History DefeatMeansFriendship / VideoGames

* This is part of a gameplay mechanic in ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'', where the player can choose to befriend [[MiniBoss mini-bosses]] once they're defeated.

* ''{{Franchise/Extrapower}}'':
** ''[[VideoGame/ExtrapowerAttackOfDarkforce EXTRAPOWER Attack of Darkforce]]'': Zophy and V have a shared history and while not enemies, have a lingering score to settle. Soon after their meeting, they fight in a one-on-one duel where, due to how closely matched Zophy and V are, can end with either side winning. Regardless of who won, the encounter is considered a success and [[WorthyOpponent they get along better as comrades]].
** ''[[VideoGame/ExtrapowerGiantFist EXTRAPOWER Giant Fist]]'': The fighter Wolf is eager to drop everything for a chance to test his training and Wolf Punch against Zophy, making them boss fights for each other. After their final encounter, Zophy [[WorthyOpponent acknowledges Wolf's strength]] and part on good terms.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' has Dante and Lady team up after the former defeats the latter as a boss. The same goes for Dante and Nero, sort of.

* Opponents also become allies after they are beaten in ''VideoGame/DanballSenki'', which is from the same creator as Inazuma.

* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona'':

** In ''VideoGame/Yakuza3'', Kiriya becomes Kiryu's loyal supporter after Kiryu beats him in a fight.

* Upon being defeated in the first game, Cynder, former BigBad in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'' series became titular hero Spyro's friend onwards, partner in the third, [[spoiler:and eventual mate at the end]]. It helps that she was BrainwashedAndCrazy in the first game and losing to Spyro [[BeatTheCurseOutOfHim knocked the curse out of her]].

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] [[PlayingWithATrope most of the time]] in ''VideoGame/FireEmblem''. Recruiting enemy forces to your side ''is'' a major mechanic in every game, but this is normally done by getting someone the enemy knows to talk to them and convince them to join you without fighting. With only [[DoubleSubversion a few exceptions]] (such as [[spoiler:Shinon in ''Path of Radiance'' and Walhart in ''Awakening'']], but [[GuideDangIt even they have preconditions]]), defeating a recruitable unit in combat will [[FinalDeath kill them]], not recruit them.

* ''VideoGame/Rayman1'': After defeating the first boss, a huge mosquito, it starts crying, and when Rayman pats it on the back they form a friendship and work together in the next level.
* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer Red Alert 2'': Happens in the Soviet campaign of Yuri's Revenge when they defeat the Allies and team up to take on Yuri's forces.. and vice versa in the Allied Campaign, although the Soviets using time travel to force a different outcome is much more plot-critical.

