History Main / ImNotAfraidOfYou

* ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainSeekerOfCrocus'': Chloe Cerise has to stare down an entire army of Mirage Pokémon that are going to kill her just because she [[DisproportinateRetribution mouthed off at Dr. Yung]]. When she finds herself unable to run away any longer, she has a LastStand and states that she's no longer afraid. Did we meniton that she's about to be blown into smithereens by ''Mirage Mewtow'' when she says this?

* The ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' episode "Slumber" had the dreams of Clark Kent and a girl named Sara Conroy interconnecting. In Sara's nightmares, she is terrorized by a monster. Clark tries to fight the monster, but it seems unstoppable. Clark figures it out and encourages Sara not to be afraid of the monster anymore. Once she does, it gets weakened and Clark destroys the monster with his heat vision.

* ''Series/StrangerThings'': Bob Newby advises [[spoiler: Will]] to do this in regard to his recurring flashbacks of the Upside Down and the entity he keeps seeing in them. Bob happens to be LockedOutOfTheLoop and as far as he knows the whole thing is just in [[spoiler:Will's]] imagination, so he tries to help by suggesting a method that worked on his own childhood fear "[[MonsterClown Mister Baldo]]". Unfortunately, this turns out to be very bad advice, as [[WrongGenreSavvy this particular monster is 100% real and not at all hindered by hearing that its target isn't afraid.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'': Hercules bravely fights the Hydra, but Herc [[TheScream screams]] as he falls into the Hydra's mouth, and [[OverlyLongScream again in terror]] as he falls right into the swarm of heads and slides down one of the Hydra's long necks.

* Subverted in ''[[WesternAnimation/HerculesTheAnimatedSeries Hercules: The Animated Series]]'', when Hercules boldly confronts a three-headed sea serpent, only to be nervous after seeing the monster up close.

** Mind you, even then the [[spoiler:two Pyramid Heads]] you fight only kill ''themselves'' at the end of the fight.

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', the [[{{Jerkass}} Turian Councilor]] throws a mocking [[MemeticMutation "Ah, yes, Reapers"]] (even throwing in [[MemeticHandGesture finger quotes]]) at you when you try to convince the Council to help Shepard. Prevailing theory in the fandom suggests that, in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the Councilor will attempt this at [[EldritchAbomination the Reapers]], with predictable results. Either that, or they'll get the chance to throw it back in his face.
** Jossed. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the Turian counselor [[spoiler: is the first non-human member of the Council to support Shepherd.]]

** Korra herself has claimed to not be afraid of Amon in Book 1. However, after being ambushed by a group of Equalists, she fears of Amon taking away her bending powers.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** There is a monster called a boggart, which takes the form of your worst fear. If you use the 'riddikulus' spell, and imagine a way to make the thing funny (e.g. a spider on rollerblades) then it'll be weakened, as it's hurt by laughter. Numbers can bolster courage as well, and because it can only assume one form at a time, facing it as a group confuses it.
** Many people refer to Voldemort as [[TheScottishTrope 'You-Know-Who', 'He Who Must Not Be Named', and variants thereof.]] But as Dumbledore pointed out, fear of the name increases fear of the thing itself, and those who dare to say his name are likely to oppose him, a fact that was exploited by [[SpeakOfTheDevil jinxing the name]]. It is at the finale that Harry fully declare that he's not afraid of The Dark Lord, not only calling him Voldemort, but also his birth name, Tom.

* ''Disney/{{Hercules}}'': Hercules bravely fights the Hydra, but Herc [[TheScream screams]] as he falls into the Hydra's mouth, and [[OverlyLongScream again in terror]] as he falls right into the swarm of heads and slides down one of the Hydra's long necks.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': There is a monster called a boggart, which takes the form of your worst fear. If you use the 'riddikulus' spell, and imagine a way to make the thing funny (e.g. a spider on rollerblades) then it'll be weakened, as it's hurt by laughter. Numbers can bolster courage as well, and because it can only assume one form at a time, facing it as a group confuses it.

