History Main / JustYouAndMeAndMyGuards

* A spaceborne version of this occurs in ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'', during the escape from [[CrapsackWorld New Caprica]] at the start of the third season. The ''Galactica'' jumps into orbit alone, expecting to face two Cylon Basestars, whereupon two more promptly jump in from elsewhere and join what swiftly degenerates into a CurbStompBattle. That is, until [[spoiler:Apollo decides to [[GunshipRescue save the day by arriving with the]] ''[[CoolShip Pegasus]]'', allowing the ''Galactica'' to jump to safety before the battle is concluded [[RammingAlwaysWorks in a decidedly spectacular fashion]].]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Angband}}'', some monsters have the tag "Usually appear in groups", which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. If a unique version of said monster spawns, it will instead say "Usually appears with reinforcements." Orcs in particular like to appear in large numbers and unique orcs can be a severe challenge at low levels due to bringing dozens and dozens of allies to surround you with.
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'': When King Richard decides he will learn the truth from TrialByCombat, Altair fights a mess of guards along with the head KnightTemplar.
** The end boss also does this after a fashion.
** In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', Ezio does this in the second-to-last boss fight, in the same fashion to the final boss of the previous game. Earlier, Francesco de Pazzi attempts to do this when Ezio confronts him on a rooftop, but Ezio killed all the guards on the way up, so Francesco leaps from the roof to escape him. [[spoiler: With a ''Leap of Faith'', which no other villain in the series has managed to do since. Ezio barely catches up to him. Francesco was just that scared.]]
** In the trailer for ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'', Ezio makes his way through a cordon of guards to confront the son of Rodrigo Borgia, the BigBad of the previous game. Borgia Jr. mocks Ezio and promptly summons a dozen heavily-armed [[EliteMooks Papal guardsmen]], whereupon [[ZigZaggedTrope Ezio's allies also emerge from the crowd]] and the two groups charge at one another in combat.
** It's played straight when you finally track Cesare down, though Ezio's Assassins being unavailable is justified, what with him [[spoiler:being in Spain]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'': When [[PersonOfMassDestruction Alex Mercer]] is battling [[BadassNormal Specialist Cross]], Cross gets reinforcements in the form of [[EliteMooks Special Forces Soldiers]] (like it makes a difference).
** On harder difficulties, it really does. The soldiers are [[ImAHumanitarian a good source of health]].

** ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III''[='=]s Expansion orc campaign has another example. Rexxar challenges the Kor'gall for leadership of the Stonemaul. Supposedly a one-on-one fight. However, [[TheBeastmaster this is Rexxar we're talking about]]. The fight usually devolves into a small zoo's worth of animals dogpiling Kor'gall.

%%* Lord Tod from ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}} 2''.
* Played with as a part of the [[SequentialBoss sequential]] [[FinalBoss end]] [[BossBattle boss]] battle with [[spoiler:Ultimecia]] of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII''. The last boss' first OneWingedAngel act is to summon a GF for the party to fight; then, as her second form, she merges with it into a horrible half-breed.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', in the first boss battle with Seymour, he fights alongside two of his guado servants. When you defeat them, he relies on summoning Anima to fight for him, though that is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] since he's a Summoner.
* Judge Ghis in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''; he also comes with a couple of mooks for your inconvenience.
* In single-player ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'', the Archbishop Lazarus is accompanied by two named witches; while this alone might not count as this trope (seeing as it can be considered a trio of bosses), the pack of Hell Spawn and Advocates that emerge from a disappearing wall ''does'' most definitely count.
** Also worthy of a mention: Diablo himself is in a room with lots of high-level mooks, though he can be triggered by way of ranged attacks that leave the mooks out of the fight.
** Actually, most of the unique monsters tied to quests come with a cohort, notably including The Skeleton King and The Warlord of Blood. All of the regular uniques come as part of a group of regular monsters of their same type, though that's more of an inversion as the mooks come with a [[KingMook boss]] rather than the [[FlunkyBoss boss bringing along some mooks]].
* Security Chief Vince, from ''VideoGame/MetalGearAcid2''. When Snake and Venus encounter him for the second time, he mentions before the fight that this time he brought backup, at which point several of his men enter the battlefield.

** Likewise in Videogame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic, many bosses summon reinforcements during their cutscene. Generally, these reinforcements are significantly weaker, but sometimes you'll wind up fighting an Elite and two or three Strong enemies.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'', when you arrive in [=GLaDOS=]'s chamber for a confrontation with her, she reveals that she has several turrets standing by to kill you dead. [[spoiler:Good thing you already replaced them with the Defective Turrets.]]