* In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse'', Trevor Belmont picks up allies Grant and Alucard only after defeating them as bosses. {{Justified|Trope}} in Grant's case, as this cures him of being [[BalefulPolymorph turned into]] [[TragicMonster a monster]].
* In the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series if you defeat a boss you can create it through fusion, and this will remain in the compendium even in NewGamePlus and can be summoned regardless of level provided you have enough money to summon it.
* ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' has the [[strike:Nintendo DS lookalike]] COMP, which upon activation summon a demon for you to fight. If you defeat it, it will become your subordinate. And then a fraction of the way into the game, [[CosplayOtakuGirl Midori]] defeats a [[SeriesMascot Jack Frost]] and teaches him about ThePowerOfLove and [[ThePowerOfFriendship Friendship]]. [[spoiler:A few days later, he reappears and depending on your choices, you can ''recruit him into your party'' on the last day.]]
* ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2'' features [[TheSocialDarwinist Social Darwinists]] Yamato Hotsuin and Keita Wakui, who believe that MightMakesRight. Both of them will fight you if you take any ending path other than Yamato's, and after you beat them they'll both admit that by their own logic, you've got the might and therefore must be right.
* One of the worst aversions of this trope is in ''[[VideoGame/DynastyWarriorsGundam Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2]]''. The more times you defeat a character, they will have negative opinions of you and your friendship with them will drop. Since you will need to have high friendship with characters in order to obtain their Gundam, this is a pretty annoying thing and will make obtaining them pretty tedious. But in the third and future games, the friendship with characters will always go up and never go down.
* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona'':
** A mutual instance in ''VideoGame/Persona2'': ''Innocent Sin''; after Lisa pushes [[BruiserWithASoftCenter Eikichi]]'s BerserkButton at the start of the game, he attacks her and Tatsuya with his [[FightingSpirit Persona]] only for them to summon theirs and the three end up knocking each other out. After getting exposition from [[BigGood Philemon]], coming to, and getting attacked by [[BigBad Joker]], they decide to work together.
** Played with in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'': after each member of the Investigation Team confronts and comes to terms with their ShadowArchetype, the physical manifestation of their worst qualities, that Shadow will turn into their Persona, which they can control. The twist is, fighting their Shadows is unnecessary, even though it always happens in the game; if they simply accept that the Shadow was part of them, as they do after the fight, it becomes their Persona.
** [[BigBad Adachi]] in ''VideoGame/Persona4'' becomes TheAtoner after his defeat at the hands of the Investigation Team and if his Social Link was completed, wishes Yu well in his letter to him from prison. His HeelFaceTurn is cemented in ''VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax'', where he explicitly shows his desire to change due to the team's influence.
** In ''VideoGame/Persona5'' ''[[UpdatedRerelease Royal]]'', [[spoiler: [[ObviousJudas Akechi]] joins the Phantom Thieves [[TokenEvilTeammate for real]] after being brought back to life by Maruki as a long-term EnemyMine, and displays a degree of newfound respect for [[PlayerCharacter Joker]].]]
* ''VideoGame/StarFox'': In ''Assault'' Star Wolf fights the main characters first before joining them. Although to be fair, it was Star Fox who bothered them in their base. Even then, it was a case of EnemyMine and Wolf has a TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou thing for Fox.
* This is the hallmark of the ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' doujin game series. The only playable character that ''didn't'' start as a boss is Reimu herself. In fact, almost every game ends with the good guys sitting down for tea with the bad guys and unlocking a bonus stage.
** It's also heavily implied in the backstory of the goddesses in ''Mountain of Faith''. Kanako defeated Suwako to conquer her kingdom, but didn't exile her and agreed to share the shrine.
** One of Reimu's alternate outfits/color schemes in 12.3, ''Hisoutensoku'', is a ShoutOut to the [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha Nanoha herself]]. Makes sense, as they both are fans of Friendship Through Superior Firepower.
** In ''VideoGame/TouhouLabyrinth'', a boss fight with one of the major ''Touhou'' girls always ends with the girl ([[TheOneGuy or guy, in the case of Rinnosuke]]) in question "joining" Reimu's party in the post-battle cutscene. How willing each girl is at the matter varies individually, though.
** In ''Sacred Oriental Place'', the Three Fairies of Light purposefully challenge Reimu for the sole reason to become friends with her, [[TaughtByExperience since they know what has happened to other former enemies of Reimu]].
** This trope finally got {{averted|Trope}} with ''Double Dealing Character'''s BigBad, Seija Kijin, who got the societal upheaval plot of the game rolling by [[ManipulativeBitch manipulating]] [[UnwittingPawn Shinmyoumaru Sukuna]] into doing her bidding. As it turns out, in ''Impossible Spell Card'', following the events of DDC, she was branded an outlaw and hunted by ''everyone'' for all the shit she stirred up. However, Seija is [[BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad so contrarian]], enemies basically ''are'' friends from her point of view.
** The consequences of this trope are further elaborated upon in ''Manga/TouhouSuzunaanForbiddenScrollery'': Because of both DefeatMeansFriendship and the fact that [[PretendPrejudice she treats youkai and humans the same]], Reimu gets a lot of non-human visitors at her shrine. But because of that, rumors have started to circulate in the human village that she's not doing her job as their protector and youkai exterminator, but rather that she's siding with the enemy.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** Many newcomers fight Sonic, [[LetsYouAndHimFight usually out of misunderstanding]], before joining his side. This dates back as far as Knuckles (from 1994's ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'', but several times since) to the additions of Blaze (''VideoGame/{{Sonic Rush|Series}}'') and Silver (''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006''). The real baddie usually shows up midfight, making the opposing character perform a HeelFaceTurn split-second.
** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'':
*** Shadow is an exception in that [[spoiler:he's the one orchestrating the evil]], so even after his defeats at the hands of Sonic, he continues to be evil, and his HeelFaceTurn comes later [[spoiler:in the Last story]].
*** Also, this is played straight with Knuckles, who manages to befriend Rouge [[spoiler: after he defeats her in a battle, and soon afterward saves her life and earns her respect]].
* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'' uses this as a common means of getting new allies in the Subspace Emissary mode. The odd thing is that you can often fight as ''either'', so it works both ways.
* Creator/NipponIchi works:
