History Main / EnemiesEqualsGreatness

** Scrooge himself also seems to take pride in how many enemies he has made: "IfIHadANickel for every person who cursed me with their dying breath, I'd be twice as rich as I already am!"

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': [[WorldsBestWarrior The World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule "Hawk-Eye" Mihawk]]. While he takes pride in his title, he's also bored of it because there isn't a swordsman in the world that can seriously challenge him for it. Only Shanks ever stood a chance, and he ceased to be a challenge for Mihawk when he lost his sword-arm saving Luffy when the latter was seven. Without a serious rival, the weight of the title decreases significantly, something that Mihawk is bitterly aware of. One of the reasons he took an interest in Zoro, [[spoiler:to the point of training him during the TimeSkip]], is because Zoro is the first swordsman in ''years'' to show the potential, determination, and ambition to reach Mihawk's level.

Compare MiseryBuildsCharacter if opposition or mistreatment from others is what makes a character stronger. Compare GoodNeedsEvil if having enemies is a necessity. Obviously on the idealistic end of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. If so, it can be served as AnAesop if played right. Can be the belief of a BloodKnight as far as fighting is concerned. Can be TruthInTelevision [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity for many politicians]]. See also TallPoppySyndrome.

* According to the ''Black Panther'' PSP spin-offs of the ''Videogame/{{Yakuza}}'' series, the reason why Kiryu is often accosted by random thugs throughout the series is that surviving a fight with him is a common initiation ceremony for local gangs. Kiryu may not realize that this trope, or the other trope, GangInitiationFight, are in effect, but it's clear that he's a respected (though constantly pestered) Legend, with nearly everyone in Kamurocho attempting to fucking murder him.

** This is an important belief of the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Krogan]]. They love to fight, and the more challenging the enemy, the greater the glory. If you manage to impress a shaman, he'll tell you "May your foes be strong enough to keep you sharp!" If you don't, he'll give you a backhanded insult by saying "May your enemies give you exactly what you deserve."
** Urdnot Dagg (the third game's stand-in for a dead Grunt) specifically says he envies Shepard, the only organic considered a personal enemy by the Reaper fleet.

** This is the very reason why most krogan have so much respect for Shepard, despite him/her being a human. Grunt decides to follow, and declares UndyingLoyalty for him/her, immediately once Shepard describes [[EldritchAbomination the scale of the enemies that s/he's fighting against]]. Even Urdnot Wreav, who believes krogan to be the apex race and has almost nothing but contempt for everyone else, admits to having a grudging respect for Shepard based on the fact that s/he has made enemies with the Reapers.

* In the WeirdWest ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' {{Elseworld}} ''Justice Riders'', Beetle is impressed to learn Sheriff Prince has made an enemy of Maxwell Lord.

** In "Victory of the Daleks", the EvilPlan of the Daleks is simply to get the Doctor to acknowledge that he's their enemy, as the more 'pure' Daleks refuse to accept them until the Doctor--their ''arch''enemy, does so.

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'' Missy is ''deeply offended'' when the Doctor refers to Davros as "his greatest enemy", because that's ''her'' role. She also wants them to be friends again. She'd probably say that only a limited human mind would see a contradiction there.

* In ''Literature/WatershipDown'', the rabbits' ancestral hero is called "Prince with a Thousand Enemies". Since rabbits are prey animals, their mythology is based around this concept; rabbits are awesome because every predator around them wants them dead. However, it's also noted that this is also a divine punishment-the [=Pw1000E=] thought he was more awesome than god, and so God said, "If you're so neato, everyone's going to hate you enough to want to eat you because of it."

* This is the reason why Film/JeremiahJohnson ends up with a sizeable list of mortal enemies from among the local Native American tribes; it's a small relief that the other natives respect him precisely because of this.

* In ''Film/EasyA'', Olive is (initially) pleased when other students notice her presence enough to jeer at her when she walks down the hall. In this example, it's less a sign of confidence than the exact opposite: she feels like she needs attention of ''some'' kind to give her life worth, even though she is happy in all other respects.

