Line #186 Main/CloseRangeCombatant


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10	[[quoteright:350:[[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/78dd51814575632f8e94d353e08c9370.png]]]]
11	[[caption-width-right:350:Never bring a gun to a claw fight.]]
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16	A fighter who specializes in close range combat. Is generally ineffective in long-range battles, or just plain lacks the ability to fight at long range.
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18	In video games, especially fighting games, characters who are Close Range Combatants tend to have strong "physical" attacks but ineffective projectiles, or absolutely none at all. These characters tend to be {{Mighty Glacier}}s or {{Lightning Bruiser}}s, their obvious strengths being highlighted by their complete inability to harm anything they aren't currently close to. {{Fragile Speedster}}s who have no projectiles can qualify as this, capable of quickly invalidating their short-range weakness, but their close-range requirement also adds an amount of predictability to their playstyle and corresponding risk -- if the {{Mighty Glacier}}s ever get wise to the direction they're headed and manage to intercept beforehand or the LongRangeFighter manages to plink them (such as [[GeoEffects along a thin and low corridor]] where pretty much no one can effectively dodge regardless of their speed), they expectedly die fast. Even {{Glass Cannon}}s can fall into this category if they can [[InstantDeathRadius quickly overpower any adversary within a limited range]].
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20	This only applies where long-range combat with projectiles or longer melee weapons like swords are a notable part of a work. It's [[Administrivia/PeopleSitOnChairs not interesting]] in settings where close-quarters combat is the ''only'' kind of combat.
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22	The opposite is LongRangeFighter. Subtrope of NecessaryDrawback and CompetitiveBalance.
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25	!!Examples:
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27	[[foldercontrol]]
28
29	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
30	* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
31	** While the main method of combat is with swords, many of the characters are capable of fighting hand-to-hand. [[{{ninja}} The Onmitsukido]], in particular, specializes in hakuda; making this Yoruichi and Sui-Feng's preferred style of combat. They're so proficient at it, that they each developed [[SuperMode Shunko]], which is [[SupernaturalMartialArts an advanced hakuda form]] that greatly enhances the user's body with kido.
32	** [[GenkiGirl Mashiro]] also chooses to forgo using her zanpakuto, in favor of [[KickChick fighting unarmed.]] She even one-shotted Fura with her signature [[CallingYourAttacks "Mashiro Kick!!"]]
33	** Grimmjow is the only member of the Espada who fights hand-to-hand. During his first battle with Ichigo, where he literally [[CurbstompBattle beat him from one side of Karakura Town, to the other....]] even though the latter was using Bankai! Even more so after his Resurrección, which partially transforms Grimmjow into a panther-hybrid.
34	** Nnoitra, while not as bad as Grimmjow, prefers melee far more than almost any other Espada. The only ranged techniques he uses, aside from [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks throwing his weapon]], are the standard {{Kamehame Hadoken}}s all Hollows can use and even then only in a pinch. Even more so after his Resurrección, upon which the only thing he does during the battle with Kenpachi is attack up close and personal with his [[SinisterScythe scythes]].
35	* While most exorcists in ''Manga/DGrayMan'' have at least some type of long-range attack, Krory's fighting style revolves entirely around melee attacks with this arms, his legs or his teeth.
36	** Chaozi Han's innocence too only allows him to land devastating punches but has no long-ranged attacks.
37	** Among the Noah, Mercym has not displayed his power yet, preferring to fight with his mere fists and kicks.
38	* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': [[FightingSpirit Stands]] that the user directly controls tend to have power inverse to their range. Ones like Star Platinum or Crazy Diamond are {{Lightning Bruiser}}s that cannot manifest more than 2 meters away from their users, though they can still throw things with great power and accuracy.
39	* Belkan Knights in the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise. While they may have a few projectile attacks when they need to strike from afar, they specialize in overpowering opponents through magically enhanced melee combat, either [[MagicKnight armed]] or [[KungFuWizard unarmed]], depending on the practitioner. In particular, [[WarriorMonk Schach Nouera]] and [[{{Samurai}} Micaiah Chevelle]] have no known ranged attacks.
40	** The [[BadassFamily Takamachi family]] as a whole are like this (with the exception of [[LongRangeFighter Nanoha herself]]). Shiro, Kyoya, and Miyuki are all {{Master Swords\|man}}men and Vivio is a KungFuJesus (though [[FullContactMagic she does have some ranged attacks]]).
41	** Fuka is strictly trained in hand-to-hand combat, and what little magic she knows is limited to body enhancement. While the Kaiser Arts do have ranged options (particularly CatchAndReturn), she isn't skilled enough to perform them.
42	* ''Manga/MakenKi'':
43	** Azuki and her rival, [[AnimeChineseGirl Yan-Min]], are both classified as the close combat specialists at their respective schools. So it was only a matter of time before the two of them [[http://www.mangatown.com/manga/maken_ki/c016/9.html duelled it out]] [[http://www.mangatown.com/manga/maken_ki/c017/4.html MMA style.]]
44	** Gouken Yamato also favored martial arts and [[BadassAbnormal was so proficient at it]], that he was able to take on Azuki and Chacha [[http://www.mangatown.com/manga/maken_ki/c042/14.html at the same time.]] While his passive ability to [[PowerNullifier nullify energy attacks]] made him [[http://www.mangatown.com/manga/maken_ki/c044/6.html the perfect foil]] to ranged fighters like Uruchi.
45	* Several mobile suits in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'' are of this type: Deathscythe, Sandrock, and Epyon. Deathscythe often launches a kind of spinning claw/shield thing at opponents, but it's a once-per-battle weapon, and the Vulcans and machine cannons are worthless against any MS with decent armour. Sandrock has no ranged attacks beyond occasional [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks sword-throwing]], two weak Vulcans (again, worthless against mobile suits) and ''two'' missiles, but compensates by bringing along a couple dozen backup suits with big guns (it also gains a beam machine gun of its own in its MidSeasonUpgrade... which it only uses for 5 or so episodes). Epyon is limited to its sword and whip (one brief scene implies that it fires Vulcans at the Wing Zero, but this is generally attributed to an animation error rather than a canon weapon).
46	** According to an official Japanese encyclopedia book from 2007, the Vulcans were a later addition added by a third party who acquired the mobile suit. The [[InvokedTrope Epyon's original designer considers ranged weapons of all kinds to be cowardly therefore the Epyon was intended as a melee-only suit]] but [[DownplayedTrope vulcans tend to be minor weapons at best with short range]] and the Epyon remains a primarily close range mobile suit.
47	* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' has Exia and 00 Gundam/Raiser as the prime examples, along with the Throne Zwei and its successor the Arche. The movie brings back the Raiser and introduces the 00 Q[ant], which is both this trope plus AttackDrones.
48	* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
49	** It's pointed out in at least two instances (by Shikamaru and Kakashi), that Naruto is pretty much worthless for an enemy specializing in ranged combat.
