History BadassNormal / FanWorks

* In ''Fanfic/AvengerKnight'', as per usual Batman has no super powers, but through his intelligence, equipment and fighting ability he is more then capable of pulling his weight with the original six Avengers, in addition to fighting and defeating enhanced individuals like Killer Croc and Poison Ivy.

* In ''Series/Supergirl2015''/''Series/TheFlash2014'' crossover ''Fanfic/CallMeKara'', the two main characters are ''[[Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} a Kryptonian woman]]'' and ''[[Franchise/TheFlash a faster-than-light man]]'' supported by too-many-to-count highly-trained martial artists and fighters: The Arrow, the Black Canary, Batman, Red Arrow, Alex Danvers (later Valkyrie), Nyssa Al'Ghul, Katana...
* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'':
** Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, and Carol Danvers prior to [[spoiler: her super soldier heritage being activated and her temporarily becoming the new Green Lantern),]] every single one of whom can kick all of the ass without explicit superpowers. Bruce Wayne (who needs no explanation) also appears a couple of times, though he is still a teenager and not (yet) Batman.
** Uhtred is this by Asgardian standards, to the point where [[WarGod Sif]] picked him out to be her protégé (though it should be noted that as an Asgardian, even without any special powers, he's still a OneManArmy by Earth standards, and so zigzags this trope).

* ''Fanfic/PokeWars'':
** Samurai, a Pokémon trainer who lost his Pokémon early on in the war. Yet, he is more than capable of holding his own in a fight against them with only his [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]].
** Lt. Surge counts. He was able to hold off a group of Electivire and Scizor with only a combat knife.
** Don't forget Tracy. He held off pokemon from Oak's ranch with nothing but a lead pipe and sleep deprivation.

* ''Fanfic/APossibleEncounterForAPhantom'': Kim Possible has no powers and doesn't rely on the anti-ghost technology that Danny Phantom uses, but she's skilled enough that she can fight on par with a few ghosts. [[AmazonChaser Danny is pretty interested in her thanks to that]].

* Despite his insistence on being a normal guy, Xander Harris kills a dozen [[Film/TheAvengers2012 Chitauri]] in ''[[https://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-31969/Nycorson+Vacation+means+Chaos.htm Vacation means Chaos]]'' all while grumbling how much easier things would be if he had his axe.

* Brad, the main character of ''Fanfic/{{FREAKINGENSOKYO}}'' starts out this way, taking on a handful of fairy maids (who have as much strength as humans, based on Ha-chan) with nothing but a [[ImprovisedWeapon cast iron plant-hanger]] and a flail made of women's underwear.

** In the spin off ''Millenium'', during one encounter, the DAPC's captain have a threat index of 5 while the Sailor Senshi got a 4 .Snake? A solid '''10'''.

* Alex from ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' fanfic, ''Fanfic/AlexMovieVillain''. She's a nerdy human girl who acts as Marceline's opponent in the election for the position of Vampire Queen. Despite that, she can take on the Vampire Queen herself with her laser pistol and lightsaber, as well as her blocking skills.

