Line #102 LetsGetDangerous/AnimeAndManga


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9	* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'': [[HugeSchoolgirl Sakaki]] is usually a wallflower, who'd like to make friends if only she weren't [[ShrinkingViolet so shy that she's more comfortable blending in with the scenery.]] But if anyone threatens [[TokenMiniMoe Chiyo]], or makes fun of her, that changes every thing. Sakaki goes into [[CoolBigSis 'protective big sister' mode]] and will defend Chiyo -- be it from an incoming snowball, or some jerk mocking a 10-year-old during a race.
10	* Several times in ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'', but in particular "Jacuzzi Splot [[BerserkerTears Cries]], [[CowardlyLion Gets Scared]], And [[BigDamnHeroes Musters Reckless Valor]]."
11	* One episode of ''Anime/TheBigO'' has Roger's mild-mannered butler Norman pulling a huge, belt-fed gun out of {{Hammerspace}} to protect his employer and his robot girl sidekick. Then, when he's run out of big guns, he whips out twin semiautomatic pistols, fires them straight overhead, shredding a few robots about to land on him, all in the time it takes to yell "Sons of bitches!"
12	* Train Hartnet of ''Anime/BlackCat'' is a living incarnation of this trope. He's ''such'' a goofball most of the time that people can't take him seriously even when they ''know'' he's a top-class Sweeper. And it's not ObfuscatingStupidity, he's genuinely an idiot at times, occasionally forgetting to eat for days and consistently making poor decisions on money. The intro chapter of the manga is a perfect example. Train and Sven are broke as heck thanks to Train and have their first decent meal in a long time. By chance, they save a mob accountant through fairly standard hi-jinks, then learn his sad backstory. Train gives him some advice based on his own issues with his past. The accountant later gets killed by a famous hitman, and Train chases him down. The bad guy laughs at this, and his gun Hades, thinking he stole it off its original owner after they died. What does Train do? [[spoiler:''Shoot both of the guy's guns right as he opens fire and blows his hands off so fast that the dude has to backtrack just to follow what happened.'']] Turns out that Train [[spoiler:is the original Black Cat, and he came to deliver some bad luck]]. And the trend continues even more as the series goes on.
13	** It doesn't hurt (help?) that 90% of the time, when Train gets mad, he sinks into TranquilFury intense enough to make hardened killers piss themselves. Even [[AxCrazy Creed]] and {{S\|uperpowerLottery}}hiki are wary of him in that state; Creed outright ran away from Train in a flashback the first time Train got truly pissed at him.
14	* At first acquaintance, Rock of ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' seems harmless and nice, a contrast to his DarkerAndEdgier crewmates, not to mention the city he lives in, a WretchedHive. Then, just when you think you're going to win, he shows ''why'' he's a member of the ''Black Lagoon'' crew.
15	** ''Really'' shows up in the Baile de la Muerte arc. He just pushes a couple of people in the right directions and sits back and laughs. Literally. Also when he shows his SlasherSmile, and that, no, he really isn't very idealistic at all (contrary to what everyone else thinks).
16	* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
17	** Ichigo's [[BumblingDad quirky father]], Isshin Kurosaki, confronts Grand Fisher, and reveals that [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass he was once a Captain-level Shinigami]]. He then kills Grand Fisher, [[KarmaHoudini who had evaded capture and defeat for over fifty years]], [[SingleStrokeBattle with a single attack]].
18	** It's two [[TheDandy men]] fighting over who's the FairestOfThemAll and HilarityEnsues. It's PluckyComicRelief in the middle of all that serious fighting. It's one BerserkButton too many getting pressed resulting in the villain [[LetsGetDangerous losing it]]. It's a villainous FinishingMove activating his opponent's HiddenDepths. It's a fight that [[MoodWhiplash switches]] from [[SillyReasonForWar funny]] to [[WhatYouAreInTheDark serious]] before the fanbase can say "CurbStompBattle". It's [[MachoCamp Charlotte]] {{C\|reepyCrossdresser}}uulhorne being defeated by [[{{Bishonen}} Yumichika]] "LetsGetDangerous" [[AlmightyJanitor Ayasegawa]].
19	** Orihime against [[spoiler:Ginjou during Ichigo's Fullbring training, where she showcases her new [[AttackReflector Shiten Kosshun technique]]]]:
20	--->"Sadistic? I don't mind you calling me that. [[BewareTheNiceOnes If you don't want to get hurt, don't attack me when I say not to]].''
21	* A non-fight example in ''Manga/BocchiTheRock'': Kessoku Band's first live concert gets off to a rough start when their first song comes off as an uncoordinated mess that's passable at best. Most of the audience doesn't even bother to pay attention and [[ThoseTwoGirls Bocchi's fans]] look saddened that Bocchi isn't doing as good as when they first heard her on the street. Absolutely refusing to let their first performance end a dissapointment, the usually {{adorkable}} Bocchi starts playing a solo on her guitar, with the rest of the band catching on and following her lead. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjmnsAWGm8E The end result]] is a ''vastly'' improved performance that culminates with the entire audience ''mesmerized''. And just like that, [[ScreenName guitarhero]] saves the day.
22	* Kenji Miyazawa of ''Manga/BungoStrayDogs'' is a teenager CountryMouse who's always smiling, is best friends with just everybody in town, and is literally named and based on a pacifist poet. His personal power gives him SuperStrength if he hasn't eaten, and Tecchou, a SuperSoldier who can freely manipulate his sword, gets to know why there is an unwritten law to not anger Kenji as the boy proceeds to curb-stomp the man into retreating.
23	* In ''Manga/CaseClosed'', Kogoro is a bumbling private investigator who suffers from being BrilliantButLazy. Instead of actually working on cases, he prefers to hit on pretty women, gamble, and drink lots and lots of booze. There are a few things that will spur him into genuine competency though, mainly Ran and Conan being put in danger. A specific example is shown in one of the movies, when [[spoiler:a flashback reveals that his wife was taken hostage in front of him. Without flinching, he frees her by grazing her with a bullet, causing the criminal to toss her aside and leaving said criminal open to be directly attacked.]]
24	* Mitsuko Kongou of ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun''. Vain, boastful, and generally seen getting embarrassed or beaten up. Then, come Episode 23, she finally gets into a situation where she can see her opponent and use her powers. Immediate cut to the BigBad being informed that a PowerArmor squad has been taken out. The next episode marks her first on-screen power use when she ''air punches a truck into a pair of attack helicopters''. Not to mention what she's shown to be capable of during the climax of ''S'' where she uses her powers to send a huge battle robot into the god damn ''stratosphere''. It tires her out but woah.
25	** Kuroko as well. Most of her screen time is spent trying to get into Mikoto's shorts, but whenever there's a crisis, she immediately switches from LovableSexManiac to an extremely competent law enforcement official. Mikoto tends to steal the spotlight, being the third most powerful esper in existence, but Kuroko is still a Level 4 esper, which puts her near the top of the pile in terms of power.
26	* While the ''Manga/CityHunter'' Ryo Saeba may be a ChivalrousPervert, once you get him started with the task at hand, watch out. And pray he doesn't get ''really'' serious, for if it happens... Well, in one occasion he caused so much devastation his allies started to believe he could destroy the whole Tokyo, and ''then'' he made the arc villain and his son ''[[TheLoinsSleepTonight impotent]]'' (he was pissed).
27	** This works for almost the entire cast:
28	*** Mick Angel is every inch a ChivalrousPervert as Ryo and an even worse goofball, and is just as fearsome. His handgun is a Desert Eagle not because the author wanted to make him look cool, but because, [[ShownTheirWork knowing how hard to handle it is]], wanted to ''show'' he was badass by making him handle one with ''one hand''.
