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4->''"What greater weapon is there than to turn an enemy to your cause, to use their own knowledge against them?"''
5-->-- '''Bastila Shan''', ''Franchise/{{Star Wars|Legends}}: VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''
6
7Someone is {{Brainwashed}} or {{Mind Control}}led into a HeelFaceTurn. Yes, that's right: a ''Heel Face'' Turn (a bad guy turning good).
8
9This is most notable when it's [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality considered inherently different, or better]], than when the heels do the Brainwashing.
10
11In-universe, the GodzillaThreshold can justify almost anything, but, on a meta-level, when this happens, it means that either the morality is BlackAndGrayMorality (or GreyAndGrayMorality), or there is ''serious'' ValuesDissonance going on. Occasionally, the heroes ask first, and the villain figures that he's stronger than whatever they will do, and accepts, only for it to work.
12
13Someone who breaks the brainwashing that put him in a Heel Face MindScrew, if he doesn't decide on his own to stay good (the PowerOfFriendship [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment is powerful]]) -- similar to AmnesiacDissonance -- will likely be [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge a more formidable enemy than before]] out of [[PygmalionSnapback righteous indignation]]. If they have some special powers, [[BadPowersBadPeople it's much more likely that they'll break the brainwashing after exhibiting said powers]].
14
15On occasion, is intentionally invoked by the villain as part of a MemoryGambit. May be induced with a MirrorMoralityMachine. This trope is usually reserved for villains who otherwise would be a CompleteMonster. It actually may be the only thing that can redeem a CompleteMonster. The brainwashing can sometimes involve MindRape or (when the story is LighterAndSofter) a CareBearStare, though not always. However, if it ''does'' involve MindRape, expect even more BlackAndGrayMorality. May result in a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment when the villain reflects on his past actions. Compare BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood and {{Deprogram}}ming and contrast FaceMonsterTurn.
16
17It should be noted that if any kind of brainwashing is successful in turning a person from one side to the opposing side, the brainwashee will often automatically consider the change (by virtue of the brainwashing itself) to be a HeelFaceTurn, no matter what the real case is. If their memories are intact, then their personality and values generally change so that they now [[HeelRealization see their past actions in a different light]], and may [[TearsOfRemorse feel remorseful over them]]. When the writers do elaborate on the whole procedure it can involve the subject facing their worst fears and getting their sensitive side agitated to the point of identifying those negative experiences with their aggressive feelings, in essence breaking their mind even after the session is over. It may also include physical suffering whenever these aggressive desires show up, which means that the subject's mind is stuck in a permanently soft point and can't channel a large part of their inner nature. Many can claim that it's not really a moral change since it's forced and the person doesn't consciously choose good, they are just incapable of being their real selves.
18
19Subtrope to BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood.
20----
21!!Examples:
22
23[[foldercontrol]]
24
25[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
26* ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': Kanade proposes using a LovePotion on Shadow Mei so she'll fall in love with Matsuri and cooperate with them. Matsuri refuses, [[EpicFail but accidentally uses it on Shadow Mei anyway]].
27* In ''Manga/DeathNote'', [[spoiler:Light did this to himself in a MemoryGambit, although he merely intended to "prove" his innocence by helping to catch the "real" Kira. He planned to provide himself with a way to reverse his LaserGuidedAmnesia after he had earned the good guys' trust.]]
28* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Goku arranges for Kid Buu to be resurrected as a good person, though technically he's not actually being controlled. He's simply been reincarnated with all of the power retained, but all the evil cleansed from his soul between lives.
29* [[spoiler:Anri]] in ''Literature/{{Durarara}}'' can do this [[spoiler:using the demon-blade Saika]], as part of the character being BadPowersGoodPeople. For instance, in one scene, a mind-controlled thug is told to go home and lead a good life.
30* ''Manga/FairyTail'' has the superweapon Nirvana, which can deal these out en masse (as well as [[BrainwashedAndCrazy making good guys evil]]). While it's used by the villains (and a bunch of people spontaneously changing their alignment is recognized as a bad thing), one of the villains is hit by accident, and no one sees the brainwashing as wrong. It helps that it was an accident, the heroes weren't actually involved, and the villain was revealed to be a FallenHero anyway. [[spoiler:It's revealed, however, that in the past Nirvana was used by the Nirvit to try and force warring nations into peace through such brainwashing, which worked out...until it turned out Nirvana "reflected" the darkness of those nations onto the peaceful Nirvits until they turned on and slaughtered each other.]]
31* Done, sort of, in the anime of ''Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero'' with Louise drinking a LovePotion (by accident) and becoming much nicer (and [[ClingyJealousGirl much more clingy]]) in the process towards Saito, who attempts to turn her back to her old self. Despite everyone else warning him from doing it. Oh yeah, he succeeds, but Louise remembers the whole ordeal and hands out quite some punishment.
32* In ''Manga/{{Himenospia}}'', Himeno becomes a wasp mutant who can brainwash other women with her sting and uses this out of self-defense against her abusive mother and her bullies. It is later revealed that Himeno's power also works on other wasp queens, but it doesn't turn as good as advertised: [[spoiler:Nagisa]] truly fell in love with Himeno but still left her in the dark about everything and got her captured and tortured as part of a plan to ambush American queen Serena. Once stung at the climax of the story, Serena is made unable to bring further harm to Himeno but laughs the whole thing off and refuses to be her pawn before coldly abandoning her.
33* ''Manga/{{Inazuman}}'' often attempts to convince members of the [[EvilutionaryBiologist Neo-Human Empire]] to switch sides, sometimes through mundane persuasion, but also through erasing memories of their time with the villains, which is treated as restoring their innocence. By contrast, the villains recruit ''their'' turncoats through direct MindControl.
34* Initially thought to be what happened to the amnesiac main character of ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure JoJolion]]'' when he's identified as [[spoiler:Yoshikage Kira]] which leads to Yasuho questioning her trust in him. Later it's revealed that, instead of having lost his memories, [[spoiler:the main character is a partial clone of Kira created by the Wall Eyes mixing the DNA of him and another person. The main character's lack of memories are therefore not a result of amnesia but simply him being a new person who hasn't experienced anything yet. It's also revealed further on that despite his harsh and aloof exterior, [=JoJolion's=] version of Kira was actually a heroic individual.]]
35* The titular protagonist of ''Manga/{{Kajika}}'' has the ability to literally punch the evil out of people, which he does to a few villains who offend him. A couple of secondary characters who get caught up in the events see him do this, and he politely asks if they want him to help them get rid of their evil, too, but they nervously turn down the offer.
36* In ''Manga/MedakaBox'', when [[spoiler:Medaka counter-brainwashes ''her own'' forced FaceHeelTurn.]]
37* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', [[spoiler:Itachi]] does this to ''himself'' using [[spoiler: the chakra-crow he implanted in Naruto]]. That was an accident, though. [[spoiler: It was intended for Sasuke as an absolute last resort. Itachi didn't count on being revived as a mind-controlled zombie.]] And since ItOnlyWorksOnce, his first plan was ruined.
38* ''Manga/OnePiece'': O-Tama's Devil Fruit ability allows her to produce kibi-dango from her cheek. Any animal that eats it is pacified and tamed by her. This effect also works on humans who ate successful SMILE fruits and they all belong to Kaidou's crew.
39* The finale of ''Anime/SpacePatrolLuluco'' has Luluco turn [[spoiler:Nova]] from his FaceHeelTurn by [[spoiler:shooting him with an Aflutter Jewel-powered CareBearStare until he gains a Jewel of his own.]] It's a bit unclear if it was really brainwashing, however; [[spoiler:since he was a Nothingling and biologically ''couldn't'' feel strong emotions, and the Aflutter Jewel was also showing him everything he experienced with Luluco, he could have just been evaluating the unknown feelings he had for her and finally realized what they were.]]
40* In ''Manga/ZatchBell'' Gash can perform the Baou Zakeruga spell, which summons an evil-devouring lightning dragon. At the end of the series, the ultimate villain who sought to erase his own world and compared his destructive nature to that of an atomic bomb is swallowed whole by Baou and is reduced to a kind and inoffensive boy.
41[[/folder]]
42
43[[folder:Audio Plays]]
44* This is the plot of the ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' audio drama ''Master''. The Doctor makes a deal with Death to give the Master ten years of "peace and sanity" under the name "Dr John Smith" [[spoiler: after which the Doctor will kill him. When the Doctor can't do it, Death manipulates the Master so his regular personality returns]].
45* In ''AudioPlay/RefletsDAcide'', it turns out in the last episodes that [[PosthumousCharacter Maender and Alkor]] left behind a huge ThanatosGambit in order to inflict this trope on [[BigBad Belial,]] in order to turn him back to his original Archangel form. [[spoiler:It only works for a few seconds, before his memory returns and turns him back into a Demon.]]
46[[/folder]]
47
48[[folder:Comic Books]]
49* In an issue of Swedish children's comic ''ComicBook/{{Bamse}}'', notorious villain Krösus Sork is given a drink that makes him temporarily kind and generous.
50* In Volume 5 of ''ComicBook/{{Empowered}}'', [[spoiler: we find out that Mind*** [[strike:did]] habitually does this... to herself.]]
51* ComicBook/GhostRider's [[MindRape Penance Stare]] occasionally has this effect, although forcing people to feel all the pain they have inflicted on the innocent is more a [[ThouShaltNotKill punishment]] than anything else. If a HeelRealization results in a change of heart, it's all you.
52* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'':
53** The entire Indigo Tribe. Their rings specifically seek out people who lack compassion for others such as Black Hand and ''force'' them to feel it. The rings also use their ability to manipulate other emotions on the emotion spectrum to control the feelings of the Indigo Lanterns (the Indigo entity itself, however, averts this and seeks out hosts who are already compassionate). In Indigo-1's case, [[spoiler: she developed genuine compassion and showed true regret about her crimes when the brainwashing was temporarily undone.]]
54** The Star Sapphires lock villains and other "recruits" in cocoon-like prisons where the person is essentially "counseled" into slowly and gradually accepting Love and thus becoming a member of their Corps. When they are questioned about this being similar to brainwashing, they deny this--to them, the process is no different than prison rehabilitation or psychiatric ward therapy. Yes, the subject can't leave, but the Sapphires claim that nothing is "forced" upon them; the subject simply gradually comes to understand the Sapphires' logic.
55* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis2004'', which used this as a Cerebus Retcon.
56** After Doctor Light's [[RapeAsDrama rape of Sue Dibny]], the Justice League had Zatanna edit his mind and convert him, not into a hero, but into a HarmlessVillain. The majority of the plot is concerned with the ramifications of their decision.
57** It was also revealed that Barry Allen had Zatanna brainwash The Top after he caught Top vandalizing Iris Allen's grave. The newly heroic Top went on to do the same to other rogues. He also lost his mind, which taught Flash a valuable lesson about this trope.
58** Finally, it was revealed that ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}'s switch from a criminal to a morally-ambiguous vigilante was also due to a Zatanna brainwashing job. This initially caused her to turn back to crime, but she later decided that [[GoodFeelsGood vigilantism made her feel better]] no matter what the original cause had been.
59* Discussed at the end of ''Mandrago'', an obvious parody of ''ComicStrip/MandrakeTheMagician'' by the Italian Jacovitti. The protagonist, who has acquired limitless magic powers, decides to make the world a perfect place and brainwashes ''every single inhabitant of Earth'' into being unable to do evil. When Mandrago overdoes it, loses his powers, and the world [[NoOntologicalInertia snaps back to normal]], the narrator points out that mankind lost world peace, but regained free will.
60* When ''ComicBook/MartianManhunter'' undoes a mental block that makes him afraid of fire and unconsciously sends himself into a FaceHeelTurn, one of his first "evil" acts is to use his mental powers to perform this on various criminals. Inmates in high-class prisons begin watching Sesame Street, the patients in Arkham are suddenly overcome with grief over their crimes and have to be restrained from committing suicide, KKK members begin lynching ''themselves,'' and ComicBook/LexLuthor (at the time president) is put into a coma.
