Line #46 Main/TheGlovesComeOff


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4	->''"That's it. THE GLOVES ARE OFF!"''
5	-->-- '''Electro''' (just before blasting Spider-Man through a building), ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan''
6
7	During a fight, a person can have a lot on their mind. They're trying to defeat their opponent, while avoiding injury themselves. They may be trying to protect {{Innocent Bystander}}s, or avoid unnecessary collateral damage. Perhaps they're laboring under [[TheFettered self-imposed restrictions]] or an explicit NoHarmRequirement that's forcing them to pull their punches or they're just [[IAmNotLeftHanded holding back for fun]]. For whatever reason, they're not giving things their all.
8
9	Until the gloves come off.[[note]]Or kid gloves, if you feel you've been too nice.[[/note]]
10
11	When a character is pushed hard enough, they can reach the point where [[XMustNotWin defeating the enemy in front of them]] is their one and only goal. Everything else, even their own survival, becomes secondary. The reason for this varies. Perhaps their enemy has sent them into an UnstoppableRage. Maybe they've realized that they won't be able to defeat their opponent unless they focus on winning to the exclusion of all else, or they've reached the GodzillaThreshold and now they have nothing to lose by going all out. Whatever the cause, the character will cast off anything holding them back, heedless of what it may cost them later.
12
13	This is when the character uses their CoverBlowingSuperpower, removes their PowerLimiter, or unleashes their SuperpoweredEvilSide. They may [[TheUnfettered cast off beliefs that were holding them back]], or [[CombatPragmatist resort to underhanded tactics]] or [[BatmanGrabsAGun repugnant acts]] they would have shunned before. You can expect to see the DeadlyUpgrade and DangerousForbiddenTechnique make appearances. However they accomplish it, part of the gloves coming off involves the character suddenly becoming ''much'' more effective in combat.
14
15	However, there will be consequences, regardless of who actually wins the fight. They may make a HeroicSacrifice to [[TakingYouWithMe take their enemy with them]], undergo a HeroicBSOD when they realize MyGodWhatHaveIDone, or suffer from a HeroicRROD from overstressing their bodies. They may have acted [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim Just Like Their Enemy]], or they may become HeWhoFightsMonsters and be left wondering WasItReallyWorthIt. Other heroes, who did not realize the stakes or still thought that they could prevail with the usual way of doing things, may ask "WhatTheHellHero". On the other hand, the trauma may be just what they need to [[EarnYourHappyEnding Earn Their Happy Ending]], so it's not always a bad thing.
16
17	May be preceded by a NoMoreHoldingBackSpeech. If their enemy can't match their new-found power, it will often result in a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown. If the enemy ''can'' match their strength and determination, the fight will probably continue to the point of CombatBreakdown. When the gloves come off, it's usually during a WhamEpisode. Not to be confused with ''literally'' taking one's gloves off — see TheCoatsAreOff or BattleStrip for removing clothing before a fight.
18
19	Compare the slightly less literal ThrowingDownTheGauntlet.
20
21	----
22	!!Examples:
23	[[foldercontrol]]
24
25	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
26	* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', the process by which captain-level shinigami have their {{Power Limiter}}s removed is the subject of a brief arc. Several more straightforward examples of this trope:
27	** Played literally when Ishida, going against a warning from his grandfather, removes his Sanrei Glove. This has exactly the effect he was told: [[spoiler:he becomes powerful enough to one shot a captain's [[SuperMode Bankai]] but loses his quincy powers (until the next arc, anyway)]].
28	** Ichigo does this twice.
29	*** First after the Hueco Mundo arc when he [[spoiler:unwillingly taps into his SuperpoweredEvilSide after being "killed" and turns into an extremely powerful hollow]] until he's snapped out of it.
30	*** In his fight with Aizen, Ichigo convinces his [[LivingWeapon zanpakuto]] to let him use a DangerousForbiddenTechnique that will [[spoiler:permanently remove his powers]].
31	** Kyoraku's fight against Starrk. Awkward and dangerous zanpakuto, won't fight unless he ''has'' to and goes to some lengths to avoid a 'serious' fight. When pushed, he's a fairly ruthless CombatPragmatist who doesn't let a silly notion like 'honour' get in the way of protecting his subordinates and friends. After Ukitake was hit and Starrk tried to kill Love and Rose, his already underhand tactics got more so. Starrk's original tactics and reaction to the death of Barragan and Harribel also falls under this, perhaps more so because it's backed up by his internal monologue, whereas we only have Kyoraku's rather [[ObfuscatingStupidity dubious]] word for it.
