History Main / BackToBackBadasses

** Subverted in ''Film/{{Riddick}}''. Two {{Bounty Hunter}}s do this when they realise Riddick in on the prowl. Until one of them realises no-one's behind him. He spins round in time to see his partner's corpse being dragged into the darkness. Then played straight with Riddick and Boss John.

** Subverted in ''Film/{{Riddick}}''. Two {{Bounty Hunter}}s do this when they realise Riddick in on the prowl. Until one of them realises no-one's behind him. He spins round in time to see his partner's corpse being dragged into the darkness.

-->'''Rex:''' Haven't you ever read a comic book? Back to back!

* ''[[Fanfic/TheDarkLordsOfNerima The Dark Lords Ascendant]]'' has this with [[Anime/SailorMoon Sailor Saturn]] and [[Anime/RanmaOneHalf Ryouga]] after they're [[EnemyMine ambushed during a fight with each other]].

This is TruthInTelevision. The method allows the two fighters to split their opponents between them, and keeps anyone from literally stabbing either person InTheBack. Military historian Mike Loades speculates that medieval knights fought on foot in this manner, and at the present, al-Qaeda operatives storming buildings clear out rooms this way.

* UnchartedDrakesFortune has this with Drake and Eddie doing this when surrounded by The Descendents. "Drake, I just want you to know...I hate your guts." "Likewise pal, NOW LET'S DO THIS!" Cue action sequence.

* This is [[{{Pokemon}} Team Rocket's]] usual pose when reciting their motto.

* [[Literature/TheBible Ecclesiastes 4:12]] New Living Translation: "A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer."

** [[MarionetteMaster Corona]] and [[MightyGlacier Victoria]] end up like this in Chapter 50 of ''Manga.MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid'' when they find themselves fighting against an army of [[spoiler:Fabia's [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon]]]] {{Mook}}s

* When they were fighting against a swarm of flying [[MechaMooks Gadget Drones]] and their [[DoppelgangerSpin illusionary copies]] in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikerS'', Nanoha and Fate peform this in mid-air while protected by Nanoha's DeflectorShields.

* In {{Warmachine}}, the Great Bears of Gallowswood from [[GloriousMotherRussia Khador]] are a trio of survivors/good buddies who basically stick back to back to back and slam into the enemy like a wrecking ball of death.

* This happens in the two-part season 2 finale of ''TransformersAnimated'' with Optimus Prime and Megatron fighting back to back against Starscream's [[spoiler:clone army]]... until Megatron grabs Prime in his hands and starts using him as a shield.

-->'''Van Kleis:''' Before were totally devoid of nanites we need to end this now, together!
-->'''Rex:''' Back to back!
-->'''Van Kleis:''' What!?

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats 2011}}'' episode "Old Friends" Captains Grune and Panthro do this while quite unfazed by the long odds against them on a battlefield full of their [[{{Lizardfolk}} Lizard]] enemies
-->'''Grune:''' If y'wanna make it ta general, you'll have to do better than that.
-->'''Panthro:''' *laughs* I'm [[BodyCountCompetition eleven lizards ahead]] a' you Captain!
-->'''Grune:''' *swings his mace, hitting two Lizards, laughs* Make that nine!

* [[Literature/TheBible Ecclesiastes 4:12]]: "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves."

** Inverted in episode ''"Back to Back, a Fight to the Death!,"'' Ichigo forcibly gets newfound rival Ishida to do this to stave off a legion of Hollows while at the same time trying to convince him that they are NotSoDifferent.

* A few times in ''Film/TheBoondockSaints'', most notably when [[spoiler: the two of them fall through the ceiling tangled in rope]]. One might say this is an [[IncrediblyLamePun "inverted trope."]]

