History OneManArmy / Literature

* The titular Murderbot of ''Literature/TheMurderbotDiaries'' is an artificial [[OurRobotsAreDifferent bio-mechanical construct]] with serious upgrades which include [[ArmCannon built-in guns]], and regularly wades through roomfuls of {{Mooks}} in seconds. It helps that it's perfectly capable of [[MadeOfIron pushing through]] being shot to pieces or losing large amounts of its body mass. It's also insistent that it's not a combatant, it's a ''[[InsistentTerminology security unit]]'', and it's ''very good at its job''.

* ''LightNovel/AllYouNeedIsKill'': Played straight, deconstructed, and discussed. Both Rita and Keiji are clearly [[OneManArmy One Man Armies]], and it's stated that without Rita humanity would have lost the war years ago, but they're not so powerful as to be able to save ''all'' their teammates, a failing which rips them up inside. Some of Keiji's army friends think that Rita is just a propaganda creation because ''nobody'' could possibly be that good. After [[spoiler: Keiji breaks out of his loop,]] his incredible battlefield prowess causes his old teammates to regard him warily.

* ''LightNovel/TheReunionWithTwelveFascinatingGoddesses'' has Deities and Deity Knights (the latter being Spirit Knights who've managed to form a contract with a Deity). A force of 3000 is seen as being merely enough to fight a Deity on equal terms. One Deity Knight manages to crush a force of 2000 without killing any of them.

** In the Book of Judges, we hear of a man named Shamgar, who appears nowhere else in the Bible. His claim to fame? Using an ox-goad to single-handedly slaughter 600 Philistine warriors.

* ''Literature/TheZombieKnight'' has Gohvis, TheDragon of [[ReligionOfEvil Abolish]] ([[WeAREStrugglingTogether or half of it, at least]]) and one of the most powerful [[CameBackStrong reaper servants]] in the world. [[TheDreaded Just hearing that he was on the way]] once caused a [[TheAlliance Vanguard]] [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority two-star general]] and her squad to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere abandon the field without a fight]], and before hearing Garovel describe the guy, [[TheHero Hector]] thought the rumors he'd heard about him referred to a ''plague.''

* While ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has a strong base of realism to it that keeps this kind of thing fairly limited, [[WorldsStrongestMan Ser Gregor Clegane]] is a definite example. An almost 8-foot tall giant of a man with immense strength, he is able to wear armour-plate that most men would be unable to even move in, while still being fast for someone of his size. This is in addition to chain and leather armor underneath said leaden plate as extra cushioning. He is also able to wield a two-handed greatsword as if it were a dagger, allowing him the use of a shield in the other hand. The result is a man who can charge and break pike lines all on his own: now, just for giggles, add a very big horse. [[AxCrazy Worse, he's got the psychotic bloodlust to do just this whenever, wherever]].
** Ser Barristan Selmy is another low-key version. Just ask the troop of hapless guards who were ordered to stop him leaving King's Landing. He was no longer wearing his high-quality Kingsguard bling and was armed only with a dagger and staff. He won; they got schooled: simple as... And, [[ButForMeItWasTuesday he can't even be bothered to make a fuss about it]], as the really memorable part of the day happened before that. Heck, ''[[StealthExpert Assassin's Creeding]]'' things is his thing; from rescuing the being-held-for-ransom King Aerys II from the heavily-defended Duskendale to later finding Aerys' own daughter, Daenarys Targaryen, in a besieged city on another continent... getting in and out of belligerent, armed camps that hold numerical superiority most would consider impossible to crack with minimal, but well-targetted, casualties is what this old guy's ''good'' at.
** The general rule of thumb for when facing even a single Valyrian dragonlord astride their [[WeaponOfMassDestruction dragon]] is... [[NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight don't]]. Frontal attacks are suicide, however many hundred of people you have and however fantastic you think your spellcasting in the face of flames strong enough to make forrest fires blush will be; [[CombatPragmatist guerrilla your socks off]], restrict their battle arena and/or bring a bigger dragon or two with you, instead.

* A Literature/{{Bolo}} is effectively a One ''Tank'' Army. Earlier models get referred to as Continental Siege Units, while later ones take it UpToEleven, becoming ''Planetary'' Siege Units, able to engage everything from a lowly foot soldier up to ''space battleships''.

** Steel Inquisitors (created to ''kill'' mistborn and possessing many of the same powers, plus an insane HealingFactor) also certainly qualify, and a [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Koloss]] may not be worth an entire ''army'', but a fully-grown one is certainly worth a ''company'' of human soldiers. Taken UpToEleven with [[GodEmperor the Lord Ruler]] -- it's explicitly stated that he could kill the entire population of his capital city (currently in a state of revolt) ''by himself'' given enough time [[spoiler: but fortunately Vin manages to figure out his AchillesHeel before he can actually start doing that]].