History YMMV / Empowered

* TheWoobie: Empowered.
** [[spoiler:Sistah Spooky may be a snide bitch, but she's an absolute wreck in v.6; it's hard to watch.]]

** '''NINJETTE.''' After reading [[TraumaCongaLine Vol. 7,]] it's ''no'' wonder [[DrowningMySorrows why she drinks all the time.]]

* TearJerker
** The end of Volume 5. [[spoiler:"What does 'Three Seconds Too Late' mean, Spookums?"]]
** Also, in Volume 4, [[spoiler: Emp finding out the Caped Justice Award nomination, which she was so touched and excited about, was in fact a [[{{Carrie}} Carrie-style humiliation]] planned by [[WhatTheHellHero her fellow superheroes]].]] [[SarcasmMode Gee, what a bunch of not-bastards]]. It's Emp trying to keep a brave face and finally starting to cry in Thugboy's arms that does it.

** In an early story in Vol. 3, Emp suddenly snaps and freaks out after being kidnapped one too many times. It's kind of hard to watch.
* WhatAnIdiot: Seriously, Ninjette's father, [[spoiler: starting a war with an allied clan over your daughter's virginity]]? Where is the sense?
* TheWoobie: Empowered.
** [[spoiler:Sistah Spooky may be a snide bitch, but she's an absolute wreck in v.6; it's hard to watch.]]
** Anglerfish, who laments on [[spoiler: the murder of his son (Kid Anglerfish), Katastrophe, and Baby Bird and how the Superhomeys didn't care just because they were villains.]]

* ComeForTheXStayForTheY: [[AccidentalInnuendo Come]] for the fanservice; stay for the unexpectedly moving character development and plotlines ([[YouBastard and proceed to feel bad about showing up for the fanservice]]).

* FetishRetardant: Getting tied up in serious situations makes bondage a SERIOUS turn-off for Emp and [=ThugBoy=].

* CompleteMonster

** Now that he's actually been shown as something other than a vaguely defined "heavy hitter" of a supervillain, Deathmonger. [[spoiler: Killing Superheroes in the world of Empowered is bad enough. But then Volume 6 tells us that the only reason he kills them is to see if they're one of the few who come back to life after getting killed. If they do, he enslaves them with his superscience and necrotech to serve him however he wants. Forever. The worst part is, he leaves most of them fully conscious of what has happened, but unable to do anything to help themselves. There's really no other category for someone who decapitates a still presumably conscious hero, turns where his head was into a mobile command center, then forces him to use his indestructible severed skull as a weapon. To top that, though, he did it ''again'' to said hero's sister who came to try and rescue him.]] For extra evil, it's implied [[spoiler: that Deathmonger doesn't even need them conscious to control them. If there's enough of them left to be aware, he seems to just prefer them conscious.]] For such a lighthearted series, Empowered sure manages to get a lot of brutal villains.

*** Worth remembering, though, that Emp was essentially being kidnapped and forced into that situation pretty much from the very start. While it's pretty obvious what was on her kidnapper's mind, Emp herself never expresses her feelings on the matter, making it difficult to draw any conclusions.
*** One-sided, unwritten-rules-breaking LesYay counts. *cough*Noncon*cough*

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Potential case. The {{Jerkass}}-to-genuine-good-guy ratio leans pretty hard in the {{Jerkass}} direction and CerebusRetcon is also on a high ratio (''at least'' Volumes 7 and 8). The titular heroine being a FailureHero with an elephant-sized dose of DudeWheresMyRespect (and other DysfunctionJunction issues) balancing out her {{Determinator}} attitude can also trigger this.

* TooCoolToLive: [[spoiler:Mind████]].

** [[MeaningfulName Willy Pete]] [[WasOnceAMan was a man once]] and is now a fire elemental. But he still has a man's appetites and satisfies them with rape and killing, which, in his case, are one and the same, thanks to his constantly superheated body. And, as we later learn, through [[spoiler:[[ImAHumanitarian cannibalism]]. Because all normal food is incinerated on contact with him, he resorts to eating superheroes/villains. The worst part is that he doesn't even ''need'' to eat; he just does it because he likes the taste]]. Oh, and he ''still'' manages to top himself at the end of volume five via [[spoiler:instant death of ten supers, followed by throwing as much fire as he could through the portal they came through without even knowing what was on the other end, thereby forcing Emp and Mindfuck into a SadisticChoice from hell?]]

