History Main / PowerLossMakesYouStrong

* {{Storm}} spent 3 real-world years powerless after accidentally getting shot by Forge with a power-neutralizing gun. However, she continued to lead the X-Men as a BadassNormal.

** Done on ''Buffy'' when she turned 18 to see if she could function without powers, in the charming Watcher tradition known as the Cruciamentum. It was supposed to involve locking her in a house with an insane vampire. [[FromBadToWorse Then he broke free]]. [[SarcasmMode Astonishing really]], that most Slayers die young with that kind of a support system.
*** Actually somewhat of an InvokedTrope on the part of the Watcher's Council - if the Slayer could kill a vampire ''without'' her powers, then she would probably do a good job saving the world ''with'' them. If she ''couldn't'', well... a new Slayer would be Called.
*** Fans have suggested an alternate explanation: slayers are called where they are most needed, and the Cruciamentum makes sure a slayer isn't only keeping one corner of the globe safe while allowing threats to grow elsewhere. Which leads to some UnfortunateImplications about the duties of a Watcher.
*** Another fan theory: once Slayers become adults they become even more powerful and may desire to survive independently of the Watchers Council, so the Cruciamentum is designed solely to kill Slayers after 18 so that they could keep future Slayers firmly under their thumb.

* TheMightyThor once got powered down to "A mere mortal" but still had his [[DropTheHammer big effin' hammer]] (Albeit without power as well). He still kicked terrorist ass so much that [[CaptainAmerica Cap]] thought he was ''awesome''.

* Parodied, played with, subverted, and played STRAIGHT to Hell and back with CaptainAtom in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' episode "Powerless". Captain Atom learned that without powers...you're a weak, squishy human who needs to be protected by [[SmugSuper Smug Supers]] like him.

* In the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica ''{{Elseworlds}}'' series ''ComicBook/JLAActOfGod'', a [[DiabolusExMachina mysterious event]] wipes out all superpowers. {{Supergirl}}, Comicbook/{{Aquaman}}, the MartianManhunter and TheFlash re-train themselves to become {{Badass Normal}}s like Franchise/{{Batman}}.

* In "Film/AustinPowers:TheSpyWhoShaggedMe", Austin has his mojo, the power source of his incredibly virile sex drive/libido, stolen, stealing Powers' "superpowers" in the bedroom and rendering the swinging super spy figuratively and literally/sexually impotent. However, in the end, even after the bottle with his mojo is destroyed, Austin is able to regain his mojo when he wins Felicity's love, regaining his sexual performance and finally taking her to bed during the credits... Along with his past self.

-->--''ComicBook/SpiderIsland''

->''"[[Series/DoctorWho The Doctor]] without his Sonic screwdriver! Destroyed! This is like Franchise/{{Batman}} patting his utility belt and then just shrugging at you. 'I've... I've got nuthin'.'"''
-->--'''{{Website/SFDebris}}''', [[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS19E4TheVisitation}} "The Visitation"]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}'': [[AntiHero Ragna the Bloodedge]] possesses the titular Azure Grimoire, an ArtifactOfDoom of immense power, and it is this artifact that makes him one of the strongest fighters in the setting. In the third game, however, he is paired with a girl who gives off an AntiMagic aura, disabling his Azure and leaving him severely weakened, as his reliance on the Azure has left him with a deficiency in actual fighting skill. Despite initial [[CurbStompBattle crushing defeats]] to people such as [[TheRival Jin]] and [[TheAce Kagura]], the experiences change Ragna for the better - he delivers a CurbStompBattle to [[RobotGirl Nu-13]] without activating his Azure [[note]]In the first game, Nu-13 was one of the opponents who routinely defeated Ragna and he absolutely needed to access the Azure to defeat her in the end[[/note]]. He is also able to hold his own against [[PersonOfMassDestruction Azrael]] without using it.

* ''VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}'': [[AntiHero Ragna the Bloodedge]] possesses the titular Azure Grimoire, an ArtifactOfDoom of immense power, and it is this artifact that makes him one of the strongest fighters in the setting. In the third game, however, he is paired with a girl who gives off an AntiMagic aura, disabling his Azure and leaving him severely weakened, as his reliance on the Azure has left him with a deficiency in actual fighting skill. Despite initial [[CurbStompBattle crushing defeats]] to people such as [[TheRival Jin]] and [[TheAce Kagura]], the experiences change Ragna for the better and give him some vital experience - he delivers a CurbStompBattle to Nu-13 without activating his Azure, and is able to hold his own against [[PersonOfMassDestruction Azrael]] without using it.

* In "Film/AustinPowers:TheSpyWhoShaggedMe", Austin has his mojo, the power source of his incredibly virile sex drive/libido, stolen, stealing Powers' "superpowers" in the bedroom and rendering the swinging super spy figuratively and literally/sexually impotent.

