History Main / ShedArmorGainSpeed

* Shurikenger from ''Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger'' (and his American counterpart, the Green Samurai Ranger from ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm''). In their default morphed form, they appear to wear some kind of golden vest that acted as armor and weighted gear, they then take off this vest when entering SuperMode, which granted them - among a new visor (by the top part of the helmet turning around) and a samurai saber - extra speed. Impressively when the vest hits the floor, the ground immediately ''shakes, cracks and then creates a crater from the sheer weight of the vest''. Fittingly enough, it's also revealed that the logo on the suit's torso has wings on the sides (that the vest covers up). Which really fits and emphasizes the speed boost given by the SuperMode.
** Similarly, the mecha Senpuujin/Storm Megazord can do a similar transformation into its Lightning mode, trading its bulky frame for a sleeker, quicker form that however can only last for a few minutes.

** The Ability Weak Armor represents this similarly. Every time a Pokémon is hit with an attack, its Defense drops a stage, but its Speed increases one. Its Japanese name Broken Armor makes it even more apparent.

** Type: Null also shows this when it evolves into Silvally -- Type: Null's heavy helmet breaks apart, giving Silvally the boost in base speed to match the rest of its stats. Silvally is also 'lighter'' than Type: null due to this.

* In ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'', the Great Sacred Treasure used in the FinalBattle combines this with TransformingMecha. It starts by shedding a few weapons in transformation to Pursuit Mode. When [[spoiler: [[BigBad Hades]]]] bombards it, in morphs into the more naturally controlled Mech Armor Mode. When [[spoiler: Hades]] breaks off the top half, the two primary jet engines reattach into Ultra-Light Mode. [[spoiler: When Hades completely smashes the thing, Pit salvages its major cannon to deliver the Final Strike.]]

* Shurikenger from ''Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger'' (and his American counterpart, the Green Samurai Ranger from ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm''). In their default morphed form, they appear to wear some kind of golden vest that acted as armor and weighted gear, they then take off this vest when entering SuperMode, which granted them - among a new visor (by the top part of the helmet turning around) and a samurai saber - extra speed. Impressively when the vest hits the floor, the ground immediately ''shakes, cracks and then creates a crater from the sheer weight of the vest''.

* Shurikenger from ''Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger'' (and his American counterpart, the Green Samurai Ranger from ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm''). In their default morphed form, they can be seen wearing some sort of armor. However, they can remove the armor to go into their SuperMode, which granted them - among a new visor and a samurai saber - extra speed. Similarly, the mecha Senpuujin/Storm Megazord can do a similar transformation into its Lightning mode, trading its bulky frame for a sleeker, quicker form that however can only last for a few minutes.

* In [[https://www.mediaminer.org/fanfic/s/legend-of-zelda-fan-fiction/the-legend-of-link-lucky-number-13/19769 The Legend of Link: Lucky Number 13]] Link performs some kind of spinning back kick (to Ganondorf's jaw). Ganondorf muses that he never knew Link could use his feet or was that agile. Link then reminds him he's not weighed down by his ''entire VideoGame/OcarinaOfTime arsenal'' (which he estimates at a hundred pounds) this time.

->'''[[VideoGame/MetalGear Solid Snake]]''': Mei Ling, [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus]] took her clothes off!\\

* In ''Film/ManOfSteel'', at the film's climax, Zod sheds his PoweredArmor. This allows him to gain FlyingBrick powers by exposing him to the Earth's atmosphere, giving him the ability to fly thus turning him from a MightyGlacier to a LightningBruiser, as his the exposure also gives him both SuperStrength and SuperToughness that compensates for the loss of his armor.

** The first type of armor to be abandoned was horse armor, since it was really expensive and there was no way a horse could carry both its own armor and a heavily armored rider anymore when every piece was getting heavier. Next went armor for the feet and calves, then the rest of the legs, then the arms, and pretty soon most cavalry were only wearing backplate, breastplate, open-faced helmet, a left hand gauntlet that went up to the elbow (the left hand was a common target for horsemen because it holds the bridle; the right hand was protected by the sword's basket hilt), and a thick leather buff coat underneath. A buff coat could stop a sword cut, or a long distance/ricochet bullet that had already spent most of its energy, so some soldiers took their chances with just a buff coat at the risk that a solid hit to somewhere without plate armor might seriously wound or kill them. They would also ditch their helmets and wear "secrets", metal skull caps small enough to fit under their hats, which were unlikely to stop a bullet but were effective against sword blows.

* In ''Manga/BreakBlade'', the [[AncientArtifact ancient]] [[HumongousMecha golem]] ''Tyrfing'' goes into battle wearing enormous plates of bolt-on armor, which only it is strong enough to carry. If those become too damaged to help anymore, Rygart drops them and gets about 200% faster.

* Numerous battle pictures from medieval times show even otherwise fully armored men declining to wear gauntlets on their hands. Though it did not give them more speed, using ones bare hands permitted finer control of sword, which could make stabbing between the plates of an armoured opponent easier. It also may have just been more comfortable, to the point where they were willing to risk getting their hands maimed.

* A variant; Knights or similar warriors would sometimes remove one of their gauntlets (or, in the event that they had a very well designed set of gauntlets, just the plating, leaving a minor but still present defense on the hand) before a duel if they thought that they could use the extra agility of a free hand more than the protection of a gauntlet. Though it did not give them speed, it permitted more fine control of sword, which could make stabbing between the plates of an armoured opponent easier. This was not done in the middle of a duel or on the battlefield, but was a matter of preference and combat style in preparation of a duel.

