History Main / PowerOfTrust

* ''Fanfic/TheReturn'': Want to get a group of succubae working for your mercenary army? Col. Edwards finds this method works nicely.

* In ''Fanfic/DuelNature'', Twilight tells [[LovableNerd Bronze Bell]] that she has faith that he can decipher the location of the local TempleOfDoom even if he doesn't believe he can, which inspires him to go ahead and do it. [[spoiler: He gives them a fake location, but they find it anyway.]]
%%* This is a very central theme in the ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' fanfic ''Fanfic/GuideMeHome''.
* The thirteenth story of the ''Fanfic/FacingTheFutureSeries'', ''Ancient History''. Tucker proves he trusts Tanya enough with her memories of the ordeal while he wiped it from the rest of the city. Danny and Sam do this as well when [[spoiler:they trust Tucker enough to leave the Scrab Scepter in his hands]].

* In ''Fanfic/PromisesOfAWanderingHero'', while the residents of the [[Manga/LoveHina Hinata Inn]] are wary after learning Keitaro/[[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Shirou]] killed Sarah's mother, after hearing the [[MercyKill circumstances]] behind it, they decide to give him the benefit of the doubt, noting that he's never done anything to actually betray their trust before. Meanwhile, Haruka doesn't even ask the circumstances despite having been good friends with the woman. She simply asks if Shirou made it as painless as possible, and concludes that he must have had a good reason for it.[[note]]The official reason is the woman had contracted a form of rabies, become violently aggressive, and would die in a few hours anyway. What really happened is she'd run afoul of a curse that turned her into a TechnicallyLivingZombie[[/note]]
* Inverted in ''Fanfic/ThePeaceNotPromised'', when Lily's implicit trust in Severus causes him to fail. He intends to [[spoiler: fake becoming a double agent in order to create an opening to evacuate her]], but because she trusts him with her life, she quickly sees through his words and realises what he's doing -- and ''she's vulnerable to mindreading'', so his plan is exposed to the enemy.
* According to Kakashi in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10490270/10/A-Political-Perspective A Political Perspective]]'' it's trust, not power, that causes the Hokage to allow shinobi to assign themselves missions that benefit the village. Since the missions aren't official, failing it means a shinobi's reasoning for undertaking it has to be flawless, or both the privilege and their career will be suspended at least and likely revoked entirely. Anyone with said privilege has to be trusted to both only ever act in the village's interests, but to know their own limits and not take on missions they cannot complete. Currently, there's a grand total of only four or five shinobi in Konoha with that privilege, two of them being Kakashi and Iruka. Naruto later ruminates that he likes that Kakashi assigns him rearguard because it means the man trusts him and doesn't see Naruto as a threat.
* Slytherin Quidditch tryouts in ''Fanfic/TheRigelBlackChronicles'' include having the Beater candidates hit bludgers through plastic hoops attached to ''the broomsticks being flown by the Seeker candidates''. Harry and Draco are able to put on a good showing because he has enough faith in her to stay still and on target while she sends large iron balls flying at him -- at high speed, to overcome their tendency to home in on nearby players, and even when they appear to be headed straight for his face due to correcting for local air currents. Harry is humbled to see it.
* Asuka, Shinji, and Rei trust each other implicitly in ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust''. This is best seen in chapter 11 when Rei has to let Asuka protect Kaworu while she goes to protect Shinji (as it would be suspicious if she was alone with Kaworu). To recap, she leaves [[spoiler:her boyfriend]] alone with a girl who was raised to kill him from the time she was four, armed with a weapon that was specifically designed to do exactly that, and Rei doesn't doubt for a second that she will do everything in her power to keep him safe.
* In ''Fanfic/CheshireMiraculousLadybug'', the mutual trust between Kwami and Holder not only makes the holder [[MyInstinctsAreShowing show some tendencies related to the kwami]] but also more powers. The trust between Marinette and Plagg makes her show some cat-like tendencies and the ability to use [[WorldHealingWave Catastrophe]].
* Raptors have no concept of ''not'' trusting pack members in ''Fanfic/BoundariesJurassicPark''. Disagreements still happen, and Owen would be in real danger if a raptor challenged him since it would be very easy to accidentally kill him, but the pack gives benefit of the doubt and they'll always group together against a larger threat. In fact, Owen manages to deny a starving Blue food with nothing but hand signals and their previous relationship protecting him. Her faith is rewarded when Owen feeds the meat to the other members of the pack who are not only starving but also wounded.
* ''Fanfic/EventHorizonRWBY'': Ozpin encourages Ciel to extend trust to others to gain their help. Furthermore, the loops let her take shortcuts, so she can learn what people value and offer them that in turn in a later loop. For example, above all else Weiss trusts her team, so Ciel doing everything she can to help gets her on board. Furthermore, the ultimate solution to the loops turns out to be [[spoiler:letting teams RWBY and JNPR in on (most) of the conspiracy so that they can properly divide tasks and get everything done far faster than she could alone]].

* One of the main themes of ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' is trusting one's friends. Special focus is given in [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Squall]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX Zidane]]'s stories. Ultimately subverted in Squall's case, however, as his problems wasn't that he didn't trust his friends, but that he ''did'' trust them...to look after themselves. His doubt was fueled by his enemy, and he had to reaffirm that trust at the end of his independent story.

%%* ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'': All of Hajime's transformations come from being trusted. Really, all of them.

* ''Series/Loki2021'': In one of their first conversations, Loki tells Mobius that trust is for children and dogs. As further events unfold, he has to learn to trust and be trustworthy, which earns him friends, allies, and small perks like a CoolSword. [[spoiler: Yet in the end, Sylvie [[SubvertedTrope betrays his trust]] by sending him back to the TVA while she finishes her mission alone.]]

* ''VideoGame/PathfinderWrathOfTheRighteous'' brings us Arueshalae, a [[SuccubiAndIncubi succubus]] who drained a priestess' life force, then decided to peek into her dream. The ChaoticGood Desna, goddess of dreams, stars, and luck, decided to intervene and make Arueshalae dream, prompting a VillainousBSOD and setting her off on a HeelFaceTurn. She strives so hard against her evil nature, a little trust turns her into one of your kindest companions as she struggles up from ChaoticNeutral to ChaoticGood. Canonically, in the tabletop RPG, she was redeemed and is Desna's sworn servant. And Pathfinder ''does not'' skimp on showing you what a monster Arueshalae used to be; she drained souls, openly admits to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil sexual assault]], [[ImAHumanitarian and cannibalism]], and worse. Of course, you can go the other way: [[RedemptionRejection help her give up her quest to be good]], and [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope she dives right back]] into showing you just how [[CompleteMonster horrifying Pathfinder's demons are]]. She greets you by cheerily waving a child's arm at you -- child not attached.

