History Main / EvilFormerFriend

%%* ''Literature/TheTwelveKingdoms'': Yuka Sugimoto is this to Youko Nakajima, sort of. [[spoiler: She gets better once defeated, tho.]]

* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': ''ComicBook/HowLuthorMetSuperboy'' revealed that Pre-Crisis ComicBook/{{Superboy}} and Lex Luthor were friends until the latter convinced himself that Superboy was scheming against him, started hating him, and eventually turned to villainy.
* [[ComicBook/TwoFace Harvey Dent]] is shown as a close friend of both Franchise/{{Batman}} and Commissioner Gordon before turning into Two-Face, particularly in ''ComicBook/TheLongHalloween''.

* [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards]] and Doctor Doom were college students who could only find intellectual debate and stimulation from each other, until Reed pointed out a mistake in Victor's schematics which was part of his last step in his StartOfDarkness.

* Lady Shiva was once a good friend of ComicBook/RichardDragon and ComicBook/BronzeTiger before her BloodKnight tendencies, ambition and her sister's death turned her already morally questionable search for a WorthyOpponent into her entire raison d'etre. When she runs into the two of them these days she still talks like a friend, while trying to force them into a one on one fight to the death. This includes kidnapping Dragon and being entirely unconcerned when Tiger is nearly killed in one of her plots.

* Franchise/{{Superman}} and ComicBook/LexLuthor, in [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks some]] [[Series/{{Smallville}} versions.]]

* Apparently Megatron and Optimus were this in the [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW IDW]] continuity, the [[Film/{{Transformers}} Movie]] prequel comics, and the [[ComicBook/TheTransformers Marvel UK annuals]] as well.

* In the ComicBook/{{New 52}}, ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}'s newest foe Saiko [[spoiler:is former friend and fellow former member of Haly's circus Raymond. Raymond was taken by the Court of Owls and put through TrainingFromHell to become a Talon, only to be washed out and left for dead with his eyes pecked out by birds.]] Saiko hates Dick Grayson because [[spoiler:the Court only took Raymond because they couldn't get Dick, their original candidate, after Bruce Wayne adopted him in the wake of the Flying Graysons' deaths.]]

* Several times in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' -- Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald were best friends (and [[HoYay a bit more]], at least on Albus's end). Later on, Tom Riddle, the future Lord Voldemort, was Dumbledore's student, and at least one of the Sorting Hat's songs implies that Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin were once good friends as well.

* ComicBook/DoctorDoom is presented as former friend of the ComicBook/FantasticFour in most live-action film incarnations like ''Film/FantasticFour2005'' and ''Film/FantasticFour2015''.

* ''Fanfic/TruthAndConsequences'' makes Ladybug one to Chat Noir; after Marinette figured out that Hawk Moth and Gabriel were one and the same, she realized she couldn't turn him in without causing massive backlash on ''Adrien'', so she [[HeelFaceTurn opted for giving him what he wants instead]] - something Chat couldn't bring himself to agree with, and causing them to turn on each other. The [[DramaticIrony irony]] that she is betraying Chat to help Adrien is lost on no one, once the truth comes out. [[spoiler: By the end, she's become TheAtoner, but by that point any relationship they might've had is up in flames - along with half of Paris]].

%%* ''LightNovel/TheTwelveKingdoms'': Yuka Sugimoto is this to Youko Nakajima, sort of. [[spoiler: She gets better once defeated, tho.]]

This trope occurs whenever a good aligned character (sometimes TheHero, but more commonly TheMentor, the SupportingLeader, or the BigGood) is revealed to have had a history as friend, ally, mentor, or even student with a major villain (commonly the BigBad, but sometimes TheDragon or another high-ranking [[EvilMinions Evil Minion]]). Usually the friendship fell through simply because the future villain went power-mad and the other character didn't want any more to do with it, but more complex and unusual variations exist. Sometimes it will be known all along, but sometimes it will be the subject of a dramatic reveal that can lead TheHero and the audience to reevaluate what they know about both characters.

