Call on Me

"Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend"

— From "You've Got a Friend", written by Carole King

A character is in over his/her head or had wandered into danger somehow. But as soon as he/she shouts the name of a love interest, friend, relative, bodyguard, ally, whatever, the character so summoned shows up to save the day.

Similar to Just Whistle, and a more benign cousin of Speak of the Devil. Compare Say My Name.

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Examples:

Anime And Manga

• In Bakemonogatari, when Araragi is being choked by Black Hanekawa, he calls out to Shinobu, who has been hiding in his shadow: she bites Hanekawa and drains her stress.
• In Campione!, if someone who knows Godou personally is in danger and calls his name, he can instantly teleport to their location, even if they are in the Netherworld. He can only do this once a day.
• FLCL:"I'm the one who's here! I'm the one who's gonna save you! CONTE!" The robot appears immediately and Naota "steps into the cockpit" so to speak so they can save the day together.
• Fushigi Yuugi: Tamahome makes a promise to Miaka that he'll always be there for her, and they become so close that Tamahome is able to hear Miaka calling for him when she needs him.
• Goblin Slayer may not be able to empathize with Sword Maiden (having only been a witness to goblins raping, torturing and killing his sister instead of a victim like Sword Maiden), but he promises to come to her aid if goblins ever trouble her again.
  Goblin Slayer: If any more goblins appear, call for me. I'll kill the goblins for you.
  Sword Maiden: (falls to her knees in shock) Even... Even in my dreams?
  Goblin Slayer: Yeah.
  Sword Maiden: You will come?
  Goblin Slayer: Yeah. Because I'm the Goblin Slayer.
• In Episode 5 of the Gravitation anime, Yuki miraculously pops up in the doorway when Shuichi screams for Yuki to help him.
• This is the first thing that happens in Hayate the Combat Butler, and continues on through the series. Anyone calling upon the titular Hayate summons him instantly.
• In Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure, Mashiro wishes that Ageha could come and stay with her and the other Cures. Almost immediately, Ageha is summoned to the Nijigaoka household with suitcases to move it.
• Yuuno and Fate's Big Damn Heroes moment in the first episode of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's was preceded by Nanoha mentally shouting out their names.
• Negima! Magister Negi Magi has a more direct version of this in the form the pactio partnership involves the mage having to yell the partner's name to call them immediately to the scene. Naturally, it backfires horribly at least once when Negi summons Asuna while she's taking a shower. While her crush is standing right next to him...
  • And for a non pactio version, as soon as Chisame yells for help against the cloth eating octopus monster Negi instantly appears and beats it to a pulp.
• Subverted in Princess Resurrection by Sawawa Hiyorimi, Hiro's older sister, who will frequently sense Hiro in danger, only to ignore it and continue eating a parfait.
• Happened once in RahXephon. When Ayato was trying to get to TERRA HQ on foot, he yelled out the Xephon's name and it immediately left its water tank, flying to him on its own.
• Amusingly subverted in the Sengoku Basara anime. Seeing that Kasuga is determined to go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against Oda Nobunaga in spite of his efforts to dissuade her, Sarutobi Sasuke gives Kasuga what seems to be a whistle and tells her to blow it if she's in trouble. When that inevitably happens, the "whistle" turns into a rocket-powered glider. Kasuga later admits that she thought the whistle would somehow summon Sasuke to her rescue, and he replies that that would obviously be impossible. "But, hey, I'm here now!"
• Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Kamina summons Simon in a rather suggestive way during the hot springs episode.

Comic Books

• An issue of Thor set after Captain America's death had the titular God of Thunder visiting Cap's memorial and remembering a promise the The Avengers had made on his hammer - if one called, they would come no matter the distance. Thor's hammer had the power to pass between worlds. Thor was able to have a Dead Person Conversation with Cap by shouting "Avengers Assemble!"
• The Sandman (1989): In the story arc "The Doll's House", Gilbert tells Rose to read the name "Morpheus" aloud if she's ever in any trouble. Sure enough, when the Serial Killer Funland tries to rape her, she says it and Morpheus earns a Moment of Awesome.
• The Golden Age portrayal of Captain Marvel was something like this. He was portrayed more as a distinct character, rather than as Billy Batson in an adult body.
• Two words: "Superman, help!" Justified, considering Superman's super hearing.
• Wonder Woman Vol 1: Diana tells her friends to call on her anytime for aid, and while she doesn't have Superman's level of hearing she did give Steve Trevor and Etta Candy mental radios when she said this and has low level telepathy that ensures she picks up on it when they make a mental call for help.

