History Main / TalentedButTrained

* Often the case in''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' as many work to hone the abilities that they are born and or raised with. However, two characters stand out the most, mainly because many people ''forget'' the training they put in:
** Naruto believes himself to be a bit of a loser when he started out and seeks to beat those like Sasuke who are considered "geniuses" through his own hard work. However, this is mitigated by several things, namely [[spoiler: he descends from the Uzumaki clan, later revealed to be a formerly prestigious clan known for their sealing techniques and very long life span along with his dad being the Fourth Hokage]] and of course having the strongest of the Tailed Beasts inside of him, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. On the other hand, the Kyuubi's presence was more of a hindrance than benefit for Naruto (especially in the indirect sense as the stigma denied Naruto many things as a child) with the only initial benefit was large chakra reserves, a HealingFactor that CastsFromLifespan and that it'll somewhat take over when he's in danger to bail him out. As such, Naruto had to learn and master several things like his clones, summoning, the Rasengan, Sage Mode and more so through his own hard work and training. Even mastering the Kyuubi's chakra required CharacterDevelopment [[spoiler: to overcome the hate in his heart he had and move on from it.]] In fact, it was likely this discipline and attitude for friendship that let him utilize [[spoiler: the Tailed Beasts' chakra and that of the Rikodu Sennin that turned him into a PhysicalGod well enough to beat the FinalBoss.]]

* Seen often in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** The title character at first believes himself a born loser who wants to trump the genius through grit alone. However, the reality complicates things. [[spoiler: One, he has a decorated heritage that includes Senju and Uzumaki blood.]] Two, the most powerful Tailed Beast, other than the Ten Tails itself, was sealed within him at birth. This alone puts him above, say, Rock Lee in the grand scheme of things. That being said, the listed factors were as much or more of a detriment than a help to Naruto in his early days, and he needed to hone the talents he has to eventually earn the respect of his peers.
** Sasuke's a genius in every sense of the word and has the amazing Kekkei Genkai, the Sharigan, and all of its potent abilities. Yet, he's been training constantly since childhood, and later gets his hands dirty for the sake of getting stronger, including when he defected to Orochimaru's side. It's just that the "Trained" part gets lost in [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands a certain kind of mire]].

When it comes to everyday life, there seem to be two ways to get ahead in life. In one corner, you have those that lack talent or innate ability but manage to achieve their desires and goals through [[{{Determinator}} sheer perseverance]]. In the other, you have [[TheAce the gifted prodigy]] who uses their [[TheGift boundless talents and skills]] to conquer any problem they face. Both type of people wow the masses at their amazing abilities, yet both send different types of messages. The first is that anything can be achieved through hard work and determination. The second is that some people are just born with it. How realistic they are most likely depends on personal experiences.

Then there is this kind of person. They have special attributes, be it art, math, or problem-solving, that most probably would kill to have. At the same time, they develop these abilities through research, practice, and failure like an average person. This person is the intermediary between the two extremes and is often viewed as the [[TruthInTelevision most grounded in reality]]. Most people in the world have at least one great quality about them, but for it to be of use to themselves or those around them, he or she must work on it, or else it becomes a total waste.

** Rainbow Dash is a naturally gifted flyer who broke speed records even as a child. She dreams of joining the Wonderbolts (a team of stunt flyers akin to the RealLife Blue Angels), so she practices often to make sure she's good enough to qualify.

* ''Manga/ShokugekiNoSouma'': Everyone acknowledges that Hayama Akira's nose and Erina Nakiri's tongue are amazing talents, but both of them are shown training and honing their skills constantly. Hayama is quite blunt about the fact that before Jun Shiomi found him and gave him the opportunity to train at Tootsuki, the talent that, after training, made him a culinary powerhouse in his teens, was good for nothing more than pissing off spice vendors.

