History Main / VillainRespect

* In the ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' {{novelization}}, the [[Characters/MonsterVerseEmmaRussell radicalist eco-terrorist]] [[spoiler:Emma Russell]], despite her deep resentment of [[spoiler:her ex-husband Mark]] for his failures as a husband and a father after their son's death, can't help being genuinely impressed that he brought himself to stick his neck out and put his life on the line trying to save [[spoiler:Emma and Madison]].

* ''Fanfic/SpiderNinja'': While giving [[spoiler:The Shredder]] a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech (and lecturing him about how RevengeByProxy [[EvenEvilHasStandards is a line even he won't cross]]), [[spoiler:the Green Goblin]] takes a moment to compliment Splinter:
--> [[spoiler:'''Green Goblin''']]: As for Splinter, you have to admire a dedicated parent. Raising one kid is hard enough but ''five''? How does he do it? Ah well, a question for another day.

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'': In season 3, [[Characters/DCComicsLobo Lobo]] is hired to assassinate Forager. Nightwing and the Team fight him but Lobo is still able to kill Forager [[note]]Actually Forager's empty exoskeleton, which he'd shed as a decoy[[/note]] in spite of their best efforts. As he's leaving, Lobo tells them that they still did better than most and he respects their persistance and skill in the face of an opponent who was as far out of their weight class as he is.

--> [[spoiler:Green Goblin]]: As for Splinter, you have to admire a dedicated parent. Raising one kid is hard enough but ''five''? How does he do it? Ah well, a question for another day.

* ''Fanfic/SpiderNinja'': While giving [[spoiler:The Shredder]] a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech (and lecturing him about how REvengeByProxy [[EvenEvilHasStandards is a line even he won't cross]]), [[spoiler:the Green Goblin]] takes a moment to compliment Splinter:

* In the ''Series/BabylonFive'' episode "The Illusion of Truth", commentators on the [[PropagandaMachine martial-law-era ISN network]] make a point to praise Sheridan as a great hero of the Earth-Minbari War, but put on "experts" who state that he was psychologically damaged and fell prey to "alien influences" through no fault of his own.
** A group plotting the subjugation of telepaths makes clear that they consider telepaths to be better than ordinary humans. In fact, that's the reason for their plotting: they believe that humans can't possibly compete with them unless we have an unfair advantage.
-->"We have ''homo superior'' versus ''homo sapiens''. On a level playing field, ''homo superior'' wins every time.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E3SchoolReunion "School Reunion"]], Mr. Finch has a healthy respect for the Doctor's intellect, and he is the only character Finch treats as an equal, even offering to share power with him. Now, Finch ''is'' a ManipulativeBastard, so he might be trying to play on the Doctor's ego, but either way, it almost works.
** Lady Cassandra from "The End of The World" gains a bitter respect towards the Doctor and his intellect after being bested by him and decides to work with him after possessing Rose Tyler in "New Earth," thinking that they have a better chance at figuring out the secrets of the cat nuns together. She also becomes infatuated by the Doctor's new looks to the point of giving him a passionate kiss and seems to enjoy her time as his companion without even bothering to reveal her facade.
** Cassandra also seems to develop a grudging admiration for Rose's beauty. She is a high-class Lady and a supremacist xenophobe so she possesses Rose due to her being a pure human and as part of her revenge plot, but she eventually becomes enamored with her new (Rose's) appearance, to the point that she goes out of her way to show off her new looks. Despite her classist hatred towards Rose, Cassandra also seems to enjoy being in Rose's body and [[ProudBeauty even proudly]] calls herself [[LastOfHerKind "The Last Human"]] even while possessing her, meaning she recognizes Rose as an equal that fits her [[TheEugenicist conservative and eugenicist views.]] So despite the bitterness, Rose is still one of the people Cassandra shows the largest amount of respect towards, reflecting her [[BeautyIsBest pretentious and materialist views.]]
* In ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' Thomas is a condescending ass to everyone and loathes the aristocracy, but he does respect conviction. When his time in the military places him under the command of Matthew, Thomas would later relate, in private, that Matthew was a good, honorable man, and when he's injured Thomas wishes him well in his recovery. He was stationed with Lady Sybil at the local hospital, and together they cared for dozens of injured soldiers from the war. [[spoiler:Her death crushes Thomas]] who remarks that she was one of the few genuinely kind people he's ever known in his life.

