History Main / GiantEqualsInvincible

** Part of the reason for the hate for the first American ''Film/{{Godzilla 1998}}'' movie is that this is averted. While Zilla is pretty much immune to small arms fire, big guns and bombs are able to hurt him, and late in the movie he is injured and eventually killed by conventional weaponry.

** The largest examples of extant life have little in the way of natural predators (besides technology-equipped humans) or fights within their own species. Adult whales will sometimes be attacked by orcas, but deaths are very rare. Elephants, rhinos, and hippos are basically immune to the teeth and claws of every predator in Africa. Polar bears are pretty much unchallenged on land.

Contrast the SquareCubeLaw, which suggests larger things should actually be ''weaker''. However, assuming that the Square Cube Law is still in effect, and they still don't collapse and die, then this trope is justified because the creature [[RequiredSecondaryPowers explicitly needs to be super-strong and massively durable]] simply to withstand their own weight and be able to move with any reasonable efficiency (indeed, beyond a certain size, the body would have to incorporate substances stronger and more durable than anything that exists in real animals). For example, a human scaled up by merely twice his own height would weigh eight times more. The strength necessary to move his own body weight as fast as normal human would make him incredibly overpowered versus normal-sized opponents. It's also TruthInTelevision to the extent that a massive difference in size between two animals can render the smaller animal [[PunchPunchPunchUhOh largely incapable of meaningfully harming the larger one]] (such as an ant biting a human or a human punching an elephant) without injecting venom, [[AttackItsWeakPoint attacking a vulnerable area]], using a powerful weapon (such as a gun), or otherwise somehow attacking with something other than its own strength(or having [[ZergRush a few dozen friends]] help).

** Played straight in ''ComicBook/{{Bizarrogirl}}''. Supergirl usually is more than capable of dealing with monsters, but the moonsized [[PlanetEater Godship]] is too tough to be punched out and strong enough to smash her away. It easily withstands the assault of an army of SelfDemonstrating/{{Bizarro}} clones and finally the heroes have to resort to power up Bizarrogirl's petrifying vision to merely freeze it.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Sentinels aren't invincible (yet), but they are built exceptionally tough because their intended targets can [[ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} shatter you with a glance]], [[Franchise/{{Wolverine}} cut anything]], [[ComicBook/{{Storm}} throw lightning]], [[Comicbook/{{Magneto}} bend steel with a thought]] or just [[ComicBook/JeanGrey treat matter like tinker-toys]]. As a consequence, we don't often (if ever) see conventional arms used against them.

Contrast the SquareCubeLaw, which suggests larger things should actually be ''weaker''. However, assuming that the Square Cube Law is still in effect, and they still don't collapse and die, then this trope is justified because the creature [[RequiredSecondaryPowers explicitly needs to be super-strong and massively durable]] simply to withstand their own weight and be able to move with any reasonable efficiency (indeed, beyond a certain size, the body would have to incorporate substances stronger and more durable than anything that exists in real animals). For example, a human scaled up by merely twice his own height would weigh eight times more. The strength necessary to move his own body weight as fast as normal human would make him incredibly overpowered versus normal-sized opponents. It's also TruthInTelevision to the extent that a massive difference in size between two animals can render the smaller animal [[PunchPunchPunchUhOh largely incapable of meaningfully harming the larger one]] (such as an ant biting a human or a human punching an elephant) without injecting venom, [[AttackItsWeakPoint attacking a vulnerable area]], using a powerful weapon (such as a gun), or otherwise somehow attacking with something other than its own strength.

* This could be the reason dinosaurs in the first two ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' movies appear to be bullet-proof. (Though granted, we puny humans rarely get a chance to even try shooting.) They don't seem to be ''completely'' invincible. After all, the hunters in ''[[Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark the second film]]'' are able to catch them in large numbers, and it is implied that the head hunter's elephant gun would have worked on a TyrannosaurusRex had the [[DesignatedHero environmental terrorist]] not stolen his ammo. Also, there's the instant death coral poison gun that got [[TooDumbToLive tangled in some cargo netting.]]

