general media Boring Invincible Characters

[Castle Bleck 19,379]

Sosuke Aizen from Bleach, Madara Uchiha from Naruto, Master Xehanort from Kingdom Hearts, and Hulk Hogan and John Cena and Triple H from pro wrestling.

[Rene 41]

Hmm.... Discord. He is very much invincible now. Unless they can do their rainbow power thingy again. The good guys, they always win. Except in tragedies or creepypasta but those don't count. 

[TenorSounds 832]

Oh, you're just listing boring invincible characters with no commentary. How...boring

[whitetiger187 197]

Superman. I mean he has no personality, and is just born invincible from birth. Goku on the other hand...

Edited January 24, 2015 by whitetiger187

[Castle Bleck 19,379]

Oh, you're just listing boring invincible characters with no commentary. How...boring

 

Aizen kept having lucky deus ex machinas, Madara kept revealing convenient new abilities, MX keeps having everything retconned for him, and Hogan and Cena and HHH keep spamming their creative control to stay on top.

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,596]

Alucard from Hellsing - Throughout the entire series, he's an invincible badass who never struggles with any challenge (emotionally or physically), which makes the action boring because we know he can't die.

[Dark Horse 12,962]

I know this seems a little less heroic, but most of the good guys from Looney Toons. I mean how many times did you expect to see Bugs come out on the short end, or Speedy Gonzales or Tweety getting eaten by Sylvester, or Wile E. Coyote actually catching that blasted Road Runner? (No, that Seth MacFarlane animation doesn't count. ) It was pretty much a foregone conclusion the bad guys were getting all the slapstick in those shorts.

[Shanks 10,816]

Superman. I mean he has no personality, and is just born invincible from birth. Goku on the other hand...

It depends on which version of Superman, the Golden Age Superman does indeed fit that category in my personal opinion but most other versions are actually a lot more like Goku than you might think. The version from Superman the Animated Series/Justice League Unlimited is my personal favorite version, he is quite powerful obviously but does struggle against tough opponents as well as several other issues that make him very human like even if he is a bit of a boy scout. Toward the end of Superman the Animated Series for example he struggles with the death of his close friend Dan Turpin who was murdered by Darkseid. It and other events lead up to an epic series finale where Superman gave Darkseid a beating so savage that he almost killed him.

[Evilshy 5,090]

Aizen doesn't have lucky deus ex machinas, he has plans he made hundreds of years ago that Kubo pulls out when needed to explain why he always wins. The majority of his wins are totally bullshi deus ex machinas, but they aren't luck. In fact... (spoilers)

 

 

the only reason Ichigo won was because of the lucky deus ex machina with Aizen suddenly deciding that he didn't need his Zanpakuto to win, so he couldn't just fuck with Ichigo's senses and beat him that way. There were so many times Aizen could've easily won, but didn't because of "overconfidence" (i.e. Kubo made him too powerful but didn't realize it until too late, so he had to pull stuff out of his ass to make him not just autowin).

 

 

Tsukishima, that kid with reality warping, and that Sternritter with reality warping also had a totally bullshit power and only lost due to dues ex machina. And it looks like Juhabach is going to end up the same. Bleach is pretty bad with this.

 

 

It depends on which version of Superman, the Golden Age Superman does indeed fit that category in my personal opinion but most other versions are actually a lot more like Goku than you might think. The version from Superman the Animated Series/Justice League Unlimited is my personal favorite version, he is quite powerful obviously but does struggle against tough opponents as well as several other issues that make him very human like even if he is a bit of a boy scout. Toward the end of Superman the Animated Series for example he struggles with the death of his close friend Dan Turpin who was murdered by Darkseid. It and other events lead up to an epic series finale where Superman gave Darkseid a beating so savage that he almost killed him.

 

My problem with supes is that he is so incredibly powerful, but then he has actual fights with enemies. Nobody other than Darkseid and Doomsday, maybe a few others, would last more than a minute or two (probably less, given his speed) against a Superman in a real fight.

[Jora 164]

Aizen doesn't have lucky deus ex machinas, he has plans he made hundreds of years ago that Kubo pulls out when needed to explain why he always wins. The majority of his wins are totally bullshi deus ex machinas, but they aren't luck. In fact... (spoilers)

 

 

the only reason Ichigo won was because of the lucky deus ex machina with Aizen suddenly deciding that he didn't need his Zanpakuto to win, so he couldn't just fuck with Ichigo's senses and beat him that way. There were so many times Aizen could've easily won, but didn't because of "overconfidence" (i.e. Kubo made him too powerful but didn't realize it until too late, so he had to pull stuff out of his ass to make him not just autowin).

 

 

Tsukishima, that kid with reality warping, and that Sternritter with reality warping also had a totally bullshit power and only lost due to dues ex machina. And it looks like Juhabach is going to end up the same. Bleach is pretty bad with this.

