History TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou / WesternAnimation

** [[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 G1 Megatron]] [[WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie would have waited an eternity]] for the moment where he would kill Optimus Prime.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'': A giant alien has taken over Townsville and defeated the girls. Mojo Jojo is so mad that someone else could have defeated them, he gains UnstoppableRage and literally ''beats up the giant alien''.

* Prince Zuko in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' needs to capture Aang to regain his honor and be allowed back into the Fire Nation. This has led him to rescue Aang from other Fire Nation soldiers.

** Likewise, in the series finale, [[spoiler:Iroh refuses to fight Fire Lord Ozai (despite being the only other person powerful enough to beat him), because the Avatar has to do it himself to truly achieve peace. The Avatar carries considerably more clout than two exiles, who would be treated as such.]]

** In more than one episode, the Joker displays this attitude towards Batman: only he gets to kill Batman, or, failing that, he (the Joker) dies in one last climactic battle between the two. He even tried to kill [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE51TheManWhoKilledBatman a lowly henchman who was thought to have killed the Bat]].

* For a ''non''-Joker example, ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' has Stalker, an EvilPoacher who has become so good at hunting he's become bored by it since no animal can provide a challenge. He sets his sights on Batman soon enough and is defeated by him, but the next time he shows up he's forced into an EnemyMine with the Dark Knight to save Gotham from a deadly virus. In the end he saves Batman's life from a fire and makes it very clear the only reason he did was so he in turn could kill Batman later:

* Zim of ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' is out to destroy the Earth, but won't stop at anything to thwart anyone else who tries to do it competently.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': Lex Luthor has been shown to desperately want to bring an end to Superman. [[spoiler: Which is why, at the end of the episode "A Better World", Superman is able to convince him to help take down Lord Superman. Lex Luthor's just as happy defeating ''a'' Superman, even if it's not ''his'' Superman.]]

* On ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Doofenshmirtz]] feels this way about [[ArchEnemy Perry]]. And Perry feels the same way apparently: in "It's About Time", Doofenshmirtz fights a different secret agent, and it's played out like a romantic breakup.

** This is carried over to ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', where Joker actually goes so far as to gas EvilCounterpart EvilDuo [[ThemeNaming Wrath and Scorn]] with his Joker Gas (after the duo had gone out of their way to repeatedly help the villains of Gotham in escaping Batman and Robin, Joker included) because they threatened to reveal Batman's secret identity to the entirety of Arkham.

-->'''Joker:''' Destroying you [Batman] is my game! And I won't have anyone stealing my fun! (laughs)

** This is carried over to ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', where Joker actually goes so far as to incapacitate EvilCounterpart EvilDuo [[ThemeNaming Wrath and Scorn]] with Joker Gas (after the duo had gone out of their way to repeatedly help the villains of Gotham in escaping Batman and Robin, Joker included) because they threatened to reveal Batman's secret identity to the entirety of Arkham.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': The Monarch and Baron Ünderbheit compete for this role against Thaddeus Venture, with The Monarch's unexplained obsession forming the basis of a comical deconstruction of this trope as a form of addiction.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperheroes'', Superman clone Superman X was literally created to fight galactic despot Imperiex; when Brainiac 5 wiped him out with the wave of a hand, X seemed a lot more disturbed by the appropriation of his nemesis than by Brainy's FaceHeelTurn or his subsequent "[[NotQuiteDead murder]]" of Superman.

* ''WesternAnimation/BlueEyeSamurai'': After losing to Mizu in the first episode, Taigen tracks her down to demand a rematch, and winds up becoming her ally, purely to ensure she lives long enough to give him said rematch. [[JustifiedTrop Justified]], as Taigen lost his reputation as an undefeated swordsman when she beat him, thus costing him the cushy political marriage and all the future prospects he'd been working towards; beating Mizu in an official duel is the only way to keep himself from becoming the poor fisherman's son he was born as, and he can't do that if she dies to someone else first.

** Also displayed in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'', during an episode where Batman is fighting his evil alternate self Owlman and has teamed up with the Joker to give himself an advantage. At one point, the Joker rescues Bats from being killed, after which he drops the main page quote.

