History Main / GoodTamingEvilTaming

** On the evil side of the spectrum are Dagur, the Dragon Trappers, Krogan and Drago Bludvist. Dagur captures a Skrill and binds it with ropes to use as a weapon, the Skrill shocking him and leaving as soon as it is freed. The Dragon Trappers use a variety of ways of using live dragons to their advantage. When not killing or selling them, the trappers use the living dragons as weapons -- forcing them to fight in gladiatorial arenas for entertainment, using Quakens as wrecking balls for mining, chaining a Submaripper to the sea-bed to obstruct Berk's trading routes, attaching the Shellfire to a warship -- but still objectifies them, all of which ending badly. Krogan establishes an "Anti-Dragon Rider" team in the form of his flyers, capturing Singetails, wrestling them into submission, using dragon-proof chains as harnesses, and riding crops to make them fire. Because of their methods, however, they and their dragons lack any real bond or loyalty with each other which the Riders have exploited more than once. Drago Bludvist, the General of the Dragon Army, uses intimidation to frighten individual dragons in a "beat the dog until it stops barking" sort of way and even [[spoiler:tortured a Bewilderbeast after it first hatched]] so that he could have an alpha to mind-control all other dragons. Because he did not earn the loyalty of his dragon army, all of his enslaved dragons turn on him after Toothless overpowers the Bewilderbeast.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', Aang and his sky bison Appa share a strong bond with one another when they first met before they were trapped in the ice, using encouragement and regular feeding to be on the bison's good side. In [[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAppasLostDays "Appa's Lost Days"]] flashbacks of Aang and Appa's first meetings are contrasted with Appa's experience in a Fire Nation Circus with an animal tamer who had him locked in a cage and tried using a [[ElementalWeapon fire whip]] in hopes of breaking his spirit to perform tricks for them and their audience. After he escaped, [[HermitGuru Guru Pathik]] had to gradually gain the bison's trust back due to the abuse from the circus and [[spoiler:the ShooTheDog moment with Azula and the Kyoshi Warriors]].

* The many breeds of the ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' franchise vary greatly, with the relationship between man and dragon a recurring theme.

** ''Videogame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' introduced a mechanic to determine how much a Pokemon likes its trainer. It takes a lot of work to get a Pokemon to dislike you, like letting it faint a lot and using bad-tasting items, with the only real benefit being to power up the Frustration attack (when there are many better moves anyway).

Supertrope to BadPeopleAbuseAnimals. Compare FriendToAllLivingThings, who may or may not engage in actual taming of animals, but is nigh-universally liked by them either way. See also MonstersFavoritePettingSpot.

* In ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', Ash and most other trainers treat their Pokemon kindly and properly, which causes them to be loyal and friendly to the trainers. Interestingly, the main villains of the show, Team Rocket, aren't the abusive ones. In fact, Jessie and James have [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther as close a bond with their Pokemon]] as Ash and his friends do with theirs, and the episodes focusing on them are often very emotional. Instead, this portrayal is typically reserved for [[VillainOfTheWeek single-episode characters]] like Damien and Shamus and [[TheRival rivals]] like Paul.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', Aang and his sky bison Appa share a strong bond with one another when they first met before they were trapped in the ice, using encouragement and regular feeding to be on the bison's good side. This is in contrast with the Fire Nation Circus animal tamer, who had him locked in a cage and tried using a [[ElementalWeapon fire whip]] in hopes of breaking his spirit to perform tricks for them and their audience. After he escaped, [[HermitGuru Guru Pathik]] had to gradually gain the bison's trust back due to the abuse from the circus and [[spoiler:the ShooTheDog moment with Azula and the Kyoshi Warriors]].

-->'''Not-as-big-as-Medium-Sized-Jock-but-bigger-than-Wee-Jock-Jock''': Ach, all it takes is a wee drop o' kindness, mistress.\\
'''Tiffany''': Really?\\
'''Not-as-big-as-Medium-Sized-Jock-but-bigger-than-Wee-Jock-Jock''': Aye, an' a big dollop o' cruelty.

TheHero might learn that it is best to bait the creature with the carrot, giving the animal its space, shower it with affection and compliments, give it a treat every now and again and give them a little trust. This creates loyalty from the animal, the animal protecting the trainer when threatened and even rescuing them in a hopeless situation. The villain, [[EvilCannotComprehendGood having no understanding of compassion]], might think that simply showing the beast who's boss through fist and cattle-prod might teach the beast to understand its "betters." In a story where both methods are presented, the villain's method may come across as cruel and unusual to the audience, especially when they are given the option of a calmer and friendlier method only to reject it. Stories like this usually lead to a DeathByIrony, being [[EatenAlive consumed]], [[TrampledUnderfoot trampled]] or [[CruelAndUnusualDeath eviscerated]] by the very monster they created in their attempts at controlling it.

In a GreyAndGrayMorality tale on the other hand, the white and black will naturally blend together. After all, some animals were not built to be domesticated, and thus need a reluctant firm hand from a pragmatic AntiHero.