29	*** Kaori doesn't seem too dangerous, aside for the occasional reminder she has some rage-fuelled SuperStrength. She's also a formidable {{Trap M\|aster}}istress, and carries a ridiculous amount of explosives.
30	*** Saeko seems just an incredibly beautiful woman with a penchant for manipulating Ryo, but she can not only manipulate ''everyone'', she's incredibly good with knives and has hospitalized most of the people her father tried to engage her with (she refuses to marry a weaker man, and they failed her test). And her sister Reika is even worse: she may not be as good with knives or saddled with too weak fiancee wannabes (as far as we know), but is very good at firing a [[HandCannon Colt King Cobra]], and even ''more'' unashamed than Saeko.
31	*** Miki is a beautiful woman, and apparently harmless. She's a former ChildSoldier who currently runs a coffee house, and an hitwoman on the side. Oh, and she can hypnotize most people with a single glance.
32	*** Umibozu is a {{Subversion}}. Given the series you'd expect him to be this, and he has his own amusing antics to go with his awesomeness... Except he's [[GentleGiant huge]] and [[ScaryBlackMan scary-looking]], so ''everyone'' realizes he's dangerous at the first glance.
33	* In ''Manga/DeathNote'', Matsuda is a relatively normal police officer who's out of place in the complex mind games played between Kira and L. But when he's put on the spot, Matsuda proves that he's ''good'' at what he does. During the Yotsuba arc, Sayu's kidnapping, and the task force's raid on Mello's hideout, Matsuda demonstrates an ability to get down to business. [[spoiler: He closes the series by shooting and fatally wounding Light after he's finally exposed as Kira.]]
34	* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'':
35	** The latter half of ''Anime/DigimonDataSquad'' has plenty of awesome from [[TheCaptain Satsuma]], [[BridgeBunnies Miki, Megumi]], [[CoolOldGuy Yushima]], and their partners. Unfortunately, while [[spoiler:it is revealed that Yggdrasil strictly forbade Kamemon and Kudamon to fight while they observed the humans]], lines like "It's about time we showed off our Perfect levels," don't exactly dispel the FridgeLogic.
36	** ''Manga/DigimonVTamer01'' sees most people take Taichi as an idiot with a worthless and or glitched monster. While Taichi is a joker who doesn't know a whole lot about Digimon and even less about the Digimon World, he is [[BadassBookworm well read]], [[AwesomenessByAnalysis very analytical]], almost always experimenting to find out how things work and [[TaughtByExperience taking notes on how they can be used to his advantage]](when he's not doodling inanities anyway). He's trained Zeromaru to be patient and precise with his actions, so he can follow Taichi's strategies and adapt to new ones on the fly. And given Taichi's relative lack of understanding on Digimon, Zero turns out to be much stronger than even he realized.
37	** In ''Anime/DigimonGhostGame'', when pushed far enough CowardlyLion Kiyoshiro has what he calls his "LimitBreak", in which he passes out from fear only to [[SplitPersonality dissociate]] and do a complete 180 into a more confident and serious persona.
38	* The climax of ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheRobotKingdom'' has Doraemon, realizing Maria is about to be trapped in Dester's CollapsingLair, rushing into the structure ''unarmed'', save for his "[[SuperSpeed Cheetah Lotion]]", running ''vertically'' up a collapsing wall, dodging obstacles all the way and knocking out Dester, a gigantic robot tyrant far taller and stronger than him, [[UseYourHead using his head]]. The anime film takes it a notch further where Doraemon runs in and out of Dester's base ''without using the lotion''!
39	* Several comic relief characters from ''Franchise/DragonBall'' fall in this category. Master Roshi started out as a purely comic character (introduced as a pervert with a pet turtle)... And ''blew up a mountain '''by accident''''' (he was trying to put off the fire that was burning on it and went overboard) before the end of the episode. Yajirobe was instrumental in defeating Vegeta, and several {{Big Bad}}s came to regret underestimating Krillin. Even Mr. Satan has his moments -- he's worthless against ''ki'' fighters, but he can take down any human thug with ease.
40	** Even Goku himself can come off like this, often joking and light-hearted even in the midst of battle. But when you ''actually'' piss him off? You are done. Period. This even shows in his English VA, as the tone in his voice clearly changes to show he's dead serious.
41	** When Gohan invokes this trope (often by flying into a near-psychotic rage when younger, and then into a TranquilFury as he grew up). He won't just crush you. If you piss him off enough, he'll hand you a humilliating NoHoldsBarredBeatdown of the type not even [[MadeOfIron Vegeta]] can withstand.
42	*** Goku's level of serious shot well past 11 during the Universal Survival arc of ''Anime/DragonBallSuper''. Faced with an opponent who's been stated to be stronger than the God of Destruction of his own universe, [[spoiler: Goku is hit with his own Spirit Bomb and presumed dead. Only to return having achieved ''Ultra Instinct'', a state the Gods themselves haven't mastered and brings forth instinctive reflex and innate strength without the ego of a person affecting their judgement, basically turning Goku into a stoic and near perfect fighter technique wise who overwhelms everyone he faces with brutal precision and power.]] He truly is a terrifying sight to behold in this state. [[spoiler: Kefla discovers this when she triggers Ultra Instinct and is defeated thoroughly, despite Goku's lack of offensive power in the incomplete state.]] Jiren himself finds this out in 129 and 130 when [[spoiler: upon completing the form Goku instantly and effortlessly overwhelms the mortal who defeated a [=GoD=]. Batting Jiren around like a fly before giving him one hell of a DeathGlare. Similarly, 130 demonstrates Goku's stoic and efficiently relentless nature in this state. Going from equalling a progressively more infuriated Jiren whilst being serene in his own behavior and upon reaching his RageBreakingPoint utterly thrashing and overwhelming the Pride Trooper to the point of coming moments away from winning the tournament]]. Dangerous undersells the threat he represents through this technique.
43	** There is also Gotenks, the FusionDance of Trunks and Goten. Throughout most of his fight with Super Buu, he's an arrogant show-off who deliberately drags the fight out and screws around solely because he [[SkewedPriorities cares more about showing off and looking cool]]. When Buu escapes the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and eats all of his loved ones and friends, however, Gotenks breaks out Super Saiyan 3 and stops messing around, beating the ever-loving crap out of Buu; in the end, the ''only'' reason Gotenks failed to finish Buu off is because [[HourOfPower the Fusion wore off at the last second]].
44	** In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', Beerus actually does start out as intimidating, but after his fight with Goku his character is mostly comic relief, standing around commenting on goings-on or making mostly idle threats when someone annoys him. [[spoiler:Then he receives evidence that Zamasu, a Supreme Kai-in-training, is planning on killing his mentor and embarking on a genocide across the universe(s). Beerus steps in and ''[[NoBodyLeftBehind annihilates]]'' Zamasu in less than ten seconds, effortlessly,]] reminding everyone that the title of "[[DestroyerDeity God of Destruction]]" is not just for show.
45	** Also in ''Super'', for the most part, Majin Buu is hit with DeusExitMachina for every fight. When he does get to fight Basil in the Tournament of Power prelims, he spends the start of the fight getting completely beat up... because he thought it was a game and was having fun letting Basil wail on him. Once Basil accidentally hurts Mr. Satan, the gloves are off, and Buu reminds the audience that silly bubblegum creature he may be, but he's still a terrifyingly strong EldritchAbomination, [[HealingFactor didn't actually take any damage in the fight]], and is perfectly capable of completely manhandling Basil.
