History Main / PlayAlongPrisoner

** It is stated that Jedi in general are impossible to detain against their will. To quote Admiral Bu'watu in ''Literature/DarkNestTrilogy'': "She [Princess Leia] was never your prisoner, she was just being polite." To detain Jedi, the Order itself uses a lizard called a Ysalimri, which blocks all access to the Force in a radius of ten metres, stun cuffs, multiple guards, and large amounts of sedatives.

** During ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear'', Hoole is once vigorously clocked over the head [[TapOnTheHead to render him unconscious]]. It doesn't actually work, but he pretends to be out of it so he can find out more and break loose at the most opportune time... which happens to be while StrappedToAnOperatingTable, but he's a ShapeShifter, that doesn't slow him down.

* ''VideoGame/StreetFighter'' has Cody Travers, previously the hero of ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' who started to get into all sorts of legal trouble because he kept on brawling on the street and ended up in prision. He stays there by his own choice, but when he gets too bored, he easily breaks out to find people to fight. To add another layer of this, he fights [[WithMyHandsTied still cuffed by his hands and legs]]. One of his victory poses even has him easily open the handcuffs to rest his hands for a moment.

Congratulations! You just captured the notoriously dangerous and evasive adversary. You've got him BoundAndGagged, and using EnhancedInterrogationTechniques, he still won't budge. Finally, he asks a question: "I'm bored. Can I go now?" and then he proceeds to [[BreakingTheBonds break free]] like he could have done it at any time.

Highly related to BreakingTheBonds, except that the prisoner decides to hang around for a while before breaking free. May sometimes be a form of ISurrenderSuckers, when the person deliberately allows himself to be detained. Sometimes, the captive might not bother to escape, and just [[SelfRestraint hang around until the end of his prison sentence]] (but still heavily imply that he could have walked out at any time). Occasionally, the prisoner stays in prison [[MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll because there's no real reason to escape since he's working his schemes just fine from inside]]. This is a useful skill for the TrojanPrisoner. It also often shows up as part of a villain's escape from a prison that's [[CardboardPrison apparently made out of cardboard]].

* In the [=PS2=]/XBOX game ''VideoGame/ThePunisher'', the Punisher surrenders to the police at the beginning of the story, with most of the game being a HowWeGotHere flashback. Turns out Frank allowed himself to be captured by his police buddy Soap so that he could be in Riker's Island when Jigsaw started a riot to cover his escape. Frank kills Jigsaw in the riot and escapes the prison easily.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien''/''WesternAnimation/GeneratorRex'' [[WesternAnimation/Ben10GeneratorRexHeroesUnited crossover special]], Rex and company have captured Ben for (inadvertently) hurting Six. When Rex taunts him about being their prisoner, Ben laughs and responds with "I stayed to see if I could help. But if that's your attitude..." before proceeding to turn into [[{{Intangibility}} Big Chill]] and walk out.

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10GeneratorRexHeroesUnited'': [[LetsYouAndHimFight After their initial skirmish]], Ben decides to let himself get captured by Rex and his allies to gather information on the situation. When Rex gets a little to cocky and [[TemptingFate claims Ben can't escape]], Ben proceeds to do just that to prove a point.

** In a ''Justice League Unlimited'' seasonC two finale, the main seven excluding Batman (who thinks it's a silly idea) allow themselves to be taken prisoner as an act of good faith to the US government. It's lampshaded by the guy in charge not bothering to handcuff them because it wouldn't stop them anyway.

** In a ''Justice League Unlimited'' season finale, the main seven excluding Batman (who thinks it's a silly idea) allow themselves to be taken prisoner as an act of good faith to the US government. It's lampshaded by the guy in charge not bothering to handcuff them because it wouldn't stop them anyway.

* In ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureVentoAureo'', the gangster Polpo is perpetually in prison, which doesn't stop him from running the criminal underground of Naples. He could get out whenever he'd want (assuming he'd [[FatBastard fit through the door]], but then again, he got in ''somehow''), but why would he when he gets food, bed, and security for free?

* In one episode of ''ComicBook/WildCATS'', a friend of Grifter's has just finished a jail sentence. The warden is proud of the fact that he was able to hold a notorious robber for his entire sentence. Grifter simply said "You weren't holding him. He was just serving his time." Said robber proves this right when he breaks out of the prison in a matter of minutes, with the breakout starting the moment his sentence officially ended - just to prove that he could have broken out at any time if he'd wanted to.

