History Main / WhenAllyouHaveIsAHammer

** We also have Black Mage, who tries to solve most problems with [[KnifeNut stabbing]] or a [[KameHameHadoken Hadoken spell]]. Black Mage, in the early stages, discovered how frustrating this trope can be when you can only use your hammer once a day. Then he developed his {{Knife Nut}}tiness and some fire and lightning spells that didn't involve directly nuking an area the size of Vegas.

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' initially plays this straight with Harry's more advanced magical combat techniques - which mostly extends to spamming [[PlayingWithFire wandless fire magic]] and [[PsychicPowers telekinetic blasts]], essentially solving all problems by blowing them up. Since he is initially a SquishyWizard, this comes back to bite him. It is later Played With when it's revealed that Harry is quite [[SwissArmySuperpower creative within those limits]], and then eventually subverted in the sequel when it is revealed that Harry ''can'' be subtle and has a rather broader repertoire than he lets on, and Ron speculates that given the scale of threats he was facing, he had to become a MasterOfOneMagic just to [[HadToBeSharp survive.]]

* Everything you do aside from moving and jumping in ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' involves applying ink to things, usually with a lot of force. In the single-player modes for both it and ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon 2}}'', applying ink is how your player character defeats enemies and bosses, navigate terrain, solve puzzles, stay hidden, search for things, deflect missiles, and save the world. It's rather convenient, then, that the [[spoiler:weapon designed to annihilate all life on Earth at the end of ''Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion'' is solar-powered, as covering it in ink will render it inoperable.]]

* In ''Series/{{Tyrant}}'', Abuddin's military is trained primarily for brutally suppressing dissent among the people. When faced with the external threat of the Army of the Caliphate, rather than take a proactive stance early on, it institutes a brutal crackdown of possible sympathizers within its own borders... which naturally causes a lot of Abuddinians to flee over the border and join the Caliphate.

* ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'': Battling Quentin Beck's assault drones, Peter Parker eventually runs out of the web-fluid in his web-shooters. Meanwhile, the drones create a barricade by propelling everything in sight towards them (via a shockwave projector) and then obliterating it with concentrated gunfire. Peter uses a trash can lid to shield himself from the incoming bullets and destroys the drones by throwing a core of one of the wrecked machines at them, whcih explodes. Finally, the shcokwave projects helps Parker get to Mysterio.

** Both West Germany and Russia saw a lot of this in the immediate aftermath of World War II, as they found their new standard-issue rifles, respectively the G3 and AK-47, turned out to be very adaptable designs. H&K's G3 was the bigger offender, as after they made a 7.62mm battle rifle they went on to downsize it into an assault rifle and a submachine gun, accurize it into a sniper rifle, and at one point they even found a way to adapt its mechanism for a handgun; just a decade or two into the Cold War they'd even made a belt-fed machine gun out of it, not because the West German army had any particular need for one (they were satisfied with a modernization of the MG 42), but because they'd made so many ''other'' derivatives of the G3 that they figured they might as well make a machine gun and see if they could do well exporting it. The AK was likewise adaptable, downsized for smaller cartridges (up to and including pistol ones to make submachine guns after the Cold War ended), enlarged and then effectively flipped upside-down to make automatic rifles and light machine guns, upsized after the Union's fall to make semi-automatic shotguns, and, while not related to the Dragunov sniper rifle, did serve as the basis for several other comparable marksman's weapons made as counterparts to the Dragunov to be used by other members of the Union.

* ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk primarily deals with his problems by smashing them. He frequently violates the "clever trick" aspect of this by simply beating things harder and harder until they break anyway, regardless of how cleverly designed or how skilled they are at absorbing or avoiding damage. Hulk is thus the ultimate "hammer" and disabuser of the notion of rock/paper/scissors story design. Justified in that the Hulk gets stronger as he gets angrier, so the longer he fights, the stronger he gets, and the more capable he becomes of solving the problem by just plain smashing it.

* Although he's intelligent, and is capable of coming up with plans and tactics, Franchise/{{Superman}}'s default method of attack is just to fly up to a problem and punch it. Given that he's [[WorldsStrongestMan Superman]], this ''does'' solve a number of problems. Likewise for Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}, Comicbook/{{Superboy}}, Comicbook/PowerGirl and any other Kryptonians.

* Very common for most Comicbook/XMen, especially more minor characters, to fall under the trope and be reliant solely on their mutant powers. This is not completely universal for every mutant though. For example, [[Characters/XMen90sMembers Gambit]] very notably has many non-mutant skills and can manipulate his powers in a lot of different ways. Generally, his well known DeathDealer approach is most emphasized when he plays a minor role in a comic. Another example is their reliance on the FastballSpecial, especially during Creator/JossWhedon's run on Astonishing. Lampshaded by Characters/{{Emma Frost|WhiteQueen}} when she once told [[Characters/XMen70sMembers Colossus]], "You can't just throw people at all your problems, dear." {{Justified|Trope}} in part; a usual aspect of mutants was that they had only one power (usually), and many of them have a highly specialized power. Still, they were able to use it creatively: [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]]' optic blast serves as an attack, can be used to slow his falling, [[MemeticMutation allows him to fly...]]

* In ''WebVideo/ImAMarvelAndImADC'', It's Just Some Random Guy only really uses two special effects. His lightning is used for everything from tazers to [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]]'s staff to Comicbook/IronMan's repulsor ''pulses''. His circular fade is used for any form of teleportation as well as any character shifting from one model to another (e.g. Modern Superman and Batman to overly friendly '80s Superman and Batman). Fortunately, his effects pool was slightly increased before Franchise/GreenLantern used his powers. ''Unfortunately'', that just meant that everything goes green for a second.

* ''Film/SpiderMaFarFromHome'': Battling Quentin Beck's assault drones, Peter Parker eventually runs out of the web-fluid in his web-shooters. Meanwhile, the drones create a barricade by propelling everything in sight towards them (via a shockwave projector) and then obliterating it with concentrated gunfire. Peter uses a trash can lid to shield himself from the incoming bullets and destroys the drones by throwing a core of one of the wrecked machines at them, whcih explodes. Finally, the shcokwave projects helps Parker get to Mysterio.

* In ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', at one point John orders the T-800 to get rid of some people annoying him, resulting in the T-800 almost immediately attempting lethal force in the form of a bullet to the head. When John chews him out over it, the T-800 matter-of-factly points out that as the titular KillerRobot, murdering humans in cold blood is what he ''does''.

