History Main / SuperPrototype

* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''. Dick Hardly, Professor Utonium's old lab assistant starts mass-producing the Powerpuff Girls. However, these duplicates end up shoddily made because they weren't made with love.

* ''Fanfic/GlitchedMikoAU'': Miko, as noted by her co-worker Zahra, is far more complex than any Glitch (i.e., living computer program) ever seen, with attention to detail so fine she's even coded to have individual blood cells and a working circulatory system. As a result, she can fully pass for human and Miko herself never suspected anything until she started working at Hinobi began regaining her memories as a side effect of exposure to their tech. Her successors, on the other hand, are deliberately made to be more inferior in this regard, boasting more obvious tells concerning their digital nature (possibly to make them more easy to locate should an incident like Miko's escape happen again).

A question that often comes up is why the super prototype is so, well, super compared to the production model. The typical reason given, both in fiction and in real life, is that the production model is far cheaper or easier to make in large numbers: ideally, any piece of technology goes through ''several'' prototypes, with the earliest being likely to come across more as a proof-of-concept as opposed to something truly feasible for mass production as they figure what features are necessary, what's cost effective for the given price range, etc. And sometimes, this early proof-of-concept can and does vary widely from the final product.

A question that often comes up is why the super prototype is so, well, super compared to the production model. The typical reason given, both in fiction and in real life, is that the production model is far cheaper or easier to make in large numbers: ideally, any piece of technology goes through ''several'' prototypes, with the earliest being likely to come across more as a proof-of-concept as opposed to something truly feasible for mass production as they figure what features are necessary, what's cost effective for the given price range, etc.

* ''Fanfic/GlitchedMikoAU'': Somewhat. Miko, as noted by Zahra is far more complex than any Glitch ever seen, with attention to detail so fine that Zahra was able to take a blood sample and find blood cells that were made of ones and zeros. Phil even notes that it should have been impossible for Miko to get into the base without being found out, yet she did.

A question that often comes up is why the super prototype is so, well, super compared to the production model. The typical reason given is that the production model is far cheaper or easier to make in large numbers. Except that this defeats the whole purpose of a ''prototype'' -- something built to test the feasibility and capabilities of a final product and correct any flaws before mass production begins, meaning ideally you want your test unit to be as similar to your production unit as possible. As such, real-life prototypes are frequently highly similar to if not indistinguishable from standard models. Mostly, this is just a case of letting TheHero be [[UniquenessValue that much more awesome than everyone else]].

# A real-world concept that more closely resembles the super prototype is the ''experimental'' unit or "concept car," which is intended to test out new technology and its limits without ever being meant for mass production at all. As cost-effectiveness is less important, experimental units frequently ''do'' have superior performance to eventual mass production models. Military test pilots refer to this as "pushing the envelope" -- the upper edge is height, the right-hand edge is speed. Visualize this as the kind of envelope you mail somebody and you realize that particular area is [[IncrediblyLamePun where the postage gets canceled]]. In this instance, a common flaw for the Hero to have is that because the prototype is meant for performance but not longevity, there are no proper safeguards in place to protect the user or others nearby. This can lead to a power overload or damage to the prototype and/or the hero, effectively giving them a whole load of {{Dangerous Forbidden Technique}}s, in addition to the experimental technology itself.

* In a way, [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk the Hulk]]. While created by accident, Hulk was the first gamma mutant, and most following gamma beings (the Leader, the Abomination, Madman, Ravage, etc) were based off either recreating that accident or specifically copying his DNA. While some have had greater base-line strength than the Hulk, and most have retained their higher intelligence whereas the Hulk is most often shown to be a savage, Hulk's potential strength (increasing with anger) and his other abilities (HealingFactor, psychic resistance) have shown him to be the most powerful of the gamma beings. Another factor in the Hulk's Super Prototype-ness is the fact that Bruce Banner's psyche is so damaged, because of abuse he suffered as a kid, that it allows him to do whatever he wishes. Becoming a gamma beast meant unleashing a particular repressed trait. The reason the Hulk is stronger than the others? Because they're not as screwed up as Banner!

* Related to the above, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica is the super prototype for the Super Soldier program. Others are constantly trying to replicate his success with results ranging from severe mental deterioration (Isaiah Bradley from ''Truth: Red, White and Black'', and William Burnside, the [[LegacyCharacter 50's Cap]]) to creating the Comicbook/IncredibleHulk (ComicBook/UltimateMarvel) and the Weapon Plus program (ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, aka Weapon X/Ten; Steve Rogers is Weapon I). Captain America's shield is a Super Prototype as well, being the precursor to adamantium. Adamantium is the attempt to recreate the material of his shield, but even primary adamantium is weaker than it.

!!Examples:

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Clamp managed to do this in an episode of ''Manga/AngelicLayer'' to the titular toys when the design team unleashed against the tourney players a new prototype model with improved capabilities. Also, the original series can go to "Hypermode" which the later versions can't. Subverted by Shuko using a prototype that can barely move to beat the later version doll Wizard around like a, well, ragdoll even with vastly inferior tech and movements simply because she's that good.
* Chi and Freya from ''Manga/{{Chobits}}'' were two of the first persocoms ever built, yet their capabilities exceed any that were built after them.
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' features several super prototypes, [[LensmanArmsRace progressing in power with the times.]] Supplementary materials explain the backstory of KMF development, where they were literally putting pieces together just to see how it worked.
** The best subversion of this trope is the Ganymede, the earliest-built Knightmare to be shown in the series (3rd Generation). It has no internal power source, only batteries; no weapons, no closed cockpit and insufficient motive power to do anything other than harmlessly cruising. [[MundaneUtility It can make the world's biggest pizza, though.]]
*** This is actually a Double Subversion. The Ganymede model was indeed the Super Prototype of its day, being a powerful mecha in the right hands. These hands being those of [[SilkHidingSteel Marianne vi Britannia,]] nicknamed [[RedBaron "the Flash"]] for her incredible skill with the Ganymede, rivalling the later [[TheDragon Knight of One,]] Bismarck Waldstein [[spoiler:who used his [[MagicalEye Geass]] to cheat, [[NoSell and STILL lost to Marianne.]]]] After Marianne's death, the Ganymede, being her signature Knightmare, fell out of favour and was decommissioned, having its weaponry removed and returned to the manufacturers, the Ashford Academy.
** Another [[FlawedPrototype subversion]] is the Gawain; when Lelouch jacked it, it was an AwesomeButImpractical KMF. It could fly, but a flaw in the hadron cannons left the beam unfocused, causing it to spew energy in a wide arc which could just as easily hit friend as well as foe. That problem was fixed, making the beams extremely deadly, but it was still outmatched in close combat. Its mass-production version, the Gareth, had the cannons moved to its hands.
** To a smaller extent, the Vincent: the Vincent Ward final version scraps the needle blazer weapon to ease production. Also Vincent's own Super Prototype, the Lancelot: the world's first seventh-generation KMF, later upgraded into the one-of-a-kind ninth-generation unholy terror known as the [[AceCustom Lancelot Albion]].
** On the opposite side of the coin, Guren Nishiki gets two successors: the limited-production Gekka and the mass-production Akatsuki (as well as Tohdoh's [[AceCustom Zangetsu]]). Neither can hold a candle to the original, especially after it receives its own ninth-gen upgrade into the Guren SEITEN.
*** That said, this may be due to the pilot, but no direct comparison is made between the Guren's abilities and any of it's MP derivatives. Also, the Prototype Radiation Arm used by the Guren Nishiki after it's original Radiation Arm is destroyed seems to be both weaker, and not as well built, but this is also difficult to compare.
*** The Gekka at the very least are roughly on par with the original Guren in terms of specs and build. They simply lack the Radiation Wave technology that made it so dangerous and have to rely on their swords, but still can run rings around the standard Sutherland and even keep up with the Lancelot. The Akatsuki are harder to judge because by the time they're released Britannia has revamped their military to have a new generation of mass produced units as well as more single custom knightmares like the Knights of the Round's units.
* Played with in several different ways in ''Anime/CombatMechaXabungle''. The titular mecha (''referred to as such'' by the regularly no-fourth-wall characters) is both a production model -- the protagonists get ''two'' of them, unheard of in a mecha show up to that point. The Xabungles are also a prototype in the sense that no prior Walker Machine is built specifically for combat (hence the series name -- Combat Mecha) and they incorporate a number of features that imply they're space-capable. The Walker Gallier in the second half of the show is a textbook example (and even has a production model of sorts in the Brackary). It's famously "Super" enough to ''[[CatchAndReturn catch and throw]]'' a falling ICBM (albeit a museum copy, but still).
* Pretty much the only mechs that accomplish anything important in ''Anime/EurekaSeven'' are super prototypes, with the two Nirvash (which are actually ''[[EmpathicWeapon alive]]'') units being the most prominent. There's also Holland's late-series mount, the TB-303 Devilfish, which is ridiculously powerful and has enough firepower to wipe out multiple capital ships, but requires the pilot to take life-threatening drugs to operate it... Aside from those, the rest of the powerful LFO's are all {{Ace Custom}}s. Anything with "KLF" or "Mon-Soono" in its name is [[MechaMooks utter cannon fodder]].
* Sagara Sousuke of ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' handles the [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/Kuruni/MS-Story/Vault-Other/arx-7.jpg ARX-7 Arbalest]], one of the first mecha to be fielded by MITHRIL to possess a Lambda Driver. Later in the series he goes up against many enemy mecha with Lambda Drivers of their own, but proves his to be the more powerful while defeating them in combat. It is suggested that this is because the Lambda Driver in Sousuke's mecha is a prototype model compared to the mass-produced variants fielded by the enemy, and is capable of increased output at the cost of stability. It does, indeed, fail to function properly on a number of occasions, leading Sousuke to become thoroughly frustrated with it. The Lambda Driver is later put into the ARX-8 Laevatein which, despite the serial number, is actually an AceCustom put together in a hurry. It can still kick the asses of everything mass-produced, though.
* In ''Anime/FutureGPXCyberFormula'', the Ogre AN-21 is the prototype to the Al-Zard NP-1. Ogre has the same bio-computer system as Al-Zard, but it also caused the deaths of 2 test drivers due to the fact the car was unable to satisfy the talent the bio-computer needed.
* ''Anime/{{GaoGaiGar FINAL}}'' is a zig-zagging example that ultimately plays this straight. [=GaoGaiGar=] and [=GaoFightGar=] are both based on the blueprints of [[spoiler:Genesic [=GaoGaiGar=]]], but are significantly weaker; partially due to [[spoiler:humans]] being unable to perfectly copy [[spoiler:alien]] design, and partially on purpose, as some of the original's weapons were modified to serve non-offensive purpose. However, [[WordOfGod supplementary materials]] explain that [[spoiler:Genesic [=GaoGaiGar=]]] would have actually performed ''worse'' against the earlier foes, since it was designed to combat the Sol Masters, while the later [=GaoGaiGar=] and [=GaoFighGar=] were purpose-built for taking on Zonders and the 31 Primevals. For all intents and purposes, however, [[spoiler:Genesic [=GaoGaiGar=]]] is a straight upgrade when it's acquired, since [[spoiler:the destruction of the Z-Master, and [[NoOntologicalInertia with it all Zonder metal]],]] has rendered the later models' advantages moot.
* An interesting twist on this trope is utilized in ''Anime/GargantiaOnTheVerdurousPlanet''. The [[AMechByAnyOtherName Machine Caliber]], "Chamber", is just one of many of the Galactic Alliance's RealRobot troops fighting against the hostile alien force known as the Hideauze in outer space, and many are destroyed in the first battle during episode 1. However, on Earth, due to their much less advanced technology, Chamber is essentially a this trope. It is so advanced compared to the Earthling's mechs that they can't even make a dent in its hull, even with jackhammers.
* ''Manga/GetterRobo Āḥ'' has mass-produced Getters who are nowhere near the godly power of Shin, who was too terrifyingly destructive to replicate. There's also the fact that limiting the amount of Getter Rays the machines can hold prevents them from [[spoiler:turning sentient]]. In ''Getter Robo Armageddon'', Professor Saotome mass produces Getter Robo G in massive numbers with the sole purpose of forming them into Shin Dragon. Ryouma doesn't care and still beats the machines to a pulp.
* The Sizzlers of ''Anime/GunBuster'' are mass-produced versions of the Gunbuster itself, smaller and weaker (yet powerful enough to fight dozens of alien bugs easily!)
** A short about the Sizzler actually deconstructs this. The Sizzler may be weaker than the Gunbuster ''on paper'', but not by much. For example, it may only have a single degeneracy reactor, but that's because it's ''not'' a CombiningMecha. It's smaller than the Gunbuster only because the technology they packed into it has been successfuly miniaturized. A scientist discussing the machine with Jung even explains that the whole "prototype being vastly superior to the mass-production models" thing [[LampshadeHanging is just something that happens in anime]]. Sizzer units are every bit as powerful as the Gunbuster was during the Battle of the Solar System's Absoulte Defense. The only reason the Gunbuster was more powerful in the final battle is because they put all the improvements made for the Sizzler into the Gunbuster, and then packed ''more'' into all the extra space freed up.
* The ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' metaseries makes extensive use of this trope. Pretty much any mecha with "Gundam" in its name will be either this, an AceCustom, or both. This is justified in-universe due to cost-effectiveness; the prototype usually carries a better reactor, armor, and weapons. Mass produced units based on these super prototypes tend to sport cheaper and inferior features (or the features are removed from the mass production unit altogether) so they can produce a lot more with same amount of budget and resources. The prototypes are also usually very goal-oriented, with each one being designed to test some new weapon, technology, or design technique. Additionally, most of the super prototypes remain superior only to their generation of Mobile Suits as technological race is a strong theme in the Gundam series; few suits that can hold their own against even the bog-standard suits of later generations. As a whole, the super protoype mobile suits are one-offs that spawn cheaper copies and are later discarded or destroyed. There are a few exceptions to this:
** In the original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', while the RX-78-2 Gundam was intended to be a quantum leap over Zeon's Zaku II (hence its Super Prototype status), it was also experimental in that the Earth Federation was still learning how to make a mobile suit at all. Some of the features were intended less for combat utility than to ensure that the testing data would be preserved (a "Learning Computer" that not only recorded even the most minute details of its performance but also analyzed the data in real-time, and an elaborate EscapePod that transformed into a functional jet fighter to maximize the odds of survival for the Learning Computer in the event of a disaster), and other elements simply couldn't be produced cheaply enough to justify inclusion in the mass-production RGM-79 GM. Thus, the GM lacked any escape pod at all, used ordinary titanium armor instead of the exotic "luna titanium" alloy that at the time could only be produced in a single laboratory, and carried a "beam spray gun" pistol that was equal in lethality to the Gundam's beam rifle but shorter-ranged and less accurate. And by the time the One Year War ended, Zeon's latest mass-production mobile suit, the Gelgoog, actually exceeded the Gundam's performance in all aspects except armor; at this point it was [[AcePilot Amuro Ray's own skills]] rather than the power of the Gundam that made him nearly unstoppable in battle, and the Gundam had to be upgraded with magnetic coating on its joints to compensate for ''him''.
*** The Gundam was also the Federation’s third mobile suit prototype, having been preceded by the Guntank (which was more tank than mech) and the Guncannon (which was fully humanoid, but lacked agility). Despite their design flaws, they were still super in their own right, and later in the war a limited number of mass production versions were produced with weaker weapons and lacking the core block system.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam'' [[ZigZaggingTrope twists it]]. While the eponymous Victory Gundam is superior to its simplified sister model [[RedShirt Gun EZ]], the actual mass production model is identical to the prototype. The Victory 2 was meant to be a limited-production model, but the other suits were destroyed prior to being fielded, leaving Uso's V2 as a unique unit.
*** On the whole, ''Victory'' shows a more realistic deployment: In the beginning, the V-Gundam takes the Superiority Fighter role while the Gun EZ takes the workhorse role. Then, the V-Gundam is mass-produced as the V-Gundam Hexa and takes the workhorse role, with the V-Dash Gundam filling in the Superiority Fighter role until the V2 is ready, at which point the V-Dash takes on a Joint Support role, covering both the V-Hexa workhorses and the V2. The Gun EZ and Jamesgun are relegated to the gunship role held by the Ball in the One Year War.
** While it appears to be played straight in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'', with the Strike Dagger being inferior to the Strike Gundam, [[AllThereInTheManual sidestories]] reveal that Strike Dagger is merely a stopgap production; the actual mass production model, the 105 Dagger, is superior to the Strike Gundam. Sure, it has limited laminate armor instead of full body PS armor, but with [[KryptoniteIsEverywhere pretty much every mobile suit using beam weaponry by that point]], the latter isn't as useful as it was.
*** The Astray line is an odd case. The colored Frames (Red, Blue, Gold, Green and Mirage) were all prototypes, but weren't anything incredible. It's only by the wonders of [[AceCustom their respective pilots customizing them]] that they became superior to the later mass produced M1 Astray units. And even then, the mass-produced Astrays could take on the prototypes, as the Red Frame was once easily taken down by a simple M1 Astray (granted one piloted by a Coordinator).
*** However, ''Gundam SEED'' does play the trope straight with the Moebius mobile armor. The Moebius Zero prototype sports four detachable and independently maneuverable gun barrels in a precursor to the DRAGOON system later used to great effect by certain BiggerStick mecha like the Providence; the production model Moebius lacks these, using only the forward-fixed central cannon. This is {{justified|Trope}} in that only a select few OMNI pilots had the spatial awareness and piloting skills required to use the detachable gun barrels effectively, and of those pilots very few (we basically know of Mu la Flaga only) survived the Battle of Endymion prior to the start of the anime, so paring down the design was an unfortunate necessity.
*** The [=GuAIZ=] Experimental Firearms Type mounted the same weaponry as both the Freedom and the Justice, but was scaled back to the basics for the production model because it was incredibly expensive to maintain. The production models were massively scaled back because, at the time, it was near the closing moments of the war and the standard weaponry was deemed good enough (and it was, as the [=GuAIZ=] was one of the most powerful production mobile suits to be used during the war). Unfortunately both suffered a case of SoLastSeason when the new ZAKU Warriors proved to be superior and cheaper. Especially compared to the [=GuAIZ=]-R version that was introduced as a stopgap before the ZAKU Warrior, with scaled-down weapons and performance both to cut costs and because the "Extensional Arrestor" weapons (a combined rocket anchor, beam dagger and beam gun) that was so devastating in combat at the Battle of GENESIS proved impossible for all but the most elite pilots to control.
*** The ZAKU Warrior is another inversion as its prototype, the ZAKU Trial Type, had no beam weaponry despite having an N-Jammer Canceller-outfitted nuclear engine. The ZAKU Trial Type was intended for mass production, but the [[PeaceConference Treaty of Junius]] banned the military use of N-Jammer Cancellers and thus the design was reworked. The addition of superior weapons is probably explained by the extra couple of years of development.
*** The Extended 'Biological CPU' introduced in Gundam SEED is superior to the Extended introduced later in Gundam SEED Destiny, as they were able to pressure even high-end Coordinators like Kira and Athrun in combat. At the same time, they're also [[FlawedPrototype Flawed]] and PsychoPrototype, and compared to them, the Extended in SEED Destiny are practically bastions of mental stability.
** ''Anime/AfterWarGundamX'' initially {{avert|edTrope}}s this, with the prologue showing that the titular Gundam (as well as the Airmaster and Leopard) was mass produced, and Garrod's is simply the [[LastOfHisKind last of its kind]]. [[spoiler:At least until the United Nations Earth recovers Jamil's old Gundam X and upgrades it into the Double X.]]
*** The Frost Brothers' [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Virsago and Ashtaron]] seem to play this straight, but the ''VideoGame/SDGundamGGeneration'' series gave them their '''own''' Super Prototype: the Gundam Belphagor, a contemporary of the GX, Airmaster, and Leopard. Instead, the Virsago and Ashtaron essentially split the Belphagor's gimmicks in half and develop them in their own direction.
** It's also noteworthy that in ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' this trope becomes the shtick of Paptimus Scirocco. Over the course of the series he cranks out one-shot, scratch-built mobile suits at an astonishing rate. The Messala, Pallas Athena, Bolinoak Samaan and The-O are all unique Scirocco designs, while the Gabthley and Hambrabi are limited production models designed by Scirocco for the Federation's use and only 2-4 of each were ever made. In general, Scirocco's godlike ability to crank out butt-kicking mobile suits is used as a catch-all explanation for all Titans suits that aren't the Psyco Gundam.
*** And the Gundam Mk-II actually inverts this -- even though it was a Super Prototype for the next generation of MS and, for awhile, could one-up the Titans' Hi-Zack units(current generation), there was nothing special about it outside of its special lighter frame system and it's easily outclassed early on. All it really is is an updated copy of the original RX-78 Gundam made using modern technologies, and thus ceased to be anything special when those same new technologies were incorporated into the new generation of mass-produced mobile suits.
*** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory'' has a similar inversion with the Gundam [=GP01=] "Zephyrantes", which was little more than an update to the original Gundam with new tech, it comes with the ground type and space type configuration, which is more powerful than the mass production model of the time at its specialized area but weaker when placed in the other, so it is just an exchange of spec instead of "Super" in all aspects. In fact, the proposed Gundam [=GP04=] "Gerbera" was scrapped for being little more than a copy of the [=GP01=]; it was later reworked into a more Zeon-esque design, the Gerbera Tetra, and [[PlayingBothSides sold to the Zeon remnants]].
** Some of the U.C. super prototypes are depicted as being advanced for their era but [[FlawedPrototype with crippling flaws]] that are usually the result of being developed to field test a particular technology with little consideration to anything else:
*** The MSN-00100 Hyaku Shiki from the aforementioned ''Zeta Gundam'' was designed to test out beam-resistant armor and the concept of the [[TransformingMecha Moveable Frame]]. The beam-resistant armor worked. The transformation feature did not. But the moveable wing binders left on the unit did improve the mobility of it.
