The Power of Friendship: Difference between revisions

[[File:thepoweroffriendship_9816thepoweroffriendship 9816.jpg|frame| [[Portal (Video Gameseries)|This was a triumph...]]]]

{{quote|''"I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power!"''|'''Sora''', ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]''}}

{{quote|''"Two are better than one: they get a good wage for their labor. If the one falls, the other will lift up his companion. Woe to the solitary man! For if he should fall, he has no one to lift him up."''|'''[[The Bible|Ecclesiastes 4:9-10]]'''}}

A major theme in all media. The [[Loners Are Freaks|villain]] or [[Ineffectual Loner]] mocks the idea of relying on others, insisting that friends make you weak and [[Machiavelli Was Wrong|only fear brings servitude]]. Then he discovers to his [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good|extreme shock and dismay]] that [[True Companions|the hero's friends]] really do stand up for him, and this really does enable the hero to kick the crap out of the bad guy. The [[An Aesop|Aesop]]: Having friends makes you strong, [[Friendless Background|being alone]] [[Lonely Atat the Top|makes you weak]]. Even [[What You Are in Thethe Dark]] can depend on your memory of your friends.

The moment at which The Power Ofof Friendship becomes clear is [[A Friend in Need]], but beware the [[Apple of Discord]]. When [[I Work Alone|the loner]] has been brought into the group, [[Remember That You Trust Me]] may be needed to keep him attached.

A [[Combined Energy Attack]] is another perk of believing in said power. (Taken more literally, the Power of Friendship may be used as a required element of some magical effect, such as a [[Care Bear Stare]].) [[The Hero|Heroes]], especially the [[Magnetic Hero]], usually spend the first few episodes building [[True Companions|this group of loyal followers]]. Sometimes though, it can go too far. Heroes might fall prey to becoming a [[Martyr Without a Cause]], and allies could be [[Poisonous Friend]]s. However, [[In the End You Are Onon Your Own]], in which case Friendship becomes a mite less helpful.

See also [[Team Spirit]], [[True Companions]], [[The Power of Love]], The [[The Power of Trust]], [[Defeat Means Friendship]], [[Fire-Forged Friends]], [[Dying Alone]], [[You Are Not Alone]]. Often results in a [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]] if done well. The risk of [[Tastes Like Diabetes]] or even [[Narm]] is present [[Tropes Are Not Good|if done poorly]]. A key element of [[Buddy Picture|buddy pictures]].

{{quote| '''Shu:''' The power to use my friends as weapons. This is the sinful crown I shall accept.}}

* The central theme of the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]!'' franchise. Let's count off what friendship can do: magically solve an extremely difficult puzzle, restore HP in a live-action fighting game, repel mystical mind-reading artifacts, magically write a name none of the characters remember, fuse dragons together, keep your soul from getting stolen by a magic circle, and summon an Egyptian God.

* A spoiler-laden plot twist in ''[[Read or Die (Anime)|Read or Die]]'' hinges on this. [[Les Yay|Maybe.]]

* Each character in ''[[Digimon Adventure]]'' has a "crest" that ties them to a particular virtue; Most of the characters had some kind of crisis related to their crests, where they started to doubt their own virtues only to pick up an [[Aesop]] just in time for a [[Big Damn Heroes]] moment. For example, Tai tried to force a digivolution and traded courage for recklessness and hubris, then ended up with the rampaging Skull Greymon, he learned to be somewhat less reckless before Agumon reached the true ultimate stage. 

** bonusBonus- one of the Crests is the Crest of Friendship. so.. it's the power of friendship saving the day. The digimon CAN'T'can't'' digivolve really without these kids...in a sense, these kids, the bond the [[Mon|Digimon]] share with their human partners, lets them grow in power. 

* In ''[[Naruto]]'', one can derive a considerable amount of strength from the mere fact that you're using it to protect someone important to you (chiefly Naruto himself, but there are others). One strength-obsessed character actually gives up being a sociopath when he realizes that having friends is a more direct route to power. Allthough it doesn't sounds that nice, in part 2 he dies to protect his entire village, he does get better though. (There are those in the Naruto fandom who call this phenomenon "Friendship no Jutsu" or an "Epic Battle of Friendship"). 

** In chapter 570, {{spoiler|Naruto finally befriends [[Eldritch Abomination|the Nine-Tails]] himself!}}

* ''[[Yes! PrecurePretty Cure 5|Yes! Precure 5]]'' also ''subverted'' this somewhat. When Rin and Karen were forced to work together to save the others, they were particularly effective -- becauseeffective—because they ''really'' rubbed each other the wrong way, and neither one of them wanted to get shown up by the other. And speaking of the power of [[Romantic Two-Girl Friendship]], that's how you "turn on" a ''[[Simoun]]''. 

* Most of the major battles in ''[[Sailor Moon (Manga)|Sailor Moon]]'' are won via the power of forgiveness, and the friendship of the protagonists is a major source of power. (Marketing for the English dub of the anime emphasized this aspect of the series as much as it possibly could.)

* The Evil General Durahan in the anime ''[[Monster Rancher (Animeanime)|Monster Rancher]]'' specifically references this trope in an episode where the bad guys betrayed each other no less than four times in under an hour. Friendship has its benefits it seems.

** In a more straight use of this trope, the characters' courage, along with friendship, can be used to make themselves stronger. In the last episode Genki summoned the courage of every heroic character on the planet to use in a [[Combined Energy Attack]]. In contrast, when Moo goaded the heroes into hating him to make him stronger, the power of their hatred ''drove him insane''. 

