History Main / SpiritedCompetitor

* Franchise/SherlockHolmes. When he doesn't have a problem to solve to occupy his mind (or even better, an antagonist to match wits with) he becomes lethargic and turns to drugs. Some adaptations play up this aspect by suggesting Holmes is amoral, uninterested in justice and only cares about crime as an intellectual exercise -- which was not the case in the original. Well, particularly the Creator/BasilRathbone and Nigel Bruce version.

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* ''Literature/BewareOfChicken'': Rou Tigu in a nutshell. Perhaps best showcased by her actions at the Dueling Peaks Tournament, where she offers advice to her outmatched opponents in the early rounds, fights her way through the monsters of the Hill of Torment without even bothering to collect the treasures they guard, and after a major bout with Liu Xinghua offers Xinghua some Spirit Herbs to help her grow strong enough to be an even worthier opponent. She has a minor HeroicBSOD when the Shrouded Mountain Sect kidnaps her and cripples two of her new friends in front of her, forcing her to confront the dark side of cultivation for the first time.

* Rainbow Dash is like this about racing in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. She's so competitive, she even decides that holding a race competition is the best way to choose a pet. Other characters like this include Applejack (their friendship starts out as a rivalry and maintains a friendly-rivals dynamic throughout), Scootaloo, and on the antagonistic side, the Flim Flam brothers and Trixie.

If you tell this character to BringIt, they'll say, "Can't wait!" You tell them you're stronger than them, and they'll say, "Then this should be a good fight!" If you beat them, they'll say, "I guess I need to train more and face you again when I'm stronger!" If you lose to them, they'll say "That was fun! Train hard for next time. I can't wait to fight you again!" This is a character who lives for a challenge. It doesn't matter where they are or what lies at stake, what they really love is the battle, the challenge of going against someone who is a WorthyOpponent, no matter what the venue or the game is. Usually they hold no grudges, and have no one they'd consider their enemy (Though they take [[TheRival rivalries]] very seriously). Instead, they have those whom they relish challenging again and again, so that they can enjoy themselves. The win or the loss doesn't matter to them so much as the chance to test themselves and face a challenge. If they lose, they're usually a GracefulLoser and even if they win they never engage in UnsportsmanlikeGloating but rather encourage their opponent to get better so they can have a rematch.

If you tell this character to BringIt, they'll say, "Can't wait!" You tell them you're stronger than them, and they'll say, "Then this should be a good fight!" If you beat them, they'll say, "I guess I need to train more and face you again when I'm stronger!" If you lose to them, they'll say "That was fun! Train hard for next time. I can't wait to fight you again!" This is a character who lives for a challenge. It doesn't matter where they are or what lies at stake, what they really love is the battle, the challenge of going against someone who is a WorthyOpponent, no matter what the venue or the game is. Usually they hold no grudges, and have no one they'd consider their enemy. (Their [[TheRival rivals]], on the other hand...) Instead, they have those whom they relish challenging again and again, so that they can enjoy themselves. The win or the loss doesn't matter to them so much as the chance to test themselves and face a challenge. If they lose, they're usually a GracefulLoser and even if they win they never engage in UnsportsmanlikeGloating but rather encourage their opponent to get better so they can have a rematch.

* Played with in the case of [[Website/SCPFoundation SCP-076]] who, as stated in ''Mobile Task Force Omega 7 Incident Log'', seems to hold a wary respect for those it acknowledges as its superior. During said incident SCP-076-2 was actively seeking to fight a certain agent, who previously had a large amount of experience with them and managet to significantly deter their rampages. Upon learning about said agent's fate (collateral casualty) SCP-076-2 lost their mood and ceased their rampage.

'''SCP-076-2:''' ''Different? Because, unlike you [Sumerian word, untranslated], he was a challenge, a real enemy. Do you know, he managed to shoot me in the head over ██ times? A man like that deserves to die in combat, so close to his opponent he can feel his breath. Not in some [Sumerian words, untranslated] destruction ordered by cowardly kings and princes safe in their palaces. The rest of you . . . you disgust me. I don't even have the urge to strike you down.''

** Part of Mai's development is going from a cheater who views dueling as a way to get ahead in life to coming to truly respect the game. This is shown in her duel finalist duel against Yugi during the Duelist Kingdom arc.

