History Main / HeWhoFightsMonsters

** In Dai Gyakuten Saiban: Naruhodou Ryuunosuke no Bouken, [[spoiler:Robert Crogley]] is this to [[spoiler:Cosney Megundal]]; [[spoiler:Megundal]] was a horrible blackmailer who ruined several people's lives and is the one who murdered [[spoiler:Crogley's father]], however [[spoiler:Crogley]] ends up being no different because at the end of case 3 he ends up hiring an assassin to kill [[spoiler:Megundal]] for revenge.
*** This was deliberately invoked though, as Barok Van Zieks [[spoiler:states Crogley became just as bad as Megundal because Crogley basically killed Megundal.]] Barok even point blank states [[spoiler:''He who fights with monsters should see to it that he does not become one in the process.'']]
** The sequel Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2 features a lot more of this though, in case 1 [[spoiler: Heita Mamemomi ends up killing Jezail Brett using poison, in Jezail's debut case she killed John Watson using poison]], in case 2[[spoiler: William Pretency unintentionally killed Duncan Ross so Viridian Green attempted to kill Pretency]], in case 3 [[spoiler:several years after Elyder Meningen ruined Enoch Drebber's life, Drebber decided to have revenge against Meningen by killing him.]] [[spoiler:...except he wasn't the one to kill him]], in case 4-5 [[spoiler:we have Hart Vortex who invokes this trope more than possibly even Robert Crogley, in that Hart Vortex believed that he had to use darkness to face the darkness that plagued Britain.]]
** His main catchphrase (in the last case) is even [[spoiler: ''To destroy darkness, one has to become an even greater darkness.'']]

...will become no better than the monsters they slay.

* ''Webcomic/BittersweetCandyBowl'': After years of taking {{Tsundere}}-ish abuse from Lucy, Mike finally, shall we say, "gets her back" by not only [[spoiler:turning her down, but eventually ''[[KickTheDog brutally and deliberately destroying]]'' any trace of their relationship, professional or otherwise]]. The problem is, [[spoiler:Lucy has already gone through ''extreme'' CharacterDevelopment by this point, so Mike's actions [[DespairEventHorizon cause her to spiral into a deep, near suicidal depression,]]]] [[TookALevelInJerkass which makes him as bad, if not WORSE to her than she ever was to him.]]

RevengeIsNotJustice is more of a response that's invoked in an effort to stop the person from becoming a monster. If the person has become a monster, then RevengeIsNotJustice is invoked to call them out for becoming a monster.

** The White Fang was once a peaceful protest group, trying to advocate peace between humans and [[LittleBitBeastly Faunus]], but five years prior to the start of the series, a faction within the group, feeling that said peaceful protests were getting them nowhere, staged a coup and took control of the entire organization, twisting it into a violent terrorist group who, by the time of the show's beginning, has become no better than the humans who persecuted and shunned them; even other Faunus find the White Fang's violent actions sickening. The leader of said faction, Adam Taurus, turns out to [[spoiler:be a subversion of this trope, having consistently been depicted as not only murderously violent but offing responsibility for his actions on others for 'hurting' him--most consistently Blake Belladonna, an abuse victim, but often enough other faunus. While he does have a Schnee Dust Company brand over his eye, he only reveals it in an attempt to convince others he's an actual example of this trope.]]

* Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin's Heel turn during the Wrestling/{{WWE}} Attitude Era. After years of battling Vince [=McMahon=] and eventually Wrestling/TripleH who was with Vince, Austin out of desperation to become the WWE Champion again, does a WeCanRuleTogether and reveals he joined Vince at WrestleMania X-Seven. Cemented during the following Monday Night Raw broadcast where Steve Austin publicly beats up his best friend Wrestling/JimRoss who openly spoke against Austin's decision.

* Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin's Heel Face turn during the Wrestling/{{WWE}} Attitude Era. After years of battling Vince [=McMahon=] and eventually Wrestling/TripleH who was with Vince, Austin out of desperation to become the WWE Champion again, does a WeCanRuleTogether and reveals he joined Vince at WrestleMania XVII. Cemented during the following Monday Night Raw broadcast where Steve Austin publicly beats up his best friend Wrestling/JimRoss who openly spoke against Austin's decision.

* In the series, ''Webcomic/ForLoveNorMoney'', Eamonn Lees, who starts out as an idealistic but impoverished young boy, is driven to murder and eventually leads the life of a wanted criminal after escaping to America, forced into a despicable role against his wishes and making increasingly dire choices that ultimately cost him everything.

->''"[[TropeNamer He who fights monsters]] should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."''

-->'''General Eiling:''' ''[about to throw a car onto Shining Knight]'' Superman and your Justice League are a threat to a safe and stable world.\\

--> '''Sweetie Belle''': Why does life have to be so ''ironic?!''

