History Main / IFightForTheStrongestSide

* In Rei's first appearance in ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', he's helping bandits to invade Mamiya's village, but then betrays them when he sees how strong Kenshiro is and uses this trope as justification.
* ''Anime/{{Stratos 4}}'':

* In his earliest appearances in ''{{Superman}}'' comics, Bibbo Bibbowski was like this. He broke his hand punching Superman, and from then on Superman was his "fav'rit" because he was tough. When he saw the Man of Steel getting beaten up by Lobo, his reaction was "Yer even tougher than Superman. Yer my ''new'' fav'rit". In later appearances he respected Superman for always doing the right thing.
* In ''Untold Tales of ComicBook/BlackestNight'', the Rainbow Raiders (a group carrying on the legacy of the original Rainbow Raider) attempted to side with the [[ZombieApocalypse Black Lantern Corps]]. However, they have no idea how becoming a Black Lantern actually works and end up killing themselves for nothing.

[[folder:Film]]
* Sao Feng, in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'' says "There is no honor in fighting for the weaker side" when it's revealed he's been working with the Royal Navy.
* In ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'', [[GiantFlyer Rodan]] allies himself with whomever is the Alpha amongst the other monsters. When [[BigBad King Ghidorah]] usurps the position of the King of Monsters from Godzilla, Rodan swears allegiance to him. [[spoiler: But after Godzilla reclaims his status as the Alpha, Rodan bows to him along with several other Kaiju that arrived after the fight.]]

-->'''Luthor:''' Can any of you give me one good reason to let you live?\\

* Towards the end of [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII World War II]], this occurred frequently as Axis forces realized that they were losing. Italy, Romania and individual soldiers of many countries deserted and joined the Allies.

** In numerous battles on Adventure Maps acquired via DLC for ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'', knocking King Bulbin out without defeating his guards will have him repeat his speech from Twilight Princess word-for-word and join your side. Captain Keeta from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' follows the same ideology, defecting to your side if you stop attacking him when he admits defeat.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'': This is heavily implied to be the case for Killer Frost, when Gorilla Grodd attempted to stage a coup on ComicBook/LexLuthor, she was on his side but when it failed, then immediately switched allegiances and froze the other mutineers.

* In Series/AgentsOfSHIELD, The Clairvoyant [[spoiler:a.k.a. Agent John Garrett]] gives this as an explanation for his allegiance:

[[folder:Real life]]

* In ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'', [[GiantFlyer Rodan]] allies himself with whomever is the Alpha amongst the other monsters. When [[BigBad King Ghidorah]] usurps the position of the king of monsters from Godzilla, Rodan swears alliegence to him. [[spoiler: But after Godzilla reclaims his status as the Alpha, Rodan bows to him along with several other Kaiju that arrived after the fight.]]

** {{Magic wand}}s in the Franchise/PotterVerse function as LoyalPhlebotinum for their specific owners but may switch allegiance via YouKillItYouBoughtIt. Notably, the most powerful wand in the world, the Elder Wand, is also the most fickle as you don't even need to kill anyone to earn its loyalty; beating the owner in a WizardDuel can work just as well even if nobody dies. Granted, acquiring the Elder Wand in particular tends to entail murdering the owner outside the context of a duel, since beating it in a fair fight is a nigh-impossible feat that only [[spoiler:Albus Dumbledore]] is known to have accomplished[[note]]and possibly the medieval wizard Egbert the JustForFun/{{Egregious}}, since Dumbledore's notes on ''Literature/TheTalesOfBeedleTheBard'' mention that Egbert won "a ferocious duel" against an enemy who wielded an infamously formidable wand made of elder)[[/note]]. But you can also wrest control of the wand by [[ToWinWithoutFighting disarming its owner before a fight can even begin]]. The Elder Wand can even shift loyalty ''by proxy'' if the owner loses a duel ''while using a different wand''. That's how fickle the Elder Wand is, people, and it's a major part of what led to [[spoiler:Voldemort's death]].

** {{Magic wand}}s in the Franchise/PotterVerse function as LoyalPhlebotinum for their specific owners but may switch allegiance via YouKillItYouBoughtIt. For some especially fickle wands like the legendarily powerful Elder Wand, you don't even need to kill anyone; beating the owner in a WizardDuel can work just as well even if nobody dies. Granted, acquiring the Elder Wand in particular tends to entail murdering the owner outside the context of a duel, since beating it in a fair fight is a nigh-impossible feat that only [[spoiler:Albus Dumbledore]] is known to have accomplished (and possibly the medieval wizard Egbert the JustForFun/{{Egregious}}, since Dumbledore's notes on ''Literature/TheTalesOfBeedleTheBard'' mention that Egbert won "a ferocious duel" against an enemy who wielded an infamously formidable wand made of elder). But you can also apparently wrest control of the wand by [[ToWinWithoutFighting disarming its owner before a fight can even begin]]. The Elder Wand can even shift loyalty ''by proxy'' if the owner loses a duel ''while using a different wand''. That's how fickle the Elder Wand is, people.

