History Main / ThePowerOfFriendship

** This is ultimately what stops Cosmo Entelecheia's plans during the Magical World Arc [[spoiler:when the whole of class 3-A (sans Eva and Chao) calls out to Asuna in order to separate her from the ritual destroying the Maicgal World.]]

'''[[spoiler:Cozy Glow]]''': Why? Friendship is power! You might be the Princess of Friendship, but as Headmare of this school, I can collect even more friends than you! \\

* The "Power of Three" in ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' relied on the Power of Friendship to work. At one point the sisters intentionally used their powers on each other in a heated argument, which immediately caused the loss of their powers.

'''Cozy Glow''': Why? Friendship is power! You might be the Princess of Friendship, but as Headmare of this school, I can collect even more friends than you! \\
'''Twilight''': You're the one who doesn't get it, Cozy. Friendship is powerful, but power isn't why you make friends.

** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E26TheCutieRemarkPart2 "The Cutie Remark]]" firmly establishes that the FrickinLaserBeams all come down to the bonds forged by ponies extending their hooves in friendship. Shattered relationships make the whole power weaker and the best way to make it stronger is to not only reforge those bonds, but to also make new ones along the way. Thus, friendship really ''is'' magic in this world.

** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E26TheCutieRemarkPart2 "The Cutie Remark]]" firmly establishes that the FrickinLaserBeams all come down to thee bonds forged by ponies extending their hooves in friendship. Shattered relationships make the whole power weaker and the best way to make it stronger is to not only reforge those bonds, but to also make new ones along the way. Thus, friendship really ''is'' magic in this world!

-->'''Twilight''': But I still don't understand. Why?
-->'''Cozy Glow''': Why? Friendship is power! You might be the Princess of Friendship, but as Headmare of this school, I can collect even more friends than you!
-->'''Twilight''': You're the one who doesn't get it, Cozy. Friendship is powerful, but power isn't why you make friends.

* ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'': It was this that caused Germany and Japan to be so close to Italy in the first place and [[spoiler:want to fight over him as their feelings of friendship evolved into feelings of love.]]
* One of the central themes of ''[[Fanfic/{{Bird}} Bird]]'' is that people are more than their flaws. Taylor's perspective always hints at more under the surface, beyond any violent outbursts, or inability to talk. Her willingness to look past sometimes glaring difficulties and cultivate the good she sees is what gathers her the TrueCompanions her friends all become.

* In ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust'' the only reason Shinji and Asuka were able to [[spoiler: perform a joint synchronization with Unit-03 was because they were friends with Hikari and she had been absorbed during the previous angel attack. Said friendship also managed to get her out of the Eva when the battle was over.]]

* The heart of the ''Fanfic/TwiceUponAnAge'' series is the friendship between the Lord and Lady Inquisitor, supplemented by their friendships with the rest of the cast.

* This, along with ThePowerOfLove, is what drives the good guys in the FanFic/ElementalChessTrilogy, and is the reason that several characters survive what happens to them.
* Subverted in [[FanFic/EquestriaAHistoryRevealed Equestria: A History Revealed]]. You would think that an essay detailing the past of Equestrian history would have a large focus on friendship, but it seems as though the LemonyNarrator doesn't believe this at all, and actually takes the real world's message of the show as a part of [[TheConspiracy Celestia's "pro-friendship agenda"]]. This is problematic as most of the major conflicts in the show are solved by friendship. But she finds [[InsaneTrollLogic another way to interpret this instead]].

* In ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'', the obvious love the four have for one another, despite their frequent quarrels and cranky moods, impresses the Hunter far more than any of their magic. After all, he's no stranger to power, but he doesn't have a single friend in the world. Ultimately, he is won over by this quality.
* The only reason Sailor Jupiter is able to defy history and transform through sheer force of will in ''Sailor Moon: Legends of Lightstorm''.
* In ''FanFic/WithThisRing'', this is Paragon!Orange Lantern's biggest strength. While he's a new superhero, he makes friends with mostly everyone he meets. This makes the Team more cooperative and cohesive than canon and unable to be torn apart by rumors of a mole. Orange Lantern is able to call many other heroes when he's in trouble due them wanting to lend a hand.
* ''AudioPlay/DoctorWhoovesAdventures'', being at its core ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' FanFiction. [[spoiler: One example includes a pony befriending the TARDIS and ''asking her to save the day'']]. Which she does.

* ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'':
** Given its prevalence in the original show, this trope is spoofed every which way.
--->'''Yugi:''' Losing a children's card game has caused me to have an existential crisis!\\
'''Tea:''' I have prepared a friendship speech for such an occasion!\\
'''Yugi:''' [=NevermindI'mallbetternow.=]\\
'''Tea:''' ''[to a doctor]'' Go back to your leeches and your potions! Friendship is the only cure!
** One episode even had a drinking game for how many times friendship was mentioned. Though it also happens to be the one where Yugi and Joey have to duel each other to the death.
--->'''Yugi:''' I just wanted you to know how important your friendship is to me, Joey. It means even more to me than card games.