* ''VideoGame/Persona5'' has a combined hero/hero and hero/antagonist example. Joker, the AllLovingHero, is arrested by the police and in danger of being assassinated. The rest of the Phantom Thieves make no efforts to mount a rescue attempt, trusting that Joker, on his own, will be able to pull off [[UnspokenPlanGuarantee the plan they prepared in advance]]. Said plan consists of Joker telling his side of the story to Prosecutor Niijima Sae, who has been hunting the Phantom Thieves for most of the game, and trusting that she will be convinced side with them; she does, thus providing critical assistance to the Phantom Thieves in [[spoiler: [[FakingTheDead faking Joker's death]]]].

* ''LightNovel/{{Kanokon}}'' provides our protagonists with an AllYourColorsCombined sort of super mode that requires an open heart to work. In other words, trust. We learn this after that trust is lost, naturally.

* ''Ligterature/{{Baccano}}'' has this involving the immortal 10-year-old Czeslaw Meyer. No, he's not the [[DeliberatelyCuteChild sweet kid]] who makes the huge cast of assorted criminals find themselves. After a couple hundred years of bad experiences, he has issues trusting anything in this world. The anime and novels has [[TheDitz Issac]], [[DumbBlonde Mirria]], [[BattleButler Ennis]], [[TheMafia Maiza]] and [[StepfordSmiler Elmer]] to drive the point to him. It only takes about 70 years.

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' has this involving the immortal 10-year-old Czeslaw Meyer. No, he's not the [[DeliberatelyCuteChild sweet kid]] who makes the huge cast of assorted criminals find themselves. After a couple hundred years of bad experiences, he has issues trusting anything in this world. The anime and novels has [[TheDitz Issac]], [[DumbBlonde Mirria]], [[BattleButler Ennis]], [[TheMafia Maiza]] and [[StepfordSmiler Elmer]] to drive the point to him. It only takes about 70 years.

* ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'':

* ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'': One of main character Naofumi's biggest flaws is the fact that he's had his sense of trust viciously beaten out of him by a conspiracy to destroy his reputation by people he thought he could trust. He's so distrustful after the incident that he refuses to get more party members until it becomes clear that he absolutely ''needs'' them, and his first two companions are slaves magically bound to obey him no matter what. Over time, however, he comes to genuinely trust in his party members, to the point that they're among the ''only'' people he really trusts. Meanwhile, Motoyasu has the exact opposite problem: always trusting in his companions even when one of them is feeding him obvious lies to manipulate him, to which Naofumi eventually calls him out, pointing out that there's a difference between trust and blind faith.
* ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'': Shannon has trouble tapping into his hidden D-Knight abilities because he doesn't trust Zefiris enough to use them. When they first try [[FusionDance combining]], his power gives out after several minutes of fighting. [[CrypticConversation He had]] [[AncientConspiracy his reasons]] [[TheChessmaster not to]] [[ThePlan trust her]].

Trust is a rare commodity. And we mean the ''premium'' stuff, not the dime-a-dozen trust the HorribleJudgeOfCharacter dishes out. When someone is trusted by another person, [[GoodFeelsGood it feels good]] and may even ''strengthen'' the one trusted, like benefiting from a small scale CombinedEnergyAttack or HeroicResolve. Those so trusted will feel obligated to live up to that trust, giving the proverbial extra 10%, or sticking with the truster through hell or high water.

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Though Ed rarely holds back in showing how much he hates Mustang, he seems to trust him almost implicitly, due to the fact that Mustang's been keeping his and Al's secret for four years. He evens comments in one episode of ''Brotherhood'':

* A central theme of ''Manga/NanaAndKaoru.'' The fulfillment and '''''joy''''' that Nana, Ryoko and other submissives find in bondage is ultimately not from any physical sensation, but the joy of being able to implicitly trust another person, and to have that trust affirmed. These women are not plastic idols, but human beings who sweat, and drool, and cry, and pee. Human beings who -- no matter how perfect their lives may appear from the outside -- struggle with feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, frustration, and shame, as well as feelings of sexual desire and an incredible longing to be loved. Through bondage, their bodies and behavior are controlled and restricted, so that they are forced to expose "shameful" parts of themselves to their dominant. The dominant, in turn, receives those "shameful" pieces of a person -- the submissive's true self -- not with anger or disgust, but with praise, and affection, and love. Bondage is thus a ''validation'' of the submissive's true self -- something that gives Nana and others tremendous strength and happiness.

* Inverted in ''ComicBook/MightyAvengers''. Evil god Chthon, who gets more powerful the more people believe in his existence (which he enforces via terror), finds out that there's even stronger source of power for him - the lack of trust for a man who was trying to stop him, [[ButtMonkey Henry Pym]].

%%* Pretty much the second-half (so far) StoryArc of ''Fanfic/MisfiledDreams''.

* According to Kakashi in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10490270/10/A-Political-Perspective A Political Perspective]]'' it's trust, not power, that causes the Hokage to allow shinobi to assign themselves missions that benefit the village. Since the missions aren't official, failing it means a shinobi's reasoning for undertaking it has to be flawless or both the privilege and their career will be suspended at least and likely revoked entirely. Anyone with said privilege has to be trusted to both only ever act in the village's interests, but to know their own limits and not take on missions they cannot complete. Currently, there's a grand total of only four or five shinobi in Konoha with that privilege, two of them being Kakashi and Iruka. Naruto later ruminates that he likes that Kakashi assigns him rearguard because it means the man trusts him and doesn't see Naruto as a threat.

* In ''Fanfic/CheshireMiraculousLadybug'', the mutual trust between Kwami and Holder not only make the holder [[MyInstinctsAreShowing show some tendencies related to the kwami]], but also more powers. The trust between Marinette and Plagg makes her show some cat-like tendencies and the ability to use [[WorldHealingWave Catastrophe]].
* Raptors have no concept of ''not'' trusting pack members in ''Fanfic/BoundariesJurassicPark''. Disagreements still happen, and Owen would be in real danger if a raptor challenged him since it would be very easy to accidentally kill him, but the pack gives benefit of the doubt and they'll always group together against a larger threat. In fact, Owen manages to deny a starving Blue food with nothing but hand signals and their previous relationship protecting him. Her faith is rewarded when Owen feeds the meat to the other members of the pack who are not only starving, but also wounded.

--> '''Sean:''' ''Trust''; is a very important thing. *Tosses apple to student who's slouching in his seat* Jeremy- you want to tell us why this is?\\

* ''Literature/ChrysalisRinoZ'': Once he obtains the Collective Will Vestibule, Anthony gains literal power from the faith and trust and goodwill of all nearby ants. He can sense their belief in him, both in glimpses of their thoughts, and in an unending tide of strength and stamina flowing into him, which he finds humbling.

** In "The Shadow Kingdom", Literature/{{Kull}} is given a stolen gem to inspire trust, because he can now betray the man.

* The slow, hard-earned building of trust between Series/InspectorLynley and his [[OddCouple partner]] Barbara Havers is what makes watching ''The Inspector Lynley Mysteries'' worthwhile. Creator/NathanielParker and Creator/SharonSmall sell the ''hell'' out of two absolutely broken people coming together against all odds and, through fire and flames, arguments and alcohol, learning to trust each other with no conditions, no questions, and no regrets. From that trust comes CharacterDevelopment ahoy -- Lynley becomes less snobbish, patronizing, and elitist and finally has one person who can look his dark side full in the face without flinching and make it lighter, and Barbara softens, opens, and blossoms and finally has one person who accepts her and loves her exactly as she is, fiery temper, deep insecurities, and all. Through it all they become one of the tightest-knit partnerships in the history of fictional law enforcement -- oh, and sometimes they solve murders, too.