61* The Mickey Mouse comic story ''[[ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse Blaggard Castle]]'' ended with Mickey using the HypnoRay on the three mad scientists Professors Ecks, Doublex, and Triplex and making them become good scientists so that they wouldn't use their inventions to do evil things anymore.
62* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': In ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2018'' story arc ''ComicBook/SinsRising'', this happens to Norman Osborn at the hands of a superpowered vigilante called the Sin-Eater.
63* ''ComicBook/SquadronSupreme'': This, and all of its myriad UnfortunateImplications, was a huge part of Mark Gruenwald's series. The Squadron (an {{Expy}} of the ComicBook/{{Justice League|of America}}) institute brainwashing as the all-purpose punishment for crimes. The BlackAndGrayMorality of the series shows the brainwashing being a good thing for one character (who was just misguided to begin with and stays a good guy after the brainwashing is undone), and tragic for two others (one of whom becomes irreversibly catatonic after running into a contradiction in her programming).
64** The brainwashing was voluntary in most cases. A convicted criminal or prisoner could opt for the procedure in exchange for immediate parole. But the aforementioned plot-important instances were all abuses of the brainwashing device.
65* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
66** Imaginary Story "Superman Vol. 1 #162: The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue!" had Superman split into the titular super-genius versions of himself. They then create an "Anti-Evil Ray," which they then upload to a bunch of satellites and bombard the planet with. For her part, ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} releases the {{Phantom Zone}}rs and uses the ray on them. Sure enough, the ray brainwashes everyone into being "good," which leads to [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans a perfect world, free from disease, crime, and war.]]
67** Another Silver Age imaginary story has ComicBook/LexLuthor get {{Mind Rape}}d by psychic aliens until all evil is removed from him. He then marries ComicBook/LoisLane, has a son, and [[CutLexLuthorACheck becomes the world's most famous and beloved scientist.]] [[spoiler: That is, until his son grows up, becomes a supervillain, and murders him.]]
68** A Silver Age non-imaginary event was Superman reprogramming ComicBook/{{Brainiac}} to force him to be good. He later forced him back to being evil against his wishes to acquire information and help against a leftover Brainiac super-weapon knowing he couldn't make Brainiac good again. This indirectly led to Brainiac's transformation from the humanoid form to the more commonly remembered metallic silver shape and flying skullship.
69** Another non-imaginary one from the Silver Age is a World's Finest story where Superman and Franchise/{{Batman}} wind up on an alternate Earth where they were raised as criminals and are now some of the deadliest villains in the world. The duo takes down their evil counterparts and brainwash them into becoming good like they are.
70** The moral ambiguity of this is played up ''hard'' in ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'', where after his ship landed in the [=USSR=] instead of Kansas, Kal-El became a champion of the Soviet Union. Superman only wants peace but has little trouble [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill eliminating free will]] to get it, and believes that brain-washing and overwriting a person's personality is far more humane a solution than gulags or prison camps. It's slowly made clear that due to his different upbringing, this Superman sees free will as more of a problem than anything else and [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans seeks peace and perfection at the sake of choice]].
71* ''[[ComicBook/TheSimpsons Bartman]]'' had an actual [[HeroAntagonist antagonistic]] example in the form of The Penalizer: wielding the Hypno-Coin, a working HypnoRay once owned by Bart, he begins inflicting this on people for even the most minor of infractions, and seeks to inflict it on Bart's graffiti artist alter ego "El Barto" as well. Bart becomes Bartman, defeats The Penalizer, takes the Hypno-Coin back, and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard inflicts this on The Penalizer himself]], forcing him to resume his old life.
72-->'''[[spoiler:Skinner]]''': I am [[spoiler:an elementary school principal]]... I am [[spoiler:an elementary school principal]]...
73* ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes''
74** In the first appearance of the Legion of Super-Villains, Saturn Queen explains her backstory, that she was good while she lived on Titan, and just suddenly became evil after leaving it. Supergirl [[BatDeduction deduces from this]] that Saturn's rings emit radiation that keeps Titan natives good, scoops some up, and changes Saturn Queen's alignment so she betrays her allies. She promises to keep a chunk of ring-rock with her at all times so she will stay good forever. None of our heroes is bothered by this in the slightest. This aspect of her character is ignored in every subsequent appearance, thankfully!
75** When Earth-Man, the villain of ''ComicBook/SupermanAndTheLegionOfSuperHeroes'', was made a Legionnaire to placate his supporters in Earthgov, Brainiac 5 made a special flight ring which, among other things, contained "morality enhancement" features. This seems to have moderated how he expressed his views rather than completely alter them, turning him from a xenophobic cult leader into a NobleBigotWithABadge.
76* In ''ComicBook/ThievesAndKings'', [[spoiler: Soracia does this to herself to complete her own HeelFaceTurn: She enters the dream of a dragon who dreams of her as a good person which enables her to actually cut off all ties that bind to her dark master.]]
77* Brought up in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye''. Megatron is informed that [[BroughtDownToNormal the power-draining tonic]] he’s been made to use could potentially affect his thought processes. He begins fearing that his HeelRealization may have been forced upon him by the Autobots and that he may actually still be a villain. [[spoiler:Ultimately subverted when Ratchet admits that the toxin is actually just a [[MagicFeather placebo]]; it was meant to make Megatron ''think'' he was weak or brainwashed in order to placate both him and the Lost Light crew. His RedemptionQuest was entirely of his own volition.]]
78* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: The Amazons of Earth-Two lock prisoners of Reformation Island in Venus Girdles, which force them to obey every order given to them and make them feel happy about it. These girdles brainwash the prisoners over time but take longer on particularly stubborn and clever prisoners. No subsequent versions of the Amazons use these girdles.
79* ''ComicBook/XMen'':
80** At the end of Creator/ChrisClaremont's run on ''X-Men'', ComicBook/{{Magneto}} finds out that Moira [=MacTaggert=] had a procedure like this done to him after he was turned into a child during one of his many zany schemes for world conquest. Thinking that this was the reason for his HeelFaceTurn, he uses the procedure on one of the X-Men teams for a FaceHeelTurn but finds out that the use of mutant powers quickly reverses the effects of the procedure. (A matter of minutes.) All the good he'd done was really of his own free will. Then he [[DisneyDeath dies]] but got better and became a one-dimensional cliched villain again who later uses drugs because being bad wasn't bad enough. Then he [[OffWithHisHead dies again]] until Claremont finally got a hold of him for some CharacterRerailment in the relaunch of ''ComicBook/{{Excalibur}}'': psycho druggie Mags wasn't the ''real'' Erik, whose HeelFaceTurn had stuck. He's currently in AntiHero mode. Of course, Erik playing nice is [[GoodIsNotNice very much still Erik]].
81** Another X-Men example. Magneto kidnapped Xavier. Sadly, the X-Men were disassembled at the time. Jean Grey had to find a new team, and quickly. So she goes around asking for help from former allies and recruiting unknown, inexperienced mutants. Also, she discovers that one of Magneto's lieutenants, Frenzy, has been captured by the US Army. Not only does Jean enter her mind to get the info she needs on Genosha (Magneto's island) and its defenses, but she thinks that having a superpowered guide in that hellhole would be a good idea, so she just rewrites Frenzy's mind and makes her an X-Men enthusiast (so fanatically devoted to the X-Men cause, all of a sudden, that it was creepy). [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Guess how Frenzy reacted after she found out that the "good guys" brainwashed her...]]
82** The entire point of ''ComicBook/{{AXIS}}'' was that heroes would turn bad and villains good due to a magic spell. While the story ended with almost everyone reverting back to their old alignment, one villain's inversion did stick: Sabretooth. Due to being near some Iron Man tech intended to protect Tony from being turned good, Sabretooth did not return to his old ways, and in fact decides to honour Wolverine's memory (who recently died) and follow his example, becoming a hero to atone for what he's done. Similar to Magneto, ''don't'' confuse 'good' for '[[GoodIsNotNice huggable]].'
83** In ''ComicBook/{{Exiles}}'', the reality-altering, body-swapping villain Proteus [[spoiler: takes over [[ShapeShifting Morph's]] body, which doesn't degrade like other bodies Proteus inhabits do. The team manages to use some AppliedPhlebotinum (from the world of the ComicBook/SquadronSupreme mentioned below, in fact) in order to brainwash Proteus into [[BecomingTheMask thinking he IS Morph]]. However, the ramifications of this action are explored in future issues.]] It does help that Proteus WAS planning on making the entire multiverse his plaything.
84** [[ComicBook/XMen2019 Jonathan Hickman's run]] brings a weird example: after Vulcan was lost in a dimensional rift during ''ComicBook/WarOfKings'', three extradimensional aliens, for their own as-yet-unexplained purposes, brainwashed him so that he would appear to have undergone a HeelFaceTurn, with even Vulcan himself believing this to be the case, but his original, evil, insane personality remains, lying dormant underneath the veneer of goodness and only emerging in moments of extreme stress.
85** Subverted with Cassandra Nova: Jean Grey altered her brain to make her experience empathy for the first time, but while this ''appeared'' to make her "good", it actually just changed her ''motivations'' -- she's now a ruthless ''supporter'' of the mutant nation.
86[[/folder]]
87
88[[folder:Fan Works]]
89* Subverted in ''Fanfic/ArcOfSacrifices''. This is how Lily and Dumbledore seem to view their brainwashing of Harry. To everyone else, it's a case of LightIsNotGood.
90* The VillainProtagonist of the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' fanfic "The Council Era" is growing an army of dezba from the DNA of one of his Mooks. He intends to surgically alter their genetic thought process in order to "civilize" them so that they will serve the Citadel against the krogan during the war. They were an almost AlwaysChaoticEvil race beforehand, so he's somewhat justified.
91* In ''Fanfic/FireEmblemKeysOfTruth'', both Shigure and Kyo get hit with this early on, causing them to side with Plegia.
92* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' fangame ''VideoGame/FlawedCrystals'', Steven does this to Jasper by accident when he [[EasyAmnesia erases her memories]] in a botched attempt to heal her corruption. Without her memories of their conflict, she becomes highly cooperative and willing to help rescue the other gems. [[spoiler:Whether or not she stays on your side after she regains her memories depends on how you've treated her throughout the game -- if you push her too far, she will attack you and lead you to a NonStandardGameOver.]]
93* In ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8014677/1/Friendship_Is_Magic_Prime_Act_II Friendship Is Magic: Prime: Act II]]'', [[spoiler: Discord attempts to discord Optimus Prime at the climax, but Prime grabs his wrist and shoves his hand into his face, forcing him to discord himself. As the spell inverts the target's personality, this changes Discord into a prim and proper gentleman who willingly exiles himself to a cave in the desert.]]
94* Hinted by ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} in ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy'' when she explains to her adoptive father that Franchise/GreenLantern mind-wipes villains out of being a problem.
95* At the end of the ''Series/DoctorWho'' fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4444371/1/in-this-world-you-cannot-change In This World You Cannot Change]]'' it is [[TheReveal revealed]] that [[spoiler:The Doctor, Donna Noble, and Jack Harkness]] did this to [[BigBad the Master]] explaining why there's a nice [[AmnesiacDissonance amnesiac version of him]] running around in their timeline ([[spoiler:[[StableTimeLoop and the reason they decided to spare him in the first place]]]])--they effectively killed his personality. The Master has [[WhatTheHellHero some choice words for all of them]] when he [[VillainousBreakdown realizes]] what's going to ([[spoiler:[[StableTimeLoop and has already]]]]) [[TimeTravelTenseTrouble happen]] to him:
96-->'''The Master:''' Murderer! You are all murderers!
97* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' [[AlternateUniverseFic AU fanfic]] ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1768962/1/Innocence Innocence]]'', Rebel leaders decide to recruit an amnesiac Darth Vader, with the hope that he would remain on their side as a source of intelligence if he ever [[AmnesiacDissonance recovered his memories]].
