History Main / FriendOrFoe

** Averted in the Spy's own "Meet the Spy" video. The Soldier's point-blank shotgun blast would have been a perfectly valid tactic in game, resulting only in a BLU spy annoyed at being interrupted mid-monologue.

* PlayedForLaughs in an episode of ''TheGoonShow'' in which Willium shoots at Seagoon and ''then'' asks "Friend or foe". In "The Phantom Head Shaver of Brighton" Neddie spends a couple of minutes showing his papers to Eccles the sentry, who ''still'' asks "Friend or foe?"

TruthInTelevision. In RealLife, '[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendly_fire friendly fire]]' (aka blue-on-blue engagement, fratricide or whatever jargon term the Pentagon comes up with next year) has been a serious issue in many conflicts. This problem goes far enough back that it's responsible for [[BattleCry battle cries]], military uniforms, battle standards, and heraldry. [[http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/reviews/ereviewview.cfm?id=4 Books have been written about the resulting investigations]]. Armies have developed many [[http://www.101airborneww2.com/equipment3.html innovative]] designs to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identification_friend_or_foe avoid]] it, but have never been 100% successful -- partly because if you can always identify your friends, ''so can your enemies.''

* In ''Comicbook/TheAvengers}}'', after Hercules had been rendered comatose, Zeus brought the Avengers to Olympus and attacked them. A figure came to their aid, and Zeus fought him for some time, before he realized it was Hercules, risen from his sick bed to help his friends. Zeus is deeply grieved by his folly.

* In the ''{{Avengers}}'', after Hercules had been rendered comatose, Zeus brought the Avengers to Olympus and attacked them. A figure came to their aid, and Zeus fought him for some time, before he realized it was Hercules, risen from his sick bed to help his friends. Zeus is deeply grieved by his folly.

----
<<|AddedAlliterativeAppeal|>>
<<|CombatTropes|>>
<<|MilitaryAndWarfareTropes|>>
<<|TruthInTelevision|>>
<<|IndexOverdosed|>>
<<|InfauxmationDesk|>>

* Played straight in the German film ''Berge in Flammen'' ("Mountains Aflame, 1931), set in WorldWarOne in the Alps. Austrian soldier Florian Dimai, played by Luis Trenker (who also co-directed the movie and wrote the semi-autobiographical novel on which the screenplay was based) returns from a dangerous reconnaissance behind enemy lines with the news that the Italians are about to blow up a giant mine beneath the Austrian positions and is shot in error by one his own comrades who mistakes him for an approaching Italian soldier. He still delivers his message and the men leave the position in the nick of time before it is blown to smithereens, but in the epilogue set in 1931 Dimai has only one arm.

* Played straight in the German film ''Berge in Flammen'' (1931), set in WorldWarOne in the Alps. Austrian soldier Florian Dimai, played by Luis Trenker (who also co-directed the movie and wrote the semi-autobiographical novel on which the screenplay was based) returns from a dangerous reconnaissance behind enemy lines with the news that the Italians are about to blow up a giant mine beneath the Austrian positions and is shot in error by one his own comrades who mistakes him for an approaching Italian soldier. He still delivers his message and the men leave the position in the nick of time before it is blown to smithereens, but in the epilogue set in 1931 Dimai has only one arm.

* TerryPratchett's ''{{Discworld}}'' novel, ''Discworld/NightWatch'', has a group of the old City Watch defending Sam Vimes, while another group of Watchmen (led by an escaped criminal) are trying to kill him. The friendlies happen to be passing a lilac bush, so they each break off a blossom and stick it on their helmets. This becomes a tradition in later years, with the survivors of the battle [[DueToTheDead wearing the lilac]] every 25th of May.

* Taken to an extreme in ''{{Team Fortress 2}}''. While it is very easy to see who is friend or foe due to the brightly colored team uniforms, the Spy class has the ability to disguise as any other class and in the process take on the name of another player. As the Spy also has an instantly lethal back-stab attack and it's not always too easy to notice the spies on behavior alone, it has become common to "spy-check". That is, shoot at your own team, preferably at close range. Anyone who dies or starts running,[[MemeticMutation IS A SPAH!]] . This is because [[FriendlyFireproof you can not hurt your own team]]. The best class for spy-checking is the Pyro, as a quick puff of flame will render both the Spy's disguise and his [[InvisibilityCloak invisibility watch]] useless. Pyros are in fact expected to [[KillItWithFire set fire to anyone and anything]] in order to find spies, and a Pyro who does not do this will most likely be subject to a spy-check himself.
** Averted in the Spy's own Meet the Spy video. The Soldier's point-blank shotgun blast would have been a perfectly valid tactic in game, resulting only in a BLU spy annoyed at being interrupted mid-monologue.
* Averted in {{Command and Conquer}}: Red Alert 2 and Red Alert 3, Allied Spies and/or Imperial Sudden Transports can disguise themselves as enemy units, but will [[FriendlyFireproof never be mistakenly fired on by their own side]]. The only way for an enemy to attack them without using scouts to break their disguise is to force-attack (explicitly give orders to attack, as units without orders will not engage them).

