History Main / MonstrosityEqualsWeakness

* Creator/FromSoftware doesn't totally play the trope straight, but invokes it in spirit by often making the strongest bosses the least visibly deformed.

* Creator/FromSoftware doesn't totally play the trope staright, but invokes it in spirit by often making the strongest bosses the least visibly deformed.

** ''VideoGame/EldenRing'': Most of the Demigod bosses are some flavor of monstrous- Godrick is a mishmash of grafted limbs, Morgott and Mohg are deformed Omens, Rykard is a giant snake, Radahn is a giant ogre-like man, et cetera. Then there's [[Characters/EldenRingMalenia Malenia]], who aside from being 8 feet tall, looks like a normal woman with an oversized sword. Then you actually fight her, and have to deal with precise movements, devastating combos and special moves, insane strength and damage output, and ''healing'' on every hit, even the ones that don't do damage. She is ''not kidding'' when she says [[WorldsBestWarrior she's never known defeat]]. [[spoiler: Even her [[OneWingedAngel Goddess of Rot]] form is just naked Malenia with wings made of butterflies. She's still quite pretty, if you ignore the effects of rot.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' is not lacking in massive horrible monsters to throw at you, but some of its most difficult opponents are humans, largely other hunters who make up for their lack of sheer might with being damn good at what they do. [[spoiler: The fights against Gherman and Lady Maria are some of the game's toughest, despite them being normal humans with minor TouchedByVorlons boosts at most, and the toughest Great One in the game is the very humanoid Orphan of Kos.]]

** ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'': all the fantastical monsters you face throughout the game are quite challenging in their own right, but the toughest ones are the humans with CharlesAtlasSuperpower and SuperpowernaturalMartialArts. This is especially the case with the FinalBoss, Sword Saint Isshin, who doesn't even have the gimmicks most of the other human bosses have. He's simply incredibly skilled with his sword, polearm, and firearm.

** ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'': all the fantastical monsters you face throughout the game are quite challenging in their own right, but the toughest ones are the humans with CharlesAtlasSuperpower and SuperpoweredMartialArts. This is especially the case with the FinalBoss, Sword Saint Isshin, who doesn't even have the gimmicks most of the other human bosses have. He's simply incredibly skilled with his sword, polearm, and firearm.

** ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'': all the fantastical monsters you face throughout the game are quite challenging in their own right, but the toughest ones are the humans with CharlesAtlasSuperpower and SuperpoweredMartialArts. This is especially the case with the FinalBoss, Sword Saint Isshin, who doesn't even have the gimmicks most of the other human bosses have. He's simply incredibly skilled with his sword, polearm, and firearms.
** ''VideoGame/EldenRing'': Most of the Demigod bosses are some flavor of monstrous- Godrick is a mishmash of grafted limbs, Morgott and Mohg are deformed Omens, Rykard is a giant snake, Radahn is a giant ogre-like man, et cetera. Then there's [[CharactersEldenRingMalenia Malenia]], who aside from being 8 feet tall, looks like a normal woman with an oversized sword. Then you actually fight her, and have to deal with precise movements, devastating combos and special moves, insane strength and damage output, and ''healing'' on every hit, even the ones that don't do damage. She is ''not kidding'' when she says [[WorldsBestWarrior she's never known defeat]]. [[spoiler: Even her [[OneWingedAngel Goddess of Rot]] form is just naked Malenia with wings made of butterflies. She's still quite pretty, if you ignore the effects of rot.]]

* With the exception of dragons, the strongest bosses in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' are generally humanoid, while the weaker ones are more overtly monstrous. Compare the [[WarmUpBoss Asylum Demon]] to the first game's FinalBoss, [[spoiler: Gwyn, Lord of Cinder]], for instance. Another good example is Vordt and the Dancer in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'': both underwent horrible transformations due to Pontiff Sulyvahn's sorcery, but the Dancer resembles a (very large and deformed) human while Vordt is both larger/bulkier and takes on dog-like qualities. The Dancer has multiple times Vordt's health and damage output, on top of being much faster. This also applies to different forms of the same enemy -- [[spoiler: Gundyr's]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower Abyss-corrupted]] HumanoidAbomination form when you first fight them is a pushover compared to their regular form that you fight later, and [[spoiler: Slave Knight Gael]] gets more dangerous when he stops fighting like a mad beast (complete with growling and moving on all fours) and starts fighting like a swordsman.
* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'': Most of the Demigod bosses are some flavor of monstrous- Godrick is a mishmash of grafted limbs, Morgott and Mohg are deformed Omens, Rykard is a giant snake, Radahn is a giant ogre-like man, et cetera. Then there's Malenia, who aside from being 8 feet tall, looks like a normal woman with an oversized sword. Then you actually fight her, and have to deal with precise movements, devastating combos and special moves, and ''healing'' on every hit, even the ones that don't do damage. She is ''not kidding'' when she says [[WorldsBestWarrior she's never known defeat]]. [[spoiler: Even her [[OneWingedAngel Goddess of Rot]] form is just naked Malenia with wings made of butterflies. She's still quite pretty, if you ignore the effects of rot.]]