* Done awesomely in the Literature/{{Discworld}} book ''Discworld/CarpeJugulum''. "I know who you are. The Count just let you out to torment me, but I've always known you were there. I've fought you very day of my life, and you'll get no victory now. I know who you are now, [[spoiler: Esmerelda Weatherwax. You don't scare me no more.]]"

* Peter Jackson's adaptation of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' has Sméagol tell Gollum to "Leave now, and never come back!"

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Ichigo is left shaken after his fight with Ulquiorra as a result of how powerful his Inner Hollow has become and what it forced him to do to both Ulquiorra and Uryuu while he was being controlled by it. When he [[BattleInTheCentreOfTheMind learns Final Getsuga Tenshou]], Old Man Zangetsu merges with the Inner Hollow and tells Ichigo they are one being, and the Inner Hollow is the face of the despair he has been carrying since the fight with Ulquiorra. When Ichigo realises the true motivation of his inner spirits is to protect him, he gives up fighting and allows them to stab him. Surprised to experience no pain, Ichigo learns that his inner spirits cannot harm him because he's accepted them as a part of him, and thus obtains Final Getsuga Tenshou.

* Hercules bravely fights the Hydra, but Hercules [[TheScream screams]] as he falls into the Hydra's mouth, and [[OverlyLongScream again in terror]] as he falls right into the swarm of heads and slides down one of the Hydra's long necks.

-->'''Hercules:''' Enough! [[BadassBoast Leave now or prepare to fight to the finish]]! (All three heads look at him) Did I say fight to the finish? (Stammer) No-no, when I say finish...

** Korra herself has to adopt this attitude in the SpiritWorld in Book 2, while she's powerless, alone and confronted by a number of dark spirits. To the Avatar, the Spirit World is a FisherKingdom. When she's frightened, the already unbalanced spirits become darker and more hostile. When she calms down and approaches them kindly, they shift into friendlier versions.

* The MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic AbridgedSeries ''WebVideo/ScootertrixTheAbridged'' has normally LovableCoward Fluttershy,[[note]] Who's even ''more'' easily scared than cannon[[/note]] face down a cockatrice, a creature that feeds on fear. Interestingly, this is at first played for laughs, with Fluttershy finding the [[MixAndMatchCritter cockatrice's]] [[NightmareRetardant bizarre appearance, more weird than scary.]] Then, played for drama, after it actually tries to attack her and the CMC, at which point Fluttershy stares it down yelling [[PunctuatedForEmphasis "I'm. Not. Scared."]] [[spoiler:This causes the cockatrice to '''explode'''.]]

* ''Series/StrangerThings'': Bob Newby advises [[spoiler: Will]] to do this in regard to his recurring flashbacks of the Upside Down and the entity he keeps seeing in them. Unfortunately, this turns out to be very bad advice, as [[WrongGenreSavvy the entity is very real, and not at all hindered by hearing that its target isn't afraid of it.]]

* The MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic AbridgedSeries ''WebVideo/ScootertrixTheAbridged'' has normally LovableCoward Fluttershy,[[note]] Who's even ''more'' easily scared than cannon[[/note]] face down a cockatrice, a creature that feeds on fear. Interestingly, this is at first played for laughs, with Fluttershy finding the [[MixAndMatchCritter cockatrice's]] [[NightmareRetardant bizarre appearance, more weird than scary.]] Then, played for drama, after it actualy tries to attack her and the CMC, at which point FLutters stares it down yelling [[PunctuatedForEmphasis "I'm. Not. Scared."]] [[spoiler:This causese the cockatrice to '''explode'''.]]

* This was the key to defeating Screamqueen, a villain who made fears real, in the Franchise/{{Justice League|of America}} Adventures comic (based on the animated series)-- in a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming.

** Jossed. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the Turian counselor [[spoiler: is the first non-human member of the Council to support Shephard.]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', every Persona-user (save the protagonist) must defeat their "shadow" in order to awaken their powers-- by accepting that their shadow [[SplitPersonalityMerge is a part of them]]. Noteworthy in that the shadows actually ''are'' the Persona-users' repressed desires and emotions, which is why denying them makes them even more powerful.

-->'''Isaac''': Goddamnit! [[spoiler:I trusted you!]] '''Fuck''' you, and your marker!