Blatent retardation of not using existing OP power/ item

[NotaNuffian]

So the author gave MC something OP; can be a skill or item etc, and MC uses it once or twice in his early days and then forever shoves it out of future plots.

In my example, author gave MC a time rewinding gadget that allows him to spend little points to turn back the hands of time with MC retaining the memories like the Dagger of Time. MC used it twice; first time when he was crushed to bits and the second time when his entire raid party of 1000 was decimated by a sneak attack from the raid boss. And then the gadget was never seen again, especially now when MC can cleave planets with a swing of his sword.

Have you seen such blatent shelving of an OP thing?

 

[LilRora]

Every single one of us does that when we receive rare limited consumables, don't be too hard on the poor guy.

Oh shoot, that's not a consumable.

Yeah I don't know the full context but sounds stupid. I've seen it a few times though it's not particularly common in the books I've read.

 

[JayMark]

MC can cleave planets with a swing of his sword.

I'd be destroying planets genocidally, rewinding time, and doing it again. MC is noob.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Every single one of us does that when we receive rare limited consumables, don't be too hard on the poor guy.

Oh shoot, that's not a consumable.

Yeah I don't know the full context but sounds stupid. I've seen it a few times though it's not particularly common in the books I've read.

I only seen it once too.

And it is jarring.

I'd be destroying planets genocidally, rewinding time, and doing it again. MC is noob.

 

[Valmond]

Depends how it is done.

Spoiler

Personally for myself, the lead of the series can bring ruin to the worlds. However, this power is not often used. Rather, you see it in the finales.

Tons of reasons for it, including that it is a contradiction to the character themselves. In the first book, their memories are sealed.

This also means their power itself, at the end of Chapter 5. They chose to reseal their own memories.

As such, the first book follows their reawakening. There is an Alpha version of their strongest ability at the end of Chapter 5, a Beta at the end of Chapter 18, and version I after their awakening in the finale(25).

There are three version to this ability. Version II is acquired at the end of Book 4, and in the finale, after they obtain stage 10.

This ability is really used when there is no other choice, as the end result is completely catastrophic. It also reflects the main theme of the series, as well as the character themselves.

Version III is obtained in the series finale of Book 9 to conclude everything.

Few characters have a variation of it, all follows the usual build up to obtaining it in the variations of this power.

And very specific conditions have to be met. Which means, not just anyone can use it. The conditions to use the first version is layered in the character’s tragic story.

Which those conditions are fulfilled in the finales.

Though, only the lead of the series can use version II and III. And the conditions for that is equivalent to throwing your controller through your TV. ?

Anyway, the build up to it, the excitement is one thing that draws in the attention. Since I've already established that this stuff happens in the finales, readers look forward to the finales.

What I am saying is, there might be a reason for why something OP isn’t typically used. Could be tied to the story, characters, conditions, or all of the above.

Can’t say for the story you’ve read though, and maybe it might turn up later if it continues on.

 

[corruption]

You see this all the time in lots of places. There was even a Youtube video about all the different times this happened in Harry Potter!
Superman and Flash can run fast enough to go back in time? Why not use that to fix all these massive problems before they occur?
Prof X is the most powerful psychic in the world and can read any mind? Why not use it to locate villains who need to be found before they kill off all humanity, and to learn info they can use to stop them?

 

[Anonjohn20]

You know, watching all the Disney Star Wars garbage, there'd be a lot less dark side users if the Jedi just used those lightsabers they carried around everywhere. Unfortunately, Disney scriptwriters think that all Jedi were like Gandhi and the Buddha.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

You know, watching all the Disney Star Wars garbage, there'd be a lot less dark side users if the Jedi just used those lightsabers they carried around everywhere. Unfortunately, Disney scriptwriters think that all Jedi were like Gandhi and the Buddha.

THAT you can blame on Lucas, not Disney - the Jedi were passive guardians, responding to trouble only after the fact until the final days of the Old Republic when they started taking bits of power themselves (allowing Sifu Dius to either become Palpatine or take Palpatine on as an Apprentice - was never quite clear on how that fell out - and elevate himself to Emperor, partly to check their excesses)