History Main / AFriendInNeed

* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'', M.P.H. tries to help Beautie in one of her distressed periods. He ends up [[spoiler:lecturing her creator about how she is failing her.]]

* Franchise/TheFlash. He was desperately worried about his dying wife, but he had to look after his two children -- until Arsenal cleverly brought his daughter to the League tower. This distracted the Flash's children enough so that Arsenal could look after them all, and Flash, after calling him a friend in need, could join his wife.
* After ''ComicBook/{{Morbius}} the Living Vampire'' is infected with the blood of a demon and is resurrected as an undead, soulless being, one of his oldest friends decides to separate himself from the madness that is Morbius' life. He is chewed out by ComicBook/WerewolfByNight, who tells him Morbius now needs them more than ever. "I guess we see who Morbius's ''real'' friends are now."

* ''ComicBook/OmahaTheCatDancer'' has a scene when Omaha returns to Mipple City when she learns that her boyfriend, Charles Tabey Jr., has had a mental breakdown. When she visits him at the mental hospital, he is barely coherent with meds and she is extremely upset. On the trip to see him again a bit later, Omaha has a moment where she complains it's not worth visiting him. That's when their mutual friend, Huddle, responds "Well, I guess that depends on whether you are his friend." When Omaha protests, citing their relationship, Huddle answers, "Yes, you are his lover, but are you his ''friend''? Are you prepared to stick with him, even when you don't get anything? If not, then we might as well turn back and go home now." At that, Omaha ponders the point and tells Huddle to keep going to the hospital.

* ''{{ComicBook/Wonder Woman|2006}}'' volume 3 sees the goddess Athena strand Hippolyta on Themysicra as punishment for Hippolyta's role in ''ComicBook/AmazonsAttack'' and erect a barrier around the island that no amazons can pass through. Nazis try to takeover the island while there is only one defender on it and Wonder Woman desperately prays to the gods to let her save her mother. All the gods hearing Diana's prayer ignore it out of fear of upsetting Athena until it reaches Kane Milohai, who just hears a single mother and desperate daughter in trouble and figures he has the time to lend a hand. Upon finding it's Wonder Woman in need, Kane Milohai not only gives her the means to bypass Athena's barrier but names her his champion. Since Diana has no father Kane Milohai also adopts Diana has his daughter before wishing her luck. He pays dearly, not from Athena but Zeus, who demands Kane Milohai give Diana's loyalty back to him even as the Hawaiian god tries to explain that's entirely up to Diana. Zeus decides he can win Diana's loyalty by making her a better family [[SacrificialLion out of Kane Milohai's remains]].

While pre-existing friendship is possible, demonstrating ThePowerOfFriendship in a FriendshipMoment, the character may also be a {{Mentor}}, an acquaintance (perhaps nothing more than someone they are LonelyTogether with), or even a stranger who sees the character in need and [[PowerOfTrust trusts]] them. It can create friendship and even the TrueCompanions, and it is certainly the point at which a character knows they have friends. (If they are VitriolicBestBuds, this may be the point at which the audience realizes they are friends.)

%%ZCE * ''Anime/TheIdolmaster'' - - Centric part of the plot for the whole show, more visible during both Chihaya's and Haruka's HeroicBSOD's.
* Izetta from ''Anime/IzettaTheLastWitch'' choose to help protect her friend, Princess Finé's country from the Germanian soldiers even though her friend tells her to run away to safety.

** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'': After Bucciarati declares his LineInTheSand, everyone (with the exception of Fugo) chose to fight by his side in defeating Diavolo.

