History Main / ItsPersonalWithTheDragon

-->-- ''Film/{{Commando}}''

* In ''Film/{{Commando}}'', BigBad Arius is something of an afterthought compared to the intense rivalry of hero John Matrix and his EvilCounterpart turned Arius's [[TheDragon Dragon]] Bennett. While Arius is just one more would-be dictator to Matrix, Bennet is a traitor who helped kill their former teammates and kidnapped his daughter. On Bennet's end, he hates Matrix for getting him thrown out of the military and their special forces unit back in the day while also having a twisted sense of respect, which combine to [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou want him to prove himself better than Matrix]]. He outright ''refused'' payment once he learned his target would be Matrix.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina'': Percy feels that ItsPersonal with all five of the people on his [[GottaKillThemAll kill list]], the Briarwoods and the ones who worked with them to destroy his entire family. However, it's made clear, even more than in the [[WebVideo/CriticalRole source material]], that the one that he hates the most is his former teacher, [[LesCollaborateurs Professor Anders]]. Unlike the other four, Anders had been seemingly a longtime personal and loyal friend to his family, before he sold them out to the Briarwoods for his own ambitions, going so far as to [[WouldHurtAChild personally sell out Percy and his baby sister to be tortured and murdered]] when they had trusted him, above anyone else, to see the two of them to safety. Percy relays this to Anders right before he delivers the killing shot.
-->'''Percy''': We trusted you. You were our teacher. We would have done ''anything'' you asked. And you betrayed us when we needed you most. You're the face I saw when ''murder'' entered into my heart!

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'': Randall Boggs is the lifelong rival of James P. Sullivan, and shows nothing but contempt for him and his partner Mike Wazowski throughout the entire film, while his employer Henry J. Waternoose is a WellIntentionedExtremist who [[IDidWhatIHadToDo believes his actions are necessary]] for unawareness of a better way, and expresses genuine regret over his efforts to eliminate Sully and Mike once they discover his plan and try to stop it, which doesn't happen until TheReveal very late in the movie.

* A time-honored across several iterations of ''Franchise/PowerRangers''. Usually, a high-ranking henchman is a loved one of the heroes who has been [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed]] or otherwise made evil. The motivating question becomes, "How do we both defeat them and save them?" In order:

* This is common in most movies directed, written, or produced by Creator/ShaneBlack, as he usually makes TheDragon the ''de facto'' main villain to the BigBad. Such examples include the aforementioned first two ''Film/LethalWeapon'' movies, ''Film/TheLastBoyScout'', ''Film/LastActionHero'', ''Film/TheLongKissGoodnight'', and ''Film/TheNiceGuys''.

** Arguably the most famous case of this is the relationship between Luke Skywalker and [[ArchnemesisDad Darth Vader]], as pictured above. After all, it's Vader who [[MentorOccupationalHazard kills Luke's mentor]], pursues him across the galaxy, cuts off his hand, and is Luke's FallenHero [[LukeIAmYourFather father]]. By comparison, there's very little going on between Luke and the Emperor other than the Emperor going for a fairly standard attempt to [[TheCorrupter corrupt Luke]] to TheDarkSide and then saying WeCanRuleTogether. In the initial plans for the series, the Emperor was just going to be a PuppetKing while figures around him such as Vader and Tarkin played a DragonInChief sort of role.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' Emperor Belos is a GreaterScopeVillain who runs a coven system and enforces the rules and the one who wants Eda Clawthorne to be captured or forced to join his coven. But the one who actually spends most of the first season antagonizing Eda directly is his right-hand, Eda's sister and rival, [[Characters/TheOwlHouseLilithClawthorne Lilith Clawthorne]] who also [[spoiler: turns out to be the one who cursed Eda and destroyed her life when they were kids]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' Emperor Belos is a GreaterScopeVillain who runs a coven system and enforces the rules and the one who wants [[Characters/TheOwlHouseEdaClawthorne Eda Clawthorne]] to be captured or forced to join his coven. But the one who actually spends most of the first season antagonizing Eda directly is his right-hand, Eda's sister and rival, [[Characters/TheOwlHouseLilithClawthorne Lilith Clawthorne]] who also [[spoiler: turns out to be the one who cursed Eda and destroyed her life when they were kids]].

Tends to overlap with DragonInChief, and may lead to a DragonTheirFeet situation, where the hero and the dragon only settle their score after the BigBad has already been killed or defeated. Naturally, a subtrope of both ItsPersonal and TheDragon. Compare with TheHeavy where a villain other than the BigBad has the biggest villain role, and RivalFinalBoss in which TheRival is also TheDragon. Also compare LancerVsDragon when the second most prominent members of each team faces each other.

* ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'': Eragon's mentor Brom had a long-standing feud with Morzan, King Galbatorix's right-hand man. Much of this has to do with Morzan being Brom's EvilFormerFriend and fellow pupil who killed Brom's dragon in battle years ago.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' Emperor Belos is a GreaterScopeVillain who runs a coven system and enforces the rules and the one who wants Eda to be captured or forced to join his coven. But the one who actually spends most of the first season antagonizing Eda directly is his right-hand, Eda's sister and rival, Lilith who also [[spoiler: turns out to be the one who cursed Eda and destroyed her life when they were kids]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'', while Lord Hordak is the BigBad ([[spoiler:until the GreaterScopeVillain Horde Prime takes an active hand in things and become the new BigBad in the final season]]), Adora has no real relationship or particular feelings about him (indeed, they barely interact through the entire run of the show), but she does have very personal relationships with both of his Dragons; her [[AbusiveParents abusive adoptive mother]] Shadow Weaver and [[WeUsedToBeFriends former best friend Catra]].