46	** Master Roshi, despite being (in theory) far weaker than the rest of the Universe 7 team, manages to not only hold his own in the Tournament of Power, but manages to score no less than 3 solo eliminations and 2 assists, which was more than Krillin and Tenshinhan did. Hell, in the manga version, he chastises Goku for his recent leanings of power over technique before facing against Jiren... and proceeding to ''dodge his attacks in a manner not unlike '''Ultra Instinct.''''' Even now he shows why he was Goku's master.
47	* Erika and Walker of ''Literature/{{Durarara}}''. [[spoiler:Not only are they Dollars, they were also instrumental in the downfall of the Blue Squares Gang, which they accomplished by ''pouring gasoline on the leaders of the Blue Squares and lighting them on fire.'' Just remember: Kyohei's whole group (including them) were involved in ''much dirtier'' work before they became Dollars.]]
48	* Yorishige from ''Manga/TheElusiveSamurai'' is an eccentric priest who spends a large chunk of the story being a loudmouth with a goofy smile on his face and smothering Tokiyuki with annoying displays of affection. But when it's finally time to lead the rebel army in the campaign to recapture Kamakura we learn exactly why he's revered as Suwa-Myojin, the god of war. He is able to use his divine foresight to wield a bow and arrow with extreme precision, dodge attacks with little effort, and gracefully repel multiple swordsmen with nothing but a blunt ceremonial blade. Witnessing this godlike skill in the midst of combat bestows a massive morale boost on the entire army like a surge of magic.
49	* Juvia Lockser from ''Manga/FairyTail'' is a childish ThirdPersonPerson who seems to only exist so she can be [[TheLancer Gray Fullbuster's]] StalkerWithACrush. The entire thing is played for laughs, because no one considers Juvia capable of any real malice or harm anyway. [[spoiler:Then when one of the enemies in the S-Class Trial arc says she's out to kill Gray, Juvia rises up from a supposed defeat and goes into a ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend mode that chills even Erza, the strongest female S-Class member in her guild.]]
50	* In ''Manga/FamilyCompo'', Uncle Sora mentions that his father is the one that taught him kendo. A few chapters later, he uses a massage stick to open a can of whoop-ass on some invaders of the house.
51	* ''Manga/FoodWars'': Isshiki. Dear lord, Isshiki. We knew he was Seventh Seat of the Council of Ten Masters, and a masterful behind-the-scenes operator, but had been lulled into safety by his perpetual upbeat nature, goofy smiles and tendency towards nudism. Then Julio Shirashi decided to run his mouth about the Polaris dorm. Isshiki's smile evaporates. He then proceeds to fillet a live eel [[NintendoHard from the belly-side]] in one cut and cook in into a kaburaseki so delicious it drives Julio into a fugue-state. And to top it all off, all the ingredients he used came from Polaris gardens and laboratories, including things like cheese and smoked garlic, which, by rights, shouldn't be in the same room as traditional Japanese cuisine.
52	* From ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''. We've always known that Major Armstrong was tough, but we never really knew what he was capable of until his fight with Sloth. He. Opens. A. ''Can.''
53	** That's nothing compared to what [[TheWoobie Dr. Marcoh]] had done to Envy.
54	** And then there's Hohenheim taking care of Pride, by encasing him in a giant dirt dome.
55	** Yoki, who is TheChewToy ([[CorruptCorporateExecutive and not without reason]]) and a DirtyCoward, ''[[spoiler:rams a car into Pride]]''.'''''[[spoiler:[[TheDreaded Pride.]]]]'''''
56	* Chichiri and Nuriko from ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' both tend to be comic relief, with Chichiri sticking to the "religious" side of ReligiousBruiser and Nuriko a sassy WholesomeCrossdresser. Except when you need Chichiri to single-handedly get you out of the enemy stronghold, or when you need Nuriko to take on a ferocious wolf-man, and they reveal their heights of badassitude.
57	* Many characters in ''Manga/GhostSweeperMikami'’, but most notably Yokoshima, the perverted ButtMonkey of the series. While he is treated harshly by his employer and also gets the worst of everything, when he does get serious, he can really cause some mondo damage. Hell, he winds up taking down Medusa, once of the series' biggest bads, not once but ''twice''.
58	* ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'':
59	** Generally, [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Gintoki]] doesn't need more than [[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter the wooden sword he bought in an infomercial]] to slice and dice his enemies, alien airships, towering mechas, and so on. There are at most two or three enemies whom he deems strong enough that he decides to swap his wooden sword for a real sword in the fight. However, you'll know that he still doesn't consider his enemies challenging until he starts dual wielding.
60	** Usually, Katsura tends to be a [[CloudCuckoolander silly airhead]] even in the fiercest of battles, and often runs for it the first chance he gets. However, as Sakamoto notes, Katsura only runs in order to keep himself [[AFatherToHisMen and his men]] alive, since usually that means [[KnowWhenToFoldEm they're either fighting a losing battle or about to fight a battle that isn't worth winning]]. The moment he no longer has to protect anyone, Katsura stops being a general and starts being a warrior. Shokaku's biggest mistake was allowing Katsura to fight him alone while his men got away: when Katsura stops holding back, [[CurbStompCushion he gives Shokaku the fight of his life]].
61	--->'''Katsura:''' [[MadLibsCatchphrase It's not Katsura... IT'S ZURA!!!]][[note]]Katsura janai... ZURA DA!!![[/note]]
62	* ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'':
63	** Anzu, the StudentCouncilPresident spent the first 8 episodes being [[BrilliantButLazy Lazy, eating dried sweet potatoes]], and [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything hanging around]], but in the 9th episode she takes over the gun of her tank and demonstrates ImprobableAimingSkills, tying down 5 larger tanks, and disabling two of them to allow her team to escape a trap. And then they topped that in Episode 11 by invoking [[MemeticMutation Hetzers gonna Hetz]] from VideoGame/WorldOfTanks.
64	** Team Rabbit is made up of first year students whose inexperience caused them to panic early on (to the point that in their first practice match they disabled their own tank). But in the final match, they volunteered to act as rear guard and used their M3 Lee (a medium tank that was considered obsolete by the time it was introduced) to take out the Elefant and Jagdtiger, two of Kuromorimine's most powerful tank destroyers.
65	* Rushuna Tendou of ''Anime/{{Grenadier}}''. In the first episode, she looks like she's going to be the comic relief, while Yachiro the samurai is fending off bullets with a sword. Then, when she tries to get the castle full of heavily armed villains to release the captured lord and is rebuffed, the comic vanishes. After she says, "In that case, you don't get a smile," she demonstrates why she's considered the DistaffCounterpart of Vash the Stampede.
66	* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''. Walter C. Dornez is a rather benign butler who nonetheless displays some technical wizardry with weapons. When vampires attack the compound, however, he reveals himself to be a RetiredBadass and goes into full BattleButler mode, slicing through squads of mooks at a time with his RazorFloss.
67	** We also get [[TheWoobie Seras Victoria]] [[spoiler:taking on a company of [[EliteMooks Millenium vampires]] in a ''freaking airship'']] and [[LadyOfWar Integra Hellsing]] (who has [[BadassNormal no superhuman abilities whatsoever]]) [[spoiler:pulling herself from a car crash relatively unscathed, decapitating the vampire who attacked her, mocking the rest as weaklings who couldn't bear humanity, and telling them to bring it on so she can kill them]].