Fanfic

• Possibly a use of this trope in the dreaded badfic legolas by laura:
  Gandalf said"I wish Frodo and Merry and Pippen and Sam was here"and then a sword came out of nowhere and said"some wished us here"and then Gandalf turned and said"Frodo Baggins why you doing here".
• On the absolute opposite end of the fanfic merit scale, this is eventually what tends to happen whenever Shinji And Warhammer 40 K's Apocalypse Rei senses that her God-Emperor is in danger.
• In Neither a Bird nor a Plane, it's Deku!, K.E.L.E.X. hides himself and Izuku's spaceship at the North Pole to keep Kryptonian secrets away from those who would use them for evil. He installs an app on Izuku's phone to give him guidance and instruction at any time.

Films — Live-Action

• MacLeod calls Ramirez this way in Highlander II: The Quickening, despite him being dead since the first film.
• In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, when Treebeard (carrying Merry and Pippin) learns that part of Fangorn forest has been felled for firewood by Saruman's orcs, he summons the other Ents, who arrive almost immediately — despite the fact that we've seen how huge Fangorn forest is, and Treebeard is now a very long way from where we last saw the Ents, and the Ents usually take hours or days to make important decisions anyway.
• Invoked in A Nightmare on Elm Street, specifically the fourth movie: The Dream Master. Kristen, when pulled into a nightmare, calls the names of the remaining Dream Warriors, summoning them into her dreams.
  • "Dammit Kristen, not again!
• Subverted in The Night of the Hunter, when Uncle Birdie tells the kids that if they're ever in trouble, they can call on him. When they need his help, he's passed-out drunk. At least he's finished fixing that skiff.
• The Transformers Film Series has a couple. The second film has Sam (and his dad) calling out for Bumblebee, who then busts in and starts slagging Mini-Decepticons like nobody's business. Later in the same film, Sam calling 'bee again signals our silent yellow hero to start kicking Rampage's tailpipe. The third film's trailer has Sam invoking this to call "Optimus!" to the field, upon which Prime flies in and starts carving through Decepticons.

Literature

• Eldest Whistler cheers up her brother near the end of A Brother's Price by telling him he can always call on her and their sisters.
  "Chin up. Eyes front. Show no fear. You're a Whistler — and your family will always be there if you need us."
• Chrestomanci appears whenever he's called, not always when it's convenient for him. He often appears in his dressing gown.
• Conan the Barbarian:
  • In "Iron Shadows in the Moon", Olivia dreams that a demigod called on his Physical God father for protection. Alas, the protection finds You Are Too Late and can only avenge him.
    Then lifting his head toward the ceiling and the skies beyond, he cried out a name in an awful voice. A dagger in an ebon hand cut short his cry, and the golden head rolled on the ivory breast.
    As if in answer to that desperate cry, there was a rolling thunder as of celestial chariot-wheels, and a figure stood before the slayers, as if materialized out of empty air. The form was of a man, but no mortal man ever wore such an aspect of inhuman beauty.
  • In "The Frost-Giant's Daughter", the title character, Atali, is saved from Conan when she shouts "Ymir! Oh, my father, save me!"
• In The Dresden Files, names are used in summoning. Giving your full name can give other people/beings control over you.
• Variant in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: help comes for Harry not only because he said Dumbledore's name but because he did so in a way that demonstrates loyalty to Dumbledore.
• The Lord of the Rings:
  • Tom Bombadil taught Frodo and his friends a song they could sing if they were ever in trouble and needed his help. It only works if they sing it while on Tom's property, however.
    Ho! Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo!
    By water, wood and hill, by the reed and willow,
    By fire, sun and moon, harken now and hear us!
    Come, Tom Bombadil, for our need is near us!
  • The Melbourne House text adventure adaptation includes a beginner's version where the song works anywhere; using it on the first move allows almost the entire game to be Dungeon Bypassed.
• In The Magicians graduates of Brakesbills have a cocademon trapped in their back that they can summon to fight for them by saying a secret word.
• Since his magical communication acorns work over continent-wide distances, Quick Ben from Malazan Book of the Fallen is prepared to be called on by Kalam should the assassin be in trouble no matter how far they are apart. In The Bonehunters it doesn't work out, because Shadowthrone intervenes.
• A book called The Marshal, no relation to the TV show, featured an apparent ghost who, as the cover blurbs put it, seemed to be summoned by the cries of innocent people threatened by murderers in late-20th-century California. He wore late-19th-century clothing and carried an unusually long-barreled Colt Peacemaker ... later identified as having once belonged to U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp.
  He hears the victims' screams, and he is there. The bullet-spitting image of Wyatt Earp! But Wyatt Earp is dead ... isn't he? (Front cover blurb)
• Used by Elspeth in The Obernewtyn Chronicles. When she thinks that she is drowning, Elspeth calls out Maruman’s name in despair. Due to an ancient prophecy, this then unintentionally summons a shipfish (dolphin) who is able to save her. She later invokes this when needing to quickly get from Herder Isle to the west coast.
• In Pact, saying a practitioner's name creates a connection between the speaker and the named that can be seen with Aura Vision, allowing them to find one another. It's described as being intensely irritating.
• In The King's Buccaneer, Pug gives Nicholas a charm that will summon him if his name is called. He uses it once early on when things are bad, and then Pug pulls a Deus Exit Machina for the rest of the story until the last minute, while being pursued by a ship full of zombies led by a superpowerful necromancer, Nicholas calls Pug again. Pug arrives on the back of a dragon and promptly obliterates the enemy.
• In the Spiral Arm series, Tina Zhi is capable of instantly teleporting to Domino Tight's side if he speaks her name twice. While Domino does take advantage of his to call on her for help, it also overlaps a bit with Speak of the Devil because Tina is an extremely amoral and dangerous person; Domino makes certain to warn his allies that they should never speak Tina's name in his presence.
• Sort of used in the Sword of Truth series, where a dragon who gives another one of its teeth can simply concentrate and — once — the dragon will appear very rapidly to aid the caller.
• The Ranyhyn in Thomas Covenant, magic horses who always show up when called, even if they're weeks away, thanks to convenient psychic powers.
  • Nom the sandgorgon.
• In the Young Wizards series, 'names' are a rather complex subject. However, your given name is still a part of you, so it can be used in a summoning spell. Though, as far as summonings go, it's less "I command you to come hither!" and more "Hey, we need you here, could you please make your way over at the earliest convenience?"