* While the rest of the B&B Corps of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' engage Snake one-on-one[[note]]Mantis's reinforcements are merely the bodies of the dead she controls as puppets[[/note]], Wolf brings along a never-ending stream of [[EliteMooks FROGS]] to help her during her battle.

* ''VideoGame/StrangersWrath'' is fond of this. Filthy Hands Floyd, Boilz Booty, Jo' Momma, Packrat Palooka, X'plosives [=McGee=], Lefty Lugnutz and Fatty [=McBoomBoom=] all have their gang supporting them during their fights, Looten Duke first runs off after encountering him and has some Outlaw Mortars attack you which you need to kill before he actually fights you, and Meagly Mcgraw comes riding in on a large outlaw named Tiny which you have to kill before you can damage and bounty Meagly.

* ''VideoGame/StrangersWrath'' is fond of this. Filthy Hands Floyd, Boilz Booty, Jo' Momma, Packrat Palooka, X'plosives [=McGee=], Lefty Lugnutz and Fatty [=McBoomBoom=] all have their gang supporting them during their fights, Looten Duke first runs off after encountering him and has some Outlaw Mortars attack you which you need to kill before he actually fights him, and Meagly Mcgraw comes riding in on a large outlaw named Tiny which you have to kill before you can damage and bounty Meagly.

* ''VideoGame/StrangersWrath'' is fond of this. Filthy Hands Floyd, Boilz Booty, Jo' Momma, Packrat Palooka, X'plosives [=McGee=], Left Lugnutz and Fatty [=McBoomBoom=] all have their gang supporting them during their fights, Looten Duke first runs off after encountering him and has some Outlaw Mortars attack you which you need to kill before he actually fights him, and Meagly Mcgraw comes riding in on a large outlaw named Tiny which you have to kill before you can damage and bounty Meagly.

* ''VideoGame/StrangersWrath'' is fond of this. Filthy Hands Floyd, Boilz Booty, Jo Momma, Packrat Palooka, X'plosives McGee, Left Lugnutz and Fatty McBoomBoom all have their gang supporting them during their fights, Looten Duke first runs off after encountering him and has some Outlaw Mortars attack you which you need to kill before he actually fights him, and Meagly Mcgraw comes riding in on a large outlaw named Tiny which you have to kill before you can damage and bounty Meagly.

* Kremmen of the Star Corps realize when confronting Gort, leader of the Thargoids, he's about to call for his guards. Fortunately Karla is there to ShowSomeLeg. Those guards who aren't killed in the rush are knocked out by Kremmen's [[StunGuns Valium Ray]].

* ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'': Fisk is not interested in fighting Spider-Man. He has a party going on. Let Electro deal with him.

* ''Theatre/{{Theatre/A Very Potter Senior Year}}

'''Harry:''' It's just you and me Voldemort.\\

[[folder:Musicals]]
* ''Musicals/{{A Very Potter Senior Year}}
'''Harry:''' It's just you and me.
'''Voldemort:''' Actually it's just you and me, AND MY GIANT SNAKE!
[[/folder]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho''. In "The Snowmen", Dr. Simeon quietly rings for his men while the Doctor is rambling on as usual. Being GenreSavvy, the Doctor does an OffhandBackhand locking of the door with his sonic screwdriver. By the time they get the door open, the Doctor has done a StealthHiBye.

* Kremmen of the Star Corps has a GenreSavvy moment when confronting Gort, leader of the Thargoids, realising he's about to call for his guards. Fortunately Karla is there to ShowSomeLeg. Those guards who aren't killed in the rush are knocked out by Kremmen's [[StunGuns Valium Ray]].

* ''Videogame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' has a somewhat lengthy set of sidequests that involve killing off the three leaders of the Genoharadan, a shadowy organization that influenced the galaxy through assassination, among other things. After killing the leaders, the man who gave you the quests, Hulas, reveals that he was the fourth leader and that he used you to consolidate his power by killing his rivals. If you don't take kindly to being used like that, you can challenge him to a duel, for which he insists you come alone. Hulas brings two lackeys with him, but you can display some [[GenreSavvy Genre Savviness]] of your own and bring your party members. Hulas actually expects you to not play by the rules, expressing surprise if you show up alone, and saying "I hoped you'd be gullible, but clearly you're not" if you bring your friends.