68	* In the ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' movie, ''everyone'' pulls one of these; given that almost nobody in the entire cast is usually serious, this is something of a welcome change. After the heroes have been stranded on an island, the alien mothership lands and deposits a very large army of [[TheBlank faceless]] {{alien\|Invasion}}s around them, who respond to this threat by ''[[GoodOldFisticuffs punching the crap out of it]]''. Especially awesome moments include America remembering he has super strength and backflipping out of the way of several shots, [[BewareTheNiceOnes Rus]][[PsychopathicManchild sia]] facepalming the aliens out of the way [[note]]One for ''you'', one for ''you''...[[/note]] and Japan picking up a stick to wield as a katana. Sadly, they still lose, but even that has its fair share of epic moments; for example, when Germany realizes everyone else has been hit:
69	--> "All right then, come on! ''I'll kill you all with my bare hands!''" proceeds to take down another dozen before finally getting taken down
70	* ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'': While Issei usually bludgeons his way through pivotal fights with a combination of SuccessThroughInsanity and AchievementsInIgnorance, it's repeatedly shown that the absolute worst thing an enemy can do is let him calm down and use his head about a fight he's motivated to win. A sterling example is the EngagementChallenge against Riser Phenex: Issei [[PowerAtAPrice gives up his left arm]] for a 10-second SuperMode to give him a chance in the fight. However, having time to think about things and notice 10 seconds might not be enough to defeat someone flatly immortal, he plans ahead an [[CursedWithAwesome capitalizes on this alleged cost]] by noticing the dragon-flesh arm he's had grafted on can handle holy objects with impunity and concocts a backup plan. Then, completely aware his opponent will see the backup plan coming, he ''[[CrazyPrepared also]]'' packs a spare bottle of holy water in case Riser gets the first away from him. The end result is Issei, back on the losing end of a massive power gap, [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown utterly humiliating]] Riser.
71	* Midway through ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', [[spoiler:Hanyuu]] decides to get serious: ''"I have finally realized that this cycle of suffering is because of your Will. WE WILL NOT LOSE TO YOUR WILL!"''
72	** Even after that, in the last few episodes, several of the normally [[AdultsAreUseless useless adults]] have these kind of moments, with Kasai intimidating a group of mooks into submission with a large shotgun and Mr. Delicious judo-flipping a corrupt superior officer. These are all trumped royally when Akasaka shows off his shiny new [[TookALevelInBadass levels in badass]].
73	* ''Manga/HoshinEngi'': [[TheHero Taikobo]] spends quite some time making a fool of himself even as he is coming up with the plan to defeat someone, avoiding the fight, or winning them through [[GuileHero tricks of underhanded tactics]]; so while no one doubt [[TheStrategist his intelligence]], his own [[TrueCompanions companions]], save for the most observant of them, think he is painfully weak. But when push comes to shove, he stops acting weak and shows that he is much stronger than it seems. The very first instance happens when he angers [[WorldsStrongestMan Shinkohyo]] and the latter prepares to [[ShockAndAwe blast him with a giant lightning bolt]], at first, he tries to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere run away]], but then realizes that a village will be destroyed if he does so and decides not to escape. He not only managed to deflect the attack but also cut Shinkohyo's cheek while doing this, making him the first person to make him bleed in 5,000 years.
74	* ''Literature/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon'': Hestia is a minor goddess mostly known for bumming off her more successful friend Hephaestus. However, when a bunch of bullies try to "teach Bell a lesson," Hestia reminds everyone that she's still a goddess. She unlocks the seal on her power, which is enough to immediately terrify everyone into surrendering. A god unsealing their power is illegal, because it's clear that she could slaughter everyone on a whim if she was so inclined.
75	-->'''Hestia:''' I said '''stop'''.
76	* Any time Koichi from ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'' fights villains one on one, he tends to turn from [[BewareTheNiceOnes meek scared kid into ruthless badass]] and wreck his opponent, [[DefeatMeansFriendship while simultaneosly showing them the error of their ways]]. Even in his fight with [[spoiler:[[BigBad Kira]]]], who [[CurbStompBattle easily defeats him]], Koichi still manages to pull a psychological victory by stealing his driver's license, finding out his identity (while getting his face repeatedly smashed against the pavement) and then [[DefiantToTheEnd taunting him with the fact that a normal kid figured him out]]. One of his most prominent cases is also one of his earliest: after his just-evolved Stand blows away [[{{Yandere}} Yukako Yamagishi]], he figures out what happened and realizes that his Stand developed new abilities to allow him to fight her. With newfound confidence, he goes full-on into this trope and faces her down on multiple fronts: giving himself an ImportantHaircut (a tough-guy flat-top at that), delivering some highly-effective TrashTalk[[note]]Ex. "When you said you were gonna get rough, I didn't think you meant your vulgar mouth!"[[/note]], and then at the last, showing his Stand now had the ability to best hers.
77	* While VideoGame/{{Kirby}} is as competent (read: violent) in the games as the player, in the [[Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa adaptation]], he becomes very much a KidHero with roughly the mental capacity and speech patterns of a toddler, and spends most of his time [[BigEater eating everything remotely edible he comes across]] and being cute. But generally after the MonsterOfTheWeek smacks him around like the pink rubber ball he is, [[TheKidWithTheRemoteControl Fumu tells him to inhale]] and he gains instant competence with whatever ability he copies and its use in battle, generally resulting in some serious asskicking even with [[ImprobableWeaponUser the most unlikely abilities]].
78	** Sometimes our pink friend doesn't even need to be told what he must do. Case in point, episode 26 has Kirby willingly taking Meta Knight's sword and fight Chilidog. And then inhale the sword to become Kirby Galaxia. And no one told him anything, rather they told him to stay away from the monster. Kirby was just that pissed off.
79	* Wiz from ''Literature/KonoSuba'' reminds everyone in the second season finale exactly why she was one of the Devil King's generals. Normally portrayed as a bumbling and constantly unlucky shopkeeper who keeps getting knocked out by Aqua's holy magic, she unleashes immense amounts of magic when she finds out [[spoiler:Hans has been killing innocents, in violation of the agreement she had with the other generals.]]
80	* Shinkuro from ''Anime/{{Kurenai}}''. After 11 episodes of all but getting his ass handed to him and looking incompetent, he finally decides to fight for real in the finale, easily kicking major ass. It then culminates with him [[spoiler:seeing his mentor/boss get stabbed, which triggers him into fully releasing the [[SwissArmyAppendage assassin's blade surgically placed inside of his arm]]. He goes into a mindless killing rage, using previously unseen insane skills, wiping out the guy who did it in under a second.]] ''Daaamn...''
81	** While Kurenai Shinkurou does qualify (he has some martial arts training, but his peers are far superior), similar occurrences happen earlier on. Additionally, [[spoiler:the blade [[ForcedTransformation appears involuntarily]] and Shinkurou says outright he doesn't want to use it.]] However, damn is right.
82	* ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' contains a direct subversion when Sheryl Nome attempts to fly a Valkyrie for the first time during a battle. She even intones her CatchPhrase and gets a ThemeMusicPowerUp, but she botches the whole thing as one might expect of an IdolSinger, getting shot down almost immediately.
83	* The main characters of ''Manga/MagicalCircleGuruGuru'' are easily distracted, to say the least. Despite that, both Nike and Kukuri have managed to perform some fine feats of fighting evil when the need arises. Especially when one or the other are in danger.
84	* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'': When faced with the destruction of her new home and death of her friends, Caro, the supporting healer of the group, summons a Godzilla sized dragon god that proceeds to wipe the floor with the bad guys.
85	** From the [[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha first season]]: Chrono Harlaown. We'd been getting vague hints about his skill with magic, despite being [[WeakButSkilled confirmed weaker than the protagonist]], but he never seemed to actually ''do'' anything, and the [[CannonFodder relative strength level]] of the other TSAB mages wasn't helping his case. Then, in the finale, he obliterates several dozen {{Mecha Mook}}s in a single attack without the slightest effort, leaving Nanoha and Yuuno gaping. And ''before'' that, he goes OneManArmy, StormingTheCastle that previously swallowed a troop of hardened adult officers (Chrono is barely 14 at the time) and spit them out.
