History Main / OpponentSwitch

* ''Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily'' has [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Bowser]] and [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Ganondorf]] [[http://brawlinthefamily.keenspot.com/2014/02/14/545-divide-by-hero-part-1/ agreeing]] to take on the other's rival; Bowser under the assumption that his thick shell would protect him from Link's arrows, and Ganondorf feeling confident that his magic could easily dispatch a middle-aged plumber. [[spoiler=It works, but, when they decide that they both want to be top dog, [[WhatAnIdiot they release their respective prisoners to attack the other]], allowing Mario and Link to defeat them once again.]]

* ''Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily'' has [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Bowser]] and [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Ganondorf]] [[http://brawlinthefamily.keenspot.com/2014/02/14/545-divide-by-hero-part-1/ agreeing]] to take on the other's rival; Bowser under the assumption that his thick shell would protect him from Link's arrows, and Ganondorf feeling confident that his magic could easily dispatch a middle-aged plumber. Time will tell how well this works out for them.

* ''DenjiSentaiMegaranger''[=/=]''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' did this with the Nejirangers / the original PsychoRangers. To elaborate: each Psycho Ranger had absorbed the fighting knowledge of his/her opposing Power Ranger, and was thus able to properly defend and retaliate. At first, the Power Rangers did the normal "switch opponents" variant, but since the rangers were ColorCodedForYourConvenience, the Psychos just found their Rangers again and switched back. Then the Power Rangers went in all dressed like the Blue Ranger...

** Also happens in ''SeijuuSentaiGingaman''[=/=] ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy''. Copis/Chameliac, a MonsterOfTheWeek that is able to copy and [[NoSell counter the rangers' fighting style]] gets outsmarted when the rangers switch fighting styles with each other, confusing the monster. Then, in the Megazord fight, he copies the Megazords' powers as well. When the Stratoforce Megazord shows up, he copies it...only for it [[MidfightWeaponExchange pull out the Centaurus Megazord's gun]] and shoot him.

* In ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', when [[spoiler:Luthor-Brainiac merged being]] pits the League against their own {{Evil Twin}}s, TheFlash, {{Batman}}, and MartianManhunter are able to defeat their doubles on their own, while the rest eventually switch opponents. Leads to an amusing exchange between Green Lantern and Hawkgirl, who both comment that the other one enjoys whacking their opponent [[UnresolvedSexualTension a little too much.]]

* A Season 3 episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' features the ''villains'' setting this up in order to get the upper hand against their respective {{Archenemy}}. SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker fights WonderWoman, Cheetah deals with Superman, leaving LexLuthor with Batman.

* This happens a few times in the Enies Lobby arc of ''OnePiece''. Nami gets Kumadori's key but is unable to defeat him due to his superior strength and close to medium range fighting, resulting in Chopper stepping in to help. Sanji is stronger than Kalifa but is [[WouldntHitAGirl unable to hit a girl]], and after his defeat, Nami saves him, winning because she can counter Kalifa's bubble powers with her Clima-tact. Usopp is not strong enough to defeat Jyabura, so Sanji steps in while telling Usopp to go save Robin, defeating Jyabura with his ability to break through his [[MadeofIron specialized tekkai]]. Usopp manages to snipe Spandam and the guards from a distance, something no one else could do. Only Zoro and Franky end up defeating their original opponents; Kaku was, like Zoro, also a swordsman, but Fukurou relied on speed and hand-to-hand combat, in contrast to Franky's mix of close quarters and ranged attacks.

* Inverted in an episode of ''ThePowerpuffGirls'' where three crooks dress up as the Powerpuff Girls. When the Girls and the crooks throw down, both sides end up attacking their teammates by mistake before Blossom says they should just fight their counterparts to keep things simple. The whole episode is taken into RefugeInAudacity territory because the crooks' disguises are blatantly obvious to the viewer[[note]]as in, grown men wearing giant plastic "heads" and dresses[[/note]] and yet everyone including the real Powerpuff Girls ''and'' the crooks ''still'' confuses them for the real thing.
* The ''{{Reboot}}'' Episode ''Wizards Warriors and a Word From Our Sponsors'' has Bob, Dot, Enzo and Mike the TV fight off their evil doppelgangers in a fantasy game. It doesn't go well until Mike inadvertently switches opponents by bumping into Evil Dot (who runs screaming from Mike's incessant infomercials).

