History Main / DespairGambit

This is a common tactic of an invading army, the intent being to weaken the defenders by subduing their morale. This is also the basic idea behind terrorism. The HopeCrusher is a villain who is quite fond of this tactic. It's also a way to deal with being unable to employ the [[UsefulNotes/TheThirtySixStrategems 18th stratagem.]]

This is a common tactic of an invading army, the intent being to weaken the defenders by subduing their morale. This is also the basic idea behind terrorism. The HopeCrusher is a villain who is quite fond of this tactic.

* In the MagicalGirl CrisisCrossover ''FanFic/ShatteredSkies'', [[Anime/SmilePrettyCure Joker]] wants to pull this on everyone, everywhere, in every universe... [[spoiler:[[OmnicidalManiac before he negates everyone and everything in existence, that is.]]]]

* This is Knives' instruction to his minions in ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'', in the hopes that it will make Vash give up his stewardship of humans and [[FaceHeelTurn join the other side]]. In the anime, [[spoiler: it works, and Vash breaks down, becoming almost catatonic, at least until a [[HeartwarmingMoment moment of redemption]] redoubles his resolve]].

* Similarly to the Anti-Spirals, [[spoiler: the Incubators]] from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' drive teenage girls to despair by [[spoiler: making [[DealWithTheDevil contracts]] with them and encouraging them to MakeAWish [[JackassGenie that they know will backfire,]] [[YouDidntAsk leaving out important details of the MagicalGirl contract]] such as the required [[OurLichesAreDifferent lichification]], and eventually driving the girl to the DespairEventHorizon wherein they will become a [[EldritchAbomination Witch,]] which will then be killed by other magical girls for it's energy. The witches will also drive people to suicide, ensuring more despair.]] The point of this is to [[spoiler: [[WellIntentionedExtremist use that energy to save the universe from heat death.]]]] Also like the Anti-Spirals, it backfires: [[spoiler: [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Madoka]] uses her wish to [[AbstractApotheosis become a god]] and erase the whole witch system from existence, and when the Kyubeys try to bring it back in TheMovie, Madoka defeats them again- [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty for good this time.]]]]

* This is the Anti-Spiral ''modus operandi'' in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', arranging [[ManchurianAgent Manchurian Agents]], [[ColonyDrop Colony Drops]] and [[HopeSpot Hope Spots]] because the Power of the Spiral can't be defeated through main force. Although this is effective on some characters, it ultimately backfires, leading Team Gurren to the Anti-Spirals' home dimension and giving them a plethora of Lagann-type mechs with which to take them down.
* [[spoiler: The Incubators]] from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' drive teenage girls to despair by [[spoiler: making [[DealWithTheDevil contracts]] with them and encouraging them to MakeAWish [[JackassGenie that they know will backfire,]] [[YouDidntAsk leaving out important details of the MagicalGirl contract]] such as the required [[OurLichesAreDifferent lichification]], and eventually driving the girl to the DespairEventHorizon wherein they will become a [[EldritchAbomination Witch,]] which will then be killed by other magical girls for it's energy. The witches will also drive people to suicide, ensuring more despair.]] The point of this is to [[spoiler: [[WellIntentionedExtremist use that energy to save the universe from heat death.]]]]

* The "Revenge Arc" of ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' deals with Enishi's attempt to reduce Kenshin to a pathetic homeless wreck by destroying everything Kenshin holds dear, in revenge for Kenshin's (accidental) killing of Enishi's sister. [[spoiler: it actually works for a while, after Enishi convinces Kenshin that he (Enishi) had murdered Kaoru.]]

* SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker has done this several times, such as in ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'' and the film partially based on it, ''Film/TheDarkKnight''. He does it either [[MotivelessMalignity because that's the way he is]] or because he secretly, desperately wants to prove that everyone else is really as hopeless as he is.

** SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' also uses this tactic, but by simply killing innocent people and cops until it's the people of Gotham who despair and turn on Batman for not giving up and turning himself in.

* In ''Film/ThePatriot'' the British colonel burns a church with it's town inhabitants still inside and pillages towns. When the patriot milita descends upon one of the villages it prompts one of the soldiers who just lost his family to shoot himself in the head.

* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic2'', the ''protagonist'' actually uses this to defeat [[TheDragon Darth Sion.]] His connection to the Force basically makes him invincible, so in order to kill him for good, the player has to convince him to give up that connection willingly and die.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'': [[spoiler:One-Eyed Othinus tries to do this to Touma]] by attempting to make him feel worthless and a villain, by replacing him with someone else, who although different in large ways, has no effect on history, and how a simple change of perspective, without the assumption that he is a hero, turns his actions into that of a villain.

