History HeelFaceTurn / AnimeAndManga

* ''Manga/BusoRenkin'': While he had been [[FriendlyEnemy fighting on the side of the heroes for a while]], Papillon finally gives up his plans to burn the the world after being spared Kazuki defeated him in a rematch and gave him a PatrickStewartSpeech, and eventually becomes a beloved urban legend.

* ''Manga/BungouStrayDogs'':

* Rokudo Mukuro in ''Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn'', but it only half counts because his Heel Face Turn coincides with his possession of Chrome Dokuro's body

* Anime/LupinIIIGreenJacket has Goemon, who provides one of the most downright ''efficient'' and drama-free turns ever. When first introduced, Goemon is an all-business samurai who has declared that [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou he alone is worthy of killing Lupin]]. They duel a couple of times, each time ending in a stalemate. Their final confrontation ends with Lupin chasing Goemon in half a car. Realizing the absurdity of the entire situation, the two of them begin laughing and hugging like a couple of old drinking buddies. The episode ends there, and from the next episode on, Goemon is a dedicated member of Lupin's gang.

* In ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'', Kotaro underwent one of these after the Kyoto arc. More recently, [[spoiler: Shiori/Luna seems to be on Negi's side now, although Ala Alba is still certainly suspicious of her. Though now that Fate survived the attempted [[HeelFaceDoorSlam door slam]] on his own Heel Face Turn, it's assumed that all of Fate's pactio partners including Shiori have officially switched sides as well.]]

