History UnskilledButStrong / AnimeAndManga

* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'': In general most antagonists compensate for their lack of skill in the game in favor of using lubricous overpowered cards:
** Pegasus, the prior main antagonist, is a more extreme example: his [[ToonPhysics Toon Deck]] is made up of [[GameBreaker cards so broken]] [[SuperPrototype that they never saw release]], and he can read thoughts on top of that. But though he's fairly clever and good at manipulating people, his actual strategies are decidedly lackluster; whenever he can't read an opponent and instantly set up countermeasures, his tactics amount to "attack the opponent with my best monster and see how it works out for me." By the time of ''GX'', his skills have notably improved, after having lost the original Toon World and his mind-reading.
** While Dark Marik is by no means a ''bad'' duelist, his main dueling strategy relies on two things: The magic of his Shadow Games and the Winged Dragon of Ra. In all of his duels, Marik is on the cusp of defeat only for him to summon the Winged Dragon of Ra and win (not helped by it [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands pulling out a new ability each time]]). In the four-way duel between him, Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey, he is the first one eliminated due to him not having access to Ra or his Shadow Games. And in his later duel with Joey, he only won because the latter passed out from the life-draining effects of the Shadow Game before he could deal the finishing blow. He would have been defeated in his first match, if Mai didn't try to use Ra to finish him (not knowing it required to recite a summoning phrase written in a dead language to unlock it).

* In ''Manga/WorldTrigger'', Chika is the least skilled sniper that Border has as official agent, where she didn't even complete her training yet. However, she is more threatening than other snipers because her massive trion turns her rifle into a WaveMotionGun.
* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
** In ''Anime/YuGiOhBondsBeyondTime'', [[BigBad Paradox]] has an ''incredibly'' [[GameBreaker broken]] deck, but he has the dueling skills of an amateur, making several mistakes. Still, he would have easily beaten the heroes if they hadn't been dueling as a team.
** While Dark Marik is by no means a ''bad'' duelist, his main dueling strategy relies on two things: The magic of his Shadow Games and the Winged Dragon of Ra. In all of his duels, Marik is on the cusp of defeat only for him to summon the Winged Dragon of Ra and win (not helped by it [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands pulling out a new ability each time]]). In the four-way duel between him, Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey, he is the first one eliminated due to him not having access to Ra or his Shadow Games. And in his later duel with Joey, he only won because the latter passed out from the life-draining effects of the Shadow Game before he could deal the finishing blow. He would have been defeated in his first match, if Mai didn't try to use Ra to finish him (not knowing it required to recite a summoning phrase written in a dead language to unlock it).

*** Goku and Krillin are like this for a while at first, as Roshi's general idea for his students is to boost all their raw physical and mental abilities through TrainingFromHell without ever ''fighting'' anyone, then [[TaughtByExperience let them figure out technique on their own.]] Before the preliminaries of the first TournamentArc, Krillin is worried that doing nothing but menial tasks for months hasn't prepared them at all, only for Goku to figure out [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength they have to hold back to avoid killing someone by accident.]] In fact, they were so beyond Roshi's expectation that [[spoiler:he had to enter the tournament in disguise [[ALessonInDefeat to make sure they didn't win through brute force and get complacent]]]].

** Lt. Surge's Raichu in the anime falls into this. Surge's belief that only fully evolved Pokémon were worthwhile caused him to turn his Pikachu into a Raichu immediately. This Raichu lacks the techniques he would've learned only as a Pikachu and thus relies on his immense power to win; the minute Ash and co. realize this, they adapt their strategy to exploit Pikachu's natural speed and agility, allowing Pikachu to win the rematch.

* In the [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaAkiraHimekawa manga adaptation]] of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', Odolwa is still a giant with a massive machete, but Link manages to outmaneuver him and slash him through the stomach. It helps that Odolwa doesn't have the tricks used by his game counterpart, such as summoning flunkies or setting up fires.