* With the exception of dragons, the strongest bosses in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' are generally humanoid, while the weaker ones are more overtly monstrous. Compare the [[WarmUpBoss Asylum Demon]] to the first game's FinalBoss, [[spoiler: Gwyn, Lord of Cinder]], for instance. Another good example is Vordt and the Dancer in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'': both underwent horrible transformations due to Pontiff Sulyvahn's sorcery, but the Dancer resembles a (very large and deformed) human while Vordt is both larger/bulkier and takes on dog-like qualities. The Dancer has multiple times Vordt's health and damage output, on top of being much faster. This also applies to different forms of the same enemy -- [[spoiler: Gundyr's]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower Abyss-corrupted]] HumanoidAbomination form when you first fight them is a pushover compared to their regular form that you fight later, and [[spoiler: Slave Knight Gael]] gets more dangerous when he stops fighting like a mad beast (complete with growling and moving on all fours) and starts fighting like a swordsman.

* With the exception of dragons, the strongest bosses in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' are generally humanoid, while the weaker ones are more overtly monstrous. Compare the [[WarmUpBoss Asylum Demon]] to the FinalBoss, [[spoiler: Gwyn, Lord of Cinder]], for instance. Another good example is Vordt and the Dancer: both underwent horrible transformations due to Pontiff Sulyvahn's sorcery, but the Dancer resembles a (very large and deformed) human while Vordt is both larger/bulkier and takes on dog-like qualities. The Dancer has multiple times Vordt's health and damage output, on top of being much faster. This also applies to different forms of the same enemy -- [[spoiler: Gundyr's]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower Abyss-corrupted]] HumanoidAbomination form when you first fight them is a pushover compared to their regular form that you fight later, and [[spoiler: Slave Knight Gael]] gets more dangerous when he stops fighting like a mad beast (complete with growling and moving on all fours) and starts fighting like a swordsman.

* With the exception of dragons, the strongest bosses in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' are generally humanoid, while the weaker ones are more overtly monstrous. Compare the [[WarmUpBoss Asylum Demon]] to [[spoiler: [[FinalBoss Gwyn, Lord of Cinder]]]], for instance. Another good example is Vordt and the Dancer: both underwent horrible transformations due to Pontiff Sulyvahn's sorcery, but the Dancer resembles a (very large and deformed) human while Vordt is both larger/bulkier and takes on dog-like qualities. The Dancer has multiple times Vordt's health and damage output, on top of being much faster. This also applies to different forms of the same enemy -- [[spoiler: Gundyr's]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower Abyss-corrupted]] HumanoidAbomination form when you first fight them is a pushover compared to their regular form that you fight later, and [[spoiler: Slave Knight Gael]] gets more dangerous when he stops fighting like a mad beast (complete with growling and moving on all fours) and starts fighting like a swordsman.

* With the exception of dragons, the strongest bosses in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' are generally humanoid, while the weaker ones are more overtly monstrous. Compare the [[WarmUpBoss Asylum Demon]] to [[FinalBoss Gwyn]], for instance. Another good example is Vordt and the Dancer: both underwent horrible transformations due to Pontiff Sulyvahn's sorcery, but the Dancer resembles a (very large and deformed) human while Vordt is both larger/bulkier and takes on dog-like qualities. The Dancer has multiple times Vordt's health and damage output, on top of being much faster. This also applies to different forms of the same enemy -- Gundyr's [[LovecraftianSuperpower Abyss-corrupted]] HumanoidAbomination form at the beginning of the game is a pushover compared to his regular form that you fight later, and Slave Knight Gael gets more dangerous when he stops fighting like a mad beast (complete with growling and moving on all fours) and starts fighting like a swordsman.