98* A mild and entirely justified version in ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World''. When ActualPacifist George learns that the lesser Tayhil must unthinkingly obey the commands of a Tayhil Leader (even to the point of committing suicide), he [[VoluntaryShapeshifting becomes one]] so he can order a leaderless group to sail away from the village they just built and set up a new village on a deserted island far away from humans. He also tells them they're not allowed to initiate an attack on humans, though they can defend themselves. Since the alternative to this is an airstrike that would wipe out the entire tribe, he has no moral qualms whatsoever about doing it.
99** As an alternative to the continued destruction of the Tayhil, who admittedly are pretty nasty little bastards and the cornerstone of the Black Tower's forces, Paul also proposes somehow capturing all the existing Tayhil Leaders and imprisoning them so the good guys can imitate them and order the entire race to coexist peacefully with humans. Spectrem angrily rejects this as impractical.
100* In ''Fanfic/KiraSweetheart'' L worries over the moral dilemma presented when he is given the option of [[spoiler: [[LaserGuidedAmnesia erasing Light's Kira memories]] without his knowledge. [[ClonesArePeopleToo Kira is the version of Light]] that L knows and]] L worries that by erasing his memories it would mean he is in essence killing [[FriendlyEnemy his friend.]] Ultimately L decides that it was [[spoiler: [[TheCorruption the notebook]]]] that did the brainwashing and that [[spoiler: Light]] would be the same without the [[spoiler: notebook]]—just minus being a SerialKiller, and all he's doing is taking corrective measures to return [[spoiler: Light]] to his "default state." Also this way he is no longer a danger to society and he won't have to see him executed.
101* Done in ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'' to [[spoiler:Asakura Ryouko]]. It was considered a better option than [[spoiler: killing her or waiting for her to come back and try to kill Kyon yet again.]]
102** Technically, she wasn't brainwashed. Haruhi thought that brainwashing was not cool.
103* The ethics of this are played with in [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/363684/1/The-Locket-of-Love Locket Of Love]] when Imp falls under a spell that causes him to become devoted to Adora. Bow is perfectly willing to use Imp's skills against the Horde for as long as the Rebellion has him, and even suggest Adora string him along a bit to comply, stating that the Horde would have no problem doing the same if the situation were reversed. Not surprisingly Adora, who has spent much of her life brainwashed as an agent of evil, is against such a plan, pointing out that the Rebels can't simply sink to the Horde's level when it's convenient.
104* ''Fanfic/MiseryLovesCompany'': [[spoiler: Hecate ultimately drugs Gaz with a combination of two potions that [[LaserGuidedAmnesia wipe her memory]] and create FakeMemories in their place, erasing a [[EnfantTerrible rude, violent, nasty child]] from the world while replacing her with a BlankSlate that she can raise as her own as a better person.]]
105* In ''Fanfic/ProfessorRiddlesChronicles'', Riddle brainwashes Quirrell's father and Snape's father into being non-abusive parents.
106* In ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'', during the Konoha Invasion arc [[SparedByTheAdaptation Shisui Uchiha]] uses Kotoamatsukami to override Orochimaru's control over Edo-Tensei!Hashirama, and gives him back his free will, forcing Orochimaru to undo the jutsu.
107* In the ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'' fic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9279948/1/Unbeaten Unbeaten]]'' Spock advocates BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood on all of the Augments and the rest of the crew sees no problems with this.
108* [[VideoGame/Persona5 The Phantom Thieves]] pull this on [[Manga/DeathNote Light Yagami]] early in ''Fanfic/WarningLetter.'' The resulting VillainousBSOD eventually pushes Light into giving up use of the Death Note and eventually become a Phantom Thief himself.
109* In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/427653/chapters/719529 The Well Groomed Mind]]'' [[KnightTemplar Dumbledore]] {{Mind Rape}}d Harry the moment he set foot into Hogwarts, rewriting his personality from the "[[GuileHero clever survivalist]]" that he was into "MessianicArchetype IdiotHero" that everyone expects him to be.
110* ''Fanfic/WithThisRing'': The alternate version of Paul in a TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy universe captures a group of dark elf corsairs on his first day, panics about what to do with them, and settles on giving them a choice between a quick death and a personality rewrite. Since he doesn't have much experience, the resulting desire sets don't mesh well on his first few tries, but most of them survive.
111[[/folder]]
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113[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
114* Happens to Foxy Loxy at the end of ''WesternAnimation/ChickenLittle''. Throughout the movie, she is a JerkJock who bullies the protagonists. Near the end of the movie, she tries to do the same to the aliens, and gets zapped for it, becoming girly and friendly. The protagonists elect not to change her back.
115* A very peculiar variation happens in the ''Animation/TheElmChantedForest'' to the point of it being more of an aversion rather than a straight example. Specifically: [[spoiler: the good guys theorise that King Cactus (who is the god/spirit of earth and all its plants) is evil because he hasn't reached his true, perfect form and is still stuck in the thorn stage for some reason. So by using white magic courtesy of the gnome magician Thistle they prepare a potion that makes the King bloom and turn both in body and mind into the personification of spring. So in essence they didn't brainwash him, they actually corrected his imperfect form and helped him reach his full potential which completely also affected and altered his personality.]]
116* ''[[WesternAnimation/GarfieldAnimatedMovieTrilogy Garfield's Pet Force]]'' sees this happen to [[BigBad Vetvix]] at the end; Garfield corners her in Betty's [[GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul "Happy Corner"]] and fuses the two together using the Mo-Scram Gun, causing her to become friendly to everyone and reciprocate Emperor Jon's feelings towards her.
117* ''WesternAnimation/KuboAndTheTwoStrings'': The climactic battle with the Moon King results in [[spoiler:Kubo using his magic on his cruel grandfather, causing him to lose his memory and become a mortal human. The villagers promptly lie and tell the confused old man that he’s a kindly villager who’s generous and beloved to all, leading the former Moon King to believe he’s been a good person all along.]]
118* In ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit: WesternAnimation/TheCurseOfTheWereRabbit'', the rabbits aren't necessarily ''evil'', but their voracious eating habits are threatening to ruin Tottington Hall's annual vegetable competition. Wallace prides himself on his "humane" service and refuses to kill the rabbits he catches, but he's also running out of space for their cages, so this trope is his attempt at [[TakeAThirdOption taking a third option]] -- "brainwash the bunnies" to get rid of their veg-eating desires. It works, but a mishap during the procedure results in the creation of the titular Were-Rabbit, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero which causes even worse problems than the rabbits were]].
119* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wizards}}'': An assassin working for the villain is reprogrammed to fight for the good protagonists, later changing his name to "Peace" and proving instrumental in the fate befalling the bad guy. It's interesting that it's done by making him want to be free. It's stated that the mentioned assassin is under constant influence of villain's magic and [[spoiler:propaganda machine]]. Good wizard instills the promise of life without pain and without fear so that he gets the motivation to fight for his own will.
120[[/folder]]
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122[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
123* In ''Film/OneHundredAndTwoDalmatians'', this is tried on Cruella de Vil through hypnosis. It initially works and she starts to lovingly embrace any puppy she sees, but it turns out that a loud clock noise can counteract it. And since this film is set in ''London'', [[StatusQuoIsGod it's only a matter of time]] before good ol' Big Ben turns Cruella back into her evil self again and she goes right back to being CruellaToAnimals.
124* ''Film/TheCraftLegacy'': Timmy goes from a bullying and sexist jerk to a very, nice woke guy who befriends the girls after they cast a spell on him to change his personality.
125* This was status quo in ''Film/DemolitionMan'', where criminals placed in cryoprisons were brainwashed with various "rehabilitation" programs, like an affinity for taking up knitting and such. It was also inverted, as it is discovered that the BigBad [[spoiler: was programmed to be even worse than he already was by Cocteau, who wanted to use him against his enemies.]]
126* At the end of ''Film/TheNeverendingStoryIITheNextChapter'', Bastian uses his final magic wish to ask that the nearly omnipotent BigBad gain "a heart". She's so struck with grief at what she's done that she literally explodes and all the evil that she had done to Fantasia is [[NoOntologicalInertia wiped away as if it never happened.]]
127* In ''Film/ShallowHal'', the protagonist is a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin shallow man by the name of Hal]] who gets hypnotized so that he sees women for their inner beauty, which causes him to see good but physically unattractive people as attractive while not-so-good people come off as physically repulsive. This causes him to reverse his treatment of women yet also repulses his equally-shallow friend, who points out to the hypnotist that he has functionally brainwashed someone to radically change their life.
128* ''Franchise/StarWars - Film/AttackOfTheClones'': [[JediMindTrick "You don't want to sell me deathsticks". "I don't want to sell you deathsticks". "You want to go home and rethink your life". "I want to go home and rethink my life"]]. Granted, all he was made to do was go home and have a good think, it was perfectly within the dude's power afterwards to decide for himself that selling deathsticks is a pretty good gig after all, if that's what he really wanted out of life.
129** He turns up in one of the later Boba Fett books, and guess what? [[spoiler: He stills sells deathsticks. And weapons. It's apparently a Heel Face Brainwashing [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor Revolving Door]], however, as both between the above two events and after the latter, he legitimately ''did'' stop selling illicit substances and illegal weapons, even trying to turn others from that path the second time.]]
130** Parodied in the Norwegian fan film [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFJ2eMk6FAI&src_vid=97QLQk-zQpM&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_890762 The Drunken Jedi Master]] (basically a morally-gray splatter movie set in the Star Wars universe): "You don't want to sell me deathsticks." "I don't want to sell you deathsticks." "You want to give me one for free."
131* ''Stargate: Film/StargateTheArkOfTruth''. The Ark is a brainwashing device that's the only way to stop the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Ori worshippers]] from taking over the galaxy. The moral objections are raised but in the end ignored [[GodzillaThreshold for lack of a better option]].
132** The Ancients ''did'' refrain from using it because of moral objections, and decided to flee instead; given the trouble caused by the continued existence of the Ori, this was a seriously [[NeglectfulPrecursors neglectful]] act. When it is eventually used, it's a fairly simple case of self-defense.
133** Vala claims the Ark can only be used to make people believe true things, but she may have been bluffing Adria.
134* In ''The Stranger'', a series of direct-to-video science fiction movies from Creator/BBVProductions, the Protectorate uses a form of this as an alternative to capital punishment. About halfway through the series, the hero learns that he himself was the first person the process was successfully used on and that he used to be the leader of a terrorist cell.
135* ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'':
136** ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'': The eponymous T-800 Model 101 Terminator, the same model as the unstoppable BigBad of [[Film/TheTerminator the first movie]], was captured by the future [[LaResistance Resistance]] and reprogrammed to ''protect'', not kill John Connor in the past.
137** This theme continues in ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' with the T-850 ''who killed John Connor in the future'' being reprogrammed to [[spoiler: ensure that Connor and his future second in command and wife survive Skynet's opening assault on humanity to form and lead the resistance]].
138* ''Film/TotalRecall1990'' has a rare case of the BigBad doing this to his then [[TheDragon Dragon]] as part of an elaborate infiltration operation. Of course being the villain he doesn't see it as this trope, but the audience does.
139[[/folder]]
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141[[folder:Literature]]
142* In Creator/CJCherryh's ''Literature/AllianceUnion'' series, you can be conditioned to make sure you're not a threat. All they do there is give you a phobia about sabotage, though.
143* In ''Literature/ArtemisFowl: The Eternity Code'', the protagonists mind-wipe [[PsychoForHire Loafers McGuire]] after [[HeKnowsTooMuch he finds out about the fairy world]]. They completely erase his personality, making him think he's named "Nuru", and drop him off in a village in Kenya. Later in the same book, [[spoiler:Artemis, Butler, and Juliet undergo LaserGuidedAmnesia as well, though the LEP are more careful this time and only erase the parts having to do with fairies. Ironically, this wipes out all the CharacterDevelopment Artemis had over the past three books, turning him back into a VillainProtagonist]].
144* In ''Literature/BlackLegion'', Telemachon is {{Mind Rape}}d by VillainProtagonist Khayon into being loyal to him and so, when Sekhandur joins the budding Legion, Telemachon follows. [[spoiler:Later, after Khayon fixes him, Telemachon chooses to stay, as the Legion gives him a reason to be.]]
