Who are some "energy melee" characters?

[Menelruin]

There's discussions in Suggestions and Feedback about what EM should/shouldn't be, and that got me to thinking of what style it's supposedly patterned after.  Who are some "Energy Melee" characters in media?  Please note I DON'T mean "I channel energy into my muscles to hit even harder" as that's an offshoot of super strength, I just mean "I make my fist go BOOM!"  The main cases I can think of are Cannonball, and MAYBE Iron Fist specifically when he lights it up.  Sunspot has enhanced strength, not just hitting hard.  Maybe the movie version of Negasonic Teenage Warhead?

 

EDIT:  To clarify, folks who can empower their strikes and hit hard, but do NOT necessarily have Super Strength.

Edited May 20, 2020 by Menelruin

[Drazah Krad]

Captain marvel (MCU) Mutation origin

sebestian shaw (Fox) mutation

Shocker (MCU) Tech origin

Green Lantern (DC) science/tech origin 

Dragon ball universe Natural origin 

Ancient one (MCU) magic origin 

 

some explanations: 

 

shocker and captain marvel are pretty self explanatory. 
 

Sebastian Shaw has both energy defense and energy melee.  The absorbed energy could be used as he saw fit. 
 

green lantern and dragon ball fighters often have energy surrounding their fists

 

ancient one used magical knock back on her strike leveling hulk.  (Bit of a stretch but I struggled with magic)

 

[Menelruin]

42 minutes ago, Drazah Krad said:

Captain marvel (MCU) Mutation origin

sebestian shaw (Fox) mutation

Shocker (MCU) Tech origin

Green Lantern (DC) science/tech origin 

Dragon ball universe Natural origin 

Ancient one (MCU) magic origin 

 

some explanations: 

 

shocker and captain marvel are pretty self explanatory. 
 

Sebastian Shaw has both energy defense and energy melee.  The absorbed energy could be used as he saw fit. 
 

green lantern and dragon ball fighters often have energy surrounding their fists

 

ancient one used magical knock back on her strike leveling hulk.  (Bit of a stretch but I struggled with magic)

 

IMO Shaw and Captain Marvel are both Super Strength when they actually hit, they're just boosting their strength via energy, same as a kryptonian. 

[Techwright]

I suppose you'd have to define "energy", which is a really nebulous term.  Psylocke, for example, uses "energy" in a blade punch, but it's psychic in nature.   Electro, well, he uses electrical punches, but they're another form of energy.  Atomic Skull uses radiation energy, Iron Fist uses chi energy,  Invisible Girl can use force field energy to punch with if needed, and so forth.   So a clearer understanding of "energy" would help.

 

Also, if I understand you correctly, you're looking for characters that release energy as the actual punch?  I'm confused because unless you're referring to a technology hero/villain, the person's arm becomes the conduit for that energy to be released, effectively running through their muscles, which you've just discredited.

 

I can think of one hero who may qualify:  DC/Milestone's  Icon.  I don't know him that well (his comics went into print around the time I stopped collecting), so I did a quick read.  He does have genetic super strength, but that is not the only super punch he can deliver.  He has the ability to manipulate positron energy which he can focus into bolts (range), but also reshape the energy into a punching force.  It's listed distinctive from his genetic super strength.

[Vulpoid]

4 hours ago, Drazah Krad said:

Sebastian Shaw has both energy defense and energy melee.  The absorbed energy could be used as he saw fit. 

I would classify him as specifically Kinetic Melee. Absorbed and returned.

[Haijinx]

There was a pretty awesome illustration in one of the Champions rulebooks (c1980's I don't remember which edition but it was a revised one) of an Energy Melee type character power/smoke rising from her fists surrounded by dead/unconscious baddies slumped and fallen next to her.  That's the one that comes to mind when I think Energy melee.   

 

 Champions was kind of a good ruleset to build something like this.  "Energy Blast - Range = 0" giving you points discount. 