* In ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'', the BigBad Chairman Gamou generally treats the members of the Kamen Rider Club in an AffablyEvil manner, but holds a special respect for the main PowerTrio. He worked alongside [[TheSmartGuy Kengo]]'s father, and obviously sees echoes of his former friend in the young man. [[GenkiGirl Yuki]] managed to impress him with her enthusiasm for and knowledge of space exploration, and actually regarded her as a kindred spirit when she said that as a child, she heard voices she was convinced came from aliens trying to make FirstContact (because Gamou heard the same voices in his own youth).

* Played for laughs on the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode, [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S04E22TheDayTheEarthFroze "The Day The Earth Froze"]], when Tom Servo and Crow voice two of the witch's mooks as they watch watch the hero Lemminkäinen at one point
-->'''Tom Servo''': Yeah, he's the enemy but you gotta admire him.\\
'''Crow''': Yep, yep, tip your cap.\\
'''Tom Servo''': Pretty much.

* [[TokenEvilTeammate Garak]] in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' often compliments those who say they don't trust him, with "There's hope for you yet." He gives a similar compliment to Dr. Bashir in "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS04E10OurManBashir Our Man Bashir]]" after the latter shoots him non-lethally and then lets Garak know he ''might'' have been shooting to kill.

** In ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld''. Though throughout the movie exactly how villainous Loki actually is put into question somewhat, there is the line:

* ''ComicBook/AvengersTheKreeSkrullWar:'' Ronan, who is in straight-up villain mode for the story, admits partway through that despite their being aliens he's impressed by Vision and the Scarlet Witch.

* In ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'', Lucius Malfoy, TheChessmaster extraordinaire, expresses this -- albeit rather reluctantly because he utterly despises the man -- towards Director Nick Fury.

* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure'':

** This characterizes ComicBook/RasAlGhul's attitude toward Batman, as he consistently addresses the Dark Knight as "Detective" as a show of respect to the hero's intelligence and determination. The few times he faces Superman, he calls him "Icon." The only other person Ra's extends this honor to is Tim Drake (Robin III/Red Robin), who is regarded by Batman as the one person who will surpass his skills as an investigator.

** DependingOnTheWriter, ComicBook/TheRiddler doesn't just have respect for Batman, but is driven by it. For Riddler, it's not about money; it's about matching wits with the World's Greatest Detective. In ''ComicBook/BatmanZeroYear'', he even shows this for the few civilians who challenged him in Batman's absence.

* ComicBook/DoctorDoom:

** He also has respect for fellow brainiacs [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]], [[ComicBook/AntMan Henry Pym]], and [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]] -- the top men in their various fields. Their accomplishments are mere child's play to someone like Doom (though at least in Stark's case, he has on at least one occasion implied that Stark is the better weapons designer), but they are worthy of respect nonetheless.

* In DC's ''ComicBook/RichardDragon'' series, Richard battles against his [[TheRival Rival]] and ArchEnemy, ComicBook/LadyShiva (also a [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bat-family]] AntiVillain). Both of them have been, at different points in history, considered the greatest martial artists in the world, but Lady Shiva believes that the only true fight is a one-on-one DuelToTheDeath. During their match, Richard gains a decisive advantage and is poised to deliver a fatal attack, the Leopard Blow. With Shiva sure to die, several of her over-protective {{Mooks}} jump in to save her. An angry Shiva immediately kills the Mook and apologizes to Richard for the interruption. They resume the fight, and this time Shiva comes out on top, killing Richard. She expresses sincere regret that the fight ended this way because by all rights Richard ''should'' have won.

** ''ComicBook/SupermanSupergirlMaelstrom'': When the titular villainess complains that she was only defeated because Superman is a coward who needed ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s help, Darkseid retorts Superman is no coward, and she is completely out of her mind if she believes she can kill either of the Kryptonian heroes.

* When ComicBook/{{Thanos}} of Titan was dead, his ghostly specter visited the wasted and cancer-ridden Captain Marvel on his deathbed, saying "I've always had great respect for you, Mar-vell. You have always been my greatest foe, my arch nemesis. For one such as you, death should not come gnawing like some vermin. For you, death should be... a glorious event!" Thanos then seemingly restored Captain Marvel to his full health and provided him with his costume so that they might have one last battle together.

-->[[PreAssKickingOneLiner But understand this: I do not share it.]]

* ''Fanfic/TheManyDatesOfDannyFenton'': Danny manages to impress Darakseid in ''After the Dates: Danny and Barbara'' after using his [[MakeMeWannaShout Ghostly Wail]] on him, to the point where he contemplates having Granny Goodness train him to be one of his warriors.

