http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DefeatMeansFriendship

Friendship Through Superior Firepower

Jason Thompson, To Protect and Kill: Morality in Action Manga. io9, March 11th, 2010. io9, March 11th, 2010. "For every boys' manga like the '80s hit Fist of the North Star, in which defeated enemies have their brains splattered, there are five manga like Dragon Ball Z, in which defeated enemies are befriended, neutralized and converted to the heroes' worldview. Thus, the circle of the protagonists' friends grows and grows. Only in this way, through taking everyone into the protected circle, does the hero get the hubris to want to "save the world"  usually expressed as "I want to protect everyone!" , an almost Buddhist feeling of compassion for all things, except perhaps for some final enemy who is just too ugly to be redeemed."

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In an action series based around an endless series of one-on-one fights, defeating a Worthy Opponent or The Rival will sometimes convert them to the hero's side, if not always to their cause. Furthermore, no matter how much trouble the Worthy Opponent has caused for the heroes or other people as soon as they show remorse or go out of their way to help others they will be welcomed into the hero's circle of True Companions with open arms.

It helps if the story is idealistic enough for the hero to forgive the villain after they are safely defeated. Correspondingly, the villain in this kind of story is so surprised and moved that the hero would be big-hearted enough to do that, that they have a change of heart.

From the writers' standpoint, this trope is a way to keep characters around longer. If it's a show about fighting, and if The Protagonist is always getting stronger, what's the use of a defeated enemy? If said enemy is well developed, has a sizeable fanbase and/or a sympathetic motive or backstory; then killing them might risk pissing off the fans. We want to see them fight some more, but they can't fight the hero again because that would be repetitive and we all know that they would lose. So instead, they become an ally and get to assist the hero. Thus, this is a standard way for most Sixth Rangers to be added into the cast.

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In video games, this may simply be an instance where the designers wanted to include more Boss Battles; this is more obvious in several cases where a character is already an ideological ally but wants to "duel" or "practice" against you anyway, or needs to "test your strength" before they'll join up. (Summons love to do this, as do Mons and warrior tribes.) This may be repetitive but more Boss Battles are usually what the player wants so there are rarely complaints.

Compare Kill Me Now, or Forever Stay Your Hand for when the hero refuses to kill their enemy which may lead into this trope depending on the story. Let's You and Him Fight for where two characters are already on the same side but don't know it and fight because one or both of them think the other is an enemy. Defeat Means Respect where a defeated enemy respects the victor instead of becoming friends and Fire-Forged Friends, where enemies forced to fight on the same side become friends.

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See also Love at First Punch and Best Her to Bed Her for romantic variations and Defeat Means Playable for a video game trope often combined with this one. Compare I Fight for the Strongest Side.

Since this trope typically occurs at the denouement of a story, expect unmarked spoilers.

Examples

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Comic Books

Fan Works

Films — Animated

In the 2008 Horton Hears a Who!, Horton is triumphant getting his neighbours to believe the microscopic Whos exist and is hailed a hero of the ages. However, he can't help but notice the Sour Kangaroo is now alone, ashamed and hated for what she did to him and almost to the Whos. Fortunately, Horton has a heart as big as his ears and he immediately goes to offer his forgiveness to the Kangaroo. The Kangaroo, realizing how lucky she is to have a friend as noble as Horton, immediately offers to help him shelter the Whos for the trip to Mount Nool.

Puss in Boots in Shrek 2 is hired by the king to assassinate Shrek. However, unlike his fairy tale counterpart, he does not try to trick the ogre into changing into a mouse, but instead makes a direct, frontal assault on Shrek, which works up until the feline gags on a hairball, spitting it up. Shrek and Donkey spare his life, and Puss proposes to the ogre he owes a life debt to him, in thanks. Although there is some tension/rivalry between Puss and Donkey (who seems nervous that Puss is taking his place as "annoying talking animal"), the three eventually become close friends and allies.

At the end of Yellow Submarine, after the Blue Meanies are defeated, the Beatles invite them over for tea. Partying ensues. My Little Pony: Sunset Shimmer in My Little Pony: Equestria Girls. The girls who defeat her are her only friends in My Little Pony: Equestria Girls  Rainbow Rocks as the rest of the school has not so easily forgiven her for attempting to brainwash the school. Repeated in My Little Pony: Equestria Girls  Friendship Games, where it is Sunset Shimmer doing the defeating and Human Twilight Sparkle being defeated, with her displaying the empathy of someone who used to be on the other side of the offer. Inverted in the first Equestria Girls movie with Rainbow Dash, who offers her help if Twilight can beat her at soccer. After a spectacularly one-sided match that leaves Twilight on the ground gasping for breath while Dash hasn't even broken a sweat, she reveals that it was a Secret Test of Character and (re)joins the team.

In Frozen II, The Nokk tries to drown Elsa, but she creates ice reins and takes control, riding the Nokk to Ahtohallan. At the end of the movie, the Nokk voluntarily bows to allow her to dismount more easily, and readily comes when she calls and allows her to freeze the water horse in order to ride on land.

Films — Live-Action

Literature

Live Action TV

Pinball

In the Story Mode of Sonic Pinball Party, Sonic must defeat each of his Brainwashed and Crazy friends to rescue them from Dr. Robotnik.

Professional Wrestling

Roleplay

In The Sydney Scroungers, Greg, a guard for the Wulagu Syndicate, was shot in the leg and brought on board to interrogate, but he ended up befriending his captors (mostly through unflinching sarcasm) to the point where they rushed into a combat situation to rescue his boyfriend.

Tabletop Games

Back in the early days of development of what would become Dungeons & Dragons, many of the characters who would later be important figures of lore were actually played by Gary Gygax and his friends. Two such characters were Mordenkainen (Gygax's preferred PC) and Bigby (a creation of Gygax and Robert J. Kuntz). At some point, both of these characters were in the same session as PCs, and came to blows in a Wizard Duel. Eventually Mordenkainen emerged the victor and Bigby joined the party as a sort of "henchman." As time went on, Bigby would become Mordenkainen's assistant and apprentice in magic.

Traveller: During the Interstellar Wars a number of Vilani defected and took the Terrans side. This was especially the case with the Khimashargur who were Space Cossacks that had fled from the vilani mainstream because of philosophical differences, and held a resentment against the Vilani government.

From Magic: The Gathering: Meet Surrak Dragonclaw , khan of the Temur, infamous for punching out a bear who later aided him and his clan in a skirmish at the cost of the bear's life. Full story here .

Visual Novels

In the Fate route of Fate/stay night, after defeating Illya, All-Loving Hero Shirou adopts her into his home, much against the wishes of the more pragmatic Rin and Saber.

In Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!, Yamato gets Chris to come around to his way of doing things by defeating her with such tactics.

Ace Attorney: Miles Edgeworth. A bit more like Defeat Renews Friendship, and also fuels his Character Development. Simon Blackquill and Nahyuta Sahdmadhi from Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice: both come to respect the members of the Wright Anything Agency for their aptitude in the courtroom and personally come to the WAA and the Justice Law Offices with defense requests.

In Little Busters!, this is how Masato and Kyousuke first met and became friends and so is how Riki and Masato renewed their friendship in Refrain . Masato also insists they do this to get Kengo back into the Little Busters , insisting that 'when two men cross fists, a spontaneous friendship will be formed.'

Web Comics

Web Original

Western Animation