32	* In ''Manga/BungouStrayDogs'', Nakahara Chuuya take off his gloves when he uses his [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique ability's true form]].
33	* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':
34	** Whenever someone, particularly Goku or Piccolo, removes any weighted training clothing they're wearing. This removes the restraints on their power and indicates they're planning on taking the fight seriously.
35	** Later in the series, Super Saiyan, or really, any kind of transformations, can be seen as this, as it increases the transformer's power and removes their restraints.
36	** Vegeta reaches this point during the Buu saga, [[spoiler:allowing himself to be controlled by Babidi]] for the power boost that that entails.
37	* ''Manga/FairyTail'': Averted (albeit just barely) during the Grand Magic Games, when [[spoiler:Lucy received a ''brutal'' beatdown from Minerva that strayed just on the side of the line that kept it from breaking the rules.]] Erza managed to defuse the situation, but the entire situation was within a hairsbreadth of degenerating into a showdown between Sabertooth and Fairy Tail that completely threw the competition rules out the window, and likely would have drawn in all the friends Fairy Tail had in the other competing teams as well. Which was at ''least'' half of them.
38	* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
39	** In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamThe08thMSTeam'', this happens twice. First, when [[MemeticBadass Norris Packard]] fights the eponymous 08th Team in order to buy time for a hospital ship to escape, [[HeroicSacrifice knowing he'll be left behind]]. Second, when Shiro Amada makes an exception to his [[TechnicalPacifist Technical Pacifism]] for [[spoiler:Ginias in the Apsalus]]. With permission from [[spoiler:Ginias' sister]], no less.
40	** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED''
41	*** [[TheHero Kira Yamato]] and [[TheRival Athrun Zala]] take the gloves off during [[WhamEpisode Phase 30]]. Until then, they'd been holding back due to being each other's ForgottenChildhoodFriend and Kira's ReluctantWarrior tendencies. But when Kira managed to [[spoiler: kill Athrun's friend Nicol in self-defense in the previous episode/"Phase"]], Athrun loses all restraint. When they fight again, he throws himself into a genuine battle to the death with Kira for the first time. And while Kira is still not keen on fighting Athrun, ''that'' all changes [[spoiler:when ''his'' friend Tolle arrives to provide cover fire, and Athrun kills ''him'' in self-defense]]. And ''that's'' when Kira [[UnstoppableRage finally decides to stop holding back]], and the two start ripping each others' Gundams apart in a furious bid to kill one another. [[spoiler:The battle ends in a draw; Athrun self-destructs the Aegis after it runs out of power, and the Strike is heavily damaged, but both survive.]]
42	*** Later on, in the FinalBattle, [[spoiler:Kira continues with his MartialPacifist tendencies and [[ThouShaltNotKill is firmly against killing his enemies]], even while facing [[BigBad Rau Le Creuset]] and the Providence Gundam. But then in the middle of the fight, an escape shuttle containing Flay Allster -- Kira's ex -- and the BridgeBunnies of the Dominion wander by trying to escape the fight. Kira immediately [[DivingSave dives to their rescue when Rau targets the shuttle with his Providence's cannon]]... only for one of the Providence's [[AttackDrone DRAGOONs]] to destroy the shuttle from above, [[KickTheDog killing Flay and her company anyways]]. After a HeroicBSOD and -- strangely enough -- a DeadPersonConversation with what is apparently Flay's ghost, Kira goes into [[SuperMode SEED Mode]] and barrels back after Rau (who retreated to go after Kira's more recent LoveInterest, Lacus). This time, Kira drops any intentions of ending the battle non-fatally and [[UnstoppableRage targets Rau in an uncompromising rage]], fully intending to kill him for all he's done. That battle ends with Kira shoving the Freedom's [[LaserBlade Beam Saber]] [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice through the Providence's cockpit and out its back]], then leaving it to be completely annihilated by the [[KillSat GENESIS]] as it fires a final shot and self-destructs, [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill blowing the Providence to smithereens]].]]
43	* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'': The series WhamEpisode, episode 17, uses this twice.
44	** Subaru arrives on scene to discover that three enemy combat cyborgs [[spoiler:[[YouAreTooLate have already defeated her older sister Ginga]] and are in the process of stuffing her into a box in order to bring her back to their MadScientist boss]]. Subaru ''loses it'' and [[UnstoppableRage launches into an immediate and furious attack]], making excellent use of [[spoiler:the Inherent Skill she has because she's ''also'' a combat cyborg]] in order to even the odds. This [[HeroicRROD does as much damage to her as it does to them]], but gets two of the three to run for it while [[YouShallNotPass the third stays behind to hold Subaru off]]. Subaru takes the straggler out in short order, only to be thwarted when ''another'' combat cyborg (with the ability to [[{{Intangibility}} phase through solid objects]]) shows up to bail her out. So Subaru, in the span of about 90 seconds, forces ''four'' combat cyborgs to retreat rather than fight her... then collapses into a sobbing wreck because she's seriously wounded and [[spoiler:she couldn't stop them from taking Ginga with them when they escaped]].