* The world of ''Fanfic/AnonymoosesMonsterGirlSaga'' contains PhysicalGods and superhuman monster girls, but human beings without any magic can still be a credible threat. Good examples are Nerick (a terrifying juggernaut who takes Laven's attacks - including having a statue dropped on him - and keeps fighting, [[spoiler:only being defeated by Vee]]) and Malco (who holds his own against [[spoiler:the enhanced Aaron]], the latter being capable of effortlessly slicing through armored soldiers).
* In ''Fanfic/AvengerKnight'', as per usual Batman has no super powers, but through his intelligence, equipment and fighting ability he is more then capable of pulling his weight with the original six Avengers, in addition to fighting and defeating enhanced individuals like Killer Croc and Poison Ivy.
* Eric from ''Fanfic/BlizzardStorm'' definitely fits this trope, as he is able to go up against Angels and Demons and win.
* In the MassivelyMultiplayerCrossover fic ''Fanfic/BloodAndRevolution'', Saitou (from ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'') is interacting with, fighting with, hunting, and working to control or integrate youkai, vampires, incubi, and kami, all while refusing to get any supernatural upgrades himself.
* In ''Fanfic/ABridgeOnceBroken'', [[ComicBook/BlackWidow Natasha]]. SuperWeight of 1 in a story that has [[PhysicalGod Norse gods, fantasy gods]], [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk the Hulk]], (several) [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Asian-type]] dragons, [[WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}} elia]][[ThinkingUpPortals tropes]], [[SealedEvilInACan shushu]], [[MechanicalLifeforms freakin' enormous robots]] and a [[Film/IronMan genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist]]. Thinking on her feet and some ''serious'' audacity (as well as careful picking her fights) gets her far. Clint Burton, on the other way, does more brooding than actual work.
* In ''Series/Supergirl2015''/''Series/TheFlash2014'' crossover ''Fanfic/CallMeKara'', the two main characters are ''[[Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} a Kryptonian woman]]'' and ''[[Franchise/TheFlash a faster-than-light man]]'' supported by too-many-to-count highly-trained martial artists and fighters: The Arrow, the Black Canary, Batman, Red Arrow, Alex Danvers (later Valkyrie), Nyssa Al'Ghul, Katana...
* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'':
** Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, and Carol Danvers prior to [[spoiler: her super soldier heritage being activated and her temporarily becoming the new Green Lantern),]] every single one of whom can kick all of the ass without explicit superpowers. Bruce Wayne (who needs no explanation) also appears a couple of times, though he is still a teenager and not (yet) Batman.
** Uhtred is this by Asgardian standards, to the point where [[WarGod Sif]] picked him out to be her protégé (though it should be noted that as an Asgardian, even without any special powers, he's still a OneManArmy by Earth standards, and so zigzags this trope).
* This gets deconstructed in ''Fanfic/CindersAndAshesTheChroniclesOfKamenRiderDante'' with Shindou Hanamori. With his set up being the replacement for Hoshi, a skilled boxer, and capable of taking on {{mooks}} on his own, he seemed deadset to be an {{expy}} of [[Series/KamenRider Kazuya Taki]] but with enough realism in place to set him apart. However, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome he's still a squishy human being set against powerful monsters]]. His first fight ([[EmpoweredBadassNormal with the Volcano Belt]]) showed how mentally unprepared a normal person actually would be when fighting and killing monsters, his second fight, while slightly better, barely has him make a dent in anything and got wounded in the process. His third fight was much better but fared no results, [[spoiler:and he ended up getting killed by a Kaizo-Majin for his troubles]]. The only character he managed to beat was Yudai via a surprise clock to the head.
* ''Fanfic/CodePrime'': [[NinjaMaid Sayoko]] is able to stand her ground against the Decepticons without a Knightmare of her own. To note, she's able to decapitate Frenzy by herself, and later aids Bumblebee and Arcee in killing Springload.
* Gwenith Cousland and Theron Mahariel in the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' fanfiction ''Fanfic/DragonAgeTheCrownOfThorns'' qualify, although the latter's very sharp hearing could be seen as a CharlesAtlasSuperpower in its own right. Of course, seeing as how everyone else, especially Kallian Tabris, either came with or gained some power or another over the course of the story, it is unclear if this status will last for the human noble and Dalish. Leliana and Zevran still fit perfectly though.

* A lot of people in ''Series/Supergirl2015''''Fanfic/FutureShock'', but the standout goes to Susan Vasquez. When TheMole, upon hearing that a trained military officer says she can be handled, tells him to go ahead and try, he's wearing PowerArmour and still doesn't think he can handle her. He's right, as it turns out.
* [=BlackDragon6=]'s ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' story ''Guardian'' features a character named Ken "Snake" Yakata, a Jewish gun nut who is routinely billed as the most deadly fighter in the Department of Abnormal Phenomenae Containment with the sole exception of Ranma. This is in spite of the fact his other officers are: a powerful psychic psycho capable of cutting the heads off powerful vampires, a superhuman capable of going toe to toe with cyborgs and the worst boss enemies in the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' series, and a bloody [[VideoGame/StarCraft Zergling]]. All Snake has is a shotgun. And lots and lots of firepower. (The man somehow have a working ICBM silo in his house)
** To further emphasize the extent of this, it should be mentioned that Snake terrifies every single one of his fellow officers, save Ranma. To an extent, anyway. They know he can't shoot them and thus they feel somewhat secure around him, but around his evil clones they are terrified.
** In the spin off ''Millenium'', during one encounter, the DAPC's captain have a threat index of 5 while the Sailor Senshi got a 4 .Snake? A solid '''10'''.

