Line #46 Main/ProtagonistPowerUpPrivileges


1	The FiveManBand has just found the SwordOfPlotAdvancement, a mythical blade said to bestow great power for justice on one who is deemed worthy. So who will claim it? TheLeader, of course! New story arc, the team is in search of five ancient crystals that can give them magical powers. Who do you think will find one first?
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3	In works of media where the focus otherwise is on some sort of team, of any number of people, there will inevitably still be a tighter focus on TheHero. Thus the Hero will usually be the first to receive a special power or new weapon, and will usually end up having more powers or weapons than the rest of the group including a few they don't have equivalent versions of. In cases where the other members of the group ''do'' have powers of a similar nature, the Hero's will still be superior in some way.
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5	TheRival (sometimes overlapping either TheLancer or the SixthRanger) may get to share an otherwise exclusive power with the Hero that the other members of the group won't get. This way the two can stay on an relative equal level of power.
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7	This mainly applies when the power-ups are arbitrary given to main protagonist(s), rather than focusing on the side characters' inability to keep up or maintain his new powers. If the work in question focuses on the latter more often, SidekickGlassCeiling would be a better fit. Compare UniqueProtagonistAsset, where the plot justifies why the main character has special powers no one else does.
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10	!Examples
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14	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
15	* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'': Almost every season the Hero and the Lancer get to evolve further than the rest of the cast. It is also universally common (though not ''always'' the case, very often so) for the protagonist's partner Digimon to reach the next stage of evolution first, then perhaps the Lancer, and the rest of the team afterward.
16	** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure''
17	*** Tai and Matt and their partners Agumon and Gabumon are the only ones to reach Mega level, while everyone else stops at Ultimate. This makes Agumon and Gabumon the ones who do most of the work against the Mega-level Dark Masters, although Patamon's Ultimate-level form is treated as an EleventhHourSuperpower and defeats the final Dark Master before the FinalBoss.
18	*** The following movie gave Tai and Matt the ability to fuse their partners into [[EleventhHourSuperpower Omegamon]], cementing them at ''two'' EvolutionaryLevels above everyone else.
19	*** ''Anime/DigimonAdventureTri'' Double Subverts this. The remaining members of the original group finally reach Mega[[note]]In animation, at any rate. Video games and V-pet spinoffs were more comfortable letting the other characters reach Mega.[[/note]]... and then all these new Megas are lumped into a FusionDance with Omegamon to give the latter a new SuperMode.
20	*** ''Anime/DigimonAdventureLastEvolutionKizuna'' is more or less all about Tai and Matt, and the final battle features them unlocking the eponymous last evolution, carrying their Digimon to a level that could stop a threat beyond ''Omnimon''.
21	*** This trope is taken to a ridiculous extreme in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure2020'', where Omegamon is formed in ''the second episode before most of the other cast even gets their Digimon yet!'' Also, not only do Taichi and Yamato get new Mega level evolutions in the forms of [=BlitzGreymon=] and [=CresGarurumon=], but they also unlock a new form for Omegamon on top of that in Alter-S. And on top of that, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking they're the only ones whose Digimon get a properly animated stock evolution sequence]], getting the cream of the crop of the Chosen Children's Digimon's evolution sequences.
22	** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02''
23	*** V-Mon gets a third Armor form where everyone else only gets either one or two. Said form, [[GoldenSuperMode Magnamon]], is outrageously powerful compared to all of the others but disappears after its one usage.
24	*** V-Mon and Wormmon get the first DNA Digivolution form, which everyone else eventually matches, but they're the only ones to evolve this composite form into a Mega-level form, Imperialdramon, once more leaving everyone else stuck at Ultimate. That Mega later gets a SuperMode called Fighter Mode.
25	*** In the first 02 film, Hikari and Takeru's partners inexplicably reach their Mega stages... for the sole purpose of enabling TheHero and the movie's exclusive character to reach their then-strongest stages (the above mentioned golden mode) to do all the work.
26	*** In the second 02 film, when both Omegamon and Imperialdramon: Fighter Mode fail to defeat the BigBad, Omegamon lends Imperialdramon his power for an even greater SuperMode.
27	** ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' plays with the trope. The leading PowerTrio and both {{Sixth Ranger}}s achieve Mega level, and one of the supporting teammates gets one for a partner, although it is distinctly treated as "lesser" than the other Megas. TheHero and a SixthRanger (specifically Beelzemon) both also get living vehicles and {{Super Mode}}s, and the SixthRanger was the first to get the Mega level, the vehicle, and the transformation. However, the other supporting members of the team like Jeri, Kazu and Suzie are still SOL, although in Jeri's case it's justified in that her Digimon dies before unlocking any evolution.