45	** Later in the episode, [[SummonMagic Dragon Summoner]] Caro and DragonKnight Erio arrive at [[HomeBase Riot Force 6 headquarters]] in response to a distress call, but find the building in flames and the attackers already leaving. Erio rushes to stop them but is blindsided by other enemies in the area and swiftly defeated. The main enemies depart, leaving behind their MechaMooks and an automated announcement that the HQ building will be destroyed momentarily. Caro, at this point the only defender still standing, responds by summoning her dragon. Not her usual dragon, Friedrich (who alternates between {{Shoulder Sized\|Dragon}} and [[DragonRider riding size]]), but ''Voltaire'', the {{Kaiju}} sized guardian of her homeworld, who can only be summoned in dire need and is difficult to control at the best of times. [[CurbStompBattle Voltaire annihilates the remaining enemy forces in a single attack]].
46	* In ''Manga/SoulEater'', you can tell [[BadassNormal Mifune]] is getting serious when he spits out the toothpick he's constantly chewing on.
47	* Vash the Stampede reaches this point near the end of ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'', when he [[spoiler:kills Legato Bluesummers]] in order to save Millie and Meyrl. Oddly for this trope, the act itself is rather understated, rather than being an epic fight scene.
48	* ''Anime/YuGiOh'': In episode 190, Joey duels against the rightfully arrogant Zigfried, who toys with him for the first few turns, barely paying Joey any attention. When Joey unexpectedly breaks through his strategy and wipes out more than half of his Life Points in one turn, Zigfried gives him his full attention and stops holding back.
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Audio Play]]
52	* The ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' Sixth Doctor regeneration special, ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWhoSpecialTheLastAdventure The Last Adventure]]'', sees the Sixth Doctor gradually forced into a corner and having to go through with this in the final episode, "The Brink of Death". [[spoiler:Faced with [[EnemyWithout the Valeyard]] almost pulling off a successful AssimilationPlot upon Time Lord society, the Doctor chooses to both end his life and wipe out the last survivors of a race of telepathic microbes in order to ensure that the Valeyard and his plan goes down with him. The Valeyard calls him out on this, asking what that such an act, effectively pulling a genocidal version of TakingYouWithMe on a sapient species, would mean for the Doctor's "precious moral scruples". The Doctor grimly replies "They died with me," heralding how his incoming successor, the Seventh Doctor, will embrace GoodIsNotSoft and TheNeedsOfTheMany to a large degree than any of his previous incarnations]].
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Comic Books]]
56	%%* Carol Danvers, then ComicBook/MsMarvel, in ''ComicBook/TheKangDynasty''
57	* During the final part of ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'', Harvey Bullock notes that Batman "took off the kid gloves" during the final confrontation with Bane when he sees his new costume, not realizing the man under the mask isn't the usual Batman. When [=AzBats=] decides to spare Bane, Bullock changes his mind and decided that they're still on.
58	* Batman's fight with [[spoiler: The Joker]] during ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' has quite a bit of this going on. Once they are close enough to go one-on-one, Batman's opening gambit is to throw a batarang directly into his [[EyeScream opponent's eye.]]
59	-->'''[[spoiler: The Joker]]''': ''[[{{Irony}} ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!]]''
60	* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel
61	** ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}'': Magneto has flooded New York and sent the Brotherhood to wreak havoc among the survivors, causing loads of deaths. He also killed Charles Xavier personally. The heroes are more than willing to KILL him for this. Wolverine made it clear at the start of issue #5. In the end, he begs for mercy, but finds none.
62	** ''ComicBook/AllNewUltimates'': Diamondback told Bombshell to stop acting all tough, that it won't bring Poey back. She asked, who's acting?
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Fan Works]]
66	* In [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/119688/1/you-obey/the-interrogation You Obey]], when the interrogator loses patience and starts using the JackBauerInterrogationTechnique.