* At least one major villain or rival (but usually more) per season in ''Anime/YuGiOh'' and ''Anime/YuGiOhGX''; balanced by the fact that the [[FaceHeelTurn opposite]] is none too rare, either. This is often combined with DefeatMeansFriendship, but not always. (In fact, villains who are truly incapable of redemption are kind of rare in this series.)
** Aside from Kaiba, who never became much more than a JerkWithAHeartOfGold to anyone aside from [[MoralityPet his brother]], the earliest was when Pegasus from the original series allied with the protagonists following his defeat at the hands of Yugi, [[spoiler:and the theft of his Millennium Eye by the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring, a.k.a. Yami Bakura]]. But that Heel Face Turn only happens in the anime; in the manga, he just gets an AlasPoorVillain upon his defeat, when his motives and past are revealed, and shortly afterwards, [[spoiler:Yami Bakura kills Pegasus when he takes his eye.]]
** Ryuji Otogi/Duke Devlin was an odd example, because to many fans, his HeelFaceTurn made very little sense; one minute he was acting like the typical heartless villain, the next minute, he was apologizing for everything. Truth be told, the manga version of the story - where Otogi was used as an UnwittingPawn by his AxeCrazy father, who was the true villain - made much more sense, but was [[DarkerAndEdgier far darker than the anime version]] and the adaptation was probably at a loss to explain the transition because it had to leave him out.
** Another example is Tetsu Ushio from ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds''. He started out as a DirtyCop and a pawn of [[BigBad Rex Godwin]], who, like most citizens of Neo Domino, [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain had nothing but contempt for the residents of Satellite]]. It was never a case of DefeatMeansFriendship (''two'' defeats at Yusei's hands only made their feud worse) but he started mellowing around the Fortune Cup (realizing that Godwin was treating him like garbage played a big part) and he was officially Yusei's ally at the end of the first season, mostly after starting to sympathize with the Satellite residents.
** Several members of [[AcademyOfEvil Academia]] in ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'' have defected from the said school and now help the Resistance. Named renegades include Asuka (though she defected before the storyline where she was introduced), Edo, Serena, the Tyler sisters, Noro (who was forced into becoming good), and Sora. While many of them had the old DefeatMeansFriendship reason, [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal most defected to being mistreated or double-crossed by the others]].
*** The most significant ones are [[spoiler:Yuri and Starve Venom Fusion Dragon]]. Without [[spoiler:Zarc]]'s darkness influencing them, Yuya's heart purified them. This becomes symbolic when [[spoiler:Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon fuses with Starve Venom to become Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon]], a [[spoiler:violet]] and white dragon with a [[BeautyEqualsGoodness beautiful body]] and a [[CherryBlossoms cherry blossom motif]] to replace their old one. [[spoiler:Odd-Eyes Venom]] heavily contrasts the other two [[spoiler:hybrid dragons that symbolize Yuya's bond with Yuto and Yugo]], as its description pronounces its kindness, while the other two are known for their wrath or fierceness.
** In ''Anime/YuGiOhTheDarkSideOfDimensions'', [[BigBad Aigami/Diva]] changes his ways after losing his powers to Yugi/Atem.
* ''Anime/BakuganBattleBrawlers'' to name a few
** Masquerade and his Gang in the first arc
** Ace and Percival joins the resistance after Dan Kuzo bests him in a brawl
** Spectra Phantom and Gus Grav, and Helios, Elico, Brontes, and Vulcan in third arc
** Rubanoid, Ren, Linehalt, and the Twelve Orders Members who were punished for their failures
* Char Aznable in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta Gundam]]''. This [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack reverses]] into a FaceHeelTurn.
** Emma Sheen pulls one off pretty early, as well.
* In the ''Anime/SailorMoon'' anime, the Ayakashi Sisters, Amazoness Quartet, and Professor Tomoe have Heel Face Turns and [[RedemptionEarnsLife survive.]] Nephrite, Saphir, and Prince Demand have them and [[RedemptionEqualsDeath do not.]] The Amazon Trio have an odd in-between case, "dying" on Earth but getting to go live in Elysion (the world of dreams) rather than the afterlife.
** The Amazoness Quartet actually play this trope two different ways, depending on the medium: in the anime they turned on their own free will, aided the Senshi and then went on to live normal lives, in the manga they were revealed to be BrainwashedAndCrazy, and after Serenity healed them, [[spoiler: revealed that they're Sailor Senshi themselves-specifically, meant to be Chibiusa's team when she comes of age.]]
* There are several Heel and Face turns in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED''. Loyalties and what one fights for are driving themes for the entire series, in fact.
* Amiboshi and Yui from ''Manga/FushigiYuugi''.
* Loads of villains in ''Manga/FairyTail'' go through this. You can count on at least one Heel Face Turn per every major arc, and sometimes it happens to most of the current enemy team. Sometimes this is due to ThePowerOfFriendship. Sometimes due to the villains being not that villainous to begin with, simply misguided or deceived.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** Used twice in the "Land of Waves" arc. Traitorous ninja [[NobleDemon Zabuza]] and his androgynous young henchman [[ReluctantWarrior Haku]], have been hired by gangster Gato to stop the Land of Waves villagers from building a bridge that will be economically vital to their island. Naruto and his friends are sent to make sure the bridge gets built. When Haku seems to kill Sasuke, Naruto swears {{revenge}} until he learns of Haku's tragic past, which calms him down (besides, Haku made sure that Sasuke is NotQuiteDead). Then, Haku does a HeroicSacrifice to save Zabuza, and the rogue ninja's guilt over his abuse of his dead partner causes him to FreakOut; Haku dies nobly and Zabuza is unfeeling about it, and Naruto ''in the middle of a freaking ninja battle'', freaks out at him about how much Haku cared and how wrong this is, until the Demon of the Mist turns around slowly...and there are tears running down his cheeks. Subsequently Zabuza switches sides, killing Gato before getting killed himself.
--->'''Zabuza:''' You talk too much...
** Twice in the "Land of Waves" arc, but far more frequently later. [[TheFatalist Hyuuga Neji]], who is half-inspired by Naruto's (an obvious AllLovingHero) victory into rethinking his fatalistic {{Jerkass}}-itude and goes on to claim that Naruto saved him (Guy and Lee were also important to the change). Or [[AxCrazy Gaara]], who is so stunned by Naruto's empathy and suckerpunch, that he stops living to kill people and begins living to help people, enough to become the Kazekage.
** After the TimeSkip, Naruto manages to get his EvilCounterpart, [[WellIntentionedExtremist Pain/Nagato]], to pull it, after talking with him and forcing him to realize that he is сhose the wrong path. Subsequently Nagato uses a jutsu to revive many of the Konoha ninja he killed, [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dying in the process]].
** During Fourth Shinobi World War [[OmnicidalManiac the Nine-Tails/Kurama]], who was thought of to be the very embodiment of hatred, eventually becomes Naruto's ally of his own volition, though this was based on mutual respect more than anything. [[StockholmSyndrome He was impressed with Naruto being the first human since the Sage who treated him as a living being worthy of respect rather than a weapon]].
** [[spoiler:This trope is Zig-Zagging with [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Obito Uchiha]]. When in Obito's mindscape, Naruto verbally beats him down with one of his most epic speeches and offers him a chance to at least not go down as one of the worst monsters in the Naruto-verse's history. Obito resists, but eventually reaches out to Naruto's extended hand... [[RedemptionRejection and starts strangle him, saying he regrets nothing]]. In the end, he gets MindScrew by his memory of his childhood love refusing to look at him and Naruto grabbing his hand and dragging him forward. This makes all the Tailed Beast burst out of him and Obito lose entirely. However after of this and сonversation with Kakashi and Minato, he suffers from HeelRealization and decides [[RedemptionEqualsDeath to use Rinne Tensei in order to sacrifice himself reviving his victims]], admitting that he now understands why Nagato betrayed the Akatsuki. [[HeelFaceDoorSlam However Black Zetsu interrupts him, hijacks his body and forces him to use the resurrection technique on Madara]]. However later he [[{{Determinator}} overpowers]] Black Zetsu and uses him as life support, then proceeds to shove his hand into Madara's chest and absorb some of the chakra to save Naruto and states that he is not Madara, [[HesBack but Obito Uchiha, the person who wanted to become Hokage]], in this way performing a full HeelFaceTurn.]]
** [[spoiler:Also [[DragonAscendant Kabuto]] has joined the fray, helping to revive Sasuke. The reason? Imprisonment by Itachi's Izanami helped him realize his true nature, that he's really a good person deep down, and that he has a home to return to.]]
** [[spoiler:[[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor After a long period of wildly changing goals and sides]], [[RivalTurnedEvil Sasuke Uchiha]] finally makes it after his final battle with Naruto when he admits his defeat to Naruto, regarding their battle over ideals.]]
* [[spoiler:Touga]] in the manga adaptation of ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena''.

