Quotes / No-Sell

Anime and Manga

"What the hell was that?"

— Broly after taking a Kamehameha at point-blank range, Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan

"Is that all you've got? Okay then, guess it's my turn."

— Son Gohan, after tanking a hit from Cell Max in his "Beast" form, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

This is... Requiem. What you're seeing is indeed the truth. You are seeing the movements created by your abilities, but you will never arrive at the truth that's going to happen. None who stand before me shall ever get there, regardless of their abilities. This is the power of Gold Experience Requiem. This is unknown even to Giorno Giovanna, who controls me.

— Gold Experience Requiem, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind

Chikage: Hey. Is there a woman who really cares for you?
Shizuo: Huh?
Chikage: If so, I don't want to make her cry, so I'd be okay with looking the other way this one time. You see, making women cry really isn't my thing.
Shizuo: ...Oh, I get it. So you're picking a fight with me, is that it?
Chikage: Suppose I am.
Shizuo: Just checking. (puts away glasses) Nobody's been this upfront with me since high school. (rolls up sleeves) At any rate, I kinda like the fact that you're coming right out with it, not going behind my back. Although, I'd prefer not to do this at all.
Chikage: Sorry to disappoint.
Shizuo: Oh, and before we start, let me say one thing—
[Chikage punches him, arrogantly grinning. He realizes Shizuo is unaffected.]
Shizuo: —I was gonna say, as my name suggests, I like to live a quiet life. So how should I put this?
[Shizuo hurls a fist at Chikage, punching his lights out.]
Shizuo: It's nap time.

— Durarara!!x2, "No One Knows What the Future Holds" (English dub)

What's wrong? Why'd you stop? ...oh, I get it. That was your killer move, right?

— Accelerator, A Certain Magical Index

Those are the devil's gastric juices. Why aren't they digesting you?

— Joie, Toriko

Gods need no barriers. (puts a chunk of his own brain back inside his gaping skull) We accept everything that comes our way.

— Gendo Ikari, Rebuild of Evangelion

"'My attack has no effect on you'? Who decided that? 'Your darkness swallowed up my sun'? Who decided that? I am the one who decides here."

— Escanor, The Seven Deadly Sins

Comic Books

Blink: You know that referring to yourself in the third person might be construed as narcissism... but we'll discuss that after you're teleported a few miles from here!
[tries to teleport the Hulk, to no effect]
The Hulk: GRRRRRRR...
Blink: Ooookay. This is unexpectedly bad.

— Exiles #5: Up North And In The Green Part 1

Angel: Jorge is dead.
Constantine: That's a surprise.
Angel: He couldn't stand the screaming. Nobody can, once they hear it. Can you hear it, John?
Constantine: [utterly blase] 'Course I fuckin' can. Used to be louder, but you get used to it, don't you? You learn to tune it out. These days, it's like mild tinnitus... a distant ringing in the ears. No big deal at all. You'll have to try harder than that, Angel.

— Hellblazer: The Horrorist

"Not enough gun."

— The Saint of Killers, after the US government tried to Nuke 'em, Preacher

Silver Surfer: I warn you, Thanos, if this be some trick to separate me from my board... you'll find that my power comes from within... and is a force to be reckoned with.
[Thanos teleports them away, leaving the board behind]
Silver Surfer: YOU WERE WARNED!
[He blasts Thanos... to no effect]
Thanos: Are you done?
Silver Surfer: Uh... yes.

— Silver Surfer: Rebirth Of Thanos

"Huh? Are those... supposed to hurt? They... They are! Look what they're doing to... But I don't even feel them!"

— Supergirl while being hit by a barrage of deadly laser beams, Many Happy Returns

Superman: I dislike doing this, Spectre — We're supposed to be on the same side — but you've left me no — Huh? You didn't even flinch!
The Spectre: Why should I — when I felt nothing? To me, your angriest blows are no more than the whisper of snowflakes!