* This is the reason why Film/JeremiahJohnson ends up with a sizeable list of mortal enemies from among the local native American tribes; it's a small relief that the other natives respect him precisely because of this.

* ComicBook/TheJoker thinks this. He values his bitter feud with Batman far more than any ally he’s ever had. Some stories suggest he’s worked out Batman’s identity but refuses to acknowledge it any more than he’ll confirm his own, because he couldn’t stand having some ordinary guy as his archenemy.
* In the WeirdWest ''Comicbook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' {{Elseworld}} ''Justice Riders'', Beetle is impressed to learn Sheriff Prince has made an enemy of Maxwell Lord.
-->'''Beetle''': If a man -- or woman -- is to be judged by her enemies, then you rank rather high.

* The second volume collection of ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' opens with Destiny recapping the first arc. This involves Morpheus retrieving his lost helmet from a demon, and earning the enmity of Lucifer himself in the process.
-->"They say we are known by our enemies. If this is so, then Morpheus is to be highly regarded."
* In a story from the ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse, Detective Casey stands by with a uniformed officer while Mickey and the Phantom Blot duke it out near them, Casey saying it's part of their ritual and remarking that "a man is defined by his enemies". The uniformed officer slyly responds "[[ComplimentBackfire Is that why you don't have any?]]"

* This is the entire point of the "Haters Gonna Hate" [[MemeticMutation meme]]. No matter how awesome you are, the purpose of a hater is, in fact, to hate you for being awesome.

* In ''Literature/WatershipDown'', the rabbits' ancestral hero is called "Prince with a Thousand Enemies". Since rabbits are prey animals, their mythology is based around this concept; rabbits are awesome because basically every predator around them wants them dead. However, it's also noted that this is also a divine punishment-the [=Pw1000E=] thought he was more awesome than god, and so God said, "If you're so neato, everyone's going to hate you enough to want to eat you because of it."

** David was resented by King Saul just for being the only one to defeat Goliath. Let's not forget that King Saul lost God's favor for disobeying His orders of killing the Amalekites.

** Let's not forget about Jesus Himself. He was hated, tortured, mocked, and was nailed to a cross for performing miracles that some thought was impossible to believe, preaching doctrines that the [[{{Hypocrite}} Pharisees]] strongly disagree with, [[BewareTheNiceOnes angrily rebuking merchants for defiling His Father's house]], and most importantly, being the Son Of God.

** Urdnot Dagg (the third game's stand-in for a dead Grunt) specifically says he envies Shepard, the only organic considered a personal enemy by the entire Reaper fleet.

** This is the very reason why most krogan have so much respect for Shepard, despite him/her being a human. Grunt decides to follow, and declares UndyingLoyalty for him/her, immediately once Shepard describes [[EldritchAbomination the scale of the enemies that s/he's fighting against]]. Even Urdnot Wreav, who believes krogan to be the apex race and has almost nothing but contempt for just about everyone else, admits to having a grudging respect for Shepard based on the fact that s/he has made enemies with the Reapers.

[[folder: Anime]]

[[folder: Real Life]]

-->"They say you can judge a man by his enemies."\\

* '''[[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Culture]]:''' Plain and simple, the hero belongs to--or finds him/herself immersed in--a warrior culture in which the number and quality of your enemies is a measure of your achievements: the more people want you dead, the more important/powerful/dangerous they are, the greater your honour and reputation. As the page quote indicates, this is Literal TruthInTelevision for a good many RealLife cultures throughout history. Having this kind of reputation will often lead to [[InsaneTrollLogic people picking fights with you in order to build up their own reputation.]]

* In ''Anime/YuYuHakusho'', our heroes have to fight through the Dark Tournament against teams of demons. Demons also make up the entirety of the tournament's spectators, so whenever Yusuke (a human who polices demons that arrive on Earth) starts fighting the crowd will begin booing or entering into loud chants like "Kill The Human!" This all just makes Yusuke more eager to kick ass. To fit the Trope even further, Kuwabara (Yusuke's friendly rival fighting on his team) winds up jealous the demons don't boo ''him'' as loudly.