* ''[[Vandread]]'' pits [[Humongous Mecha|giant killer robots from space]] against [[The Power of Friendship]]. You do the math. {{spoiler|It did help that the [[True Companions|friends]] included a [[Sufficiently Advanced Alien]]}}.

* Wonderfully parodied along with many other [[Shounen]] tropes in the ''[[All Just a Dream|first episode]]'' of ''[[The Tower of Druaga (Animeanime)|The Tower of Druaga]]'', where a [[One-Winged Angel|Final Form]] Jil has been beaten by the Dark God Druaga... when the voice of a Goddess speaks in his ear, and ''every character shown so far, including the villains'' show up in spirit form to give support, including the [[Red Shirt]] who died early on of Retirony. Sadly, our hero cannot remember his name, despite remembering the correct names of all the enemies and bit persons he has encountered on his travels.

{{quote| '''Jil''': ''Fatina! Neeba! Kalli! And... I can't remember his name, but he's definitely one of my friends!''<br />

* Early in ''[[Inuyasha]]'', it's suggested that the [[Empathic Weapon|empathic sword]] Tessaiga's full power can only be unlocked if it's being used to protect a human. This quickly falls by the wayside as the plot progresses, arguably in response to a general shift in the mindset of the title character from being only out for himself toward being more protective of others in general.&nbsp;

* The penultimate arc of ''[[Kinnikuman]]'' dealt with the "theft" of the heroes' Friendship Power with a number of curseddollscursed dolls. This resulted in everyone abandoning our hero when he needed a partner for the tag-team [[Tournament Arc]]. Thankfully, he manages to get some help from his unaffected [[Obi Wan]].

* In the answer arcs of ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro Nini]]'', the protagonists believe [[The Power of Friendship]] to be the key to [[Screw Destiny]]. In that light, the question arcs can be seen as examples of what happens when the [[True Companions|friends]] are broken up by suspicion and distrust.

** The tagline is even "Higurashi is a series about "friendship"! Friends help you move...Real friends help you move bodies!"&nbsp;

* Although the series is more focused on individual empowerment, ''[[Saint Seiya]]'' often indulges in [[The Power of Friendship]]. More often than not, combining everyone's Cosmo through their friendship is the only way to overcome the current arc's [[Big Bad]].

* ''[[Flint the Time Detective]]'' has this in most if not all of the episodes with frienship not only being what is needed to void the effects of the Petra Stamp but also [[{{spoiler:|make the great clock move again and save the world]}}.

* This is a major theme of the [[A Mech Byby Any Other Name|Headmasters and Powermasters]] in ''[[Transformers]]''. In the American continuity, the Transformers and his/her organic pilot must cooperate extremely closely in order to be an effective fighting unit. ''[[Transformers Headmasters]]'' has a technique called Head Formation, which allows the Autobot Headmasters to share energy between themselves and power up. The first time it is used, the [[Narrator]] helpfully notes that we're seeing the power of friendship in action. They can use 'the power of friendship' to fire a great big DEATH''death RAYray.''

{{quote| '''Black* Star:''' Now you'll get a taste of our Power of Friendship!<br />

** However, this trope does get played straight later on: {{spoiler|Crona's [[Heel Face Turn]]}}, [[Combined Energy Attack|Chain Resonance]], etc.

{{quote| '''Luffy:''' "Of course I don't know how to use a sword! I don't know anything about navigation, either! I can't cook! I've never even told a lie! I know that I can't survive without people around me to help!"<br />

'''Arlong:''' "And you call yourself a Captain !?" "What are you capable of ?"<br />

** Subverted during {{spoiler|Orihime's 'six hearts beat as one' speech.}}

* Taken literally in ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'', as {{spoiler|Negi's artifact allows him to use all of his partner's artifacts}}, meaning that he gets stronger as he aquires more allies.

** It's also deconstructed a bit, as Negi constantly goes through [[Training Fromfrom Hell]] so that he won't have to rely on [[The Power of Friendship]], and by extension, won't endanger his [[True Companions|friends]] by forcing them to fight alongside him (not that it stops them). Makes {{spoiler|his abovementioned artifact}} much more ironic.

** Played straight when {{spoiler|Negi's [[Black Magic]] causes his [[Super-Powered Evil Side]] to manifest. It only stops because [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/mahou_sensei_negima/v29/c265/11.html Chisame, Asakura, and Nodoka pull one of these.] }}

* The central plot of ''[[Twentieth20th Century Boys]]'' is more or less based on this trope.&nbsp;

* ''[[The Law of Ueki]]'' does this nearly as often as ~[[Yu-Gi-Oh!~]], which gets pretty [[Anvilicious]] at times. At one point, the gang is fighting a team of soldiers, and the soldiers can't comprehend how helping each other out is so important--theyimportant—they even mention that a soldier should "follow orders and look out for himself." Which ''is'' what real-life soldiers are taught...plus one more thing: ''Watch your buddies' backs.''

* ''[[Gash Bell]]'' emphasizes this extremely strongly. Not only the good guys generally get stronger and find [[New Powers Asas the Plot Demands]] in themselves through desire to protect their friends, not only friendship serves as the main driving force for most of them, in the end of the manga {{spoiler|[[Power of Friendship]] becomes the [[Deus Ex Machina]] that saves both worlds from the nearly unbeatable [[Big Bad]].}}&nbsp;

* Subverted hard in ''[[Buso Renkin]]''. Kazuki, while defending his school from a homunculus army released by Doctor Butterfly, says that he's regaining strength by drawing on the spirits of his friends and classmates. {{spoiler|What he (and the audience at this point) don't know at the time is exactly how ''literal'' that statement is - he's begun to draw on the life force of the people in the school, signaling that the Black Kakugane in him is beginning to awaken.}}

* The titular character of ''[[Kenichi: theThe Mightiest Disciple]]'' believes in this...which is odd, since in the beginning the closest thing he has to a friend is Nijima. He's clearly aware of this too, since he uses Nijima's personality to make a point a few times.

