The Power Of Love / Western Animation

• Adventure Time:
  • In "Mortal Folly", Finn defeats the Lich the first time with a sweater imbued with the Power of L-L-Liking-Someone-A-Lot.
  • Deconstructed with and exploited by Maja the Sky Witch. She gains most of her powers through love, namely items that hold a lot of sentimental value to people... but it's also reconstructed in that while she herself understands what love is and manipulates it to her own ends, some entities that she tries to use for her own purpose, such as Darren, don't. This bites her in the butt.
• In Aladdin: The Series "Sandswitch" episode, Sadira switched places with Jasmine with a memory spell in order to make Aladdin hers. However, love was too strong for Sadira's spell as Jasmine and Aladdin love for each other was too strong. In addition, the Sultan's love for Jasmine was also too powerful for the spell.
• The two part episode "The Origins" from The Amazing World of Gumball uses this as an explanation of how Darwin got his lungs and legs; Put simply, Gumball and Darwin are connected by their souls with an unbreakable bond of friendship, and it was Gumball's love and faith in Darwin being able to return to Elmore after accidentally being flushed that caused him to undergo several million years worth of evolution in a few days at most.
• Jake and Rose from American Dragon: Jake Long. Jake wished that Rose was never taken by the Huntsclan, but then she remembers everything when she sees the photo of her and Jake from a dance.
• In the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Mayhem of the Music Meister!", the titular villain uses his voice to hypnotize people into submission. When AQUAMAN holds Black Canary (immune to the power of the Music Meister's voice thanks to earplugs) so Green Arrow can punch her, his feelings for her prove so strong that he's able to shake off the Mind Control for long enough to hit AQUAMAN instead.
• In Beast Wars, Blackarachnia defected from the Predacons to save her own skidplate, but the power of hers and Silverbolt's love brought her to the Maximals and made her part of the team, despite her initial reluctance. Since Blackarachnia was the Dark Action Girl for most of the series, this is slow going, but eventually, it does bring her around. Later, she's Mostly Dead until Silverbolt winds up facing the uber-powerful Rampage... at which point she's brought back to life in a new form and kicks Rampage to the curb, which is not an easy task.
• Used in one episode of the Beetlejuice cartoon, when BJ and Lydia's car Doomie falls in love with another car. Doomie is a Sentient Vehicle, but Pinky is not, making the romance difficult to say the least. But by the end of the episode, the trope is invoked in two ways. Doomie's love for Pinky actually causes her to become a Sentient Vehicle. Less overtly, Beetlejuice's own affection for Doomie (and Lydia) overcomes his annoyance about the whole thing.
• In Billy and Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure, Irwin uses this to save Mandy when she is kidnapped by the Boogeyman. Lampshaded when Grim said that it was "the power of love."
• In the BraveStarr episode "Who Am I?", Bravestarr had his memory blocked through a spell cast by Vipra. However, through the advice of the Shaman, Bravestarr uses this trope, although it also took the bond of friendship, to break the spell and get his memory back, due to those strong feelings being more powerful than magic.
• Ma-Ti of Captain Planet had "heart" as his element, considered to be a warped version of this, which garnered a lot of ridicule for how little and ineffectively it was used, as well as how ridiculously it was named. However, it is actually an awesome power, probably the best when you think about it. He has mind-control and the ability to summon potentially deadly animals as his powers, which he could use for very mischievous purposes if he wasn't so kind-hearted. Fun fact: in German dub, his power was Liebe, which translates to "love". Gotta love these language differences.
• Clone High had a whole episode parodying this trope as well as the power of rock. During the climactic scene where they tried breaking down the wall with love, one of the characters said, "But guys, love is just an abstract concept! It can't break down stuff!"
• At the end of the third season of The Dragon Prince, Callum sees Rayla fall from a high mountain while sending Viren to a Disney Villain Death, and jumps after to save her. He tries to cast a spell twice to turn his arms into wings and it doesn't work. Only when he gives a Love Confession (Unusual in that this occurs several episodes after he and Rayla have become an Official Couple) and takes peace in having said it does the spell work the third time. Even better, it's such a complicated spell that very few Skywing elves can master it. And Callum, a human boy, did it.