** Fleet Admiral Sakazuki. Most of his techniques boil down to either 'spam magma fists' or '[[ElementalPunch turn fist into magma and punch until target is dead]]', but his [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower raw strength]] and the fact he's made of magma are enough for him to obliterate all but the strongest of foes in a few hits

** Fleet Admiral Sakazuki. Most of his techniques boil down to either 'spam magma fists' or '[[ElementalPunch turn fist into magma and punch until target is dead]]', but his [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower raw strength]] and the fact he's made of magma are enough for him to obliterate all but the strongest of foes in a few hits.
* ''Manga/OnePunchMan'''s Saitama is in running contention for being the pinnacle of this trope. His strikes have no real form to speak of and his skill in martial arts is nonexistent, but when the wind from your punches can carve out valleys from mountains, who really needs technique?

** Zeno-sama also seems to fall into this category. While it's stated that he never actually fights (and probably doesn't really know how to), he's still the strongest since he can wipe out anyone or anything he wants with a thought.

** Zeno-sama also seems to fall into this category. While it's stated that he never actually fights (and probably doesn't really know how to), he's still the strongest since he can wipe out anything or anything he wants with a thought.

** Villains sometimes fall into this category. Pretty much all of them are highly-trained fighters, but often lack knowledge of certain techniques:
*** Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz. All skilled Saiyan fighters, but they heavily rely on their brute strength and overall toughness to beat their opponent. Raditz failed to train in overcoming the Saiyan's weakness by grabbing the tail unlike Goku, Vegeta, and Nappa, and couldn't do anything when he was locked in a full-nelson by Goku. Nappa couldn't even respond when Goku proved to be his match and Goku outright called him sloppy. Vegeta is the least guilty of this, but he completely lost it when he was fighting a fighter equal to him and chose to overwhelm Goku by transforming into a Great Ape. Eventually, [[CharacterDevelopment Vegeta outgrows this trope]] and like Goku proved very adept at learning new techniques.

*** While Future Zamasu does possess enough power to fight against Blue Goku, he heavily relies on his own CompleteImmortality to either serve as a meat shield for Black Goku or take advantage of his immortality in conjunction with Black's attacks. However, due to being overconfident with his immortality, he is very easily caught off-guard such as either being backhanded or being sealed away with the Mafuba wave.

*** In ''Manga/DragonBallSuper'', Granolah uses the Cerealian Dragon Balls to wish to be the strongest warrior in the universe. He fights Vegeta and is superior in strength and speed, but Vegeta notes that while Granolah has some training, he lacks combat experience, allowing Vegeta to outmaneuver him and land several hits. Granolah is able to improve his skill on the fly, but is unable to respond when Goku and Vegeta manage to surpass his power. Then Gas uses the Dragon Balls to become the strongest warrior and his power surpasses the other three, but with the same lack of experience.

* ''Manga/StarStrikeItRich'': Hina has enough strength to knock out her opponents in a single hit. However, since she never fought someone on her level, she lacks skills and goes for big swings that leave her wide open. This isn't a problem against weaker fighters, but Nozomi has enough experience to capitalize on it during their second fight.

* ''[[Manga/OnePunchMan One-Punch Man]]'s'' Saitama is in running contention for being the pinnacle of this trope. His strikes have no real form to speak of and his skill in martial arts is nonexistent, but when the wind from your punches can carve out valleys from mountains, who really needs technique?

*** [[spoiler: Ganos of Universe 4 in the Tournament of Power. When he transforms, all his abilities are greatly boosted, he gains lightning powers, and his body is noted as continually gaining strength, speed, and endurance the longer he fights. Master Roshi even claimed that, if he stayed in the ring long enough, he'd become powerful enough to threaten even Goku. However, as Roshi also points out, Ganos' fighting skills are hopelessly basic. This allows the weaker but vastly more experienced Roshi to defeat Ganos singlehandedly (albeit dying in the process and needing to be revived by Goku).]]
*** [[spoiler: Universe 4 in general, during the Tournament of Power, falls under this, in a similar vein to the Shadow Dragons mentioned above. Apart from Ganos, Caway, and Majora, all the members simply rely on gimmicks and trickery to fight. [[WeakButSkilled Master Roshi,]] being a fighter who's already ''[[CombatPragmatist very]]'' [[CombatPragmatist experienced with trickery,]] manages to defeat ''3'' of them in ''one episode''. The final 3 members are ''also'' defeated in one episode, with Universe 4 only managing to ring out ''one'' fighter (Piccolo) throughout the whole tournament.]]