145* In ''Literature/TheCandyShopWar'', [[spoiler: the main villain, Mrs. White, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard is fed her own memory-wiping candy]] to defeat her. Since there's no way of keeping her from drinking from a FountainOfYouth and theoretically gaining ultimate power from this, the hero crumbles the candy into the fountain's waters so, although she succeeds in her plan, she loses any memory of why she wanted to become young again in the first place.]] In the sequel, everyone dances around the issue of telling this memory-wiped former villain of their past. When they eventually find out, they decide to look at the incident as being given a second chance at a good life, and thanks the good guys not only for coming up with this plan but also for accepting them into their group of friends and trusting them regardless of their origins.
146* ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'' revolves around Mr. Krupp, a JerkAss principal who was turned into the friendly superhero "Captain Underpants" by a [[HypnoRay Hypno Ring]]. He becomes a ManchurianAgent who turns into Captain Underpants when someone snaps their fingers and reverts back to principal form when someone pours water on his head.
147** The fifth book kicks off with Harold and George trying this on Ms. Ribble, and specifying that she should ''only'' stop being so mean and "won't turn into Wedgie Woman or anything weird like that". Midway through the hypnosis, a news bulletin [[WeInterruptThisProgram interrupts the story]] to warn everyone that, for some reason, using the Hypno Ring on women causes them to follow the ''opposite'' of the instructions given. Thus, the plot kicks off. [[spoiler:After she's defeated, Harold and George figure out what happened and Heel-Face Brainwash her for real.]]
148* In Craig Shaw Gardner's ''Cineverse Cycle'', Captain Crusader (known by various names in the Cineverse's many B-movie worlds) has a habit of spouting vaguely relevant [[AnAesop Aesops]] when encountered. It's eventually discovered by the main cast that hearing these has profound psychological effects on anybody native to the Cineverse, sometimes including the power to instantly convert mooks and minor villains. As all villains in the Cineverse are the [[CardCarryingVillain card-carrying]] variety, who get their mooks from Central Casting, the HeelFaceBrainwashing is here played as straight as possible.
149* ''Literature/AClockworkOrange'' is a possible UrExample and also an UnbuiltTrope - VillainProtagonist Alex is conditioned to have strongly adverse reactions to the mere thought of sex or violence, and it pretty clearly ruins his life. Alex seems to remain the same way he was before the treatment: his brainwashing just prevents him from acting on it. In effect, it's more of a RestrainingBolt. This was one of [[AnAesop the main points of the story]]: if you ''force'' someone to be good against their will, then they aren't really a good person. And when Alex does become a RetiredMonster (depending on what version of the story you're reading) in the end, it's not because of the conditioning but because he just doesn't find wanton violence fun anymore. He doesn't even regret it, he merely gets tired of it. Which was the reason the rest of his droogs eventually gave up the wanton part of that life and something that was already starting to happen with Alex even before the brainwashing.
150* In an instance where the title itself is a spoiler, Alfred Bester's ''Literature/TheDemolishedMan'' refers to a future America's use of punishment along these lines. It involves utterly breaking someone mentally and then rebuilding them into a model citizen. [[spoiler: this ends up happening to the VillainProtagonist]] It's commented that the old punishment of execution is barbaric and pointless when a person could contribute to society if the bad was drained from them.
151* ''Literature/DocSavage'''s Crime School, which bears [[ValuesDissonance an uncomfortably close resemblance to lobotomization for modern readers]].
152** This is surprisingly common in {{Utopia}}s before science fiction's Golden Age--as in, so before the Golden Age that they also talk positively of the annihilation of all non-"useful" animal life. It's still used straight as late as the middle of Creator/IsaacAsimov's career, although in the short story in question the character advocating the procedure is [[spoiler:secretly a robot, who of course would regard mental reprogramming as no different from the reprogramming done to defective robots.]]
153** Given a ShoutOut in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse story 'Razzle Dazzle', in which the narrating supervillain (who probably [[UnreliableNarrator isn't entirely honest overall]], mind) reminisces about how he basically shut down the setting's Doc Savage {{Expy}} hard by blowing the whistle on the massively debilitating ''long-term'' consequences of his version of the process...
154* A very interesting example happens in the ''Emerald City'' series. Midgety is a particularly nasty ogre until being hit with a spell that makes him a vegetarian, completely disgusted by eating meat. While he initially retains his ugly personality, he makes a HeelFaceTurn very quickly.
155* In [[Literature/RealmOfTheElderlings The Farseer Trilogy]], this is done to Regal (the morality is admittedly grey anyway.) Frustratingly enough, he is then killed by a rodent in the same (last) chapter, so the reader never gets to actually see good!Regal in action.
156* In a supreme irony, a KnightTemplar who engages in this behavior in ''[[Literature/{{Accelerando}} Glasshouse]]'' is forced to reprogram herself so she believes it's wrong to change people like this. Decide for yourself whether that's hypocrisy or {{karma}}.
157* ''Literature/MollyMoon'' repeatedly uses her hypnotic powers to turn her nasty antagonists into good guys -- though in a more roundabout way than most examples of the trope; she can't re-write someone's personality and for the most part the series is pretty consistent about hypnotic influences wearing off after a while, so Molly's main method is to imprint the villains with a GoodFeelsGood sensation and hoping they'll remember and stick with this.
158* In Creator/HBeamPiper's ''Literature/{{Paratime}}'' series, serious criminals are subjected to "psycho-rehabilitation". The Paratime civilization is generally presented in a benign light, and some of the criminals in question are quite nasty (cross-temporal slave traders and so on), but:
159--> "Psycho-rehabilitation was a dreadful thing to face. There would be almost a year of unremitting agony, physical and mental, worse than a Khiftan torture rack. There would be the shame of having his innermost secrets poured out of him by the psychotherapists, and, at the end, there would emerge someone who would not be Salgath Trod, or anybody like Salgath Trod, and he would have to learn to know this stranger, and build a new life for him."
160* In a ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' side story, Percy battles the Titan Iapetus near Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness. Percy dunks himself and Iapetus in the river. Percy, a son of Poseidon, stayed dry, and Iapetus is soaked so he forgets everything. He gets renamed Bob and even helps cure some nasty wounds.
161** [[spoiler:He starts to remember his former life as Iapetus as he treks through Tartarus with Percy and Annabeth in ''The House of Hades'' and encountering various monsters and Titans. These memories have him feeling misgivings towards Percy, but he ultimately makes a real HeelFaceTurn after Percy apologizes and decides to accept his new identity despite his returning memory, making a HeroicSacrifice for the demigods to escape.]]
162* Played with in the ''Literature/RebelForce'' series. A brainwashed Imperial assassin, X-7, has been trying to kill Luke Skywalker, but his continuing failures and time away from his master shakes the brainwashing--not much, but enough that he's bothered by stray emotions and fragments of memory with no context to them. He goes rogue in order to search for his obliterated past--the Rebels, aware of this, decide to set things up to convince him that he's the long-lost brother of one of them, in the hopes of turning him against the Empire. It's much milder than what was done to him in the first place but still harsh. [[spoiler: And has very mixed results.]] The brother in question starts to suspect that [[AccidentalTruth X-7 actually is his long-lost brother]], then doubts it again[[spoiler:-and then both of them end up dying with the truth of the matter left ambiguous.]]
163** In the next book Luke Skywalker pulls off a much kinder example [[spoiler: on a base full of people who'd undergone similar brainwashing. He uses a desperate wide-scale JediMindTrick to ''undo'' the Imperial brainwashing, leaving it a base full of people who were confused and didn't know who or where they were--he couldn't restore the memories that had been lost--but wouldn't think and act as appendages of the BigBad anymore.]]
164* In ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle'', the dark and light elves are the same people, separated by culture and morality. The dark elves live in the frozen north, the light elves in Elvandar, a magical forest created by their Spellweavers. It's possible for a dark elf to hear the "Call of Elvandar" and over a span of years, culminating in a single, sudden switch, convert to the other side. The conversion involves a full-scale LossOfIdentity, complete with taking on a different name. Their previous self is explicitly said to be considered dead by all involved. Due to the ProtagonistCenteredMorality, however, this more questionable side of the light elves is never explored.
165** However, considering there was one dark elf who was so overcome by the beauty of Elvandar that he had ''thought'' he converted, only to be gently rejected by the elven queen who recognized this as more of a heat-of-the-moment decision, shows that perhaps it's more of a case of becoming tired of TheSocialDarwinist ChaoticEvil and just deciding to rid themselves of all that.
166* Some of Creator/RobertAHeinlein's early works feature The Covenant (no, not [[Franchise/{{Halo}} that Covenant]]), a sort of updated super US Constitution. Either you're a peaceful member of society or you're cast into the wilderness with the other reprobates. If you don't want option B, you can get your mind psychologically reconditioned. This is a society in which psychology is like magic and they really can iron out the kinks and turn you into a different person. But they would never do that against your will (since this is [[AuthorTract Heinlein's vision]] of a Libertarian uptopia), hence the wilderness option.
167* In the third book in the ''Literature/SeaOfTrolls'' series, we meet a dwarf (not the [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame fantasy kind]], but a [[DepravedDwarf little person]]). He seems decent at first, but we later learn that he's a shady, treacherous JerkAss working for the evil king. After his memory is erased, he becomes a perfectly decent guy.
168* In the first ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'' book, this is how the heroes deal with the Hunter. And they're particularly nasty about it, giving him memories of a horrible backstory where no one loved him and he was constantly the victim of misfortune and stupid mistakes. When Jenna [[ThrowTheDogABone tries to soften it by giving the Hunter a dog who was his only friend]], [[YankTheDogsChain Nicko cuts her off by adding that the "dog" died]]. The Hunter ends up working as a buffoon in the circus.
169* ''Literature/TheStainlessSteelRat'':
170** The protagonist's future wife starts at as a brilliant but hideously amoral and violent con artist. She is brainwashed in a way that allows her to retain her personality but lose the crazy (except for some MamaBear and BewareTheNiceOnes moments). This operation can be seen as a cure for sociopathy, which contemporary research suggests is more like a cognitive and emotional disability than a character trait. The moral implications of this type of "brainwashing" are probably less negative than most other examples given here.
171** The trope is played straight with a former pawn of Angelina's; his personality is completely stripped away. It was only because Jim knew what caused Angelina to go wrong that they could get at the root of the problem and excise just the sociopathy.
172** Played straight in ''A Stainless Steel Rat is Born''. Criminals are routinely subjected to brainwashing to reintegrate them into society, at least on Jim's home planet.
173* This is pretty much the effect of a Confessor's power in the ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' series. Said power being to make whoever is Touched [[ThePowerOfLove love the Confessor]] so much that they'll do ''anything'' for her. So someone could be fanatically devoted to gutting the Confessor one second, then fanatically devoted to saving her the next. This is typically only used in self-defense.
174** During the series proper; in the setting prior a Confessor's duties normally included being on call to do this to convicted criminals, prisoners of unknown guilt to be interrogated, and accused people who request this as the only way to conclusively prove their ''innocence'' (lie-detector magic doesn't seem to exist). Differing regions had different stances on the practice, but there was evidently steady work for a considerable number of Confessors.
175*** This fails spectacularly in an episode of ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'', based on the books. Kahlan confesses to a convicted murderer who reveals that he did indeed commit the crime. Turns out the real criminal used a magical artifact to plant the memory of the murder into the patsy's head. Unfortunately, they figured it out ''after'' the guy was already hanged.
176*** Another failure is when a soldier of Darken Rhal is freed and reveals himself to be a conscripted carpenter with a family he planned to go back to. In other words, he was already a Face and had his life stolen.
177* In ''Literature/TalesOfTheMagicLand'', the wooden soldiers and policemen have their facial expressions remastered by carpenters from monstrous to friendly. As they, being solid wood, possessed neither hearts nor brains, this was the only way to make them do a HeelFaceTurn. It worked, as did GoodFeelsGood (for most of them). However, they lost their memories in the process.
