History Main / VictorGainsLosersPowers

* Sylar from ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' lived this trope. He was a serial killer who was addicted to stealing powers by cutting open characters' skulls. Many of whom he actually liked. It's later revealed that he doesn't ''have'' to kill to learn powers, he just likes it.

* Plunderchess is a variant of chess in which a piece gains the moveset of all the pieces it captures.

* In ''Series/{{Charmed}}'', Warlocks are supposed to have the ability to steal the powers of any supernatural beings they kill. However, they never actually did this very much, and this attribute of theirs was mostly just used as their motivation for trying to kill the main characters. The only Warlock character who actually went around stealing abilities was a single-episode MonsterOfTheWeek. Season 7's BigBad, Zankou, also had the ability to absorb the powers of those he killed, but he only used it once, in his introductory episode.

Subtrope of PowerCopying. Compare with YouWillBeAssimilated, where no defeat is needed because the enemy is made part of the character directly, and PowerParasite, where the power getting involves the original user not being able to use them anymore. See YourSoulIsMine for one way this kind of thing can come about. See also CannibalismSuperpower. For when one grows stronger by just battling their opponent, see ExperiencePoints.

* In the Thriller Bark arc of ''Manga/OnePiece'', Zoro did battle against the samurai zombie Ryuuma in order to claim his sword, one of a select number of NamedWeapons, for himself.

* ''Franchise/DevilMayCry'' has been an embodiment of this trope in the third and fourth games. Dante [[spoiler:and Vergil)]] can claim the powers of slain boss enemies after the fight. Whereas in ''DMC 3'' it seems to happen almost as an afterthought or said boss [[WorthyOpponent willingly offering their power to the victor]] in Dante's case [[spoiler:(Vergil does it intentionally after killing Beowulf)]], in ''DMC 4'' Nero is shown intentionally 'harvesting' these powers after every boss he defeats, since he could ostensibly leave the shiny orbs on their pedestals (or not, as [[ButThouMust you HAVE to have the things on the pedestals to advance]]).

* The Assyrians can do this in ''VideoGame/Civilization'' V, as their unique ability lets them gain a random technology known by their opponent the first time they conquer any enemy city.

* Glaistig Uaine in ''Literature/Worm'' can summon the ghosts of parahumans she's killed or seen die.

* Heretics and Reapers in ''Literature/Heretical Edge'' have this ability. For Reapers, it activates whenever someone dies near them, while for Heretics it only works on the killing blow and doesn't absorb all the powers of the deceased.

* The ''Franchise/{{Highlander}}'' films featured this, as an immortal would gain the power and skill of any other immortals they beheaded.

* Sylar from ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' lived this trope. He was a serial killer who was addicted to stealing powers by cutting open characters' skulls. Many of whom he actually liked.

Subtrope of PowerCopying. Compare with YouWillBeAssimilated, where no defeat is needed because the enemy is made part of the character directly, and PowerParasite, where the power getting involves the original user not being able to use them anymore. See YourSoulIsMine for one way this kind of thing can come about. See also CannibalismSuperpower.

* This is the entire premise of ''LightNovel/{{Campione}}''. When a human [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu kills a heretic god]] it triggers a ritual enacted by [[BigGood Pandora and Epimetheus]], granting the victor at least one of the god's Authorities.

* This is the entire a concept of ''Series/{{Wizards of Waverly Place}}''. It holds the Wizard Competition, which is a contest between siblings to test them on everything they have learned about wizardry. The winning sibling drains the powers of the losing sibling becoming a full wizard.

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' functions on this principle; the Dragonborn (And presumably other dragons), upon killing a dragon, eat its soul and gain its knowledge of how to use the Thu'um.

** The [[VideoGame/MegaMan Classic]] series seems to have it as an innate ability of top end robots, since Mega Man, Proto Man, and Bass can all use the weapons of defeated Robot Masters. In ''Power Fighters'', Duo can too. Roll has only been shown to use Robot Master weapons, and only in the non-canon ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' series. (Furthermore, its successor ''Tatsunoko vs. Capcom'' ditched this aspect in her new moveset.)

* A staple of the VideoGame/{{Kirby}} games, where, after beating a mini-boss, the titular hero can eat and copy their ability.
** Really, almost every enemy in this series follows this trope.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Samurai Jack}}'': Jack takes Scaramouche's tuning fork after defeating him in battle as his own blade is too heavy for him to carry.

* ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'' (second book of ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive''): Deliberately {{Invoked}} when Dalinar needs a way to defang the unruly highprinces. He plans to relax his ban on Adolin's duels. When [[MasterSwordsman Adolin]] starts challenging the other highprinces to duels for Shards, they'll get the message.