History Main / MutualDisadvantage

* The starting positions of England and France in ''VideoGame/EuropaUniversalis'' mirror the real life example above. France has the stronger army, but cannot bring it to bear because England the stronger navy. Can also happen when two nations share a more powerful ally. Neither can attack the other, because their shared ally would side with the defender.

* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', the fight between Natsu and Totomaru starts out this way. Totomaru has power over all flame, including that of his opponents, which allows him to redirect Natsu's attacks. Natsu is not only immune to fire [[FeedItWithFire but eats it to restore his strength]] Of course, Totomaru has the small advantage that one type of his fire smells (and tastes) horrible and makes Natsu gag. Natsu finally breaks the stalemate by making a fireball so big that Totomaru couldn't control it, though he still technically didn't "win": Natsu's goal was destroying the valuable piece of machinery Totomaru was guarding (which he did) and Totomaru went down from a sneak attack via the arrival of [[BigDamnHeroes Gray and Elfman]].

* The Battle of Hampton Roads, a naval battle of the American Civil War, featured the first engagement between ironclad warships -- the USS ''Monitor'' and the CSS ''Virginia'' (formerly the USS ''Merrimack''). Each had thick metal armor, but their cannons were not capable of breaking through the armor of the other. The two ships spent three hours NoSell-ing each other's attacks before withdrawing.

** It is implied that Ascended beings can kill one another but only if one is vastly more powerful than the other, which is a very rare case but not impossible: belief can empower an Ascended, which is why they insist to everyone on the mortal planes that they're not gods. That was one of the causes for the ideological split between the Alterans and the Ori: the latter formed [[PathOfInspiration Origin]] [[AGodAmI specifically to gain even more power]], but the distance between the Ori galaxy and the Milky Way meant they were still too weak to overpower the Alterans... which is why they started converting the Milky Way's native population to Origin as well, abusing the Alterans' PrimeDirective to build up a power base in plain sight without a DeusExMachina to fear from.

* The final battle between Series/ThePunisher and [[HolyHitman John Pilgrim]] occurs while they are both so badly injured from previous fights that they can barely stand, leading the whole thing to be an ugly, staggering affair where they compete to see who'll keel over first.

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', Hitsugaya and Halibel are both capable of transforming each other's attacks into their own, resulting in repeated [[NoSell No-Sells]] against each other throughout much of their battle.

** Barbossa and Jack Sparrow fall into a mutual invulnerability version of this trope for a short while, during ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl''.

** Due to the complicated nature of ElementalRockPaperScissors, Pokémon with dual elemental types can in fact become vulnerable to one of their own elements (like the Rock+Flying Aerodactyl being vulnerable to Rock attacks, or the Fighting+Steel Lucario being vulnerable to Fighting attacks).

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', Hitsugaya and Halibel were both capable of transforming each other's attacks into their own, resulting in repeated [[NoSell No-Sells]] against each other throughout much of their battle.

** Smoker and Ace prove unable to hurt each other, due to both being Logia Devil Fruit users with elements that do not naturally interact: Ace's flames equalize with Smoker's smoke; all they achieve is a huge pillar of smoke and fire. It happens again when Ace fight Kuzan and their respective fire and ice Devil Fruits powers nullify each other.
** Kuzan and Sakazuki fight for ''ten'' days on the island Punk Hazard to a stalemate because their Devil Fruits are opposing elements, ice and magma. In the end, they have used their powers so much the halves of the island inhabited by them get permanently altered into a frozen tundra and a volcanic wasteland. [[spoiler:Sakazuki eventually cripples Kuzan and wins the battle.]]

* In ''Anime/MyHeroAcademia'', there was the Eijiro Kirishima vs. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu match. Both of them had similar powers (Eijiro could harden his skin into something about as strong as steel while Tetsutetsu could turn his body into steel), so both wailed on each other without hurting the other. They eventually knocked each other out at the same time.

A Mutual Disadvantage is a scenario in which two (or more) sides in a fight are unable to gain an advantage over each other due to both being equally disadvantaged against one another in either offensive or defensive abilities. This can come in two flavors;

* ''VideoGame/XcomChimeraSquad'' as the gray Phoenix Praetorian, who can use their Duel ability on a member of your squad. This ability make it so attacks from one of the "duelists" against the other will ''not'' miss. Borders on TooDumbToLive when they decide to target one of your heavy hitters like [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter Godmother]] or [[TheGunslinger Blueblood]].

->''"So what now, Jack Sparrow? Are we to be [[SealedEvilInADuel two immortals locked in an epic battle until Judgment Day]] when trumpets sound?"''

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon'', each element takes double damage from it's opposite: [[PlayingWithFire fire]]/[[MakingASplash water]], [[BlowYouAway wind]]/[[DishingOutDirt earth]], [[LightEmUp light]]/[[CastingAShadow dark]]. The sole exceptions are [[ShockAndAwe lightning]] and [[InfinityPlusOneElement neutral]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUGCpClNgwQ This video]] should be a good demonstration of why holding a MirrorMatch between two [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV Exdeath]] players in the ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' series is a bad idea.