* ''Series/Loki2021'': In one of their first conversations, Loki tells Mobius that trust is for children and dogs. As further events unfold, he has to learn to trust and be trustworthy, which earns him friends, allies and small perks like a CoolSword. [[spoiler: Yet in the end, Sylvie [[SubvertedTrope betrays his trust]] by sending him back to the TVA while she finishes her mission alone.]]

* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', so, so many times, and tons of it between [[PlatonicLifePartners Clark and Chloe]]. [[spoiler:It showed a fracture between their friendship -- the strongest and most enduring in the whole show, when Clark thinks he can't trust Chloe]] in "Collateral". [[spoiler:Lois calls him out of it and says he knows in his heart that he ''could''. He is just too scared and hurt.]]

* ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost'': This is part of the defense that the Seasonal Courts provide to the eponymous Changelings. Their [[TheFairFolk True Fae]] "masters" are fundamentally incapable of understanding that one being might freely give up power to another, so handing off authority with the change of the seasons creates a kind of memetic camoflague for the changelings.

* Loyalty is a really important stat in ''VideoGame/DeathRoadToCanada''; characters with low loyalty will often stab the team in the back, or abandon the party altogether to join [[AlwaysChaoticEvil bandits]]. Meanwhile, those with sufficient loyalty will at least do what they're asked to do, such as watching guard at night camps, or getting through a bandit-infested choke point. Loyalty also determines whether or not a character gets a morale boost by doing heroic things, as those with low loyalty will actually get a morale penalty when doing so. Suffice to say, should your entire party be full of people with enough loyalty, you'll have fewer problems when it comes to certain events.

* One of the main themes of ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' is trusting one's friends. Special focus is given in [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Squall]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX Zidane]]'s stories. Ultimately subverted in Squall's case, however, as his problems wasn't that he didn't trust his friends, but that he ''did'' trust them...to look after themselves. His doubt was fueled by his enemy, and he had to re-affirm that trust at the end of his independent story.

* ''VideoGame/PathfinderWrathOfTheRighteous'' brings us Arueshalae, a [[SuccubiAndIncubi succubus]] who drained a priestess' life force, then decided to peek into her dream. The ChaoticGood Desna, goddess of dreams, stars, and luck, decided to intervene and make Arueshalae dream, prompting a VillainousBSOD and setting her off on a HeelFaceTurn. She strives so hard against her evil nature, a little trust turns her into one of your kindest companions as she struggles up from ChaoticNeutral to ChaoticGood. Canonically, in the table top RPG, she was redeemed and is Desna's sworn servant. And Pathfinder ''does not'' skimp on showing you what a monster Arueshalae used to be; she drained souls, openly admits to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil sexual assault]], [[ImAHumanitarian and cannibalism]], and worse. Of course, you can go the other way: [[RedemptionRejection help her give up her quest to be good]], and [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope she dives right back]] into showing you just how [[CompleteMonster horrifying Pathfinder's demons are]]. She greets you by cheerily waving a child's arm at you -- child not attached.

* ''Webcomic/AMiracleOfScience'' has it in several occasions:

* ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'': Bud explains to Monica that she has to trust Jin or their plan to save the world won't work.[[http://wapsisquare.com/comic/inthefaceofdoubt/ Even though she seems crazy.]]

* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'': During the Chorus trilogy, Aiden Price claims this is the primary advantage that the Blood Gulch crew had that allowed them to defeat The Meta. Their total faith in each other let them devise a strategy that beat a guy that by all rights should have wiped the floor with them in five seconds flat.

** In the start of Six Minus Six, we see that Rex fully trusts Six not to hurt/kill him [[spoiler: Even though White was ordering Six to since Rex was in danger of turning into his SuperpoweredEvilSide. Instead, [[TakeAThirdOption Six attacked the machine Rex was hooked up to]]]].

* Founder of the Boy Scout movement Robert Baden Powell served in the British Army during the colonial era, and noticed a custom among some African warriors of shaking hands with the left, not the right. This was because they held their iconic hide shield in their left hand and their spear in the right -- by shaking with the left you put down your defence and left the other guy holding his weapon. It was a huge sign of trust -- "I'm not going to stab you, and I trust you not to stab me". Powell liked it so much he adopted it for the Scouts, and, in the UK, Boy Scouts and Scoutmasters still shake each other's hand with the left to this day.

** Fencers also shake hands with their left hand but for different reasons. Fencers wear gloves over their sword hands and it's traditionally considered a sign of distrust to offer a gloved hand to shake. This is because it implies that the other person is unwashed or otherwise offensive to the touch. Therefore by shaking with the ungloved hand you demonstrate that you trust the other person's sense of hygiene (which was tied directly with social status back in the day).

* ''VideoGame/PathfinderWrathOfTheRighteous'' brings us Arueshalae, a [[HornyDevils succubus]] who drained a priestess' life force, then decided to peek into her dream. The ChaoticGood Desna, goddess of dreams, stars, and luck, decided to intervene and make Arueshalae dream, prompting a VillainousBSOD and setting her off on a HeelFaceTurn. She strives so hard against her evil nature, a little trust turns her into one of your kindest companions as she struggles up from ChaoticNeutral to ChaoticGood. Canonically, in the table top RPG, she was redeemed and is Desna's sworn servant. And Pathfinder ''does not'' skimp on showing you what a monster Arueshalae used to be; she drained souls, openly admits to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil sexual assault]], [[ImAHumanitarian and cannibalism]], and worse. Of course, you can go the other way: [[RedemptionRejection help her give up her quest to be good]], and [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope she dives right back]] into showing you just how [[CompleteMonster horrifying Pathfinder's demons are]]. She greets you by cheerily waving a child's arm at you -- child not attached.

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'': During the Chorus trilogy, Aiden Price claims this is the primary advantage that the Blood Gulch crew had that allowed them to defeat The Meta. Their total faith in each other let them devise a strategy that beat a guy that by all rights should have wiped the floor with them in five seconds flat.

* A central theme of ''Manga/NanaToKaoru.'' The fulfillment and '''''joy''''' that Nana, Ryoko and other submissives find in bondage is ultimately not from any physical sensation, but the joy of being able to implicitly trust another person, and to have that trust affirmed. These women are not plastic idols, but human beings who sweat, and drool, and cry, and pee. Human beings who -- no matter how perfect their lives may appear from the outside -- struggle with feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, frustration, and shame, as well as feelings of sexual desire and an incredible longing to be loved. Through bondage, their bodies and behavior are controlled and restricted, so that they are forced to expose "shameful" parts of themselves to their dominant. The dominant, in turn, receives those "shameful" pieces of a person -- the submissive's true self -- not with anger or disgust, but with praise, and affection, and love. Bondage is thus a ''validation'' of the submissive's true self -- something that gives Nana and others tremendous strength and happiness.