Live Action TV

• The Aquabats! Super Show!: "I summon THE DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE!!!"
• Leo and other whitelighters of Charmed can hear their charges anywhere as long as they are not in the Underworld.
• In Knightmare, sometime-ally Hordriss could be summoned to aid the dungeoneer by having him say his calling name, "Malefact", three times. Other characters had calling names too.
• Supernatural: Angels can hear someone praying to them, either verbally or even if they are just thinking about them. The angels don't always respond, and occasionally the heroes run afoul of the angels and have to ward themselves against being located by them. Yet, several times Dean and Sam are shown praying to Castiel so he can assist them, which he often does.

Music

• The song "Call On Me" from Safe as Milk by Captain Beefheart.

Mythology

• Gesta Danorum: Kraka the sorceress promises her stepson Erik that she will aid him in any kind of dire straits if he calls out her name. Much later, when Erik and his newlywed wife are being attacked by assassins in their bedchamber, Erik calls out his stepmother's name; suddenly a shield drops from the rafters, covers Erik's body and thus saves his life.

Tabletop RPG

• 3.5 D&D has Truenaming — which, near the high levels, gives a feat called "Say My Name And I Am There". By giving a True-nickname, the character can be summoned by their comrades; the character is aware of who is summoning them, what the general situation is, and can choose whether or not to be teleported.

Video Games

• In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim the Dragonborn learns this from the dragon Odahviing near the end of the main quest, and in the Dawnguard DLC you learn another, Durnehviir.
• In Fate/stay night, at one point Shirou is in danger, but Saber is still at home, several tens of minutes away. Shirou tries to run but is thrown from a window several stories in the air. In desperation, he calls out Saber's name, and she instantly appears and catches him. This normally wouldn't be possible (Saber cannot teleport), but Shirou invoked one of his Command Spells when calling for Saber, which empowered her to do something she normally wouldn't be able to.
• In the Final Fantasy series, it is implied Summoners must do this when they Summon various monsters to attack. Such as Final Fantasy IV when you learn to summon several monsters, they say something like "You have proven your strength. When you need my help, call my name."
• When using a Greater Call in Hades, Zagreus will yell out the name of the god or goddess he's invoking, and they'll respond with a Pre-Asskicking One-Liner before dropping a lot of hurt on the battlefield. Played for laughs with Hades' aid. It's possible to invoke him during his own boss fight, causing him to respond with "What?" or "Shut up!"
• In Kingdom Hearts III, there's a scene in the Mysterious Tower where Sora insists (again) he should be the one to rescue Aqua from the Realm of Darkness. Riku puts a hand on his shoulder and tells him he knows Sora's worried about him and Mickey going there alone, but he truly needs the power of waking before he can join them. Sora begrudgingly agrees with him, and then says "But be safe. No reckless stunts!" in English. However, in Japanese, Sora actually says 「でも 無理しないで 何かあったら呼んでくれよ」, which translates to, “But don't overdo it. Call me if anything happens.” Calling Sora for help (by simply uttering his name) is exactly what Riku does when he gets overwhelmed by the Demon Tide in the Realm of Darkness, during the infamous "Press △ to Sora" scene.
• In Majora's Mask, Link is told by the four giants to "Call us." Of course, the poor kid has to do quite a bit of legwork before he can successfully do so.
• Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan: OOOOUUUUEEEENNNNDAAAAAANNNN!!!
  • HEEEEEEAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLP!
• Characters in the Persona series will either shout out "Persona!" when summoning the titular magical beings, or they'll shout out the persona's name (typically when about to land a critical hit or exploiting an elemental weakness), which can be hilarious when the persona is named something very non-threatening ("PIXIE!")
  • Back in the original Shin Megami Tensei, the game begins with the main character encountering, in order, the Law Hero, Chaos Hero and Heroine in his dreams. He is specifically told to call their names in order to summon them (which was how the game worked its character-naming into the story). In the case of Heroine, doing so broke up a ritual to drain her powers.
• The "Path of Glouphrie" quest in Runescape ends with the Player Character stuck in a Death Trap. As you start to collapse from the poison gas, you cry out mentally for help. Lo and behold, the telepathic gnome Hazelmere from earlier in the quest hears you and teleports in to rescue you just in time.
• Although chronologically inaccurate, in Shadow Hearts: From The New World, Johnny gets an ability called "Phone Call" where he pulls out a cellphone (it's in 1929, where did he get that thing?) and shouts "Lenny!" into it, and sure enough, Lenny comes rushing in and clobbers the enemy using a power he got from the previous game.
• Touhou Project: "TASUKETE EIRIIIN!"
  • Let's elaborate: The 8th Touhou Project game, Touhou Eiyashou ~ Imperishable Night, has two Final Bosses: The princess of the moon Kaguya and her Dragon Eirin. Choosing to fight Eirin gives you a normal ending, while beating Kaguya leads to the good ending and resolves the plot in the best way possible. Despite this, the fight against Eirin is the harder of the two. This coupled with the somewhat spoiled personality of Kaguya has lead to a popular fanon depiction of the princess as a pampered hikikomori in frequent need of Eirin's assistance to get out of tight spots. This is usually coupled with a cry of "Help me, Eirin!" as the Gratuitous Japanese above indicated. Ironically, in game, it is Kaguya that came to Eirin's aid after the latter was defeated by the heroines.

Webcomics

• In one chapter of Bittersweet Candy Bowl, Mike manages to spring to Lucy's rescue when she's being assaulted.
• In Ramia - Hero & Demon Lord Chronicles thirty years ago the titular heroine parted ways with her friend the Hero Gertrude after Ramia did something that greatly upset another person. However, Ramia left Gertrude an old toy ball promising to return if Gertrude needs help. All Gertrude needs to do is to call on Ramia via the toy.

Web Original

• In the DEATH BATTLE! "Mighty" battle score for All Might vs Might Guy, the lyrics go, "Doesn't matter time or place, If I hear you call my name, Know that everything will be okay!" — both the fighters are heroes in their realms, ready to defend those in need.
• In Pale John Stiles, the Dog of War, can be summoned by any ally of his who carries his dog tags (which are defaced to indicate that they belong to faceless war dead such as him), faces their enemy, and throws the tag over their shoulder. He then walks forward from behind them.
• In Phaeton enigmoids and unigmoids are summoned with "Yo Ye" ( meaning "I Summon") followed by the beings name.

Western Animation

• In Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Mickey sets Toodles up with the tools that he and the gang will need for their adventure and then lets him wander off. Whenever they shout "Oh, Toodles!", Toodles will come from anywhere nearby to help them out.
• No matter what straits Popeye might be in, whenever the beleaguered Olive Oyl calls "Help! Popeye!" he immediately manages to bust out and come to her aid.
• "Scooby-Doo, where are you?!" Always yelled out by Shaggy. Scooby enters the scene a second later.

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♫ I'm the same boy I used to be... ♫