History Main / ALessonInDefeat

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* ''Manga/KenganAshura'': Takeru Kiozan is a sumo wrestler who disdains modern Sumo in favor of a more ancient, brutal form called "Primal Sumo". After Kiozan's match with Jun Sekibayashi ends with Kiozan's loss, his boss's secretary Sakura realizes that Kiozan never stood a chance in the Annihilation Tournament. Indeed, it's revealed that Kiozan was entered on his brothers' prompting, in the hopes that seeing his "Primal Sumo" soundly defeated would humble him and make him more amenable to proper Sumo. Kiozan's boss, Magatani, agreed because he's taken care of the three brothers since they were children.

** ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' introduces the [[UnwinnableTrainingSimulation no-win scenario]] of the Kobayashi Maru test as part of Star Fleet officer training. The purpose of the test is explained as part this trope and part observation of how an officer-in-training ''handles'' this trope. Kirk, being Kirk, speaks of how, when he was in the Federation Academy, he found a way to beat the test anyway, something that gained him significant praise during his cadet years. Sure enough, no matter how difficult the trials he faced were, Kirk always found a way to win, proving that the test was invalid as far as his abilities were concerned and he could always win. In fact the first time that Kirk can't find a way to win is when [[spoiler: Spock is forced to sacrifice his life to save the crew]] as there was nothing he could do. This proved that Kirk was wrong, you can't always win and save everyone; sometimes sacrifices have to be made.

* Many of his fellow students in ''Literature/EndersGame'' ''think'' this is being invoked a couple of times against Ender himself by the teachers at Battle School and try to preemptively offer him consolation. It's never quite the case, and Ender always wins anyway much to his friends' amusement ("They had to cheat to beat you and they still LOST!")

* In ''[[Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse Star Trek: The Next Generation – A Rock and a Hard Place]]'', this is part of reason why Commander Skamene wasn't fired after all his awesome actions. That man literally beat Kobyaashi Maru ''without cheating''.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'', Master Fung stated that there were a thousand lessons in defeat. He proves this point by beating the Chosen Ones in a wager by making it impossible for them to win, instead of fighting to win outright. Omi would use said lesson to prevent the villains from obtaining a powerful Shen Gong Wu. At the end of the episode, he challengers them to a second wager, which the heroes decline- They've learned they should "Never bet against Fung!"

* Yomi from ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' had to teach his son/clone, Shura this lesson ''painfully.'' Shura had all the power of an S class demon, however his maturity level was matched his age. In order to prevent his son from becoming too wild and headstrong like he himself was in the past, Yomi saw it fit to give Shura this lesson very early in life.

* ''Fanfic/BuildYourWingsOnTheWayDown'': After [[spoiler:Nina is turned into a chimera]], Roy indulges Edward's desire to help her. However, he has no faith whatsoever that Ed will actually succeed; instead, he's aiming to teach him this lesson by letting him try and fail, hoping it will break him of his arrogance. To his shock, Ed manages to [[spoiler:restore Nina to her human form]], subverting Roy's intentions and causing him to realize that he's far stronger than he gave him credit for.

* ''[[Literature/WorldOfTheFiveGods The Curse of Chalion]],'' new secretary-tutor Cazaril to the Royesse (that is, Princess) Iselle listens patiently as she stumbles through some language exercises, and then tells her bluntly the old tutor flattered her skill and a native speaker would laugh at her. This not only teaches Iselle that privilege attracts dishonesty, it frustrates her into putting more effort into improving herself. Both of these lessons pay off ''enormously'' down the line.

* ''Doctor Who'': ''WebAnimation/DeathComesToTime'' includes a mission on a planet called [[spoiler: Anima Persis]] that all Time Lords have to go through in their training, where they are meant to fail; in order to teach them what failure feels like so they know that even they are not infallible and the need to avoid the temptation to use their powers. It's a sort of humbling exercise. In the Doctor's words, "You take that memory with you wherever you go."