{{quote| "Be grateful for your friends! ''[[Like a Weasel|This]]'' [[Like a Weasel|is the only friend I've got]]!"}}

* A recurring theme in ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (Mangamanga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' (manga and ''Brotherhood'' anime), though most beautifully portrayed at the very end when Edward {{spoiler|has his final confrontation with the Truth. He offers to exchange his ability to use alchemy in order to get his brother Alphonse's body back. When the Truth asks if he's sure he can manage without the ability, Ed replies that he knows he'll be okay because he has his friends to back him up. The Truth smiles, tells him that he's just given the right answer, and shows him how to get out with Al's body.}}

* In a sense, ''[[Berserk]]'' does this as well, as a lot of the story revolves around the importance of camaraderie, with Guts, who had been solitary for most of his life, having to rely on his comrades and other people even if he doesn't want to, but forming bonds so strong that he'll go off on a [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|rampage]] when that bond is broken, specifically when {{spoiler|his former charismatic leader/friend Griffith betrays the Band of the Hawk by making them sacrifices to the Godhand so that he could continue his selfish life dream, resulting in a nightmare-fueled [[Kill'Em All|bloodbath]] of [[Moral Event Horizon|unforgivable proportions]].}}&nbsp;

* Though subtle, the [[Power of Friendship]] looks very much like the reason {{spoiler|all the main characters}} survive the last few episodes of [[Samurai Champloo]] despite all odds. And it is [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|beautiful.]]

* In [[Mai Hi MEMy-HiME]], in the 25th special, Natsuki reflects on how she had once been a bitter loner, but meeting Shizuru, Mai and Mikoto enabled her to open up to others and realize that no one can live alone.

* In [[.hack Sign|.hack//SIGNSign]] {{spoiler|Tsukasa is finally able to log out thanks only to the pushing, pulling, and eventual bonding of his/her in-game friends.}}

* ''[[The Idolmaster (Animeanime)|THE iDOLM@STER]]'' - A good portion of the anime is about this.

* Subverted brutally (and quickly) by a pair of tertiary characters in [[Highschool of the Dead]]. Toshimi and Misuzu's bid for BFF survivors of the apocalypse -- completeapocalypse—complete with pinky promise -- lastspromise—lasts about as long as it takes one of them to kick the other down a flight of stairs.

* [[Lyrical Nanoha]] pretty much straight weaponizes [[The Power of Friendship]] into [[Wave Motion Gun|giant energy beams]], particularly in the first season.

** The [[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|Titans]] and [[Young Justice (Comic Bookcomics)|Young Justice]] are all over this trope. They aren't the equals to the JLA or JSA in sheer power. It's their ability to work as a ''team'' and the fact that you mess with one, and expect ''any and all past and present members'' to show up looking to kick your butt that makes them frightening.&nbsp;

* Invoked a few times in [[New Avengers (Comic Book)|New Avengers]], overriding a number of [[It's Not You, It's My Enemies]] objections.

== Fan Works ==

* In ''[[With Strings Attached (Fanfic)|With Strings Attached]]'', the obvious love the four have for one another, despite their frequent quarrels and cranky moods, impresses the Hunter far more than any of their magic. After all, he's no stranger to power, but he doesn't have a single friend in the world. Ultimately, he is won over by this quality.

* Without this, ''[[Kyon: Big Damn Hero (Fanfic)|Kyon Big Damn Hero]]'' would likely be far less upbeat. {{spoiler|For a start, Tsuruya would likely be dead. Or illegally shipped to another country as a slave.}}

* Done in a purely symbolic way in ''Power Rangers GPX''. By the penultimate chapter in Part 1, four of the Rangers have become a tight [[True Companions|friends]] even after {{spoiler|one Ranger split from the team. Acutally, make that two, since he dragged his younger sister with him. Anyway, with said symbolic power, they were able to defeat the enemy general.}}

* This, along with [[The Power of Love]], is what drives the good guys in the [[Elemental Chess Trilogy (Fanfic)|Elemental Chess Trilogy]], and is the reason that several characters survive what happens to them.

* [[True Companions|The Warblers]] in ''[[Hunting the Unicorn (Fanfic)|Hunting the Unicorn]]'' are the main source of heartwarming, comedy, and [[Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs|heartwarming comedy]] in an otherwise [[Tear Jerker|soul-crushing]] [[Deconstruction]] about Klaine.

== Film ==

{{quote| '''Luke Skywalker:''' Your overconfidence is your weakness.<br />

'''Emperor Palpatine:''' Your faith in your friends is yours.<br />

* Practically lampshaded in ''[[Deep Blue Sea]]'' when [[Samuel L. Jackson]] gives a big speech about the Power of Teamwork, just before {{spoiler|being unceremoniously eaten by a shark.}} It's further subverted after this point when {{spoiler|almost everyone else gets killed anyway.}}

* At the end of ''[[ItsIt's a Wonderful Life]]'', George Bailey ends up being saved by one of the more mundane versions of this trope: after he was falsely accused of stealing some money placed in his care that is now missing, all the people he's helped over the years come together and give him enough cash to replace the money that was stolen.

