Line #22 Main/TeachMeHowToFight


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3	%% The examples section has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct place in accordance with Administrivia/HowToAlphabetizeThings.
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7	This is a point in a story where one of the characters, usually an ActionSurvivor, feels a need to take action against the BigBad.
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9	The problem is, they can't fight.
10
11	Cue TheProtagonist going to a trusted friend who can, and asking to be taught. They agree, but although the two are on friendly terms, the training is anything but easy. It's sometimes even TrainingFromHell but the protagonist [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in badass]] by the end of it. Cue LookWhatICanDoNow.
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13	Note that they actually have to ''ask for the training themselves.''
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15	!!Examples:
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17	[[foldercontrol]]
18
19	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
20	* ''Manga/Change123'' uses this trope ''twice'', both times a ''boy'' asks a ''girl'' to teach him... well, not actually how to ''fight'', since both boys do indeed have some confidence and experience in fighting (one of them is a black belt in judo and another one a fearless street brawler), but rather how to take their fighting skills to a higher level.
21	* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'''s first arc, Phantom Blood, Speedwagon requests Zeppeli to train him in hamon so he can be more useful in the fight against Dio. Zeppeli attempts to correct Speedwagon's breathing with a finger to the chest, but winds up missing and just knocking the wind out of him.
22	* Oh god poor Shirahama Kenichi in ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple''. As the show goes on, one starts to wonder if he would've been better if he just lost the match to Daimonji. On the other hand, the benefits of the training far outweigh the initial (and admittedly still ongoing) terrors Kenichi faces from his masters; he [[TookALevelInBadass takes several levels in badass]] to the point that he's able to hold his own against low-level Master-class fighters (even if he doesn't actually ''win'') and he even ''increases his own training regimen without his masters' input''. This is far more evident in the manga, which is still ongoing after the anime ended.
23	* ''Anime/{{Madlax}}'': After Vanessa shoots a person for the first time (it's to protect the eponymous heroine and she only grazes her target, but she [[ItNeverGetsAnyEasier angsts nonetheless]]), she eventually asks Madlax to teach her to shoot. [[spoiler:It doesn't end well, as she dies when protecting Madlax again.]]
24	* ''Manga/MissionYozakuraFamily'': Taiyo goes to Futaba and asks her to help him become a spy after having a nightmare where he's powerless to stop Mutsumi from being kidnapped. To his surprise, Futaba agrees, under the condition that he manage to survive living in Yozakura's highly booby-trapped mansion for one month.
25	* ''Manga/{{Monster}}'': When Tenma decides that he has to hunt down and kill Johann, the first thing he does is seek training from a retired mercenary on how to properly handle a gun.
26	* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': Negi is already quite good at the start of the manga (it's suspected that he's been training from age four), but it really gets serious when he asks [[DrillSergeantNasty Evangeline]] to teach him. Several of Negi's students (especially Asuna) also begin training, if they weren't competent fighters already.
27	* Thin happens a couple times in ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'', the first time with [[spoiler:Tsukune being trained by Ruby and Moka. The second time, Tsukune is trained by Touhou Fuhai]].
28	* ''Anime/{{Symphogear}}'': By episode 4, things are looking bleak. Veteran Candidate Tsubasa Kazanari is badly injured and won't be able to fight for several weeks, and protagonist Hibiki Tachibana, in spite of being the heir to Kanade's Gungnir, [[TheLoad can't summon an Armed Gear and is hopeless at fighting.]] Knowing that she's the only one who can fight the Noise, Hibiki asks commander Genjuro Kazanari to teach her how to fight. Come episode 5, Hibiki has become quite proficient at Bajiquan, and demonstrates that even without an Armed Gear, she is now fully capable of kicking prodigious ass.
29	* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'': Kaneki reaches this point after witnessing the death of [[SacrificialLamb Ryouko]] [[MamaBear Fueguchi]]. Seeing Touka wounded from an attempt to avenge Ryouko's death, he expresses his determination to fight and asks her to teach him.
30	* ''Manga/WarriorCatsManga'': In ''The Lost Warrior'', Graystripe befriends a house cat, Millie, and tells her all about his life as a [=ThunderClan=] warrior. She is so intrigued that she eventually asks him to train her to fight.
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Comic Books]]
34	* In ''ComicBook/SupermanVsMuhammadAli'', UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli teaches ComicBook/{{Superman}} [[BoxingLessonsForSuperman to box]]. This is, of course, to create a non-superpowered "fair fight" between the two.
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder:Fan Works]]
38	* In ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'', Chloe requests Lexi's help to fight with her donut holer so that she can better defend herself against future threats on the Train and if they should ever run into the Apex. She later asks [[VideoGame/AngelsOfDeath Zack]] for additional training and that they fight every time they cross paths.