'''Roger:''' No, not at ''any'' time, [[RuleOfFunny only when it was ''funny'']].

* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'': Roger handcuffs himself to Eddie at one point. Once Eddie gets a hold of a hacksaw to cut the cuff off with, he notices Roger slipping his own hand in and out of the cuff when he thinks Eddie isn't looking.
-->'''Eddie:''' You mean to tell me you could have taken your hand out of that cuff at ''any time''?\\
'''Roger:''' Not at ''any'' time! [[RuleOfFunny Only when it was funny!]]

** It turns out that after the Fire Nation seizes Omashu, King Bumi is one. They keep him locked up in a metal coffin-like cell that only exposes his face, but that's ''all'' he needs to be able to bend his way out at any time. Bumi explains to Aang that he's waiting until the right moment to escape, and when it comes (on the Day of Black Sun) he not only escapes but drives the [[OneManArmy entire Fire Nation army out at once, by himself]].

* Mentioned in the Dungeons and Dragons supplement [[InterspeciesRomance/DungeonsAndDragons The Book Of Erotic Fantasy]] as one of the few ways to bring a high-level character to justice (other than [[AlwaysABiggerFish hiring other high-level characters as bounty hunters]]):

* The Joker in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' just wants his phone call. When they don't give it to him, he takes his interrogator hostage and breaks out of the room.

* ''Manga/HatenkouYuugi'':

** In a later volume, the gang get arrested because they happen to run into a certain boy. After hearing the boy's story, Alzeid offers his help getting revenge. [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/hatenkou_yuugi/v04/c027/4.html The three remove their handcuffs and leave without any effort.]] Baroqueheat didn't even get to try prison food.

* In ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' issue 40, after Sonic is tried in a KangarooCourt for treason after the Mecha Madness scenario and declared guilty, he shreds off his handcuffs in a fit of rage, declaring he could have done so at any time.

* Kyosuke Hyobu in ''Manga/ZettaiKarenChildren'' sat imprisoned, letting B.A.B.E.L. think their countermeasures against him were effective until it was time to set his plans in motion. When one of his people was captured, he simply told him to rest up and that they'll bust him out when they need him.

* ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'': During World War I, Germany captures Italy. He then becomes so annoyed by Italy's antics that he demands why Italy is not trying to escape, walks him to the door, opens it, and tells him he can go. Italy's reaction? He walks outside, flirts with a few girls, and comes back in. This is most likely because they are AMatchMadeInStockholm. Italy himself says "As long as I'm with you, I get fed and nobody picks on me. I like living here!"

* One of the Class S Heroes in ''Anime/OnePunchMan'', Puri-Puri Prisoner, is a towering HardGay stereotype dressed in classic prison jammies... because he's serving a life-sentence for ''repeated sexual assault''. Not that that, or his old-school ball-and-chain, stops him from breaking out whenever there's a call for high-level heroes, PARTICULARLY if any of the handsome, young, male heroes he's got his eyes on (hint: that would be ALL of the young, male heroes) are in danger or have been injured (It's okay, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint he breaks back in afterwards]]). "I broke out of prison just to see you..." is basically his catchphrase.

* Everyone was already pretty sure this was the case in canon, but in ''FanFic/{{Atonement}}'', Glastig Uaine proves that she's only in [[TheAlcatraz the Birdcage]] because she wants to be when the Simurgh's attack prevents her from her monthly therapy session with Tether. She leaves, [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu kicks the Simurgh's ass]], and returns.

* Taylor is most certainly this in [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/crouching-tiger-goes-to-prison-worm-au-of-an-au.480139/ Crouching Tiger Goes to Prison]]. Given her abilities, the juvenile prison she's sent to doesn't have a hope of containing her if she decided to break out- luckily for them, she's willing to serve out her sentence.
* In [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3627081/1/Who-s-The-Hostage Who's the Hostage]] Naruto thinks that the cliche "Naruto is banished and/or sentenced to death for not bringing back Sasuke' is going to happen to him. So he decides to 'defect' before they can carry it out. He also thinks that having a hostage would make them less likely to kill him. So he decides to kidnap Hinata for just long enough that he can buy some time to get away. '''''[[StalkerWithACrush Hinata]]'''''. As from the title, things quickly spiral out of control. Meanwhile, in Konoha Tsunade and Jiyara are torn between facepalming at the complete lack of critical thinking on Naruto's part or laughing at the whole circumstance. Before it became a DeadFic they were sending out Team 7 to one part to tell him to stop being an idiot, and one part to rescue him.