50	** This is the weakness of Neji, Hinata, and Rock Lee in Part I. All three were Taijutsu Specialists without any other options besides kunai and shuriken for ranged combat. Neji was especially hit hard by this weakness while fighting the LongRangeFighter of the [[EliteMook Sound Four]], Kidomaru, who could comfortably find his weakness from long distance and nearly killed him despite the defensive power of his Kaiten. [[spoiler:Neji and Hinata learned ranged Jyuken techniques over the timeskip called [[KiManipulation Air Palms]] which can kill a whole bunch of White Zetsu at once, stun [[BloodKnight Kisame]] of all people, or even deflect enemy projectiles.]] Rock Lee however, since Taijutsu is his only option, doesn't have any method of long ranged combat unless he can master [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique the Sixth and Seven Gates]] which [[spoiler:turns punches into long range fireballs (Morning Peacock) or an explosive, long range punch in the shape of a tiger (Daytime Tiger)]].
51	** Tsunade and Sakura's fighting style revolves around them using their SuperStrength to smash their enemies. Even Madara was nervous about taking a hit from Tsunade.
52	** A, the Fourth Raikage, uses a fighting style that uses electricity to boost his already immense strength and speed (stated to be just below Tsunade's) and overwhelm his opponents. He was able to smash through Sasuke's Susanoo.
53	* ''Franchise/OnePiece'': Sanji and Tony Tony Chopper tend to have the most physical fights in the series thanks to not having weapons or abilities that greatly extend their reach like the other members of the crew.
54	* ''Manga/SailorMoon'' has some of the Sailor Senshi who, in spite of having ranged attacks, have also a penchant for engaging enemies in melee combat:
55	** The typical example is Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter, who, when alone, routinely engages the enemy in hand-to-hand, and is explicitly shown to be the physically strongest (even having SuperStrength when not transformed). [[TheWorfEffect She rarely wins]].
56	** The manga version of Minako Aino/Sailor Venus, has beaten half to death multiple [[MonsterOfTheWeek youma]] with punches and (most importantly) kicks, when untransformed defeated a BrainwashedAndCrazy Makoto with ''[[OneHitKO one kick]]'', and even killed a youma and ''Queen Beryl'' with sword strikes. The anime downplays this, but she still engages youmas with a chain at short distance from time to time and has been shown killing a youma with a kick.
57	** Haruka Tenoh/Sailor Uranus (it helps she has a sword). She too defeated Sailor Jupiter.
58	** The anime downplays Sailor Venus' penchant for beating up enemies, but Sailor Jupiter would be this too
59	* ''Literature/UndefeatedBahamutChronicle'':
60	** Philuffy can only fight in melee. Her Drag-Ride, Typhon, is unique in lacking any real ranged weapons (the closest equivalent, Pile Anchor, is essentially a set of grappling hooks that pull enemies closer). Combined with its inability to fly, it leaves her at a disadvantage against flying and/or ranged fighters. On the other hand, she's an absolute monster at melee range. However, Typhon's <Missing Faith> Divine Raiment can disable other Divine Raiments and weaken Drag-Rides within a decent range, which makes up for the Drag-Ride's lack of ranged attacks.
61	** Bahamut, the Drag-Ride used by [[TheHero Lux]] and [[BigBad Fugil]], is capable of flight and is a terror in close-range combat due to its <Reload on Fire> Divine Raiment, which can slow down nearby objects including itself before speeding them up severalfold. By itself, Bahamut has very limited long-range applications, since its Linker Burst armament can only generate a weak force field. However, it can use <Reload on Fire> to boost other long-range attacks.
62	* Attacker class in ''Manga/WorldTrigger'' are melee fighters. Their choices of weapons generally define their fighting styles. Short blade Scorpion users focus on agility and trickery. Long blade Kougetsu users focus on attack power. Heavy blade Raygust users focus on defense. Meanwhile, all rounders combine melee weapons with guns to fight close range. They generally deal damage with melee weapons, while using their guns for support or tricks.
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Comic Books]]
66	* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'':
67	** Ben Grimm is the only member of the team who lacks any long-range capabilities, relying solely on his brute strength in close quarters.
68	** ComicBook/SheHulk served this role on the team when she took Ben's place due to their similar powersets.
69	* ''ComicBook/{{Stormwatch}}'':
70	** Jukko Hämäläinen of Stormwatch Team Achilles specializes in CQC with superhumans. Doesn't stop him from using guns as and when necessary.
71	** Liam Mendoza, callsign Paris, of ''ComicBook/StormwatchPHD'' has a phenomenal talent for FlawExploitation that lets him go toe-to-toe with [=SPBs=] and come out victorious.
72	* The Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles have two, the sai-wielding Raphael and the nunchaku-wielding Michelangelo (though both have a trend of [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks throwing to hit faraway enemies]], Mike in particular).
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Fan Works]]
76	* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': Two of Godzilla and Mothra's allies, [[Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019 Methuselah and Scylla]], are apparently this. They're fierce and powerful fighters who lack any kind of long-range attack respectively. Methuselah fights and maims using his horns and immense physical strength, Scylla using her sharp spider-like legs and her tentacles with HitAndRunTactics.
77	* ''Fanfic/BloodAndHonor'': Sanguis relies almost entirely on her lightsabers in combat, which requires getting close enough to the enemy to use them. Darth Vengean is able to raise a Force barrier which renders her ineffective until he's weakened enough for her to get through. If ranged attacks are needed, Vette and Quinn provide them.
78	* In the ''Fanfic/FacingTheFutureSeries'', due to her developing a different set of ghost powers than Danny that included limited long range attacks, Sam mostly fights like this.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
82	* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'': While most kaiju are brawlers, some are particularly attached to close-up fights.
83	** [[Characters/{{Godzilla}} Anguirus]] doesn't even have a breath weapon, relying entirely on raw physical power.
84	** Orga from ''Film/Godzilla2000'', despite having an energy blast from his shoulder, instead relies on up-close brute force attacks.
85	** Gigan doesn't even really use much of the ranged attacks he does have - he vastly prefers to be up close and personal [[{{Sadist}} where he can feel the blood]].
86	** Something setting the [[Characters/MonsterVerseKingGhidorah MonsterVerse incarnation of Mechagodzilla]] apart from its previous incarnations: rather than being a WalkingArmory which relies on BeamSpam and MacrossMissileMassacre, he only displays two ranged weapons (his shoulder missile batteries and his Proton Scream), which while powerful he uses sparingly rather than spamming them. Instead, this Mechagodzilla incarnation is likely the best melee fighter in any continuity so far.
87	* Immortan Joe's War Boys rely on these kinds of tactics combined with suicidal {{Zerg Rush}}es in ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad''; they wear no armor, use grenade-tipped spears as weapons, and travel in fast, maneuverable, buggies that, in a pinch, can be turned into flaming car bombs.
88	* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse: From ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'' onwards, Loki almost exclusively depends on daggers (and on one occasion, the sharp ends of his horned helmet) in battle -- the lone exception is a Sakaaran laser rifle in ''Film/ThorRagnarok''. Since ''TTDW'' marks the beginning of his redemption arc, it's part of his CharacterDevelopment to vastly improve his prowess in hand-to-hand combat because melee warriors are deemed to be more "brave" and "forthright" in Asgard than "cowardly," "evasive" {{Long Range Fighter}}s, which was previously Loki's specialty. He slays Dark Elves and Hela's undead soldiers with rapid stabbing motions, and he frequently blocks and dodges their attacks.
