The TVTropes Trope Finder is where you can come to ask questions like "Do we have this one?" and "What's the trope about...?" Trying to rediscover a long lost show or other medium but need a little help? Head to Media Finder and try your luck there. Want to propose a new trope? You should be over at You Know, That Thing Where.
MiinU
Since: Jun, 2011
4th Nov, 2019 12:14:41 AM
I Am Not Left-Handed (the underestimated character reveals they've been holding back, 'til now).
I've been searching for what seems like a common trope, but I have no idea what it would be called.
Person A fails to sufficiently impress person B. Then it's revealed person A performed the feat under some considerable restraint, making B realise that this was actually far more impressive than they thought.
One recent example of this would be My Hero Academia, where Deku has to get a seal stamp from Sir Nighteye and jumps all around the room to try to take it from him. When he fails, at first Sir Nighteye is unimpressed, but then he realises Deku did all the high-speed bouncing around the room without stepping on any of the numerous All Might memorabilia that the room is filled with.
For an older example, I can think of Goku shedding his weighted clothes in his match against Tien in Dragonball.