* In ''Manga/ShokugekiNoSouma'' there's an early analogy comparing trailblazing in cooking to trekking through a harsh sandstorm. Other students dismiss him because he's not nearly as talented as the likes of Alice or Hayama, but he catches up through sheer persistence. Later during a flashback we see things from the other side where his father is similarly dismissed as just being a genius with no regards to the effort. Using the old sandstorm imagery, the manga shows him struggling forward so hard that his foot first dies at the end of his leg and then flat out falls off his body to be left behind in the storm. In the real world, this meant he had a breakdown as he couldn't manage to live up to expectations no matter how much genius he had and how hard he worked.

* In ''Fanfic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', Izuku hit the SuperpowerLottery as a Kryptonian, having HeatVision, SuperBreath, and an entire array of SuperSenses on top of the standard FlyingBrick powers that let him move at a fraction of the speed of sound. But due to swearing off becoming a Hero for ten years after his traumatizing accident with Katsuki Bakugou, he's UnskilledButStrong in by the time he decides to pursue his dreams again. Because of this, he heads to Korusan Island to train his abilities in secret in order to strengthen them and improve his fine control and precision, going from being unable to cut in a straight line with his HeatVision to quickly slicing a block of ice into equivocal pieces. He also develops numerous special moves, like [[EverythingIsBetterWithSpinning spinning rapidly]] and flying at something to act as a living drill.

** It was noted in "Anime/DragonBallSuper" that, had Gohan continued to train consistently up to that point, he would have been undisputedly the strongest fighter in the universe.

Compare/contrast to TrainingTheGiftOfMagic. SisterTrope to StrongAndSkilled.

Forms of a trifecta of effort/aptitude combinations with BrilliantButLazy (all talent, not effort) and HighHopesZeroTalent (all effort, not talent). Contrast UnderdogsNeverLose, in which the "trained" part trumps all else. Has a mix relationship with HardWorkHardlyWorks, where the character will surpass those who don't train as much, but also those who do.

Sadly, a person who is Talented But Trained can be easily mistaken, both by the audience and other characters, as ''just'' working really hard or being extremely talented. This often leads characters to [[YouAreNothingWithoutPhlebotinum claiming their talent/power is their only strength]], or getting unreasonable expectations for their own efforts.

* The title character himself, Naruto Uzumaki, is really this trope. Initially, he is meant to represent TheEveryman who can trump the genius through grit alone. However, the reality complicates things. [[spoiler: One, he has a decorated heritage that includes Senju and Uzumaki blood. Two, the most powerful Tailed Beast, other than the Ten Tails itself, was sealed within him at birth.]] This alone puts him above, say, Rock Lee in the grand scheme of things. That being said, it was stated that some of the listed factors were as much more of a detriment than a help to Naruto in his early days and he does indeed hone the talents he has to eventually earn the respect of his peers.
** Sasuke also counts. He's a genius in every sense of the word and has the amazing Kekkei Genkai, the Sharigan, and all of its potent abilities. Yet, he too gets his hands dirty for the sake of getting stronger, including when he defected to Orochimaru's side. It's just that the "Trained" part gets lost in [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands a certain kind of mire]].
* Maka from ''Manga/SoulEater''. She's shown to be skilled as a Scythe Meister and as an EAT Student, she's a cut above the rest. But there were times where she had to develop her scythe-handling skills by herself because her partner, Soul, used to do all the cool stuff, not her. Also, [[spoiler: when she gets her Grigori Soul]], that took some time to master, even if it's an innate and rare type of soul. Most importantly, Maka's intelligence is her greatest asset and has several academic feats to her name, like getting 1st on the Super Written Exam, but that doesn't discuss the fact she studied voraciously ''weeks'' in advance to make it happen. Fittingly, she strikes the midline between [[PhysicalGod Death the Kid]] and [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower Black*Star]].
* Rinne Berlinetta from ''Anime/VividStrike''. She was shown to be a naturally gifted athlete but only became a top tier fighter after going through some TrainingFromHell set up by her coach, Jill Stola. Interesting enough, Jill believed that HardWorkHardlyWorks when up against those who were inherently strong or powerful.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Inverted by Gilderoy Lockhart, who was apparently intelligent enough to get sorted into the intellectual Ravenclaw House, but in adulthood his magic skills seem to have regressed into near-nothing from disuse (with the exception of [[spoiler:Memory Charms, which he uses to follow monster hunters, learn their secrets, then take the credit for their deeds]]).
** Played straight by Dumbledore, BigGood and TheArchmage. Not only does he have immense magical power, he is also well over a century old, and has a lot of experience.

