History AwesomeButImpractical / AnimeAndManga

** And now, we have Soifon's bankai, which is a literal ''[[FantasticNuke nuke]]'' that's all but a guaranteed OneHitKill against most foes and creates an explosion large enough to hit multiple targets. It's also big, clunky, requires her to stand still and properly aim it (which goes against her preferred on-the-move fighting style), requires three days for full recovery from ''one'' use (she can get off more than one in that time period, but it's incredibly draining), and above all ''loud'' and ''flashy'', not exactly the best tool for a (covert) assassin. She much prefers her Shikai, which is far more subtle and combined with her own natural SuperSpeed can achieve a similar OneHitKill with far less hassle.

*** Made perhaps the king of this trope for Bleach in that with the reveal that Bankai very rarely naturally repair themselves, having a Bankai with the side effect of "becomes easy to break" essentialy means he has the self sacrificing price of the above abilities... but a power boost that only puts him on even footing with other captains.

** Yamamoto's shikai alone, given that even his Battle Aura has a paralysing effect on anyone lacking the spiritual power to withstand it. There are three people who have been known to fight him when using his zanpakuto. Two are his students, the other is Aizen, who technically didn't bother, being Crazy Prepared enough to bring along a power nullifier.

** The iconic scouters are small digital computers that can locate things from far away and calculate power levels, but they are easilky broken, can be flat-out blown up by a strong enough aura, and can't take an opponent's skills, speed, or experience into consideration.

* Franchise/{{Gundam}}:

* One Heaven's Arena fighter in ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' had the ability to use nen to create an entire duplicate of himself. The ability seems impressive at first, with the fighter being able to go toe to toe with Hisoka and even rip off his arms. However, it's quickly revealed that the fighter's innate nen style is the complete opposite of his ability, and the duplicate ability is so complicated that he can't learn any other nen abilities as a result, leaving him as a one-trick pony that's easily thwarted once the ability's weakness is found.

** Part 3 is rather infamous for this. Joseph's Hermit Purple, can take "spirit photographs" using cameras, or can pull a more advanced version with a television; unfortunately, in both cases it destroys the device being used, and in 1989 that kind of tech isn't cheap. Made worse by the fact that [[spoiler:DIO's "[[FanNickname Hermit Purple 2]]"]] can pull exactly the same trick but doesn't destroy the camera. Joseph gets more practical use using it as a whip than actually using its special power.

** Parts 1 and 2 have Hamon/Ripple abilities. Hamon users can control energy using special breathing techniques, allowing the user to [[GoodThingYouCanHeal rapidly heal wounds,]] [[ArmorPiercingAttack send impacts through solid objects,]] and, most notably, kill Vampires by simulating sunlight. This all sounds amazing, but once one gets past the grueling training (which is supposed to take ''years'') they find out that Hamon techniques require uninterrupted breathing, full range of movement, and proper blood flow in order to use. So if the user is underwater, is having their blood sucked, is frightened, has frostbite, has their limbs tied, is being choked, is in a cramped space, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking or is just tired,]] then Hamon is unusable. These all sound like extraneous circumstances, but the Hero is fighting Vampires, the leader of which can [[AnIcePerson freeze anything he touches.]] All of these weaknesses are highlighted in every Hamon fight in part 1.

* Marcille's way of harvesting mandrakes in ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon''. [[spoiler: However, mandrakes harvested her way turn out to be better tasting.]]

* In ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'', there's the Tachibana Twins' signature technique: ''Skylab Hurricane''. One guy kicks the other guy to jump way above enemy defenders. Awesome, yes, but it puts a huge strain in both of the twins' legs, so they can't do it more than a couple times per match, not to mention the risk to injure themselves. Furthermore, as the Tachibanas grow older, and therefore heavier, the strain increases, to the point they become unable to pull this technique more than ''once'' per match by the time the ''Olympics'' arc rolls around.