* Used realistically yet to a devastating effect against ''Superman'' in ''Fanfic/LoxareHinder'' when he managed to corner [[AntiVillain Red Hood]], since the Hood goes out of his way to help kids and be nice to them. Consequences? A kiddie mob yelling at Superman he's a big bully who hurt their resident hero.
* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'' naturally has this with the Equestrian side, where bonds like friendship and it's close cousin ThePowerOfLove can grant someone a massive boost in magical potential. But as long as the feelings and bonds are genuine, anyone, even non-native Equestrians in an Equestrian realm such as Equestria proper or the Equestria Girls realm can experience it. [[spoiler: ''Gigan'' manages to unknowingly tap into it when he throws everything he has at a rampaging Kaizer Ghidorah for the sake of his [[VillainousFriendship teammates]].]]

* [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in ''Fanfic/MyLittleUnicorn''. The author is not afraid to proclaim how much he hates the very idea of it.

** The Magic of Friendship, backed by the [[AmplifierArtifact Elements of Harmony]], can fire a rainbow-coloured nigh-omnipotent WaveMotionGun to [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu punch out]] [[{{Eldritch Abomination}} Lovecraftian Chaos Gods]] and reform villains into forces of good (namely turning [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare Moon]] back into [[FallenHero Luna]]). Then again, what else could you possibly expect from something with [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a title like that]]?
** The Season 2 finale adds the Changelings, creatures that [[EmotionEater feed on love]], who ''aren't'' defeated by the Power of Friendship. Instead, they suffer [[ThePowerOfLove a nasty backstab from their evening meal (and friendship's close cousin)]]. Though the matter of whether the Elements would have worked against them--as [[BigGood Celestia]] seemed to think--is debatable, the available evidence implies that the Elements of Harmony, and the Power of Friendship by extension, are only useful against disharmony or pure chaos.
** In one of the show's most effective examples, the episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E11KeepCalmAndFlutterOn "Keep Calm and Flutter On"]] shows [[spoiler:Fluttershy reforming Discord, the [[MadGod mad spirit of]] [[GodOfEvil chaos and disharmony]], simply by trying to be the first friend he ever had. [[BatmanGambit When Discord tries taking advantage of this in a gambit to keep her from using her Element of Harmony against him so he can run rampant]], she agrees to it--[[OutGambitted she'll just stop being his friend if he continues to misbehave]]. Discord, it turns out, would rather have fun together with someone than no one at all]].
** The Season 4 finale [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 "Twlight's Kingdom"]] invokes this trope literally. The BigBad Tirek has absorbed ''all of the magic powers'' of the ponies in Equestria -- including the four near-immortal alicorn goddesses as well as the previously mentioned God of Chaos -- and [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever towers over the countryside as a titan.]] Yet the Mane Six are able to defeat him with the power of Pure Friendship from the Tree of Harmony.
*** Let it be noted that the Power of Friendship came in the form of [[Anime/DragonBallZ Super Saiyan-esque]] transformations and a six-part WaveMotionGun, followed by a massive wave of magic covering the entire continent.
** The Season 5 finale [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E26TheCutieRemarkPart2 "The Cutie Remark Part 2"]] essentially explores the entirety of the idea of "The Power of Friendship" and ultimately decides that the true power of friendship ''isn't'' FrickinLaserBeams like we've been shown, but the bonds forged by ponies extending their hooves in friendship. In fact, bonds that are shattered makes the whole power weaker and the best way to make it stronger is to not only reforge those bonds, but to also make new ones along the way. In essence, Friendship really ''is'' magic!
** Deconstructed in the Season 8 finale, where the season's ArcVillain is essentially what happens when someone only reads the "can fire a rainbow-coloured nigh-omnipotent WaveMotionGun that punches-out [[{{Eldritch Abomination}} Lovecraftian Chaos Gods]]" part of the above description and forgets the actual ''friendship'' part. Twilight explains how she missed the point:

** In a twisted way, this is also the key to unlocking the potential of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan power. The upgraded Mangekyo Sharingan can only be achieved by losing someone with whom the user shares a close emotional bond (ie a best friend [[spoiler: or beloved sibling]])

See also TeamSpirit, TrueCompanions, ThePowerOfLove, ThePowerOfTrust, DefeatMeansFriendship, FireForgedFriends, DyingAlone, YouAreNotAlone. Often results in a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming and / or CrowningMomentOfAwesome if done well. The risk of TastesLikeDiabetes or even {{Narm}} is present [[TropesAreNotGood if done poorly]]. TheGoodKing should be wary of this trope, it can turn into {{Nepotism}} (well, technically cronyism). If your protagonists are entirely reliant on their friends for any characterization or motivation, they will rapidly become {{Flat Character}}s.

