History Main / Fireforgedfriends

* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', this is how the Scoobies became friends. It is also the most common solution to any major strife among the Scoobies. A notable example is Xander and Spike in the final season. Despite openly hating each other until this point, they manage to work together to save the girls from the influence of RJ's magic jacket in 'Him'. After Spike goes back to save Xander from Caleb in 'Dirty Girls' their previous animosity is almost completely set aside. Perhaps the most prominent example is in "Dead Man's Party" during season 3. After just about ''everyone'' spends most of the episode trashing Buffy for running away to the point that she nearly runs away again, all is forgiven and they're all best buds again right after they stop a magic mask-induced ZombieApocalypse.
* Pretty standard for the heroes in ''Series/{{Angel}}'' but Wesley and Gunn deserve special mention.
-->'''Gunn''': Come on, English! You know you my man!
-->'''Angel''': So, ah, I see you guys have bonded.
-->'''Gunn''': Happens when you fight shoulder to shoulder.
-->'''Wesley''': Or rather hip to shoulder these days.
-->'''Gunn''': This man took a bullet for me!
-->'''Wesley''': Ah, it was nothing!

* In the very first episode of ''Series/DoctorWho'', the Doctor doesn't really seem to like Ian and Barbara very much (the feeling is quite obviously mutual), but he's forced to work with them when the three of them (along with the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan) are captured by cavemen. They manage to win their freedom by showing the cavemen how to make fire. They go on to become very close friends. Their friendship was therefore, quite literally, forged by fire.
* ''Series/{{Firefly}}''
** Mal and Zoe, to a PlatonicLifePartners level. We don't see the exact moment of forging; rather, the war they were in together seems to have been a protracted forging process.
** Mal and Simon. They rubbed each other the wrong way because of culture clash, suspicion, and the clash of their highly evolved PapaWolf and {{Big Brother Instinct}}s. But they learned to respect each other as the show progressed.
** Jayne is a tougher nut to crack, but he and Simon also seem to have reached this point by the end of ''Film/{{Serenity}}''.
* On ''Series/{{Chuck}}'', the members of Team Bartowski started out [[InterserviceRivalry suspicious]] and [[HeKnowsTooMuch paranoid]] of each other, but have grown into fast friends, saved each others' lives multiple times, and committed treason (and the occasional thoughtful felony) for each others' sakes.
* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': [[spoiler:Peter]] and [[spoiler:Sylar]] have some sort of bond in the realm of friendishness, after having [[spoiler:spent five years together in an otherwise empty replica of New York City]]. Matt protests profusely, going as far as [[spoiler:pushing a thought in Sylar's head to prevent him from leaving. Peter proceeds to defend him, although whether this was because he wanted to help Sylar or so that Sylar could save his friend Emma from helping destroy half of New York City (or maybe just Central Park -- it was never very clear just how much of the city would be destroyed).]]
* ''Series/TheWestWing'': While the main cast were already [[TrueCompanions like family]] before the assassination attempt at Rosslyn, the crisis, and [[spoiler: the vigil over Josh]] can be seen as the moment where any loose ends locked into place. Most notable was [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg Mandy's]] getting [[BrotherChuck Brother Chucked]] without sharing the characters' ordeal.
** In the fifth season Leo's commitment to this trope is put to the test when an old war buddy who saved Leo's life is brought up on corruption charges and Leo is faced with standing by his FireForgedFriend or doing the right thing.
* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' -- John Crichton and Ka D'argo. In the first season, D'argo tries to kill Crichton several times, and in episode 11 Crichton even says, "We're never going to be friends... We can be allies." After fighting side by side for a couple seasons, they end up being each other's BFF. To a lesser extent this became true of the rest of the crew on Moya over the years. Literally forced together through circumstance and picking up strays alongthe way, the group started out barely tolerating one another and seeking to advance themselves at the cost of the others. By the end, with the things they had suffered through together, even the most selfish like Rygel had gone through fire and blood for their friends.