* ''[[Smokey and Thethe Bandit]]'' is all about this trope. Not only do Bandit and Snowman succeed by working with one another, but also by relying on assistance from all their CB radio friends.

{{quote| ''"I would scarcely recognize you, John Carter, but there is no other mortal upon Barsoom who would have done what you have for me. I think I have learned that there is such a thing as friendship, my friend."''}}

* In Ben Counter's [[Warhammer 4000040,000]] [[Horus Heresy]] novel ''Galaxy In Flames'', when Tarvitz is {{spoiler|trying to warn the betrayed Marines on Isstavan III}}, he invokes [[The Power of Friendship]] to get Garro to [[I Gave My Word|believe his word]], because of their [[Fire-Forged Friends|Fire Forged Friendship]].

{{quote| ''as my honor brother I ask you to trust me like you have never trusted me before. [[I Gave My Word|On my life I swear]] that I do not lie to you, Nathaniel.''}}

* In William King's [[Warhammer 4000040,000]] [[Space Wolf]] novel ''Wolfblade'', Sven [[A Friend in Need|stays with Ragnar]] while his case is being considered by the Wolf Lords, and fumes about the injustice of its even being considered something to be tried, until Ranek shows up to send him away. Ranek admits the support does him credit, but the Wolf Lords will be angry with him if they discover it.

* In Lee Lightner's [[Warhammer 4000040,000]] novels:

* In [[Graham McNeill]]'s ''[[Warhammer 4000040,000]]'' [[Ultramarines (Literaturenovel)|Ultramarines]] novel "The Killing Ground", Leodegarius tells Uriel that Pasnius has been fiercely loyal to him. Uriel tells him that Pasanius is his friend, and that's what friends do.

* [[JRRJ. TolkienR. (Creator)R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' emphasizes this trope, particularly with the friendship between Sam and Frodo. Frodo would not have been able to make it through Mordor without Sam's help.

* ''[[Battle Royale]]'' where Shuya and Noriko feel that the power of friendship will get them through the program. Shogo disagrees and is proved right when {{spoiler|the rest of their classmates betray each other and play to win. In fact in the end Shogo pretends to betray them (I'm sure more than one person thought he really did) in order to get the three of them out.}}

* The [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] gives us a slightly lame scene wherein Jaina tries to save Zekk from [[The Dark Side]] with [[The Power of Friendship]]. It manages not to be ''completely'' lame, but only just.

** This is subverted in the [[Fateofthe Jedi|Fate of the Jedi]] book series, by having only [[Dark Side]] people (Nightsisters and Sith) with a technique called a 'control web'. It allows them to combine their powers, and 'weave' their control over [[Oh Crap|a dozen Rancors]], or weaken an [[Eldritch Abomination]].

* The backbone of [[Avalon: Web of Magic]], and stated outright by the author many times. No main character ever accomplishes anything without her friends backing her up.

* Mildly justified in the climactic fight of ''Of Two Minds''. The two main characters are fighting {{spoiler|an older, more experienced, [[Future Me Scares Me|eviller]] version of one of them}}, and their ''only'' advantage is that it's two against one.&nbsp;

* In the first ''[[Kingdom Keepers]]'' book, [[Five-Man Band|the DHIs]] invoke this on the [[Disney Theme Parks|"its a small world"]] ride. {{spoiler|They smile at the Audio-Animatronics, which stop attacking them and return to their posts}}.

* In the [[Fate/stay Stay Nightnight]] prequel novels, [[Fate /Zero]], the servant Rider, who actually happens to be Alexander the Great, has actually weaponized the power of friendship with his Noble Phantasm, Ionian Hetairoi. Because of the tremendous bond of loyalty and friendship between him and his soldiers, they are actually able to answer his call, breaking the laws of time and space to recreate the land they once marched over and fight alongside him once again.

* A very deep quote from [[The Godfather (Film)|Don Vito]]

{{quote| '''Vito Corleone''': "Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than government. It is almost the equal of family. Never forget that."&nbsp;}}

== [[Live -Action TV]] ==

* It is specifically stated in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', both within the show and in interviews with writers, that the reason Buffy has lasted so long as a Slayer compared to her predecessors is that she has friends --— the so-called "Scooby Gang" --— who look out for her. This is why Faith fails; she's unable to trust people and form lasting friendships.

** Played for darker twists when it's revealed that many Slayers end up dead, not because they make physical mistakes which lose battles, but because constantly fighting demons cuts away a Slayer's ties to the world until everything she fights to protect has either died or abandoned her. With nothing they appreciate in the normal world, these Slayers become [[Death Seeker|Death Seekers]]s, and Buffy is forced to fight against her own suicidal feelings through seasons 5 and 6.

** In the Season Four climax, the Scoobies use a spell that combines all their powers into Buffy's body - becoming, in other words, [[The Power of Friendship]] given corporeal form. They proceed to demonstrate this power by curbstomping the previously unstoppable Adam.

{{quote| '''Angel''': You may have the attitude, and you may have the power. But there's one thing you don't have and never will: friends. Four of 'em, standin' behind you with big, heavy things.}}

{{quote| '''Saffron:''' Everybody plays each other. That's all anybody ever does. We play parts.<br />

* The "Power of Three" in ''[[Charmed (TV)|Charmed]]'' relied on [[The Power of Friendship]] to work. At one point the sisters intentionally used their powers on each other in a heated argument, which immediately caused the loss of their powers.