28	** ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'' takes this to an extreme, even with its nonstandard EvolutionaryLevels, and squeezes in a last-minute subversion to compensate.
29	*** Everyone reaches the second level and masters their beast spirit, but only TheHero Takuya and TheLancer Kouji reach the third level and can use hybrid forms, and the fourth level -- in an act of AllYourPowersCombined -- requires the remaining members of the team to ''surrender'' their {{Transformation Trinket}}s to be split between Takuya and Kouji, reducing everyone else's role to "transfer your powers to them and go hide behind something."
30	*** The show attempts to make up for this by having a fifth level, Susanoomon, a single FusionDance of all the Transformation Trinkets at once, group the whole team together in something akin to a team biomerge.
31	** ''Anime/DigimonDataSquad'' is the first case where the franchise completely averts this trope. The PowerTrio and SixthRanger all reach the Mega level, but it also takes a step further by also having all of them reach the Burst Mode. This makes it the first occasion where the entire main team in a Digimon anime reach the same level by the end of the series. That being said, TheHero and TheRival both get dedicated episodes for their partners and more unique designs, while TheHeart and the SixthRanger share a debut episode and are little more than {{palette swap}}s. And in the last episode, the hero's Agumon unlocks a unique Burst Mode more powerful than anything that came before it, thus playing the trope straight at the very last minute.
32	** In ''Anime/DigimonFusion'', Shoutmon is the base form of all the Digixros, being the consciousness in charge even when he Digixrosses with a more powerful Digimon. He and Greymon are also the only ones that can Digivolve, ''and'' when Shoutmon Digixrosses with Zeekgreymon he's the one in charge instead of sharing consciousness.
33	** ''Anime/DigimonUniverseAppMonsters'' averts it by letting all the five kids' Appmons achieve God Grade, the highest level, with no last minute further power-ups for anyone.
34	** ''Anime/DigimonGhostGame'' plays with this trope for the early stages, as while Hiro has access to ''four'' different Champion level evolutions for Gammamon that all debut before [[ActionGirl Ruli]] even unlocks Angoramon's Champion level, each of these forms is presented with a weakness of some sort, particularly [=BetelGammamon=] being WeakButSkilled and subjected to TheWorfBarrage pretty often, and [=GulusGammamon=] who's a sapient SuperpoweredEvilSide entirely beyond Hiro's control. Though after this, the trope is actually averted in the primary way as the main trio all get Mega level Digimon evolutions with no strings attached, nor do any of them get a SuperMode of any kind (In fact in Hiro's case, [[spoiler:Proximamon, a FusionDance between Gammamon's Mega level Siriusmon and [=GulusGammamon=]'s Mega level Arcturusmon, has no mention in the series letalone actually appearing, as well as Arcturusmon himself]]), but instead, Hiro ends up syncing with a second Digimon partner way later in the series, Espimon. Albeit this is also PlayedWith as Espimon only gets access to a Champion level evolution, and acts more as a SupportPartyMember than a high-tier fighter.
35	* ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', Among the members of Team 5Ds, Yusei and Jack have no less than three alternate forms of their Signer Dragons; only one other Signer has such an alternate form ([[spoiler:Rua/Leo]]), and they have just the one. To summon two such alternate forms, Shooting Star Dragon and Red Nova Dragon, Yusei and Jack access "Accel Synchro" and "Double Tuning" summonings; Jack is the only one who can do Double Tuning, and one other character has access to Accel Synchro and it's a plot point they teach Yusei how to do it. Then Yusei surpasses their skill in it by the end of the series with Limit Over Accel Synchro, summoning Shooting Quasar Dragon as an AllYourPowersCombined fusion of the other Signer Dragons.
36	* In ''Anime/YuGiOhZexal'', Yuma and [[TheLancer Shark]] are the only ones that get Chaos Xyz Evolution, upgrading their aces from Utopia to Utopia Ray and Shard Drake to Shark Drake Weiss. Yuma is also the only one to get Zexal morph, which [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers literally allows him to make whatever card he needs]]. Early on this is limited by needing specific circumstances to activate, but later, all important duels happen where he can use it.
37	* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'': For a great amount the series does keep Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke on relative equal levels. While Tanjiro has the Hinokami Kagura, he can’t use it for continuous periods early on, having to resort to mixing Water Breathing in between; meanwhile Zenitsu and Inosuke groom their own Breathing forms to greater heights. However, when the Infinite Castle arc gets heated, Tanjiro’s growth starts to soar and he can use Hinokami Kagura without problems, never resorting to other Breathing styles again. The exact point where Tanjiro has become undeniably above his two buddies is [[spoiler:when it is solidified that the Demon Slayer Mark, Crimson Nichirin Blades and the Transparent World are the three most powerful states among Demon Slayers, which only the Hashira and Tanjiro ever attain. After Tanjiro then masters Hinokami Kagura into its actual Sun Breathing form, he has arguably become more powerful than some of the Hashira as well]].
