History Main / PrisonerExchange

Cunning good guys or [[AntiHero Anti Heroes]] may realize this and never intend to make a trade with the villain in the first place, or both sides may have the intention of screwing each other over, in which case the hostages themselves rarely have any say in the matter and may end up on the worse end of the deal.

* In ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', Sousuke has to make the decision of trading his hostage for either [[LoveInterest Kaname]] or Tessa. He picks Tessa, knowing that Kaname can protect herself just fine, and her ActionGirl instincts means that she'll [[SpannerInTheWorks mess up]] the bad guys plans by reacting in a way they [[DidntSeeThatComing don't expect]].

If the hero decides to trade him/herself for the hostage, it's TakeMeInstead. See also HostageSituation and CheckpointCharlie.

* Film/JamesBond is exchanged for Zhao in ''Film/DieAnotherDay''.

* Trading a hostage for one of your partners in crime is strongly encouraged in VideoGame/PAYDAYTheHeist.

* A Sunday ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' panel parodied this trope with a prisoner exchange between hunters and some deer, each with a bound member of the other group.

* In ''Film/WhenTaekwondoStrikes'', resistance leader Li offers himself in exchange for Louis. [[spoiler:Naturally, the villains kill Louis as soon as Li is in their grasp.]]

* Sergio Leone's ''Film/AFistfulOfDollars''.

* Happened during the early years of the Civil War, when neither side wanted to be responsible for looking after large groups of prisoners. Eventually the Union realized that sending captured Confederates back to the South where they were allowed to work, if not fight, and thus prolong the war was not a good idea if you had the larger population. [[/folder]]

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* In ''Literature/InannasDescentToTheNetherworld'', Inanna (later known as Ishtar) went to [[TheUnderworld Irkalla]] to try and take over, but was defeated by her sister Ereshkigal. Meanwhile, above ground, nobody is having sex, plants are dying, etc. So Inanna arranges to be brought back to life, and Ereshkigal agrees to let her go...on one condition: [[BalancingDeathsBooks that she find someone to take her place.]] Inanna searches for someone, but finds no one that she ''really'' wants to send to Irkalla. Then she sees her husband Dumuzi (Tammuz) lounging around under a tree instead of openly mourning for her. [[note]] In some versions, he is [[YourCheatingHeart having sex with some other woman.]][[/note]] This enrages Inanna because it makes her think he doesn't care about her, so in a fit of hurt and anger, she chooses him to go in her place. His sister begs her not to do that, saying TakeMeInstead...and eventually Inanna [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone regrets sending her husband down there]]. So an agreement is made: Dumuzi lives in Irkalla for six months, and his sister switches with him for the next six. [[JustSoStory While he's down there, nothing grows, but while he's with Inanna, everything is allowed to grow again]].

* ''Film/TheEvilThatMenDo''. Holland has been hired to kill TortureTechnician Molloch. He plans to lure Molloch out into the open by kidnapping his [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes sister Claire]], ostensibly for ransom. Molloch then gets his hands on the daughter of Holland's partner, and suggests a PrisonerExchange instead. The problem is Claire is already dead, accidentally shot during the kidnapping.

* In ''[[Literature/{{Redwall}} Mattimeo]]'', the Redwallers capture General Ironbeak's three magpies, who are his only way of getting supplies, and trade them for the three Redwall hostages. Unfortunately, Ironbeak is smart enough to use the PrisonerExchange as a cover while he sends his troops to steal as much food as they can from Redwall.

* ''Literature/TheQuestForKarla'' sees the Circus agreeing to exchange [[spoiler: mole Bill Haydon]] for their remaining agents in the Soviet bloc that haven't been shot. However, it falls through when [[spoiler: Haydon is killed, presumably by Jim Prideaux]].

* In ''Lightnovel/FullMetalPanic'', Sousuke has to make the decision of trading his hostage for either [[LoveInterest Kaname]] or Tessa. He picks Tessa, knowing that Kaname can protect herself just fine, and her ActionGirl instincts means that she'll [[SpannerInTheWorks mess up]] the bad guys plans by reacting in a way they [[DidntSeeThatComing don't expect]].

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', where, back during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, Stan is being traded for a Soviet agent. As they pass each other, he takes the opportunity to extol the virtues of America, and all the things the Soviet is leaving behind. In response, the Soviet puts his arm around Stan and starts talking about GloriousMotherRussia, while leading him back to the Soviet side where he is promptly grabbed by the Soviets again, as the Americans can only FacePalm as they watch.

* Sometimes happened during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. with captured spies, most famously across the Glienicke Bridge. For example, in 1962, KGB agent Rudolf Abel was swapped for American pilot Gary Powers Jr. (who had been captured after his U-2 spy plane was shot down over the USSR.
* The 2010 swap of ten [[DeepCoverAgent Russian agents]] captured in the US for four people held in Russia.
* Done ''en masse'' during the days of WoodenShipsAndIronMen where there were regular truce ships going back and forth carrying prisoners. The two sides kept regular tabs on each other's debit and credit. Sometimes this would break down mid-war, for instance when one side decided that the enemy was running out of manpower and needed to be squeezed harder. Like other such customs, aspects of this hung on as late as UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, though it was mostly disabled prisoners who were exchanged.
* This became a regular event during the wars between the Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate in the 8th to 10th centuries. The parties would meet every few years to swap prisoners, often at the River Lamos.
* In 2011, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilad_Shalit_prisoner_exchange Israel and Hamas agreed to a massive prisoner swap]]. In exchange for a ''single'' Israeli soldier who was abducted by Hamas, Israel released ''1,027'' prisoners (mostly Palestinian insurgents who were held in Israeli jails).

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* Among the many times that ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'' has been taken prisoner by the Daltons this only happened once in the album "The Daltons Trail". As the gang's brains Joe ended up arrested by the authorities because of his stupidity and Lucky Luke found himself captured by the three other Daltons because of Rantanplan's stupidity, the only solution that both sides can agree on is exchanging the desperado for the lawman. During the walk none try something as they can see each other but both are prepared for treachery, and the moment that the exchange is completed Joe and Luke barely manage to jump over at their sides as they simultaneously order them to shoot. And then Rantanplan appears in the middle which forces Averell and Luke to simultaneously shout at their allies to stop.

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* In a ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' storyline, Calvin "kidnaps" Susie's Binky Betsy doll and holds it for ransom. Susie retaliates by "kidnapping" Hobbes. Calvin ends up giving Susie both her doll back and a quarter in exchange for Hobbes.
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[[folder: Web Original]]

* Among the many times that ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'' has been taken prisoner by the Daltons this only happened once in the album "The Daltons Trail". As the gang's brains Joe ended up arrested by the authorities because of his stupidity and Lucky Luke found himself captured by the three other Daltons because of Rantanplan's stupidity, the only solution that both sides can agree on is exchanging the desperado for the lawman. And as they can both see each other and are prepared for treachery, Joe and Luke barely manage to jump over at their sides as they simultaneously order them to shoot. And then Rantanplan appears in the middle which forces Averell and Luke to simultaneously shout at their allies to stop.