** PlayedWith by Gabriel Agreste, who proves to be EntertaininglyWrong about Scarlet Lady; he repeatedly assumes that she's far more competent, cunning, and crafty than she actually is. For instance, he assumes that she has Chat Noir handle the bulk of the fighting so that she can keep her Earrings safely out of his reach, when she's just a lazy GloryHound who keeps StealingTheCredit from her partner. Once Gabriel finally [[InternalReveal learns the truth]], he continues to insist that she's employing ObfuscatingStupidity and "playing the fool", unwilling to admit that he's being outplayed and outwitted by such an incompetent {{Nominal Hero}}ine.
** PlayedStraight by Nathalie's admiration of Marigold, which is implied to be because she recognizes her as a fellow HypercompetentSidekick.

* In ''Fanfic/ToTheNightSky'', Justin Everson is a petty, nasty doctor who couldn't stand the idea of twelve-years-old Edward Elric succeeding in becoming a State Alchemist when Everson himself failed in spite of years spent studying (mainly because he was AxeCrazy). He nonetheless concedes that Edward is just ''that'' brilliant and rightfully earned his title.

* In ''Film/ManOfSteel'', [[spoiler:when Colonel Hardy draws his knife on Faora after witnessing her slaughter his men and absorb countless bullets without even flinching, she seems genuinely impressed by his courage.]]
* In ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'', ProfessionalKiller Francisco Scaramanga genuinely respects the hero Franchise/JamesBond as a fellow assassin of equal skill, to the point of [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim refusing to kill him immediately]] because the prospect of testing his mettle in a DuelToTheDeath with the legendary secret agent was too great for him to pass up.

** ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'': Adrian Toomes thinks Peter is a good kid and admires his tenacity [[spoiler:as well as the fact he saves both his and his daughter's lives over the course of the film.]] Even when Peter continues to try to thwart him, he'd rather convince Peter to step aside rather than have to kill him. Even at the end, [[spoiler:when Gargan wants to know Spider-Man's identity, Toomes pretends not to know rather than sell Peter out.]]

*** He also expresses admiration for [[spoiler:Peter Quill and Scarlet Witch]] when they [[spoiler:are willing to sacrifice the ones they love most to keep Thanos from getting more of the infinity stones, even if their efforts are ultimately futile.]]
** ''Film/AvengersEndgame'': [[spoiler:Subverted. A version of Thanos arrives from 2014 and finds that the heroes are trying to undo his culling of half the universe. He dismisses them as ungrateful losers who can't give up on the past ([[{{Hypocrite}} note his whole quest was an attempt to prove himself right to his dead species]]). He decides to use the Stones they collected to kill the ''entire'' universe and then remake it so that the new universe won't know what they lost.]]

* In ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' and ''City of Villains'', we have BigBad Lord Recluse, a [[NoNonsenseVillain no-nonsense]], nigh-immortal, [[WorldsSmartestMan super-genius of the highest measure]]. The man rules his own country as a SocialDarwinist utopia -- to the point that he encourages assassination attempts against him, though, he assures everyone only gets one chance. However, when the Player Villain goes to the near identical future and kills him, then returns with his helmet as a trophy, Lord Recluse all but gives them a golf clap and declares he acknowledges them as his peers -- ones which he will of course kill if they interfere in his plans but otherwise leave to their own schemes. Likewise, Lord Recluse has an automated airship of doom that routinely spawns over his capital as a "Giant Monster" type, the badge for destroying it claims: "You have successfully brought down one of Lord Recluse's flyers. Lord Recluse is amused." This sort of treatment of his fellow villains has resulted in both NPC and player villains having more respect for Lord Recluse than any other arch-villain. He’s a blatant CardCarryingVillain but he’s also an EqualOpportunityEvil, BenevolentBoss, and that goes a long way to a country of outcasts, thieves, and psychos, grateful for a government that lets them be themselves.