** In ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'', Flonne, Hoggmeiser, Maderas, and Gordon all get converted to Laharl's side after he beats them handily in boss battles. Also, defeating a monster-type enemy makes it available for you to create and use in battle. Killing more and more of the same type results in it costing less and less Mana to summon. If you're impatient and have strong characters not in play on the field, you can also just throw an enemy monster-type into your base panel (where your characters start in a given battle) and, if your reserves can subdue the monster, that monster will join your team assuming you defeat the others.
** ''{{VideoGame/Disgaea 3|AbsenceOfJustice}}'''s Raspberyl is a big believer in this trope. In the ending to the first chapter of Raspberyl Mode, her advice for making friends is as follows: "First, bust into their house... then, use your passionate fists and fight them till the end. Once the two of you collapse to the ground and start laughing, you guys will always be friends."
** All the members of the main cast of ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4| A Promise Unforgotten}}'' who aren't with you from the beginning join after being defeated. Tyrant Valvatorez takes this concept to its logical extreme by making it a literal in-game ability - any enemy he defeats becomes a CPU-controlled ally for the remainder of the battle.
** In ''VideoGame/PhantomBrave'', killing a few of an enemy type will make it possible to recruit that enemy type.
** In ''[[VideoGame/LaPucelle La Pucelle Tactics]]'', if you "purify" any enemy before killing it, it will join your party and can be fielded immediately if you don't already have 8 units in play.
** In ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'', Zetta can challenge and beat most of his fellow overlords and obtain either them or some other form of stand-in (they've got netherworlds to run, after all) as party members -- including Laharl -- during a NewGamePlus. Just ''don't'' expect this to work on Salome, though.
** ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 2|CursedMemories}}'' has Yukimaru, who joins you after Adell beats her in the tournament and talks her down from probably-very-honorable-but-not-really-wished-for suicide.
** ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'' has Odie as a main story example, and [[spoiler:Asagi and Lujei]] as BonusBoss examples. [[spoiler:The Demon Path is full of this, but it's more a case of 'defeat equals slavery' there -- except for the previous villains, who line up to join you with a smile on their faces.]]
* ''Franchise/BaldursGate'':
** In ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'', you can recruit Sarevok, BigBad of [[VideoGame/BaldursGate the first game]], into your party. This is after you've killed him. Twice. A popular mod also allows you to recruit BigBad of the ''second'' game (that's the one this is an expansion to). After killing him. [[DeathIsCheap Twice]].
** Shar-Teel, in the first ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' is less over-the-top version, as she simply insists on dueling a male member of your party before she joins you.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'':
** After Jimmy beats up all of the nerds, he says that he did it so they could team up to take over the jocks. Earnest, the leader of the nerds, even says "You have a strange way of making friends!".
** The leader of the Bullies clique, Russell, remains a loyal friend to Jimmy after he defeats him in a fist-fight and even remains [[spoiler:the only clique leader who doesn't betray him in the game's final chapter]].
* ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' features two previous adversaries as prominent allies of the Boss (now the President of the US): Benjamin King, the former leader of the Vice Kings from the [[VideoGame/SaintsRow first game]] who was forced to drop his flags after an attempted coup in his organization, now the President's Chief of Staff; and Matt Miller, the leader of the Deckers from [[VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird the third game]], who was defeated by the Boss and likewise forced to flee, now a member of [=MI6=]. In addition, enemies from previous games, like Maero, Phillipe Loren, and Tanya Winters, can be recruited as Homies after defeating them in Loyalty Missions.
* ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'':
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' has this in spades:
*** Sheena joins you after beating her twice. Regal joins almost right after defeating him. Many bosses often convert to your side as friendly NPC's once Lloyd beats the stuffing out of them. With an epiphany speech tossed in for free.
*** [[spoiler:Kratos]]. After defeating him 3 times, the 3rd being a [[ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself one-on-one duel]] between Lloyd and the aforementioned character. Depending on [[GuideDangIt certain conditions filled earlier in the game]] the aforementioned character may join your party.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld'' gives you the option (almost requirement) of recruiting monsters after defeating them in battle.
** In ''VideoGame/TalesOfRebirth'', almost every party member is recruited this way for one reason or another.
*** When you meet Tytree, he's been consumed by his Force after his sister was kidnapped, and beating him up breaks him out of it long enough for the heroes to explain the situation.
*** Annie attacks you and you have to fight her to tire her out, eventually leading to her joining the party.
*** Hilda is originally Tomha's {{Tykebomb}}, who's only diffused by fighting her ''twice'', once normally and a second time in a berserk state.
*** Veigue is good at this point, but he and Tytree getting into a fistfight and Tytree finally "winning" make Veigue fully admit the pair are friends and the two develop a better relationship as a result.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'':
*** With WellIntentionedExtremist [[spoiler:Duke]], the ''final boss''. Yuri and friends beat the crap out of him, then completely forgive him after he joined their cause and helped to defeat the Adephagos. Despite the whole, y'know, attempted omnicide thing]].
*** With [[spoiler:Raven]], only the eventual defeat didn't so much cause the friendship as affirm it.
* ''VideoGame/TearsToTiara2'' Hamil defeats Aemilia, proving to her that there's still hope, that there's people hard at work at fixing what TheEmpire had let fall to ruin, and that there's people willing to fight for the sake of others. And of course his father was her ally at court. She quite eagerly joins the Party and put her administrative skills to use.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Ristar}}'', a weird alien kid follows you around stage 5-1 in the background, and at the end of the stage you must beat him in a SnowballFight. Later on, when you fight the stage 5 boss he helps you by bringing hot pizzas [[FeedItABomb to throw in its mouth]].
* Both subverted and played straight in ''VideoGame/Grandia1'' with Gadwin's two duels, the first being an impossible boss fight.
* The GBA remake of ''VideoGame/RiverCityRansom'' allows you to recruit most of the gang bosses into your party after you beat them. You can even recruit the old BigBad to use against the BonusBoss.
* An odd variant occurs in ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed'': rogue Jedi Master Rahm Kota is defeated and apparently killed by Starkiller in the first mission ([[NotQuiteDead he doesn't bite it]]). Much later, [[spoiler:after Starkiller's death is faked by Vader]], they run into each other again under Imperial fire, and immediately team up, forced together by circumstance. At first, Starkiller thinks that Kota doesn't recognize him because the latter was blinded in their first encounter, but in the Light Side ending, Kota reveals that he knew who Starkiller was all along; he just went along with the ruse because he could sense that Starkiller had a spark of good in him and needed a mentor other than Vader to bring it out.