89	* ''Film/TerminatorDarkFate'': The [[Characters/TerminatorMainContinuityMachines Rev-7s]] They have blades for arms and seem to focus exclusively on melee combat with their arm blades and CombatTentacles, relying on backup from explosive kamikaze drones to soften up opponents equipped with ranged weaponry.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Literature]]
93	* In ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'', the Alethi code of honour places close-range combatants at the top, while polearms are lower-class weapons and archery is outright ignoble. Of course, the most highly regarded warriors do their close-range combat with [[SoulCuttingBlade Soul-Cutting]] {{BFS}}es and PoweredArmor that let them [[MookHorrorShow cut down foot soldiers by the hundred]], so the spirit of fairness isn't exactly in play.
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
97	* ''Series/AceLightning'': [[{{Cyborg}} Random Virus]] is the only one of the three Lightning Knights who relies entirely on melee combat. Ace can shoot lightning from his hands and Sparx has a sword that shoots lightning. All Random has are his [[WolverineClaws claw]] and brute strength.
98	* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': Elnor is a martial arts expert, so he's primarily a hand-to-hand fighter, although "Nepenthe" demonstrates that he can throw knives with lethal accuracy.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
102	* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' features a few [[HumongousMecha BattleMechs]] which are geared specifically for close-ranged combat, typically carrying [[MoreDakka ultra-autocannons]], short-ranged missiles, and sometimes a giant [[{{BFS}} metal sword]] or axe. The King Crab is a notable murder machine, because it carries two class-20 Autocannons, weapons which on their own can give a mech an InstantDeathRadius. Newer melee mechs often feature experimental tech, such as the triple-strength myomer which lets them [[BoomHeadshot instantly decapitate a mech]], once their artificial muscles have [[LimitBreak heated up to operational temperature]]. However, it's worth noting that "pure" (or nearly pure) melee designs are relatively rare and unpopular. A classic example is the original ''Charger'', which at 80 tons is equipped only with a handful of "popgun" small lasers -- it's fast for its weight class and has powerful physical attacks if it does get that close, but it basically can't hit ''anything'' outside ninety meters and even up to that distance its ranged damage output is essentially pitiful. (Its original intended use was as a superheavy ''scout'', not a frontline combat machine... and it says something about it that it fails in even that role.)
103	* ''TabletopGame/FabulaUltima'': The Weaponmaster class. Their skills focus exclusively on melee weapons and melee attacks, allowing them to do such things as strike multiple enemies with a single attack, shatter an enemy's armor, inflict status effects or ManaBurn in lieu of damage on a successful attack, and otherwise be better at melee combat than anyone else.
104	* ''TabletopGame/InNomine'': The Archangel David and his followers make it a point of honor to only ever fight with melee weapons or their own two fists, and never use ranged weapons of any sort -- David believes that using them detaches you from the reality of what you're doing.
105	* ''TabletopGame/PanzerBlitz'' and ''TabletopGame/PanzerLeader''. Infantry units have very short range, usually only 1 hex (adjacent), compared to the much longer ranges of tanks and artillery.
106	* ''TabletopGame/StarFleetBattles''. Some Hydran ships (such as fighters) are armed with fusion beams. While deadly at close range, they're ineffective at long range, which means that the ships have to get in close to the enemy to be effective. This allows opponents with longer range weapons to stay at a distance and pick off the Hydrans while they can't hit back.
107	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': Every faction has some form of a close-combat specialist as a unit. Even armies like the Imperial Guard and Tau, who are focused more on mechanized warfare and ranged firepower:
108	** Space Marines use Assault Marines and Terminator Assault Marines. From a more strategic perspective, Space Marines are the close quarters specialists to the Imperial Guard's LongRangeFighter: they lack the armour and artillery support the guard possess, but they excel at melee actions and tight firefights, gritty assaults on critical objectives and ship boarding actions.
109	*** As far as specific Chapters go, this is the Blood Angels' specialty, along with high-speed assaults. They get access to the Furioso Dreadnought, a close-assault variant of the standard Castraferrum-pattern Dreadnought, and that's ''before'' you get to the fact that they can be piloted by a [[MagicKnight Librarian]]. They also have access to the Sanguinary Guard and the Death Company, both of which are specialized for close-combat.
110	** The Imperial Guard use [[OurOgresAreHungrier Ogyrns]].
111	** Eldar use Howling Banshees and Striking Scorpions, [[CripplingOverspecialization who each specialize]] on heavily-armoured infantry and lightly-armoured infantry respectively.
112	** Dark Eldar use [[BloodSport Wyches]] and [[WarriorMonk Incubi]].
113	** Chaos Space Marines...well, as the resident evil, crazy faction, virtually every Chaos unit is pretty good at hand-to-hand. However, their close range combatants are the famous Khorne Berserkers, as well as Raptors, Mutilators, Maulerfiends and Chaos Terminators. Chaos Daemons, meanwhile, have Plaguebearers, Daemonettes, and the ridiculously effective Bloodletter... And that's just the little stuff, you don't want to see the [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever bigger things]] Chaos Daemons can bring to the table.
114	*** That said, it's practically mandatory that virtually everything aligned to [[WarGod Khorne]] will have to fit this trope. Even the recently introduced [[HumongousMecha Khorne Lord of Skulls]], while sporting no fewer than two guns, is optimized to use it's massive chainaxe.
115	** Orks have... Many examples, but Ork Slugga Boyz, Nobz, Meganobz, even Gretchin count. Although you shouldn't expect too much from the last one.
116	** Tyranids have Hormagaunts, Genestealers, Tyrant Guards, Warriors... [[ZergRush And lots of each]].
117	** The T'au use Kroot auxiliaries. They're quite pathetic compared to some of the other examples listed here, and not just for game balance reasons. They're used just as meat-shields, and quite a few players forgo them entirely in favour of more vehicles and big guns.
118	*** The Tau actually have another close combat specialist: [[DefectorFromDecadence Commander Farsight]], who pilots a custom [=XV8=] battle suit wielding a large alien blade that is implied to be [[spoiler:either Necron or Eldar in origin, which would explain his long lifespan]]. In his personal moment of awesome, he duelled the infamously powerful Tyranid Swarmlord to a stand-still[[note]][[GameplayAndStorySegregation Don't try it in the actual game]], though, or Farsight will die horribly[[/note]]. Many of his loyal troops train in close combat as well, and this approach has been enforced over the years by their conflicts against the Orks on the frontier and by being cut off from the T'au's advanced technology; Farsight's personal favourite tactic is a close assault by a squad of elite battlesuits wrecking the center of the enemy line, [[DynamicEntry often by air]].
119	*** Later editions have added Breacher Teams to the T'au arsenal, who are equipped with ranged weapons, but said weapons get a ''lot'' more effective as they close with the target. For maximum effect, the gun needs to be practically up the target's nose. That being said, [[GlassCannon "maximum effect" is a LOT of effect]].
