History Main / HelpMistakenForAttack

* ''[[Film/TheKarateKid Karate Kid 2]]'' has Sato trapped under a long piece of wood during a storm, and when Miyagi walks over, Sato thinks the idea is to [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown finish him off while he is trapped]], only to find out that Miyaki just wanted to free Sato from the rubble.
* During ''Film/AustinPowers in Goldmember'', Austin returns to his hotel room to find Mini-Me grinning at him while holding up a letter opener. The audience knows that Mini-Me is here because he defected from Dr. Evil (the "help") and that he was just using the letter opener to open some mail, but Austin immediately reads it as an ambush (the "attack").

* ''SuskeEnWiske'': in the album "De Stemmenrover" (the voice thief), Lambik runs into a Japanese princess who is being attacked by bandits, and comes to her aid. While Lambik single handedly fights the bandits, the princess runs away. Lambik wins the fight but then sees another group of armed men coming his way. Assuming they are bandits as well, he defeats them too, only to learn afterwards that they were actually samurai send by the princess to help him.

* ''TheRescuersDownUnder'' has [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-coYU-INP3E Marahute the eagle trapped under rope,]] who when Cody arrives to free her, and takes out a knife, Marahute seems to (temporarily) interpret this as an attempt to wound or kill her rather than to free her.

* ''[[TheKarateKid Karate Kid 2]]'' has Sato trapped under a long piece of wood during a storm, and when Miyagi walks over, Sato thinks the idea is to [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown finish him off while he is trapped]], only to find out that Miyaki just wanted to free Sato from the rubble.

* Played with in AloeBlacc's video for "Hello World". It focuses on a number of people in hoodies who are acting suspicious- but [[spoiler: are actually trying to help people.]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep}}'', Terra's [[CatchPhrase penchant for saying "Unversed!"]] whenever said monsters show up gets him in trouble when he's trying to talk to Snow White. She mistakenly assumes that Terra is summoning the Unversed to attack her when in actuality he's trying to warn her that they're coming.

* In ''Literature/A Certain Justice'' by John Lescroat, Kevin Shea witnesses an drunken angry white mob lynching an innocent black man. He desperately tries to help the man by holding him up and passing him a knife to cut the noose. It doesn't work, and the photo that gets plastered on the news implies he was part of the lynch mob, trying to pull the man down to speed up the hanging.

In ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' episode "A Visit to Anthony", after the eponymous Anthony is beaten up by a bully, Ren and Stimpy try to help revive him, but his dad sees them and assumes they beat Anthony up.
In the ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' episode "If it Smells Like an Ed", the Eds discover Johnny hogtied. The Kids arrive shortly after and think their attempts at untying him are actually them tying him up themselves.

In the ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' episode "If it Smells Like an Ed", the Eds discover Johnny hogtied. The Kids arrive shortly after and think their attempts at untying him are actually them tying him up themselves.

* '']]Series/OneFootInTheGrave One Foot In The Grave]]'': In the third episode of Series 1, Victor has just been hospitalised by some youthful muggers. Later on in the episode, his act of throwing away Mrs Warboys' [[spoiler: hand grenade]] makes him fall over. Some young people, assuming he's had a heart attack, come and attempt CPR, but Victor thinks he's being punched in the chest and retaliates.

* ''Series/{{OneFootInTheGrave|One Foot In The Grave}}'': In the third episode of Series 1, Victor has just been hospitalised by some youthful muggers. Later on in the episode, his act of throwing away Mrs Warboys' [[spoiler: hand grenade]] makes him fall over. Some young people, assuming he's had a heart attack, come and attempt CPR, but Victor thinks he's being punched in the chest and retaliates.

* ''Series/{{OneFootInTheGrave One Foot In The Grave}}'': In the third episode of Series 1, Victor has just been hospitalised by some youthful muggers. Later on in the episode, his act of throwing away Mrs Warboys' [[spoiler: hand grenade]] makes him fall over. Some young people, assuming he's had a heart attack, come and attempt CPR, but Victor thinks he's being punched in the chest and retaliates.

* ''Series/{{OneFootInTheGrave}}'': In the third episode of Series 1, Victor has just been hospitalised by some youthful muggers. Later on in the episode, his act of throwing away Mrs Warboys' [[spoiler: hand grenade]] makes him fall over. Some young people, assuming he's had a heart attack, come and attempt CPR, but Victor thinks he's being punched in the chest and retaliates.

[[folder:Films - Animation]]
* ''TheRescuersDownUnder'' has [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-coYU-INP3E Marahute the eagle trapped under rope,]] who when Cody arrives to free her, and takes out a knife, Marahute seems to (temporarily) interpret this as an attempt to wound or kill her rather than to free her.

* In ''VideoGame/{{KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep}}'', Terra's [[CatchPhrase penchant for saying "Unversed!"]] whenever said monsters show up gets him in trouble when he's trying to talk to Snow White. She mistakenly assumes that Terra is summoning the Unversed to attack her when in actuality he's trying to warn her that they're coming.

* In ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep]]'', Terra's [[CatchPhrase penchant for saying "Unversed!"]] whenever said monsters show up gets him in trouble when he's trying to talk to Snow White. She mistakenly assumes that Terra is summoning the Unversed to attack her when in actuality he's trying to warn her that they're coming.

* ''TheRescuersDownUnder'' has [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-coYU-INP3E Marahoute the eagle trapped under rope,]] who when Cody arrives to free her, and takes out a knife, Marahoute seems to (temporarily) interpret this as an attempt to wound or kill her rather than to free her.

This is for when a character, (or group of characters) intends to help another character, (or group of characters) but because of [[NotWhatItLooksLike what it seems like]] and/or the reputations of those who happen to be offering the help and/or any other circumstances, the very characters they are trying to help mistake it for intent to cause harm.

* In ''Literature/BattleRoyale'' [[MartialPacifist Hiroki]] tries to help save his crush, but the minute he approaches her in the game [[spoiler: [[TearJerker she shoots him down, mistaking it for attack.]]]]

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* ''TheRescuersDownUnder'' has [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-coYU-INP3E Marahoute the eagle trapped under rope,]] who when Cody arrives to free her, and he takes out a knife, Marahoute seems to (temporarily) interpret this as an attempt to wound or kill her rather than to free her.