-->'''Plankton''': And I thought ''I'' was evil!

Usually, [[AntiVillain not quite a villain]], but they act antagonistically enough that [[AntiHero they're little better]]. Something has happened to our FallenHero: his [[DoomedHometown village was destroyed]], [[EverybodysDeadDave his friends killed]], [[AndYourLittleDogToo his puppy roasted on an open spit]], [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking his bike stolen]], whatever. All that matters is that ItsPersonal, and he feels that the law just isn't suitable enough (or has become [[BadCopIncompetentCop too corrupt and ignorant]]) to be of any use to him in settling the matter. He may justify his actions by claiming that it's [[KnightTemplar Justice]] he's after, not vengeance, but anyone with half a brain can easily see that he's out for {{Revenge}}... unfortunately, we can also see that the more he hunts the cause of his woes, [[FaceHeelTurn the more he takes on]] [[MirrorCharacter the villain's personality and mannerisms]]—something that our "[[{{Hypocrite}} hero]]" is too blinded by his single-minded goal to realize.

Our avenger may have [[WellIntentionedExtremist good intentions]]—the fiend may well be too dangerous to be kept alive—but ultimately, his [[AmbitionIsEvil obsession]] with dealing out [[PayEvilUntoEvil due punishment]] ([[DisproportionateRetribution or worse]]) and his refusal to think about what he's doing twists him into a monster [[ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil just as bad as, or even worse than]], the one he's hunting. And [[MoralEventHorizon even before he gets to that point]], it's nigh-impossible to turn him away; [[WhatTheHellHero calling him out on it]] will be ignored or [[ShutUpKirk retaliated against]]. ThePowerOfFriendship and ThePowerOfLove were lost to him the moment [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive the atrocity that sent him on his wild goose chase]] happened; he feels that TeamSpirit is just a hindrance, and that LoveIsAWeakness that he can't afford to have. {{Heel Realization}}s will be [[IgnoredEpiphany ignored or viewed as a moment of weakness to crush]], and he will never have an IveComeTooFar or NoPlaceForMeThere moment because those require insight which he just doesn't have. In fact, his views are utterly incorrigible; he is almost definitely either a TautologicalTemplar or is very far down the road to becoming one, and he is utterly convinced of his own moral infallibility and the righteousness of his own cause. The more his quest drags on or throws up hurdles, the more likely it is that he'll forget just what his original mission even was, and MotiveDecay tends to make these types a ''lot'' more dangerous due to how fast their list of targets can mushroom when they aren't entirely sure who their enemies are any more. Don't expect him to make a HeroicSacrifice or HeelFaceTurn anytime soon; if he dies in the process of bringing his nemesis down, it's usually with him crossing into Villainstown in his moment of glory. If he [[StartOfDarkness doesn't die...]]

Not to be confused with CompleteMonster, although somebody can well become one by fighting such monsters. They can range from AntiHero to anywhere above. See also CycleOfRevenge, TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget, ProtagonistJourneyToVillain, YouAreWhatYouHate, ThenLetMeBeEvil, and BecameTheirOwnAntithesis. If this trope happens to a child, it can be used as a FreudianExcuse of a character who UsedToBeASweetKid. Compare AndThenJohnWasAZombie, where the character becomes a literal monster. IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim is pretty much a sped-up version of this. Political equivalents are TheHorseshoeEffect, ReignOfTerror, FullCircleRevolution, and MeetTheNewBoss. If the monster in question is an animal, that's AnimalNemesis. If the monster is supernatural, it's a decidedly ''un''heroic instance of HunterOfMonsters. Subtrope of SlowlySlippingIntoEvil.

** The White Fang was once a peaceful protest group, trying to advocate peace between humans and [[LittleBitBeastly Faunus]], but five years prior to the start of the series, a faction within the group, feeling that said peaceful protests were getting them nowhere, staged a coup and took control of the entire organization, twisting it into a violent terrorist group who, by the time of the show's beginning, has become no better than the humans who persecuted and shunned them; even other Faunus find the White Fang's violent actions actions sickening. The leader of said faction, Adam Taurus, turns out to [[spoiler:be a subversion of this trope, having consistently been depicted as not only murderously violent but offing responsibility for his actions on others for 'hurting' him--most consistently Blake Belladonna, an abuse victim, but often enough other faunus. While he does have a Schnee Dust Company brand over his eye, he only reveals it in an attempt to convince others he's an actual example of this trope.]]

** The episode "Butterballs" depicts anti-bullying advocates as being no better that those they are fighting against. Or the people that eventually advocate against them...and those that advocate against ''them''...

->''"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."''

'''Stander-by:''' [[ArmorPiercingResponse You're the only one around here with superpowers!]]\\

** And before that, the Justice Lords, the alternate reality counterparts to the league who fell to this after Lex Luthor became president and killed the Flash.