** Stella's Aesop is ALWAYS''always'' the power of friendship. ALWAYS'''''Always.'''''

* ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'' also features a lot of this, but taken to almost [[Anvilicious]] (but still enjoyable) levels concerning Hiro and Ando.

* ''[[The A-Team (TV)|The A-Team]]''.&nbsp; So much so that in the beginning of Season 5, when Hannibal, Face, and B.A. are {{spoiler|finally captured and put on trial}} all three of them choose to {{spoiler|plead guilty for the infamous crime they didn't commit because the only way their lawyer can prove them innocent is by pinning the crime on Murdock.}} The team realizes that if that happens {{spoiler|Murdock will be sentenced to death.}} All three of them stand up and {{spoiler|plead guilty, knowing that they will face the firing squad.}} They were willing to {{spoiler|''die''}} to protect Murdock.

** All of the Doctor's previous companions have shown that they're quite willing to die (in some cases, repeatedly) to protect him. ''Journey's End'' puts a subversive twist on this with the claim by Davros that the Doctor basically turns everyone who loves him into living weapons for his cause.&nbsp;

** In ''[[Doctor Who/Recap/S3 /E10 The War Machines|The Warmachines]]'', the mind-controlled Polly clearly sees Ben escaping, and says nothing. When someone asks after him, she explains, but when he asks her why, she does not know, and after a moment, starts to remember that he had been her friend.

** Moreover, Michael has acknowledged that he is [[Not So Different]] from many of the villains his team have dealt with over the course of the series--particularlyseries—particularly Larry ([[Running Gag|yes]], [[Memetic Mutation|Dead Larry]]), and in the episode "Enemies Closer" he admits that what keeps him from crossing the [[Moral Event Horizon]] is his connection to his friends. Or maybe he was [[The Power of Love|only talking to Fi]].&nbsp;

* ''[[Leverage]]' features this heavily as the team is made up of individualistic thieves who had always worked alone. One they begin working together, they realize how much more effective they were than before.&nbsp;

* Horrible subverted in [[Sherlock]] when the title character is {{spoiler|forced to jump off a building in order to save his best (and arguably only) friend John.}}

{{quote| '''Sherlock''': Alone is what I have. Alone protects me.<br />

* In [[Bubble Bobble (Video Game)|Bubble Bobble]], it's this that breaks whatever curse Bub & Bob are under. So much that if you beat the game without your friend i.e. 1P, you won't get the [[True Ending]].

* ''[[Mega Man Star Force]]'' harps on the importance of relationships almost ''constantly''. In fairness, the "Brother Band" system that underpins this emphasis on relationships also confers very practical benefits. Brother Banding with [[NPC|NPCs]]s (or actual humans over [[Wi Fi]]) gives the player (or both players) bonus HP and the option to share their "favorite cards" for use in battle. This doesn't stop the game from also using it somewhat [[Anvilicious|Anviliciously]]ly in other contexts, including when the main character is Lost in Space and his friends direct him back to earth using the awesome power of friendship. And not all of them are even really Brothers with him.

** Wait, it gets better! [[The Power of Friendship]] can also apparently {{spoiler|bring the dead back to life!}}

* In ''[[MegamanMega Man Battle Network]]'', Mega Man gains power by fusing with the "souls" of his friends, and some powerful items are only available by playing link games with other players (ostensibly, friends). The game focuses more on the bond between family members though.

** Ike from Fire Emblem's famous line in [[Super Smash Bros.|Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]: "[[Memetic Mutation|I fight for my friends.]]"

* The ''[[Paper Mario (Video Gamefranchise)|Paper Mario]]'' series has this, and not just because switching between your immediate partners is what allows you to overcome the obstacles along the way. In each game, the climactic battle with the [[Big Bad]] begins with you getting in a few hits before he makes himself invincible somehow. Then the wishes or prayers or feelings of the friends you've made in all the places you've been enable the breaking of the barrier, so the fight can begin in earnest. The whole "power of friendship" scene is extremely long in the second game against {{spoiler|The Shadow Queen}} compared to the ones against Bowser and {{spoiler|Super Dimentio}}.

** Well, this makes sense. Your partners in TTYD are much more emotive than the ones in PM and SPM.&nbsp;

* In ''[[Breath of Fire II]]'' you're told that the only way to get the final dragon form to beat the [[Big Bad]] is for one of your friends to give their life. They're varying degrees of willing. It turns out that the '''real''' way to unlock it is {{spoiler|to ignore the requirement and refuse to choose a friend, [[More Hero Than Thou|choosing to sacrifice yourself rather than others]]}}.&nbsp;

* In ''[[Sonic Adventure (Video Game)|Sonic Adventure]]'', the power of friendship unlocks the Chaos Emeralds' real power: the power to turn Sonic into a Super Saiyan as long as he maintains a supply of rings. If he runs out, though, it fails and he demonstrates instant [[Super Drowning Skills]].

** Also ''[[Sonic Heroes (Video Game)|Sonic Heroes]]''. The whole game is built around this trope.

** Also ''[[Sonic Rush Series (Video Game)|Sonic Rush]]'', where the power of friendship allows Blaze to access the power of the Sol Emeralds and...well, see the ''Sonic Adventure'' entry.

* Part of the point behind ''[[The World Ends With You (Video Game)|The World Ends With You]]'' is getting [[Ineffectual Loner]] Neku to open up and cooperate with his teammates in order to survive "The Game" being played around Shibuya. Keeping close ties (or, in game terms, a high "Sync" ratio) with them increases their fighting effectiveness, since [[The Heartless|the Noise]] also fight in tandem.