38	* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
39	** Goku is usually the first to train at a new training ground. The rest of the heroes make it there next season, but by then Goku has [[SoLastSeason moved on to another one already]]. In sequence the [[Manga/DragonBall Kame House first, then Korin's Tower, Kami's Lookout]], [[Anime/DragonBallZ King Kai's Planet, Gravity Chamber]]. The final two training grounds (Hyberbolic Time Chamber, and Beerus' Planet) Vegeta actually went in first, but Goku followed a little later in the same season, so essentially at the same time. He's the first to reach Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 3 transformations, and he was also the one chosen to ascend to [[PhysicalGod Super Saiyan God]] in ''Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods'' which Vegeta [[LampshadeHanging called him out on.]] In the follow up movie, ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'' Gokuand Vegeta both reveal their Super Saiyan Blue forms (also implying that Vegeta either performed the ritual for Super Saiyan God off camera, or through sheer will) putting them essentially on the same level of power for that arc. In the follow-up Universe 6 Tournament Arc Goku would amplify SSB with Kaioken times 10, and later times 20 putting him... well 20 times stronger than Vegeta when he goes all out. It would take another two story arcs for Vegeta to match this, but by then Goku would unlock yet another tier above this.
40	** During his son Gohan's stint as protagonist, Gohan is the first one to achieve Super Saiyan 2 and is the only one to receive a power-up from Old Kai, which brought his latent abilities to the surface and made him stronger than the first three Super Saiyan forms. [[spoiler:In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', recovering this latent power put him on part with Super Saiyan Blue.]]
41	** Initially, Vegeta was the first to go Super Saiyan 2nd Grade (with Trunks soon to follow), but that was all. Then in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', while Goku gets a massive power in Ultra Instinct, Vegeta [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness ultimately says 'screw it' to getting that same power]]; [[DivergentCharacterEvolution he and Goku are just too different for him to follow in Goku's footsteps.]] Using Ultra Instinct requires letting go of ''all'' thoughts and feelings, including pride... which Vegeta ''[[PrinciplesZealot refuses]]'' to do, as pride has been central to his character from beginning to end. With this resolve in mind, when Vegeta breaks past his limits by sheer will, he gains an entirely-unique evolution to his Super Saiyan Blue form (which is initially equal to Goku's SSB:[=KKx20=] level, but later grows in power to rival/beat God of Destruction Top(po). And since Ultra Instinct ultimately turns out to be a DefenseMechanismSuperpower, with Goku unable to do it at will while Vegeta seemingly can with his (even at low energy), Vegeta is practically ahead of Goku at the end of the arc.
42	** Subverted in The Future Trunks Arc before, the Tournament of Power, gave [[CharacterTitle Future Trunks]] himself the first unique "limit break" form with his Super Saiyan Rage. Visually, like a mix between SSJ2 and SSB but done without God Ki, even though it's at least as strong as SSB or stronger. Goku would get his limit break form in the Tournament of Power (Ultra Instinct), then [[CharacterTitle Broly]] in ''Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly'' in his green Legendary SSJ. Vegeta next to Ultra Ego if we include the manga canon, and then finally Piccolo and Gohan unlocking their Orange and Beast forms respectively. In chapter 103 of the manga all these forms, though achieved differently, are on about the same level of power.
43	* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
44	** Starting from ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY'', Ash is the only one of his group to get a special power-up in the form of Ash-Greninja (dubbed so by Bonnie), which is a way for him to avoid using a non-Kalos Pokémon that can Mega Evolve. That being said, [[spoiler:[[FailureIsTheOnlyOption he fails to win at all against Alain all three times he uses the form]] [[PowerUpLetdown despite mastering it]].]] Serena doesn't even get to the Mega Evolution train and remains the weakest member behind Clemont, who is not even a distinguished fighter so that Ash's TheHero status is far more prevalent than being in previous groups he was with.
45	** Subverted in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoon'' everyone in Kukui's class has a Z-Crystal and Z-Ring on hand, meaning that Ash isn't that special [[DoubleSubversion until he ends up getting his Z-Ring upgraded and obtaining Pikachu's Pikanium Z]] which is literally a win button whenever it's used [[spoiler:even during ''Journeys'']].