Note that this is about friends who turned evil in the {{Backstory}} and are either introduced or established in their first appearance as villains. If the friend turns evil over the course of the work, see FaceHeelTurn. See WeUsedToBeFriends when characters are friends but then something breaks them apart. See FalseFriend when a character intentionally initiates a "friendship" [[ItsAllAboutMe for their own benefit]] from the start.

->''"Don't be a fool. The only one I ever loved was God. And that was a long time ago!"''

** The first game has Kazuma Kiryu and his blood brother Akira Nishikiyama. The prequel ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza 0}}'' showed that the two were inseparable BashBrothers, but after Kiryu took the fall for Nishiki's murder of Sohei Dojima in the first hour of ''Yakuza 1'' Nishiki [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope Jumped Off The Slippery Slope]] and became an ambitious cutthroat who will stop at nothing to get to the top of the Tojo Clan, even if it means killing his former friend Kiryu and destroying the life of their mutual LoveInterest Yumi on the way there.

->''"Don't be a fool. The only one I ever loved was {{God}}. And that was a long time ago!"''

* Dr. Light and Dr. Wily had this relationship in ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic''.

** There's ComicBook/HunterZolomon, formerly a close FriendOnTheForce to Wally West, before Gorilla Grodd broke his back and set the stage for him to become [[EvilCounterpart Zoom]]. When Wally refused to go back in time to help Hunter, Hunter says it's because Wally never experienced personal tragedy before. Hunter tries to go back in time himself and accidentally attains faux superspeed, which he uses to torment Wally by trying to ''give'' him more tragedy. Wally for his part still regrets how things turned out with Hunter.

* ''ComicBook/MyFriendDahmer'' is all about the narrator being classmates and friends with [[SerialKiller Jeffrey Dahmer]], though he states he always felt like ''something'' was off. He had no idea just how right he was, but it was enough to keep him at arm's length, hanging out with Dahmer at school but not wanting to get any closer than that.

* ComicBook/LadyShiva was once a good friend of ComicBook/RichardDragon and ComicBook/BronzeTiger before her BloodKnight tendencies, ambition and her sister's death turned her already morally questionable search for a WorthyOpponent into her entire raison d'etre. When she runs into the two of them these days she still talks like a friend, while trying to force them into a one on one fight to the death. This includes kidnapping Dragon and being entirely unconcerned when Tiger is nearly killed in one of her plots.

As the top of the page indicates, tends to happen a disproportionate amount of the time with the resident [[EccentricMentor Wise Old Wizard]] and the EvilSorcerer. Compare and contrast BigBadFriend, where the revelation occurs during the story and the "Bad" character was EvilAllAlong (or at least had been for a while) and would rather remain friends despite this. Usually, either the evil character will be a FallenHero or the good one will be TheAtoner (or both, if both started out more morally grey). The evil character will most likely be an EvilCounterpart and/or ShadowArchetype for the good one, and may also be their ArchEnemy. If traces of the past friendship still exist, they might be FriendlyEnemies or even have FoeYay. Compare and contrast RivalTurnedEvil, for where the friendship broke up over personal rivalry before one of the characters turned evil (though certain examples will overlap, not all will). A less extreme version of the falling-out is WeUsedToBeFriends.

-->''"Do you remember my father’s land back home? Pastures of red grass, stretching far across the slopes of Mount Perdition.'' ''[[MeadowRun We used to run across those fields all day,]]'' ''[[HoYay calling up at the sky...]]'' ''[[FoeYay Look at us now."]]''

->''"Don't be a fool. The only one I ever loved was God. And that was a long time ago!"''