* ''Manga/OumagadokiZoo'' has a few of these. [[spoiler:Two of the most prominent examples occur in the Aquarium arc, first from Ikakku the Narhal, who was moved by Kassai's resolution to protect his love interest to the point of turning on his own partner. Second comes from Sakamata the Killer Whale, who acted as TheDragon to Isana, the arc's BigBad before finally snapping from being fed up with the constant abuse he and the other animals had to endure and turning on Isana, landing the final blow on him, and then dragging him into the sea for a well-deserved KarmicDeath.]]
* In ''Anime/SaintSeiya'', [[spoiler: both Saga and Kanon have a Heel-Face turn. Saga, right before [[RedemptionEqualsDeath he kills himself]], and Kanon after realizing that even after all he had done, (corrupted his brother and made him try to kill Athena, besides trying to flood the world by tricking Poseidon), Athena still saved him multiple times and cared about him. That made him turn into a Face and fight for Athena; Milo at first doesn't trust him, but after he attacks Kanon and the latter doesn't retaliate even once, Milo realizes Kanon has truly become good.]]
* Ayaka Steiger in ''Anime/KurauPhantomMemory'' turns from the main bad chasing the protagonists to their biggest ally after discovering that her boss ordered the murder of her father.

* ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' has several characters who follow this trope. In the first season, it's [[spoiler:Fakir (sort of) and Edel]]. And towards the end of the series [[spoiler:Rue discovers that the Raven is not her true father, and risks her life to save Mytho]].
* ''Skyers 5'' used this trope to good effect.
* Rokudo Mukuro in ''Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn'', but it only half counts because his Heel Face Turn coincides with his possession of Chrome Dokuro's body
* In ''Manga/DGrayMan'', General Cross can turn [[TheHeartless Akuma]] good. This isn't perfect; they have trouble rejecting explicit orders from the [[BigBad Millennium Earl]]. To compensate, Cross has these Akuma rigged to self-destruct instead of killing people.
** And then there's poor what's-his-name, turned into a death-headed servant of darkness. And Suman, who Allen gave so much, pointlessly, to drag back. And poor, [[OneWingedAngel poor]], [[BreakTheCutie broken]] Alma Karma.
* Pixy Misa in ''Anime/MagicalProjectS''. Considering [[DarkMagicalGirl her concept]], it was inevitable.
* The BigBad of ''Manga/{{Mahoromatic}}'''s first season becomes a reluctant hanger-on in the second.
** Ryuga wasn't really a Big Bad, but a rival to Mahoro. Difference is motivation. A better example of this is Minawa from the second season, who is TheMole until her turn [[spoiler:She realizes she has a heart after she lured Mahoro to Management's fortress, using Suguru as bait. A heart (ability to have emotions) was the prize the real {{Big Bad}}s dangled in front of her. She didn't realize she'd get one through ThePowerOfLove, simply by staying with Mahoro and Suguru. She is then instrumental in freeing Mahoro from the trap she herself lured Mahoro into. This also catalyzes the end of the series, as it cuts Mahoro's life short, well short of the original deadline.]]
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'':
** This is done by [[spoiler:Orange boy, Jeremiah Gottwald]].
** Actually it happens to everyone. [[spoiler:Schneizel leaves Britannia and makes up his own rebel side after failing to murder the Emperor, the Black Knights join him, Gino joins the Black Knights, and Suzaku betrays Charles, though joining Lelouch could be considered a Heel Face Turn anyways. Because the definition of what each side is changes so drastically, the rest of the Rounds are harder to place: Betraying Britannia or staying loyal to their former boss?]] This being ''Geass'' this could be a FaceHeelTurn depending on how if you believe [[spoiler:the new Britannian emperor]] is an {{antihero}} or an {{antivillain}}. Really after [[spoiler:the betrayal]] there are no good side or bad side, just a bad side, and an even worse side.
* ''Manga/InuYasha'': Sesshoumaru went from a human-hating jerk who wanted to kill his own brother to a fiercely protective sibling and mentor after taking in an orphaned human girl. [[spoiler: After he and Inuyasha end up protecting each others groups a few times, they finally throw in their lot together and fight the BigBad as a united force.]]
* Bad Bird in ''Anime/SamuraiPizzaCats'' who joins up with the good guys after a speech from Speedy saying that if Bad Bird helps Cheese win, everyone in Little Tokyo dies, including Bad Bird's girlfriend. He also ends up changing his name to "Good Bird".
* Rocket from ''Anime/GingaDensetsuWeed'' starts off as one of Hougen's spies but after about 3 episodes, he becomes one of the nicest dogs in Weed's pack.
* All the villains in ''Manga/ShugoChara''. Yuu Nikaidou was a case of DefeatMeansFriendship after Amu foiled his plan to create an Embryo, which is the MacGuffin of the series. Kairi Sanjo was convinced by Amu to do his Heel Face Turn in a ThePowerOfFriendship[=/=]ThePowerOfLove moment. Utau Hoshina realized she didn't want to sing to ruin people's dreams, but that she wanted to sing to make people happy. Yukari Sanjo was more or less another case of DefeatMeansFriendship. And the latest villain, Lulu, seems to be succumbing to ThePowerOfFriendship.
* Adette Kistler from ''Anime/OvermanKingGainer'' joins the Exodus once she is forced to stay in the city units for a while. She eventually even takes command of her own group of fighters.
* Creed from ''Manga/BlackCat'' does this in the anime, though this was not present at all in the manga. Which makes it all the weirder why they decided to make him more perverted and depraved than in the manga.
* In ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'', [[spoiler:Isley does this during the timeskip when he was living with Priscilla and Raki. Too bad the audience only finds out right before his death.]]