* In ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'', Maero, leader of the Brotherhood of Stilwater, summons the protagonist, as leader of the Third Street Saints, to an abandoned stadium for a final battle once most of his gang has been wiped out. The protagonist remarks that they're surprised he was brave enough to come alone...but Maero reminds them that he never said he would. Cue what's left of his crew joining him, all of them in monster trucks, while you're fighting on foot.

** To be fair, this was a TimeTravel revisit of an event that already took place, and in the original battle Arthas did indeed fight Mal'Ganis one-on-one.

* Neo's first fight with Agent Smith in ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'' plays a subversion of this, as Agent Smith makes numerous copies of ''[[MesACrowd himself]]'' rather than calling for subordinates.

->''"So it's come to this, has it? A fight to the death, mano a mano, man to man, just you and me ... and my '''GUARDS!'''"''

* The animated film ''WesternAnimation/{{Hoodwinked}}'' plays this when Red Puckett confronts Boingo in the cable car terminal cavern. However, the "guards" (the ski team henchmen) just stand aside and watch their boss engage Red in a very [[TheMatrix Matrix-esque]] beatdown.

-->'''Goku:''' Now it's just down to you and me!
-->'''Turles:''' Yes, me and you. Oh, and my [[QuirkyMinibossSquad five misfit minions]].
-->'''Goku:''' But, what about my friends?
-->'''Slay:''' [[BlatantLies We all had eggnog and Christmas fudge]].
-->'''Goku:''' Really?
-->'''Reese:''' Nope. Wasted them like figgy pudding.
-->'''Goku:''' [[BerserkButton You never waste figgy pudding!]] ''(beatdown ensues)''
* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Sanji has a duel against [[spoiler:his ArchnemesisDad]] Vinsmoke Judge. The minute Sanji starts to make ground, Judge calls his Mooks to act a HumanShield, even going as far as to ''stab through one'' to strike.

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Udon Comics' ''[[Comicbook/StreetFighter Street Fighter Legends]]'' has [[RichBitch Karin]] pull this one on Sakura.

[[folder:Film]]

-->'''Bruce Banner:''' "Just you and me", huh?
--> ''Widow is visibly mollified.''

-->'''Ourumov:''' "Defense Minister Dimitri Miskin, murdered by British agent James Bond...himself shot, while trying to escape. GUARDS!"

-->'''Corum:''' Will you fight me alone, Prince Gaynor?
-->'''Gaynor:''' Why should I? [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids It is long since I subscribed to your ideas of chivalry, Prince Corum]].
-->[...]
-->'''Corum:''' [[NighInvulnerable If you cannot be slain,]] why not fight me personally?
-->'''Gaynor:''' Because I would not waste time. Warriors!

* Also averted in one of the Literature/{{Lensman}} series, as the protagonist (who also has access to superior technology) has killed all the guards on the way in.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* A spaceborne version of this occurs in ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'', during the escape from [[CrapsackWorld New Caprica]] at the start of the third season. The ''Galactica'' jumps into orbit alone, expecting to face two Cylon Basestars, whereupon two more promptly jump in from elsewhere and join what swiftly degenerates into a CurbStompBattle. That is, until [[spoiler: Apollo decides to [[GunshipRescue save the day by arriving with the]] ''[[CoolShip Pegasus]]'', allowing the ''Galactica'' to jump to safety before the battle is concluded [[RammingAlwaysWorks in a decidedly spectacular fashion]].]]

-->"''Hola'', gringo. I had anticipated that my defenses would not keep you out for very long."
-->"This is it, Lopez. It's time to settle this once and for all."
-->"''Sí'', the great rivalry between the accordion thief and the mariachi. After so many years, it has come down to you and me, eh?"
-->"Damn straight," you reply, readying your weapon.
-->"You and me and my bodyguards. Bodyguards! Kill (him/her)." Several extremely burly mariachis step out from behind the statues, grinning and cracking their knuckles.
-->"Lopez, you are ''such'' a dick."

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'': when Karamazov tries to enter the palace, Descius stands in his way and summons palace guards to aid him, although Karamazov's weaponized throne proves more than a match for all of them. Later, Kitten does the same with Custodes, with much more success.

* The animated film ''WesternAnimation/{{Hoodwinked}}'' plays this when Red Puckett confronts Boingo in the cable car terminal cavern. However, the "guards" (the ski team henchmen) just stand aside and watch their boss engage Red in a very [[TheMatrix Matrix-esque]] beatdown.