67	* In the sequel to ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'', during the ''Forever Red'' arc, Harry has firmly kept the gloves on, even through days of physical and psychic torture by the Red Room, because he's afraid of the consequences. While the power he can tap into isn't inherently evil, it ''is'' incredibly volatile, and combined with what he's going through, could well result in a SuperpoweredEvilSide. Then, his escape plan goes horribly wrong, [[spoiler: his body becomes the vessel for the Red Son, the superpowered successor to the Winter Soldier]], and once he [[spoiler: gets his body back, he gets months of horrifying memories with it]], he... well, he snaps, and unleashes [[spoiler: the Dark Phoenix.]]
68	* The ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' fic [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9721717/1/Massages Massages]] shows this with Jaune. After many students get the wrong impression that Jaune is sleeping with a majority of the female students (he's not: he just gives really good massages), Cardin starts tormenting Jaune with [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil the various ways]] he's going to get back at him. When he finally lists of Pyrrha... [[UnstoppableRage Jaune]] [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown goes primal.]]
69	* ''Fanfic/RosarioVampireBrightestDarkness'':
70	** Whenever Dark removes his headphones and [=MP3=] player, it's a sign that he's about to [[LetsGetDangerous get serious]].
71	** In Act III chapters 41 and 42, the gang (minus Tsukune) is doing relatively well against Kuyou at first, but only because, as Moka points out, Kuyou hasn't even really been trying. Sure enough, Kuyou goes OneWingedAngel soon after Moka says this and makes short work of everyone... until Tsukune reenters the fray and annihilates him.
72	* In the ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'' [[BadFuture Dark World]] arc, it's revealed that Traitor Dash (the corrupted Rainbow Dash) had a multitude of abilities she developed but never used, including a SuperMode called Ender Dash. She did this so that if she ever took Discord's DealWithTheDevil to kill Twilight in exchange for him [[ResetButton restoring everything to how it was before his reign]], she'd have enough surprises to do so. When Twilight frees herself and leads a rebellion against Discord, she finally does just that. After her HeelFaceTurn, she's a bit more lenient about using it.
73	* ''Fanfic/FantasyOfUtterRidiculousness'':
74	** After the fight with her has been going on for a while, Suika breaks out one of her higher-tier attacks, 'One-Oni Wrecking Machine', in part to finish her fight with Megas quickly but mostly because she hated the idea of going cold turkey in regards to her alcohol.
75	** Partway through their fight, Coop is able to nail Yuuka with the high-speed Nitrous and slam her into a plateau a kilometer away from where they started. This moment is what convinces Yuuka to stop taking it easy on Megas and break out her old attack patterns from Lotus Land Story, silently vowing to rip the mech apart.
76	* ''Fanfic/{{Atonement}}'': Neither Tether nor Armsmaster are trying not to kill people during the fight at Dragon's base. Most of Saint's mooks are dead or dying by the time the fight ends.
77	* ''Fanfic/TheLastWarWorldWar3'': Quoted verbatim by the West German Chancellor when he demands from the President of the United States to send every available B-1 and B-52 to stop a serious and deep penetration by the aforementioned 1st Unified Corps on West German soil. The gloves DO come off.
78	* ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy'': During "The Apokolips Agenda", Darkseid raises an army of super-villains in order to keep the heroes busy as he obtains the key to enslave the universe. ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} spends one week travelling between dimensions, battling villain after villain and surviving fights to the death, gets almost lobotomized when Darkseid speaks the Anti-Life Equation, and she finally comes face to face with Darkseid when he has just blasted into unconsciousness her lover, family and friends. Kara goes completely medieval on him without any restraint whatsoever, including her ThouShaltNotKill code (although she unfortunately doesn't win).
79	-->'''Supergirl:''' "I've been through hell and a half in this last week. I've fought Blackstarr, Eclipso, the Zoners, Kralik, the Golem, and I'm probably leaving some out. I almost got zombified because of you. Now you've hurt the man I love, and my cousin, and my friends. I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to do any of it. I hate fighting. But I promise you, Darkseid, if you don't restore them and surrender, you're never getting up from this floor in one piece. I swear it!"
80	* ''Fanfic/HereComesTheNewBoss'': Taylor has inherited an assortment of powers, but most of them are [[CoverBlowingSuperpower too distinctive to use without revealing that she's the Butcher]]. [[spoiler:When Hookwolf is about to kill the Undersiders during a brawl, however, and she can't move fast enough to intercept him, she instinctively teleports in his way -- and both he and the Undersiders recognise the distinctive flames. With her identity busted wide open, she throws aside restraint and draws on her full power set -- teleports, festering wounds, pain blasts, weakness seeking -- to deliver a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown until he's unconscious and she's covered in red.]]
