Achilles Heel - Television Tropes & Idioms

"It must have a weakpoint, everything does."

-- Krystal, Starfox: Assault

"My ring has no power over aluminum!"

-- Green Guardsman, Justice League

Any seemingly Nigh Invulnerable character (particularly The Dragon) will inevitably have some key weakness that can and will be exploited.

In any show where the main character is superpowered in some way, an Achilles Heel is essentially mandated, otherwise they would never be able to get into any kind of personal peril to drive a story. For example, the Gemini Man's 15-minute limit on invisibility (any more and he dies), or The Greatest American Hero's utter ignorance of the full capabilities of his supersuit.

Aliens and monsters that are Immune To Bullets will usually have a fairly mundane Achilles Heel that only surfaces/gets discovered completely by accident when things look the bleakest. The archetypal example is the Martians from H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds who shrugged off everything the armies of the world could muster, and then died from the common cold.

In video games, this is the spot the player has to hit For Massive Damage. See also Kryptonite Factor, Why Did It Have To Be Snakes, David Versus Goliath.

Examples:

Literature

The name for this trope, and what makes this Older Than Dirt, comes the Greek hero Achilles, whose mother, the nympth Thetis, dunked him in the River Styx to make him immortal. However, she wasn't able to dunk the foot she held him with, since as a goddess, she could not bear the touch of the Waters of Styx. Quite naturally, he was killed by a poisoned arrow to the heel, courtesy of the cowardly Prince Paris.
Also from Greek myth, the Gigantes were the children of Gaia and only had their supernatural powers when they were touching the ground. Heracles defeated at least one of them by picking him up with one hand and beating him with the other.
In the Biblical Book of Judges, Samson loses his super strength when Delilah cuts off his long hair.
Leto Atreides II, the titular God Emperor of Dune who combines his body with a sandworm to extend his life by thousands of years and gain immunity to almost every form of physical damage, also inherits the sandworms' vulnerability to water.
When Balder (of Norse mythology) started dreaming of his own death, his mother went around to every single thing in existence and made them swear an oath to never harm Balder. Presto, invulnerable god, right? Not quite: she forgot to ask mistletoe, since it seemed too small and shriveled to be a threat. When the rest of the pantheon decided to make "Let's throw things at Balder" into their favorite party game (I Am Not Making This Up), Loki (who was jealous of the attention accorded Balder) tricked the blind Hoder into shooting a Mistletoe arrow at Balder...
In the Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones, the Chrestomanci are powerfully magic characters who are nearly invincible due to their powers, and their nine lives. However, every Chrestomanci has one particular weakness. For Christopher Chant, it is silver, which renders him nearly powerless upon touching it, and Cat's weakness is the box of matches which represents his lives.
- Actually, it's revealed that Cat's *true* weakness is that he can't do magic with his right hand - the matches are just a lagniappe
In the German myth of Das Nibelungenlied, the hero Siegfried bathes in the blood of the dragon, Fafnir, after he's slain it, and becomes invincible as a result. However, a leaf had stuck to his shoulder, and thus left a small spot there untouched by the blood... and yes, the similarities between him and Achilles have been noted before.
In David Eddings' The Belgariad, it appears the Achilles Heel of the ancient and evil god Torak is to tell him nobody loves him. But of course the only person who thinks of doing that over the course of human history is a special kind of person.