* In ''Series/PowerRangersSPD'', this is the reason why [[spoiler:[[FaceHeelTurn the A-Squad Rangers defect to Grumm's side]] in the SeriesFinale]], claiming they want to be "on the winning side".

** During Robert’s Rebellion Tywin Lannister kept the entire Westerlands out of the conflict; and Lord Frey did the same for his house, despite his Lord Paramount fighting against the crown. After the Battle of the Trident, everyone realized the Loyalist side was going to lose. Lord Frey then deployed his forces [[TheCavalryArrivesLate and arrived after the battle was over]] assuring Lord Tully he was coming to help. Tully was unimpressed and dubbed him “The late Lord Frey”. Tywin Lannister by contrast, was smart enough to know he had to do something if he wanted to gain anything in the war, and did so by sacking King’s Landing and slaughtering the royal family. Some members of the rebellion were still unimpressed, as the Lannister’s only declared after the war was over (and their help amounted to rape and murder).

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. Sellswords are notorious for switching sides like this. When Queen Danys accuses Brown Benn Plumm of betrayal, he simply points out that his mercenary company the Second Sons took a vote, and didn't think she was going to win. Given that they originally were hired to fight her and then defected, she shouldn’t have been surprised. Now that Danys has proven herself a DragonRider, the Second Sons look ready to defect to her side again.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. Sellswords are notorious for switching sides like this. When Queen Danys accuses Brown Benn Plumm of betrayal, he simply points out that his mercenary company the Second Sons took a vote, and didn't think she was going to win. Now that Danys has proven herself a DragonRider, the Second Sons look ready to defect to her side again.

[[folder:AnimeAndManga]]

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[[folder:ProfessionalWrestling]]

[[folder:TabletopGames]]

[[folder:VideoGames]]

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]

* OlderThanFeudalism with the story of St Christopher; a warrior that went out to search for the strongest lord to follow. He found the strongest living man in the world but also learned that he was afraid of the devil. Then he learned that the devil was scared of God and went on a search to find him. After an eventful river-crossing he found Jesus and learned the weight that rests on his shoulders and forever served him... before being killed by Roman Emperor Decius. Of course being a saint, martyrdom did nothing to cramp his style.

* This happens fairly often in player vs player online gaming in general. However, due to most game's measures to enforce balanced teams, players typically opt to further widen the gap between team skill in [[RageQuit other less dignified manners]]. Some games takes measures against it, if the server in question has some kind of plugin that kick/ban the player who tries to do so.

* ''Film/BlazingSaddles''. After Sheriff Bart has defeated Mongo:
-->'''Mongo:''' Mongo stay with Sheriff Bart. Sheriff first man ever whip Mongo. Mongo impressed, have deep feelings for Sheriff Bart.

** Mazken (aka Dark Seducers), are an intelligent race of [[OurDemonsAreDifferent lesser Daedra]] in service to the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] [[MadGod Sheogorath]]. Mazken are said to be a treacherous race that will quickly switch allegiances if it becomes beneficial to them. The group of Dark Seducers fought in ''Battlespire'' betrayed their former master (a lieutenant of [[TheSacredDarkness Nocturnal]]) to side with [[DestroyerDeity Mehrunes Dagon]] when he promised them greater power. Because of this, it's difficult to tell if they've always been servants of Sheogorath or if he is simply their race's most recent master of convenience.

* In the ''Series/StargateSG1'' pilot, Teal'c switches sides when he decides that he's found allies who actually have a chance of defeating his masters:
-->'''Jack:''' I can save these people!!\\
''(Teal'c points his staff weapon at Jack.)''\\
'''Jack:''' Help me! ''([[{{Beat}} pause]])'' Help me.\\
'''Teal'c:''' Many have said that.\\
''(Teal'c suddenly turns and shoots another Jaffa, then tosses his staff weapon to Jack.)''\\
'''Teal'c:''' But you are the first I believe could ''do'' it!
** A later episode shows a {{Flashback}} of Teal'c first meeting seeing the captive team and discussing them with his mentor Bra'tac. This reveals that his decision was pre-empted by hours of contemplation caused by seeing "freedom" in the eyes of the captives, a rare sight in the Goa'uld-dominated galaxy. O'Neill's promise just helps to seal the deal.

* [[MadScientist Dr. Yi Suchong]] in ''VideoGame/BioShock'' has a habit of making himself valuable to the enemy. In fact, after Fontaine was killed and his company seized by Ryan Industries, Suchong's only major complaint was that Ryan didn't pay as much as Fontaine.

* The ending of ''Advance Wars 2'' has this. After [[spoiler:[[TheDragon Hawke]] kills [[BigBad Sturm]] and declares himself the new leader of Black Hole, the three remaining Black Hole lieutenants are visibly shocked. [[DumbMuscle Flak]] and [[EvilGenius Lash]] quickly decide to follow Hawke, since they don't care who's in charge as long as they still get to do their thing. [[SmugSnake Adder]] is more visibly disturbed by this chain of events, but after uttering the trope name almost verbatim, Hawke cuts him off mid-sentence and accepts his allegiance before he can regain his train of thought.]]