* Not really dwelt upon, but implied in ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'': the titular hero, as well as two of his fellow Shitenno Coco and Sunny have made friends with their respective animal companions, treating them well and considering them part of the family. Meanwhile the bad guys seems to employ animals or modified chimeras merely as attack tools and nothing else. Emphasized by Bishokukai member [[EyeScream Cedre]] during the Regal Mammoth arc: he forces a giant octopus monster to attack Sunny by whipping him furiously while claiming that he's his loyal pet. However, once Cedre's in a pinch, the octopus doesn't come to his aid.

** On the good side of the spectrum there is Hiccup, Valka from ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'', the [[Characters/HowToTrainYourDragonFilmsDefendersOfTheWing Defenders of the Wing]] and the Winged Maidens from ''[[WesternAnimation/DragonsRidersOfBerk Race to the Edge]]''. Hiccup (and by extension, every person he has ever taught dragon-training to) learned about making oneself vulnerable as a sign of trust, feeding them, petting them and simply getting to know them on a personal level. Valka lived among them for twenty years as one of them, helping rescue captured and hurt dragons and living as a fellow dragon. While the Defenders neither ride nor live among them like the Hooligans, the Defenders worship dragons and have learned ways of pacifying them without harming them. The Winged Maidens are a commune of Viking nuns who dedicate themselves to taking care of the Razorwhips that live on their island and preventing their extinction. They also allow baby Razorwhips to cling to them, which in-turn gives them wings that allow them to fly.
** On the evil side of the spectrum are Dagur, the Dragon Trappers, Krogan and Drago Bludvist. Dagur captures a Skrill and binds it with ropes to use as a weapon, the Skrill shocking him and leaving as soon as it is freed. The Dragon Trappers use a variety of ways of using live dragons to their advantage. When not killing or selling them, the trappers use the living dragons as weapons -- forcing them to fight in gladiatorial arenas for entertainment, using Quakens as wrecking balls for mining, chaining a Submaripper to the sea-bed to obstruct Berk's trading routes, attaching the Shellfire to a warship -- but still objectifies them, all of which ending badly. Krogan establishes an "Anti-Dragon Rider" team in the form of his flyers, capturing Singetails, wrestling them into submission, using dragon-proof chains as harnesses and riding crops to make them fire. Because of their methods, however, they and their dragons lack any real bond or loyalty with each other which the Riders have exploited more than once. Drago Bludvist, the General of the Dragon Army, uses intimidation to frighten individual dragons in a "beat the dog until it stops barking" sort of way and even [[spoiler:tortured a Bewilderbeast after it first hatched]] so that he could have an alpha to mind-control all other dragons. Because he did not earn the loyalty of his dragon army, all of his enslaved dragons turn on him after Toothless overpowers the Bewilderbeast.

* In the ''Wildwitch'' series by Lene Kaaberbol, the good wildwitches don't really ''tame'' animals, they communicate with them and ask them for favours. Their animal companions tend to choose them, not the other way round. However, it is implied that if a wildwitch turns to evil, she is able to enslave animals with her magic. Those wildwitches are considered to [[NoTrueScotsman not be wildwitches anymore.]]

* Subverted in ''Literature/TheWeeFreeMen'', when Tiffany asks how the six inch high Hamish the Aviator can tame a buzzard several times his size.

** In general, it's been stated repeatedly that Pokemon that have been trained are stronger overall than wild Pokemon and it's been implied that part of the reason behind the existence of RandomEncounters are wild Pokemon engaging in training themselves or looking to impress trainers enough to capture them. Inversely, Pokemon that are implied to be poached from their homes or stolen from other trainers tend to perform worse in battle and meaner or more malicious Trainer types like [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals Cueballs/Roughnecks, Bikers and Evil Team Grunts]] are going to do worse than more on-the-level Trainer types like [[FluffyTamer Gym Leaders, Ace Trainers and Breeders.]]
** ''Videogame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' introduced a mechanic to determine how much a pokemon likes its trainer. It takes a lot of work to get a pokemon on to dislike you, like letting it faint a lot and using bad-tasting items, with the only real benefit being to power up the Frustration attack (when there are many better moves anyway).

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', Aang and his sky bison Appa share a strong bond to one another when they first met before they were trapped in the ice, using encouragement and regular feeding to be on the bison's good side. This is in contrast with the Fire Nation Circus animal tamer, who had him locked in a cage and tried using a [[ElementalWeapon fire whip]] in hopes of breaking his spirit to perform tricks for them and their audience. After he escaped, [[HermitGuru Guru Pathik]] had to gradually gain the bison's trust back due to the abuse from the circus and [[spoiler:the ShooTheDog moment with Azula and the Kyoshi Warriors]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', Aang and his sky bison Appa share a strong bond to one another when they first met before they were trapped in the ice, using encouragement and regular feeding to be on the bison's good side. This is in contrast with the Fire Nation Circus animal tamer, who had him locked in a cage and tried using a [[ElementalWeapon fire]]-[[WhipItGood whip]] in hopes of breaking his spirit to perform tricks for them and their audience. After he escaped, [[HermitGuru Guru Pathik]] had to gradually gain the bison's trust back due to the abuse from the circus and [[spoiler:the ShooTheDog moment with Azula and the Kyoshi Warriors]].

* Franchise/{{Pokemon}}:

* Subverted in ''Literature/WeeFreeMen'', when Tiffany asks how the six inch high Hamish the Aviator can tame a buzzard several times his size.