* Umezawa Masahiko in ''Manga/HajimeNoIppo'', turns from a bully who constantly picked on Ippo to a faithful fan. However, Umezawa has one of the best {{character development}}s in the show.
* ''Anime/FreshPrettyCure'' has Setsuna Higashi/Eas defecting from Labyrinth, [[spoiler:undergoing a DisneyDeath]], and in the process becoming Cure Passion, [[SixthRanger Fourth Ranger]] to the girls--all in episode 23. At the end of the series, [[spoiler:her ex-comrades Westar and Soular join her on the side as good as well, also suffering a DisneyDeath when it happens.]]
** This wouldn't be the first time a ''Anime/PrettyCure'' series used this trope. Witness the previous examples of [[spoiler:[[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure Kiriya]],]] [[spoiler:[[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar the Kiryuu twins]],]] and [[spoiler:[[Anime/YesPrecure5 Bunbee]].]] It also wouldn't be the last time either; another example in Setsuna's situation [[spoiler:(minus RedemptionEqualsDeath coming into play)]] is [[spoiler:[[Anime/SuitePrettyCure Siren]], who becomes Cure Beat.]]
** There's also [[spoiler:[[Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure Sasorina, Kumojakky and Cobraja]] who end up with RedemptionEqualsDeath coming into play somewhat.]]
** And now we have to add [[spoiler:[[Anime/GoPrincessPrettyCure Princess Twilight]] (Prince Kanata's sister Towa) to the mix, as she's been cleansed from Dyspear's evil brainwashing and, in the same fashion that Cure Passion was born (but also without the Disney Death), became Cure Scarlet. Shut and Lock also eventually turn for the finale.]]
** In the first ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'' movie, the Pretty Cure must battle [[EvilKnockoff their own dark selves]]. While the evil counterparts of Cures Rouge, Lemonade, Mint and Aqua are all defeated, [[spoiler:Cure Dream's suddenly breaks down into tears when she realizes she doesn't have a heart. Cure Dream the decides become a friend. Unfortunately, [[RedemptionEqualsDeath Dark Dream is killed while saving Nozomi from an attack]] from her own creator, Shadow.]]
** ''Anime/KiraKiraPrecureALaMode'' does this to [[spoiler: Julio, Bibury, and the Kira Kira Thives.]]
** This is probably taken to it’s logical highest point in ''Anime/HugttoPrettyCure'': By the end of the series, every villain has been redeemed. One such villain, Ruru, even gets to become a Cure midway through.
* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'':
** Scar and Lust both have one in ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist''; however, in both cases, [[spoiler:RedemptionEqualsDeath, as Scar is killed protecting the citizens of Lior, his last act being to save Alphonse, while Lust was killed by Wrath as she tried to help Edward save his brother]].
** Also, arguably, Wrath from the movie, ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemistTheConquerorOfShamballa'', who leads Alphonse to Amestris Central City so he can open a portal to Earth, and also fights the other remaining homunculus besides himself, Gluttony. [[spoiler:But again, RedemptionEqualsDeath, since Wrath willingly sacrifices himself so Alphonse can open the portal, though he says himself all his wants to do is see his mother again in the afterlife. He gets to.]]
** [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist The manga]] has Scar and [[spoiler:Greed]]. The latter [[spoiler:also dies, after realizing that ThePowerOfFriendship was what he [[GoodAllAlong wanted all along]], being re-absorbed by [[BigBad Father]], and ''[[HeroicSacrifice attacking him from inside]]'']]. Scar, however, [[spoiler:survives, and is recruited to rebuild the Ishvallan civilization and religion (as a WarriorMonk, he'd be quite eligible)]].
* Happens frequently in ''{{LightNovel/Slayers}}'' though they are more [[CharacterDevelopment Hazy-Feel Turns]], most foes being ChaoticNeutral mostly:
** Zelgadis's two henchmen Zolf and Rodimus in the first season, as well as [[spoiler:Rezo]]. Zelgadis is also established as a villain early on, but the SpoilerOpening notes his turn ahead of time.
** Zangulus and Martina in the second season (they even end up together romantically!)
** [[spoiler:Duclis]] manages to come around by the end of the fourth, although he becomes more of TheAtoner. The manga adaptation plays this straight, though. And due to his entirely different role in the novels, this never occurs there.
* In ''Manga/RaveMaster'', this happens more often than not. Julius, Shuda, Let and Lazenby all making prompt turns after losing to Haru or others. Also notable are King, Jegan and Captain Hardner, who make Heel-Face Turns [[spoiler:the exact moment before they die]]. And then there's the case of Reina, who makes a Heel Face Turn but then [[RedemptionEqualsDeath undergoes a]] HeroicSacrifice afterwards.
* Anime/LupinIIIGreenJacket has Goemon, who provides one of the most downright ''efficient'' and drama-free turns ever. When first introduced, Goemon is an all-business samurai who has declared that [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou he alone is worthy of killing Lupin]]. They duel a couple of times, each time ending in a stalemate. Their final confrontation ends with Lupin chasing Goemon in half a car. Realizing the absurdity of the entire situation, the two of them begin laughing and hugging like a couple of old drinking buddies. The episode ends there, and from the next episode on, Goemon is a dedicated member of Lupin's gang.
* In ''[[Anime/TsukuyomiMoonPhase Moon Phase]]'', Elfriede breaks free from her servitude to her vampire father and joins the main cast in their hunt against the bad vampires whilst remaining a vampire herself.
* Viral from ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' goes from being the DecoyProtagonist's rival to being TheLancer. Lordgenome himself also "joins," but in this case it's just a bio-computer whose core is his disembodied head. [[spoiler:He does later regain his full memory, though, and fights alongside the heroes in the final battle.]]