--> "Such an odd feeling. Wedge Antilles was under her guns, yet he trusted her with his life.\\
He had no reason not to, of course. But he ''did''. No one had in-how long? Forever.\\

Such an attack would be treacherous."

** It's only the trust between Shepard and TheSquad members that gets them all through the SuicideMission in one piece. Fail to gain their trust and you'll be looking at a long row of caskets.

* ''Series/TheXFiles'': Mulder and Scully trust each other so closely and so intensely that if someone tells one of them something and the other contradicts it, they will pretty much believe the other without even thinking about it. Essentially, ''The X-Files'' is Power of Trust turned UpToEleven. The show's tagline is "Trust no one" -- and they don't. Except each other, no matter what.
** Not always, though, which since this trope is UpToEleven, causes so much more hurt and confusion than it usually would. A big plot point in Season 6 and part of Season 7 was Mulder trusting his ex-partner/ex-girlfriend Diana Fowley over Scully. Scully and the Lone Gunmen even had hard proof that she was working for the BigBad, and Mulder refused to believe it. It almost caused the break-up of the partnership. Of course, that was what Diana Fowley had wanted all along.

** Pretty much all the moments where Sousuke starts falling for Kaname is when she tells him she trusts him completely. No, he [[ChasteHero doesn't react very well romantically]] when she tries to seduce him in skimpy outfits, but ''boy'' does his heart start beating fast when she appeals to his trust issues. Justified in that it's shown that all his life, he was never really able to trust anyone like that... so it definitely moves him when she's able to believe and trust in him like that.
** To go further on Sousuke's trust issues, it's pretty much said outright that his lack of the Power of Trust is the main reason why he has problems using the Arbalest's Lambda Driver. Because he passively hates the machine and is unwilling to trust it, it can't always function right.
* In the first arc of ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', [[spoiler:this is invoked by Rena who tries to bring Keiichi back to reality (note: he was high on HatePlague at the time), after murdering Mion in front of her -- she even pairs this with an attempted CoolDownHug and the words "Please, trust me..." -- but it is ultimately subverted when Keiichi smashes her face in with his [[BatterUp metal bat]]]].
** [[spoiler:However, this is only remembered by Keiichi in the appropriately named "Atonement Arc". He proceeds to help Rena overcome her bout of HatePlague ''again'' (he and the [[TrueCompanions rest of the gang]] attempted to help Rena earlier in the arc, grilling her on why she didn't reach out to them before resorting to [[AxCrazy murder]]). [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight This]] [[CoolDownHug time]], it works.]]

* ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'': Shannon has trouble tapping into his hidden D-Knight abilities because he doesn't trust Zefiris enough to use them. When they first try [[FusionDance combining]], his power gives out after several minutes of fighting.
** [[CrypticConversation He had]] [[AncientConspiracy his reasons]] [[TheChessmaster not to]] [[ThePlan trust her]].

** Somewhat ridiculous in that Yusuke asked him because he was fastest, and if we factor in his hesitation time actually ''anybody else'' would have been faster. That he was shortest and therefore couldn't actually be helping them hold it up anyway would have made more sense, but been a lot less cool.
*** He ''was'' probably the only one fast enough not to get killed by the huge rock they drop on you in punishment for keeping faith with your comrades, so that worked out okay.
*** What may be odder is the HeelFaceTurn-inducing trusting smile coming from a cynical fourteen-year-old who has never had any friends ever except this one girl he played with as a little kid because he's a jerk and bad with people and doesn't like people anyway. Dying is good for the soul.
** Hiei's initial psychosis was probably the [[EvilWeapon magic sword]] messing with his head, anyway.

* In ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'', this was what motivated [[spoiler: Haruhi into [[TakeAThirdOption taking a third option]] and preventing a HeroicBSOD]].
* Pretty much the second-half (so far) StoryArc of ''Fanfic/MisfiledDreams''.

* This is a very central theme in the ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' fanfic ''Fanfic/GuideMeHome''.
* The thirteenth story of the ''Fanfic/FacingTheFutureSeries'', ''Ancient History'' has this big time. First, Tucker proves he trusts Tanya enough with her memories of the ordeal while he wiped it from the rest of the city, and Danny and Sam do this as well when [[spoiler:they trust Tucker enough to leave the Scrab Scepter in his hands]].
* Joint Resonance in ''Fanfic/SoulEaterTroubledSouls'' hinges upon this trope alongside a dose of ThePowerOfFriendship.

* The core premise and a prime [[AnAesop Aesop]] of ''Literature/LesMiserables'' is founded on the concept.

* This trope is how [[Literature/VorkosiganSaga Cordelia Vorkosigan]] gets "results beyond hope".

* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', Taylor and Rachel eventually develop this level of trust, to the point that when Taylor is [[spoiler:steadily going insane and mind-controlling everyone around her]], Rachel willingly [[spoiler:steps into her control]] because she trusts that Taylor will get it right.
** In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it example in the same circumstances, Parian and Foil (who have MUCH less reason to trust her) do the same thing when [[spoiler:they are temporarily removed from her control.]]

* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}:'' both ways between Adama and Athena.

** And at the end of "Trash" (another episode involving Saffron, actually) Simon has learned of Jayne's attempt to turn him and River over to the Feds in "Ariel", and has an injured Jayne at his mercy on the operating table:

** By the end of [[Film/{{Serenity}} the movie]], this power has restored Mal's sense of faith (which he'd lost in Serenity Valley).

* ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'': All of Hajime's transformations come from being trusted. Really, all of them.

* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'''s fifth season, Sam's ([[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter basically misplaced]]) [[ThickerThanWater trust in him]] is all that keeps Dean from going through with it after saying yes to Michael.
** The brothers' trust in each other, or occasional lack thereof, is a big part of the series. It's brought up repeatedly that to hunt together and live as they do, they need to be able to trust and rely on each other completely, so they both take it very hard when they catch the other brother in a lie or keeping secrets, no matter how big or small. On occasions where Dean's faith in Sam/Sam's love for him has been shaken, Dean generally gets pretty destructive, such as in the above instance where he was ready to say "yes" to Michael and kick-start the Apocalypse, partially because he worried Sam would eventually cave into Lucifer. Sam seems to have ''always'' trusted Dean unquestioningly, but that was finally broken when Dean [[spoiler: tricked Sam into accepting an angel possession to save his life (saying outright that he knew Sam would rather die)]] which has had far-reaching consequences for their relationship and on the show.

* The song "Trust Us" from ''Music/StrictlyPersonal'' by Music/CaptainBeefheart.

* One of the main themes of ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' is trusting one's friends. Special focus is given in [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Squall]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX Zidane]]'s stories.
** Ultimately subverted in Squall's case, however, as his problems wasn't that he didn't trust his friends, but that he ''did'' trust them...to look after themselves. His doubt was fueled by his enemy, and he had to re-affirm that trust at the end of his independent story.

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', it's only the trust between Shepard and TheSquad members that gets them all through the SuicideMission in one piece. Fail to gain their trust and you'll be looking at a long row of caskets.

