History Main / FaceYourFears

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': In the episode "Enchanting Grom Fright", it's shown that every year, a student at Hexside has to fight a shapeshifting monster known as Grometheus the Fear Bringer, a monster which takes the form of its opponent's worst fears. Amity is chosen as the annual Grom Queen and she doesn't want to fight Grom because she says her fear is really embarrassing. Luz offers to take her place, because [[TemptingFate she's not afraid to face her fears]]. Of course it turns out her deepest fear was something she didn't anticipate, [[spoiler:her mother finding out she was never at summer camp]], catching her off guard. Amity comes to rescue Luz, forcing Amity to face the fear she had been trying to avoid, [[spoiler:being rejected by her crush, ''Luz'' herself]].

* ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'': In the aptly-named episode "Face Your Fears", K.O. must rescue his friends Rad and Enid and his boss Mr. Gar from a virtual-reality fear-testing machine. In a variant, K.O. first travels through spaces that represents the fears of the others; Enid fears [[BeneathTheMask parts of herself that she hides from others]] (from her awkward teenage years to her [[{{Foreshadowing}} secret "spooky" heritage as a witch]]]]), Rad fears letting others see the [[HiddenHeartOfGold genuine emotions]] behind his cool and egotistical facde, and Mr. Gar fears confronting his past mistakes (especially the "Sandwich Incident" that led to him and Carol leaving the SuperTeam P.O.I.N.T.). K.O. ends up [[spoiler:unleashing an embodiment of his own fears, a dark and violent version of himself, to defeat Mr. Gar's fear.]]

* In ''VideoGame/AWayOut'', co-protagonist [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Leo Caruso]] is scared of heights, which is [[GameplayStoryIntegration integrated into gameplay as a shaking screen if the player climbs high structures as him]]. [[spoiler:Yet when he needs to run over to the top of an at least 30-stories-tall crane to catch a man connected to Harvey during the construction site chase and save his friend Vincent, Leo overcomes his fear]].

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'': The segment Moondreamers had a memorable episode about a young boy who was afraid of horses and had to deal with a star-horse that transformed into a gruesome dragon-monster, in order to save his new friends. In short it was his darkest night-mare in flesh. He overcame his fear by seeing that the monster was as afraid as he was of the terrifying plane they were stranded in and managed to bond with it and become friends.

* Pretty much the entire theme of ''Manga/SoulEater'' (particularly the anime version). Indeed the Big Bad's main failing was cowardice.

* A downplayed version happens at the start of ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable''. When we first meet [[TheHero Josuke Higashikata]], he's trying to conquer his fear of reptiles by working up the courage to touch a turtle that lives in a local fountain. After a group of upperclassmen break the turtle's shell and [[BerserkButton insult Josuke's hair]], he picks up the fallen turtle without a moment's hesitation ([[HealingHands healing it with]] [[FightingSpirit his Stand]]) and puts it back into the fountain before giving them the beating of a lifetime.

* This is the whole point of the Trial of Heart in an early ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' story: [[http://www.elfquest.com/comic_viewer.php?fd=/gallery/OnlineComics/OQ/OQ03/_Original#_28%23 Savah probes Cutter and Rayek's minds to discover their deepest fears, and then devises challenges based on those fears.]] Whoever succeeds will win Leetah's hand.

* In ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' comics, one whiff of The Scarecrow's [[PsychoSerum Fear gas]] and you can expect anyone with enough will power (namely, Batman himself) to have to do this. It's been a theme whenever the two face off in the comics, [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries the animated series]], and [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum Video games]].
* The mane 5 are all confronted by their nightmares yet again in ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW'' #6, but are all able to face them with help from each other, as well as Princess Luna and Spike.
** BerserkButton: Even one tomato can't keep Pinkie Pie down. It just causes her to rip into the nightmare audience and end her nightmare in a flash.

-->"It's about time that I bury my demons. [[spoiler: Especially if they're starting to hurt my daughter as well...]]"