* ''Series/{{Misfits}}'' is pretty much made of this trope. Although you could argue that even ''after'' being lumped together on community service, getting caught in a freak electrical storm and imbued with godawful superpowers, and then accidentally killing their probation worker and having to dispose of the body, the gang still [[VitriolicBestBuds don't particularly like each other]], despite having formed a strange kind of bond.
* Also defines ''Series/BlakesSeven'' (not that any of them would ever admit it).
-->'''Dorian:''' That's why I came for you. You care for each other. After what you've been through together, you couldn't fail to care for each other. Even you, Avon.
* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Sheldon and Leonard became friends when Sheldon saved Leonard from being blown up by rocket fuel that the latter had mixed incorrectly when trying to convert it to use in Howard's model rocket.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'' provides an excellent example in the shape of Ambassador Londo Mollari of the Centauri Republic and G'Kar of the Narn Regime. Hating one another at first for reasons political (the Centauri had previously ruled Narn with an iron fist) and personal, the Centauri invasion of Narn space led at first to a bizarre convergence of interest and eventually a truly OddFriendship as the series progressed. In the end, a prophecy Mollari had of G'Kar killing him [[PropheciesAreAlwaysRight came true]] in [[ProphecyTwist the oddest way imaginable]]: [[spoiler:Londo, by now Emperor, trapped by a Drakh Keeper, has his trusted friend G'Kar kill him as part of a ThanatosGambit to set the Centauri people to freedom and a bright future under [[TookALevelInBadass Emperor Vir Cotto]].]]
** The Minbari and the humans culminating in an actual marriage between a [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Satai who voted for]] the Earth-Minbari war and [[TheButcher Starkiller]]. Not to mention a human going back in time and becoming [[MessianicArchetype Valen]], and the implication that the humans and Minbari would [[spoiler:eventually take the place of the Shadows and Vorlons in guarding the still-younger races--although they would presumably they cooperate, seeing how bad of a job the Shadows and Vorlons did]]. Joining to fight off UltimateEvil does that.
* ''Series/AirCrashInvestigation'': The passengers and crew of British Airways Flight 9 started their own club after their strange and nightmarish ordeal.
* In ''Series/BurnNotice'', 2x13, Michael and Bly are dancing toward mutual destruction, when they end up caught in the midst of a bank heist. A few hijinks and a bullet wound later, they decide instead to do each other some favors and leave each other alone.
* In ''Series/{{Fi}}'', Özge and Furkan become this over the course of the first season. She initially views him as a nuisance and treats him poorly, but he grows into her most trustworthy ally. [[spoiler:His death and the circumstances surrounding it lead to her [[HeroicBSOD breakdown]] at the start of season two]].

* In ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'', Franchise/SherlockHolmes and John Watson's relationship develops gradually over the first episode, and the familiar Holmesian [[HeterosexualLifePartners friendship dynamic]] is fully established when [[spoiler:[[BadassAdorable John]] [[BloodBrothers shoots the serial killer to save Sherlock's life]].]]
* At the start of ''Series/{{Whitechapel}}'', the detectives are a team but almost universally hate their [[NaiveNewcomer new]] boss, DI Chandler, who thinks they're unprofessional slobs. Over the course of several stressful but revealing days together, he grows to respect them as real detectives and they decide he's not a such an asshole after all. That doesn't stop the [[VitriolicBestBuds insults]], especially between Chandler and Miles.