86	* ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'':
87	** Hikaru is a cute, innocent GenkiGirl, but as soon as someone tries to hurt her friends, she will burn them to a crisp.
88	** Eagle Vision in ''Rayearth II'' is a smiling and affable fellow... until he gets into his HumongousMecha. He's capable of fighting the Magic Knights and other countries to a standstill.
89	* In the ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'' manga, after being OutOfFocus for the entire Michel arc, Caren, Coco and Noel step up to [[YouShallNotPass keep the psychotic angel at bay]] in true LovelyAngels style.
90	* Hayato and Kai, and later Sayla, of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' do this every once in a while if the White Base is in a pinch, not always to great avail. This is also tried in various other series, but, being Real Robot anime, [[AnyoneCanDie it doesn't always work out so well]].
91	** The two of them, alongside the entire crew of the White Base get dangerous in the last episode, fighting at A Baoa Qu. Doubly so once [[spoiler:the White Base has to land, and is forced to make a desperate LastStand against both mobile suits and boarding parties. Even when their Guncannons get shot down, they get their assault rifles and start fighting on foot.]]
92	* Hare from the ''Anime/MonsterRancher'' anime was generally portrayed as competent, but on more than one occasion, his own arrogance would result in his plans failing dramatically, forcing him to improvise. Thus focused, his IQ would practically double.
93	* In the ''Anime/MyOtome'' finale, the school is under attack and [[TheHero the Blue Sky Sapphire heroine Arika Yumemiya]] and [[BewareTheNiceOnes Fire-Stirring Ruby]] [[LadyOfWar Mai Tokiha]] and even the [[BadassTeacher headmaster Ice Silver Crystal Natsuki Kruger]], have been forced to [[InstantArmor Materialize]] to combat the invasion. But then they hear the familiar voice of Miss Maria Graceburt, one of the most feared teachers in Garderobe... '''''Who has MATERIALIZED and thus REGAINED HER YOUTH.''''' Cue the young Miss Maria {{Flash Step}}ping towards the monsters, and in the next scene we merely see her blade dripping their blood. [[DeadpanSnarker Her remark?]]
94	-->'''Miss Maria:''' It's shameful that, even in my old age, I still have to show this graceful form.
95	** Doubles as a NeverMessWithGranny moment. Especially since she's been getting provoked by the invaders since the start, and her patience just reached its limit.
96	** It's predecessor,''Anime/MyHime'' has a dark version. When Shizuru shows up to confront Nao for the first time, Nao, weilding her Element in front of a seemingly ordinary person, tells Shizuru that she doesn't understand the situation she's in. There's a subtle shift of Shizuru's eyes, and she makes a Declaration of Protection regarding Natsuki, summoning her own Element and revealing herself for the first time to be a Hi ME. Nao attempts to use her Razor Floss attack to immobilize Shizuru's weapon, only for Shizuru to calmly summon Kiyohime, a CHILD that easily dwarfs Nao's own, and probably every other CHILD to date, save Kagutzuchi.
97	* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
98	** The cast consists of children in possession of potent, possibly lethal "ninja" powers. During Orochimaru's Invasion, the children are sent after TheDragon while the adults, with assistance from Legendary Sannin Jiraiya, repel the entire invasion force after most of Konoha's military forces were lulled to sleep.
99	** When Tobi is first introduced, he's TheLoad with a tag-along, singsong personality and is probably the least threatening member of his organization. As it turns out, he is not only the BigBad, but the reason he survives the way he does is because he can phase himself through another dimension.
100	** The first scene in which Might Guy pulls out nunchucks. He goes from PluckyComicRelief to CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass in seconds. However, his goofy personality still remains. What arguably might be his moment in the spotlight was when he struck an enemy assassin through a waterfall, believing that the fleeing enemy was actually his inner self, which he sought to defeat.[[spoiler: Then he opens all Eight Gates to fight Jinchuriki Jubi Madara and ''kicks his ass'' to the point he almost ''killed'' him. Madara, one of the most powerful beings to ever live, then praises Guy as only the second WorthyOpponent he's ever had.]]
101	** [[ObfuscatingStupidity Kakashi]] [[NonchalantDodge Hat]][[ExcuseMeWhileIMultiTask ake]]. Any time he raises his headband to reveal the [[MagicalEye Sharingan]].
102	* ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' gives us Lord Yupa, a kindly old bearded guy, sweet with children, loved by all. Then he lands on an enemy battleship, whips up two blades, and starts cutting terrified mooks apart.
103	* In ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', after over 40 chapters of [[BoisterousBruiser joking]], [[MiserAdvisor price-gouging]], and [[DirtyOldMan perversion]], Jack Rakan struck a stance for the first time and hammered home the reason why they call him [[RedBaron The Thousand Blades]] and why he's considered the hero to all [[GladiatorGames slave gladiators]]. This was a point proven as one should be: a massive fist driven into the hero's gut -- [[TaughtByExperience decades of tempered strength and refined fighting skill]] will do that.
104	** Later on, and even more shockingly, [[spoiler:Nodoka proves that she will screw you up]], even if you can erase people from existence. There's a good reason that Fate considers her as dangerous as Negi.
105	* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
106	** Generally, when Luffy cracks his knuckles, Zoro puts his bandana on his head rather than around his arm, Sanji lights a cigarette in the middle of a fight, and Robin raises and crosses her arms; when they do these, you know they're taking their fight seriously. Kaku even lampshades Zoro's bandana.
107	---> '''Kaku:''' Are you supposed to get stronger when you wear that bandana on your head?\
108	'''Zoro:''' Let's find out.
109	** Also, pretty much any time pre-TimeSkip that Luffy goes into Gear Second, Sanji goes into Diable Jambe, and Chopper eats his Rumble Ball...though that last one is even more Let's Get Dangerous post-Time Skip.
110	** In the Alabasta arc, after blowing up Mr. 4, Miss Merry Christmas, and Lassoo and seeing them emerge with no visible damage, Usopp [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere elects to run away]]. Then the aforementioned antagonists insult Luffy in front of him: his BerserkButton. They regret it.
111	** A downplayed and subtle version occurs in the filler G-8 arc. During the first confrontation between Luffy and Vice Admiral Jonathan, Luffy spends most of his time grinning and cheerfully eating Jonathan's food, unconcerned that he and his crew could be found out. Then Jonathan informs Luffy that [[NumberTwo Zoro]] was captured and Luffy ''immediately'' stops laughing and becomes deadly serious, wearing his [[TranquilFury dangerous blank expression]] and prepares to fight Jonathan.
112	** [[spoiler:When Usopp and Luffy fight over ownership of Merry (it was about to be decommissioned), Usopp, who had just been beaten senseless and is covered in bandages and bruises, goes ''crazy''. The first eight minutes of that fight is nothing but him flooring Luffy with everything he has. He's still taken down with one hit, though. The one hit that ''connects'', that is. Luffy's first solid punch gets absorbed and reflected by an Impact Dial, courtesy of Usopp.]]
113	** Usopp plays this trope magnificently in Thriller Bark when he calls out for help, then rescues himself as Sogeking complete with gag theme changing to match.
114	** In the Thriller Bark arc, [[DemBones Brook]] is introduced as [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} a bumbling, socially incompetent idiot]]. Many chapters later, he suddenly has [[CreepyGood one of the creepier dramatic entrances of the series]] and [[YouAreAlreadyDead one-shots]] a [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever giant monster]] who was wiping the floor with Franky and Robin ''at the same time.''