178** Also, starting from the series' third book, it's a common practice to put villains to a long sleep using magical water that causes complete memory loss. When they wake up, they are taught anew to be good. The BigBad (one of the two) of the series Ruf Bilan gets it twice because, after his first brainwashing, the bad guys taught him first.
179* In ''Literature/VillainsByNecessity'', this is the force driving the plot. The AntiVillain / AntiHero main character doesn't want to have his free will stripped away by a do-good KnightTemplar mage who has nearly driven all evil from the world using a magic brainwashing spell. However, this is in a ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' type setting where the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil is imperative, and the world will end when the last evil is wiped away (the last evil is implied to be within the main party).
180** Considering that the world ending would be evil (and appears to be viewed as evil InUniverse), it appears that the last evil would never be wiped away. Consequently, problem solved.
181* This is the main part of the criminal justice system on Beta Colony in the ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga''. They don't have prisons but dangerous or violent criminals get sentenced to "therapy". It isn't a total rewrite, but it does change the offender on a fundamental level to make them someone who would not offend that way again. We never see a before and after, but "happy, vacant smiles" are mentioned by at least one Betan who fears being sentenced to it.
182* Literature/TheWheelOfTime, Graendal (as Hessalam) is under deep compulsion due to an accident while battling Aviendha; she now fawns over Aviendha.
183* A milder case happens in ''[[Literature/{{Xanth}} Yon Ill Wind]]'' by Piers Anthony. Chlorine is given a chance to "become the person she wants to be" by Nimby and has him make her prettier, healthier, stronger, and smarter. She also notes that she's actually a very nasty and unpleasant person (although we see no real evidence of that prior to this) and asks him to also make her a nicer and better person. He does so.
184[[/folder]]
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186[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
187* ''Series/BabylonFive'' uses this as an alternative to the death penalty, heavily inspired by ''Literature/TheDemolishedMan'' above, from which the show got its idea of telepathic police. The episode "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E04PassingThroughGethsemane Passing Through Gethsemane]]" is even built around the idea that many people consider the practice too lenient, unable to stand the thought that murderers get to live out their lives despite the fact that the person's original personality is for all intents and purposes dead (hence the practice officially being called "DeathOfPersonality"). In the episode, a Gregorian monk named Brother Edward discovers that he used to be a SerialKiller when a group of his victims' relatives partially undo the mindwipe. [[spoiler:In the end, he allows one of them to kill him (in a manner ''quite'' similar to [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic crucifixion]] -- he earlier speculates whether he'd be able to endure it like Jesus), who is then sentenced to death of personality as well and ends up becoming a monk in the same order under the name Brother Malcolm.]]
188* ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'': Whilst Mr. Brittas isn't really evil, he is a git and at best an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist. However, in "[[Recap/TheBrittasEmpireS4E4MrBrittasChangesTrains Mr. Brittas Changes Trains]]", he is accidentally hypnotized. Laura manages to convince the hypnotist to make him a kinder and more friendly person and they have a wonderful evening together... until the hypnotism wears off [[WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve at 12 midnight]], at which point he reverts back to his usual self.
189* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
190** Angel, from ''Series/{{Angel}}'': the most evil vampire in history, he was given a soul by Kalderash Gypsies against his will and spent the rest of his life atoning for the horrible deeds he'd done (though it's debatable how much this qualifies as "brainwashing", since it was his soul to begin with from when he was human). Except when he lost it and went evil again, and then, you guessed it, RoaringRampageOfRevenge (OmnicidalManiac, even). The difference, of course, being that the Romani weren't trying to be heroic ''per se'' -- they did it as the worst ''punishment'' they could think of after he killed a young woman of their clan. They did include the [[CurseEscapeClause clause]] "If you ever experience a moment of perfect happiness where your soul no longer troubles you, you'll lose it again". They not only neutered his evil side but also wanted his morally responsible side to suffer forever, even going so far as to allow the whole thing to come undone, just so he himself would have to deny himself happiness because he wouldn't want to turn evil again. This occasionally backfires.
191--->'''Jenny:''' Then, if somehow, if... if it's happened... then Angelus is back.\
192'''Enyos:''' I hoped to stop it. But I realize now it was arranged to be so.\
193'''Jenny:''' Buffy loves him.\
194'''Enyos:''' And now she will have to kill him.\
195'''Jenny:''' Unless he kills her first! Uncle, this is insanity! People are going to die.\
196'''Enyos:''' Yes. It is not ''justice'' we serve. It is ''vengeance''.
197** ''Buffy''[='s=] Season 4 gives us [[spoiler:Spike's chip]], which is very much like ''Literature/AClockworkOrange'' in that it doesn't change the personality, it just makes it impossible for him to hurt humans without suffering debilitating pain. This leads him to do a HeelFaceTurn not out of any heroic tendencies but because he discovers the chip still lets him hurt demons and his BloodKnight personality leaves him wanting to hurt ''something''. [[spoiler:And then later in the series, he actually does get his soul back - voluntarily, unlike Angel. [[GoodIsNotNice This does not necessarily make him a kitten]], though.]]
198* This is part of the premise of ''Series/DarkMatter2015''. The only reason most of the main characters aren't homicidal maniacs is that they somehow developed total IdentityAmnesia while in cryo-sleep at the beginning of the series. At [[FirstEpisodeTwist the end of the first episode]], they are shocked to learn the AwfulTruth that (except for Five, the resident MysteriousWaif) they are all wanted criminals with rap sheets ranging from theft, kidnapping, and piracy to murder and terrorism, routinely employed by the evil [[MegaCorp Mega Corps]] as deniable [[PsychoForHire Psychos for Hire]], and rather than being there to defend the mining colony on the planet below from the coming threat of "the Raza", they ''are'' the Raza. One, Two, and Six find this particularly [[AmnesiacDissonance troubling]], and the crew ends up turning against their former employers in a TheMagnificentSevenSamurai situation. It eventually turns out that the mindwipe was deliberately done ([[spoiler:by Five]]), but the intention had only been [[spoiler:to make Two and Four forget that Six - [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe who helped Five]] when she was discovered as a LittleStowaway - was an undercover cop, and therefore not murder him]]; because [[spoiler:she]] was in a rush, the code uploaded to the stasis core ended up giving the whole ''Raza'' crew LossOfIdentity instead, allowing AmnesiacsAreInnocent to kick in.
199* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWho2010CSAChristmasCarol "A Christmas Carol"]], a spaceship carrying Amy and Rory is going to crash unless [[Literature/AChristmasCarol Ebenezer Scrooge]] {{expy}} Kazran Sardick activates controls that are locked to his brainwaves so he alone can use them. He refuses, so the Doctor changes Sardick's past to make him into a nicer person, causing him both joy and heartbreak along the way. It works... [[GoneHorriblyRight a little too well]]: Sardick has changed so much that [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the controls no longer recognize him]], so they don't respond to his input.
200* At the end of ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'', the good guys mind-wipe [[spoiler:the BigBad, Boyd]] into [[spoiler:a blank, docile Doll they talk into blowing himself up with his own company]]. They wanted to just shoot him, but [[spoiler:the only gun they had was a mind-wiper]].
201* ''Series/EerieIndiana'': In "Just Say No Fun", Marshall and Simon turn the tables on Nurse Nancy by brainwashing her so that she laughs uncontrollably and endlessly when she hears the phrase "Womp-bomp-a-do-domp."
202* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' has Durka, who established himself as a villain by torturing Rygel and turns up in a later episode having been brainwashed by aliens into a friendly, helpful person incapable of violence. [[spoiler: Rygel didn't believe he was really reformed, so he tried to kill Durka, which [[NiceJobBreakingItHero ironically ended up breaking the mental conditioning and turning him evil again]].]]
203* In the final episode of volume 4 of ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', [[spoiler:Matt Parkman brainwashes Sylar, turning him into Nathan Petrelli... post-[[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor Face-Heel-Face Reversion]], that is.]]
204** And before that in volume 3, Ma Petrelli [[MindScrew Mind Screws]] Sylar into trying to be a hero by tricking him into believing she's his real mother.
205** And in the last three episodes of volume 5, [[spoiler: Matt traps Sylar inside a hallucination of an empty world. Sylar spends [[YearInsideHourOutside two years]] alone in there until [[IdiotHero Peter]] goes in after him (because apparently, he's TheOnlyOne who can save Peter's friend Emma). It takes them another [[YearInsideHourOutside three years]] to find a way out, by which time Sylar has been thoroughly Heel Face Mind Screwed.]]
206* Zordon's purification of the villains in the ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' finale "Countdown to Destruction". Most of the villains are reduced to dust, but Zedd, Rita, and Divatox become ordinary people (Karone survives too, but by that point, brainwashing was the only thing keeping her ''evil'').
207** It is heavily implied (but never ''quite'' confirmed) that, like Karone, Zedd, Rita and Divatox had originally been HumanAliens kidnapped as children and raised as villains, and that this is the reason they were transformed into ordinary folks instead of disintegrated like everyone else. In Divatox's case particularly, an episode of ''Turbo'' had already implied she was Dimitria's long-lost twin sister, which is seemingly confirmed by her purified self being dressed identically to Dimitria.
208* Mr. Smith from the ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'' got this after being revealed to be the BigBad of Series 1. Of course, the Earth would've gotten destroyed if Mr. Smith didn't get brainwashed.
209* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', Brainiac's final fate is to be captured by the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes and reprogrammed. This series' version of Brainiac 5 is the fifth ''form'' of the ''only'' Brainiac there is. He's still a little scary, but everything B5 does is, in the end, for the best. Of course, when reprogramming was attempted on Brainiac in the comics, it didn't last and he got his iconic head-ship out of the deal...
210* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS03E16ProphetMotive Prophet Motive]]" features Grand Nagus Zek having been somehow transformed from a typical greedy Ferengi into a paragon of generosity. It is later revealed that the Prophets changed him after he contacted them through the Orb of Wisdom trying to obtain knowledge of future events, and they took offense to the unbridled greed that defines Ferengi society. The prophets then announce their intent to do the same to Quark. They back down and reset Zek to his normal self when Quark explains that that would only result in more Ferengi poking around the wormhole trying to investigate.
211* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'':
212** The episode "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS4E9RandomThoughts Random Thoughts]]" also has an entire planet of telepaths where violent thought is punished by having said thoughts removed. The problem is that the person they want to do it to is B'Ellana Torres, a [[HalfHumanHybrid half]]-[[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Klingon]] whose violent thoughts make up a large chunk of her personality.
213** In the episode "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS7E12Repentance Repentance]]", the EMH accidentally corrects an anatomical defect in the brain of a SerialKiller on death row, giving the inmate the ability to feel guilt that he'd been lacking. However, this is more like a cure for clinical sociopathy rather than straight-out brainwashing, and thus not really in the same negative sense as most other examples on this page.
214* In ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', they capture a Wraith, wipe his memory, turn him into a human, and try to convince him he's one of them. It fails in the end so of course they [[TooDumbToLive promptly try it again on a larger scale]]?
215** Refreshingly, this particular case is treated as a monumentally stupid decision on the part of the Atlantis expedition, and recurring villain Michael (the original test subject) repeatedly [[WhatTheHellHero calls them out]] on the immorality of the action. Also, Michael had offered to become their ally again of his own free will (after having been rejected as being tainted by his own hive), so long as they didn't subject him to the virus again. They subjected him to the virus anyway, and this [[CreateYourOwnVillain turned him into one of their most persistent and dangerous enemies]].
216* ''Series/StargateSG1'' gives us one episode where a recently widowed Daniel Jackson falls in love with the brilliant young medical researcher and provisional leader of a MindWipe[=d=] and partly depopulated world as they investigate the cause of its people's current state. As it turns out? She's actually [[spoiler: Linea, a seemingly kindly old woman whom the heroes broke out from an alien jail with in a previous episode before learning she's a galactically infamous genocidal MadScientist also known as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Destroyer of Worlds]]. The whole situation is the result of an experiment she was conducting recently which de-aged and Mind Wiped the entire population]]. The kicker? After she [[ShmuckBait inevitably ends up succumbing to curiosity about her past]] and uses the memory-restoring plague cure she and Jackson were working on, they manage to get her to re-Mind Wipe herself before she [[AmnesiacDissonance succumbs to her rapidly returning memories]]. Which she readily agreed to, being horrified by how evil she used to be and even more horrified that she might become that monster again if her memories continued to return. What do they do with this [[SealedEvilInACan Sealed Evil In A Person]]? They send her BACK to the one planet in the galaxy where huge numbers of people now secretly know who she is, to help produce and administer the very plague medicine that could turn her into a homicidal maniac at any moment.
