Worthy Opponent: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''"I regret that we meet in this way. [[Not So Different|You and I are of a kind.]] In a different reality, I could have called you friend."''|'''Romulan Commander''', ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'', [[Star Trek/Recap/S1/E14 Balance of Terror|"Balance of Terror"]]}}

{{quote|''"You may have only enemies whom you can hate, not enemies you despise. You must be proud of your enemy: then the successes of your enemy are your successes too."''|'''Zarathustra''', ''Thus Spake Zarathustra'' ([[Peep Show|not to be confused with]] ''[[Chicken Run]]'')}}

The equal and opposite enemy to the hero, who, save for the tragic circumstances of his life, upbringing, political ideology, or financial situation, might have been the hero's best friend. Unfortunately, though, he must be the hero's opposition. Evenly matched, with a sense of honor that allows the hero to trust him about a select few things, and an honest respect for the hero, the '''Worthy Opponent''' also fights to the same standards of fairness as the hero; he will not shoot you [[In the Back]], and may even prevent someone else from doing so; in military situations, he will obey [[The Laws and Customs of War]]. The '''Worthy Opponent''' will also do things like [[I Gave My Word|negotiate honestly]] or allow the wounded hero to escape to fight another day. He will invariably even the terms of a fight when he possesses a clear advantage, often being unwilling to fight an unarmed foe (either discarding his weapon or [[Give Me a Sword|allowing the protagonist to reclaim his own]]), and waiting until an unconscious enemy has woken and can engage in an honorable [[Duel to the Death]], because they must settle things [[Let's Fight Like Gentlemen|like gentlemen]]. He may not [[Kick Them While They Are Down|dispatch the wounded hero]] even when the hero tells him to [[Get It Over With]]. Sometimes found in the role of [[The Dragon]], but is almost never the [[Big Bad]]. If he's a commander, he may be [[A Father to His Men]]; indeed, [[The Men First|his men]] may prove a sticking point with the [[Big Bad]]. Assassins, manhunters, and various wandering duelists frequently invoke this trope, often choosing their profession to engage in a test of skill by [[Hunting the Most Dangerous Game]]. Such characters rarely share the same values as their employers and are often disparaged for fighting fair or letting the hero go out of respect.

The '''Worthy Opponent''' is rarely a recurring character, but is usually likely to evolve into a [[Friendly Enemy]]. More often, he is killed (sometimes by a fanatic on his own side) after one or two episodes, prompting the hero to [[What a Senseless Waste of Human Life|mourn the loss of such an honorable but misguided soul]].

See also [[Antagonist in Mourning]], [[Anti-Villain]], [[ToucheTouché]]. [[Noble Demon]]s tend towards this trope, as do members of [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Proud Warrior Races]]. Contrast with the [[Evil Counterpart]], [[Dark Magical Girl]], [[Unknown Rival]] and [[Minion with an F In Evil]]. The [[Noble Bigot with a Badge]] is a subtype—when they're not the protagonist, anyways. Very likely to become a [[Friendly Enemy]], though respect does not always equal friendliness. Works with strong espionage, political, or underworld themes will sometimes use the related [[Beware the Honest Ones]], in which characters feel comfortable opposing one another precisely ''because'' they both use underhanded means to pursue selfish goals. More distantly related to [[The One Thing I Don't Hate About You]].

** Mihawk's goal in life is to find one. Initially, he thought it would be Shanks, but he gave up the rivalry with him after Shanks lost his left arm and (mostly) retired. While he hasn't truly found one yet, he feels Zoro has the potential to become such. In fact, Mihawk sees Zoro so much as his Worthy Opponent that not only does he decide to spare Zoro's life after their first battle, he also {{spoiler|'''trains Zoro during the timeskip!'''}}

== FanfictionFan Works ==

* [[Villain Protagonist]] Tyrin Lieph and the [[Man Behind the Man|advisor]] to the krogan overlord, Halak Marr, in ''[[Mass Effect]]: The Council Era''. A [[Villain Protagonist]] and [[Magnificent Bastard]] (well, he might not fit the Trickster part of the criteria, but that's it) plays [[Xanatos Speed Chess]] with a [[The Chessmaster|Chessmaster]] for the control of the galaxy. Halak even admits that if the two had been born of the same species, they would've been unstoppable as a team.

* Katara and Azula in ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender Revised]]''. Over the course of various battles and confrontations, the two develop a begrudging respect for each other.

* Parodied in [http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2004-08-01/ this] ''[[Dilbert]]'' strip.

* ''[[1776 (musical)|1776]]'' has John Dickinson for John Adams. When Dickinson {{spoiler|refuses to sign the Declaration, saying he cannot in good conscience sign such a document while still hoping for a reconciliation with England, he then says that while he cannot sign, he "regards America no less than does Mr. Adams" and vows to "join the Army and fight in her defense"}}. Adams' response to this is to {{spoiler|lead a standing ovation, saying, "Gentlemen of the Congress, I say, 'Yea, John Dickinson.'"}} In real life, Dickinson would go on to {{spoiler|become aan author and signer of the United States Constitution}}.

* British Major John Acland returning from a [[American Revolution| tough service]] in New York in 1777 (otherwise known as [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast| "The Year of the Bloody Sevens"]]) walked into an [[Smoky Gentlemen's Club|officer's club]] in London. While he was there a patron who of course [[Miles Gloriosus|had never fought against Americans]] waxed eloquently about the [[You Rebel Scum|cowardice and incompetence]] of Americans. That was naturally a [[Throwing Down the Gauntlet| grave insult]] not only to Americans but to Acland who after all had survived a conspicuously unpleasant campaign. As a result they met the following morning [[Ten Paces and Turn| in the traditional manner]] and Aclund rather ironically died defending his former enemies against an insult.