** Before founding [[PrivateMilitaryContractors MSF]], Big Boss - still calling himself Snake - ambushed a squad of Revolutionaries in Spain and took out half the unit. As he left, a drill sergeant yelled at Snake to help him kill himself and then tried to suicide bomb Snake's squad because of his Japanese pride. When he passed out from blood loss, Snake saved his life. Two years later, Snake and Kazuhira Miller have opened up Militares San Frontiere.

--> '''Snake''': You found a way to fight back even in the face of death, even when you knew you were gonna die - That's the mark of a true warrior.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' has Dante and Lady team up after the former defeats the latter as a boss. The same goes for Dante and Nero, sort of.
* More like Defeat Means Grudging Allegiance in ''VideoGame/{{MechWarrior}} 4: Mercenaries''; you can challenge a Clan colonel to an honor duel. If you win, she is bound by honor to serve your merc company (as a ''pilot'', so don't get any wrong ideas, mkay?). Your second-in-command calls this out as an unreasonably bad idea, and while Falcon doesn't disobey orders, she's not exactly happy with the whole arrangement.

* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'':
** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'', which is four years older than ''Pokemon'', certain monsters have a [[RandomNumberGod random chance]] of joining your party after you defeat them.
** You can recruit monsters in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' as well.
** Wild bosses in the first ''VideoGame/DragonQuestMonsters'' join you after you beat them.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Telefang}}'', when defeating enemy Denjuu, they often offer you their phone number so that you can befriend them and use them to battle other opponents.
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' spoofs this with the "Friendship" FinishingMove.
* In ''Battle For Meridell'', a game available on the website {{Website/Neopets}}, you battle monster versions of the species you can fight as. When defeated, they turn good and fight for you. This also works both ways, as them defeating one of your characters turns them evil (and makes them lose any equipment they were carrying).
* This happens to [[TheRival Roxis]] of ''VideoGame/ManaKhemiaAlchemistsOfAlrevis'', as the terms of a bet made by the heroes against the GoldfishPoopGang, the latter of which Roxis was a part of. However, it's subverted in that Roxis ''doesn't think'' of TheHero as his friend throughout the game.
* In the NES version of ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon III'', the bosses of the China (Chin) and Japan (Ranzou) stages join your side after you defeat them. Interestingly, they actually become playable characters, allowing you to continue if Billy or Jimmy is killed or even to temporarily use their strengths (powerful claw punch and speedy ninjato respectively) where most useful.
* In ''VideoGame/MegaManPoweredUp'', The UpdatedRerelease of ''VideoGame/MegaMan1'', if you defeat the bosses using only Mega Man's Buster said boss will be left intact upon defeat and be taken back to Dr. Light's lab for repairs, making them playable. Using any other weapon will just destroy them.
* This is the standard mode of character recruitment for the Wei campaign in ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi'', though most of the time it's more "defeat = forced to join your side". Eventually, though, Wei defects from Orochi control and a large chunk of disgruntled ex-Wei officers show up to help. The other campaigns are a mix of this and BigDamnHeroes.
* In ''{{VideoGame/Star Ocean|1}}'', if Ratix tries to reach C rank in the arena after a certain plot event, Tinek Arukena will announce that he wants to fight Ratix since he finds him a worthy opponent, then leaps in from the audience bleachers and replaces the end boss for the fight. If you defeat him and has less than eight members, he'll join up afterwards. (If you have no free spaces, he just leaves.)
* Marcus the super mutant from ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'' narrates to the player a one-on-one battle between himself and a member of the Brotherhood of Steel. After three days the two combatants reconcile, become good friends, and found a town together. Doesn't quite fit the trope 100%, as Marcus seems to imply that the fight was a draw.
* In ''VideoGame/CaveStory'', the protagonist does this to Toroko, Curly Brace, and eventually [[spoiler:Balrog]]. In Toroko's and Curly's case, it's because ''they'' preemptively attack ''him'', thinking he's a killer--so by defending himself and ''not'' killing them, he wins their trust. In [[spoiler:Balrog's case, it's because Balrog is a decent guy, only working for the BigBad because he's magically forced to do so]].
* In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', all Valve (public) servers automatically rebalance the teams in a game if one team wins enough times without letting the other team win by shuffling players between the two teams. (Good luck finding a server where the players stick around after an autobalance and don't promptly quit because they've been shuffled onto the losing team.)
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'':
** this can happen with Zevran, potentially leading to a romance, as well as [[spoiler:Loghain]].
** Played with in the case of [[spoiler:Loghain]] though; while the player may forgive him for showing remorse as he is defeated, [[spoiler:Alistair]] will most certainly NOT. [[spoiler:He becomes infuriated with the player, reminding them of all the evil Loghain has done in the recent past, contrition or no.]]
** This is the stated endgame of the Qunari (a religious force, not a race) - once they've beaten an enemy, said enemy is "re-educated" to embrace the Qun, which is the FreedomFromChoice philosophy of the Qunari. Of course, if a prisoner is particularly stubborn, they're just turned into a mindless laborer using a substance called Qamek.
* ''[[VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2]]'': ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} does this after you prove you're not aiding the terrorist attack in his debut level. In the penultimate level you fight [[ComicBook/NormanOsborn Green Goblin]] and Comicbook/{{Venom}}, and when you defeat them to free them from [[spoiler:The Fold]] they go into an EnemyMine with you, so it sort of counts, though both are very agitated working alongside their archnemesis Franchise/SpiderMan.
* ''VideoGame/FarCryPrimal'': Takkar TheBeastmaster operates like this with three of the prehistoric creatures he goes after in his Beast Master Hunts: the [[NobleWolf Snowblood Wolf]], the [[PantheraAwesome Bloodfang Tiger]] (which, by the way, killed his hunting part at the start of the game), and the [[BearsAreBadNews Great Scar Bear]]. He basically fights them, with weapons, traps, and sometimes other beasts he's already tamed, and once he whittles their hit points down low enough, he then throws them some healing meat and tames them, and from then on, they're his to interact with.
** Also applies to [[spoiler:Dah and Roshani]], who are recruited into Takkar's tribe after he beats them in battle. Specifically, [[spoiler:they are both taken prisoner and forced to teach the Wenja how to create their tribe's signature weapons: [[PoisonedWeapon rot bane]] for the [[CannibalTribe Udam]] (Dah), and fire bombs for the [[{{Pyromaniac}} Izila]] (Roshani).]] That said, [[spoiler:Dah doesn't end up becoming Takkar's friend until after Takkar saves him from being drowned by a bunch of [[RevengeBeforeReason unreasonably vengeful]] Wenja, and then offers to get him medical supplies to keep his "skull fire" in check. Roshani is more submissive because he's a DirtyCoward and desperate to not be killed.]]