* ComicBook/TheJoker thinks this. He values his bitter feud with Batman far more than any ally he’s ever had. Some stories suggest he’s worked out Batman’s identity but refuses to acknowledge it any more than he’ll confirm his own, because he couldn’t stand having some ordinary guy as his archenemy.
* In the WeirdWest ''Comicbook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' {{Elseworld}} ''Justice Riders'', Beetle is impressed to learn Sheriff Prince has made an enemy of Maxwell Lord.
-->'''Beetle''': If a man -- or woman -- is to be judged by her enemies, then you rank rather high.

* ''Film/WhiteChicks'' has a memorable line said by [[TheStoner "Party Boy" Russ]]:
-->"Don't hate me 'cause you ain't me!"

* This was discussed in ''Film/LordsOfDogtown'' where Skip tells the boys how they have made enemies in the skating contest, but Montoya replies that it's good to have enemies.

* ''Film/TheInterview'' has Dave Skylark routinely boasting "they hate us 'cause they ain't us!" Kim Jong-un had a similar, less catchy, line, "they despise us, because they are not us." He's quick to adopt Dave's version after he hears it.
* In ''Film/EasyA'', Olive is (initially) pleased when other students notice her presence enough to jeer at her when she walks down the hall. In this example, it's less a sign of confidence than the exact opposite: she feels like she needs attention of ''some'' kind to give her life worth, even though she is happy in all other respects.

* Some people who get put on "Blocklists" (a compilation of blogs that range from [[{{Troll}} deliberately inflamatory]] to unironically racist, sexist, etc) take it as a point of pride that they got "[[SpecialSnowflakeSyndrome the snowflakes]] to melt."

* This quote in ''Gone To Texas'': ''Film/TheOutlawJoseyWales'' published by Forrest Carter:
-->"It is good that a man's enemies want him dead, for it proves he has lived a life of worth."
* Creator/BenjaminFranklin's ''Poor Richard's Almanack'' has the proverb "love your enemies, for [[BrutalHonesty they tell all your faults]]", which means that even though your enemies will cruelly tell you what you're failing at, this gives you the opportunity to improve yourself for the better, much to their displeasure.

* The Canim of the ''Literature/CodexAlera'' actually believe that a good enemy is better to have than a good friend and have multiple words for it, in much the same way Eskimos are said to have multiple words for snow. Most prominent of these is their word, gadara, which roughly translates to a "trusted enemy." Fathers and sons actually refer to one another by it.
* Any work written by Creator/AynRand, particularly ''Literature/AtlasShrugged'', is designed with this trope in mind. The good guys are always some sort of genius, exceptional, or determined person. The bad guys are always those who hate their success.
* In ''Literature/WatershipDown'', the rabbits' ancestral hero is called "Prince with a Thousand Enemies". Since rabbits are prey animals, their mythology is based around this concept; rabbits are awesome because basically every predator around them wants them dead. However, it's also noted that this is also a divine punishment-the [=Pw1000E=] thought he was more awesome than god, and so God said, "If you're so neato, everyone's going to hate you enough to want to eat you because of it."

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' - A fledgling Voldemort is seen using a variation of this trope in a PensieveFlashback to explain why Dumbledore has heard so many bad things about him; "Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies." While this statement may have some truth to it, Dumbledore does not believe for a second that it applies to Voldemort.

* On ''Series/{{Psych}}'', Detective Lassiter takes great pride in the fact that there are a lot of criminals who might want to kill him.

