History Main / VillainousRescue

* Franchise/MonsterVerse:

* The ''Literature/AgentPendergast'' novels has Pendergast being saved by his brother Diogenes at the end of the novel ''Literature/{{Brimstone}}.'' Pendergast is sealed inside a wall to die by that novel's antagonist, and Diogenes manages to successfully break him out of his tomb at the very end and nurse him back to health by the time of the next book. [[spoiler: Though it is because Diogenes needs his brother alive since part of the big crime he's planning includes murdering people close to him and then setting him up as the killer.]]

* In ''{{Literature/Animorphs}}'', [[DragonInChief Visser Three]] assists the heroes twice due to a common enemy. In ''#36 The Mutation'', he activates the [[CoolBoat Sea Blade]] and lets the Animorphs pilot it out of the Nartec city. In ''#37 The Weakness'', he gets so fed up with the Inspector, an arrogant [[LightningBruiser and untouchable]] supervisor who has been giving a very bad report about Visser Three to his superiors, that he distracts him by groveling so the Animorphs can sneak up and defeat him.

** In the first book, at the battle at the climax, [[spoiler: the Alerans are saved from one horde of Marat barbarians by another horde of Marat barbarians, because Doroga hates Atsurak much more than he disdains the Alerans and Tavi won the challenge against Atsurak, so he had an excuse]]. They don't stay villains for long, though.
** In both the second and third books, High Lady Aquitaine, who wants to take over Alera, [[spoiler: helps the current lord resist another would-be ruler, because she can't conquer the country if someone else already has]].

* In ''[[Literature/ChroniclesOfChaos Titans of Chaos]]'' by Creator/JohnCWright, this is used twice in the same battle: when [[spoiler: Hermes has cornered and badly wounded all the Children, [[Myth/GreekMythology Ares and Mulciber]] show up to stop him]]. Then, as they are about to arrest the Children, [[spoiler: Echidna arrives to avenge her son's death, distracting Ares long enough for them to escape]].
%% * In ''[[Literature/{{Divergent}} Insurgent]]'', [[spoiler:Peter]] saves Tris and Tobias due to being a DebtDetester.

* In Creator/LouisSachar's ''{{Literature/Holes}}'', Stanley spends a few minutes here and there fantasizing about going back to his old school, with his newly acquired hole-digging muscles and possibly some of his newly acquired friends, and getting revenge on [[TheBully Derrick Dunne]]. In the end, Derrick provides Stanley with [[spoiler:the alibi that gets him out of Camp Green Lake]].

* ''Literature/LesMiserables'' Javert infiltrates the rebels, where he is subsequently discovered and captured. Out of nowhere, Valjean, the escaped convict who had eluded him for years shows up, is given the opportunity to execute him, and releases him instead. [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] because Javert is the antagonist.

* In ''Literature/TheWarWithLilliputians'', an Literature/AliceGirlFromTheFuture novel, Alice and two of her friends are rescued from the Panchenga criminal clan by Alice's longtime enemies Rat and Jolly U. It marks the start of their FriendlyEnemy dynamic with her that characterizes most of the franchise's later books, while Alice decides they are not hopelessly villainous and afterwards often tries to persuade them to give up crime entirely.

** In Chapter 4, when Henry is cornered [[spoiler: inside a Little Miracle Station by [[ItCanThink the Projectionist]], Bendy tears open a metal vault door, runs in, and gets into a fist fight with the other monster]].
** One way for Henry to deal with the Butcher Gang in Chapter 5 is to [[spoiler: get all of them to chase him to the crafting machine while he has the ink for the first pipe. As soon as he makes the pipe, Bendy will spawn in a walkway overhead and his [[WalkingWasteland ink]] will kill the Butcher Gang.]]

** Canonically the biggest example of this is at the end of the Who-Will-Die arc. [[spoiler: After the death of [[BigGood Statesman]]]] the heroes take a rocket into orbit to stop his killer from summoning a space god with the powers he stole from [[spoiler: old States]]. [[BigBad Lord Recluse]] sends his [[CoDragons Patrons]] to help. In the end, said space god curb-stomps the Patrons and [[HeroesRUs The Freedom Phalanx]], leaving only the Players - as the reserve volunteers and joined by ... Lord Recluse - who proceeds to beat the God out of the man [[spoiler: who killed his [[FoeRomanceSubtext heterosexual-life-nemesis]].]]

* Etna pulls one off in ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 2|CursedMemories}}'' to save the party from [[spoiler: fake Zenon]]. She is not happy about it. It borders on BigDamnHeroes as well, due to being a playable character later and a protagonist of the first game, but she's treated as a secondary villain and serious threat to the protagonists' plans at this point in the story, and rightfully so as [[spoiler: she manages to kill, or nearly kill, the fake Zenon in this encounter and]] she is the highest level opponent, at level 1000, the party will face (that isn't a bonus boss) aside from Laharl.
* [[TheChessmaster Flemeth]] of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' saved [[PlayerCharacter the Warden]] and Alistair from certain death at Ostagar and gave them vital information and the aid of her own daughter for their quest. Both to neutralize the threat of the Blight and for [[HiddenAgendaVillain her own reasons]].

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV Endwalker'', the final act of the expansion's story has [[spoiler:Zenos, major villain of the first half of the expansion, taking the form of Shinryu and travelling to the ''edge of the universe'' to aid the Warrior of Light in their fight against the eldritch Endsinger, breaking through the latter's pocket dimension. Zenos doesn't do this because the Endsinger is a common enemy, but because the universe-ending threat is too much of a distraction for his rematch with the Warrior of Light.]]
* ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians'': The main villain, [[spoiler: Cortana]], does this multiple times for John-117 and Blue Team by restricting the Warden Eternal's actions because [[spoiler: she still loves John and wants to [[SealedGoodInACan seal away John]] until she's done purging the galaxy of dissenters rather than kill him]].