217* The entire first season of ''Series/{{Viper}}''.
218[[/folder]]
219
220[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
221* The {{backstory}} of Wrestling/DocGallows was that of an incredibly violent man pacified with drugs and then unleashed on the Wrestling/{{World Wrestling Federation}} as "The Cornfed Colossus" Festus. Then Wrestling/CMPunk "{{s|traight edge evil}}aved" him. Gallows went on to be a key member of Wrestling/{{Aces And Eights|Wrestlers}} and Wrestling/BulletClub, likely leaving a lot of Wrestling/{{TNA}} and Wrestling/{{New Japan|Pro Wrestling}} wrestlers asking who would save them.
222* The unofficial {{trope namer}} is probably the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior, who did this to Wrestling/BrutusBeefcake during his Disciple gimmick, {{heel| face turn}} and {{face| heel turn}} turn being wrestling terms and all.
223[[/folder]]
224
225[[folder:Roleplay]]
226* The Legion in the ''Webcomic/MSFHigh'' setting, which has only come up in the RP, are naturally capable of doing this. They actually consider it very immoral, allowing it only in clear cases of self-defense, since they kinda went overboard with doing it beforehand. To the point where they weren't the 'Face'.
227[[/folder]]
228
229[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
230* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' features a few items that can reverse CharacterAlignment - the ''helm of opposite alignment'' and the ''deck of many things'' are examples. The ''deck'' is something that no sane person would want an enemy to use, but the ''helm'' is well-known for being a (supposedly) cursed item that's been put to use for the sake of this trope. Certain spells in the various editions, such as ''sanctify the wicked'' or ''programmed amnesia,'' could be put to similar uses. Since the game features a pretty straightforward BlackAndWhiteMorality, the moral implications are generally glossed over. Generally.
231** One exception: lycanthropy also changes a character's alignment, and there are good and neutral types of lycanthropes. While, again, the implications of this trope are usually glossed over, this is part of why in TabletopGame/{{Eberron}} the Church of the Silver Flame targeted all lycanthropes during the Purge, ''including'' ones who didn't threaten society.
232* In ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', the various types of Exalted are all capable of learning to be supernaturally persuasive, occasionally to the point of MindRape, and often leading to this trope. The books are very much aware of the implications, however. [[BewareTheSuperman Stuff like this is one of the many reasons the Usurpation happened.]]
233* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' has the Crown of Benevolent Rulership in Magic Items 2, it makes whoever wears it into a kindly and benevolent ruler. Personality effects can persist if worn too long, however, the compulsion disappears with the removal of the crown. However, the blurb about the crown subverts the trope. EvilOverlord Wenceslaus who had the crown created to lull his neighbors into a false sense of security. (He had obviously read the EvilOverlordList, noting the part about how adhering to the list makes one indistinguishable from a competent good ruler.) However, it's implied that it worked too well and he never did get around to his evil schemes (though it also could have been a case of BecomingTheMask or GoodFeelsGood).
234* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': Alchemists can gain a discovery that changes the target's CharacterAlignment to good. While the normal version only lasts for 10 minutes per level, there is a grand discovery that is the same but permanent. The book itself notes that many alchemists find this power morally sketchy and only use it in extreme cases.
235* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', this trope applies to the Space Marines. The Space Marines often recruit ''Complete Monsters'' and somewhat more savory gangers, barbarians, war criminals, cannibals, etc. They take the nastiest bastards in the human race because they're vicious and tough enough to survive in conditions that would drive a normal person insane or dead. But the Marines must first do psychic-surgery and hypnosis on these guys to give them a modicum of conscience or at least make them less likely to commit an atrocity at the drop of a hat. That said, after the procedure, the new Battle Brother has no complaints about it and will likely argue for its necessity!
236** It is also heavily implied that the Tau Empire does this to their allies and foes when not using concentration camps.
237** The necessity of the Space Marines' brainwashing is made clear by looking at their predecessors, the Thunder Warriors, who were augmented without it. Whether it was because of a flaw in the augmentation procedures, because turning people who grew up on a barbarian wasteland of a planet into superhumans was a bad idea, or both, the Thunder Warriors were psychologically and physically unstable. After the Thunder Warriors conquered Terra for the Emperor, he had them purged, since keeping around an army of AxCrazy superhumans with limited lifespans (meaning they have absolutely nothing to lose) would be a really bad idea.
238[[/folder]]
239
240[[folder:Video Games]]
241* In the backstory for the ''Franchise/BlazBlue'' series, [[spoiler:Yuuki Terumi was subjected to Ruby: Mind Eater by Nine to fight alongside the rest of the Six Heroes against the Black Beast. The reason this is {{justified|Trope}} in-universe is that [a] Terumi is a monster in human skin, and thus cannot be trusted to do anything to better the world; [b] the Black Beast they sought to destroy was of his own creation, and thus knew best how to destroy it; and [c] the alternative would be to [[HumanResources install Celica into Kushinada's Lynchpin]], something Nine would never condone in her darkest moments. Once Mind Eater was undone, he went right back to the way he was, and both Nine and [[UnwittingPawn Trinity]] paid the price.]]
242* TheReveal in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar'' is that [[spoiler: your character is TheDragon to the BigBad, who was betrayed and left for dead by TheStarscream and found by the CIA. You've been subject to extensive brainwashing to make you believe you're a Western agent, in hopes you'll eventually spill details about the Big Bad's location. Once you learn the truth, you can either continue helping the Americans with the rationale the Big Bad's plan is worse than anything the Americans will ever do (as well as the aforementioned betrayal by your own associates), or you can resume your former loyalties and secretly set your CIA "allies" up by leading them into a trap or simply just diverting them so they can't stop the BigBad]].
243* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' and ''VideoGame/CityOfVillains'':
244** Scirocco does this to his lackey, Ice Mistral, as a prelude to his plan to attempt to do it on a worldwide scale. In this case, mind you, Scirocco is a self-hating villain who sees this as his only chance for redemption. Since it's a villain arc, we never find out what actual heroes would think of this.
245** A similar case within ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' is Malaise, an insane supervillain who projected his thoughts onto others in the form of intense illusions. He was eventually subdued by the psychic superheroine Sister Psyche, who 'healed' his mind and had him serve as her sidekick while maintaining a PsychicLink with him. Of particular, suspicious note: when the PsychicLink was broken, Malaise quickly reverted. [[spoiler: And, in any case, he has recently turned evil anyway, joining a conspiracy to depower/kill as many of the most powerful heroes as possible, with a personal interest in Sister Psyche.]]
246* The ''Yuri's Revenge'' expansion of ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2'' introduces a third faction led by [[ObviouslyEvil Yuri]] focused on psychic powers. The fourth mission of the Allied campaign against him has Albert Einstein being held captive by Yuri in Egypt to work on his Psychic Dominator technology, which if activated would bring the entire world under Yuri's will. When Einstein is rescued, he reveals that he was able to sabotage the nearby Psychic Dominator so that the Allied commander (you) would be able to use it against Yuri's forces...and there just so happens to be a nice cluster of Lasher and Gatling Tanks all bunched up and a prime target to fight for you. The sabotage leaves the Dominator unstable, though, and you only get one use out of it before the Dominator self-destructs.
247* At the end of ''VideoGame/CustomRobo'', [[spoiler:''every'' member of the Z Syndicate except for Sergei gets their memories erased and overwritten to make them believe they are actors playing the parts of the villains they really were. Sergei has to pretend he's ''also'' an actor in order to keep them from asking questions, though he's not very good at it.]]
248* The BigBad of ''VideoGame/ForeverHome'', Barclyss, is so far gone that erasing his memories and removing his [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity Abyss Prism powers]] was the only way to redeem him.
249* ''VideoGame/HeroKingQuestPeacemakerPrologue'': The Cerulean Hero Prince starts the game trying to kill the current Dark Lord on behalf of his warmongering father. Sanguine turns the prince into a zombie minion to act as the party's tank. The prince initially tries to resist, but she then adds a spell that completely removes his free will.
250* Franchise/{{Kirby}} can do this in ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' via [[ThePowerOfFriendship throwing a friend heart]] at most enemies and midbosses. [[spoiler:In the postgame campaign, ''Heroes in Another Dimension'', he can even redeem the [[NunTooHoly Three Mage-Sisters]] with a giant Friend Heart. After he does, a smaller Friend Heart lands on [[BigBad Hyness]] and Heel-Face Brainwashes him too.]]
251* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'':
252** The first game eventually reveals that [[spoiler:the GreaterScopeVillain Revan]] is actually [[spoiler:[[TomatoInTheMirror the player]], who ends up on the good side after [[LaserGuidedAmnesia losing his memories]]. ItsUpToYou whether ThePowerOfFriendship prevails or not]]. This is a case where the questionable moral implications ''are'' pointed out, and it can be the motivation [[spoiler: if you decide to fall back to the Dark Side.]]
253** In the [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords sequel]], you can install an 'HK Protocol Pacifist Package' into [[RoboticPsychopath HK-47]], with the effect of making him not only incapable of hurting anyone but saccharinely vocal about it. This is played entirely for laughs and lasts for one cutscene.
254* Played for laughs in the ending of ''VideoGame/LegoDCSuperVillains''. [[spoiler: The player character absorbs the [[FormulaForTheUnfathomable Anti-Life Equation]] and uses it to turn Darkseid, and his forces good...which causes them to act in an overly saccharine manner. Kalibak declares that he wants a kitten, Darkseid invites the others to stay for tea, and the Parademons start giving people flowers.]] Batman acknowledges that this might not be permanent, though.
255* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
256** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', you have the option of doing this to [[spoiler:the geth "heretics," i.e., those who have sided with the Reapers]]. While the game treats this as the Paragon choice, it's by no means presented as the "good" choice and the whole thing is treated as morally grey from start to finish. One of your squad members even points out that it's morally equivalent to killing them since by brainwashing them you're "killing their viewpoint." But another of your squadmates, [[spoiler: Legion, as the representative of the geth present]], points out that the concept of {{Brainwashing}} may not even apply in this situation, because they are a HiveMind by nature for whom the concept of individuality does not exist. It goes on to argue that imposing human attitudes like "democracy" or "opinions" onto them, or "even benign anthropomorphism," could even be considered racist.
257** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the Extended Cut reveals that one of the endings ''did'' do this to [[spoiler:the Reapers. "Control" has you [[MemeticMutation assuming direct control]] of them and forcing them to obey your will. This can be subverted if you were a Renegade, as a Renegade Shepard's narration implies s/he intends to use them to destroy anyone who opposes him/her.]]
258** As a result of the ''Leviathan'' DLC, this is done by the titular Leviathans to [[spoiler: Collector Forces]], freeing them from Reaper control, and allowing the players to use them in Multiplayer.
259* In ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork5TeamColonelAndTeamProtoMan'', the BigBad is almost convinced to give up on his evil ways, but he decides against it because he believes [[IveComeTooFar he's gone too far]] to be redeemed. [[spoiler:Cue [[EvenEvilHasStandards Dr. Wily]] of all people using the Soulnet to erase his memories, forcing Regal to reform.]]
260* In ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor'', Talion eventually gains the ability to "brand" Orcs, turning them and their followers into his own minions. His eventual goal is to ensure that his own [[MoleInCharge brainwashed Uruks become warlords]], thus ensuring that he has an army to stand against Sauron.
261** Expanded on in [[VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar the sequel]], where turn them into entire armies, conquering regions of Mordor and manning fortresses to propel the war effort. However, unlike the first game, there can be orcs that manage to break free of the brainwashing, one example being [[spoiler: Bruz]].
262* ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' has a special mission where you play as [[spoiler:Elvis the Grey alien, whose ship has just crashed in the Nevada desert]] and is being held captive in Area 51. He is only able to find a Psychosis Gun, which allows him to target security personnel and make them think allies are enemies and vice versa, essentially allowing you to make them switch sides.
263* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime'' has the Caulipower plant, which "attacks" by permanently hypnotizing a random zombie that's hungry for your brains into fighting against the zombies.
264* This is optional to recruit [[spoiler:[[BigBad Darkrai]]]] after the end of ''[[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky]]''. He [[spoiler:developed amnesia thanks to being attacked mid-time-travel after the final battle, and can be found wandering aimlessly through random dungeons like a wild Pokemon; and like a wild Pokemon, he can be recruited to your team]].
265* In ''VideoGame/Prey2017'', this is a way to deal with [[spoiler:Walter Dahl, a mercenary sent to kill the survivors of Talos I]]. If you knock him out, Dr. Igwe (provided he's still alive) will remove his neuromods, which will cause LaserGuidedAmnesia that will make him forget his original objective, with Igwe convincing him that he's there to help them out.
266** This could also apply to [[spoiler:what Alex Yu is trying to accomplish by introducing human memories into the Typhon. The ending reveals that the Typhon have already reached Earth, and Alex is experimenting on them to create a connection with humanity. It is up to the player's choice if it is successful.]]
267* In ''VideoGame/RememberMe'', the protagonist Nilin uses her powers to alter bounty hunter Olga Sedova's memories so that she comes to believe that [[MegaCorp Memorize]] was responsible for her husband's death via a botched surgery. She also does this later with [[spoiler:Scylla Cartier-Wells by altering her memory of Nilin as a child by making herself blameless for the car accident that caused Scylla to lose her leg]].
268* In ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' there is an item that you can use to brainwash anyone to fight for you. It may not necessarily be considered this trope if you don't see the Saints (the gang you are leader of) as the good guys.
269* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'':
270** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'':
271*** [[WellIntentionedExtremist Zelenin]] ''[[InvokedTrope tries]]'' to save the ChaoticEvil members of Jack's crew by transforming herself [[OneWingedAngel into an angel]] whose song could make them all LawfulGood. [[GoneHorriblyRight It worked]]! Problem? [[spoiler: [[{{Deconstruction}} The song is revealed to be a form]] of MindRape, and the men were left as {{Empty Shell}}s only capable of mindlessly praising Zelenin and the Lord; this is also a {{Foreshadowing}} of the Law Faction's plans for [[WorldOfSilence the Schwarzwelt]]. The few men who retained a semblance of free will ended up more like LawfulEvil {{Knight Templar}}s - and it's possible Zelenin's act only led them to an even ''worse'' death.]]
272*** It becomes a point of contention with the crew at an earlier point [[spoiler: when it's revealed the MK Guns the ''Red Sprite'' carries are essentially brainwashing equipment. These are used as extremely effective weapons against DemonicPossession, but that doesn't mean nobody imagines the implications of a gun designed to induce altered states of consciousness]].
273** After the horror of Reverse Hills Building, the four Samurai in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' return home to the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado for an urgent summons and just off the bat notice there's something ''wrong'' - the king and his court have been exiled and no one knows or cares where they went. Everyone received at least a measure of dreams that made them implicitly trust in the mysterious, unseen new rulers. The FantasticCasteSystem is being abolished and ''everyone'' is perfectly accepting of it - no revolts, no attempts at revenge, no nothing. Curiosity and desire to learn have all but faded. Purges and executions are increasingly common. [[spoiler: The Four Archangels have seized control, and are attempting to bend humankind to the will of the Law Faction.]]
274** ''VideoGame/Persona5'': The MO of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. They target corrupt adults who are beyond the law due to their positions, entering the mental worlds created by their "warped desires" and fighting monstrous manifestations of their corruption, literally "stealing" all desire that they have to do evil. For most of their targets, it's less of a forced HeelFaceTurn and more of a forced HeelRealization and MyGodWhatHaveIDone that causes them to confess their crimes and atone for them under the law. However, a few of the sidequest targets definitely fall under this: {{Bad Boss}}es, [[StalkerWithACrush Stalkers with Crushes]], and [[ControlFreak controlling mothers]] realize how horrible they've been and atone by turning their acts around and reconciling with those they wronged, almost always with happy endings as a result.
275*** This ends up being a DiscussedTrope in-universe, as the Phantom Thieves on occasion ponder the morality of their actions. They also have their critics; Akechi and Sae Nijima believe their methods are lawless and explicitly call the "changes of heart" outright brainwashing, though [[spoiler:Akechi is a hypocrite putting on an act, since he uses the Metaverse to not only cause mental shutdowns but ''also'' psychotic breakdowns, making him guilty of both mind control himself ''and'' outright murder]]. However, not only are all of the targets of the Phantom Thieves downright terrible people (with the exceptions of [[spoiler:Futaba]], whose change of heart was requested ''by the target themselves'' to get rid of crippling trauma, and [[spoiler:Sae Nijima]], as the Phantom Thieves [[spoiler:never planned to steal her treasure in the first place but instead used her Palace as the lynchpin of their plan to deceive Akechi and the Conspiracy]]), but as stated at the top, [[GodzillaThreshold they are too powerful or influential for any other methods to be viable]]. Kamoshida got away with verbal, physical, and sexual abuse because he brought the school too much good repute as an Olympic gold medalist; Madarame is a powerful individual in the art world capable of silencing anyone who speaks up about his plagiarism; Kaneshiro is a mobster who even the police can't pin anything on; Okumura is the CEO of an ''international'' restaurant chain [[spoiler:and also has connections to the Conspiracy]], and [[spoiler:Shido is an obscenely powerful and popular politician, the head of the Conspiracy, and basically has the police in his pocket]].
276*** This is taken even farther in the ''Royal'' UpdatedRerelease where [[spoiler: WellIntentionedExtremist [[MadScientist Dr. Maruki]] sought to turn reality into [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans a utopia where everyone is happy]] and part of his plan involved [[GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul rewriting people's personalities to make them more amicable]], most notably [[TokenEvilTeammate Akechi]] who he brought back to life. He eventually snaps out of it and is disgusted at being robbed of his agency, calling it a FateWorseThanDeath.]]
277* The gynoid [[KillerRobot WD-40]] in ''VideoGame/SpaceQuestVTheNextMutation'' sent to kill [[AlmightyJanitor Roger]] for [[AllCrimesAreEqual mail fraud]] is blown apart by Roger with his patented "[[Film/BeverlyHillsCop Axel Foley]]" method and then put back together by Cliffy, who reprograms her to be the ''Eureka''[='=]s science officer.
278* In ''Franchise/StarCraft'', Terran criminals that commit particularly brutal crimes undergo "neural resocialization" where their memories are essentially frosted over, and afterwards are usually drafted into the military as now-loyal Marines with a combat life expectancy of under 90 seconds.
279** In the novels one marine regains his memories while aboard a ship. This was done deliberately by a Protoss Preserver, a powerful psychic. Jake [[WhatTheHellHero calls her out on it]], as many of his friends and colleagues die because of this. On the other hand, this was the only way for Jake and Samara to escape and avoid Jake being vivisected by Mengsk's people.
280** In another novel, a female marine turns out to have been a serial killer preying on men by seducing them, taking them home then slowly flaying them. Her resocialization programming had problems when she was under heavy stress and when she was caught by Zerglings, it gave out completely: she whipped out a knife and went AxCrazy on them. Didn't save her from getting [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe killed]] off-screen, though.
281* A rather silly example comes from ''[[VideoGame/ToeJamAndEarl ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth]]'', where the titular duo ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Latisha]]) can "funkify" enemy Earthlings into the ways of funk, turning them into helpful [=NPCs=] who can give them handy items such as presents and microphones to get them through the game. It even temporarily gives them afros and star shades!
282* In dialogue from ''{{VideoGame/Warframe}}'s'' Jovian Concord update, [[spoiler:[[MissionControl Lotus]]]] implies this is the reason she acted the way she did for most of the game's history.
283* After completing the ''VideoGame/XCOM2: Shen's Last Gift'' DLC, you can choose to install Julian, the [[AIIsACrapshoot rogue AI]] fought over the expansion, into a [[RobotBuddy SPARK]] soldier. This triggers a brief exchange where Julian realizes some of his memory files have been deleted and his programming has been modified to [[RestrainingBolt make him subservient to your Chief Engineer.]] The result is a robot soldier that will follow your commands without fail while unleashing snark and sarcasm as his only form of protest.
284* This is apparently the replacement for capital punishment in ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}''. Unfortunately, it doesn't always take & in at least one case wound up making the guy even crazier, partially because the guy was a [[spoiler: [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Artificial War Realian-type construct]] left loose in normal society and had no outlet for the soldier-instincts]], and that his lawyer/wife was just using him.
285[[/folder]]
286
287[[folder:Webcomics]]
288* A somewhat twisted example happens in ''Webcomic/FlakyPastry''. Nitrine is one of the main characters, but ''isn't'' a nice person. This is explained by the fact that she's a Goblin -- a race that inherently [[AlwaysChaoticEvil lacks a conscience]]. When her beleaguered boyfriend (whom she'd been two-timing on and lying to for a while) appeals to a powerful wizard for a way to solve his heartache, the wizard responds that while any kind of LovePotion or MindRape would be entirely unethical, it would perhaps ''not'' be unethical to magically imbue her with a human-level conscience, thus curtailing her behavior. Unfortunately, this backfires spectacularly, since it instantly causes Nitrine to collapse with guilt over all of her past actions -- to the point where Zintiel, a crazy, sociopathic High Elf who manages to take the title of TokenEvilTeammate ahead of even Nitrine, [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame "congratulates" the guy on]] coming up with such a spectacularly cruel way to get back at his cheating girlfriend.
289* The ''Webcomic/FreakAngels'' eventually do this to Luke [[spoiler: by his request]], to end his habit of mind-controlling and raping attractive {{Muggles}} because he feels superior to them.
290%%* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', both Jesus and the Buddha. Most recently the Buddha has enlightened Illuminati drones.
291[[/folder]]
292
293[[folder:Web Original]]
294* In ''Literature/FineStructure'', it is implied that [[spoiler:[[BigGood Mitch Calrus]] transferred John Zhang's MoreThanMindControl-induced loyalty to the BigBad to himself, using the same power.]]
295* The Cleanser in the Sporewiki Fiction Universe is named for his doing this very frequently, in fact, it's essentially his day job.
296[[/folder]]
297
298[[folder:Western Animation]]
299* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'':
300** [[Recap/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehogS01E57RoadHog One episode]] ended with a scene where Sonic hypnotized a generic group of biker pigs into becoming good guys, and this was treated as totally fine when Robotnik had spent the entire episode using the same tactic on others.
301** Also played with in "[[Recap/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehogS01E25SnoProblem Snow Problem]]", Robotnik implants Scratch and Grounder with mind-altering chips that turn them into (even more) mindlessly loyal droids. These malfunction and make them loyal to Sonic instead. While the heroes have no deliberate play in this, they get the gist of what's happened and make the two into their servants for the temporary length it lasts. Interestingly the chip is also implanted onto Tails during the episode, turning him into a mindless zombie (in contrast to Scratch and Grounder who act more or less like good versions of their normal sentient selves).
302** In "[[Recap/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehogS01E53HoneyIShrunkTheHedgehog Honey, I Shrunk the Hedgehog]]," Sonic and Tails use the effects of Robotnik's shrink ray to their advantage by slipping inside Scratch and Grounder's heads to [[BrainWithAManualControl temporarily override their programming]] and turn them against their master.
303* In ''WesternAnimation/BeastMachines'', after the Maximals remove Megaton's mental conditioning on [[spoiler: Rhinox/Tankor]], they are shocked to find that he actually agrees [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill with him]]. [[TheLancer Cheetor]] orders Rattrap to reprogram him back to their side, but is overruled by [[HonourBeforeReason Optimus]].
