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Anime and Manga
After an awesome fight, they realized the power of friendship!
— Gin, Durarara!! Vol.6
You just seem to pick up new friends wherever you go, don't you, Fullmetal?
You go ahead and defeat an enemy, I'm going to go make a friend.
Yuna Kagurazaka, Galaxy Fraulein Yuna OVA
You're a strange person. You make friends with all the people you fight.
— Darjeeling to Miho, Girls und Panzer
Cynthia: When every life meets another life, something will be born. Today's battle certainly gave birth to something between those two as well. And that's... connection.
Brock: When they met, Ash and Paul hated each other. But now they've grown; bound together by respect.
Brock: When they met, Ash and Paul hated each other. But now they've grown; bound together by respect.
— Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, "Battling a Thaw in Relations!"
After a fair and square fight, everyone becomes friends — that's the Rule of Right of Shonen Manga!
—Ken Matsushiro, Yakitate!! Japan
Yuma: Aw, c'mon, Shark! I thought we were friends!
Shark: We are not friends! Got it? Why would you even think that, anyway?
Yuma: Why would I think we're friends? Because we dueled!
Shark: We are not friends! Got it? Why would you even think that, anyway?
Yuma: Why would I think we're friends? Because we dueled!
—A slight subversion of this trope, Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL
Comic Books
Sonic: This is Surge. She tried to destroy me a couple of times!
Blaze: Honestly, Sonic. You need to stop making friends like that.
Surge: Wait... He seriously makes a habit of this?
Blaze: When we first met, I was... hostile. We fought rather ferociously back then.
Sonic: Ha! I remember that. Me and Silver have had our moments of friction too...
Silver: At least you're always super nice about it afterwards!
Amy: I've got stories about him throwing down with Knuckles and Shadow for days...
Surge: Have any of your friends not tried to waste you?
Sonic: Look, once you get to know me, I'm very likeable.
Blaze: Honestly, Sonic. You need to stop making friends like that.
Surge: Wait... He seriously makes a habit of this?
Blaze: When we first met, I was... hostile. We fought rather ferociously back then.
Sonic: Ha! I remember that. Me and Silver have had our moments of friction too...
Silver: At least you're always super nice about it afterwards!
Amy: I've got stories about him throwing down with Knuckles and Shadow for days...
Surge: Have any of your friends not tried to waste you?
Sonic: Look, once you get to know me, I'm very likeable.
—Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW), Issue #67
Fan Works
Krillin: We're friends now.
Android 16: But I want to kill Goku.
Krillin: Most of my friends did.
Android 16: But I want to kill Goku.
Krillin: Most of my friends did.
Kurosaki, is there anyone you've fought that you haven't become best friends with?
— Ishida, Hogyoku ex Machina
Oh hey Grandpa, it's that guy who kidnapped your soul and then tried to kill me. But now he's our friend.
— Yugi, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series
Be my friend, motherfucker!
In Ichigo’s experience, most enemies are just friends who haven’t had good sense beaten into them yet.
What kind of glitch would cause a yakuza to swear fealty to you? Just because you beat him up more thoroughly than his ex-boss? Weird.
— Tenko Shimura's side of a phone call with Gran Torino, Corgizuku
Film - Live-Action
Robin: I wanted to see what you were made of. And I did.
Little John: I hope you'll not hold it against me.
Robin: On the contrary, I love a man that can best me!
Little John: I hope you'll not hold it against me.
Robin: On the contrary, I love a man that can best me!
Mongo: Mongo stay with Sheriff Bart. Sheriff first man ever whip Mongo. Mongo impressed, have deep feelings for Sheriff Bart.
Waco Kid: Uh oh, you better watch out, big fella. I think Mongo's taken a little fancy to you.
Mongo: Aww, Mongo straight!
Waco Kid: Uh oh, you better watch out, big fella. I think Mongo's taken a little fancy to you.
Mongo: Aww, Mongo straight!
Literature
Dalinar: Well, in any case, welcome to my elites. Someone get this fellow a horse.
Archer: What? I tried to kill you!
Dalinar: Yes, from a distance. Which shows remarkably good judgment. I can make use of someone with your skills.
Archer: We're enemies!
Dalinar: [looking over the conquered town] Not anymore. Looks like we're all allies now!
Archer: What? I tried to kill you!
Dalinar: Yes, from a distance. Which shows remarkably good judgment. I can make use of someone with your skills.
Archer: We're enemies!
Dalinar: [looking over the conquered town] Not anymore. Looks like we're all allies now!
— Oathbringer (third book of The Stormlight Archive)
Live-Action TV
Well, my father always said: the best way to understand someone is to fight him.
— Sinclair describing Minbari, Babylon 5
The name's Kisaragi Gentaro! I'm going to become friends with everyone in this school! And that includes you, once I've beaten some sense into you!