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', Cerberus, an organization you spent several sidequests fighting (since they prove themselves to be WellIntentionedExtremist at best) in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'', is responsible for bringing Shepard back to life in the sequel. They also provide support and resources to Shepard at a time when the Council and Alliance are eager to wash their hands off the whole "Reaper invasion" affair, to the point that their behavior could be seen as a HeelFaceTurn. However, this gets decisively subverted [[spoiler:in VideoGame/MassEffect3, wherein they are once again actively causing problems for Shepard, and it is revealed that they deliberately doctored their behavior to appear more sympathetic and keep Shepard invested in the alliance.]].

* ''VideoGame/MinecraftStoryMode'': [[spoiler: If you go to Boom Town and beat Magnus in a duel and as a result become King, some people will start to consider usurping you. Then the Wither Storm shows up to level everything to the ground (in a way that puts even [[MadBomber Magnus]] to shame) and snack on the inhabitants.]]
* ''VideoGame/NocturneRebirth''

--->'''Dark Bowser''': Still here? Has the dark power not crushed your puny hopes? Soon this kingdom will vanish along with all who dwell within. And you, too, will sleep eternally in the dark power's embrace.
--->'''Bowser''': GWAHAHA! Great dark hurricane! Seriously, perfect backdrop for an awesome final battle! You really sweat the details! Listen up! You're saying the kingdom will vanish? NOT TODAY! [[EvilVersusOblivion THIS KINGDOM IS ALL MINE!]] SO YOU VANISH!

* Happens in the finale of ''[[VideoGame/SonicBoom Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric]]'' during the final boss. [[spoiler:Lyric ''finally'' figures out Sonic and friends have been using his tech against him and uses it to capture the team. Cue him getting hit by a missile, Sonic and friends being set free, and a certain ''heavily'' damaged HumongousMecha weakly standing up on the cliff:]]
--> [[spoiler:'''Eggman:''' Got him! Heh-heh...]]
* The [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit 8-bit version of]] ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]''. The platform is too far away, and Sonic falls to his doom. At the last second, he is saved by Robotnik, who would rather have his robot defeat him than letting Sonic burn into a crisp.

--->'''[[spoiler:Mr. Grizz]]''': In a few moments, Earth will be ruled by mammals once again
--->'''Octavio''': GYAH HA HA! Not if I crash your big finish! You're not dropping this beat on OUR turf!

* In ''VideoGame/WildArmsMillionMemories'' [[spoiler: Siegfried [[EnemyMine teams up with Rudy]] to take [[OmnicidalManiac Mother]] down. Mother fires a dark energy blast at Rudy, only for Siegfried to dart in front of him and take the blast instead because he knows Rudy is the best chance Filgaia has.]]

** More straight example would be the first appearance of [[spoiler: Gilgamesh]] in the Fate arc of the game - [[spoiler: when Caster had Shirou and Saber in the palm of her hand the enigmatic Golden Servant appeared and sadistically executed her because he already decided that King of Knights is his prize and was enraged by the fact that Caster dared to assume she can make Saber hers]].

* In ''VisualNovel/{{Sunrider}} 4: The Captain's Return'', Veniczar Fontana arrives at the World Fountain with the entire PACT navy in tow, just in time to save the Maray from Crow Harbor's ancient Ryuvian dreadnought. Saving them is completely incidental to Fontana's goals, however, and as soon as Crow is space dust, he declares that the Maray's captain, Kayto Shields, is under arrest. Later, [[spoiler:Kayto is saved from Fontana's clutches by the Prototypes, whose HiveMind has become [[{{Yandere}} fanatically obsessed]] with Kayto due to the influence of his dead girlfriend]].

* In the final battle of Volume 2 of ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', Mercury and Emerald join in the fight against the Grimm attacking the city when it was part of their plot for the incident to happen, in this case most likely to help keep their cover story as out of kingdom huntsmen active. Didn't hurt their reputation to be the ones who 'captured' the 'big bad' and bring him into custody.
* ''{{WebVideo/AFK}}'': Vanya and Sheena come to help save the camp from Clint.
* In Entry #52 of ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'', as [[spoiler:Alex holds Jay and Jessica at gunpoint, planing to kill them for [[HeKnowsTooMuch knowing too much]], the Masked Man sneaks up on Alex and attacks him, giving the two enough time to escape]].

* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'': This is {{exploited}} in the SeriesFinale, when Uncle releases [[Characters/JackieChanAdventuresTheDemonSorcerers Shendu]] to battle his son Drago, [[GodzillaThreshold after the heroes have exhausted all of their other options]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Disenchantment}}'': Lampshaded by [[NobleDemon Luci]] in [[Recap/DisenchantmentS1E3ThePrincessOfDarkness The Princess of Darkness]] when Big Jo plans on burning Bean alive just to exorcise her. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Luci's appalled at this]], even though he admits he [[CardCarryingVillain hates being forced to be the good guy]]. He ejects himself from Bean's body and quickly extinguishes the flames to save her.
--> '''Luci:''' [[LampshadeHanging I saved your life]], now I can go back to [[PokeThePoodle ruining it]].
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'': In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyAndFriendsE8TheEndOfFlutterValley8 The End of Flutter Valley, Part 8]]", the heroes are saved by the arrival of the stonebacks who, despite having been highly aggressive towards the ponies all episode and the furbobs for much longer, have seemingly been convinced by Honeysuckle to help her rescue her trapped friends from the bumbles.
* ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower'': During a sand castle contest, the heroes' submission, a model amusement park, which they had spent the whole episode on, is threatened by the rising tide. They're powerless to stop the water from destroying it before it gets judged, when suddenly, Lars, Twister's BigBrotherBully, shows up with his cronies, and they protect the model with their surfboards.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''