39	* In ''Fanfic/KitsuneNoKenFistOfTheFox'', after Hinata gets swatted aside while frantically hitting Zabuza to stop him from twisting Neji's arm in a brawl, she seeks out [[ActionGirl Nii Yugito]] and asks for training, with the aim of not being a burden on Naruto and the others in future. Yugito warns her that [[TrainingFromHell any training she gets will not be a picnic]], but Hinata accepts the condition nonetheless. [[spoiler:Following the TimeSkip, Hinata's become skilled enough to beat Sasuke in a spar, bearing in mind that Sasuke had previously shown himself able to fight Naruto on even footing without either one holding back]].
40	* In the ''Series/Numb3rs'' story ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3705435/1/P-is-for-Protection P is for Protection]]'', Charlie asks David this after Don is injured in a fight, though it is mentioned in the end that Don would be the one who would want to teach him.
41	[[/folder]]
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43	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
44	* "WesternAnimation/CountMeOut" stars Egghead as he learns to be a prize fighter using an instructional record.
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
48	* In ''Film/TheForbiddenKingdom'', kung fu isn't the main reason why Jason's wandering in ancient China with a magical staff, but then again, he's bound to ask for lessons given his fascination with {{Wuxia}} movies.
49	* ''Film/HannieCaulder'': Hannie wants Price to teach her how to use a gun so she can take revenge on the men who raped her and murdered her husband. Price acquiesces, despite being reluctant every step of the way and trying to dissuade her.
50	* Averted in ''Film/IndependenceDayResurgence''. Nerdy accountant Floyd Rosenberg asks Dikembe Umbutu to "teach him everything he knows" about using his machetes on aliens. Umbutu is unimpressed, and doesn't take up the offer.
51	* With a name like ''Film/TheKarateKid'', you can probably guess that this happens without seeing the movie.
52	%%* ''Film/MyBodyguard'', starring Creator/AdamBaldwin, has some of this in it.
53	* ''Film/NevadaSmith'': Max Sand seeks the men who murdered his parents, but can't read or write and doesn't even have a gun. He uses an [[BrandishmentBluff abandoned rusty pistol]] in an attempt to rob a travelling gunsmith, who says ItWorksBetterWithBullets. Fortunately, the gunsmith takes pity on Sand and teaches him the skills for his RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
54	* ''Film/TheProfessional'': Mathilda asks Leon to be trained as a hitwoman in order to avenge her brother's death at the hands of [[NaughtyNarcs Stansfield]] and [[DirtyCop his crew]].
55	* ''Franchise/StarWars'': Luke's arc as a Jedi in training (episodes [[Film/ANewHope IV]] and [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack V]]) begins with the death of his guardian family on Tatooine, starting with Obi-Wan Kenobi as his mentor, but this trope is particularly invoked when he goes to Dagoba and trains with [[RetiredBadass Yoda]], where Yoda at first [[AdventureRebuff rebuffs his request for training]], the training is particularly challenging, and he clearly does [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] when that training is finished.
56	[[/folder]]
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58	[[folder:Literature]]
59	* Subverted in ''Literature/FraternityOfTheStone'' by David Morrell. A man whose parents were killed by terrorists asks his HonoraryUncle to help him learn the skills to fight terrorism. Years later he realises that the man he looked up to actually arranged the bombing himself. There's a similar plot in ''Brotherhood of the Rose'' -- two orphaned boys turned CIA hitmen realise that their mentor has manipulated them all their lives, including setting up a mugging so they'd be motivated to learn martial arts.
60	* ''Literature/{{Gor}}'': Jason Marshall, in ''Rogue of Gor'', devises a plan to defeat the pirates who are terrorizing the peaceful river-ports along the Vosk. But first he must learn to fight with a sword. He wins the gratitude of the broken-down alcoholic Callimachus, who when sober is an excellent swordsman, levels up as per the plan and does indeed defeat the mean old pirates over the course of the remainder of the book and the next one.
61	* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
62	** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'': After having fainted twice when being exposed to dementors, Harry asks the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Lupin how to fight them off, and Lupin teaches him the Patronus Charm, which is able to repel them.
63	** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'': After being saddled with a highly incompetent and nasty Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who deliberately refuses to properly teach the students how to cast defensive spells, Hermione asks Harry to teach her and several other students instead, thus leading to the foundation of Dumbledore's Army.
64	* ''Literature/ThePendragonAdventure'': After nearly being beaten to death by Saint Dane, Bobby asks Loor to do this. His training is very much TrainingFromHell.
65	* ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'': Yuji is a NonActionGuy, but his insistence on keeping up with Shana's demon-hunting lifestyle leads him to receive TrainingFromHell from several different sources, eventually taking [[TookALevelInBadass several levels in badass]]. Most striking is when he's being pushed around by a minor demon, who intends to use him as bait to draw out Shana. He suddenly realizes that this guy is well below his current power-level, and Yuji proceeds to kick his ass. Yep, Yuji's all grown up now...