** Subverted in ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide''. Mega Man and Sonic are fighting Bass and Metal Sonic respectively in a stalemate. When they decide to switch, they get their butts kicked ''even harder''. [[spoiler: They decide to team up against one at a time to beat their evil doubles.]]

** Subverted in ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide''. Mega Man and Sonic are having problems fighting Bass and Metal Sonic respectively. When they decide to switch, they get their butts kicked ''even harder''. [[spoiler: They decide to team up against one at a time to beat their evil doubles.]]

* ''{{Runaways}}'' does this during the final fight of the first volume, when the kids confront their parents. Gert's dinosaur companion Old Lace is incapable of attacking any of her family, and Karolina's family's powers don't work on each other. "Ready... set... switch!"

[[folder:Toys]]
* ''{{BIONICLE}}'': How the Toa Mata defeated their PsychoRangers counterparts in ''Tales of the Masks''.
** Each year there are also frequently a set of enemies who are similarly color coded, such as the Bohrok, the Rahkshi, the Vahki and so on. However the Toa don't generally express any particular desire to specifically go after their same color counterparts.
** The encyclopedia canceled it, however: the Toa understood that the PsychoRangers were actually their inner evil, and reabsorbed them by accepting it.
[[/folder]]

* This is how Spider-Man and his teammates defeat the [[VillainTeamUp Sinister Six]] for the first time in WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan. Kinda weird, considering that unlike usual exemples, the Sinister Six are ''not'' ThePsychoRangers, but villains who have nothing to do with the team, and yet each one of them get [[CurbStompBattle Curb Stomp]]. Including those like Beetle, Kraven and Electro, would could give the entire team a hard time...

* This happens a few times in the Enies Lobby arc of OnePiece. Nami gets Kumadori's key but is unable to defeat him due to his superior strength and close to medium range fighting, resulting in Chopper stepping in to help. Sanji is stronger than Kalifa but is [[WouldntHitAGirl unable to hit a girl]], and after his defeat, Nami saves him, winning because she can counter Kalifa's bubble powers with her Clima-tact. Usopp is not strong enough to defeat Jyabura, so Sanji steps in while telling Usopp to go save Robin, defeating Jyabura with his ability to break through his [[MadeofIron specialized tekkai]]. Usopp manages to snipe Spandam and the guards from a distance, something no one else could do. Only Zoro and Franky end up defeating their original opponents; Kaku was, like Zoro, also a swordsman, but Fukurou relied on speed and hand-to-hand combat, in contrast to Franky's mix of close quarters and ranged attacks.

** Also happens in ''SeijuuSentaiGingaman''[=/=] ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy''. Copis/Chameliac, a MonsterOfTheWeek that is able to copy and counter the rangers' fighting style gets outsmarted when the rangers switch fighting styles with each other, confusing the monster. Then, in the Megazord fight, he copies the Megazords' powers as well. When the Stratoforce Megazord shows up, he copies it...only for it [[MidfightWeaponExchange pull out the Centaurus Megazord's gun]] and shoot him.

** Also happens in ''SeijuuSentaiGingaman''[=/=] ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy''. Copis/Chameliac, a MonsterOfTheWeek that is able to copy and counter the rangers' fighting style gets outsmarted when the rangers switch fighting styles with eachother, confusing the monster. Then, in the Megazord fight, he copies the Megazords' powers as well. When the Stratoforce Megazord shows up, he copies it...only for it [[MidfightWeaponExchange pull out the Centaurus Megazord's gun]] and shoot him.

** Also happens in ''SeijuuSentaiGingaman''[=/=] ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy''. Copis/Chameliac, a MonsterOfTheWeek that is able to copy and counter the rangers' fighting style gets outsmarted when the rangers switch fighting styles with eachother, confusing the monster. Then, in the Megazord fight, he copies the Megazords' powers as well. When the Stratoforce Megazord shows up, he copies it...only for it to use this trope by [[MidfightWeaponExchange pulling out the Centaurus Megazord's gun]] and shooting him.

Compare CounterpartCombatCoordination.

** Also happens in ''SeijuuSentaiGingaman''[=/=] ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy''. Copis/Chameliac, a MonsterOfTheWeek that is able to copy and counter the rangers' fighting style gets outsmarted when the rangers switch fighting styles with eachother, confusing the monster. Then, in the Megazord fight, he copies the Megazords' powers as well. When the Stratoforce Megazord shows up, he copies it...only for it to use this trope by pulling out the Centaurus Megazord's gun and shooting him.