* Inverted in ''Manga/AttackOnTitan''. The regular Titans look like gigantic, heavily doped people, while the [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Titan Shifters]] all have some kind of inhuman deformity, like [[spoiler: Eren's serrated lipless mouth, Annie's exposed muscles, and so the list goes]]. Shifters, as [[ItCanThink they retain their human intelligence]], are easily the most dangerous type of Titan.

* ''Manga/BusoRenkin'' justifies this: Homunculi can only attack in the manner of the base creature. Gorilla-based can just use pure strength, an eagle-based one can use their talons, but only a humanoid homunculus can use real weapons. This includes the titular superweapons, by the way.

* Typically played straight in ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' (See also BishounenLine). Notably lampshaded by Piccolo: the Saiyan warrior Nappa is a huge, towering mountain of muscle, but he's clearly much weaker than (and more than a little afraid of angering) the Saiyan Prince Vegeta, who is noticeably short, even compared to average humans.

* In ''{{Manga/Gantz}}'', many of the different alien beings encountered look monstrous and grotesque. However, it's always the humanoid-looking ones that seem to give the protagonists the most trouble. This is taken to the next level in the final arc, where the final enemy is a civilization of giant humanoid beings that possess far more advanced intelligence and technology than the humans.

** Done deliberately during Trick Tower of the Hunter Exam Arc, where the freakish-looking big guy with a steel-plated fist turned out to be [[PaperTiger a terrible fighter who had some plastic surgery screwed up, hurts his hand when he punches things, and can only win fights by intimidating the other guy into giving up.]]

* Sango, the trained {{youkai}} hunter of ''Manga/InuYasha'', was taught that the most dangerous youkai are those which look human, a rule of thumb which proves almost universally true throughout the series. Of particular note is the fact that the worst defeat suffered by Sesshoumaru - who is presented as probably the most powerful youkai in the series - occurs the one time he transforms from his humanoid form into that of a giant dog, even though said transformation is presented as a power-''up''. Most powerful demons are capable of attaining a human form and possess some sense of intelligence, using their monstrous form only when fighting seriously. In other words, it's not that looking human makes you stronger, it's that changing into a human is an ability that most weak demons don't have.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'': The Sea Kings, giant monsters found all over the sea (mostly in the Grand Line) are a terror for normal humans and ships to face, but a piece of cake for strong humans like Luffy, who punches out [[SeaMonster the Lord of the Coast]] in the first chapter. Since they're still animals (albeit huge), their will is weak enough [[spoiler: to be controlled by Conqueror's Haki, as demonstrated by Shanks in Chapter One]].

** Then there's [[spoiler: Awakened Garou]], who's decent into further monstrosity does force Saitama to fight more and more seriously, but a combination of being unfamiliar with how their [[spoiler: new inhuman body]] works and relying on more brutish strength against...well, [[WorldsStrongestMan Saitama]], leads to their fight ending much sooner than how it started.

* Averted with Fat Cobra from ''ComicBook/ImmortalIronFist''. He looks like a big fat brutal sumo wrestler. He turns out to be extraordinarily fast, strong, skilled and intelligent even relative to the superhuman billionaire hero.

* The original {{Final Battle}} of ''Film/{{Blade}}'' involved Deacon Frost [[{{One Winged Angel}} transforming]] into a giant {{Blob Monster}} made of [[{{Blood Magic}} blood]], rather than the {{Sword Fight}} with the eponymous protagonist. The original scene didn't play well with test audiences, who tuned out and lost emotional investment in the story because of this trope.

* A running theme in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' is that, while monstrous beings may be superficially more powerful in some ways, their monstrosity is ultimately a result of corruption and weakens them in the long run. This applies even more to metaphysical beings like [[GodOfEvil Morgoth]], who was a dark towering monstrosity because he'd [[ShapeshifterModeLock LOST the ability to change form.]]
* Nouda in ''Literature/BartimaeusTrilogy'' is far less dangerous as a giant demonic monster than as a balding middle-aged man. {{Justified|Trope}} in that our world is harmful to demons, who aren't native to it. Nouda temporarily got around this by possessing a human host, but his essence proved too strong for the human body to contain, and he started bursting back out it, losing the projective insulation of a human body in the process.

