Nightphall

People would disagree with me, and I would hear their arguments while giving my own......but where is Batman?

Anyone who can use materials to have a high tech suit still be considered to be state of the art 20 years later (Batman Beyond) deserves mention, even if it isn't his primary profession.

To be honest, that actually looks like a fun mob to be surrounded by.

Defeating all of them, is another matter....

A radiation emission/radiation blast defender.

The name I chose for him didn't really fit, (Battlesteel) and since name changing wasn't around back then, that wasn't an option.

Plus, due to too many years of Dynasty Warrior type games, all I could really stand to play were melee oriented characters. It wasn't until my annual playthrough of Final Fantasy (or its various ports) that I realized out how fun buffing and debuffing could be at times.

I deleted the character at 30, during a double xp weekend. If we get another such weekend sometime before the end of the year, I may give it yet another try.

Speaking of....I believe I saw this on TV Tropes, but I forget the name of the trope, to be honest.

Even if a character's only power is the ability to shoot fire from their hands, they can still survive blows from superhumanly strong foes. Does anyone happen to remember what exactly that trope is called?

And a bit back on topic, I remember that anime characters are allowed to bend the rules, and sometimes outright break them. Through intense martial arts training, characters are allowed to leap vast distances, mimic being superhumanly strong, become bulletproof, project energy, et al. Having the blood of a different species or alien race tends to be a bonus, but even anime humans can become as strong as most heavy hitting comic characters through their training methods.

I prefer a perfect balance of both.

Street Fighter is a good example. Characters are able to project energy attacks much like characters in Dragonball Z, but not to the point that their fights can cause destruction to an entire planet. There are gods who don't have that much power, regardless of the media. There are scenes of Akuma destroying a submarine with a Gou Shoryuken, Sagat being able to hold his breath for 20 minutes, some Street Fighters being bullet proof, and more, but things like these don't go overboard like Dragonball Z did.

I know Darkstalkers are capable of near-Dragonball Z level destruction, but the amount of characters in the roster that could actually do that is usually kept to a very small minimum.

I had this idea after reading the FrankenCastle thread, and watching Crisis on Two Earths.

Most people don't like it when Badass Normals are put into fights against beings that grossly outclass them. For some reason, the only genre that fans let get away with this is fantasy, though it isn't always the case. Yes, it is true that Batman would never be able to beat Superman, due to him being only peak human, and Superman being invulnerable and all that. One punch from Superman would cripple if not outright kill Batman.

But why is it that powered heroes are allowed to survive punches from vastly strong villains, with almost no ill effects? Especially when most of them aren't invulnerable, able to regenerate at will, and everything in between?

For example, when Batman summons several heroes to the watchtower in Crisis on Two Earths, Black Lightning is attacked by Superwoman. It wasn'ta glancing blow either.....that punch that she gave him made the entire room vibrate. And he gets up from it.

As far as I know, Black Lightning's ability to resist damage isn't any greater than Batman's. Black Lightning can be shot and killed, or beaten to a pulp just like any non-invulnerable hero. But as I said, he shrugged off the blow as if he had resistance on par with Superman's. But I have seen many people cry foul when Batman was able to get up after Superwoman broke one of his ribs, and then knocked her out with Anestheic Gas Pellets.

Does having any sort of superpower, even if they don't involve an ability to withstand fantastic degrees of damage instantly render someone immune to being killed from a blow by someone with vast strength? We've seen it a lot, and I've never understood it.

To reference the other thread of Punisher being killed by Daken for biting of more than he could chew......wouldn't the same thing have happened to someone else, even if they had powers? The only things that I could see useful in a fight against someone like Daken would be to possess an equal or greater level or regeneration, be superstrong and/or invulnerable. You can possess all the firepower you want, and I know the best defense is a strong offense and all.....but what do you do to someone that can instantly regenerate from anything you throw at them?

No, Punisher didn't have much of a chance due to Daken's powers......but how many heroes who aren't heavy hitters would have anyway? (IIRC, Daken is as resistant to telepathic attacks as his father Wolverine)

To kind of flip flop it a bit as well, when people say that Batman shouldn't beat anyone with powers, I agree.....to a point. No, Batman can't outfight someone who is invulnerable, but there are many powered villains who are not. Yes, Dr. Light could manipulate light in various ways, but it didn't do him any good once Batman got close. If you aren't invulnerable, you WILL be knocked out by someone who broke a punching bag once just because he couldn't concentrate one night. Not to mention the fact that he knows exactly where to hit you, and how hard. Shang Chi, Iron Fist, and other martial artists are examples as well.

I believe Storm did something similar as well to a villain who had a wide array of powers, but no resistance to damage.

I'm looking forward to discussing this.

Had we still had rep, I would probably get a LOT of negative press for this, but I will say it anyway.

AE.

Yes, it left a bad taste in everyone's mouth due to rampant farming, exploits, channel spam, and more. That doesn't mean AE became completely useless......especially to those who complain about having nothing to do, or the game being too easy. Why aren't they doing AE? Most people can't see past the bad press it got, and we all know the saying about first impressions.

Yes, farms are still there. So are arcs that were forgotten about, and arcs that are badly written and plagued with typos. Does it mean it's worthless and sucks times 10? To most, maybe. There are some very high quality written arcs to be found, however......but how many people would give AE a second chance?

Not many, sadly.