* In the ''{{Corum}}'' series, Corum meets Prince Gaynor the Damned for a showdown, and it goes like this:

The villain may be disappointed if the fight is subject to ConservationOfNinjutsu and/or MookChivalry, or if he's dealing with an InvincibleHero. This is the antitrope of LeaveHimToMe.

** During the battle between Yoruichi and Sui Feng, the latter unleash all the members of her special assassination corps on Yoruichi. Who proceed to [[SpeedBlitz beat them all senseless in the blink of an eye.]]

** In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', Ezio does this in the second-to-last boss fight, in the same fashion to the final boss of the previous game.

May result in the invocation of BigDamnHeroes if the good guy is [[OhCrap in too deep]]. Conversely, should the hero do better than expected, the villain may realize that [[GonnaNeedMoreX he needs reinforcements]] and [[WeHaveReserves act accordingly]]. At any rate, the use of this trope can demonstrate that the villain is sufficiently smart to know not to fight the hero one-on-one when he can bring in his minions to support him.

Can overlap with BaitAndSwitchBoss in video games; however, more often the FlunkyBoss fights ''alongside'' his {{Mooks}} or at least remains present to observe the fight. May even cross-pollinate with SummonBiggerFish if the hero seriously outclasses the villain and/or the Mooks are sufficiently [[EliteMooks powerful in their own right]].

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Sanji has a duel against [[spoiler: his ArchnemesisDad]] Vinsmoke Judge. The minute Sanji starts to make ground, judge calls his Mooks to act a HumanShield, even going as far as to ''stab through one'' to strike.

* ''Series/DoctorWho''. In "The Snowmen", Dr Simeon quietly rings for his men while the Doctor is rambling on as usual. Being GenreSavvy, the Doctor does an OffhandBackhand locking of the door with his sonic screwdriver. By the time they get the door open, the Doctor has done a StealthHiBye.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Angband}}'' some monsters have the tag "Usually appear in groups" which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. If a unique version of said monster spawns, it will instead say "Usually appears with reinforcements." Orcs in particular like to appear in large numbers and unique orcs can be a severe challenge at low levels due to bringing dozens and dozens of allies to surround you with.

** ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III's Expansion orc campaign has another example. Rexxar challenges the Kor'gall for leadership of the Stonemaul. Supposedly a one-on-one fight. However, [[TheBeastmaster this is Rexxar we're talking about]]. The fight usually devolves into a small zoo's worth of animals dogpiling Kor'gall.

* Played with as a part of the [[BossBattle sequential end boss]] of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII''. The last boss' first OneWingedAngel act is to summon a GF for the party to fight; then, as her second form, she merges with it into a horrible half-breed.

* ''Videogame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' has a somewhat lengthy set of sidequests that involve killing off the three leaders of the Genoharadan, a shadowy organization that influenced the galaxy through assassination, among other things. After killing the leaders, the man who gave you the quests, Hulas, reveals that he was the fourth leader and that he used you to consolidate his power by killing his rivals. If you don't take kindly to being used like that, you can challenge him to a duel, for which he insists you come alone. Hulas brings two lackeys with him, but you can display some [[GenreSavvy Genre Savviness]] of your own and bring your party members. Hulas actually expects you to not play by the rules, expressing surprise if you show up alone, and saying "I hoped you'd be gullible but clearly you're not" if you bring your friends.

* In The ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', each of the class nemeses will send their lackeys/bodyguards after you when you gain access to their respective inner sanctums on the Volcanic Island before you get to fight said nemesis. However, only Somerset Lopez, Dread Mariachi, nemesis of Accordion Thieves, gives the line nearly word-for-word. Your character is not amused.

* While the rest of the B&B Corps. of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' engage Snake one-on-one[[note]]Mantis's reinforcements are merely the bodies of the dead she controls as puppets[[/note]], Wolf brings along a never-ending stream of [[EliteMooks FROGS]] to help her during her battle.

* ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'': when Karamazov tries to enter the palace, Descius stands in his way and summons palace guard to aid him, although Karamazov's weaponized throne proves more than a match for all of them. Later, Kitten does the same with Custodes, with much more success.

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'' had an episode where Ben tries to defy Emperor Milleus in a duel, only for Milleus to summon his guards for help. Unfortunately for him, Ben being an OneManArmy, that doesn't really ends up helping him.