— War World

Titania: Me! Titania! The woman who killed Thor! (Punches Thor)
The Mighty Thor: Mayhap, woman. (Hits Titania so hard she is knocked out of sight over the horizon) When icicles doth grace Surter's firey realm.

— Secret Wars (1984)

Mon-El: (firing heat vision) "I'm going to roast you!"
Darkseid: (shrugging it off) "You are quite amusing. Your boasting has achieved only the destruction of the trappings I wore— and truth to tell, it was time enow for their removal. Such decadence was unseemingly."

— The Great Darkness Saga

Superman: Won't anything defeat that super-alien? I'll hurl this giant meteor! (Pant!)
Brainiac: You're only wearing yourself out, "Punyman"! Even if you threw the Earth itself, it would only bounce off my Ultra-Force shield! Ha, ha!

— The Super-Duel in Space

"Was that supposed to hurt me, girl? Looks like Crucible's standards have dropped since I was there."

— Rendll, Crucible

Superwoman: "It's time for us to go."
Reactron: "Oh, no, Kryptonian. Me and my little Gold Kryptonite friend here—" (Shoot an energy blast) "We say it's time for you to fry."
Superwoman: (smiling) "Hn. Tickled."
Reactron: "H-How? Gold Kryptonite shuh— shuts off Kryptonian powers."
Superwoman: "Why, Reactron— Whoever said I was Kryptonian?"

— Who is Superwoman?

Judging from his show of strength, I'll have to hit him with enough force to flatten a locomotive— Huh? My punch backfired— sent me sprawling...

— Superman, The Great Phantom Peril

Syrene: The Stone and its powers are mine! And with it I shall kill the man who slew my father!
Satanis: Not with flame you won't!

— Two for the Death of One

Nothing harms it! Our weapons bounce harmlessly off its protective aura!

— Soldier, The Unknown Supergirl

Foolish mortal! Perhaps your lariat has some mystical powers over lesser beings— But it is nothing but a piece of string to the Adjudicator.

— The Adjudicator, Judgment In Infinity

Biker: Here it comes, S-Man! Let's see how much snappy patter you're poutin' after I give you both barrels!
[Superman easily tanks the biker's energy beam]
Superboy: You know, you shouldn't knock "snappy patter"! It's a handy way for someone like me to keep up a sunny disposition when I have to take time out of a busy day to deal with someone like you! Know what I mean?
Biker: I—I don't believe it — Not even a smudge! You just ain't human!

— A Mind-Switch in Time

Supergirl: You'll go no farther— Huh—?!
Shyla Kor-Onn: Surprised your blow has no effect on me?

— Strangers at the Heart's Core

Throwing rubble? You've got to be joking! I can take the full impact of a nuclear blast— I've dived to the depths of a sun going nova— I've battled creatures big enough to devour whole planets! And you try to smack me with a brick mudball! What a laugh!

— Superman, Superman vs. Shazam!

Amazing—! That blast would have fried me... But it only served to revive [her].

— Batgirl, The Attack of the Annihilator

Jax-Ur: Those jagged trees! They'll spear us!
Kru-El: Fools! What are you afraid of? Those giant darts can't harm us! We're super!
Jax-Ur: Of course! I forgot our invulnerable bodies will splinter those trees into matchwood, ha, ha!

— The Girl with the X-Ray Mind

But I can still whip up enough speed and force to deflect the pod...Didn't even budge it!?

— Superman, Must There Be a Superman?

Go ahead and hit me if it makes you happy, [...]— I can't feel it anyway! The trick is in the force-field, you know!

— Blackrock, The Strange Revenge of Lena Luthor

Supergirl: "You're stubborn, Amalak— I'll give that! But I'll— Arggh!"
Amalak: "My "energy nexus" is impenetrable— even by you!"

— The Plague of the Antibiotic Man

Superman: "You know I'm going to have to stop you, Brainiac!"
Brainiac: I know you're more than welcome to try— But I don't give much for your chances of succeeding!"
Superman: "Uunnff!!" (thinking) "His impenetrable force-field is as powerful as ever!"''

