History LetsGetDangerous / WesternAnimation

** [[TheSmartGuy Twilight Sparkle]] is the neurotic nerd of her friend group, with her having to learn social skills being the initial driving force of the series. But if you threaten her, her friends, or her town, she'll remind you that she's a magic prodigy who had the tutelage of a solar [[GodEmperor god-empress]] before ascending herself. This is especially the case when she [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 temporarily gains the powers of every other alicorn],] delivering an anime-style beatdown that would not be at all out of place in ''Anime/DragonBallZ''.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', [[BewareTheSillyOnes goofy, silly Beast Boy]] occasionally gets pissed off and reminds both villains, viewers, and his own allies that he is capable of turning into any animal alive ''or that had ever lived''. In one episode, he thoroughly thrashes Slade [[spoiler:or rather a Robo-Slade, though the two were usually interchangeable]] - despite the fact that this was someone who regularly whooped the team's designated badass, Robin. This is especially evident in "The End", where he uses his "patented wet-willy maneuver" to ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu hurt Trigon more than anyone had ever managed before]].''[[note]]Trigon is a gigantic EldritchAbomination. Beast Boy's "patented wet-willy maneuver" consists of taking the form of a colibri, flying inside Trigon's ear, and becoming ''a whale''. Trigon starts immediately crying out in pain.[[/note]]
** Another example is "Titans Together," where the Titans, both organized and honorary, have been decimated, and it's up to Beast Boy to lead the handful that remain against the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Brotherhood of Evil]].

* Happens with Flash in ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]''. Twice. The first time has him destroying his [[EvilTwin robot double]] by punching through its chest and then making it ''explode'' by vibrating his arm super-fast, and ''then'' [[spoiler:taking down a Brainiac/Lex Luthor fusion by drive-by getting a run up for each punch so quickly he travels around the world (multiple times) and then PUNCHES EVERY MOLECULE OF BRAINIAC OUT OF LUTHOR while he screams in agony]]. The second time comes in the next season, when [[FreakyFridayFlip his mind has been swapped with Lex Luthor]], who does the vibration trick on some walls and threatens to do the same to someone's head. (Flash doesn't make a habit of this due to the property damage it tends to cause, thus proving that despite appearances, he is more conscientious than pretty much the rest of the Justice League.) Another moment of The Flash Getting Dangerous would be when he sabotaged Luthor's plans for the robbery of the century, kept any innocent bystanders from getting killed... and to top it off, thoroughly cuckolded the completely oblivious Luthor with Tala, to the point that the only one unhappy with the mutual restoration was Tala herself.

-->"What's this?! A new type of gun?! A NEW WAY TO KILL?!" ''([[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown Thrashes the villains]])''

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'''s Charles Foster Ofdensen, Dethklok's mild-mannered manager/lawyer/accountant. Hints are given throughout the first season that Ofdensen is more than what he seems, but we don't see this full until the finale. A somewhat unique example, in that the villains make a point of taking his awesomeness into account in season 2 and adjusting accordingly.

** And then there's the climax of ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZimEnterTheFlorpus''. Dib has certainly been less than pleased with Zim before, but when [[spoiler:it looks as though his plan has resulted in Dib's father getting killed]]? The kid gloves come ''right off.''

* Edward in "WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine" often was the subject of mockery and ridicule for his age, thought of as a slow and weak engine constantly running late with his trains. Come "Old Iron", James finds himself a runaway, speeding up with no driver on the main line, rescued by Edward speeding up the line with his crew to bring James back under control. Other examples include pushing Gordon's freight train up a steep hill with at most half-hearted help in "Edward and Gordon", and pulling a heavy tourist train with a failed sanding gear, no side rods, and a broken crank pin in "Edward's Exploit".