** In the final mission of ''Videogame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'', the Ethereals openly praise the Volunteer and his/her squad as they fight through the Temple Ship, because [[spoiler: the Volunteer and, by extension, all of humanity, have proven to be a species strong and intelligent enough to serve as the basis for their next generation of bodies.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'': In season 3, ComicBook/{{Lobo}} is hired to assassinate Forager. Nightwing and the Team fight him but Lobo is still able to kill Forager [[note]]Actually Forager's empty exoskeleton, which he'd shed as a decoy[[/note]] in spite of their best efforts. As he's leaving, Lobo tells them that they still did better than most and he respects their persistance and skill in the face of an opponent who was as far out of their weight class as he is.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': The Lich admits that Finn is strong (in fact, the only reason why [[spoiler:the Multiverse still exists is because countless different Finns keep besting countless different Liches in alternate universes]]), but adds right after that he is [[HumanoidAbomination a being beyond strength]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'': Silco outright tells Vander that despite [[CainAndAbel his betrayal and trying to straight-up murder him]], Silco still respected Vander. Vander [[LibertyOverProsperity choosing peace over rebellion]] is what caused Silco to lose it for him.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': In "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE41JokersWild Joker's Wild]]", Cameron Kaiser has a casino built [[spoiler:originally with a medieval theme, but then redecorated]] in a Joker theme. He makes a few dismissive remarks about the Clown Prince of Crime and has one of his goons let the Joker escape. The Joker intends to destroy the whole place, [[spoiler:which was the plan of Kaiser after the cost of building the casino nearly bankrupted him, [[InsuranceFraud to collect the insurance money]]]]. The Joker's reaction when he finds out he was being manipulated? To tell Kaiser, "It was a scheme worthy of me."
** The Joker also repeatedly shows a degree of respect for Batman, considering him a WorthyOpponent. In "The Man Who Killed Batman," a low-level mobster seems to murder the Dark Knight, and the Joker enters a VillainousBSOD. He even arranges a mock funeral for Batman and delivers a heartfelt eulogy about how much the hero meant to him. Granted, said eulogy is also being done as he prepares to kill the mobster who [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou "took" Batman from him]], but it's surprisingly sincere.
** In "Harlequinade," Batman enters an EnemyMine with Harley Quinn to help track down the Joker in exchange for her being freed from Arkham. At the end of the episode, Harley has realized that the Joker planned to blow up Gotham with a bomb and abandon her to her fate, and has him at gunpoint. The Clown Prince of Crime taunts Harley, saying that she doesn't have the guts to shoot him--and then she pulls the trigger. It turns out it's one of the Joker's fake guns, but he's genuinely impressed that Harley was willing to stand up to him and cries [[Series/TheHoneymooners "Baby, you're the greatest!"]] as he embraces her.
* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'': Magica de Spell greatly respects Scrooge [=McDuck=], her enemy for around a century. Throughout the first season, she constantly builds and prepares for a mythical "Final Clash" against him, despite multiple opportunities to have him killed, simply because she wants to defeat him on equal terms.

** In "Hereafter," one of Toyman's inventions seemingly kills Superman. Lois Lane is furious when Lex Luthor shows up at the funeral, but the billionaire admits that he genuinely liked the Man of Steel and will miss him now that he's gone.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': Emperor Belos commends Luz when she manages to catch him in a sneak attack and chip off part of his mask during their "[[CurbStompCushion fight]]" in "Young Blood, Old Souls", though he warns her that things will end ''very'' badly for her if she tries something like that again. [[spoiler:In Season 2, it's revealed that Emperor Belos's respect for Luz is partially due to her being a fellow human being like himself.]]

*** After Obi-Wan effortlessly clears the battle droids set to ambush him in the hyperdrive control room and runs off, one says "That was impressive." Grievous responds by [[BadBoss knocking its head off]].
*** When another droid claims that Anakin's maneuver was clever he ducks when Grievous raises his fist, though this time Grievous lowers it instead of taking its head off.

** In "[[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS7E11Shattered Shattered]]", a villain showing respect to another villain occurs. While Darth Maul despises his former master, Darth Sidious, when he learns what Order 66 is and the full extent that Palpatine has manipulated every aspect of the Clone Wars, he can't help but express sincere admiration for his machinations.
* Grand Admiral Thrawn has this for the crew of the Ghost in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels''. Despite being only one ship with five people and a (possibly homicidal) droid, the Ghost crew did enough damage to the Empire in Season 1 alone to warrant his attention. Several times, even when he's on the brink of destroying them, he is AffablyEvil (or FauxAffablyEvil, depending on the episode) and makes it clear that he admires what they've managed to do.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'': Even though the Shredder hates Splinter more than anyone in the series and wants to personally kill him, Shredder still respects Splinter saying he is the only one worthy of facing him and even showed excitement one time when he had the chance to face him.

[[caption-width-right:250:C'mon, when's the last time you've seen a bounty hunter turn down the bounty?]]