* Many in the ''Fanfic/HorseshoesAndHandGrenades'' stories. Aside from [[Series/KamenRiderV3 Riderman]], one of the prominent ones is Jun Shigeno, whose response to a Voodoo King Serpent is to ''punch him in the face'' and then slap it with the [[GrievousHarmWithABody arm of a wooden mannequin]] (ItMakesSenseInContext, honest) while giving him ArmorPiercingQuestion after ArmorPiercingQuestion regarding how he and humanity weren't so different.
* In ''Fanfic/IncarnationOfLegends'', Kojiro lacks a falna, and so only his skills to fall back on when battling the superhuman adventurers. Despite this, he's able to keep up with and even kill low-level adventurers with ease even before reobtaining his Monohoshizao. Bell ''tries'' to be this, but without the godlike skill of his mentor, he has to act carefully to make a difference in a fight with adventurers.
* [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Ezri Dax]] has fought ''alongside'' Franchise/{{Pokemon}} a few times in ''Fanfic/IntelligenceFactor'', even though she's a HumanAlien with no combat superpowers.
* Hermione's parents, of all people in ''Fanfic/KnowledgeIsPower''. They may be Muggles, but they're deadly with firearms.
* General Ty Jun from ''Fanfic/KyoshiRising''; the man who invented [[AntiMagic Chi Blocking]]. He is the only Non-Bender who has ever faced Avatar Kuruk in a fight and won, and routinely trounces Kyoshi in their sparring matches.
* ''Fanfic/LastChildOfKrypton'': Kaji, [[spoiler:AKA ''Franchise/{{Batman}}''.]] In a world where teenagers pilot giant robots and have super-strength, super-speed, invulnerability or can create energy constructs using their willpower, he is a completely normal human who is skillful enough to beat super-powered adversaries.
* Balian of Ibelin in ''The Chance Encounter'' series. While he has been rendered immortal, this only seems to prevent him falling ill or indeed ageing. He also fights alongside Achilles, Legolas and Will Turner (during his "undead captain of the ''Flying Dutchman''" period) and holds his own easily. When he is briefly turned evil by dark magic, he even forces LEGOLAS into retreat. He also takes on many of King Richard I's soldiers at once and wins, with the King's spymaster not sure if the King (who was a noted warrior himself) would survive a head to head confrontation. Oh yes, and he wades through HELL ITSELF to save his dead-by-suicide wife, taking on Satan and...mostly getting the crap beaten out of him actually, but he stood up to the ultimate evil and survived!
* AuthorAvatar Art of the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' self-insert ''Fanfic/MassVexations'' eventually becomes a good Soldier-class unit within Shepard's squad. He never got any of the genetic implants that most soldier-class units get in the ''Mass Effect'' universe. He also TookALevelInBadass considering he had never fired a gun in his life before entering the ''Mass Effect'' universe.
* The protagonist of ''Fanfic/MiddleOfNowhere'' arrives in Fereldan as a middle-aged and dinged up Army sergeant. He relies on his wits and only just survives his first encounter with some live darkspawn, but levels up over the course of the story. Still, he does lament not being "an all-powerful mage."
* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'': Any named, non-mage character amongst Kyril's MenOfSherwood count. Examples include Bergen, a regular DrillSergeantNasty; Indriga, a normal ArmyScout; and Roland, a guy with an axe. These people have no magic, no AlienBlood, no [[MixAndMatchWeapon absurdly cool weapons]], and no "enhancements" of any sort like the five superhuman hunters, yet they all contribute to the war effort by being part of a company that emphasises good tactics and high morale.
* ''Fanfic/PokeWars'':
** Samurai, a Pokémon trainer who lost his Pokémon early on in the war. Yet, he is more than capable of holding his own in a fight against them with only his [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]].
** Lt. Surge counts. He was able to hold off a group of Electivire and Scizor with only a combat knife.
** Don't forget Tracy. He held off pokemon from Oak's ranch with nothing but a lead pipe and sleep deprivation.

* ''Fanfic/PartingTheClouds'': In a world of mind-controlling slugs, auto-healing shapeshifters and ultra-strong alien robots with perfect hologram capabilities, the Star Defenders survive by... being kinda good at gymnastics.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7247199/1/The-Paths-Diverge The Paths Diverge]]'' Natasja combines this with ChefOfIron by attacking Dumbledore with a cast iron skillet and a marble rolling pin when he tries to take Harry from her, knocking out Bellatrix Lestrange with a baking sheet and throwing a barbecue fork at ''[[BigBad Voldemort]]''.

* ''AudioPlay/TalesOfAJunkTownPonyPeddler'' has Prodigious Peddler, an earth pony in an AfterTheEnd [[Fanfic/FalloutEquestria pony-land]]. He survives by [[CombatPragmatist cold pragmatism]] and Creator/ClintEastwood levels of badassery. Like TalkingYourWayOut from being shot by slavers.

* Jason Shepard of ''Sailor Moon: Legends of Lightstorm'' has become this due to an unknown event that made him lose his status as Lightstorm. Although his body retains some of its properties, such as agelessness, his powers are gone. Technically, his loss of transformations has given him the ability to unleash a small burst of stinging energy, but this is a result of his transformations malfunctioning, rather than an actual power. For all intents and purposes, his body is human but that hasn't stopped him from being one of the deadliest men alive. He has been seen to fend off multiple Negaverse drones with his staff, grapple gauntlets, and explosive shuriken. His pain tolerance is legendary, and he has consistently been seen to stand up to even the toughest of Negaverse enemies, including a two-bodied Zoisite. In fact, his skill is so great that considers slaughtering entire squadrons of humans armed with rifles to be "training".