* Technically averted, but played straight in any practical sense in the "Hoth" level of ''Shadows of the Empire''. While you certainly ''can'' take a full AT-AT down with your blasters, it will take a really, really long time. Using your harpoon and tow cable to go for the legs is not only much faster and easier, but infinitely cooler.

* RealLife massive vehicles of both civilian and military types are largely immune to or not significantly compromised by most small-arms fire, which is the reason that specialized anti-vehicle and anti-materiel weapons (which often have firepower on the same scale as the vehicles themselves) exist. Giant aircraft are slightly more susceptible due to the mechanical balancing act that keeps them aloft but a platoon of infantry would still need a ''lot'' of lucky assault rifle shots to down a heavy bomber if it somehow came within range.

** Zigzagged in ''Film/KingKong2005''. The largest animals on Skull Island, the ''Brontosauruses'', avert this trope; Thompson fire is enough to penetrate their unarmored hides and bring them down. The ''Piranhadon'' from the deleted scenes isn't visibly harmed by Thomspon fire, but it's enough to deter it. Kong himself shrugs off small arms fire and tanks bites from ''V. rexes'', though he's brought down by repeated biplane gunfire in the climax and captured with a chloroform bottle to the face. The ''V. rexes'' themselves are ImmuneToBullets in the game, and tank several impacts that likely would have killed a ''T. rex'' in reality. It should be noted that both Kong and the ''V. rexes'', whose species were fierce rivals, were perfectly capable of killing each other.

** By [[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon the third film]], they have learned to take down Cybertronians with ''assault rifles''. Granted, those rifles are firing armor-piercing rounds, but they are shown to be training in tactics specifically designed against large robotic opponents, such as dropping from above and [[EyeScream going for the eyes]]. They still drop like flies, especially when the Decepticons bring out the disintegrator guns, but are able to take down a number of enemy 'bots including [[spoiler:Shockwave]].

* Comicbook/TheUltimates takes great joy in {{avert|edTrope}}ing this as part of its more "realistic" take on superheroes. Giant-Man (non-combatant Hank Pym) is nothing more than an oversized, unskilled, still-entirely-squishy human who is ''repeatedly'' curb-stomped by his [[BadassNormal opponents]] or even just [[EpicFail inconveniently placed obstacles]]. The ''entire concept'' is jettisoned as a useless gimmick for a superhero, and instead gets used for [[MundaneUtility cleanup and construction.]]
* ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} has occasionally faced up to giant monsters and robots that were tough enough to resist her attacks.
** In ''Comicbook/{{Batgirl 2009}}'' she tells a friend about it.
--->'''Comicbook/{{Batgirl}}:''' I thought only the green stuff could hurt your... is "kind" offensive at all?\\

* In an early story Franchise/{{Superman}} had some difficulty when he once fought an alien giant robot. It was as strong and invulnerable as he was, so whenever Supes and the alien robot traded punches neither was hurt. The robot then used its superior to size to grab Superman and stuff him inside a compartment within. Superman eventually escapes and defeats the robot by dismantling it at the joints.

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]
* Parodied by one of the final unpublished strips of ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'', available in ''Last Chapter And Worse''. A man is interviewed after taking down a Godzilla-like monster with his shotgun. "Well, I seen all the commotion, with that there monster destroyin' half the city and whatnot, and I says to myself 'Hell! Why don't someone just shoot the varmint?'"
** Also averted in one depicting a massive, slain mastodon, [[AttackItsWeakPoint with a miniscule arrow in its buttock]].
-->'''Caveman:''' Maybe we should write that spot down.
** As a GeniusBonus, this is one of the theories about what spurred early man to invent writing.
[[/folder]]

** Averted with Mt. Lady. Not only can a strong enough opponent take her down while she's in her giant form [[spoiler:as All For One does]], but she has to be careful about just stepping on things as well; When she goes to stomp the front of a villain hideout, she has to wear a flatbed truck as an makeshift shoe to avoid hurting her foot on the debris.

