History Main / DefectingForLove

* ''Manga/{{X 1999}}'' has [[GentleGiant Shiyu Kusanagi]] starting off as working for the antagonistic Dragons of Earth but eventually switches sides out of love for [[GenkiGirl Yuzuriha Nekoi]] and even ''lives'' to enjoy his newfound happiness.

* Happens with relative frequency among the [[SupermanSubstitute Viltrumites]] in ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}''. Their SocialDarwinist philosophy considered social bonds a weakness, despite the psychological need for it still being present, making the Viltrumites mentally unbalanced as they try to reconcile the [[ANaziByAnyOtherName quasi-Nazi ideology]] they've all been indoctrinated into since birth with their [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds repressed desire for emotion and family]]. Only a few are actually evil, and the rest quickly revert to forming normal emotional bonds when no longer under constant pressure to conform to social purity. [[BewareTheSuperman Omni-Man]] himself basically had a nervous breakdown when torn between his obsession with his duty and the love for his human family, nearly [[OffingTheOffspring murdering his own son]] whom he trained to be his successor before [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realizing what he was doing]]. [[AmazonianBeauty Anissa]] [[spoiler: [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil raped Mark to produce a pureblooded Viltrumite child]] but]] later fell in love with a human man and devoted her life to protecting the Earth as a result.

* Discussed in ''Fanfic/TheMorrigan''. When [[spoiler:Felsi Rollo]] defects from the Spacian side of the war to join the Earthian freedom fighters the Dawn of Fold, everyone, including her best friend, initially assumes it's because her romantic partner is an Earthian. When asked, [[spoiler:Felsi]] vehemently denies this, as she joined DOF because she truly believes in their cause, and fights for them because she thinks it's the right thing to do. Flashbacks show that she was actually set on joining the Dawn of Fold long before her girlfriend, and only waited as long as she did because said girlfriend hadn't made up her mind yet.

* In the ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/WolfSpider'' Bitch leaves the Undersiders to be with [[spoiler:Arachne]].
* ''Fanfic/ColdReception'': Inverted in the case of Wally, who (technically) defects to the ''villain's'' side for love. The TND has a policy that only two operatives per sector generation are allowed to become teen operatives, with the rest being honorably decommissioned. Sector V is no exception; with Abby having already claimed one of the spots for their team, Nigel in space, and Hoagie out of the running, it came down to Kuki and Wally over who would be the next TND operative. When Kuki became Soopreme Leaduh, the spot went to her, so Wally defected before his thirteenth birthday and became a free agent so he wouldn't forget about her.

-->'''Castiel''' (''to Dean''): I'm hunted. I rebelled. And I did it, all of it, for you.
** Also happens to Castiel's love interest Meg. She's a demon, he's an angel and she continuously sides with humans against her own kind because of her affection for Castiel. [[spoiler: Sadly, she dies in a HeroicSacrifice before she and Castiel can consummate their relationship.]]

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' Dorian, a minor NPC living in Kakariko Village, confesses to have been a former [[spoiler:member of the Sheikah Clan's EvilCounterpart the Yiga Clan. However, he tells Link that he turned his back on them after falling in love with his [[TheLostLenore late wife.]] The story is quite tragic, as the Yiga caught wind of his betrayal and murdered said wife in cold blood, then turned around and threatened to do the same with his two daughters unless [[TheMole he cooperated with them]]]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'' had this between two sentient leftover Cold War super-weapons: [[spoiler:an American ''moustache'' and a Russian ''beard''.]]

* Milia Fallyna in ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'' (and ''Anime/{{Robotech}}''), who went as far as to get herself shrunk down to human size to hunt down the human pilot who dueled her, and ended up marrying him after a knife fight. In TheMovie ''Anime/MacrossDoYouRememberLove'', things go a little differently; he gets trapped on her ship when it leaves while they're still in their first battle, but things still turn out all right: he later shows up having been ''macronized'' to match her, becoming a ''Montague Counterpart'', and they're fighting side by side, happy as can be.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'' went and [[SubvertedTrope turned the trope a bit into its head]]. The brothers [[ChivalrousPervert Johan]] and [[HotBlooded Johalva]] are both smitten with [[ActionGirl Larcei]] (or her {{Expy}} Radney), and if she manages to speak to one of them, she can recruit him into [[TheHero Seliph]]'s group. Though the subversion comes in that she cannot recruit ''both'', as the other will take it as rejection and fight against the group.

** At least two of Big Mom's daughters (that we know of) did this in the past, since she's prone to [[ArrangedMarriage marrying them off]] to secure alliances. This ends up backfiring on Big Mom in a [[JustForPun big way]] since she's [[AbusiveParents abusive]] to her children while their new spouses are not. Charlotte Praline, wife of the Sun Pirates' Aladine, and Charlotte Chiffon, wife of the Fire Tank Pirates' Capone Bege, are the two known past examples, while it also happens to [[spoiler: Charlotte Pudding]] during the story. [[spoiler: While she doesn't end up married to Sanji, she does genuinely fall in love with him once he compliments her ThirdEye, something her mom has only ever insulted her about. This despite the fact that up until then, she was [[InLoveWithTheMark ready to kill him and his family after the wedding]], as per her mother's plan.]]

* Kyle Katarn of the ''VideoGame/DarkForces'' video games. In the backstory, Katarn is not unlike Luke Skywalker -- a young FarmBoy who dreams of going to the Imperial Academy. Unlike Luke, though, he gets to attend and becomes a promising officer. After meeting Rebel operative Jan Ors, though, finding out her secret, and letting her go... well, the rest was history.

*** Mara Jade Skywalker was part of a group of elite Sith assassins serving Darth Sidious known as the Emperor's Hands, and was assigned to kill Luke but went rogue after the conclusion of the First Galactic Civil War and ended up marrying him before becoming a Jedi Master.