History Main / BefriendingTheEnemy

* Oberon and Helena are an example of this in ''{{Literature/Alterien}}'' by Adam R. Brown. Even though Helena was Oberon's enemy after he allowed her friend, Hermia, to die, they later become friends.

* Oberon and Helena are an example of this in {{Literature/Alterien}} by Adam R. Brown. Even though Helena was Oberon's enemy after he allowed her friend, Hermia, to die, they later become friends.

* Prose Lancelot: An OlderThanSteam example, Sir Lancelot manages to befriend Prince Galehaut of Sorelois, who at the time was at war with KingArthur over a disputed territory, which eventually resulted in a peace settlement between the warring royals.

* Happens a couple of times in ''ThePowerpuffGirls'' (DC run). "Presents Of Mine" (issue #57) as Him cajoling Buttercup into using the money she was going to spend on the Professor on herself. But when he sees the Gangreen Gang stealing from a children's charity box, he joins the girls in kicking their butts ("Even ''I'd'' never toop to that!!") In "Micro Managing," (issue #68) Mojo Jojo helps Blossom defeat the Micro-Puffs, who have brainwashed Bubbles and Buttercup into having a Napoleon complex. In "Smart And Smarter" (CN Block Party #59), Bubbles and Buttercup root for Mojo to beat Blossom, who has let being admitted to an advanced school go to her head.

* ''Manga/SoulEater'': Maka befriends Crona, who was acting antagonistically toward them under order of the witch Medusa, after realizing that Crona was raised in an environment [[FriendlessBackground where nobody ever cared or acted friendly]]. Maka had to [[ItMakesSenseInContext synchronize souls]] to calm Crona down first because [[BloodMagic magic blood]] was making Crona insane, but Crona breaks down crying after being offered friendship and silently accepts Maka's friendship with a hug and a handshake afterward.

* ''VideoGame/WildArms2'': Ashley & company develop a friendship this way with Kanon. Kanon, a demon hunter, has made it her mission to assassinate Ashley who [[SuperPoweredEvilSide is possessed by]] the ancient demon Lord Blazer who Kanon's ancestor sealed away thousands of years ago. The team reluctantly fight repeated battles with Kanon, until Ashley manages to convince her that he's a good person, and asks her to join the group plus entrusting her the responsibility of striking him down (and killing Lord Blazer) if he can't control the demon's influence any longer [[spoiler: when this moment finally does arrive however she can't bring herself to kill Ashley as she's developed feelings of friendship with him and the other members of ARMS.]]

* ''VideoGame/WildArms2'' Ashley & company develop a friendship this way with Kanon. Kanon, a demon hunter, has made it her mission to assassinate Ashley who [[SuperPoweredEvilSide is possessed by]] the ancient demon Lord Blazer who Kanon's ancestor sealed away thousands of years ago. The team reluctantly fight repeated battles with Kanon, until Ashley manages to convince her that he's a good person, and asks her to join the group plus entrusting her the responsibility of striking him down (and killing Lord Blazer) if he can't control the demon's influence any longer [[spoiler: when this moment finally does arrive however she can't bring herself to kill Ashley as she's developed feelings of friendship with him and the other members of ARMS.]]

* ''VideoGame/WildArms2'' Kanon and Ashley & company develop a friendship this way. Kanon, a demon hunter, has made it her mission to assassinate Ashley who [[SuperPoweredEvilSide is possessed by]] the ancient demon Lord Blazer who Kanon's ancestor sealed away thousands of years ago. The team reluctantly fight repeated battles with Kanon, until Ashley manages to convince her that he's a good person, and asks her to join the group plus entrusting her the responsibility of striking him down (and killing Lord Blazer) if he can't control the demon's influence any longer [[spoiler: when this moment finally does arrive however she can't bring herself to kill Ashley as she's developed feelings of friendship with him and the other members of ARMS.]]