* Wrestling/BookerT, the Five time([[CatchPhrase five times]]) Wrestling/{{WCW}} Champion. He enjoys a good, fair contest and is always looking for another. There were some periods where this wasn't true, such as in Wrestling/{{WWE}} when he thought he was too good for the Smackdown brand, but even that came to an end when he decided the WWE Championship was a worthy title to pursue.

** As the practicing athletes among the harem, baseball player Iku and kendo captain Kishika are often ready to make or accept any physical challenge. Kishika's entry into Rentarou's family has Iku asking Kishika for a bout, and Kishika ups the ante by taking on all of the (at this point) 16 girls of the Family simultaneously. When Capoeira practitioner Eira joins the family, both challenge her to a bout as well.

* The vast majority of the players in ''Literature/BladeSkillOnline'', especially the main character, get into fights with monsters and other players, just for the thrill of the challenge, win or lose. The devs of the game, who are all cowardly morons that never play their own game, just can't understand the appeal, and are gobsmacked that every time they try and ramp up the game difficulty on Yuri, trying to make him RageQuit, only succeed in raising his fighting spirt even more.

* ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'' has several examples:
** [[TheRival Vali Lucifer]] is the most overt, being the "craves a strong opponent" type. In his first fight with [[TheHero Issei]], he takes time out to threaten his friends and family despite having no actual ill will to them just to try and get him to fight harder. He ends up joining the heroes because his alliances [[NotInThisForYourRevolution were fluid anyway]], and the side he was on keeps pulling out better and better opponents (making for an amusing inversion of IFightForTheStrongestSide).
** Surprisingly for the main heroine, Rias Gremory is this, although she has no love for life-and-death combat. It's Ratings Games, essentially a non-lethal BloodSport Devil [[ChessMotifs Kings]] use to sort out their pecking order. It's stated that one of her long-term goals in the series is resolving the main conflict so she can clean out the corruption and start enjoying Games as the combat sport they were meant to be.

* Zangulus from ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'', one of the mercenaries and bounty hunters who tried to capture the party. After the first encounter with Gourry he flatly stated that for him it's about the challenge and his fee and his employer's orders don't matter much. He just wanted a duel to see who's the best swordsman out here, that's all, and reappeared as a WorthyOpponent until he got his final fight. Also, once he was persuaded to join the party just by mentioning that there's a strong opponent for him. Naturally, in such circumstances he didn't use underhanded tactics.

If this character is really in it for the brutality and/or rush of a physical fight (and who will thus rush into any fight, big or small, just to get their jollies, and never back down from a fight), not the challenge, then he is a BloodKnight, not a SpiritedCompetitor (a Spirited Competitor will probably avoid a conflict that wouldn't challenge them or doesn't involve someone they feel is worth it). If he's in it for sadistic pleasure, then you've got a PsychoForHire (or a CombatSadomasochist, if he ''also'' gets off on '''receiving''' injuries). If the character wishes to face challenges while striving to be the best, then he wants ToBeAMaster (usually such characters become these after a while). If the character is completely laid-back or carefree about the challenges, or even nonchalant about them to the point of cockiness, then he's a CavalierCompetitor. See OpponentInstruction.

* ''Fanfic/PlatinumPirate'': Lucas is one, given his homeworld's culture. He and his Pokémon are eager to spar and test themselves against everyone they meet, from Smoker and Tashigi to Vice-Admiral Gion, from the Revolutionaries to [[spoiler:Admiral Aokiji]]. In fact, challenging [[spoiler Aokiji]] to a battle is one of his conditions to [[spoiler: accepting the World Government's offer of a Warlord position]], leaving everyone else amazed that he is challenging one of the world's strongest men for ''fun''.

* In ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'', maturing didn't make Ash any less competitive. A side story reveals that he was this even before his consciousness from the past timeline merged with his current self.

* Ash pretty much embodies this idea in ''Fanfic/{{Traveler}}''. The only times he's ever shown to be upset or irritated after a battle (barring those against Team Rocket) is if he wins too easily. After earning all eight badges in Kanto, Ash tours the region again to face each Gym Leader's real team, and all of them except Erika give Ash a standing invitation to return for a rematch any time. Most notably, in Chapter 45, Ash considers information that might one day save his life to be ''far'' less important than being challenged to a battle by Cynthia.