• DuckTales (2017)
  • Donald Duck is able to channel his temper through the love he has for his nephews, and uses as a strength to defend them or anyone close to him.
  • Della Duck spent a decade stranded on the moon in almost complete isolation, except for a giant moon mite and (for the final several months) moonlanders for company. The one thing that kept her from giving into despair and going insane was the thought of getting home to her children.
• In an episode of El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, Zebra Donkey dies but is brought back as a zombie when Manny and Frida steal Sartana's mystic guitar. Sartana eventually takes it back and tries to destroy Manny for stealing it. Zebra Donkey manages to get his hooves on it and destroys it, knowing full well doing so will destroy him as well. Manny, Frida and the rest of the kids gather around Zebra Donkey's ashes and the pieces of the mystic guitar and tearfully sing his theme song as Manny plucks one of the guitar's strings. Zebra Donkey is returned to life... or, undeath, rather.
  Frida: It must have been this guitar string!
  Principal: And the love of you children.
  Frida: Yeah. But mostly the guitar string.
• Evil Con Carne:
  • In the episode "H.C.C.B.D.D.", Major Doctor Ghastly reveals during Hector's birthday party that the most powerful force in the world is the power of love. When he objects that his organization was founded on hatred, she promptly cuts the party short and screams at everybody to get back to work with as much hate as possible... 'cause she just loves him like that.
  • Another example where she does this is in the Musical Episode "The Pie that Loved Me", as the Evil Plan involves pies that have love as the "secret ingredient". (The plan doesn't work, but Ghastly still tried.)
• The Fairly OddParents!. Very frequently throughout the series, love seems to be the one thing that is more powerful than the fairies' magic:
  • In Wishology Trilogy, the Darkness is defeated because Timmy realizes it just wants to be loved, so he uses Poof's warmth and innocence to turn it into the Kindness.
  • In one episode, Timmy wishes to have parents that couldn't care less. The spell works too well, and the only way Timmy is able to undo it is to put himself in danger, causing his parents' love for him to cancel out the magic.
  • In a different episode, Timmy breaks one of the fairies' biggest rules and has everything undone, then has his memory of his fairy family erased. Cosmo and Wanda also have their memory of Poof erased as well. However, due to being done with magic, Timmy's love for his fairy family and his fairy godparents' love for their child is powerful enough to undo the effects.
  • Subverted with the actual one of "Da Rules" saying "Magic can't interfere with true love". This is indirectly revealed to not be a physical limitation of magic but rather purely a cold bureaucratic rule with some rather loose definitions, as even when it's patently obvious that said "true love" is unhealthy, shallow, materialistic, or even one-sided, Cosmo and Wanda still aren't allowed to cast any spells that would interfere with it.
• Used in the animated special Freaknik: The Musical, the love of the fans help revive Freaknik as well as give him a handy Combined Energy Attack. It's in the book.
• Futurama:
  • Parodied in the episode "Love and Rocket", which features a very literal power of love: when a whole load of chalky Valentines heart-shaped candies are dumped into a supernova, it causes a wave of "mystical love radiation" that is powerful enough to destroy "three gangster planets and a cowboy world", but causes (or at least enhances) a wave of Valentines-inspired romance on Earth (which is far enough to see the radiation without being destroyed by it).
  • Also parodied in the episode "T: The Terrestrial", featuring bicycles on Omicron Persei 8 that are powered by love. At one point, Lrr tells his guards to "love harder".
  • Kif also once gave Amy a watch that was powered by love... also you have to wind it.
• Gravity Falls: Parodied in "Dipper vs. Manliness", when Mabel offers to help Stan hook up with Lazy Susan, a waitress at Greasy's Diner.
  Mabel: Grunkle Stan, you are a cranky, gross, weird old man, but we will get Lazy Susan to like you because nothing is stronger than the power of—
  Stan: Love?
  Mabel: Mabel.
• Hazbin Hotel: Carmilla, the biggest weapons dealer in hell, gives a pragmatic take to Vaggie. Love is a better motivator than The Power of Hate because the fear of losing your loved ones gives you the desperation to fight with absolutely everything you have.