* ''FanFic/TheSomewhatCrackedMindOfUchihaItachi'': Having to endure years of assassination attempts and emotional and verbal abuse means Gaara fears as much as he hates his father, the Fourth Kazekage -- which is a ''lot'' to say the least. After siding with Konoha during the Invasion, he has a brief FreakOut when he has to defend a hospital alongside his friends against the man. When they manage to drive him off, he's so happy he goes as far as to hug the ANBU who fought with him during the battle.
* In the WWE story, ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10340937/1/The-Return-Remixed The Return-Remixed]]'', Wrestling/KellyKelly gets this advice from her assigned bodyguard, Wrestling/CMPunk. He tells her that as long as she fears DEAR, they will always have power over her.
* In ''Fanfic/AmazingFantasy'', Izuku gets over his fear of heights and falling by forcing himself to jump off Bepsi Tower, a more than 2,000 meter tall skyscraper. Despite some initial apprehension, it works so well that he's ''excited'' to start jumping off buildings on a regular basis thanks to the thrill he gets while web-swinging.
* ''[[Fanfic/TwoTwentyOneB 221B]]'': "Badly" sees Watson having to fight down his fear of water in order to retrieve the captive Holmes from a watery cave before he drowns in the rising tide.
* ''Fanfic/TheRigelBlackChronicles'' expands on the canonical use of the Boggart in Defence class: rather than simply teaching the students to overcome a Boggart, Remus uses it as a tool to help them understand their own fear responses, which is critical preparation for handling ''any'' stressful and dangerous situation without freezing or panicking.
--> '''Professor Lupin''': Before I teach you how to combat the Dark Arts, then, I am going to teach you how to overcome fear. Only when you can act in the face of terror, in the midst of surprise and uncertainty, only then can you defend yourself against anything, much less the darkest of our magical arts.

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* ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'': Columbus fears a whole bunch of things, but the big fear is clowns. So naturally he has to face a zombie clown in order to save the girl he is interested in.
* ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk''. When Indiana Jones finds the Well of Souls, he discovers that it's full of snakes, which is a problem because he has a severe phobia of snakes. He decides to go in anyway because it's the only way he can get TheArkOfTheCovenant.
* ''Film/HarryPotter'' averts this: Ron has a fear of spiders, which he doesn't lose even after being tied up by giant spiders and nearly eaten. If anything, that probably enhances it.
** Played straight however in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows [[spoiler: when Ron gets the honour of destroying the locket horcrux while Voldemort's soul taunts him and tries to break him with his biggest insecurities taking form and shape, that his mother didn't love him and that Hermione preferred Harry over him.]]

-->'''Raiden:''' ''Goro can be killed. Shang Tsung's power can be destroyed by mortal men and women. You can overcome any adversary, no matter how bizarre their powers may seem. Only one thing can defeat you: your own fear.''
-->'''Johnny Cage:''' ''So who says we're afraid?''
* Jason Voorhees ends up facing his fear of water in ''Film/FreddyVsJason'', and Freddy has to face his fear of fire... sort of. It should be noted that Jason in previous ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' films did not exhibit such a thing.
** Freddy, of course, customizes his victims' dreams to exploit their individual fears and hang-ups, starting with [[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet3DreamWarriors his third film]]. Usually subverted, as even those who initially overcome their personal anxieties tend to get killed anyway.
* This is a pervading theme in ''Boogeyman 2'', since the movie is about phobias. The doctor played by Tobin Bell who has this philosophy takes this to the extreme when he locks a patient afraid of the Boogeyman in a closet.
* In ''Film/TakeShelter'', Curtis' wife is pushing him to overcome his fear and open the door to the storm shelter which he finally does.
* Marianne from ''WesternAnimation/StrangeMagic'' develops a fear of the [[DontGoIntoTheWoods Dark Forest]] after being attacked by goblins there, so much so that she receives [[TraumaButton traumatic flashbacks]] when she goes near it. After [[DamselInDistress her sister]] is kidnapped by the King of the goblins, she's forced to enter it to save her.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Yellowbird}}'', Sam and the flock initially believe the rumor that birds are eaten by planes, which they refer to as "iron birds." Towards the end of the film, Sam realizes that the iron birds merely "eat" humans and "spit them out" unharmed at another location. Armed with this knowledge, he assures the flock that they aren't a threat and they all [[spoiler:board a plane bound for Africa.]]
* A [[DeletedScene deleted plotline]] from ''Film/BillAndTedsBogusJourney'' would have revolved around this trope. In order to keep the real Bill and Ted from reaching the Battle of the Bands in time, the Evil Robot B&T would have used devices to bring the boys' worst fears to life and sent them to attack. The only way to beat their fears was to confront them: Bill gets over the memory of his creepy grandmother by finally giving her a kiss on the cheek, Ted conquers a nightmarish Easter Rabbit by calling up his younger brother and confessing to stealing some of his Easter candy when they were kids, and together they vanquish a copy of Colonel Oates by treating him with friendship and kindness.