* In the ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' fic, ''They Just Don't Care Anymore'', the character Alien spends a lot of time being criticized as a minor character who won't get to do anything important and will inevitably be the first to die when a horde of undead attacks... until a horde of undead actually attacks. In a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome, she announces that she's sick of being called a minor character, whips out a pair of kukris and single handedly takes down everything in her path, after which she proceeds to throw a guy into a quarry because he annoyed her.
* Tuxedo Kamen of ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' fame manages to pull this off in [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6095074/11/Takamachi_Nanoha_of_2814 this chapter]] of ''Fanfic/TakamachiNanohaOf2814'' (keeping in mind that this is the rose only version of the character) when he goes toe to toe with [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha Signum]] using a sword-cane. To put this in context, Signum and the other Wolfenkritter had previously managed to stand up to the combined forces of every other character, including some big names like the Sailor Senshi, [[Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi Negi Springfield and co.]], [[Manga/CardcaptorSakura Sakura Kinimoto and Syaoran Lee]], [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha Nanoha, Fate, Yuuno and the combined might of the TSAB]] and Superman. Yeah.
* In ''Fanfic/IncarnationOfLegends'', Kojiro lacks a falna, and so only his skills to fall back on when battling the superhuman adventurers. Despite this, he's able to keep up with and even kill low-level adventurers with ease even before reobtaining his Monohoshizao. Bell ''tries'' to be this, but without the godlike skill of his mentor, he has to act carefully to make a difference in a fight with adventurers.
* [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Ezri Dax]] has fought ''alongside'' Franchise/{{Pokemon}} a few times in ''Fanfic/IntelligenceFactor'', even though she's a HumanAlien with no combat superpowers.

* Gwenith Cousland and Theron Mahariel in the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' fanfiction ''Fanfic/DragonAgeTheCrownOfThorns'' qualify, although the latter's very sharp hearing could be seen as a CharlesAtlasSuperpower in its own right. Of course, seeing as how everyone else, especially Kallian Tabris, either came with or gained some power or another over the course of the story, it is unclear if this status will last for the human noble and Dalish. Leliana and Zevran still fit perfectly though,
* Tatsu no Houho from the ''Fanfic/TamersForeverSeries'' is shown to be able to take on several ultimate level digimon with nothing but a [[KatanasAreBetter katana]]
** Takeru has a similar scene later on.
* A few in ''Spider-Man Evolution'', most notably Daredevil and Moon Knight, both being able to kick Spidey and Black Cat's butts without the use of powers. Similarly, both Kraven and Silvermane, both completely normal people in this story (the latter being past his prime as it is) and are capable of tossing Spidey around when they faced him the first time around. Both MJ and Detective George Stacy are also notable during Chameleon's hotage takeover, MJ basically goes around knocking out mooks with a frying pan and ends up saving the day, while George Stacy beats up an armed mook who threatened his daughter without any weapon himself.
* Alex from ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' fanfic, ''Fanfic/AlexMovieVillain''. She's a nerdy human girl who acts as Marceline's opponent in the election for the position of Vampire Queen. Despite that, she can take on the Vampire Queen herself with her laser pistol and lightsaber, as well as her blocking skills.

* Many in the ''Fanfic/HorseshoesAndHandGrenades'' stories. Aside from [[Series/KamenRiderV3 Riderman]], one of the prominent ones is Jun Shigeno, whose response to a Voodoo King Serpent is to ''punch him in the face'' and then slap it with the [[GrievousHarmWithABody arm of a wooden mannequin]] (ItMakesSenseInContext, honest) while giving him ArmorPiercingQuestion after ArmorPiercingQuestion regarding how he and humanity weren't so different.
* Hermione's parents, of all people in ''Fanfic/KnowledgeIsPower''. They may be Muggles, but they're deadly with firearms.