— Let My People Grow!

"You electronically moved aside those fake rocks, and made the buried big gun blast away at her! B-but the bursting shells aren't harming her!"

— Crook, The Death of Luthor

Brainiac 5: "Stay close, Violet."
Shrinking Violet: "B-but he's coming right at us, Brainiac?"
Brainiac 5: "That's his problem."
<Big Explosion>
Brainiac 5: "Force field belt, you're still my favorite invention!"

— "Those Emerald Eyes Are Shining"

The Eternian hero may only gape in awe at his foe's words. None have ever whistood so effortlessly his might and He-Man knows Zodax speaks true!

— "Fate Is The Killer"

Fan Works

'"We could hit those women with themonuclear missiles. So could you. But if their powers really are on a level with Superman's, we wouldn't be doing much more than throwing beer cans at them."''

— Kara of Rokyn

In blackness was where Pariah would have preferred to spend his time. He had one small satisfaction: that Desaad had tried to torture him with a complicated contraption that was supposed to work on him physically, on his nerve cells, and the thing had blown up in his face. Desaad, with blackened face, had said, "Yes. Well, now we'll have to try again, won't we?"
Pariah had actually smiled, and said, "I can come to no physical harm."

— Hellsister Trilogy

"I could fight without my arms and annihilate you all. I could refuse to move from this spot and cause the planet to tumble into the sun. I could give you a thousand years to try and destroy me and it would be in vain."

— The God of Darkness, while ignoring the efforts of three entire armies, White Sheep (RWBY)

Bulletman and Bulletgirl hurtled themselves towards the Black Rat, their old enemy, who wore his familiar rat costume. Both were empowered by the gravity helmets they wore, and the sera that coursed through their bodies. The Black Rat only had his clawlike finger extensions to rely on.
At least, that was what the heroes thought before they bounced off his body like rubber balls.

— Here There Be Monsters

Films — Live-Action

Loki: How will your friends have time for me... When they're too busy fighting you?
[touches his staff to Tony's chest, "clink" as it hits Tony's arc reactor]
[Loki tries again, another "clink"]
Loki: [confused] This usually works...
Tony: Well, performance issues, not uncommon. One out of five?
[Loki flings him out the window]

— The Avengers (2012)

"I just hit her with the biggest lightning blast in the history of lightning. It did nothing!"

— Thor after gaining a Super Mode to combat Hela, Thor: Ragnarok

"All that for a drop of blood..."

— Thanos, to Tony, before beating the absolute shit out of him, Avengers: Infinity War

"Theatricality and deception are powerful agents against the un-initiated, but we are initiated, aren't we, Bruce?"

— Bane, The Dark Knight Rises

"Oh, you think the darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it. Molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, and by then, it was nothing to me but BLINDING! (counters and pummels Batman) The shadows betray you, because they belong to me!"

— Bane, The Dark Knight Rises

Watto: Republic credits? Republic credits are no good out here, I need something more real.

Qui-Gon: I don't have anything else *waves hand* but credits will do fine.

Watto: No, they won't.

Qui-Gon: (Beat) *waves hand* Credits will do fine.

Watto: No. They. WON'T! What you think you're some kind of Jedi, waving your hands around like that? Mind tricks don't work on me! Only money! No money. No parts. No deal.

— Watto and Qui Gon, The Phantom Menace

Literature

"And Clyde starts to mutter as the rest of us start to run. He flings out an arm toward Friedrich. I recognize the cadence of the nonsense: the spell Clyde calls Elkman's Push. The one he used to damage the Uhrwerkmanner inside and knock down the wall so we could make our escape.
Friedrich doesn't even flinch. Clyde skids backwards, sneakers squeaking over the surface of the road, arms pinwheeling, trying to keep his balance. Friedrich's laugh is deep and hollow, booming out of his chest.
Shit and balls."

