Every good story needs
Conflict, that's axiomatic. But to simply have
The Protagonist fight
The Antagonist would not suffice. To provide the tension necessary to drive the audience from the
opening to
the end of the story, the author must increase the
Conflict gradually over the course of the story. This is
Rising Conflict.
Seeing as how it is almost mandatory that the confrontation between protagonist and antagonist not happen until
The Climax, the story has to rely on lesser sources of antagonism in the meantime: fights with
mooks,
mini bosses, and
dragons may all provide the proper amping up needed to deliver a fully charged
climatic battle between the protagonist and the antagonist.
But not all movies have classic villains, and as such the protagonist may simply be struggling against mounting complications and obstacles that get between them and their goal. Hence this trope is also frequently called
Rising Complications or
Rising Action, putting the emphasis on the protagonist's struggle instead of some clash between good and evil.
As this is a Omnipresent Trope,
this page should remain free of examples.