* In ''Anime/CyberpunkEdgerunners'', while at first [[WorldsStrongestMan Adam]] [[HeroKiller Smasher]] sees taking out David's crew as just a chore, after a prolonged duel with David, he muses [[BloodKnight he had some fun after all]], and offers to make David into an Arasaka construct.

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!

** Likewise, Prosciutto acknowledges Bruno as a worthy capo and the best person for the Boss to trust with Trish after [[spoiler:he drags [[TakingYouWithMe both himself and Prosciutto off a moving train]] to save his team from Prosciutto's Stand's aging ability]].

* ''Series/AndThenThereWereNone2015'': In the climax, U.N. Owen expresses admiration for his final victim's resourcefulness [[spoiler:before yanking the chair she's balancing herself on out from under her, leaving her to suffocate in a noose.]]
-->'''U.N. Owen:''' [[spoiler:What a beguiling woman you are, Ms. Claithorne. ''Vera''. Quite my favorite, really.]]

-->'''[[spoiler:Katakuri]]:''' ''(exhausted)'' Someday... will you... come back here... to defeat [[spoiler:Big Mom]]?\\

Compare AdmiringTheAbomination. Contrast YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame, where a villain praises the hero for a ''negative'' trait or action and the hero feels disgusted as a result. Compare VillainousValour when there's something admirable about the villain's efforts. Also different from BaddieFlattery, wherein the villain is still sincere in his praise of a positive trait but the praise comes across as utterly creepy and disturbing (though this ''might'' be a sister trope to that one). And, again, note the second paragraph above.

** Frieza, during the Namek saga, shows his respect for Goku's strength by offering him to join his army, considering it would be a waste if Goku died and even added that Goku would receive more work than Ginyu. Although, Frieza knew Goku would refuse, knowing how Saiyans are. Frieza gives subtle ones to Goku again, but this time, after he's brought back to life in both ''[[Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF Resurrection 'F']]'' and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper''. When Sorbet tells him that Goku has gotten much stronger, Frieza isn't surprised and expects it to be the case. When told the extent of Goku's growth, he's both surprised and impressed. When Frieza realizes what a Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan is and what it implies for Goku, he takes a sincere bow in respect to Goku for having achieved godhood. Of course, he follows it up with an insult about how the God of Saiyans is still a Saiyan, but the sentiment was genuine. When he's brought back as a VillainProtagonist during the Universe Survival arc, Frieza consistently refers to Goku with the polite-respectful prefix of "Anata" (which is the rough equivalent of "My Good Sir") even when he is enraged or thinking to himself. This contrasts the instances when he roared "omae" ("You~!" when addressing equals or social inferiors) or "Kisama" ("SCUM") after his VillainousBreakdown on Namek, and his uncontrollable contempt for Goku after being resurrected.
*** Frieza also respected Bardock, Goku's father, for his last stand against him, to the point that when he first sees Goku he immediately remembers him-the only one among the millions he slaughtered.
*** Likewise he shows a slight degree of respect towards Nail, the prodigy Namekian he battled during his attempts to get the Dragon Balls, owing it up to his impressive power level which Frieza even said would have made him a worthy minion of his army. Granted he proceeds to humiliate him after to show off but compared to others who Frieza didn't even bother to praise (such as Vegeta later on), him at least sincerely recognizing Nail's strength is notable.

** Goku Black, the primary villain of ''Super's'' Future Trunks Saga, has virtually nothing but respect for Goku, to the extent that he comes off as a LoonyFan; every time they come face to face, he heaps praise on him and tries to copy everything he does. He even says that being like Goku is his life's goal. It's taken to truly disturbing levels upon the reveal that [[spoiler: Black is in fact an [[AlternateSelf alternate]] version of Zamasu, who became so fixated on Goku after losing to him in a sparring match that he used a wish on the Super Dragon Balls to [[GrandTheftMe swap bodies with him]].]] He also praises the Super Saiyan Blue form, applauding Vegeta when he assumes it and declaring that it's magnificent to see a warrior race garbed in godly Ki.
* While few of the antagonists of ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'' are ''evil,'' characters originally portrayed as {{Jerkass}}es like Kakei or Mizumachi do come to respect their opponents. Also, it's revealed that Clifford, possibly the most antagonistic character in the series, came to respect Sena as a player and [[spoiler:[[BecomingTheBoast invited him to play for Notre Dame]].]]