->''"So what now, Jack Sparrow? Are we to be two immortals locked in an epic battle until Judgment Day when trumpets sound?"''

* The Battle of Hampton Roads, a naval battle of the American Civil War, featured the first engagement between ironclad warships -- the USS ''Monitor'' and the CSS ''Virginia'' (formerly the USS ''Merrimack''). The two ships spent three hours NoSell-ing each other's attacks before withdrawing.

** Pit two Smeargles together and they can't do anything except futilely try to copy each other. Fortunately unlike with the Wobuffet case, they only have 1PP, so they start struggling quickly.
** And we musn't forget Ditto. Its only move is the ability to transform into the opponent, copying their appearance, stats (barring HP), and their moveset. Now, let's pit two Dittos against each other...
** Catch a Metapod/Kakuna, and they will only know ''Harden''. Pit them against another such enemy, and watch the epic contest unfold, just like in one of the early episodes of [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} the anime]].

** Ghost- and Dragon-typed Pokémon are notably vulnerable to their own element, especially the Dragons as they are the only element that Dragon-type attacks get an advantage against at all. It is also common competitive practice to teach a given Pokémon moves from other elements specifically to counter the types they are weak against (such as giving a Fire-type user the Grass-type "Solarbeam" for use against Water-, Rock- and Ground-types).
** Due to the complicated nature of ElementalRockPaperScissors, Pokémon with dual elemental types can in fact become vulnerable to one of their own elements (like the Rock+Flying Aerodactyl being vulnerable to Rock attacks, or the Fighting+Steel Lucario being vulnerable to Fighting attacks).
** When you start dealing with dual-typed Pokemon, there are a lot of possible matchups between different Pokemon that are weak to one of their opponent's types and strong against another (like the Dark/Fire Houndoom versus the Water/Ghost Jellicent - Water beats Fire and Dark beats Ghost). Subverted with the final evolutions of the three starters in [[VideoGame/PokemonXandY the 6th generation]]: Chesnaught is Grass/Fighting, Greninja is Water/Dark, and Delphox is Fire/Psychic.[[note]]Grass beats Water beats Fire, but Fighting beats Dark, Dark beats Psychic, and Psychic beats Fighting.[[/note]]

* Also in the ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'' series, Ghost- and Dragon-typed Pokémon are notably vulnerable to their own element, especially the Dragons as they are the only element that Dragon-type attacks get an advantage against at all. It is also common competitive practice to teach a given Pokémon moves from other elements specifically to counter the types they are weak against (such as giving a Fire-type user the Grass-type "Solarbeam" for use against Water-, Rock- and Ground-types).

** When you start dealing with dual-typed Pokemon, there are a lot of possible matchups between different Pokemon that are weak to one of their opponent's types and strong against another (like the Dark/Fire Houndoom versus the Water/Ghost Jellicent - Water beats Fire and Dark beats Ghost).
*** Subverted with the final evolutions of the three starters in [[VideoGame/PokemonXandY the 6th generation]]. Chesnaught is Grass/Fighting, Greninja is Water/Dark, and Delphox is Fire/Psychic.[[note]]Grass beats Water beats Fire, but Fighting beats Dark, Dark beats Psychic, and Psychic beats Fighting.[[/note]]

* In ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' Divine Dragon manaketes are specialized in dealing damage against other dragons/manaketes. While Divine Dragons [[AlwaysLawfulGood are never enemy units]] in the main game (save for DLC chapters and the Wellspring of Truth), both ''VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragon'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' have a multiplayer where Divine Dragon Manakete units can face against each other. The latter also introduces the Taguels who deal effective against all beast units. Like the Manaketes, they're only encountered as enemies in multiplayer [=SpotPass=] material, Yarne's recruitment chapter, and the Wellspring of Truth.

* '''[[PaddedSumoGameplay Mutual Invulnerability]]''': Both participants are offensively disadvantaged -- neither of them can harm the other, as they are both immune or resistant to each others' attacks. The result is a battle between two {{Stone Wall}}s, making for a stalemate unless and until someone else intervenes.

* '''[[PaddedSumoGameplay Mutual Invulnerability]]''': Both participants are offensively disadvantaged - neither of them can harm the other, as they are both immune or resistant to each others' attacks. The result is a battle between two {{Stone Wall}}s, making for a stalemate unless and until someone else intervenes.

[[folder: {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', Hitsugaya and Halibel were both capable of transforming each other's attacks into their own, resulting in repeated [[NoSell No Sells]] against each other throughout much of their battle.