46	** Exploited to hell and back in ''Anime/PokemonJourneysTheSeries'' where his [[MyRulesAreNotYourRules Kantonian Pikachu is able to Gigantamax]] and [[spoiler:can use the Pikanium Z (notably in a competition that lacks participants with Z-Moves)]] followed up by his [[spoiler:Gengar obtaining its Gigantamax form through eating Max Soup]]. Then there is his [[spoiler:Lucario obtaining the items to Mega Evolve.]] However, Ash can only use one power-up per match or else he'd break the rules [[spoiler:until Leon personally requests the limit be removed for the final battle of the World Tournament]]. In comparison, Goh has not a single special power-up he can use. The one thing he one-up against Ash is the fact he caught multiple Legendaries.
47	* ''Anime/SailorMoon'' is the first to receive new {{Special Attack}}s and {{Super Mode}}s. In the anime, she is also the only one to reach the Eternal Form and the only one who received upgrades every season, as opposed to the other Senshi who received upgrades in every arc of the manga.
48	* Ryo was the only one who got a powered up armor in ''Anime/RoninWarriors'', doing so by taking the powers of four of the eight remaining armors, usually meaning his friends.
49	* In ''Anime/ZoidsChaoticCentury'', Van is the only heroic character to ever fuse with an organoid, giving him unfair stat boosts from day 1. He could only be matched by [[TheRival Raven]] who also had an organoid. By time of season 2 he had mad a point of training without the organoid so he could be legitimately powerful, but still fused to face other organoid owners.
50	* ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'': Domon's Shining Gundam is the only one to have a hypermode for the first half of the series. When the other [[FiveManBand Shuffle Alliance]] members unlock theirs Domon gets the entirely new [[MidSeasonUpgrade God (Burning) Gundam]], and then proceeds to eliminate his teammates one by one during the TournamentArc with relative ease.
51	* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': Naruto and Sasuke always unlock new levels of power around the same time. This was intentional on the creators part so neither would outdo the other. After the first arc in Shippūdden, however, the rest of the cast got mostly shafted. Except for the Jonins who are [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands still relevant by showing off more of their true powers]] even though [[TheWorfEffect they are consistently outdone]] by Naruto.
52	* In the ''Anime/PrettyCure'' movies, all pink Cures since ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5GoGo'' (with the exception of ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure'') will get exclusive {{Super Mode}}s. However, the respective series finals will give all teammates the same {{Super Mode}}s, with some exceptions.
53	** ''Anime/DokiDokiPrettyCure'' takes this even further. Cure Heart gets her exclusive SuperMode in the movie, [[spoiler:but her teammates do not get that SuperMode. Instead, Cure Hearts gets ''another'' exclusive SuperMode.]]
54	** In ''Anime/HappinessChargePrettyCure'' unlike most examples, Cure Lovely gets her own exclusive SuperMode in her home series.
55	* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Monkey D. Luffy gets stronger in each arc, being stronger than all his crew mates. Justified by the fact that he's the captain of his crew, which is his job to protect them from big threats such as TheGovernment, the Seven Warlords, and the [[EliteFour Four Emperors]]. He is also stronger than Zoro and Sanji, the three of them being dubbed the "Monster Trio" (the top 3 strongest members).
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58	[[folder:Comic Books]]
59	* Inverted in ''[[Film/StarTrek2009 Star Trek]]/[[ComicBook/GreenLantern Green Lantern]]: The Spectrum War.'' Not only do none of the rings choose Kirk (instead going to Chekov (blue), Bones (indigo), Uhura (violet), [[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry General Chang]] (yellow), [[Recap/StarTrekS1E14BalanceOfTerror Decius]] (orange) and a Gorn (red), with green already being taken by Hal Jordan), he doesn't even [[spoiler: use one of Scotty's knock-off versions like Sulu, and it's Spock who's essential to the AllYourColoursCombined scene at the climax.]] [[spoiler: The final pages even give the [[RedShirt oft-killed Security personnel]] ring-based phasers and personal force-fields, whilst the concept of Kirk as a ring-bearer never gets any further than idle speculation as to which one might have chosen him.]]
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62	[[folder:Fan Works]]
63	* ''Fanfic/ForewarnedIsForearmed'': Although they're both Wild Cards, Akira is barred from using the Velvet Room's facilities in ''Forewarned'' as he's not yet a guest. This, along with the great number of bonds Yu has cultivated around Inaba, is why Yu's Personas are so much more powerful than Akira's.
64	* In ''Fanfic/ThievesCanBeHeroes'', [[Manga/MyHeroAcademia Izuku Midoriya]] takes up the role of the ''VideoGame/Persona5'' protagonist, making him the only member of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts who is able to wield multiple Personas and fuse them together to create even more powerful Personas.
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67	[[folder:Films]]
68	* ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'' has Po learn the basics of Kung Fu in the [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1 first movie]], being enough to keep up with the Furious Five, but in the [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2 second]] and [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda3 third]] he gains more powers with each film (first Inner Peace, then mastering his Chi), putting him far ahead of them in power.
