Blackmail: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:blkbx-714593.jpg|link=Visual Pun|frame|[[Visual Pun|Complete with a box.]]]]
{{quote|'''Sir Impey Bigs''': It's a crime crueler and infinitely worse in its results than murder. As a lawyer, ... I have consistently refused to defend a blackmailer, or prosecute any poor devil who does away with his tormentor".
'''Lord Peter''': H'm. What do you say, Colonel?
'''Col. Marchbanks''': A man like that's a filthy pest. Shootin's too good for him. I knew a man -- close personal friend, in fact -- [[Driven to Suicide|hounded to death]] -- blew his brains out -- one of the best.
|"[[Lord Peter Wimsey|The Unprincipled Affair of the Practical Joker]]"}}
Alice knows something that Bob doesn't want anyone else to know. So Bob has to do something for Alice so that she doesn't tell anyone.
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In a teen comedy, a character is blackmailed by someone outside the main cast. The others find out and stick up for their friend. In a [[Government Procedural]], a [[Slave to PR|respected]] politician is confronted with pictures of him in a strip club or with a girl twenty years too young for him, and is asked for hush money. In a [[Superhero]] story, the hero is blackmailed when someone discovers their [[Secret Identity]]. In a [[Sitcom]], a child blackmails their sibling when they [[Broken Treasure|break a rare, expensive heirloom]].
The possibilities are endless. To list all the variations and permutations of this trope here would be a lesson in madness.
One of the many ways of making someone [[An Offer You Can't Refuse|An Offer He Can't Refuse]].
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{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* This shows up at an alarming rate in hentai. Usually the person being blackmailed is trying to defend her (it's almost always a woman) honor/reputation/job by giving into the blackmailer's demands (of sex, always), even if the person who is blackmailing her ''raped'' her to create blackmail material.
* In the anime/manga ''[[Ranma ½
** Nabiki also used the threat of blackmail as payback against Ranma for accidentally destroying her expensive concert tickets.
** Since Ranma is a [[Manipulative Bastard]] and [[the Chessmaster]], he used this tactic as well, particularly in the manga. In the very arc that she blackmailed him, he searched her room for material to use against her.
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** He seemingly has blackmail material on everyone in Japan as he once got permission to use the TOKYO DOME just by flashing his threatbook. It's so powerful, that it rivals the Deathnote in effectiveness. Just a few of the things he obtains are his trademark guns, a TANK and pretty much anything you ask for.
*** Even the people who Hiruma does not have blackmail material on are terrified just by the sight of the little black book and immedietely submit to Hiruma's bidding.
** Not just Japan. He practically get free lodging in US during their [[Training
* [[Suzumiya Haruhi|Haruhi Suzumiya]] blackmailed the Computer Club President into giving her the ''most modern computer'' of their club with pictures of him grabbing Mikuru's boobs. An event ''Haruhi'' forcefully orchestrated. It should be noted that the President was an innocent ''stranger''. [[Magnificent Bastard|If Haruhi wants something, Haruhi gets something]],[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann|who the hell do you think she is?]]
** Oh, it gets even better: when the president points out that his entire club witnessed the incident and would stand up on his behalf, Haruhi cheerfully exclaims "I'll just say that [[Refuge in Audacity|the whole class was planning on f*** ing her!"]]
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* Sae of ''[[Peach Girl]]'' staged a fake attempted rape (Momo wasn't actually raped though) and took photos to blackmail Momo's boyfriend into dating her.
* [[Big Bad|Grings]] [[Manipulative Bastard|Kodai]], the main villain of ''[[Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions]]'', blackmails [[Mama Bear|Zoroark]] into attacking Crown City as part of his plan. Intresting variation here is that he never had her son anyway, it was just a hologram as Zorua had escaped on his own.
* In ''[[Shiro]]'', the titular [[Catgirl]] uses this to force Miyako (the female protagonist) to continue to keep her.
* In ''[[Monster (manga)|Monster]]'', a hooker attempts to blackmail Johan Liebert by presenting her knowledge of the murders he's committed. [[Complete Monster|With Johan being Johan]], this turns out to be an EXTREMELY bad idea as [[Magnificent Bastard|he had planned for it ahead of time]].
* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's]]'': Divine, creator of the Arcadia Movement (an army of psychics who want to take over Neo Domino), gains legal immunity from Director Goodwin by threatening to say that {{spoiler|Goodwin was a Satellite-born}}.
* In both the ''[[Kodomo no Jikan]]'' anime and manga, Rin does this in a pretty unique way: she creates her own blackmail material to use on Aoki.