Usually, [[AntiVillain not quite a villain]], but they act antagonistically enough that [[AntiHero they're little better]]. Something has happened to our FallenHero: his [[DoomedHometown village was destroyed]], [[EverybodysDeadDave his friends killed]], [[AndYourLittleDogToo his puppy roasted on an open spit]], [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking his bike stolen]], whatever. All that matters is that ItsPersonal, and he feels that the law just isn't suitable enough (or has become [[BadCopIncompetentCop too corrupt and ignorant]]) to be of any use to him in settling the matter. He may justify his actions by claiming that it's [[KnightTemplar Justice]] he's after, not vengeance, but anyone with half a brain can easily see that he's out for {{Revenge}}... unfortunately, we can also see that the more he hunts the cause of his woes, [[FaceHeelTurn the more he takes on]] [[ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil the villain's personality and mannerisms]]—something that our "[[{{Hypocrite}} hero]]" is too blinded by his single-minded goal to realize.

Our avenger may have [[WellIntentionedExtremist good intentions]]—the fiend may well be too dangerous to be kept alive—but ultimately, his [[AmbitionIsEvil obsession]] with dealing out [[PayEvilUntoEvil due punishment]] ([[DisproportionateRetribution or worse]]) and his refusal to think about what he's doing twists him into a monster just as bad as, or even worse than, the one he's hunting. And [[MoralEventHorizon even before he gets to that point]], it's nigh-impossible to turn him away; [[WhatTheHellHero calling him out on it]] will be ignored or [[ShutUpKirk retaliated against]]. ThePowerOfFriendship and ThePowerOfLove were lost to him the moment [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive the atrocity that sent him on his wild goose chase]] happened; he feels that TeamSpirit is just a hindrance, and that LoveIsAWeakness that he can't afford to have. {{Heel Realization}}s will be [[IgnoredEpiphany ignored or viewed as a moment of weakness to crush]], and he will never have an IveComeTooFar or NoPlaceForMeThere moment because those require insight which he just doesn't have. In fact, his views are utterly incorrigible; he is almost definitely either a TautologicalTemplar or is very far down the road to becoming one, and he is utterly convinced of his own moral infallibility and the righteousness of his own cause. The more his quest drags on or throws up hurdles, the more likely it is that he'll forget just what his original mission even was, and MotiveDecay tends to make these types a ''lot'' more dangerous due to how fast their list of targets can mushroom when they aren't entirely sure who their enemies are any more. Don't expect him to make a HeroicSacrifice or HeelFaceTurn anytime soon; if he dies in the process of bringing his nemesis down, it's usually with him crossing into Villainstown in his moment of glory. If he [[StartOfDarkness doesn't die...]]

->''"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, [[NoYou the abyss gazes also into you.]]"''

* On ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'', little Enzo Matrix never took the presence of LawfulEvil Megabyte ''too'' seriously, until Megabyte finally took over Mainframe, exiled TheHero, Bob, into the WWW and pushed Enzo into despair until he was trapped in games. When Enzo came back ''much'' older and ''much'' more serious, he's willing to execute viruses in cold blood and killing Megabyte was all he could think of. There was even an episode where, in a simulation of Mainframe, he was in Megabyte's body and easily acted the part unconsciously. [[spoiler:Ultimately, Matrix is able to calm his rage enough to decide Megabyte was NotWorthKilling.]]

* Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin's Heel Face turn during the Wrestling/{{WWE}} Attitude Era. After years of battling Vince [=McMahon=] and eventually Wrestling/TripleH who was with Vince, Austin out of desperation to become the WWE Champion again, does a WeCanRuleTogether and reveals he joined Vince at Wrestlmania XVII. Cemented during the following Monday Night Raw broadcast where Steve Austin publicly beats up his best friend Wrestling/JimRoss who openly spoke against Austin's decision.

Not to be confused with ''Manga/ThoseWhoHuntElves'', [[JustForFun/IReadThatAs or]] ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter''. For the ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'' fanfic, see ''Fanfic/HeWhoFightsMonsters'' (though this one is an example of this trope).

