History Main / ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies

[[quoteright:350:[[Franchise/{{Superman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/superdickerygocart.jpg]]]]

Though in all fairness, in a practical sense, this should actually ensure that the hero's loved one should be granted PlotArmor from this method. But the sad fact of the matter is that all too often it doesn't. In fact, the only way that a character would be safe is if they are considered [[DemotedToExtra too minor for writers to care about]]. (And, even then, [[StuffedIntoTheFridge these characters are not always safe, either]].) However, there are also other certain flaws to consider, as villains are normally not known for being discriminate about their potential victims. So sadly, heroes, even if you do convince your enemies that your loved ones are random strangers you never heard of, chances are they will most likely go after your loved ones anyways. (Not to mention that normally heroes save anyone whom their enemies attack, regardless of whether if the Hero personally knows them or not, because it's the right thing to do.)

** For decades, this was used as one of the reasons that Superman couldn't marry ComicBook/LoisLane. Of course, she was publicly known as "Superman's Girlfriend", she had an [[TooDumbToLive almost suicidal capacity for putting herself in danger]], and he probably spent as much time at the Daily Planet as Superman as he did as Clark. {{Lampshaded}} in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanDoomsday'' when Lois points out everyone attacks her ''anyway'' because everyone think's they're an item anyway.

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': At one point during the second season, some of Lelouch's flunkies (rightfully) think he is doing this with Shirley. When a body double mix up at his school leads to problems maintaining his cover, one points out that it could all be solved simply by getting Shirley involved. Lelouch is reluctant, however, as being near him is a surefire way to get killed [[spoiler:like his half-sister Euphemia]] and [[spoiler:he had already mucked up her life horribly, both [[LaserGuidedAmnesia by tampering extensively with her memories]] and accidentally killing her father]]. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:she dies anyway soon afterward]].

* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': Izuku Midoriya does a (mostly) platonic variation of this, following the Paranormal Liberation War. Since he comes to grasp that [[BigBad All For One]] is going to hunt him down, he decides to abandon the U.A. High to avoid placing any of his friends in danger just by being near him. It's only ''mostly'' platonic because one of those people he tries to keep safe is his ImpliedLoveInterest, Ochaco Uraraka, whose reaction is the one to get the biggest focus.

* This is [[UnresolvedSexualTension the true problem]] in [[HitmanWithAHeart Ryo]] [[LovableSexManiac Saeba]] and [[{{Bifauxnen}} Kaori]] [[{{Tsundere}} Makimura]]'s relationship in ''Manga/CityHunter'', as he's perfectly aware of the numerous enemies he has as a sweeper, and said enemies had already targeted Kaori during the course of the series since they usually can't beat him one on one.
* ''Manga/FruitsBasket'': Rin Souma breaks up with the only person who ever actually loved her so that he won't get in trouble with Akito (who has already told Rin he [[SadisticChoice knows about the relationship]] and [[DestinationDefenestration pushed her out a window]]).The only problem? Rin '''doesn't tell Haru why she's doing this'''. The reason she gives is not "Akito knows and we'll get in trouble". It's "I'm tired of you". This leads to a really bad case of [[LockedOutOfTheLoop Poor Communication Destroys the School]] involving [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Black Haru]] and a bucket of water.
* At one point during the second season of ''Anime/CodeGeass'', some of Lelouch's flunkies (rightfully) think he is doing this with Shirley. When a body double mix up at his school leads to problems maintaining his cover, one points out that it could all be solved simply by getting Shirley involved. Lelouch is reluctant, however, as being near him is a surefire way to get killed [[spoiler:like his half-sister Euphemia]] and [[spoiler:he had already mucked up her life horribly, both [[LaserGuidedAmnesia by tampering extensively with her memories]] and accidentally killing her father]]. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:she dies anyway soon afterward]].

* In ''Anime/MyHime'', Mai tries to push Yuuichi away because the defeat of a [=HiME=] leads to the death of her most important person [[spoiler:and she had just watched her brother Takumi die after the defeat of his roommate and girlfriend Akira]]. She fails [[spoiler:and Yuuichi dies after his [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Unlucky Childhood Friend]] Shiho is defeated]].
* ''Anime/MelodyOfOblivion'' has a Melos warrior using this excuse on a woman even after he has already kissed her 73 times.

* Yuriko, Sakura, and Aya-chan in ''Anime/WeissKreuz'' get this treatment, via the main characters simply disappearing and never seeing them again--for good reason, since the ones who ''don't'' get the ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies treatment (such as Ouka and, in ''Anime/WeissKreuz [[OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo Gluhen]]'', Asami) always end up dead.
* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' played this trope straight as the reason why [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Yusuke Urameshi]] keeps [[{{Tsundere}} Keiko]] in the dark about his life as a spirit detective is out of fear that if she knows it then it will only be a matter of time until she is in danger. [[spoiler:Naturally, later on in the 2nd arc, it fails miserably and she [[WhatTheHellHero calls him out on this]] but, to be fair, at least she wasn't [[StuffedIntoTheFridge killed off]] at the end of that arc]].
* In ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'', X is unwilling to add another Pokémon to his team in fear that Team Flare will hurt them trying to get to him. This despite the fact that Chespin obviously likes him.
* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': Guts is one of the branded, someone who bears the mark of sacrifice, and so ghosts, zombies, and the legions of hell are [[DoomMagnet drawn to him]], which means ANYONE near him is a target (as shown by a priest and his daughter who get murdered just for being near him). This is exacerbated by the fact that Guts is a JerkAss who doesn't care how many people are killed in the crossfire as long as he gets his revenge.
* The [[SecondActBreakup Second-Season Breakup]] in ''Manga/SailorMoon'''s first anime revolved around this. Similarly to ''Manga/FruitsBasket'', Mamoru doesn't give a clear reason at all for why he's dumping Usagi and it takes about 15 episodes until they actually talk about the prophetic dream that caused the whole situation. The kicker -- said dream was sent by ''Mamoru's future self'' to "ensure their love was strong enough" to take on the Black Moon Clan.
* In ''Anime/SandsOfDestruction'', Morte pulls a non-romantic version on Kyrie and Taupy, attempting to convince them to leave because the World Salvation Committee is hunting her and she understands if they'd rather not get involved. They decide to stay, of course.
* Sia from ''Manhwa/MetalHeart'' tried this to get away from Minwoo to protect him but he convinced her stay.
* This is a big part of Kaori Kanzaki's decision to sever ties with her comrades and friends of the [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseChristian Amakusa Church]] in the backstory of ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex''. Despite (or indeed ''because of'') her powers as a [[KungFuJesus Saint]], she was never able to prevent them from being hurt in their battles, so she left in hopes that they would be safer without her drawing more dangerous foes to them. This gets {{deconstructed}} in that the Amakusas ''hate themselves'' for seemingly being so weak they couldn't support her and needed her to win their battles. This comes to a head in Volume 16 [[spoiler:when they fail to defeat Acqua of the Back and can only watch in despair as Kaori fights him alone and force him to lengths they could never dream of...and then promptly turned on its head when Kaori herself realizes she doesn't have the power to defeat Acqua alone and that her desire to "protect" them was in many ways just her being unable to have faith in their own strength and conviction. Cue [[ThePowerOfFriendship Kaori calling out to the Amakusa to join her in fighting him, which they do without hesitation and with joy in their hearts]]]].

* The first ''Film/SpiderMan1'' film: Peter gives Mary Jane the JustFriends excuse when she finally tells him she loves him, after nearly losing her to a SadisticChoice. (And let's not forget that he ''did'' lose a love interest in an almost identical scenario in the comic books.) All three movies nonetheless climax with villains luring Spider-Man by [[DamselInDistress holding Mary Jane hostage]], whether they're together or not.
* In ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'', Peter [[spoiler:tries to end his relationship with Gwen this way, but ultimately changes his mind]].

* Joshua in ''Film/AnimalKingdom'' is compelled to dump his girlfriend after his criminal family inform him she knows too much about their dealings. [[spoiler:Even this doesn't stop Joshua's paranoid Uncle Pope drugging and strangling her.]]

* In ''Film/TheCobbler'', Max's father explains that he left his family and went undercover because he feared for their lives and this was the only way he could protect them.
* In ''Film/{{Apache}}'', Massai attempts to use this argument to dissuade Nalilne from accompanying him: telling her that wives are for men who do not have to keep looking over their shoulder. Nalilne ignores him and just keeps following him until he gives in.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Harry gives Ginny this speech in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince The Half-Blood Prince]]'', right after they get together. Ginny doesn't buy it for a second. Rather than react with surprise or tears, she says she understands what he's doing and patiently lets him get on with it. Her later actions in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'' indicate that, as far as she's concerned, they're still a couple. Harry, amusingly, has absolutely no way of dealing with this and gives in, causing Ron to give Harry the IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer speech when he has trouble letting go. Of course, it's not as though Ginny isn't fighting Voldemort almost as hard as Harry himself.

* In''Literature/TheLicaniusTrilogy'', Caeden tries to keep his distance from princess Karaliene despite his romantic feelings for her. Flashbacks reveal his PsychoExGirlfriend Nethgalla has a habit of murdering women he like, then shapeshifting into them to get close to him again. [[spoiler: It's already too late, though]].
* In the ''Literature/NightHuntress'' books, this is why [[spoiler:Cat leaves Bones]] when the government {{vampire hunter}}s are closing in, reasoning that they will be safe without the extra attention.
* At the end of ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles: Literature/{{Changes}}'' Harry sends [[spoiler:his daughter to be placed in a foster home without him knowing where]] so that his enemies can't find her. In ''Literature/GhostStory'', we find out the person he entrusts this to does one better and [[spoiler:puts her in a house guarded by angels. Specifically, Michael's house]].
* In ''Literature/PeaceTalks'', the trope becomes deconstructed, and almost leads to Harry and Ebenezar coming to blows. [[spoiler:Ebenezar insists Harry should send Maggie away to avoid making her a target. Harry, on the other hand, believes that being present in Maggie's life allows him to both give her the parental affection she needs to turn into an emotionally functional human being (unlike Harry) and protection. He angrily points out what Ebenezar's parenting style has already done to their family; it turned Harry's mother into the kind of person Demons and Winter Fae speak fondly of and drove her into the hands of the White King, directly causing her (and possibly Harry's father's) premature death. It also left Harry to the tender mercies of the American foster care system and [[EvilMentor Justin[=DuMorne=]]] and forced him to become a killer before his seventeenth birthday in order to survive. Maggie's time in her first foster home led to her being abducted and nearly killed by the Red Court, and directly caused Maggie's mother's death. Michael's home is well-protected, but that didn't stop Nicodemus from making an attempt on the Carpenter family, and Michael is probably one of the handful of people with an even more impressive list of enemies than Harry or Ebenezar.]]
* A version of this is done in ''New Moon'' (the second book of Stephenie Meyer's ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' saga), when Edward leaves Bella, telling her she'll never see him again, in order to keep her safe. Not played exactly straight because he's not protecting her from his enemies so much as [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampires from]] his own "insatiable" [[HorrorHunger thirst for her blood]]. In actuality, he left her unprotected from his enemies.
* In ''Literature/GriffinsDaughter'', Ashinji won't cop to his feelings for half-elf Jelena, partly because of their vastly different social standings (he's elf nobility, she's basically a second class-citizen), but mostly because he fears his sadistic brother, Sadaiyo, will hurt her just to spite him. [[spoiler:He's right]].

* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', Buffy tries this with Riley... ''after'' finding out that he fought demons as well.

* ''Series/TheXFiles'':
** Mulder tries to use this reasoning on Scully. Needless to say, it backfires.
** This is given as the reason why Mulder is not with Scully and William in season 9. This one is actually a subversion, since Mulder didn't want to leave, despite the danger; Scully convinced him to leave because she feared for both his and William's life if they remained together.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' used this trope in "Provenance". Sam tells Sarah they can't be together, which is wise since [[CartwrightCurse everyone he sleeps with dies]]. Later [[spoiler:he sleeps with Madison in "Heart". She almost immediately keels over]].
** In season 8 he simply disappears from Amelia's life - twice! - with no explanation or any hint of what he does with the rest of his time.
** Dean pulls this on Lisa when Sam shows back up in the sixth season premiere: he evacuates her and Ben to Bobby's for a few days and then has them move to Michigan to try to keep them safe. [[spoiler:It doesn't work.]]
** Castiel also pulls this on Dean in season 8 while the two of them are trapped in Purgatory, first by fleeing from Dean immediately after they arrive and avoiding him for weeks to prevent the leviathans chasing him from attacking Dean as well, then by deliberately letting go of Dean's hand as they attempt to escape Puragatory, because he believes he deserves punishment and penance and that Dean is better off without him.
* Crichton uses this in ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', without actually telling Aeryn that's why he's virtually ignoring her. She gets angsty, he starts doing the local equivalent of sniffing pixie dust, and the bad guy ''knows anyway'' because it's frelling obvious, especially considering [[spoiler:she's pregnant]] at the time. Eventually he lets her in on his fears and they quietly make out after [[BluffTheEavesdropper loudly saying]] "So it's over, then."
* This is the entire romantic plot [[strike:tumor]] line of approximately the first 7 seasons of ''Series/{{Smallville}}'':
** Inverted in season nine, where Lois gives this speech to Clark, about why it was logical that [[Franchise/{{Superman}} The Blur]] didn't tell her his identity, based entirely on this trope. Amusing because Clark was just about to tell her he was the Blur.
* The first episode of ''Series/{{Highlander}}: The Series'' played this absolutely dead straight between Duncan and Tessa.
* ''Series/KnightRider'' (2008) This is the (frankly, lame) excuse Michael Knight gives for the fact that the first time he meets his son is at the funeral for young Mike's mom.
** Granted, the CartwrightCurse has bitten Michael before; he was widowed ''at the altar'' in "The Scent of Roses".

* {{Wangst}}-y hitman Jason Morgan of ''Series/GeneralHospital'' invokes this trope any time a woman tries to get close to him.

* Kreegan, the protagonist of ''Touching Evil'' takes this to the extreme towards the end of the series. After the criminals he is investigating attack his family, he arranges for them to be put into WitnessProtection to keep them safe- and makes sure he doesn't know where they've been sent. One of the few examples where the couple never see each other again.
* In ''Series/{{Being Human|UK}}'', neurotic werewolf George falls in love with his coworker Nina, but struggles with how much to tell her about his condition, and when. He tries to dump her several times, with nebulous claims of "darkness" and "a bad side of me", but she sticks with him.
* In ''Series/{{Bones}}'' Booth breaks up with Camille after the latter was poisoned by a serial killer they were on the trail of, believing their line of work to be too high-risk to be caring for one another at that level.
* Played with in ''Series/{{Misfits}}''. At Nathan's urging, Curtis says this to Sam. They do break up--but only because Sam recognized the line from Spider-Man and got angry.
* Kyle does this to Amanda in the third season of ''Series/KyleXY''.
* Inverted in ''Series/{{Psych}}''. After being kidnapped by Yin, Abigail breaks up with Shawn for good because she has dreams of her own she can't achieve if she's dead.
* Jack Bauer's reason for not telling anyone other than a select few people that he was alive following the events of the fourth season of ''Series/TwentyFour''. Most importantly, Audrey Raines.
* Stefan from ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'' distances himself from Elena in order to protect her and her friends and family.

* Jim Kyle of Wilfred Greatorex's "1990" eventually officially divorces his wife so that the evil government at least can't inflict ''legal'' punishments on his wife and children for his part in LaResistance.
* Subverted in ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' when Oliver tries to distance himself from [[spoiler:Sara]] because [[spoiler:Slade]] intends to destroy everything he cares about. She points out that this is stupid. Their enemy knows he cares about her, has a grudge against her too, and isn't going to leave her alone just because they broke up.
** Oliver pulls this again in the first episode of season three, this time on Felicity, after the restaurant where they are having their first date is blown up. It feels more than a little contrived, since she works with him both in his vigilante career and in his Oliver Queen identity, and spends most of her time with him regardless. She cannot be in all that much less danger just because they are not romantically involved.
** When Oliver sleeps with Isabel, he says it's because it's better if he's involved with someone he ''doesn't'' care about (as opposed to Felicity, whom he's giving this explanation to) because of this trope. [[spoiler:Ironically Isabel turns out to be a villain, so it's not like this makes things safer.]]
* In ''Series/{{Graceland}}'', Jakes broke up with Cassandra in the backstory so that his job as an undercover agent wouldn't endanger her and their child. In the second season, Jakes tries to give up the job in order to be a father to his son - only to find that it's too late and there's no place for him in their lives.
* In ''Series/The100'', Lexa had a girlfriend named Costia who was kidnapped, tortured, and killed by the Ice Nation because they believed she knew Lexa's secrets. This was what led to Lexa deciding that love both [[LoveHurts hurts]] and [[LoveIsAWeakness is a weakness]].
-->'''Clarke:''' So you just stopped caring? About everyone? ''[Lexa nods]'' I could never do that.\\
'''Lexa:''' Then you put the people you care about in danger, and the pain will never go away.
* ''Series/PennyDreadful'': Vanessa essentially uses this excuse to break off an impending CoitusEnsues moment with Ethan. In this case, the enemy is as much [[spoiler:Satan]] as [[EnemyWithin herself]], as sex is one way of triggering her ApocalypseMaiden status.

* In ''Series/TheFBI'', central protagonist Inspector Lewis Erskine avoids romantic entanglements because his wife was killed in an ambush intended for him. He also tells one potential LoveInterest that he wouldn't encourage his daughter to marry an FBI agent either.

* ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]'': Diana is flirting with Batman during a stakeout, and he gives a few reasons why they shouldn't. The third reason is the standard superhero wave-off of his enemies being a threat to anyone he's in a relationship with... which Diana answers by casually crushing the head of a stone gargoyle in her hand and asking "next?" It might make more sense to argue that ''he'' should worry about ''her'' enemies (though maybe not, given [[BadassNormal his impressive track record at taking on and beating superpowered foes]]).
* {{Inverted|Trope}} on ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'': [[WrongGenreSavvy Valerie]], the [[DatingCatwoman "villainous" love interest]], decides not to pursue her relationship with Danny so she can hunt his SecretIdentity: "There's something important I have to do right now, and I don't want you to get hurt because of it." Hey, you can't please everyone. The irony here is that ''he's'' the enemy and already knew her secret identity, making the whole thing rather sad.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': After [[spoiler:his HeelFaceTurn in the third season, Zuko leaves behind his girlfriend Mai. As he explains to Sokka in "The Boiling Rock", "Everyone thinks I'm a traitor. I couldn't drag her into it." She is not happy about this and proves how wrongly he underestimated her [[TwangHello in spectacular style]]]]. [[spoiler:Of course, Mai ends up getting thrown in prison -- as does Ty Lee --, so maybe he had a point.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': Along with many other SuperheroTropes rolled into the episode called "The Beak". Phineas and Isabella [[ShipTease naturally]].
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': After the events of the first SeasonFinale ([[spoiler:a spaceship crashes into the town, and Lapis Lazuli performs a HeroicSacrifice to prevent Steven and the Gems from being harmed]]), Steven contemplates cutting his ties with his friend Connie (and humans in general) in "Full Disclosure", but ultimately cannot bring himself to do so and tells her the truth. He tried to end their friendship with a ''[[DumpedViaTextMessage text message]]'' but when Connie demanded that he say it to her face, he ultimately couldn't. Then, half a season later, Connie starts training to fight ''with'' Steven.

* Subverted in ''ComicBook/{{Generations|MarvelComics}}'' #3: After rescuing Amiko from Comicbook/Sabretooth, [[ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} Logan]] tells Laura this is why he can't be in her life when she chides him for not spending a night with his daughter. Laura immediately points out that not being in Amiko's life made no difference, and Creed targeted her ''anyway''.

** This is further explored in Volume 5 when Ruby mentions Blake's name, sending Yang into a furor before she sobs to Weiss about her, implying that [[spoiler:whatever damage Adam did to Yang, it was a ''lot'' worse with Blake's disappearance.]] Ultimately in Volume 6, [[spoiler:despite Blake coming back to Team RWBY at long last, they haven't forgiven her for her stunt and she needs to rebuild their trust of her.]]

* In ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines,'' you can meet a young woman named Heather Poe in the Santa Monica hospital, bleeding and in pain, but the doctor is tending to another patient, and you have the option to feed her some of your blood, healing her. If you do, you'll encounter her in the street not too long after; [[IOweYouMyLife she's extremely grateful for your help, and begs you to let her do anything in her power to make your vampire existence easier.]] You can either tell her to go away for her own good, or take her in, where her behavior will steadily get more eccentric in an effort to please you, from bringing a man home for you to feed from, to dressing however you ask. You're eventually given the option to drive her out for her own safety, since by this point you're in many people's sights. If you keep her around, the Sabbat, an violent vampire clan who is very much not happy with you, will kidnap and kill her, assumedly to spur you into shortsighted retaliation.

* In ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines,'' you can meet a young woman named Heather Poe in the Santa Monica hospital, bleeding and in pain, but the doctor is tending to another patient, and you have the option to feed her some of your blood, healing her. If you do, you'll encounter her in the street not too long after; she's extremely grateful to you for your help, and begs you to let her do anything in her power to make your vampire existence easier. You can either tell her to go away for her own good, or take her in, where her behavior will steadily get more eccentric in an effort to please you, from bringing a man home for you to feed from, to dressing however you ask. You're eventually given the option to drive her out for her own safety, since by this point you're in many people's sights. If you keep her around, the Sabbat, an violent vampire clan who is very much not happy with you, will kidnap and kill her, assumedly to spur you into shortsighted retaliation.

* In ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'' you can meet a young woman named Heather Poe in the Santa Monica hospital, bleeding and in pain, but the doctor is tending to another patient, and you have the option to feed her some of your blood, healing her and turning her into what's called a "ghoul." If you do, you'll encounter her in the street not too long after; she's extremely grateful to you for your help, and begs you to let her do anything in her power to make your vampire existence easier. You can either tell her to go away for her own good, or take her in, where her behavior will steadily get more eccentric in an effort to please you, from bringing a man home for you to feed from, to dressing however you ask. You're eventually given the option to drive her out for her own safety, since by this point you're in many people's sights. If you keep her around, the Sabbat, an violent vampire clan who is very much not happy with you, will kidnap and kill her, assumedly to spur you into shortsighted retaliation.

* In ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'' the player has the option to do this to Heather the pet ghoul, after it becomes obvious she's being watched by enemies who have reason to be watching you. [[spoiler:If you send her away, she lives. If you don't, she makes you some armor... and is promptly murdered.]]

** In ''Comicbook/KryptonNoMore'', Clark has lunch with Lois, and he thinks as he eats [[https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JNO4lvo4jOg/TWz_UFdH-LI/AAAAAAAALSA/ors2V4NkFSc/s1600/sm+308-04.jpg that he always resisted a romance due to the danger it might cause Lois]].
** Non-romantic variant: When Superman first met Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} in ''Comicbook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton'' -back in the Silver Age-, she wanted to live with him, but he sent her to an orphanage because he was afraid that his enemies would target her if they found out about his cousin (he was proved right in the Post-Crisis version of that story: as soon as Kara arrived on Earth, super-villains began attacking her and Comicbook/{{Darkseid}} kidnapped her).

** The storyline ''Superman: Ending Battle'' featured Manchester Black learning Clark's secret. To get his revenge on Superman, he uses his mental powers to command ''every villain in the whole world'' to kill anyone who has ''ever'' shown Clark Kent one iota of kindness. The hit-list includes ComicBook/LexLuthor, the Daily Planet staff, his parents, his ''first grade teacher'', his old football coach... Comicbook/LexLuthor is informed of who Superman is as well; he finds the whole thing hilarious and plans to sit back and relax while Superman spends the rest of the day fighting and panicking. Come nightfall, Lex sits down to his computer deciding its time to destroy the Man of Steel utterly...just in time, of course, for Manchester Black to have a change of heart and [[StatusQuoIsGod wipe the knowledge clean again]].

** And he's not wrong: considering the whole thing about Jason Todd (just for starters; if you want more, try ''Comicbook/TheKillingJoke'' or ''Comicbook/DeathOfTheFamily''), you can see that even ''in'' costume, it's hard to hang around Batman.

* Defied in ''ComicBook/NewAvengers''. Both Comicbook/DoctorStrange and Comicbook/{{Daredevil}} attempt to refuse an offer of membership because they have enemies, people are out to get them, etc. Luke Cage has to remind them that they're all heroes and they ''all'' have enemies.

* Subverted in ''Comicbook/{{Generations|MarvelComics}}'' #3: After rescuing Amiko from Comicbook/Sabretooth, [[Comicbook/{{Wolverine}} Logan]] tells Laura this is why he can't be in her life when she chides him for not spending a night with his daughter. Laura immediately points out that not being in Amiko's life made no difference, and Creed targeted her ''anyway''.

* Played straight and downplayed in ''FanFic/BackToTheFuturePrequel'': Doc breaks off his friendship with Marty in order to protect him from a vengeful former schoolmate and from being contaminated by Doc's reputation. [[ForegoneConclusion Of course,]] [[SubvertedTrope they get back together.]]
* Played with in Roleplay/DCNation with the {{Original Character}}s. Green Shield only kept her heroing life a secret until she could figure out how to come out to her folks...only for her kid sister to run off with one of the team's enemies. Travis Gray, and the Zukov siblings never bothered - the siblings only care for each other for the most part, and Travis was living on the streets. Fauna keeps hers because the [[CapeBusters activist movements]] she works with and her [[ActualPacifist strictly-pacifist Commune]] would certainly condemn her choice, and she doesn't want them "paying for" her private decision.

* This trope, ConflictingLoyalty, the LoveTriangle, and being LockedOutOfTheLoop is responsible for most, if not, all the [[LoveHurts issues]] between [[{{Manga/Bleach}} Orihime]] and [[{{Manga/FullmetalAlchemist}} Edward]] in ''Fanfic/TheFlowerPrincessAndTheAlchemist''.

* This is the entire romantic plot [[strike:tumor]] line of approximately the first 7 seasons of ''Series/{{Smallville}}''

* In ''Series/{{The 100}}'' Lexa had a girlfriend named Costia who was kidnapped, tortured, and killed by the Ice Nation because they believed she knew Lexa's secrets. This was what led to Lexa deciding that love both [[LoveHurts hurts]] and [[LoveIsAWeakness is a weakness]].
-->'''Clarke:''' So you just stopped caring? About everyone? ''(Lexa nods)'' I could never do that.\\

* ''Series/PennyDreadful'': Vanessa essentially uses this excuse to break off an impending CoitusEnsues moment with Ethan. In this case, the enemy is as much [[spoiler:Satan]] as [[{{EnemyWithin}} herself]], as sex is one way of triggering her ApocalypseMaiden status.

* In the BodyHorror game ''Abnormal'', the Witness has supports that they can Ask For Help in dealing with the Horror. However, a support can become Infected, making it easier to trigger the Utterly Consumed end condition and get a bad ending, and you might have to Drive Them Away instead.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive''

* Nearly the same as ''Fanfic/StarsAbove''. This trope, ConflictingLoyalty, and LoveTriangle is responsible for most, if not, all the [[LoveHurts issues]] between [[{{Manga/Bleach}} Orihime]] and [[{{Manga/FullmetalAlchemist}} Edward]] in ''Fanfic/TheFlowerPrincessAndTheAlchemist''.

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' uses this one when Negi tries to convince his TrueCompanions that it would be a bad idea for them to follow him into the Magic World. Cue them all saying that they wouldn't care less and say that they're going with him anyway, for his own safety. This backfires ''entirely'' as everyone takes it as evidence that they ''need'' to go with him.

* In ''Anime/MaiHime'', Mai tries to push Yuuichi away because the defeat of a [=HiME=] leads to the death of her most important person [[spoiler:and she had just watched her brother Takumi die after the defeat of his roommate and girlfriend Akira]]. She fails [[spoiler:and Yuuichi dies after his [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Unlucky Childhood Friend]] Shiho is defeated]].

* In ''FanFic/InFlight'', [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Shirou]] leaves [[{{Tsundere}} Rin]] and Saber behind in England when he runs away before the Mage's Organization does something horrible to him due to this trope, especially as they rely on and belong to said organization.
* This trope and ConflictingLoyalty are responsible for the issues getting between [[Manga/LuckyStar Kagami]] and [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Homura]] in ''FanFic/StarsAbove''.

* In ''FanFic/FistOfTheMoon'' this is the reason Ranma is reluctant to stay at Rei's shrine--the chaos that follows him will likely wreck the place. S/He ends up rooming with Makoto, because it's easier to fix an apartment or move to a new one.

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in the [[FourthWallMailSlot Q&A]]'s of ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': [[HotScientist Amanda]] asks [[BadassTeacher Raven]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-07-29 on a date]], Raven replies with this. Amanda's response:
-->'''Amanda:''' Yeah, but [[LooseCanon this is all outside of continuity]].

* Between ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'', [[spoiler:Rose fakes a miscarriage and a marriage to Roy Campbell to protect herself and her son from the Patriots, who would use them against Raiden.]] Of course, their relationship was already falling apart before any of this happened, but they worked it out in the end.
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'': Raiden himself does this to his wife and son because his latest enemies ''rip the brains out of children and force-feed them violent training simulations''. THIS IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION.
* ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Calibur]]'': Kilik knows that his longtime traveling companion Xianghua has romantic feelings for him, but his quest to destroy Soul Edge prevents him from wanting to get too close to her (Kilik's first love [[spoiler:and Xianghua's long-lost older sister]] Xianglian was killed by him while he was under possession of the Evil Seed). In Xianghua's ''SCIV'' ending, [[spoiler:he explicitly tells this to her as he grabs hold of the cursed sword. [[TakingYouWithMe She's not listening,]] [[TogetherInDeath no matter what.]] The official Soul Calibur V artbook revealed that they had an illegitimate child, Xiba, together.]]

* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGate 2'', trying to romance drow priestess Viconia will end with this, as she's targeted by Lolth's Handmaidens and doesn't want to drag the protagonist into her mess. However in the expansion she will be amenable to starting over - she realizes that between having your soul ripped out and reclaimed, going to hell, climbing the path to godhood and having to put down your god-blooded half-siblings along the way, the Handmaidens are a minor trifle. Besides, marrying a god...
* In ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'', Kanata tries a mundane version of this with Souma early in the year: as he and the other Oddballs have been made into villains in the public's eye, he worries that Souma might suffer too if he associates with him. He'd rather that he continue to be a good boy and only keep company with the 'right' people, as this way the world would be kind to him. Souma never gets a chance to respond at the time, but he makes it clear through the rest of the year that he does ''not'' like this idea, especially since he still feels guilty about his own (mostly unwitting) involvement in Kanata's scapegoating.

* In ''Literature/PeaceTalks'', the trope becomes deconstructed, and almost leads to Harry and Ebenezar coming to blows. [[spoiler:Ebenezar insists Harry should send Maggie away to avoid making her a target. Harry, on the other hand, believes that being present in Maggie's life allows him to both give her the parental affection she needs to turn into an emotionally functional human being (unlike Harry) and protection. He angrily points out what Ebenezar's parenting style has already done to their family; it turned Harry's mother into the kind of person Demons and Winter Fae speak fondly of and drove her into the hands of the White King, directly causing her (and possibly Harry's father's) premature death. It also left Harry to the tender mercies of the American foster care system and [[EvilMentor Justin[=DuMorne=]]] and forced him to become a killer before his seventeenth birthday in order to survive, and the fact that he . Maggie's time in her first foster home led to her being abducted and nearly killed by the Red Court, and directly caused Maggie's mother's death. Michael's home is well-protected, but that didn't stop Nicodemus from making an attempt on the Carpenter family, and Michael is probably one of the handful of people with an even more impressive list of enemies than Harry or Ebenezar.]]

* In ''Webcomic/RipAndTeri'', after catching one of his old enemies attempting to seduce Teri, the woman he loves, in an effort to get to him, secret agent Rip Dustin mentally prepares himself to tell her that he hates her in order to drive her away and ensure her safety from his many enemies - but he's unable to bring himself do so, and can only tell her that "I'll always love you." before leaving her. Needless to say, this doesn't have the driving-away effect he was hoping for. When the two are reunited a few strips later, Rip attempts to justify his actions with this trope, only for Teri to point out that it wasn't exactly working; she was in just as much danger as if they'd been together because their enemies ''still'' tried to use her to get to him - and in fact, ''because'' he wasn't around to protect her, she was out of her depth and therefore in an even ''more'' dangerous position.
* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' Torg has put any potential romance with Zoe on hold for years (even calling her a "boring, dumpy chick" once) all in order to keep her safe from his [[{{Yandere}} psychotic stalker]] Oasis. This was further encouraged when [[spoiler:Torg's ArchEnemy (one of them, anyway) Lord Horribus killed an AlternateUniverse version of Zoe that Torg had been dating]].
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' Agatha hasn't chosen between Gil and Tarvek, but she is quite certain she wants both of them safely ''out'' of castle. [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20090209 She doesn't want another --]] ''[[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20090209 anyone]]'' [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20090209 dying on her behalf.]]
** A [[LikeBrotherAndSister non-romantic]] version features in the backstory of Tarvek and his distant cousin[=/=]assigned [[McNinja bodyguard]] Violetta. Given that [[RoyallyScrewedUp an upbringing in House Strumovarus does not promote open and honest communication]] it was years before Violetta put all the pieces together, but Tarvek quietly framed her for incompetence and [[ReassignedToAntarctica arranged a reassignment to a dead-end position]] ''very far from him'' because he cared for her and knew things were deteriorating to the point where her next twelve replacements survived an average of three months.
* Lampshaded and subverted in ''Webcomic/{{Sorcery 101}}''.
-->'''Mel''': You know how in almost every superhero movie, the hero breaks up with his girlfriend to protect her? And then she tells him, he's worth the risk? Well... you're not.
* Vaarsuvius in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' #679. [[spoiler:V's mate Inkyrius has just filed for a divorce, and V chooses not to contest it despite wanting to. And V has a point; though Inkyrius has good reasons, Vaarsuvius knows that as the quest to save the world continues, V's bound to make more enemies. Enemies that might try and attack Inkyrius and their adopted children, as the Black Dragon did.]]

* In ''Webcomic/LeftoverSoup'', Jamie attempts this on Ellen , but she'll have none of it.
-->'''Ellen:''' Oh my God, you're Spider-manning me, aren't you?

** This trope only presumably worked with Chase Meridian. After the whole Riddler thing, it seems that she and Batman are going to still be together, but for some reason, the next movie had Batman dating someone else. We can assume that either she got bored with him (and given the nature of the character, this is entirely possible), or Bruce pulled this card.