** In essence, this was how Luffy met or helped out his friends, gaining their loyalty. Zoro was about to executed by the marines when Luffy jumped in. He beat the tar out of Arlong for making Nami cry. He helped out Usopp because he saw that Usopp was determined to protect his village. He helped Sanji protect Zeff's resturant ship. He stopped Wapol and defended Chopper's pirate flag. Robin wanted to die, but Luffy encouraged her to live. He accepted Franky into his crew, despite being enemies earlier. He gave companionship and freedom to Brook. And he broke Jinbe out of prison and helped him save Fishman Island.
** This is Luffy in general. You don't even have to be one of his crew mates -- you just have to be a friend, because for Luffy, that's always been enough. Or you could just give him [[ComicallySmallBribe free food]], which for practical purposes is more or less the same thing.

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ''Anime/PrincessSarah'': Sarah and her friends, especially Ermengarde, Becky and Peter, have one of these moments almost every other episode.
* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'': Shiryu. Even though most of the Bronze Saints are ready to go to great length for one another, Shiryu seems particularly prone to that especially toward Seiya. The most memorable example would be Shiryu willing to bathe Seiya's Cloth with most of his blood, aware that it would cost his life, in order to repair it. Without his Cloth, Seiya would not have stood a chance to survive the threat he was facing at the time and thus Shiryu was willing to offer his life for a friend in need.

* Peter and many characters in ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'', including Mary Jane and Flash. Even random people of New York show surprising courage and humanity when things get tough.

** This is turned on Hikari twice: first in the Drum Island Arc, where she was bitten by the Kestia Tick and becomes deathly ill. Despite her protests, the Straw Hats don't hesitate to find her a doctor, even if it means facing giant carnivorous rabbits or climbing a sheer rock-face to do so. The second is in Skypiea, where she is thoroughly beaten and kidnapped by Eneru, and the Straw Hats do not consider even searching for Shandora without her, immediately coming up with a plan to save her and beat up the 'God' for daring to hurt her.

** In ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainSeekerOfCrocus'', an alternate version of ''Infinity Train: Blossoming Trail'' that has London and Specter reunite, London tells Ryoken outright that he shows concern for Specter (who had to have his memories sealed in a geass after White Gestalt's actions nearly ''derailed the Train'') because he is a friend and he ''cares for him''. It's this declaration that makes Specter decide to leave the Hanoi to go back to heal, because he knows that ''someone'' cares for him as a person.

** Ray calls on his relatives to help point Naveen and Tiana in the right direction, and continues to help them for the rest of the film.

* In ''Film/GodzillaVsGigan'', there are several moments in which Godzilla and his partner, Anguirus got each other's back:

** Anguirus sees Godzilla being attacked by the high powered weaponry from the Godzilla Tower at the center of the amusement park where the battle is taking place, while Gigan and Ghidorah look on. Headless of the danger to himself, he charges to the rescue, willing to go headlong into Gigan's buzzsaw to try to save his friend.

* ''Film/SchindlersList'': Oskar Schindler is a [[{{Greed}} greedy]] [[ReallyGetsAround womanizer]] [[OnlyInItForTheMoney who has little issue using German racial prejudice against the jews to make a quick buck]] by using them as cheap labor outsourced from German concentration camps. [[TheCharmer He's charming]] but also a spendthrift who doesn't have a mind for business, (he flat out admits the only reason he's making money now is that what with profiteering off the war, it's essentially impossible not to) and leaves the management of his enamelware factory to his more shrewd-minded jewish accountant Itzhak Stern, becoming fabulously wealthy. The jews begin to look up to Schindler, who treats them humanely and is [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure the only authority figure around]] who isn't TheSociopath. The camp is eventually shut down, and Schindler plans on leaving since he already has more money than he could ever spend in a lifetime. But the jews who work in his factory are soon to be deported to Auschwitz, where they will certainly be massacred. The next day, Schindler has Stern type up the titular 'list' with the names of all his workers on it, telling him that he is relocating them all to a munitions factory he's building in his hometown. Itzhak openly wonders how Schindler convinced Commandant Goeth to let them go... and then it dawns on him that Schindler has spent '''everything he has''' buying them from him. Stern calls the list an 'absolute good', awed by such an act of pure, unadulterated love and compassion.