* In the early seasons of ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', as [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Clark]]'s powers are limited to invulnerability, SuperSpeed and SuperStrength, his default attack is "throw the villain hard at something". In Season 2, he gains [[EyeBeams heat vision]], but his default attack is unchanged because it would otherwise be messy. As his SuperSpeed increases, he seems to start using "punching you at Mach 10" more often against tougher opponents. Hey, it worked even on ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, Zor-El and Zod! Not to mention he [[spoiler:took down [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]] with one of those]]...

* ''VideoGame/{{Solatorobo}}'', the main character's MiniMecha has only two main fuctions: grab something and throw it. Red expands the basic combat by either tossing enemies at each other, chaining a throw combo, or throwing an enemy's projectiles back at it. Red later unlocks parts of the robot and a SuperMode which, in most cases, result in him grabbing and throwing things better.

* ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'''s Yahtzee describes Franchise/{{Batman}} as responding to everything by either punching it, or applying "bat-anti-[[BuffySpeak thing]] spray" first, and ''then'' punching it.

* The "hammer" in ''Webcomic/FiftyTeaRecipesFromTheDuchess'' is tea. When a modern, tea-loving lady gets [[{{Isekai}} isekai'd]] into the body of a timid, withdrawn noblewoman in an 1800's-eqsue FictionalEarth that hates tea, she uses her knowledge and passion for tea to change the world. As Duchess Chloé, the protagonist utilizes a liberal application of tea to solve all the problems that her new world throws at her, up to and including [[DefrostingIceQueen defrosting the frigid Duke]] she's married to, boosting her clout by opening a tea shop and marketing it with 21st century business tactics, "inventing" the cure for scurvy by brewing teas packed with vitamin C, and ensuring that diplomatic relations between her country and "the East" stay on an even footing by catering diplomatic banquets with expertly brewed Eastern teas.

* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' and ''Justice League Unlimited'', Hawkgirl is a first-string hero. Her powers are limited to flying and hitting things with her mace. She lampshades her problem-solving abilities in issue #30 of ''Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica''. TheTeam is fighting [[LivingShadow evil shadow versions of themselves]], and various members are commenting on the best way to take the shadows down.

-->-- '''Abraham Maslow''', ''The Psychology of Science'' (1966), {{Trope Namer|s}}

* ''Film/SpiderMaFarFromHome'': Battling Qunetin Beck's assault drones, Peter Parker eventually runs out of the web-fluid in his web-shooters.

* The "hammer" in ''Webcomic/TheDuchessFiftyTeaRecipes'' is tea. When a modern, tea-loving lady gets [[{{Isekai}} isekai'd]] into the body of a timid, withdrawn noblewoman in an 1800's-eqsue FictionalEarth that hates tea, she uses her knowledge and passion for tea to change the world. As Duchess Chloe, the protagonist utilizes a liberal application of tea to solve all the problems that her new world throws at her, up to and including [[DefrostingIceQueen defrosting the frigid Duke]] she's married to, boosting her clout by opening a tea shop and marketing it with 21st century business tactics, "inventing" the cure for scurvy by brewing teas packed with vitamin C, and ensuring that diplomatic relations between her country and "the East" stay on an even footing by catering diplomatic banquets with expertly brewed Eastern teas.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2400/fc02349.htm Mr Raibert notes that he has a hammer and is too tired to think of a solution that does not involve said hammer]].

* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/?db=comics&id=870#comic this]] ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal''.

* Barry Allen of ''Series/TheFlash2014'' initially falls into this, given that he can only do [[SuperSpeed one thing.]] His basic battle strategy in the early episodes tends to be "Run really fast and punch the other guy." However, he does eventually learn more applications of his powers, like time travel, creating illusory duplicates of himself, and turn

* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'': Frank has a gun. He wants you to know that and [[RunningGag will pull it out at the slightest provocation]] in what is otherwise a (very dark) SitCom. It's the only reason anybody ever does anything he says.ing his spark trail into a projectile weapon.

** Generally speaking, [[ThemeDeck a lot of the time]] [[CastSpeciation everyone sticks to what they're good at]]. However, the trade-off is that most of these abilities overlap. For example, Naruto's favorite technique is Shadow Clone Jutsu. While he is by far the most proficient user of the technique, [[http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Special:BrowseData/Jutsu?Jutsu_classification=Bunshinjutsu there are a ton of abilities that do a similar effect.]][[note]]Though the Shadow Clone Jutsu ''is'' the most versatile of this type; other jutsu to produce physical (rather than illusory) clones require actually having whatever substance the clones are made from on hand, while Shadow Clones are made entirely out of chakra. For somebody like Naruto who has a ridiculously large chakra capacity, that means he always produce as many clones as he needs for a given scenario, and can always make more when they're destroyed.[[/note]] The same is true of other types of techniques, and most of the best ninja tend to find ways to copy abilities from others using their unique skill set. For example, if there's an ability too difficult for Naruto to pull off, he usually uses a shadow clone to assist and comes with his own unique variant.

* In ''Manga/SaintSeiya'', Athena's Saints typically have anywhere between [[ThemeDeck three to four attack techniques]]: a basic, general-purpose one; a mid-level one for difficult foes; a situational specialty; and a DangerousForbiddenTechnique that [[TakingYouWithMe might kill the Saint and his foe]]. Seiya himself has three, but he has only used the ''Pegasus Rolling Crush'' and ''Pegasus Comet Punch'' exactly ''once each'', preferring to just {{spam|Attack}} his ''[[RapidFireFisticuffs Pegasus Meteor Punch]]'' against every. Single. Enemy. Always. And if it [[ItOnlyWorksOnce doesn't]] [[TheWorfBarrage work]], he'll do it again, but faster.

* In the early seasons of ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', as [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Clark]]'s powers are limited to invulnerability, SuperSpeed and SuperStrength, his default attack is "throw the villain hard at something". In Season 2, he gains [[EyeBeams heat vision]], but his default attack is unchanged because it would otherwise be messy. As his SuperSpeed increases, he seems to start using "punching you at Mach 10" more often against tougher opponents. Hey, it worked even on [[Characters/SupermanBrainiac Brainiac]], Zor-El and Zod! Not to mention he [[spoiler:took down [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]] with one of those]]...

** It's even mentioned at one point that the devil fruit's powers don't get any stronger, but the user gets more inventive with how they use their ability.

* Jesse Custer, the titular character of ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'', has the Word Of God as his hammer - he can command anyone who understands him to do anything, and they will. Or at least, they'll try. After he realises he's become overly dependent on it (around about the same time that his enemies figure out they can send in EliteMooks who don't speak a word of English) he starts trying to ensure he's got some other tools in his arsenal.

