Basic Trope: Someone the Damsel in Distress did not expect to rescue her does just that. Cue her freaking out.
- Straight: Bob, one of Emperor Evulz's former servants, breaks into Alice's cell to rescue her. Upon seeing him, she panics.
- Exaggerated:
- Emperor Evulz, the former Big Bad, breaks into Alice's cell to rescue her. Alice faints from shock.
- Some... thing inadvertently breaks open Alice's cell while feasting on the nearby guards. Alice just starts running before her "rescuer" finishes its meal and starts looking for dessert.
- Downplayed: Bob, one of Alice's rivals, rescues Alice. Alice is surprised, but not overly shocked.
- Justified:
- Bob pulled a Heel–Face Turn and felt bad for Alice.
- Bob really wanted to dis Emperor Evulz for mistreating him.
- Justified/Exaggerated: Evulz knows that he needs Alice to save the world from destruction to have a chance at ruling it.
- Inverted: Bob, who just pulled a Face–Heel Turn, frees the captured Emperor Evulz from his Tailor-Made Prison.
- Subverted: Bob breaks into Alice's cell... and proceeds to interrogate her.
- Double Subverted: The interrogation was just an excuse for Bob to snatch Alice and run away with her.
- Parodied: Bob is questioned by a guard as to why he and Alice are walking out together. He responds, "Oh, I'm just rescuing... er... bringing her to Emperor Evulz." The guard lets them pass with no further suspicion.
- Zig Zagged: Bob comes into Alice's cell to "interrogate" her, but soon takes her away. He then incarcerates her in his own complex. However, he tells her that he's only securing her so that Evulz won't be able to find her. She then overhears a conversation relating to some kind of hostage...
- Averted: The Hero rescues Alice.
- Enforced: All of the main heroes have either been captured or are too busy to rescue Alice, but the writers need her to find the MacGuffin and avoid an overly-blatant Deus ex Machina.
- Lampshaded: "Why are you saving me? You're supposed to be the bad guy!"
- Invoked: Bob pulls a Heel–Face Turn, and the main heroes order him to rescue Alice to prove that he's not a Fake Defector.
- Exploited: Emperor Evulz Jr. overtakes Emperor Evulz after his a majority of his forces are expended in an attempt to recapture Alice.
- Defied: Evulz, upon hearing of Bob's interest in Alice, orders for him to be executed.
- Discussed: "I don't really like Emperor Evulz after he burnt all of those villagers alive for fun. I might want to switch sides in this war"
- Conversed: "Oh, they ran out of ways for the hero to rescue the princess, so just made one of the bad guys do it instead. Figures. The Damsel in Distress couldn't possibly save herself from her paper-weight Mook guards, could she?"
- Deconstructed: Alice is so scared of Bob, she refuses to go with him, and stays in her cell as a result.
- Reconstructed: Before Alice panics, Bob quickly says, "I'm here to help!" Alice believes him, and goes with him in spite of being scared.
- Implied: Alice was rescued from prison by Bob offscreen. After the rescue, she seems embarrassed, and Bob seems annoyed.
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