== [[Film]] ==
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{{quote|'''[[Deadpan Snarker|Lucius Fox]]:''' So let me get this straight. You believe that your client, [[Rich Idiot With No Day Job|one of the richest and most influential men in the world]], is [[Secret Identity|secretly]] a [[Badass|vigilante who goes out at night and beats criminals to a pulp with his bare hands]]... and [[Didn't Think This Through|your plan is to 'blackmail' this person]]? Good luck.}}
** Also subverted in ''[[Batman Begins]]'', the movie TDK is a sequel to.
{{quote|'''[[The Don|Falcone]]''': I want to know how you're gonna convince me to keep my mouth shut.
'''[[Mad Scientist|Crane]]''': About what? You don't know anything.
'''Falcone''': I know you wouldn't want the police to take a closer look at those drugs they seized. And I know about your experiments with the inmates of your nuthouse. See, I don't go into business with a guy without finding out his dirty secrets. And those goons you used – I own the muscle in this town. Now, I've been bringing your stuff in for months, so whatever he's planning, it's big, and I want in.
'''Crane''': Well, I already know what he'll say: that we should kill you.
'''Falcone''': Even he can't get me in here. Not in my town.
'''Crane''': ... would you like to see my mask? I use it in my experiments. Probably not very frightening to a guy like you, but these crazies, they can't stand it.
'''Falcone''': So when did the nut take over the nuthouse?
''{{spoiler|Cue [[Evil Versus Evil|Crane spraying the fear toxin in Falcone's face]], [[Laser-Guided Karma|making Falcone scream in terror]].}}'' }}
* In [[Marci X]], a senator danced to her opponent's music, and her son filmed the dance.
* In the 1919 German film ''Different from the Others'', Paul Korner is blackmailed by a man who knows he's
* This is what sets the plot of ''[[Clue (film)|Clue]]'' in motion, seeing as how it gives all the characters a motive for wanting the blackmailer dead.
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'''Col. Marchbanks''': A man like that's a filthy pest. Shootin's too good for him. I knew a man -- close personal friend, in fact -- [[Driven to Suicide|hounded to death]] -- blew his brains out -- one of the best. }}
** In ''Murder Must Advertise'', the motive turns out to be being blackmailed. Another of the workers at the agency was also approached and went for "publish and be damned"; it worked.
* In ''[[Honor Harrington]]'' a mole was cleared out of Manticoran politics with a counter-blackmail. She had dirt on a number of powerful figures, but in turn a spy found out the blackmailer had once been part of a shipload of mutinous slaves and betrayed the others. Revealing the later would of course make someone come looking.
* In [[John C. Wright]]'s ''[[Chronicles of Chaos|Fugitives of Chaos]]'', Amelia attempts to extort help in escaping. She bungles it.
* In [[Poul Anderson]] and [[Gordon R. Dickson]]'s [[Hoka]] stories:
** In ''Don Jones'', Alex tries to blackmail Terwillinger to agree that both of their irresponsible behaviors should be swept under the rug. Terwillinger says, "Publish and be damned!" Fortunately this inspires Doralene to decide that he's not after all a stuffed shirt and she's in love with him. This inspires him to let Alex off after all.
** In ''The Napoleon Crime'', Alex, finding himself cast as the Duke of Wellington, can remember only that he responded with "Publish and be damned!" to a blackmailer. At the end, when a reporter tells him that he can make him look ridiculous, Alex decides not to resist temptation: "Publish and be damned!"
* In [[Larry Niven]]'s [[Known Space]] stories, the Puppeteers regard blackmail as simply another business
* ''[[In Death]]'': A number of folks have used this. Some of them even tried to blackmail a ''murderer'', which qualifies them for the [[What an Idiot!]] award. All of these blackmailers ended up dead.
* [[P. G.
* In ''[[Grunts!]]'', former [[Dominatrix]] Magda Brandiman blackmails a representative of the Visible College to {{spoiler|keep on selling the Orc Marines [[Anti-Magic|nullity talismans]]}} by threatening to reveal their [[BDSM|S&M]] proclivities.
* In [[Jack Campbell]]'s ''[[The Lost Fleet]]'' novel ''Invicible'', {{spoiler|Rione}} admits she is being
* In ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', Gandalf tells Frodo that Gollumn had used the Ring to be a petty blackmailer and was banned from his tribe for it.
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'' keep Sgt. Schultz from revealing their plans by blackmailing him with the fact that if he tells, they'll tell that he knew about their earlier plans and didn't say anything. It's a bit cyclical.