* Is a defining characteristic of ''Manga/ShamanKing'', particularly so in the manga. The Messianic hero converts all villains to his side, one after another, with his laidback attitude and genuine empathy for their motives. The heel face turn often is so through, it recast the character in a whole new light. Homicidal Chinese boy Tao Len is shown as a proud warrior with a sense of duty, while bully and delinquent Ryū is revealed to be a working-class champion and a road-travel hero.
* ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'': ''Absolutely everywhere.'' To wit:
** In line with the series DefeatMeansFriendship nature, virtually every disciple-level opponent Kenichi defeats prior to the series climax pulls one eventually.
** More markedly, during the series climax [[spoiler:Ma Sogetsu, Hongo Akira, Agaard Jum Sai, Sehrul Rahman, and Alexander Gaidar]] turn Face and fight alongside the Katsujinken masters.
** Kii Kagerou is probably the most dramatic example in the series. In his first appearance he is a cheerfully unhinged sociopath who considers cutting down a child to test his new sword. By the climax of the series he has sworn to never kill again, and joins the Katsujinken masters in their face-off with the One Shadow Nine Fist.
* In ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'', every girl in Tsukune's Harem, other than Moka (and possibly Yukari, who initially behaved more like a prankster than anything), started out trying to kill, control or abuse him. As did their club president, Gin.

* In ''Manga/NabarinoOu'', just about all of the main "bad" characters introduced early on end up [[spoiler: teaming up with the good guys in the end to defeat Fuuma. Though most switch sides much earlier on.]]
* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' is partial built on this trope, as one of the themes of the story is that there are no bad guys in the conventional sense. In order of appearance they are:
** [[spoiler:Accelerator]], who then goes on to become the secondary protagonist of the series.
** [[spoiler:Unabara Mitsuki]]
** [[spoiler:Sherry Cromwell]]
** [[spoiler:Agnese Sanctis and the Agnese Forces.]] Though it could be argued that it was a change of situation, rather than a change of heart.
** [[spoiler:Hamazura Shiage]], who then goes on to become the tertiary protagonist of the series.
** [[spoiler:William Orwell (Acqua of the Back)]]
** [[spoiler:Carrissa and Knight Leader]]
** [[spoiler:Vento of the Front]]
** [[spoiler:Misaka WORST]]
** [[spoiler:Mugino Shizuri (The Number Four: The Meltdowner)]]
** [[spoiler:Fiamma of the Right]]
** [[spoiler:Kuroyoru Umidori]]
** [[spoiler:Kakine Teitoku (specifically Rhinoceros Beetle 05)]]
** [[spoiler:Magic God Othinus]]
* It is unclear when [[spoiler:Yuri Nakamura]] in ''Anime/AngelBeats'' made the turn, but there are two very likely candidates. The first is in episode 11 when she [[spoiler:orders the SSS to put some serious thought into passing on before the Shadows overtake them like they did Takamatsu]]. If that doesn't seal the deal, then the climax of episode 12, where she [[spoiler:blows those computers to hell that were responsible for the Shadows in the first place]] definitely does.
** Kanade Tachibana goes from Type IV AntiVillain to {{Woobie}} very quickly after being deposed from the Student Council. Her subsequent reinstatement at the end of episode 9 can be seen as a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor, but [[spoiler:Yuri quickly starts agreeing with her after one of her own boys gets taken down by the mysterious and malevolent Shadows]].
* At the end of ''Anime/ZettaiMutekiRaijinOh'', [[KidHero Jin's]] parents convincing the villain's {{mook}} Taida to [[MookFaceTurn switch sides]]. Later on, Taida's boss actually follows and has a Heel Face Turn of his own.

* ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'' has a quite few of these, the number of which depending on whether you saw the manga or anime. In the manga and anime, Ascot, Caldina, and Lafarga, who all served Zagato in the first storyline for various reasons (wanting somewhere to belong, money, and mind control, respectively), all do a Heel Face Turn thanks to the Magic Knights. The anime also adds Alcyone, Eagle Vision, and Nova to this list.
* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' has several of these throughout the series, including (in order of side-changing) [[spoiler:Kurama (kinda; he wasn't ''really'' evil anyway, at least not within the show's scope), Hiei, Rinku, Chuu, Touya, Jin, Suzuka, Shishiwakamaru, and Seaman/Kyoshi Matarai.]]
** Plus Yusuke himself, kinda, at the very start. And Yomi, sort of, toward the end.
* In ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'', Kotaro underwent one of these after the Kyoto arc. More recently, [[spoiler: Shiori/Luna seems to be on Negi's side now, although Ala Alba is still certainly suspicious of her. Though now that Fate survived the attempted [[HeelFaceDoorSlam door slam]] on his own Heel Face Turn, it's assumed that all of Fate's pactio partners including Shiori have officially switched sides as well.]]
* ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'''s BackFromTheDead EnsembleDarkHorse Desslok starts to turn good after Wildstar faints of blood loss when trying to challenge him to a duel. Upon realizing Wildstar cares for Earth as much as Desslok cares for Gamalon, he realizes they are NotSoDifferent after all. In the third movie, Dessler and the Yamato are EnemyMine, both trying to save Iscandar. By the time of the third TV series and final movie, full HeelFaceTurn has been completed and he is Earth's most powerful ally.
* In ''Anime/TransformersHeadmasters'', Sixshot turns against the Decepticons at the end, after befriending Daniel in an earlier episode when both were stranded on the planet Daira.
* Bootsvorz from ''Anime/FutureGPXCyberFormula'' does this after being betrayed by his evil boss Smith one too many times, [[CarFu he uses his car and drives it through Smith's helicopter]], killing him.
* ''LightNovel/TrinityBlood'' has several examples Abel and Tres do this in their backstories. Then is Radu (who has a HeelRealization) in The Iblis ending. Surprisingly [[spoiler: Dietrich]] in the Stories Untold.
* In ''Anime/ImGonnaBeAnAngel'' [[spoiler: Mikael, after acting like a nice guy for the majority of the series and then turning into an evil and insane twit, does exactly this. Yes, the boy has issues]].
* ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'' seems to love this trope. The most noticiable example is [[spoiler: Fai, who is revealed to have been working for Fei Wong,]] but has a change of heart following the events of the Acid Tokyo and Infinity arcs. [[spoiler: Xing Huo]] might count as another example, as she eventually [[spoiler: betrays Fei Wong by helping the real Syaoran to escape,]] and [[spoiler: the clone Syaoran]] also undergoes this transformation durring the FinalBattle with Fei Wong. Although, one might say that [[spoiler: Fai]]'s was a bit more sucessful than the [[RedemptionEqualsDeath latter two's]]...
* In an inversion of the MoralEventHorizon trope, LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya becomes [[CharacterDevelopment more]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold sympathetic]] toward the end of the second light novel, ''Sigh'', as well as its anime adaptation following a close brush with Kyon's fist for not only spiking Mikuru's drink and leaving her open to possible rape but also calling her ''her toy''.
* ''Anime/ZatchBell'' has several of these: Pamoon, Penny (Patie), and Byonko in the Ancient Mamodo arc; Purio (Papipurio), Rodeux and Zeno (Zeon) in the Faudo arc; and Gorm (Goomu) in the King's Festival arc. Unfortunately, RedemptionEqualsDeath (or returning to the Mamodo/Demon World) for all of the above examples except Purio (and Zeno, who was "dying" just as his HeelFaceTurn was finalized).
** There's also Zeno's partner, the psychic genius Dufort (Dufoux); sold to a mad scientist by his mother at a young age, he met Zeno immediately after he was left to die. The hatred he had ran deep, but thanks to the true power of Zatch's (Gash's) Bao Zakeruga spell, it dissolves, and he becomes a crucial ally in defeating the final BigBad.
* Ryoko in ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' especially the TV AlternateUniverse of ''Anime/TenchiUniverse'' who starts out as a space pirate (Along with Hakubi Washu) who reforms upon falling in love with Tenchi. In the original OVA it turns out she was under a type of mind control.
** Zero fills the trope much better in the OVA after uhhhhh ... she? betrays Dr Clay because she refuses to follow his orders to kill Tenchi. She later merges with Ryoko.