* In {{Literature/Worm}}, this is [[spoiler: Skitter's plan to defeat OmnicidalManiac Scion, in yet another reversal of villain and hero.]]

** This sort of thing is done more than once. In ''Neverending Battle'' [[{{Expy}} Manchester]] [[ComicBooks/TheAuthority Black]] throws all of Superman's available nemeses at him then finishes up by killing Lois [[spoiler: turns out the killing is a telepathic illusion]]. The point in this case is to try to get Superman to sink to his level via tragedy. Superman's allows the telepath into his mind to reveal there's a part of him that really wants to do that, but he doesn't succumb.

* ComicBook/LexLuthor defeats Franchise/{{Superman}} in ''SupermanRedSon'' in this way: after every attempt to take out Superman by brute force fails, he attacks Superman's psyche instead with an ArmorPiercingQuestion.

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* This is Knives' instruction to his minions in ''{{Trigun}}'', in the hopes that it will make Vash give up his stewardship of humans and [[FaceHeelTurn join the other side]]. In the anime, [[spoiler: it works, and Vash breaks down, becoming almost catatonic, at least until a [[HeartwarmingMoment moment of redemption]] redoubles his resolve]].

[[AC: {{Comics}}]]
* ComicBook/LexLuthor defeats {{Superman}} in ''SupermanRedSon'' in this way: after every attempt to take out Superman by brute force fails, he attacks Superman's psyche instead with an ArmorPiercingQuestion.

* Following the death of his brother, the villain Kraven, ''SpiderMan'' villain Chameleon became increasingly crazy and devoted himself to putting Spider-Man through one of these, and along the way, he confirmed/learned Spider-Man's identity. This included convincing Peter he was in a CuckoosNest scenario and was actually an unhinged and depressed writer, as well as trying to attack Peter's family and friends.

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* Bane in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' is all about these. He even explicitly says so.

[[AC: {{Literature}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:TabletopGames]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* In ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic 2'', the ''protagonist'' actually uses this to defeat [[TheDragon Darth Sion.]] His connection to the Force basically makes him invincible, so in order to kill him for good, the player has to convince him to give up that connection willingly and die.

[[AC:WebComics]]

[[DoomedHometown Blow up his hometown]]. [[AndYourLittleDogToo Kill his loved ones]]. Spout cutting {{Breaking Speech}}es and StrawNihilist diatribes at every opportunity. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Steal his belongings]]. The ultimate goal is to drive the goodie past the DespairEventHorizon and make him more an enemy to himself than to the villain.

As with other such plots, it tends to backfire. Hurting the hero on this level [[ItsPersonal makes it personal]], incurring the risk of focusing the hero's attention squarely against the villain, or even triggering an UnstoppableRage. There's also the possibility of [[AwakeningTheSleepingGiant riling a previously neutral party]]. Because the story tends to be on the hero's side, this gambit is more likely to fail in the long run, though it may succeed in evaporating his hope at a critical point.

This is a common tactic of the invading army, the intent being to weaken the defense by subduing its morale. This is also the basic idea behind terrorism. The HopeCrusher is a villain who is quite fond of this tactic.

* In ''ThePatriot'' the British colonel burns a church with it's town inhabitants still inside and pillages towns. When the patriot milita descends upon one of the villages it prompts one of the soldiers who just lost his family to shoot himself in the head.

* LexLuthor defeats {{Superman}} in ''SupermanRedSon'' in this way: after every attempt to take out Superman by brute force fails, he attacks Superman's psyche instead with an ArmorPiercingQuestion.

* In ''GunXSword'', Woo not only defeats Van in battle but also forces Van to recognize his own terror and confront the possibility of dying. It nearly works: Van is so shaken by his new fear of death that he is prepared to give up his revenge quest and run away. Fortunately, his sidekick calls him on his cowardice and challenges him to man up. ThePowerOfLove does the rest.

* Many people, upon first hearing A B "Banjo" Patterson's "Waltzing Matilda" think it is about someone named "Andy." "And 'e sang, and 'e watched, and 'e waited till his billy boiled..."

[[AC:Poetry]]
* Many people, upon first hearing A B "Banjo" Patterson's "Waltzing Matilda" think it is about someone named "Andy." "And 'e sang, and 'e watched, and 'e waited till his billy boiled..."