* A plot by the tin-pot little African country of Buranda in ''[[Yes Minister]]'' results in the following [[Sadistic Choice|between a rock and a hard place]] exchange between the eponymous Minister, Jim Hacker, and the very black leader of Buranda:
{{quote|'''Hacker:''' That's blackmail!
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{{quote|'''Host:''' £3,000 to stop us from revealing your name, [[Noodle Implements|the name of the three other people involved, the youth organization to which they belong, and the shop where you bought the equipment]].}}
* Georgina Sparks uses her knowledge of {{spoiler|Serena sort of, but not actually, killing a man}} to blackmail Serena in season one of ''[[Gossip Girl]]''.
* Spoofed several times on ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'', the best being a bit in [[Puma Man]] involving a fly and a hero trying to play dead...
* In the build to Kane's debut in the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]], Paul Bearer used the threat of revealing the "truth" of the Undertaker's past to try and force him back to his side; Taker complied for a while, before rebelling.
* Used at various points across ''[[Desperate Housewives]]'', most notably in season one, where {{spoiler|Mary-Alice's suicide, the event that started the series, is revealed to have been the result of Mrs. Huber attempting to blackmail her over the fact that Zack isn't really her son. In true Christie-esque style, Mrs. Huber pays for this with her own life when Paul, Mary-Alice's husband, finds out what she did and strangles her.}}
* Used in the ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' episode ''Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered'', when Xander discovers that Amy is a witch and threatens to reveal this to everyone unless she casts a love spell for him.
{{quote|'''Xander:''' [[Blackmail Is Such an Ugly Word|Blackmail is such an ugly word.]]
'''Amy:''' I didn't say blackmail.
'''Xander:''' Yeah, but I'm about to blackmail you, so I thought I'd bring it up. }}
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* In ''[[No Rest for The Wicked (webcomic)|No Rest for The Wicked]]'', [http://www.forthewicked.net/archive/01-27.html after November deduces that the Marquis is not noble, Perrault accuses her of blackmail.]
* In ''[[Ansem Retort]]'', Zexion blackmails Namine into shutting up when {{spoiler|it turns out ''she'' caused Sora's amnesia}}
* [[Evil Diva (webcomic)|Evil Diva]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20120802041427/http://www.evildivacomics.com/?p=806 threatens her mother with revealing]
* ''[[Squid Row]]'': [http://squidrowcomics.com/?p=1749 How to get the day off]
* In ''[[Minion Comics]]'', Von Gernsbach and Mr. Magnum plot to blackmail [https://web.archive.org/web/20120815085321/http://www.meetmyminion.com/?p=878 various world leaders.]
== [[Web Original]] ==
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* An unknown agent tries to blackmail Phase in the [[Whateley Universe]], in what was probably an attempt to make Phase's dorm hate him. Not only does it not work, but it leads Phase and his team into accidentally finding and stopping some mutant ninja thieves, thus making Phase ''more'' popular.
* By ''[[From Justin To Kelly]]'', [[The Nostalgia Chick]] has resorted to this to get her "love" [[Todd in the Shadows]] to spend time with her, giving him the choice of trying not to starve when he's so poor or making some money by doing a crossover with her.
* Cardin Winchester in ''[[RWBY]]'', who uses Jaune's secret to basically turn him into a lackey and dogsbody for about a quarter of Volume 1.
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* An entire episode of ''[[Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy]]'' is dedicated to Kevin blackmailing Eddy into doing his bidding. If Eddy doesn't do what he's told, Kevin will tell everyone his [[Embarrassing Middle Name]]. He spends the entire episode using the threat to humiliate Eddy in a dozen different ways, up to and including making him ''play horns and eat a raw fish like a trained seal''. {{spoiler|And then he ''[[Moral Event Horizon|reveals the name anyway!]]''}}
** Well, he ''is'' one of the cul-de-sac's resident personifications of the [[Jerkass]] trope.
* [[The Fairly
** And one time, it's even ''fake'' blackmail.
{{quote|'''Vicky''': ...Or I'll show your parents this!
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* ''[[Futurama]]'': Bender thinks that [[Blackmail Is Such an Ugly Word]]. He prefers "extortion". [[X Makes Anything Cool|The "X" makes it sound cool.]]
* ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'': In the finale of Season 1, {{spoiler|Slade blackmails Robin into becoming his apprentice, or he will kill the Titans}}.
* In the "Ponyville Confidential" episode of ''[[My Little Pony:
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Dirty Social Tricks]]
[[Category:Blackmail]]▼
[[Category:A Slave to the Index]]
[[Category:Alice and Bob]]
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