** Twilight Sparkle. Most unicorns can only get good at magic that's related to their "special talent", but Twilight's special talent is ''magic itself''. On top of that, she's one of the strongest unicorns in the world in terms of raw magical power, rivaling legendary wizards of history despite her young age. In order to realize her potential, Twilight spends a lot of time researching and practicing new spells.

When it comes to everyday life, there seem to be two ways to get ahead in life. In one corner, you have TheGenericGuy [[TheNondescript who lacks any notable qualities]] but manages to achieve their desires and goals through [[{{Determinator}} sheer perseverance]]. In the other, you have [[TheAce the gifted prodigy]] who uses their [[TheGift boundless talents and skills]] to conquer any problem they face. Both type of people wow the masses at their amazing abilities, yet both send different types of messages. The first is that anything can be achieved through hard work and determination. The second is that some people are just born with it. How realistic they are most likely depends on personal experiences.

[[MisaimedFandom Sadly]], a person who is Talented But Trained can be easily mistaken for someone who just works really hard or is simply extremely talented.

Contrast HardWorkHardlyWorks, UnskilledButStrong, and BrilliantButLazy (in which the "talented" part champions the day) and UnderdogsNeverLose (in which the "trained" part trumps all else).

Compare the JapaneseSpirit (success goes to the person who has superior talent, training and morals), but success nor a strong moral compass is needed to be an example.

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', when one of the school's Big Three, Mirio Togata, does a demonstration for Class 1-A, they all marvel at his [[SuperpowerLottery strong Quirk]]. Another Big Three member, Tamaki Amajiki, responds that they're looking at it all wrong and what's really impressive is the carefully honed technique that he uses to take advantage of his powers.

** The protagonist himself, Naruto Uzumaki, is really this trope. Initially, he is meant to represent TheEveryman who can trump the genius through grit alone. However, the reality complicates things. [[spoiler: One, he has a decorated heritage that includes Senju and Uzumaki blood. Two, the most powerful Tailed Beast, other than the Ten Tails itself, was sealed within him at birth.]] This alone puts him above, say, Rock Lee in the grand scheme of things. That being said, Naruto does indeed hone the talents he has and eventually earns the respect of his peers.

** Twilight Sparkle. Most unicorns can only get good at magic that's related to their "special talent", but Twilight's special talent is ''magic itself''. On top of that, she's one of the strongest unicorns in the world in terms of raw magical power. In order to realize her potential, Twilight spends a lot of time researching and practicing new spells.

Compare/contrast to TrainingTheGiftOfMagic.

* In ''Literature/TheBlackMagicianTrilogy'', Sonea {{Invoke|dTrope}}s this: has exceptionally powerful magical talent, but devotes herself to training and study in part to defy her aristocrat classmates' prejudice that she was an unsophisticated, UnskilledButStrong peasant. Demonstrated in a WizardDuel that she wins with an extremely complex, technically challenging technique rather than overwhelm her opponent's defenses with raw force.

* In ''Literature/TheBlackMagicianTrilogy'', Sonea has exceptionally powerful magical talent, but devotes herself to training and study in part to {{Def|iedTrope}}y her classmates' prejudice that she was an unsophisticated, UnskilledButStrong peasant. Demonstrated in a WizardDuel where she defeats her aristocrat opponent with an extremely complex, technically challenging technique rather than overwhelm his defenses with raw force.

'''Examples'''