* ''VideoGame/PathfinderWrathOfTheRighteous'' brings us Arueshalae, a [[HornyDevils succubus]] who drained a priestess' life force, then decided to peek into her dream. The ChaoticGood Desna, goddess of dreams, stars, and luck, decided to intervene and make Arueshalae dream, prompting a VillainousBSOD and setting her off on a HeelFaceTurn. She strives so hard against her evil nature, a little trust turns her into one of your kindest companions as she struggles up from ChaoticNeutral to ChaoticGood. Canonically, in the table top RPG, she was redeemed and is Desna's sworn servant. And Pathfinder ''does not'' skimp on showing you what a monster Arueshalae used to be; she drained souls, openly admits to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil sexual assault]], [[ImAHumanitarian and cannibalism]], and worse.
** Of course, you can go the other way: [[RedemptionRejection help her give up her quest to be good]], and [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope she dives right back]] into showing you just how [[CompleteMonster horrifying Pathfinder's demons are]]. She greets you by cheerily waving a child's arm at you -- child not attached.
* In ''VideoGame/Persona4'', Naoto Shirogane's belief in this trope is exemplified by her decision to get herself kidnapped by the killer: She is completely willing to trust the Investigation Team to save her, even though her belief that they have the power to do so at all is only a guess. Subverted when the Investigation Team (well, mostly [[EveryoneCanSeeIt Kanji]]) utterly ''[[WhatTheHellHero blasts]]'' her for this, pointing out that if they had failed, she would be ''dead''.

** Ditto for ''VideoGame/BattleMoonWars'', as a ShoutOut.
** Note the stronger version is called in Japan "[[ThePowerOfFriendship Friendship]]".

* Played straight but twisted in ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfileCovenantOfThePlume''. The plume can supercharge any member of your party into a walking engine of death, at the cost of their life following the battle. And it explicitly only works on permanent party members, who have come to trust Wylfred.

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' has this involving the immortal 10-year-old Czeslaw Meyer. No, he's not the [[DeliberatelyCuteChild sweet kid]] who makes the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters huge cast]] of assorted criminals find themselves. After a couple hundred years of bad experiences, he has issues trusting anything in this world. The anime and novels has [[TheDitz Issac]], [[DumbBlonde Mirria]], [[BattleButler Ennis]], [[TheMafia Maiza]] and [[StepfordSmiler Elmer]] to drive the point to him. It only takes about 70 years.

* ''Webcomic/AMiracleOfScience'' (from which the picture at the trope description is taken) has it in several occasions:

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0772.html Haley and her father dispute over trust.]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2007-10-27 Monique explains to Slick that he has to give this a chance.]]

* ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'' shows the antithesis to this, with [[spoiler:all three [[LegacyCharacter Calibur]]s]] going [[FallenHero off the hero]] because they chose to keep their burdens to themselves instead of trusting their friends. By contrast, [[TheHero Touma]], who took steps to maintain his bonds with the other swordsmen, is able to become stronger and obtain victories because he placed trust in his allies.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited:''

* ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'': Pretty much all the moments where Sousuke starts falling for Kaname is when she tells him she trusts him completely. No, he [[ComicallyMissingThePoint doesn't]] [[{{Asexuality}} react]] [[ChasteHero very well romantically]] when she tries to seduce him in skimpy outfits, but ''boy'' does his heart start beating fast when she appeals to his trust issues. Justified in that it's shown that all his life, he was never really able to trust anyone like that... so it definitely moves him when she's able to believe and trust in him like that.

* In the first arc of ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', [[spoiler:this is invoked by Rena who tries to bring Keiichi back to reality (note: he was high on HatePlague at the time), after murdering Mion in front of her - she even pairs this with an attempted CoolDownHug and the words "Please, trust me..." - but it is ultimately subverted when Keiichi smashes her face in with his [[BatterUp metal bat]]]].

* A central theme of ''Manga/NanaToKaoru.'' The fulfillment and '''''joy''''' that Nana, Ryoko and other submissives find in bondage is ultimately not from any physical sensation, but the joy of being able to implicitly trust another person, and to have that trust affirmed. These women are not plastic idols, but human beings who sweat, and drool, and cry, and pee. Human beings who - no matter how perfect their lives may appear from the outside - struggle with feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, frustration, and shame, as well as feelings of sexual desire and an incredible longing to be loved. Through bondage, their bodies and behavior are controlled and restricted, so that they are forced to expose "shameful" parts of themselves to their dominant. The dominant, in turn, receives those "shameful" pieces of a person - the submissive's true self - not with anger or disgust, but with praise, and affection, and love. Bondage is thus a ''validation'' of the submissive's true self - something that gives Nana and others tremendous strength and happiness.

** Naruto was hated by nearly everyone in the village since birth, with [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe the exceptions]] of [[BigGood the Third Hokage]], [[BigBrotherMentor Iruka]], [[CoolOldGuy Teuchi]], [[CoolBigSis Ayame]], and [[NiceGirl Hinata]]--the latter of whom was the very first person to acknowledge Naruto [[WartsAndAll for the way he is]], as shown in a flashback in Chapter 538 and then later confirmed by [[WordOfGod Kishimoto in a post-series interview]]. If Naruto didn't have their trust--especially [[LivingEmotionalCrutch Hinata's]] as the series progressed--things would have been a lot worse: he could have turned out like [[OmnicidalManiac Gaara]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'': Rapunzel assures Flynn that Fate or Destiny brought him to her -- Flynn assures her it was a horse -- and so she will trust him -- a horrible decision, he assures her -- and yet it pans out well. Flynn's enough of a GentlemanThief that his attempts to get her to rescind the deal do not actually endanger her, and [[spoiler:after a while and some adventures, he goes out of his way to help her]].

* The core premise and a prime [[AnAesop Aesop]] of ''Literature/LesMiserables'' is founded on the concept.

* In Creator/SandyMitchell's Literature/CiaphasCain novel ''Death or Glory'', Cain catches their guide Sandy Kolfax drinking. Cain demands he hand over the booze; then he hands it back and tells Kolfax to bring it to their medical man for use as supplies, to undermine his resentment.
* In Creator/SandyMitchell's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novel ''[[TabletopGame/DarkHeresy Scourge the Heretic]]'', when Elyra and Kyrlock are undercover, Elyra lays out a plan to Kyrlock that involves their splitting up, Kyrlock is uneasy: he could easily escape both his home planet and the Inquisition entirely, but Elyra would be entrusting him with her life, and he's not sure he could do it. Then, when a man [[AttemptedRape goes to rape a girl]] in front of them and [[EvilCannotComprehendGood offers to share with Elyra to appease her]], Kyrlock [[FakeDefector says he will take him up on it]] and gets close enough to brain him; Elyra shoots him. Afterwards, when Kyrlock says that he knew she would back him up, Elyra is embarrassed to realize how nearly she didn't.
* In Creator/BenCounter's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/HorusHeresy novel ''Galaxy In Flames'', after Garro, on Tarvitz's [[IGaveMyWord bare word]], shoots down Tarvitz's pursuers because Tarvitz is his [[ThePowerOfFriendship friend]] and [[FireForgedFriends battle brother]].
-->''"The depths of trust and the honour Garro had done him was immeasurable."''
** Later, Horus persuades Fulgrim that he trusts him because he gave him [[CoolSword a sword whose powers they both know]], which nearly killed Horus himself.
* In Creator/GrahamMcNeill's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Literature/{{Ultramarines}}'' novel ''The Killing Ground'', Uriel is subjected to three ordeals to prove that he is untainted by Chaos. The second involves pulling a sacred relic from boiling oil. When he says before that he will succeed, Leodegarius, administering it, says he hopes he will, with obvious sincerity; when he is struggling with the pain, Leodegarius looks at him with obvious desire to have the evidence to prove his innocence. This confidence is what gives him the strength to do it.
* In ''Literature/SnowCrash'', Uncle Enzo takes some enemy agents prisoner. He spares their lives in return for their service. He then deliberately leaves them unguarded, knowing that the trust he's showing them will be more binding than anything material. He's right... not that it matters in the end.
* [[TheMole Lara]] [[DeepCoverAgent Notsil]] of the ''Literature/XWingSeries'', sitting in her new X-wing in flight on her first mission with Wraith Squadron, sees that Wedge Antilles, AcePilot and hero of the Rebellion, is flying ahead of her, no shields. For ''years'' she'd been going out in false identities and betraying her comrades at the behest of her handlers, but now her handlers were dead, and she discovered that she could not stand treachery. Her resulting train of thought is what first triggers her LossOfIdentity, DoubleConsciousness, and attempts at BecomingTheMask.
--> "Such an odd feeling. Wedge Antilles was under her guns, yet he trusted her with his life.\\
He had no reason not to, of course. But he ''did''. No one had in-how long? Forever.\\
She could eliminate him with a twitch of her finger.\\
It should have been tempting. Yet, somehow, it wasn't.\\
Such an attack would be treacherous."
* In Simon Spurrier's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/NightLords novel ''Lord of the Night'', Sahaal reverses the process: when he confides even a fraction of the truth to a woman he is deceiving, it feels good. [[spoiler:At the climax, he trusts her -- and finds she was murdered and replaced by a shapeshifter. Later, when he is trapped in his mind by an Eldar, he is met by a psyker who is in a situation similar to his own and they end up running away together from everything.]]

* In Creator/JohnCWright's ''[[Literature/ChroniclesOfChaos Orphans of Chaos]]'', Amelia recounts a fantastic story and all the other children immediately vote that they are in a crisis and must take all precautions. She is moved by their trust.
* This trope is how [[Literature/VorkosiganSaga Cordelia Vorkosigan]] gets "results beyond hope".

* This is one of the central themes of ''Worlds of Deep Space 9: Cardassia'' in the ''Vedek Yevir appeals to the virtue of Literature/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineRelaunch''. Vedek Yevir appeals to the virtue of trust in order to prevent a 14-year-old would-be suicide bomber from going through with the attack.
* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[Literature/ProsperosDaughter Prospero Regained]]'', Astreus mocks Miranda for declaring she would never trust him, telling her to trust no one and they could write on her tombstone "She trusted no one."

* In ''Literature/TheBeyonders'', Jason's trust is one of the main reasons why Ferrin [[spoiler: doesn't betray them at the end of the last book]].
* ''The Detachment'' by Creator/BarryEisler. Invoked by [[HitmanWithAHeart John Rain]] when he suspects (accurately) that Daniel Larison is planning to kill them and keep all the ransom for himself. Knowing they're similar and aware of how his own viewpoint changed after Dox showed him trust, [[KillMeNowOrForeverStayYourHand he hands Larison a silenced Glock]] and gives him the option of either leaving with his share of the diamonds or accompanying them to stop a terrorist atrocity. Larison (who was expecting to get shot on the spot) is too stunned to say much but does end up going with them, despite having refused earlier.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Despite claiming to despise her reliance on this, Dany doesn't have much choice but to believe in the loyalty she inspires and capitalize on it in her quest. But a betrayal for blood by Mirri Maz Dur and a betrayal for gold by both Doreah and Xaro have left their marks...
* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', so, so many times, and tons of it between [[PlatonicLifePartners Clark and Chloe]]. [[spoiler:It showed a fracture between their friendship - the strongest and most enduring in the whole show, when Clark thinks he can't trust Chloe]] in "Collateral". [[spoiler:Lois calls him out of it and says he knows in his heart that he ''could''. He is just too scared and hurt.]]

* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}:'' both ways between Adama and Athena
* In an episode of ''Series/{{Doctors}}'' a [[PatientOfTheWeek terminally ill woman]] and her son successfully use this on the woman's homeless brother to persuade him to look after the boy when she dies.
* ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'':
** This is a major theme, where John Connor absolutely trusts [[RobotGirl Cameron]] to protect him, even after she goes haywire following damage to her chip and tries to kill him, and ''then'' suffers temporary amnesia.
** Subverted with Cameron's view of Sarah. She doesn't trust Sarah to do what needs to be done to protect John because, while Cameron has pure BlueAndOrangeMorality, Sarah tries to spare the lives of those she thinks may be innocent. This comes back to bite them when [[spoiler:Sarah lets a teenage thief go after promising Cameron she'd kill him, and the thief later tells Cromartie where the Connors live]].

* This theme almost becomes Hatter's ArcWords on ''Series/{{Alice|2009}}''. On first meeting her: "I see. You don't trust me." Midway through the mini-series: "You still don't trust me?" On saving her life multiple times, getting tortured, beaten, and pretty much going through hell in the attempt to [[IJustWantMyBelovedToBeHappy Make His Beloved Happy]]: "You trust me now?" Alice: [[spoiler:"Completely."]] But to be fair to Alice, he certainly doesn't ''look'' or ''behave'' like a particularly trustworthy guy.