115	** In the first Chapter, Shanks and his crew just seemed to be cheerfully messing around, and get chewed up quite a bit by Higuma. When Shanks laughed it off, the latter assumed he was just a weakling. A bit later, he kidnapped Luffy. And ''then'' Shanks shows them just how bad an idea it was to mess with him, with ''ONE'' member of his crew decimating Higuma's bandit force, and Higuma himself fleeing, only to be eaten by a sea monster, the implication being it's the sort of thing Shanks deals with almost every day.
116	** Though he gave Sanji a good fight in the Alabasta arc, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei was generally considered a joke both before and after his HeelFaceTurn. Then he reappears in Impel Down, and fights off a pack of the highest level prison guard "mooks". With his bare hands. In sub-zero temperatures. Half naked. To save the main character's life. Sure, he had to have some skills to be the second strongest fighter in a major criminal organization, but with how much ObfuscatingStupidity he did...''damn.''
117	*** Not to mention that at the end of that arc, he stays behind in [[TheAlcatraz Impel Down]] to give Luffy and his new allies the chance they needed to escape. Putting in perspective, this has him facing a large group of armed guards and the prison's warden, the latter having used his [[PoisonousPerson Doku Doku no Mi (Venom-Venom Fruit)]] powers to ''send Luffy to death's door, EFFORTLESSLY,'' a few chapters earlier, alone and unarmed with nothing but his martial arts. The battle was never seen, but post-TimeSkip it's revealed that he somehow survived the fight and is alive and well, living in Impel Down's secret Level 5.5 as the new ruler.
118	** Villainous but undoubtedly epic example from Impel Down: Magellan's vice-warden, Hannyabal, is seen as a fully incompetent [[TheStarscream Starscream]], who has a habit of voicing his desire to be warden with less than polite words towards Magellan…[[TooDumbToLive while the latter is right behind him]]. Then, when it proves necessary, he steps up and takes command of the prison, allegedly just to stabilize his job. But when it comes down to it, and Luffy is going on an all-out rampage to get out of the prison and save his brother, Hannyabal demonstrates exactly why he's the vice warden of the prison that houses the most powerful criminals in the world by pulling a YouShallNotPass on Luffy. Sure, he can't land a single hit on Luffy and gets tossed around like a rag doll by Luffy's best attacks. The thing is, even when he's a bloody mess, [[{{Determinator}} he keeps getting up]]; in the end, nothing Luffy does can make him stay down. [[spoiler:He's defeated when Blackbeard shows up and stomps on his face, finally knocking him unconscious.]]
119	** Last but not least, from its first introduction to near the end of Punk Hazard Arc, Franky Shogun was shown as a unnecessary [[HumongousMecha giant robot]] that serves mainly for comic relief and to impress the immature male members of the crew. This is for good reason as [[spoiler:most of the attacks come from Franky himself]]. Robin even lampshaded on this by asking what the robot was even for. Then we found out how [[spoiler:FREAKING TOUGH and dangerous it is]]. While its physical strength is unquestionable, [[spoiler: it was also actually quite agile for its size as it was able to punch CANNONBALLS back at Baby 5 and deflect her spinning attack ]]. To make it even better, [[spoiler: Franky Shogun even has its own much more powerful version of Franky's Weapon left, and a ON-LAND VERSION of the freaking GAON CANNON!!!]]. Hell, you could say that the enemies back at Fishman Island were not strong enough for him to use Shogun seriously. And then we are told that it's armor is unbreakable when an attack that can slice a Pacifista, the World Government's near unstoppable cyborg mini army, in half barely scratches it's PAINT.
120	* Happens at the beginning of ''Anime/NinjaScroll: The Series''. Shigure is always getting angry at her fellow villagers about their inability to take their martial arts training seriously -- it turns out that the ''entire village'' is made up of skilled fighters whose sole job is to protect her, and who were [[ObfuscatingStupidity only pretending to be lousy]] at it. Unfortunately, even they [[RedshirtArmy all get wiped out]] by an army of demons, so she has to flee.
121	* ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'': Saitama is [[WorldsStrongestMan plenty dangerous usually]], having enough SuperStrength to [[OneHitKill one-shot]] pretty much everything, but this leads to a lackadaiscal attitude. But when he's confronted with one of the very few things that his usual punch doesn't instantly kill (or someone manages to ''really'' piss him off), he brings out his Serious Series and reveals that that GameBreaker level of power from earlier was him ''[[WillfullyWeak barely trying]]''.
122	** Subverted with Mumen Rider vs. the Deep Sea King, where the C-Class hero admits that he's weak and noone expects much from him, but fearlessly decides to take on the giant monster anyway -- and promptly [[CurbStompBattle gets his ass kicked]]. On the other hand, he did delay him long enough for Saitama to arrive.
123	* [[MagnificentBastard Xerxes Break]] of ''Manga/PandoraHearts'' says this almost verbatim toward the end of the anime. Although he has revealed to the audience how truly terrifyingly badass he is during earlier fights, none of the main cast have seen him do it until that point, and their reaction is little less than speechless shock. To top it off, every time he gets dangerous, he does so without changing his overly flamboyant behavior and speech.
124	* [[spoiler:Chuck]], in ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt''. In the last episode, [[spoiler:Chuck unzips himself to reveal [[http://i56.tinypic.com/t9y1k1.jpg this... THING]], and proceeds to charge straight up the huge Ghost, taking down Fastener (who does something similar, turning into a two headed dragon) along the way.]]
125	** Also, in Episodes 6-2, the protagonists themselves. Before, Panty and Stocking had shown plenty of badass, but we had never seen them facing a truly capable opponent. This time they faced Scanty and Kneesocks... And the battle was just too awesome for words. For bonus points, [[spoiler: Chuck]] gave us a small hint of what he could do with his [[spoiler: CarFu ''duel'' with Fastener]].
126	** And then there's [[spoiler:Garterbelt]], who never shows any indications of being badass until the final episode, at which point [[spoiler:he not only proves to be a challenge for [[BigBad Corset]], but also shows that he's [[ResurrectiveImmortality completely immortal]].]]
127	* ''Anime/PhantomQuestCorp'': At first, you might wonder how either Ayaka, or Detective Karino, have [[OccultDetective their jobs]] -- since one's [[HardDrinkingPartyGirl a drinker]], [[NotAMorningPerson who can barely get up in the morning.]] The other's [[UnluckyEverydude a bit of a bumbler.]] But they're shown to be competent ''and thorough'' whenever they're [[ParanormalInvestigation on assignment.]] Between Ayaka's knowledge of the occult, her swordsmanship, and Karino's investigative skills, there are few cases they ''haven't'' been able to solve.
128	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
129	** ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
130	*** Misty's Psyduck. Normally totally useless, but whenever it gets a serious headache, it gains amazing psychic powers.
131	*** Misty's Togepi. The little ball of cuteness that can barely walk on its own packs a mean Metronome attack which saves the day almost every time it uses it. In the game, Metronome is a fairly pointless move that just randomly selects some other move to execute. But in the anime, it seems to instead randomly do ''[[RealityWarper anything]]''. While Misty's Togepi has no actual control over the outcome, it has the potential to completely reverse whatever dangerous situation they're in.
132	*** Ash turning his hat backwards might also count in the earlier episodes, although he's done it once or twice recently as well.
133	** Mew in ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'', spends most of the film curiously swooping around in a playful manner. [[BigBad Mewtwo]] attempts to goad it into a fight, and it ignores him. However, after one of his energy attacks successfully hits Mew, sending it flying into the sky, it drops its playful manner entirely and fires an attack back at Mewtwo, blasting him backwards through a wall. After this, it ceases to be cuddly and engages in a massive and vicious battle with its clone Mewtwo.