81	* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13757116/ Vista has enough]]'': Vista tries really hard to be heroic and exercise restraint and make life better for people, but as per the title, when the city descends into full-on parahuman gang war, she's finally fed up, and shows people what her spatial warping power is really capable of. [[spoiler:Specifically, a giant interplanetary lens that massively superheats the area around Lung, followed by connecting him to the ionosphere, which utterly vaporises him and the capes he's fighting with the mother of all lightning bolts.]]
82	--> '''Vista:''' I've had enough of this. ... No one can, or maybe ''will'', do what needs to be done. So I'm doing it myself.\
83	'''Skitter:''' Shaker 9, right?\
84	'''Vista:''' That's what they have me down as. I think that might be about to go up.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Films — Animation]]
88	* ''WesternAnimation/{{TMNT}}'': [[spoiler: After Leo learns that Raph is the Nightwatcher, the two brothers get into a gigantic argument that eventually devolves into a duel. Raph, having already lost the vision-restricting helmet, draws his sais, the weapons he's been trained with since birth, and Leo, realizing that Raph is serious, draws his swords, indicating the two brothers are ready to fight for real.]]
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Films — Live Action]]
92	* The eponymous ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'' spends most of the movie getting his butt kicked in combat after losing his memory, even by humans. Once he gets his memory back and Charlie is hurt, he effortlessly curbstomps the humans.
93	* A good way to set Luke Skywalker into this mode is to threaten Leia. Vader made that mistake in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' and so did C'Baoth in ''The Last Command'' in the EU.
94	* In their final fight in ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'', [[spoiler: Godzilla loses his temper after taking a few hits and finally goes all-out on Kong, quickly overwhelming and nearly killing him with his sheer speed and power]].
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Literature]]
98	* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
99	** There are a rare few moments where Harry Dresden just completely cuts loose on his opponents, usually using a spell called ''pyrofuego'' [[note]]literally "fire-fire," which is pretty indicative of what happens: ''lots'' of fire.[[/note]]. The first time happens in ''Literature/GravePeril'', and the second happens in ''Literature/SmallFavor''. Then there's the book ''{{Literature/Changes}}''. And by the book, we mean ''all of it''. Best played up in one moment where he encounters vampires and remembers the phrase from ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' about wizards being subtle and quick to anger...
100	-->'''Harry''': ''(kicks in a door) FUCK SUBTLE.''
101	** In ''Literature/ColdDays'' whenever Harry [[spoiler: taps into the mantle of the Winter Knight]] it becomes this.
102	-->”Bad things kept happening to me. It was high fucking time ''I'' started happening to ''them''.”
103	* In the Wraith Squadron arc of the ''Literature/XWingSeries'', the protagonists are caught in a DeathTrap that involves [[MurderByCremation dropping them into an industrial incinerator]]. They manage to escape the incinerator, but are still wounded and desperate, caught in the center of an enemy stronghold that's been specifically designed to lure them in and kill them. Despite the original mission being reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, the squad leader issues new orders: get the hell out of there, and [[ShootEverythingThatMoves kill everything that tries to stop them]]. He also notes that his team, while appearing calm, collected, and professional, are [[TranquilFury so pissed off]] that they wouldn't have ''accepted'' any other order.
104	* ''Literature/TheLastContinent'': After Ponder Stibbons is pushed too far, he rolls up his sleeves, noted by the narration to be the wizard equivalent of the DramaticGunCock.
105	* This happens a good deal with Gary Karkofsky a.k.a Merciless: The Supervillain without Mercy in ''Literature/TheSupervillainySaga''. Basically, the majority of the time he's a AscendedFanboy that jokes around with 80s and 90s pop culture references. Then sometimes someone does something that ''really'' ticks him off and he starts dropping bodies.
106	* ''Literature/TheScholomance'': El usually has to work hard to avoid using her ApocalypseMaiden-tier talent for destructive magic, but when one of the deadliest monsters in the world gets into her WizardingSchool, she wades in with her most powerful spells and tears it apart in minutes. The last time one such monster was killed, it took a full circle of [[TheArchmage archmages]] a full year of preparation, a three-day battle, and [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu multiple casualties]].
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Live Action TV]]
110	* This is the entire reason the Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers don't just crush the Monster of the Week with the Megazord as soon as they see it; one of Zordon's rules for using the power is "Don't escalate a battle unless Rita forces you." If Rita and her monsters keep things on the ground level, then the Rangers do the same. Once Rita makes her monster grow to Kaiju-size and starts attacking Angel Grove, they summon the Zords and unleash their full might.