** In ''Film/StarTrek'' (2009), Spock Prime cites this trope as the reason why Kirk and Spock ''must'' learn to work together; it is the only way the ''Enterprise'' can defeat Nero.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]

* In VideoGame/BubbleBobble, it's this that breaks whatever curse Bub & Bob are under. So much that if you beat the game without your friend i.e. player 2, you won't get the TrueEnding.

A major theme in all media. The [[LonersAreFreaks villain]] or IneffectualLoner mocks the idea of relying on others, insisting that friends make you weak and [[MachiavelliWasWrong only fear brings servitude]]. Then he discovers to his [[EvilCannotComprehendGood extreme shock and dismay]] that [[TrueCompanions the hero's friends]] really do stand up for him, and this really does enable the hero to kick the crap out of the bad guy. The [[AnAesop Aesop]]: Having friends makes you strong, [[LonersAreFreaks being alone]] [[LonelyAtTheTop makes you weak]]. Even WhatYouAreInTheDark can depend on your memory of your friends.

The moment at which The Power of Friendship becomes clear is AFriendInNeed, but beware the AppleOfDiscord. When [[IWorkAlone the loner]] has been brought into the group, RememberThatYouTrustMe may be needed to keep him attached.

See also TeamSpirit, TrueCompanions, ThePowerOfLove, ThePowerOfTrust, DefeatMeansFriendship, FireForgedFriends, DyingAlone, YouAreNotAlone. Often results in a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming if done well. The risk of TastesLikeDiabetes or even {{Narm}} is present [[TropesAreNotGood if done poorly]]. TheGoodKing should be wary of this trope, it can turn into {{Nepotism}} (well, technically cronyism). If your protagonists are entirely reliant on their friends for any characterization or motivation, they will rapidly become {{Flat Character}}s.

* The central theme of the ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' franchise (whose two main characters are [[MeaningfulName named after]] [[ShoehornedFirstLetter the word for "friendship"]]). Let's count off what friendship can do: magically solve an extremely difficult puzzle, restore HP in a live-action fighting game, repel mystical mind-reading artifacts, magically write a name none of the characters remember, fuse dragons together, keep your soul from getting stolen by a magic circle, and summon an Egyptian God.

* The central theme of the ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' franchise. Let's count off what friendship can do: magically solve an extremely difficult puzzle, restore HP in a live-action fighting game, repel mystical mind-reading artifacts, magically write a name none of the characters remember, fuse dragons together, keep your soul from getting stolen by a magic circle, and summon an Egyptian God.

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Madeline}} Madeline: Lost in Paris]]'', "[[{{AwesomeMusic}} Togetherness Will Set Us Free]]" is built on this trope, with Madeline encouraging her new friends inside the sweetshop they are imprisoned in to work together for their freedom. This later leads to the girls to work together [[spoiler: to take out the BigBad and her [[{{TheDragon}} dragon]], with the help of Madeline's friends from the Old House in Paris]].

** This trope is what drives the plot of ''VideoGame/PokeParkWii'', because friendship powers a crystal that keeps a floating island from falling and crushing the park.

*** PokemonVega deconstructs this, though. In that game hack, Pikachu evolves into Machu[[note]]basically a Pikachu-colored Machoke that has a Pikachu head[[/note]]. The hack has a Machu-obsessed trainer that tries to exploit this fact, training his Pikachu's body every day and never leaving alone his Pikachu. The intention is that his Pikachu would like him. The problem is that overabundance of attention put Pikachu in a bad mood, since Pikachu wants to play on its own sometimes.
** The Pokémon-Amie feature in ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' allows you to interact with your Pokémon and increase its affection for you. Pokémon with high Affection get a number of bonuses like an increased critical hit rate, gaining experience faster, or a chance to shrug off status effects, ignore stat-lowering moves like Leer, or even ''survive attacks that would have knocked them out'' through sheer force of will.
** Mega-evolution, a new game mechanic introduced in the gen VI games, seemingly relies on this too: The trainer can only make it's pokemon mega evolve if they trust and are loyal to eachother, not unlike how certain pokemon (such as Golbat, for exemple) need to completely trust their trainer and consider them a loyal friend to evolve. Mega evolution, however, is instantaneous: it doesn't require you to spend any time with your pokemon, ironically.

** In the Pokemon Ranger spinoff games, this also plays a major role: You can only fight your enemies by capturing their pokemon with you capture styler instead of pokeballs, thus quote unquote: "conveying your feelings of friendship and befriending them", wich is ironic, because it feels alot like brainwashing/mind-control.

** The Magic of Friendship, backed by the [[AmplifierArtifact Elements of Harmony]], can fire a rainbow-coloured nigh-omnipotent WaveMotionGun to [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu punch out]] [[{{Eldritch Abomination}} Lovecraftian Chaos Gods]] and reform villains into forces of good (namely [[FallenHero Luna becoming]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare Moon]]). Then again, what else could you possibly expect from something with [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a title like that]]?