*** The [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ MSN-010 Double Zeta]] is a massive power-house that can transform into a mobile armor, has two of the biggest beam sabers in all of Gundam, and its [[WaveMotionGun high mega cannon]] is powerful enough to turn any opposing Mobile Suits into little more than drops of melted steel. Unfortunately the high mega cannon drains almost all of its power supply ''in one shot'', and its over-complicated transforming frame makes it structurally weak, turning it into something of a GlassCannon.
*** The [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn RX-0 Unicorn Gundam]] has psychoframes built into its entire structure. When these activate, it's an [[TheBerserker unstoppable killing machine]] with [[LightningBruiser amazing speed]] that can [[HackYourEnemy hijack enemy-controlled psychoframes]] -- for five minutes. Until the psychoframes go active, it's just a slightly-above-average MS with two beam sabers and one [[{{BFG}} beam magnum]] (with only 15 shots). Even then, it's noted that one massive disadvantage of the Psychoframe is that it makes an RX-0 unit light up like a Christmas tree, undoubtedly drawing the attention of every single pilot that happens to catch sight of it.
*** What it does to the pilot is a whole 'nother matter, however - firstly, the machine already has fairly strong acceleration to begin with, making an experienced pilot ''stressed'' when piloting the thing outside of Destroy Mode. The moment it goes into Destroy mode, you better hope you're wearing the specialized pilot suit that comes with it, or else the g-forces will knock you out cold, as Banagher ends up learning the hard way after he first launches in the thing. Just for reference, the maximum amount of G-force that contemporary fighter pilots can pull is 9 Gs. The Unicorn can pull up to 20.
** The Tallgeese in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam Wing]]'' was the precursor to all mobile suits in that universe. It's so powerful it can hold its own against the first generation of Gundams in that series. It did have one glaring design flaw: it was so powerful that it ''killed its own pilots''. This was because the Tallgeese effectively had no shock absorbers; its gargantuan size and incredible thrusters transferred ''all of the G-Force'' to the pilot. The Leos that were based on its design are far weaker but also safer for people to pilot.
** The Wing Zero is, likewise, a super prototype to the Gundams, as it housed the dangerous ZERO System, which fed real-time tactical data directly into the minds of its pilot. Unfortunately unless you actually ''know'' how to process that data, it just drives you insane. The comparatively downsized Gundams each just settled for unique weapons tacked on to the general frame. Note that the Wing Zero was specifically designed to counter the Tallgeese. The reason why it is considered 'super' compared to its following generation model Gundams aside from the ZERO System is that it was designed with the expertise of all five Gundam scientists, who at some point afterward parted ways and recreated their own respective Gundam creations with their own styles and preferences, but without input from the others involved in the original creation, none quite as powerful or versatile.
*** There's also some speculation that the Wing Zero may have '''''EATEN''''' one of the pilots who attempted to use it. Because despite the pilot being declared dead and the cockpit never opening after his death until Zechs captured it, they NeverFoundTheBody afterwards, which not only means the suit is dangerous to the mind of the pilots, it may have actually gotten a taste for [[ImaHumanitarian human flesh]]. The fact that Heero ''talks'' to Zero like it can actually communicate with him, and tells Zechs that both Zero and Epyon have "told" him things just makes the ZERO system itself NightmareFuel on several levels.
** The Vayeate and Mercurius from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam Wing]]'' was this to the mass production Virgos. However this was due to both of the mobile suits being test beds for their respective systems; the Vayeate needed an external reactor to power its beam cannon while the Mercurius had to dedicate all of its power to the "Planet Defensors", leaving it with very little offensive capability beyond a beam saber-shield. The Virgo was designed to be something in-between; housing less than a quarter of the Mercurius' Planet Defensors so that it can wield a less powerful version of the Vayeate's Beam Cannon. This was acceptable, as the Virgo was to be mass produced and unmanned, so what they lacked in quality they made up for in overwhelming quantity. In fact when the two prototype suits were later rebuilt as unmanned Mobile Dolls as well, they fared much less effectively against the Gundams, as they were only marginally more effective, but there was only two of them compared to the dozens of Virgos flying around.
** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamThe08thMSTeam The 08th MS Team]]'' actually averts this. The series is known for, instead of making a traditional ''Gundam'' series about a boy FallingIntoTheCockpit and getting involved in the current war, focusing on the everyday soldiers in the One Year War. Because of this, most pilots in the series don't have brand-new prototype Mobile Suits. Instead they have things like the RX-79(G) Gundam Ground Type, which is merely spare parts from the RX-78 Gundam program made into a mass-produced Gundam designed for ground combat. There's also the Gundam [=Ez8=], which is an RX-79(G) rebuilt with field-fabricated parts due to lack of spares. One poor unit even had its destroyed head replaced with that of a GM. Still, the Ground Type Gundam's run was limited to about 20 units, with its GM counterpart, the RGM-79(G), only having 42 base units and a handful of Sniper variants built. That said, according to side materials the ground-type GM does have some Super Prototype-esque features over the standard GM -- for one, it's still made out of the rarer and more durable luna titanium the original Gundam uses, rather than the standard GM's lighter but weaker titanium alloy. It's also compatible with a wider variety of weapons, including a full-sized, full-power beam rifle rather than the smaller and weaker "beam spray gun" the standard GM uses... though beam rifles were in such short supply that most examples of both the Gundam and GM Ground Type carried less powerful projectile-firing machine guns instead.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamF91'''s eponymous Mobile Suit (the Formula 91) plays with this; its prequel manga features the F91's predecessor (the [[http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/F90_Gundam_F90 Formula 90]]), of which two were made. The F90s sported multiple hardpoints all over their chassis which [[MechaExpansionPack could be outfitted with different equipment]], resulting in eight specialized configurations (later model line and settings expanded the equipment up to 26 different packs). S.N.R.I. (the company responsible for the Formula Project) then used the combat data from each configuration and built the F91 using optimized versions of the most effective and well-rounded F90 variant (namely the [[http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/F90V_Gundam_F90_VSBR_Type F90V]]). The F91 was later subject to limited mass production, though no changes were made to the mass produced units from the original F91. So in essence the F91 is only a super prototype in regards to the previous Formula Gundam, with its mass-produced equivalents being almost carbon copies, with the exception of the locked overdrive mode of its Bio-computer which over-heats the unit (but gives it a short performance boost) and fixed the paint shredding flaw (which gave the prototype a strange ability of splitting into multiple images on the enemy screen).
** On the Zeon side, the line between Super Prototype and AceCustom is heavily blurred, because [[InterserviceRivalry Zeon's MS design companies are all competing with each other in midwar]] to build the next generation of ''wunderwaffen'', and very few prototypes actually pan out (such as M'Quve's Gyan, which was one out of a production run of three suits, and looked over because it relied too heavily on support from an existing design). However, Char Aznable's MS-14S Gelgoog, the prototype for the Gelgoog line, was faster ([[FragileSpeedster though less well-armored]]) than the mass-produced MS-14A model. This also ended up costing several pilots at the end of the war, since even the base Gelgoog was built to specifications suggested by Zeon's aces -- which meant that when someone who wasn't as skilled as them got their hands on one, they couldn't make it work as well as it could, and many were lost to the Gundam and other Federation mobile suits despite outperforming them from a technological standpoint.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' is very much this case, particularly with the Gundams of Celestial Being, and the more specialized units of the Earth Sphere Federation's A-Laws, and Innovade allies. Each of the main Gundams have a specific role, such as Sniper, Melee, Aerial Assault, or Heavy Artillery [[spoiler:which secretly hides its real purpose, as a judge, jury, and executioner for those who betray Celestial Being's ideals with a system that shuts down a rogue Gundam's systems]]. Several side story visual novels and manga also detail the prototypes to the Gundams of the anime, and {{Mecha Expansion Pack}}s that were never seen in the show, due to their limited purposes.
*** Extended even further, with its BlackBox tech centered around its GN Drives. To create a true GN drive is a time and resource consuming and somewhat dangerous process, as in order to make a critical component, the Topological Defect Blanket, or TD Blanket for short,[[note]]This component allows Gundams to harness the power of Topological Defects giving them nearly unlimited power supply, and produces the greenish/blue GN particles.[[/note]] requires a dive into Jupiter's upper atmosphere to collect the materials needed. After 200 years of working in secret before publicly announcing their presence to the world, Celestial Being manged to produce a total of 5 GN Drives, and is indeed, considered more valuable than the Gundams themselves. It takes two years for Celestial Being, after the events of the anime and leading to the start of ''Anime/Gundam00AWakeningOfTheTrailblazer'', to make two brand new GN Drives specially designed for the new 00 Qan[T], and it's remarked upon by several characters that this was considered to be ''fast''. It takes another 50 years, according at the end of the movie, for Earth as a whole to be able to start mass producing True GN Drives, and not the GN Tau Drives they've been using.
** The Crossbone Gundams from ''Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossbone'' were created at the tail-end of the Formula projects. Originally dubbed the F-97, 3 units (X-0, X-1 and X-2) were made with a fourth (X-3) produced later on. In an age where mobile suits and space combat put an increasing emphasis on beam weaponry, the Crossbone units were created with the idea of creating suits with extremely high melee combat potential with numerous close combat weapons and specialised disposable anti-beam cloaks which dissipated beams long enough for the suit to get into combat range. The result was a super protoype whose fighting potential vastly exceeded almost every mobile suit of its age. Any of the Crossbone units are one man armies to almost SuperRobot levels, capable of taking down scores of standard mobile suits. Their close combat weapons include beam cutlasses, lances, transforming shotgun blades, removable beam shields, drill whips, energy spikes, launable grappling chains and plain old giant knives. While they all have some impressive long range weaponry, they rarely use them. The X3 includes experimental I Field generators to prevent ANY beam weapon from harming the arms for a period of a few minutes (allowing it to catch beam sabers) and the Muramasa Blaster, a beam gun/saber hybrid with ''14'' separate emitters. The X-1 is upgraded multiple times culminating in the X-1 Full Cloth, which combines every remaining tool and weapon for the Crossbone series into a single mobile suit, including new skull shaped shoulder bads that function as both I Field generators and gauntlets as well as new Anti-Beam coating armor made from fusing the remaining cloaks together. Combining these extreme abilities with the highly skilled pilots means that the number of suits or pilots capable of matching a Crossbone is few and far between. The suits are so over developed that decades later the X-0 is capable of overpowering some of the most recent and advanced mobile suits in hand to hand, despite its pilot being blind and while he's a newtype, he's not a particularly remarkable one. It would later be upgraded into a Full Cloth version itself. In comparison, the production model the XM-10 Flint has a number of the same weapons but without the extreme abilities. They're produced in limited numbers and have an overall unremarkable combat performance. The reputation of the Crossbone would mean that the X-0 served as a design basis for 3 more units; the X-11 (a direct copy with with full Crossbone capabilities), the X-12 (a cheaper model with numerous modifications) and the X-13 (the most cost effective Crossbone). The X-13 has such reduced capabilities that it struggles to match the abilities of Curtis/Tobia when he has to pilot it.
whereas the X-13 is a cheaper but still high performance unit, powerful but ultimately inferior.
*** The Crossbone would also serve as the parent unit for F99 Record Breaker, designed for extreme speed and the Amakusa a high performance AI piloted suit (based on Amuro Rei). These would both serve as the progenitor of what could be considered the Crossbone's true successor, the Phantom and later Ghost Gundam. This model is an extreme example of a super prototype as it was a somewhat haphazard build intended to posses extreme speed and nothing else. However the way the Minovsky drive and I Field generators were applied resulted in the unexpected effect that the Phantom passively generates an I Field that makes it completely immune to beam weapons up to somewhat ludicrous scales and can use it can weaponise its Minovsky Drive to create offensive heat storms, resulting in a suit with perfect long range defence, extreme long range offence and the close combat abilities of an upgraded Crossbone. The abilites of the Phantom were born from such a random chance that the Blanc Phantom, a targeted attempt to replicate its abilities could only reach approximately 75% of the Phantom's speed.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'' features two Super Prototypes:
*** The EB-05s [[GratuitousGerman Schwalbe Graze]] (lit. Swallow Graze) is a prototype of the mass produced Graze, however, being experimental weapon, they're modified to have multiple boosters to amplify its aerial combat, equipped with wire claw, as well as a rifle lance. There's a reason the Schwalbe Graze piloted by a select few elite Gjallarhorn pilots is called the EB-05s (as opposed to the standard EB-06 Graze) -- according to the translated manual, it's one of several prototypes for the production model that was rejected for being too tricky to handle for regular pilots. Gjallarhorn went with a different design for the regular Graze, but built a few more Schwalbes for those elite pilots capable of drawing out its impressive performance without getting themselves killed. It earns its reputation as an AceCustom for high rank officers.
*** The V08-1228 Grimgerde is one of the nine Valkyrie Mobile Suits developed by Gjallarhorn in Pre-Calamity War, Grimgerde serves as the prototype of the mass produced Graze as well as the Graze Swords carried by Carta Issue. Piloted by masked man [[CharClone Montag]], he assists Tekkadan in overthrowing the current leader of Gjallarhorn.
*** The Gundam Frames units, unlike the traditions, are 72 limited production units featuring twin Ahab Reactors.
** In ''Anime/GundamBuildFightersTry'', the Build Burning Gundam is this. Unlike Sei Iori's previous Gunpla, the Build Strike and its variants, it's not based on any kind of previous Gunpla and is completely scratch-built.
* The [[EliteMooks Hyper-Zoanoids]] in ''Manga/{{Guyver}}'' are, like ordinary Zoanoids, genetically-altered humans. The "hyper" designation is usually applied to prototype genetic templates, which are designed around an individual soldier's DNA; mass-production designs must be simplified to allow them to work on a wider range of humans, so the Hyper models tend to be considerably more powerful.
* In ''LightNovel/InfiniteStratos'', it turns out that Ichika's [[PoweredArmor IS core]] is actually the very first one ever made. It's noted that the inventor "poured all [her] heart and soul into that core," since it was her first creation. Note that this is ''not'' the reason he can use the IS ([[GenderRestrictedAbility he's the only male who can]]); rather, that is [[spoiler:never revealed. Not even the original inventor understands why]].
** Houki's fourth-generation Aka Tsubaki might appear as an AceCustom but one cannot forget that it was personally built by the inventor mentioned above and is thus guaranteed to be superior to future fourth-gen designs (for reference, various companies around the world have only begun prototyping and performance testing of ''third''-gen IS units).
* ''Literature/LegendOfTheGalacticHeroes'' has a decent number of them, on both sides:
** On the Imperial side, most dedicated flagships are unique vessels used to test new technologies that may or may not be employed on mass-produced ships, with the few that aren't being enlargements of more standard vessels or part of a couple of little-produced flagships;
** On the Alliance side we have the ''Triglav'' (a new flagship design, superior to the standard ''Ajax''-class and slated for mass production) and the ''Leda II'' (a new cruiser design with a curved armour design capable of [[NoSell deflect with little to no damage enemy weapon fire]], at least at distance. She too was slated for mass production).
* One character from ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'', [[spoiler:Subaru Nakajima]] is a self-admitted homage to ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars''. [[spoiler:It turns out that she]] is the prototype to the Number cyborgs, [[spoiler:as is her sister Ginga]], and while she's not technically stronger than the Number cyborgs, she does have an Inherent Skill that is very effective against cyborgs. The special moves "borrowed" from such {{Super Robot|Genre}}s like ''Anime/GEARFighterDendoh'', ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'', ''Anime/CombattlerV'' and more make this homage especially apparent.
** Fate Testarossa is another super prototype in a way -- she was [[spoiler:the very first successful ArtificialHuman created by an illegal cloning project run by the master of the Numbers, Jail Scaglietti. She bears the project's original name, and is the prototype that Jail used to create all the other Artificial Mages of the setting]]. However, to her mother, Fate is a FlawedPrototype because [[spoiler:she was meant to be a clone of her dead daughter Alicia, but ended up gaining quirks of her own, which royally pissed off mommy dearest.]]
* ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' usually averts this, with the production models being built up from the prototype's capabilities. Even prequel ''Anime/MacrossZero'' only uses a FlawedPrototype in the form of the VF-0 Phoenix: despite having flight performance head-and-shoulders above conventional jet aircraft and even limited capability for ''underwater operation'', it's a maintenance-hog and the war's outbreak meant that the engineers couldn't wait until the intended space-capable reactor engines were completed so they simply slapped on the strongest air-breathing jet engine they could get their hands on and crossed their fingers.