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71	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
72	* This trope is incredibly common in Main/{{Tokusatsu}} shows. If such a show has more than one superhero character, you can expect TheHero to get at least one more Power Up compared to the other superhero(es).
73	* ''Franchise/PowerRangers''[=/=]''Franchise/SuperSentai'': Usually, the red ranger gains access to the more impressive weapons, mecha and/or power ups that the rest of the team won't get. If the red ranger gains an extra mecha, there is a high chance it can transform into a robot on its own without any other components and fights just as good, if not better than the team's initial combined mecha.
74	** ''Power Rangers'' takes it a step further, as the Red Ranger usually has a "Battlizer" or some equivalent power-up that gives him armor and new abilities, and usually the other rangers will not get a similar power. Some ''Super Sentai'' series also follow this practice, giving only the red ranger a power up, but this is not as regular as in ''Power Rangers''.
75	** This trend seemingly started in ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger''. Just before the SixthRanger died, he transferred his powers and ownership over his mecha Dragon Ceasar over to the red ranger, enabling him to don golden chest armor and use the SixthRanger's weapon. ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' did the same, except the SixthRanger didn't die.
76	** A notable aversion in this would be ''Series/ResshaSentaiToqger''. Part of the theme of the season was teamwork, sharing, and imagination. As such, the rangers were given numerical designations and while each one was identified by a de facto color, the Red Ranger need not be the leader character, [=Right/ToQ1=]. This made it it so that all of the seasons power ups could be shared among the team[[note]]and on one occasion shared by two [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments stuck together at the shoulder]][[/note]], even if Right tended to be the character to unlock the new powers first.
77	* ''Franchise/KamenRider''s starting with Agito follow this trend as well. The main Rider will often get access to [[MultiformBalance a number of starting forms specializing in different aspects]], at which point one or more secondary Riders will be introduced whose powers are typically better than all of these initial forms.\
78	If the main Rider only has one main form, or the multiple forms are shared between multiple starting Riders, they'll usually be the JackOfAllStats. Regardless of the setup, the main Rider will proceed to get the majority of the powerups and associated toys, with most secondary Riders only getting one enhanced form that puts them somewhere between the main Rider's penultimate and final forms. In particularly severe cases [[CantCatchUp the secondary Rider can end up stranded with no powerups at all]].
79	** One of the biggest offenders in Kamen Rider is ''Series/KamenRiderOOO''. The titular rider is able to separately transform his head, torso and legs, allowing him to mix and match his transformations. This system would theoretically allow him to take on 128 transformations. Birth on the other hand, doesn't have any transformations apart from his initial one, unless you count the Birthday form, which is him activating all of his weapons at the same time.
80	** An unintentionally mean example appears in ''Series/KamenRiderDrive''. Mach starts out stronger than Drive, but Drive very quickly gains a SuperMode to surpass him, then abandons it in favor of an even better one, giving the old powerup to Mach as a hand-me-down. Mach learns to use the powerup more effectively than Drive did, but this still leaves him lacking the power and flexibility that Drive has. Because Mach wanted to be Drive's SuperiorSuccessor, the results are played somewhat more realistically than most, as his inability to catch up leaves him with a deep inferiority complex, even more so when Chaser joins the team and is ''also'' much stronger than Mach.
81	** The titular ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'' has more than ten transformations, three of which are {{Super Mode}}s. The other two Riders don't even reach five and Kamen Rider Necrom doesn't even have a SuperMode until sometime post-series.
82	** ZigZagged in ''Series/KamenRiderWizard'': Wizard's default form is much weaker than a typical magician's, and his first MidSeasonUpgrade only brings him up to where all of the other characters are by default. However, Wizard then gets two more tiers of powerup, while Beast only gets one powerup that puts him somewhere between Wizard's third and final tiers.
83	** ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'' does the hero-and-lancer pair: while Grease and Rogue both fall far behind eventually, Cross-Z keeps perfect pace with Build all the way through the show because his natural talent for increasing his Hazard Level lets him grow at a rate that matches Build's ever-expanding array of gadgets. The show does play with this slightly though in that Build is the only one of the 4 Riders that never gets to use the Sclash Driver which grants a more powerful base form, instead coming up with more and more upgrades for the more standard Build Driver instead.
84	** ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne'' plays with it by giving Zero-One the most starting forms of any Rider, with six forms instead of everyone else's two or one. However, when the later upgrades start rolling in, two different characters gain [[AllYourPowersCombined all of the combined powers of the first-quarter forms]], a type of powerup normally reserved for the hero, while Zero-One does ''not'' get any such powerup and instead only ever upgrades his basic grasshopper powers. His final form, Zero-Two, combines all of his previous primary gimmicks, but it's also a completely separate suit from the original Zero-One, one that's no longer locked to the protagonist like Zero-One is. In post-series material, he eventually passes Zero-Two to another character and goes back to using the slightly inferior Zero-One suit.
