History Main / AdvantageBall

* PlayedWith in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'''s [[AngstNuke Shi Shi]] [[KamehameHadoken Hokodan]] arc. [[ButtMonkey Ryoga]] learns the titular technique and uses it against Ranma. DeconstructiveParody [[InvertedTrope Inversion]] HilarityEnsues when Ranma understands the technique and [[BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame adapts it]]; the fight becomes a {{Wangst}} contest, which Ryoga eventually wins due to having [[DeusAngstMachina more true angst]]. Ranma then decides to use a modified variant powered by confidence (the Moko Takabisha), which comes far more naturally to him. The stage looks set for him to inflict a CurbStompBattle. {{Subversion}} and RealityEnsues (relatively speaking, given that they're using KiManipulation) when Ryoga learning that Ranma has a counter-technique only fuels his depression; his Shi Shi Hokodan becomes even stronger, breaking Ranma's confidence-powered Moko Takabisha technique. Then Ryoga revealed that he had been working to master an even stronger "perfected" variant of the Shi Shi Hokodan. [[spoiler: Ranma ultimately wins in [[DistractedByTheSexy an unrelated and anticlimactic way]].]]

Ownership of the Ball is determined primarily by morale. Whichever side is more confident has the advantage. This tends to result in HollywoodTactics: using your resources strategically is not as important as making a show. If you can [[DespairGambit break the spirit of your enemy]], you are probably going to win even if they greatly outnumber you and have a far superior position. On an individual scale, if a combatant is unsure of either his chances or his reasons, he will fare poorly. [[EpiphanyTherapy But once he has an epiphany]], [[HeroicResolve is reminded of what he's fighting for]], [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre receives supportive words]] [[YouAreNotAlone from his allies]], wins the respect of a neutral observer, or gets news that [[TheCavalry help is on the way]], he will [[HeroicSecondWind instantly become much stronger]], even to the point of [[HollywoodHealing forgetting previous injuries]]. A well-placed WorldOfCardboardSpeech or TheReasonYouSuckSpeech can render his enemy demoralised and weakened. In media dealing with sound, a ThemeMusicPowerUp is almost required for these occasions.

* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' the ball usually goes to whoever has the greatest impact and investment to the plot. Superman almost never has the ball, one notable instance involving John Stewart's old friend turned into Metamorpho. Metamorpho was able to turn his body into kryptonite despite it being explicit that he must know the chemical mixture to turn into something. His lack of being able to hold the ball is such that when in an EnemyMine with Luthor to stop Darkseid, he makes a WorldOfCardboardSpeech and really starts giving it all he's got while Lex goes on a vague mission to the outer reaches of the universe. Who do you think stopped Darkseid?

* PlayedWith in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'''s [[AngstNuke Shi Shi]] [[KamehameHadoken Hokodan]] arc. [[ButtMonkey Ryoga]] learns the titular technique and uses it against Ranma. DeconstructiveParody [[InvertedTrope Inversion]] HilarityEnsues when Ranma understands the technique and [[BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame adapts it]]; the fight becomes a {{Wangst}} contest, which Ryoga eventually wins due to having [[DeusAngstMachina more true angst]]. Ranma then decides to use a modified variant powered by confidence (the Moko Takabisha), which comes far more naturally to him. The stage looks set for him to inflict a CurbStompBattle. {{Subversion}} and RealityEnsues (relatively speaking, given that they're using KiAttacks) when Ryoga learning that Ranma has a counter-technique only fuels his depression; his Shi Shi Hokodan becomes even stronger, breaking Ranma's confidence-powered Moko Takabisha technique. Then Ryoga revealed that he had been working to master an even stronger "perfected" variant of the Shi Shi Hokodan. [[spoiler: Ranma ultimately wins in [[DistractedByTheSexy an unrelated and anticlimactic way]].]]

This is not what the audience wants. People instinctively expect the world to be a sensible and just place, and we expect it to be portrayed as such in fiction. From this expectation comes the idea that RightMakesMight, and the [[TheGoodGuysAlwaysWin deserving are always victorious]]. But that's not dramatic, either. A hero whose virtue makes him invincible [[BoringInvincibleHero quickly becomes boring]], and an ineffectual villain likewise. Moreover, conflict depicted in this way is not realistic, and rings false to the viewer.