Our avenger may have [[WellIntentionedExtremist good intentions]]—the fiend may well be too dangerous to be kept alive—but ultimately, his [[AmbitionIsEvil obsession]] with dealing out [[PayEvilUntoEvil due punishment]] ([[DisproportionateRetribution or worse]]) and his refusal to think about what he's doing twists him into a monster [[NotSoDifferent just as bad as]], or even worse than, the one he's hunting. And [[MoralEventHorizon even before he gets to that point]], it's nigh-impossible to turn him away; [[WhatTheHellHero calling him out on it]] will be ignored or [[ShutUpKirk retaliated against]]. ThePowerOfFriendship and ThePowerOfLove were lost to him the moment [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive the atrocity that sent him on his wild goose chase]] happened; he feels that TeamSpirit is just a hindrance, and that LoveIsAWeakness that he can't afford to have. {{Heel Realization}}s will be [[IgnoredEpiphany ignored or viewed as a moment of weakness to crush]], and he will never have an IveComeTooFar or NoPlaceForMeThere moment because those require insight which he just doesn't have. In fact, his views are utterly incorrigible; he is almost definitely either a TautologicalTemplar or is very far down the road to becoming one, and he is utterly convinced of his own moral infallibility and the righteousness of his own cause. The more his quest drags on or throws up hurdles, the more likely it is that he'll forget just what his original mission even was, and MotiveDecay tends to make these types a ''lot'' more dangerous due to how fast their list of targets can mushroom when they aren't entirely sure who their enemies are any more. Don't expect him to make a HeroicSacrifice or HeelFaceTurn anytime soon; if he dies in the process of bringing his nemesis down, it's usually with him crossing into Villainstown in his moment of glory. If he [[StartOfDarkness doesn't die...]]

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueCrisisOnTwoEarths'', after Batman's OmnicidalManiac AlternateUniverse counterpart Owlman gives him a NotSoDifferent speech, Batman's eventual rebuttal (and PreMortemOneLiner) references the Nietzsche quote.

** [[NotSoDifferent Similarly to Yokai]], [[TheHero Hiro]] attempts to [[spoiler:use Baymax to kill Callaghan after the latter pushes Hiro's BerserkButton by [[LackOfEmpathy callously dismissing]] [[NeverMyFault Tadashi's death]]. However, Hiro's team and Baymax help him [[DefiedTrope defy]] this trope when they bring him back to his senses.]]

-->''[[IAmAMonster I'm becoming a monster,]][[NotSoDifferent just like you]]\\

* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', the main reason that the BigBad the Other, aka Lucrezia Mongfish, is so reviled is her use of [[MindRape mind-control via slaver wasp]]—if one [[NightmareFuel flies into your mouth]], you become susceptible to any order given by her—one character is ordered to die, [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20061113#.Vvqv8OIrLIU and does so immediately]]. [[WellIntentionedExtremist Baron Wulfenbach]] is her main enemy, with the stated aim of destroying her and all her work, no matter what it takes. Which makes his [[GrandTheftMe personality overlay]] onto [[spoiler:his son, Gil]] extremely hypocritical, especially since this is ''[[NotSoDifferent the exact same thing]]'' that Lucrezia did to [[spoiler:her daughter Agatha]]. It's called out by the BigBad herself in comic, that in trying to protect [[spoiler:Gil]] from her influence he's ended up becoming just as bad as she is. [[spoiler:Of course, he doesn't ''care'' what he is, as long as he remembers who he mass-murders people for.]]

** The episode "Butterballs" depicts anti-bullying advocates as being [[NotSoDifferent no better that those they are fighting against]]. Or the people that eventually advocate against them...and those that advocate against ''them''...

* Frequently lampshaded by Kion in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard''. He was bestowed with the Roar of the Elders, which is given to the second-born cub, as the first is destined to be the king, while the 2nd is tasked with leading the Lion Guard, a group dedicated to preserving the kingdom and defending the Circle of Life. As its leader, the second-born cub is expected to be the fiercest of the group and is thus gifted with the Roar of the Elders by the Great Kings of the Past. Kion knows that Scar, Simba's grand-uncle, was bestowed with the Roar when Mufasa was heir, but used it for evil purposes, causing the Great Kings to strip Scar of the roar. Therefore, Kion's greatest fear is to become NotSoDifferent from Scar, and it is this reason that forces him to regulate his use of the Roar.

RevengeIsNotjustice is more of a response that's invoked in an effort to stop the person from becoming a monster. If the person has become a monster, then RevengeIsNotJustice is invoked to call them out for becoming a monster.

* Starting to happen to Percy in ''WebVideo/CriticalRole''. He starts as the OnlySaneMan in the party, but when he finally encounters the people who slaughtered his family, he snaps, and starts to [[ColdBloodedTorture torture prisoners]] amongst other things.

->''"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."''

* '''Heavily''' {{discussed}} and {{deconstructed}} in the ''LetsPlay/DreamSMP''. Tommy and Tubbo are very aware of the looming possibility of them falling into [[FallenHero Wilbur]] and [[PresidentEvil Schlatt's]] footsteps respectively, and try their hardest to avoid it and preserve their friendship. However, [[TheChessmaster Dream]] is their biggest obstacle, as he continually sows the seeds of conflict in order to break them apart, and even though they're aware of it they don't have a way to stop it from happening.