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--> '''Dante:''' I know why you're here. You're here to ask me some questions, aren't you? Well too bad. I already answered them myself. I don't need you anymore.
--> *The Shadow draws its sword.*
-->'''Dante:''' Tch. [[PreAsskickingOneLiner Get lost. You poser.]]

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[[folder: Western Animation ]]

This is a Subtrope of a WhatDoTheyFearEpisode, and a SuperTrope of CowardlyLion, who deals with this often. See also NotAfraidOfYouAnymore which is a verbal [[InvokedTrope invoking of this trope]]. Something similar, with an ability rather than courage, is CrisisMakesPerfect.

[[folder:Comics]]

* In ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' comics, one wiff of The Scarecrow's [[PsychoSerum Fear gas]] and you can expect anyone with enough will power (namely, Batman himself) to have to do this. It's been a theme whenever the two face off in the comics, [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries the animated series]], and [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum Video games]].

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' had Xander punch [[MonsterClown an evil knife-wielding clown]] right in its evil knife-wielding clown face during the season 1 episode "Nightmares". In fact all the characters had to face their fears - even the BigBad, who laid his hand on a cross to make a point - but he was the only one who literally knocked his out.

* In ''Literature/MaledictionTrilogy'' [[TheProtagonist troll prince Tristan]] [[MagicallyBindingContract promises]] to meet half-blood leader Tips in any place of his choosing. Tips chooses the mines - and this is the only place in the whole city of Trollus that the prince is absolutely afraid of. Still, he desperately needs to convince Tips, so he goes down and while he is still afraid, at least he does not run out screaming.

* In ''Literature/ShadowOfTheConqueror,'' Cueseg advises [[BrokenBird Lyrah]] that the best way to overcome her ParalyzingFearOfSexuality is to face her fears, which she [[UnwantedAssistance doesn't particularly like hearing]]. She later thinks that he was right after she [[spoiler: confronts the man who raped her and subjects him to some ExtremeMeleeRevenge, which she takes as proof that she's mastered her fears and feelings of weakness.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'': In the aptly-named episode "Face Your Fears", K.O. must rescue his friends Rad and Enid and his boss Mr. Gar from a virtual-reality fear-testing machine. In a variant, K.O. first travels through spaces that represents the fears of the others; Enid fears [[BeneathTheMask parts of herself that she hides from others]] (from her awkward teenage self to [[spoiler: her [[{{Foreshadowing}} secret "spooky" heritage as a witch]]]]), Rad fears letting others see genuine emotions behind his JerkassFacade, and Mr. Gar fears confronting his past mistakes (especially the "Sandwich Incident" that lead to him and Carol leaving the SuperTeam P.O.I.N.T.). K.O. ends up [[spoiler: unleashing an embodiment of his own fears, a dark and violent version of himself, to defeat Mr. Gar's fear.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'': In the aptly-named episode "Face Your Fears", K.O. must rescue his friends Rad and Enid and his boss Mr. Gar from a virtual-reality fear-testing machine. In a variant, K.O. first travels through spaces that represents the fears of the others; Enid fears [[BeneathTheMasks parts of herself that she hides from others]] (from her awkward teenage self to [[spoiler: her secret "spooky" heritage as a witch]]), Rad fears letting others see genuine emotions behind his JerkassFacade, and Mr. Gar fears confronting his past mistakes (especially the "Sandwich Incident" that lead to him and Carol leaving the SuperTeam P.O.I.N.T.). K.O. ends up [[spoiler: unleashing an embodiment of his own fears, a dark and violent version of himself, to defeat Mr. Gar's fear.]]

