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| - Part of what makes fiction so entertaining is reading about how the protagonist is special and different, how they are the true heir, the Chosen One who has The Gift, wielder of the Cosmic Keystone, or simply that Badass. They may train to get their skills and powers, but part of their hero package is a certain je ne sais quoi that grants them a better ability or talent at their Serious Business of choice. While it's true that genetics and heredity give us all different advantages when learning knowledge or skills, for the hero it goes far beyond that.
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| abstract
| - Part of what makes fiction so entertaining is reading about how the protagonist is special and different, how they are the true heir, the Chosen One who has The Gift, wielder of the Cosmic Keystone, or simply that Badass. They may train to get their skills and powers, but part of their hero package is a certain je ne sais quoi that grants them a better ability or talent at their Serious Business of choice. While it's true that genetics and heredity give us all different advantages when learning knowledge or skills, for the hero it goes far beyond that. A hero's power, skill, and ability rise geometrically with the effort they put into their training, if not spontaneously developing with no training of any kind. Even Book Dumb and slacker tendencies can't stop them from making sure that My Kung Fu Is Stronger Than Yours. These abilities are simply In the Blood due to their Superpowerful Genetics or because the Powers That Be have touched them with ultimate talent. This will endlessly frustrate The Rival, who puts himself through Training From Hell only for the hero to chide him about taking things "too seriously", especially if the hero's wins are due to sheer, dumb, plot-induced luck. An alternative, sometimes usually used as a form of Scotch Tape, is that the protagonist did work hard for his abilities; offscreen. The Born Winner is in fact a survivor of The Spartan Way, a Disposable Superhero Maker which killed the other nine hundred ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine subjects, the genocide of his fellow Physical Gods, etc. He just doesn't like to talk about it or doesn't know. There is actually a catch to this, sometimes the training is done offscreen to avoid entire segments of Padding. Despite the unfair-seeming nature of this trope, instances do exist wherein the lower gain can be justified: such as when The Rival does work harder than The Hero, but due to their own stubbornness he or she refuses to note any flaws within their work or allow themselves proper rest. The end result is program that is certainly harder, but nowhere near as effective as one done "properly". A specific and cynical Broken Aesop, occasionally due to Mega Manning, or The Worf Effect. Results in Can't Catch Up and Instant Expert, and the hard-working character becoming The Resenter. Quite an opposite of Charles Atlas Superpower and Weak but Skilled. See also Technician Versus Performer, Incompletely Trained. Often accompanied by a Training Montage. Examples of Hard Work Hardly Works include:
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