-->'''Urchin''': Down here I'm considered the apotheosis of cool.\\

** Starscream is usually a comedic figure, as exemplified by his [[spoiler:death montage, being killed over and over again by Megatron in the span of a single speech.]] However, when it comes to actual combat he is a badass, taking down Ultra Magnus, head of the Autobot Elite Guard and the entire Autobot army, ''with one shot''.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' features an inter-grade dodge ball match, with one kid staying out of it. However, when the older kids nail a kindergartner, this mild mannered boy shows up in a serape, calling himself "El Diablo." He proceeds to take down an entire GRADE in the span of 6 seconds. Said kid happens to be Gus, the mild meek kid of the gang.
** The awesomeness is heightened by the fact that the injured kindergartner was Hector, who hero-worships Gus; so there was a ''hefty'' dose of BigBrotherInstinct thrown in there.
* Arnold's grandma in ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold''. Most of the time, she's a crazy and eccentric old woman. However, sometimes she takes matters into her own hands and solves problems when even Arnold can't; such as repairing the underground subway's wiring or stealing a bulldozer (on ''two'' occasions).

** Jake Long has a level of [[LetsGetDangerous danger]] inversely proportional to the density of his [[JiveTurkey slang]]. If he's casually hurling trash talk and indecipherable jive, expect him to recklessly endanger himself or someone he cares about, or otherwise trip over himself. If he drops the slang altogether, it usually means something horrible has or is about to happen, and he's ready to administer an epic beatdown to stop it.
** Jake's muggle dad gets his own such moment when he does some [[GreatBigBookOfEverything on-the-fly research]] ''in the middle of a battle against the Dark Dragon's shadow monsters'', finds the weakness of said monsters, and improvises a method of unleashing said weakness (light). The summoned creatures which had been giving the gathering of dragons all they could handle are wiped out in a matter of seconds. Jake taunts the Dark Dragon by lampshading this.
* Iroh from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. He gets to do this a number of times, the first being when he is kidnapped by earthbenders just before the winter solstice. He nearly manages to escape on his own, buying time for Zuko to show up. They proceed to lay the smackdown on them without even firebending (that would have been unfair). Another is at the North Pole, after Zhao destroys the Moon Spirit. Then there is the second season premiere, in which he redirects Azula's lightning and kicks her overboard just as she's about to finish off Zuko. Finally, there is the scene when Iroh demonstrates how he got the nickname "Dragon of the West." Moral of the story: do ''not'' underestimate someone who once broke through the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, no matter how harmless he may seem now.

** In episode 10, this is proven to be true of [[spoiler:all three of Tenzin's children. [[CuteBookworm Jinora]] sent the [[TheDragon Lieutenant]] [[WorfEffect flying]], [[MotorMouth Ikki]] took out a bunch of chi-blockers with her air-scooter, and Meelo [[{{Fartillery}} gassed]] the rest of them. Oh, and they did this to protect the series' token badass, Lin Bei Fong.]]
** Then there's Bolin for that matter. When he's not being the ButtMonkey, he kicks a fair amount of ass with his own Earthbending, and he even becomes one of the few Earthbenders ever shown to be capable of [[MagmaMan bending lava]].

* The Toiletnator in ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' pulls one of these in a rage-filled, paranoid moment against the very villains who constantly [[ButtMonkey belittle him]]. Mainly applies because he is fought seriously by most of the villains he takes down in the sequence. Unfortunately, he essentially runs out of ammo by the time the actual '''heroes''' show up.

* ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'': An S2 ep shows Griselda blocking every single attack from her students as part of Magical Defense Class, including Bloom (though to be fair, she was thinking about her phone call with Sky from earlier in the episode). Then you [[FridgeLogic get to the fridge]] and realize that she didn't have any significant role in the final battle of the previous season, when that ability would have been useful. ''[[TheMovie The Secret of the Lost Kingdom]]'' makes up for it by having her putting up a shield for Stella, Flora and Tecna during an attack from [[TheDragon Mandragora]].

** Also, TheMovie, which had the girls becoming pariahs for their role in not only trashing Townsville but helping Mojo Jojo take over with an army of apes. The girls serve a self-imposed exile on an asteroid till they hear the Professor being threatened. They return and kick monkey tuchus.
** "Not So Awesome Blossom" has our redheaded heroine in a state of shellshock through the episode as she is incapable of having anything go right for her. But she steps up and hits it out of the park at Mojo Jojo's lair when Mojo has Blossom's sisters and the Professor in dire straits.