85	* Taken to ridiculous extents in ''Series/MadanSenkiRyukendo'', where the titular Ryukendo receives three transformations based on fire, water and lightning respectively, a MidSeasonUpgrade, improved versions of the aforementioned elemental transformations to go along with the MidSeasonUpgrade and, near the end of the show, a GoldenSuperMode. The other warriors, Ryugunoh and Ryujinoh get no such luck, with only Ryugunoh receiving a single MidSeasonUpgrade, while both of them temporarily get a GoldenSuperMode after Ryukendo shares some of his powers with them.
86	* In both ''Series/TomicaHeroRescueForce'' and ''Series/TomicaHeroRescueFire'' TheHero receives a SuperMode the rest of the team has no access to. The latter even gets his own humanoid HumongousMecha.
87	* While the show was about three sisters who happen to be witches ''Series/Charmed1998'' put Prue as the main focus for a good chunk of the first three seasons. Consequently she's the first sister to get her secondary power of astral projection, getting in Season 2. Phoebe and Piper don't get their secondary powers until Season 3.
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90	[[folder:Toys]]
91	* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'': While the series usually has TheTeam receive a NextTierPowerUp all together, at the end of the story, Toa Nuva team leader Tahu gains a unique set of golden armor that gives him a vague amount of ComboPlatterPowers.
92	* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': Optimus Prime is the de facto Autobot leader and protagonist for most of the franchise. He often gets a MechaExpansionPack that increases his size, strength and firepower, and has been able to [[CombiningMecha combine]] with other Autobots such as [[Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise Ultra Magnus]], [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen Jetfire]], [[Anime/TransformersEnergon Wing Saber, Omega Supreme]] and [[Anime/TransformersCybertron Leobreaker]].
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95	[[folder:Video Games]]
96	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', Squall has more weapons than any other party member[[note]]He has eight total weapons, while other characters have four[[/note]], and his InfinityPlusOneSword can be acquired earliest. Similarly, Rinoa, the Deuteragonist, gets a new limit break late in the game; other characters only get more limit break variations, but her new limit break is entirely different from her original.
97	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', Ashe is the one to receive the two [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement Swords of Plot Advancement]], and in the manga Belias, the first Esper, chooses her as its master. Vaan, usually considered a DecoyProtagonist, has since been associated with one of the mentioned Swords of Plot Advancement while Ashe uses the other, the two wielding them such a way in an end-game cutscene.
98	* Played with in ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain''. Kain is the hero of the first game ''Blood Omen'', and in the introduction to the second game ''Soul Reaver'', it's mentioned Kain is always the first among him and his lieutenants to evolve a new ability. During said intro, Raziel, the protagonist of this game, becomes the first to beat him to it by growing wings, stealing the spotlight from Kain in a fourth-wall sort of way.
99	* A staple in Creator/BioWare [=RPGs=]:
100	** In ''Franchise/BaldursGate'', it's the Bhaalspawn who gets all the nifty Bhaal-induced powers, whereas NPC party members (including other children of Bhaal) are stuck with the standard abilities (though the other child of Bhaal that still is a Bhaalspawn when she's part of the party actually was ''supposed'' to get nifty Bhaal-induced powers, two-and-a-half games after you got them. It just that the coding for the delay between triggering events is a bit iffy). Then again, some of the NPC party members start out with their own unique non-standard abilities -- for example, Minsc is a Ranger that can berserk, Mazzy is a Fighter with a couple of Paladin-like abilities (thus sidestepping the fact that in 2E, only humans can be Paladins).
101	** In the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series, it's Commander Shepard who gets all the cutting-edge upgrades, weapons, and technologies while his/her squad is mostly restricted to perfecting their confined areas of expertise.
102	** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', if upgrades (such as attribute bonuses) can only be picked up by a certain character, it's ''always'' the Warden.
103	** Likewise, in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', the Inquisitor seems to be the person who gets all the special quest rewards, although this is offset a bit by the Amulets of Power, one-time boosts that give an extra skill point when equipped--but only to specific companions. There is only one Amulet of Power restricted to the Inquisitor in the entire game (plus, a certain Inquisition perk gives them an extra ability point).
104	* In ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'', only Cipher can purchase better planes (including superfighters) for himself, while his two wingmen are stuck with their starting planes for the entire game. This is in contrast to ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' and ''VideoGame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation'', where you could equip wingmen with the same planes as yourself.