** As of ''Changes'' [[spoiler:his friends all show up to help him when he needs it. Not all of them make it out, and Murphy at best is getting a half pay retirement]].

* In Creator/WenSpencer's ''Endless Blue'', Mikhail recalls such moments between him and Turk: Turk's stopping him from committing suicide, and his attacking a man who had hurt Turk, because Turk had bitten the man, and by attacking, he ensured that this was not just a matter of a Red attacking a human.

** Marietta is apparently the only member of Cho's posse to stick with her after she became distraught over Cedric's death and started behaving differently in her depression in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix''. Unfortunately, Cho pushed this too far and forced Marietta to join the DA when she wasn't comfortable with it and didn't take the group seriously resulting in her [[spoiler: betraying them in a move that almost got them all expelled, Cho included, and caused problems for the many of their relatives who were employed by the ministry. Fudge coming to expel Harry with ''Aurors'' along implied he wanted to toss him in [[PlaceWorseThanDeath Azkaban]] for starting the group. The only reason it didn't ruin or seriously hamper her fellow students' job prospects is that Dumbledore intervened]].

** When Shard makes a counter-offer, Grumley refuses to attack his friends.

* In Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/OnlyYouCanSaveMankind'', when Johnny realizes Bigmac has seen his friends crash the car they stole, he is running after him before he even thinks; he stops Bigmac from getting too close.

** In Creator/DanAbnett's Literature/GauntsGhosts novel ''His Last Command'', when Gaunt and his team are brought before a tribunal on suspicion of being Chaos-tainted, Ludd volunteers to defend them. Although he is a junior commissiar, he knows no one else will and that they will assign someone who hates them if he doesn't.

*** In ''Galaxy in Flames'', Tarvitz realizes that the ship following him is under the command of a [[FireForgedFriends friend]], Garro, and appeals to him, [[spoiler:telling him of Horus's treacherous attack. Garro shoots down his pursuers, and then begs him to [[IGaveMyWord assure him that he told the truth]].]]

** Pooh and Christopher Robin go to rescue Piglet in the flood, and Owl, well-intentioned, goes to encourage him with news that rescue is coming and tell him a story to divert his attention (accidentally endangering as it nearly puts Piglet to sleep and causes him to slip into the flood, but he meant well).

** In "[[Recap/LeverageS01E03TheTwoHorseJob The Two Horse Job]]" Elliot receives a call from an old friend, whose daughter he had a relationship in their teenage years, after the man's barn is set on fire and all but one of the horses he trains died. The man's employer is now smearing his name and blaming him for the fire.

* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'': In Season 13 episode "Spinning Wheel" flashes back to the 1960s with Ducky and his lawyer friend Angus Clarke. After the events previously shown when [[spoiler:Ducky tells Angus' fiance he loves her and the fight in which Ducky knocks two of Angus' teeth out but the woman still marries Angus,]] Ducky goes to Angus for help in securing custody of Ducky's half-brother from the boy's biological mother. When the legal case is against them, Angus tells Ducky he will [[spoiler:give Ducky the 10,000 pounds the mother is asking for in exchange to give up custody of her child]]. Ducky is shocked at this benevolence from the man, who will simply take Ducky floundering for the words to thank him as payment.

** Miss Brooks is eager to protect [[LoveInterest Mr. Boynton]], naturally enough. "Mr. Conklin Plays Detective", where Miss Brooks believes Mr. Boynton used Mr. Conklin's phone to make a long-distance call, is a case in point. Likewise, "The Jewel Robbery", where Miss Brooks wrongly believes Mr. Boynton robbed a store.

* In ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', the ''Enterprise'' crew often risk their lives to help a fellow member. In "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E1AmokTime Amok Time]]", Kirk was willing to disobey a direct order from Starfleet to help Spock get to Vulcan, fortunately Spock's family matriarch pulls some strings to make sure the Captain is not in trouble. In "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E24TurnaboutIntruder Turnabout Intruder]]", Spock was the first one to believe that Kirk was in another body and defended him when the imposter tried to kill Kirk. In "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E12TheEmpath The Empath]]", [=McCoy=] knocked out both Kirk and Spock so that they won't be subjected to a torture that would either kill them or leave them insane and he would be chosen instead of them.