*** Yuga Aoyama's Navel Laser Quirk. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin It lets him shoot a laser out of his navel]] which is very powerful and flashy, but overusing it can hurt Aoyama and due to a birth defect, the laser energy can uncontrollable "leak" out, requiring him to wear a special belt at all time. Plus, it sometimes causes him to embarrassingly lose control over his bowels.

*** Mt. Lady's gigantification Quirk. She grows to the size of a large building and can do a lot of damage. In an open setting, this quirk would be both awesome ''and'' practical. But being the AttentionWhore that she is, she uses it in a city, where it causes large amounts of damage. This makes her something of a DestructiveSavior whose collateral damage tends to burn out her hero insurance.

*** When first achieved the state drains stamina and increases aggression and cruelty, as best evidenced by Vegeta in the Android Saga rarely using the genius that previously allowed him to play Frieza like a fool for almost the entire Namek Saga. Mastering the form greatly dimishes the stamina loss (with the side effect of making the form stronger than Ascended Super Saiyan above) and deals with the character alterations, but it takes a while of constantly keeping the form active, and [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength moving normally during the training is quite hard]].
*** According to the Elder Kai, Super Saiyan itself is by nature impractical as, even mastered, still drains stamina more than normal combat. He demonstrates what he means by giving Gohan a new form ([[FanNickname known as "Ultimate Gohan"]]) that makes him much stronger than even Super Saiyan 3 (indeed, in ''Super'' Gohan could match Goku in ''Super Saiyan Blue'' form in a spar) while being less draining than normal Super Saiyan.

** Speaking of ''Resurrection F'', Frieza's new Golden form also qualifies. While it gives him speed and power surpassing the improved Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan/ Super Saiyan Blue ''while holding back to torture Goku as slowly as possible'', he practically bleeds stamina, meaning that he can only maintain it for a couple of minutes at full strength before it starts weakening, after which it quickly peters out and leaves him completely gassed out afterwards. This is entirely Frieza's fault; as Vegeta surmises, once he achieved the form he immediately rushed to Earth to take his revenge, rather than undergoing any further training in order to address the flaw. Dragon Ball Super makes it less impractical as Frieza can control his power in the form, allowing him to last a while longer than in the film while holding back (although he still kicks Goku's ass, and he is still burning Ki at an accelerated rate), but conversely he burns out after only a minute of using his full power. [[spoiler:In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper''[='s=] Universal Survival arc, we find out that Frieza spent his time back in hell ''fixing'' that problem, making him ''so much stronger''.]]

** Gogeta, the fusion of Goku and Vegeta, can also verge into this at times, depending on what level of power they're using. At base Super Saiyan, they tend to take things rather seriously. The higher the tier of SuperMode they use, the more of a SmugSuper they become. In the non-canon ''Anime/DragonBallGT'', Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta ends up taking his battles ''even less seriously than Gotenks''. Sure, they're insanely powerful but the Fusion strain also applies to them, meaning that the Fusion can only last for ''five minutes'' while using Super Saiyan 4. [[spoiler: Vegito also falls into this in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' since the Potara earrings have been {{Retcon}}ed into being an HourOfPower deal for mortals like the FusionDance. Even though Super Saiyan Blue Vegito is ''even stronger'' than Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta and takes his battles mildly more seriously when the threat level is high, the Potara earrings also end up having the same drain problems the fusion dance has. This is very much a {{Downplayed}} example though; even with all this limits, Vegito still manages to cause a good deal of damage against the villain of that arc thanks to being ''[[StoryBreakerPower just that dang powerful!]]'']]
** The original FusionDance itself: it grants an awesome lot of power, but has a 30 minutes time limit ''at most'' before ending, needs a 1 hour pause between uses, needs a dance that an enemy can interrupt (as Super Buu demonstrated out of sheer impatience), and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking is embarrassingly ridiculous]]. Also, if the dance is not executed perfectly the resulting fusion can end too fat and out of shape to fight or incredibly ghoulish and weak.

** ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' gives us the Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-ken, the fusion of Super Saiyan Blue and the Kaio-ken. It's a technique powerful enough to battle the deadly assassin Hit, who is the strongest warrior in Universe 6, and [[OhCrap gives Beerus major pause]]. However, the technique is totally incomplete - the skill only lasts a few minutes (on-screen, it's shown to be only two minutes), has a 90% failure rate and, if performed wrong, [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique could kill Goku]]. No to mention, it has an extended charging time. This is why he considers it [[GodzillaThreshold his ultimate trump card]].]] A few episodes after its introduction, we find out that using it in this way causes "delayed onset ki disorder", which [[PowerIncontinence throws off his whole ki potential]] without proper rest. However, by the Universe Survival arc, Goku perfected the Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-ken and eliminated its drawbacks. But by that point, Super Saiyan Blue was beginning to get [[TheWorfEffect worfed]], resulting in...

*** This goes UpToEleven with the Ultra Super Saiyan, an "advanced" Super Saiyan form created during the Cell Saga, that increase the bulk, and thus the available power and the energy and stamina consumption, even more than normal Power Weighed forms to the point of surpassing the power of Super Saiyan 2, with the bulk being so much it actually ''reduces speed'' which makes it useless since all the power in the world does you no good if you can't hit your opponent. Goku and Vegeta figured that these forms were useless on their own[[note]]Vegeta stuck to Ascended Super Saiyan, a more usual Power Weighed Form, while Goku, after achieving both Ascended and Ultra forms during training,opts to master the initial transformation and try and surpass Super Saiyan entirely, resulting in Full Power Super Saiyan (a normal Super Saiyan form where the perfect control allows to use more power than Ascended gave him previously) and Super Saiyan 2 respectively. Vegeta would decide to imitate him the moment he realized what Goku did[[/note]], but the less savvy Trunks found out the hard way when fighting Cell. Way later on in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', Caulifla tries to use Ultra Super Saiyan on Goku, with just as poor results.

* In ''Manga/{{Area 88}}'', Mickey quickly discovers that his F-14 Tomcat, while formidable in combat, is a ridiculously expensive gas hog. In the OVA, he's shocked when [=McCoy=] hands him an [[ShockinglyExpensiveBill exorbitant maintenance bill]] for his F-14. In the TV anime, when Area 88 is running dangerously low on fuel, Saki and Roundel exclude him from a high-stakes mission because his F-14 uses too much fuel.

** Another King Kai technique, the Kaioken, multiplies the user's power several times for a short period, but places a severe strain on the body afterwards (to the point where Yajirobe giving Goku a congratulatory slap on the back afterwards caused him intense pain). It's not surprising that he stopped using it after the battle with Frieza, at which point he had the more reliable Super Saiyan form. Interestingly, Kaioken ''is'' useful and not that bad... at lower levels. King Kai specifically tells Goku not to go above Kaioken x2. However, his battle against Vegeta forced him to crank it higher and his subsequent fight with Frieza even further, thus the severe strain.
*** Speaking of the impractical, we have the Super Kaio-Ken, the combination of Super Saiyan and Kaio-Ken. Which was seen only once during Goku's filler arc battle against Pikkon (though it is mentioned again in Dragon Ball Super). This technique sounds very awesome, but it is so dangerously impractical that it results in ''instant death'', and Goku [[ItOnlyWorksOnce can't even use it again]], even while dead.

** ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' gives us the Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken, the fusion of Super Saiyan Blue and the Kaioken. It's a technique powerful enough to battle the deadly assassin Hit, who is the strongest warrior in Universe 6, and [[OhCrap gives Beerus major pause]]. However, the technique is totally incomplete - the skill only lasts a few minutes (on-screen, it's shown to be only two minutes), has a 90% failure rate and, if performed wrong, [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique could kill Goku]]. No to mention, it has an extended charging time. This is why he considers it [[GodzillaThreshold his ultimate trump card]].]] A few episodes after its introduction, we find out that using it in this way causes "delayed onset ki disorder", which [[PowerIncontinence throws off his whole ki potential]] without proper rest. However, by the Universe Survival arc, Goku perfected the Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-Ken and eliminated its drawbacks. But by that point, Super Saiyan Blue was beginning to get [[TheWorfEffect worfed]], resulting in...
** Goku's new Ultra Instinct form achieved in the Tournament of Power. It is substantially stronger than Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-Ken and has near immeasurable power beyond the Gods. However, it has some crippling limitations. For starters, Goku can't even reliably access the form freely (he even comments that he achieved it by total accident) as it is a DefenseMechanismSuperpower that requires the removal of all mental and physical control and [[EleventhHourSuperpower only appears in times of desperation]]. He also [[PowerIncontinence cannot control Ultra Instinct]] once he achieves it, as it will involuntarily burn out on him and the resulting burnout leaves him in tremendous pain. While Ultra Instinct is substantially more powerful than Super Saiyan Blue, Blue remains Goku's most reliable go-to transformation.

** Kakashi's Chidori was this when he first developed it. The extra speed and power the technique grants its user also cause tunnel vision, making it impossible to avoid counterattacks. His teacher Minato (the future Fourth Hokage) warned him not to use it again since it was an incomplete technique. A Sharingan can remove the tunnel vision, making the Chidori more practical in the hands of a Sharingan-user (if it could actually kill someone).
** Early in the series we got Water Dragon Jutsu which shapes a large amount of water into a dragon which then attacks the opponent. However it takes forty-four hand seals in order to perform it. It's purpose was more to demonstrate the ability of Kakashi's sharingan to track and copy movements of his oponent. Notably, later on other uses of it have a slightly less ludicrous use of hand seals to perform it.

** Really, this can be a major problem in ''My Hero Academia's'' overall society. People tend to have a bias in favor of flashy quirks with major drawbacks. This ends up happening at the expense of characters who have [[BoringButPractical mundane quirks that have a very good amount of utility]]. This results in the Hero courses losing some promising individuals because their quirks aren't "combat oriented", or the less flashy but practical quirks not getting the attention and credit they should. Examples of flashy, but problematic abilities include:
*** Denki Kaminari's electrification quirk. While very powerful, up until he got his aiming gear from Mei Hatsume, he was incapable of aiming his electric blasts, resulting in it firing in all directions. When paired up with teammates that he needs to avoid hurting, this is a bad thing. During the attack on the USJ where he was completely useless until Momo created an insulation sheet that would protect them from the electric shocks. To make matters worse, if he uses too much voltage, he short circuits his brain, rendering him completely defensless.
*** Mt. Lady's gigantification quirk. She grows to the size of a large building and can do a lot of damage. In an open setting, this quirk would be both awesome ''and'' practical. But being the AttentionWhore that she is, she uses it in a city, where it causes large amounts of damage. This makes her something of a DestructiveSavior whose collateral damage tends to burn out her hero insurance.

** The Final Getsuga Tenshou, which Ichigo used to curb stomp [[spoiler: Aizen]]. Funny thing is, he didn't even NEED to fully release it, [[spoiler: Aizen]] had been turned into a pin ball even after going OneWingedAngel. But what makes it really impractical? Ichigo loses his Shinigami powers.

* Franchise/Gundam:

* The [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ Double Zeta Gundam]], a massive (even by Franchise/{{Gundam}} standards) CombiningMecha with many [=BFGs=], the most powerful one built into its head. The catch? It can only fire them about two or three times before the suit's capacitors are completely drained of energy.

*** Zeon also had a problem with everything involving Mobile Suit combat. Instead of focusing on suits that worked effectively and improve on them, they wasted time on specialty suits such as the Gyan and built monstrosities such as the Big Zam. As well, they delved into the idea of turning Newtypes into weapons by developing Newtype Mobile Armors such as the Brow Bow and the Elmeth, both of which got trashed (the latter tragically) by the Gundam.