* ''Fanfic/MyLittleAvengers'': Pops up during the FinalBattle. Except for Big Mac, who goes after [[BigBad Thor]] in order to reclaim Thor's powers, the rest of the Avengers switch which of the [[ThePsychoRangers Dark Avengers]] they take on. This is due to the fact that during their previous encounter, the Dark Avengers were able to [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomp]] them.

* In a rare villainous version, [[AllThingsProbableSeries Team Probable]] did this against Team Possible with Rhonda fighting Kim and Grimm fighting Ron. Unfortunately for the heroes, it worked.

* A backup story in ''Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham'' has the [[FantasticFour Fantastic Fur]] meet an evil set of themselves, and they predictably go after their doppelgangers as per usual. Then the Reed Richards says that they should change opponents -- so the Thing fights the Invisible Girl and Reed fights the Torch -- then the Thing gets an idea... rather than fighting each other, they should fight the bad guy versions of themselves.
* This is actually used quite often in comic books. For example, the ''FantasticFour'' did the same trick decades earlier than the above ''Peter Porker'' example in one of the SilverAge Galactus stories, and in another SilverAge story involving robot doubles fighting them.

* This was a common tactic ordered by CaptainAmerica while leading comicbook/TheAvengers into battle. In fact:

* When the Thunderbolts were ordered by the government to rough up the New Avengers (who were looking into things they didn't like), the Avengers tried to do this, only to find out the Thunderbolts had [[GenreSavvy predicted it]].

* ''{{Bleach}}'': Uryu and Chad switch opponents in their first battle in Hueco Mundo and successfully defeat them. Note that it also went in an opposite direction: ''initially'', the speedy archer Uryu was fighting against a giant and TheBigGuy Chad has been fighting against a fast shooting Arrancar. Then they switched ''to'' MirrorMatch of sorts, by fighting opponents strong in the same fields as they - and completely overwhelmed them.

* In the original ''Comicbook/YoungJustice'' comic, they're up against fake nemeses; Robin versus Joker, Superboy versus Metallo, Impulse versus Grodd. Robin works out that they need to switch. He beats Metallo, Superboy beats Grodd, and Impulse...is so annoying that he drives ''TheJoker'' nuts with frustration.

* ''DenjiSentaiMegaranger''[=/=]''PowerRangersInSpace'' did this with the Nejirangers / the original PsychoRangers. To elaborate: each Psycho Ranger had absorbed the fighting knowledge of his/her opposing Power Ranger, and was thus able to properly defend and retaliate. At first, the Power Rangers did the normal "switch opponents" variant, but since the rangers were ColorCodedForYourConvenience, the Psychos just found their Rangers again and switched back. Then the Power Rangers went in all dressed like the Blue Ranger...

** Also happens in ''SeijuuSentaiGingaman''[=/=] ''PowerRangersLostGalaxy''. Copis/Chameliac, a MonsterOfTheWeek that is able to copy and counter the rangers' fighting style gets outsmarted when the rangers switch fighting styles with eachother, confusing the monster. Then, in the Megazord fight, he copies the Megazords' powers as well. When the Stratoforce Megazord shows up, he copies it...only for it to use this trope by pulling out the Centaurus Megazord's gun and shooting him.

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''. When the Linear Guild is failing to make progress against the Order, Nale suggests to Thog that they trade opponents. This actually makes things worse, as Elan's normally useless bardic magic is effective against Thog, and Roy has been holding back a strong urge to beat the tar out of [[EvilTwin Nale]]'s twin brother Elan for quite some time.

* A Season 3 episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' features the ''villains'' setting this up in order to get the upper hand against their respective {{Archenemy}}. TheJoker fights WonderWoman, Cheetah deals with Superman, leaving LexLuthor with Batman.
* Inverted in an episode of ''ThePowerpuffGirls'' where three crooks dress up as the Powerpuff Girls. When the Girls and the crooks throw down, both sides end up attacking their teammates by mistake before Blossom says they should just fight their counterparts to keep things simple. The whole episode is taken into RefugeInAudacity territory because the crooks' disguises are blatantly obvious to the viewer[[hottip:*:as in, grown men wearing giant plastic "heads" and dresses]] and yet everyone including the real Powerpuff Girls ''and'' the crooks ''still'' confuses them for the real thing.