Worthy Opponent: Difference between revisions

The equal and opposite enemy to the hero, who, save for the tragic circumstances of his life, upbringing, political ideology, or financial situation, might have been the hero's best friend. Unfortunately, though, he must be the hero's opposition. Evenly matched, with a sense of honor that allows the hero to trust him about a select few things, and an honest respect for the hero, the '''Worthy Opponent''' also fights to the same standards of fairness as the hero; he will not shoot you [[In the Back]], and may even prevent someone else from doing so; in military situations, he will obey [[The Laws and Customs of War]]. The '''Worthy Opponent''' will also do things like [[I Gave My Word|negotiate honestly]] or allow the wounded hero to escape to fight another day. He will invariably even the terms of a fight when he possesses a clear advantage, often being unwilling to fight an unarmed foe (either discarding his weapon or [[Give Me a Sword|allowing the protagonist to reclaim his own]]), and waiting until an unconscious enemy has woken and can engage in an honorable [[Duel to the Death]], because they must settle things [[Let's Fight Like Gentlemen|like gentlemen]]. He may not [[Kick Them While They Are Down|dispatch the wounded hero]] even when the hero tells him to [[Get It Over With]]. Sometimes found in the role of [[The Dragon]], but is almost never the [[Big Bad]]. If he's a commander, he may be [[A Father to His Men]]; indeed, [[The Men First|his men]] may prove a sticking point with the [[Big Bad]]. Assassins, manhunters, and various wandering duelists frequently invoke this trope, often choosing their profession to engage in a test of skill by [[Hunting the Most Dangerous Game]]. Such characters rarely share the same values as their employers and are often disparaged for fighting fair or letting the hero go out of respect.

The '''Worthy Opponent''' is rarely a recurring character, but is usually likely to evolve into a [[Friendly Enemy]]. More often, he is killed (sometimes by a fanatic on his own side) after one or two episodes, prompting the hero to [[What a Senseless Waste of Human Life|mourn the loss of such an honorable but misguided soul]].

** Mihawk's goal in life is to find one. Initially, he thought it would be Shanks, but he gave up the rivalry with him after Shanks lost his left arm and (mostly) retired. While he hasn't truly found one yet, he feels Zoro has the potential to become such. In fact, Mihawk sees Zoro so much as his Worthy Opponent that not only does he decide to spare Zoro's life after their first battle, he also {{spoiler|'''trains Zoro during the timeskip!'''}}