* ''FanFic/BattleFantasiaProject'': Justified in the remake. When the Nightmare Factory deploys a {{Kaiju}}, it's quickly pointed out that [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve magic tends to make beliefs real or more probable]], and as it happened in Japan the Kaijuu was effectively invincible unless fought by a PhysicalGod, someone with divine-inspired powers, or something equally large (it was taken down by the [[WesternAnimation/MegasXLR Megas]]).

* {{Discussed|Trope}} in ''FanFic/TheDilgarWar'', where a few characters talk about the latest ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' movie and one of them mentions an easy way to deal with it: [[OrbitalBombardment a single railgun shot from an orbiting starship]].

* Averted in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' with Mt. Lady. Not only can a strong enough opponent take her down while she's in her giant form [[spoiler:as All For One does]], but she has to be careful about just stepping on things as well; When she goes to stomp the front of a villain hideout, she has to wear a flatbed truck as an makeshift shoe to avoid hurting her foot on the debris.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath''. The first boss, Wyzen, grows to the size of a planet, then tries to [[FingerPokeOfDoom poke]] the man-sized Asura to death. Asura blows him up, and he is posthumously mocked by his allies for thinking it would work.

* Averted in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' with Mount Lady. Not only can a strong enough opponent take her down while she's in her giant form [[spoiler:as All For One does]], but she has to be careful about just stepping on things as well; When she goes to stomp the front of a villain hideout, she has to wear a flatbed truck as an makeshift shoe to avoid hurting her foot on the debris.

* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', [[spoiler:[[Film/AntMan Giant-Man]] is seemingly impervious to both Iron Man and War Machine's artillery, though to be fair, they were not trying to use lethal shots. It takes a combination of "[[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack really old movie]]" tactics and a wrecking ball-like slam from a superdense Vision to knock him down]]. Especially odd since Ant-Man's powers are explicitly stated to change his size but not his mass, meaning when he's small he's a PintSizedPowerhouse, with the strength and weight of a grown man concentrated into the size of an ant, which means that conversely he should have roughly the strength of tissue paper at 60 feet tall. In practice, his powers mostly alternate between RuleOfCool and RuleOfFunny.

* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', [[spoiler:[[Film/AntMan Giant-Man]] is seemingly impervious to both Iron Man and War Machine's artillery, though to be fair, they were not trying to use lethal shots. It takes a combination of "[[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack really old movie]]" tactics and a wrecking ball-like slam from a superdense Vision to knock him down]].

Contrast the SquareCubeLaw, which suggests larger things should actually be ''weaker''. However, assuming that the Square Cube Law is still in effect, and they still don't collapse and die, then this trope is justified because the creature [[RequiredSecondaryPowers explicitly needs to be super-strong and massively durable]] simply to withstand their own weight and be able to move with any reasonable efficiency (indeed, beyond a certain size, the body would have to incorporate substances stronger and more durable than anything that exists in real animals). For example, a human scaled up by merely twice his own height would weigh eight times more. The strength necessary to move his own body weight would make him incredibly overpowered versus normal-sized opponents. It's also TruthInTelevision to the extent that a massive difference in size between two animals can render the smaller animal [[PunchPunchPunchUhOh largely incapable of meaningfully harming the larger one]] (such as an ant biting a human or a human punching an elephant) without injecting venom, [[AttackItsWeakPoint attacking a vulnerable area]], using a powerful weapon (such as a gun), or otherwise somehow attacking with something other than its own strength.

[[folder: Fan Works]]

[[folder: Fan Works ]]

** With a much more relative definition of "giant", this applies to all macroscopic life. Nearly anything can be taken down by an infection by much smaller organisms (such as bacteria or viruses).

There are a few methods for overcoming this, including DepletedPhlebotinumShells and (inexplicably) attaching the very same weapons to another giant robot or monster. On the other hand, simply laying out poisoned bait for these critters and letting their appetites do them in will [[JustEatGilligan never]], ever, ''ever'' occur to anyone[[note]]except in Film/GameraVsGyaos[[/note]].