* Taken UpToEleven in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''. A giant alien has taken over Townsville and defeated the girls. Mojo Jojo is so mad that someone else could have defeated them, he gains UnstoppableRage and literally ''beats up the giant alien''.

** Exploited in [[Recap/TheNewBatmanAdventuresE21MadLove "Mad Love"]] when [[PsychoSupporter Harley]] captures Franchise/{{Batman}} with the idea of getting him out of the way, so she and "Mistah J" can be together at last. [[BatmanGambit Batman suckers her into calling the Joker]], supposedly so that he will have no [[NeverFoundTheBody doubt]] that [[KilledOffForReal Batman is indeed dead]]. What the [[AxCrazy Joker]] does to her next [[BattleDiscretionShot has even the Bat disgusted]]. (She tries to calm Joker down by pointing out how he inspired her scheme, [[DontExplaintheJoke but that doesn't help]].) Earlier in that same episode, after Batman's been caught in a cloud of knock-out gas:

* Proto Man and Mega Man in the US series of ''WesternAnimation/MegaMan''.

* On ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Doofenshmirtz]] feels this way about [[ArchEnemy Perry]]. And Perry feels the same way apparently: in "It's about Time", Doofenshmirtz fights a different secret agent, and it's played out like a romantic breakup.

** Prime Megatron seems more reasonable about this than most -- as long as he ordered Optimus to be killed, it's fine. There's also the pragmatic aspect where Megatron knows that he's the only one who stands a real chance of beating Optimus anyway. Once, when Dreadwing declares he's going to kill Optimus, Megatron wishes him luck, cuts communication and remarks he's pretty sure that's the last he's going to hear from Dreadwing.

* A less FoeYay and more innocent version of this occurs in ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}''. In one episode, the moose kid, George, is being picked on by bullies. Then Binky, the established bully of the series approaches them and says, "Hey! You can't pick on that kid! He's in my class!" George looks relieved, until Binky adds, "Only ''I'' get to pick on him!"

-->'''Shego''': "I am not gonna let this ''she-thing'' just waltz in and destroy Kimmie! [[FoeYay That's]] ''[[FoeYay my]]'' [[FoeYay job!]] Ya hear me?"

** Specifically, in the ''very first episode'' when Wily wants to [[CombatPragmatist blast Mega Man,]] Proto Man smashes the necessary button before Wily can press it and tells Wily that Mega is "his". And in "Future Shock", Mega's attempt to use the stolen time machine (long story) is thwarted by a low-powered bomb planted in the cockpit -- by Proto Man, no less; it was only so he and Mega could have a proper fight. And let’s not get started on [[FoeYay "Bro Bots"...]]
* On ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Doofenshmirtz]] feels this way about [[ArchEnemy Perry]]. And Perry feels the same way apparently: in "It's about Time", Doofenshmirtz fights a different secret agent, and it's played out like a [[FoeYay romantic breakup]].

** Cartman's obsession with Kyle that easily clear FoeYay. Although hating him with all his being, he needs Kyle around due to his entertaining reactions and overall rivalry keeping him from boredom. He also saves Kyle's life solely so he can [[ItMakesSenseInContext suck his balls]].

* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Shego's only mildly annoyed (by her standards, anyway) when she gets imprisoned by Drakken's new alien sidekick. But when she realizes that the new girl has a chance of beating Kim, ''that'' pisses her off enough to break free and put a stop to it.
-->'''Shego''': "I am not gonna let this ''she-thing'' just waltz in and destroy Kimmie! [[FoeYay That's]] ''[[FoeYay my]]'' [[FoeYay job!]] Ya hear me?"
* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom''. Skulker is constantly agreeing to work together with Danny and co. in order to save the world, Ghost Zone, or [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt anything else on a massive enough scale to matter]]. Normally these occurrences are justified by the fact that EVERYONE would die if all the bad guys didn't help, but he tries to make excuses anyway.
* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
** Especially in the Unicron Trilogy, it seems like Megatron always seems to single out Optimus in combat. Also, in the third series of TheOriginalSeries, Cyclonus occasionally saved the life of Ultra Magnus because so he could be the one to kill him.
** In ''Energon'', Sixshot ended up on ''very'' bad terms with Galvatron for constantly trying to kill Optimus himself as revenge for killing his brother Shockblast (though the fact he was willing to kill the rest of the Decepticons as collateral damage didn't help). After suffering several beatings over this, Sixshot attacked and came closer to killing Galvatron than any previous usurper, merely so he wouldn't get in the way of their vendetta. Galvatron recovered however and dealt with Sixshot accordingly.
--->'''Sixshot:''' Optimus Prime will be ''mine''!\\
'''Galvatron:''' ''Never!''
** [[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 G1 Megatron]] [[WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie would have waited an eternity]] for the moment where he would kill Optimus Prime.
*** Used against him in one G1 episode, where Megatron is overwhelmed by a boosted Optimus and calls for backup. Starscream however smugly insists he wouldn't dare intrude on the two leaders' ageless rivalry and thoroughly enjoys watching his leader get beaten down. Sixshot pulled the same stunt in ''Energon'' after being fiercely warned off interfering with Galvatron's bouts with Optimus, shutting down all their forces until he backtracked his threat. It seems while the Decepticon leader has called his target, he's not against ''some'' assistance when required, something other Decepticons in these cases lampshaded the hypocrisy of.
** The Megatron of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' has the same complex, and does not react well to Starscream trying to deal with the Autobots behind his back. "NO ONE RIDS ME OF OPTIMUS PRIME BUT ''ME''! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! DO YOU?!"
** Prime Megatron seems more reasonable about this than most - as long as he ordered Optimus to be killed, it's fine. There's also the pragmatic aspect where Megatron knows that he's the only one who stands a real chance of beating Optimus anyway. Once, when Dreadwing declares he's going to kill Optimus, Megatron wishes him luck, cuts communication and remarks he's pretty sure that's the last he's going to hear from Dreadwing.
** Forget the Optimus/Megatron rivalry...Starscream, a [[TheDragon Dragon]] so treacherous he's [[TheStarscream got his own trope]], is so obsessed with being the only one allowed to defeat, defy or otherwise annoy Megatron; he goes into an apparently righteous rage when Skyfire, Thrust, Sideways and ''the Constructicons'' even allude to an EnemyCivilWar. Hell, he even saves Megatron from someone else's betrayal in "Atlantis, Arise!" It's a safe bet that he only went along with Blitzwing and Astrotrain's plan in "Triple Takeover" because they let him be the one to lead Megatron into the trap.
** Motormaster also feels this way about Optimus Prime, as he feels that Prime is TheRival to his self-professed title of "King of the Road".
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': The Monarch and Baron Ünderbheit compete for this role against Thaddeus Venture, with The Monarch's unexplained obsession forming the basis of a comical deconstruction of this trope as a form of addiction.
** In general, the Guild of Calamitous Intent arranges these through the villains and protagonists so that there is ''supposed'' to be only one person you can defeat you. This is what gets the Monarch in trouble with the Guild originally, he wasn't the person who was allowed to defeat Venture. So, this trope is literally enforced by Guild law.
* Proto Man and Mega Man in the US series of ''WesternAnimation/MegaMan''.
** Specifically, in the ''very first episode'' when Wily wants to [[CombatPragmatist blast Mega Man,]] Proto Man smashes the necessary button before Wily can press it and tells Wily that Mega is "his". And in "Future Shock", Mega's attempt to use the stolen time machine (long story) is thwarted by a low-powered bomb planted in the cockpit--by Proto Man, no less; it was only so he and Mega could have a proper fight. And let’s not get started on [[FoeYay "Bro Bots"...]]

* In a literal sense, Demona and Theatre/{{Macbeth}} in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', who [[spoiler:due to sorcery are immortal unless one kills the other.]]
** Demona, also feels this way about Goliath for the most part. [[spoiler: There is even an episode, where Demona attacks Elisa Maza to draw Goliath out in the open and hunts him for the rest of the episode. If not for Hudson being with him, Demona would have succeeded. This would become enhanced once Demona realized she had a daughter named Angela.]]

** In the comic book ''Mad Love'', which inspired the episode, the Joker throws poor Harley [[DestinationDefenestration out of a fifth-story window]] after arriving on the scene - in the episode, it's "only" the third-story.

