History Main / WorthyOpponent

* ''Fanfic/MyHeroAcademiaUnchainedPredator'': The Slayer views All Might as this by the end of the Steel Sabers arc. Despite losing his lung and digestive tract against All for One years ago, All Might still tried to stop him. [CurbStompCushion He was able to leave a bunch of dents on his armor]], but the Slayer still came out on top. To the Slayer, All Might was the first mortal man to [[BeyondTheImpossible actually damage his armor.]]

* The members of Music/{{GWAR}} have regarded their nemesis Tecno Destructo as such (though Oderus would still talk shit about him every chance he got)

** Tyra Miraborg became this posthumously for the Clans as a whole. During the initial invasion of the Inner Sphere, she was a pilot for the Free Rasalhague Republic who fought to defend her home. While trying to evacuate the Elected Prince of the Republic, she and her squad accidentally stumbled across the Clans' flagship, the ''Dire Wolf''. Trying to buy time for the Elected Prince's jumpship to escape, she and her squadron launched a swift attack on the ''Dire Wolf'' before it could launch its own fighters. When the Elected Prince's jumpship finally escaped, Tyra's squadron launched one final attack, at which point Tyra's ''Shilone'' Aerospace Fighter was badly damaged and she chose to [[RammingAlwaysWorks ram her fighter]] into the ''Dire Wolf'', striking the bridge and killing the Clan [=ilKhan=] in the process. This forced the Clans to halt their invasion for a full year as they elected a new [=ilKhan=]. As the Clans held the idea of achieving a glorious death in battle to be the pinnacle of what every warrior should strive for and they couldn't think of a way an individual warrior could top what Tyra did [[note]]Clan bidding rituals have no equivalent for "one fighter versus TheBattlestar" and the only way they can quantify her victory is numerical--which is to say, in their eyes she was effectively outnumbered ''12,770 to one''. Because she accomplished her desired mission without fail (allow her leader to escape) and was able to accomplish the additonal stroke of killing the most worthy enemy possible (their own [=ilKhan=]) while attacking and crippling the most powerful opponent (the Warship ''Dire Wolf''), they consider ''her'' the unquestionable victor of the battle[[/note]], they wrote multiple lines about her in ''The Rememberence'', an epic poem that the Clans use to mark great events. The Smoke Jaguars took it one step further renamed a newly developed class of combat dropship the ''Miraborg'' in her honor.

** Tyra Miraborg became this posthumously for the Clans as a whole. During the initial invasion of the Inner Sphere, she was a pilot for the Free Rasalhague Republic who fought to defend her home. While trying to evacuate the Elected Prince of the Republic, she and her squad accidentally stumbled across the Clans' flagship, the ''Dire Wolf''. Trying to buy time for the Elected Prince's jumpship to escape, she and her squadron launched a swift attack on the ''Dire Wolf'' before it could launch its own fighters. When the Elected Prince's jumpship finally escaped, Tyra's squadron launched one final attack, at which point Tyra's ''Shilone'' Aerospace Fighter was badly damaged and she chose to [[RammingAlwaysWorks ram her fighter]] into the ''Dire Wolf'', striking the bridge and killing the Clan [=ilKhan=] in the process. This forced the Clans to halt their invasion for a full year as they elected a new [=ilKhan=]. As the Clans held the idea of achieving a glorious death in battle to be the pinnacle of what every warrior should strive for and they couldn't think of a way an individual warrior could top what Tyra did, they wrote multiple lines about her in ''The Rememberence'', an epic poem that the Clans use to mark great events. The Smoke Jaguars took it one step further renamed a newly developed class of combat dropship the ''Miraborg'' in her honor.

** The Doctor is seen as a Worthy Opponent by just about anybody with the slightest martial tilt to their culture. Notably, [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Dalek]] machinery that normally needs to scan in pure Dalek DNA to work [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E3VictoryOfTheDaleks will also]] accept the Doctor's testimony of an individual's Dalekness instead.

* {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective''. Although Literature/SherlockHolmes and Professor Moriaty may have had a healthy respect for each other, Basil and Rattigan very clearly do not. When they first meet on screen Rattigan is superficially courteous, but only because he's naturally [[FauxAffablyEvil smarmy]] and it's clear his friendly demeanour is disingenuous. Meanwhile Basil tells him "Rattigan, no-one can have a higher opinion of you than I have... and I think you're a slimy, contemptible sewer rat!"

** Even the AffablyEvil villain Dukat also held an unrequited view of Sisko as this, until "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS06E11Waltz Waltz]]", in which Sisko pushes Dukat to a HeelRealization, with the undesired effect of Dukat embracing his villainy and becoming unambiguously evil.

* ''Literature/TheAngloAmericanNaziWar'' depicts an AlternateHistory where the Nazis defeat and dismantle the Soviet Union, a stalemate ensues in 1943, and hostilities are only resumed in 1958. When the Allies begin to launch an invasion of occupied Europe, the original Heer troops who conquered Europe before are pressed back into service. Despite their advanced age and outdated weaponry, their experience and methodical approach to battle earn them a few impressive performances and plenty of cred. This contrasts with the Schutzstaffel (SS) (who are {{Sociopathic Soldier}}s) and the Hitler Youth (who are [[ChildSoldiers and just plain pitiable]]).

* Robin and the second Red X in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. One could argue that Slade considers Robin a Worthy Opponent but Robin simply sees Slade as a diabolical villain.
** X also has a crush on Starfire; in one episode, he pinned her, then called her "cutie" and remarked that the "only crime" between them was that they hadn't gone on a date. (However, her response was to blast him with her EyeBeams.)
* The Lizard King certainly considers Michelle to be a formidable opponent when they play Squid-Tac-Toad in the ''WesternAnimation/ThreeTwoOnePenguins'' episode, "The Cheating Scales of Bullamanka".

-->"There will be no war on this day, Optimus Prime; You have earned Galvatron's respect."
%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': Brock Samson and Molotov Cocktease are one part this, two parts really ''frustrating''.

* Infernal TabletopGame/{{Exalted}} can burn off Limit by adopting an enemy as one of these and taking steps to haul them into conflict. The Act of Villainy in question is even referred to as "Best Enemy Recognition", and was developed for the Yozi Szoreny, who would periodically spare his Solar opponents because he didn't want to lose such interesting foes.
* Creator/GamesWorkshop games
** In ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'', it turns out that many of the servants of Khorne are ''absolutely delighted'' that Sigmar created the Stormcast Eternals -- basically the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einherjar Einherjar]] of Myth/NorseMythology. After thousands of years of slaughtering defenceless weaklings, they've ''finally'' got a real fight on their hands.

* TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}: the Sword Worlders and the Aslan in Darrian service believe in this so much that they have a system of bars for them to visit each other when they are not busy killing each other.
** In one side-story, it was told how there was a clan dispute that was to be solved by an Aslan style (with claws) duel to first blood between two female Aslan. One of them was completely untrained but she held steady while her opponent circled around. Finally, her opponent nicked herself on the newbie's claw and said "I submit to the [[{{Determinator}} stronger spirit]]."

* Wresrling/DustyRhodes had a very long and bitter feud with rival Wrestling/OleAnderson. After several years of rivalry, Rhodes once commented in a promo for an upcoming match between the two, “If this is the end, I’m glad it’s me and you.”