** In the episode "Power-Noia" has Him manifesting the girls' greatest fears into nightmares. Bubbles' is her stuffed toys attacking her, Buttercup's is spiders, and Blossom's is not doing well in school. Once Blossom discovers that Him is behind things, she puts her game face on and starts making things right again.
** In "Boogie Frights", the Professor tells Bubbles that being brave means facing whatever scares her (in this case, the dark). She applies this lesson at the end of the episode when she alone has to take out the Boogie Man's disco ball.

*** In "Realm Of Fear", among the ''many'' things that terrify ''Enterprise'' engineer Lt. Reg Barclay are transporters. However, after a brief session with Troi and armed with a few tricks, he's able to confront his fear and brave the transporter only a few hours later. Unfortunately, this backfires because something unexpected ''does'' happen to him, and he comes to believe that he's contracted an incurable condition known as "transporter psychosis" (it turns out to be something else entirely). By the end of the episode, it appears he's on his way to overcoming the fear for real.

*** In "Realm Of Fear", among the ''many'' things that terrify ''Enterprise'' engineer Lt. Reg Barclay are transporters. However, after a brief session with Troi and armed with a few tricks, he's able to confront his fear and brave the transporter only a few hours later. Unfortunately, this backfires because something unexpected ''does'' happen to him, and he comes to believe that he's contracted an incurable condition known as "transporter psychosis". (It turns out to be something else entirely.

*** In "Realm Of Fear", among the ''many'' things that terrify ''Enterprise'' engineer Lt. Reg Barclay are [[TeleporterAccident transporters (specifically, transporter accidents)]]. However, when the ''Enterprise'' finds the crew of another ship missing, Barclay realizes the only way to find them again is using the transporters.
** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': In "By Inferno's Light", the only way to escape a Dominion internment camp is for Garak to rewire an old computer system hidden inside a narrow gap inside the walls. Eventually, he experiences a full catatonic breakdown because he suffers from acute {{claustrophobia}} (which he'd been trying to keep secret). As the other debate a new plan, Martok contemplates getting a poem written about about Worf's fighting prowess and Bashir's medical skill. Garak suddenly reveals his presence by quipping that a verse about the Cardassian who panicked in the face of danger would ruin Martok's song before promptly returning to the computer system to [[{{Determinator}} finish the job he started]]. For this, he earns the respect of the Klingons who believe facing one's personal fears is the greatest enemy anyone can ever fight.

* ''GreenLantern'':

** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': In "By Inferno's Light", the only way to escape a Dominion internment camp is for Garak to rewire an old computer system hidden inside a narrow gap inside the walls. Eventually, he experiences a full catatonic breakdown because he suffers from acute claustrophobia (which he'd been trying to keep secret). As the other debate a new plan, Martok contemplates getting a poem written about about Worf's fighting prowess and Bashir's medical skill. Garak suddenly reveals his presence by quipping that a verse about the Cardassian who panicked in the face of danger would ruin Martok's song before promptly returning to the computer system to [[{{Determinator}} finish the job he started]]. For this, he earns the respect of the Klingons who believe facing one's personal fears is the greatest enemy anyone can ever fight.