History Main / OpponentSwitch

* This is part of the premise of the Franchise/MarvelComics crossover ''Acts of Vengeance''. This, of course, lead to some very odd match ups, including ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} vs. Ultron, the Power Pack against Typhoid Mary, a group of reject villains against the ComicBook/FantasticFour, and more.

* A backup story in ''Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham'' has the [[ComicBook/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 part of the premise of the Franchise/MarvelComics crossover ''Acts of Vengeance''.

* In the [[WesternAnimation/{{X-Men}} Fox series]], the X-Men once fought their evenly-matched counterparts in X-Factor until Professor X suggested they switch.

* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'', when [[spoiler:Luthor-Brainiac merged being]] pits the League against their own {{Evil Twin}}s, TheFlash, Franchise/{{Batman}}, and ComicBook/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]] [[StarCrossedLovers too much.]]

* "Ayla and the Great Shoulder Angel Conspiracy" in the WhateleyUniverse: when fighting New Olympians best suited to combatting them (even PersonOfMassDestruction Tennyo), Team Kimba manages to trade opponents one by one until they defeat enough opponents that they can double-team the last couple.

** Each Psycho Ranger has absorbed the fighting knowledge of his/her opposing Power Ranger, and is thus able to properly defend and retaliate. At first, the Power Rangers do the normal "switch opponents" variant, but since the rangers are ColorCodedForYourConvenience, the Psychos just find their Rangers again and switch back. Then the Power Rangers go in all dressed like the Blue Ranger. And for good measure, they get Zhane to come in dressed as a Silver Psycho Ranger This works due to a), the Psychos not being able to work with one another naturally, and b), the Psychos not expecting a SixthRanger.

** Each Psycho Ranger has absorbed the fighting knowledge of his/her opposing Power Ranger, and is thus able to properly defend and retaliate. At first, the Power Rangers do the normal "switch opponents" variant, but since the rangers are ColorCodedForYourConvenience, the Psychos just find their Rangers again and switch back. Then the Power Rangers go in all dressed like the Blue Ranger...
** And then the Psychos memorize each Ranger's voice so that they won't fall for that trick either. Possibly the most justified case for a show not going with this trope for more than one episode.
** Eventually, the Power Rangers defeat them by [[spoiler: having Zhane pretend to be a Silver Psycho Ranger, allowing them to get close and blast the Psychos. This works due to a), the Psychos not being able to work with one another naturally, and b), the Psychos not expecting a SixthRanger]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', when [[spoiler:Luthor-Brainiac merged being]] pits the League against their own {{Evil Twin}}s, TheFlash, Franchise/{{Batman}}, and ComicBook/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.]]

* In the [[WesternAnimation/{{X-Men}} Fox series]], the X-Men once fought their evenly-matched counterparts in X-Factor until Beast suggested they switch.

* ''{{Champions}}'' supplement ''Red Doom''. One of the Supreme Soviets' standard combat maneuvers was "Soccer Ball", in which the team members switched opponents until they found one that was vulnerable to their attacks.

** [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy And then the Psychos memorize each Ranger's voice so that they won't fall for that trick either]]. Possibly the most justified case for a show not going with this trope for more than one episode.

* ''Franchise/{{BIONICLE}}''

** The team used this same trick decades earlier than the above ''Peter Porker'' example in one of UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} ComicBook/Galactus stories, and in another Silver Age story involving robot doubles fighting them.

* 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 Franchise/WonderWoman, Cheetah deals with Superman, leaving SelfDemonstrating/LexLuthor with Batman.

** The team used this same trick decades earlier than the above ''Peter Porker'' example in one of the SilverAge ComicBook/Galactus stories, and in another SilverAge story involving robot doubles fighting them.

* {{Inverted|Trope}} in the [[SilverAge very first]] ''ComicBook/JusticeLeague'' story featuring the [[MirrorUniverse Crime Syndicate of America]]: there, the [=JLAers=] only won when each member took on their specific counterparts with a series of [[OverclockingAttack Overclocking Attacks]].

* In ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', when [[spoiler:Luthor-Brainiac merged being]] pits the League against their own {{Evil Twin}}s, TheFlash, Franchise/{{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.]]

* This is actually used quite often in comic books. For example, the ''ComicBook/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.

* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehog''. This happens when Sonic and the Freedom Fighters fight their evil mirror universe doppelgangers.