120	** Sisters of Battle have the Sisters Repentia.
121	** Necrons have Lychguard (replacing the older Pariahs), Flayed Ones, and most Triarch Praetorians.
122	* In ''TabletopGame/XWingMiniatures'', while all ships ''can'' fire their primary weapons at range 3, there are some who really want to be at point blank for more reasons than just the bonus die everyone gets, most of them either Imperial or Scum. For example, the TIE pilot Mauler Mithel gets an additional bonus die, meaning he's rolling 4 dice at short range. The grand prize, however, goes to the Protectorate Starfighter, a Mandalorian-themed Scum ship that comes with a Title upgrade, an Elite upgrade, and two named pilots, all focused around point-blank nose-to-nose knife-fighting.
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:Video Games]]
126	* Ace in ''VideoGame/TwentyXX'', as an {{Expy}} of [[Franchise/MegaMan Zero]], specialises in melee weapons - his longest-range primary weapon is a spear, while his ''strongest'' is a point-blank plasma blender thing. His main ranged attacks need to be taken off the corpses of bosses - things like the Splinterfrost and Vera. Among the bosses, Eternal Star has a short-ranged special weapon, relying on contact damage, size, and a bottomless-pit-encrusted arena to kill.
127	* In ''VideoGame/EightBitKiller'', {{th\|eGoomba}}ornies, brutes and flies (from [[AbsurdlySpaciousSewer stage 3-2]]) are the only enemies without ranged attacks. This doesn't do them any favour as the player can easily pick them apart with even [[EmergencyWeapon a humble pistol]].
128	* Max from ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars]]''. His direct units have increased firepower, but his indirect units have decreased firepower and range.
129	* ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'':
130	** Zero, the Assassin: Can be built as either this or a sniper, depending on the skills the player puts points into. His close-combat tree uses stealth to get in close and go for the kill.
131	** Salvador, the Gunzerker: Though he can use sniper rifles just fine, he has no skills in his skill tree that encourage long range combat such as specific boosts to sniper rifles or accuracy buffs. What he ''does'' get is a lot of damage reduction buffs, half a dozen health regeneration options, ammo regeneration, skill boosts that encourage constant barely-accurate gunfire, and a breathtaking amount of collateral damage. As a result, most Salvadors simply grab two of their fastest-firing guns and wade into the enemy as the party tank, confident that they'll eventually hit ''something'' and that it'll hurt a ''lot'' when they do.
132	** Gaige, the Mechromancer: Her "Ordered Chaos" skill tree allows her to accumulate anarchy every time she kills an enemy or empties a clip[[note]]Reloading early either resets her anarchy or activates "discord", a SuperMode which slowly drains anarchy stacks, if the relevant skill has been taken.[[/note]], which gives her boosted damage and close-range options at the cost of accuracy (making her an example of this trope who uses guns), as well as melee options. Her [[RobotBuddy Death Trap]] is also one of these, as he fights with his claws initially.
133	** As an NPC, Brick from the first game fights solely via running up to someone and punching them to death even though he could use guns in the previous game (though he was primarily proficient with shotguns and rocket launchers).
134	** Krieg the Psycho is primarily a mid-close range fighter whose skills focus on getting into the fight itself and sustaining damage to the point that certain stacking-based skills explicitly exclude snipers.
135	* ''VideoGame/BountyOfOne'': Natoko the ninja elf (as well as anyone who picks his unique item, the Dark Revenge) becomes one. Even though all characters have ranged attacks including Nakoto, the Dark Revenge makes a character attack up to 3x as fast the closer they are to an enemy, but down to 3x as slow if they're far from enemies, thus enforcing this trope in order for a character to deal good damage.
136	* ''VideoGame/BroodStar'': The Sword primary weapon replaces your fighter's main gun with a spinning sword slash. Since the sword is only a bit longer than the ship itself, this forces the player to get right into the thick of the onrushing HordeOfAlienLocusts.
137	* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'' : Goopy Le Grande is the only boss in the game that lacks ''any'' projectile attacks or helper minions, and attacks by trying to smash or punch the players. He's fittingly enough one of two {{Warm Up Boss}}es. Even the other warm-up boss The Root Pack has all three members use projectile attacks.
138	* ''Videogame/DeepRockGalactic:'' The Driller's main weapon, be it the Flamethrower, the [[FreezeRay Cryo-Cannon]] or the Corrosive Sludge Launcher, are all fairly short-ranged, his Satchel Charge can't be tossed too far, and his side-arms, while long-ranged, are weaker than usual. As such, the Driller has few options for taking out anything at a distance but can easily devastate entire hordes if they swarm in close, which they will.
139	* The first area of the arcade game, ''VideoGame/DesertBreaker'' contains a ChickenWalker you can hijack, but that machine's only weapon is a weak battering ram that covers five steps forward. It's one of the most useless enemy vehicle you can pilot and a massive PowerUpLetdown.
140	* In ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' Jecht is made of this trope -- the closest thing he has to a long range attack is [[ColonyDrop Ultimate Jecht Shot]] which is very telegraphed and situational. Other characters have elements of this trope (in fact, most of the cast is better in close quarters though not strictly helpless at range), but Jecht is by far the most pronounced, especially compared to the rest of the villains, most of which are slow, methodical and magic-focused (About half of them float instead of walking).
141	* Ursa from ''VideoGame/Dota2'' is an absolute LightningBruiser in close-range combat, with three out of four of his abilities enhancing his melee autoattacks. Fury Swipes makes his attacks deal more damage with consecutive hits, Overwhelm gives him maximum attack speed for a few attacks, and Enrage gives him a large damage boost and stun/debuff resistance. Despite being an Agility hero, he has an unusually high Strength growth, so late game he has both massive attack speed and good durability. The downside is that he's very dependent his autoattacks and his only gap closer, Earthshock, is a short distance leap that applies a very average movespeed slow. In a one-on-one fight against a LongRangeFighter who can kite him effectively, Ursa will straight-up lose.
142	* ''VideoGame/DragonBallFighterZ'':
143	** The young [=SSJ2=] Son Gohan has little ''and'' poor long range options and his reach is of the bottom side of the spectrum, thus he has get up close to have a chance. However, he's pretty fast and his attack power is one of the highest in the game. The only good/decent range attack he has is his Level 3 Super.
144	** A good portion of Android #16's moveset consists of command grabs, and both of his Level 3 Supers require him to connect with a grab to initiate. While his Level 1 Super is ostensibly a KamehameHadoken, it is fired at such an extreme downwards angle that it only covers a small area in front of him. The only real long range option #16 has is his Rocket Punch, which is fairly slow in comparison to other projectiles and doesn't cross the entire screen.
145	** Yamcha's Kamehameha is slower than the others and cannot be used while airborne. His Ki blast cannot be rapid fired and propels him backward. This is to compensate for how dangerous he can be when he is on top of the opponent.
146	* ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}}'':
147	** Hyde. Not only is his flamethrower short-ranged, but his minigun becomes more inaccurate the further you use it from, meaning you need to get close to the monster for maximum effectiveness.
