In the End You Are on Your Own/Playing With

Basic Trope: The Hero must fight on his own in the Final Battle, even though his comrades followed him everywhere before.
 * Straight: The Nakama finally reach the Big Bad, whom The Hero then engages in one-on-one combat, while his friends idly stand by.
 * Exaggerated: The Hero leads a massive army against a lone and isolated Big Bad, then challenges him to a duel.
 * Justified: Killing the Big Bad is something that The Hero has to do himself because It's Personal.
 * Alternately, only the hero can get into or onto the spot where the Big Bad plans to hold his last stand.
 * Perhaps The Hero and Big Bad are the only ones left.
 * Or the Big Bad is wearing a special armor that can only be penetrated by a special type of weapon which only the hero possesses.
 * Or Conservation of Ninjitsu makes ganging up on the villain pointless or counterproductive.
 * Or the other heroes are busy holding off the Mooks, Quirky Miniboss Squad, or their own Archenemies, that the Big Bad employed so that the Hero and Villain can settle it face to face.
 * "It's an Honour thing".
 * "I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!"
 * Inverted: Instead of sending the Quirky Miniboss Squad after him, Big Bad faces off against The Hero in person.
 * After being alone the entire season, someone's finally got The Hero's back in the big battle.
 * Subverted: The Hero challenges the Big Bad to a "fair duel", then signals his friends to come swarming from all directions onto the villain.
 * Or alternatively the Lancer (or another party member) assists them in the fight.
 * Double Subverted: But the villain had his Quirky Miniboss Squad nearby, who proceed to keep The Hero's allies busy while their respective bosses duke it out.
 * Parodied: As soon as The Hero and the Big Bad draw swords, both sides' allies pop their popcorn cans open and sit around in lounge chairs, cheering and commenting on their progress.
 * Deconstructed: The noble hero challenges the villain to a duel and is shot in the back by The Dragon.
 * Alternately; The Hero becomes disillusioned with his friends after they fail to help him in the most important battle, eventually abandoning them in a fit of resentment.
 * Reconstructed: The laws of the universe prohibit the epic battles to be won by dirty tricks and the bullet ricochets off The Hero's back.
 * Alternately, he had a bulletproof vest on because he knew the bad guys would break their word. Which is why The Lancer also followed and engages the Dragon. Plus, the hero isn't doing it (just) for honor. It's Personal.
 * Zig Zagged: It looks like the hero is going to face the villain alone, but wait! His allies managed to arrive in time!... only to realize the villain and hero are somewhere else. Except for the Sixth Ranger!... who can't help because The Dragon is keeping him busy.
 * Averted: The Hero's Nakama follow him to the Final Battle and perform at the top of their abilities, each of them contributing equally to their victory.
 * Enforced: To reinforce An Aesop that good always triumphs over evil thanks to moral superiority and not due to overwhelming numbers, The Hero must always defeat the bad guys alone (even when they gang up on him).
 * Lampshaded: "It's one of his hero things. He has to fight the final bosses one-on-one."
 * Invoked: "It seems... *cough* ...you'll have to... go on alone..."
 * Defied: The Hero tries to protect his friends by leaving them behind before the final battle but they outsmart him and arrive just in time to save his ass.
 * Discussed: "If he has to go on his own, what good were we!?"
 * Conversed: "Oh, come on! This guy's been doing whatever it takes to win for the whole series, and suddenly when the time comes to fight the big villain he goes all by himself?"
 * Played For Laughs: The good guys have a Food Fight to determine who is the strongest to face the Big Bad. The latter, meanwhile, grows bored and leaves for another world.
 * Played For Drama: The good guys know that whoever ventures to face the Big Bad will not return, regardless of the outcome of the actual battle, so everyone tries to secure "the honor" for him-/herself in order to save the others.

Back to In the End You Are On Your Own.