--->'''Charlie:''' You're not getting caught, not this time. [[SomebodySetUpUsTheBomb I found this blown out of the van]]. [[PreMortemOneLiner This is how it ends, Joker]]. [[FinalBattle No big schemes, no great fight to the finish with the]] [[ArchEnemy Dark Knight]]. Tomorrow, all that the papers will say is that [[{{Anticlimax}} the Great Joker was found blown to bits in an alley]], [[DeusExMachina alongside a]] [[IronicEcho miserable little nobody]]. Ha. Kind of funny - ironic, really. See, [[BadassBystander I can destroy a man's dreams, too!]] [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou And that's really the only dream you've got, isn't it?]]

* Sinedd to D'Jok in ''WesternAnimation/GalactikFootball'', apparently.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperheroes'', Superman clone Superman X was literally created to fight galactic despot Imperiex; when Brainiac 5 wiped him out with the wave of a hand, X seemed a lot more disturbed by the appropriation of his nemesis than by Brainy's FaceHeelTurn or his subsequent "[[NotQuiteDead murder]]" of Superman.

* Zim of ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' is out to destroy the Earth, but won't stop at anything to thwart anyone else who tries to do it competently.
** Dib is also obsessed with Zim.

* A less FoeYay and more innocent version of this occurs in ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}''. In one episode, the moose kid, George, is being picked on by bullies. Then Binky, the established bully of the series approaches them and says, "Hey! You can't pick on that kid! He's in my class!" George looks relieved, until Binky adds, "Only ''I'' get to pick on him!"

* On ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Doofenshmirtz]] feels this way about [[ArchEnemy Perry]]. And Perry feels the same way apparently: in "It's about Time", Doofenshmirtz fights a different secret agent, and it's played out like a [[FoeYay romantic breakup]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'', a genie hunter hired by [[EvilSorcerer Mozenrath]] leads Mozenrath to believe that Aladdin was killed in the process of hunting the genie, because he's turned against the sorcerer and wants Aladdin to be able to come and rescue Genie. Mozenrath ''hates'' this, to the point where when Aladdin shows up, he says he's glad Aladdin is alive so ''he'' can kill him.
* A non-violent variation in ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'': when Miss Nettle returns in disguise with a scheme to steal Sofia's amulet, our heroine wins the aid of Cedric when she tells him Miss Nettle's after the amulet - which, of course, he himself has been after since day one:
-->'''Cedric''': No one can have that amulet but me!...er, I mean ''you'', Princess!
* Brain from ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' won't stand for ''anyone'' else taking over the world before he does -- to that end, he occasionally finds himself in the position of having to ''save'' the world from some other threat, from his rival Snowball the hamster to a giant meteor ("So it is available to take over tomorrow night").
* At one point in the season two premier of ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'', [[KnightOfCerebus Lord Dominator]] has captured [[AllLovingHero Wander]], [[PowerOfHate Lord Hater]] goes into a frenzy, breaks out of his bonds, and smashes Dominator with the very same robotic minion that bound him, green electricity crackling all around him.
-->'''Hater''': Wander's MY enemy!\\
'''Wander''': Enemy?! Come on Hater, you know an enemy is just a friend you haven't made yet!\\
'''Hater''': What? EW! Shut up! (''He shoots a lightning bolt at Wander, freeing him'')
** Before that, Season 1's "The Bounty" had [[TheDragon Commander Peepers]] trying to take out all the bounty hunters Hater had hired to capture Wander and Sylvia so that he could bring them back himself. (That attitude didn't last, as he quickly came to regard Hater's obsession with Wander as an enormous impediment to their [[GalacticConqueror mission]] and would have been been happy to see ''anyone'' get him out of the way.)
* ''WesternAnimation/AllHailKingJulien'':
** After self-proclaimed arch-nemesis Karl claims to not be involved in the current evil scheme and notes it to be pedestrian and beneath him, he shows up during the climax to save Julien's life.
--->'''Karl:''' Julien and I are locked in an epic battle of light and dark! He is my nemesis, and I am his. I can't have you and your pedestrian little "rope trap and a pack of fossa" plan get in the way of that! You see, Julien's fate belongs to me! Not you! Me!
** Similarly, Karl's appearance in "Exiled" has him make an absurd claim that he set Koto up to take Julien down and that he's also going to help Julien take Koto down so Karl can take Julien out himself in all in the same speech.

* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'': In "Painted Windows", Hex doesn't allow her enhanced Scuzzies to eat Bob, appearing and [[FauxAffablyEvil sweetly]] reminding her pet that Bob belongs to her.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' episode "The Slob", a disgusting ghost called the Glob makes a deal with Professor Dweeb in which he would give the eccentric scientist Slimer in exchange for Dweeb freeing the Glob's brother the Sleaze from the Ghostbusters' Containment Unit. The Sleaze is shown to have a grudge against Slimer for assisting in his original capture and is not on board with Dweeb being the one who gets to capture Slimer. After the Ghostbusters find it nearly impossible to capture the Sleaze and the Glob while they're [[FusionDance merged into the Slob]], they manage to trap them separately after luring the Sleaze into separating from his brother by having Professor Dweeb pretend to have successfully captured Slimer.
-->'''Sleaze''': Nobody gets Slimer but me!
* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'': Chad Dickson to Nigel Uno/Numbuh 1 in "Operation: T.R.E.A.T.Y.", their conflict having gone beyond kid/teenager conflict and straight into ItsPersonal territory. Chad wasn't willing to let anyone else have a shot at Nigel -- not even if they were the leader of the teenagers and his superior.
-->'''Chad''': That kid is ''mine''.
* Taken UpToEleven in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''. A giant alien has taken over Townsville and defeated the girls. Mojo Jojo is so mad that someone else could have defeated them, he gains UnstoppableRage and literally ''beats up the giant alien''.
* ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'': In "Nude Beach", Hugo quits being a health inspector and joins a nudist beach. But when the restaurant gets shut down by a new health inspector who plants rat droppings just because Bob wouldn't let him play his music, this makes Hugo return because ''he'' wants to be the one to shut Bob down, and he wants it to happen fair and square.

** Specifically, in the ''very first episode'' when Wily wants to [[CombatPragmatist blast Mega Man,]] Proto Man smashes the necessary button before Wily can press it and tells Wily that Mega is "his". And in "Future Shock", Mega's attempt to use the stolen time machine (long story) is thwarted by a low-powered bomb planted in the cockpit--by Proto Man, no less; it was only so he and Mega could have a proper fight. And don't get me started on [[FoeYay "Bro Bots"...]]

--->'''Charlie:''' You're not getting caught, not this time. [[SomebodySetUpUsTheBomb I found this bomb in the van]]. [[PreMortemOneLiner This is how it ends, Joker]]. [[FinalBattle No big schemes, no great fight to the finish with the]] [[ArchEnemy Dark Knight]]. Tomorrow, all that the papers will say is that [[{{Anticlimax}} the Great Joker was blown to pieces in an alley]], [[DeusExMachina alongside a]] [[IronicEcho miserable little nobody]]. Ha. Kind of funny, ironic really: See! [[BadassBystander I can destroy your dreams too!]] [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou And that's really the only dream you have, isn't it?]]

** Also displayed in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'', during an episode where Batman is fighting his evil alternate self Owlman and has teamed up with the Joker to give himself an advantage. At one point, the Joker rescues Bats from being killed.

* ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'': In "Nude Beach", Hugo quits being a health inspector and joins a nudist beach. But when the restaurant gets shut down by a new health inspector who plants rat droppings just because Bob wouldn't let him play his music, this makes Hugo return because ''he'' wants to be the one to shut Bob down, and he wants it to happen fair and square.

'''Hater''': What? EW! Shut up! {''He shoots a lightning bolt at Wander, freeing him'')

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'': this was the reason given by the Stalker after he rescued Terry.

* Taken UpToEleven in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''. A giant alien has taken over Townsville and defeated the girls. Mojo Jojo is so mad that someone else could have defeated them, he gains UnstoppableRage and literally ''beats up the giant alien''.

** In more than one episode, the Joker displays this attitude towards Batman: only he gets to kill Batman, or, failing that, he (the Joker) dies in one last climactic battle between the two. He even tried to kill a lowly henchman who was thought to have killed the Bat.