* Much like ''Manga/{{Dragonball}}'', ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' passes the ball whenever a mon evolves and/or learns a new move. This doesn't necessarily mean coming back with a new move though.

* In Seasons 7 and 8 of "Series/GameOfThrones", the advantage ball is passed back and forth between Cersei and Daenerys's armies. Witness Cersei's ally Euron curbstomping Dany's fleet and killing Rhaegal in S8E4 before Dany on Drogon wipes out the entirety of said fleet plus most of Cersei's army in the very next episode.

** Harry Dresden also manages to hurt and thus terrify Gravemoss, despite the fact that the latter is a PhysicalGod and {{Necromancer}} on Loki's level, through an admittedly very powerful sucker punch (while he can't repeat it [[spoiler: without dying]], Gravemoss doesn't know that - or how Dresden survived doing it in the first place, which is why he's so scared of Dresden thereafter).

* Harry Dresden starts grabbing this after having been through one too many {{Indy Ploy}}s. In ''Literature/TurnCoat'' and ''Literature/SkinGame'' he knows that he's going to be outnumbered and out-powered, so he [[spoiler: does a sanctum invocation, allying with the GeniusLoci of a powerful island]] and uses a XanatosGambit and GambitRoulette in the first instance, and [[spoiler: gets Odin's advice and recruits Goodman Grey]] before even starting out in the second.

** This also applies a lot to Harry (and to an extent, his friends), who loses fights that he shouldn't, with both his inexperience, [[GlassCannon lack of durability relative to]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction the raw power he's capable of summoning up]], and [[HotBlooded unfortunate habit of losing his temper at the wrong moment]] frequently undercutting him against often less powerful but more skilled opponents. Particular examples include his fight with HYDRA's Destroyer, piloted by Zemo, in chapter 60 (after a temporary PlotRelevantAgeUp, he's got all the powers he would as an adult, but none of the skill required to use them effectively, and nearly gets roasted alive for his pains) and his fight with Daken in chapter 70 (which involves [[ManipulativeBastard Daken]] [[IShallTauntYou goading]] [[HotBlooded Harry]] into a fist-fight, which Harry barely survives [[spoiler: and only because the Phoenix stepped in]]). In the latter case, Harry learns from his mistake and in the rematch [[MindOverMatter uses his telekinesis]] to pummel Daken into submission, and by ''Ghosts of the Past'', is taking steps to rectify his lack of skill/experience, [[TranquilFury control his temper]], and fight smarter.

* In ''Fanfic/TomRiddlesSchooldays,'' Tom usually holds this, although he occasionally passes it to Marca.

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]] there's Jedi Battle Meditation: an ''in-universe'' Advantage Ball. The side supported by the meditating Jedi is filled with confidence and clarity, while the opposing side is assaulted with despair. [[TheChessmaster Grand Admiral Thrawn]] once quantified this; apparently, supported by battle meditation, his fighters performed up to 40% better in every category of pilot performance. He also suspects that this is why the Imperial Remnant was so seemingly incompetent for much of the civil war after the Emperor died; they had unknowingly become completely dependent on it.

* ''Franchise/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' uses this trope in an interesting way: While the battles can be physical in nature, they rely mostly on smarts and finding a way out of your current situation. In order to keep things exciting, whoever loses the advantage ball automatically gets to be the POV character of the following chapters, as it's now his or her turn to turn the tides of battle.

* In Seasons 7 and 8 of "Series/GameofThrones", the advantage ball is passed back and forth between Cersei and Daenerys's armies. Witness Cersei's ally Euron curbstomping Dany's fleet and killing Rhaegal in S8E4 before Dany on Drogon wipes out the entirety of said fleet plus most of Cersei's army in the very next episode.

* In Seasons 7 and 8 of "Series/Game of Thrones", the advantage ball is passed back and forth between Cersei and Daenerys's armies. Witness Cersei's ally Euron curbstomping Dany's fleet and killing Rhaegal in S8E4 before Dany on Drogon wipes out the entirety of said fleet plus most of Cersei's army in the very next episode.

** His earlier fight against Sasuke followed the ''Manga/{{Dragonball}} Z'' approach of passing the Advantage Ball for a few rounds by unlocking increasingly more power.