*** [[spoiler: PlayedWith in the case of Dyspo, also from Universe 11. He's not "strong" in the sense he has great strength, as he's actually lacking in raw power. Rather, his strength is in his SuperSpeed, as he's arguably the fastest contender in the Tournament of Power and ''the whole Multiverse.'' However, his actual fighting moves are noted as being basic and predictable. Goku, Frieza (at first), and Hit are all able to counter him, the latter nearly defeating him ''twice.'' Towards the end, however, when Dyspo's pushed to his limits, his speed turns out to be that much of a threat on its own; he's able to put Ultimate Gohan and Golden Frieza on the ropes simply because he's raised his speed so much that they're no longer able to keep up with his attacks. While Gohan and Frieza do beat him, it comes at the cost of the latter draining most of his energy and the former needing to pull TakingYouWithMe.]]

*** Goku averts this trope throughout the series after he's grown up. While he does possess many qualities of the {{Idiot Hero}}, his idiocy is usually portrayed in his [[WideEyedIdealist tendency to show mercy to his enemies]] and his [[BookDumb ignorance of civilized lifestyles]]. When fighting against truly dangerous opponents, Goku's focus and fighting form are top notch, a fact that many of his companions notice. He even says himself during the Otherworld Tournament that his skill in combat is directly proportional to the seriousness of the threat he's facing.

*** [[spoiler: Universe 4 in general, during the Tournament of Power, falls under this, in a similar vein to the Shadow Dragons mentioned above. Apart from Ganos, Caway, and Majora, all the members simply rely on gimmicks and trickery to fight. [[WeakButSkilled Master Roshi,]] being a fighter who's already [[CombatPragmatist ''very'' experienced with trickery,]] manages to defeat ''3'' of them in ''one episode''. The final 3 members are ''also'' defeated in one episode, with Universe 4 only managing to ring out ''one'' fighter (Piccolo) throughout the whole tournament.]]

*** [[spoiler: PlayedWith in the case of Dyspo, also from Universe 11. He's not "strong" in the sense he has great strength, as he's actually lacking in raw power. Rather, his strength is in his SuperSpeed, as he's arguably the fastest contender in the Tournament of Power and ''the whole Multiverse.'' However, his actual fighting moves are noted as being basic and predictable. Goku, Frieza (at first), and Hit are all able to counter him, the latter nearly defeating him ''twice.'' Towards the end, when he's pushed to his limits, his speed turns out to be that much of a threat; he's able to put Ultimate Gohan and Golden Frieza on the ropes simply because he's raised his speed so much that they're no longer able to keep up with his attacks. While Gohan and Frieza do manage to beat him, it comes at the cose of the latter draining most of his energy and the former needing to pull TakingYouWithMe.]]

* Many competitors in ''Manga/KenganAshura'' lack real combat skill and rely purely on raw strength. Murobichi Gozo is an Olympian athlete and a decathlon champion, but lacks any real training with actual martial arts. Adam Dudley is a [[HockeyFight hockey player]] who is little more than a brawler in combat. Karo Yoshinari is [[IKnowMaddenKombat a fisherman]] by trade, and most of his "moves" are fishing and whaling techniques. Bando Yohei relies on his AbnormalLimbRotationRange and durability. Kono Haruo is [[FormerlyFit completely out of practice]] and gets by on StoutStrength. And Julius Reinhold is the WorldsStrongestMan, stated to have taken enough steroids to kill a man, and openly states that he believes technique is a weakness. Several of them [[BoxingLessonsForSuperman shape up]] by the time of the sequel.

* ''LightNovel/IveBeenKillingSlimesFor300YearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'': After being given the opportunity to ReincarnateInAnotherWorld, Azusa Aizawa went about her life as an immortal, ageless witch killing [[CuteSlimeMook slimes]], the weakest of monsters, and selling the stones they dropped for her day-to-day money. Doing this for 300 years, she maxed out her level and unknowingly became the WorldsStrongestWoman. While this gives what should be a SquishyWizard the physical prowess to beat up dragons barehanded and even more magical power on top of that, Azusa has no practice in ''using'' those skills. Her magic gets better with practice, but her physical combat is mostly just hit things hard. When she fights with Beelzebub in a tournament, Beelzebub is confused because Azusa has so many openings to attack, yet she is reluctant to actually attack her because she knows how badly it would end.