** When Blossom's brains and Buttercup's brawn fails to down a giant monster in ''Three Girls And A Monster,'' Bubbles uses the only tact left: disarming charm and politeness.
** Blossom gets another shining moment of utter badassery in Seaspn 2's "Stuck Up, Up and Away", when Princess Morebucks debuts. Blossom spends the majority of the episode trying to politely turn dissuade Princess from trying to join the team (as she has no powers), and when Princess finally gets the hint, she uses her father's vast wealth to obtain PoweredArmor. The supercharged suit initially enables Morebucks to swiftly CurbStomp Bubbles ''and'' Buttercup (the team's designated badass) in shockingly short order. But when she faces down Blossom (who has entered a state of TranquilFury), the Princess finds all her moves dodged, deflected and parried, and Blossom's counterattack utterly disarms the spoiled rich girl, setting her up for defeat by her recovered siblings.

*** In the [[WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017 2017 reboot]], Launchpad is a huge fan of the InUniverse Darkwing Duck TV show, even having a bobblehead that says his iconic catchphrase. And when he gets dangerous, he'll let Darkwing say it for him.

* Scooby in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryInc'' is the same loveable dog as in all canons. However, when a MonsterOfTheWeek actually tried to kill the gang for real, [[spoiler: he [[ForkliftFu pilots a forklift]] and beats the living crap out of it before dispatching it with one of the most badass lines ever uttered]]:

* Ickis from ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters''' had [[MrViceGuy a lot of flaws]]: ParentalIssues with [[TheAce his famous father]], incredible [[{{Pride}} arrogance]] coupled with crippling insecurity, a tendency to [[TheSlacker slack off with his scaring]] and panic when that inevitably came back to bite him... Yet whenever put into the position where he was the only one who could face a crisis, he could pull off some amazing BigDamnHero moments.

** [[TheSmartGuy Twilight Sparkle]] is the neurotic nerd of her friend group, with her having to learn social skills being the initial driving force of the series. But if you threaten her, her friends, or her town, she'll remind you that she's a magic prodigy who had the tutelage of a solar [[GodEmperor god-empress]] before ascending herself. This is especially the case when she [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 temporarily gains the powers of every other alicorn]], delivering an anime-style beatdown that would not be at all out of place in ''Anime/DragonBallZ''.
** Doubly so Fluttershy. She's generally incredibly timid and unable to stand up for herself. But if you threaten or endanger ''others'', expect her to become angry enough to unleash {{Death Glare}}s powerful enough to cow ''actual deities'' and showcase sudden flying skills on par with her best friend [[LightningBruiser Rainbow Dash]].

*** The episode "Maud Pie" introduces Pinkie's older sister, Maud. Even after prolonged contact, she is quite clearly an EmotionlessGirl who is only interested in rocks. But when Pinkie gets caught in an avalanche, Maud immediately springs to action while everypony else is still gaping in shock, covering several hundred yards in seconds to ''pound a house-sized boulder into gravel with just her hooves.'' {{Jaw Drop}}s all around.
** Seriously, don't screw with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. When they've finally been pushed too far by [[TheBully Babs Seed]], the [[ShoutOut A-Team]] music plays, they build an entire motorized parade float in less than a night, fit it with a booby-trap (made from an ''egg timer'') that will send it careening off a cliff at ''precisely'' the right time, and lure Babs into stealing it with a BatmanGambit. They ''even plant a mattress to land on when she shoves them out of the way'', and the only reason it fails is because they have a sudden attack of conscience and save her (the plan itself works beautifully).
** Discord is normally a quirky and egotistical [[TricksterGod trickster]] who can't be bothered to help with other ponies' problems or [[ComplexityAddiction do anything in a straightforward way]]. Even prior to his HeelFaceTurn, when he was a major threat to the safety of Equestria, he took to his world domination schemes with an almost lackadaisical attitude. But [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E25ToWhereAndBackAgainPart1 when he learns that]] [[spoiler:[[MoralityPet Fluttershy]] has been taken by the Changelings]], he immediately becomes [[TranquilFury deadly serious]] and focused, and [[DungeonBypass teleports directly to]] [[spoiler:the Changeling hive]]. The only reason the plot isn't resolved right then and there is because said location negates most types of magic.