* ''Fanfic/EquestriasFirstHuman'': Connor, the human who ends up in [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Equestria]] is beat up by [[spoiler: a pair of traitorous royal guards, and still has the strength to take down a ragtag group of rebels with makeshift weapons alongside Spike, and ''then'' he overpowers and defeats Hellfire-the BigBad and a deranged unicorn stallion powerful enough to ''slay a dragon''- singlehandly.]]
** [[spoiler: In the sequels, he still qualifies as an Earth Pony, an example being able to survive a battle with Queen Chrysalis who at that point was strong enough to defeat [[PhysicalGod Princess Celestia.]] ]]
* The protagonist of ''Fanfic/MiddleOfNowhere'' arrives in Fereldan as a middle-aged and dinged up Army sergeant. He relies on his wits and only just survives his first encounter with some live darkspawn, but levels up over the course of the story. Still, he does lament not being "an all-powerful mage."
* ''Fanfic/FriendshipIsMagicalGirls'', despite being -- as the title says -- a MagicalGirl story, has a couple of examples of this:
** Rarity starts off as captain of the school Judo club, and is shown to be more than capable of kicking ass even before becoming a mahoushoujo.
** Likewise Applejack, who is a powerhouse even before joining the team. Best shown when she mows down large numbers of the Infestation swarm with just her fists and some {{Improvised Weapon}}s.
** Lightning Dust is a villainous example. In a setting full of demonic monsters, magic users, and ninjas, all she's got is some LeParkour skills. And she's still able to hold her own against the mahoushoujo.
* General Ty Jun from ''Fanfic/KyoshiRising''; the man who invented [[AntiMagic Chi Blocking]]. He is the only Non-Bender who has ever faced Avatar Kuruk in a fight and won, and routinely trounces Kyoshi in their sparring matches.
* In the MassivelyMultiplayerCrossover fic ''Fanfic/BloodAndRevolution'', Saitou (from ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'') is interacting with, fighting with, hunting, and working to control or integrate youkai, vampires, incubi, and kami, all while refusing to get any supernatural upgrades himself.
* In ''Fanfic/WonderfulMazinja'', the ''[[VideoGame/TheWonderful101 Wonder Masks and Sentinel Suits]]'' created by ''[[Literature/{{Worm}} Taylor]]'' grant powers to non-powered, normal people like her friend Emma (who becomes the heroine "Wonder Star").
* In ''Fanfic/EquestriaGirlsFriendshipSouls'', the human Maud Pie has no spiritual powers and can't even see Hollows. This doesn't stop her from beating the crap out of them.
** Derpy isn't far behind either. She's strong enough to lift a ceiling beam with one hand and pick up a person with the other. Then with little effort, she took down a Cragadille, a creature that both Quincy and a Fullbringer in training had troubles. [[ImprovisedWeapon With a Frying Pan.]] Guess those defense lessons finally come in handy.
* ''Fanfic/HarmonyTheory'':
** DarkActionGirl Charisma despite being literally born with what is essentially a BloodKnight cutie-mark, is just a normal, if mentally unbalanced pegasus, who's only unique ability is her "talent" constantly telling her the best ways to kill anypony in her immediate area. Yet, she is so badass she used train ''griffins'' and is more then capable of handling enemies several times her size and strong enough to kill her in one blow. [[TheDreaded She is so feared]] that she even earned herself the nickname "[[RedBaron The Ass Kicker]]" and is said to be invincible in a fair fight. It really says something, that in a cast of heroes consisting of a skilled magic user, resurrected heroes who are '''far''' stronger than modern ponies, a griffon, ''and'' dragon, they ''still'' have to fight dirty to beat her.
** Though not as big an example as the above, Detective Hard Boiled, who despite having a degenerating condition that seriously weakens his magic and no unique powers directly relating to combat, manages to keep up with the other and take out {{Mooks}} just through intuition and police training.
* In ''Series/Supergirl2015''/''Series/TheFlash2014'' crossover ''Fanfic/CallMeKara'', the two main characters are ''[[Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} a Kryptonian woman]]'' and ''[[Franchise/TheFlash a faster-than-light man]]'' supported by too-many-to-count highly-trained martial artists and fighters: The Arrow, the Black Canary, Batman, Red Arrow, Alex Danvers (later Valkyrie), Nyssa Al'Ghul, Katana...
* A lot of people in ''Series/Supergirl2015''''Fanfic/FutureShock'', but the standout goes to Susan Vasquez. When TheMole, upon hearing that a trained military officer says she can be handled, tells him to go ahead and try, he's wearing PowerArmour and still doesn't think he can handle her. He's right, as it turns out.
** Also averted in that Susan isn't impressed with her reputation.
* In ''Fanfic/ABridgeOnceBroken'', [[ComicBook/BlackWidow Natasha]]. SuperWeight of 1 in a story that has [[PhysicalGod Norse gods, fantasy gods]], [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk the Hulk]], (several) [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Asian-type]] dragons, [[WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}} elia]][[ThinkingUpPortals tropes]], [[SealedEvilInACan shushu]], [[MechanicalLifeforms freakin' enormous robots]] and a [[Film/IronMan genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist]]. Thinking on her feet and some ''serious'' audacity (as well as careful picking her fights) gets her far. Clint Burton, on the other way, does more brooding than actual work.
* Despite his insistence on being a normal guy, Xander Harris kills a dozen [[Film/TheAvengers2012 Chitauri]] in ''[[https://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-31969/Nycorson+Vacation+means+Chaos.htm Vacation means Chaos]]'' all while grumbling how much easier things would be if he had his axe.
* ''Fanfic/PartingTheClouds'': In a world of mind-controlling slugs, auto-healing shapeshifters and ultra-strong alien robots with perfect hologram capabilities, the Star Defenders survive by... being kinda good at gymnastics.
* ''AudioPlay/TalesOfAJunkTownPonyPeddler'' has Prodigious Peddler, an earth pony in an AfterTheEnd [[Fanfic/FalloutEquestria pony-land]]. He survives by [[OnlyInItForTheMoney cold]] [[CombatPragmatist pragmatism]] and Creator/ClintEastwood levels of badassery. Like TalkingYourWayOut from being shot by slavers.
* The world of ''Fanfic/AnonymoosesMonsterGirlSaga'' contains PhysicalGods and superhuman monster girls, but human beings without any magic can still be a credible threat. Good examples are Nerick (a terrifying juggernaut who takes Laven's attacks - including having a statue dropped on him - and keeps fighting, [[spoiler:only being defeated by Vee]]) and Malco (who holds his own against [[spoiler:the enhanced Aaron]], the latter being capable of effortlessly slicing through armored soldiers).
* ''Fanfic/OfSheepAndBattleChicken'':
** Garrus Vakarian is called out as this by Admiral Ahern when training Shepard. He notes that Garrus lacks Shepard's biotic advantages, has no cybernetics, and is still a better shot than her with almost any weapon he picks up.
*** [[spoiler:Later subverted as extreme injury forces Garrus to accept cybernetic enhancements.]]
** Admiral Ahern himself is another case. A fairly old man using nothing more than generic light armor, an old pistol, and a cheap omni-tool hack he stole from a Batarian goes up against Shepard; a biotic Vanguard wearing Spectre armor and armed to the absolute teeth in a live-fire training match. He proceeds to kick her ass in under a minute with absolutely no difficulty.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7247199/1/The-Paths-Diverge The Paths Diverge]]'' Natasja combines this with ChefOfIron by attacking Dumbledore with a cast iron skillet and a marble rolling pin when he tries to take Harry from her, knocking out Bellatrix Lestrange with a baking sheet and throwing a barbecue fork at ''[[BigBad Voldemort]]''.
* ''Fanfic/SlayerAndAHalf'': Rachel Giles has trained to fight vampires since she was five, and has been hunting them in Sunnydale since she was ten. By the time of chapter 11, [[VampireMonarch the Master]] sees her as just as much a threat to his plans as Buffy herself, and sends [[EliteMook the Three]] after both of them.
* ''Fanfic/APossibleEncounterForAPhantom'': Kim Possible has no powers and doesn't rely on the anti-ghost technology that Danny Phantom uses, but she's skilled enough that she can fight on par with a few ghosts. [[AmazonChaser Danny is pretty interested in her thanks to that]].
* [[DiscussedTrope The trope is discussed]] in ''Fanfic/TheSuperheroicsOfHaruhiSuzumiya''. When [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya Haruhi]] and [[Manga/MyHeroAcademia Izuku]] talk about how they plan to become Heroes without Quirks, Haruhi brings up that characters like Franchise/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/IronMan usually fit people's perception of this trope, but don't actually count because their genius-level intelligence puts them above being "normal".
* Jenna Zan Arbor of ''Fanfic/StarWarsLineage'' has no touch of the Force whatsoever, but that doesn't stop her from running rings around the heroes.
* [[Literature/SherlockHolmes Dr. Watson]] in [[https://archiveofourown.org/series/283167 The Vermillion Problem]] is quite capable of holding on his own, whether against vampires (either blood-drinking or flesh-eating) or skinchangers or both. May have something to do with being an army doctor. [[VampireHunter Irene Adler]] also counts.

* Alex from ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' fanfic, ''Fanfic/{{Alex}}''. She's a nerdy human girl who acts as Marceline's opponent in the election for the position of Vampire Queen. Despite that, she can take on the Vampire Queen herself with her laser pistol and lightsaber, as well as her blocking skills.

* In ''Fanfic/ABridgeOnceBroken'', [[Film/TheAvengers2012 Natasha]]. SuperWeight of 1 in a story that has [[PhysicalGod Norse gods, fantasy gods]], [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk the Hulk]], (several) [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Asian-type]] dragons, [[WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}} elia]][[ThinkingUpPortals tropes]], [[SealedEvilInACan shushu]], [[MechanicalLifeforms freakin' enormous robots]] and a [[Film/IronMan genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist]]. Thinking on her feet and some ''serious'' audacity (as well as careful picking her fights) gets her far. Clint Burton, on the other way, does more brooding than actual work.

* Many in the ''Fanfic/HorseshoesAndHandGrenades'' stories. Aside from [[Series/KamenRiderV3 Riderman]], one of the prominent ones is [[TheCheerleader Jun Shigeno]], whose response to a Voodoo King Serpent is to ''punch him in the face'' and then slap it with the [[GrievousHarmWithABody arm of a wooden mannequin]] (ItMakesSenseInContext, honest) while giving him ArmorPiercingQuestion after ArmorPiercingQuestion regarding how he and humanity weren't so different.

* In ''Fanfic/{{Wonderful}}'', the ''[[VideoGame/TheWonderful101 Wonder Masks and Sentinel Suits]]'' created by ''[[Literature/{{Worm}} Taylor]]'' grant powers to non-powered, normal people like her friend Emma (who becomes the heroine "Wonder Star").

** DarkActionGirl Charisma despite being literally born with what is essentially a BloodKnight cutie-mark, is just a normal, if mentally unbalanced pegasus, who's only unique ability is her "talent" constantly telling her the best ways to kill anypony in her immediate area. Yet, she is so badass she used train ''griffins'' and is more then capable of handling enemies several times her size and strong enough to kill her in one blow. [[TheDreaded She is so feared]] that she even earned herself the nickname "[[TheRedBaron The Ass Kicker]]" and is said to be invincible in a fair fight. It really says something, that in a cast of heroes consisting of a skilled magic user, resurrected heroes who are '''far''' stronger than modern ponies, a griffon, ''and'' dragon, they ''still'' have to fight dirty to beat her.

* [[Literature/Sherlock Holmes Dr. Watson]] in [[https://archiveofourown.org/series/283167 The Vermillion Problem]] is quite capable of holding on his own, whether against vampires (either blood-drinking or flesh-eating) or skinchangers or both. May have something to do with being an army doctor. [[VampireHunter Irene Adler]] also counts.

* Balian of Ibelin in The Chance Encounter series. While he has been rendered immortal, this only seems to prevent him falling ill or indeed ageing. He also fights alongside Achilles, Legolas and Will Turner (during his "undead captain of the ''Flying Dutchman''" period) and holds his own easily. When he is briefly turned evil by dark magic, he even forces LEGOLAS into retreat. He also takes on many of King Richard I's soldiers at once and wins, with the King's spymaster not sure if the King (who was a noted warrior himself) would survive a head to head confrontation. Oh yes, and he wades through HELL ITSELF to save his dead-by-suicide wife, taking on Satan and...mostly getting the crap beaten out of him actually, but he stood up to the ultimate evil and survived!
* AuthorAvatar Art of the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' self-insert ''FanFic/MassVexations'' eventually becomes a good Soldier-class unit within Shepard's squad. He never got any of the genetic implants that most soldier-class units get in the Mass Effect universe. He also TookALevelInBadass considering he had never fired a gun in his life before entering the Mass Effect universe.

* Tuxedo Kamen of Franchise/SailorMoon fame manages to pull this off in [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6095074/11/Takamachi_Nanoha_of_2814 this chapter]] of ''Fanfic/TakamachiNanohaOf2814'' (keeping in mind that this is the rose only version of the character) when he goes toe to toe with [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha Signum]] using a sword-cane. To put this in context, Signum and the other Wolfenkritter had previously managed to stand up to the combined forces of every other character, including some big names like the Sailor Senshi, [[Manga/MahouSenseiNegima Negi Springfield and co.]], [[Manga/CardcaptorSakura Sakura Kinimoto and Syaoran Lee]], [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha Nanoha, Fate, Yuuno and the combined might of the TSAB]] and Superman. Yeah.

* Tatsu no Houho from the ''FanFic/TamersForeverSeries'' is shown to be able to take on several ultimate level digimon with nothing but a [[KatanasAreBetter katana]]

* Alex from ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' fanfic, ''{{FanFic/Alex}}''. She's a nerdy human girl who acts as Marceline's opponent in the election for the position of Vampire Queen. Despite that, she can take on the Vampire Queen herself with her laser pistol and lightsaber, as well as her blocking skills.

* Many in the ''FanFic/HorseshoesAndHandGrenades'' stories. Aside from [[Series/KamenRiderV3 Riderman]], one of the prominent ones is [[TheCheerleader Jun Shigeno]], whose response to a Voodoo King Serpent is to ''punch him in the face'' and then slap it with the [[GrievousHarmWithABody arm of a wooden mannequin]] (ItMakesSenseInContext, honest) while giving him ArmorPiercingQuestion after ArmorPiercingQuestion regarding how he and humanity weren't so different.

* In ''FanFic/TheWorldOfTheCreatures'', Brendan Anderson is just your average, 19 year old English Major. And yet, through his combination of heart and smarts, he's able to stand toe to toe with the likes of Buffy Summers, Batman, and the Doctor.
* Fanfic/EquestriasFirstHuman: Connor, the human who ends up in [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Equestria]] is beat up by [[spoiler: a pair of traitorous royal guards, and still has the strength to take down a ragtag group of rebels with makeshift weapons alongside Spike, and ''then'' he overpowers and defeats Hellfire-the BigBad and a deranged unicorn stallion powerful enough to ''slay a dragon''- singlehandly.]]

* General Ty Jun from ''FanFic/KyoshiRising''; the man who invented [[AntiMagic Chi Blocking]]. He is the only Non-Bender who has ever faced Avatar Kuruk in a fight and won, and routinely trounces Kyoshi in their sparring matches.

* ''Fanfic/HarmonyTheory''

* In ''FanFic/ABridgeOnceBroken'', [[Film/TheAvengers2012 Natasha]]. SuperWeight of 1 in a story that has [[PhysicalGod Norse gods, fantasy gods]], [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk the Hulk]], (several) [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Asian-type]] dragons, [[WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}} elia]][[ThinkingUpPortals tropes]], [[SealedEvilInACan shushu]], [[MechanicalLifeforms freakin' enormous robots]] and a [[Film/IronMan genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist]]. Thinking on her feet and some ''serious'' audacity (as well as careful picking her fights) gets her far. Clint Burton, on the other way, does more brooding than actual work.

* ''Audioplay/TalesOfAJunkTownPonyPeddler'' has Prodigious Peddler, an earth pony in an AfterTheEnd [[Fanfic/FalloutEquestria pony-land]]. He survives by [[OnlyInItForTheMoney cold]] [[CombatPragmatist pragmatism]] and Creator/ClintEastwood levels of badassery. Like TalkingYourWayOut from being shot by slavers.

* ''Fanfic/OfSheepAndBattleChicken''

* ''FanFic/SlayerAndAHalf'': Rachel Giles has trained to fight vampires since she was five, and has been hunting them in Sunnydale since she was ten. By the time of chapter 11, [[VampireMonarch the Master]] sees her as just as much a threat to his plans as Buffy herself, and sends [[EliteMook the Three]] after both of them.
* ''FanFic/APossibleEncounterForAPhantom'': Kim Possible has no powers and doesn't rely on the anti-ghost technology that Danny Phantom uses, but she's skilled enough that she can fight on par with a few ghosts. [[AmazonChaser Danny is pretty interested in her thanks to that]].

* Jenna Zan Arbor of ''FanFic/StarWarsLineage'' has no touch of the Force whatsoever, but that doesn't stop her from running rings around the heroes.

* Many in the ''FanFic/{{Horseshoes and Hand Grenades}}'' stories. Aside from [[Series/KamenRiderV3 Riderman]], one of the prominent ones is [[TheCheerleader Jun Shigeno]], whose response to a Voodoo King Serpent is to ''punch him in the face'' and then slap it with the [[GrievousHarmWithABody arm of a wooden mannequin]] (ItMakesSenseInContext, honest) while giving him ArmorPiercingQuestion after ArmorPiercingQuestion regarding how he and humanity weren't so different.

* Garrus Vakarian in ''Fanfic/OfSheepAndBattleChicken'' is called out as this by Admiral Ahern when training Shepard. He notes that Garrus lacks Shepard's biotic advantages, has no cybernetics, and is still a better shot than her with almost any weapon he picks up.
** [[spoiler:Later subverted as extreme injury forces Garrus to accept cybernetic enhancements.]]

* In ''FanFic/ABridgeOnceBroken'', [[Film/{{Avengers}} Natasha]]. SuperWeight of 1 in a story that has [[PhysicalGod Norse gods, fantasy gods]], [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk the Hulk]], (several) [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Asian-type]] dragons, [[WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}} elia]][[ThinkingUpPortals tropes]], [[SealedEvilInACan shushu]], [[MechanicalLifeforms freakin' enormous robots]] and a [[Film/IronMan genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist]]. Thinking on her feet and some ''serious'' audacity (as well as careful picking her fights) gets her far. Clint Burton, on the other way, does more brooding than actual work.
* Despite his insistence on being a normal guy, Xander Harris kills a dozen [[Film/{{Avengers}} Chitauri]] in ''[[https://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-31969/Nycorson+Vacation+means+Chaos.htm Vacation means Chaos]]'' all while grumbling how much easier things would be if he had his axe.

* A lot of people in ''Fanfic/FutureShock'', but the standout goes to Susan Vasquez. When TheMole, upon hearing that a trained military officer says she can be handled, tells him to go ahead and try, he's wearing PowerArmour and still doesn't think he can handle her. He's right, as it turns out.

* A lot of people in ''Fanfic/FutureShock'', but the standout goes to Susan Vasquez who upon hearing that a trained military officer is told she can be handled, TheMole tells him to go ahead and try, he's wearing PowerArmour and still doesn't think he can handle her. He's right, as it turns out.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7247199/1/The-Paths-Diverge The Paths Diverge]]'' Natasha combines this with ChefOfIron by attacking Dumbledore with a cast iron skillet and a marble rolling pin when he tries to take Harry from her, knocking out Bellatrix Lestrange with a baking sheet and throwing a barbecue fork at ''[[BigBad Voldemort]]''.

** Uhtred is this by Asgardian standards, to the point where [[WarGod Sif]] picked him out to be her protégé.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7247199/1/The-Paths-Diverge The Paths Diverge]]'' Natasja combines this with ChefOfIron by attacking Dumbledore with a cast iron skillet and a marble rolling pin when he tries to take Harry from her, knocking out Bellatrix Lestrange with a baking sheet and throwing a barbecue fork at ''[[BigBad Voldemort]]''.