--->'''Raoh:''' Come, let me see the face of the man who has defeated Raoh...You are magnificent, my little brother.\\
'''Kenshiro:''' Big brother...
** In the 1986 movie, when Kenshiro finally arrives to Southern Cross to face Shin, it turns out that [[spoiler: Shin had been defeated off-screen by Raoh himself before Kenshiro's arrival. Shin was already dying but he held onto life so Kenshiro would come and defeat him.]] Shin wanted to be defeated by Kenshiro's hands and nobody else because they loved the same woman: Yuria. This sign of respect was actually reversed from what happened in the manga and the TV anime: [[spoiler: Shin refused to die by Kenshiro's hands so he took his own life by jumping from the palace balcony. Kenshiro buried him out of respect for their mutual love for the same woman.]]

** [[Manga/GoldenWind Part 5]] BigBad [[spoiler:Diavolo]] gives his respect to [[spoiler:Risotto Nero]] [[DefiantToTheEnd for keeping his pride and choosing to try and]] [[TakingYouWithMe kill him in his final moments]] instead of accepting a quicker death at [[spoiler:Diavolo]]'s hands in exchange for [[spoiler:returning the iron he stole from Diavolo's blood]]. [[spoiler:Sadly, it didn't work]].
** Likewise, Prosciutto acknowledges Bruno as a worthy capo and the best person for the Boss to trust with Trish after [[spoiler: he drags [[TakingYouWithMe both himself and Prosciutto off a moving train]] to save his team from Prosciutto's stand's aging ability.]]

** Agaard Jum Sai, the One Shadow Nine Fists' Muay Tai master and the RivalTurnedEvil to Ryouzapaku's Apachai Hopachai, is the first noted example among the One Shadow Nine Fists. Shortly after Kenichi defeats Tirawat Koukin, Agaard's student and a member of YOMI, Agaard commends Kenichi on his tenacity and praises his ability as Apachai's disciple, while at the same time telling Koukin there's no shame in losing to such a skilled opponent. [[spoiler:Plus he gives Kenichi pointers on defending himself against a Master-class weapons user moments afterward, himself unable to help directly due to being temporarily paralyzed from his fight with Apachai]].

** The third example is the [[BigBad One Shadow]] [[spoiler:a.k.a. [[PapaWolf Saiga]] [[DisappearedDad Furinji]]]] himself, who commends Kenichi for his determination in protecting Miu, and later flashes his gauntlets to Kenichi from a distance as a mark of respect. [[spoiler:Possibly subverted, since he was GoodAllAlong anyway]].

** During the USJ arc, even Tomura Shigaraki has to pause for a moment to acknowledge Eraserhead's coolness when the latter prevents him from killing a student despite being [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beaten to a bloody pulp]] by the Nomu. During the Paranormal Liberation War, he acknowledges Eraser Head's coolness ''again'' when he [[spoiler: charges into battle despite knowing that Shigaraki is now powerful enough to destroy cities, in order to protect Izuku]].
** Muscular is a firm believer of the MightMakesRight trope, to the point that his concept of right or wrong boils down entirely to "if you can do what you want, then what you wanted was right". This, however, makes him respect whoever manages to survive or even fight back against him to the point that he's outright happy and proud that a hero managed to [[EyeScream take out his eye]]: the hero wanted to stop him and partially succeeded, so Muscular believes that losing an eye was the correct outcome.
** During the Internship arc, Kirishima and his mentor Fat Gum end up facing off against Rappa, an enforcer the Yakuza hired from an illegal pit fighting arena. Together the two manage to beat him, and over the protests of his Yakuza handler Rappa [[FairPlayVillain admits defeat]] and tells Fat Gum about a nearby room with a first aid kit where he can treat Kirishima's wounds ("Take care of that boy...no, that '''man''' before he bleeds out."). Admittedly, Rappa wants to show his respect properly by fighting Kirishima to the death, but that's just how he is.

--->"Dang, Izuku. '''''nice'''''."

** The first is [[BadassNormal Dracule Mihawk]], who as a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea is technically an enemy of all pirates but who proves himself to be somewhat of a FriendlyEnemy to the Straw Hat crew and to Luffy and Zoro in particular (Luffy due to Mihawk's past association with the former's idol Shanks, Zoro due to Mihawk being impressed with [[{{Determinator}} his tenacity as a swordsman]]).

** The second is [[AGodAmI God Eneru]], the BigBad of the Skypiea arc, when Luffy declares that he is going to be Pirate King (this example could also be a CombatCompliment since they're in the middle of a fight at the time).