** Smoker and Ace proved unable to hurt each other, due to both being Logia Devil Fruit users with elements that do not naturally interact - Ace's flames equalized with Smoker's smoke - all they achieved was a huge pillar of smoke and fire. It happened again when Ace fought Kuzan and their respective fire and ice Devil Fruits powers nullified each other.
** Kuzan and Sakazuki fought for ''ten'' days on the island Punk Hazard to a stalemate because their Devil Fruits were opposing elements, ice and magma. In the end, they had used their powers so much the halves of the island inhabited by them got permanently altered into a frozen tundra and a volcanic wasteland. [[spoiler:Sakazuki eventually crippled Kuzan and won the battle.]]

[[folder: {{Comics}}]]

* Havok and ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} in ''ComicBook/XMen'' comics. As they are brothers, this situation happens very rarely, but when it does, they are both immune to each other's attacks, because their powers work in the same way, and each can use the other's attack as an energy source. The same is true of Sean Cassidy (Banshee), and his cousin Thomas, neither's powers can affect the other. This is believed in both cases to be due to their genetic relationship and can apply to other related mutants as well.
* ''ComicBook/BatmanAndCaptainAmerica'': after ComicBook/TheJoker becomes [[EvenEvilHasStandards furious]] after finding out that his collaborator the ComicBook/RedSkull is a Nazi, the two villains try to use their own weaponized toxins on each other to no effect. Since both Joker and Red Skull are immune to their own toxins and both Joker Venom and Red Skull's "dust of death" are remarkably similar, both characters are also immune to ''each other's'' toxins.

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[[folder: ProfessionalWrestling]]
* In {{Wrestling/ECW}} Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn usually started their matches with a series of Chain Wrestling moves which the other countered pretty quickly.

[[folder: TabletopGames]]
* In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' edition 3.5, Damage Reduction involving alignments were included. There is a lot of infighting between demons and devils both between the two species and [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder within their own ranks]]. However, high level demons and devils tend to have a lot of damage reduction, which can only be overcome with weapons that have the Good subtype. The same is true for Celestials vs Celestials, but they're less likely to fight.

[[folder: VideoGames]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'', many elemental types ([[FireIceLightning fire, electric, ice]], and so on) are resistant to attacks of their own element (receiving half normal damage). Bug and Fighting types are resistant to each other's element, and Normal and Ghost types are completely ''invulnerable'' to the other's element. Oddly Ghosts and Dragons are weak to their own element! A fight between such types, especially at low levels (where they're unlikely to know any other attacks), will often result in this. Some matchups involving Dual types can also cause mutual weakness.

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[[folder: RealLife]]
* England vs. Louis XIV's France, ignoring the participation of Austria & co. for a moment. England had a very large, good navy and a tiny army; France had a large, okay-ish navy and a very large, decent-to-good army. Rinse and repeat right up to the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Britain vs The Dutch was the reverse, however; Holland had a ''tiny'' army, but Britain's navy was unable to get its act together for the most part. If there was a narrative pattern to Britain's participation in wars, it'd be having a great big navy that protects it from foes with great big armies - but, conversely, doesn't allow it much chance to really take the war to its land-based foes. A major factor in this was that as an island nation, a powerful and well-trained navy was a necessity, while the long-standing English distrust of standing armies made building a powerful army not just difficult but when not actively involved in a war ''undesirable''.

[[folder: Fan Fiction]]
* Luffy and Crocodile in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11961369/19/Blood-Man-Luffy Blood Man Luffy]]'' both have devil fruits that exploit the weaknesses of each other. As a blood man, Luffy can easily coat himself (or Crocodile) in blood so Crododile can't disperse into sand, but as a sand man, Crocodile can completely dry out Luffy with a touch of his hand.

[[folder: {{Film}}]]
* In ''Film/{{Star Trek II|The Wrath of Khan}}'', the still badly-damaged ''Enterprise'' leads the less-damaged ''Reliant'' into the Mutara Nebula. When Saavik points out that the nebula will disable shields and sensors on any ship that enters, Spock answers "Sauce for the goose, Lieutenant. The odds will be even."

[[folder: LiveActionTelevision]]

* One episode of ''Series/{{Merlin}}'' has Morgana fight a magical duel against Merlin in his aged "Emrys" form after finding him rummaging through her house. She's been having recurring nightmares that Emrys is destined to destroy her, and is so scared out of her wits at coming home to find her personal bogeyman in her living room that she's practically frozen stiff. He, for his part, is suffering from all the pangs and aches of old age and can barely walk. The result is the most pathetic magical duel in history, wherein they both spend very little time throwing spells at each other and a lot of time struggling to overcome their mental and physical (respectively) hindrances enough to ''even move.''

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[[folder: RealLife]]

[[folder: TabletopGames]]

** Fire/Cold, [[GoodHurtsEvil Good]] / [[AllergicToEvil Evil]] and [[OrderVersusChaos Lawful/Chaotic]] effects are particularly effective against creatures who embody the opposite element, and do not affect creatures who embody the same element. A creature who is both Good and Evil or Lawful and Chaotic (such as a FallenAngel or AscendedDemon) gets both sets of vulnerabilities, but a creature who embodies both Fire and Cold is immune to both.

[[folder: VideoGames]]