** King Bulblin from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' as quoted above is the TropeNamer, and a Type 1 example. He gives you a key that helps you progress through the final dungeon, and he stops [[RecurringBoss harassing you]].

* Bandwagon fans in various sports, who cheer for the team that's doing the best at the current time, jumping ship if a new team becomes the best. These are particularly hated in soccer, where they are known in the UK as "glory hunters".
** In some countries there is not even the need to jump ship, as there is a specific team that has all the financial support and investors and is therefore the winner by default. The majority of its fans just chose it, knowing it that they would never need to change.

In a normal DefeatMeansFriendship scenario, someone formerly opposed to the hero joins their side or at least becomes more affable towards them shortly after being defeated by them. In this trope, the defeat is the sole reason for their HeelFaceTurn. The defeated character effectively says, "Okay, now that I know you're stronger, I'm gonna join up with you now. " The reasons for this varies:

** {{Magic wand}}s in the Franchise/PotterVerse function as LoyalPhlebotinum for their specific owners but may switch allegiance via YouKillItYouBoughtIt. For some especially fickle wands like the legendarily powerful Elder Wand, you don't even need to kill anyone; beating the owner in a WizardDuel can work just as well even if nobody dies. Granted, acquiring the Elder Wand in particular tends to entail murdering the owner outside the context of a duel, since beating it in a fair fight is a nigh-impossible feat that only [[spoiler:Albus Dumbledore]] is known to have accomplished (and possibly the medieval wizard Egbert the JustForFun/{{Egregious}}, since Dumbledore's notes on ''Literature/TheTalesOfBeedleTheBard'' mention that Egbert won "a ferocious duel" against a wizard who wielded an infamously formidable wand made of elder). But you can also apparently wrest control of the wand by [[ToWinWithoutFighting disarming its owner before a fight can even begin]]. The Elder Wand can even shift loyalty ''by proxy'' if the owner loses a duel ''while using a different wand''. That's how fickle the Elder Wand is, people.

** {{Magic wand}}s in the Franchise/PotterVerse function as LoyalPhlebotinum for their specific owners but may switch allegiance via YouKillItYouBoughtIt. For some especially fickle wands like the legendarily powerful Elder Wand, you don't even need to kill anyone; beating the owner in a WizardDuel can work just as well even if nobody dies. Granted, acquiring the Elder Wand in particular tends to entail murdering the owner outside the context of a duel, since beating it in a fair fight is a nigh-impossible feat that only [[spoiler:Albus Dumbledore]] is known to have accomplished (and possibly the medieval wizard Egbert the JustForFun/{{Egregious}}, since Dumbledore's notes on ''Literature/TheTalesOfBeedleTheBard'' mention that Egbert defeated a wizard who wielded an infamously formidable wand made of elder). But you can also apparently wrest control of the wand by [[ToWinWithoutFighting disarming its owner before a fight can even begin]]. The Elder Wand can even shift loyalty ''by proxy'' if the owner loses a duel ''while using a different wand''. That's how fickle the Elder Wand is, people.

** {{Magic wand}}s in the Franchise/PotterVerse function as LoyalPhlebotinum for their specific owners but may switch allegiance via YouKillItYouBoughtIt. For some especially fickle wands like the legendarily powerful Elder Wand, you don't even need to kill anyone; beating the owner in a WizardDuel can work just as well even if nobody dies. Granted, acquiring the Elder Wand in particular tends to entail murdering the owner outside the context of a duel, since beating it in a fair fight is a nigh-impossible feat that only [[spoiler:Albus Dumbledore]] is known to have accomplished (and possibly the medieval wizard Egbert the JustForFun/{{Egregious}}, since Dumbledore's notes on ''Literature/TheTalesOfBeedleTheBard mention that Egbert defeated a wizard who wielded an infamously formidable wand made of elder). But you can also apparently wrest control of the wand by [[ToWinWithoutFighting disarming its owner before a fight can even begin]]. The Elder Wand can even shift loyalty ''by proxy'' if the owner loses a duel ''while using a different wand''. That's how fickle the Elder Wand is, people.

** {{Magic wand}}s in the Franchise/PotterVerse function as LoyalPhlebotinum for their specific owners but may switch allegiance via YouKillItYouBoughtIt. For some especially fickle wands like the legendarily powerful Elder Wand, you don't even need to kill anyone; beating the owner in a WizardDuel can work just as well even if nobody dies. Granted, acquiring the Elder Wand in particular tends to entail murdering the owner outside the context of a duel, since beating it in a fair fight is a nigh-impossible feat that only Egbert the JustForFun/{{Egregious}} (a wizard mentioned offhandedly in ''Literature/TheTalesOfBeedleTheBard'') and [[spoiler:Albus Dumbledore]] are known to have accomplished. But you can also apparently wrest control of the wand by [[ToWinWithoutFighting disarming its owner before a fight can even begin]]. The Elder Wand can even shift loyalty ''by proxy'' if the owner loses a duel ''while using a different wand''. That's how fickle the Elder Wand is, people.