111	* ''Series/{{Supergirl\|2015}}'': Franchise/{{Superman}} refers to [[ComicBook/MartianManhunter J'onn J'onnz]] as being even more powerful than him. There's no evidence of this until Red Kryptonite turns Supergirl evil. When he has to take her down, he does it in less than a minute.
112	* ''[[Series/WonderWoman1975 Wonder Woman]]'': In "The Boy Who Knew Her Secret", Wonder Woman and The Shapeshifter are in their climactic battle. They go back and forth, throwing each other across the barn they're fighting in and breaking lots of wooden fencing. Then Wonder Woman has had enough and The Gloves Come Off. She flips him, visibly saunters towards him while taking a punctuated breath, and delivers two backhand shots across his face. Finally, she kicks him into the glowing pyramid and that's all she wrote.
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
116	* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': Among Ogres, the equivalent act is removing one's gutplate. Ogres are terrified of disembowelment, as getting gutted is an AgonizingStomachWound that can't be healed and will inevitably kill the victim... but takes ''days'' to do it. As such, if two Ogres fight and they keep the gutplates on, regardless of the injuries suffered, it's not a serious affair. But if they remove their gutplates, that's a sign both intend to fight to the death.
117	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': At the climax of the Literature/HorusHeresy, the Emperor himself faced off against Horus, currently carrying the blessings of all four Chaos gods. Even that wasn't enough for the Emperor to annihilate Horus, until Horus needlessly destroyed an Imperial soldier who stood between him and the Emperor. This was the act that finally convinced the Emperor that Horus could no longer be saved, and he used up his full psychic might to destroy Horus once and for all. That soldier was Ollanius Pius, who later became the PatronSaint of Imperial Guardmen... until he was retconned as having been a Terminator (still not much of a threat to Horus, but no longer in "defenseless slaughter" territory), then a Custodes (the Custodes make Astartes look like normal humans), and finally back to human, albeit a type of human called a Perpetual who's functionally immortal.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Video Games]]
121	* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', the Mage Warden has lived for most of their life in the Circle Tower, keeping their magic limited under the restrictions of the Templars. After becoming a Grey Warden however, they are finally permitted to cut loose and demonstrate how truly powerful they actually are, as the Wardens allow ''any'' advantage to be used against the Darkspawn horde.
122	* ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'':
123	** When you meet Mordecai (one of the {{Player Character}}s from the first game) he sends you off on a quest to recover Bloodwing (his pet Hawk-like creature, which served as his action skill in the previous game) while he covers you with a rifle which deals slag damage (increasing the damage you deal to enemies but not doing much to them). [[spoiler: Jack reveals that he's [[FaceMonsterTurn slagged her]], then proceeds to blow her head off with an ExplosiveLeash when you subdue her]]. This angers him so much that he switches to an explosive rifle and completely annihilates a group of enemies you meet on the way out of the area.
124	** Jack quotes this trope when the player picks up the power core dropped by Wilhelm.
125	--->'''Handsome Jack:''' The kiddie gloves are coming off, tighten up the big boy pants 'cause things are gonna get really, really bad for you Vault Hunters.
126	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
127	** If you get Shadow ticked off to the point where he takes off his limiters, you have [[OhCrap really just backed yourself into a corner.]]
128	** In ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheSecretRings'', Sonic pulls this on the BigBad after he [[spoiler: kills [[ExpositionFairy Shahra]]]]. Covered in flames? Check. ExtremeMeleeRevenge? Check. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking No gloves?]] Check.
129	* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', Raiden spends a lot of time and effort holding back the killer tendencies he gained during his time as the ChildSoldier "Jack the Ripper". When pushed too far by Sam and Monsoon's tauntings, he decides to cave in, re-awakening "[[SuperpoweredEvilSide Jack]]" to give himself the edge needed to fight Monsoon.
130	* Near the end of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'''s story mode World of Light, Master Hand helps out the heroes by wiping out most of Galeem and Dharkon's remaining puppet fighters on his own. This implies the big glove's been holding back his full power in previous ''Smash'' entries.
131	* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019'': After his first mission, Garrick will rant to Captain Price that the terrorist attack could have been avoided, but his team was stopped by procedure and bureaucracy. Captain Price recruits Garrick largely by promising that if he joins Price's team, the gloves will come off. Later however, even [[EveryoneHasStandards Garrick is disturbed by]] [[spoiler:threatening the Butcher's wife and child to get him to cooperate]] and questions Price how far [[HeWhoFightsMonsters they're willing to go]]. Price replies that Garrick wanted the gloves off, and now that they're off, they get blood on their hands.