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]
* This happens quite often in the newer Franchise/KamenRider series. All the bad guys will be monsters, and usually each will be animal-themed. However, the monsters-of-the-day will be monstrous beastmen, while the higher-ranking ones look more like humans in animal-themed armor.
* In Franchise/SuperSentai / Franchise/PowerRangers, bad guys, whether they be monsters-of-the-week or major villains, almost always go down much quicker in giant form than human-sized form. Then again, this is probably less due to the giant monster forms being weak, and more due to the fact that they're fighting a giant robot with tons of strength and weapons.
** An especially guilty example is [[spoiler:Damaras from Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger.]] In human sized form, he's a massive badass, able to smash the Gokaigers with little effort, and only losing because [[spoiler:Basco backstabbed him.]] And even then, he's the only enemy in the series to take ''two'' blasts from the Gokai Galleon Buster. Giant form? Just stands there and takes finishing moves until he dies.

[[folder: TabletopGames]]
* {{Inverted}} in ''TabletopGame/LeviathanTheTempest''. Leviathans can transform between seven increasingly monstrous forms known as Depths, ranging from Depth 1 (indistinguishable from human) to Depth 7 (full-on {{Kaiju}}). With each Depth they descend, the Leviathan not only gets physically larger and more powerful, but also can draw more deeply from its [[LovecraftianSuperpower Channels]].
* ZigZagged somewhat by the minions of the Darkness in ''TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful''.

* The order of [[VideoGame/LegacyOfKain Kain's]] Lieutenants ascends in order of weakest to strongest. You begin with Melchiah, who is basically nothing more than a stitched together bundle of rotting flesh, and end with Kain, who is still largely humanoid despite his evolution.

* With the exception of dragons, the strongest bosses in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' are generally humanoid, while the weaker ones are more overtly monstrous. Compare the [[WarmUpBoss Asylum Demon]] to [[FinalBoss Gwyn]], for instance. Another good example is Vordt and the Dancer: both underwent horrible transformations due to Pontiff Sulyvahn's sorcery, but the Dancer resembles a (very large and deformed) human while Vordt is both larger/bulkier and takes on dog-like qualities. The Dancer has multiple times Vordt's health and damage output, on top of being much faster. This also applies to different forms of the same enemy- Gundyr's [[LovecraftianSuperpower Abyss-corrupted]] HumanoidAbomination form at the beginning of the game is a pushover compared to his regular form that you fight later, and Slave Knight Gael gets more dangerous when he stops fighting like a mad beast (complete with growling and moving on all fours) and starts fighting like a swordsman.
* A good way to spot the WarmupBoss in any given game in the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series is to find the biggest one. Chances are it's the weakest. Also applies to the intro boss, which will almost certain be a hulking wimp. Its SequelSeries, ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'', also use this trope, though in ''VideoGame/MegaManZero2'' you really had no way of telling which was which till you went through the stage. The various minor bosses you face are mostly animal-form. Major villains--Sigma, Prometheus and Pandora, and so on--are humanoid. But the various bosses with multiple forms tend to become less humanoid in each.

** Averted with Angra himself, however. Easily as hard or harder than Azel, and several times larger than any other opponent, to the point your main point of attack is his ''chin''.

** Averted in tabletop ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', however. High-end enemies run the whole gamut from [[OurDragonsAreDifferent colossal dragons]] to DemonLordsAndArchdevils to {{Eldritch Abomination}}s to {{Kaiju}} to {{Physical God}}s. None save the latter tend towards humans in size or looks.