* Gilderoy Lockhart in ''Literature/HarryPotter'', who could do only one spell with any degree of competence: [[spoiler:[[LaserGuidedAmnesia memory erasure]]]]. On a general note, if it's a good guy, they will use Stupefy (stun) and Expelliarmus (disarm). If it's a bad guy, they will use Cruciatus (torture) and Avada Kedavra (kill). At first. Later when the Second War starts, there are plenty of good guys willing to use lethal or at the very least brute force on Dark Wizards, so much that Lupin calls Harry's having Expelliarmus as his trademark spell as childish.
* It's a whole plot point of Creator/LawrenceWattEvans's book ''With a Single Spell'', which tells a story of an apprentice wizard whose master has died after teaching him only a single simple fire-casting spell.
* This became a problem for Luke Skywalker in the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse. Granted, the Force isn't so much a hammer as it is a complete garage full of the best power tools money can't even begin to buy, but even the Jedi of the old order, flawed though they were, knew that Jedi had to have tools and training beyond lightsabers and the Force. It was "fixed", temporarily, by [[Creator/TimothyZahn one author]], who noted that Yoda, Obi-Wan, and so on didn't use the Force except when forced to make a point, and that excessive Force use -- coming to see the Force as a [[Series/DoctorWho sonic screwdriver]] -- was the equivalent of making a whole lot of noise all the time, making you unable to hear even important whispers. When he established the Academy, Luke initially doesn't see the use for any weapon but lightsabers. Corran Horn points out that lightsabers have no stun setting, and convinces Luke to have the trainees study basic unarmed combat too[[note]]Corran would know, being a former street cop[[/note]].
* In ''Literature/{{Atharon}}'', every member of the class/ magical discipline has the similar approach to solving the problem. It mostly defaults to MurderIsTheBestSolution but it causes no end of problems for the protagonists.
* In the 4th and later books in Spider Robinson's ''Literature/CallahansCrosstimeSaloon'' series, mass-telepathy becomes the go-to solution for whatever horrible conflict is currently facing our intrepid barflies, even referencing the quote at the top of the page. It almost turns into the literary equivalent of OverlyLongFightingAnimation. In the first three, the problems are on a much more personal level, and the solutions are far less predictable. The group telepathy doesn't even show up until halfway through the final story in the third book.
* Subverted in Gromyko's ''Witch as Profession'' series. The heroine once explains: "A battlemare can't win by just dishing fireball after fireball, you must THINK, and fast!"
* In ''[[Literature/JohnnyMaxwellTrilogy Only You Can Save Mankind]]'', Johnny accused Kirsty of having a mind like a hammer and treating everyone else like a nail. Another example would be Johnny initially continuing to fire when the aliens in his video game try to surrender. ''After all, there wasn't a Don't Fire button.''
* Literature/AnitaBlake. Except all she has are her genitals [[GirlsWithGuns and a gun]]. Made even more blatant with the same author's ''Literature/MerryGentry'' series. There are no problems that cannot be solved by the main character having sex with someone.

* At the climax of Creator/FredSaberhagen's ''[[Literature/BookOfSwords Third Book of Swords]]'', Vulcan, wielding Shieldbreaker, is being wrestled to the ground by a group of unarmed human beings, only to discover that the otherwise invincible [[InfinityPlusOneSword Sword of Force]] [[WeaksauceWeakness doesn't work on the unarmed]]. To make matters worse, the [[ClingyMacGuffin Sword won't let itself be thrown away during a fight]], and also prevents Vulcan from using any of his other powers. So he tries using the Sword against the walls of the building, hoping to bring the house down on the heads of his attackers:

* The page quote comes back often in [[VideoGame/StarCraft Liberty's Crusade]], seeing how Mengsk's primary strategy to solve every problem is to plant a PSI Emitter near it and let the Zerg take care of the rest (followed by the entire planet being incinerated by the Protoss).

* In ''Literature/TheKaneChronicles'', [[WarGod Horus's]] strategy for fighting seems to be this. This is amusingly lampshaded in ''The Serpent's Shadow'', all (of course) [[ItMakesSenseInContext while Horus is possessing a pigeon.]]
-->'''Horus:''' My knowledge of combat magic is rather basic. [[CarryABigStick Hit enemies with a sword until they're dead.]] If they rise again, hit them again. Repeat as necessary. It worked against [[GodOfEvil Set.]]\\
'''Carter:''' [[DeadpanSnarker After how many years of fighting?]]
* ''Franchise/{{Discworld}}:'' Arch-Chancellor of the Unseen University Mustrum Ridicully's approach to a problem is to hit it with his staff. Which is made of oak. As he points out, anything that can shrug that off isn't really going to be bothered by anything else he could do. (It helps that Ridcully is a Big Guy in a way that's atypical for wizards, being an extreme physical fitness buff.)

* In the early seasons of ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', as [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Clark]]'s powers are limited to invulnerability, SuperSpeed and SuperStrength, his default attack is "throw the villain hard at something". In season two he gains [[EyeBeams heat vision]], but his default attack is unchanged because it would otherwise be messy. As his SuperSpeed increases, he seems to start using "punching you at Mach 10" more often against tougher opponents. Hey, it worked even on [[Characters/SupermanBrainiac Brainiac]], Zor-El and Zod! Not to mention he [[spoiler:took down [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]] with one of those]]...
* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' is a particularly JustForFun/{{egregious}} offender, almost every episode requiring that they devise some special technique to render the monster defeatable by one of the stock finishing moves. Several noteworthy examples:
** The second season's MechaMooks, Z-Putties, were completely indestructible unless you knew their weakness. This weakness: being punched really hard at a point in the middle of their chest ''[[AttackItsWeakPoint which is conveniently marked]]''. (Despite learning this weakness during their first encounter, the heroes never aimed for it immediately, which would've made the show both realistic and boring.) This once led to them being defeated by ''ten-year-olds with dodgeballs''.
** In another early episode, the Power Rangers are faced with evil doubles that they aren't able to beat, so Zordon gives them new weapons... which look ''exactly'' like their old weapons. (Specifically, they're stronger versions meant to overpower the Mutant Rangers' weapons)
** ''SPD'', "Reflections": Sam, who can turn into a ball of light, realizes that a monster's weakness is the mirrors built into its chest. So, is his brilliant tactical strategy to somehow leverage his light-form to turn those mirrors into a liability? Nope, the answer is "punch him really hard in the chest."
** ''[[Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive Operation Overdrive]]'':
*** "Man of Mercury": Future SixthRanger, Tyzonn, has the power to turn himself into mercury, [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay T-1000]] style. Faced with the need to stop an alien army from escaping their imprisonment in a mirror, you might think that he'll use the reflective qualities of his mercury form in some way, as he'd been seen to do a few scenes earlier. He does end up using his powers: he extends his reach and smashes the mirror. ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' writers seem inordinately fond of smashing mirrors.
*** A different example is pointed out in at least one review of the episode "Both Sides Now" in which the Black Ranger seemingly defects for the purpose of stealing back an artifact from the bad guys. While it's clear that it wouldn't have gone as smoothly if the Rangers didn't have a career criminal on their team, it's also likely that they would never have even thought to try the FakeDefector plot if someone with Will's skill set wasn't around.
** But ''finally'' something different in ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'': "Doctor K": Faced with a monster that can duplicate anything it can reflect in its mirror, Dr. K does a well-timed feint, causing it to duplicate not her weapon, but a generator the rangers need two of. Still, it wouldn't be ''Power Rangers'' without falling back on the old chestnut. While all this is going on, the Rangers defeat a larger version of the same monster by a well-placed flying kick to the chest-mirrors.
* The only weapon on the ''Series/{{Lexx}}'' is a planet-destroying wave, as such the ship and its crew have a tendency to solve problems by blowing up planets. Like in the third TV movie where the ''Lexx'' scrapes a parasite off its skin by destroying the planet they were on and flying into the [[AsteroidThicket debris field]].
* Despite being surprisingly sophisticated in its character drama and plot development, ''Series/CaptainPowerAndTheSoldiersOfTheFuture'' was prone to resolving all its moments of suspense by the simple expedient of having it turn out that the heroes were not hurt quite so badly as it had at first appeared.

* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': Lily Aldrin solves all of life's problems by treating them as she would in a kindergarten class and recommends her friends do the same.
* Claude Raines stopped Peter Petrelli from turning New York into rubble in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' with a well-placed right cross. Given that he was played by Christopher Eccleston, it was awesome. This is similar to the method used to stop the alien villain in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial "City of Death."
* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'': Frank has a gun. He wants you to know that and [[RunningGag will pull it out at the slightest provocation]] in what is otherwise a (very dark) SitCom. It's the only reason anybody ever does anything he says.
* Cameron in ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'', being a literal killing machine, tends to view any problem in the context of how many people she has to kill, treating alternative methods with anything from bemusement to derision. That she is willing to apply other methods as the series progresses is an important point of CharacterDevelopment for her.
* In ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', the eponymous city is invaded by aliens in powered armor who have come to steal a device. During their escape, one provides cover by throwing up an energy shield which blocks bullets. Undaunted by this, the heroes unload on this guy for nearly 30 seconds, eventually breaking the shield and killing him.

* The titular character from ''Series/{{Angel}}'' will often claim to have [[ThePlan a plan]] to solve the current crisis. If any of the other characters bother to ask for details, it usually involves going in the front door of the bad guy's lair and stabbing it/them. (In another humorous case, the plan to avoid security was "walk really fast", and then, stab something.)
* How many times did ''Series/{{Star Trek|the Original Series}}'''s Captain Kirk [[MyFistForgivesYou punch an offending alien in the face?]] Or order his crew to [[BeamSpam fire phasers?]] Handheld phasers borders between EveryDeviceIsASwissArmyKnife and this trope -- on the one hand they can be used in a fair number of non-weapon ways (plus, they can serve as improvised explosives), but on the other hand a lot of problems were solved by firing at someone/something until it fell down/exploded/disintegrated.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': John Sheridan's motto appears to be, "When in doubt, [[NuclearOption nuclear warheads]]." No wonder Creator/{{Syfy}} keeps hiring Boxleitner for their similarly inclined [[Film/SyfyOriginalMovie movies]]. (To be fair to Sheridan, though, he never uses nukes in the same manner twice, and he's got plenty of other tactics in his bag of tricks that he's perfectly willing to use.)

* ''Series/KamenRiderWizard'':
** The [[MonsterOfTheWeek Monsters of the Week]], Phantoms, are tasked with making special humans called "Gates" cross the DespairEventHorizon and have their Phantoms break out of their "Gate". The more intelligent Phantoms come up with custom-tailored schemes to drive their Gate to despair by playing off their existing personality flaws. The less intelligent ones tend to simply use their physical and magical power to attack the Gate directly, often while declaring some variation on "Let the fear of death drive you to despair!" Phoenix was KickedUpstairs to supervisor status because he killed the Gate he was targeting in this fashion.
** In the same show, Wizard never casts a spell while using his final form because Infinity Style's superspeed and invincibility are all he needs to obliterate any opponent he meets.
* In ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'', [[SixthRanger Gou/Kamen Rider Mach]] uses Signal Bikes, which are much more straightforward in application than the gimmick superpowers the main protagonist's Shift Cars grant him. This makes them much easier to use, but also means he's limited to punching with his PowerFist and shooting what are mostly regular bullets with various homing properties.
* ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'': Taiga Hanaya's main strategy is simply to shoot the video game themed [[MonsterOfTheWeek Bugsters]] until it stops moving. This has proven to be both risky for the patient the Bugster has spawned from and not feasible in other games than the action ones. He gets called out on it.
* ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'': Ryuga Banjou is a former boxer, which makes his fighting strategy fairly obvious. ''Punch it, if that doesn't work, punch it harder.'' Rinse, repeat. Not only does this strategy carry him for the ''entire show'', it actually makes him one of the most powerful secondary Riders in history, often becoming stronger than Build himself.
* Barry Allen of ''Series/TheFlash2014'' initially falls into this, given that he can only do [[SuperSpeed one thing.]] His basic battle strategy in the early episodes tends to be "Run really fast and punch the other guy." However, he does eventually learn more applications of his powers, like time travel, creating illusory duplicates of himself, and turning his spark trail into a projectile weapon.