* Averted in {{Command and Conquer}}: Red Alert 3, Allied Spies and Imperial Sudden Transports can disguise themselves as enemy units, but will [[FriendlyFireproof never be mistakenly fired on by their own side]]. The only way for an enemy to attack them without using scouts to break their disguise is to force-attack (explicitly give orders to attack, as units without orders will not engage them).

** In TheChildrenOfHurin, Turin, having been captured by Orcs [[spoiler: mistakes his best friend Beleg, who has come to rescue him, for one of his captors and kills him]]. This triggers a major HeroicBSOD.

* In CSLewis's ''[[TheChroniclesOfNarnia The Silver Chair]]'', having killed [[spoiler:the Lady of the Green Kirtle]], they set out warily into her underground kingdom -- her subjects are setting off firecrackers, and they fear signals -- but once they capture one to question, [[spoiler:Rilian reveals that he killed "Her Ladyship", the subjects reveal they were under MindControl]], and matters are settled all around.
* In JamesSwallow's BloodAngels novel ''Deus Encarmine'', many BloodAngels, driven into the Black Rage, fall blindly on each other -- an effect that the survivors [[DespairEventHorizon actually admit]] [[LosingTheTeamSpirit frightened them]]. When they counter-attack and take down the enemy ship, the Word-Bearers' helots are driven mad by the psykers' deaths and fall on each other -- blocking the Word-Bearers' way, so they slaughter them, too.

* In Andy Hoare's WhiteScars novel ''Hunt for Voldorius'', the Raven Guard, seeing someone arrive, discuss the possibilities -- not allies of the Chaos forces, since they arrived secretly, but they could be their rivals, and they don't see any way they could be Imperial. It is fortunate that one White Scar scout made out some of the Raven Guard and voxed an abort to the Thunderbirds, and the Raven Guard intercepted it; there was nearly a fraticidial bloodbath.

** In TheChildrenOfHurin, Turin, having been captured by Orcs [[spoiler: mistakes his best friend Beleg, who has come to rescue him, for one of his captors and kills him]]. This triggers his HeroicBSOD.

*** On a related note: during a mission briefing in the original game, one wingman "Maniac" is so much trouble that the player is given orders to shoot him (with guns, missiles don't replenish) if he's too much. There is also a Friend or Foe missile used throughtout the series that locks onto targets if it doesn't broadcast the right friendly comm code, however the comm system can get damaged in fights...

* In LloydAlexander's ''The Kestrel'', a battle-mad Theo shoots a Regian soldier before he realizes it's actually his queen (and, to make it worse, his betrothed) DressingAsTheEnemy.

* In ''{{Fable}}'', firing on a neutral character causes them to decide that the player is trying to kill them, and they promptly attack. One particularly aggravating instance that happened to ThisTroper: when trying to protect some far off villagers who were being mauled by [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolf-like things]] with a bow I accidentally shot a villager. The villagers promptly decided I was evil and started attacking me. Particularly aggravating since they weren't even trying to hit the monster. They just stood around or ran into a wall ineffectually.

* The original ''{{Diablo}}'' game had friendly fire enabled. The first time this troper played, she shot her party's sorcerer full of arrows while trying to save him from those little red squirrel-demons.

* In Andy Hoare's WhiteScars novel ''Hunt for Voldorius'', the Raven Guard, seeing someone arrive, discuss the possibilities -- not allies of the Chaos forces, since they arrived secretly, but they could be their rivals, and they don't see any way they could be Imperial.

* Averted in {{Command and Conquer}}: Red Alert 3, Allied Spies and Imperial Sudden Transports can disguise themselves as enemy units, but will [[{{Friendly Fireproof}}} never be mistakenly fired on by their own side]]. The only way for an enemy to attack them without using scouts to break their disguise is to force-attack (explicitly give orders to attack, as units without orders will not engage them).

* In the first ''{{Fallout}}'' game, you had to take a separate perk to have the computer mark your friends in green. Without it, you had to remember (or, in some cases, guess) who was on your side.

* In ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'', Khornite berserkers are out for blood for the blood god, skulls for the skull throne, and they don't care whose. This includes all the World-Eaters traitor Legion -- among whom Kharne [[TheMagnificent The Betrayer]] is particularly noteworthy, having attacked his own legion when they sought shelter against deathly cold rather than fight on.

-->''"Are you friend or foe? You never can tell with some people."''
-->--'''Ramba Ral''', ''[[DynastyWarriorsGundam Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2]]''

-->''"Neither enemy nor friend."''
-->--'''Gray Fox''', ''[[MetalGearSolid Metal Gear Solid]]''