* Series/StarskyAndHutch are willing to go out of their own ways to help each other when each is shot, poisoned, or even framed for murder.

* ''Theatre/TimonOfAthens'' plays with this trope. Timon is very generous to his friends at the start of the play-- he gives one friend money so he can get married, and bails another friend out of an execution sentence. When Timon goes bankrupt, you expect his friends to repay their debt, but [[SubvertedTrope they don't]]. This act of betrayal is so great Timon [[MaddenedIntoMisanthropy becomes a misanthropic hermit]] and swears to never be kind to anyone ever again.

---> '''Ichigo''': "All right. Let's do this, Chad. You keep doing your thing and don't fight for yourself. But fight for me and I will fight for you. If you ever put your life on the line to protect something, then I'll put my life on the line to protect it too."
** All the captains of Soul Society and the Vizards joined in the battle against Aizen to help out Ichigo and give him a chance to strike Aizen, letting him know right from the get go that [[YouAreNotAlone he wasn't alone in this fight]].
* William from ''Manga/ACruelGodReigns'' is this for Jeremy. He continues to be Jeremy's friend even when Jeremy [[CannotSpitItOut tells him strange stories about why his back is bleeding]], [[SanitySlippage acts bizarrely]], and [[SexForSolace makes moves on him]]. He is the first one to notice Jeremy's strange behavior, have suspicions about what is [[RapeAsBackStory really going on with Jeremy]] without blaming him, and actively try to help him. William is also the one who convinces Jeremy to come back to school.

* ''Anime/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'':
** Used in a pretty dark way - [[spoiler:Rena killed a woman who tried to seduce her father for his money (and the woman's lover) and tried to hide it from her friends; however, when they discover the truth, they unanimously agree to help her dispose of the bodies]].[[note]]Hey, friends help you move. ''Real friends'' help you move bodies.[[/note]]
** In the same arc, [[spoiler:When Rena is affected by the same [[AxCrazy paranoid delusions]] Keiichi had fallen to in the first arc, the friends all group together to save her, rather than abandoning her to the [[DownerEnding unfortunate fate]] despite/because Keiichi knows that Rena had tried to save him risking her life before]].

** This is Luffy in general. You don't even have to be one of his crew mates -- you just have to be a friend. Because for Luffy, that's always been enough.
*** Or just give him [[ComicallySmallBribe free food]], which for practical purposes is more or less the same thing.
---->'''Luffy:''' I have to return Rebecca the favor for buying me lunch!\\

** Shiryu's biggest moment of this type was the fight against Perseus Algol, in which he BLINDS HIMSELF to be able to fight him out of his sheer determination to save his friends.

* ''Anime/VariableGeo'': Yuka's childhood friend, Satomi, has fallen on hard times ever since her parents died, leaving her to care for herself and her DelicateAndSickly kid brother on her own. Except [[PerpetualPoverty she barely earns enough to support them]], despite working two jobs, due to Daiskue's medical expenses. Which made her an easy target for [[NebulousEvilOrganization The Jahana Group]], who manipulates Satomi into entering the VG tournament. When Yuka becomes aware of the situation, she resolves to save her friend.

* ''Fanfic/FromTheAshesMiraculousLadybug'': While most of his old classmates believe that Adrien has been living the high life ever since their graduation, the truth of the matter is that he's secretly an ImpoverishedPatrician -- has been ever since his father's death. Chloe ''is'' aware that Adrien has been struggling financially, and supports him by letting him stay at her family's hotel for free whenever he visits Paris.

%% ZCE * Pretty much the {{Aesop}} of the entire ''Literature/KokoroConnect'' series.