* In ''Manga/ArataTheLegend'', this is, so far, what essentially happens for any Shou who unites under Hinohara's cause, whether it be through joining his travelling group or submitting to him and his hayagami.
* Hiyori from ''Manga/KotouraSan'' does one after episode 4, when she realized she caused a lot of trouble for Manabe and didn't understand how much pain [[BreakTheCutie Har]][[HopeIsScary uka]] was trying to hold in.
* Lady Liebert and half of her comrades of Nepos does this midway through ''Anime/MajinBone''.
* In ''Animation/GuardianFairyMichel'', the final episode has Biam turned into a monster against his will. He reforms after snapping back to normal.
* In ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'' Belldandy is implanted with a devil familiar, allowing Hild to temporarily control her. However Belldandy's pure spirit eventually wins over the familiar, causing it to become good and devoted to Belldandy.
* Dewey from ''Manga/NurseAngelRirikaSOS'' starts off as a minion to Buros who wants to kill Ririka and turn the Earth into ruins. After being almost killed by Buros and [[spoiler:saved by Ririka]] he betrays Dark Joker and becomes a neutral character. He initially won't join Ririka but also won't go back to Buros (not that he can). Eventually he says to Ririka that he'll join her [[{{tsundere}} but only because]] he doesn't think she can beat Buros by herself.
* [[spoiler: Louise]] from ''Anime/{{Endride}}'', betrays the Ignauts after revealing they've been TheMole the whole time. However, in the ensuing fight, Demetrio says he knew all along and uses his WarriorTherapist skills to convince them to defect from LesCollaborateurs, which is easy since the character had [[BecomingTheMask become genuinely sympathetic to the cause]] while playing the spy.
* ''Manga/Brave10'' has two examples:
** [[spoiler:Anastasia]] is brought back by Sasuke and Saizo, expecting to be executed but Yukimura offers freedom instead. [[spoiler:Although she is ''more'' miserable for being granted this mercy, she still gives her all for the Braves up until her death.]]
** The far more controversial turn belongs to [[spoiler:[[TheDragon Hanzo]], who is personally responsible for a lot of the trauma that Ana and many of the other Braves went through in the first series. He tries to claim [[PunchClockVillain he was only doing his job and has no hard feelings]] and that he's only here because Yukimura offered him a job and he needs to eat, but the rest of the Braves are understandably upset and it ends up causing the [[BreakingTheFellowship breaking of the fellowship]]. Nonetheless, to all appearances, he stays loyal to the end of the sequel.]]
* Most antagonists in ''Manga/MobPsycho100'' soon turn to Mob's side, with Dimple and Teruki Hanazawa being two of the most notable examples, [[spoiler: albeit it sticking much better for the latter]], as well as [[spoiler: most of the Scar members of the 7th Branch of Claw]].
* In ''Anime/KingsglaiveFinalFantasyXV'', Libertus comes to his senses [[spoiler:and helped Nyx help Luna escape]] towards the end of the movie, this after going through a FaceHeelTurn and siding with rebels [[spoiler:after Crowe's death]].
* ''Manga/BungouStrayDogs'':
** Prior to the series, Dazai went from ruthless Mafia executive to Armed Detective Agency agent due to the last request of a dying friend that he "be on the side that saves people".
** In the series proper, Kyouka and Lucy both end up leaving their respective antagonist groups (Port Mafia and Guild, respectively) due to Atsushi's influence. Kyouka joins the ADA, while Lucy gets a job at a cafe the detectives frequent.
** Poe also leaves the Guild and find himself aligned with the ADA instead, though in his case it's due to Ranpo.
* Happens with a large majority of the villains in the Battle Spirits franchise:
** In ''Anime/BattleSpiritsShonenToppaBashin'', essentially all of Numbers Elite by the end. [[spoiler: Even Number Nine by virtue of amnesia.]] To be fair, most were never particularly evil, despite being in an antagonistic position towards the heroes.
** In ''Anime/BattleSpiritsShonenGekihaDan'' and its sequel, Kenzo, Kajitsu, Yuuki and Kazan. And roughly the entire mazoku race.
** In ''Anime/BattleSpiritsSwordEyes'', all the Sword Eyes of Darkness. Helps that the show has a strong DarkIsNotEvil theme.
** In ''Anime/BattleSpiritsSaikyoGingaUltimateZero'', Basilla.