* In ''Series/HellOnWheels'' Cullen and Elam have, as might be expected between an ex-slave and a former slave owner, a rocky relationship at the best of times. After [[spoiler: Cullen saves Elam from a lynch mob and later on they fight and kill said mob when it pursues them]] they seem headed towards this.
* ''Series/{{Andromeda}}''. Tyr and Seamus, complete with a GiveMeASword moment during their LastStand against the Magog.
* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': Red Riding Hood and Snow White become friends while hunting for TheBigBadWolf. [[spoiler: Snow finds out from Granny that [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Red herself is the wolf]], and helps her stop Red before she unintentionally killed more people.]] In the fairy tale timeline, the next time we see them Red knows Snow's actual name (after Snow had given her an alias until she knew Red could be trusted) and is clearly helping Snow stay in hiding from the Queen. While we have yet to see what happened after Snow [[spoiler: drags a confused, human Red away to protect her from hunters]], they end up good enough friends that, during Snow's fight to save PrinceCharming, Red (along with Grumpy) seems like she's practically Snow's NumberTwo.
* ''Series/{{Lost}}'': The plane crash survivors don't always get along, but thanks to their circumstances (and hostility from the Others,) they realize they're in it together. The background characters are wholly apathetic, but the regulars are always going off to rescue each other despite the many dangers. Jack and Sawyer, in particular, hate each other, but still look out for each other against common threats. This is exemplified by their SurvivalMantra; "Live together. Die alone." The GrandFinale really makes it explicit how the group had came to relate to each other as true companions, to the extent that [[spoiler:none of them would [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence "move on"]] from the flash-sideways universe until '''all''' of them were ready]].
-->'''[[spoiler:Christian]]''': [''to Jack''] The most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people. [...] You needed all of them and they needed you.
* ''Series/StargateUniverse'' starts out far from this, with expedition members distrusting, framing, marooning and betraying each other (okay, so that's mostly two of them), and gradually develops into this. Young finally states this explicitly in the last episode, referring to the crew as a family.
* The "seven stranded castaways" on ''Series/GilligansIsland''. If one of them is in danger, the other 6 will rush forward to rescue them. If one of them is (always wrongly) believed to be dead, the other 6 will be beside themselves with grief. And while [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption they may not be able to get off the island]], they are adept at working together to survive whatever life-threatening obstacles are thrown their way. In the end, the answer to the often-repeated question, "Why don't they JustEatGilligan?" is obvious. Because they love him.
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': Pretty much all of Clark's friends and loved ones (with [[{{DoomedByCanon}} the obvious exception of Lex, who goes dark]]) become this as the seasons go along. Pete [[spoiler: becomes Clark's first SecretKeeper besides his parents]], Chloe becomes MissionControl and an even bigger confidant than Pete, Lois goes from being VitriolicBestBuds with Clark to being an integral member of Team Clark and the other half of a BattleCouple with Clark himself by the end, and Clark's superhero friends all end up interacting with Clark's non-powered friends and becoming ''their'' friends as well (even one-off character Andrea becomes FireForgedFriends with Chloe during the web/DVD extra "The Vengeance Chronicles"). It's no surprise that by Season 10, Team Clark basically feels like one big happy ([[{{RuleOfDrama}} though still occasionally dysfunctional]]) family.
* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' saw Ziva's relationship with Team Gibbs unfold this way. Especially with Tony.
* ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'' Since Deeks was introduced Sam has at best tolerated his presence and Deeks doesn't like him much better. After the events of "Descent" in which both Deeks and Sam were tortured over stolen nukes, Sam has a much higher opinion of Deeks, given that Deeks didn't crack and give up Sam's wife as the undercover operative the Big Bad was seeking.
* The original ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|1978}}'': Sheba doesn't seem to very much like Cassiopeia, who was dating the former's father at the time. The two women then developed a newfound respect and friendship for one another after the attack on Gamoray that left [[PlatonicLifePartners Bojay]] wounded.
* Friendships that transcend all social classes, between people who would do anything for each other, who share hardship as well as happiness and would be ready to die for each other is one of the major themes of ''Series/PrincessReturningPearl''.
* On Marvel's ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', May and Ward both are affected by an Asgardian berserker staff; the kind that brings up the worst memory of your life and turns it into BerserkerRage power. The power leaves after the fight is over, but the memories fade in time, approximately a decade. Since they are the only ones who can deal with it, they become FFF [[spoiler:with benefits]]. Later, May thinks Ward is protecting her during a fight when he really knew she could take out the bad guy if he took the hit. He corrects her attitude by saying he isn't the kind of guy who "can't separate church and state."
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Dean and [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Benny]] become this after fighting their way through Purgatory together. Originally starts off as TeethClenchedTeamwork on Dean's end, since he's not too happy about having to accept a vampire's help. It's only after Benny saves Castiel that Dean genuinely begins to like him.
* In ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' Root and Reese start off as enemies, as a result of the fact that Root had played him and kidnapped Finch. On her part she thought of Reese as DumbMuscle and wanted to replace him as Finch's partner. After she joins the team, [[spoiler: as an agent of The Machine]] they become allies. The friendship part doesn't happen until [[spoiler: Shaw apparently dies while they are saving the Stock exchange.]] They two of them go on a crusade across five states, even picking a fight with government operatives just on a hunch that they could save her.
* Considering the core team of ''{{Series/Leverage}}'' is made up of [[IWorkAlone loner]] consummate criminals (except [[TheLeader Nate]]), none of them exactly trust each other even when brought together by an EnemyMine situation. But after that first addictive job and discovering that GoodFeelsGood, they decide to stay a team, trusting and relying on each other to balance out their own flaws. It takes a lot of fire and explosions, but through their work they grow [[TrueCompanions as close as family]].

