History Main / ChallengingTheBully

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rco009_9.jpg]]]]

*** The fight was reimagined in the first arc of ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan''. Peter orders Flash to stay away from [[DamselInDistress Mary Jane]], and this led to an after school fight, but Peter simply tries to elude his attacks. At one point, he manages to [[PunchCatch stop one of his punches with his hand]], and that broke Flash's hand. He spent many later issues with the hand bandaged, and had to be removed from the basketball team.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan''
** In an early issue, while Peter was still in high school, he gets [[ValuesDissonance forced by a teacher]] to challenge his bully, Flash Thompson, to a boxing match. This, of course, puts Peter in the situation of how to resolve things without giving away that he's Spider-Man. Eventually, he just pops Flash in the jaw hard enough to leave Flash dazed and unable to keep fighting, and tells the crowd that obviously Flash is throwing the fight, since wimpy Peter Parker couldn't possibly hit hard enough to knock him out in one blow. The crowd is quick to jump on this as evidence that Flash must be Spider-Man, throwing the fight so as to avoid revealing his superpowers.

[[folder: Comic Books]]

[[folder: Films -- Live-Action]]

* In Wrestling/AllJapanWomensProWrestling, the feud between the Crush Gals (Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo) and Dump Matsumoto's Atrocious Alliance in the mid-80s is a famous example. The Atrocious Alliance ran rampant through AJW, and the Crush Gals were the underdog {{Face}}s standing up to them. The heat generated from the audience was comparable to what Wrestling/HulkHogan was getting at the same time in the US.

* ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'': In "Guide to Your Body", Ned gets roped into a weightlifting contest against Loomer thanks to an attempt by Coach Dirga to defend him. Though he and everyone else believes he'll fail, Dirga teaches him the proper technique to lifting weights, and he ends up defeating Loomer in front of the entire school.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheMask'': ''The Animated Series'' episode "Split Personality", a high school bully, Chet Bozzack, who tormented Stanley Ipkiss, to the point that he was expelled from the school, gets empoyed in the same bank where Stanley works. He initially seems to have mellowed out, with occasional moments of Jerkassery here and there. Then the mask gets split in half and ''then'' Chet finds one half and puts it on, releasing his repressed personality, which is a big bully. He ends up challenging Stanley (who still has the other half of the mask) for a fight in their old high school campus, as an act of revenge for [[NeverMyFault getting him expelled]]. Unfortunately for Chet, while Stanley's normal self is still afraid of his former school bully, his repressed half (i.e The Mask) isn't and he is far more experienced with the powers of the mask. The resultant fight is almost one sided (though Chet does get his occasional moments), before things take a murderous turn and even Chet is horrified by his masked half's actions and manages to fight his inner demons, meanwhile, Stanley's masked half reveals [[IAmNotLeftHanded he was only pretending to be helpless]] [[ItAmusedMe for fun]]. The episode ends with Chet [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realising he still needs help]] and deciding to start a new life in a new city.

* ''Film/AHistoryOfViolence'': Jack spends much of the movie being tormented by JerkJock Bobby and his sidekicks. After learning the truth about his father, Jack decides he's had enough and takes Bobby's next provocation as an excuse to beat the ever-loving crap out of him.
* ''Film/KickAss2'': In the middle of the school cafeteria, Mindy exacts her revenge on AlphaBitch Brooke with the "Sick Stick," which sends its victims into uncontrollable fits of vomiting and diarrhea.

