Defeat Means Friendship/Playing With

Basic Trope: The defeat of a villain will result in a Heel Face Turn.
 * Straight: Ichigo defeats Nigo, resulting in Nigo joining Ichigo's Nakama.
 * Exaggerated:
 * Ichigo pummels the crap out of Nigo, nearly killing her, and yet she wants to be friends with Ichigo.
 * Even the Mooks / Monsters Of The Week join Ichigo's side after she defeats them! Eventually, the sheer size of her "humble group of super-best-friends-forever" puts the imposing enemy's army to shame!
 * Downplayed: Ichigo defeats Nigo, who now develops a healthy respect towards her.
 * Justified:
 * Nigo felt like repaying Ichigo after she spared her life.
 * Nigo is a machonist and started to crush on Ichigo after Nigo's beatdown, and is joining her as a Subordinate Excuse.
 * The laws of magic in this universe state that you must switch sides if you are defeated in a magical duel.
 * Nigo was possessed and her defeat frees her, so she joins Ichigo out of gratitude.
 * Inverted:
 * Ichigo defeats her friend Nigo, resulting in a Face Heel Turn
 * Nigo beats up Ichigo, then joins her.
 * Nigo is a Friendly Enemy until Ichigo beats her in combat, at which point, battered, humiliated, and barely able to move, she declares her undying hatred for Ichigo.
 * Ichigo dodges Nigo's attacks, but refuses to fight back, and wins Nigo's friendship by refusing to hurt her.
 * Ichigo, in an odd Enemy Mine situation, has to help her sworn enemy, Nigo. Nigo later does a Heel Face Turn after this, since, despite all the blood that's been shed, all the punches thrown, all the beatdowns they've given each other, she's gotta respect the fact that Ichigo, of all people, came to her aid.
 * Ichigo befriends Nigo, then defeats her.
 * Subverted: Ichigo defeats Nigo and asks for a handshake of friendship, but is refused.
 * Double Subverted: It's only after a heartwarming speech that Nigo accepts her friendship.
 * Parodied:
 * Ichigo pokes Nigo, causing Nigo to dedicate the rest of her life to her.
 * Ichigo's Wave Motion Gun is named "the Friendship Beam".
 * Deconstructed:
 * Nigo joins Ichigo out of fear that the next time they fight, it will be fatal, and is scared of Ichigo even in their normal lives, as if she was a bully.
 * Alternative: Ichigo doesn't let Nigo join her Nakama because of kindness, but of pragmatism. Ichigo is aware that letting her enemy join her team after a beat-down reather than outright kill her off is of strategic advantage in case of future conflicts, and with Nigo's powers, that's something she just can't say no to. The reason why Nigo accept Ichigo's offer to join her team is because it's either that or getting her head bashed in.
 * Another alternative: Ichigo's offer of friendship is genuine, but Nigo only joins because she fears what her superiors will do to her if she returns in defeat, not because of Ichigo's kindness.
 * Fourth alternative: Ichigo pounds Nigo to near death, reducing her to pleading for her life. Ichigo's offer to Nigo to switch sides is out of guilt for going overboard, (or more cynically, because she knows she'll get called out for killing a helpless foe), not any kind of altruism.
 * Fifth alternative: In the process of trying to make Nigo listen to her through superior firepower/kung-fu/magic, Ichigo inadvertently kills her.
 * Reconstructed:
 * Over time, however, Nigo learns that Ichigo isn't really all that bad, and begins to genuinely appreciate and befriend her.
 * Alternative: Ichigo and Nigo live a culture where friendship IS pragmatism; both strong friends and loyal friends. A fight demonstrates the strength and fighting alongside builds loyalty.
 * Another alternative: Nigo becomes Ichigo's Token Evil Teammate with Undying Loyalty to Ichigo, because Ichigo was kind enough to spare her (something her superior would never do) and then personally nurse her back to health.
 * Fourth alternative: The incident with Nigo becomes My Greatest Failure for Ichigo and she sees every fight afterwards as My Greatest Second Chance. The following enemies are always offered friendship before, during, and after the fight. Nigo kills them in Ichigo's place if they refuse.
 * Fifth Alternative: Ichigo's uses non-lethal weapons when attempting to "befriend" Nigo. If she inadverently goes to far the worst that can happen is knocking her unconscious.
 * Zig Zagged: Ichigo defeats Nigo in combat and offers to be her friend but Nigo refuses. Then Ichigo makes a heroic speech and she accepts but it was a fake defection to inflitrate Ichigo's group. Over time Nigo reconsiders after experiencing the perks of being a hero. However her ruse is exposed and the hero team turns on Nigo and she fights back, doing great damage to the Home Base as if she truly were The Mole. She and Ichigo fight again, but this time Ichigo only disarms her and gives her a Cooldown Hug. The rest of the group still doesn't trust her so the pair run off to form their own side.
 * Averted: Ichigo defeats Nigo and they remain at odds.
 * Enforced: "Nigo's turned out to be very popular with the fanbase, and the merchandise with her sells well. Rather than have her just die at the end of the season, how about Ichigo defeats Nigo once and for all, and Nigo becomes her friend?"
 * Lampshaded: "By defeating me, you've earned my respect."
 * Invoked: Nigo knows Ichigo respects a fair victor and sets out to defeat her in order to gain her alliance.
 * Defied:
 * Shin places Nigo, and his other minions under mind control to prevent this sort of thing from happening.
 * Ichigo refuses to accept Nigo's friendship until they've both had a chance to catch their breath and think things over, just to be sure the adrenaline isn't clouding Nigo's judgement.
 * "Am I hearing you right? You just beat the hell out of me, and now you want me to be your pal? Are you a sociopath, or just a moron? Either finish me off or leave me the hell alone, Ichigo!"
 * Nigo surrenders without a fight, out of fear that Ichigo will killer her if she resists.
 * Discussed: "Ichigo, have you noticed that all your friends are your ex-enemies?"
 * Conversed: "This new character, Nigo's kind of cute; I hope she and Ichigo will make up after Ichigo beats the crap out of her."

Back to Defeat Means Friendship