 

 

 

My problem with supes is that he is so incredibly powerful, but then he has actual fights with enemies. Nobody other than Darkseid and Doomsday, maybe a few others, would last more than a minute or two (probably less, given his speed) against a Superman in a real fight.

 just paint a rock on the side of the road green and that will kill him~

[Evilshy 5,090]

That's the other thing... superman has one weakness and it's really rare. Not to mention that, depending on which version, he can still kick your ass for a few minutes before the kryptonite gets to him. Or just wear a radiation suit and he's immune.

[SilverStarApple 849]

Superman is boring.

Discord is entertaining, but also boring at times. It's rare that a writer gets his chaotic nature right without turning him into a Jokeresque monster or a generic weak troll.

[Megas 27,765]

Superman has always been in a love/hate relationship for me personally

 

As for one's I dislike, John "Superman" Cena was always one that annoyed me

[Xeltor23 704]

I love Aizen: he's such an a**hole, heartless, perfect. As for the invincible character, I don't really know: I'm thinking of a lot of very powerful characters, but they aren't invicncible, so... yeah

[ShadOBabe 19,011]

My problem with supes is that he is so incredibly powerful, but then he has actual fights with enemies. Nobody other than Darkseid and Doomsday, maybe a few others, would last more than a minute or two (probably less, given his speed) against a Superman in a real fight.

Superman is more about inner conflict rather than outer conflict.

You know he'll win any face-to-face conflict he's in, but he's still got to deal with the fact that dispite all his incredible power, he's still just one person, and he CAN'T save everyone/solve all the world's problems by himself. But he still gets down about it because he really wants to help everyone and maybe if he pushed just a LITTLE harder, he could. But then he's just putting too much on himself. Powers or not, he's still a person with needs and emotions.

Edited January 24, 2015 by ShadOBabe

[Twilight Dirac 721]

Count me in on those who feel Superman is boring.  His "flying brick" powers tend to make external conflicts trivial, while his Boy Scout ethics tend to make internal conflicts equally trivial.  I do enjoy the Justice League cartoon despite his presence, however, although he seems to have been significantly powered down to take place in that ensemble piece.

 

Bleach and Dragonball Z suffer from the same problem, as does the final battle in Matrix Revolutions.  

 

One of the problems with this sort of superpowered combat is it is never really clear who is winning or what the stakes are.  When people can have buildings dropped on them and shrug it off, it is never clear what the odd punch or energy blast is actually supposed to do to their opponent other than mildly annoy them.  The only thing you can often tell for certain is that whoever is in charge of public infastructure is going to have a bad day.

Edited January 26, 2015 by Twilight Dirac

[Discordian 6,015]

I guess I'm in the minority by actually liking my characters being invincible. What I don't like is when they lose in some way in spite of all that invincibility. Whether it's because the good guys have to win in the end or because the character "needs a weakness for character development" they're never truly invincible and it's pretty bullshitty.

 

I like every character mentioned in this topic because they're invincible but they aren't handled well usually.

 

On the note of Xehanort, we don't actually know what's going to happen next so I don't know if he really counts as an invincible character at all except that

up until Dream Drop Distance everything that happens was always going to happen and Xehanort was always going to return. It's the single greatest plot twist in the franchise and it made me love it all the more.

 

[GreyScholar 1,584]

On all those mentioning Superman, I have this video to offer:

[Twilight Dirac 721]

I guess I'm in the minority by actually liking my characters being invincible. What I don't like is when they lose in some way in spite of all that invincibility. Whether it's because the good guys have to win in the end or because the character "needs a weakness for character development" they're never truly invincible and it's pretty bullshitty.

 

But that tends to take so much tension out of the story, and render so many threats irrelevant.  The character can be up against armed men, treacherous terrain, within a burning buildings, or fighting off ferocious creatures and none of it matters because the invincible character can't get hurt or otherwise fail against these threats.  This in turn is why they end up losing in some "bullshitty" way, because the story conflict has to come from somewhere and if they can never be hurt then the bad guys need to take hostages and threaten to kill them if the character doesn't stand down, or the character needs to suffer from plot convenient amnesia, or something else along these lines.  Mortal characters give writers far more to work with in terms of conflict which tends to lead to more sensible plots.

 

 

 

On all those mentioning Superman, I have this video to offer:

 

 

"He is so strong he has to hold back" isn't a compelling defense of the character, rather it is an admission that your character is arbitrarily strong and can be instantly scaled up in power to meet challenges as the plot demands.  This only acts to further undermine the challenge presented by any obstacles, and just allows him to overpower obstacles rather than overcome them through careful thinking, planning or clever action.

Edited January 26, 2015 by Twilight Dirac

[Fender 1,283]

 

 

Superman

 

Oh, someone out there agrees!

 

Superman is byfar the lamest, most boring, annoying, pathetic superhero ever. Of all time, in my book. The SpyKids have more going for them. 

[Discordian 6,015]

But that tends to take so much tension out of the story, and render so many threats irrelevant.  The character can be up against armed men, treacherous terrain, within a burning buildings, or fighting off ferocious creatures and none of it matters because the invincible character can't get hurt or otherwise fail against these threats.  This in turn is why then end up losing in some "bullshitty" way, because the story conflict has to come from somewhere and if they can never be hurt then the bad guys need to take hostages and threaten to kill them if the character doesn't stand down, or the character needs to suffer from plot convenient amnesia, or something else along these lines.  Mortal characters give writers far more to work with in terms of conflict which tends to lead to more sensible plots.