134	** Misty in the final battle in the Mirage Kingdom. She calls on her Gyarados to face off against several Ninjask and a Shedinja, all of which are Bug Types [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes which she's terrified of]], and the villain mocks her, saying, "Fool! Do you think your Water Type can beat my Shedinja?"[[note]]His confidence comes from the fact that Shedinja has an Ability called Wonder Guard that protects it against all non-super-effective attacks, meaning types aside from Dark, Ghost, Rock, Flying, and Fire are unable to hurt it.[[/note]] Misty smirks and says "I don't think. I know." before ordering Gyrados to use Flamethrower, which cooks Shedinja nicely. Bear in mind that back in the Kanto and Johto arcs before leaving the main cast, Misty was also terrified of ''Gyarados'', but now has one of them in her team.
135	** Mitsumi from ''Manga/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAdventure''. Of course, it makes sense that she's that powerful, seeing as [[spoiler: she used to be a Team Galactic officer]].
136	** [[FriendToAllLivingThings Yellow]] from ''Manga/PokemonAdventures''. She is sweet and pacifistic to the degree it pains her to hurt enemies (a psychic empath), even if it means more trouble for her, not to mention she's a terrible battler and her Pokemon's levels are rather laughably low compared to the other Dex Holders. However, [[BewareTheNiceOnes push her to the edge enough]] and her Pokemon's levels get boosted up to the point that she can take down just about ''anybody''. (This phenomenon has been scientifically measured, their powers are roughly tripled to quadrupled.) Lance got his ass handed to him and Sird/Storc wisely decided to make a run for it before Yellow got the chance to do the same to her.
137	** Paka and Uji, Platinum's real bodyguards, are a pair of goofballs who have a penchant for corny posing. Put them in a fight, and they show that they are a pair of goofballs who have a penchant for corny posing ''along'' with a strong work ethic and equally strong battling skills.
138	* [[MeaningfulName Ma]][[BilingualBonus mi]] in ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion''. She was competent in the series, but never got to do anything really dramatic or impressive [[spoiler:[[TheWorldsExpertOnGettingKilled (besides getting killed by a witch three episodes in)]]]]. But in the movie, with no psychological issues holding her back... Homura, who makes the mistake of [[MamaBear messing with Bebe]], underestimates her. Despite Homura's trademark GameBreaker abilities -- time-stopping and a near-limitless HyperspaceArsenal -- Mami beats her handily. With ribbons. [[spoiler:A clone of herself made of ribbons, to be precise.]]
139	* Nanael from ''Anime/QueensBlade'' is a ditzy angel who always gets in trouble and can't even fly straight, because of her asymmetric wings -- until the moment she beats up ''three'' of the most badass characters without even breaking a sweat.
140	* Happened quite often in ''Manga/Reborn2004'', definitely after everyone took [[TookALevelInBadass levels in badass]].
141	* ''Manga/SailorMoon'': The title character may be something of TheDitz most of the time, but it's soon clear that she develops a BerserkButton. If the people she cares about come under threat, that's when she stops the bumbling. As time passes and she picks up more experience and more people she wants to protect, she seems to get that much more dangerous when things really matter.
142	** Sailor Venus. Hammy, ditzi, and if she gets mad Sailor Moon goes to the ground, because ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xWokvd7x7Q everyone's lives are in danger]]''. This is only in the first anime, as in the manga she's always serious... And less collateral damage-prone.
143	* ''Anime/SchoolRumble''. During the Sports Festival, the relay team for class 2C consists of Asou, Suga, Imadori, Harima, and Hanai, all of whom are acting distracted either due to love interests or interpersonal conflicts. Then Harry and Togo belittle them for being distracted by women. Cue an ArtShift, and the boys from 2C turning to give Harry and Togo a collective DeathGlare that actually gives them pause.
144	* In ''Manga/SoulEater'', it is very easy to discount Shinigami-sama as harmless MissionControl, what with his goofy mask, silly speech pattern, and {{Verbal Tic}}s, and his tendency to spend most of his time inside the central chamber of Shibusen and doing {{Boke And Tsukkomi Routine}}s with his Death Scythe. Then [[spoiler:the Kishin imprisoned under Death City breaks free, and Shinigami is allowed to show the cast just why he's considered a PhysicalGod: His MegatonPunch does have some combat-related ability, for one...]]
145	** Spirit gets this during his and Stein's fight with Medusa, in a moment of MoodWhiplash where he muses about [[LovableSexManiac removing]] her white coat and promptly points out that, being the Death Scythe, he has to kill her. He is also eager to fight Asura with Shinigami in the anime.
146	** Marie Mjolnir as well. She may be a kindhearted TeamMom who can get along with pretty much everybody, but when she gets serious, shit tends to get pretty real. [[MegatonPunch Justin Law found this out]] [[ShockAndAwe the hard way]].
147	** Younger shinigami, Death the Kid, has shown off what happens when he takes fights 'seriously' without breaking down into obsessive compulsive-driven mass destruction]]. With a little help from his dad (essentially, given what the Sanzu Line thing did to Shinigami), he goes from missing an arm and very close to Mosquito killing him, to fighting on a par with the vampire. He didn't exactly win, but he didn't lose either. And his arm got reattached.
148	*** It's worth mentioning his two weapons, Liz and Patty. They act like his retainers and are generally both cheerful, laidback girls. But mess with them and they'll be very happy to show you just how they managed to survive most of their lives on the streets of New York.
149	** [[HighlyVisibleNinja Black*Star]] gets a lot of this as well. Once he manages to calm down his I-Will-Surpass-The-Gods complex and fight seriously, he's one of the most frighteningly competent characters in the series, even being called the current strongest meister in the Academy and breaking Kid out of insanity by literally beating it out of him.
150	* ''Anime/SpaceDandy'''s title character is normally a rather incompetent bumbling HandsomeLech [[DidntThinkThisThrough who rarely thinks anything through]], with slight {{Cloudcuckoolander}} tendencies. But when he brings the [[HumongousMecha Hawaii Yankee]] out, he's surprisingly competent.
151	* A lot of characters from ''Literature/TheStoryOfSaiunkoku''. Normally childish, goofy Ryuuki turns out to be [[spoiler:only pretending to be an idiot for a variety of complicated reasons]] and manages to [[spoiler:take down several highly trained assassins to save Shuurei, in spite of his fear of the dark and, oh, not being able to ''see'']]; Shouka, Shuurei's blundering, spacey father is actually [[spoiler:the legendary assassin Black Wolf, and... well, just don't hurt Shuurei and let him know about it]]; Ryuuren the eccentric genius manages to take down bad guys by the dozen ''using only his flute''; and even the little brainiac Eigetsu [[spoiler:turns out to have a split personality, and his other side is an insanely good fighter]]. And that's just the tip of the iceberg; don't even get me started on the ''women''....
152	* Achika in the first ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' movie, ''Tenchi Muyo in Love'', was just an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent who had no idea why KAIN, a SealedEvilInACan, was targeting her at all. Then, he made the mistake of harming Noboyuki, the two of them harboring crushes on each other. This was enough for her to unlock her incredible power as a royal blooded Juraian, the thing KAIN was trying to kill her for. [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Oops.]]
153	* In ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'', Kotetsu/Wild Tiger has shown himself to be a complete dork and something of a klutz. However, dork or not, he's still a veteran superhero (and, according to Yuri Petrov's archived data, a former holder of the King of Heroes title) and demonstrates quite regularly that he can be quite a ''badass'' dork.