** In the finale of [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra the sequel series]], [[spoiler: Amon succeeded in de-bending Korra, which then, combined with Korra's desperate attempt to save Mako, allowed her to finally use Airbending.]]

* Parodied, played with, subverted, and played STRAIGHT to Hell and back with CaptainAtom in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' episode "Powerless".

* Becomes a major moral theme in the ending of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', when [[spoiler: Edward sacrifices his ability to perform alchemy in order to bring his brother back to life, realising that his powers were insignificant really, and that he still had his friends, and that made him stronger.]]

* Done on ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' when she turned 18 to see if she could function without powers, in the charming Watcher tradition known as the Cruciamentum. It was supposed to involve locking her in a house with an insane vampire. [[FromBadToWorse Then he broke free]]. [[SarcasmMode Astonishing really]], that most Slayers die young with that kind of a support system.
** Actually somewhat of an InvokedTrope on the part of the Watcher's Council - if the Slayer could kill a vampire ''without'' her powers, then she would probably do a good job saving the world ''with'' them. If she ''couldn't'', well... a new Slayer would be Called.
** Fans have suggested an alternate explanation: slayers are called where they are most needed, and the Cruciamentum makes sure a slayer isn't only keeping one corner of the globe safe while allowing threats to grow elsewhere. Which leads to some UnfortunateImplications about the duties of a Watcher.
** Another fan theory: once Slayers become adults they become even more powerful and may desire to survive independently of the Watchers Council, so the Cruciamentum is designed solely to kill Slayers after 18 so that they could keep future Slayers firmly under their thumb.

** GreenLantern in ''The Savage Time.'' His ring runs out, there's no battery around, he becomes a rugged infantryman. To be fair, John is a [[SemperFi US Marine]] veteran as well, so this is not exactly new.

* BlueDevil in the final arc of ''ComicBook/{{Shadowpact}}'' ... almost. He defeats a powerful demon without his own demon powers, but he ''does'' still have his original PoweredArmor.

->''"[[DoctorWho The Doctor]] without his Sonic screwdriver! Destroyed! This is like Franchise/{{Batman}} patting his utility belt and then just shrugging at you. 'I've... I've got nuthin'.'"''

* Around chapter 120 of the manga, ''CodeBreaker'', you learn that [[spoiler: Oogami was originally a sweet kid that was amazingly dead-set on [[MartialPacifist NOT taking life,]] no matter how bad the person he was fighting was. To top it all off, Oogami also had FULL control over ALL SEVEN FLAMES! That all changed when he was killed. When he was brought back, his powers were considerably weaker and he was never the same, most likely due to [[EasyAmnesia partial memory loss.]]]]
* Accelerator in ''{{To Aru Majutsu no Index}}'', [[spoiler: after being shot in the head while saving Last Order,]] has his power limited to needing the calculations done externally and have them put into his brain via a choker looking contraption that only lasts 15 minutes. it gets upgraded, but the people who upgraded it installed a remote switch to turn off his power, so when he decides to save someone they want to kill, he just uses a pistol and wits to take out a group of hired delinquents (with Touma there helping out too, even if they both didn't know the other was there)

* The "Green Sun" story in ''{{Superman}}'' #155 (August 1962). Superman is not only rendered non-superpowered, but blind. He still manages to overcome the BigBad using ingenuity and gumption.

* Ginormica in ''MonstersVsAliens'' after Gallaxhar removes her AppliedPhlebotinum.

** In the finale of [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra the sequel series]], [[spoiler: Amon suceeded in de-bending Korra, which then, combined with Korra's desperate attempt to save Mako, allowed her to finally use Airbending.]]

* In ''TheLongestJourney'', April Ryan is able to slip between the worlds whenever she is threatened. By the time of ''{{Dreamfall}}'', she has lost that power (due to fear, ironically) and had to become good at fighting to compensate. She partially gets her powers back, but not enough to use them reliably.

* In ''TheLongestJourney'', April Ryan is able to slip between the worlds whenever she is threatened. By the time of ''{{Dreamfall}}'', she has lost that power (due to fear, ironically) and had to become good at fighting to compensate. She partially gets her powers back, but not enough to use them reliably.

* In the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica ''{{Elseworlds}}'' series ''ComicBook/JLAActOfGod'', a [[DiabolusExMachina mysterious event]] wipes out all superpowers. {{Supergirl}}, Comicbook/{{Aquaman}}, the MartianManhunter and TheFlash re-train themselves to become {{Badass Normal}}s like {{Batman}}.

->''"[[DoctorWho The Doctor]] without his Sonic screwdriver! ''Destroyed!'' This is like Franchise/{{Batman}} patting his utility belt and then just shrugging at you. 'I've... I've got nuthin'.'"''

->''"Yeah, can you imagine!? [[DoctorWho The Doctor]] without his Sonic screwdriver! ''Destroyed!'' This is like Franchise/{{Batman}} patting his utility belt and then just shrugging at you. 'I've... I've got nuthin'.'"''