105	* Inverted and then played straight in ''VideoGame/FortuneSummoners''. The main character, [[BadassAdorable Arche]], can't use magic (because she hasn't learned any, her parents can't afford the {{Magitek}} needed to cast spells and because her [[{{BFS}} weapon]] makes casting spells harder). In the final level [[spoiler: you unlock the elemental stone you recover in the prologue and she gains a SuperMode]].
106	* In the ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' series, only the protagonists and [[TheLancer Lancers]] gain access the massively strong Ninja and Samurai classlines, as well as wield the Sol Blade. Averted in the second game, where Sheba is the first to obtain her element-specific Psynergy, while Felix gets his third.
107	* In ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'', the protagonist is the only one of the FiveManBand aside from the BigBad, the FinalBoss, and the person who discovered it, to get the power to use [[SuperMode Mega Evolution]], even dueling TheRival to get it to boot. Justified since it is emphasized Mega Research has just been discovered and using it needs special technology that isn't in mass-production. [[spoiler:Your rival does get to use it in the post-game story, however.]]
108	* Originally in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'', only Sonic got his SuperMode by collecting all seven [[BonusStageCollectables Chaos Emeralds]] from the special stages. Tails didn't have it until Sonic and Knuckles, at which point he and Knuckles both gained a super mode. At the same time, Sonic got his Hyper Sonic mode. From ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' onward, Tails and Knuckles` super forms are retconned out of the series. Afterward, the only additional characters to get super forms were [[TheRival Shadow]], Blaze,[[note]]Blaze has her own set of emeralds[[/note]] and Silver. Despite that however, the latter three show up very infrequently and Sonic is the one who uses this power more than anyone else. Its later invoked by WordOfGod, who directly states that only the male Hedgehogs can become Super, acknowledging that Blaze is an exception due to having her own set of Emeralds.
109	* In ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'', [[TheHero Mario's]] ability to flip between 3D and 2D is the most useful and prominent of the playable characters' secondary abilities. The ability is so useful that it was used as one of the game's main selling points despite being a character specific ability.
110	* In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'', the InfinityPlusOneSword, the [[spoiler:Monado III]], is something only the game's main protagonist Shulk can wield, especially within the NewGamePlus where it becomes readily available for use outside of the final boss fight.
111	** In its [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2 direct sequel]], Rex is the only playable character to [[spoiler:be able to bond with any blade, along with having exclusive access to Pyra/Mythra, Nia's blade form, and Pneuma who is deliberately overpowered]].
112	** In the [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3 the third game]], Noah gains the Unique Talent Art "Infinity Blade", which can be equiped no matter which active class Noah has. Mio gains a similar Unique Talent Art "Dominion Flower" much later [[spoiler: while at the same time Noah gets another Unique Talent Art called "Unlimited Sword", which switches out all of his Arts for exclusive, super powerful Arts for a limited time, including another Talent Art called "Final Lucky Seven". Noah and Mio's Interlink form also gains access to the "Blade of Origin" Talent Art, which can only be used when either Noah enters Interlink with "Unlimited Sword" active, or when the heat gauge is nearly full.]]
113	* In ''VideoGame/LegendOfDragoon'', [[TheHero Dart]] obtains the [[spoiler: [[SuperMode Divine Dragoon form]]]], meanwhile [[TheLancer Rose]] obtains the [[spoiler: [[InfinityPlusOneSword Dragon Buster]]]], just in time for the showdown with BigBad FinalBoss [[spoiler:Melbu Frahma]]
114	* The Dragonborn, the PlayerCharacter in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' is the only character in the game able to almost instantly learn to use the Dragon language, which is a LanguageOfMagic that allows the user to [[RealityWarper warp the reality around them]]. Regular people have to spend years to master even a single word of said language. This results in the PlayerCharacter gaining all kinds of fancy new abilities over time, while characters the player works with tend to stay the same in terms of fighting ability.
115	* For [=MMORPGs=], the Main Tank in Guild Raids tend to get first pick of the loot dropped by the boss, or at least at a significant discount compared to other members. And for good reason: the better geared the Main Tank is, the less likely he is to die. And if the Main Tank dies, it doesn't matter how much dps you can put out, as usually the boss will inflict a TotalPartyKill shortly after unless your raid has some way of getting him back up and he takes aggro back. In many cases, the Off Tank likewise takes second dibs like any good deuteragonist, as he both has to occasionally trade roles with the Main Tank in certain boss mechanics, and in others has an equally-important, if less glamorous role as standing between the Boss and the Party, such as holding off any backup the Boss calls in.
