Not Brainwashed: Difference between revisions

No worries, though. This isn't a [[Face Heel Turn]]. They have all the classic signs. They're just [[Brainwashed]] like everyone else, right? Right. The secret gets out, and their new boss laughs as he gleefully tells you he isn't forcing them to do anything against their will, [[More Than Mind Control|but that's to be expected]]. You two eventually have to fight; they're giving it everything they've got, but you're not because [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight|you know they're in there somewhere]]. They tell you you're wrong and insist they're not [[Brainwashed]], but that's what they all say. You break out your [[Magic Antidote]] that's worked on a million victims before and hit it... and nothing happens.

 

 

There's also the comedy option, where a character, having gone into a seemingly dangerous situation, finds out that it's actually something pleasant and enjoyable; unfortunately, their allies who stayed behind don't realize this, and attempt to [[Unwanted Rescue|rescue them from the "brainwashing."]]

 

 

Related to [[More Than Mind Control]].

 

== Dramatic Examples ==

=== Anime and Manga ===

* ''[[G Gundam]]'' had Domon's mentor, Master Asia, turn against him. Domon didn't give this much thought at first, since he had seen many people become [[Brainwashed]] by the Devil Gundam before then, and was mighty displeased to discover that Master Asia was serving the Devil Gundam purely by choice.

* This trope appears in the last story arc of the live-action adaptation ''[[Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon]]''. Queen Beryl, who up until this point has been brainwashing her four lieutenants, resigns herself to certain death and releases Jaedite from her spell, so he can escape. His personality doesn't change at all: he reveals that he's always been her willing servant, and he intends to remain by her side no matter what.

* ''[[Hellsing]]'', {{spoiler|[[Battle Butler]] Walter}} is seen de-aged and on the side of the Nazi Vampires. When Alucard fights him, everyone assumes that he's been brainwashed. While it's left slightly ambiguous, it's heavily implied that not only was he doing it all of his own free will, but he had also been the cause of various security breaches earlier in the series.

* In ''[[Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas]]'', [[Woobie]] Alone is chosen as the vessel for [[Everybody Hates Hades|Hades]] and subsequently begins to [[Kill'Em All|kill everyone]], planning to end all life on Earth. {{spoiler|Turns out this has nothing to do with the influence of Hades, as he was never possessed; being chosen as the vessel for Hades simply gave him the power to execute a plan that was his own from the very beginning.}}

=== Comic Books ===

* The Teen Titans Judas Contract Arc: Moreso in the comics than the cartoon, Beast Boy/Changeling initially hoped Terra was being Brainwashed or manipulated somehow by Deathstroke/Slade before he could accept that her alliance with Slade was completely voluntary. In the cartoon, while she is manipulated by Slade, she is very voluntary about doing his dirty work for him. Having his own traumatic experience with Slade, Robin shares the hope that Slade's forcing her into it, and Terra has to spell it out for him: "I DON'T NEED SAVING! I'm not some sad little girl who's waiting to be rescued! I wanted to be this way! I wanted to go with Slade! I wanted to annihilate you and your pathetic friends!"

 

=== Film ===

* In [[Lois McMaster Bujold]]'s ''[[The Sharing Knife]]'' series, Fawn is constantly asked if the sorcerous Dag has beguiled her into marrying him, when they are really just in love. Also, in "Passage", {{spoiler|Alder}} is not beguiled by {{spoiler|Crane}}. And in "Horizon", a halfbreed Lakewalker beguiles a farmer into loving and marrying her, only to learn that beguilement wears off over time, and her husband is staying with her of his own free will.

** Bujold also plays the comedy situation for dramatics in ''[[Vorkosigan Saga|Shards of Honor]]''. {{spoiler|Most of Beta Colony believes that Cordelia has been brainwashed by the Barrayarans, when she's really just in love with Admiral Vorkosigan.}}

* Horribly subverted in ''[[World War Z]]'' where "Quislings", humans who pretend to be zombies ([[Believing Their Own Lies|to the point of literally believing they are zombies]]) are just so much more zombie chow.

* Ruthlessly exploited in ''[[Harry Potter]]'' books: Many of villains got off by pretending to be brainwashed (including the Malfoys). Later Harry cannot believe that Stan the bus driver is not under [[Mind Control]] when attacking him. (Stan IS surprisingly blank-eyed, and it's not verified one way or the other.)