* In ''Anime/ArabianNightsAdventuresOfSinbad'', Ali Baba used to be a member of the Forty Thieves before joining the main character's gang.
* In the ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' [[Manga/TheLegendOfZelda Akira Himekawa manga]], Ghanti starts off as a bandit before becoming Link's friend.
* In ''Anime/{{Tamagotchi}}! Miracle Friends'', Smartotchi takes on the guise of the villainous X-Kamen to steal the Dreambakutchis that Miraitchi and Clulutchi need to return to the future. In episode 21, he finally reveals his identity as X-Kamen to the Tama-Friends and states he is a WellIntentionedExtremist (for those curious, his intentions amount to [[spoiler:stopping a piano from being destroyed]]). The gang agree to help him with his quest, and he abandons his X-Kamen alter ego.

** In ''Anime/YuGiOhTheDarkSideOfDimensions'', There's [[BigBad Aigami/Diva]] after losing his powers to Yugi/Atem

* In ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'', every girl in Tsukune's Harem, other than Moka (and possibly Yukari, who initially behaved more like a ScrewySquirrel than anything), started out trying to kill, control or abuse him. As did their club president, Gin.

* In ''Manga/ArataKangatari'', this is, so far, what essentially happens for any Shou who unites under Hinohara's cause, whether it be through joining his travelling group or submitting to him and his hayagami.

** This is done by [[spoiler:[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Orange boy, Jeremiah Gottwald]].]]

* At the end of ''Anime/ZettaiMutekiRaijinOh'', [[KidHero Jin's]] parents convincing the villain's {{mook}} Taida to [[MookFaceTurn switch sides]] turns out to be a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming. Later on, Taida's boss actually follows and has a Heel Face Turn of his own.

* In the original English language manga ''Manga/AmazingAgentLuna'', Timothy Hyatt, upon learning Elizabeth Westbrook is to be killed, switches sides and helps her escape. He later returns to deal with his former partner, Martin Williams.

** Jillas in the third.

** And then there was the FakeDefector. We were all pulling for him, too!

** To highlight it better, of the core cast of Z fighters from throughout DBZ, Goku himself had been sent to Earth initially to depopulate it as a mindless ape, Bulma shot Goku to kill (three consecutive times) out of self-defense when he accidentally moved in the path of her bike, Yamcha was a bandit who tried to rob Goku when they met, Krillin was TheRival for Master Roshi's attention, Tien and Chaozu were students of the Crane Hermit, a wicked rival to Master Roshi, Piccolo was the son/reincarnation of EvilOverlord King Piccolo out to avenge his father/former self's murder by Goku, Vegeta came to Earth solely to steal the Dragon Balls to wish for immortality, intending to kill anyone who got in his way, Androids 17 and 18 were rebellious punks who caused a BadFuture in Future Trunks' timeline, Majin Buu was a childlike pink blob monster who didn't even realize that causing death and destruction was bad until Mr. Satan set him straight, and Beerus was a malevolent god of destruction who planned on destroying the Earth unless he could fight a WorthyOpponent.

** [[spoiler: Finally subverted in the Universe Survival Arc with Freiza.]]

** ''Anime/KiraKiraPrecureALaMode'' does this to [[spoiler: Julio, Bibury, and the KiraKira Thives.]]

* ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'''s BackFromTheDead EnsembleDarkHorse Desslok starts to turn good after Wildstar faints of blood loss when trying to challenge him to a duel. Upon realizing Wildstar cares for Earth as much as Desslok cares for Gamalon, he realizes they are NotSoDifferent after all. In the third movie, Dessler and the Yamato are StrangeBedfellows, both trying to save Iscandar. By the time of the third TV series and final movie, full HeelFaceTurn has been completed and he is Earth's most powerful ally.

* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' has several of these throughout the series, including (in order of side-changing) [[spoiler:Kurama (kinda; he wasn't ''really'' evil anyway, at least not within the show's scope), Hiei, Rinku, Chuu, Touya, Jin, Suzuka, Shishiwakamaru (once {{retcon}}ned into surviving his battle with Genkai), and Seaman/Kyoshi Matarai.]]

** Several members of [[AcademyOfEvil Academia]] in ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'' have defected from the said school and now help the Resistance. Named renegades include Asuka (though she defected before the storyline where she was introduced), Edo, Serena, the Tyler sisters, Mamoru, and Sora. While many of them had the old DefeatMeansFriendship reason, [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal most defected to being mistreated or double-crossed by the others.]]

** ''Anime/KiraKiraPrecureALaMode'' does this to [[spoiler: Julio and Bibury.]]