** Sistah Spooky's Infernal Service Provider manages this quite efficiently in Volume 8. He's a demon, so you expect this kind of behavior, but he really goes all out with it.The whole second half of the volume makes it clear just what an unholy shit he is. Petty, greedy, and willing to cross every line there is to get what he wants, just for spite if nothing else.

* HurtComfortFic: "Not Always Perfect." Generally a large part of Thugboy and Emp's relationship.

* TheScrappy: You won't find too many people who like Major Havoc.

* TheChrisCarterEffect: There are quite a few plot threads that develop throughout the series, and some that are put on the backburner for several volumes. As entertaining as the series is, some fans are nervous that not everything will wrap up properly. This is acknowledged in the afterward of book 8, where Emp gripes about people always asking the author if he has an ending planned.

** Ninjette's father. In the span of 'Jette's lifetime, he has beat her senseless on several occasions under the pretense of training, repeatedly undermined her self esteem and made it so she was unnaturally weary of forming interpersonal relationships. When he betrothed his daughter to a Dirty Old Man of an allied clan, Ninjette tried to lose her virginity (the deal was for a virgin bride) but her clan was too frightened of her father to take her up on the offer. Instead, she slept with her childhood friend who was prince of an allied clan. Her father's reaction was to slaughter his bodyguard, castrate the prince and stuff that in his mouth before ripping his head off, fully knowing there'd be a war. He then proceeded to beat his daughter so she couldn't participate. Or piss without blood. Or eat solid food. To top it off, he's been shown as raping a genin around his daughter's age and is hellbent on dragging his runaway daughter back to the clan without hands or feet to serve as a broodmare.

* TooCoolToLive: [[spoiler:Mind████]]

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Just how accurate are Sistah Spooky's recollections of her youth? Was ever other girl in her school really an Aryan uberhotty? Or was that just how Theresa perceived them? How much was she bullied? Clearly she was bullied, but was it really by everyone, or did it just feel that way to her? And was she really bullied for her looks, or because she was gay? In one of her flashbacks we see one of her schoolmates angrily accusing her of having tried to kiss her. For that matter, just how gay is she? We know she had sex with a man on one occasion, but that was to hurt Emp, at least primarily. Is she basically straight, but Mindf**k was the exception, or is she bi, or is she gay, and Mindf**k was her type? Could it be that her issues with blondes are, in a sense, sour grapes? That is, blondes are her type, but because of her experiences in school, she so fears rejection by them that she compensates by hating them before they have a chance to reject her?

** [[MeaningfulName Willy Pete]] [[WasOnceAMan was a man once]] and is now a fire elemental. But he still has a man's appetites and satisfies them with rape and killing, which, in his case, are one and the same, thanks to his constantly superheated body. And, as we later learn, through [[spoiler:[[ImAHumanitarian cannibalism]]. Because all normal food is incinerated on contact with him, he resorts to eating superheroes/villains. The worst part is that he doesn't even ''need'' to eat'; he just does it because he likes the taste]]. Oh, and he ''still'' manages to top himself at the end of volume five via [[spoiler:instant death of ten supers, followed by throwing as much fire as he could through the portal they came through without even knowing what was on the other end, thereby forcing Emp and Mindfuck into a SadisticChoice from hell?]]

* FanDisservice: Don't even get started on the Ninjette bondage at the end of Volume 3... Let's just say that the FetishFuel is pretty effectively killed by the fact that she's in very real danger. We like Ninjette. [[spoiler:We want her to keep her limbs.]]

* {{OT3}}: The series keeps dancing on the edge of making the three main characters (Emp, [=ThugBoy=], and Ninjette) into an outright threesome. Emp is a three-drink bisexual who hits on Ninjette when drunk, Ninjette is barely able to hide her attraction to [=ThugBoy=] ("Aieee! Me canoe be swampin"!). Not sure if Ninjette has ever shown any attraction to Emp or [=ThugBoy=] to Ninjette, but it wouldn't take much prompting. Anyone's guess if this ends up as a love triangle or a ménage à trois... but the Demonwolf definitely has an [[YuriFanboy opinion]] on how it [[LargeHam SHOULD BE.]]\\\