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown,'' Master Fung stated that there were a thousand lessons in defeat. He proves this point by beating the Chosen Ones in a wager by making it impossible for them to win, instead of fighting to win outright. Omi would use said lesson to prevent the villains from obtaining a powerful Shen Gong Wu. At the end of the episode, he challengers them to a second wager, which the heroes decline- They've learned they should "Never bet against Fung!"

* When he was young, ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'s'' Yuda wanted to inherit his master's shop, but his master refused. He explained to Yuda that, yes, he was a genius but because of that he'd yet to experience true failure and that would eventually make him overconfident. He ordered Yuda to go WalkingTheEarth until he understood that. Yuda learned this lesson when preparing medicinal food for a sick village. [[spoiler:The only child willing to eat his bitter concoction died because there was a difference of one millimeter, a measurement that referencing would become Yuda's own catchphrase in the present day, in preparing the food for a child compared to an adult]].

* When he was young, ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'s'' Yuda wanted to inherit his master's shop, but his master refused. He explained to Yuda that, yes, he was a genius but because of that he'd yet to experience true failure and that would eventually make him overconfident. He ordered Yuda to go WalkingTheEarth until he understood that. Yuda learned this lesson when preparing medicinal food for a sick village. [[spoiler:The only child willing to eat his bitter concoction died because there was a difference of one millimeter, an measurement that referencing would become Yuda's own catchphrase in the present day, in preparing the food for a child compared to an adult]].

* When he was young, ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'s'' Yuda wanted to inherit his master's shop, but his master refused. He explained to Yuda that, yes, he was a genius but because of that he'd yet to experience true failure and that would eventually make him overconfident. He ordered Yuda to go WalkingTheEarth until he understood that. Yuda learned this lesson when preparing medicinal food for a sick village. [[spoiler:The only child willing to eat his bitter concoction died because there was a difference of one millimeter in preparing the food for a child compared to an adult]].

* When he was young, ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'s'' Yuda wanted to inherit his master's shop, but his master refused. He explained to Yuda that, yes, he was a genius but because of that he'd yet to experience true failure and that would eventually make him overconfident. He ordered Yuda to go WalkingTheEarth until he understood that. Yuda learned this lesson when preparing medicinal food for a sick village. [[spoiler:The only child willing to eat his bitter concoction died because there was a difference [[CatchPhrase of one millimeter]] in preparing the food for a child compared to an adult]].

* ''Doctor Who'': ''WebAnimation/DeathComesToTime'' includes a mission on a planet called [[spoiler: Anima Persis]] that all Time Lords have to go through in their training, where they are meant to fail; in order to teach them what failure feels like so they know that even they are not infallible and the need to avoid the temptation to use their powers. It's a sort of humbling excercise. In the Doctor's words, "You take that memory with you wherever you go."

* Done in ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' when the X-Men first fight against the Scarlet Witch who completely trounces them. While the team come out of it okay, they are a bit shaken by the encounter and Xavier muses this defeat may have been good for them in order to grow stronger.

* ''[[Literature/WorldOfTheFiveGods The Curse of Chalion]],'' new secretary-tutor Cazaril to the Royesse (that is, Princess) Iselle listens patiently as she stumbles through some language exercises, and then tells her bluntly the old tutor flattered her skill and a native speaker would laugh at her. This not only teaches Iselle that privilege attracts dishonesty, it frustrates her into put more effort into improving herself. Both of these lessons pay off ''enormously'' down the line.

* ''Literature/WitchesAbroad:'' What kickstarts the plot is a witch invoking this against the Weatherwax sisters. Both are too proud to ever admit defeat, but the dead witch declares one of them has to learn.

* This is the primary reason for Master Roshi's assuming his "Jackie Chun" SecretIdentity in the World Tournaments in ''Manga/DragonBall.'' He wanted to prevent Goku and Krillin from getting big heads by progressing too far too quickly.