* In the late 16th century, some military writers such as Sir John Smythe complained that the new crop of knights were in the habit of discarding pieces such as their leg armor or pauldrons to lighten their load when the going got tough.

* Samurai armor was designed for individual pieces to be removable in response to circumstances such as terrain. For example, some field manuals recommended wearing the cord for holding up the thigh guards (haidate) over the cuirass instead of under it, allowing it to be quickly removed if they needed to run faster, or wade through a marsh. The large shoulder guards (sode) might be removed in order to scale a wall without them getting in the way.

* This is basically how plate armor gradually disappeared from European battlefields during the 17th century thanks to the insoluble dilemma that increasing firearm effectiveness presented. In TheLateMiddleAges, you only needed relatively thin armor plates to make edged weapons and arrows glance off, especially if the steel was hardened and tempered. Full head-to-toe armor might weigh 45-60 pounds depending on the individual and their level of protection, which may sound like a lot but which is actually quite manageable. This changed as the guns which had been present in the 14th and 15th centuries started to get more powerful, more numerous, and more accurate over the course of the 16th century. In order to make armor proof against the more powerful arquebus and musket, you had to thicken the plates and add reinforcing pieces to the most vulnerable areas, so that the average weight of each armor component kept increasing over time. It got to the point where an armor that covered the entire body in bulletproof plates would simply be too heavy and taxing on the wearer's stamina to be practical, so they kept removing pieces bit by bit. The first type of armor to be abandoned was horse armor, since there was no way a horse could carry both its own armor and a heavily armored rider anymore. Next went armor for the feet and calves, then the rest of the legs, then the arms, and pretty soon most cavalry were only wearing backplate, breastplate, open-faced helmet, a left hand gauntlet that went up to the elbow (the left hand was a common target for horsemen because it holds the bridle; the right hand was protected by the sword's basket hilt), and a thick leather buff coat underneath. A buff coat could stop a sword cut, or a long distance/ricocheted bullet that had already spent most of its energy, so some soldiers took their chances with just a buff coat at the risk that a solid hit to somewhere without plate armor might kill them. They would also ditch their helmets and wear "secrets", metal skull caps small enough to fit under their hats, which were unlikely to stop a bullet but effective against sword blows. By the 18th century, the only foot soldiers who wore armor were sappers who worked close to the walls exposed to enemy fire during sieges, while the cuirasses and helmets of heavy cavalry were mainly designed to protect against bladed weapons such as sabers, bayonets, and light lances. It took a long time after that for technology to make military body armor widespread and practical again.

* A Spartan saying admonished soldiers to "come back with or on your shield," defying this trope. Spartan shields were large and sturdy enough to carry a human body, and thus they were extremely cumbersome; to run at full speed (i.e. to retreat from a battle), a soldier would have to throw away his shield. Hence the command to "come back with your shield," i.e. victorious, "or on it," i.e. dead.
* Knights on foot. If the knights were ordered to fight dismounted, they usually shed their greaves and sabatons in order to gain more agility and mobility. Some also wore lighter but more mobile brigandine cuirasses instead of plate cuirass, or left the back plate away altogether, insisting they would never turn their back to the enemy anyway. Since the foot combat with knightly weapons such as two-handed sword or poleaxe requires very much agility, this is a JustifiedTrope.

* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'', Jean-Pierre Polnareff's stand, the knight-like Silver Chariot can shed its armor for a more skeletal, much faster form. When the armor is off, Silver Chariot can move so fast that it seems [[DoppelgangerSpin that there are five of them]]. Avdol only manages to defeat Polnareff by setting up a trap with his Crossfire Hurricane attack. [[ForgotAboutHisPowers Unfortunately]], the only ''other'' time Polnareff uses this ability is when he becomes BrainwashedAndCrazy and tries to kill the Joestar crew again.

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', heavy armor offers the best protection, but is cumbersome and loud. It's not uncommon for players to don armor in close combat and then stash it in [[HammerSpace their inventory]] when moving across the landscape or sneaking.

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Part 3'', Jean-Pierre Polnareff's stand, the knight-like Silver Chariot can shed its armor for a more skeletal, much faster form. When the armor is off, Silver Chariot can move so fast that it seems [[DoppelgangerSpin that there are five of them]]. Avdol only manages to defeat Polnareff by setting up a trap with his Crossfire Hurricane attack. [[ForgotAboutHisPowers Unfortunately]], the only ''other'' time Polnareff uses this ability is when he becomes BrainwashedAndCrazy and tries to kill the Joestar crew again.

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', once you remove all of a Darknut's armor, it casts aside its {{BFS}} ([[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks by chucking it at Link, mind you]]) and draws a longsword, making both its movement and attack speed much higher. They do the same thing if you damage one enough in the Smash Run mode of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros for 3DS''

* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'': whenever Samus uses her Final Smash, she sheds her PoweredArmor and wears a skin-tight suit. [[VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission Zero Suit Samus]], as she is thus called, is much faster and lighter. ''Smash 4'' does away with this quirk and made both forms of Samus separate characters.

* Any tank or armored vehicle that rolls off the production line is always insufficiently armored for the present or perceived threats it will encounter on the front line. But at the same time, its speed and mobility are at peak efficiency. Consequently, Adding some additional armor protection on the vehicle will increase its survivability at the cost of some speed and mobility.