** Megatron does it again in the Season One finale. [[spoiler: This time by taking out the Unicron-Colossus that was giving the Autobots trouble.]]
** Starscream even gets one in, himself. [[spoiler: He saves Arcee from being killed by Airachnid and even decides to not kill her himself, presumably because he was in a good mood after hitting Airachnid with one of his shots.]]
** Early in Season 1, Bulkhead is almost killed in a one-on-one fight with Breakdown, who is tased unconscious before he can deal a killing blow. Bulkhead's rescuers were Silas and MECH, a terrorist organization. Downplayed in that they hadn't intended to save Bulkhead; they'd only been there to try and kidnap a Cybertronian for their experiments. Bulkhead was spared because the humans only had the means to take ''one'' Cybertronian back to their base, and Silas picked Breakdown.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998''
** One episode sees the villains of the week (the Gangreen Gang) defeated by Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins and Him, since the Powerpuff Girls themselves never realize what's actually going on (namely that said Gang used the Mayor's [[RegularCaller emergency phone]] to prank call the Powerpuff Girls into beating up [[NotMeThisTime villains who weren't doing anything]]). The narrator seems uncomfortable with making his usual OncePerEpisode [[SoOnceAgainTheDayIsSaved declaration]], given who saved that particular day.
** Also happens in an episode where it's discovered that Mojo's actions helped create the Powerpuff Girls. The narrator says that the day is saved thanks to the Powerpuffs, thanks to Mojo originally and all Mojo can do is stare blankly and repeat "It was me." over and over again.
** Happens in a MUCH bigger way in a later episode, when a huge alien overlord arrives in Townsville with the intent of proving himself the greatest villain, and promptly curb stomps the Powerpuff Girls and trashes Townsville with ease... [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome until Mojo Jojo, whom the alien had previously mocked, snaps and proceeds to beat the holy hell out of him, finally forcing him to admit that Mojo is the greatest villain of all time before escaping.]] [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments All the other characters immediately hail Mojo as a hero, while Mojo insists that he is a villain.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan''
** Sorta example in the episode ''Gang Land", where the current BigBad Tombstone is in a three way fight with Doctor Octopus and Silverman. When Spider-Man decides to get involved to stop collateral damage from the fight, Dr. Octopus suggests a temporary truce between the three villains so they can kill Spider-Man, since he's the cause of most of their problems. Tombstone rejects, wanting to stay a VillainWithGoodPublicity and can't do that if he fights Spider-Man in public, and actually saves Spider-Man from Dr. Octopus. It's only a partial case since when both Spider-Man and Tombstone fall into a sewer and out of view of everyone, he and Spider-Man start fighting.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' episode "Masks", Robin nearly falls off a building during a fight with Slade, only for Slade to prevent it. Slade's then-excuse is that he's "not done with (him)" and continues the fight. [[spoiler: In a later episode, Slade reveals that the real reason he doesn't want Robin dead is because he wants him as his apprentice.]]
** Slade does it again in Season 4 when he helps the Titans kill Trigon, because the world isn't much use to him if Trigon is already ruling it.

** In the season one finale, [[spoiler: Norman Osborn was about to unmask, and then kill, Spider-Man when Dr. Octopus injected him with a serum. He protected Spider-Man's identity, but it was mostly because a) Norman had mistreated him for so long that he [[TheDogBitesBack wanted revenge]], and b) ''[[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou he]]'' wants to be the one to kill Spider-Man. This comes back to bite him, though, as the serum turns Norman into the Green Goblin, and beats Octopus up so badly that SHIELD thought he was dead for a while.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'': In the episode "The End Of Batman", the villainous duo Wrath and Scorn have been assisting the rogues of Gotham by distracting Batman and Robin so they can escape. The only villain to not appreciate their help (especially when he learns about their plan to kill the Bat) is the Joker. When Wrath and Scorn (who know Bruce Wayne personally) are inevitably defeated and captured, they try to threaten Batman by saying that, if he lets them go, they'll never tell about his identity. Before they can, however, the Joker (who [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou doesn't want anyone besides him to expose and/or kill Batman]]) douses the villains with Joker toxin, erasing their memories and leaving them incapable of revealing Batman's identity. One of the ''very'' few times in the Batman franchise where the Joker did Batman a favor.
* In "No Good Deed" an ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' episode Lance saves a handicapped elderly lady for no reason other than it being the right thing to do. When he's praised for it, his friends in the brotherhood get the bright idea to [[EngineeredHeroics orchestrate disasters and then 'save' people to get good press]]. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Predictably]], they create a problem too big for them to solve, and all of them leave except Lance who helps Jean Grey and the X-Men save the day. Lance ends the episode brushing off comments on his heroism and firmly stating that was the last good deed he'd ever do. Come the finale, Lance and the brotherhood join the X-Men in an EnemyMine situation and Xavier's vision of the future shows they get a fairly happy ending. It's moments like "No Good Deed" that cement Lance's status as an Anti Villain.
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': Dr Doofenshmirtz often does this while fighting a GreaterScopeVillain. He recovered a stray kittie, defeated The Regurgitator, stopped Liam Mcracken from killing Perry,rescued Phineas Ferb and Perry from being crushed by his EvilCounterpart and saved the Earth from being plunged into a new Ice Age by Rodney.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons1983'' cartoon, Tiamat's main purpose seemed to be to save the kids from Venger. This wasn't intentional. Most of the time she probably didn't even notice they were there. She just had a tendency to show up and try to kill Venger right when he had the heroes cornered.
* Played for laughs: In the WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck cartoon "Daffy Doodles," Daffy (as the cartoon's antagonist) pulls officer Porky Pig back from falling over the side of a building during a chase. "Awfully sporting of the little black duck!"
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', the Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch step in to claim Doctor Venture for himself right before dozens of members of the Guild Of Calamitous Intent and its leading councilmen lowered him into a vat of acid. They succeed thanks Dr. Mrs.' {{rules lawyer}}ing against the leaders of the guild themselves, and further wind up accidentally saving [[spoiler: Brock and Shore Leave, who were simultaneously attempting a much riskier, separate rescue]].
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', Angelica rescues the babies from a bully named Josh who mistreated them even worse than she did, claiming that [[HypocriticalHeartwarming no one was allowed to pick on them but her]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985'' episode "Shadowmaster", Mumm-Ra secretly helps Lion-O defeat the Shadowmaster, only because he was scared that he would be replaced as the Ancient Spirits of Evil's champion.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' episode "The Halloween Spectacular of Spooky Doom", Zim rescues Dib from the Halloween monsters, [[spoiler: only to abandon Dib once more after Zim escapes back into their own dimension]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/StreetFighter'' episode "Strange Bedfellows", Guile and M.Bison are lured into a trap by Akuma, forcing them to work together in order to escape. During the proceedings, Guile loses his footing on the edge of a volcano and plummets towards certain death, only to be saved at the last minute by Bison. When questioned why, Bison simply states that whilst he'd have loved to see Guile burn to death, he needs him alive in case Akuma proves too strong for him to take on alone. At the end of the episode, Zangief prepares to shoot Guile from Bison's helicopter, only for the dictator (in one of the cheesiest moments in the series) to decline the opportunity.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'': In an EnemyMine episode between the Turtles, Fishface, and Dogpound against Baxter Stockman, Xever saves Raph from falling into a deadly fan trap. His reasoning for this is that ''he'' wants to be [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou the one to beat him]].