* Averted in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins.'' Non-boss humans and humanlike Darkspawn (essentially Tolkien Orcs) are some of the simpler enemies. Bizarre creatures like Ogres and demonic spirits of the Fade are noticeably tougher, but the best example is the nightmarish [[MookMaker Brood Mother]], who is explicitly stated to be the corrupted form of a normal female, and is a full-fledged boss monster. The [[BigBad Archdemon]] itself may also counts, though in its case the monstrosity makes it un-dragon-like instead of inhuman.
* ''VideoGame/GuruminAMonstrousAdventure'' for the PC and PSP plays this straight most of the time, as each boss is usually smaller than the last. The first three bosses Bob, Mosby and Roger are all relatively large (after transforming), and then you get to the fourth boss who transforms... Into you. She suddenly has a ton of moments where she can block your attacks and counter with quick moves, whereas the first three are all a case of "Hit them when you get a good opening." The fifth boss is once again a giant monster, but you soon find that he's a complete joke and was only setting up for the real boss-- the Phantom Prince, who's roughly the same height as Parin. The trope's subverted as the final boss [[spoiler: is the large and powerful Tokaron, the legendary dragon.]] But he's not the strongest enemy, actually. It's really the BonusBoss, Blackbean: Prince of Destruction. He's the smallest boss in the game, coming up to about the same size as the game's standard {{Mook}}, roughly half of Parin's height.
* The Id in ''VideoGame/TheHalloweenHack'' is frightening looking, but it doesn't even try to fight you. However, after defeating it, [[spoiler:Andonuts uses his mind power to turn into a PSI-wielding, profanity-spouting superhuman.]]
* Mostly {{Averted|Trope}} in ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' (with the exception of [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever Kraid]] in ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission''). Samus most dangerous rival isn't any of the rival hunters who've appeared in games like ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters'' or ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'', most of which are taken out fairly easily, but rather the fiendish pterodactyl-like alien Ridley, and the even more monstrous Mother Brain. What's more, when Mother Brain was "resurrected" in the body of an android in ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' she was notably ''weaker'' than she was in her monstrous form. On the other hand, the absolute, no-contest ''most'' deadly enemies that Samus ever faced, even temporarily, were relatively humanoid in shape and size: The [[VideoGame/MetroidFusion SA-X]], [[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy Dark Samus]], and [[VideoGame/MetroidDread Raven Beak]], the second of whom was originally a massive mutated Metroid before she was reborn as a galaxy-conquering HumanoidAbomination, and the last being a Chozo who is twice as tall as Samus but still a humanoid bird that utterly curbstomps a fully-armed Samus in their first encounter.

** To be slightly fair to the SA-X, however, from a story perspective she has ''nothing'' on the humble X-Parasites she's made up of, which are sentient malicious alien germ monsters. The X take the form of monsters and humanoids to make hunting other monsters and humanoids easier so they can feed on them, but if they wanted, they could just fly over to ''anything'' that isn't dead or inorganic and infect it, killing it from the inside. Almost ''nothing'' living is immune to this, and an X-Parasite is NighInvulnerable. The only way to combat them was to make a creature literally designed to counter the X-Parasite's powers, which led to the making of Metroids. Samus can only combat them by being infused with Metroid DNA; the only ''other'' way to kill an X-Parasite was to [[spoiler: nuke the planet they were on from orbit with a space station...which also meant destroying the planet.]] It's less 'monstrosity equals weakness' and more 'monstrosity equals weakness when applied to the one thing that can effectively hunt it.'
** Raven Beak [[spoiler:plays this one straight after he gets assimilated by an X-Parasite that had assimilated Kraid offscreen, turning into a horrific amalgamation of himself and Kraid. He's ''[[ClippedWingAngel far less]]'' [[ClippedWingAngel dangerous]] compared to his previous self thanks to no longer having his powerful suit or Chozo physique, and the fact that Samus is now armed with the [[WaveMotionGun Hyper Beam]] to obliterate him.]]
* ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'' has plenty of huge, monstrous bosses to challenge the player...but by far the hardest battles are against the human-sized villains like the Crimson Wizard and Malocchio.
* This is overtly a plot point in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV''. Most of the civilised societies of the world are made up of the humanoid races available to players. In contrast to them are 'Beast Tribes' that consist of races that are often seen as primitive at best, vicious at worst depending on the individual tribe. Members of Beast Tribe races are looked down upon by the city-states of Eorzea, and indeed even the [[DefectorFromDecadence sympathetic members]] of them are often presented as any combination of dim-witted, superstitious, alien, or technologically primitive. The only reason Beast Tribes are considered a threat by the armies of the city-states is because they are prone to summoning [[PhysicalGod Primals]] capable of mass destruction and [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly tempering]] non-believers into their service.
** This also plays into the [[BigBad Big Bads]] of the overarching stories. While most final bosses usually take the form of a giant monster such as one of the aforementioned Primals or a technological wonder, most of them are done at the behest or to the whims of a more humanoid villain. In ''A Realm Reborn'', the Garleans and [[spoiler: the Ascians]] turn [[spoiler: the Omega Weapon]] on you in the final battle. In ''Heavensward'', the final boss is [[spoiler: Archbishop Thordan VII turned into a Primal personification of the legendary King Thordan]]. In ''Stormblood'', the final boss is [[spoiler: Zenos Yae Galvus possessing Shinryu using his powers as a Resonant]]. The closest the game has come to subverting this is Nidhogg, the ArcVillain of the greater Dragonsong War, whom is fought in patch 3.3 to bring that arc to its conclusion.