* ''Westernanimation/JusticeLeague'': A variant In the episode ''Flash and Substance''. It's shown that this is how Flash deals with at least one of his "enemies" James Jesse "The Trickster" who he has pacified by befriending him. When Batman and Orion threaten James in a bar Flash cuts in and stops them to talk things out. He points out to James he's off his meds again, and that he didn't even realize he was wearing his villain costume. James agrees to admit himself back into the hospital after he finishes his drink if The Flash will visit him and play "soft darts", and then tells The Flash about a plan by the other villains to attack him at the grand opening of the new Flash Museum. This is baffling to Orion who is used to using more violent methods to get information.

* ''Westernanimation/JusticeLeague'': A variant In the episode ''Flash and Substance''. It's shown that this is how Flash deals with at least one of his "enemies" James Jesse "The Trickster" who he seems to have pacified by befriending him. When Batman and Orion threaten James in a bar Flash cuts in and stops them to talk things out. He points out to James he's off his meds again, and that he didn't even realize he was wearing his villain costume. James agrees to admit himself back into the hospital after he finishes his drink if The Flash will visit him and play "soft darts", and then tells The Flash about a plan by the other villains to attack him at the grand opening of the new Flash Museum. This is baffling to Orion who is used to using more violent methods to get information.

* ''Westernanimation/JusticeLeague'': A variant In the episode ''Flash and Substance''. It's shown that this is how Flash deals with at least one of his Villains James Jesse "The Trickster" who he seems to have pacified by befriending him. When Batman and Orion threaten James in a bar Flash cuts in and stops them to talk things out. He points out to James he's off his meds again, and that he didn't even realize he was wearing his villain costume. James agrees to admit himself back into the hospital after he finishes his drink if The Flash will visit him and play "soft darts", and then tells The Flash about a plan by the other villains to attack him at the grand opening of the new Flash Museum. This is baffling to Orion who is used to using more violent methods to get information.

* ''Westernanimation/JusticeLeague'': In the episode ''Flash and Substance''. It's shown that this is how Flash deals with at least one of his Villains James Jesse "The Trickster" who he seems to have befriended. When Batman and Orion threaten James in a bar Flash cuts in and stops them to talk things out. He points out to James he's off his meds, and that he didn't even realize he was wearing his villain costume. James agrees to admit himself back into the hospital after he finishes his drink if The Flash will visit him and play "soft darts", and then tells The Flash about a plan by the other villains to attack him at the grand opening of the new Flash Museum. This is baffling to Orion who is used to using more violent methods to get information.

* ''Westernanimation/JusticeLeague'': In the episode "Flash and Substance''. It's shown that this is how Flash deals with at least one of his Villains James Jesse "The Trickster" who he seems to have befriended. When Batman and Orion threaten James in a bar Flash cuts in and stops them to talk things out. He points out to James he's off his meds, and that he didn't even realize he was wearing his villain costume. James agrees to admit himself back into the hospital after he finishes his drink if The Flash will visit him and play "soft darts", and then tells The Flash about a plan by the other villains to attack him at the grand opening of the new Flash Museum. This is baffling to Orion who is used to using more violent methods to get information.

As our policy says we don't want to call real life people "villains" or "antagonists", '''NoRealLifeExamplesPlease'''

Subtrope of GoodFeelsGood, and ThePowerOfFriendship. Has some overlap with TalkingTheMonsterToDeath, the difference here being the character is just trying to become friends to try to turn them good, not necessarily convince them they're wrong. The opposite of this is EnemyMine, which is where a villain persuades a good guy to work with them to defeat a common foe, either by pretending they've turned good or through TeethClenchedTeamwork. If the friendship sticks it's an OddFriendship. A villain who stays evil after befriending a hero may be a TokenEvilTeammate or TheMole. Compare DefeatMeansFriendship, TastesLikeFriendship, and WeUsedToBeFriends, where the bad guy was originally a friend before he turned. Attempting to ''romance'' a villain to change them falls under ICanChangeMyBeloved. See also FriendlyEnemy, where the two sides maintain frequent sympathetic interactions despite still warring.