* ''Series/TheMandalorian'': IG-11 is an assassin droid who was programmed to [[SelfDestructMechanism self-destruct]] if captured to prevent his knowledge from falling into enemy hands. That programming worked a little ''too'' well, because now every time a situation starts going south, IG-11's immediate response is to [[TakingYouWithMe blow up himself and everything around him]], forcing his allies to belay his self-destruct.
-->'''IG-11''': (''as he and the Mandalorian are being shot at'') I must self destruct!
-->'''The Mandalorian''': Do not self-destruct!
* ''Series/{{Ghostwriter}}'': Reading and writing is the characters' solution to every problem. Justified when Ghostwriter is involved because he can only communicate or interact with the world through writing, but since the show was designed to encourage literacy in kids, the creators seemed to go out of their way to create situations that reading and writing could solve.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'':
** The only thing the [[RedshirtArmy Imperial Guard]] have going for them? [[FiveRoundsRapid Guns]] [[BeamSpam and]] [[WeHaveReserves manpower]]. When confronted by the enemies of Man, they employ both of these, and if that doesn't work, they just keep throwing bigger guns and more men at it until it breaks. That said, their bigger guns tend to be ''really'' effective.
*** Kubrik Chenkov is a master of this. His strategy? Send men. If that doesn't work? Send more men. He uses men to clear minefields for his tanks. In one battle he sacrificed ten ''million'' men to achieve victory. His superiors gave him a medal.
** The [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orks]] tend to be even more extreme than the Guard, just with "When All You Have Is MoreDakka." Or perhaps More [[{{BFS}} Choppa]]. At any rate, this mindset is reflected in the Greenskin deities, Gork and Mork - the Orks love to fight over which is which, but the main difference between the two is that one is "brutally cunning" and will bash you when you're not looking, while the other is "cunningly brutal" and will bash you ''really'' hard even if you are.
** The [[MachineWorship Adeptus Mechanicus]] have one main combat tactic. Apply guns. If that doesn't work, use More Gun. With the variety of weaponry, troops and relics available to them, though, that works most of the time if they're allowed to react to a defeat by opening up the remnants of a dozen apocalypses and going full [[LensmanArmsRace E.E]] [[Creator/EEDocSmith Doc Smith]] on the hostiles unlucky enough to piss of the Lords of Mars.
** The [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Tyranids]] as well, which was {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in a ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'', battle report when a Creator/GamesWorkshop employee said that you can discuss different rosters and tactics for Tyranids, but when it comes down to it, all their strategies end up being about "spikey death."
*** Averted in fluff. Tyranid Tyrants and [[ExaggeratedTrope especially]] the Swarmlord tend to be brilliant strategists fully capable to outwit Imperial Guard generals, Space Marines Chapter Masters and Eldar Autarchs. And Orks are not an easy target practice as well. Especially that Ghazghkull guy.
** If you're playing a Chaos Daemons army, this gets even worse. Daemons literally have no guns, unless you use a lot of hyper-expensive Tzeentchian squishy-wizard Daemons, so the only thing you can do with them is charge. Thankfully, your basic close-combat soldiers can hack enemies to pieces with [[{{BFS}} gigantic iron swords]], [[DanceBattler sinuously decapitate them with crab-like claws while dancing]], or [[StoneWall take a whole lot of abuse]] to deliver a gigantic payload of [[ThePlague Super Space]] [[TheVirus Flu]].

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' give us the Hidebound Disadvantage, meaning a character prefers to use tried and true methods, or in some cases is psychologically unable to do otherwise, that have served them well in the past.

* Many ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' decks are built like this; depending on the archetype chosen by the player, each deck built will usually have one or two specific "win conditions" they're trying to get to, and several potential ways to get there.
* ''TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful:'' As the Calling that specializes in direct physical solutions to problems, Champions will sometimes get stereotyped as DumbMuscle. This isn't true, Champions are simply temperamentally inclined to find direct solutions to problems. If a Champion can't find something he can do to solve a problem, he'll break it down until he does find something. If he still can't find any way to approach the issue, he'll probably decide that this is a job for some other Calling and go get help.

* ''VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram''. Rocket not reaching orbit? You could try and make it lighter, refine your engine choice, fly more efficiently - or you could just add more boosters. Also those players who will use the same lander for almost everywhere, and those who launch everything on a spaceplane.

*** Serperior was the next one, and the first that made a large effect to competitive play. Serperior can have Contrary, an Ability that changes all stat drops into stat gains and vice versa. It also can use Leaf Storm, a very powerful Grass-type move that would normally drop Special Attack by 2 stages--but with Contrary, it rises by 2 stages instead. This results in an increasingly powerful Leaf Storm that, once enough turns have passed, can wipe out even Pokémon resistant to Grass. It's perfectly valid to bring in a Serperior that knows Leaf Storm and nothing else, because Leaf Storm is all it needed. In ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'', the Battle Agency has Serperior as a possible Pokémon available to rent--and it has precisely this scheme, with Leaf Storm as its only move.

* Many of the princesses in ''VisualNovel/PrincessWaltz'' fall into this. Angela, for example, uses a lance and [[PlayingWithFire fire]]--[[KillItWithFire guess what her answer to everything is]]. Suzushiro, however, takes the cake. Her only real ability is to concentrate all her [[{{Mana}} alma]] into her fist, making it harder than steel. Her answer to everything is to punch it.

* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': Pretty much any time a quest requires you to track down someone or something, they/it will turn out to have some sort of elemental signature so you can use Elemental Sight to guide you. In some cases, like bounty hunts, it's not clear what element you're supposedly detecting.

* ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'''s Yahtzee describes Franchise/{{Batman}} as responding to everything by either punching it, or applying "bat-anti-[[BuffySpeak thing]] spray" first, and ''then'' punching it.
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
** Yang Xiao Long's go-to strategy in a fight is basically "rush up to her enemy and punch them." That fails? She [[TheBerserker gets angry]] and punches them harder. ''That'' fails? She [[PlayingWithFire ignites]] and punches them ''even harder''. '''''That''''' fails? [[CriticalStatusBuff She goes all red-eyed, boosts her power to maximum]], and punches the everliving crap out of them. Not advanced or graceful by any means, but it usually gets the job done. The series starts to deconstruct this as it goes on, though. At the end of Season Two, Yang [[TheWorfEffect suffers a rather embarrassing]] CurbStompBattle at the hands of [[PintSizedPowerhouse Neopolitan]], who is just too nimble for her to land a hit on. Then in Season Three's penultimate episode, [[spoiler:Yang tries her old rush-and-punch tactics against Adam Taurus, who was hurting her friend Blake and unfortunately for Yang is also an IaijutsuPractitioner with a Semblance that allows him to absorb the power of attacks that he blocks with his sword and unleash that power in a single draw, resulting in Yang losing her arm]]. In Season 4, her father Taiyang calls her out on her dependence on her [[CriticalStatusBuff Semblance]] to win her fights and lack of lateral thinking. The lesson sticks, and Yang starts making far better uses of dodges, blocks and clever tricks in her later fights.
** As Glynda Goodwitch notes, General Ironwood's go-to solution for problems is to throw as much military force at them. When worried about the safety of the Vytal Festival, he brings a massive fleet to Vale, and after the Fall of Beacon, closes the borders of Atlas and turns it into a police state, with soldiers and robots patrolling the streets. While Ironwood feels the displays of power will comfort the people while intimidating their enemies, these acts only raise tensions, making it perfect for Salem's DivideAndConquer methods.
** The Maidens in general are able to use a [[ComboPlatterPowers wide array of magic]] at their disposal, but for the Maidens we see in the show, they resort to ElementalPowers and even then, Maidens stick to just ''one''.