Comic Books

A respectable number of superheroes and -villains have Achilles Heels, particularly as you go up in power. Note that while almost any character has a weakness of some kind, few are actually physical or mental weakspots, or materials or processes that are anathema to them--even in the more simplistic Golden Age, most creators tried to avoid such things.
- Perhaps the most famous Achilles Heel is Superman's weakness to kryptonite. He's also perfectly susceptible to magical attacks.
- The unstoppable Juggernaut from X-Men is susceptible to a mental attack once his helmet has been removed.
- Martian Manhunter (and indeed his species) was, then wasn't, deathly afraid of fire, which did, then didn't, and now does again melt him into a puddle.
- The Ultimate Marvel version of Iron Man can't touch anything with his bare skin, even dust, without causing himself excruciating pain--hence the suit.
- Traditionally, Green Lanterns have had trouble with the color yellow--except the first of them, whose power came from a different source, and was instead vulnerable to wood. Parodied by the parallel-universe "Green Guardsman" in an episode of the Justice League TV series.
- The alien symbiotes, from the Marvel Universe, that created such creatures as black-suit Spider-Man, Venom, Carnage, and Toxin, are vulnerable to "sonics"--essentially, extremely loud or high-frequency noises. Extreme heat is also a notably unpleasant weakness of theirs.
- Inverted with the supervillain Doomsday. If you kill him, he comes back, immune to what killed him last time (so, if you tossed him into space, he'd come back able to survive sudden changes in pressure, extreme cold, and/or not needing to breathe).
- The brilliant, amoral Thanos from the Marvel Universe has a particularly strange weakness: self-defeatism. As Adam Warlock points out in a Hannibal Lecture in The Infinity Gauntlet crossover, he subconsciously knows he doesn't deserve victory, and thus arranges his defeat without realizing it.
  - In the recent crossover Annihilation, it's revealed that a certain character is the "silver bullet" to Thanos' "werewolf", with the former succeeding in killing the latter in the penultimate issue. However, this weakness is subverted by Thanos' general fondness for Death (and vice-versa).
  - It should be noted that said character was created for the specific purpose of killing Thanos. This was just the first time he got a good hit in to pull it off.
Rising Stars features a character completely immune to physical damage. However, he still needs to breathe, and is killed by someone sneaking up behind him and throwing a plastic bag over his head.
- More generally, in the third story arc, it is discovered that the resistance to damage that, by this point, all specials have, does not guard against radiation. Thus, a special who has spent the last 10 years stealing and hiding nuclear weapons gets radiation sickness, and any special can be temporarily weakened by an electromagnetic pulse.

Film

The mother of all Achilles Heels is the exhaust port on the Death Star in Star Wars, through which an invincible planet-destroying space station can explode into an enormous fireball because of a couple torpedoes from a small one-man fighter spacecraft.
- Admittedly, knocking out its reactor core. Or, given that there was an explosion, instead of the station just going dead, knocking out the reaction controls.
Possibly the silliest Achilles Heel in film history was in Signs, where the powerful aliens who had been wreaking havoc turned out to have a fatal weakness to... water. Possibly, they shouldn't have invaded a planet two-thirds covered in water without protective suits. Just maybe.
- Which is why some people think they were actually doing some kind of ritual hunt or adulthood rite.
Independence Day. Not only is the alien mothership compatible with MacOS, but despite millions of years of technological advancement, they don't have even the most rudimentary form of a firewall.
- One, Earth's computer technology had been reverse-engineered from the aliens in the first place. Two, the scientists at Area 51 had had 50-some years to study the alien's OS, so the virus didn't even have to be in MacOS. The lack of firewall is the only real puzzler here -- and given that a species of telepathic locusts doesn't need any computer security against themselves (being a hive), and their usual M.O. was to pick on primitive worlds incapable of defending themselves, they wouldn't have a pressing need for computer security against their victims, either.
  - Not entirely true: according to the scientist played by Brent Spiner (really one of the few redeeming qualities of the movie), the alien ship only "powered up" in the last few days. So while the hardware would be copyable, the software would have needed some serious reverse engineering in...what, three, four days tops?
- But then there's the ships' primary weapons, practically screaming "Attack my weak point For Massive Damage!" Lucky that somebody figured it out before the stupid Earthlings wasted all their missiles on the ship's outermost perimeter.
- About the firewall: See War of the Worlds from before. As in, if the aliens haven't developed a resistance to our diseases, then it kinda makes sense that our hacker attacks can penetrate their ultra-advanced firewalls just as easily.
  - Of course, the War Of The Worlds example is bad enough in itself: 99% of diseases can't even cross species, yet alien invaders have completely compatible biochemistry?
War Of The Worlds and Horrible Tom Cruise Movie with the Same Name, the aliens are entirely vulnerable to Earth bacteria and viruses. Which actually kinda makes sense.
- No, actually it doesn't make sense. Unless you expect to be affected by the Tobacco mosaic virus. The idea that aliens would be bothered by our diseases is even less likely than that.
  - In League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 2, the virus was specially tailored by Dr Moreau. Yes that Dr Moreau.
- Given the 19th century biology that was contemporary to the original novel, having the bad guys killed by a cold is forgivable. In the original novel! Having the movie versions suffer the same problem is where we encounter the Fridge Logic.
A blink-and-you'll-miss-it "Achilles Heel" of sorts appears in the Jim Carrey movie Liar Liar, where, faced with the prospect of "doing The Claw to [his ex-wife]", main character Fletcher Reed says, "You've found The Claw's only weakness--sub-zero temperatures!"
The Wicked Witch of the West's vulnerability to water.
- This Troper's screenwriting teacher has suggested that one change would make the film's script perfect: the Witch taking care to avoid the stream in Munchkinland, thus having her weakness not come out of nowhere.
Parodied in Scary Movie 3. The aliens are fighting the group (though just because strangling is how they say hello), when Mahalik decapitates one with a shovel and says:
Mahalik: I found their weakness. They're powerless without their heads!
Also parodied in Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle, during a psychadelic dream sequence.
Officer Palumbo: Bullets! My only weakness! How did you know?