* ''Series/TheXFiles'': Mulder and Scully trust each other so closely and so intensely that if someone tells one of them something and the other contradicts it, they will pretty much believe the other without even thinking about it. Essentially, ''The X-Files'' is Power of Trust turned UpToEleven. The show's tagline is "Trust no one"--and they don't. Except each other, no matter what.
** Not always, though, which since this trope is UpToEleven, causes so much more hurt and confusion than it usually would. A big plot point in season six and part of season seven was Mulder trusting his ex-partner/ex-girlfriend Diana Fowley over Scully. Scully and the Lone Gunmen even had hard proof that she was working for the BigBad, and Mulder refused to believe it. It almost caused the break-up of the partnership. Of course, that was what Diana Fowley had wanted all along.
** Or the episode "Wetwired", where Scully is affected by subliminal messages on TV that Mulder betrayed her to the Cigarette-Smoking Man (Mulder himself is not affected "thanks" to his red-green color blindness). Seeing the trust they've built up to that point just go poof is ''extremely'' disturbing, almost traumatizing. Especially for Scully, once she snaps out of it.
* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'''s fifth season, Sam's ([[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter basically misplaced]]) [[ThickerThanWater trust in him]] is all that keeps Dean from going through with it after saying yes to Michael.
** The brothers' trust in each other, or occasional lack thereof, is a big part of the series. It's brought up repeatedly that to hunt together and live as they do, they need to be able to trust and rely on each other completely, so they both take it very hard when they catch the other brother in a lie or keeping secrets, no matter how big or small. On occasions where Dean's faith in Sam/Sam's love for him has been shaken, Dean generally gets pretty destructive, such as in the above instance where he was ready to say "yes" to Michael and kick-start the Apocalypse, partially because he worried Sam would eventually cave into Lucifer. Sam seems to have ''always'' trusted Dean unquestioningly, but that was finally broken when Dean [[spoiler: tricked Sam into accepting an angel possession to save his life (saying outright that he knew Sam would rather die)]] which has had far-reaching consequences for their relationship and on the show.
* The slow, hard-earned building of trust between Series/InspectorLynley and his [[OddCouple partner]] Barbara Havers is what makes watching ''The Inspector Lynley Mysteries'' worthwhile. Creator/NathanielParker and Creator/SharonSmall sell the ''hell'' out of two absolutely broken people coming together against all odds and, through fire and flames, arguments and alcohol, learning to trust each other with no conditions, no questions, and no regrets. From that trust comes CharacterDevelopment ahoy - Lynley becomes less snobbish, patronizing, and elitist and finally has one person who can look his dark side full in the face without flinching and make it lighter, and Barbara softens, opens, and blossoms and finally has one person who accepts her and loves her exactly as she is, fiery temper, deep insecurities, and all. Through it all they become one of the tightest-knit partnerships in the history of fictional law enforcement - oh, and sometimes they solve murders, too.

* Several GameShows have used the PrisonersDilemma as part of their final rounds; particularly ''Series/FriendOrFoe'', ''Series/GoldenBalls'', and ''Series/TakeItAll''. In all of these cases, a shared pot is at stake; the two contestants either elect to split the prizes or take them all, deciding in secret.
* ''Series/{{Divided}}'' also depends on the power of trusting your opponents...right up until it's time to figure out how to divide the cash.
* Subverted in ''Series/SledgeHammer'', where a sure guarantee of things going horribly, horribly, wrong is Lieutenant Hammer assuring anyone standing nearby to
-->'''Hammer:''' Trust me. I know what I'm doing.
* ''Series/Loki2021'': In one of their first conversations, Loki tells Mobius that trust is for children and dogs. As further events unfold, he has to learn to trust and be trustworthy, which earns him friends, allies and small perks like a CoolSword. [[spoiler: Yet in the end, Sylvie [[SubvertedTrope betrays his trust]] by sending him back to the TVA while she finishes her mission alone.]]

* Touched upon in ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou''. Neku is told repeatedly to trust his partner, and [[spoiler:after the incident where he had to learn that lesson in the first place]] he does -- even when finding out that one of them was [[spoiler: using him and out to destroy Shibuya]]. It is implied that that trust may have [[spoiler: caused Joshua's change of heart at the end.]] [[GainaxEnding The ending's a little unclear on the details]].
* One of the main themes of ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' is trusting one's friends. Special focus is given in [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Squall]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX Zidane]]'s stories.
** Ultimately subverted in Squall's case, however, as his problems wasn't that he didn't trust his friends, but that he ''did'' trust them...to look after themselves. His doubt was fueled by his enemy, and he had to re-affirm that trust at the end of his independent story.
* Played straight but twisted in ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfileCovenantOfThePlume''. The plume can supercharge any member of your party into a walking engine of death, at the cost of their life following the battle. And it explicitly only works on permanent party members, who have come to trust Wylfred.

* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'', [[spoiler:the reborn Sarevok]] can be redeemed if you trust him enough. Refusing to use a geas to compel his loyalty is the first step on his long road from Chaotic Evil to Chaotic Good.
* Parodied in ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' in which one of the advertisements shows that humans "[[HumansAreTheRealMonsters cannot be trusted]]" to do cooperative tests with one another. Robots, on the other hand, can trust one another... for about 6 seconds longer than humans.
* Essential to the relationship of a reyvateil and her partner in ''VideoGame/ExaPico'': "diving" into a reyvateil's mental landscape is one big trust exercise in revealing her secrets to her partner, but also lets her craft and use more powerful song magic. Abusing a reyvateil's trust is a sure way to break and diminish her abilities. In the [[VideoGame/ArTonelicoMelodyOfElemia first game]] Misha invokes the trope directly whenever Lyner protects her from an enemy attack: "I trust you!"
* In ''VideoGame/Persona4'', Naoto Shirogane's belief in this trope is exemplified by her decision to get herself kidnapped by the killer: She is completely willing to trust the Investigation Team to save her, even though her belief that they have the power to do so at all is only a guess. Subverted when the Investigation Team (well, mostly [[EveryoneCanSeeIt Kanji]]) utterly ''[[WhatTheHellHero blasts]]'' her for this, pointing out that if they had failed, she would be ''dead''.
** Subverted with [[PlayerCharacter Yu]]'s attempt at TalkingTheMonsterToDeath in ''[[UpdatedRerelease Golden]]''. After confronting [[spoiler: [[BigBad Adachi]]]], if the player kept up his Social Link they have the option to meet with him alone. Yu tells him that he "believed in" him, and [[spoiler: Adachi]] angrily asserts that it was just WishfulProjection and the version of him Yu believed in never existed. He then pulls his gun on Yu, and when Yu questions his will to shoot him he fires a warning shot and says he won't miss a second time. [[spoiler: However, after his defeat and arrest, Adachi becomes TheAtoner and confirms in his letter to Yu from prison that [[DefeatMeansFriendship their friendship meant something to him after all]].]]
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'' have their support conversations, which allow for power-ups when near the other character supporting you. Can be used for a BackToBackBadasses moment if done right. Also, subverted in Tibarn's conversation with Naesala, where the former states that he trusts the latter because they both have the same goal. What does Naesala do? [[spoiler:Acts as an informant and gets Begnion to burn Phoenicis, Tibarn's kingdom. It is later revealed that he is under the effect of a blood pact that would kill his people if he didn't follow the demands of the Begnion Senate,]] so it's at least a slightly averted subversion.
* Any video game that enforces teams or co-op will have this trope in full force. Only by developing trust within your team can the team achieve victory. If there's no trust, everyone will fall apart.
* Basically, the underlying motivation and theme when choosing [[LadyOfWar Forte]]'s Route in ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngel''.
-->'''Forte:''' Don't worry, I'll watch your back. Can I trust you to watch mine?\\
'''Tact:''' Of course.
* Trust is a massive issue that Batman has in ''VideoGame/Injustice2'', which is understandable considering how his best friend Superman turned against him. Batman is told by his aide that he needs to expand his circle of trust if he wants to get anything done. Batman eventually starts to trust the Flash and the Green Lantern (both of them had defected to Superman's regime in the previous game and later repented for it) with his plans to deal with Brainiac. Batman eventually admits that he needs Superman to save the day, which would mean trusting him to not backstab him again. [[spoiler: The whole thing is subverted in the very end where after Brainiac is defeated, Batman and Superman have a spat over whether or not Brainiac should live or die. Batman never fully trusted Superman at all (with the gold kryptonite dagger being proof of that) because he knew he'd still go back to his old ways of using fear and power to put criminals in line and Superman proved him right. In the end, Batman trusted Superman enough to stop Brainiac but didn't trust him enough to actually learn his lesson from the previous game where he used his powers to oppress people. If you side with Batman in the final segment of the game, the ending shows him placing his trust in Supergirl, who had upheld her moral values a lot better than Superman did.]]
* Loyalty is a really important stat in ''VideoGame/DeathRoadToCanada''; characters with low loyalty will often stab the team in the back, or abandon the party altogether to join [[AlwaysChaoticEvil bandits]]. Meanwhile, those with sufficient loyalty will at least do what they're asked to do, such as watching guard at night camps, or getting through a bandit-infested choke point. Loyalty also determines whether or not a character gets a morale boost by doing heroic things, as those with low loyalty will actually get a morale penalty when doing so. Suffice to say, should your entire party be full of people with enough loyalty, you'll have fewer problems when it comes to certain events.
* This is the CentralTheme behind Creator/NickyCase's edutainment game ''[[https://ncase.me/trust/ The Evolution of Trust]]'', discussing how trust is possible and what allows it to exist, using the metaphor of a PrisonersDilemma.
* ''VideoGame/PathfinderWrathOfTheRighteous'' brings us Arueshalae, a [[HornyDevils succubus]] who drained a priestess' life force, then decided to peek into her dream. The ChaoticGood Desna, goddess of dreams, stars, and luck, decided to intervene and make Arueshalae dream, prompting a VillainousBSOD and setting her off on a HeelFaceTurn. She strives so hard against her evil nature, a little trust turns her into one of your kindest companions as she struggles up from ChaoticNeutral to ChaoticGood. Canonically, in the table top RPG, she was redeemed and is Desna's sworn servant. And Pathfinder ''does not'' skimp on showing you what a monster Arueshalae used to be; she drained souls, openly admits to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil sexual assault]], [[ImAHumanitarian and cannibalism]], and worse.
** Of course, you can go the other way: [[RedemptionRejection help her give up her quest to be good]], and [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope she dives right back]] into showing you just how [[CompleteMonster horrifying Pathfinder's demons are]]. She greets you by cheerily waving a child's arm at you - child not attached.