• He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983):
  • In "Orko's Favorite Uncle", Orko's uncle Montork was brought to Eternia by Tauron, then was put under his control through a spell. However, Orko express how much he loved Montrok, which was strong enough to break the spell that was controlling him.
  • In "The Return of Orko's Uncle", Orko tried to help his uncle by going on his own to handle Azrog and Spydra but could't defeat them then was put under a spell to make him evil. However, Montrok reminded Orko how much he and everyone one around him love him, which got to him break free from the evil wizards spell.
• Kim Possible:
  • Ron Stoppable got his Chunky Updraft in the Grand Finale because the aliens grabbed an unconscious Kim and gloated that she'd be a great trophy.
  • It could also be said that it was this that inspired Kim to fight back at the climax of Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama after discovering her Romantic False Lead was a synthodrone and losing herself, only for Ron to reveal how he felt about her.
• When Link's spirit is severed from his body in an episode of the 80's The Legend of Zelda cartoon, Zelda is the only one who can see his spirit because of this.
• This is how Lilo & Stitch: The Series ends. After a suddenly-failed rescue mission led by Lilo to save all of the experiments Gantu captured, Stitch confesses his feelings to Angel, who responds by breaking open her and Stitch's containers with headbutts and feeling the same way towards him. Together, they smash open the other experiments' containers with their heads and free them. All of the experiments, save for 625, are now free and are to be given new names and/or "one true places".
• Middlemost Post: As seen in "Challenges", Angus hugging Parker for 30 seconds straight apparently produces enough love that the entire Post explodes.
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic:
  • This is played with in the Season 2 finale, "A Canterlot Wedding", when it turns out that the villain, Queen Chrysalis, has been powering herself up by siphoning love off of Shining Armor while disguised as Princess Cadence. It later bites her in the ass in the end of the episode when Twilight Sparkle frees the real Princess Cadence, allowing the latter to reunite with Shining Armor and use that same love to defeat Chrysalis.
  • Later weaponized in the Season 6 finale, "To Where and Back Again". Chrysalis tries to execute Thorax by forcibly draining him of all his love, making him an example of what happens to those who betray the hive. Starlight Glimmer encourages Thorax to "give her all of it!" instead, which leads to Thorax love-blasting Chrysalis and transforming into a majestic Changeling King. The other Changelings follow suit and subsequently turn into colorful beetle-like creatures, showing that love is more beneficial when mutually shared instead of taken and exploited.
• Pibby: In the trailer, one of Pibby's companions sarcastically asks if she'll use "the power of love" to defeat the Eldritch Abomination that threatens their worlds, to which she agrees that it sounds like a good idea. The very next shot shows what she actually meant: using a Care Bear knock-off's heart-shaped Care-Bear Stare as a makeshift weapon against it.
• In the cartoon pilot, PJ Sparkles is transformed into a Magical Girl due to her strong desire to love someone, and can do almost anything, provided she phrases it "I'd love it if X."
• Played interestingly in The Powerpuff Girls episode "Knock It Off". The villain, Dick Hardly, is slowly killing the girls. Professor Utonium, unable to stop him and being dragged away by the deformed Powerpuff Girl clones, can only tell his girls he loves them. The clones, realizing that Dick never gave them love, turn on him and free the Professor and the girls.
• The title characters in Robotman and Friends are robots powered by human love, requiring it to stay alive. Without love they lose power and become tired and physically weak.
• The Christmas Special Raggedy Ann and Andy in the Great Santa Claus Caper has a Sickeningly Sweet variant of this: the power of love (combined with some gratuitous Audience Participation) not only dissolves the Big Bad's Gloopstik, but convinces him to have a Heel–Face Turn.
• In the Grand Finale of Samurai Jack Jack's Anguished Declaration of Love is what finally helps Ashi break free of Aku's control.
• Inverted in an episode of Super Secret Secret Squirrel, where the titular protagonist overcomes Queen Bea's love potion with the power of hate.
• She-Ra: Princess of Power:
  • In the beginning, Adora was under Shadow Weaver's spell for most of her life in order to make her serve the Horde. When Adam/He-Man arrived in Etheria, Adora, despite just meeting him and believed that he was the enemy at first, felt a connection with him. However, through the Sorceress, Adora discovers that the connection with Adam/He-Man was love when she finds out that he's her twin brother and instantly believed it. Seeing her brother in trouble, Adora newfound love for Adam/He-Man was powerful enough to break Shadow Weaver's spell over her for good, although it also took her strong will power.