Live Action TV

In Angel, where Angelus figures out the Beast's weakness rather cleverly:
"I mean, look at this guy, hm? Pretty much the only thing that could do damage to that thick, stony hide...is himself. Or, maybe, I don't know, a piece of himself."
Doctor Who's Cybermen were given an Achilles Heel in the story "Revenge of the Cybermen": gold dust would asphyxiate them. This was not a tremendously damning weakness, since gold is neither common nor easy to form into an effective weapon. In "Revenge of the Cybermen", the cybermen were almost indestructible even on a planet made entirely of gold, because the locals didn't have the technology to make an effective delivery system for the gold. As the series progressed, gold was promoted to kryptonite status: in "Earthshock", the Doctor injures, but does not incapacitate, a cyberman by grinding a gold badge into its chest, but by "Silver Nemesis", cybermen can be killed by lobbing gold coins at them, or shooting gold-tipped arrows. Gold tipped arrows are very effective against cybermen, but, of course, totally ineffective against anything else. It is sometimes joked that had the original series gone on, it would eventually have been possible to destroy a cyber-war-fleet just by saying "gold" at them.
- While not mentioned in the new series, a fake website connected to it hints that the Cybermen seen in "Rise of the Cybermen" and later episodes had the gold weakness worked out in the prototype stage.
  - Well actually, it showed on a computer screen in that episode that the weakness had been worked out.
- The Sontaran's 'probic vent'. "Back of the Neck!"
  - Of course bullets work perfectly well too...
- The Slitheen, being composed largely of calcium, can be killed with acetic acid. Similar to the Signs aliens, this makes them look not all that bright for repeatedly invading England, the land of putting vinegar on everything.
In Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, extreme cold could make the bionic heroes' parts stop working until they warmed back up.
In Heroes, Claire Bennet has a Wolverine-class healing factor that can repair her body to brand new after taking the unrealistically extreme amount of punishment that always comes her way. However, if an object is stabbed into a certain spot in the back of her head, she's rendered "dead" until it's removed, and the same goes for anyone who copies her powers. It's implied (and confirmed in an alternate future episode) that if this part of her brain was removed or destroyed, she would die permanently.
Sheriff Lucas Buck's vulnerability in American Gothic is his third eye--if stabbed there, he could be killed. What makes this a particularly egregious example is that not only is there no indication of this vulnerability until the next to the last episode of the show, but what could have been a very cool mythologically resonant plot point is instead wasted twice over: the person who reveals and exploits this weakness is a throwaway character we'd never met until the previous episode and the stabbing doesn't even take, since Buck is revealed alive in his grave at the end of the episode.