* For the first season of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'', Soundwave kept away from the front lines; the only fight he got into was with the kid sidekicks of the Autobots (his drone also fought a single Helicopter once). In the finale [[spoiler: [[DarkActionGirl Airachnid]] (who by this point has had plenty of screen time fighting other Autobots and even some of her fellow Decepticons) tries to [[TheStarscream convince the Decepticons to abandon Earth, and Megatron]], and most everyone from the {{Mook}}s to the other main Decepticons are at least willing to consider it. Soundwave makes his disagreement clear, and when she tries to force him he effortlessly tosses her around, forcing her to abandon her mutiny.]] No wonder Starscream wanted to stay on his good side. [[spoiler: He's since dethroned Wheeljack as Most Badass Character in the show by kicking the everloving slag out of him. Soundwave Superior, indeed.]]

* [[Franchise/{{Ben 10}} Ben Tennyson]] in every incarnation. Most of the time he is a narcissistic person who, as a child, more often took on the role of hero for the glory of it more than because it was the right thing to do. It is even to the point that in the [[WesternAnimation/Ben10SecretOfTheOmnitrix first show's grand finale]], when he questions why someone didn't tell him that his malfunctioning Omnitrix was liable to destroy the galaxy, not just himself, that person expressed shock that Ben would legitimately care about anyone but himself dying. But make no mistake; try to threaten, hurt, or kill any innocent people, ''[[BerserkButton especially his family]]'', and he can deliver quite amazing performances. Some of the most notable examples include delivering a quite creepy MookHorrorShow to [[MonsterClown Zombo]][[HumanoidAbomination zo]], delivering an UnstoppableRage on [[FallenHero Captain Nemesis]], and getting an entire army of [[KnightTemplar Forever Knights]] to leave with nothing more than a single BadassBoast.

* ''WesternAnimation/ClueClub'': In "The Walking House Caper," a mysterious monster figure locks Larry, Pepper and D.D. in a house. Larry uses his communicator to contact Dotty at home base in hopes she'll call the police. Dotty and the show's two dogs, Woofer and Wimper, take it upon themselves to lure the monster away from the house so they can rescue the others. And Dotty does have the foresight to call the police as well.

** There's also Wendy, who normally acts pretty laid back and doesn't typically seek out trouble the way Dipper and Mabel do... but she's more than capable of handling herself in a fight if she has to. She is related to [[TheBigGuy Manly Dan]], after all.

* ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'': Lord Hater, who is implied to have been a legitimate evil threat prior to him getting distracted regularly by Wander causing his empire to slowly crumble and respect from other villains lost by the series' start. However, he does get to prove that he is "The Greatest in the Galaxy" when taking on [[EvilerThanThou Lord Dominator]] in the GrandFinale. By the end of that season, she had destroyed every single planet in the galaxy, forcing their inhabitants to either flee to other galaxies or, [[NeverSayDie you know]]. She has [[VillainousCrush broken Lord Hater's heart]] and [[KickTheDog ridiculed him for it]], on top of taking over his entire empire. As for now, the only remaining people on the galaxy are Wander, Sylvia, a bunch of past characters hidden in a small undetected planet, Lord Hater and Commander Peepers along their army of Watchdogs and Dominator herself. So, what is Hater to do?

** He turns his ship into a far more badass looking one (THE SKULLCRUSHER!) ([[OneHitKill which is rather pointless in the end, as Dominator one shots it anyway]]).
** When Dominator is about to [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath impale Sylvia with a massive drill]] Lord Hater protects the entire planet with a force field created by himself. Dominator then gives him a [[BreakThemByTalking breaking speech]], which is countered by Sylvia and the rest of the survivors chanting Hater's name, which provides him with the confidence to amplify his force field's potency to the point Dominator's ship is impaled by its own drill, finally defeating her.
** Everyone there, including Peepers and the people whose planets he tried to conquer in the previous season cheer for him. All it took Hater to accomplish this was not being distracted by Wander's antics. So, basically, whenever he is focuses, he is indeed the Greatest in The Galaxy.