--> '''Magneto:''' Did you think I would let you die alone, Xavier?

* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Of all people, [[spoiler: Sir Crocodile]] in Marineford. By all appearances, he loves wanton cruelty. However, he pulls an epic move to save Luffy from an Admiral, with no reasoning given other than "If you're going to rescue someone, you should do it ''right,'' dammit!" Also an EnemyMine situation.
** In a flashback during the Egghead arc, [[spoiler:Wapol ends up seeing stuff he was never meant to see, and runs away in a blind panic. In his frantic escape, he accidentally rescues Vivi, who had been kidnapped by [=CP0=]]].

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' Grimmjow saves Orihime from two arrancar girls who were beating her up, and then fends off Ulquiorra from trying to kill Ichigo again, because he wants to do it himself.
** Kurotsuchi saving Ishida and Renji from Szayel is a version of this, since while they are all technically on the same side, Ishida considers Kurotsuchi his mortal enemy due to the whole 'torturing Ishida's grandfather to death' thing.

** Played straight in chapter 274 when one of Fate subordinates helps Ala Alba to deal with a fleet of battle cruisers. [[spoiler: And may or may not be after Ala Alba next.]]

* Bando in ''Manga/ElfenLied'' is an AxCrazy psychopath whose only goal in life is to find and kill Lucy/Nyu. But when the Hunter assaults Mayu, Bando comes to the rescue.
* Happens in ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' When Vegeta saves Gohan and Krillin from Guldo before he could skewer them. Of course it was all in an effort to save his own hide. Possibly played straight later, when he saved Gohan from Frieza's latest attack. Note that he didn't think he needed Gohan anymore at that point but [[PetTheDog saved him anyway.]]
** Happens ''again'' when he saves [[WorfHadTheFlu Goku]] from Android 19, kinda, sorta, by killing the Android himself because he believes no one but him should beat Goku, ''especially'' when Goku is not at his best.

* In ''Anime/DigimonTamers'', Makuramon essentially saves [=WarGrowlmon=], Rapidmon, and Taomon from being destroyed by Juggernaut when he destroys Hypnos. Although to be fair Vikaralamon was also about to be destroyed.
** On a similar note, Beelzemon, despite being even more evil than the Devas at the point [[spoiler: after he kills Leomon]], destroys Makuramon (one of the most evil Devas) and defeats Megidramon, who would have destroyed the world.
** Speaking of Digimon, this happens twice in ''Anime/DigimonGhostGame'', both times involving [[SuperpoweredEvilSide GulusGammamon.]] First, when Arachnemon is about to eat the brains of Gammamon and Hiro, Gammamon evolves into [=GulusGammamon=] and kills Arachnemon by a point-blank Desdemona down the throat. In the second instance, after Oboromon has claimed Hiro, Gammamon goes ''berserk'', once again evolving into [=GulusGammamon=], swiftly killing the Oboromon that took Hiro hostage, and inflicting great pain on the rest by consuming their wisps.
* In ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'', Saitama is frantically searching for something heroic to do to keep his hero license from expiring, but things are too peaceful and he's becoming desperate. He is saved when Faster Than Sound Sonic, eager for a rematch with him, starts menacing the neighborhood to goad Saitama into attacking him. Saitama one-punches him and his hero-status is saved.

* In ''Manga/DGrayMan'', Tyki and Road save Allen from [[spoiler: being absorbed by the Cardinal after he is imprisoned]].
* In ''Anime/MyHime'', when Nao abducts a powerless Natsuki on two occasions, Shizuru comes to the rescue, once before and once after descending into insanity over her feelings for Natsuki. In Mai's fight with Shiho, a {{Brainwashed}} and [[FaceHeelTurn Face Heel Turned]] [[spoiler:Mikoto]] intervenes by [[spoiler:destroying Shiho's child, which unfortunately also kills Yuuichi]]
* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}},'' Orochimaru shows up out of the blue and stops Sasuke from killing Team Kakashi. Kabuto explains that Akatsuki is a more serious threat than Konoha, and if they let Team Kakashi live, said team will probably take out an Akatsuki member or two. Sasuke thinks that this is a pathetic reason for not killing them.
* Happens a lot in ''Manga/FortOfApocalypse'', especially when Yoshioka is involved...
* ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'': Kenshiro's disastrous fight with Souther and almost rescue leaves him struggling in the middle of the desert, and bleeding to death. With his rescuer dead, Ken can only crawl blindly through a sandstorm, until his elder brother Raoh's soldiers happen upon him. They rescue him, dress his wounds and leave him at the doorstep of Ken's allies. Raoh informs the soldiers that he had them save Ken because he needs Kenshiro to defeat Souther, one of the few men that Raoh himself cannot defeat.
* In ''Anime/{{Endride}}'', Ibelda is busy choking the life out of Demetrio when [[spoiler:[[NotTooDeadToSaveTheDay Guidoro swoops in from nowhere]] with a [[{{Revenge}} grudge to repay]] Ibelda for slaughtering their teammates.]]
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': After the fight with Stain, a wounded Nomu grabs Deku and starts to fly off with him. Since Deku had previously demonstrated that he's the kind of hero Stain wants around, Stain uses the last of his strength to rescue him.
* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': During the battle of Doldrey in the Golden Age arc, Guts' sword breaks during a fight with the opposing general. Who does he see but the Immortal Zodd, who tosses him a sword. Zodd had two reasons for this; he considers Guts a WorthyOpponent and wants to fight him again, and to ensure the events of the Eclipse go off without a hitch.