* ''Webcomic/AnotherGamingComic'' has Nuclear Dan who is fire obsessed, with his entire spell list being a fire spell, he even spent a levels worth of points on fire immunity so he could fireball himself and not die.
* A version of this trope is PlayedForLaughs in ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}''. Chirinide can't figure out how to operate a [[{{Magitek}} non-manatech]] oven while staying in the colonies. Kau informs her that it uses fire. The trouble is, Chiri is a [[KnightTemplar Kyorl'solenurn Warden]], whose experience with fire extends to [[KillItWithFire purging]] demons and other foes. [[http://drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=9830 She promptly calls forth an enormous fireball.]]

* Kyros in ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'' generally tries to solve problems by putting more mana into his flame spells, causing much work for the Death of Insanely Overpowered Fireballs. In one case, he proposed using a Baelrog's own flames to power his fireball. ''[[IncendiaryExponent Baelrogs are made of fire.]]''. According to the GM's house rule, characters can only spend experience to improve skills they used. All Kyros ever uses is his fireball. Ergo...
--->'''Lambert:''' You can't fight fire with fire!\\
'''Kyros:''' Of course you can fight fire with fire. You can fight ''anything'' with fire!
* ''Webcomic/RustyAndCo'': Two members of the party fall into this. Since he's a rust monster (a [[MooksAteMyEquipment creature that corrodes and devours metal]]), Rusty's answer to everything is always "Eat [metal object]". [[BlobMonster Gelatinous Cube]], for his part, [[EatenAlive eats people instead]]. Most problems that can't be solved with eating either a metal object or a person are handled by [[FaceOfTheBand Mimic]]. Best summarized [[http://rustyandco.com/comic/19/ here]]:
-->'''Mimic:''' To a hammer, the world is full of nails.\\
'''Rusty:''' Eat nails?
* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/?db=comics&id=870#comic this]] ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal''.
* The way the Strife Specibus system works in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' forces the users to have only one (and, later, at most a limited) type of weapons. As the story progresses, these weapons gets bigger and badder, but still of the same type as earlier in the story.
** Used very literally with John Egbert, who had to put ''something '' in his Strife Specibus, and chose the obvious choice. Because of this, he's forced to result to simple brute force of smacking his opponents really hard with large hammers. Later on he acquires the [[spoiler: Fear No Anvil, which can alter time to stun whoever is hit by it]]. It's still a hammer though, whose primary function is to smash things really hard. ''In the face''.
*** John is a master of this, and its inverse. His secondary Strife Specibus is [[Film/ConAir plush bunnies]]. Turns out that a bunny [[spoiler: modified into a cyborg superweapon and equipped with weapons of its own]] [[LethalJokeWeapon still counts]]. And when all you have is the [[BlowYouAway Windy Thing]]? The Windy Thing can be [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower quite versatile in application]].
* ''Webcomic/BasicInstructions'' occasionally features a group of weird and dysfunctional superheroes. One of these, considered pathetic even by the others is the "[[KnifeNut Knifeketeer]]". He's a (not very) BadassNormal who stabs people with knives. That's it. When the others complained that most heroes prefer non-lethal tactics, he got himself a [[Comicbook/GreenArrow boxing glove knife]]. Yes, a boxing glove on a knife handle. That he then "stabs" people with.
** His associate Rocket Hat is a subversion of this, in that he is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a guy with rockets mounted on his hat]], who uses them in all sort of inventive ways. (Flying, highspeed headbutting, impromptu blowtorch, and so on.)
** The trope itself was referenced by Rick at a bar, where he inverted it when talking with a woman and saying "When you're a nail, everything in the world looks like a hammer." Naturally, [[ButtMonkey her boyfriend didn't take kindly to Rick's apparent flirting]].
* ''Webcomic/{{Housepets}}'', in [[ShowWithinAShow The Adventures of Spot (superdog)]], this is parodied, as Spot (superdog) solves everything by punching. Then the writer, Peanut, tries to make the story better, based on Grape's advice. Spot (superdog) goes into a HeroicBSOD when he finds out that there's a problem he can't solve with punching: The villain making kids obese with snack foods. [[spoiler: Spot (superdog)'s first attempt to solve this problem without punching is to [[PublicServiceAnnouncement make a PSA to stop kids from eating too much junk food.]] Then the villain mentioned earlier wears a disguise as a scientist to refute Spot (superdog)'s claims. Spot (superdog) tries to refute that, and the villain states that it'll take 20 years for the science boards to agree on why the kids are getting fat. Then:]]
-->[[spoiler: '''*beat*''']]
-->[[spoiler: '''Spot (superdog)''': [[ComicallyMissingThePoint *Punches villain*]]]]
-->[[spoiler: '''Grape''': So what was the entire point of--]]
-->[[spoiler: '''Peanut''': [[ShrugOfGod I DON'T KNOW]]]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2400/fc02349.htm Mr Raibert notes that he has a hammer and is too tired to think of a solution that does not involve said hammer]].

* Due to [[ItMakesSenseInContext complicated circumstances]] in ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'', a man enchanted to be [[SexGod the best at blowjobs in the world]] is made king. A vizier tells him that he can't fellate his way out of the kingdom's fiscal troubles. GilliganCut to the vizier sleeping at the king's feet with his pants down, a big smile on his face, and a giant bag of money in the king's hands. A later comic indicates that "King Blowjob" [[TheGoodKing introduced social reforms, cured curses, and made the country a genuinely better place]], [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower all through the power of amazing oral sex]]. That being said, he can't go against the sheer power of Knobguy's (aka "Wrecking Ball") penis, which makes all instantly orgasm the moment they touch it (yes, even his own hands).
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', during the ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' parody storyline, when Justin tells his Gracemander to cut down a tree she doesn't seem to know any effective non-fire type moves so she simply [[https://www.egscomics.com/egsnp/gam-19 blasts the tree with fire]].
* The "hammer" in ''Webcomic/TheDuchessFiftyTeaRecipes'' is tea. When a modern, tea-loving lady gets [[{{Isekai}} isekai'd]] into the body of a timid, withdrawn noblewoman in an 1800's-eqsue FictionalEarth that hates tea, she uses her knowledge and passion for tea to change the world. As Duchess Chloe, the protagonist utilizes a liberal application of tea to solve all the problems that her new world throws at her, up to and including [[DefrostingIceQueen defrosting the frigid Duke]] she's married to, boosting her clout by opening a tea shop and marketing it with 21st century business tactics, "inventing" the cure for scurvy by brewing teas packed with vitamin C, and ensuring that diplomatic relations between her country and "the East" stay on an even footing by catering diplomatic banquets with expertly brewed Eastern teas.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': SCP-682 inverts this into "when you really, ''really'', '''really''' need to pound in a nail, everything looks like a hammer." It's a malevolent entity which is virtually impossible to kill due to its HealingFactor and AdaptiveAbility. At some point or another, the proposal to introduce SCP-682 to any other interesting SCP will be made.
--> SCP-682 must be destroyed as soon as possible.