* Sheldon from ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' states that the neighborhood kids hated him because they were jealous of his intelligence. Mary, his mother, doesn't think that was really the [[InsufferableGenius reason]].
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': In the episode "Checkpoint", Buffy points out that the reason she keeps being belittled by [[KnightTemplar The Watcher's Council]] was because they wanted to keep her from realising that she had the power. She explains that [[PhysicalGod Glory]] talked down on her and never bothered to finish her for the same reason: Buffy had The Key, and that gave her power over Glory who needed it.

* ''Series/{{Elementary}}'': In one episode Detective Marcus Bell's life has been threatened and Sherlock goes through his case files for possible suspects. After going through his case files and finding too many people put away to easily pin down who might want him dead, Sherlock compliments Detective Bell in these terms.
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'' Missy is ''deeply offended'' when the Doctor refers to Davros as "his greatest enemy", because that's ''her'' role. She also wants them to be friends again. She'd probably say that only a limited human mind would see a contradiction there.

* In ''VideoGame/TheBardsTale'', a barbarian chieftain tells the Bard that the locals "Loathe you! Despise you! They'll curse your name for a thousand years! Ahh, what I wouldn't give for fame like that...!"
* The official tagline for ''Videogame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' was "Your Enemies Will Define You".
* ''VideoGame/FallenLondon'': Apparently, having people trying to kill you is something to be proud of, as you're "important enough to be worth murdering" in the game's own words. The person who gives you the quest is even jealous, having only gotten a few petty criminals after her. Then again, it might just be the tamer side of this trope combining with the fact DeathIsCheap and resulting in even the friendliest of rivals killing each other regularly.
* A game mechanic in ''VideoGame/Fallout3''. Having Good Karma causes [[PrivateMilitaryContractors Talon Company]] to be sent to hunt you down while Bad Karma has the [[VigilanteMan Regulators]] sent after you. Either way, you get enemies for have any notable effect on the world, but NoPointsForNeutrality.
* Piper in ''Videogame/Fallout4'' believes that a journalist shouldn't be considered a success until they've rattled the cages enough for someone to threaten their life. In that regard, she considers herself ''very'' successful.

* Stanley invokes this early on in ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}''. [[SummonEverymanHero Parson]] assumes they're "the bad guys" on the basis that almost everyone else in the setting is coming to wipe them out. Stanley retorts that everyone being out to get him ''proves'' he's doing something right.
* Among the superheroes in ''Webcomic/BasicInstructions'', The Knifeketeer isn't considered badass because heroes are judged by their recurring villains, and all of his enemies are dead.

* One episode of the ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' featured an alternate universe version of Peter Parker who was an arrogant prick (who was also reckless and less skilled) because he didn't have his HeroWithBadPublicity status in that universe.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', Dr. Orpheus actually says he's jealous of Dr. Venture because he has archenemies, saying that having one is "[[FoeRomanceSubtext romantic]]."
** Also played with in the RunningGag that the Monarch is insulted by the fact that Dr. Venture usually doesn't consider him much of a threat.
* Happens in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''. Even ''Drakken'' admits she was a worthy foe.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'' sees the trope PlayedForLaughs when K'nuckles tells Flapjack that great adventurers have many enemies, so Flapjack sets out to make as many enemies as possible.
* ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'': Believing Milo Murphy is intentionally trying to prevent him and Vinnie Dakota from fulfilling their assignment makes Balthazar Cavendish happy because he takes it as a sign their assignment isn't meaningless.
* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'': During a press conference, Mark Beaks unveils a a self-driving robot car he calls B.U.D.D.Y. Launchpad and Gyro both immediately voice their displeasure (Launchpad because such an invention would replace him and Gyro because he doesn't believe Beaks could actually create such an innovation). Beaks immediately gloats to the audience that since Scrooge [=McDuck=]'s personal driver and chief inventor feel threatened by the robot, that means it's a great product.

* A game mechanic in ''VideoGame/Fallout3''. Having Good karma gets Mr. Tenpenny to send the mercs of Tallon Company after you, whereas with Bad karma, it's civilian militias trying to hunt you down. Either way, you get enemies for have any notable effect on the world, but NoPointsForNeutrality.