Anime

In Full Metal Alchemist, the homunculi are pretty much immortal, but can be killed if one gets anywhere near the remains of the human body they were created from. Also, Alphonse is bound to his armor by his blood seal, and should that be destroyed, he's a goner.
- Only in the anime. In the manga, the homunculi's incredible powers of regeneration are limited: destroying their Philosopher's Stones renders them quite vulnerable. Removing it, however, is completely ineffective...they just regenerate from the Philosopher's stone ITSELF! You have to kill them an unspecified but high number of times.
  - The whole "kill until stone runs out" things is present in the anime, too. Lust even tells Wrath this is what she will do to him.
Virtually any character in Get Backers have fantastical abilities but with very heavy handicaps, more often than not forcing the characters to pull near-fatal trump card moves. The best example is one character of the main duo, Mido Ban, who can subject people to dreams with his Jagan (Evil Eye) for exactly one minute in reality, but indefinitely in the dream itself, making it an ultimate twink move. The catch? He can only use it once on a person and three times total a day. Needless to say, a lot of antagonists find ways to avoid this or force him to use his Jagan needlessly until he's helpless.
- He can use it on people more than once, Just not in a 24-hour period. He's used it on Mr. No-Brake at least twice.
Death Note's Shinigami, being Gods of Death, are practically immortal...with two notable exceptions. First, a Shinigami's lifespan is extended by writing names in a Death Note: if a Shinigami forgets to write names, they will actually run out of time and die. Second is the fact that a Shinigami who intentionally uses their Death Note to protect a human - extending someone's lifespan rather than cutting it short - will die instantly.
- There are also a number of rules they have to follow while in the human world if they don't want to get on the badside of the Shinigami King. Also, Ryuk and a few other Shinigami are addicted to apples, and go through some awkward withdrawl syndromes if they go for too long without eating any.
In Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, the team's main vehicle, The God Phoenix, has a rather poorly thought out weakness in that all the team's sub-vehicles have to be docked for the God Phoenix's weapons systems to work. While that kind of weakness would make sense to create the plane's Fiery Phoenix effect since it's an exotic weapon system, to have it affect the regular weapons seems too much. Even worse, Galactor learns about this weakness and the visual clues for it and wastes no time to take advantage of it.
Although pretty much almost completely Immune To Bullets, the cyborg assassins of Gunslinger Girl are pretty much vulnerable as any little girl when they are not focused. Furthermore, shooting them in the eyes should be enough to kill them.
Many times on Saint Seiya, more than one character suffers from this. Shiryu's main means of attacking leaves his heart wide open to attacks for a fraction of a second, something a few people notice over the course of the story. Krishna likewise was only defeated when Shiryu struck his hidden "Star Points", and the Pope of Sanctuary's astral projection attacks left his body wide open to attack.
Probably one of the most gag-inducing Achilles Heels in modern media, the Big Bad of Digimon Adventure 02's only weakness was the Power of Dreams.
In one of the earliest episodes of Inuyasha, a human artist gains the power to make his art come to life, and starts creating some of the most horrible creatures imaginable as an army to obliterate his enemies. However, once Inuyasha destroys the artist's inkwell--which actually turns out to be a magic inkwell--he's down and out.
Subverted in Legend of Lemnear. The Big Bad transforms himself into a 50 foot demon cyclops, and the male hero: The warrior of Bronze declares "You may be tough, but I know your weak spot! Your demon eye!" Then through a crazy set of acrobatics, lands on the demons face to plunge a sword into its eye. Only to have his sword shatter on contact. btw: Don't watch the movie, it's terrible