* In ''LetsPlay/{{Boatmurdered}}'' once Operation Fuck The World (which when activated floods everything on the map outside the fortress with lava) was complete, it became their response to everything. Initially designed to provide a permanent [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill solution]] to the elephant problem, it was eventually used against goblin invaders, [[TheJuggernaut a bronze colossus]], an inoffensive merchant caravan come to trade with them, and a ''flood.'' The last of these was disastrous, creating an enormous cloud of steam that enveloped the fortress and scalded many dwarves to death.
* In ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'''s crossover review of ''Film/SouthlandTales'', Linkara claims the safety of the universe is threatened by the film, and tells the assembled they must review it.
-->'''Nash:''' Why is our default response to everything to automatically review it?
* LetsPlay/HatFilms heavily rely on the fact that there is three of them, and tend to do a lot of their game problem solving with this in mind. While this can lead to very effective strategies, such as their use of ZergRush in 'Crown Conquest' and their group coordination in games like ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'', this can also sometimes become a case of CripplingOverspecialization, like in the case where the Cobble Generator in their early episodes of Skyblock, an easily one-manned device for the average ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' player, suddenly requires all three of their attentions (one person to pick, one person to dip, and one person on ice duty) to properly maintain.

** This is the FatalFlaw of Starlight Glimmer. Her solution to any problem is "throw enough magic at it to make it go away". Not only has this backfired on her more than once, it's gotten her new allies very annoyed with her. In the season five finale "The Cutie Re-mark," it also potentially doomed the entire world, which [[OnceDoneNeverForgotten no one has let her forget]]. Even after pulling a HeelFaceTurn, she still struggles to learn that not every problem can be solved by casting a spell: "All Bottled Up" had her try and solve of a problem of not using magic by using even more magic and "Every Little Thing She Does" had her decide that {{Mind Rap|e}}ing them into effectively being her servants was a good plan.

* Sandman from ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' and his sand-based powers. In season 2 he learns how to use them more creatively, becoming a much more dangerous threat. Interestingly this is the last episode we see him in the series, because if he got too good at swinging his hammer, he would become a total GameBreaker.

* A sports example: The basketball player Shaquille O'Neal was [[CripplingOverspecialization a pretty bad shooter and had a very limited offensive repertoire]], yet he is #5 on the all-time NBA scoring chart. O'Neal had three moves - a dunk, a lay-up, and a jump-hook - but combined with his insane physical gifts (7 feet, 330+ pounds and explosiveness) and footwork he really didn't need any more moves.

* When the M14 rifle was developed following UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and UsefulNotes/TheKoreanWar, the American military decided, to ease up on logistics requirements like what they had to go through during WWII (three or four different ammo types for six or so weapon systems), the M14 would replace every single long gun in the arsenal. Being a full-size battle rifle with heavy recoil and a small magazine capacity, this failed quite hard - it turns out that, rather than becoming the JackOfAllStats as expected, a ten-pound weapon with 20-round magazines is simultaneously too heavy for quick movement and close-range spraying, but ''[[MasterOfNone also]]'' too light for effective sustained fire for suppression at range, with the magazine capacity hindering it in both cases; the weapon only even still sees use in the modern day because, when locked to semi-auto and fitted with a scope, it makes a pretty good marksman's rifle. Even today, when most standard-issue weapons do actually use the same ammo for different purposes, there are still differing weapons for each of those purposes (e.g. if you need suppression fire, you let the machine guns that feed from belts of whatever length you need and can quickly replace an overheated barrel do it, rather than forcing the role onto assault rifles with magazines of a couple dozen bullets and no facility for replacing the barrel in the field).

** Hitler's policy of autarky for Germany proved counter-productive, since as long as they refused to export anything they could not earn foreign currency with which to import food, petrol, rubber, and many other products. Fortunately there was a very large and innovative chemicals industry in Germany, and during the 1910s and 20s German scientists had figured out processes for converting bituminous coal into synthetic fuel and a wonderful array of other synthetic products. During World War II, they synthesized coal into aviation gasoline, petrol, rubber, methanol, ammonia, and nitric acid. At Heydebreck they synthesized food oil, and tested it on concentration camp prisoners. Unfortunately for Germany, synthesis was unsustainably expensive compared to normal petroleum extraction, and while their ally Romania produced a lot of oil it wasn't enough. Their attempt in 1941 to conquer the Soviet Union in just three months--in the process capturing all the agricultural land and oil fields needed for self-sufficiency--backfired horribly and turned into a four-year-long, unwinnable struggle. Towards the end, when the oil production facilities of Germany and Romania were being increasingly disabled by the Allies, they resorted to de-motorizing many of their ground units, converting civilian vehicles and training tanks to run on wood gas, and designing an interceptor airplane to be propelled by a ramjet using ''granulated coal'' as fuel!
** During the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, when the NATO and Warsaw blocs weren't trading with each other, the Bonn Republic in West Germany had (and still has) notable quantities of black coal within its borders, while the German Democratic Republic in East Germany only had lignite, or brown coal. Lignite is the lowest grade of coal because it is just this side of peat, contains way too much sulfur, and comes out of the ground so wet that half of it is water. It is so dirty, even oil or regular coal is an improvement in terms of the environmental record and it is mostly mined open pit, meaning whole villages had to be moved to access it. On the other hand, there is nothing in organic chemistry that cannot be made from lignite and water. Lignite can also be burned as a fuel. At the end of years of experimentation, chemical engineers had found a way to make ''margarine'' from it. That's right, they even tried to feed their citizens something made from lignite. The GDR had a huge chemical industry which - after the USSR cut petroleum supplies - ran almost exclusively on lignite.

** The titular character of the series has two attacks: "curl into a ball and hurl self into the enemy at high speed"; and "turn into [[SuperMode Super Sonic]] and fly into the target at even higher speed". Over the years, by figuring out exactly when to do so and where to aim himself, he's destroyed armies of Dr. Robotnik's robots with the first attack, and defeated several evil gods with the second. Though the series does mix things up occasionally with {{Puzzle Boss}}es, and the major gimmicks of ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' and ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Black Knight]]'' involve hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting, respectively. This comes up even when Sonic shows up in the Franchise/SuperSmashBros games, as a good portion of his moves consist of different ways of the former and his Final Smash, across different games, are different applications of the latter.