* Attempted in ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' where Riley tries to take on local bully Butch Magnus after he stole a piece of jewelry from him. Unfortunately Riley doesn't actually know how to fight while Butch Magnus is several times his size and is capable of beating up grown men. Later on, Riley comes back with a grown man for backup only for Butch Magnus to easily beat up said man but gives Riley his jewelry back, stating that he had it appraised and learned it was worthless. Riley walks away content while his "friend" is crumpled in pain.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheMask'': ''The Animated Series'' episode "Split Personality", a high school bully, Chet Bozzack, who tormented Stanley Ipkiss, to the point that he was expelled from the school, gets empoyed in the same bank where Stanley works. He initially seems to have mellowed out, with occasional moments of Jerkassery here and there. Then the mask gets split in half and ''then'' Chet finds one half and puts it on, releasing his repressed personality, which is a big bully. He ends up challenging Stanley (who still has the other half of the mask) for a fight in their old high school campus, as an act of revenge for [[NeverMyFault getting him expelled]]. Unfortunately for Chet, while Stanley's normal self is still afraid of his former school bully, his repressed half (i.e The Mask) isn't and he is far more experienced with the powers of the mask. The resultant fight is almost one sided (though Chet does get his occassional moments), before things take a murderous turn and even Chet is horrified by his masked half's actions and manages to fight his inner demons, meanwhile, Stanley's masked half reveals [[IAmNotLeftHanded he was only pretending to be helpless]] [[ItAmusedMe for fun]]. The episode ends with Chet [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realising he still needs help]] and deciding to start a new life in a new city.

* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': "Raging Bully" introduces the character of Buford, who is shown as a stereotypical bully when he challenges Phineas to a fight after the latter spills ice-cream on him. The fight turns out to be a thumb war treated like a boxing match, and Buford almost wins until Phineas gets icecream on his own shirt thanks to Perry and Doofenshmirtz. Buford calls off the fight, seeing as he and Phineas are even, and they become friends.

[[TheBully Bully characters]] in fiction often seem to use very similar tactics with similar motivations. Beyond just beating up or tormenting their victim, they like humiliating them more than anything- and what a better way than to publicly beat them at a challenge or watch them back down as a coward?

As such, this plot occurs when a bully and their victim- who is often the protagonist- face off in a challenge. Sometimes it's a traditional fight, which often results in the victim getting a BoxingLesson. Other times it's an actual contest in a field the bully believes the protagonist will have no talent in. Sometimes someone will set up the challenge for the protagonist in the assumption that they'll win, or the protagonist themselves will make the declaration, but there must be an actual challenge offered for this trope to occur. If the protagonist is the one to make the declaration, they're usually fighting for someone other than themselves. Or, the bully themselves will challenge the protagonist.

'''Please note that for an example to fit this trope a challenge of some form must be present or implicit. A character standing up to their bully without a challenge being made is not this trope.'''

** PlayedForLaughs in Season 0 of ''[[WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series]]'' when Yugi finds a bully has beaten his friends, decides enough is enough and challenges him to a ''Children's Card Game''. The bully the informs Yugi that Duel Monsters [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness won't be introduced]] [[BreakingTheFourthWall until the next season]]. More beatings ensue, until Yugi's SuperpoweredEvilSide manifests to challenge the bully to a Shadow Game.

* ''ComicBook/UltimateDaredevilAndElektra'': When Elektra saw Trey abusing of a female student with his gang, he forced him to return her her folder. First she told him, then he took him down and humilliate him.

'''Steve Rogers:''' You start running, they’ll never let you stop. You stand up, push back.

* ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'': In one chapter, Doraemon has to go back to the 22nd century because his duty has been "fulfilled" (i.e making Nobita happy), but he's reluctant because he comes to care about Nobita too much. Nobita tries to prove that he doesn't need Doraemon anymore, one of the methods being challenging the local bully, Giant. While Nobita is badly beaten, he keeps coming after Giant, who ended up getting scared of him because he just won't back down. This at least convices Doraemon to go back "home".

->'''[[Franchise/CaptainAmerica Steve Rogers]]:''' I got beat up in that alley. And that parking lot. And behind that diner.\\
'''ComicBook/PeggyCarter:''' Did you have something against running away?\\

* One game on ''Website/ItsMyLife'' involves writing a story where a kid confronts a bully.