132	* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', asari Spectre, Tela Vasir provides a villainous example. At first, she's simply trying to escape from Shepard and Liara, to ensure they don't get some vital data on the [[ArcVillain Shadow Broker]], a powerful KnowledgeBroker who she gets valuable intelligence from, only fighting back by setting the Broker's men on them. After taking a load of abuse throughout the chase, it becomes clear to her that she won't be getting away without killing the two of them. At this point, she starts hitting back, ''[[FoeTossingCharge hard]]''.
133	* Early in ''VideoGame/Persona5'', the protagonists have some initial reservations about assaulting SadistTeacher Kamoshida's [[MentalWorld Palace]] since tampering with it would at best [[BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood permanently alter his mind]] and at worst [[AccidentalMurder outright kill him]]. Then a female student ''[[DrivenToSuicide attempts suicide]]'' after Kamoshida [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil sexually assaults her]]. [[ThisIsUnforgivable They immediately lose all reservations]].
134	[[/folder]]
135
136	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
137	* When the protagonist of ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'' catches Dennis in Johanna’s room, he doesn’t care anymore that Dennis is blackmailing him, or that doing him too much harm can put incriminating information about Tamara and himself on the internet. All that matters is stopping what, to all appearances, is about to happen.
138	[[/folder]]
139
140	[[folder:Web Animation]]
141	* Near the end of the ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'' episode ''Superman vs. Goku II'', after learning that Goku means to keep fighting no matter what and not wanting the Earth to be destroyed again, Superman finally unleashes his full power. [[spoiler: He ''[[NoSell walks through]]'' Goku's fully-powered Kamehameha and effortlessly ends the fight in two moves.]]
142	[[/folder]]
143
144	[[folder:Web Comics]]
145	* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', [[spoiler:Vaarsuvius]] reaches this point when unleashing a SuperpoweredEvilSide by making a literal DealWithTheDevil(s). As expected for this trope, the results are not exactly what anyone hoped for, and leads to some solid CharacterDevelopment for all involved parties.
146	** [[EvilSorceror Xykon]] gives us a villainous example as a result of the above. While he survives the attack with relative ease, in the process he [[spoiler:loses his [[SoulJar phylactery]]]], which prompts him to stop screwing around and get back to work. Sort of an odd example in that the cost ''causes'' the boost in effectiveness, rather than being a result of it.
147	* In ''Webcomic/{{Spinnerette}}'', Marilyn Seong aka "Mecha-Maid", orders her AI helper to unload all the less-lethal armament on her PoweredArmor and load it for bear... or more accurately, [[spoiler:load it for [[ColonelKilgore Colonel]] [[AxCrazy Glass]]. She might even intend to [[TakingYouWithMe take him down]] [[SelfDestructMechanism with her]] in a [[KillItWithFire blaze]] of [[{{Hellfire}} thermite]].]]
148	* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Almost every Spark who's a major character, especially Agatha. Enraged by the death of an unlucky potential love interest, she commandeers a pipe organ battle-clank to attack the Baron's forces with.
149	** Gil decides to keep Commander Vole around because of his regular attempts to capture/kill him gives him someone to demonstrate his gloves-off ability with.
150	** Zola, when she stops playing the DamselScrappy to get serious about taking the Heterodyne inheritance. She goes through several magnitudes of this up to the chapter titled 'Zola Goes Up to Eleven' -- [[PsychoSerum Movit #11]], that is.
151	* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', during the battle at the ASMA dojo, Grace [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2011-05-04 decides to go after the summoner]] even though she doesn't want to hurt anyone reasoning that if she harms him enough to at least knock him out all his summons will be dismissed and no more will be summoned.
152	* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'': Since the heroes are cops (albeit a new brand of cops dealing with "atypical threats"), they are supposed to hold back and try to use nonlethal force under most circumstances. Sometimes, the rules change.
153	** Vehemence is literally powered by violence, and he reveals this ''after'' he soaked up power from a massive super-powered brawl. [[WorldsStrongestMan Maxima]] decides to fight him personally, and one of her first moves is to vaporize his arm.
154	** When Cora rescues Sydney, she announces her presence by vaporizing the man who had a gun to Sydney's head and was openly stating his intent to murder her. It's implied that Cora ''could'' have taken him out nonlethally, but she believes the best way to demonstrate justice is through [[NoKillLikeOverkill overwhelming force]]. Regardless, she makes a convincing argument to Maxima that she didn't have time to switch to nonlethal ordinance.