** Stan was previously a good-natured but pretty slow bus attendant who claimed he would be the next Minister of Magic when he was trying to chat up some Veelas. That said, he seemed ''very'' unlikely as Death Eater material, even if he did decide to join. On the other hand, Harry and his friends believed that Cornelius Fudge was under the Imperius Curse which was why he was stubbornly ignoring signs of Voldemort's return (Dumbledore doesn't think this is true though and Fudge later does accept what's going on, so yeah...) There's also debate as to whether or not {{spoiler|Umbridge was possessed by the horcrux locket when she wore it. While Harry figured that it would be impossible to tell since she was already so foul, [[Word of God|Rowling]] stated that the locket saw her as a kindred spirit and aided her rather then hindered her.}}

 

=== Live Action TV ===

** After Wesley conspired to kidnap the baby Connor (and got his throat cut for his trouble) Angel visited him in hospital. Angel was at pains to stress that he was still Angel (and not the soul-less Angelus) before proceeding to try to smother him with a pillow

* In a series fraught with [[Evil Twin]] and [[Brainwashed and Crazy]] Power Rangers, ''[[Power Rangers SPD]]'' chose to break the chain and give us the A-Squad, a team of "elite" Rangers thought to have been lost in space ([[Lost in Space|no pun intended]]), but had really faked their disappearance to voluntarily join with the Troobian army, believing it'll eventually crush the SPD and wanted to be on "the winning side" when it happened. All well and good...until a [[Canon Discontinuity]] in the Disney Adventures follow-up comic reversed it back to [[Brainwashed and Crazy]]...

*** This is debatable as at the start of the season before they were capture, one of the rangers notes something is off about the A-squad.

** On a lighter note, ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'' plays with this between Zedd and rita. At first, she used a love potion. Later, Goldar will use a love potion antidote on Zedd. No effect. Goldar concludes to this trope, although it's possible that the antidote worked only on the love potion displayed in this episode, not on the one used 15 episodes earlier.

** There is also one in ''[[World of Warcraft]]''. The players are sent to assassinate Emperor Dagran Thaurissan, the [[Evil Emperor]] of the Dark Iron and rescue the captive Princess Moira Bronzebeard. It however turned out that {{spoiler|she took a liking to him and [[Happily Married]], much to the player's surprise.}}

** In the Stonecore, there's a rock giant that you're tasked by Therazane to kill named Ozruk. At first, she sent agents to free him from whatever magic binds him to this Twilight's Hammer dungeon. "No such magic was placed upon him."

* In ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'' Original Generation 2, much of the early plot revolves around surviving members of the "School" on the opposing side trying to "save" one of your pilots from obvious brainwashing. Of course, she's on your side entirely by choice, and ''they're'' the ones undergoing brainwashing.

* ''[[Kamen Rider Decade]]''; on {{spoiler|1=DiEnd's world}} it turns out that {{spoiler|Junichi}} is working for the villain and is not under his control as everyone has believed.

* ''[[Walkyverse|It's Walky]]'''s final arc deals with several mind-controlled former teammates... and one who, it turns out, switched sides by choice.

{{quote|"He wasn't hypnotised, merely disgruntled."}}

** In fact, the character was told the spell ''could'' effect their alignment, with the implication that it was possible and up to them to resist any such effect. This example seems to overlap with [[More Than Mind Control]] in that the character was told this in order to facilitate them giving in to their worst impulses (like arrogance, cruelty, and mass-murder).

*** Actually, the ones who said that told their [[The Watson|Watson]] that they had been lying to manipulate Vaarsuvius. It really didn't have an effect on alignment.

{{quote|'''Flash:''' Internet romances huh? Go figure.}}

* In the pilot episode of ''[[Buzz Lightyear of Star Command]]'', our hero is surprised to find his ex-partner Warp Darkmatter is not only alive, but [[The Dragon|working]] for the [[Big Bad]]. Unable to accept that his buddy has pulled a [[Face Heel Turn]], Buzz offers several tried-and-true possible explanations:

'''Warp:''' ''No.'' }}

* In ''[[Transformers]]: Beast Machines'', Optimus Primal believes that Megatron has brainwashed Rhinox and turned him into the villainous Tankor. Even after awakening his spark, though, Tankor continues to oppose Optimus, as he has grown disillusioned with him after the failure of the Beast Wars.

** Although he ''was'' actually brainwashed at first.

== Comedic Examples ==

=== Film ===

 

=== Literature ===

{{quote|'''Harry Dresden:''' No way. Last time I let you out, you got into a frat party and started an orgy.

'''Bob the Skull:''' I didn't do anything another couple of kegs of beer wouldn't have done! }}

 

=== Western Animation ===

* ''[[The Angry Beavers]]'' "Zooing Time": The supposedly brainwashed Norbert is genuinely disappointed at being rescued from a zoo, because he actually likes it, but Daggett thinks that he's saying that because he was brainwashed. (And he's taking responsibility for getting Norb sent to the zoo to begin with.)

* ''[[Lilo and Stitch]]'': In one episode, Lilo's friend Keoni has a crush on Pleakly (in his horrible disguise as a human woman). Lilo, Stitch, and Jumba are quick to blame the [[Monster of the Week]], but no, he ''actually does'' have a crush on Pleakly. (For context: Pleakley has green skin and one eye.)