* This occurs once in ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile''. Throughout the game, you witness the deaths of heroes, and recruit their souls for Ragnarok. At one point, the Valkyrie is commanded by the goddess Freya to kill a wizard named Gandar and take his soul. After he's dead, he refuses to join up with Valkyrie. She gives him the ultimatum of joining her or being sent to Hell. He grudgingly accepts.

* A few of ''VideoGame/EarthBound'''s supporting characters are introduced as bosses, even one in particular who [[spoiler:helps you defeat Giygas.]]
* In ''{{VideoGame/Recettear|AnItemShopsTale}}'', Charme gives you her Adventurer Card a few days after she's defeated at Jade Way, allowing you to recruit her for other missions. The same goes for Tielle and Griff as well.
* In ''[[VideoGame/BanjoKazooie Banjo-Tooie]]'', Terry, the boss in Terrydactyland, accuses Banjo and Kazooie of stealing his eggs, and they fight him in a boss battle. After Terry is defeated, Banjo says that they haven't stolen his eggs, and offers to look for them for him. After finding them, he thanks them and rewards them with a Jiggy.
* Invoked in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn''. The spirit of the sentient Sand Prince Gem is enthusiastic in greeting the party characters and happily offers them his/its [[UpgradeArtifact assistance]]... but he/it needs them to pass a [[StrengthEqualsWorthiness test of character]] before they can use him/it.
%%** [[{{Mon}} Djinn]] throughout the series operate on this principle.
* ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven'' is chock full of this. Even the most evil people become good by the end of the third games after you have beaten them again and again. Bonus point goes to the fact that you can recruit almost every of them into your team.
* Opponents also become allies after they are beaten in ''VideoGame/DanballSenki'', which is from the same creator as Inazuma.
* In ''VideoGame/SinAndPunishmentStarSuccessor'', [[spoiler:the Griffin Keeper boss of Stage 5 befriends the main characters after they defeat it, and it offers to carry them to their destination Mt. Fuji]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{Solatorobo}}'', a quest with Alman has him asking Red to teach his new apprentice to work harder. The apprentice wants none of it, telling them to leave him alone, and eventually prompts Red to fight him. Once beaten, his attitude does a 180 and he'll do anything "Boss" Red tells him to, including working as hard as he possibly can.
* In ''VideoGame/AdvancedVariableGeo'', this is Yuka's ''fighting style''. More specifically, she has the ability to form an empathic bond with those she fights; once she's in tune with their soul, she's able to defeat them spectacularly, and whoever she defeats has a high probability of becoming a fast friend with her.
* ''Videogame/IMissTheSunrise'' has the twist in that you need to fight them ''twice''. [[spoiler:Jessamine]] is fought as a MiniBoss towards the beginning of ''His Master's Voice'', and can be fought again as a BonusBoss later. They join your party after that.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
** In the series' backstory, founder of the Second Tamriellic Empire, Reman Cyrodiil, incorporated the defeated [[SnakePeople Tsaesci]] invaders from [[{{Wutai}} Akavir]] into his fledgling empire. After Reman used [[MakeMeWannaShout the Thu'um]] against them in battle during their invasion of Tamriel, they recognized him as Dragonborn, who the Tsaesci believe to be the ultimate dragon slayers. He incorporated the surviving Tsaesci into his armies, where they served him as bodyguards, dragon hunters, and would be the precursors to [[PraetorianGuard the Blades]]. They also became a great cultural influence within the empire.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'':
*** There are several [=NPCs=] who invoke this trope. When you talk to them, they challenge you to a fistfight. When you win said fight, they become much friendlier and most of them will even join you as a follower if you ask. There is one particularly racist NPC who manages to zigzag this trope, should you challenge him as an Elf. After you defeat him, he will switch between his usual racism, proclaiming you to be a cheater, and this trope, calling you a good friend.
*** One of the staples of Dragon culture is the belief that the strongest is meant to lead, hence Dragons who survive clashes with another frequently offering their allegiance to the one that bested them. [[TheDragon Odahviing]] and [[{{Dracolich}} Durnehviir]] end up invoking this towards the Dragonborn during the main game and in the ''Dawnguard DLC''; the former defecting in the belief that Alduin lost his right to command after he fled battle with the Dragonborn, while the latter does so out of respect for the Dragonborn being the first individual to ever best him in combat. After the defeat of Alduin, [[spoiler: many of the Dragons under his command switch their loyalty to Paarthurnax, who leaves to instruct them in the [[BadassPacifist Way of]] [[HeroicWillpower the Voice]]]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{Pirate101}}'' some enemies will join the player's crew after they have been defeated.
* Assuming you don't want to use the ClassicCheatCode to unlock him, this is how you get access to Roo in ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage 3'', albeit in a different manner than normal. You have to leave him alone during the brawl against him and his trainer and only defeat the trainer, at which point you can select Roo when you have to use a continue from then on.