[[folder: Webcomics]]
* {{Downplayed}} and {{Justified|Trope}} with the Nightmares of ''Webcomic/{{Dreamkeepers}}'' Each Nightmare has a certain amount of power at its disposal, and when it incarnates in the Dreamworld it can choose either to invest that power in augmenting its physical form or to use it to fuel various supernatural abilities, with only the most powerful possessing sufficient energy to invest heavily in both forms of power. Thus, as a general rule of thumb, if a Nightmare possess an imposing and monstrous form, it will not also possess more mystical abilities, while the more fragile and humanoid Nightmares are more likely to possess formidable supernatural powers.

* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' the Corrupted Gem monsters the heroes fight early on are completely nonhumanoid in appearance, and are often weaker than regular humanoid gems (partially because they're mentally corrupted to the point where they're non-sapient). [[spoiler: Notably, once Jasper is corrupted, she goes from ImplacableMan to being poofed by a single strike from Peridot.]]

* Somewhat TruthInTelevision: People with conditions that make them unnaturally large often have severe health problems because of [[SquareCubeLaw the greater stresses on their bones and muscles compared to average-sized people.]]. For instance:

* Nouda in ''Literature/BartimaeusTrilogy'' is far less dangerous as a giant demonic monster than as a balding middle-aged man. {{Justified}} in that our world is harmful to demons, who aren't native to it. Nouda temporarily got around this by possessing a human host, but his essence proved too strong for the human body to contain, and he started bursting back out it, losing the projective insulation of a human body in the process.

* {{Downplayed}} and {{Justified}} with the Nightmares of ''Webcomic/{{Dreamkeepers}}'' Each Nightmare has a certain amount of power at its disposal, and when it incarnates in the Dreamworld it can choose either to invest that power in augmenting its physical form or to use it to fuel various supernatural abilities, with only the most powerful possessing sufficient energy to invest heavily in both forms of power. Thus, as a general rule of thumb, if a Nightmare possess an imposing and monstrous form, it will not also possess more mystical abilities, while the more fragile and humanoid Nightmares are more likely to possess formidable supernatural powers.

* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons of the Books of Zeref]] are extremely powerful and dangerous foes, but there's a noticeable trend that the more humanoid they are, the more dangerous they are. {{Kaiju}}-sized demons like Lullaby and Deliora, introduced earlier in the manga, are eventually outclassed by the smaller, and demi-human in some cases, demons of Tartaros, whose members are much more efficient and intelligent killers. The most powerful demons of all, such as Mard Geer, look just like normal humans outside of their OneWingedAngel forms. This is {{justified}} since [[spoiler:Zeref created them both to perfect the art of CreatingLife so he could bring his little brother BackFromTheDead and to [[DeathSeeker make something strong enough to kill him]]. The most powerful demon of all, E.N.D., is fittingly enough said reanimated brother, [[TheHero Natsu Dragneel]], and ''his'' OneWingedAngel form once awakened just looks more like a demonic version of his [[SuperMode Dragon Force]] with the most noticeable alternation being the black scaled and clawed hands he gets]].

** Continued in the second part, ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'', where the vampire minions are predictably hideous, but the Pillar Men who created them are inhumanly gorgeous and vaguely-homoerotic muscular men. The most fabulous-looking of them, named Kars eventually subverts this, [[spoiler: using the Red Stone of Aja to become the Ultimate Being, whose strengths rely on physical mutations to allow him to do things humanoids can't.]]

** Raven Beak [[spoiler:plays this one straight after he gets assimilated by an X-Parasite that had assimilated Kraid offscreen, turning into a horrific amalgamation of himself and Kraid. He's ''[[[[ClippedWingAngel far less]]'' [[ClippedWingAngel dangerous]] compared to his previous self thanks to no longer having his powerful suit or Chozo physique, and the fact that Samus is now armed with the [[WaveMotionGun Hyper Beam]] to obliterate him.]]

** Raven Beak [[spoiler:plays this one straight after he gets assimilated by an X-Parasite that had assimilated Kraid offscreen, turning into a horrific amalgamation of himself and Kraid. He's ''far'' less dangerous compared to his previous self thanks to no longer having his powerful suit or Chozo physique, and the fact that Samus is now armed with the [[WaveMotionGun Hyper Beam]] to obliterate him.]]