** The majority of ''Anime/MacrossPlus'' consists of a contest between two super prototypes (YF-19 and YF-21) competing to be the new mass production model; they eventually choose the YF-19 after the YF-21's UnusualUserInterface proves to be [[SarcasmMode a little unsafe if the pilot gets distracted during flight]]; the [[spoiler:destruction of the YF-21 prototype]] doesn't help either. This is actually a realistic portrayal of the prototyping system; similar contests have actually occurred in real life.
** The portrayal of the mass-produced models of the YF-19 and -21 is also somewhat realistic, as both prototypes performed ''too well'', to the point that they could [[DifficultButAwesome only be piloted by the best]]. Their mass-production models only saw limited use, and even the older VF-17 saw longer service.
** The VF-25 the good guys use in ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' also has superior performance to the military standard-issue VF-171 along with a redesigned Armored Pack that won't lock the Valkyrie into battroid mode; while the civilian protagonist recognizes it on sight, it's confirmed as still undergoing official performance evaluations.
*** {{The Movie}}s both subvert this, and then play it straight. The Tornado Pack is noted to be AwesomeButImpractical, itself the FlawedPrototype to Alto's [[MidSeasonUpgrade YF-29 Durandal]], whichi is pretty much confirmed to be the most advanced fighter craft in the ''Macross''-verse at that date. Even then, its bright red color scheme is noted to be because of its status as a prototype, and not [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority the other reason.]]
* ''Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico'' had a lot of fun with this. The original Aestivalis were already Super Prototypes when two more appeared, Akatsuki's special Aestivalis ([[AceCustom with new armor material and engine, befitting the CEO of Nergal]]) and the FlawedPrototype X-Aestivalis. By the time of the movie, they've mass produced the Aestivalis to remove its MechaExpansionPack and the need to be constantly recharged and they ''still'' build Super Prototypes of the Aestis, in this case the Aestivalis Customs and the Super Aestivalis.
* Appears as an UnbuiltTrope in ''Anime/MazingerZ'', the archetypal {{Super Robot|Genre}} series. Mazinger Z was lacking a lot of its special features at first and regularly had to be upgraded and re-outfitted with new equipment. At the same time, the manga introduced the Mazinger Army, a trio of weaker robots each designed to wield one of Mazinger's distinctive weapons. All three made minor appearances in the ''Anime/{{Mazinkaiser}}'' movie, and [[spoiler:all three were destroyed, with only Million Alpha putting up any kind of a fight]].
** Averted in, of all things, ''Anime/GreatMazinger'' -- the Mikene Empire get a hold of Great's plans and mass produce it perfectly (with the exception of its wings). They usually show up in any ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' installment when the ''Great Mazinger'' storyline is used.
** And it was also averted in ''Anime/{{Mazinkaiser}}'': Shin Great Mazinger and Mazinkaiser are explicitly stated to be the finished models, their predecessors are the prototypes.
** And averted in ''Anime/ShinMazinger'' as Energer-Z was able to go toe to toe with Mazinger-Z.
** ''Anime/MazingerZInfinity'' introduces the Type-Ichinana, supposedly a mass production version of the Mazinger models. That is to say, they're essentially just Mazinger-shaped [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam GMs]], because you could never hope to replicate the Mazingers on a military scale without a nigh-infinite budget. They're not made of Superalloy Z, their only weapons are guns, shields and a missile jammer, and the only thing they have over Z is that their wings are built-in from the start. They function well enough in normal operations, but the moment Doctor Hell comes back from the dead and starts unleashing Mechanical Beasts, only the ones with PlotArmor manage to survive more than five seconds against enemies that Mazinger Z would slaughter without breaking a sweat.
* ''Anime/MetalArmorDragonar'' plays with this a bit. The beginning of the series shows the Dragonars as a set of stolen super prototype units, but their pilots are inexperienced, and the AceCustom units trounce them frequently. After a while, the Dragonars are used as the template for a new Mass Production model that has specs stronger than any of the Dragonar units. However, after Professor Plato guides the heroes back to the military, the Dragonars are upgraded into Ace Custom Super Prototypes.
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': Quirks evolve to become more complex and powerful with each generation. Yet, almost all of them falter before the [[PowerParasite All For One Quirk]] which has existed ever since Quirks first emerged. However, [[spoiler:the user of All For One is still susceptible to Quirk overload should he steal too many advanced Quirks and must have his body surgically upgraded to cope with the massive power.]]
* In a way, [[spoiler:Madara Uchiha]] and [[GreenThumb Hashirama Senju]] are this compared to most ninja in the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' universe. Due to living in an age of constant warfare, their abilities were brought to such a zenith that, as Kabuto Yakushi described, many people ''thought it was a fairy tale'', specifically Hashirama. We've seen characters like Yamato, Danzo, and even [[spoiler: [[BigBad Tobi]]]] with Mokuton, which doesn't remotely ''compare'' to Hashirama, and Sasuke and Itachi both achieved the same [[DeadlyUpgrade Mangekyo Sharingan]] powers as [[spoiler:Madara]], specifically the PoweredArmor, [[NighInvulnerability Made of Diamond Susano'o]], but [[spoiler:Madara's Susano'o is on such a ''far higher scale'' than both ''combined'', Tsunade, one of the current Kages and one of the most powerful shinobi of her era, wondered ''how the fuck did her grandfather even fight Madara''?]]
** [[spoiler:And the Biju themselves, even ''Kurama'' are far weaker than the original Biju, the Shinju or "God Tree" which is in itself the Ten-Tails.]]
* [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Chachamaru]] of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', the first of [[MadScientist Hakase, Chao, and the engineering club's]] line of androids, which Chachamaru refers to as her little brothers and sisters. As [[ChineseGirl Ku Fei]] mentioned before she kicked the asses of multiple mass-production versions of Chachamaru at once, as long as it's not Chachamaru herself, the fight is easy. There are a few hints implying the greatest breakthough in developing Chachamaru beyond an animatronic performing tea ceremonies was Evangeline choosing to apply the "ensoulment" process she created to animate dolls, which bypassed major power and processing issues the inventors never actually solved in time: the mass-produced model depended both on running limited software and having temporarily heightened levels of ambient magic to tap for power. They do feature minor design improvements (retrofitted into Chachamaru afterwards), however.
* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' does strange things with this trope. Units 00, 01, and 02 are referred to as the prototype unit, test unit, and production unit, respectively, but they're functionally identical in operation. ''End of Evangelion'''s Mass Production Evas are a little ambiguous: they have very little resemblance to any of the prior Units in terms of how they work and operate, and while each of them is individually much weaker than any of the previous ones, they are also outfitted with much more reliable and stable systems.
** If anything, Unit-00 is considered less reliable than its counterparts. As a prototype, Unit-00 wasn't intended for actual field deployment. [[spoiler: And, Rei 1's soul is rather unstable and rebellious.]]
** ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'' gives us Provisional Unit-05 which is very much a FlawedPrototype, as it was rushed into service half-built to deal with an emergency situation. The only advantage it had over any other Evas were the flight thrusters. The third ''Rebuild'' movie subverts the trope by introducing even later Eva Units that are far superior to the prototypes they'd been using: with modular weapons packs that can quickly be swapped out mid-battle, portable batteries allowing them to operate without the umbilical cable, and the Eva Mark-09 has rocket boosters that allow it to fly under its own power and an Angel-level HealingFactor. [[spoiler:Unit-13 appears to be Unit-01's successor and has AttackDrones and two sets of arms, in addition to Unit-01's ability to initiate an Impact Event under the right circumstances.]]
* ''Manga/OnePiece'' has the World Government-developed Pacifistas. The original, created by [[WeCanRebuildHim rebuilding]] Bartholemew Kuma into a {{Cyborg}}, is able to make short work of some later models, though this is mostly because Kuma had Devil Fruit powers that apparently couldn't be transferred to the others or technologically duplicated. [[spoiler:It is stated that more powerful models have been created over the TimeSkip, though it has not yet been shown how well Kuma would stack up against them.]]
** Another example would be the sea train in Water 7, the original one, Rocket Man, is WAY faster than its successor, but it wasn't used as the city's train since its extreme speed, lack of breaks, lack of steering controls and lack of momentum (if it crashed something it wouldn't lose speed but it would be sent flying in any other direction) was a high risk to safety for something meant to be a civilian train.
** An aversion is implied with the ancient weapon Pluto; the government's "official" explanation in regards to it is that they either erase any chance of someone using it ever, or get the blueprints for it so they can make their own just in case, which implies that at the very least, they think they have the resources, manpower and skill needed to make/mass produce a model as good as the original just as long as they get the how.
* Played straight in ''Manga/OutlawStar''. The [=XGP15A-II=] was purpose built using advanced military tech for the purpose of reaching the Galactic Leyline.
* The police protagonists on ''Anime/{{Patlabor}}'' had three prototype AV-98 Ingram mechs. One episode focused on the introduction of a mass-produced line of Ingrams, subverting the trope a bit in that the prototypes weren't exceptionally good so much as the mass-produced ones were exceptionally shoddy. Also, other kinds of mass-produced police and military mechs are shown to be close in quality to the Ingrams.
** The first film has the Type Zero which was supposed to be an advanced replacement for the AV-98. It proved to be a fearsome opponent in melee combat against other labors and when it was overtaken by the Babel virus, it completely mopped the floor with Ohta's Ingram and Noa barely managed to subdue it. Seeing as the Type Zero wasn't seen in the subsequent films, it can be assumed that the design was abandoned.
* ''Anime/SkyGirls'' features this: The three original Sonic Divers are prototypes, and they do their job well. Subverted in the fact that the mass production model can do just as well, but the WORM attacks the production assembly plant, making the only one model that was completed a super prototype in its own way.
** Also used straight when the [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Vic Vipers]]]] make their debut, it is marketed as cheap, much better and more heavily-armed alternative to the Sonic Divers that the titular characters use, and hence, is mass-produced. Not only it really is underperforming in comparison, the best thing it can do is act as support rather than replacement. It actually even gets beaten by an old, conventional fighter piloted by the show's TheAce in the end, and ''it's a two-against-one battle''.
* Ram-Dass in ''Anime/StrainStrategicArmoredInfantry'' is an illegally made mecha where the Union only condones standard issue. Because Sara saved them in it, it's explained away as a "prototype" to anyone that asks. Her brother's Gloire, on the other hand, is an AceCustom.
* Remarked upon in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', in reference to the [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Grappals/Gulaparls]] compared to the Gurren Lagann:
-->'''Gimi:''' Anyway, aren't Grappals supposed to be superior to Gurren Lagann? There's something wrong with a prototype being stronger.
** The trick here wasn't intentionally dumbing down the mass-produced version but rather the designers being ignorant of one crucial fact: the Gurren Lagann, like all Ganmen, is an EmpathicWeapon. Simply copying the machinery won't help if they don't know what makes it tick. Once this fact is discovered, they quick-fix the situation with the addition of Spiral weaponry but they're still nowhere near enough [[RealityWarper Ganmen territory]].
** As seen in the movies, if your will is high enough, even the mass production models can grow into galaxy sized bots, a la "Tengen Toppa Grappal/Gulaparl" and fire planet system-sized shotgun rounds.
* Zigzagged in ''Anime/VipersCreed'': in the last episode we see a prototype white mech with greater speed, armor and two additional arms; but its software is not optimized, so at critical moments it freezes from bugs.
* Several cards in ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' have a fairly justified case of this: they were created, playtested, and discovered to be far too broken to see mass play. As a result, [[PowerEqualsRarity only a handful of copies exist, and they're naturally rather powerful.]] Toon World, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, the Destiny Heroes, and Gold Castle of Stromberg all exist in small numbers, and all dominate their user's strategies.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* The fictional planes of ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' occasionally fall under this trope, particularly the X-49 Night Raven of ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere'' and the ADFX-01 "Morgan" of ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'', which is a super prototype of the later (in the series original world timeline) and much more advanced ADF-01 "FALKEN". The Morgan zig-zags this, however, as the FinalBoss flies a Super Prototype ''of'' the Super Prototype (he gets an ADFX-0''2'' that carries all three special weapons at once while your -01 is stuck with one at a time), and then the later FALKEN is overall somewhat better (it only gets a fuel-air bomb instead of the multi-purpose burst missile the Morgan gets, but its [[EnergyWeapon Tactical Laser System]] carries more shots, holds the beam twice as long, and deals more damage per second).
** The real planes also have a bit of this. ''5'' in particular both subverts it (the F-15 S/MTD is better than the stock F-15 it was modified from) and plays it straight (the S-32 is better than the later Su-47).
** ''VideoGame/AceCombatXSkiesOfDeception'' brought us the Fenrir. The original models had optical camouflage, ungodly maneuverability and a microwave weapon. The production models don't have any of that aside from the ungodly maneuverability at the cost of ammo. In the same vein, the Varcolac from ''Joint Assault'' is shown to have a rear mounted machine gun that shoots down any and all missiles that approach it. In game, it doesn't have that but it's still the best plane in the game if you give it the right mods.
** Ace Combat's love of Super Prototypes reaches absolutely absurd levels in ''VideoGame/AceCombatInfinity'', which brings in no less than six variants of the [=Morgan/FALKEN=] line, -- starting from a "Block 1" FlawedPrototype of the Morgan, on through the regular Morgan, through to Pixy's version with higher stats, then on to the FALKEN, and from there on to the ADA-01 ADLER, a ground-focused counterpart to the FALKEN, and the ''VideoGame/AceCombat2'' version of the original FALKEN.
* In ''VideoGame/AtlasReactor'' [[RobotDog PuP]] and [[WeCanRebuildHim Blackburn]] are both prototypes of their respective product line and superior to it. In both cases it's because they were [[AceCustom subsequently modified beyond their original product specifications]] and not because they were designed that way. [=PuP=]'s case is also reinforced [[LastOfHisKind by his remaining product line being destroyed by the AI ban]]; [=PuP=] surviving only because he was the FlawedPrototype at the time.
* In ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZero'', on your way to the GoldenPath, you get to pilot SOPHIA ZERO, a superpowered version of your SOPHIA III with much more firepower and enhanced weapons. While much more powerful, the problem is [[FlawedPrototype it wasn't made with longevity in mind]], and there was [[BagOfSpilling very little that could be salvaged]] after Jason used the thing.
** Defied with Kane Gardner's original Metal Attacker in ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZeroIII''. It really ''is'' an obsolete model that lacks the firepower of Jason's SOPHIA-GX. What makes it so powerful isn't the Metal Attacker itself, but Kane, whose incredible piloting skill and years of experience alone make him more than a match for Jason.
* Subject Delta in ''VideoGame/BioShock2'' isn't just a Big Daddy -- he's the ''first'' Big Daddy; unlike the production models, he's nimble and has plasmid powers. It's justified in-universe by a whole host of problems with that particular series: they were too costly, their free will made them far more difficult to control, and are permanently bonded to a single Little Sister and doomed to death or violent insanity once she's gone. The newer models, while not quite as advanced, are physically stronger, more durable, and lack free will, and have no preference for any particular Little Sister, all of which better suit the one task they are built for.
** The ''BioShockInfinite/BurialAtSea'' DownloadableContent for ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' features a Bouncer Big Daddy that is able to launch its drill and pull enemies towards him. According to a chalkboard in Suchong's lab, this feature was removed because the hydraulic fluids/gases needed for this caused the Bouncer to become unstable.
* The Living Failures of ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' are meant to be a FlawedPrototype of Celestial Emissary since the test subject failed to ascend into kins of the [[EldritchAbomination Great Ones]]. Despite how "failed" it sounded like, they are far deadlier than their successors and can [[MacrossMissileMassacre conjure meteors]]. One wonder why the Healing Church did not weaponise them instead.
* In ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'', the [[HumongousMecha King Oni]] is a hulking behemoth capable of bull-charging enemy tanks and shoot EyeBeams for the glory of the [[UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan Empire of the Rising Sun]]. Apparently, the original King Oni is a super prototype, given to Emperor Yoshiro as a gift, which he uses when the enemy approaches his palace. It notably includes a set of Rocket Launchers for dealing with aerial threats, something the standard King Oni lacks. It's implied that this King Oni takes much more maintenance to take care of than the standard King Oni, but given that it's the ''Emperor's'' personal machine, no expense was spared.
** In the ''Uprising'' expansion, the Soviet Reaper unit is a super prototype for the Sickle. While the Sickle is only armed with machine guns, the Reaper boasts [[MoreDakka automatic grenade launchers]] and a [[MacrossMissileMassacre roof-mounted rocket launcher]]. However, unlike the Sickle, the Reaper's legs can barely support its weight and will snap off if it tries to leap like a Sickle. This is reflected in its special ability, which allows it to leap once and become a stationary turret wherever you want it to land.
* ''VideoGame/CustomRobo'' is all about "ace customs" but your "super prototype" has a drawback for each advantage it has against mass produced robos of the same class.
* ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' has some really powerful prototype stuff. Example: MPLX Novasurge, a unique plasma pistol which greatly increases damage and the critical multiplier at the cost of doubled power usage and weight. It was developed by a "Section: A61" shortly before the Great War broke out. The prototype survived the war by being beamed aboard Mothership Zeta approx. 200 years before the Lone Wanderer found it in the ship's cargo hold.. Or the MP-47/A power armor prototype with a built-in medical dispenser and an onboard AI. And the Capital Wasteland's sole set of T-51b power armor(not counting the indestructible Winterized version from ''Operation: Anchorage''). Finally, there's Liberty Prime, a HumongousMecha built for the Anchorage Reclamation, but kept out of battle due to problems with its power supply.
** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' shows that at least one prototype model of eyebots had a TV-screen, and not just a built-in radio. ED-E, however, is ''not'' quite this trope, despite being a prototype and much more powerful than its mass-produced cousins: it was the prototype to a series of combat-adapted eyebots that were scrapped in favor of Hellfire power armor, with the common eyebot being its predecessor rather than its successor.
** There's also the Tesla-Beaton Prototype, a unique Tesla cannon, and the AER-14, a prototype Laser Rifle with a green laser. The Q-35 Matter Modulator is an example and also has some backstory to {{retcon}} why the [=FO3=] plasma rifle is so different from the original plasma rifle (dubbed the "Plasma Caster" in NV): The plasma caster was too expensive, had an awkward form factor, and required too much training to be proficient in, so a military project was started to adapt it to a more familiar pistol grip rifle form factor, and lower the cost. This is because the original plasma caster was meant as a construction tool rather than a weapon -- it's basically a really big welding torch, and as a result, while it's one of the strongest energy weapons around, it also has a massive spread due to being completely unergonomic.
*** ''Old World Blues'' has the Stealth Suit Mark II, which like the Medic Power Armor, has an onboard AI that automatically dispenses Med-X and Stimpaks.
** ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' adds the T-60 Power Armor, a step above the T-51 armor that was previously used. It was only beginning to be deployed experimentally (one of the Vault's military guards is wearing a suit of this armor in the pre-War sequence) when the Great War happened.
*** There's also a unique version of the Railway Rifle called "Prototype Railway Rifle". However, the player expecting it to follow the usual workings of this trope -- and indeed of every other unique weapon in the game -- will be disappointed: it gets subverted and does piddling damage, has poor range and only holds one round. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome It behaves, in other words, exactly how you'd expect from an unfinished prototype.]]
*** As revealed in ''Far Harbor'', [[spoiler:Nick Valentine was one of the two prototype Synths capable of independent thinking and judgement, the other being [=DiMA=]. Rather than being junked by the Institute as he believed, he actually escaped alongside his "brother" [=DiMA=].]]
* Vivi, like all Black Mages in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', is an animated doll. However, as the prototype model, his power is greater than that of his "brothers", and his lifespan is much longer, as well.[[spoiler:Also in a far darker sense Kuja is a Prototype of the real Angel of Death Zidane, though it is arguable who is more powerful/competent]]
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'''s Kefka was the very first Magitek Knight (a normal human given magical powers by way of an infusion from an Esper). He consistently has much stronger magic then Celes, a later-generation Magitek Knight that joins your party.[[note]] The first time you fight him as a boss, he is Level 18, and has spells like Blizzara, Poison, Drain, and all three 1st level FireIceLightning spells. Celes would only have Blizzard, Antidote, Imp, Cure, and Scan at that same level.[[/note]] Unfortunately, as a prototype, he was exposed to an imperfect version of the infusion process, which resulted in him going just a teensy bit [[PsychoPrototype insane]].
* In the ''Compilation of VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', Sephiroth is a super prototype who is much stronger and more powerful than regular [=SOLDIERs=] and much more physically stable than the competing Project G prototypes Angeal and Genesis, who are subject to degradation. Unfortunately, Sephiroth could not be duplicated and he cannot replicate his genetic traits in monsters (like Angeal) or in humans (like Genesis). Later, Hojo made a series of experimental transhumans called Sephiroth Clones, never meant for actual combat, to test some properties of the augmenting technology in question; one of these prototypes is our main protagonist, who ended up no less powerful than the original himself.
* Though the series' AnachronicOrder makes constructing a timeline difficult, the animatronic Funtime Foxy seen in ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation'' along with the rest of their Funtime counterparts is significantly more advanced than the Funtime Foxy who would later become the Mangle in ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2''. That said, they were made (apparently!) by different people, and there were [[spoiler:[[HomicideMachines good reasons]] not to use the same design]].
* ''VideoGame/FrontMission3'' has a couple interesting examples.
** In the start of the game your character is a test pilot for Kirishima Heavy Industries and your first mission is actually a final test run of a new prototype Wanzer for the Japanese Defense Forces. The Shunyo Mk. 111 is far more powerful than the test Wanzers you fight against.
** The true Super Prototype of the game, though, is the Hoshun. This is a Wanzer that [[spoiler:is somehow sent to you through the Internet]] and not only has more HP than any other pilotable Wanzer, but also has one of the only [[WaveMotionGun beam rifles]] in existence.
** Interestingly, the starting wanzer Kazuki pilots, the Zenith RV (misromanized as Zenislev), is the super prototype of the next game, Front Mission 4, obtainable in Elsa's scenario. Since 4 canonically happens before 3, this indicates how much Wanzer development has progressed.
* ''VideoGame/GodEater'': [[spoiler:Soma Schicksal]] is the original God Eater, created by being injected with Oracle Cells in utero. The result is someone with SuperSenses and SuperStrength, able to fight Aragami from [[ChildSoldiers the age of twelve]], and resistant to being devoured thanks to internally producing their own Bias Factor. However, this creation process was morally objectionable (one of the scientists involved admitted to the GodzillaThreshold but objected so strongly they walked off the project), incredibly dangerous, and their birth resulted in an incident that destroyed the medical lab and cost their mother their life. As a result, the process was refined to be used on compatible volunteers instead, which was much safer but came at the cost of deriving their abilities from interfacing with their [[EmpathicWeapon God Arc]] and being dependent on regular injections of Bias Factor from an outside source.
* ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'': The Nightcypher, the speedship the crew uses in Platinum Sky, is ancient according to Sierokarte and lacks the fancy weapons that modern speedships have, but it has a powerful speed boost and it uses lost technology from the War, making it actually superior to its modern contemporaries.
* As one might expect from a ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' game, ''VideoGame/GihrensGreed'' has its share of Super Prototypes. However, it plays both the "production cost" and "only super until obsolete" angles brutally straight. For the former, building an army of Gundams is [[AwesomeButImpractical prohibitively expensive]] while a force of [=GMs=] will do the job at a fraction of the cost and so the Super Prototypes are best used as force multipliers at the hands of ace pilots, while for the latter as technology marches on Super Prototypes from earlier in the game will struggle against and later be completely outclassed by later models (e.g. the original RX-78 Gundam will barely be able to keep up against Zeta era mooks like Hi-Zacks).
** This is actually mentioned with the Prototype Gundam Mk-II's backstory: the machine was stupidly powerful and was made with performance over cost in mind; thus, when it was done, it was a machine that couldn't be piloted unless you were ''extremely'' skilled (or a Newtype) and it cost as much as a fleet of ''Pegasus''-class warships[[note]]That's the same class as the ''White Base''.[[/note]]
** Of course, being based on Gundam this is sometimes played with or even subverted:
*** The prototype versions of some machines like the Gouf or Dom are actually inferior in some regards to their mass produced brothers due to being testbeds for new technology rather than being combat models.
*** The prototype Gelgoog is slightly more powerful than the mass produced version (usually shown via higher health and other stats), but is otherwise exactly the same as the mass produced version. The ace customs versions, however, are often much more potent.
*** Some Super Prototypes have unique features that result in them still seeing use long after becoming obsolete. The RX-78 is one of the only Federation mobile suits that can fight underwater, and vastly outperforms the other two options the Aqua [=GM=] and Aqua Gundam (which is just an Aqua [=GM=] with a Gundam-style head and a beam gun). As a result, a Federation player may feel desperate enough to build the RX-78 to counter the much more numerour underwater MS Neo Zeon can field. The Xamel and Rhinoceros both have extremely long range artillery cannons that can still make them useful long after they become obsolete.
*** The prototype Pegasus is inferior to the White Base, which is treated in-game like an AceCustom unit instead. Mass produced Pegasus class ships are based on the protoype.
* Another ''Gundam'' game, ''The Blue Destiny'', features the three prototype Blue Destiny units, based on ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamThe08thMSTeam The 08th MS Team]]'''s RX-79(G) Gundam Ground Type units, extensively modified with a new control system. BD-1 used a GM head and was still ground-based, while BD-2 and BD-3 both sported Gundam heads and were modified for space use. Their control systems were based on a Zeon prototype, the MS-08TX(EXAM) Efreet Custom, whose designer defected from Zeon to the Federation.
** ''Blue Destiny'' received a pseudo-sequel called ''Missing Link'', which focuses on an offshoot of the EXAM project known as the HADES system. Only one prototype ever has the system installed: the RX-80PR Pale Rider. It's so powerful that the unit is still effective [[spoiler:10 years later, during the Neo-Zeon Wars, where it is finally taken down in a MutualKill with a Queen Mansa (one of the most successful Mobile Armor designs Neo-Zeon ever produced).]]
* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'': Gears are artificially-engineered HumanoidAbomination {{Super Soldier}}s. The very first one ever created is leaps and bounds above the later ones in terms of power, [[OneManArmy cutting a swath through them and emerging unscathed in one encounter]], but he seems to be the only one of his type. This Gear is Frederick, the brilliant scientist who created the Gears in the first instance, [[spoiler:though he goes by the name Sol Badguy now]].
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** The Spartan-[=IIs=] are this to the Spartan-[=IIIs=] and [=IVs=]. The [=IIs=] tend to be larger, stronger, and just more naturally talented overall, due being subject to a much more stringent selection criteria than their successors. On top of all that, their [[PoweredArmor MJOLNIR armor]] is far better than the [=III=]'s SPI armor (though ''not'' the [=IV=]'s [=GEN2=] MJOLNIR). On the other hand, the [=IIs=] were also much more costly to produce and equip, and the process of augmenting them had a much higher failure rate than with the [=IIIs=] and [=IVs=], making them much fewer in numbers and much less expendable. That said, there were some [=IIIs=] that were considered the rough equals of the [=IIs=], such as those of Noble Team, who were given their own sets of MJOLNIR.
** The [=IVs=] are superior in both equipment quality and numbers compared to their [=III=] and [=II=] predecessors. However, while the [=IVs=] ''are'' highly-skilled volunteers drawn from the best veterans and recruits, the [=IIIs=] and [=IIs=] were both trained to be the perfect soldiers from ''[[TheSpartanWay childhood]]''; this difference manifests itself most clearly in the comparatively lesser skill and professionalism of the [=IVs=]. WordOfGod has also stated that the [=IVs=]' physical augmentations are inferior to those of their predecessors.
** Averted by the Spartan-I program, which did not have the success that the later programs did; if [[spoiler:Sergeant Johnson]] and the "[=1.0s=]" in ''ARG/ILoveBees'' are any indication, they're just slightly better than the best {{Badass Normal}}s. In fact, the Spartan program as a whole had to be renamed from "Project Orion" in order to distance the S-[=IIs=] from their predecessors (who themselves were retroactively renamed "Spartan-[=Is=]" to acknowledge they ''did'' provide the necessary data for the success of the later programs). Admittedly, the Orions ''were'' very effective soldiers, but just not quite good enough to prevent the Insurrection from spreading, not to mention that far too many of them started to experience severe degenerative side effects from the augmentations, both mental and physical.
** There's also the [[http://www.halopedia.org/HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL_Mark_I_Prototype_Armor_Defense_System HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark I]] PoweredArmor, which was this to the [[http://www.halopedia.org/HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL_Mark_IX_Armor_Defense_System Mark IX "Mantis"]] MiniMecha. Whereas the Mark I had flight, rockets, chainguns, mines, a bubble shield, and ''a nuclear self-destruct system'', the Mantis usually only has a chaingun, a rocket launcher, and standard DeflectorShields; the latter's still a force to be reckoned with, though.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/HomeworldCataclysm'': while the second of the two Explorer-class ships built by Kiith Somtaaw, the player ship ''Kuun Lan'' [[AllThereInTheManual has superior armour, engines and module capacity to the prototype due to correction of design flaws discovered during construction]].
* The original X-Blade from ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' was practically this to the keyblade. It originally coexisted with the true Kingdom Hearts, acting as its guardian. However, numerous people used the X-Blade as the basis for their own keyblades, leading up to the inevitable Keyblade War for control over Kingdom Hearts, which sunk the world in darkness, killed every last keyblade wielder, and split the X-Blade into seven lights and thirteen darknesses.
* Near the end of the first planet in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', you get to win a swoop bike race on a bike modified with a prototype accelerator. The adversary tries to deny your prize on the grounds that it was an unfair advantage, but the prize, being a Jedi, takes matters into her own hands by breaking out and killing most of the bad guys.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsIntoReverie'', [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel Rean Schwarzer and Crow Armbrust]] end up piloting a new generation prototype of [[HumongousMecha soldats]] called the "Tyrfing" with Rean piloting the Tyrfing-S and Crow piloting the Tyrfing-X. It replicates [[SuperRobot Divine Knight]] movement [[spoiler:after the Divine Knights disappeared at the end of ''Cold Steel IV''.]]
* Justified with [[RobotGirl the Florian sisters]] from ''[[VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable: The Gears of Destiny]]''. Their father was trying to create non-sentient worker robots to aid in repairing his planet's ecosystem, but he accidentally overdid it when designing them. So he [[ArtificialFamilyMember raised the two of them as his daughters]] and dumbed down the later models to match what he actually needed.
* In ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' series:
** Proto Man is usually depicted as being much more capable than the later model, Mega Man, and due to a bug in his design, a flawed nuclear core, is the first robot in history to have full free will. On the flip-side, that same unstable core makes him far more vulnerable to damage and means his power reactor will catastrophically fail at some point (Implied to be ''quite soon'' in ''VideoGame/MegaMan10''). On the plus side, being built with an energy source far more raw and unrestrained generally makes his buster output more powerful than his brother ''or'' Bass, enabling the extremely potent Proto/Blues Strike. Proto Man also has a rather similar design and weaponry to the common Sniper Joe enemy -- in at least [[ComicBook/MegaManArchieComics one continuity]], he was the prototype for them specifically.
** Zigzagged in ''VideoGame/MegaMan11'' with Wily's Double Gear system, which he developed back in his college days. After being reminded of it, Wily decides to revisit the concept, outfitting his 8 BrainwashedAndCrazy robot masters with Power and Speed Gears to vastly improve their capabilities. Fortunately, Dr. Light kept ahold of Wily's discarded prototype -- containing both a Power ''and'' Speed Gear (compared to the robot masters who either have one or the other) -- which he installs in Mega Man. However, at the end of the game, Wily reveals his own perfected Double Gear system installed in his personal Wily Capsule, which has all the benefits of Mega Man's plus an enhanced cooling system that ensures that it never overheats, thus unlike Mega Man he can leave both gears running at the same time indefinitely (which he does as his DesperationAttack.)
* In ''VideoGame/MegaManX'': X is a Super Prototype to all of the Reploids that were created afterwards. He was built with the ability to make his own decisions like Proto Man above, but was built with a "suffering circuit" that would allow him to weigh the consequences of his actions. This, plus over a century of self-checks made X a perfect machine. The Reploids that were built from his blueprints, however, lacked the same power of his suffering circuit and the checks, which caused many of them to become [[KillerRobot Mavericks]]. In general, the whole ''Mega Man'' franchise typically provides some viable explanation as to why a first draft might be superior to the later models.
* In the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series, the prototype Metal Gear RAY is of far superior quality to the mass-produced models later encountered by Raiden as a boss battle; then again, it may have been actually designed for its supposed purpose (to defeat REX derivatives) whereas the mass-produced versions were actually tactical defense units for Arsenal Gear. In ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', Bladewolf, a prototype unmanned gear, is self-aware and pretty durable, while the mass-produced Fenrirs go down much faster and have less intelligence than a real dog.