* The spirit if not the specifics can be seen in ''Manga/OnePiece'' when Dracule Mihawk defeats Zoro. Zoro definitely had the "big fish in a little pond" attitude when they met, though he was enough of a {{determinator}} to impress Mihawk. So rather than kill him, Mihawk defeated him thoroughly and encouraged him to see more of the world. Zoro's response to his crushing defeat was a tearful vow to never lose again.
* During the S-Rank Trials in ''Manga/FairyTail'', Natsu went head to head with Gildarts, the single strongest man in the guild short of possibly their Master. Natsu put in a good effort, but when he got a taste of Gildarts's full power he fell to his knees and gave up on the spot. [[spoiler: Gildarts passes him for this, since his intent was to determine whether Natsu had the judgement to KnowWhenToFoldEm]].

* Yomi from ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' had to teach his son/clone, Shura this lesson ''painfully.'' Shura had all the power of an S class demon, however his maturity level was matched his age. In order to prevent his son from becoming too wild and headstrong like he himself was in the past, Yomi saw it fit to give Shura this lesson very early in life.
* The main characters of ''Manga/SeraphOfTheEnd'' receive one of these at the hands of their commander, Guren, when he and his squad curb stomp them in a 3-on-5 mock battle. Their lack of discipline and teamwork is made clear when their formations are easily broken. HotBlooded Yuuichiro takes the lesson seriously and asks questions to make sure they don't repeat those same mistakes.

* When he was young, ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'s'' Yuda wanted to inherit his master's shop, but his master refused. He explained to Yuda that, yes, he was a genius but because of that he'd yet to experience true failure and that would eventually make him overconfident. He ordered Yuda to go WalkingTheEarth until he understood that. Yuda learned this lesson when preparing medicinal food for a sick village. [[spoiler:The only child willing to eat his bitter concoction died because there was a difference [[CatchPhrase of one millimeter]] in preparing the food for a child compared to an adult]].
* The main teaching style of Koro-sensei in ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom''. With every failed assassination attempt, he explained why the attempt failed so that the students could learn, plan, and relate the failures to their studies. Done by proxy with Karma during the first term finals. [[spoiler:Koro-sensei allowed Karma to believe his natural intelligence would prevail where everyone else was cramming under Koro-sensei's tutoring. Karma proceeded to drop in overall class ranking but learned the lesson Koro-sensei hoped he would with the blow to his ego.]]

* ''Fanfic/BuildYourWingsOnTheWayDown'': After [[spoiler:Nina is turned into a chimera]], Roy Mustang decides to indulge in Edward Elric's desire to help her, thinking that he would fail miserably and get over his supposed arrogance. This backfires horribly when Ed is able to succeed and [[spoiler:restore Nina to her human form]], subverting Roy's intended lesson and leaving him with the realization that Ed is as powerful as he thinks he is.

* Referred to in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', when ComicBook/CaptainAmerica points out that Iron Man has never had a lesson in defeat... which makes him a less effective leader. It's debateable how true this is, given Tony's character arcs in the first two Iron Man films, especially the horrific HumblePie he was force-fed when he was kidnapped by terrorists using his own weapons, but there's no way Cap could've known that.

** [[spoiler: This lesson is broken all to hell when Archmaester Marwyn [[TheMagicComesBack is actually able to light the glass candles]].]]
* ''[[Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar Exile's Honor]]'': Herald-Weaponsmaster Dethor is worried about several of his students because he ''can't'' give them this lesson due to age and arthritis. The Trainees in question got so many lessons in court fencing that they'd be toast the first time they ever came up against someone who wanted to kill them instead of score points against them. Once he recruits Alberich as Weaponsmaster Second, delivering these lessons becomes Alberich's primary duty.
* After Sam Vimes of the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series becomes important to the workings of the city, and after repeatedly failing to kill him, the Assassin's Guild refuses to take contracts on him. They ''do'', however, still send overconfident students on missions to the house he's had CrazyPrepared with anti-assassin traps to see if they can get him in their sights.
* Many of his fellow students in ''Literature/EndersGame'' ''think'' this is being invoked a couple of times against Ender himself by the teachers at Battle School and try to preemptively offer him consolation. It's never quite the case, and Ender always wins anyway much to his friends' amusement ("They had to cheat to beat you and they still LOST!")