* In the second season of ''Anime/SailorMoonCrystal'', Wiseman tries a sneak attack on the Sailor Guardians, but Prince Demande, who had just minutes ago tried to destroy the entire universe ([[spoiler:resulting in the death of Sailor Pluto]]), protects them and fights Wiseman, because [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou he wants to kill Sailor Moon]] and take over the world himself. [[spoiler:It ends with his death at the hands of Wiseman, and possible last-minute redemption implied by him calling Sailor Moon his queen.]]
** A more unique instance in Season 3. Where [[BigBad Pharaoh 90]] is trying to engulf the world, [[spoiler: Sailor Saturn uses the lethal power of the Silence Glaive on him. The side-effect? It will also [[EarthShatteringKaboom destroy whichever world he's in]]. Thus, Earth would have been doomed had Pharaoh 90 not given Sailor Saturn a final request: To be returned to his home star system, purely because he prefers to die there over Earth. Sailor Saturn complies, and thus Pharaoh 90's destruction only takes what's left of the Tau Star System (and Mistress 9) with him, but her dialog implies she would not have done so otherwise. Although, it can be debated whether this is what spared Earth, as Sailor Saturn implies Sailor Moon releasing light energy inside Pharaoh 90 might have had a hand in this.]]
* In ''Manga/GTOTheEarlyYears'', ''[[spoiler:Akutsu]]'' of all people rescues Nagisa from an AttemptedRape by [[spoiler:Joey and his cronies]]. Keep in mind that in the past [[spoiler:Akutsu raped and abused her so much that she developed a SplitPersonality]], not to mention the trying to kill people. When Ryuji gets back he scolds him for leaving her alone.
* ''Anime/CrossAnge'': Embryo exploits this to sway the Norma to his side. He saves Salia after she falls into the sea, revives Chris after she's shot in the head, and revives the little girls Ersha took care of, all the while preying on their emotional vulnerabilities.

* Despite being villainous, Zodon and Victor [=VonFogg=] are still ''ComicBook/PS238'' students and end up saving the world from [[spoiler:an AlienInvasion (with Zodon using a moon-based superlaser to deal the finishing blow when everything else has failed)]]. Victor ends up saving the world a second time when [[spoiler:he manages to create a clone of Tyler to convince Prospero to not [[EarthShatteringKaboom destroy the world]] in order to ensure no traces are left of the aforementioned invaders]].

--> '''Doom''': STAY your hand from the Human Torch, Over-Mind. '''DOOM''' approaches!

* In the ''ComicBook/XMen'' graphic novel ''ComicBook/GodLovesManKills,'' the X-Men are in the process of losing their first fight against the Purifiers, when all of a sudden the Purifiers' high-tech metal suits are shredded and turned into mummifying bonds. Enter the X-Men's then-foe, ComicBook/{{Magneto}}.
-->'''Magneto:''' Sheath your claws, Wolverine. Magneto is here as a friend... and, if you'll have me, an ally.
* This is basically the plot of ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil2013''. The Crime Syndicate has captured the Justice League and taken over the world with an army of supervillains, and it's up to Lex Luthor and a handful of bad guys who aren't drinking the Kool-Aid to take them down, saving the Justice League in the process. [[spoiler:This actually leads to Lex Luthor doing a HeelFaceTurn by the end, actually saving Superman's life on an operating table when he was under no obligation to otherwise.]]
* And in ''ComicBook/{{AXIS}},'' even the combined forces of the Avengers, the Uncanny Avengers and the X-Men - including the now renegade Cyclops, Magneto, Genesis and a teenage Jean Grey transported from the past are completely outmatched against the sheer might of the Red Skull. The same Red Skull, who had recently taken the brain of deceased X-Men founder Charles Xavier, and in addition to gaining his unmatched psychic powers, to make matters worse, recently ascended into the horrifying form of Red Onslaught) and his two colossal '''Adamantium''' Sentinels (constructed by Tony Stark of all people, albeit when he was brainwashed by the Red Skull earlier and didn't know it - which, in addition to their immense size and Nigh Invulnerability, were specially programmed to be able to easily capture each and every one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. In spite of their bravest and best attempts to take him down, each and every one of the heroes are captured and defeated in short order, leaving only Iron Man standing. Cue Magneto temporarily leaving, only to come back and save the day with an entire roster of Earth's Mightiest Villains - including Young Loki, '''Doctor Doom''', Carnage, Sabretooth, Mystique, Hobgoblin, Absorbing Man, Enchantress, Deadpool and Jack'O Lantern. Apparently, it seems that none of these supervillains (though some like Deadpool, Loki and Magneto himself were technically Anti-Heroes at the time) take kindly to the Red Onslaught's attempts to control the world. Even Carnage of all people, who freely admits to believing that a world ruled by Nazis sounds like 'fun', does '''not''' enjoy the idea of having to kowtow to Red Onslaught's twisted whims, even claiming it isn't 'country'. While the other villains occupy Red Onslaught and his Hero Killer Sentinels, Deadpool manages to get Iron Man to safety and to a nearby power line in order to recharge his Powered Armor. And as for the villains and anti-heroes facing Red Onslaught and his Sentinels? They rapidly take both Sentinels down (only struggling a bit against the latter one), free Scarlet Witch and Dr. Strange from their grasp (who, together, have the power to bring Xavier's personality to the fore in Red Onslaught through an 'Inversion' spell), and when Doctor Strange is suddenly knocked out once more - it falls upon Doctor Doom to take his place, and alongside Wanda, he manages to revert Red Onslaught to Red Skull once more, rendering him unconscious and defeated - and of course, freeing the other captured heroes and saving the world from Skull's telepathic broadcast of hate.
* ''ComicBook/{{Convergence}}'':
** In ''Convergence #3'', [[spoiler:ComicBook/Earth2 Dick Grayson is at the mercy of the pre-ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}} Joker until he is saved by ''Telos'', who wants Dick alive because he demands to know the whereabouts of his Earth 2 companions]].
** ''Convergence: Crime Syndicate'' focuses on Superwoman's teammates rescuing her from death row.
* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel

* ''ComicBook/TheFurtherAdventuresOfIndianaJones'': Happens twice in #2. First, Indy and Edith Dunne are saved from being [[WaxMuseumMorgue being turned into gold statues]] when crime lord Solomon Black and his gang assault the temple where this happening, causing the priests to flee and giving Indy time to figure out an escape. Later, Black tires of Indy's antics and is forcing him and Edith to WalkThePlank, when his Czechoslovakian registered freighter is torpedoed by Nazi U-boat. The ship explodes and sinks, while Indy and Edith are flung off into the ocean and picked by the U-boat.
* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel'': Hook, Line and Sinker (Unicron's minions) do this by accident in "Rhythms of Darkness". After being sent forward in time to capture Galvatron, they happen to arrive just as he's about to shoot Spike. Their attack on him forces him to focus on defending himself instead of killing his enemies, and seeing their foe overpowered and captured gives the few remaining Autobots new morale, enabling them to fight back and free the Americas.
* In ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies Halloween'', a young survivor boy is caught by some zombie superheroes who argue over who gets to eat him, until an old man arrives. [[Music/TheRollingStonesBand He's pleased to meet them, and he hopes they know his name...]] Mephisto, of course, does not even try to hide the fact that he has ulterior motives, and simply states that he's preserving the few souls that are left to be corrupted so he may still have his fun.
* In the ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'' album "A Cowboy In The Cotton", the Daltons rescue Lucky Luke from being burned at the stake by TheKlan at one point. Of course, as Joe Dalton has been shown to have [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou an obsession with being the one to off Luke]] time and again, this is not at all surprising.
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': In ''ComicBook/EndsOfTheEarth'', ComicBook/{{Mysterio}} had once saved ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' from impending doom. [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain Though Tony Stark wouldn't admit it.]]

* When Kyon is threatened by an enemy slider in ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'', Fujiwara (the enemy time traveller) and Suou (the enemy {{Starfish Alien|s}}) come in to save him [[BigDamnHeroes at the last second]].
* ''Fanfic/QueenOfAllOni'': Despite knowing that doing so will drain his own power, delaying his escape from his [[SealedEvilInACan prison]], and also that she wants to usurp him, [[GreaterScopeVillain Tarakudo]] still helps save [[VillainProtagonist Jade]] from [[EvilSorcerer Lung]] (by transporting [[CoDragons Left and Right]] to her location), because he simply can't allow one of his own kind to be tortured and killed by a mere human.
* ''Fanfic/TheImmortalGame'': [[spoiler:After [[BigBad Titan]] neutralizes the Elements of Harmony, he attempts to kill Twilight, only for [[EnemyMine Discord]] to show up and save her.]]
* ''[[Fanfic/MarioAndSonicHeroesUnite Mario and Sonic: Heroes Unite!]]'': Metal Sonic saves Mario and Sonic from the Giant Bowser Mecha's missile attack in chapter 43--simply because Mario is necessary for his plan, nothing more.
* ''Fanfic/JusticeLeagueOfEquestria'': a variation shows up in ''Mare of Steel''; Luna saving Rainbow Dash/Supermare looks like a standard BigDamnHeroes moment, when really [[spoiler: Brainiac tipped Luna off to Rainbow's whereabouts so she would be back out in the open and susceptible to his EvilPlan]].
* In the ''Fanfic/TamersForeverSeries'' [[spoiler: Gallantmon is saved from the Nightmare by [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou Piedmon]]]].
* In ''Fanfic/FallenKing'', Yami Bakura saves the group from Pegasus a few times, but only so he can take the Puzzle.
* In ''Fanfic/MegaManRecut'', Snake Man and Proto Man save Roll in "Robosaur Park."
* In ''Fanfic/TheBridge'':

** A crazed Kaiser Ghidorah is sent to the Equestria Girls realm, where he nearly murders Aria Blaze until he gets attacked by [[spoiler: [[BigBad Bagan]]]]'s avatar Enjin, who intends to kill him and give his power to [[spoiler: Bagan]].
** Later on, X ends up saving the Sirens from [[spoiler: Enjin's rampage]], mostly so he can capture them later. The Sirens in turn rescue X from [[spoiler: Enjin]] because only he has an understanding of how [[spoiler: to defeat Enjin]].
** The [[https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/747964/tales-of-the-amalgamverse-monster-x-vs-ultraman-belial-end-of-days Monster X vs. Ultraman Belial]] special has the Xilian high command sic Monster X on Ultraman Belial, unknowingly saving the life of Ultrawoman Corona when Belial had her at his mercy due to Monster X's asteroid prison slamming into Belial.