** [[spoiler:Post-TimeSkip, Charlotte Katakuri. The absolute strongest of Big Mom's subordinates, out of all the examples listed here, he is perhaps the one that has come to respect Luffy the most. Over the course of their fight, Luffy's determination and refusal to condemn Katakuri for his physical and personality flaws inspires CharacterDevelopment in the man, and by the end, he's stopped fighting Luffy for the sake of his family's expectations and instead fights Luffy for ''himself''. By the end of the fight, Luffy is such a WorthyOpponent to him, that when Luffy proclaims he will defeat Big Mom and become the Pirate King, Katakuri ''genuinely believes him'']].

*** [[spoiler:With Oden, he was the first to physically wound Kaido, leaving a deep scar on his chest. Only winning after Oden got distracted by a shapeshifter posing as his son. When Oden was to be executed in boiling oil, he manages to survive it for a full hour, and Kaido, as a sign of respect, puts him out of his misery with bullet, while also revealing that he killed the shapeshifter that disrupted their fight]].
*** [[spoiler:With Luffy, he saw him as yet another "upstart brat" in a long line of them. When Luffy attacked him in a village, Kaido barely felt his blows and simply took him out in one hit. When the raid on Onigashima happens, Luffy confronts him and delivers a punch that actually hurts him. Kaido smiles and starts to fight. Even after knocking him out twice, Luffy keeps coming back. It looks like the fight is over, but like last time, Kaido's opponent is distracted (this time a government agent) and Kaido manages to smash Luffy's head. An upset Kaido seemingly kills the Cipher Pol agent in retaliation. But Luffy is still alive and ends up awakening his Devil Fruit's true power. Upon seeing Luffy return, Kaido is grateful and even apologizes for the distraction]].
* Boros from ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'' gives massive respect to Saitama as he is the [[WorthyOpponent first person who has ever given him a good fight]]. He's even fairly nice to him before they even fight unlike his minions. Even [[AGoodWaytoDie when he died he didn't mind because he enjoyed Saitama and his fight]].

*** After [[spoiler: Lu Bu's death, his subordinates and horse chose to follow him in death and charged at Thor. The latter smiled and gave them what they wanted in a sign of respect for Lu Bu.]]

*** Zeus VS Adam. Adam can replicate any move and technique he sees, because of this Gods such as Ares acknowledged his strength. Adam earned everyone's respect because of his absolute selflessness. Zeus stated he was foolish for thinking he could have defeated Adam easily and so he was forced to use his [[spoiler: Adamas form]] in order to win. The fight then became so intense that both gods and humans spectators cheered as one.

*** [[spoiler: After being pushed back on the defensive, Adam can't do anything besides withstanding a barrage of attacks. At this moment, everyone was certain that Adam was done for but Odin's raven comment that he was "one hell of a guy". Then Adam engages in a punch-out with Zeus. Adam dies in the midst of it but even in death his body relentlessly continues to punch back and only stops when Zeus is brought down to his knees.]]
---->'''Zeus:''' [[spoiler: Hey kiddo. Seems you managed to put this geezer flat on his ass. You're one hell of a man... What a shame... If this were a contest of endurance... no doubt about it, I'd have to give it to ya.]]
** Fourth round: This time, the "villain" is on humanity's side: [[spoiler: Jack the ripper; and he faces Heracles]]. In the end, [[spoiler: Jack kills Heracles but is saddened by this as Heracles showed indomitable love and kindness towards all humans but also to Jack in his last moments, choosing to hug him with his remaining strength instead of killing him.]]

** During his time as TheDragon to Takeda Kanryu, [[TheRival Aoshi Shinomori]] has just unleashed his illusionary sword technique to inflict a (he thinks) fatal wound to Kenshin. Upset at this, Yahiko declares that ''he's'' not going to run away even if Aoshi kills him. Prompting this response from Aoshi (and fortunately Kenshin [[NotQuiteDead gets back up shortly afterward]]):

--->'''Saito:''' Your punch is worthy of your reputation. However...your punch was born during the peaceful Meiji era. It would not have any effect on a fighter from the Bakumatsu.

