Warrior Therapist: Difference between revisions

An evil (or [[Terror Hero]]/antihero) [[Warrior Therapist]] will use this knowledge to intimidate and unnerve his foes, gleefully deflating their egos and likely reminding the hero that they're really [[Not So Different]]; [[Hannibal Lecture|sometimes to the point of breaking their wills entirely.]] A good Warrior Therapist will deliver a lifechanging motivational speech and beat the everloving crap out of them while he's doing it. (See [[Defeat Means Friendship]].)

{{examples}}

** Another ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'' example: Hiko Seijuro. He did it both to Kenshin and to Fuji. [[Good Is Not Nice|Not in the nicest way, mind you.]]

** Sagara Sanosuke pulls it on a couple of guys, clearly in imitation of Kenshin but his in own style. Particularly his own [[Evil Mentor]], whose [[Freudian Excuse]] is really quite impressive. Watsuki does a pretty good job drawing backstories from actual historical circumstances.

** He has an even better track record with turning allies of convenience into actual friends through Warrior Therapy. It seems the writers responsible for the [[Filler]] plotlines can't do drama without having him doing this.

** Other characters wield the same methodology to varying degrees, most notably Neji, whose supernatural vision and psychology training allow him to read significantly into an enemy's body language.

*** He shows it again after his battle with Aizen when he tells Kisuke Urahara that he believes Aizen was lonely due to his overwhelming power and skill isolating him from everyone else, and desired to find someone else like him.

* ''[[Kannazuki no Miko]]'''s Chikane counts. Although shes not always effective, and resorts to more than words.

** An interesting variation happens during his epic fight with Sho Kano from YOMI. Here they both act as Warrior Therapists to each other -- Kano as an (anti-)villainous one and Kenichi as a good one. While Kano constantly points out to Kenichi how miserable Kenichi's fighting skills are compared to Kano's and concludes that the Ryozanpaku masters were "too gentle" to Kenichi, Kenichi counters by pointing out that it's exactly because of their kindness and love that he managed to persist in constantly improving his skills, [[Dysfunction Junction|while those in YOMI deeply in their souls actually hate martial arts]].

*** Which has a lot of [[Fridge Horror|Fridge]] [[Fridge Logic|Stockholm]] when you consider how constantly and gleefully the Ryozanpaku masters ''torture'' their shared apprentice. Which leads to more [[Fridge Horror]] when you realize that YOMI methods were ''even worse'' in their own way -- deliberately indoctrinating a philosophy based on ''killing people'' into children.

* Whenever [[Shugo Chara|Amu]] does her speech, you know the battle is over. NO exceptions.

* [[Neon Genesis Evangelion|Rei Ayanami]]. [[Apocalypse Maiden|Yes]], [[Emotionless Girl|that]] [[Kuudere|Rei]] [[The Woobie|Ayanami]]. Even though she is intended to be creepy and cold Rei still sets out to help Shinji, Asuka, even Ritsuko this way. [[Rebuild of Evangelion]] takes it further with her convincing Gendou to get closer to his son.

** He's the very image of this trope in the series, actually. {{spoiler|He is able to lecture Lessar 15 minutes straight about proper girl mannerisms that she gets literally worn out listening to it.}}

* ''[[Inuyasha]]'': Shishinki, an enemy of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's father, is an evil example. He deliberately turns up while Sesshoumaru is emotionally vulnerable fully aware of what happened and why Sesshoumaru couldn't fully master Tenseiga. Inuyasha's arrival allows him to immediately realise the half breed younger brother was chosen over Sesshoumaru to receive Tessaiga. Most of the fight consists of Shishinki insightfully exposing every single one of Sesshoumaru's fears over the meaning of the two swords and whether it's proof his father hated him. This culminates in the [[Awful Truth]], causing an [[Heroic BSOD]] that lasts beyond the fight and takes a while for Sesshoumaru to recover from.

** Scarecrow can also use it back, though. (Harley ... [[Cloudcuckoolander|can't]].)

* [[Superman]] has spent a good number of his battles simultaneously talking ''and'' beating some sense into his opponents. It's turned more than a few villains to a less destructive path.

== Fan Fiction ==

== Film ==

** Well, he tried. Vader didn't turn until the Emperor [[Papa Wolf|tried to kill Luke]] [[Too Dumb to Live|right in front of him]].

** The [[Big Bad|Emperor]] gets to play this part on Luke as he feels whatever is going on inside Luke and brings it up to goad him. {{spoiler|Fortunately for the good guys Luke doesn't give in.}}

* [[The Silence of the Lambs|Dr. Lecter]]. Literally.

* Li Mubai and Shu-Lien from ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]''.

* Rafiki from ''[[The Lion King]]'' might qualify, although he's far more Therapist/Mentor than Warrior. (But he can still kick your ass when required.)

* In ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]'', Jack Sparrow tries this on Will Turner the first time they meet.

* Done with much [[Narm]] by [[Steven Seagal]] in ''[[On Deadly Ground]]'':

* [[Ender's Game|Ender Wiggin.]]

** He specializes in knowing his enemies. Knowing them ''completely'', at least as well as they know themselves. In the moment that he achieves this level of understanding, he naturally loves them. [[Mood Whiplash|And then he destroys them.]] It's not good for him, emotionally. So he loses the 'warrior' part once they discharge him as [[Tyke Bomb]] grand admiral.