* In ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial 2'', this is the pivotal trope of [[BrokenBird Kaori Yae]]'s storyline. After [[EtTuBrute a traumatic event]] [[{{Backstory}} in her past]], she has lost all trust in both the others and herself. It's now up to you, the main protagonist, [[HesBack to help her regain]] her belief in the Power of Trust with the help of ThePowerOfLove. As such, most of her events discuss about trust, and her {{Image Song}}s (like the verse in the [[Quotes/PowerOfTrust Quotes' page]]) are heavily trust-themed.
* In ''VisualNovel/JunipersKnot'', the boy invokes this when [[spoiler:planting the olive tree in the circle]], because even if he doesn't trust the fiend to [[spoiler:exchange lives with the tree instead of him]], ''checking'' would ruin her chances of being trustworthy.

* This trope ''is'' the mature relationship between defense attorney [[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney Phoenix Wright]] and prosecutor [[TheRival Miles Edgeworth]]. Out of court, they're close friends who call on the other when one of them needs someone who will not, under any circumstances, let him down. In court, they go after each other with no holds barred, because they know Edgeworth won't let a guilty person escape and Phoenix won't let an innocent person be convicted. And the instant Phoenix can demonstrate that the guilt points to someone other than his client, Edgeworth will be at his side helping him take the creep down.

* In ''Comicbook/BuckGodotZapGunForHire'', Buck trusting [[spoiler:the Beemahs]] to hold up their end of a bargain after fulfilling his part causes them to go a little further and ensure that [[spoiler:humanity will be saved regardless of whether the whole plan works]]. This impresses even the notoriously antisocial Klegdixal.

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0772.html Haley and her father dispute over trust.]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2007-10-27 Monique explains to Slick that he has to give this a chance.]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2300/fc02204.htm Florence needs this on a high scale, up front,]] when dealing with robots that could potentially squash her if they thought she was endangering humans.
* ''Webcomic/SchwarzKreuz'' has Joan trust Nick literally with her life, which is what enables him to save the world.

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'': During the Chorus trilogy, Aiden Price claims this is the primary advantage that the Blood Gulch crew had that allowed them to defeat The Meta. Their total faith in each other let them devise a strategy that beat a guy that by all rights should have wiped the floor with them in five seconds flat.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited:''
** When we catch up with Shayera "Hawkgirl" Hol, she's in a depressed, self-loathing funk because she betrayed the League's trust and made herself a pariah on two worlds. What snaps her out of it is Superman and Green Lantern's announcement that she's welcome to rejoin the League any time she wants.
--->'''Superman:''' I believe in second chances. I believe in redemption. But most of all, I believe in my friends.
** Made more [[Heartwarming/JusticeLeague heartwarming]] by TheReveal that ''she has never been expelled from the League''. ([[spoiler:Superman, Flash and, presumably, J'onn the Psychic chose to trust her, while only Wonder Woman and Batman voted for expulsion; Green Lantern abstained]]).

* ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009'': A single moment of trust saved the world [[spoiler:and the lack of trust damned it the first time around. Emma betrayed the team, which led to Phoenix running around under the control of the Inner Circle (who just expelled Emma, who wanted to destroy it). She was left tied to a wall when Logan found her. In the first timeline, he left her there. Which meant no one could contain and destroy Phoenix, and thus Phoenix burned the world. A message fragment from Xavier passed back through time was enough to help Logan trust her and free her, allowing her to sacrifice herself for the world]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' provides some negative examples. When Robin tries to get Slade's trust as Red X so they can meet, he is OutGambitted. Slade notes, "Trust is easy to destroy, but it takes time to build." Terra happily exclaims the Titans trust her. That doesn't end well. In an episode titled "Trust", Robin ends up giving a communicator to "Hotspot". That was actually a NiceJobBreakingItHero moment, since it was really [[{{Shapeshifting}} Madame Rogue]].

** Note also that the "better-to-trust" approach for Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma does ''not'' work if there is a known last round of the game - both sides will find it advantageous to screw the other on the last round, which means they will screw each other on the next-to-last round, which means they will screw each other on the third-to-last round, [[IKnowYouKnowIKnow lather rinse repeat]].

* Founder of the Boy Scout movement Robert Baden Powell served in the British Army during the colonial era, and noticed a custom among some African warriors of shaking hands with the left, not the right. This was because they held their iconic hide shield in their left hand and their spear in the right- by shaking with the left you put down your defence and left the other guy holding his weapon. It was a huge sign of trust- "I'm not going to stab you, and I trust you not to stab me". Powell liked it so much he adopted it for the Scouts, and, in the UK, Boy Scouts and Scoutmasters still shake each other's hand with the left to this day.