** This characterizes ComicBook/RasAlGhul's attitude toward Batman, as he consistently addresses the Dark Knight as "Detective" as a show of respect to the hero's intelligence and determination. The few times he faces Superman he calls him "Icon." The only other person Ra's extends this honor to is Tim Drake (Robin III/Red Robin), who is regarded by Batman as the one person who will surpass his skills as an investigator.
** This is perhaps best seen in one issue of the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' comic. After Batman is mortally wounded, the Phantom Stranger summons every Robin to help, and they concoct a plan to break into one of Ra's's Lazarus Pits to heal the Bat. While Dick, Carrie, Damian and Jason go in to fight their way through the League of Assassins, Tim and Stephanie guard Batman -- and are confronted by Ra's himself. Instead of fighting, all they have to do is explain the situation to Ra's, who agrees that Batman deserves better and has his own men carry Bruce to the pit.
** DependingOnTheWriter, ComicBook/TheRiddler doesn't just have respect for Batman but is driven by it. For Riddler, it's not about money; it's about matching wits with the World's Greatest Detective. In ''ComicBook/BatmanZeroYear'', he even shows this for the few civilians who challenged him in Batman's absence.

** The best known is [[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist inspector Ginko]], in whom he admires his intelligence (one of the few people Diabolik considers an intellectual peer) and [[HeroicWillpower indomitable will]] (so great that TruthSerum just doesn't work on him, and when [[spoiler:he was forcibly addicted to heroin]] he quickly recovered with no ill effect once he got treatment), and has been known to get PISSED (sometimes to the point of murder) when someone insults him. Best shown in "Challenge to the Police", where a congress of criminologists all but called Ginko a coward, prompting him to resign, and Diabolik went out of his way to humiliate the man who had taken over the hunt for the King of Terror [[spoiler:while covertly preparing a heist that Ginko foiled-something Diabolik flat-out declared only Ginko could have done]].
** In "Death in the Fist" we meet Big Bolt, a former champion-level boxer who, after having his leg busted for refusing to take a dive, opened a boxing gym where he'd have small criminals train and learn an honest job, also using a list of secrets of the criminal world to keep the mob from retaliating for taking away their low-level workforce. His personality and cunning quickly conquered him the respect of a young Diabolik (who had infiltrated the gym believing he was turning low-level crooks into elite criminal mercenaries for the mob), and mob boss Sonia Yanez respected him enough that when she was led to believe Big Bolt had robbed her she decided to not retaliate and instead let him have the satisfaction. [[spoiler:When one of Yanez' men, who believed himself smarter than he was, tortured Bolt to find out his informations, Yanez left him to the police and Diabolik beat him to death]].

** In ''ComicBook/TheSuperRevengeOfLexLuthor'', Superman does not know why Luthor is saving him from several assassination attempts (later he realizes that Luthor is trying to drive him mad with paranoia), but even so, he gives Luthor credit for that in an interview. As reading the newspaper, Luthor has to admit Superman is fair.

* After Pinkie's chat with O'Malley in ''Fanfic/IAgainstIMeAgainstYou'' [[spoiler:-- and in the midst of a successful purging of the Meta's collected A.I. via the Elements of Harmony]] -- he gives her a grateful look before he disappears.

** Grey Worm is regularly congratulated by the Wolf for his courage and skill, especially when butchering unarmed prisoners. This particular praise is so odious Grey Worm orders a halt to the massacre.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11378510/5/Powerless Powerless]]'' upon learning that Xander brought [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]] back from the dead, [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Jack O'Toole]] compliments his work and mentions that his grandfather would love to talk shop with Xander some time. Of course, he doesn't know Xander simply gave Buffy CPR.

** PlayedWith by Gabriel Agreste, who proves to be EntertaininglyWrong about Scarlet Lady; he repeatedly assumes that she's far more competent, cunning and crafty than she actually is. For instance, he assumes that she has Chat Noir handle the bulk of the fighting so that she can keep her Earrings safely out of his reach, when she's just a lazy GloryHound who keeps StealingTheCredit from her partner. Once Gabriel finally [[InternalReveal learns the truth]], he continues to insist that she's employing ObfuscatingStupidity and "playing the fool", unwilling to admit that he's being outplayed and outwitted by such an incompetent {{Nominal Hero}}ine.

* Doctor Doom in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11737205/46/Spider-Man-Shoulders-of-Giants Spider-Man: Shoulders of Giants]]'' thinks Spider-Man is deserving of respect for not only disabling Doom's highly advanced nuclear missile, which even ''he'' thought was impossible but managing to survive getting blasted into space with it.

*** This goes the other way in that Cross actually respects Sengoku. [[spoiler:Until Enies Lobby anyway]].

** {{Averted|Trope}} with Alejandro, Duncan and Leshawna. With Alejandro and Duncan, it was the fact they used the same tactics as her. For Leshawna, Heather admitted she earned some respect, but she ultimately fell short and lost it because she was too easily cowed into submission by the desires of her team. Heather also admits she was still bitter at her for forgetting about the truce they made during Action when World Tour started up.