* Yuka Sugimoto is this to Youko Nakajima in ''LightNovel/TheTwelveKingdoms'', sort of. [[spoiler: She gets better once defeated, tho.]]
** In different degrees, also [[spoiler: Youko and Yuka's boyfriend Asano. He ''is'' closer to Youko than Yuka is, having known the future Queen of Kei from childhood.]]
* Enchu was formerly close friends with [[Manga/MuhyoAndRoji Muhyo]] and Yoichi, but turned to evil after his mother died and Muhyo became an executor instead of him, and serves as the main antagonist for much of the story.
* Toguro toward Genkai in ''Manga/YuYuHakusho''.
* [[GeneralRipper Regius]] for Zest in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers''. The two used to be friends while serving together in the bureau, and wanted to ensure that the Bureau's ground forces were able to deal with criminals and other threats. Over time, Regius lost sight of his ideals as he fell under the sway of the High Council, and eventually [[spoiler:Zest and nearly all his team were killed on a raid on a Combat Cyborg facility]]. Zest, [[spoiler:after being cloned]], sought out Regius for answers on why he changed, [[spoiler:but Due killed Regius before he could give any]].
* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', Jellal is this to Erza during his BrainwashedAndCrazy state in the Tower of Heaven Arc, but had a HeelFaceTurn.
* In ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'', Miaka and Yui are both best friends until the two are pitted against each other. The odd thing about this particular example is that Yui is deceived into thinking Miaka is the one who turned against her, and that she, not Yui, is the one who is turning evil.
* In ''Anime/SuitePrettyCure'', [[CatsAreMean Siren]] and [[CuteKitten Hummy]] used to be the best of friends until Hummy took Siren's title as singer of the annual "Melody of Happiness", causing the latter to defect to the villains' side. They ''almost'' made up early in the series before [[BigBad Mephisto]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy forcefully won Siren's loyalty back]]. However, they do get a proper reconcilliation about nine episodes later, leading to Siren joining the team as [[SixthRanger Cure Beat]].
* Who else but Guts and Griffith of ''{{Manga/Berserk}}''? The two men had a bond bordering on brotherhood (or if you're that way inclined, [[HoYay more than that]]), only for Griffith to turn his back on him and everyone else he led during the events of the Eclipse and commit some [[MoralEventHorizon truly horrible acts]] which would destroy this bond forever and leave Guts with an undying hatred for Griffith.
* In ''Manga/{{Akira}}'', Tetsuo is this to Kaneda. Both have been friends since their first meeting in an orphanage.
* ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'': [[spoiler:Odin a.k.a. Ryuto Asamiya]] used to be friends with the titular character before a fight that led to him holding a years-long grudge. He's also a ForgottenChildhoodFriend, as Kenichi initially didn't recognize him in the present day.
* Shin used to be Kenshiro's best friend in ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' up until he was manipulated by Kenshiro's evil brother Jagi into turning against him and taking Yuria, who both Kenshiro and Shin loved, for himself.
* In ''Manga/RaveMaster'', Gale Raregroove, aka King the leader of Demon Card, and Gale Glory, Haru's father, used to be the best of friends. A huge helping of tragedy and poor decisions made them bitter enemies. The worst part is that it's implied near the end of the series that this was partly due to fate constantly screwing over the Raregroove bloodline.
* In ''Anime/CuteHighEarthDefenseClubLove'', Kinshirou is this to Atsushi. They were very close up until middle school, and despite his yen for world domination, Kinshirou is ''still pining'', throughout the closing titles, Episode 4, and most of the rest of the series. [[spoiler:But all ends well]].
* Ryo Asuka, protagonist Akira Fudo's best friend since childhood, turns out to be this in ''Manga/{{Devilman}}''. [[spoiler: Near the end he is revealed to be the reincarnation of the Devil himself, responsible for throwing mankind into chaos and self-destruction with his reveal of the existence of demons among humans.]]
** The finale subverts this trope, however, in the aftermath of Akira and Ryo[[spoiler:/Satan's]] final battle, [[spoiler: ending with Ryo expressing remorse over murdering Akira, the only person he ever loved during his time while he was still human.]]
* In ''Manga/DragonBall'', Master Roshi, Goku and Krillin's mentor, turns out to have been a fellow pupil of the Crane Hermit, mentor of Chiaotzu and Tien Shinhan, who are Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha's main rivals in the World Tournament (although both of them eventually make {{Heel Face Turn}}s); most of the two hermits' interactions consist of them taking potshots at each other. The following story arc reveals that they trained under the same master, Master Mutaito, and that the Crane Hermit turned to evil after Mutatito died sealing away the Demon King Piccolo.
* [[spoiler: Chariot and Croix]] of ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2017'' used to be close friends in their school days, but their relationship slowly began to fall apart after [[spoiler: Chariot was picked to be TheChosenOne over Croix, despite seeming far inferior in terms of magical skill. The bitterness of the incident, along with Chariot seemingly prioritizing her dream of becoming an entertainer over her responsibilities as the wielder of the Claoimh Solais, would slowly eat away at Croix until she completely broke off their friendship and spent the next ten years resorting to less savoury methods of accomplishing what Chariot could not. They do, however, set aside their personal conflicts to help save a country from being nuked into oblivion, and ultimately reconcile by the finale.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'': [[spoiler: Lotso]] was this to Chuckles the Clown. Witnessing [[spoiler: Lotso]] become a monster resulted in Chuckles becoming bitter and cynical.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'' Hector and [[spoiler: Ernesto de la Cruz]] used to be best friends and stage partners that would go on tour until [[spoiler: Hector decided to quit show business and go back to his wife and daughter, which led to de la Cruz serving Hector a poisoned farewell drink, stealing Hector's song book and using it to become famous.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BackToTheFuture'': Walter Wisdom, a greedy and unscrupulous scientist who shows what Doc could be if he were selfish rather than merely a bit careless at times. In fact, the two were frat brothers and roommates in college in the late Fifties, and were close enough friends that Doc even told Walter about the concept for the flux capacitor. It wasn't until Walter stole and profited from Doc's perpetual motion hula hoop that he became evil and greedy. He appears to cause the Browns trouble more than once.