  • In "The Greatest Magic", Orko is able to communicate telepathically with his girlfriend Dree Elle and then channel his magical powers into her to help her escape imprisonment, even though she was trapped in an Anti-Magic field that would normally make this impossible. Orko's uncle Montork explains this was done through their love, because love is the greatest magic.
  • In "A Lesson In Love", Kevin is able to break free from Shadow Weaver's mind control when he sees his crush Flutterina in danger.
• In the 2018 reboot, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Hordak overcomes his lifelong indoctrination and two mind wipes due to his love for Entrapta. In "Heart, Part 2", when Horde Prime orders Hordak to kill Entrapta, Hordak disobeys and attacks Horde Prime instead.
  • After Adora breaks the Sword of Protection, it is her love for Catra that allows her to become She-Ra again.
  • It gets to the point where, in the finale, they confess their love for one another, and Adora and Catra share a Big Damn Kiss that saves the entire universe.
• Exaggerated in The Simpsons episode "Marge vs. SSCCTG", where Bart and Lisa make the childless adults love children by simply hugging them (in a Shout-Out to The War of the Worlds). Then subverted when the love fails to change their minds, whereas the sudden exposure to child bacteria and viruses cause them all to collapse. Again referencing The War of the Worlds.
• In the Grand Finale of Sofia the First, Vor has Sofia cornered inside the Amulet of Avalor; but Sofia witnesses the spirits of the Disney Princesses who helped her throughout her journey and encourage her to fight back. She focuses all her love for her family and friends, channeling a magic that explodes outward and obliterates Vor's essence for good.
• This is essentially how Spider-Man defeats Venom in the season 1 finale of The Spectacular Spider-Man: with the love of his friends, uncle, and aunt.
• In the series finale of Star vs. the Forces of Evil, after Star destroys the Realm of Magic, which will cut off inter-dimensional travel and send everybody to their home dimension permanently (meaning she'll be on Mewni and Marco will be on Earth), her and Marco's love for each other caused the last of the magic to fuse Earth and Mewni into a single world so that they can still be together..
• Steven Universe:
  • It may not be be entirely necessary for the Gems' Fusion Dance to work, but it does make the fusion much more stable, as evidenced by Garnet. As soon as she reforms, she defeats Jasper while singing a Badass Boast song about how "I am made of love and it's stronger than you." This trope is also probably the reason Stevonnie was formed in the first place.
  • Garnet also suggests that this is the source of Steven and Rose Quartz's powers, which makes sense for such All Loving Heroes.
    Garnet: Steven, your mother had healing tears that flowed from her gem. She felt real love for those around her; she felt real sorrow when they were hurt. You have the Rose Quartz gem now. I know that power is in you, too.
• In Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, Sprx is turned evil by the Fire of Hate, and Nova tells him she loves him to bring him back.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012):
  • The only things that helps Raph from letting his anger get too out of control is the love he has for his family, friends, Spike/Slash and Chompy. Also, in "The Evil of Dregg", Raph used his feelings for Mona Lisa to fight back against Lord Dregg when she confesses her love for him.
  • Karai quickly bonded with Splinter when she found out that he was really her biological father. After been accidentally mutated into a mindless snake in "Vengeance is Mine", Karai's love for Splinter helped her maintain control of her humanity and even saved him from drowning in "The Invasion" when he was beaten by the Shredder.
• The titular character of Wander over Yonder heavily believes in this, as quoted in "The Egg." Creator Craig McCracken has stated that the dynamic in the series is not so much a battle of Good Vs. Evil as it is Love Vs. Hate.
• In Winx Club, Sky uses his words of love to bring Bloom back to the good side and have her return the ultimate power to its rightful place in the Season 2 finale. Lord Darkar doesn't take that well. At all.
• Yin Yang Yo!: Much to Yang's annoyance, many of his Woo Foo techniques are powered by, or at least better when used by, love. He only mastered the Paws of Pain by remembering how much he loves Yin, and his Color Coded Emotion for love turned out to be building sized.

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