Western Animation

You'd think, with the Omnitrix making him able to transform into an alien of his choice at will, that Ben Tennyson of Ben 10 would be pretty much invincible. He isn't though, for several reasons, including but by no means limited to: the seemingly random time limit (possibly based on some measure of energy expenditure, as the Omnitrix generally needs to 'recharge' for an equally random amount of time afterwards), the Omnitrix's glitches turning him into an alien other than the one he chose, his own lack of knowledge of the forms hidden in the Omnitrix and the full extent of each one's powers, and, perhaps most dangerously, having the mindset of a ten-year-old boy.
When Alex O'Hirn becomes the superstrong Rhino in The Spectacular Spider Man, he goes on a destructive rampage and appears completely unstoppable. His Achilles Heel turns out to be the same thing that makes him so tough: Because his suit is completely impenetrable, he can only perspire through his exposed face. Spider-Man is able to defeat him by trapping him in a steam-tunnel in the sewers, which causes the giant thug to overheat and collapse.
In Avatar The Last Airbender, Firebenders have no powers during the solar eclipse. However the good guys launch a daring but small assault on the capital of the Fire Nation during the eclipse and they are unable to find the Fire Lord, as he is wisely in an underground bunker hidden far away from them, and the majority of good guys are captured, having failed to accomplish anything.
- Waterbenders are powerless without a source of water close by, and Earthbenders are powerless if separated from earth or stone. The only Avatar race that's mostly invulnerable are the Airbenders since air is always around. And yet they were the ones that ended up getting wiped out. Go figure.
  - There were always fewer of the Airbenders than any of the other benders, and there was also the matter of a traitor in their midst.
- It stands to reason that Waterbenders would be similarly powerless during a lunar eclipse, since it's established that they're stronger at night and weaker during the day (the opposite of firebenders), and killing one of the moon spirits shut down their powers until Princess Yue traded her own life to revive it.

Video Games

Just about any glowing spot, on any boss, in any video game. Sometimes just does extra damage if hit, but is often (in Platformers especially) the only place where the boss is not Nigh Invulnerable.
- This is particularly anvilicious in Shadow of the Colossus, in this troper's opinion.
In many First Person Shooter games, enemies may have strong body armor, but can be killed faster by shooting them in the head (i.e. headshots).
- For example: House Of The Dead, where not only do headshots take down enemies faster, but each boss has a specific weakpoint, and cannot be damaged (or only take minimal damage) if shot anywhere else. The best one is the one with a huge gaping hole in it's chest that opens to reveal it's heart every time it beats (How...not easy...).
The superhero MMO City Of Heroes balances all classes and powersets by giving them strengths and weakness, but only the Peacebringers and Warshades have a specific crippling weakness, Quantum Energy damage, which only NP Cs with Quantum Weapons can deal. The problem was that the developers overdid it and made the weapons available to every enemy group in the game, essentially distributing kryptonite bullets, and it many cases it was powerful enough to kill the player in a single hit. As this was a major gripe about the two classes, eventually the developers responded by reducing the effects of the weapons to make it simply a danger rather than an overwhelmingly crippling threat.

Tabletop Games

Many Dungeons and Dragons monsters have specific weaknesses that either do more damage than normal, or are necessary to even be able to kill them. The most famous is arguably the troll, which in most editions can't be killed with just standard weapons, but that also needs to be burned with acid or fire for it to permanently die. Unconventional tactics can also exploit certain weaknesses, or at least find other ways to kill them.

Webcomics

In Sluggy Freelance, Aylee's crab-like transformation (actually a clone of Aylee) is nearly invincible. Her shell can take just about anything the characters can throw at her, but she can be hurt along her extendable neck.
- Horribus is also only vulnerable on certain parts of his body. Even when Torg uses a magic, kill-anything sword, he can still only take Horribus down by either decapitating him or stabbing him right through his soul (located roughly in the center of his chest).

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