[[folder: Table Top Games ]]

* Handed out by Kevin Flynn in Film/TronLegacy. At one point he enters a club where an apparently civilian resistance is fighting- and getting slaughtered by- Clu's enforcers. All he does is kneel and touch the ground, and the momentum of the battle ''immediately'' shifts in favor of the civilians. Justified in that he ''is'', effectively, the god of the computer universe.

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* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE25TheClockKing "The Clock King"]], we have the eponymous villain, a middle-aged efficiency expert, fighting Batman. This should have been a CurbStompBattle, but Fugate has studied footage on Batman’s fighting, so he knows [[LudicrousPrecision that it takes Batman exactly 1/20 of a second to throw a punch.]] As improbable as it sounds, Fugate manages to fight Batman to a standstill with using BlockingStopsAllDamage, NonchalantDodge and DeadlyDodging.

* A few schools of pro wrestling teach that best matches are not the most realistic, technically sound or athletically spectacular, but those that get the most "heat" without burning out the audience. Every audience being different means that basing a match on responses can result in anything from an extended one-sided affair with a few {{hope spot}}s (Wrestling/RickySteamboat and RickyMorton of Wrestling/TheRockNRollExpress were famous for it), a dizzying see-saw of advantages (Wrestling/TheRock was well known for these but it was almost literal in a ladder match between Wrestling/RobVanDam and Wrestling/ChristianCage), miraculous second winds (like HulkingUp) or {{villainous underdog}}s becoming increasingly frustrated/frightened as baby {{face}}s keep shaking off their 'clever' strategies (Wrestling/RicFlair, Wrestling/TerryFunk). Hold for hold (Wrestling/KurtAngle vs Wrestling/EddieGuerrero), blow for blow (Kazuchika Okada vs Wrestling/HiroshiTanahashi or Wrestling/AJStyles), counter for counter (ACH vs Ta'Darius Thomas or Cedric Alexander) rarely last long in a bout, and the term "back and forth" is rarely as literal as it is in other "genres" of fighting. Some multiple fall matches such as Perro Aguayo Jr vs El Hijo Del Santo literally had "advantage" shift each decision, and [[GimmickMatches match types]] like War Games literally run on it.

* Franchise/{{Batman}} almost always holds the Ball in direct conflict. Three guys with knives or a dozen Mooks with machine guns, it makes no difference. Therefore, the general method of his rogue's gallery to deal with him is to attack him indirectly, especially by undermining what he believes in and threatening those he values.
** One notable exception is in ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns.'' Batman does ''not'' hold the advantage in his first fight with the much younger and stronger leader of the Mutants, and is almost killed before Carrie rescues him. Batman learns his lesson and the next time they fight, ''he'' chooses the battleground and pulls out [[TryingToCatchMeFightingDirty every dirty trick in the book]] to beat him. This time the Ball is firmly in Batman's court and he wins decisively.

* This actually comes up in ''Franchise/DynastyWarriors'' and, to a lesser extent, ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors''. When you accomplish specific tasks, your side gains morale, which basically buys you more time and progress to defeat the enemy general, by adding or removing soldier units from the battlefield. Especially in Dynasty Warriors, even if you're being completely creamed, if you get over 1000 soldier kills, you get unlimited morale. Then you have hundreds of troops rush in and push back the enemy, for no particular reason than that you're now so cool.

-->Tarvek [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120210 grabs the ball]]! Gil struggles, but [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120217 Tarvek gets in a solid jab]]! But who's that? Bangladesh Dupree [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120222 tackles Tarvek]] from out of nowhere, grabs the Ball and starts piling on the humiliation... But then [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120224 Vole appears]], charming Bang's pants off with a bloodthirsty Villainous Rant, and picks up the ball. Ball occupied, Gil and Tarvek are able to have a conversation on equal terms, until Othar Trygvassen, GENTLEMAN ADVENTURER!, gets the drop on Vole! But what's this?! Gil goes for the dropped ball, [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120305 grabs it with both hands]], runs with it AND HE SCORES, dropping three of his opponents down a trapdoor to a long fall, and wounds the last - Bang - with a [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120307 vicious playground taunt]]! What a game, ladies and gentlemen, what a game!

* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE25TheClockKing "The Clock King"]], we have the eponymous villain, a middle-aged efficiency expert, fighting Batman. This should have been a CurbStompBattle, but Fugate has studied footage on Batman’s fighting, so he knows [[LudicrousPrecision that it takes Batman exactly 1/20 of a second to throw a punch.]]. As improbable as it sounds, Fugate manages to fight Batman to a standstill with using BlockingStopsAllDamage, NonchalantDodge and DeadlyDodging.