* Upon being defeated in the first game, Cynder, former BigBad in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'' series became titular hero Spyro's friend onwards, partner in the third, [[spoiler:and eventual mate at the end]]. It helps that she was BrainwashedAndCrazy in the first game and losing to Spyro [[BeatTheCurseOutOfHim knocked the curse out of her]].
* This is done twice in the Black Side ([[VideoGame/MadWorld Jack Cayman]]) story in ''VideoGame/AnarchyReigns''. The first time it happens is with Big Bull, whose fight was supposedly Jack's induction into his brotherhood. As such, Big Bull returns from time to time to help Jack out. The second time it happens is with Rin Rin, who "owes her life" to Jack after he opted not to kill her after beating her. She also returns to help Jack out from time to time.
* In the original MLB Power Pros game, when your character defeats the Champion Rings in Success Mode, and subsequently their ace pitcher Zero Gibson, Zero learns about friendship from your character, and Zero "appoints you" to be his friend, which gets a deadpan reaction from your character.
* Multiplayer games with auto-balance have a form of this. Is your team outnumbered by at least two players? The next enemy one of yours takes down will defect to your side.
* You recruit allies in ''[[VideoGame/DynastyWarriors Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends]]''' Ambition Mode this way. It also happens several times in the various storylines in Story Mode.
* ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' has Chang Tzu, who you have to defeat before he'll listen to you, then you have to defeat [[EliteMooks agents]] together.
* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] [[PlayingWithATrope most of the time]] in ''VideoGame/FireEmblem''. Recruiting enemy forces to your side ''is'' a major mechanic in every game, but this is normally done by getting someone the enemy knows to talk to them and convince them to join you without fighting. With only [[DoubleSubversion a few exceptions]] (such as [[spoiler:Shinon in ''Path of Radiance'' and Walhart in ''Awakening'']], but [[GuideDangIt even they have preconditions]]), defeating a recruitable unit in combat will [[FinalDeath kill them]], not recruit them.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'':
*** In the ''Revelation'' route, this how Camilla (the Avatar's eldest sister on the Nohr side) and her subordinates, Beruka and Selena, are recruited. She is sent by Garon to stop the Avatar and Co., alongside her Amazon Brigade plus Flora, and says she really doesn't want to kill the Avatar, but that if it has to be done, she'll do it herself, otherwise, she will be executed by Garon for failing or refusing. At the end of the level, after defeating her and Flora, she asks the Avatar to kill her, but the Avatar refuses and she and her group join in (save for Flora, who returns to the Ice Tribe, who have already gone into hiding).
*** In ''Birthright'' and ''Revelation'', this is how Silas is recruited.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'':
*** In the DLC side story, "Cindered Shadows", the Ashen Wolves will challenge you to a fight to test your mettle. Once you clear the first chapter, they become your allies, and proceeding further through the story allows you to [[DefeatMeansPlayable recruit more of them]] in the main story.
*** In the main game, [[spoiler:specifically in the Crimson Flower route, you can get [[BlackMagicianGirl Lysithea]] into your team this way if you haven't recruited her during the academy phase. However, she will be [[RedemptionDemotion rather underpowered]] if recruited after being defeated, compared to the usual method.]]
* In the survival / colony simulator ''VideoGame/RimWorld'', if your survivors take prisoners from an attack on the colony, these prisoners can potentially be recruited into the community.
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' has a small one with Grunt. When he's awakened from his tank, he immediately attacks Shepard and pins him/her to a wall, demanding that s/he give reason to command him, not expecting much from a human. [[EnemiesEqualsGreatness Revealing the kind of enemies s/he has]] and that s/he has had a gun on him through their entire conversation impresses Grunt enough that he pretty much instantly gains UndyingLoyalty to Shepard.
** Also [[SpaceRomans turian]] standard policy. When the turians win a war, they absorb the defeated enemies' population and territory into their empire and recruit them as auxillaries for their armies. At the conclusion of their service they're granted full turian citizenship with all the accompanying rights and responsibilities.