* NightmareFuel
** Willy Pete, a man-turned-fire-elemental, whose gig so far is [[spoiler:forcing people to give him optical sex -- reminder: his body is made of ''supernaturally hot fire''. ("Willy Pete" is military slang for white phosphorus.) In Vol. 4 it turns out he likes to ''[[ImAHumanitarian eat superheroes and supervillains]]'', because normal human flesh incinerates the second it gets close to his mouth.]] Gah. [[spoiler:What is optical sex you ask? Being ''[[{{Squick}} skullfucked to death]] via the eye socket''.]] [=BY A MAN ON FIRE=]. Oh, and by the way, he doesn't need to [[spoiler:eat]], he's just ''that sick''.
** Mindf██k's background. [[spoiler:She was [[PeoplePuppets telepathically forced]] by her insane brother to use rusty kitchen shears to cut off her tongue. ''Then'' he made her gouge out her eyes. He would have given her nose and ears a trim too, if she hadn't been restrained.]] The worst part is that he thought he was ''helping''. *shiver*
** This is toyed with during the DownerEnding of vol. 5. [[spoiler:No matter the circumstance, seeing someone telepathically [[PeoplePuppets forced to walk into a hole in the floor]], despite being fully conscious and begging the telepath doing so to stop is viscerally terrifying. The fact that the "hole" in question was a single-use escape portal on a space station about to burn up on reentry (both the telepath and the victim were well aware remaining behind would be a death sentence for the former, which was ''why'' the latter was screaming and crying) ''did not help''.]]
** Earlier in that chapter, Mindf██k's description of the [[CurbStompBattle "encounter"]] between Willy Pete and the Superhomies who went to ambush him.
-->'''Mindf██k:''' [[spoiler:Oh god... their thoughtstreams... raw '''agony'''... they're '''burning'''... they're '''DYING...!''' Divangelic... Vanity's already gone... Charity's dying... now Charity's gone too...! '''Homunculoid's''' gone... '''Katana's''' gone...]]
** In vol. 4, [[spoiler: dWarf! cuts up Wet Blanket and puts his flesh in the Superhomies' food.]] Sick.
** Volume 6. [[spoiler: The headless corpses of two giant super beings used as vehicles by a necromantic supervillain, who forces them to use ''their own skulls'' as weapons. Emp remembering nearly drowning in her own snot the first time she was gagged and then being ''buried alive.'' And a description of what may or may not be happening to Mindf██k's soul ''in Hell''.]]
** [[spoiler:Spooky's ghastly, [[FrozenFace magically-induced]] [[SlasherSmile fake grin]]. Underneath, she's falling apart, but on the surface -- happy* happyhappyhappyhappyAAAAGH.]]
*** [[spoiler: Ninjette's story of how she lost her virginity in Vol 7 ends with her drunk father standing over her carrying her lover's head stuffed with the kid's own genitals. Her father mentions he slaughtered the boy's clan members to get to him and that they're currently at war against their closet allies.A war which Ninjette won't be participating due to not being able to walk, eat solid food or piss without blood after he's done with her]].

** [[MeaningfulName Willy Pete]] [[WasOnceAMan was a man once]] and is now a fire elemental. But he still has a man's appetites and satisfies them with rape and killing, which, in his case, are one and the same, thanks to his constantly superheated body.And, as we later learn, through [[spoiler:[[ImAHumanitarian cannibalism]]. Because all normal food is incinerated on contact with him, he resorts to eating superheroes/villains. The worst part is that he doesn't even ''need'' to eat'; he just does it because he likes the taste]]. Oh, and he ''still'' manages to top himself at the end of volume five via [[spoiler:instant death of ten supers, followed by throwing as much fire as he could through the portal they came through without even knowing what was on the other end, thereby forcing Emp and Mindfuck into a SadisticChoice from hell?]]

** Ninjette's father. In the span of 'Jette's lifetime, he has [[spoiler:beat her senseless on several occasions under the pretense of training, repeatedly undermined her self esteem, made it so she was unnaturally weary of forming interpersonal relationships, started a war with ''an allied clan'' over '''''[[DisproportionateRetribution his daughter's virginity,]]''''' and is absolutely HELLBENT on bringing said daughter back to his clan '''''[[FateWorseThanDeath as a broodmare.]]''''' Also, he may or may not still be having sex with Oyuki, a genin around his daughter's age.]]