* The eponymous marsupial of the Creator/DreamWorksAnimation short ''WesternAnimation/{{Bilby}}'' is initially introduced as living in constant fear, hiding and running from predators. However, an albatross chick he finds lost in the middle of the desert brings out his [[PapaWolf parental instincts]], culminating in an epic fight with an eagle.

* {{Popeye}} would spend a considerable amount of time each cartoon getting his butt kicked by Bluto/Brutus. Then he got his spinach on and it was over. Sometimes, this point came when he ''really'' got angry, and said, "That's all I can stands, 'cause I can't stands no more!"

-->'''Scooby Doo''': ''Play dead.''

-->'''Dib:''' '''[[YouExclamation YOU.]]''' [[TranquilFury GIVE ME THE]] '''''[[MacGuffin MOOSE.]]'''''
-->''([[ScrewThisImOuttaHere GIR screams and shoves Minimoose off on Zim,]] [[VillainExitStageLeft who screams and takes off running.]])''

-->'''Urchin''': Down here I'm considered the apotheosis of cool.
-->'''Arthur''' ''(to The Tick)'': Did he just say "apotheosis?"

-->'''Brain:''' ''(to Robin)'' You will fall, one by one. Who among you can possibly stop me now?\\

--->'''Tala:''' Is that you, Lex?\\

* The eponymous marsupial of the Creator/DreamWorksAnimation short ''WesternAnimation/Bilby'' is initially introduced as living in constant fear, hiding and running from predators. However, protecting the albatross chick brings out his [[PapaWolf parental instincts]], culminating in an epic fight with an eagle.

-->''([[HorrifyingTheHorror GIR screams and shoves Minimoose off on Zim, who screams and takes off running.]]))''

** Blossom gets another shining moment of utter badassery in Seaspn 2's "Stuck Up, Up and Away", when Princess Morebucks debuts. Blossom spends the majority of the episode trying to politely turn dissuade Princess from trying to join the team (as she has no powers), and when Princess finally gets the hint, she uses her father's vast wealth to obtain PoweredArmor. The supercharged suit initially enables Morebucks to swiftly CurbStomp Bubbles ''and'' Buttercup (the team's designated BadAss) in shockingly short order. But when she faces down Blossom (who has entered a state of TranquilFury), the Princess finds all her moves dodged, deflected and parried, and Blossom's counterattack utterly disarms the spoiled rich girl, setting her up for defeat by her recovered siblings.

** [[TheSmartGuy Twilight Sparkle]] is the neurotic nerd of her friend group, with her having to learn social skills being the initial driving force of the series. But if you threaten her, her friends, or her town, she'll remind you that she's magic prodigy who had the tutelage of a solar [[GodEmperor god-empress]] before ascending herself. This is especially the case when she [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 temporarily gains the powers of every other alicorn]], delivering an anime-style beatdown that would not be at all out of place in ''Anime/DragonBallZ''.

* [[WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}} Ben Tennyson]], quite often in all series; most of the time, he is a rather bumbling, narcissitic person who seems unable to operate the Omnitrix right. But try to [[BerserkButton kill, hurt or threaten any innocent or people close to him when he is here]], and he can deliver quite amazing performances. Some of the most famous exemples includes delivering a quite creepy MookHorrorShow to [[MonsterClown Zombo]][[HumanoidAbomination zo]], delivering an UnstoppableRage on [[FallenHero Captain Nemesis]], getting an entire army of [[KnightTemplar Forever Knights]] to leave with a single BadassBoast, and the list goes on.

* Mabel from ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' may be a girly-girl CloudCuckoolander, but she can be dangerous when provoked (especially if you threaten her twin brother Dipper). In the pilot episode alone, she [[spoiler: defeats an army of gnomes with ''a leaf blower''.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'': Lord Hater, the previous [[BigBad Big Bad]] of the show, whose title was usurped by the much more dangerous and efficient [[EvilerThanThou Lord Dominator]] has one of these moments in the Series Finale. She has destroyed every single planet of the galaxy, forcing their inhabitants to either flee to other galaxies or, [[NeverSayDie you know]]. She has [[VillainousCrush broken Lord Hater's heart]] and [[KickTheDog ridiculed him for it]]. She has taken over his entire empire. As for now, the only remaining people on the galaxy are Wander, Sylvia, a bunch of past characters hidden in a small undetected planet, Lord Hater and Commander Peepers along their army of Watchdogs and Dominator herself. So, what is Hater to do?