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--->'''Henry V:''' We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
--->For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
--->Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
* ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'' wonderfully subverts this: Cyrano and Christian’s friendship is not born because they fight against the same enemy, but because they are courting TheAce Roxane, from whose rejection both of them are terribly afraid and must gather all their courage only to face her.

* Invoked in ''Film/NineteenDays''. When a senior KGB official makes a back channel piece offer allegedly from Khrushchev, the Americans have to decide if it's genuine. They decide it is on finding evidence that the two served together during [=WW2=].

* This is pretty much the entire basis of the idea behind support conversations in ''Franchise/FireEmblem Fire Emblem''. By having two units stand near each other (and in modern games, engage in battle with each other) causes them to gain some affinity for each other and eventually support, possible even leading to marriage.

->''"We few...we happy few. We band of brothers. For he that sheds his blood today with mine shall be my brother.''

* The ''Franchise/MadMax'' franchise loves the trope. Justified in that in a post-apocalyptic society, trust is hard to come by.

*** From the episode ''Darmok'', this trope has an in-universe name: Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra which, by the end of the episode, becomes Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel.

** D'Artagnan and Rochefort spend the first book as nemeses. In an epilogue, it's explained that they fight several duels before ultimately becoming close friends. This is almost never carried over into any adaptations.

** Similarly, [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2002 Ratchet & Clank]] follow the same path as Sora and Donald, in that they start off on good terms before Umbris, where they are suddenly at each other's throats over [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk Ratchet's]] desire for revenge against Captain Qwark, and Clank just wanting to stop Drek from tearing planets apart. The two stop fighting after Ratchet finally completes his revenge, but at the cost of them not being able to protect a city from being attacked, and eventually grow to become best friends.

* The main cast of ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' definitely counts. Contrast the first third of the game, when Luke [[spoiler: destroys Akzeriuth,]] to the last third of the game, when [[spoiler: Anise betrays the party and directly causes Ion's death.]] In the first case, the party condemns Luke's immaturity and irresponsibility, ''abandons'' Luke in Yulia City and only rejoins with him once they're absolutely forced to. Then, twenty hours later, [[spoiler: Anise]] is almost instantly forgiven for her crime, and the entire party agrees to stand by her side for her duel with [[spoiler: Arietta.]] Considering how much betrayal, murder, crisis and conspiracy they've all had to deal with, it's no wonder they've come to rely on each other. It says a lot that one of the party members is a [[MoralSociopathy borderline sociopath,]] and yet he still manages to learn of the PowerOfFriendship after all is said and done. In fact, he [[DeadpanSnarker puts their situation best]]:

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' gives us an odd example in Ash's Charizard. It started perfectly happy and loyal as a Charmander, but after evolving into Charmeleon, became defiant and disobedient. This trend continued for quite some time after it evolved into Charizard, though its disobedience was more a result of pride and overconfidence than simple spite. When Charizard came close to death when hit by a Poliwrath's ice beam, though, it watched as Ash worked hard to keep it's tail flame lit, even though he was hurting himself in the process. Thereafter, it became steadfastly loyal.

** ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' had the most recent Arbiter, Thel 'Vadam, join forces with Master Chief John-117. At first they start out quite hostile towards each other--Chief even shoved a gun right in Arbiter's mandibles, but by the end they trust each other enough to pull a BacktoBackBadasses, and frequently save each other in battle. That and Arbiter [[spoiler:is the only one who believes John has not died at end of the game--who is, in fact, stuck floating in space, with no way to get home, and his AI Cortana quickly approaching [[AIIsaCrapshoot ram]][[JustForFun/SentientAIWarningSigns pancy.]] Don't mind me, [[SandinMyEyes I'm just sweating from my eyes.]]]]

* In ''{{Punisher}}: War Journal'', Frank and the Rhino make peace as they face Alyosha Kravinoff, the new Kraven, in his sadistic game of hunting supervillains with animal motifs. Over the course of the incident, it's revealed that the murder that set Frank on the Rhino's tail was an accident (and that Rhino sends money to the man's widow), and when Frank saves Rhino's life they decide to call it even. They then develop a Sam the Sheepdog/Ralph the Wolf sort of relationship, except they've cut out the "antagonize one another" part entirely.

* [[FanFic/{{Cenotaph}} Cenotaph]] features the Skitter and the Undersiders. Not as close as in canon yet, but still on good terms, and friendly... And also [[FalselyReformedVillain Purity]], who joined up while Taylor was fighting the ABB. Both helped each other, Taylor giving [[TheAtoner Purity]] hope that her attempts to clean up Brockton Bay would bear fruit, and Purity giving Skitter an ally in a time when she felt very alone.

* It's common in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' for [[TheHero Link]] to to ally with someone who doesn't think much of him, but of course, draws closer to him throughout the game--[[ExpositionFairy Tatl]] in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'', [[PirateGirl Tetra]] in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'', [[NiceHat Ezlo]] in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap The Minish Cap]]'', [[TheImp Midna]] in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'', [[TheBully Groose]] in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'', and Zelda herself in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]''.

-->'''Cyclops''': My father is an emotionally distant space pirate. My time-traveling son from the future is older than me. My younger self hates me... and yet still... somehow... ''you'' were the most complicated relationship in my life.

** Although most other adaptations like to play up their conflicts, Cyclops and Wolverine actually develop a begrudging respect for one another in the comics.

* At the end of ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', while Sarah isn't moved to tears by what the T-800 intends to do, she still shakes his hand in respect. It's quite a thing too, considering her previous encounter with one of those things.

** ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' had the most recent Arbiter, Thel 'Vadam, join forces with Master Chief John-117. At first they start out quite hostile towards each other--Chief even shoved a gun right in Arbiter's mandibles, but by the end they trust each other enough to pull a BacktoBackBadasses, and frequently save each other in battle. That and Arbiter [[spoiler:is the only one who believes John has not died at end of the game--who is, in fact, stuck floating in space, with no way to get home, and his AI Cortana quickly approaching [[AIIsaCrapshoot ram]][[SentientAIWarningSigns pancy.]] Don't mind me, [[SandinMyEyes I'm just sweating from my eyes.]]]]

* In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'', [[FireEmblem Marth]] and [[VideoGame/{{Kirby}} Meta Knight]] are both standing near the same giant blob of Subspace. Meta Knight assumes the worst and attacks Marth, who defends himself, until some Primids attack, at which point they both turn on the Primids and realize they're on the same side. They work together for the next leg of the game.

** In Andy Hoare's ''Literature/WhiteScars'' novel ''Hunt for Voldorius'', we are assured in the epilogue that the events of the novel formed this between the WhiteScars and the Raven Guard. Although the last actual scene shows that the Raven Guard vanished, leaving the WhiteScars with plenty of questions, taking the woman who had been prisoner, and the WhiteScars were rather annoyed.

** Franky may be the best example of this among the Straw Hats. Initially, the dislike was mutual; Luffy (and the rest of his crew) hated Franky for beating up Usopp, and Franky wanted revenge on Luffy for blowing up the Franky House and beating up his family (in retaliation). The two put aside their differences when [=CP9=] came into the picture, and Franky's reluctance to join the crew after the whole thing was over was mainly due to having attachments to Water 7 and his family.

* The [[TrueCompanions Mall Fighters]] in MallFight all ended up as this, one way or another.