* ''Fanfic/FriendshipIsMagicalGirls'': Trixie's done this twice, saving the mahoushojou from other villains and giving them the opening needed to finish them off, [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou because she wants to be the one to defeat the girls]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' fanfic ''Fanfic/TheUltimateEvil'', Shendu pulls this on [[VillainousCrush Valerie Payne]] more than once. This is initially mainly because she is his [[WonderTwinPowers Other]] and can grant him unlimited power alive rather than dead, but there's genuine concern added to it over time.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11729865/6/Desperation-Attracts-Vultures Desperation Attracts Vultures]]'', Gaara crushes Dosu to death when the latter attacks Naruto after losing his fight. While not stated, it's obvious Gaara simply wants to kill Naruto himself.
* ''Fanfic/TheNewAdventuresOfInvaderZim'':
** In Episode 6, [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Norlock]] swoops in and saves Dib's new team from Tak, knowing that Zim [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou wants Dib for himself]].
** At the climax of Episode 11, [[spoiler: Tak saves Dib's team and Zim from the [[ManEatingPlant Central Root]], because she hates the latter more than any of the former]].
** In Season 2 Episode 3, Zim swoops in to save Dib from the alien bounty hunter about to kill him, due again to wanting the pleasure of killing Dib himself.
* ''Fanfic/ABrighterDark'': When Mozu and Sakura are captured by Nohrian raiders, tied up separately and awaiting a FateWorseThanDeath, who is it who saves them? Hans, of course.
* ''Fanfic/GuardiansWizardsAndKungFuFighters'': The Guardians and Chan Clan are overpowered and about to be killed by the [[DemonicPossession Oni mask-possessed]] Lothar, when the Tracker shows up to fight him, due to having a centuries-old grudge against the Oni.
* The whole point of the ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11767392/1/Frigid-Future Frigid Future]]: a reborn Red Ribbon, led by Commander Red turned into an Android and supported by the first generation of Androids (minus Eighter), has conquered most of Earth and killed the Z Fighters except for Gohan and Trunks, Androids 17 and 18 (AKA the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Devil's Pair]]), after helping killing Goku, are running amok on both the Red Ribbon and the few free humans remaining... And then Cooler, who had been busy for thirteen years asserting his rule after his father and brother's death, arrives to Earth to restore his family honor by killing Goku, and upon finding out he's been killed he targets the Devil's Pair and Android 1 for stealing his prey, and equips the Resistance with PTO armor and blasters so they'll keep the Red Ribbon and the other Androids from interfering. Even him [[spoiler:making a truce with Gohan even knowing he's a Super Saiyan and then going after Cell]] come back to his original motivation: [[VillainRespect he can respect Gohan]] and can reason with him, so [[spoiler:he's simply postponing their final showdown to after the death of the Devil's Pair]], and [[spoiler:Cell having been made out of the DNA of, among others, his family and their soldiers is just another insult to his family honor]].
* In the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series ''Fanfic/OfSheepAndBattleChicken'', Aria does this to Liara and Aethyta after their near-death experience trying to rescue Shepard's body from the Shadow Broker. Her motive is purely personal and malicious... she points Liara at the people responsible for Shepard's death, and forces Aethyta to watch her daughter go off the deep end in her quest for vengeance. [[spoiler:This is done to get back at Aethyta for murdering Aria's lover and unborn child centuries prior, and was done because being forced to watch the ShrinkingViolet Liara turn into a SociopathicHero was one of the cruelest things she could think of to torture Aethyta with.]]

* ''Fanfic/ADevilAmongstWorms'': [[VillainProtagonist Makima]] does this to the Wards and the Undersiders protecting the shelters by sending Leviathan flying with one of her blasts. Since they don't know her true nature, to them she pulled a BigDamnHeroes to save them, as she takes out the Endbringer.
* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': Near the end of Season 3, Aayla Secura and hundreds of other Jedi are laying defeated on the ground following a demoralizing CurbStompBattle from [[ArcVillain Inquisitor Tahr Whyler]], who gloats that he's going to abduct them all for [[TheyWouldCutYouUp experimentation]]. Lo and behold, the Jedi are saved by the shocking arrival of an unexpected savior, who singlehandedly overpowers Tahr in a duel and forces him to flee with none of his Jedi captives. [[spoiler:It was Palpatine (in his Darth Sidious guise), who personally intervened because he perceived the Inquisitor as a [[WorthyOpponent genuine rival]] who he had to [[EvilerThanThou assert dominance over]].]]
* In the Pokémon fanfic Fanfic/{{Traveler}}, Ash gets attacked and almost killed by [[spoiler:Zinnia]] while training at the Sky Pillar, only to be saved by internationally wanted criminal [[AntiVillain Jacqueline Durand]].

* The protagonists of ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'' are tied together by their cords and sinking into a pit of [[QuicksandSucks cartoon quicksand]] in a swamp in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, they're rescued by a DeusExMachina in the form of Elmo St. Peters, who takes them back to his shop. [[OhCrap His shop where he strips salvaged appliances of their parts to resell.]]

** Of all people, [[spoiler: Sir Crocodile]] in By all appearances, he loves wanton cruelty. However, he pulls an epic move to save Luffy from an Admiral, with no reasoning given other than "If you're going to rescue someone, you should do it ''right,'' dammit!" Also an EnemyMine situation.

** Happens ''again'' when he saves Goku from Android 19, kinda, sorta.

-> '''Luci:''' [[LampshadeHanging I saved your life]], now I can go back to [[PokeThePoodle ruining it]].

-->'''Mai:''' [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome "You miscalculated. I love Zuko more than I fear you."]]

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/patrice_pvz.PNG]]]]

* In one of the ending paths in ''{{VideoGame/Contra}} Hard Corps'', the player character is imprisoned when suddenly they are freed and rearmed by the crazed cyborg Deadeye Joe. Joe explains that [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial this is not because he cares about you]] and is instead [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou because he wants to destroy you himself]] in an ultimate battle.

* ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''/''Film/AvengersEndgame'': While Thanos is both delusional and hypocritical in his goal to save the universe from overpopulation and running out of resources by committing mass murder, he technically does save Earth and what Avengers he leaves alive from the corruption of the government. Ross and the rest of the government [[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar blame the Avengers for damage done to cities and civilian casualties]], which is not only MisplacedRetribution (given that only they could keep it as low as it ended up being), but also just as hypocritical as Thanos because a.) Ross was most directly responsible for the [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk damage done to Harlem when the Abomination was on a rampage and the Hulk had to stop him]], and b.) The government's solution to an Avengers-level threat is to [[Film/TheAvengers2012 nuke the city where the enemy is]], which would have caused far more damage and civilian deaths than the Avengers were blamed for in total. This leads to the Sokovia Accords, which not only leads to Captain America and those on his side becoming fugitives despite all the lives they saved, but Hank and Hope [[Film/AntManAndTheWasp being charged with violating the Accords simply because Scott used their tech]] ''[[Film/AntManAndTheWasp behind their backs]]'' (likely a pretext to obtain the tech for themselves). After the Blip, the world receives the wake-up call they needed, the Accords are presumably repealed, and Ross [[spoiler:attends Tony Stark's funeral]], indicating he has seen the error of his ways.

* Happens a lot in ''Manga/ApocalypseNoToride'', especially when Yoshioka is involved...

* ''TabletopGame/NecessaryEvil'' is a supers game set in an {{Expy}} of the MarvelUniverse, where the campaign begins after alien invaders kill pretty much every superhero on the planet. Who's left to fight them? The supervillains, of course, led by Doctor Destruction. [[spoiler:Although it turns out that it's actually a superhero called the Aquarian in Destruction's PoweredArmor.]]

* This is basically the plot of ComicBook/ForeverEvil2013. The Crime Syndicate has captured the Justice League and taken over the world with an army of supervillains, and it's up to Lex Luthor and a handful of bad guys who aren't drinking the Kool-Aid to take them down, saving the Justice League in the process. [[spoiler:This actually leads to Lex Luthor doing a HeelFaceTurn by the end, actually saving Superman's life on an operating table when he was under no obligation to otherwise.]]

...wait, aren't those the EliteMooks from [[SoLastSeason season two]]? ... [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Dr. Bludengutsen]]? Is that you? Why are ''you'' helping us?[[note]]Which might imply that there is an unspoken and bizzare sense of Honor between us that we didn't know about until just now?[[/note]]

* And in ''ComicBook/{{AXIS}},'' even the combined forces of the Avengers, the Uncanny Avengers and the X-Men - including the now renegade Cyclops, Magneto, Genesis and a teenage Jean Grey transported from the past are completely outmatched against the sheer might of the Red Skull. The same Red Skull, who had recently taken the brain of deceased X-Men founder Charles Xavier, and in addition to gaining his unmatched psychic powers, to make matters worse, recently ascended into the horrifying form of Red Onslaught) and his two colossal ADAMANTIUM Sentinels (constructed by Tony Stark of all people, albeit when he was brainwashed by the Red Skull earlier and didn't know it - which, in addition to their immense size and Nigh Invulnerability, were specially programmed to be able to easily capture each and every one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. In spite of their bravest and best attempts to take him down, each and every one of the heroes are captured and defeated in short order, leaving only Iron Man standing. Cue Magneto temporarily leaving, only to come back and save the day with an entire roster of Earth's Mightiest Villains - including Young Loki, DOCTOR DOOM, Carnage, Sabretooth, Mystique, Hobgoblin, Absorbing Man, Enchantress, Deadpool and Jack'O Lantern. Apparently, it seems that none of these supervillains (though some like Deadpool, Loki and Magneto himself were technically Anti-Heroes at the time) take kindly to the Red Onslaught's attempts to control the world. Even Carnage of all people, who freely admits to believing that a world ruled by Nazis sounds like 'fun', does NOT enjoy the idea of having to kowtow to Red Onslaught's twisted whims, even claiming it isn't 'country'. While the other villains occupy Red Onslaught and his Hero Killer Sentinels, Deadpool manages to get Iron Man to safety and to a nearby power line in order to recharge his Powered Armor. And as for the villains and anti-heroes facing Red Onslaught and his Sentinels? They rapidly take both Sentinels down (only struggling a bit against the latter one), free Scarlet Witch and Dr. Strange from their grasp (who, together, have the power to bring Xavier's personality to the fore in Red Onslaught through an 'Inversion' spell), and when Doctor Strange is suddenly knocked out once more - it falls upon Doctor Doom to take his place, and alongside Wanda, he manages to revert Red Onslaught to Red Skull once more, rendering him unconscious and defeated - and of course, freeing the other captured heroes and saving the world from Skull's telepathic broadcast of hate.

*** Ares saves Diana's life on at least two occasions after learning she's his granddaughter (he didn't realize Hippolyta was his daughter). On both occasions his actions have the added benifit (from his perspective) of ticking off Zeus, but this doesn't make him any more friendly or less dangerous, he's still Ares through and through and his care of his children and grandchildren is just as key to his character as his BloodLust and violence.

* ''Film/{{Prey|2022}}'': The Predator saves Naru from the bear when she's cornered, grabbling with and gutting it (not that this was its intent).

* In ''VideoGame/Onimusha2SamuraisDestiny'', [[NobleDemon Gogandantess]] saves [[ActionGirl Oyu]] from plummeting to a firey death by leaping in and grabbing her just as she's about to fall. Doubles as a PetTheDog moment, and it makes Jubei [[WorthyOpponent more respectful of his foe]].

* ''Film/{{Vice}}'': When the sweeper team first catches up with Kelly after she escapes from the resort, she is being confronted by a man who is planning to rape her. The would-be rapist [[TooDumbToLive attempts to attack the heavily armed sweeper team with a knife]], and [[NeverBringAKnifeToAGunfight is immediately gunned down]]. However, while the team is distracted, Kelly manages to escape.

* Of all people, [[spoiler: Sir Crocodile]] in ''Manga/OnePiece.'' By all appearances, he loves wanton cruelty. However, he pulls an epic move to save Luffy from an Admiral, with no reasoning given other than "If you're going to rescue someone, you should do it ''right,'' dammit!" Also an EnemyMine situation.