Note that this is about friends who turned evil in the {{Backstory}} and are either introduced or established in their first appearance as villains. If the friend turns evil over the course of the work, see FaceHeelTurn. See WeUsedToBeFriends when characters are friends but then something breaks them apart. See FalseFriend when a character intentionally initiates a "friendship" for [[ItsAllAboutMe their own benefit]] from the start.

As the top of the page indicates, tends to happen a disproportionate amount of the time with the resident [[EccentricMentor Wise Old Wizard]] and the EvilSorcerer. Compare and contrast BigBadFriend, where the revelation occurs during the story and the "Bad" character was evil all along (or at least had been for a while) and would rather remain friends despite this. Usually, either the evil character will be a FallenHero or the good one will be TheAtoner (or both, if both started out more morally grey). The evil character will most likely be an EvilCounterpart and/or ShadowArchetype for the good one, and may also be their ArchEnemy. If traces of the past friendship still exist, they might be FriendlyEnemies or even have FoeYay. Compare and contrast RivalTurnedEvil, for where the friendship broke up over personal rivalry before one of the characters turned evil (though certain examples will overlap, not all will). A less extreme version of the falling-out is WeUsedToBeFriends.

Note that this is about friends who turned evil in the {{Backstory}} and are either introduced or established in their first appearance as villains. If the friend turns evil over the course of the work, see FaceHeelTurn. See WeUsedToBeFriends when characters are friends but then something breaks them apart.

* Prior to the beginning of ''Literature/{{Worm))'', Emma Barnes was best friends with protagonist Taylor Hebert. By the beginning of the first book, Emma had been leading a brutal bullying campaign against Taylor for a full year and a half as part of the TerribleTrio, culminating in [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening the locker incident.]]