** Metal Gear REX itself. The culmination of Otacon's work to build a machine that can protect people. As the raid on Shadow Moses happened while its weapon was being tested, the combat data is limited to simulations. This virtual combat data and leaked plans were the basis of the REX derivatives RAY was designed to defeat... [[spoiler:Which is why when REX is reactivated by Old Snake and Otacon in [=MGS4=], it manages to defeat RAY despite its age and disrepair. Its full potential was never really tested, and so RAY was ill-equipped to deal with the real deal, especially once Otacon activated its secret "Street Fighter" program, allowing it to fight in CQC against other mechs. This also reflects handily on the conflict between Solid and Liquid Snake, with the "inferior" (older) model defeating the "superior" (newer) model.]]
* ''VideoGame/NoMansSky'' features prototype spaceships in each of its three ship classes (Trader, Explorer, and Fighter) that are incredibly rare (not to mention extremely cost-intensive) but are leaps and bounds above most of the other ships you can find.
* The ultra-powerful Genesis Weapons wielded by the ARKS Council of Six in ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2'' are actually the first photon weapons ever made. Every usable weapon in the game utilizes the same technology but severely scaled back for mass production, as the original units are ''too'' powerful for most people to be able to control.
* ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarZero'' makes fun of this trope to a degree. Occasionally you will find messages with tips in them. A message talking about a particular robotic enemy in that area says, "Production model & Prototype. Do we need to spell out which one is more powerful?"
* In ''VideoGame/RiseOfLegends'', the Vinci faction has the Prototype Factory which allows the making of a Super Prototype unit. While these types of units are individually unique, choosing to make one will lead to overall bonuses to units that the Super Prototype was related to and these bonuses persisted even if the Super Prototype unit was destroyed. For example, making the unique Siege Zeppelin will lead to all your Steam Cannons becoming more powerful. These Super Prototype units are usually far better than the units that benefit from their development (such as the Siege Zeppelin to the Steam Cannons and Zeke the Robot to the Steam Fortress and Defense Tower).
* In ''VideoGame/SakuraWars2019'', Sumire Kanzaki had Reiji Shiba develop the Oubu, a MiniMecha which served as the prototype to the Koubu's successors, the Mugen. Sakura Amamiya uses it [[spoiler:after Yasha destroys her Koubu in Chapter 4]].
* In ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'', any prototype starts out one Morale (i.e. [[ExperiencePoints experience]]) level ahead of a normal unit produced at the same base. This means that, with a Command Center and [[{{Cyborg}} Bioenhancement Center]], a prototype is Elite right off the rack. However, this is justified in the background material: Factions entrust their newest tech to their most experienced and effective troops and crews; the actual equipment is not significantly different from that given to subsequent units. Furthermore, prototypes take longer to build (unless the base has a Skunkworks facility), indicating the extra resources needed to work out the kinks. The actual equipment is probably not a prototype at all, just first-generation production with a best-of-the-best crew.
** An interesting exception is the Spartan Federation; because of their [[TheSpartanWay martial focus]], one of their unique traits is that they do not have to prototype new unit designs, with the effect that (1) the first of a unit type does not take extra time to build but (2) the first of a new unit type doesn't get the experience advantage available to other factions. This is probably a game balance consideration, as ''all'' Spartan units get a +2 Morale advantage by default.
* The [[CoolShip Delphinus]] from ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia'' is a possible example, but it's not entirely clear whether the weaker mass-produced equivalent (the Spectre-class battleships) are scaled-back mass production versions or the immediate predecessors of the Delphinus.
** The Delphinus was a proof-of-concept model, but doesn't necessarily fit the trope, and THE Flagship for the entire Armada -- it was overkill for the reason of it being an AceCustom essentially.
* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' has the insanely overpowered ''Lightning'', which is in many ways a fully-retrofitted version of the game's standard dimensional-crossing warship. She's got even RealityWarper tech (too energy-consuming to move or deploy the plasma shield, but ''still''...) even in-game, the difference between the ''Lightning'' and the other ships is explicitly compared to a fully-tuned and upgraded car against one fresh from the dealership.
* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** Averted and then invoked in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' by [[WhatMeasureIsAMook E-102 Gamma]]. During his story, he faces off against his older brother E-101 Beta for a spot on Robotnik's E-100 series of enforcer mechs and soundly defeats him in battle. Later on, [[HeelFaceTurn after revolting against Robotnik]], Gamma goes on a mission to destroy his brothers to save the [[LivingBattery animals trapped inside]]. After handily defeating all of his brothers, E-101 shows up again, having gotten a dramatic overhaul with abilities far surpassing Gamma's. Gamma is still able to defeat him without too much trouble, though Beta [[TakingYouWithMe sees to it that Gamma doesn't leave the battlefield]].
** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' has the Biolizard, the prototype ultimate life form which was enormous compared to its successor Shadow the Hedgehog. It was locked in suspended animation by GUN until Dr. Eggman reactivated it in the process of inserting the Chaos Emeralds into the Eclipse Cannon and [[ColonyDrop sent the ARK hurtling towards Earth]], after which it was defeated by Shadow but recovered and merged with the Eclipse Cannon in order to ensure that the colony would fall, only to be defeated again by the combined efforts of Super Sonic and Super Shadow. It is subverted in that the Biolizard seems to suffer from severe asthma, and even with a huge life support system attached to it, it can't sustain combat for half a minute without getting tired.
** Invoked (but not in any meaningful manner) in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes''. One of E-123 Omega's combo-score quips is "Worthless consumer models!" Additionally, when he earns an E-Rank at the end of a stage, he laments that he couldn't even beat Gamma or Beta.
* Happens in ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'' where a prototype superweapon called ''Odin'' is stolen from the Dominion. It doesn't just have more hit points than any other unit in the game and do more damage than anything short of hero units -- it's also got several luxury amenities, including a restroom for the driver and an onboard nuke launcher. Rory Swann, the engineer of ''Hyperion'', says it's too impractical to mass-produce, at least with the facilities available to Raynor's Raiders, so a scaled-down machine called a Thor is slated for mass production. ([[GameplayAndStorySegregation Oddly, the Dominion seems to have agreed with Swann, as the Odin is one of a kind and the Dominion only ever fields Thors aside from it.]]) There's also the ''Loki'', a prototype for a new class of battleship, which boasts ridiculous firepower and toughness, completed at the same research station. The ''Loki'' at least is destroyed, which may be why that never went anywhere.
** The ''Loki'' may have been destroyed, but during the "Fire in the Sky" Zerg mission multiple similar looking Battlecruiser's appear, which may be the mass produced version to the ''Loki'''s super prototype. There's also the ''Pride of Augustgrad'', and the ''Jackson's Revenge'' mercenary ship, both of which look identical to the ''Loki''; the implication is that ''Jackson's Revenge'' is an old ship retrofitted to be competitive on the modern battlefield, an AceCustom of sorts, and perhaps the ''Pride of Augustgrad'' and ''Loki'' were test beds for normalizing such upgrades for the production models fought in the Zerg campaign.
* Prometheus, the last boss in the ''VideoGame/{{Starsiege}}'' human campaign, is the first [[AIIsACrapshoot Cybrid]]. For the Cybrid campaign, you become one once you reach the highest rank.
* ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' reveals that the prototype of the Advanced Escort ships, the ''U.S.S. Prometheus'' from ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', was this, as the mass produced Advanced Escorts removed the Multi-Vector Assault Mode (which allowed it to separate it into three parts) due to parts being easy to damage. Then, they put it back for the special variants.
** For a fun thing, one of the purchasable add-ons is the NX prefix for all Federation ships. As it is cosmetic, there's nothing big about it beyond RP material, but with all the special high-ranking gear, you could pretty much say that you ''are'' flying a Super Prototype.
* The Smithy Gang in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' (Mack, Bowyer, Yaridovich and the Axem Rangers) are the super prototype models for their production lines. When you reach the last area, you discover that Smithy is creating an entire army of the bosses, though the machine-made versions are less powerful than the actual bosses.
* The OriginalGeneration mecha of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' is ''overloaded'' with super prototypes, {{Ace Custom}}s,and a few {{Flawed Prototype}}s too; way, ''way'' too many to list on this page. Averted in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars3''. When you begin the game, the Manga/GetterRobo team is piloting the Proto-Getter Robo. instead of normal Getter Robo. When Proto-Getter attacks and doesn't kill an enemy, Ryouma gripes that the Proto-Getter is just weaker than the normal Getter and is actually happy when the original Getter is dropped in a few stages later.
* A similar effect occurs with the ''VideoGame/SupremeCommander'' Experimental units. Any player will realize that these 'experiments' are always a great success, and utterly trounce dozens if not hundreds of the 'tested' units. And although you can build more than one of them, the too-expensive-justification is in full effect, as you need a very solid economy before you can start building one.
* Played with by Prototype Jack in ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''. While it's unknown what happened between him and Jack (both survived the original tournament), P. Jack was soundly scrapped by Jack-2 in ''Tekken 2''. However, P. Jack's ability to fly was implemented in all subsequent playable Jack models.
* A ContinuityNod in the ''VideoGame/ThunderForce'' series. The mass production model of Styx in ''III'' appear as {{N|onPlayerCharacter}}PC in ''IV''; The Rynex in ''IV'' has its production model appear in ''VI'' and also serve as prototype of Gauntlet in ''V''. It take MidSeasonUpgrade the Gauntlet into AceCustom Vambrace and MechaExpansionPack Brigandine module that Earth's fighter can fight the Rynex. It's justified since Gauntlet is Earthling's replica, built with alien technology they aren't fully understand.
* ''VideoGame/TheUnholyWar'' has a regular unit called Razorfane, a robot that attacks with circular saw blades. One of the secret unlockable characters is called Betarazor, which is basically just an upgraded version of Razorfane, with more health and more powerful attacks.
* The Edelweiss in ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'', made by Isara's father for Welkin's father for the previous war. Unlike most super-prototypes, it was actually put forward to Gallian High Command. It was found to be an incredible tank, but it was [[JustifiedTrope too expensive for any kind of mass production]].
* The Excavated [[AMechByAnyOtherName ATACs]] in ''VideoGame/VanguardBandits'' are super prototypes from which all basic [=ATACs=] were reverse-engineered.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Vanquish}}'', the ARS armor that Sam Gideon is wearing is a prototype of a new weapons system being developed by DARPA, and he is taking it along on the assault on Providence for two reasons: to test out its capabilities in live fire combat, and because the military is desperate for any weapon they can use to stop the colony's microwave array from being fired. In-game, it is indicated that the ARS has several limitations, primarily among them being that the suit will [[ExplosiveOverclocking explode if it overheats too much.]]
* The eponymous armor from ''VideoGame/{{Vay}}'' has been copied and mass-produced by [[TheEmpire the Danek Empire]] to create their massive robotic army. However, once the five magic orbs are retrieved and the Vay Armor's power is fully realized, it can stand toe-to-toe with almost anything Danek can throw at it.
* The backstory of ''VideoGame/VirtualOn'' provides both aversions and straight examples. Some prototypes like Viper Alpha and Proto Temjin have inferior armaments to their production model. Original Fei Yen is [[BonusBoss much more powerful than the production model]] but is sentient and eventually runs away from the lab.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'', [[BlingOfWar Prime items]] are invariably stronger than their present-day Tenno reproductions. With Warframes, the difference tends to be fairly minor, but most Prime weapons see a significant boost in power over their production models. Naturally, Orokin technology was so far beyond anything the rest of the system could create even to this day that it's incredibly difficult to replicate; most efforts depend on scrounging up components and blueprints from Orokin ruins. Umbra Warframes serve as another level of this, crossing with FlawedPrototype and PsychoPrototype: while they were immensely powerful at taking down Sentients, their rage made them uncontrollable. Ivara's Leverian story later implies that Prime Warframes are NOT in fact, prototypes, subverting this. Rather, the non-Prime models were in fact the originals, and are tested to see if they're worth keeping. Those that survive their ordeals and prove their worth were rewarded with the superior, Primed versions of their models, while ones that failed were scrapped and forgotten.
* ''VideoGame/{{Wipeout}} 2048'' features unlockable prototypes which each has a huge drawback, but can be powerful compared to regular racers.
** The first unlockable Prototype: The Feisar Prototype, can exceed massive speed but it only speeds up when hitting speed pads.
** Second unlockable: The Auricom Prototype. It deals a decent amount of damage and doesn't get slowed down or wipes out when hit by a weapon. It can't pick up defensive weapons though and if you aren't careful, you won't notice when your craft is on low energy.
** Third unlockable: AG-Systems Prototype. Fast, ultra-agile and hard-hitting, but has the weakest shielding in the game.
** Fourth unlockable: Qirex Prototype. Sacrifices normal weapons for a special cannon which is even more powerful than the Plasma Bolt itself.
** Final unlockable: Pir-Hana Prototype. The fastest ship in the game hands down, but cannot steer without airbrakes.
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfTanks'' is rife with this. Many of the more powerful vehicles are prototypes that were never produced in any significant number in RealLife, but any number of them can be used in the game. They also lack the flaws that made them AwesomeButImpractical in reality. Many of the tier upgrades are from real tanks to prototype upgrades that never saw service.
** To give you an idea of the extent of it, of the 32 Tier X (the most powerful. Count as of patch 8.10) Tanks/TD's/SPG's, ''three'' were ever mass produced, with one having just over 200 built.
** Although in most cases, the super prototype is a prototype ''of the next tank,'' where the next tank might be overpowered for gameplay purposes. For example, the Germans get prototypes of the Tiger, Panther, and Leopard tanks. The prototypes are tougher and perform better than any of their lower-tier vehicles in their tech tree... but do ''not'' perform better than the Tiger, Panther, and Leopard themselves.
* Epic Weapons from ''VideoGame/XCOMChimeraSquad'' are, in the context of the game, unique weapons that are plain better than their normal weapon class counterparts, and fall into one of three categories: AceCustom, prototypes that were rejected for eating through ammunition too fast, and one which stood out by being a plain upgrade prototype, so good it was scheduled for mass production and deployment by VichyEarth with hopes of being pushed in the field by the year 2036. As the the flavor text put it: "Good thing [[LaResistance we]] won the war in 2035."
* Subverted with Poppi in ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2''. Despite her initial form being labelled "alpha", when asked about it she says she's feature-complete and only carries the moniker because her creator wanted to tweak her U.I. It actually goes deeper than that, as it's discovered Poppi isn't the first functional artificial Blade... which means she benefits from additional development time and a superior power source, and can fight her predecessors to a standstill easily.
* ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' normally averts this trope, and hero Gears are usually either [[AceCustom Ace Customs]] or relics of LostTechnology. The one major case of a prototype that's clearly superior to the followup model is Grahf's Alpha Weltall, [[spoiler: which is built using 4000-year-old [[LostTechnology Lost Nanotechnology]] that can't be replicated in the modern world. Fei's Weltall is essentially a kitbashed knockoff designed by modern engineers, and is itself a FlawedPrototype. Several of the compromises in the original design are patched out when Weltall is redesigned by Taura, but it's still no match for the Alpha because Taura still lacks access to the Zeboim nanotech]].
* Zigzagged in the ''[[VideoGame/{{X}} X-Universe]]'' series. Prototype vessels tend to fare differently than their production versions, some having quirks that make them better or worse (such as higher weapon energy recharge but lower rudder speed). That said, some ships designated as prototypes fit the trope: The Paranid Hyperion Vanguard is a limited prototype run of Corvettes that far eclipses all other corvette classes (Among its many advantages, its the only one that can carry fighters and is either the top or tied for top in terms of speed, durability, and offensive potential amongst M6 vessels). The Hyperion Vanguard never entered full production run however (Which is why they cannot be bought by the player -- only acquired through boarding existing copies). And all prototype ships, once they're acquired, can be reverse-engineered and then produced in the PlayerHeadquarters in practice like the factory-produced versions. The only ship that cannot be reverse-engineered is the Xperimental Shuttle, making it TooAwesomeToUse.
** In ''VideoGame/XRebirth'', the player salvages a one-off prototype, the ''Pride of Albion'' (now the "''Albion Skunk''", [[WhoNamesTheirKidDude much to the chagrin of the pilot]]), which was designed to fight in the [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar Second Terraformer War]]. It's a hybridized ship combining the best features of both the old M3 Fighter and an M6 Corvette classes -- it's maneuverable, very powerful, [[DroneDeployer carries a compliment of drones in a wide variety of flavors]], and one of the fastest ships around, but it was never put into mass production due to excessive production costs.
* ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders'' has the Orbital Frame Jehuty, an Orbital Frame in its own tier of power compared to everything else. Unfortunately, due to very bad luck, it was launched without 90% of its equipment drivers installed, leaving its performance at the bare minimum of its specs. Even then it tears through other Orbital Frames, including ones produced years later. The bad news is: the bad guys got Jehuty's brother unit Anubis... and Anubis is at its full power. Do not try fighting Anubis before Jehuty has unlocked all of its equipment... [[HopelessBossFight it will not go well at all.]]
[[/folder]]

* ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' has a decent number of them, on both sides:

*** What it does to the pilot is a whole 'nother matter, however - firstly, the machine already has fairly strong acceleration to begin with, making an experienced pilot ''stressed'' when piloting the thing outside of Destroy Mode. The moment it goes into Destroy mode, you better hope you're wearing the specialized pilot suit that comes with it, or else the g-forces will knock you out cold, as Banagher ends up learning the hard way after he first launches in the thing. Just for reference, the maximum amount of G-force that contemporary fighter pilots can hit is 9 Gs. The Unicorn can pull up to 20.

*** What it does to the pilot is a whole 'nother matter, however - firstly, the machine already has fairly strong acceleration to begin with, making an experienced pilot ''stressed'' when piloting the thing outside of Destroy Mode. The moment it goes into Destroy mode, you better hope you're wearing the specialized pilot suit that comes with it, or else the g-forces will knock you out cold, as Banagher ends up learning the hard way after he first launches in the thing. Just for reference, the maximum amount of G-forces that contemporary fighter pilots can hit is 9 Gs. The Unicorn can pull up to 20.

*** What it does to the pilot is a whole 'nother matter, however - firstly, the machine already has fairly strong acceleration to begin with, making an experienced pilot ''stressed'' when piloting the thing outside of Destroy Mode. The moment it goes into Destroy mode, you better hope you're wearing the specialized pilot suit that comes with it, or else the g-forces will knock you out cold, as Banagher ends up learning the hard way after he first launches in the thing.