*** This goes UpToEleven with the Ultra Super Saiyan, an "advanced" Super Saiyan form created during the Cell Saga, that increase the bulk, and thus the available power and the energy and stamina consumption, even more than normal Power Weighed forms to the point of surpassing the power of Super Saiyan 2, with the bulk being so much it actually ''reduces speed'' which makes it useless since all the power in the world does you no good if you can't hit your opponent. Goku and Vegeta figured that these forms were useless on their own[[note]]Goku instead opts to master the initial transformation and try and surpass Super Saiyan entirely, resulting in Full Power Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 2 respectively, while Vegeta stuck to Ascended Super Saiyan, a more usual Power Weighed Form[[/note]], but the less savvy Trunks found out the hard way when fighting Cell. Way later on in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', Caulifla tries to use Ultra Super Saiyan on Goku, with just as poor results.

** There are also many special cases where the only weakness a stand has is it's own user. Part 3 has Iggy's The Fool, a stand made of sand/dirt that can shapeshift at will and is virtually immune to any kind of damage, and Pet Shop's Horus who can manipulate ice at will. The only problem with them is, well, Iggy is just a tiny dog and Pet Shop is just a bird who died after a single bite.

** Part 3 is rather infamous for this. Joseph's Hermit Purple, can take "spirit photographs" using cameras, or can pull a more advanced version with a television; unfortunately, in both cases it destroys the device being used, and in 1989 that kind of tech isn't cheap. Made worse by the fact that [[spoiler:DIO's "[[FanNickname Hermit Purple 2]]"]] can pull exactly the same trick but doesn't destroy the camera.

** Another prime example are the Power Weighed forms, that greatly bulk up the user and increase power and speed but drain stamina, as first shown by Roshi during the 21st Tenkaichi using his MAX Power form and a Kamehameha to ''destroy the Moon'' but completely exhausting his strength in the process, and then, much more dramatically, by Frieza on Namek using a similar power-up to match Super Saiyan Goku but quickly weakening into helplessness.

** Another King Kai technique, the Kaioken, multiplies the user's power several times for a short period, but places a severe strain on the body afterwards (to the point where Yajirobe giving Goku a congratulatory slap on the back afterwards caused him intense pain). It's not surprising that he stopped using it after the battle with Frieza, at which point he had the more reliable Super Saiyan form.

*** As of ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', Akira Toriyama has [[WordOfGod declared]] that both Super Saiyan 2 and 3 fall under this trope, draining stamina at an increased rate while not offering enough of a power increase to justify it, plus Super Saiyan 2 causing an extreme increase of aggression and sadism. As a result, Goku and Vegeta have mostly abandoned these forms, using them only on rare occasions and instead focusing on increasing their power in their normal states and the original Super Saiyan transformation. When stakes get high, Goku and Vegeta use Super Saiyan Blue instead, which is far more powerful than Super Saiyan 2 and 3, but with none of the drawbacks. Goku also has the added bonus of ''combining'' the Kaio-ken technique with Super Saiyan Blue, which was virtually impossible with his other Super Saiyan forms.

* In ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'', Princess Veronica asks Guila to train her in sword fighting, so they spar with wooden swords. When Veronica attempts an overhead swing, Guila nails her in the gut mid-swing. Guila says that overhead swings may look cool, but they should only be used if you have SuperSpeed as they leave you wide open.

* Jet Alone from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. A nuclear-powered giant robot that doesn't need a pilot...whose main reactor is governed by an easily-hacked central computer. In short, an A-bomb on stilts, and NERV takes immense pleasure in showing the world ''exactly'' how unreliable and dangerous it is. By ''causing'' it to go on a rampage. Also the designers hadn't figured out how to actually replicate an AT Field, meaning that it would be absolutely useless compared to the Evas.