** When he finds out Wander is in the planet, instead of chasing after him and ruining his plan like always, he uses Wander's presence as a distraction to keep Dominator busy while he attacks.

** Everyone there, including Peepers and the people whose planets he tried to conquer in Season 1 cheer for him. All it took Hater to accomplish this was not being distracted by Wander's antics. So, whenever he is focuses, he is indeed the Greatest in The Galaxy.

* ''WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck'' is typically the ButtMonkey of the Disney Universe. Either [[LaserGuidedKarma through his own fault for acting like a jerk,]] or [[BornUnlucky just plain bad luck,]] it's very rare for things to go right with him. That being said, it comes to a surprise in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' that he was given a couple of badass moments.

** [[TheSmartGuy Twilight Sparkle]] is pretty frequently the butt of jokes and the entire plot of the show so far has been her learning social skills. Just don't threaten her, her friends, or her town, lest she remind you that she is the magical prodigy student of a solar [[GodEmperor god-empress]].
** Doubly so Fluttershy -- usually timid as anything, and unable to stand up for herself, but threatening ''others'' can make her angry enough to forget herself and suddenly have enough attitude for a grade-A badass, as well as a DeathGlare powerful enough to cow fully-grown dragons and win staring contests with ''cockatrices''. While normally a weak flyer, Fluttershy can also [[ImprobablePilotingSkills fly well enough to keep up with]] [[LightningBruiser Rainbow Dash]] when her friends are in danger.
** Pinkie Pie provides a more mundane example. When she realizes she hasn't been particularly responsible caring for the twins she's babysitting, she becomes far more serious and strict. It lasts about as long as it takes the pegasus foal to realize he can fly and the unicorn foal to start using her magic.\\\
Pinkie Pie's "Pinkie Sense" is mostly used on the show to predict falling objects for [[AnvilOnHead slapstick purposes]]. Then she uses it to save the lives of at least four ponies in a horrific construction site accident.\\\
In an earlier episode, "Griffon The Brush Off," Pinkie doesn't take Gilda seriously no matter how much she tries to tell her to "buzz off," only telling herself that she's jealous of her (despite the latter in fact being a [[BitchInSheepsClothing Bitch In]] [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent Griffon's]] [[BitchInSheepsClothing Clothing]]) and that Gilda just needs to improve her attitude. But when she sees Gilda blowing a gasket at [[ShrinkingViolet Fluttershy]]...
---> '''Pinkie:''' She's a grump, ''and'' a thief, ''and'' a bully! [[JerkAss The meanest kind of mean meanie-pants there is!]] I can take it, but [[KickTheDog no one treats Fluttershy like that.]] ''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis No. One.]]'' This calls for extreme measures - ''Pinkie Pie style!''
** When he sees his beloved Rarity being kidnapped by the Diamond Dogs, "Little Spiky Wikey" just outright starts beating them up. He loses, sadly, but puts up a good fight. Not to be outdone, [[spoiler:Rarity manages to [[PityTheKidnapper inconvenience the Diamond Dogs with wit and whining]].]]
** In the season 2 finale, [[spoiler:the entire team successfully fights off ''dozens'' of monsters. Dozens. Pinkie Pie ''weaponizes'' [[ContinuityNod her Party Cannon]], and Rarity ''slaps'' some into submission with a grin on her face. Even Fluttershy manages to trick a few. Problem is, the BigBad has ''thousands'' of {{mook}}s to spare. It is still the second legitimate action sequence on the show, and demonstrates that the team is quite capable even without the Elements of Harmony.]]
** Good old Applejack, an earth pony who mainly serves as the TeamMom, often gets overlooked despite being strong enough to knock every single apple from a tree simply by kicking it. Then Season 3 comes around and she takes out a trio of [[{{Planimal}} timber wolves]] with nothing but rocks and her own cunning.
** Seriously, don't screw with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. When they've finally been pushed too far by [[TheBully Babs Seed]], the [[ShoutOut A-Team]] music plays, they build an entire motorized parade float in less than a night, fit it with a booby-trap (made from an ''egg timer'') that will send it careening off a cliff at ''precisely'' the right time, and lure Babs into stealing it with a BatmanGambit. They ''even plant a mattress to land on when she shoves them out of the way'', and the only reason it fails is because they have a sudden attack of conscience and save her (the plan itself works beautifully).
