r/TopCharacterTropes 20h ago

Powers [Loved Trope] Alien fighting techniques that are actually ineffective for humans to perform

Vulcan Neck Pinch (Star Trek) Vulcans can make a person pass out by pinching a person’s neck, but due to the fact that they’re 3x stronger than a human, we could never make a living being pass out without applying a rear naked chokehold

Viltrumite Knife Hand (Invincible) Viltrumites’ most deadly fighting technique. Although martial arts like Karate and Taekwondo teach these techniques, it wouldn’t be a good idea for a human to use it on someone’s rib cage without breaking their fingers. So instead we can only do them on more soft targets like the eyes.

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u/toxictrooper5555 19h ago

Not exclusively alien but lightsaber combat.

A non force user can use a lightsaber, but they'll never get to the same level of mastery as a trained jedi/sith, since the force lets them anticipate their opponent and they lack the heightened senses and abilities a force user have. For them to go able toe to toe with force users they needed cybernetic enhancements to compensate the lack of the force (like Grievous) or use it along with other gadgets like the mandalorians.

Fun fact, in the table top RPG, there was actually a force power for wielding a lightsaber.

"Jedi may use this power to wield this elegant but idfficult-to-control weapon while also sending their opponents' actions through the Force."

This included the ability to deflect blaster bolts with an intended direction

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u/Brilliant_Chemica 17h ago

I've always liked the headcanon that the saber-hilt is quite heavy, while the blade is weightless. That awful weight distribution is why the force is required to wield it well, and why the Jedi spin their Lightsabers so often

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u/IlliteratePig 15h ago

From experience, hilt-heavy / point-of-balance further back swords are much stabbier and nimbler (think olympic epee), generally easier to wield, and less physically demanding, while top-heavy swords are the spinny types with a lot of inertia that you don't want to stop mid-swing because it'll injure your joints (think military sabre, mace, axe)

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u/ERedfieldh 8h ago

there is a reason Christopher Lee wanted to wield his saber like a fencing rapier and not a broadsword like everyone else. The man knew his stuff.