* In Fanfic/TomRiddlesSchooldays, Tom usually holds this, although he occasionally passes it to Marca.

* In the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse there's Jedi Battle Meditation: an ''in-universe'' Advantage Ball. The side supported by the meditating Jedi is filled with confidence and clarity, while the opposing side is assaulted with despair. [[TheChessmaster Grand Admiral Thrawn]] once quantified this; apparently, supported by battle meditation, his fighters performed up to 40% better in every category of pilot performance. He also suspects that this is why the Imperial Remnant was so seemingly incompetent for much of the civil war after the Emperor died; they had unknowingly become completely dependent on it.

* A few schools of pro wrestling teach that best matches are not the most realistic, technically sound or athletically spectacular but those that get the most "heat" without burning out the audience out. Every audience being different means basing a match on responses can result in anything from an extended on side affair with a few {{hope spot}}s (Wrestling/RickySteamboat and RickyMorton of Wrestling/TheRockNRollExpress were famous for it), a dizzying see-saw of advantages (Wrestling/TheRock was well know for these but it was almost literal in a ladder match between Wrestling/RobVanDam and Wrestling/ChristianCage), a miraculous second winds (like HulkingUp) or {{villainous underdog}}s becoming increasingly frustrated\frightened as baby {{face}}s keep shaking off their 'clever' strategies (Wrestling/RicFlair, Wrestling/TerryFunk). Hold for hold (Wrestling/KurtAngle vs Wrestling/EddieGuerrero), blow for blow (Kazuchika Okada vs Wrestling/HiroshiTanahashi or Wrestling/AJStyles), counter for counter (ACH vs Ta'Darius Thomas or Cedric Alexander) rarely last long in a bout and the term "back and forth" is rarely as literal as it is in other "genres" of fighting. Some multiple fall matches such as Perro Aguayo Jr vs El Hijo Del Santo literally had "advantage" shift each decision and [[GimmickMatches match types]] like War Games literally run on it.

* In the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse there's Jedi Battle Meditation: an ''in-universe'' Advantage Ball. The side supported by the meditating Jedi is filled with confidence and clarity, while the opposing side is assaulted with despair. [[TheChessmaster Grand Admiral Thrawn]] once quantified this; apparently, supported by battle meditation, his fighters performed up to 40% better in every category of pilot performance. He also suspects that this is why the Imperial Remnant was so seemingly incompetent for much of the civil war after the Emperor died; they had unknowingly become comletely dependant on it.

* Most fights that aren't a straight up CurbStompBattle in later episodes of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' are a match of 'who has the most transformations'. Every time a character turns into a new form, they hold the AdvantageBall until their opponent does likewise. In one case, being changed into a piece of candy counts as turning into a new form... at least if you're Vegetto.

** His earlier fight against Sasuke followed the ''Manga/{{Dragonball}} Z'' approach of passing the AdvantageBall for a few rounds by unlocking increasingly more power.

** An exception is Rainbow Dash vs. Starscream, where Rainbow holds the AdvantageBall for pretty much the entirety of the fight. Its noted its almost a character trait of Starscream not to hold the ball regardless of circumstances.
** Another exception is in "Scrooge [=McDuck=] vs. Shovel Knight", where [[spoiler:Shovel Knight]] holds the AdvantageBall for almost the entire fight countering or even {{No Sell}}ing his opponent's attacks against him, up until the end [[spoiler:where Scrooge whips out his Anti-Inertia and Neutra-Friction Rays to turn the match completely in his favour]].

* In Literature/TheBible, the Israelites' success in any conflict is based entirely on how faithful they're being to God at the time. When they're faithfully worshipping him, they wipe out hordes of Canaanites with a couple hundred men, and suffer no losses. When they're ignoring God or worshipping Ba'al, they tend to get conquered, looted, and generally knocked around by any nation that cares to fight them. In one battle it's determined by whether Moses is holding his staff in the air, which he quickly needs help to maintain.

* Tex's ability to handle the ball in ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' is subject to the RuleOfFunny, she will beat entire teams into the ground when its funny and nothing is on the line and fail miserably when something is. [[spoiler:This turns out to be a part of her character, she's an artificial intelligence based on a woman who died in the line of battle.]]