155	** When the Fel supercarrier attacks ARCHON, Cora and Dabbler both flatly tell Maxima that they're an army enslaved by an AlwaysChaoticEvil energy field and there is no way to cure them; it's either kill them all or watch Earth get turned into a Fel hive. Maxima promptly orders everyone to go full power, and the rest of the galaxy is very surprised that [[CurbStompBattle this actually goes well for them]].
156	** When a coalition of semi-allied nations attacks Galtyn while the American supers happen to be there, Maxima orders the others to not act unless directly targeted, and to only safeguard civilians. The alternative would be a very complex diplomatic headache. Maxima promptly ignores her own rules of engagement to duel the sand elemental Darude, an old rival who she had previously thought dead and who could bury the entire country in sand if left unchecked.
157	** During the assault on the Ascenders base (after they attacked ARCHON first), Maxima notes that half of them are rich backers, and half of them are supers of unknown power. With no way to tell who is who, Maxima authorizes everyone to go full force, and that she'll handle the diplomatic fallout later. In the end, the team actually manages to take the base with limited enemy casualties, making this something of a moot point.
158
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:Web Video]]
162	* ''WebVideo/WorldWarTwo'': France, Britain, and Germany initially agree in 1939, at the behest of United States President Franklin Roosevelt, to avoid bombing campaigns on civilian targets. After the German bombing of Rotterdam, the Allies rescind this restriction and launch retaliatory raids on German cities and towns.
163	[[/folder]]
164
165	[[folder:Western Animation]]
166	* Twilight Sparkle in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is largely pacifistic and tends to lean in favor of sealing away foes or swaying them to the side of good. When sufficiently pushed, particularly when her [[BigBrotherInstinct friends or family are threatened]], the gloves will come off pretty quick and she'll start blasting [[ProjectileSpell Projectile Spells]] to blast her foe into submission. "Princess Cadance" [[spoiler:(actually Queen Chrysalis)]] was on the receiving end of one of these in ''A Canterlot Wedding'' (it's unclear if Twilight was going for ''killing'' blows or not), as was Lord Tirek and Starlight Glimmer. As King Sombra learned in the Season 9 premiere, she has absolutely zero qualms with [[KilledOffForReal outright killing a foe]] if that's what it's going to take.
167	** In "Fall Weather Friends," Rainbow Dash and Applejack agree to a race to prove who's the more athletic pony, with only one rule: Rainbow Dash isn't allowed to fly[[note]]Applejack [[TooQualifiedToApply considers it cheating for Rainbow to use her wings]], since Applejack doesn't have any[[/note]]. They go back and forth accusing each other of cheating and then actually cheating a few times, but when Applejack catches a ride on a hot air balloon (to be fair, she was making up ground after Rainbow Dash sent her on a detour), Rainbow Dash declares that it is ''on'', unties her wings, and takes off flying. [[spoiler:It doesn't help. They tie for last place.]]
168	* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': During Kanan and Ezra's final battle with the Grand Inquisitor, he knocks Ezra off of a high level, making Kanan believe he's dead. Initially devastated, Kanan calms down and grabs Ezra's lightsaber and begins to dual-wield while fighting the Inquisitor. He's focused enough on the fight now that he's able to best his opponent.
169	-->'''Kanan:''' You shouldn't have done that.\
170	'''Grand Inquisitor:''' Why? Because you've got no one left to ''die'' for you?\
171	'''Kanan:''' No. ''Force-grabs Ezra's lightsaber'' Because now [[LetsGetDangerous I've got nothing left to]] ''[[LetsGetDangerous fear]]''.
172	[[/folder]]
173
174	[[folder: Real Life]]
175	* In the world of police and military, escalation of force is this. It's a concept that demands such groups use only the lowest level of force possible in neutralizing a threat. If simply demanding a suspect or enemy surrender is all it takes to accomplish this, there's no need to use physical force period, if all it takes to subdue a combative criminal is a stun gun there's no need to use a sidearm, etc. When these lower levels of force fail or if the criminal or enemy acts in a way where there's no time to apply this concept[[note]]Such as charging at a police officer or making a move to harm someone else, where applying escalation of force would undoubtedly lead to injury or death, then immediately using a high level of force, even lethal, is authorized[[/note]], then the gloves come off and the police or military use higher levels of force. It's also a large driving point of why many cops are wearing body cams nowadays: having how a cop acted be on camera goes a long way to proving that their use of force was authorized, [[PoliceBrutality or that it wasn't]]. Note that this is only the most condensed explanation possible; there are ''entire books'' of how this concept works, thousands of laws that explain or restrict it, and no end of ifs, ands or buts that affect it or change how it works.
176	[[/folder]]

Context Main / TheGlovesComeOff