148	** Lennox. The Plasma Lance is a melee weapon and Thunderstrike is meant to close with the monster. Her autocannon is a ranged option but is not meant to be the focus.
149	** Wraith. Even moreso than the other monsters, Wraith has no true ranged attacks, with everything either letting her close with the hunters or forcing the hunters into close range. Combined with her fragility, this makes her hard to use.
150	* ''VideoGame/{{Expert}}'' has knife-wielding terrorist enemies who repeatedly tries slicing you from close range, despite most other enemy type having firearms. Including an armored EliteMook who DualWield combat knives who runs circles around you before stabbing you from the side.
151	* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' and ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' have Melee and Unarmed characters. The former only uses various daggers, bats, swords, and the like, but does also have things like throwing knives/spears or tomahawks as a viable ranged option. Unarmed characters have nothing of the sort. While there is no shortage of Melee enemies, a large portions of your opponents use guns, making this a tricky build.
152	* ''VideoGame/ForHonor'': Every single character, and justified as the game's primary focus is on visceral medieval melee combat. The only "ranged" weapons in a sense are the perk specials, which for example let you call down a RainOfArrows. The Berserker for the Vikings faction wields [[DualWielding twin axes]] that have an incredibly short reach, though he is something of a LightningBruiser, with excellent mobility and combo potential.
153	* The [[SlayingMantis Mantis]] from ''VideoGame/FTLFasterThanLight'' make up for their lackluster repair skills with an attack power 50% stronger than average, making them good for taking out hostile {{board\|ingParty}}ers instead. Also, all but their weakest ships --including the player-available Mantis cruisers-- come equipped with a teleporter which lets them send a BoardingParty to clear a ship from inside.
154	* Most mooks in ''VideoGame/GeminiHeroesReborn'' wields firearms, but then there's the baton guards, enemies who DualWield batons to attack. They're surprisingly quick compared to other enemies and can RoundhouseKick you if you happen to be close enough.
155	* ''VideoGame/GundamEvolution'': The Gundam Barbatos and Exia are the main close range fighters in a first person shooter. The Exia has throwing daggers but the Barbatos is completely melee. Despite the name Zaku II (melee) is actually a mid range unit, swinging SwordBeam projectiles with every strike and only going full melee with its ultimate.
156	* The Darknut Legion in ''VideoGame/HyruleTotalWar'' are a race of canine ProudWarriorRaceGuy humanoids bound by honour to only wield swords in battle. Their entire army is made up of {{BFS}}-wielding [[MightyGlacier heavy infantry]], with no archers or cavalry of any kind, and to top it off, only two of their units can even run. They'll trash just about anyone if they manage to get into close combat though, and they're practically immune to anything short of ''siege weaponry''.
157	* In ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'', Magnus, an ally in Chapter 2, is this since he lacks the ability to shoot projectiles with his weapon. [[spoiler:This is especially noticeable in Chapter 18, where Pit uses Magnus' body (long story) to fight off enemies.]]
158	* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'': Numerous characters are melee-based. The extremeness of the degree of this trope applied varies -- some can have abilities that are usable at range to let the character affect enemies without being right next to them making them a less rigid version of the trope, and/or have abilities that let them get next to enemies nearly instantly and quickly invalidate that lack of range issue, but a few can only attack enemies when they've pretty much managed to get right next to them or slightly beyond that. [[MightyGlacier They tend to hurt a lot when they do and be difficult to kill before getting that close]].
159	* Rean Schwarzer from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'' is very much an up close and personal fighter, preferring to use close range attacks over everybody else in his team. The game even makes sure to set his range of attack to 1 range so that he has to be close to an enemy if he attacks them with a regular attack.
160	* The Vanguard in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' and ''[[VideoGame/MassEffect3 3]]'' is built around close range combat. [[FoeTossingCharge Biotic Charge]] and [[ShockwaveStomp Nova]] damage enemies around you while you get a damage bonus on {{sho\|rtRangeShotgun}}tguns. The heavy melee of a Vanguard is also quicker than the ones from other classes, increasing their close range capabilities even more.
161	* Brawler mechs in the ''VideoGame/MechWarrior'' series typically drop most if not all of their long ranged weapon in exchange for high-powered ballistics capable of punching holes through armor at close range. The [[MightyGlacier Fafnir]] in ''[=MechWarrior=] Living Legends'' has a variant which packs quad [[ShortRangeShotgun LB-X/20 shotguns]], which allows it to kill anything under 30 tons in a single salvo [[InstantDeathRadius at close range]]. [[PoweredArmor Battlearmor]] in ''Living Legends'' is best suited for close ranged (as in, weaving between the legs of the {{Humongous Mecha}}s) combat, as then it can bring its most potent firepower to bear -- the Heavy Micro Laser, high-explosive sticky grenades, and the handheld [[MoreDakka Autocannon/2]] [[ATeamFiring bullet hose]].
162	* Starting around ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'', Zero gains a far greater focus on swordplay to differentiate him from X. This requires him to be in close proximity to the target to do damage; he has ''some'' ranged attacks, but they generally pale, damage-wise, in comparison to his various sword moves. [[VideoGame/MegaManZero His own series]], however, gives Zero a gun very much like X's for him to use instead of the sword, if the player chooses to.
163	* In ''VideoGame/MightAndMagicClashOfHeroes'', this is ''usually'' just a special effect - archers and swordsmen deal damage in the same way, reduced by the opponents they kill on the way to the enemy - but Gremlins, a unit for the Mages, are different. Instead of having constant damage at any range, their power starts out very high but drops off sharply as it progresses; a max-level gremlin unit firing at a charging unit directly in front of it will do 18 damage, enough to punch through anything except an elite, champion or fused unit, but the same max-level gremlin trio will do something like 3 damage, at most, when given a clear shot at the enemy's face down an empty lane.
164	* In ''VideoGame/MordheimCityOfTheDamned'', the Sisters of Sigmar cannot equip any kind of ranged weapons. As a faction of basically female [[ThePaladin paladins]], they're restricted to maces, flails and hammers of various sizes only. They do kick ass in close combat though, doubly as they can all (except the [[HandicappedBadass Augur]]) equip heavy armour and shields and also cast magic to make their hits even harder than they already are. Unfortunately [[MightyGlacier they're also slow as molasses]] and something of a CrutchCharacter as their poor mobility makes more complex tactics like flanking and ambushing quite difficult.
165	* In ''VideoGame/NarutoClashOfNinja'', Rock Lee and Might Guy are powerful in close combat, but lack the ability to throw shurikens or otherwise attack at range. Likewise for Naruto in his Nine-Tailed form.
166	* ''VideoGame/OperationMatriarchy'' have the Velian-class enemies, most of them having ranged weapons like organic cannons. And then there's the ninja-like Velians (simply called "Ninja" in-game) who has blades for arms and legs, and her sole attack is to leap and slash at you. Be warned that she's a lot faster than the regular Velian enemies though.
167	* ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' has Reinhardt, who is a MightyGlacier that uses a giant hammer as his main weapon, with his only ranged ability being to fire off a blast from his weapon. He makes up for this with incredible health, a deployable shield and the ability to charge forward and ram into enemies.
168	* ''VideoGame/{{Paladins}}'':
169	** Flank champions are fast and do a lot of damage, but have poor range and are fragile, meaning they have to risk getting up close to fight. Frontlines are a {{downplayed\|}} twist on this trope, generally trading the speed for durability and tending to have other applicable abilities to pressure and affect a larger area than flanks (such as shields - and failing that, being inherently tougher means a bit of damage fall-off is a more alleviable position to them than squishier champions.
170	** Mal'Damba is a Support champion who does decent damage and can stun enemies with his reload, but he can't hit very far. However, he has great ranged healing, practically being able to snipe allies with his healing beams.
171	** Terminus is the only champion who is primarily a melee fighter, swinging around his massive axe. His only ranged attack is shooting a blast of dark magic. While he is slow, he makes up for it with his high damage attacks, high health, AttackReflector power, and the [[LimitBreak Ultimate ability]] to explosively [[BackFromTheDead resurrect upon death]].
172	* Akihiko in ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' qualifies, with normal and persona attacks, to the point that using his persona Caesar is not a good idea.
173	* The Fighter class of ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2'' is just as strong as its predecessor, the MightyGlacier Hunter, but far more agile and fast-hitting. This trope is the downside; their attacks have short range and they lack crowd control options.
174	* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime'' has a few plants that have a close-to-mid range. They make up for their shortened range with high attacking power.
175	** The Bonk Choy, who literally punches the zombies when they get close enough from either side. It's so good that a regular zombie won't be able to advance ''a single block'' without getting its limbs torn off, and even the mighty Pharaoh Zombie and its solid sarcophagus won't be able to fully eat a Wall-Nut if the Choy is behind it. It gets even more painful once it levels up.
176	** There are also the Snapdragon (breathes fire 3x2 squares wide) and the Spring Bean (flings away any zombie who steps on it).
177	** The Endurian takes it to the extreme, being a Wall-nut like defensive plant that damages zombies close enough to attack it.
178	** Also, there's Phat Beet. It only attacks in a 3x3 radius around him, but he can take out a Basic Zombie before he gets eaten.
179	** Celery Stalker attacks zombies that get behind it with a BackStab, at a very rapid rate for very heavy damage. At level one, it's strong enough to take out a Conehead by itself!
180	** The Jack O'Lantern produces a very powerful stream of flame that hits the three squares in front. At full charge, it can even take out Knights and Blockheads. It stops being this when it levels up a few times, however, since its range increases as it does so.
181	** The Wasabi Whip attacks zombies up to 2 tiles in front or behind it, but attacks very rapidly and for heavy damage too.
182	** Parsnip snips zombies with its PowerPincers, up to 2 tiles in front of it for very heavy damage, enough to destroy a normal zombie in just two hits at level 2. Furthermore, if it is attacked enough it'll rush forwards and deal heavy damage to all zombies in front.
183	** In the first game, Gloom-shroom releases fumes in a 3x3 area around it.
184	** Chomper is also this, as he can only eat zombies which are two squares in front of him or closer.
185	** Pokra jabs at zombies that are 2 squares ahead of her at an increasing rate, plus causes a slowing effect on zombies hit. Every few jabs, however, she'll fire out a spike that hits and pierces all zombies in front, resetting her attack speed.
186	** Headbutter Lettuce not only hits rapidly and hard at a range of 1.5 squares in front or behind him, he also has the ability to randomly butter (stun) zombies whenever he attacks, and also has more health to increase his survivability should the zombies manage to get to him.
187	** Downplayed by Tiger Grass, which spawns a tiger that claws at all zombies in a short range in front of it. However, the tiger can be sicced up to 4 squares ahead of the plant, giving it longer range than most melee plants.
188	** The Rhubarbarian can only attack zombies on the square he's on, but he gives them a MegatonPunch so hard they [[OneHitKill fly off the lawn]], and displays an ability that no other melee plant has -- the ability to leap forwards to the next square that has a zombie on it, allowing him to continue his assault down the lane.
189	* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombiesGardenWarfare'': Like in his appearances in the main games, Chomper is only effective at close range, attacking by biting or swallowing his target. This time around, he can close the gap by moving around and burrowing underground to catch opponents by surprise. He's a MightyGlacier in his base form, so stealth is the best way to get close, unless you're [[FragileSpeedster Hot Rod Chomper]].
190	* ''VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale'' has VideoGame/ParappaTheRapper, known for his small stature, and for having a style mostly based around the karate lessons he got in his game, and [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Heihachi Mishima]], whose game rarely uses projectiles.
191	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' :
192	** Any Pokémon with a moveset that consists solely of moves that make direct contact qualifies. This can prove disadvantageous against Pokémon with moves, abilities, or items that penalize contact.
193	** Close Combat, a powerful Fighting-type move with the drawback of decreasing the user's Defense and Special Defense, is described as the user getting up close to attack its target without making any attempt to defend itself in turn.
194	* ''VideoGame/PokkenTournament'':
195	** [[MultiArmedAndDangerous Machamp]] has very few ranged attacks, and is mainly based around getting close to his opponents and inflicting a heavy barrage of punches.
196	** [[DishingOutDirt Garchomp's]] primary focus is charging at foes to catch them in a relentless assault of slashes and ground-shaking strikes (as a matter of fact, Garchomp's unique stance is running straight towards the enemy). He has a few ranged attacks, but they're mainly used to punish foes who try to keep their distance.
197	* ''VideoGame/PrimalCarnage'':
198	** All of the dinosaurs, with the exception of the Spitter class ones, are this, due to only having {{Natural Weapon}}s to attack with. Although it is downplayed with the Bruiser and Flyer classes, which largely specialize in hit-and-run attacks.
199	** Among the humans, the Pyromaniac and the Pathfinder are better at close range, in large part due to the former using [[VideoGameFlamethrowersSuck a flamethrower]] and the latter [[ShortRangeShotgun a shotgun]], both of which are only effective closeup. The Pyromaniac is able to attack even more effectively at close-range with a chainsaw attached to his flamethrower, and the Pathfinder by throwing down flares which blind any dinosaurs that get too close. However, the Pyromaniac can swap his flamethrower-chainsaw with a shotgun-grenade launcher hybrid to become a better long-range fighter.
200	* In ''VideoGame/ShadowrunReturns'' Physical Adepts are encouraged to be built for this, with almost all their Chi Casting skills meant to either deal damage at melee range or help them get close. It's not impossible to give an Adept a gun and some ranged combat skills, but given the shortage of Karma you've far better off specialising.
201	* In ''VideoGame/SingularStone'', Meiko, Kaito, and Miku attack in melee (with punches and kicks, a sword, and PrehensileHair, respectively), all have shorter range than Rin, Len, and Luka's projectiles. At higher level they gain ranged attack (EnergyBall for Meiko, SwordBeam for Kaito, and icy [[EnergyWeapon laser beam]] for Miku), but the former two have a wind-up time between the initial attack and them launching their projectiles, while the later requires some items to be acquired first, which one of them only can be found in the Old Relics, a late game area.