* Several recruitable characters in ''VideoGame/ExitFate'', both optional and mandatory.
** After you rout Keyser's forces with a gambit thought up by Bast and take him prisoner, Bast approaches Keyser and asks him to join your side. To his credit, Bast does make several good points to entice him: Keyser is now disgraced in Kirgard and couldn't go back to his old life anyway, Zelmony is proving to be the winning side, and best of all, "Don't you want to see what you and I can accomplish together?"
** Vanrushal the vampire joins you after you've defeated him and taken away most of his power. He does this of his own accord, both for his own safety (since he's much weaker now and his mansion is full of deadly monsters) and because you seem interesting. You don't even get a chance to refuse.
** Deke joins after you defeat his prototype robot. Obviously, this means that he still has much to learn and far to go.
** Daniel attempts to invoke this with Pereious after routing his forces in battle several times. He fails to sway him, but Pereious still at least gives Daniel advice with how to deal with the Almenga army.
* In ''VideoGame/MocoMocoFriends'', defeated Plushkins may offer to join your team.

* In ''VideoGame/PocketArcadeStory'', Rivals who've lost to you in tournaments will immediately become patrons your arcade.
* Elena from ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' basically takes this as a policy since she isn't fighting as a matter of personal pride or glory. Instead, she uses it as a way to meet new people and befriend them, strange an approach as it is.
* A literal example in ''VideoGame/OneNightAtFlumptys''. What is your reward for beating Hard-Boiled Mode? You get to become Flumpty's new best friend!
* ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors''. In Adventure Mode, King Bulblin appears in some battles on the Twilight and Termina maps and Captain Keeta appears in some battles on the Termina map. They appear as part of the enemy or rogue forces but will become your allies and fight on your side if you get their health low enough.
* In ''VideoGame/RabiRibi'', Erina and Ribbon have to invite magic users to come to Rabi Ribi Town to help with a more worrying problem. The problem is, any time Erina tries to strike up conversation with such an individual, that person usually either [[PoorCommunicationKills attacks Erina over a misunderstanding]] or is BrainwashedAndCrazy by a "bunny phenomenon" and has to be snapped out of it by defeating them, with few exceptions. In any case, defeating the target usually gets them to come to town, though two bosses have to be fought multiple times for it to succeed.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' 4 and 5, King fights and beats Craig Marduk, who murdered Armor King in a bar brawl before Tekken 4. After the second defeat, Marduk decides to change his ways and become a more honorable fighter when King forgives him, and the two end up as tag-team partners in the professional wrestling circuit.

* In ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresIII'':
** At one point in ''Ice'', John and Kanyenke defeat a small British force and then recruit the troops over to their side to fight in the next mission.
** Exaggerated in the case of the Chinese explorer, a Shaolin master who has a chance to convert any opponent he kills into a special Disciple unit. [[BalefulPolymorph This can include wild animals.]]
* [[KnifeNut Talon]] of ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' was only bested once in battle, when the fearsome General Du Couteau sought out the assassin making a name for himself on the streets. After being bested, Talon swore undying allegiance to him. And him alone. Even after his mysterious disappearance, Talon still carries out his [[DeadlyEuphemism Noxian diplomacy]] in his name.
* At the end of the ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'' Main Story, when Trickstar overcomes ''fine'' in the DD, Eichi admits to Subaru that he might be starting to feel something like friendship for him. This is also something of the theme of ''Quarrel Fes'', where Eichi insists on he and Keito fighting one another face to face because he's worried that Keito is giving up his life for Eichi and wants to prove that he sincerely wants to be an idol and isn't just wasting away here. Only by Keito beating him can the two overcome that tension in their relationship and become fully equal friends.

* ''VideoGame/BoxxyQuestTheGatheringStorm'':
** Tyalie is first introduced to us as a thief trying to beat our heroes to the third [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement [=PasSWORD=]]] shard. After she's caught and defeated, it's revealed that she's actually trying to gather the shards for the exact same reason they are, so she decides to join the team instead.
** In the prequel, ''[=BoxxyQuest=]: The Shifted Spires'', Cornelia briefly acts as TheDragon to Boxxyfan before she's convinced to switch sides. She's so [[MinionWithAnFInEvil unfit for evil]] that she actually starts second-guessing herself midway through the battle, and starts missing some of her attacks on purpose.
* This is part of a gameplay mechanic in ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'', where the player can choose to befriend [[MiniBoss mini-bosses]] once they're defeated.
* ''VideoGame/MinecraftDungeons'': [[spoiler:At the end of the game, the players finally triumph over the Arch-Illager, and he's initially very fearful of them until they reach out their hands in friendship. The Arch-Illager gladly takes up their offer, leaving the land and the Arch-Illager at peace.]]
* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'': Somewhat...in ''Puyo Puyo~n'', ''Puyo Puyo 7'', and ''Puyo Puyo Chronicle''. In ''Yo~n'', a select cast of characters (Draco, Serilly, Witch, and Chico) will tag along with Arle after you beat them (and even then, they have their own agenda for joining Arle), allowing you to use their special attacks. [[spoiler:This gets taken away from you when you face Dark Prince, who walls off your allies away from the battle scene.]] In ''Puyo Puyo 7'', a defeated person might tag along with Ringo for the story, as she takes a few heroes and, for a short bit, Dark Prince. As for ''Chronicle'', just like with ''Yo~n'', a defeated person will tag along with your party for the entirety of the story. This includes random enemies, as well as the main playable cast.
* ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'':
** After the first game, Goro Majima is one of Kiryu's most steadfast allies, given that Kiryu can [[BloodKnight beat him in a fight]].
** In ''VideoGame/Yakuza3'', Kiriya becomes Kiryu's loyal supporter after Kiryu beats him in a fight.
** ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' features two major sidequests: One where Kiryu becomes a real estate tycoon and attempts to wrest control of every business in Kamurocho from the Five Billionaires, and one where Majima manages a cabaret club, competing against an alliance of other cabaret clubs called the Five Stars to become the most successful in Sotenbori. For Kiryu, getting one of the Five Billionaires to admit defeat causes them to clean up their act and assist Kiryu in competing against the other Billionaires, while for Majima, defeating one of the Five Stars causes their number one-earning girl to join Majima's club's roster.
* ''VideoGame/TyTheTasmanianTiger'': Used blatantly in the first game, when one of the mini-bosses, Neddy, immediately declares you his new best friend after you beat him and gives you a thunder egg.