154	** Origami Cyclone as well. This is a guy whose main style of 'heroism' is to pop up everywhere there's a camera, largely because he doesn't think his [[VoluntaryShapeshifting superpower]] measures up to the other heroes. Later in the series, after a boost of confidence, he proves to be much more badass than he had been before, [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower using his power]] to disguise himself as a ''wanted poster'' at one point, and proving that he really can fight in the finale.
155	*** And his infiltration of the [[spoiler:Ouroboros base, which took guts and was almost a Heroic Sacrifice once Jake found him]].
156	* Vash the Stampede from ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' lives and breathes this trope. 90% of the time he's goofing off, playing with local children, or even getting into trouble with local thugs, but when the chips are down, he really does live up to his nickname of "The Humanoid Typhoon". This is usually when he puts his sunglasses on.
157	** For the entirety of the first episode and the majority of the second episode, the girls are doubtful that they've found the actual Vash, because he's ''such'' a buffoon. Towards the end of the second episode, though, the villain shoots at him and instead of panicking and scurrying away (which is what he did in Episode 1 when being shot at), he just takes a half-step to the side and gives the shooter the ThousandYardStare. This is really the first clue that ''just maybe'' this guy's reputation as a badass isn't entirely undeserved.
158	* Fai of ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'' usually keeps to the sidelines and teases Kurogane until he is pissed enough to tear their enemies a new one but when he does get out there you might wanna run.
159	* Any time [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qs9EiK_JJE this music]] plays in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', it's a sure sign that Battler is about to be way, way more awesome than anyone expected. This means doing something like [[spoiler:completely ignoring the most powerful attack the Siestas can throw at him]]. Other human characters also have HiddenDepths of badassitude, but he's the only one to have a separate ''theme song'' for them.
160	* Near the end of ''Manga/VampireKnight'', it is revealed why, exactly, Cross Kaien is called the greatest Vampire Hunter still alive, when he dusts off his old sword and [[TheGlassesComeOff takes off his glasses.]]
161	* ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'': Nozomi [[Anime/YesPrettyCure5GoGo Yumehara]] is probably the bubbliest of a FiveManBand. She's implied to have {{A\|ttentionDeficitOohShiny}}DHD, she's BookDumb, and [[GotVolunteered she'll drag herself and everyone else into some odd idea of hers]]. Yet, if you dare try to squash someone's dreams, she will ''end you''. You can easily see that between her civilian identity and her transformed identity as her voice grows deeper and more commanding in the latter.
162	** Tsubomi Hanasaki from ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure'' is shy, introverted, fearful, got the nickname of 'weakest Precure in history'... But if she does overcome her fears, then her opponent is done for.
163	** Megumi Aino from ''Anime/HappinessChargePrettyCure'' is lively, but at times clumsy. But if she gets serious, then whoever she fights is in for a smackdown.
164	* Done all the time in the ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' franchise. A duelist will be seen as weak and puny and will spend a turn or two making bad moves. Then suddenly, they'll reveal their weak plays to be part of a master strategy, they'll pull out a super combo that pushes the opponent into a corner, and ''now'' every move they make will just push them further in. This is usually accompanied by a minute or two of the character taunting their opponent for playing into their hand and explaining their combo in great detail to emphasize how powerful it is.
165	** Joey in particular demonstrates this trope a lot. Most of the time, he's the PluckyComicRelief far outshadowed by his King of Games best friend, who, after all, has ''card-playing superpowers''. But every once in a while, when you push him up against a wall, or you threaten the well-being of his sister, Mai, or Yugi, his eyes become little windows to hell, and you'd better brace yourself for a ''hard'' smackdown; he's Yugi's [[TheLancer Lancer]] for a reason. The only time this has ''failed'' is his duel against Yami Marik. During the Shadow Game (where each hit and monster loss results in serious ''pain''), Joey felt the full power and might of an [[OlympusMons Egyptian god]] and managed to remain ''standing''. Yami Marik was ''terrified'' since he was now open to an attack, which would cost him the duel. Joey managed to summon Gearfried the Iron Knight, but collasped before he could finish calling the attack. He was literally ''seconds'' away from winning the duel and saving the world.
166	** Mokey Mokey is a 1-star (i.e. incredibly weak) monster... until it gets mad, at least. The card description says that "sometimes he gets mad and that is dreadful," and it's serious -- just play Mokey Mokey Smackdown and wait for one of your Fairy-Type monsters to be destroyed. ''All'' of your Mokey Mokeys get ''ten times'' their normal attack power for the rest of your turn. One character -- Belowski -- uses a strategy involving destroying ''his own'' Fairy-Type monsters to start the "smackdown".
167	** Not to mention Yugi himself. In the second series, to a minor degree -- whenever [[NiceGuy Yugi's]] friends are threatened, expect a [[BewareTheNiceOnes very pissed Yami/Yugi]] [[WillingChanneler possession]]...[[TheSymbiote symbiosis]]...thing... to kick ass and take names (or whenever Yugi duels in a tournament; card games are serious business!) -- but it shows up in a very big way in the first series. Basic plot: Enemy of the week bullies/belittles/generally makes life a living hell for Yugi or one of his friends. [[TheWoobie Yugi]] just sort of takes it, until things go too far even for him. Enter Yami, ancient Pharaoh, master gamer, [[SociopathicHero total sociopath]]. Three words, Season 0 watchers: "It's game time." And [[FateWorseThanDeath God help the baddie who cheats in a Shadow Game...]]
168	** In ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', you know Kenzan (Hassleberry in the dub) is done kidding around when [[HellishPupils his eyes turn reptilian]]; that's when the dinosaur DNA inside him is about to kick in, and he gains his HeroicSecondWind. (Not that his record as a duelist was all-too good, but he did manage to accomplish quite a few things without that.)
169	* ''Manga/ZatchBell'': Plenty of characters fit this bill.
170	** Main protagonist Gash/Zatch is a goofy, goodhearted child with a ravenous appetite who loses consciousness whenever he tries using his spells, making him a laughingstock among demons, and his partner Kiyo/Kiyomaro is a teenage genius who often gets dragged along for the ride. As soon as a fight begins, they're seamless, and Kiyo's help means that losing consciousness doesn't stop him from unleashing the full power of his [[ShockAndAwe lightning abilities]].
171	** Kanchome and Folgore are normally comic relief among the protagonists, winning all their battles through tenacity alone. However, in the manga, final antagonist Clear Note's threat prompt Kanchomé to begin training, and discover that the true nature of his powers makes him a MasterOfIllusion. And the emphasis here is on "master"; Gorm and Mir's black hole abilities allowed them to overpower anyone else, but Kanchomé turned the tables and defeated them utterly. WordOfGod even states that a sixth sense is the only way to break free of his most powerful spell. Later, Gash wins the final battle through Kanchomé's direct help when the latter makes Clear Note believe he destroyed the Earth, when it was only an illusion Kanchomé created.
172	** Ponygon/Schneider took the longest of the main cast to find his human partner and was always timid in a fight besides. It was his loyalty to Zatch that drove him to finally join with the man who could read his book, and his debut battle? Pulling a BigDamnHeroes to save Zatch and Kiyo from getting killed and he and his partner defeating the demon responsible all by himself. Also applies to Kafk Sunbeam, his quirky partner.
173	** Dr. Riddles and Kido. The latter is about as big as a normal human's head and the latter is a relentless trickster who delights in speaking in riddles. Then they start fighting and Dr. Riddles shows that he's dangerously insightful while Kido starts attacking with mechanical weapons that are often more than twice his size.
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Context LetsGetDangerous / AnimeAndManga