202	* Luke Skywalker is one of the few characters in ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefront2015'' whose main weapon is not a long range blaster, but a lightsaber, so he has to rush for his enemies to get kills. At range he mainly has to rely on his Force push, which only goes a few feet in front of him, and his ability to deflect shots right back at their originator.
203	* Kae of ''VideoGame/{{SUGURI}}'' does have projectiles of her own, but they're not really her main draw. It's especially more pronounced in the Acceleration of Suguri games, where it serves as her main gimmick as opposed to everyone else who use projectile attacks of varying traits. There's also Suguri-SP, a different form of Suguri who {{dual wield\|ing}}s a pair of laser swords.
204	* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'':
205	** Wario, who has no projectile attacks, needs to get up-close-and-personal to put on the hurt.
206	** Sonic, as a FragileSpeedster with no projectiles and short reach, uses HitAndRunTactics to get in, do some damage, and get out.
207	** Donkey Kong, the veteran MightyGlacier character. {{Downplayed}}, as many of his strikes do have a bit of reach to them, but he still has no natural projectile attacks.
208	** Jigglypuff, whose range is so short that one of her specials is a simple slap with her little flaps for arms. She is DifficultButAwesome as her playing style revolves entirely around getting close enough to the opponents to attack them and she specializes in aerial attacks.
209	** Captain Falcon is a hand-to-hand specialist with an arsenal of punches, kick-dashes, and grabs. Ganondorf ends up being the same due to being a semi-clone.
210	** Marth, Roy, Ike, Lucina and Chrom are swordsmen from the ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' series who fight like...well....swordsmen. Ike stands out here, because the sword he wields ''has'' a ranged attack, just not in the ''Smash Bros.'' games.
211	** Little Mac, the boxer from the ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' series, as should be expected from a boxer, can't touch anyone beyond arm's length.
212	** The Mii Brawler. A {{c\|haracterCustomization}}ustomizable close-range fighter who's [[LightningBruiser faster and stronger]] and more straightforward than the other classes, but lacks versatility in their moveset.
213	** Incineroar is slow, has no long-ranged attacks, and its gap closers are slow and short-ranged, but it does have a variety of hard-hitting blows and [[GrappleMove throws]].
214	* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'', most of your party can attack enemies from a distance, but Cress mostly runs up to enemies to slice them into bits with swords and axes or turn them to Swiss cheese with spears.
215	* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': In general this is {{enforced\|trope}} by the distance modifier the game uses when doing damage calculations, which increases the damage you do the closer you are to the target.
216	** The Pyro class is built around this trope. Their flamethrowers' flame [[ArbitraryWeaponRange dissipates after a short distance]] but deals a lot of damage. Their shotgun works at a greater distance, [[ShortRangeShotgun but the pellets spread out to the point where they do little damage at long range]]. The only long range weapon they have is the unlockable {{Flare Gun}}s, but they have a slow fire rate and deals little damage except against enemies that are already on fire.
217	** Players who want to ''really'' envision this trope can set up loadouts for either Soldier[[note]]Rocket Jumper (only useful for {{Rocket Jump}}ing) and Market Gardener (crits when swung while rocket jumping), referred to as 'Trolldier'[[/note]] or Demoman[[note]]Ali Baba's Wee Booties, any of the shields, any of the swords, referred to as 'Demoknight'[[/note]] that can only deal melee damage.
218	** Scout also falls into this trope more than most, thanks to his primaries receiving even greater damage ramp-up than the other classes.
219	* ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'': Just like in the [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} tabletop game]], the Vampire Counts field absolutely no ranged units at all, not even artillery. What they have is a selection of undead {{Mooks}} of varying quality (from boggo-standard and statistically pathetic CannonFodder zombies and skeletons, all the way up to the rather respectable elite Grave Guard) to serve as the army's backbone, with some similarly not-quite-dead cavalry, ethereal infantry and flying units to act as swift-strike and harassment forces, some colossal LightningBruiser combat monsters to provide the heavy muscle, and [[MagicKnight being guaranteed to have magic at the disposal of any army's vampire lord]] (the necromancer lords are closer to SquishyWizard).
220	* ''VideoGame/TreasurePlanetBattleAtProcyon'':
221	** Any ship that is equipped primarily with close ranged weapons, such as [[PowerfulButInaccurate Carronades]] or [[SlowLaser Lancers]]. In Open Skirmishes it is possible to make most ships into this by refitting them with these weapons, although even outside of Open Skirmishes, some ships come with mainly close ranged weapons by default, such as the Pirate Assault Cutter and Fast Attack, as well as the Imperial Assault Cutter to a lesser extent.
222	** Pirate ships in general, as Pirates do not have access to several long ranged weapons ({{Plasma Cannon}}s, [[HomingProjectile Torpedoes]] and [[{{BFG}} Nova Mortars]]) and often have a larger number of lighter guns (which have less range than heavier guns) compared to heavier guns than Imperial and Procyon ships. This means Pirates often tend to fight at closer ranges, this also encourages {{boarding\|Party}}, which the Pirates specialise in.
223	* ''VideoGame/VermintideII'': As a [[DeathSeeker Slayer]], Bardin cannot use any ranged weapons and gains a second slot for a melee weapon instead. His special Skill, a lunge, recharges extremely quickly to allow him to deal with hard-to-reach enemies. With the ''Winds of Magic'' expansion, he gains throwing hatchets.
224	** Kruber's premium [[MagicKnight Grail Knight]] career similarly cannot use any ranged weapons - the Bretonnian code of chivalry all Knights swear by [[FirearmsAreCowardly deems guns to be dishonourable]], [[SarcasmMode and the Bretonnian nobility wanting to keep weapons capable of piercing knightly armour out of the hands of the oppressed peasantry has absolutely nothing to do with it]]. He makes up for it with magical enhancements from the Lady and sheer melee killing power, plus he can still use bombs. Kruber generally is the most melee-oriented of the five player characters, having a wide selection of melee weapons to choose from and a much more limited selection of ranged weapons, though this is not ''quite'' the case with his Huntsman career, which focuses on firearms and a unique longbow weapon but still able to (and somewhat expected mostly to) fight in melee.
225	** As a Warrior Priest of Sigmar, Saltzpyre's weapon selection becomes ''extremely'' limited; no longer able to use guns or any of the classic melee options that define Victor, he gains exclusive use of a variety of hammers and blunt weapons. He does have a couple of options for dealing with ranged attackers however; his Hammer & Tome has a short dash attack move, and his ultimate conjures a divine shield that protects him from harm. [[EmpoweredBadassNormal Like Kruber he's become extremely strong]], but [[CripplingOverspecialization highly specialized towards one way of fighting]].
226	* [[TheBerserker Valkyr]] from ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'' has a skillset focused on melee combat. "Ripline" allows her to get in enemies' range, either by yanking them over to her or pulling herself close to them; "Warcry" [[StatusBuff buffs the melee attack speed]] of her and any ally in range while also slowing nearby enemies down; "Paralysis" briefly stuns enemies in range, opening them up to {{finish\|ingMove}}ers; and "Hysteria" turns her invincible, letting her charge into hostile masses to effortlessly turn them into mincemeat with her talons, [[LifeDrain regaining health]] in the process.