* Mostly {{Averted|Trope}} in ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' (with the exception of [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever Kraid]] in ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission''). Samus most dangerous rival isn't any of the rival hunters who've appeared in games like ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters'' or ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'', most of which are taken out fairly easily, but rather the fiendish pterodactyl-like alien Ridley, and the even more monstrous Mother Brain. What's more, when Mother Brain was "resurrected" in the body of an android in ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' she was notably ''weaker'' than she was in her monstrous form. On the other hand, the absolute, no-contest ''most'' deadly enemies that Samus ever faced, even temporarily, were relatively humanoid in shape and size: The [[VideoGame/MetroidFusion SA-X]], [[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy Dark Samus]], and [[VideoGame/MetroidDread Raven Beak]], the second of whom was originally a massive mutated Metroid before she was reborn as a galaxy-conquering HumanoidAbomination, and the last being a Chozo who is twice as tall as Samus but still a humanoid bird.

* Mostly {{Averted|Trope}} in ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' (with the exception of [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever Kraid]] in ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission''). Samus most dangerous rival isn't any of the rival hunters who've appeared in games like ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters'' or ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'', most of which are taken out fairly easily, but rather the fiendish pterodactyl-like alien Ridley, and the even more monstrous Mother Brain. What's more, when Mother Brain was "resurrected" in the body of an android in ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' she was notably ''weaker'' than she was in her monstrous form. On the other hand, the absolute, no-contest ''most'' deadly enemies that Samus ever faced, even temporarily, were her own {{Evil Twin}}s, the [[VideoGame/MetroidFusion SA-X]] and [[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy Dark Samus]], the latter of whom was originally a massive mutated Metroid before she was reborn as a galaxy-conquering HumanoidAbomination.

** Mnemosyne, meanwhile, are those who embraced the Darkness without their conscience putting up a fight, meaning that they retain their human minds and bodies. They tend to be squishier than Darkspawn, but their ability to plan, used complex tactics, and fake humanity enough to move through society without standing out too much makes them far more dangerous, especially with their ability to learn the BlackMagic of Calignes.

* In ''Series/{{Charmed}}'', upper-level demons can, and nearly always do, take human forms. Monstrous demons are only minor antagonists or minions, while main antagonists ([[FaceHeelRevolvingDoor Cole when he's evil]], the Triad, the Source, Zankou) appear as humans.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': The Sea Kings, giant monsters found all over the sea (mostly in the Grand Line) are a terror for normal humans to face, but a piece of cake for strong humans like Luffy, who punches out [[SeaMonster the Lord of the Coast]] in the first chapter.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': The Sea Kings, giant monster found all over the ocean (mostly in the Grand Line) are a terror for normal humans to face, but a piece of cake for strong humans like Luffy, who punches out [[SeaMonster the Lord of the Coast]] in the first chapter.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': The Sea Kings, giant monster found all over the ocean (mostly in the Grand Line) are a terror for normal humans to face, but a piece of cake for strong humans like Luffy, who punches out [[SeaMonster the Lord of the Coast]]in the first chapter.

* ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'': The Monster of the Week is, well, monstrous, while the QuirkyMinibossSquad is humanoid, and the first BigBad has only human-looking forms. The series also inverts BishonenLine: the aforementioned Quirky Miniboss Squad tend to start out human-looking, switch to less-attractive, animal-inspired forms for battle, and have full-fledged giant hideous monster forms when it's time for the heroines to kill them off.
* Arguably present in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}''. Apostles tend to be human-ish when introduced, [[OneWingedAngel proceed to become incredibly monstrous]], and subsequently die within the next chapter or so. Not that normal {{mooks}} don't already [[CurbStompBattle steamroll]] regular humans, but the main character Guts makes shorter work out of the least human-ish monsters.
* At the start of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' Hollows are pretty much non-human looking and a single one can be beaten easily. Once [[spoiler:Aizen]] upgraded them to Arrancar, which are basically humanoid hollows, the real trouble started for the soul reapers.
** Menos do this on their own. The massive Gillian are the weakest, and look like sky-scraper versions of normal hollows. Adjucas are significantly stronger, smaller and usually animal or plant like in their appearance. Vasto Lordes are strong enough to beat Captains, and they're human-sized and supposedly look human as well.
** Aizen is a more subtle example. While his transformations do make him stronger and more monstrous, he becomes careless and easily prone to rage when faced with a situation he cannot comprehend or overcome. This is what ultimately leads to his undoing.
* In ''{{Manga/Gantz}}'', many of the different alien beings encountered look monstrous and grotesque. However, it's always the humanoid-looking ones that seem to give the protagonists the most trouble. This is taken to the next level in the final arc, where the final enemy is a civilization of giant humanoid beings that possess far more advanced intelligence and technology than the humans.
* Sango, the trained {{youkai}} hunter of ''Manga/InuYasha'', was taught that the most dangerous youkai are those which look human, a rule of thumb which proves almost universally true throughout the series. Of particular note is the fact that the worst defeat suffered by Sesshoumaru - who is presented as probably the most powerful youkai in the series - occurs the one time he transforms from his humanoid form into that of a giant dog, even though said transformation is presented as a power-''up''. Most powerful demons are capable of attaining a human form and possess some sense of intelligence, using their monstrous form only when fighting seriously. In other words, it's not that looking human makes you stronger, it's that changing into a human is an ability that most weak demons don't have.
* Done deliberately in ''Manga/HunterXHunter'', where the freakish-looking big guy with a steel-plated fist turned out to be [[PaperTiger a terrible fighter who had some plastic surgery screwed up, hurts his hand when he punches things, and can only win fights by intimidating the other guy into giving up.]]
** More typically used in the Yorknew City arc, when it came to the Phantom Troupe (people with little strange about their appearance but their outfits) fighting the Shadow Beasts (weird monster people, except one guy who was just fat and ugly): when one member of the Phantom Troupe fought 4 Shadow Beasts, [[ConservationOfNinjutsu he killed all four]] though he was only able to recover from his injuries thanks to his allies assistance. When the other six Shadow Beast attacked five Phantom Troupe members, they were able to non-fatally incapacitate one but got killed by the other four without beating a single one of them.
* ''Manga/BusoRenkin'' justifies this: Homunculi can only attack in the manner of the base creature. Gorilla-based can just use pure strength, an eagle-based one can use their talons, but only a humanoid homunculus can use real weapons. This includes the titular superweapons, by the way.
** Oddly enough, averted by the one Hawk-based Homunculus: although incapable of using kakugane, he was still a worthy foe by virtue of his sheer power, honed predatory instincts and experience. However, during his fight, he use a mix between his true form and his human disguise, which looks like a harpy more than anything else.
* Typically played straight in ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' (See also BishounenLine). Notably lampshaded by Piccolo: the Saiyan warrior Nappa is a huge, towering mountain of muscle, but he's clearly much weaker than (and more than a little afraid of angering) the Saiyan Prince Vegeta, who is noticeably short, even compared to average humans.
* Inverted in ''Manga/AttackOnTitan''. The regular Titans look like gigantic, heavily doped people, while the [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Titan Shifters]] all have some kind of inhuman deformity, like [[spoiler: Eren's serrated lipless mouth, Annie's exposed muscles, and so the list goes]]. Shifters, as [[ItCanThink they retain their human intelligence]], are easily the most dangerous type of Titan.
* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons of the Books of Zeref]] are extremely powerful and dangerous foes, but there's a noticeable trend that the more humanoid they are, the more dangerous they are. {{Kaiju}}-sized demons like Lullaby and Deliora, introduced earlier in the manga, are eventually outclassed by the smaller, and demi-human in some cases, demons of Tartaros, whose members are much more efficient and intelligent killers. The most powerful demons of all, such as Mard Geer, look just like normal humans outside of their OneWingedAngel forms. This is {{justified}} since [[spoiler:Zeref created them both to perfect the art of CreatingLife so he could bring his little brother BackFromTheDead and to [[DeathSeeker make something strong enough to kill him]]. The most powerful demon of all, E.N.D., is fittingly enough said reanimated brother, [[TheHero Natsu Dragneel]], and ''his'' OneWingedAngel form once awakened just looks more like a demonic version of his [[SuperMode Dragon Force]] with the most noticeable alternation being the black scaled and clawed hands he gets]].
* In ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'', the Monster Association is comprised of hundreds of terrifying beings, yet the higher echelons of members are drastically more humanoid, with minor exceptions like Centichoro and Overgrown Rover [[spoiler:and even Monster King Orochi's unbound form]]. It can even get to a jarring extent when various cadres are lined together and almost look like a simple gang of cosplayers as opposed to beasts so powerful that other beasts bow to their command.
** Then there's [[spoiler: Awakened Garou]], who's decent into further monstrosity does force Saitama to fight more and more seriously, but a combination of being unfamiliar with how their [[spoiler: new inhuman body]] works and relying on more brutish strength against...well, [[WorldsStrongestMan Saitama]], leads to their fight ending much sooner than how it started.