** VideoGame/Disgaea5AllianceOfVengeance'' features a lot of this, due to the introduction of "Overloads", powerful super moves possessed by some characters, that become their go-to strategy for basically everything. Seraphina's is seduction, and she's generally unable to deal with anyone who is immune to her charms. Red Magnus can grow large, and the closest thing to tactics he possesses is "grow even larger". Majorita can raise fallen enemies as undead, so her one trick is to avoid you and throw armies of zombies in your way. This is even true in a metagaming sense; there are a couple attacks including the Overload "Comet Disaster" and the Sage's ability "Land Decimator" that attack every enemy on the map, so many endgame strategies simply amount to spamming those attacks with as powerful a unit as possible. It's to the degree where it's considered pointless to teach any unit an Overload other than "Comet Disaster" (or use any generic unit other than the Sage), because no other strategy is as effective.

** Disgaea 5 features a lot of this, due to the introduction of "Overloads", powerful super moves possessed by some characters, that become their go-to strategy for basically everything. Seraphina's is seduction, and she's generally unable to deal with anyone who is immune to her charms. Red Magnus can grow large, and the closest thing to tactics he possesses is "grow even larger". Majorita can raise fallen enemies as undead, so her one trick is to avoid you and throw armies of zombies in your way. This is even true in a metagaming sense; there are a couple attacks including the Overload "Comet Disaster" and the Sage's ability "Land Decimator" that attack every enemy on the map, so many endgame strategies simply amount to spamming those attacks with as powerful a unit as possible. It's to the degree where it's considered pointless to teach any unit an Overload other than "Comet Disaster" (or use any generic unit other than the Sage), because no other strategy is as effective.

** Regieleki is a downplayed example, but it is still pigeonholed nearly completely into Electric-type moves. Nevertheless, particularly in double battling, the Electric-type moves it ''does'' know can wreak havoc on opponents. This includes Thunder Wave to inflict Paralysis, Electroweb to lower both of the opposing Pokémon's Speed, Thunder Cage to prevent escape and to deal indirect damage at the end of each turn, Volt Switch to deal damage and switch out at once, and Electroball as a move that gains power the faster the user is than the target, which combines well with Regieleki's unbelievably high Speed. All of this pairs with Transistor, a passive effect that gives a 50% boost to damage from Electric-type attacks, allowing Regieleki to knock out even Pokémon who resist Electric. That is, Regieleki won't be using much besides Electric-type moves, but it can do a lot of different things with it while hitting like a truck.

** The titular character of the series has two attacks: "curl into a ball and hurl self into the enemy at high speed"; and "turn into [[SuperMode Super Sonic]] and fly into the target at even higher speed". Over the years, he's destroyed armies of Dr. Robotnik's robots with the first attack, and defeated several evil gods with the second. Though the series does mix things up occasionally with {{Puzzle Boss}}es, and the major gimmicks of ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' and ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Black Knight]]'' involve hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting, respectively.

*** Dracovish has a lot of ways to stack power on its SignatureMove, Fishious Rend, the moment it enters play. This is a move whose power doubles when it goes before its target, which can be done with Choice Scarf, which boosts the user's Speed but locks it into one move.[[note]]Dynamaxing Dracovish allows it to use other moves for three turns, but after that, it re-locks into that move again.[[/note]] Add the Ability Strong Jaw to that, which boosts biting moves like Fishious Rend by 50%, and the Same Type Attack Bonus, which boosts it by another 50%. It's also a Water-type move, so it's eligible for yet another 50% boost when it's raining. With the boosts counted all together, Fishious Rend can do roughly 5 times as much damage as it would without them. The absurd power of a fully optimized Fishious Rend, and the fact that it's easier than it looks to do it, forced people to use Pokémon immune to Water-type moves solely to counter it.

--> Okay, so maybe it ''is'' nothing but murdering tonnes of dudes, but it does it so well, what more could you want?
* In all ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' games, the player characters solve all of their problems with one of two things: Pikmin, and if ''really'' desperate, punching. Whistles are also needed for giving the former commands. Something needs to be carried? Use Pikmin. Wall in the way? Pikmin break it down. Need to lower a platform? Throw Pikmin on it until it's weighed down. A giant EldritchAbomination humanoid on stone rollers is stalking them and seems to be invincible to all attacks? That's only because in that one cave you don't have access to the ''Purple'' Pikmin yet, get them and that blob monster becomes a joke. The Pikmin themselves solve most of ''their'' own problems by either hitting it with their leaves/buds/flowers or by carrying something to a destination, that "something" being anything from pellets to ship parts to exploding rocks to enemy corpses.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''. If you have only one type effective move, screw strategy. Spam Thunder until that Pidgey is on the ground and twitching.

A character has a limited offensive repertoire, but the writer wants to make him look clever anyway, so he faces him off against something which requires a little bit of strategy. Unfortunately, this strategy ends up being "just do what you always do, but slightly better." It's not that our hero is uninventive. He may be an outright {{MacGyver|ing}}, but he just doesn't have much to work with.

Sometimes, this is a little more elaborate, and the hero has to do something totally different first, like "cast 'dispel invulnerability' on the other guy." ''Then'' he gets to fall back on his usual strategy to "punch him really hard ''in the face.''"

** The New California Republic has gone from a five-city federation to conquering everything from parts of Washington in the north to parts of Baja in the south, and has started to expand eastward into the Mojave Desert. How do they deal with their problems there? They throw people at it. Brotherhood of Steel taking control of the Helios One solar power plant? Throw waves of bodies at it. Caesar's Legion trying to take over Hoover Dam? Throw people at it. As you companion Arcade Gannon states, when the NCR throws enough hands at something "they can make or break anything". Being the sole Old World-styled power this side of the Mississippi, they have the largest industrial base and the farms to support a population of their size, as well as a developed infrastructure and technology that, while not quite on par with the tech-hoarding Brotherhood of Steel, is more than a match for any tribals or raiders that might oppose them.

** This trope is also seen in how various countries have reacted to the rise of cheap and effective body armor. NATO countries have focused on creating a new class of weapons, using smaller bullets with sharper tips fired at higher velocities to stab through armor. Russia simply made overpressure variations of the existing 9x18 and 9x19mm cartridges to hit armored targets harder. Though, it should be said that the Russians in effect created a new caliber, since the "overpressure 9x18mm" first needed a new bullet design to maximize penetration, and then a longer cartridge case to hold the increased charge, and then a new gun to cope with the overpressure, leading what was originally a mere hot-loaded cartridge to becoming the 9x21mm Gyurza, and a series of firearms developed to handle it; their improved 9mm 7N21 is a little closer to this trope, using an almost-identical new bullet design and primarily meant to be used with specific handguns designed to handle the higher pressures but otherwise effectively being just a particularly-hot-loaded 9x19mm.