History Main / GoodTamingEvilTaming

* Subverted in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels, where the kind-of-heroic Nac Mac Feegle tame birds of prey using "a little kindness. And a lot of cruelty."

* Subverted in the ''Literatur/{{Discworld}}'' novels, where the kind-of-heroic Nac Mac Feegle tame birds of prey using "a little kindness. And a lot of cruelty."

** Even in ''Videogame/PokemonRedAndBlue'', before the happiness mechanic existed, there was the "Tamer" class, who carried bullwhips and hypnotic discs (or [[FanNickname "lollipops"]]) with which to control their Pokémon. While nothing in the game explicitly condemned these severe measures, it's notable that most of them were working for [[ArcVillain Giovanni]], and their Pokémon were no stronger than the player's lovingly-raised ones anyway.

* In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', the techpriests believe that while they get machine-spirits to work by observing the proper rituals and giving them the respect they deserve, the Orks merely threaten their machines into working. The limited [[ArtificialIntelligence AIs]] (and the fact that their machines work without requiring hours of rituals and incantations) used by the Tau confuse them, and some try to entreat Tau tech by offering the xenos machine-spirits reverence (when others aren't looking; manipulating xeno tech in any other way than "safe disposal" is heresy).

* In ''WesternAnimation/SpiritStallionOfTheCimarron'', the Colonel attempts to tame Spirit through the old-fashioned way of breaking horses, that is, mount them while they're wild and let them exhaust themselves till they can't help but submit. When Spirit comes under the care of Little Creek the Lakota, [[spoiler:he befriends Spirit through being patient with him and waiting for Spirit to ''let'' him ride him, something he finally is allowed to in the end.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/SpiritStallionOfTheCimarron'', the Colonel attempts to tame Spirit through the old-fashioned way of breaking horses, that is, mount them while they're wild and let them exhaust themselves till they can't help but submit. When Spirit comes under the care of Little Creek the Native American, [[spoiler:the latter befriends Spirit through being patient with him and waiting for Spirit to ''let'' him ride him, something he finally is allowed to in the end.]]

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.

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.

In a GreyAndGrayMorality tale on the other hand, it is on the animal on how a trainer learns to deal with them. Afterall, some animals were not built to be domesticated, and thus need a reluctant firm hand from a pragmatic AntiHero.

!!Examples

** 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/SpiritStallionOfTheCimarron'', the Colonel attempts to tame Spirit through the old-fashioned way of breaking horses, that is, mount them while they're wild and let them exhaust themselves till they can't help but submit. When Spirit comes under the care of Little Creek the Native American, [[spoiler: the latter befriends Spirit through being patient with him and waiting for Spirit to ''let'' him ride him, something he finally is allowed to in the end.]]

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[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/goodtamingbadtaming_02_0_6.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:A gentle hand... or a crushing heel?]]

* In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', the techpriests believe that while they get machine-spirits to work by observing the proper rituals and giving them the respect they deserve, the orks merely threaten their machines into working. The limited [[ArtificialIntelligence AIs]] (and the fact that their machines work without requiring hours of rituals and incantations) used by the Tau confuse them, and some try to entreat Tau tech by offering the xenos machine-spirits reverence (when others aren't looking; manipulating Xeno tech in any other way than "safe disposal" is heresy).

* ''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]]-[[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.]]

When dealing with an especially wily beast, how one keeps them from killing your friends and family within biting and clawing distance from on another shows one's character.

How one handles beasts can affect the animal's behavior immensely, ranging from becoming like the [[PetAndAnimalCompanionTropes family pet]], watching over sleeping babies and rubbing against their owner like a cat wanting affection, to becoming an animal lashing out as it is backed into a corner, losing all trust it had for humans due to the many scares and bruises across its body.

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 were both is 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 eaten]], [[TrampledUnderfoot trampled]] or [[CruelAndUnusualDeath eviscerated]] by the very monster they created in their attempts at controlling it.

** 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 in taking care of the razorwhips that live on their island and preventing their extinction. They allow baby razorwhips to cling to them and in-turn gives them wings which allows 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, them, the trappers use the living dragons as weapons - forcing them to fight in gladiatorial arenas for entertainment, using Quakens as wrecking balls, 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 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/SpiritStallionOfTheCimarron'', the Colonel attempts to tame Spirit through the old-fashioned way of breaking horses, that is, mount them while they're wild and let them exhaust themselves till they can't help but submit. When Spirit comes under the care of Little Creek the Native American, [[spoiler:the latter befriends Spirit through being patient with him and waiting for Spirit to ''let'' him ride him, something he finally is allowed to in the end.]]

* 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 [[AwwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther 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/SpiritStallionOfTheCimarron'', the Coronel attempts to tame Spirit through the old-fashioned way of breaking horses, that is, mount them while they're wild and let them exhaust themselves till they can't help but submit. When Spirit comes under the care of Little Creek the Native American, [[spoiler:the latter befriends Spirit through being patient with him and waiting for Spirit to ''let'' him ride him, something he finally is allowed to in the end.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/SpiritStallionOfTheCimarron'', the Coronel attempts to tame Spirit through the old-fashioned way of breaking horses, that is, mount them while they're wild and let them exhaust themselves till they can't help but submit. When Spirit comes under the care of Little Creek the Native American, [[spoiler:the latter befriends Spirit through being patient with him and waiting for Spirit to ''let'' him ride him, and is eventually rewarded for his troubles.]]

* 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. Some trainers, however, such as Paul, Shamus and Damien, are made less likable by treating their Pokemon abusively.

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 BadGuy, being a paragon of [[TestosteronePoisoning toxic masculinity]], 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 were both is 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 eaten]], [[TrampledUnderfoot trampled]] or [[CruelAndUnusualDeath eviscerated]] by the very monster they created in their attempts at controlling it.

** On the good side of the spectrum there is Hiccup, Valka from ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'' and the [[Characters/HowToTrainYourDragonFilmsDefendersOfTheWing Defenders of the Wing]] 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.
** On the evil side of the spectrum are Dagur, the Dragon Trappers 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, them, the trappers use the living dragons as weapons - forcing them to fight in gladiatorial arenas for entertainment, using Quakens as wrecking balls, 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. Drago Bludvist 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.

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 BadGuy, being a the paragon of [[TestosteronePoisoning toxic masculinity]], 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 were both is 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 eaten]], [[TrampledUnderfoot trampled]] or [[CruelAndUnusualDeath eviscerated]] by the very monster they created in their attempts at controlling it.

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[[folder:WesternAnimation]]

* In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', the techpriests believe that while they get machine-spirits to work by observing the proper rituals and giving them the respect they deserve, the orks merely threaten their machines into working. The limited [[ArtificialIntelligence AIs]] (and the fact that their machines work without requiring hours of rituals and incantations) used by the Tau confuse them, and some try to entreat Tau tech by offering the xenos machine-spirits reverence.

Supertrope to FriendToAllLivingThings and BadPeopleAbuseAnimals.