** The Don Quixote Pirates have two officers that are this; [[FatBastard Machvise]] likes to crush people with his weight, while [[TeensAreMonsters Dellinger]] blitzes his opponents with his speed. [[spoiler:Machvise ends up being punched into the atmosphere when the giant warrior Hajrudin summons enough strength to match his force, and Dellinger goes down in one hit when up against the impossible speed of [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Hakuba.]] ]]

** Muscular is perhaps the series' biggest example. He is absurdly strong, tought, and fast thanks to his Quirk allowing his muscle fibers to increase in mass to an absurd degree... but his 'fighting style' consists of 'punch or crush what's in front of him until it stops moving. This generally works well for him, because he's just ''that'' strong, but [[spoiler:his rematch with Midoriya shows that against an opponent his power edge isn't enough to overwhelm, like the now StrongAndSkilled Midoriya, [[CurbstompBattle he doesn't stand a chance.]]]]

* ''LightNovel/IveBeenKillingSlimesFor300YearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'': After being given the opportunity to ReincarnateInAnotherWorld, Azusa Aizawa went about her life as an immortal, ageless witch killing [[CuteSlimeMook slimes]], the weakest of monsters, and selling the stones they dropped for her day-to-day money. Doing this for 300 years, she maxed out her level and unknowingly became the WorldsStrongestWoman. While this gives what should be an SquishyWizard the physical prowess to beat up dragons barehanded and even more magical power on top of that, Azusa has no practice in ''using'' those skills. Her magic gets better with practice, but her physical combat is mostly just hit things hard. When she fights with Beelzebub in a tournament, Beelzebub is confused because Azusa has so many openings to attack, yet she is reluctant to actually attack her because she knows how badly it would end.

** Envy gets a lot of mileage out of its shapeshifting abilities and [[spoiler:its OneWingedAngel Form]], but it possesses poor hand-to-hand fighting skills. [[spoiler:This is taken advantage of very liberally by the Xingese fighters, who are not only skilled at hand-to-hand but also have the ability to detect homunculi, rendering Envy's shape-shifting moot.]] And ultimately [[spoiler:that OneWingedAngel form]] proves to be a liability against the highly-skilled [[spoiler:Roy Mustang]] because [[spoiler:it just gives him a much bigger target to set on fire]].
** Gluttony possesses decent physical strength [[spoiler:and an ability to fire a giant beam which sucks up everything it touches]], but spends most of his time getting pounded on by the heroes due to being ''very'' much DumbMuscle.
** Greed, admittedly not a ''poor'' fighter, can harden his body to make himself impervious to attack, but he tends to fare poorly against opponents who can counter his ability, such as Ed, who [[spoiler:uses alchemy to convert his armor into charcoal]]. This is later used by Greed himself against [[spoiler:Father in a ChekhovsGun moment]]. His [[spoiler:resurrected]] form is much more skilled, though, presumably because he can at least partially draw from the combat skills of [[spoiler:his host body [[WarriorPrince Ling]]]].
** Sloth may be the most extreme of the lot, being [[spoiler:[[FlashStep faster than Wrath]]]] and [[SuperStrength even stronger than Pride]], but he's the ''least'' skilled fighter. His physical toughness (enough to shrug off a tank shell) and [[spoiler:SuperSpeed]] are enough to nearly kill [[spoiler:[[BadassFamily BOTH of the Armstrong siblings]]]]. Being ''Sloth'', he's too damn lazy to put any effort into further training his physical abilities or practicing fighting skills (or anything else) that would make him mind-bogglingly powerful. Case in point: he has ''so little'' control over his [[spoiler:[[LightningBruiser incredible speed]]]] that he spends a good portion of his last fight [[TooFastToStop crashing into things]]. If Sloth had ''any'' control over his abilities, he'd be nearly invincible; his fighting style basically amounts to flailing around at his targets.
** Pride relies pretty much on [[spoiler:his endless mass of shadow tentacles]], but they're all he really needs to be one of the most dangerous villains.

** The [[MageKiller Hückebein Family]] from ''Force'' would seem to be this by design. Their powers allow them to kill mages with barely any effort on their part, and without any harm to boot, but none of them apart from [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Curren]] initially show any tactics beyond simple brute force. This makes sense, since they have no real interest in learning how to fight when the virus that will kill them if they don't kill other people doesn't differentiate between a talented fighter and a civilian. Then enemies show up who they can't simply overpower, making them have to work for their victories.