* In ''[[Persona 3 (Video Game)|Persona 3]]'', the strength of your fused Personae is dictated by how strong your relationships with other people are. These relationships are usually platonic, but five of them are romantic, and several are of the surrogate family variety. During the ultimate confrontation with the [[Big Bad]], the combined strength of all of the protagonist's relationships {{spoiler|creates the Universe Arcana and sustains the PC during the final battle, providing the power to create the Great Seal, which}} prevents [[The End of the World Asas We Know It]].&nbsp;

* The Social Link system returns in ''[[Persona 4 (Video Game)|Persona 4]]''. Many of your social links are with party members, and having a stronger social bond with them will improve their combat abilities to the point where their Personae are upgraded to an improved form. During the game's [[True Final Boss]] fight {{spoiler|Izanami-no-Okami attempts to use One Thousand Curses on the protagonist, only to be blocked by each active party member in turn. When the Protagonist is finally hit with the attack, every completed social link appears before him, telling him about the impact he's had on their lives and offering their support. The final social link (should you have completed it) is Nanako promising she'll be good if you wake up. (If that doesn't bring a tear to your eye, ''you have no soul''.) The power of all these social links transforms your starter Persona into Izanagi-no-Okami, allowing you to break free from the attack and lift the fog of deceit once and for all.}}&nbsp;

* Crucial to the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' series. Sora's Keyblade, and indeed all keyblades, seem drawn to individuals with strong hearts and emotions, includingincluding—and -- and especially -- friendshipespecially—friendship. But magic and normal combat also seems to operate under this trope; [[Donald Duck]] and [[Goofy]] and all of Sora's various friends triumph repeatedly through their bonds with each other.

** ''[[Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep (Video Game)|Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep]]'' states that [[The Power of Friendship]] is Sora's ''superpower''.&nbsp;Birth By Sleep makes friendship essentially Kingdom Hearts version of [[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann|Spiral Power]]. {{spoiler|It also allows Aqua to smash the Keyblade equivalent of Excalibur by turning her own into a lightsaber of friendship. It gives Ven the power to leech Vanitas's abilities off of him and use them to defeat Vanitas, and it gives Terra the ability to control his own armor even after his heart and body have been taken by the big bad. Finally it allows Ven (who's currently comatose) and Terra (who's currently trapped in his own body while another controls it) to magically transport their keyblades to the realm of darkness to one shot freaking Darksides (the strongest of the pureblood heartless) and save a currently HBSOD ing Aqua while also giving her the will to live again.}} If you have a keyblade and at least one close friend in KH verse, you will be unstoppable. Gameplay-wise, D-Links are basically the invoking of The Power Of Friendship, in which characters tap into the powers of characters they've interacted with. Most of these actually involve friendship ([[Lilo and Stitch|Experiment 626]], [[Final Fantasy VII (Video Game)|Zack]] and Mickey) while others a bit less so (the [[Disney Princess|Disney Princesses]]es and in [[Unwitting Pawn|Terra's]] case, [[Sleeping Beauty|Maleficent]]).

** ''[[Kingdom HeartscodedHearts (Video Game)coded|coded]]'' keeps up the trend; the connections and friendship that data Sora has built with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy {{spoiler|allow data Sora to ''summon a keyblade'', and may have actually created a heart for him.}}

* In ''[[Final Fantasy IV (Video Game)|Final Fantasy IV]]'' (II in its ''first'' western release), the player's party is about to be wiped out right before the final battle, when the camera switches back to Earth, to show people sending "their prayers" to the characters. After that, several of the protagonist's friends (some dead ones too!) materialize briefly by his side with words of encouragement. Each such speech heals the members a bit, until they're at full strength again.

*** Actually he didn't quite understand the moral, because each one of the Four Fiends comes at you one at a time, waiting for their buddy to be killed off before taking his place as they next boss. Its still a tough battle, but one can only imagine the damage that the Four Fiends might have caused if they used true teamwork.&nbsp;

** Since this trope is part of the premise of the gameplay of ''[[Spirit Tracks]]'', Zelda develops a habit of randomly turning into Tea from ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series (Web Video)|Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series]]'' and delivering Friendship-speeches. Aside from these speeches, however, the concept works incredibly well for a game series where [[The Hero]] usually fights all alone and leads to many [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|heartwarming scenes]]. The cheesiness of this is rather [[Crowning Moment of Funny|hilariously]] [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]]: after they fight together to beat {{spoiler|Byrne}} they have a huge celebration for their teamwork...then notice the boss took the opportunity to hobble away in the meantime.

* Done at the end of ''[[EarthboundEarthBound]]'' in possibly the most heartwrenching, most powerful, most incredibly meta way ever.

** The song [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyxtKzhc00c "Bein' Friends"] from [[EarthMOTHER Bound Zero1]] could fit as well.

* ''[[Rival Schools (Video Game)|Rival Schools]]'' thrives on this. The students (and teachers) in this game usually gain their strength from their bonds with their friends, and are able to triumph over loner villains in each game. It's so powerful that in each game, a [[The Mole|mole]] sent by the villain ({{spoiler|Kyosuke}} in ''United By Fate'' and {{spoiler|Yurika}} in ''Project Justice'') ends up [[Becoming the Mask|switching over to the good guys]] because of the friendships they've developed.

* Not only do characters in ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'' get bonuses when they're next to a friend (Or [[The Rival|rival]] or [[The Power of Love|romantic interest]]), but two of the abilities a pilot can have, Trust and Faith, replenish an ally's HP - That's right, you're repairing physical damage to a [[Humongous Mecha]] through [[The Power of Friendship]].