* ''Brotherhood of the Rose'', by David Morrell. Saul and Chris start playing hookie from their orphanage so they can buy stuff from the outside world and sell it to the other kids. Their ParentalSubstitute Elliot (who has been secretly grooming them as future agents) sends CIA agents to beat them up and steal their money to motivate them to take up martial arts.

* Done in ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' when the X-Men first fight against the Scarlet Witch who completely trounces them. While the team come out of it okay, they are a bit shaken by the encounter and Xavier muses this defeat may have been good for them in order to grow stronger.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': The final lesson to become a new maester is to sit in a dark room with a three glass candles, artifacts from Old Valyria made of twisted, sharp-edged obsidian. Many try to light them, but are only rewarded with bloody hands and wasted time. The wiser new maesters wait the night. The lesson is that, though maesters strive to understand the world, there are some mysteries that simply cannot be uncovered.

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* ''Podcast/RedPandaAdventures'': The Red Panda challenges the SmugSuper Mr. Amazing to a one-on-one fight in "Thirteen at Table" with this in mind. Amazing had been attacking other rookie heroes to prove himself the best, and the Red Panda needed to take him down a peg both to stop his rampage and to try and get his respect long enough to guide the young would-be hero away from his arrogance and potential descent into villainy.
[[/folder]]

* The spirit if not the specifics can be seen in ''Manga/OnePiece'' when Dracule Mihawk defeats Zoro. Zoro definitely had the "big fish in a little pond" attitude when they met, though he was enough of a determinator to impress Mihawk. So rather than kill him, Mihawk defeated him thoroughly and encouraged him to see more of the world. Zoro's response to his crushing defeat was a tearful vow to never lose again.

TheMentor has a student with a great deal of natural talent. Unfortunately, that's a problem because all that talent is going to their head and risks turning them into an ArrogantKungFuGuy or InsufferableGenius. Or it may just be that the student is failing to achieve their full potential because they have become [[BrilliantButLazy too self-satisfied]] to put any real work into improving.

* ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' introduces the [[UnwinnableTrainingSimulation no-win scenario]] of the Kobayashi Maru test as part of Star Fleet officer training. The purpose of the test is explained as part this trope and part observation of how an officer-in-training ''handles'' this trope. Kirk, being Kirk, speaks of how, when he was in the Federation Academy, he found a way to beat the test anyway, something that gained him significant praise during his cadet years. Sure enough, no matter how difficult the trials he faced were, Kirk always found a way to win, proving that the test was invalid as far as his abilities were concerned and he could always win. In fact the first time that Kirk can't find a way to win is when [[spoiler: Spock is forced to sacrifice his life to save the crew]] as there was nothing he could do. This proved that Kirk was wrong, you can't always win and save everyone; sometimes sacrifices have to be made.

* This is the primary reason for Master Roshi's assuming his "Jackie Chun" SecretIdentity in the Strongest Under the Heavens Martial Arts Tournaments in ''Manga/DragonBall.'' He wanted to prevent Goku and Kuririn from getting big heads by progressing too far too quickly.

* ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan''. Kirk speaks of how, when he was in the Federation Academy, he found a way to beat the [[UnwinnableTrainingSimulation no-win scenario]] of the Kobayashi Maru test, something that gained him significant praise during his cadet years. Sure enough, no matter how difficult the trials he faced were, Kirk always found a way to win, proving that the test was invalid as far as his abilities were concerned and he could always win. In fact the first time that Kirk can't find a way to win is when [[spoiler: Spock is forced to sacrifice his life to save the crew]] as there was nothing he could do. This proved that Kirk was wrong, you can't always win and save everyone; sometimes sacrifices have to be made.