— Broken Hero, by Jonathan Wood

"Oh do shut up; you're boring me."

— Fabian Everyman, AKA The Mandate, shrugging off spells spoken in Black Speech, The Delirium Brief

"You can't do that," I snap. "I'm the Dream Bouncer! You're just an ugly shoe! So take that!"
And I transform the Creeper into an ugly shoe: specifically, a size-six loafer with tassels, used. I turn to catch Melodie's reaction, already thinking how gracious I'll be when I decline the bonus she's going to offer me - and the man-form of the Creeper is standing over her again.
"You're an amateur," the Creeper tells me. "Is that really the best you can do?"

— Sweet Dreams, by Tricia Sullivan

"He shook it off - a fighter telling you if that was your best you're not going to be around at the end."

— Terminal

"I permitted that, as a demonstration of futility."

— Gray Roger, Triplanetary

Tabletop Games

"The Chantry's defenders stand ready in the courtyard. David knows them all: three Euthanatoi who lived here before the college was built - ancient, powerful, frail. Five Hermetic masters - die-hards who followed Lord Gilmore from the battle of Mus. Archmages all, veterans of the Ascension War. With Senex, they are the nine most powerful entities on Charon - those who were happiest living here, even after Horizon fell and life became decay. The old Ethanatoi cannot leave; the Hermetics will not abandon another home to any enemy."
Voormas pushes through their wards like cobwebs, walks through walls of force like water, brushes off death like dust.

— Mage: The Ascension - Ascension

"The pyromancer summoned up her mightiest onslaught of fire and rage. Jace feigned interest."

— Counterspell, Magic: The Gathering

"There is nothing you can do that I cannot simply deny."

—Ertai, Wizard Adept, Dismiss, Magic: The Gathering

"Well, at least all that arm-waving and arcane babbling you did was impressive."

— Remand, Magic: The Gathering

Video Games

Try again.

— Ketheric Thorm to a goblin that just threw a halberd through him, Baldur's Gate III

Rosalind Lutece: You missed.

Robert Lutece: You'll find the going tough enough without squandering your friends.

Rosalind Lutece: Or your ammunition.
[gunshot]
Rosalind Lutece: Missed. [gunshot] Missed again. [gunshot] Four out of five? [gunshot] Another miss. [gunshot] And a miss. [gunshot]
Robert Lutece: We can afford to do this all day.

Rosalind Lutece: The question is, can you?

— The consequences of shooting the Luteces at any range, Bioshock Infinite

Hoaxe: ENOUGH! FIRE, TO ME!
[Hoaxe blasts the explorer teams with a pillar of fire]
Kabbu: Ngh...huh?
Hoaxe: ...What?
Vi: Hey, we're kinda alright!

— Bug Fables

"Nice try, Corvo."

— Daud (when you attempt to use Bend Time), Dishonored

"Save your ammunition."

— Samuel Hayden (as his shields block Doomguy's gunfire, should the player try shooting him), Doom (2016)

"Clad in prayer I am invincible!"

— Elidibus shrugs off a Limit Break, Final Fantasy XIV

Viridi: I suppose we have no choice. This is it, my single remaining jewel.
Pit: Is that a Reset Bomb?
Viridi: Time to let nature take its course.
[The Reset Bomb hits the Aurum Brain's ship, and a forest begins to grow from the impact site]
Pit: This is out of control!
Viridi: Who's awesome now, Pyrrhon?!
[the forest is set aflame and burns away]
Aurum Pyrrhon: Hahaha! Is that really all you've got?
Viridi: How could this happen?

— Kid Icarus: Uprising

Senator Armstrong: You can't hurt me, Jack.
(Raiden takes a swing at his face, not even knocking off his glasses)
Senator Armstrong: What did I just say?!

— Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

"But it refused."

— Undertale

"Your blade... it did not cut deep enough."