* In the ''[[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney]]'' series, this trope is, thankfully, subtly, invoked, and called 'trust' by Detective Gumshoe. In the first game (especially the DS-exclusive 5th case) Phoenix unintentionally shows this to Edgeworth. When Edgeworth returns in the 4th case of the second, he either reminds Phoenix of this or shows it to him directly. Through the combined efforts of Wright, Edgeworth and Von Karma, {{spoiler|Engarde}} is found guilty, which is called a 'miracle' in the end.&nbsp;

* Friendship equals literal psychic power in ''[[Psychonauts (Video Game)|Psychonauts]]''--while—while absolutely no one will [[All Up to You|help you save the world]], when you save someone's brain, they thank you by adding their psychic energies to yours, making you stronger. ([[Heart Container|Which in this case means more health.]]) If you reach a certain level, all of your friends start focusing their positive energies on you to cheer you to victory, and you [[Walk It Off|slowly heal as you go.]]

* ''[[Tales of Hearts (Video Game)|Tales of Hearts]]'' uses this ''constantly'' in its themes. Then it starts [[Relationship Values|measuring it]] about a third into the game. Then, your characters start sharing abilities when their Soma Link gets high enough. And then you [[Guide Dang It|find out]] that one of the [[Limit Break|Limit Breaks]]s has an extension which is unlocked when the character's total bond is high enough. All while never forgetting to bring it up in every other line of dialogue.

* In ''[[Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice]]'', during the final battle. Subverted, in that while idealistic hero Almaz calls it this, Mao categorically denies that it has anything to do with friendship, claiming it's some sort of cosmic energy he was hiding in his body.

** Playing the trope straight, Valvatorez of ''[[Disgaea 4: a Promise Unforgotten (Video Game)|Disgaea 4 aA Promise Unforgotten]]'' strongly believes in the power of friendship, and utters the following line in the last battle:

{{quote| '''Valvatorez''': Do you see now, {{spoiler|God}}!? This is the power of demons, angels, and humans! A power that's much stronger than yours, the ties of our camaraderie!}}

* The main character, Edge, of ''[[Star Ocean: theThe Last Hope]]'' will repeat the same sappy, sugary lines about the power of friendship until the player gets diabetes.

* ''[[Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume]]'' deconstructs this trope. The main character carries a cursed artifact, the Destiny Plume, which makes the target super-strong for one battle [[Deadly Upgrade|but kills them at the end of the fight]]. It only works on people who trust him and consider him a friend, and none of them realize he's the one who's cutting them down. Frequent use of it makes you more powerful, but as you can imagine, it's not exactly healthy for your [[Karma Meter]].&nbsp;As it's mentioned, "The closer the better".

* [[Playing Withwith a Trope|Played with]] interestingly in ''Thief II: The Metal Age''. One of the epigraphs that preceed the cinematic sequences before each level is from the Keepers' Book of Secrets: "Reliance on others is strength for the weak, but weakness for the strong. Wisdom lies in knowing one's own nature over time." [[Anti-Hero|Garrett]] has always been a (effectual) loner, but winds up needing to [[Enemy Mine|make allies]] to solve the problems he faces in the game. It's a [[Subverted Trope|subversion]] since, if the epigraph is correct, [[Family-Unfriendly Aesop|this means]] Garrett [[Badass Decay|used to be strong but now has become weak]].

* Used ''against the player'' in ''[[E Xceed (Video Game)|E XceedEXceed]] 3rd'': the third boss, Giee, uses [[Summon Magic]], and claims that the love and trust between herself and her summons grants her incredible power (since she's just the Stage 3 boss, she goes down hard).

* Given a very bittersweet nod in ''[[Professor Layton and Thethe Unwound Future]]''. It's revealed during the course of the gameplay that {{spoiler|Luke, the Prof's devoted apprentice, is going to be moving overseas with his parents (and his father is also one of Layton's closest friends). Layton points out a statue depicting the friendship between a different adult and child, and promises Luke that no matter where they are in the world, they will always be friends.}}

* This is probably the chief reason that Davan from ''[[Something *Positive]]'' is still hanging in there. Granted, in this case it's the power of ''dysfunctional'' friendship, but they're nevertheless the strongest force in his life.

* ''[[Terror Island]]'', of all comics, had this: the entire plot revolved around roommates Sid and Stephen trying to make the other buy the groceries. {{spoiler|At the end, they report having found a grocery store. When asked which of them bought the groceries first, they say that they both did. They're asked how that's possible, and they respond "friendship".}} [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]].

* In ''[[Flipside (Webcomic)|Flipside]]'', this is [[Blithe Spirit]] Maytag's entire modus operandi. She can defeat otherwise implacable villains by refusing to treat them ''as'' villains. To truly understand this, she manages to befriend a [[Nigh Invulnerable]], [[Horror Hunger|cursed]] monster girl while that girl is {{spoiler|''[[I'm a Humanitarian|eating her]]''}}.

* This is arguably the main theme of ''[[Homestuck (Webcomic)|Homestuck]]'' (just look at at least half the [[CMOHeartwarming HsMoments]] listed on that page!), and it doesn't just apply to the friendship of the four main characters. Does anyone have the relevant Andrew Hussie quote?