[[quoteright:350:[[KungFuHustle http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/snapshot20100207094751.jpg]]]]

* In ''{{Thunderbolts}}'', the Thunderbolts and Spider-Man were together when a villain tried to [[BrainwashedAndCrazy take over]] their minds. Only Mach-1 and {{Spider-Man}} fought off the control, and had to fight as BackToBackBadasses. (A severe shock for Mach-1, who [[HeelFaceTurn found]] that after that, he could not frame Spider-Man for murder.)

* [[StarWars Luke Skywalker]] and [[StarWarsExpandedUniverse Mara Jade]] had a "BackToBackBadasses" moment in ''[[Literature/HandOfThrawn Vision of the Future]]''. They were only surrounded by two droids, but the droids weren't [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy the kind that sucked at shooting]].

** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', two entire species, the Turians and the Krogan, go BackToBackBadasses to push the Reapers back from the Turian homeworld in a spectacular showdown that becomes known as the Miracle at Palaven.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', the Rogue class skill "Back-to-Back" allows the user to briefly perform BackToBackBadasses with any ally.

** Earlier in the game, Lady and Dante get a BackToBackBadasses moment as well.

* In Sub-Zero's Arcade Ladder ending in ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 Mortal Kombat (2011)]]'', [[spoiler:Scorpion and Sub-Zero]] become BackToBackBadasses fighting both the [[ProfessionalKiller Lin Kuei]] and the [[BrotherhoodOfEvil Brotherhood of Shadow]] in an epic RoaringRampageOfRevenge after they find out that [[spoiler:both organizations, hand-in-hand, were responsible for their families' deaths]].

* ''BadBoys 2'' made climactic use of this.

* ''Film/ThreeHundred''
* The ending of ''MrAndMrsSmith'' is one extended back-to-back scene (and, at points, front-to-front.)

* ''Film/TheMatrix Revolutions''

* In the aptly-named BackToBack, ex-cop Malone and Yakuza man Koji team up to fight off a small horde of thugs.

* ''Film/LordOfTheRings'': Gimli and Aragorn at the gate into Helm's Deep. For several minutes at least they hold off '''the entire Uruk-Hai army.'''

* Subverted/Lampshaded in ''{{Blankman}}''. Eager superhero wannabe Blankman (Damon Wayans) and his brother/reluctant sidekick Kevin/"Other Guy" (David Alan Grier) finally get on the same page regarding crime fighting, and have some generic henchmen to defeat. Blankman dramatically announces "Back to back!" They take up the standard pose, and Blankman is immediately subdued, complete with a girlish squeak, while Other Guy competently dispatches opponent after opponent.
* Done thrice in the ''Film/HarryPotter'' films: Harry and Ron in ''Chamber of Secrets'', Sirius and Harry in ''Order of the Phoenix'', and Harry and Ginny (and later other wizards) in ''Half-Blood Prince''.

** Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Hulk form ''back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back'' badasses in Film/TheAvengers
* A three-badass gunfight in MoonChild, where a fight between Sho, Kei, and Son was interrupted by an external enemy.

* Butch and the Sundance Kid from ''{{Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid}}''. Throughout.

* In ''KungFuHustle'' Coolie almost gets overpowered by the Axe Gang until Doughnut and Tailor join him in combat. [[spoiler: Landlord and Landlady]] may also count.
* A few times in TheBoondockSaints, most notably when [[spoiler: the two of them fall through the ceiling tangled in rope]]. One might say this is an [[IncrediblyLamePun "inverted trope."]]

* Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes in ''GIJoeRetaliation''.

** The Kingdom Hearts series actually uses this trope ''frequently'': Sora & Hercules, Sora & [[FinalFantasyX Auron]], Sora & Axel, Sora & Riku, and there's also an example of a 3-way back to back with Sora, [[DonaldDuck Donald]], and {{Goofy}} in the cutscene before the 1000 heartless battle.

* FinalFantasyIX invokes this trope at the start of disc three, when Beatrix and Steiner run out of Alexandria Castle to fight monsters attacking the town. The scene also becomes a [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome CMOA]] for Steiner as he confesses his [[PowerOfLove love for Beatrix]] and then [[SuperMode goes into Trance.]]