116	* In ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' series, only the protagonist has the ability to wield multiple Personas from ''VideoGame/Persona3'' onward. Because of this, they are also the only ones to possess the ability to fuse Personas to create even stronger Personas and manipulate which skills they inherit. This often makes them a OneManArmy and a MasterOfAll by endgame. It's so unusual that when another character shows up with the wild card ability to switch Personas, it's so unique that it catches the Velvet Room attendants off guard (when they are normally unflappable), and ''[[VideoGame/PersonaQ distorts reality]]''. [[spoiler: Akechi in ''Persona 5'' is technically a Wild Card, but only has two Personas, Loki and Robin Hood, and only switches between them for story reasons, with the implication that he never bothered to develop the ability because of his lack of social links.]]
117	* The protagonist of ''VideoGame/RakenzarnTales'' is gifted with a unique class called the Arxus Rogue, allowing them to wield all weapons and learn any possible skill or magic. In-universe, this class is said to be extraordinarily difficult and takes years to learn. It's all but stated that the mysterious entity that dragged them into Rakenzarn was the one who gifted them with this class.
118	* ''VideoGame/RakenzarnFrontierStory'': Makoto has the unique ability to store summon spirits within his body, allowing him access to a wide variety of powerful moves despite his relatively weak stats. This is justified as being a side effect of the botching summoning ritual that got him dragged into the adventure in the first place.
119	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'' has Rean who has quite a number of power-ups throughout the four games set on Erebonia arc in the ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries''. He obtains a SuperRobot, control his SuperpoweredEvilSide, gains his Zemuria sword [[spoiler:which gets wrecked and replaced with the Originator Zero sword through Millium's sacrifice, and finally becomes a [[MasterSwordsman Divine Blade]] by the final chapter of ''IV''. By the end of the series however, he loses ''all'' of them except his Divine Blade status. ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsIntoReverie'' has him gain a SuperMode that is even ''more powerful'' than the previous one while obtaining an AceCustom that replicates the SuperRobot he lost in some way]].
120	* ''VideoGame/RuinaFairyTaleOfTheForgottenRuins'': The protagonist is the only character who can spend SP to level up titles, allowing them to min-max their stats and abilities. They are also the only character who can equip the MP cost-halving elemental gems [[spoiler:and the Iterio Fragment, due to being chosen as Titus I's vessel.]]
121	* Justified in ''VideoGame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame'': the Rookie, who you control, is specifically hired to test all the experimental and potentially dangerous technology that Egon and Ray come up with, such as Boson Darts, the Dark Matter Projector, the Slime Generator, and the Meson Collider. However, after these things ''are'' tested, [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration the other Ghostbusters will use them in subsequent levels]], and effectively at that. [[DevelopersForesight They even get any upgrades you unlock]], though you'll barely notice due to the general chaos of battles.
122	* In ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'', while there is a "Chosen Four" who are destined to defeat Giygas, only Ness, the leader of the four, is chosen to gather the Eight Melodies and receive the power of the eight Sanctuaries to expand his psychic power. So once you do, Ness is the only one to receive the massive gift of experience points this power conveys.
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125	[[folder:Webcomics]]
126	* ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'' has this invoked in regards to Baam given that many of his biggest power-ups, such as [[spoiler: becoming a living Ignition-Weapon and later on absorbing the thorn-fragments]], are deliberately done so that he may become strong enough to [[spoiler: achieve FUG's goal of killing King Zahard]].
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128
129	[[folder:Western Animation]]
130	* In both ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' the Avatar is the only person able to learn controlling all four elements, as well as using spiritual powers, while other non-{{Muggle}} characters are limited to only one element. This results in the titular characters learning new powers and techniques at least once a season. Subverted in that specialised bending techniques like lava, lightning, blood and metalbending aren't part of the Avatar's learning journey and is therefore usually not in a fully realised Avatar's arsenal.
131	* ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'': [[Characters/TheDragonPrinceCallum Callum]] is the first human in centuries (perhaps ever) to connect to the Sky Primal. As a result, he's the only one of the main characters to gain powers associated with Sky Magic, such as flight.
132	* In ''WesternAnimation/GetEd'', Ed is an "electro-genetically enhanced teenager" and thus the only one the alien artifacts scattered throughout Progress City will respond to. Because of this, he's the only one to get powerups from these artifacts, however temporary [[StatusQuoIsGod most of these end up being.]]
133	* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicTwilightSparkle Twilight Sparkle]] was unique amongst unicorns who normally only have telekinesis and "a little magic that related to their special talent" (like Rarity's gem-finding spell) as her talent ''was'' magic, giving her the rare ability to learn new and all magics and copy other pony's talent spells just by seeing them. By the time the series introduced similar magical prodigies like like Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer and seemingly forgot the aforementioned limitation by having multiple regular unicorns learn or used advanced magic, Twilight had become an [[PrestigeClass alicorn]] thus giving her the power of a pegasus and [[InformedAbility allegedly]] an earth pony.
134	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ProtagonistPowerUpPrivileges