History CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass / AnimeAndManga

* ''Manhwa/DemonDiary'': Raenef Demon-Lord-in-training is a hopeless idiot who can't remember his lessons and is scared of his own magic. But if you get him scared, angry or upset you will suddenly realise that there is a very very good reason why he's the successor of one of the most powerful demon lords who ever existed. Same goes for Chris. He's an egocentric idiot who can't remember an incantation. However, he draws his powers from a ''god''.

* ''Manhwa/DorothyOfOz'': Abee at first appears to be a perfectly harmless amnesiac who hilariously mixes up his words in the most awkward way possible. He also happens to be an ''incredibly'' powerful telekinetic, and will not hesitate to throw someone off a cliff for threatening his best friend.

*** [[spoiler:Diving in magma in an unprotected Eva to save [[HeroesWantRedheads Asuka]] or knifing an Angel with guts torn open]] still qualifies him -- no Yui-sama there.

** [[PlayingWithFire Natsu]], TheHero with a WeaksauceWeakness in motion sickness.
** Also Lucy to certain extent.
** Erza is an inversion: Resident badass, but is a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} if cakes and non-fighting activities are in question.

** Mirajane Strauss is a [[spoiler:S-rank mage nicknamed 'The Demon']].

** Aside from Hawkeye, Mustang's unit appears to be comprised almost entirely of either idiots or wusses. At least until the chips are down, ''especially'' in the manga and in Brotherhood. Then they demonstrate just ''why'' a man looking to change the country would have handpicked them for his central unit and closest bodyguards.

** Touta Matsuda. Even though he's treated like the ButtMonkey from the start by the rest of the team for his empathetic attitude and unyielding optimism, he never loses his determination to catch Kira and bring him to justice. Having been [[TheFool blessed with dumb luck,]] he manages to escape dangerous situations and stay alive while [[BreakTheCutie witnessing a worldwide reign of terror and many terrible deaths,]] two of which were [[spoiler: Soichiro and L, whom he very much looked up to.]] He establishes himself as a force to be reckoned with in the climax of the final episode when he [[spoiler: [[ImprobableAimingSkills quickly shoots the pen out of Light's hand]] as he tries to quickly write Near's name in the notebook, and he doesn't fall for Light's manipulation when he tries to use Soichiro's death to goad Matsuda into killing everyone else in the room so his death won't be in vain. When Light tries to write Near's name in his own blood, Matsuda [[UnstoppableRage completely snaps, shooting Light four more times]] with [[BerserkerTears tears streaming down his face.]] He screams that Light needs to die for what he's done, and three grown men have to physically restrain him from giving Light his coup de grâce headshot. BewareTheNiceOnes indeed.]]

** As a humorous example, she's capable of holding her breath underwater longer than her bodyguard Sōsuke realizes, considering her below-average performance in other athletic areas. She has to rescue ''him'' from drowning (and tries to smuggle in a KissOfLife under Kaname's jealous eye) when he panics and dives in after her.
** The biggest case of this, however, is Sōsuke himself. Thanks to his social ineptitude, tendency to treat any situation as a combat scenario, and an embarrassing introduction as the NewTransferStudent, everyone at Jindai High quickly pins him as a [[{{CloudCuckoolander}} not-entirely sane]] military {{Otaku}} who alternates between being a endless source of amusement and a giant pain in the ass. The idea that he genuinely could be a soldier and expert mech pilot serving as Kaname's undercover bodyguard never crosses anyone's mind, and even Kaname herself refuses to believe the idea until Sōsuke climbs into an Arm Slave and demonstrates just what talents he neglected basic social skills for. This is even more pronounced in the manga adaptation, which starts InMediasRes and doesn't reveal Sōsuke's true nature until several chapters in.

* ''Manga/HighSchoolOfTheDead'': Kohta Hirano at first seems like a typical fat, otaku nerd, but once the zombie apocalypse happens, he reveals that he's quite deadly with firearms. In fact, his knowledge of how to use guns helps save the other characters several times through the series.

** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind'':

* ''Manga/{{Kaiji}}'': The titular character. In the first episode of series 1 he reveals that he committed a crime the victim didn't even suspect him for, and through the course of the first half of the series is betrayed twice by the same person in a spectacular display of bad judgement which makes the audience cringe. But when he finally decides to get serious he's capable of demonstrating incredible intelligence and bravery: at one point going so far as to [[spoiler:cut off his own ear]] to fool his opponent (ItMakesSenseInContext), thus leading to his victory... But then [[spoiler:he makes a crucial mistake that even the viewer could see coming a mile off and loses everything. Again]].
* ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'': Apachai is normally a FriendToAllLivingThings, as well as being TheDitz. He's also known as the [[RedBaron "Death God of Muay Thai"]], and for good reason. He ''will'' kill you if you start a fight with him. He accidentally nearly kills Kenichi on multiple occasions during sparring exercises because he ''never'' holds back.

* ''Anime/KillLaKill'':
** ''Mako Mankanshoku.'' How ditzy is this girl? She's [[HeavySleeper fast asleep]] (SnotBubble included) in her first appearance, she shifts into different poses ([[ItMakesSenseInContext and even into a]] [[Franchise/{{Alien}} Xenomorph]]) during her [[SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound Hallelujah!!]] expositions, and many characters have noted that [[GoodIsDumb she doesn't have much going on in that bubble she calls a head.]] However, she has the uncanny ability to jump head-first into situation that are totally over her head, and come out on top. This includes [[spoiler: intervening fights between Ryuko, Staskui, and ''[[CuteAndPsycho Nui Harime]]'', [[TheDeterminator going trough a booby-trapped death course to so so she wouldn't get expelled]], [[BigEater and eating all of the delicious food in Osaka]], who was in the middle of a city-wide raid!]] And this isn't even mentioning the fact that she's THE [[spoiler: president of the Fight Club and wearer of the corresponding Goku uniform.]] You know how Ryuko can '''''[[FinishingMove SEN-I- SOSHITSU!]]''''' club presidents with little effort? Yeah not this one. [[spoiler: Mako is the only club president who can go toe-to-toe with the Kamui. And she nearly WON. Admittedly, Ryuko was holding back... but that point is moot because '''so was Mako'''!]]

* ''Anime/{{Kurenai}}'': Shinkuro. For 11 episodes he leaves the viewer wondering how on Earth he could have possibly been trained by a family of ex-assassins, who even gave him a [[SwissArmyAppendage sword-like blade placed into his arm]]; he was tough, but showed ''no'' real fighting skill. Then comes the finale, where he suddenly uses insane skills to obliterate the enemy, afterwards revealing that he had ''never even used his trained abilities'' because he "regretted having the weapon placed inside him too much." After [[spoiler:taking out one of the {{big bad}}s in under a second with it. Which was ''awesome''.]]

* ''Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico'':
** Yurika Misumaru who is, ninety percent of the time, a hopelessly naive, [[TheDitz ditzy]] LoveFreak with some [[ClingyJealousGirl serious denial issues]] Put her at the command of a battleship however, and she's a [[GeniusDitz fleet-destroying tactical mastermind]]... [[IdiotBall sometimes]]. Then there's her [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend boyfriend]], who's [[{{Expy}} pretty much]] Shinji (above) except on the appropriate medication.

* ''Manga/MobPsycho100'': Not surprising for the creator of One Punch Man, his other work has a few.

* ''Anime/{{Monster}}'': Wolfgang Grimmer is a very laid back and friendly journalist, who under pressure or menace snaps into a berserker-like state that he calls "The Magnificent Steiner", after a Hulk-like show he watched when he was a kid. [[spoiler:Turns out that he was a victim of a combination of psychological experiments and brutal spy training during his childhood, and he is a bit of a StepfordSmiler about that]].
* {{Inverted}} in ''Manga/MonthlyGirlsNozakiKun''. Kashima is introduced as a handsome ChickMagnet who is [[TheAce good at everything from sports to academics]], and about 70% of her official artwork also has her sporting a suave look on her face that gives the impression of a "bad boy". It takes less than a day of knowing her for Sakura to realize that while Kashima ''is'' genuinely the cool-looking genius she's famous for being, she's also genuinely an air-headed moron.
* ''Anime/MyHeroAcademia'': Mineta. Stunted, uncharismatic, creepily perverted, his costume makes him look like he's wearing a diaper, and he has a severely limited Quirk (can produce sticky balls from his head). Yet he's been able to use his ability to great effect (mainly by trapping his target) and has defeated multiple villains, as well as the heroine Midnight (in great part by letting her underestimate him). The fact that he's willing to overwork his Quirk (which outright injures him as a consequence) if it means saving the day and protecting his comrades has earned him a fair bit of respect as well.

** Shinji Ikari has an unique ability to go berserk in his HumongousMecha when having received enough mental pain. He transforms then into an enemy-killing war machine, famous all over the universe. When taken out from his mecha, he is usually just a sobbing, depressed wreck of a boy.
** [[spoiler:Though how much of this is actually Shinji and how much is the Eva itself taking over is somewhat debatable. Certainly the most badass moments (such as Shinji's first battle) are all Yui-sama.]]
** [[spoiler:Diving in magma in an unprotected Eva to save [[HeroesWantRedheads Asuka]] or knifing an Angel with guts torn open]] still qualifies him -- no Yui-sama there.
** Taking on Zeruel singlehandly and almost winning, even with only one arm? He was only stopped that time because the power went down. And if At-Fields are true to series canon, they are generated from the pilots (or dummy plugs). Guess what makes berserk EVA 01 undamageable. Amd in the second ''[[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion Rebuild]]'' movie, not only does he defeat Zeruel, he does so by forcing Unit-01 to enter a berserk state, replacing his lost arm with one made out of an AT Field, busts out EyeBeams, and nearly destroys the world by the time all is said and done!

* ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'': Saitama isn't stupid, but his intelligence is on par with the average person: he did extremely poorly in the written portion of the Hero Association entrance exam. In the physical test, however, he completely blew away his competition: he is faster, harder, and ''[[OneHitKill much stronger]]'' than any of his heroic peers. He's simply bored and lazy, due to the fact that being the most powerful being on Earth makes being a superhero ''boring''.

** Ryōga Hibiki. When going up against the series protagonist, he's basically treated as a ButtMonkey. But give them another opponent, and he can unleash a stunning amount of whoopass.
** Ryōga at least is the main character's [[TheRival rival]], and as such has to be just slightly weaker than him. Being slightly weaker than the main character pretty much requires that he be stronger than everyone else, he is portrayed as enormously strong and makes the MadeOfIron characters look to be MadeOfPlasticine. Of course, Ryōga IS a bit of an idiot and a rather nice guy when not being overly paranoid, so this might still qualify.
** Ranma's father Genma is usually portrayed as bumbling, lazy, cowardly, selfish, petty... you get the idea. However, he's one of the highest-level martial artists in the series, can still hand Ranma his ass in serious combat (that is, outside comedic, slapstick {{Megaton Punch}}es,) and devised two particular martial arts styles, the [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Yamasenken and Umisenken]], that are unusually ''deadly'' for the ''Ranma ½'' universe. Even the other characters were shocked with disbelief at discovering that the lazy slob had created such powerful schools.

** Compared to Ranma, Ryōga and Mousse, Tatewaki Kuno is almost a joke. However, he's very deadly against normal humans and can fight evenly against Akane or his sister Kodachi, who in turn has been able to keep up in free-for-alls against Ukyo and Shampoo. Moreover, he actually has the potential to be ''freaking scary'' if one considers that he was throwing [[SwordBeam Sword Beams]] ''long'' before ki was introduced as a viable power-up, meaning that he's making [[RazorWind Razor Wind]] projectiles ''[[BadassNormal by sheer muscle power]]''. Demonstrated best in the Watermelon Island arc, where he actually became a very potent threat to Ranma when he underwent conditioning training using watermelons. There's no telling just how terrifying he'd be if he ever got some dedicated training that didn't depend on having watermelons around...

* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero[=/=]Rockman Zero'' manga, in a complete change from the actual games, makes Zero a character of this sort. In his normal state, he's a coward with no memory of his past as a hero. Hit the right trigger, however, and the legendary hero returns, with his signature helmet and insane combat prowess. The manga actually calls this version Rockman Zero -- [[CowboyBebopAtHisComputer which is just the name of the game series, not the character.]]

--->'''Usagi''': Surely at this rate, I would've already said "I can't do this! I'm scared! I'm sleepy!" ''(sigh, smiles sadly)'' How odd. I said it as if I really meant it.

* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'': Kazuma Kuwabara is the same as Ryōga above: a punching bag or joke for the protagonist, but mighty against anyone else.

* ''Anime/PrettyCure'': Various installments of the franchise tend to have someone like this, including Nozomi Yumehara of ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'' and ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5GoGo'', and Love Momozomo of ''Anime/FreshPrettyCure''.

* ''Literature/ProblemChildrenAreComingFromAnotherWorldArentThey'' [[LongTitle (*gasp*)]]:

* ''LightNovel/{{Kurenai}}'': Shinkuro. For 11 episodes he leaves the viewer wondering how on Earth he could have possibly been trained by a family of ex-assassins, who even gave him a [[SwissArmyAppendage sword-like blade placed into his arm]]; he was tough, but showed ''no'' real fighting skill. Then comes the finale, where he suddenly uses insane skills to obliterate the enemy, afterwards revealing that he had ''never even used his trained abilities'' because he "regretted having the weapon placed inside him too much." After [[spoiler:taking out one of the {{big bad}}s in under a second with it. Which was ''awesome''.]]

* ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'':

** ''Manga/DiamondIsUnbreakable'':
*** Okuyasu Nijimura, who may be [[TheDitz the single dumbest character]] in [=JoJo=] history. But he's also got one of the most dangerous [[FightingSpirit Stand]] [[PowerOfTheVoid abilities]] in the series, enough strength to knock someone out in a single punch, [[spoiler:and a will strong enough to ''come back to life after taking an explosion from Killer Queen to the stomach'']].
*** Shigechi is an [[{{Gonk}} overweight]] middle schooler and not exactly that bright, but his mastery over his Stand, [[MicrobotSwarm Harvest]], causes the heroes to consider him one of the most dangerous Stand Users in the Part. [[spoiler:He even comes close to defeating [[BigBad Kira]], only losing because he wasn't aware of Kira's Stand [[StuffBlowingUp ability]]]].
** ''Manga/GoldenWind'':

** At first, Johnny Joestar from ''Manga/SteelBallRun'' comes off as possibly the least badass [=JoJo=], being portrayed as whiny, incompetent, and overly-reliant on [[{{Deuteragonist}} Gyro]]. But when given the chance in battle, he shows just how capable he really is.
** ''Manga/{{JoJolion}}'':

*** Hato Higashikata is a [[TheDitz Ditz]] who, like her younger brother, is usually relegated to [[ButtMonkey comic relief]]. [[spoiler:But when her "boyfriend", Tamaki Damo, ends up taking out the rest of the [[BadassFamily Higashikata household]], she inflicts onto him a CurbStompBattle so bad it sends him running for his life]].

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'': Jacuzzi Splot, who breaks down in tears trying to introduce himself and spends three episodes running around a train, trying to find someone to tell him how to escape an UrbanLegend. Then it was revealed that [[BewareTheNiceOnes he once knocked over 18 Mafia-owned speakeasies in one night, by himself, armed with a single Tommy gun]]. And ''then'', he did battle against a guy who was armed with a knife, a fist-gun and a ''flamethrower'', with nothing but one cherry bomb and [[LifeOrLimbDecision his own elbows]], on top of a moving train. He won by throwing the other guy off the train.

* ''LightNovel/DateALive'': Kyouhei Kannazuki is the perverted and masochistic vice-commander of the ''[[CoolAirship Fraxinus]]''. He spent most of his screen time advocating the most perverted conversation choices and receiving odd punishments for doing so. However during his time with the AST he was acknowledged as being a fantastic commander and skilled fighter, as proved when he almost casually defeated a private military airship.

* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'':

* ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'':

* ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD'': Issei spends much of the series lagging behind Rias' other [[ChessMotifs pieces]] and makes a signature ability out of ClothingDamage, which is taken about as seriously as you'd expect by those around him. Make him take a situation seriously, like messing with his friends or halving the breast size of his female companions, and he ''will'' find a way to kick your ass.

* All of the Crimson Demon Clan in ''LightNovel/KonoSuba'' are this writ large. An entire race of {{Chuunibyou}} wizards that run entirely on badass bombastic speeches that looks absolutely ridiculous to everyone else in the world (and even one or two of their own number). But they are completely capable of backing those speeches up, as shown when a unit of the Demon Lord's forces, over a thousand strong and led by a highly magic-resistant general, try to take on a handful of Crimson Demons. It's a one-sided magical slaughter, and the only concern they have is about using the resulting light show to attract tourists.
* ''LightNovel/KureNai'': Shinkuro. For 11 episodes he leaves the viewer wondering how on Earth he could have possibly been trained by a family of ex-assassins, who even gave him a [[SwissArmyAppendage sword-like blade placed into his arm]]; he was tough, but showed ''no'' real fighting skill. Then comes the finale, where he suddenly uses insane skills to obliterate the enemy, afterwards revealing that he had ''never even used his trained abilities'' because he "regretted having the weapon placed inside him too much." After [[spoiler:taking out one of the {{big bad}}s in under a second with it. Which was ''awesome''.]]
* ''LightNovel/KyoKaraMaoh!'': Yuri acts this way whenever his Demon King side gets activated, and although he won't kill his enemies he usually succeeds in scaring the crap out of them.

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'': In the anime, Gourry Gabriev is a swordsman with extremely poor memory (often forgetting whoever he and his companions fought in the past) and a bumbling idiot who can't grasp onto any explanation, but if he's provoked enough, or if anyone, namely Lina, is in danger, he becomes an utterly badass swordsman and pushes the BadassNormal creed as far as it can go.

* ''LightNovel/TrinityBlood'': Abel Nightroad (Crusnik 02) may be a perfect example of this trope. It's hard to tell if its [[ObfuscatingStupidity just an act]] or not.

* ''[[LightNovel/{{Vamp}} Vamp!]]'': The Magic Man, who dresses like a Salaryman and willingly gets [[BadBoss violently abused by his boss]]... until he finally decides to drop the act and call him out. Subverted in that it's implied ''anyone'' in the room is inherently more powerful than the boss, but they were all either fooled into believing they couldn't beat him or were playing this trope.

* ''Anime/GhostSweeperMikami'': Tadao Yokoshima is usually best described as [[LovableSexManiac "lust-addled"]]. However, if someone he has the hots for...er...he cares about is in trouble (read: Mikami, Okinu, and/or Luciola), his spiritual powers go into overdrive, and he becomes surprisingly cunning with his latter-half-of-the-manga monju. Of course, it helps that his spiritual powers are quite literally [[PowerPerversionPotential lust-fueled]]...

** The normally goofy Shinigami can be wonderfully Badass when the need arises. He reacts to Asura's resurrection by calmly inquiring how he is... and pointing out that, unfortunately the Kishin is "going to have to die again". Notable in that he actually uses typically comedic tropes in real combat including using his ArmorPiercingSlap, the Shinigami Chop, as a particularly devastating weapon.

** Hohenheim, although it might partly be a case of ObfuscatingStupidity. You can abuse him all you want if you're a certain [[spoiler:Edward Elric]], but just [[spoiler:[[PapaWolf don't touch his kids]]]], okay? In [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist the first anime]], he also has [[spoiler:a very shady past involving mass murders and the quest for immortality]].

** All of the Phantomhive's house staff. We have LethalChef [[BattleButler Bardroy]], [[CuteClumsyGirl clumsy]] {{Meganekko}} [[NinjaMaid Maylene]], and the [[{{Keet}} optimistic]] overall sweet [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength Finnian]]... all of them are ''really'' bad at their respective jobs, but will not hesitate to [[BadassAdorable kick your ass]] if you dare threaten to harm his master. Maylene's not afraid to snipe you down, either, and Bard will simply grab his Gatling gun (or some flour and a match). Tanaka might be badass, too, but it's hard to say if it was implied that he killed the man outside Elizabeth's room or if Maylene shot him.