'''Sonic:''' Oh, cute, you were programmed with sarcasm.
* This is a common tactic ordered by Captain America while leading ComicBook/TheAvengers into battle. In fact:

* ''Series/DenjiSentaiMegaranger''/''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' does this with the Nejirangers / the original PsychoRangers. To elaborate: each Psycho Ranger has absorbed the fighting knowledge of his/her opposing Power Ranger, and is thus able to properly defend and retaliate. At first, the Power Rangers do the normal "switch opponents" variant, but since the rangers are ColorCodedForYourConvenience, the Psychos just find their Rangers again and switch back. Then the Power Rangers go in all dressed like the Blue Ranger...

* ''Franchise/{{BIONICLE}}'': How the Toa Mata defeated their [[PsychoRangers shadow counterparts]] in ''Tales of the Masks''. The encyclopedia RetConned it, however -- in the new version, the Toa understand that the Shadow Toa were actually their inner evil, and reabsorb them by accepting it.

* 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.

Our group of heroes are fighting against the PsychoRangers, {{Evil Twin}}s or opponents skilled or specialized against certain techniques against them, individually, fighting to, at best, a stalemate. One of the heroes realizes it's futile fighting against their equal, so all of them switch opponents, which wins them the battle. For some reason this almost never leads to Evil Twin A being defeated by Twin B but Evil Twin B defeating Twin A, as might be expected if they're actual equal to their doubles, nor the evil ones winning due to the change. There just seems to be some rule that switching opponents automatically guarantees heroic victory, even if it doesn't make sense. A common subversion of the PlotTailoredToTheParty. May be [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that the villans use techniques that are only [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman useful]] against their chosen enemy, meaning they would be useless against [[WhatKindofLamePowerIsHeartAnyway anyone]] else. Another justification that makes more sense is that the heroes don't know their own weaknesses as well as they know those of their teammates, so when they switch, their teammates know the weaknesses of their teammate and thus the EvilTwin they're up against and can thus defeat them.

* ''MedakaBox'': Medaka, Zenkichi, Kumagawa, and Ajimu were stalemated by their respective doubles. The answer? Have Medaka defeat Zenkichi's double, Zenkichi beat Kumagawa's, Kumagawa beat Ajimu, and have Ajimu defeat Medaka.
* This happens a few times in the Enies Lobby arc of ''Manga/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.

* This was part of the premise of the MarvelComics crossover ''Acts of Vengeance''.
* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in the [[SilverAge very first]] ''JusticeLeague'' story featuring the [[MirrorUniverse Crime Syndicate of America]]: there, the [=JLAers=] only won when each member took on their specific counterparts with a series of [[OverclockingAttack Overclocking Attacks]].
* This happened in one issue of Archie's ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehog'', where Sonic and the Freedom Fighters fight their evil mirror universe doppelgangers.
** Subverted in ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide''. Mega Man and Sonic are fighting Bass and Metal Sonic respectively in a stalemate. When the heroes decide to switch (thinking that their knockoffs are only programmed to beat their counterparts), they get overwhelmed instead. [[spoiler: They decide to team up against one at a time to beat their evil doubles.]]
-->'''Mega Man:''' "Works every time", huh?
-->'''Sonic:''' Oh, cute, you were programmed with sarcasm.
* 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 NewAvengers (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]].

* The ComicBook/{{X-Men}} do this in TheDarkPhoenixSaga. Colossus, Storm and Wolverine find themselves facing three of the Hellfire Club's EliteMooks with power armors customized for their individual powers. Switching things up works nicely.
* 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 ''SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker'' nuts with frustration.

* ''Fanfic/MyLittleAvengers'': Pops up during the FinalBattle. Except for Big Mac, who goes after [[BigBad Loki]] 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, [[FanFic/AllThingsProbableSeries Team Probable]] did this against Team Possible with Rhonda fighting Kim and Grimm fighting Ron. Unfortunately for the heroes, it worked.

* Happens in the BatmanColdOpen of one of the ''{{Nightside}}'' novels, when John Taylor and Susie Shooter battle their MirrorUniverse opposite-sex counterparts, Joan and Steven.

* ''Series/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...
** [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy And then the Psychos memorized each Ranger's voice so they wouldn't fall for that trick either]]. Possibly the most justified case for a show not going with this trope for more than one episode.
** Also happens in ''Series/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.

--> '''Leela-A:''' We're perfectly matched, so I'm ''pretty'' sure that gives me the advantage.