Subtrope of GoodFeelsGood, and ThePowerOfFriendship. Has some overlap with TalkingTheMonsterToDeath, the difference here being the character is just trying to become friends to try to turn them good, not necessarily convince them they're wrong. The opposite of this is EnemyMine, which is where a villain persuades a good guy to work with them to defeat a common foe, either by pretending they've turned good or through TeethClenchedTeamwork. If the friendship sticks it's an OddFriendship. A villain who stays evil after befriending a hero may be a TokenEvilTeammate or TheMole. Compare DefeatMeansFriendship, TastesLikeFriendship, and WeUsedToBeFriends, where the bad guy was originally a friend before he turned. The romantic version of this is ICanChangeMyBeloved. See also FriendlyEnemy, where the two sides maintain frequent sympathetic interactions despite still warring.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest'' Plays this for comedy. Princess Parfait seeing some good in the Nightmare Knight, [[spoiler: says “she's happy to have made a new friend” out of him. This is utterly baffling to The Nightmare Knight who is so used to everyone fearing him for being the main villain that it leads to his first NotSoStoic moment in the comic. Parfait mistakenly taking this for meaning he doesn't know what the word friendship means draws up some pictures of them having fun to try and explain to him what friendship is. Then when the Nightmare Knight says he doesn't desire her friendship he ends up doing something friendly for her anyway when he secretly takes her letter that she wanted him to deliver to Carrot. ]]
[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' has a variant involving TastesLikeFriendship. Gaius, a Thief, is working for the Plegians in a mission to kill "the Exalt" the Yllissean leader, but he doesn't have the heart to be a part of killing her. If Chrom talks Gaius he'll offer him sweets, and they instantly become friends and he joins your army.

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'': Hercule (Or Mr.Satan depending on which version you watch) knowing he can't beat him in a fight befriends the ObliviouslyEvil Majin Buu, and eventually makes him realize that turning people into candy and eating them is wrong. [[spoiler: This resolution doesn't last long though as Majin Buu's [[LiteralSplitPersonality evil side]] splits from the original Majin Buu and becomes the new villain]].

As our policy says we don't want to call real life people "villains" or "antagonists", NoRealLifeExamplesPlease

* ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest'' Plays this for comedy. Princess Parfait seeing some good in the Nightmare Knight, [[spoiler: says “she's happy to have made a new friend” out of him. This is utterly baffling to The Nightmare Knight who is so used to everyone fearing him for being the main villain that it leads to his first NotSoStoic moment in the comic. Parfait mistakenly taking this for meaning he doesn't know what the word friendship means draws up some pictures of them having fun to try and explain to him what friendship is.]]

Subtrope of GoodFeelsGood, and ThePowerOfFriendship. Has some overlap with TalkingTheMonsterToDeath, the difference here being the character is just trying to become friends not necessarilly convince them they're wrong. The opposite of this is EnemyMine, which is where a villain persuades a good guy to work with them to defeat a common foe, either by pretending they've turned good or through TeethClenchedTeamwork. If the friendship sticks it's an OddFriendship. A villain who stays evil after befriending a hero may be a TokenEvilTeammate or TheMole. Compare DefeatMeansFriendship, TastesLikeFriendship, and WeUsedToBeFriends, where the bad guy was originally a friend before he turned. The romantic version of this is ICanChangeMyBeloved. See also FriendlyEnemy, where the two sides maintain frequent sympathetic interactions despite still warring.

Subtrope of GoodFeelsGood, and ThePowerOfFriendship. Has some overlap with TalkingTheMonsterToDeath, the difference here being the character is just trying to become friends not neccessarilly convince them they're wrong. The opposite of this is EnemyMine, which is where a villain persuades a good guy to work with them to defeat a common foe, either by pretending they've turned good or through TeethClenchedTeamwork. If the friendship sticks it's an OddFriendship. A villain who stays evil after befriending a hero may be a TokenEvilTeammate or TheMole. Compare DefeatMeansFriendship, TastesLikeFriendship, and WeUsedToBeFriends, where the bad guy was originally a friend before he turned. The romantic version of this is ICanChangeMyBeloved. See also FriendlyEnemy, where the two sides maintain frequent sympathetic interactions despite still warring.