* ''LightNovel/ProblemChildrenAreComingFromAnotherWorldArentThey'' [[LongTitle (*gasp*)]]:

** And then of course we have Maes Hughes, who is usually a [[TheDitz ditz]] who obsesses over his family at every possible moment, until we find out that he's really a badass KnifeNut who has ObfuscatingStupidity and figures stuff out way before anyone else.

* ''Manga/{{Dorohedoro}}'': While [[PluckyComicRelief Ebisu]] normally never manages to use her magic for anything productive, when she's on black powder (or other magically stimulating substances) she can transform herself into a powerful lizard (like a velociraptor). [[spoiler: Turned UpToEleven when she gets the devil hair clip lodged in her brain, which allows her to transform into a reptile/devil being even without using black powder (though she can only do so when under great emotional duress).]]

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'': In the anime, Gourry Gabriev is a swordsman with extremely poor memory (often forgetting whoever he and his companions fought in the past) and a bumbling idiot who can't grasp onto any explanation, but if he's provoked enough, or if anyone, namely Lina, is in danger, he becomes an utterly badass swordsman and pushes the BadassNormal creed as far as it can go.
** It is also stated that Gourry has the potential to be an extremely powerful sorcerer, with a power rivaling Lina's... if only he could memorize the spells.

** Compared to Ranma, Ryōga and Mousse, Tatewaki Kuno is almost a joke. However, he's very deadly against normal humans and can fight evenly against Akane or his sister Kodachi, who in turn has been able to keep up in free-for-alls against Ukyo and Shampoo. Moreover, he actually has the potential to be ''freaking scary'' if one considers that he was throwing [[SwordBeam Sword Beams]] ''long'' before ki was introduced as a viable power-up, meaning that he's making [[RazorWind Razor Wind]] projectiles ''[[BadassNormal by sheer muscle power]]'' Demonstrated best in the Watermelon Island arc, where he actually became a very potent threat to Ranma when he underwent conditioning training using watermelons. There's no telling just how terrifying he'd be if he ever got some dedicated training that didn't depend on having watermelons around...

** Asakura Mikihisa. He's the goofball dad who just wears a wooden mask and [[TheMaidenNameDebate married into]] a family of traditional Japanese shamans. Who is also the biological father of Yoh and the current incarnation of Hao. Who also sometimes shows up only in his underwear and gets frequently called a "Pervert" or "Freak", enjoys climbing mountains for training and is apparently handy with a barbecue set. And then the the Hana-gumi tried to kill the Golem kids he was playing guardian for.

* ''Anime/GalaxyAngel'': Colonel Volcott O. Huey is a usually even-tempered and complacent commander who takes the brunt of much of the show's comic relief slapstick. But tell him his mustache doesn't suit him, and he'll revert to his combat days as the "White Wolf" [[BadassMustache and proceed to destroy everything in his path to defend his mustache's honor.]]

* ''Manga/{{Bastard}}'': A wild variation may well be Luche Len-Len, a sweet but somewhat dim child who can be "unlocked" and turned into the insanely super-powerful evil wizard Dark Schneider.

* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'': Elma is a harmony dragon who is often clueless, easily tricked, bribe-able with snack food, and stranded on Earth. However, she's also noted to be Tohru's equal. The relevant power level of this aspect isn't shown until Ilulu and Clemene appear and show how Tohru (and by extension, Elma) eclipse other dragons in might. Hell, even arrogant jerk Clemene refers to her as Elma-sama, showing her status among harmony dragons.

* ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'': Takashi Kawamura.

** Grell Suthcliff is an interesting case. At first he seems to be Madam Red's extremely incompetent butler, until it is revealed he really is [[spoiler: a shinigami]] while he becomes a much better fighter and an overall threat, he's still very comical and a definitive ButtMonkey.

** ''Manga/VentoAureo'':