** The episode "Maud Pie" introduces Pinkie's sister, Maud. Even after prolonged contact, she is quite clearly an EmotionlessGirl who is only interested in rocks. But when Pinkie gets caught in an avalanche, Maud reacts while everypony else is still gaping, covers several hundred yards in seconds, then ''pounds a house-sized boulder into gravel with a pair of jackhammer hooves.'' {{Jaw Drop}}s all around.
** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 Twilight's Kingdom Part 2]]'', Twilight spends most of the episode too afraid of her own power- and of Tirek absorbing it- to participate in the fight (helped by the fact that her mentor specifically told her to keep the alicorns' magic safe from Tirek). When Tirek finally confronts her, she is initially on the defensive, teleporting around at rapid-fire speed to avoid Tirek's attacks. Then one of those attacks destroys the library, at which point Twilight absolutely loses it; she ''immediately'' goes on the offensive, delivering an anime-style beatdown that would not have been at all out of place in ''Anime/DragonBallZ''.
** After a miserable start against the Mane-iac, the Power Ponies throw down and neatly trash the {{mooks}}. And then she swats a firefly off her weapon. Fluttershy, as Saddle Rager, sees this, and [[HulkingOut finishes off the job]].
*** Also note that the only reason they got that far was because Mane-iac underestimated Humdrum, the powerless sidekick,allowing him to tutor all the ponies their superpowers and later shrewdly disarm Mane-iac's forces and release the ponies behind her back. Who played Humdrum? Spike, of course.
** Discord is normally a quirky and egotistical [[TricksterGod trickster]] who can't be bothered to help with other ponies' problems or [[ComplexityAddiction do anything in a straightforward way]]. But [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E25ToWhereAndBackAgainPart1 when he learns that]] [[spoiler:[[MoralityPet Fluttershy]] has been taken by the Changelings]], he immediately becomes [[TranquilFury deadly serious]] and focused, and [[DungeonBypass teleports directly to]] [[spoiler:the Changeling hive]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', [[BewareTheSillyOnes goofy, silly Beast Boy]] occasionally gets pissed off and reminds both villains and viewers that he was capable of turning into any animal alive ''or that had ever lived''. In one episode, he thoroughly thrashes Slade [[spoiler:or rather a roboSlade, though the two were usually interchangeable]] - despite the fact that this was someone who regularly whooped the team's designated badass, Robin. This is especially evident in "The End", where he uses his "patented wet-willy maneuver" to ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu hurt Trigon more than anyone had ever managed before]].''[[note]]Trigon is a gigantic EldritchAbomination. Beast Boy's "patented wet-willy maneuver" consists of taking the form of a colibri, flying inside Trigon's ear, and becoming ''a whale''. Trigon starts immediately crying out in pain.[[/note]]

* ''WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck'' is typically the ButtMonkey of the Disney Universe. Either [[LaserGuidedKarma through his own fault for acting like a jerk,]] or [[BornUnlucky just plain bad luck,]] it's very rare for things to go right with him. That being said, it comes to a surprise in ''WesternAnimation/Ducktales2017'' that he was given a couple of badass moments.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'''s Charles Foster Ofdensen, Dethklok's mild-mannered manager/lawyer/accountant. Hints are given throughout the first season that Ofdensen is more than what he seems, but we don't see this full until the finale, which manages to be Crowning Moments of both [[Awesome/WesternAnimation awesome]] and [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartwarming]]. A somewhat unique example, in that the villains make a point of taking his awesomeness into account in season 2 and adjusting accordingly.
* Dib of ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' is an almost perpetual ButtMonkey trying to tell a CassandraTruth, but under the right circumstances he's able to unleash his inner awesome and defend the Earth like never before. Like the time he ''[[Awesome/InvaderZim piloted Mercury]]''. Indeed, Creator/JhonenVasquez remarks in the DVD commentary that "Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom" is pretty much just an excuse to show Dib's [[Awesome/InvaderZim Crowning Moment Of Awesome]] as he leads Earth's defense fleet against the Irken armada and single-handedly brings down the Massive.

** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 Twilight's Kingdom Part 2]]'', Twilight spends most of the episode too afraid of her own power- and of Tirek absorbing it- to participate in the fight (helped by the fact that her mentor specifically told her to keep the alicorns' magic safe from Tirek). When Tirek finally confronts her, she is initially on the defensive, teleporting around at rapid-fire speed to avoid Tirek's attacks. Then one of those attacks destroys the library, at which point Twilight absolutely loses it; she ''immediately'' goes on the offensive, [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome delivering an anime-style beatdown that would not have been at all out of place in]] ''Anime/DragonBallZ''.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'''s Charles Foster Ofdensen, Dethklok's mild-mannered manager/lawyer/accountant. Hints are given throughout the first season that Ofdensen is more than what he seems, but we don't see this full until the finale, which manages to be Crowning Moments of both [[CrowningMomentOfAwesomeWesternAnimation awesome]] and [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartwarming]]. A somewhat unique example, in that the villains make a point of taking his awesomeness into account in season 2 and adjusting accordingly.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', [[BewareTheNiceOnes goofy, silly Beast Boy]] occasionally gets pissed off and reminds both villains and viewers that he was capable of turning into any animal alive ''or that had ever lived''. In one episode, he thoroughly thrashes Slade [[spoiler:or rather a roboSlade, though the two were usually interchangeable]] - despite the fact that this was someone who regularly whooped the team's designated badass, Robin. This is especially evident in "The End", where he uses his "patented wet-willy maneuver" to ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu hurt Trigon more than anyone had ever managed before]].''[[note]]Trigon is a gigantic EldritchAbomination. Beast Boy's "patented wet-willy maneuver" consists of taking the form of a colibri, flying inside Trigon's ear, and becoming ''a whale''. Trigon starts immediately crying out in pain.[[/note]]

* [[BadassGrandpa Iroh]] from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. He gets to do this a number of times, the first being when he is kidnapped by earthbenders just before the winter solstice. He nearly manages to escape on his own, buying time for Zuko to show up. They proceed to lay the smackdown on them without even firebending (that would have been unfair). Another is at the North Pole, after Zhao destroys the Moon Spirit. Then there is the second season premiere, in which he redirects Azula's lightning and kicks her overboard just as she's about to finish off Zuko. Finally, there is the scene when Iroh demonstrates how he got the nickname "Dragon of the West." Moral of the story: do ''not'' underestimate someone who once broke through the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, no matter how harmless he may seem now.

** In episode 10, this is proven to be true of [[spoiler: all three of Tenzin's children. [[CuteBookworm Jinora]] sent the [[TheDragon Lieutenant]] [[WorfEffect flying]], [[MotorMouth Ikki]] took out a bunch of chi-blockers with her air-scooter, and Meelo [[{{Fartillery}} gassed]] the rest of them. Oh, and they did this to protect the series' token badass, Lin Bei Fong.]]
** Then there's Bolin for that matter. When he's not being the ButtMonkey, he kicks a fair amount of ass with his own Earthbending.

* For the first season of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'', Soundwave kept away from the front lines; the only fight he got into was with the kid sidekicks of the Autobots (his drone also fought a single Helicopter once). In the finale [[spoiler: [[DarkActionGirl Airachnid]] tries to [[TheStarscream convince the Decepticons to abandon Earth, and Megatron]]. Soundwave effortlessly tosses her around, forcing her to abandon her mutiny.]] No wonder Starscream wanted to stay on his good side. [[spoiler: He's since dethroned Wheeljack as Most Badass Character in the show by kicking the everloving slag out of him. Soundwave Superior, indeed.]]

** In the episode "Octi-Evil": Blossom and Buttercup, having spent the better part of the episode fighting with each other, bury the hatchet to save Bubbles.