** Speaking of Shirou and Archer, their match in the Unlimited Blade Works route has them both fall into this route. However, {{spoiler|the sheer mechanics of fighting your cynical future self over ideals is... complicated. Would that be considered extreme introspection?}} Suffice to say there are pages upon pages of philosophical debate, and in the [[Nasuverse]], your conviction equates directly to how much ass you kick.

* Used by Tavi in ''[[Codex Alera]]''. In particular in ''Captain's Fury'' he manages to defeat a ''vastly'' superior (but [[Ax Crazy|mentally unbalanced]]) opponent in a swordfight by attacking her psychological weak points during a [[Blade Lock]], allowing him to defeat her because [[Sanity Has Advantages]].

** This is one of the darker expressions of this trope. He uses what is in essence a ''[[Hannibal Lecture]]'' to ruthlessly assault her fragile mindset and then exploits ensuing reaction by impaling her.

*** It's especially dark because the weakness he exploits in her is something he shares. Tavi is almost Mary Sue-like in his compassion for the fallen and eagerness to make allies, so to see him dredging up someone else's worst memories to get the advantage of them in a fight, especially considering that he can only do so because he has the same problem, was jarring.

== Live Action TV ==

* Locke on [[Lost]] has shown warrior therapist tendencies, although he's more likely to restrain or intimidate someone than actually fight them.

** Hello? Benjamin Linus!

** And has his own [[Warrior Therapist]] in Gillian Foster, who was his shrink at the DOD before they went into business together.

== Video Games ==

** You can also discover that {{spoiler|one of your previous incarnations is the one who taught him most of what he knows to begin with.}}

* ''[[Mass Effect]]'''s Commander Shepard, when played as a Paragon, can end up spending about as much time counseling people as he or she does fighting. Renegade Shepard, meanwhile, is far more likely to [[Kill Him Already|just shoot people]], but can sometimes act as a much more cynical variety of [[Warrior Therapist]]. Either way, bullets appear to be quite integral to their therapeutic method.

*** That is for a very logical reason though, as he doesn't have a much of a choice in the matter, or one at all, so it isn't that extreme.

** Even moreso in [[Mass Effect 2]], where to [[Earn Your Happy Ending]] you have to solve your entire crew's problems, which range from dealing with an odd form of puberty to various forms of rescuing.

** Lampshaded in ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', where Shepard will ask EDI if she has any issues "like an imperfect creator you could view as a twisted father figure or anything." When EDI asks why on Earth Shepard's asking those sorts of questions, Shepard'll comment that s/he's learned it's just easier to ask them sooner or later.

{{quote| '''Garrus:''' How about you Commander? How are you holding up?<br />

'''Shepard:''' There's only so much fight in a person, only so much death you can take, before...<br />

** '''Ryu:''' No need to speak. Your fists told me everything I need to know about you.

* Kain R. Heinlein of ''[[Fatal Fury]]'' fame enjoys [[Hannibal Lecture|picking at his opponents]] with his victory quotes.

* Due to the incredible importance of the target's emotional state to their plans, in ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' "Ansem," as well as most of Organization XIII have this as their M.O.

* You ''can'' choose to be a [[Jerkass]] to your companions in ''[[Dragon Age]]'' ''Origins'', but helping them through their various issues rewards you with stat bonuses for them, the occasional unique (and sometimes useful) item, {{spoiler|and in Zevran's case, taking the effort to be friendly and supportive of him will avert his [[Face Heel Turn]] later in the game}}. The "Warrior" part comes into play since a few of your companions' Personal Quests, specifically Morrigan, Shale, and potentially Leiliana, involve combat. In Morrigan's case, {{spoiler|you have to fight a freaking DRAGON}}. The "Therapist" part usually comes in the conversations you hold with your companions right after the quests are completed. You can actually make {{spoiler|Alistair and Leiliana}} more cynical people right after their quests, depending on what you say to them.

* [[Knight Templar|Hakumen]], of all people, takes up this role, at least in regards to {{spoiler|his younger, time-displaced self, AKA}} Jin in ''[[Blaz Blue]]: Continuum Shift''.

== Tabletop Games ==

* Taken to its logical extreme [http://www.nobodylikesonions.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10736 here.] (WARNING: contains some gore)

** Almost half the cast is playing at therapist in ''Homestuck'' but by far Karkat, and to a lesser extent John, is the best.

** Rose claims that psychology is one of her hobbies and makes attempts at psychoanalyzing her friends early on, but as it turns out she's either not very good at it or has since lost interest.

== Western Animation ==

** <s> Slade</s> Deathstroke does it in [[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|the comics]] too.

* Iroh of ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' is a good master of this, offering advice on how to improve and find his enemies way in life even as he fights them. Of course, when he gives up on talk and gets to fighting, [[Tranquil Fury|that's when you know you're in trouble.]]

* Spellbinder of ''[[Batman Beyond]]'' is another villainous example. He was an actual psychiatrist who turned to villainy because he felt undercompensated for dealing with unruly teenagers while their parents paid their garbage men more money. He uses illusions and his knowledge of the human psyche to manipulate people by giving them what they think they want and what they want to believe. In one episode he frames Terry for murder by showing Commissioner Barbara Gordon an illusion of Terry beating Mad Stan to death. When he is eventually discovered and captured, he calls her out for being an [[Inspector Javert]] towards Terry, an accusation which seems to leave an impression on her.

{{quote| '''Spellbinder:''' You were so ready to believe the worst. It was easy.}}

{{reflist}}