304* ''WesternAnimation/BewareTheBatman'': [[ClassyCatBurglar Magpie's]] backstory is that she was a repentant thief who volunteered to have this done to her. All of her memories were wiped and she was given a new name, past, and personality. While this was successful for a time, she eventually developed a deranged, super-villainous SplitPersonality. The process also somehow [[FeelNoPain removed her ability to feel pain]], which made her significantly more dangerous.
305* A prison in ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'' uses technology to effect this change. It's PlayedForLaughs when the Galactic President muses about its potential in upcoming elections. Unfortunately, the makers of the brainwashing caps apparently decided to include a setting that had the ''reverse'' effect.
306* ''WesternAnimation/CarmenSandiego'': A rare case of villains using this trope themselves. Whenever a V.I.L.E. agent gets caught, they have their memories of V.I.L.E. erased, and to avoid the possibility of remembering them, V.I.L.E. also wipes away any criminal intent too.
307* This happened in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/COPS1988'', where Ms. Demeanor was forced by a judge to wear a headset that prevented her from thinking negative thoughts. Unlike most examples on this page, the good guys are very much against it and quite vocal about how immoral it is, citing free will and the fact it would not be true reform but rather something forced on her by a piece of technology. Of course, the device fails at a critical plot point; it makes Demeanor so LawfulStupid that she lets the episode's VillainOfTheWeek go so she can chase a litterbug.
308* Happens to the Hacker at the end of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}'' episode "Harriet Hippo and the Mean Green."
309-->'''Wicked:''' Puppies and clowns, trick-or-treat\
310From now on, you are nice and sweet!!!
311* ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'':
312** In one episode, [[BigBad Zordrak]] takes a shortcut through [[NegativeSpaceWedgie some kind of dimensional rift]] so that he can return to his body before it crumbles to dust. TheNarrator is happy to inform the viewers that if he strays off course, his worst fears will come true, [[TemptingFate and sure enough]], [[TheStarscream Urpgor]] comes through the vortex at the exact same time, knocking Zordrak off course and causing his worst fear to come true: he comes out the other end as "a very nice person", and stays that way long enough to admonish [[TerribleTrio Blob, Frizz, and Nug]] for stealing [[MacGuffin the Dreamstone]] and send Urpgor back to return it (with "an apology and flowers"), along with suggesting a few other changes including a dancefloor and a more colorful refurbishment to his lair. He returns to normal after a piece of rubble lands on his head, and he's not happy when Urpgor triumphantly tells him what he's done...
313** Also done in "Too Hot To Handle" when the Urpneys accidentally get a good dream flashed into their minds by the Dreamstone's magic beams, causing them to become extremely kindly and prissy, willingly handing back the stone to the Dream Maker and happily informing Zordrak of their actions...with the expected results.
314*** Done intentionally (albeit as a temporary distraction) in "The Moon Of Doom" and "Auntie Again".
315** The Noops do this again in "Argorrible Attack", albeit somewhat obliviously. After being given nightmares, they sneak into the Urpney's victory party and spike their drinks with good dream bubbles, just attempting to see if it would have ''any'' positive effect in stopping them. It once again turns them giddy and pleasant, but only for a worthlessly short amount of time, much to the heroes' woe.
316** Done more effectively in the first season finale, with the protagonists using magic to ''again'' turn the attacking Urpneys nice (and the Argorribles into cute puffballs!). It seems to have a more permanent effect, though it is remedied after Blob and Urpgor evacuate them back to Viltheed the following episode.
317** The Urpneys are actually [[MinionWithAnFInEvil already low level in villainy]]; the brainwashing merely exaggerates this to the point they are outright SickeninglySweet and affectionate, and no longer cowardly enough to follow Zordrak's orders.
318* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'':
319** In an early episode, Mabel gives Gruncle Stan magical dentures that make him unable to lie, or even to want to lie. After trying desperately to prevent Stan from confessing to crimes and getting arrested, Mabel learns not to force changes on people.
320** In the episode "[[Recap/GravityFallsS2E7SocietyOfTheBlindEye Society of the Blind Eye]]", Blind Ivan, the leader of the eponymous group, ends up getting his entire identity erased by the LaserGuidedAmnesia ray used by the society (albeit, by accident as Dipper admitted it was overdone), so Mabel gives him a new identity as a happy minstrel.
321* In a DarkerAndEdgier alternate universe of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', the villains of Arkham Asylum have become [[EmptyShell model patients]] thanks to lobotomies ''from Superman's laser-eyes''.
322* PunchClockVillain and/or HeroWithAnFInGood Shego from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' turns into the painfully sweet and kind Ms. Go after getting zapped by the [[MirrorMoralityMachine attitudinator]].
323** This was, in fact, the second episode to feature the Attitudinator. The first had Drakken get temporarily turned to good.
324*** Both episodes also featured a FaceHeelTurn due to the same machine. For Shego's episode, it was Team Go (her former superhero partners). For Drakken, it was Ron (well, Ron was also turned evil in Shego's episode, but it was much more brief that time).
325* Pulled off both accidentally and in a very [[MindScrew mind-screwy]] manner in ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes2006'' with the added elements of shapeshifting and infiltration.
326* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Lolirock}}'' episode "Forget You!", when the princesses discover Praxina has lost her memory, they decide to show her how to be good, rather than remind her of her evil past. After a rocky start ("Could we not destroy things and still help people?"), Praxina embraces doing the right thing. Of course, StatusQuoIsGod, so she gets her memories back by the end of the episode and goes back to being evil, but Iris is hopeful that some of what they taught her will stick.
327* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/MegasXLR'', Coop and the gang land on a planet to ask directions, only to discover that all the worker robots inhabiting it are in fact prisoners of a facility that seemingly removes their free will to make them their slaves. Like usual, Coop demolishes everything, and after getting the directions from the newly awaken robots and leaves, we see the robots he just "freed" destroying all traces of life on this planet very violently, with the "evil overlord" being in fact the prison warden who had transformed killer robots into docile sheep to rehabilitate them, the episode ending with one robot saying he'll repay Coop by destroying Earth.
328* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
329** The main cast use the Elements Of Harmony on Nightmare Moon in the series premiere to turn her good. Justified somewhat, as it was turning her back into her original Princess Luna persona, with the audience finding out seasons later that it was actually reversing a previous Face-Heel brainwashing. When the Elements Of Harmony are used on Discord, who was always malicious, it had a [[TakenForGranite different effect]].
330** [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Inverted]] by Discord himself, as he flipped the qualities that let five of the Mane Six utilize the Elements of Harmony, rendering them both unable to use their elements and forcing them into a FaceHeelTurn in the process. Of course, this allowed Twilight Sparkle to play this trope completely straight by forcing good memories of their friendships into her corrupted friends to break them of Discord's hold.
331** When it comes time for the characters to attempt [[HeelFaceTurn redeeming]] Discord the following season, Twilight plans on using a spell that will do exactly this. Discord, however, is having none of it and destroys the spell pages she was planning to use by eating them.
332* ''WesternAnimation/PawPawBears'': In "The Great Paw Paw Turnaround", a Paw Paw from space visits Earth. In the past, he was an evil Meano known as Nasty Paw until one day, he was abducted by aliens who zapped him with a Reversatron (a zapper that brings out your best, or worse, qualities). Nasty Paw was now Nice Paw.
333* ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpy'': Stimpy puts a Happy Helmet on Ren, and they proceed to sing the "Happy Happy Joy Joy" song together. Ren however manages to fight all of these happy impulses and smashes the helmet off of his own head with a hammer. Needless to say, he is ''NOT'' happy about the entire ordeal.
334* ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'': In "No Brainer," Snively, with the help of a "memory scrambler" device, brainwashed Sonic into working for the bad guys. By the end, the tables have turned, and Sonic brainwashes Snively. While he doesn't really force Snively into doing anything directly helpful for the good guys, Snively does physically attack Robotnik when he sees him, thanks to Sonic filling his freshly-laundered brain with insults about Robotnik. It doesn't end well for Snively.
335* In episode 11 of the cartoon version of ''VideoGame/SpaceAce'', after Kimberly was turned into a baby, Dexter becomes brainwashed by Borf into grabbing Kimberly, so every time Ace turns back into Dexter, the brainwashing process is in effect. However, after turning back into her adult form, Kimberly uses the brainwashing machine to snap Dexter out of his brainwashing state and destroys the machine using Dexter's gun.
336* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''
337** Joked about in the episode "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E28MessageReceived Message Received]]", where Amethyst comes up with a nonsensical plan to shrink down and manually alter Peridot's mind in the face of her betrayal. Steven [[DefiedTrope shoots it down]] because he doesn't want to tell her what to do (never mind the fact that it's clearly impossible). It turns out to be unnecessary anyway, [[MistakenForBetrayal since Peridot never intended to betray them]].
338** Discussed more seriously in ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseTheMovie'': Steven accidentally erases [[BigBad Spinel's]] memories, [[AmnesiacVillainJoinsTheHeroes she joins his side]], and even after her memories are restored so she can stop her DoomsdayDevice, Spinel initially remains an ally. However, Steven accidentally reveals he was still carrying the amnesia-causing weapon, which makes Spinel think he was planning to ''deliberately'' erase her memories later. Steven ''still'' wouldn't think of it, and even [[BurningTheShips breaks the weapon]] to prove he won't.
339* In the '90s animated version of ''[[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'', this once happens to Shredder by accident. [[spoiler:He is brainwashed into believing he's Michelangelo as part of his latest scheme to infiltrate the Turtles' home.]] Except the trigger to turn the brainwashing on and off is the word "Shredder." So, of course, they go into a factory, which just happens to have a cheese shredder in it...
340* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'':
341** In the episode "The Core", Optimus and the Autobots suffer a ''major'' OutOfCharacterMoment when they authorize Chip to use MindControl {{Phlebotinum}} on the Constructicons. In fairness, another episode had revealed that the Constructicons were victims of a Decepticon MirrorMoralityMachine and had originally been ''nice,'' but Chip's gizmo didn't reverse that, it appeared to be just enslaving them (although it really isn't clear; they don't get many lines during the brief time they're working for the 'Bots). Particularly glaring in light of the fact that the Constructicons' obvious camaraderie in this episode makes them seem downright [[AntiVillain sympathetic.]] "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" indeed!
342** Also, about that episode that says the Constructicons were good once? Two other episodes give ''[[MultipleChoicePast two other histories]]'' for the Constructicons, each backstory incompatible with the other two. They didn't care about continuity, so The Core being a followup to the earlier episode - which it didn't reference at all - would be ''entirely'' OutOfCharacter for the writers. Odds are, The Core's writer had never even heard of the earlier story. In the episode itself, the decision was presented ''purely'' as Chip and the Autobots saying "Ooh, the Constructicons turn into a really strong CombiningMecha! What if it was ours?" and then going and whipping up some "dominator discs."
343*** Interestingly Chip is disappointed that the Constructicons remain loyal to Megatron after escaping control, hoping they would learn something from their experience as an Autobot, laying some ambiguity as to whether the device was designed to enslave their mind or merely give them goodwill.
344* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' does it with Sargent Hatred when the OSI deletes pedophilia from his brain. Although it doesn't seem to have been 100% effective.
345* In ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'', [[BigBad Magneto]] did this to his daughter Wanda, AKA the Scarlet Witch. Subverted, though, in that all it involved was implanting her with fake memories of a happy childhood with Magneto. She was still the same person, still a bad guy; she just didn't try to destroy Magneto anymore.
346* Happens in ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'', where using only one half of the [[MirrorMoralityMachine Yin-Yang Yoyo]] induces an alternating [[HeelFaceTurn Heel-Face]] or [[FaceHeelTurn Face-Heel]] turn [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor whenever the user exits the Yin-Yang World]].
347** Jack Spicer unintentionally becomes nice and joins the Xiaolin side one time when he uses the Yang-Yoyo, becoming helpful to the point of being annoying to the protagonists. Later when nice Jack uses the Yin-Yoyo to help his friends, even though he knows he will turn back to his original self, it's treated as kind of a sad farewell.
348[[/folder]]
349
350[[noreallife]]

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