* Many characters in ''Manga/HikaruNoGo'', but the strongest example would be Sai, who has been a ghost for centuries, striving to play the greatest game of Go ever ("the Hand of God", as he puts it).

* ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD'' has several examples:

* Sasaki Kojiro from ''Manga/ShuumatsuNoWalkureRecordOfRagnarok''. He spent his life learning to use the sword, but until his final duel with Miyamoto Musashi, he never had any intention to use it; learning swordsmanship was an end of unto itself. He would routinely challenge any sword master he could find for the sole purpose of using conceptual training to defeat them in his mind, after which he would move on to find another swordsman to test himself against.

* Zangulus from ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'', one of the mercenaries and bounty hunters who tried to capture the party. After the first encounter with Gourry he flatly stated that for him it's about the challenge and his fee and his employer's orders don't matter much. He just wanted a duel to see who's the best swordsman out here, that's all, and reappeared as a WorthyOpponent until he got his final fight. Also, once he was persuaded to join the party just by mentioning that there's a strong opponent for him. Naturally, in such circumstances he didn't use underhanded tactics.

* [[HornyDevils Morrigan]] is portrayed like this occasionally, especially in the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' games, where her dialog is loaded with many a DoubleEntendre and other suggestions that she likes fighting an awful lot. This makes even more sense if you factor in her [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} original canon]], which not only establishes her as powerful enough to curbstomp the FinalBoss if she cared to, but also states that it's the intensity of physical sensations that feeds succubi, not necessarily their nature. For her, a good fight is just as satisfying as a good fu- [[LastSecondWordSwap seduction]].

* Junk Dog and Yuri from ''Anime/MegaloBox'' both love boxing. They're both really good boxers in their respective worlds (Junk Dog being an unlicenced underground boxer who is forced to throw fights for money, and Yuri the champion of the official Megalo Boxing tournament) and the anime's events are set into motion when Junk Dog, annoyed at the whole sport because he's never able to fight anyone worth his time in his own ring, ends up inadvertently picking a fight with Yuri.
* William and Sherlock of ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'' are both {{Challenge Seeker}}s who enjoy nothing more than facing off against each other. Sherlock loves nothing more than a good mystery that's nearly impossible to solve, and William loves little more than making puzzles that are nearly impossible to solve. Even when they lose to each other, they're pretty much always ready to bounce back and try again with a smile on their face.

* ''Anime/VariableGeo'': Yuka Takeuchi has been a practictioner of [[SupernaturalMartialArts Kyokushin Karate]] since childhood and firmly believes that bonds can be formed through competition [[WorthyOpponent with strong opponents.]] Her fighting style has even evolved to center around this concept, by quite literally allowing her to [[WarriorTherapist empathize with her opponents through combat]] and [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower purge them of any negative emotions]] with her [[LimitBreak ultimate attack]]: [[KameHameHadoken Kyuukyo Kikou Dan.]]

** Yugi and his grandfather Solomon also qualify. Both of them love games, Duel Monsters in particular. It was Solomon's desire to find the greatest game in the world to play that led to him finding the Millenium Puzzle. Meanwhile, Yugi frequently talks about his passion for Duel Monsters and states in a {{Filler}} arc that he would rather duel for fun than to save the world.

* In ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'', maturing didn't make Ash any less competitive. A sidestory reveals that he was this even before his consciousness from the past timeline merged with his current self.

** Tamao Mitsurugi is [[{{fangirl}} a huge fan of Yuka's]] and sees her as a role model. Therefore, she's chosen to emulate her; including Yuka's fighting style and refers to her as "sempai" (or "Yuka-sempai"). So she entered the tournament, not to win, but to finally meet her heroine.

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* Some chess players are like this.
* Similarly, if a fencer isn't like this he won't last long in the sport.
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** [[AmbiguouslyBrown Jun]] [[AmazonianBeauty Kubota]] is a former Olympic wrestler, who's ''also'' become close friends with Yuka and moreso with [[GorgeousGaijin Erina Goldsmith.]] They've competed directly with each other in nearly every game, which is even seen briefly during the intro for ''Advanced V.G. II''.