— Gentaro, Kamen Rider Fourze
Video Games
Loghain: Do you mean to say that Qunari do make comrades of their beaten opponent?
Sten: Qunari do not waste resources. And few are more valuable than lives.
Sten: Qunari do not waste resources. And few are more valuable than lives.
Nathaniel: You like having Grey Wardens who want you dead?
Warden: Some of my best friends have wanted me dead.
Warden: Some of my best friends have wanted me dead.
Fight's over! We're all friends now!
— Kyon Feulion, Endless Frontier
We confronted each other, then teamed up to defeat an enemy. We became rivals, and then finally friends. It was that sort of relationship.
— Stern the Destructor explaining to MovieVerse Nanoha how she became friends with her universe's Nanoha (and generally summing up how Nanoha met most of her friends), Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha GOD Sound Stage M
My ship and the Hiryu have this strange fate. Those who we once fought have become our brothers in arms and we now fight together as one. Our history is a long and complicated one.
— Captain Daitetsu, Super Robot Wars: Original Generation 2.
Aoba Watase: Wait, so our enemy is now our ally now?!
Bellri Zenam: Not quite, Aoba! Those two are so far beyond that!
Bellri Zenam: Not quite, Aoba! Those two are so far beyond that!
—Aoba and Bellri commenting on Viral joining X-Cross in Super Robot Wars X
Watta Takeo: This is getting annoying, Gura! Shotaro misses being your friend so much and you just keep ignoring him!
Gura: I'm the one who should be annoyed at always being hounded by you.
Watta: OK, that does it! If you're gonna talk like that, then I'll give you a piece of my mind!
Watta: I'm gonna make you our friend again but in a different way than Shotaro's!
Gura: What?!
Watta: Come here, Gura! After we punch each other dizzy, we'll shake hands – as friends do!
Gura: I'm the one who should be annoyed at always being hounded by you.
Watta: OK, that does it! If you're gonna talk like that, then I'll give you a piece of my mind!
Watta: I'm gonna make you our friend again but in a different way than Shotaro's!
Gura: What?!
Watta: Come here, Gura! After we punch each other dizzy, we'll shake hands – as friends do!
— Dai-3-ji Super Robot Wars Z: Jigoku-hen
FRIENDSHIP... Friendship?!
— The announcer after a Friendship finisher in Mortal Kombat II
FRIENDSHIP... Friendship?! Again?!
Asgore: Howdy, Frisk..Sorry about trying to take your soul earlier. I feel very bad about it...
Undyne: Hey, don't worry about it, ASGORE. I think everyone's tried to kill Frisk at least once.
Asgore: Oh... I see! In that case, I'm not sorry, Frisk.
Undyne: [with a goofy grin] ASGORE! That's not what I meant!
Undyne: Hey, don't worry about it, ASGORE. I think everyone's tried to kill Frisk at least once.
Asgore: Oh... I see! In that case, I'm not sorry, Frisk.
Undyne: [with a goofy grin] ASGORE! That's not what I meant!
"I am so very reluctant to fight any of our friends from the academy. It's all well and good if we can convince them to join us... But in the end, we're still making them bend to our will. They might not want it at all. We're essentially forcing them to choose between death or betraying their friends and family. It feels cruel."
—Mercedes von Martritz, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
"Yeah, uh, Kaitlin? Let me know if you copy."
"I copy. What's up?"
"I've made friends? I don't know."
"What?"
"The giant bug we killed earlier - well, the corpse seemed to attract a bunch of nasties. I was on my way to clean them up when I realized they were... waiting? Confused, maybe. Anyways, I was walking up to them to get rid of em, and strangely enough they seemed passive. The same bugs that gave me that concussion yesterday, and-"
"What?! Are you okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Anyways, I felt bad killin' them since they seemed all... inert and such. So I just kinda left and they've been following me ever since. Real weird. Anyways, I guess I've made some friends. I wonder what they eat... do they eat? Since they don't have any mouths that I-"
"Rich, stop! Please don't bring them back to camp!"
"Oh, well uh...I could - Junior, stop! Leave your brother alone!"
"I copy. What's up?"
"I've made friends? I don't know."
"What?"
"The giant bug we killed earlier - well, the corpse seemed to attract a bunch of nasties. I was on my way to clean them up when I realized they were... waiting? Confused, maybe. Anyways, I was walking up to them to get rid of em, and strangely enough they seemed passive. The same bugs that gave me that concussion yesterday, and-"
"What?! Are you okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Anyways, I felt bad killin' them since they seemed all... inert and such. So I just kinda left and they've been following me ever since. Real weird. Anyways, I guess I've made some friends. I wonder what they eat... do they eat? Since they don't have any mouths that I-"
"Rich, stop! Please don't bring them back to camp!"