* While the ''massive'' ContinuitySnarl in ComicBook/XMen makes saying this definitively difficult, there's a fairly good chance [[KnightTemplar Exodus]] was this for X-Men BigBad ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}}. Empowered by Apoc in the 12th century, Crusader knight Bennet du Paris rebelled against his would-be master and was [[Really700YearsOld sealed away for over 800 years]] as a result. When ComicBook/{{Magneto}} woke him up in the present day and recruited him to his Acolytes, Exodus proved capable of throwing down with the entirety of the Avengers and X-Men teams ''simultaneously'' while ''[[UpToEleven also]]'' crushing the entirety of an island nation's capital city beneath the power of his telekinesis. Not a single one of Apocalypse's other later minions, from [[EvilutionaryBiologist Mr. Sinister]] to the [[FourIsDeath Four Horsemen]], have exhibited anything near this kind of power.

*** ''Enterprise'' is the subject of a number of rumors about having an UpToEleven top speed due to her large number of reactors with 50 knots the figure typically being cited.[[note]]While the octet of reactors certainly put out insane amounts of power, the logarithmically increasing hydrodynamic resistance at higher speeds means that even if they did meet the necessary output, it would do really nasty ([[ExplosiveOverclocking possibly catastrophic]]) things to the engines and shafts.[[/note]] These are generally untrue, with ''Enterprise'' achieving a 35-knot maximum speed like the fastest carriers with a conventional power plant; however, the powerplant layout allowed ''Enterprise'' to generate steam more quickly than her successors or her escorts, allowing for faster acceleration and less competition for steam between the catapults, electrical generators, and engines.[[note]]In the 1960s most ships still used steam and gas turbines were still a relatively new technology.[[/note]]

** The Crossbone Gundams from ''Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossbone'' were created at the tail-end of the Formula projects. Originally dubbed the F-97, 3 units (X-0, X-1 and X-2) were made with a fourth (X-3) produced later on. In an age where mobile suits and space combat put an increasing emphasis on beam weaponry, the Crossbone units were created with the idea of creating suits with extremely high melee combat potential with numerous close combat weapons and specialised disposable anti-beam cloaks which dissipated beams long enough for the suit to get into combat range. The result was a super protoype whose fighting potential vastly exceeded almost every mobile suit of its age. Any of the Crossbone units are one man armies to almost SuperRobot levels, capable of taking down scores of standard mobile suits. Their close combat weapons include beam cutlasses, lances, transforming shotgun blades, removable beam shields, drill whips, energy spikes, launable grappling chains and plain old giant knives. While they all have some impressive long range weaponry, they rarely use them. The X3 includes experimental I Field generators to prevent ANY beam weapon from harming the arms for a period of a few minutes (allowing it to catch beam sabers) and the Muramasa Blaster, a beam gun/saber hybrid with ''14'' separate emitters. The X-1 is upgraded multiple times culminating in the X-1 Full Cloth, which combines every remaining tool and weapon for the Crossbone series into a single mobile suit, including new skull shaped shoulder bads that function as both I Field generators and gauntlets as well as new Anti-Beam coating armor made from fusing the remaining cloaks together. Combining these extreme abilities with the highly skilled pilots means that the number of suits or pilots capable of matching a Crossbone is few and far between. The suits are so over developed that decades later the X-0 is capable of overpowering some of the most recent and advanced mobile suits in hand to hand, despite its pilot being blind and while he's a newtype, he's not a particularly remarkable one. It would later be upgraded into a Full Cloth version itself. In comparison, the production model the XM-10 Flint has a number of the same weapons but without the extreme abilities. They're produced in limited numbers and have an overall unremarkable combat performance. The reputation of the Crossbone would mean that the X-0 served as a design bassis for 3 more units. The X-11 and X-12 are test builds with full Crossbone capabilities whereas the X-13 is a cheaper but still high performance unit, powerful but ultimately inferior.

** The Crossbone Gundams from ''Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossbone'' were created at the tail-end of the Formula projects. Originally dubbed the F-97, 3 units (X-0, X-1 and X-2) were made with a fourth (X-3) produced later on. In an age where mobile suits and space combat put an increasing emphasis on beam weaponry, the Crossbone units were created with the idea of creating suits with extremely high melee combat potential with numerous close combat weapons and specialised disposable anti-beam cloaks which disappated beams long enough for the suit to get into combat range. The result was a super protoype whose fighting potential vastly exceeded almost every mobile suit of its age. Any of the Crossbone units as one man armies, capable of taking down scores of standard mobile suits. Their close combat weapons include beam cutlasses, lances, transforming shotgun blades, removable beam shields, drill whips, energy spikes, launable grappling chains and plain old giant knives. While they all have some impressive long range weaponry, they rarely use them. The X3 includes experimental I Field generators to prevent ANY beam weapon from harming the arms for a period of a few minutes (allowing it to catch beam sabers) and the Muramasa Blaster, a beam gun/saber hybrid with ''14'' separate emitters. The X-1 is upgraded multiple times culminating in the X-1 Full Cloth, which combines every remaining tool and weapon for the Crossbone series into a single mobile suit, including new skull shaped shoulder bads that function as both I Field generators and gauntlets as well as new Anti-Beam coating armor made from fusing the remaining cloaks together. Combining these extreme abilities with the highly skilled pilots means that the number of suits or pilots capable of matching a Crossbone is few and far between. The suits are so over developed that decades later the X-0 is capable of overpowering some of the most recent and advanced mobile suits in hand to hand, despite its pilot being blind and while he's a newtype, he's not a particularly remarkable one. It would later be upgraded into a Full Cloth version itself. In comparison, the production model the XM-10 Flint has a number of the same weapons but without the extreme abilities. They're produced in limited numbers and have an overall unremarkable combat performance. The X-13, produced decades later and intended to be a cheaper but still high performance Crossbone unit, is powerful but ultimately inferior mobile suit whose downgraded performance still rivals much of its competition.
*** The Crossbone would also serve as the parent unit for F99 Record Breaker, designed for extreme speed and the Amakusa a high performance AI piloted suit (based on Amuro Rei). These would both serve as the progenitor of what could be considered the Crossbone's true successor, the Phantom and later Ghost Gundam. This model is an extreme example of a super prototype as it was a somewhat haphazard build intended to posses extreme speed and nothing else. However the way the Minovsky drive and I Field generators were applied resulted in the unexpected effect that the Phantom passively generates an I Field that makes it completely immune to beam weapons up to somewhat ludicrous scales and can use it can weaponise its Minovsky Drive to create offensive heat storms, resulting in a suit with perfect long range defence, extreme long range offence and the close combat abilities of an upgraded Crossbone.

** ''Series/KamenRiderAgito'': The Kamen Rider G3/G3-X armor boils down to being this, especially after the introduction (and later mothballing) of the Kamen Rider G3 Mild armor. This is ultimately Averted when ''Agito'' is revisited in ''Series/KamenRiderZiO'' and it is revealed that the G3 armor was actually mass produced and used for the G3 Team.
** ''Series/KamenRiderFaiz'': Zigzagged. The prototype Delta Gear provides the highest overall boost to its wearer's physical attributes and is regarded with fear and awe during the story arc in which it is introduced. However, it is ultimately proven to be far less effective overall in comparison to its successors. The Faiz Gear has much greater versatility than Delta, being equipped with a number of gadgets and upgrade slots while the Kaxia Gear marries the concepts of its two predecessors, posessing greater power than Faiz and better versatility than Delta... However, Delta is still the superior product if one takes into account the [[Main/PowerAtAPrice toll]] each belt takes: The Faiz Gear drains the Orphnoch DNA of its wearer, shortening their lifespan and the Kaixa Gear does so at a much faster rate. The Delta Gear does not do this at all (although it does induce addiction and madness in all but one wearer shown). Faiz itself could also technically count for the mass production Riotrooper Gear, although Riotrooper was intentionally stripped down not for cost, but for purpose, as it was meant for the {{Main/Mooks}} of the Orphnoch new world order.

** ''Series/KamenRiderFaiz'': The mass-produced Riot Trooper gears are nowhere near as good as the unique Faiz gear (the fact that the Faiz gear has two alternate forms and a bike that can transform into backup in a pinch not withstanding).

* In ''VideoGame/MegaManX'': X a Super Prototype to all of the Reploids that were created afterwards. He was built with the ability to make his own decisions like Proto Man above, but was built with a "suffering circuit" that would allow him to weigh the consequences of his actions. This, plus over a century of self-checks made X a perfect machine. The Reploids that were built from his blueprints, however, lacked the same power of his suffering circuit and the checks, which caused many of them to become [[KillerRobot Mavericks]]. In general, the whole of the Mega Man franchise typically provides some viable explanation as to why a first draft might be superior to the later models.

** ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'': Averted with Kamen Rider Proto-Birth, as the prototype Birth Driver has only a few of the functions of the later model, and is used as a backup when the main driver is damaged. [[spoiler: Then [[TheBusCameBack Date returns]], and takes the prototype in order to back up Goto.]]

** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'' has the Yomotsuheguri and Forbidden Ringo lockseeds, which were both created at an early stage of research of the Helheim forest. They are vastly more powerful than most other lockseeds, but using them kills the user. Both serve as GodzillaThreshold of sort at some point of time.

* From ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': The one or two Dingbots that Agatha has actually personally built, referred to as [[FanNickname Dingbot Prime]], are much better in every way than their successors. This is because most Dingbots are [[MookMaker built by other Dingbots]], and each generation has diminishing returns in quality, leading inexorably to this trope.

*** What it does to the pilot is a whole 'nother matter, however - firstly, the machine already has fairly strong acceleration to begin with, making an experienced pilot ''stressed'' when piloting the thing outside of Destroy Mode. The moment it goes into Destroy mode, you better hope you're wearing the specialized pilot suit that comes with it, or else the g-forces will knock you out cold, as Banagher ends up learning the hard way after he first launches in the thing.

*** The [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn RX-0 Unicorn Gundam]] has psychoframes built into its entire structure. When these activate, it's an [[TheBerserker unstoppable killing machine]] with [[LightningBruiser amazing speed]] that can [[HackYourEnemy hijack enemy-controlled psychoframes]] -- for five minutes. Until the psychoframes go active, it's just a slightly-above-average MS with two beam sabers and one [[{{BFG}} beam magnum]] (with only 15 shots). Even then, it's noted that one massive disadvantage of the Psychoframe is that it makes an RX-0 unit light up like a Christmas tree, undoubtedly drawing the attention of every single pilot that happens to catch sight of the thing.

*** The [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn RX-0 Unicorn Gundam]] has psychoframes built into its entire structure. When these activate, it's an [[TheBerserker unstoppable killing machine]] with [[LightningBruiser amazing speed]] that can [[HackYourEnemy hijack enemy-controlled psychoframes]] -- for five minutes. Until the psychoframes go active, it's just a slightly-above-average MS with two beam sabers and one [[{{BFG}} beam magnum]] (with only 15 shots).