Extreme Specialization

Extreme Specialization
Shuckle (Pokémon) boasts the highest defensive stats of any Pokémon in the series, as well as being among the slowest Pokémon in its history. Additionally, it knows the move Power Trick, which lets it switch its attack and defense; maximizing the former and minimizing the latter.
Power/Ability to:	Min-Maxing skills and traits.

"By casting away all other abilities and focus their strength, their potential exclusively on a single special power, one can challenge even the strongest."

― Sousuke Aizen (Bleach)

The power to make certain traits or powers far stronger at the cost of making others far weaker. Sub-power of Mode Borrowing. Opposite of Balanced Specialization.

Also Called

• Jack-Of-One-Stat
• Min-Maxing
• Overspecialization

Capabilities

The user can either strengthen certain skills or powers that they have at the cost of making unaffected skills weaker or are naturally inclined to overspecialization in certain aspects of their skills. Essentially, they are minimizing certain abilities to maximize others.

For example, if a character wants to enhance themselves to gain Supernatural Speed, they will often trade for this in the form of their Supernatural Durability, turning them from a wall into a glass cannon.

Applications (General)

• Combat Specialism
• Downgrading
• Greater Effectiveness
  • Greater Damage Effectiveness
• Lesser Effectiveness
  • Lesser Damage Effectiveness
• Power Compensation
• Power Specialism
• Power Sacrifice
• Self-Power Augmentation
• Selective Omniscience/Personal Domain (Varies)
  • Selective Invincibility (Varies)
• Specialized Personalities
• Skill Compensation
• Supernatural Arts Specialist
• Upgrading

Examples

• Exchange durability for speed.
• Exchange the broad Fire Manipulation for a more controlled and focused Fire-Based Ability, for example Fire Attacks.
• Replace Maximum Brain Capacity with 100 Percent Muscle Usage.

Associations

• Double-Edged Power
• Mode Switching
• Sheer Skill
• Variable Manipulation

Limitations

• An equal trade-off must always occur.
• To enhance an ability further, users may need to downgrade multiple other traits they have at once.
• Weaknesses gained in exchange for specializing in a certain field are often far more severe than they would be, and thus more likely to be exploited.

Known Users

See Also: Crippling Overspecialization and Min-Maxing.

• Various RPG characters
• Kenpachi Zaraki (Bleach)
• Arashiyama Jurota (Kenganverse)
• Various Pokémon (Pokémon Series)
  • Shuckle; (Highest defensive stats, poorest speed)
  • Happiny, Chansey, and Blissey; (High HP, poor attack and defense; poorest in the case of Happiny and Chansey)
  • Ninjask (Second-highest speed, extremely poor defense)
  • Deoxys; (Varies depending on its form)
• Yushin (Hero Killer)
• Arc (Rising of the Shield Hero)
• Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles)
• Himura Kenshin (Rurouni Kenshin)
• Razorfist (Marvel Comics)
• Nen Users (Hunter x Hunter)
• Ka Ryo Ten (Kingdom)
• F.A.N.G (Street Fighter V)
• Kamen Rider Buffa/Michinaga Azuma (Kamen Rider Geats) via Fever Zombie Form (Jyamashin)

Known Objects

• Hulkbuster (Marvel Comics)

Gallery

Anime/Manga/Manhwa

Having no formal training in Shunpo, Hakuda and Kido, Kenpachi Zaraki (Bleach) focused all his prowess solely on Zanjutsu…

…to the point he eventually surpassed Yachiru Unohana as the most powerful Zanjutsu Master of all time.

By entering a Power Stressed state, Future Trunks (Dragon Ball series) maximizes his strength and power at the cost of speed and stamina.

While an excellent swordsman, Kenshin Himura (Rurouni Kenshin) has no talent in unarmed combat.

Cartoons/Comics

Razorfist (Marvel Comics) had his hands replaced with blades to maximize his fighting ability but needs external help to feed himself and tend to his personal hygiene.

Iron Man's (Marvel Comics) Hulkbuster armor is designed for maximum strength amplification at the cost of reduced versatility and mobility.

Live Action/Movies

Kamen Rider Buffa's (Kamen Rider Geats) Fever Zombie Form (Jyamashin) is made specifically for defeating Kamen Riders in mind. This means the form is venerable against anything not considered a Kamen Rider.

Video Games

Deoxys (Pokémon) can manipulate its own stats by entering different forms, no particular stat (far left), specializing in high attack (second from the left), high defense (second from the right), or high speed (far right), while causing other stats to become weaker.

F.A.N.G's (Street Fighter V) fighting style revolves entirely around the use of poison.

Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles) possesses the ability to capitalize on particular stats while making others weaker through the Monado.

Videos

The Complete History of Razor-Fist-2