack Bolan is able to hold his own, though it turns out the goal is not to defeat the boxer, but to convince him you're so dedicated to your beliefs that you're willing to take a beating.

* ''Series/TheExecutioner''. In "Flesh Wounds", the contact for an UndergroundRailroad is a boxer who insists that anyone wanting to use his services get in the ring with him. Mack Bolan is able to hold his own even though he's not a professional boxer, though it turns out the goal is not to beat the boxer, just show you're dedicated enough to your cause to get into the ring with him.

[[folder:Gamebooks]]
* In the fourth ''Literature/GrailQuest'' book, ''Voyage of Terror'', the protagonist Pip can meet with the god Hephaestus himself, who has just forged an enchanted breastplate which is the best armor in the whole game. Hephaestus offers to give it to Pip -- but only if you best him in combat. You can refuse, as when he starts [[HeKnowsAboutTimedHits announcing his stats]], it looks like a completely unwinnable fight. But the god is actually fair-play, and notably allows Pip to wear the breastplate before starting, and to give him the win if Hephaestus lose a set number of HitPoints (instead of his huge total).
[[/folder]]

* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls''. Rainbow Dash challenges Twilight Sparkle to a soccer game to prove her worthiness to be Fall Formal Princess. Twilight loses, but it turns out to be a [[SecretTestOfCharacter secret test of her heart and determination.]]

* In ''[[ComicBook/PrincelessRavenThePiratePrincess Princeless - Raven: The Pirate Princess]]'', Raven duels against a powerful healer to earn her help in curing an ill crew member.

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/346369/chrono-reflect Chrono Reflect]], Standard Fluttershy eventually comes to believe this, thinking that if she makes herself strong nobody will ever look down on her for being weak again. Unfortunately, she takes things too far and becomes a bully.
[[/folder]]

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDarkApokolipsWar Justice League Dark: Apokolips War]]'', Lois Lane recruits the Suicide Squad to her resistance movement by beating Harley Quinn in a semi-regulated MMA fight.

* In ''Anime/TransformersCybertron,'' the ProudWarriorRaceGuys of Jungle Planet believe this, and won't listen to the Autobots warning them about the need to ''save the universe'' until they prove themselves in combat. In the end, the ''heroes'' learn that sometimes you have to respect the cultures of others even when they don't make sense to you if you want to establish relations. (However, that's not to say the philosophy is portrayed as good. Their leader Scourge sides with the 'cons due to their superficially similar thinking, and it takes him much of the series to learn that he at least believed in things like fair play and honoring agreements back on Jungle Planet while Megatron lost his last shred of decency long ago. He sides with the Autobots for the final arc.)
-->-"Strength is what leads the masses, commands their respect! My strength united an entire world! Now it seems it's not enough?! Impossible! Strength will save my world! Strength must be enough! It ''must'' be! It's ''all I have!''"

** ''Sweet Lord Of Light'' is this ever averted. Power, particularly of the "raw strength/combat skill" variety, is never an indicator of competence, or even of peoples' respect. The best example is [[TheUsurper Robert Baratheon]], who won the war with strength and charisma but became a ''terrible'' king because all he wanted to be was [[BloodKnight a warrior]], [[AdiposeRex a glutton]] and [[ReallyGetsAround a pervert]].
** Another good example is Ser Gregor Clegane, the Mountain Who Rides. He is an eight-foot slab of muscle and psychopathy who wields a zweihänder the way most men wield a dagger and is perfectly capable of bisecting people and breaking a pike wall single-handedly. His greatest claim to fame is the rape and murder of a defenseless woman and her infant son, everyone knows that in spite of his title he is nothing more than a hatchetman, and most people hold the muck under their boots in higher regard.

** The Fey clan is a {{Matriarchy}} whose [[WillingChanneler spiritual channeling]] [[GenderRestrictedAbility is only held by women]]. Because of this, only the most powerful and experienced channeler from the family's main branch can rule Kurain Village. This led to a BigScrewedUpFamily as jealous women tried backstabbing each other for power. The strong emphasis on their power also left their completely normal men ''deeply'' unappreciated, as they're forced to live outside the village and are only needed to give the Fey clan female heirs. As a result, Kurain Village has the highest number of divorce ratings.
** Subverted in ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney''; while Phoenix won his poker game against Zak Gramarye (a rare outcome, as Zak pointed out), Zak was more concerned about Phoenix's [[TellMeHowYouFight play style]]. The previous attorney, [[spoiler:Kristoph Gavin]], had a dangerous ruthless streak that Zak noticed during ''that'' game.