** [http://www.formspring.me/andrewhussie/q/400269965 "as always, friendship prevails."]{{Dead link}}

** This is even more evident in the [https://web.archive.org/web/20131104183037/http://homestuck.bandcamp.com/album/squiddles Squiddles]. In fact, a line from their theme song is "''The power of friendship and [[The Power of Love]]...''"&nbsp;

{{quote| "I think I'm having a friendship aneurysm!"}}

* [[The Dreamland Chronicles]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120727041604/http://www.thedreamlandchronicles.com/the-dreamland-chronicles/page-966/ can bring you back from death's door]

* Subverted by [[Atop the Fourth Wall (Web Video)|Linkara]] at the end of his Mechakara saga.

{{quote| "You're not just a tool, you're my friend! And you're also well paid!"}}

* Given its prevalence in the original show, this trope is spoofed every which way in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series (Web Video)|Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series]]''.

{{quote| '''Yugi''': Losing a children's card game has caused me to have an existential crisis!<br />

'''Tea''': I have prepared a friendship speech for such an occasion!<br />

'''Yugi''': NevermindI'mallbetternow.<br />

{{quote| '''Doctor XX:''' "Did you really think you'd win? I'm more powerful than any of you!"<br />

* Used several times in ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''. It's the only thing that can [[Cooldown Hug|cool down]] Aang's [[Unstoppable Rage]]. Azula's [[Villainous Breakdown]] is largely due to her inability to inspire loyalty through trust and friendship instead of fear. It was also implied that friendship can withstand generations--asgenerations—as in, they last lifetimes through [[Reincarnation]].

* The whole point of ''[[Barbie and Thethe Diamond Castle]]''.

* InMost the[[An fourth seasonAesop|aesops]] of ''[[Teen Titans (Animationanimation)|Teen Titans]]'', Raven,invole afterthis becomingtrope. her father'sWith portalthe toRobin/Slade Earthdynamic, andRobin's beingfriendship transformedwith intothe a powerless, younger versionrest of herselfthe team, isby ablehis toown [[Deuswords, Exserves Machina|regainthe allsame ofpurpose herthat powers[[Batman]]'s by[[Thou drawingShalt onNot TheKill|code Poweragainst of Friendshipkilling]] anddoes: causeit's athe completebrake [[Snappreventing Back]]him offrom crossing the line and [[TheHe EndWho ofFights theMonsters|becoming Worldwhat Ashe We Know It|global destructionfights]] Trigon caused.

* In ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy and& Mandy]]'', this is lampshaded in the [[Show Within a Show]] "Dinobonoids" where one character boldly exclaims how useful their friendship was to destroying their enemies.

* [[Disney]] seems to like this trope a lot:

** The theme of friendship and teamwork as key to the heroes' success underlies many of the plots in ''[[Kim Possible]]''. In fact, in the first movie "A Sitch in Time," {{spoiler|Shego mentions not understanding this phenomenon between Kim and Ron, but acknowledges it, and specifically made efforts to separate the two of them in order to counter it!}}

** The whole message of the trope is brutally subverted in ''[[Recess]]''; When playing kickball against a team of weirdly similar kids from a neighboring school, T.J. tells his friends they can beat their [[Doppelganger|doppelgangersdoppelganger]]s because they have [[The Power of Friendship]]... and the camera cuts to his counterpart ''telling her team the same thing''.

** Rhino the Hamster from Disney's ''[[Bolt (Disney)|Bolt]]'' completely believes in this trope.

** ''[[The Care Bears Movie (Film)|The Care Bears Movie]]'' actually has the former fail at the end, while the latter works.

* ''[[Wonder Pets]]'': What's gonna work? [[The Power of Friendship|TEAMWORK!!]]&nbsp;

* In ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'', the power of friendship, backed by an [[Amplifier Artifact]], can fire a rainbow-colored [[Wave Motion Gun]]. Even without an amplifier it's capable of incinerating Windigos.

{{quote| "I'd be a grumpy gus too if no-one ever hugged me."<br />

"Hey, you know what? I never have been hugged. Maybe this is what I needed. Or maybe I'm just a jerk who enjoys bullying other animals."<br />

"Oh. Well, in that case I can just squeeze you until you pop like a grape."<br />

* [[Princess Gwenevere and Thethe Jewel Riders]] is built on this trope. The Riders and their jewels are even bound in a ceremony called the Circle of Friendship.

* Mandell was a little more subtle about it with the ''[[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers (Animation)|Galaxy Rangers]]'', but their "pool the badges" tactic is built on this. It also featured prominently in "Mindnet," where the other three go out of their way to clear Shane's name, and Shane overtly chooses his friends over his Supertrooper "family." It also was played wonderfully in "Psychocrypt" when Doc, Niko, and Shane decide to help Zach.&nbsp;

* ''[[My Little Pony and Friends (Animation)|My Little Pony and Friends]]'' features this in the episode "The Magic Coins". Niblick, creator of the coins, refuses to help Megan and company undo the damage [[Be Careful What You Wish For|the ponies' poorly though-out wishes on the coins]] have caused unless they bring him a treasure of greater or equal value than the coins. After three failed attempts, Megan finally gets the idea to use the last of the coins to wish for a friend for Niblick, which even the crotchety troll comes to agree is a better treasure than anything he could think up.

* Invoked by the US military after a massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on the 11th of March 2011. The aid mission that they launched on the 12th was called "Operation Tomodachi" (Japanese for "friend").

[[Category:BollywoodLove TropesIs a Crapshoot]]

[[Category:DarknessMagical VisibleGirl Tropes]]

[[Category{{DEFAULTSORT:The Power Ofof Friendship]], The}}