— Egil after getting stabbed in the shoulder by the Monado, Xenoblade Chronicles 1

"Ha! When a Berried enemy attacks a friend with Mint, they do no damage!"

— Mintberry Crunch, South Park: The Fractured but Whole

Web Animation

"My own gift to them... used against me."

— God of Darkness, RWBY

Webcomics

Cleric: Back, vile fiend! Turn Undead!
The High Priest of Hel: Turn? Ye couldnae turn a year older on yer birthday.

— The Order of the Stick

Web Original

Here was the difference between The Undertaker and every other performer on the roster: The Undertaker didn't sell. There was no visual indication that his opponent's moves were having any kind of real effect on him, and it made the character feel eerily indestructible, never more palpable than the moments of his eerie sit up, a move directly inspired by Michael Myers, in which The Undertaker would be on the receiving end of a devastating piece of offense, only to rise back to life. The sit up was a trademark of any Undertaker match, the moment his opponent's momentum was broken, and they'd remember they were in the ring with the Deadman.

— Super Eyepatch Wolf, "The Undertaker: Long Term Storytelling in Wrestling''

Web Videos

Vegeta: What? How could you possibly get up after a hit like that?!
Recoome: Silly Vegeta. The only thing Recoome sells... is merchandise!

— Dragon Ball Z Abridged

Vegeta: Dust this bitch!

(Krillin, Vegeta, and Gohan launch a massive barrage of energy beams at Freeza)

Krillin: Did we get him?

Gohan: Krillin, we can feel his energy, why do you bother asking?

Krillin: I'm an optimist.

Vegeta: You're an idiot.

Freeza: You're both wrong. You're dead.

—Dragon Ball Z Abridged

Prince... Has this ever worked?

—Perfect Cell, Dragon Ball Z Abridged

Broly: Come and get it! If you can't get back up, I'll destroy this entire planet!
(Kakyoin is charging up a melon shaped energy blast.)
Kakyoin: KAKYO~INNNN!
[Kakyoin fires emeralds at Broly. Unfortunately, they don't hurt him.]
Broly: You call that an attack?
[Polnareff has an "Oh, Crap!" reaction.]
Polnareff: He-he's a demon!
Broly: Try this on for size.
[Broly tosses a green energy blast at Kakyoin, which causes him to enter the dead Yamcha pose.]

—Vaguely Recalling JoJo

Ledger: I got an idea.
[Smash Cut to Ledger and Franko on the streets chased by Super Sanic]
Ledger: Alright, dude, I got out my force fists. Take... [Tries to force punch Super Sanic] ...that!
[Nothing happens, Super Sanic is completely unscathed]
Ledger: Oh god, that didn't work, that didn't work! Go, go, go! Go!

— Mr. Gibbs, "Cartoons Gone Horribly Wrong"

Western Animation

"Is that the best you can do? Because I didn't feel a thing!"

— Aggregor (after receiving a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown from Ben), Ben 10: Ultimate Alien

"Please. This isn't a bar fight. Have some class."

— Alucard after receiving a Groin Attack from Trevor, Castlevania (2017)

"I've felt worse."

— Lapis Lazuli, after shrugging off an Emotion Bomb, Steven Universe

"It isn't even dented! Oh shit, what are we gonna do now!?"

— Spike Witwicky, after failing to destroy Unicron, The Transformers: The Movie

"Your powers are useless on me, you silly billy."

— Dr. Henry Killinger, The Venture Bros.

"When I press this delete button right here, whatever I'm thinking of, which will be displayed on this screen, will be deleted from every computer and — and every mind in the entire Tri-State Area. And, uh, not to find a point on it, but people who haven't seen, or — or don't remember my video will be completely unaffected. So, you know, I'm not doing any real harm. You understand, right? Good."

— Dr. Doofenshmirtz describing the Delete-From-My-Mind-inator, Phineas and Ferb, "Tip of the Day"

"Please."

— Omni-Man after shrugging off a punch to the face, Invincible

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