What I don't get is why "because it looks cool" isn't a valid enough reason to have an invincible character. People think too hard.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,303]

Going back to his annoying-as-all-get-out winning streak in WCW: Goldberg.  Never could stand that guy.  He had all the charisma of a brick; and not one of those interesting bricks you see sometimes.  I like to think of him as a shaved bear that mistakenly found its way into a wrestling ring.

[ShadOBabe 19,011]

Oh, someone out there agrees!

 

Superman is byfar the lamest, most boring, annoying, pathetic superhero ever. Of all time, in my book. The SpyKids have more going for them. 

 

Don't know why being a powerful, good person is so horrid.

And that's really all supes is. He's a good man with unlimited power who has to face the fact that he still can't save the whole world.

And then blames himself when he doesn't because he figures he just didn't try hard enough. It's hard to have so much ability and the admiration of so many, and still let some of them down, despite the fact that you couldn't have done anything differently anyway.

[Denim&Venöm 19,270]

 Hulk Hogan and John Cena and Triple H from pro wrestling.

As for one's I dislike, John "Superman" Cena was always one that annoyed me

As I die hard fan, I have alot to say about these 3, Cena in particular. 

 

Hogan had that issue for a while, especially in the early 90's. Only one guy beat him fair & square, and that was warrior. Though Hogans character was saved in '96 when he turned against the fans and became Hollywood Hogan, leader of the n.W.o.

 

HHH from 02-05 was worse than an invincible hero, and that was an invincible villain. When the bad guy wins most of the time, people get depressed and stop watching. Once he became the first World Heavyweight champ. he was pretty much in control, and I have a feeling that was due to nepotism (he did marry the boss's daughter). W/ 4 exceptions over 3 years, HHH was always winning as champ and that soured him in the eyes of fans. Now 10 years later he's only in the ring part time and is playing the part of a corrupt authority figure, but off screen he's managing NXT, the WWE's most critically acclaimed program, and is working hard to modernize the company. 

 

John Cena on the other hand is definition of invincible superhero. Since 2005 he';s not only been seldom beaten in the ring, but he's had the same generic, boyscout lionhearted tough guy schtick ever since then! It's been going on for so long that the fanbase is split over him. Arenas everywhere will have all the women & children chant "Let's go Cena!" while all the male demographic & die hard fans reply "Cena sucks!" back n' forth. And the company & Cena himself have acknowledged this on TV, but aren't doing anything to change it. 

 

He's won the top championship prize Fifteen times! That's the second highest amount in all of pro-wrestling history, and that amount was spaced out over the span of 30 years. Cena is getting it all crammed in 10! He hasn't earned it all. Sure, he holds the record for most wishes granted by the Make A Wish Foundation and sells tons of merchandise, but just because he sells product doesn't make him a good character in a story, and that's what pro wrestling is doing: a story told through combat. 

 

Cena is no longer the hero. He's no longer the underdog. Cena is not the guy to beat his way to the top. Cena is now the guy to beat to get to the top. Everybody who fights Cena is now the underdog. He has no challenges. No conflict. No weakness. Nothing to make the fans want to pull for him or have sympathy for him, other than he's the "good guy." Well wrestling fans are now transitioning to a point where it's no longer about who's good or bad, but who's the most entertaining. There was a point last year where a guy named Bray Wyatt, a charismatic, bizarre, cult leader with a frenzy smash mouth style, was getting more cheers than Cena, and WWe played that up. Wyatt was stealing Cena's fans and would be the guy to break him. Think the Joker finally getting Batman to kill. But no. Cena wins the big match, Wyatts momentum is destroyed, and Cena is back on top, again. Cena isn't his hometown team, the boston Red Socks. He's now the New York Yankees.

 

I respect Cena as a person. he's a stand up guy. I just can't stand his character anymore.  

 

And fans have been sick for this for years, and it doesn't look like it's ending soon. 

(language warning)

Edited January 26, 2015 by Denim&Venom

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

I disagree with a few characters who've been mentioned multiple times in here . Aizen is more entertaining to me than anything at this point, because after the third time or so you have someone's entire life be "Just as planned " it just gets silly . There's no doubt the series' quality lowered once he became the main villain, though. He's invincible, he's a bad character, but I never found him boring

 

And as for Supes, I can't comment as much because I'm not much of a DC comics person and haven't read/seen much of his stuff, but I do really like the idea of Superman. Idealistic heroes with strong principles that they stick to might've fallen out of style, but that makes the ones we have left even more important. I like being able to relate to my heroes, but I also like it when they make me want to better myself.

 

My examples would be Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the tennis players. While they haven't been completely dominant, they rarely lose to anybody when they aren't injured or recovering from something. I feel this way about a Yugioh deck called Burning Abyss too, but this might change now that a few of its competitors have been buffed.