"Oh, well uh...I could - Junior, stop! Leave your brother alone!"
—Queen's Gland item log, Risk of Rain 2
Deputy commander of the Redguns, the Balam Group AC squad.
Formerly the commander of the Balam Security Force, a paramilitary police organization that preceded the formation of the Redguns.
Nile distinguished himself with an exceptionally high arrest rate, and in those days, the only man he never managed to put in handcuffs was Michigan, then the commander of the rival Furlong Armed Fleet. Having failed to arrest the man, he instead settled for a friendly drink with his old nemesis.
Formerly the commander of the Balam Security Force, a paramilitary police organization that preceded the formation of the Redguns.
Nile distinguished himself with an exceptionally high arrest rate, and in those days, the only man he never managed to put in handcuffs was Michigan, then the commander of the rival Furlong Armed Fleet. Having failed to arrest the man, he instead settled for a friendly drink with his old nemesis.
— G2 Nile's Arena profile, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
Webcomics
Britain: From the frozen wastelands of North America to the jungles of Africa I have fought you. Yet together, we have accomplished some amazing things. As the world changes, there is one thing that will always remain constant: the future does not seem so dark if I face it with you... my old enemy... my rival... my neighbour... my ally...
France: ...my friend.
France: ...my friend.
Henry: Most [of the gang], we didn't see again... an' a few, we could 'ardly get rid of. 'Ell, they were at our weddin', them two.
Florence: Aww!
Nicola: Grandad! Superbia threw a knife at you!
Isabelle: They wouldn't be the only people on Henry's side of the wedding party who'd tried to kill him at some point.
Florence: Aww!
Nicola: Grandad! Superbia threw a knife at you!
Isabelle: They wouldn't be the only people on Henry's side of the wedding party who'd tried to kill him at some point.
Web Original
For every boys' manga like the '80s hit Fist of the North Star, in which defeated enemies have their brains splattered, there are five manga like Dragon Ball Z, in which defeated enemies are befriended, neutralized and converted to the heroes' worldview. Thus, the circle of the protagonists' friends grows and grows. Only in this way, through taking everyone into the protected circle, does the hero get the hubris to want to "save the world" — usually expressed as "I want to protect everyone!", an almost Buddhist feeling of compassion for all things, except perhaps for some final enemy who is just too ugly to be redeemed.
— Jason Thompson, "To Protect and Kill: Morality in Action Manga", io9, March 11th, 2010
, io9, March 11th, 2010Why are they friends now? I just fucking destroyed you!
Dexter Manning after beating the first boss in Rayman
RaymanSeraph: You do not truly know someone until you fight them.
Bill Corbett: Which is bad news for my grandma.
Bill Corbett: Which is bad news for my grandma.
Befriend (v.): to use mecha-class beam weaponry to inflict grievous bodily harm on a target in the process of proving the validity of your belief system.
— From a post on rpg.net, on Lyrical Nanoha
There are two running gags in Voyager. One is their limitless supply of shuttles, often remarked throughout the web. The other, which doesn't seemed to be noted much outside this website, is that Janeway loves to add people to the crew. She hands out comm badges to people like they were Tic Tacs, and apparently the only requirement to getting one is to fire on Voyager or be a certifiable nut.
— SF Debris, Janeway Crew Bio
It's funny to see Seagal beat the racism out of someone. Seriously, he beats a man half to death and asks "What does it take to change the essence of a man" and the man realizes the error of his ways. I didn't know beating someone's ass made you so introspective.
Follow each of the eight Jojis on their own unique adventures. Watch as they're joined by a series of weirdos who are introduced as complete sociopaths, but once they're defeated they become FRIENDS and their personality completely changes. And sometimes their abilities too.
I'm going to love and tolerate the shit out of you.
— Popular saying amongst Bronies, male fans of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
EAT ENEMIES. SHIT FRIENDS.
Urist: Oi! Didn't I fucking kill you?!
Urist: Oh well, that just means that the grudge is settled! How are you doing, friend?
Western Animation
Y'know, I'm beginning to like those guys.
— Monterey Jack, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Lapis: Wow, fast turnaround.
Peridot: No kidding. It took me months to stop trying to kill Steven.
Bismuth: Took me like a day? Day and a half?
Lapis: I'm still on the fence.
Peridot: No kidding. It took me months to stop trying to kill Steven.
Bismuth: Took me like a day? Day and a half?
Lapis: I'm still on the fence.
Quackerjack (as Mr. Banana Brain): Say fellas, maybe this is where we show him love and kindness and he vows to mend his evil ways!
Quackerjack and Darkwing: Eh...nah! (taser the episode's bad guy)
Quackerjack and Darkwing: Eh...nah! (taser the episode's bad guy)
Real Life
I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.
— Abraham Lincoln (attributed)