** In ''VideoGame/Persona5'' ''[[UpdatedRerelease Royal]]'', [[spoiler: [[ObviousJudas Akechi]] joins the Phantom Thieves [[TokenEvilTeammate for real]] after being brought back to life by Maruki as a long-term EnemyMine.]]

* Played with in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'': after each member of the Investigation Team confronts and comes to terms with their Shadow, the physical manifestation of their worst qualities, that Shadow will turn into their Persona, which they can control. The twist is, fighting their Shadows is unnecessary, even though it always happens in the game; if they simply accept that the Shadow was part of them, as they do after the fight, it becomes their Persona.

** ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' features two major sidequests: One where Kiryu becomes a real estate tycoon and attempts to wrest control of every business in Kamurocho from the Five Billionaires, and one where Majima manages a cabaret club, competing against an alliance of other cabaret clubs called the Five Stars to become the most successful in Sotenbori. For Kiryu, getting one of the Five Billionaires to admit defeat causes them to clean up their act and assist Kiryu in competing against the other Billionaires, while for Majima, defeating one of the Five Stars causes their number one-earning girl to join Majima's club's roster.

** In ''VideoGameDragonQuestV'', which is four years older than ''Pokemon'', certain monsters have a [[RandomNumberGod random chance]] of joining your party after you defeat them.

** In ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' fashion, certain monsters have a [[RandomNumberGod random chance]] of doing this in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' after you... er... kill them. Look, death in the ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' universe is weird enough, just go with it. You can recruit monsters in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' as well.

* ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' features two major sidequests: One where Kiryu becomes a real estate tycoon and attempts to wrest control of every business in Kamurocho from the Five Billionaires, and one where Majima manages a cabaret club, competing against an alliance of other cabaret clubs called the Five Stars to become the most successful in Sotenbori. For Kiryu, getting one of the Five Billionaires to admit defeat causes them to clean up their act and assist Kiryu in competing against the other Billionaires, while for Majima, defeating one of the Five Stars causes their number one-earning girl to join Majima's club's roster.

* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'': Somewhat...in ''Puyo Puyo~n'', ''Puyo Puyo 7'', and ''Puyo Puyo Chronicle''. In ''Yo~n'', a select cast of characters (Draco, Serilly, Witch, and Chico) will tag along with Arle after you beat them (and even then, they have their own agenda for joining Arle), allowing you to use their special attacks. [[spoiler:This gets taken away from you when you face Dark Prince, who walls off your allies away from the battle scene.]] In ''Puyo Puyo 7'', a defeated person might tag along with Ringo for the story, as she takes a few heroes and, for a short bit, Dark Prince. As for ''Chronicle'', just like with ''Yo~n'', a defeated person will tag along with your party for the entirety of the story. This includes random enemies, as well as the main playable cast.

* ''VideoGame/MinecraftDungeons'': [[spoiler:At the end of the game, the players finally triumph over the Arch-Illager, and he's initially very fearful of them until they reach out their hands in friendship. The Arch-Illager gladly takes up their offer, leaving the land and the Arch-Illager at peace.]]

* In ''VideoGame/Hades'' Thanatos will sometimes challenge Zagreus (the player) to a competition in which they each try to slay the most enemies in a shared encounter. In adittion to winning an extra prize from Thanatos if you beat him, the only way to talk to him between runs to increase your hearts [[spoiler: and romance him]] is to win these.

* This is the hallmark of the ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' doujin game series. The only playable character that ''didn't'' start as a boss is Reimu herself. In fact, almost every game ends with the good guys sitting down for tea with the bad guys and unlocking a bonus stage.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' series is full of this trope. There are OneHundredAndEight recruitable characters in each game, and many of them start off as enemies, or simply [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority won't join you if you can't defeat them in a fight]]. In the first game, [[spoiler:3 of the 4 enemy generals]] join up after they're beaten, though you do have the option of killing them instead, but this is not recommended as you won't get the "good ending" because you didn't gather the [[OneHundredAndEight 108 Stars of Destiny]].

* This is part of a gameplay mechanic in ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'', where the player can choose to befriend [[MiniBoss mini-bosses]] once they're defeated.

* ''VideoGame/Rayman1995'': After defeating the first boss, a huge mosquito, it starts crying, and when Rayman pats it on the back they form a friendship and work together in the next level.