History Main / BefriendingTheEnemy

* This is [[AllLovingHero Wander's]] animating principle in ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder''. Not only does he constantly strive to befriend EvilOverlord and GalacticConqueror Lord Hater, but he redeems several other villains over the course of the series and has a number of success stories in his past, including [[spoiler: his best friend and traveling companion Sylvia, initially a bounty hunter hired to capture him.]]

* In ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'', after some serious deliberation on the subject, Negi decides that he wants to be [[spoiler:Fate's]] friend, but will still give him the fight he desires. [[spoiler:As of ''Manga/UQHolder'', which is set 80 years after ''Negima'', Fate deeply treasures his friendship with Negi and will do anything in his power to save him from the Lifemaker]].

* In ''Comicbook/BirdsOfPrey'', Comicbook/BlackCanary attempts this with Comicbook/LadyShiva. Shiva [[VillainTakesAnInterest is interested in Canary]] because of her rapidly-increasing martial arts skill and wants to face her in a DuelToTheDeath and later comes to owe her an important debt. Canary tries to use this to befriend and reform Shiva, but Shiva knows this and actively resists.

* A common tactic of ''Comicbook/WonderWoman'', most famously with Paula von Gunther. It doesn't always work, and it [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor doesn't always stick]], but she'll frequently make the attempt.

* ''FanFic/WithThisRing'': Due to Guy Gardner's comments about positive connections preventing criminal recidivism, Paragon!OL aims to convince supervillains to reform by helping and encouraging them to more positive or [[CutLexLuthorACheck beneficial]] [[TheSponsor goals]]. He's this to Cheshire, the Terror Twins, Lex Luthor and Abra Kadabra.

* In ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{ResurrectedMemories}}'': [[spoiler: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzagged]] a bit in this story, Ember is aware of this but Danny and the others aren't.]]

* In ''Videogame/MassEffect2'', Commander Shepard can pull this with almost any mentally-unstable squadmate, but Jack stands out. Jack is a violent, AxCrazy criminal with a DarkAndTroubledPast and Shepard can help her deal with her demons in a number of ways. Jack goes through several levels of resistance, first warning Shepard that she knows what s/he is trying to do and that it won't work, followed by (if Shepard is male) propositioning for sex (because she thinks that's the only reason a guy would treat her nicely), followed by acting like a {{Tsundere}}. If Shepard takes the time to help Jack work out her issues, [[spoiler: and helps reveal the fact that she wasn't hated by everyone in her childhood, but the beloved crown jewel of an abusive supersoldier project (the scientists tortured her but took extensive measures to ensure her safety)]], she'll undergo serious CharacterDevelopment and become a BadassTeacher instead. If Jack is romanced in that game, [[LoveRedeems it works]].

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' episode "Lost in Language" revolves around Luz's attempts to befriend the local AcademicAlphaBitch Amity Blight and bury the hatchet between them. It ultimately works and the two are shown to be on good terms from that point onward. [[spoiler:In fact, it works so well that Amity would later develop a crush on Luz.]]

* "X Company" has a German radio operator attempt to pull this off with [[TheBigGuy Neil]]. [[spoiler: It doesn't work and Neil ends up having to kill him]].

* ''VisualNovel/WhenHeavenSpitsYouOut'': Ryan makes friends with his Jewish roommate, Janie, going against the wishes of his abusive father, who considers Jews to be the enemy of all decent people.

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

* ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'': [[AllLovingHero Gentaro]] regularly does this with the [MonsterOfTheWeek Monster of the Week]], who are usually fellow highschoolers with emotional issues that they vent by transforming into a monster. [[WarriorTherapist Gentaro defeats their monster forms, and also helps them through their underlying issues.]]

* ''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 Flash 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/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In ''Keep Calm and Flutter On'', Fluttershy's plan for redeeming Discord amounts to treating him like a friend. [[spoiler: It works despite his inherent "do whatever I want" behavior and inevitable betrayal because, to even his own surprise, he doesn't ''want'' to lose his only friend.]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daryl_Davis Daryl]] [[http://www.npr.org/2017/08/20/544861933/how-one-man-convinced-200-ku-klux-klan-members-to-give-up-their-robes Davis]]. An African-American blues musician who befriends and talks with members of the Ku Klux Klan. To date, Davis convinced over 200 members of the group to voluntarily leave, simply by being their friend.
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* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daryl_Davis Daryl]] [[http://www.npr.org/2017/08/20/544861933/how-one-man-convinced-200-ku-klux-klan-members-to-give-up-their-robes Davis]]. An African-American blues musician who befriends and talks with members of the Ku Klux Klan. [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments To date, Davis convinced over 200 members of the group to voluntarily leave, simply by being their friend.]]

Instead, some characters are asking, “Why are we enemies anyway?” Has anyone ever tried talking things out? Does The Dark Lord even [[FriendlessBackground have any friends]]? Maybe if they got to know them a little better they might even turn out to be a decent person. So they try it out. They Befriend The Enemy.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants''. In the episode ''F.U.N.'' Spongebob tries to befriend Plankton and ask him to play with him after seeing how Bikini Bottom treats him badly and calls him “a loser”. Plankton decides to go along with it, and use it as an opportunity to steal the Krabby Patty formula. After sharing a FriendshipSong together Plankton does become his friend for a time, but ultimately chooses to betray Spongebob and steal a Krabby Patty at the end of the episode because [[EvilFeelsGood “evil is just too fun”]]. This kind of scenario has been recycled several times in the show usually with Plankton trying to exploit Spongebob in a new scheme.

-->--'''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants''' on Plankton, "F.U.N."

* A common tactic of ''Comicbook/WonderWoman'', most famously with Paula von Gunther (although HeelFaceBrainwashing helped there). It doesn't always work, and it [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor doesn't always stick]], but she'll frequently make the attempt.