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* Justified in ''Film/IndependenceDayResurgence'' by having the giant Queen Alien have it's own individual forcefield.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Sentinels aren't invincible (yet), but they are built exceptionally tough because their intended targets can [[ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} shatter you with a glance]], [[ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} cut anything]], [[ComicBook/{{Storm}} throw lightning]], [[Comicbook/{{Magneto}} bend steel with a thought]] or just [[ComicBook/JeanGrey treat matter like tinker-toys]]. As a consequence, we don't often (if ever) see conventional arms used against them.
* Comicbook/TheUltimates takes great joy in [[AvertedTrope averting]] this as part of its more "realistic" take on superheroes. Giant-Man (non-combatant Hank Pym) is nothing more than an oversized, unskilled, still-entirely-squishy human who is ''repeatedly'' curb-stomped by his [[BadassNormal opponents]] or even just [[EpicFail inconveniently placed obstacles]]. The ''entire concept'' is jettisoned as a useless gimmick for a superhero, and instead gets used for [[MundaneUtility cleanup and construction.]]

[[folder: ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' Fan Works]]

* [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in ''FanFic/TheDilgarWar'', where a few characters talk about the latest ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' movie and one of them mentions an easy way to deal with it: [[OrbitalBombardment a single railgun shot from an orbiting starship]].

** The ''Spinosaurus'' from ''Film/JurassicParkIII'' both may have tanked shots from an anti-tank rifle and definitely tanked a bite to the neck from a subadult ''T. rex''. [[spoiler:However, as it was likely a prototype hybrid dinosaur, this may be somewhat justified]].

* Averted in ''Film/KingKong1933''. Kong is gradually shot down by biplanes (Helicopter gunships in the [[Film/KingKong1976 1976 remake]]), and slowly dies from shot after shot.
* Zigzagged in ''Film/KingKong2005''. The largest animals on Skull Island, the ''Brontosauruses'', avert this trope; Thompson fire is enough to penetrate their unarmored hides and bring them down. The ''Piranhadon'' from the deleted scenes isn't visibly harmed by Thomspon fire, but it's enough to deter it. Kong himself shrugs off small arms fire and tanks bites from ''V. rexes'', though he's brought down by repeated biplane gunfire in the climax and captured with a chloroform bottle to the face. The ''V. rexes'' themselves are ImmuneToBullets in the game, and tank several impacts that likely would have killed a ''T. rex'' in reality. It should be noted that both Kong and the ''V. rexes'', whose species were fierce rivals, were perfectly capable of killing each other.
* Played straight in ''Film/KongSkullIsland'', where King Kong takes out a full squadron of helicopter gunships, though he does bleed a bit and his palm shows scars from their rotors. The ''small'' Skullcrawler shrugs off several small arms and even a flamethrower and is only killed when a gas vent is set on fire under it. [[spoiler:The big one survives even Kong cutting its throat open with a ship's propeller and it takes him ripping its guts out through its mouth to kill it.]]

* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', [[spoiler:[[Film/AntMan Giant-Man]] is seemingly impervious to both Iron Man and War Machine's artillery, though to be fair, they were not trying to use lethal shots. It takes a combination of "[[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack really old movie]]" tactics and a wrecking ball-like slam from a superdense Vision to knock him down.]]
* A very literal example in ''Film/BigAssSpider'', with the eponymous menace, upon reaching Kaiju size, being immune to gunfire and even [[spoiler: surviving a direct missile strike.]] Meanwhile, [[spoiler: its newly-hatched (small) offspring prove to be susceptible to being shot.]]

* Ultimately subverted in ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'': while bigger [=PCs=] and [=NPCs=] get harder and harder to take down (especially when [=PCs=] take "[[NighInvulnerability Nigh Invulnerable]]") they ''will'' fall eventually. It's more about players not having to spend sessions trying to grind down one giant and to keep a sense of danger when a giant PC fights as when they are fighting a kaiju, they're in the same boat as the lizard.