227	* Barring a few units, Orks and Tyranids are factions entirely composed of these in ''VideoGame/Warhammer40000Gladius''. They're so stuck on close combat, that the only difference between melee units and many of their guys carrying guns is that the close-range gunners can shoot targets that are flying - otherwise both only attack enemies in an adjacent hex.
228	* In the ''VideoGame/WonderBoy'' series, Asha is the only main character who has no ability to attack at a distance. This puts her at a disadvantage against flying enemies or bosses that can stay out of her sword range.
229	* The Assault class from ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' wields a ShortRangeShotgun and is specialized in dealing massive amounts of damage in close quarter combat, and their skill tree is geared toward this, such as (in the Enemy Within expansion) the ability to take one extra shot a turn if they fire at an enemy located within four squares of them, or the ability to make a reaction shot at the first enemy who comes within four tiles of them, in addition to possible overwatch shots.
230	* ''VideoGame/{{XCOM 2}}'':
231	** The Ranger is the successor to the previous game's Assault. They keep the ShortRangeShotgun, but add on a sword as a secondary weapon.
232	** The Sharpshooter can be built as this by going down the Gunslinger side of their skill tree, which focuses on using the pistol, contrasting with the LongRangeFighter Sniper side. The pistol is short-ranged and gets aim penalties for being far from foes, but a high-ranked Gunslinger-spec Sharpshooter can put out a lot of fire in one turn.
233	* Terran/[=AGI=] Task Force fighters in the ''VideoGame/{{X}}-Universe'' series frankly qualify as this in gameplay. Specifically, the Electro-Magnetic Plasma Cannon is the only gun mountable on them and their fastest missile, the Poltergeist, is only really effective against interceptors and light fighters since the speed of the missile is too slow to catch the ever vexatious [[FragileSpeedster scout]] [[GoddamnedBats craft]] and it has horribly short range. Meanwhile, the EMPC has a slow firing rate and equally slow velocity of its projectiles which makes them particularly ineffective in engaging the aforementioned scout craft; unless they come head-on straight towards Terran/[=ATF=] fighters, scout craft can easily fly rings around them and [[DeathOfAThousandCuts slowly chip them to death]], rendering the fighters helpless for several seconds until the scout craft flies straight at them again, presenting a brief and important opportunity for these fighters.
234	** Ships made by [[spoiler: Aldrin]] also qualify due to their [[FlawedPrototype prototypical but rather inferior versions]] of Terran guns.
235	** The FlavorText for Paranid ships states that their race-based weaponry tends them towards this trope. Subverted in gameplay in which they don't always follow this trope as they can mount any weaponry like all other ships from other races.
236	[[/folder]]
237
238	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
239	* Suzushiro of ''VisualNovel/PrincessWaltz''. Whereas the other princesses all have either long reaching or projectile weapons, she relies entirely on the overwhelming power of her [[BareFistedMonk fists]], with no ranged attacks whatsoever.
240	* In ''VisualNovel/{{Sunrider}}'', the Phoenix is a FragileSpeedster of a [[AMechByAnyOtherName Ryder]] that is fast enough to get in an enemy Ryder’s face, slice them to ribbons with its pair of katanas, and get out before the rest of the enemy force can retaliate. It suffers from CripplingOverspecialization since its swords can ''only'' be used on Ryders, and its submachineguns, while able to chew through lightly-armoured Ryders and ships, are almost worthless against heavily-armoured capital ships unless they’ve been softened up first.
241	[[/folder]]
242
243	[[folder:Web Animation]]
244	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In a world where most melee weapons are [[MemeticMutation also a gun]], giving their wielders versatility as they [[SwissArmyWeapon switch from melee mode to ranged mode and back]], there are a few noteworthy exceptions.
245	** Jaune Arc's sword, Crocea Mors, is just a sword. It's a very good sword, capable of beheading an Ursa Major in a single strike, but that's all it is. However, between the sword and its accompanying shield, along with Jaune's naturally large surplus of aura, he ultimately carves out a niche as a very strong short-range StoneWall and Team JNPR's primary defensive fighter.
246	** Oscar Pine wields the [[CaneFu cane]] The Long Memory as his primary weapon, typically fighting with it like it's a dueling rapier but sometimes swinging it more like a club for a harder strike. He lacks any ranged options [[spoiler:until he unlocks Ozma's magic to survive what would be a fatal thousand-foot fall at the end of Volume 7.]]
247	** On the villains' side, [[TheBrute Hazel Rainart]] usually eschews using weapons altogether, instead pummeling his foes with his bare hands and ignoring all damage with his pain-numbing Semblance, making him TheJuggernaut.
248	[[/folder]]
249
250	[[folder:Webcomics]]
251	* Roy Greenhilt in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' is a high-level MasterSwordsman -- which bites him in the rear when [[spoiler:the vampire possessing Durkon]] throws up an Antilife Shell that blocks him from entering melee range.
252	* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': Mikkel has shown to be prone to ATeamFiring as CrowbarCombatant. Later in the story he turns out to have a really lousy aim with rifles as well, and to be sufficently aware of it to not even consider handling one to be an option for him in an actual combat situation.
253	* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': In a world full of combatants with projectiles, pymary, [[HumongousMecha war constructs]], and [[{{Magitek}} pymaric]] weapons capable of spitting out projectiles Emil weilds a sword--with anti pymary properties--and is one of the most effective fighters around. He also kills someone with an axe after grabbing it mid-fight. He does not however try to go up against war constructs without being in one.
254	[[/folder]]
255
256	[[folder:Western Animation]]
257	* ''Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
258	** Most non-bending fighters are this. [[TheParalyzer Ty Lee]] and [[LadyOfWar Suki]] are the standouts as the former fights strictly using hand-to-hand alone, while the latter combines martial prowess with swordfighting and her fans.
259	** ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'':
260	*** While Korra is proficient at any range, she prefers facing her opponents [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFp13ogOqeE in close quarters]]; making her the most physical combatant between both series.
261	*** While other waterbenders generally attack at range with water and ice, Ming-Hua prefers to close in and use her water to bind, or [[CombatTentacles physically assault her enemies.]]
262	*** Asami Sato is another non-bender who uses martial arts, along with [[StaticStunGun a stun gauntlet]], to [[TheParalyzer taze her opponents]] into submission.
263	* ''WesternAnimation/SuperRobotMonkeyTeamHyperforceGo'': While most of the team can fight in close quarters, Nova relies on battling up close the most. This is justified due to Nova's ability to generate and unleash intense heat energy being very unstable.
264	[[/folder]]
265
266	[[folder:Real Life]]
267	* Most wild animals rely on their natural weapons, such as claws, fangs, horns, hooves, quills, stingers, thick skin, etc., for defense purposes.
268	* Martial arts in general.
269	[[/folder]]

Context Main / CloseRangeCombatant