--

Iron Maiden from the Destroyers in Villains and Vigilantes used a Staff that was an energy melee type attack, at least that's how the illustrations looked.  Of course that was a weapon though.

 

That Adventure Module had a defeated hero named "Morning Star" with an awesome take on a Mace Power.  Basically her gloves ended in tech maces from what I could make out.  Sort of a tech version of a gauntlet/punch dagger - but with a Mace.  (The V&V Module version of the character not the later more generic fire hero "Elementals" version) 

 

 

===

As to comics .. 

 

As mentioned Iron Fist would be Energy Melee, but of course that's his high end attack, not his normal combat.  

 

Speedball could be Energy Melee (looks wise sort of), Or maybe Kinetic Melee (conceptually)  

 

I think most "Energy Melee" Characters in comic Books also have Super Strength, I guess it depends on which is the main type of attack.

 

A lot of the "Energy Blast" type characters do also.   

 

 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2020 by Haijinx

[Menelruin]

I'm kinda thinking of like point-blank energy blast.  Like, they can use the power to HIT hard, but not necessarily to pick up heavy things gently, if that makes sense.

[Drazah Krad]

1 hour ago, Vulpoid said:

I would classify him as specifically Kinetic Melee. Absorbed and returned.

He absorbed ALL kinds of energy(Kinect, thermal, radiant, etc)  

[Techwright]

2 hours ago, Menelruin said:

I'm kinda thinking of like point-blank energy blast.  Like, they can use the power to HIT hard, but not necessarily to pick up heavy things gently, if that makes sense.

Thanks for that clarification.  Using that description, I might suggest Shego, one of the villains for Kim Possible.  Shego has a "Kirby crackle" green-black energy for which I've never heard an explanation.  Though she tends to use short ranged strikes, she hits with charged fists as well.  In fact, her signature starting move is to power up those fists and go into something like a boxing stance.  I don't believe she's ever shown with super strength.

[Outrider_01]

Cheerleaders, with those pompoms 

[Naraka]

"The Glow" from The Last Dragon movie?

[Menelruin]

To be fair, this is also just how *I* always interpreted EM.  Other folks (and both the original and new) dev teams no doubt have their own classifications for it.....

[catsi563]

Unuscone of the acolytes was a good example of an energy melee characrter

[Seigmoraig]

One Punch Man

 

 

[nightroarer]

13 hours ago, Outrider_01 said:

Cheerleaders, with those pompoms 

My wife calls energy melee the "pompoms of doom."

[Silverado]

A number of characters from fighting games have Energy Melee attacks. Terry and Andy Bogard from Fatal Fury, for example.

[Marshal_General]

18 hours ago, nightroarer said:

My wife calls energy melee the "pompoms of doom."

That used to be my taunt back on live. "Fear the Glowing Pompoms of Doom!"

[KC4800]

The Tick

[Skyhawke]

Definitely Iron Fist.  He's just a martial artist that makes his hands glow with energy that can do massive damage, but he's normal human strength.  I can't think of any others, even after googling around for a bit.  I always assumed energy melee was just a tip of the hat to Iron Fist.

[Chance Jackson]

As for focusing energy into a fist & hitting enemies with it, any sufficiently trained Nen user in Hunter X Hunter can use "Gyo" or "Ko" to shroud any part of their body including fists & feet with "Aura" to increase their striking force this is not a strength increase & using "Aura" against a non Nen user in any capacity will have profound effects on them that i'd rather not spoil

 

I feel like a Green Lantern resorting to powered fisticuffs should count too.

[chase]

7 hours ago, Marshal_General said:

That used to be my taunt back on live. "Fear the Glowing Pompoms of Doom!"

One of the now-older mentors in a never-completed comic was a former childhood-tv-show-star, "Penny Powers" fighting crime with her "Pink Pompoms of Doom!"   

Her agent/brand manager was so SOOO pissed at her- she was supposed to say "Pink Pompoms of Pummelling"-- he had a thing for alliteration.