66	* Richard Cypher of ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' spends a good portion of the first book doing this, until he takes up the mantle of the Seeker and starts calling the shots. He's a woodsman who doesn't even let himself be ''angry'' because his mother was killed by a fire caused by an angry outburst. He knows questing, and killing, from nothing.
67	* Subverted in ''Literature/VoidDomain''. Both Juliana and Shalise ask another person to train them. Neither are all that helpful.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
71	* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': Subverted when Connor asks Angel how to fight vampires; he's actually doing it to learn Angel's fighting style [[IHateYouVampireDad so he can kill him]].
72	* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'':
73	** After her sister Sara Lance is killed in front of her, Laurel asks Oliver Queen to train her so she can join Team Arrow. He refuses. [[GoodIsNotNice Harshly]]. Undeterred, she gets training from ex-vigilante-turned-boxing instructor Ted Grant, and Nyssa al Ghul of the League of Assassins (Sara's former lover) and eventually becomes TheSixthRanger.
74	** After becoming estranged from her own family, Thea Queen decides she is too weak and trusting, and joins her biological father, supervillain Malcolm Merlyn, because she is determined to become strong no matter the cost. When Thea balks at the harsher elements of his training, Malcolm realises that he needs to start treating her like a student [[LoveIsAWeakness not a daughter]] and it becomes TrainingFromHell. Although she later becomes disillusioned with her father, she willingly admits that he did make her strong.
75	* In the ''Series/BabylonFive'' episode "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E16InTheShadowOfZHaDum In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum]]", Sheridan asks Kosh to teach him how to fight "those things" ([[BigBad the Shadows]]) after first learning about them, and that they were connected to the fate of his wife on the doomed voyage of the ''Icarus''.
76	* Done in ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode "[[Recap/CommunityS1E12ComparativeReligion Comparative Religion]]" when Troy and Pierce have to teach Jeff how to fight a bully.
77	* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': Claire asks Noah to teach her to fight. She is reluctant to actually do this until he tells her to "Just hit me!" with a plank of wood.
78	* ''Series/PunkyBrewster'': Punky takes boxing lessons from champ Marvin Hagler as she prepares for a fight against a school bully.
79	* ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'': Elena goes to Alaric for fighting lessons. While she can't really compete with the superpowered fighters, she does take a small level in badass. Probably comes in handy [[spoiler:once she becomes a vampire herself]].
80	%%* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' gets asked this by Gabrielle.
81	[[/folder]]
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83	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
84	* In the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' [=OA5=] adventure ''Mad Monkey vs. The Dragon Claw'', during the sea journey, NonPlayerCharacter Ko La Ko approaches one of the {{Player Character}}s and asks the PC to teach him kung fu so he won't be so useless in a fight.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Video Games]]
88	* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', young archer Wolt asks OldSoldier Marcus for sword training, since he feels he'd be able to protect his friend and liege-lord Roy better if he was closer to the fight. Marcus refuses because Wolt is too old to begin learning now[[note]]Wolt is about 15, but he's already on the battlefield and knights often began learning from age eight[[/note]] and because he thinks Wolt should be proud of the skills he already has with a bow.
89	* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'': {{Downplayed\|Trope}} in one specific conversation between the PlayerCharacter and Nines Rodriguez. If they're on good terms with him, they can ask for self-defense tips and get a free point in the Brawl skill -- no time, effort, or TrainingMontage required.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
93	* Shirou from ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. Saber starts training him just to shut him up and convince him that he's out of his league fighting Servants. In the Fate route, she then notes that his body is quite well-trained, and continues the training to help him survive against Servants for a few seconds or possibly take down other Masters. In ''Unlimited Blade Works'', [[spoiler:thanks to Archer's skills seeping into him]], Shirou can somewhat keep up with Saber, but she then becomes very dissatisfied because he's performing better using Archer's technique rather than hers.
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Western Animation]]
97	* ''WesternAnimation/TheDeputyDawgShow'': In "Seize You Later, Alligator", [[PunnyName Al E. Gator]] is having a rough time against a gator-wrestling Indian, [[LetsGetDangerous but he steps up to win]] after the Indian picks on Muskie. Al, carried home in triumph, says he's going to teach everyone how to wrestle.
98	* ''WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}}'': In "D is for Dangerous", a few episodes after Will's boyfriend Matt finds out about her being a Guardian, he asks RebelLeader Caleb to train him so that he can fight alongside her, thinking that a NonActionGuy won't be good enough for her. By the end of the episode, she assures him to BeYourself and that she's not looking for a "dangerous" guy, but he does retain Caleb's lessons and is shown to be better at fighting in subsequent episodes.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Real Life]]
102	* Any military training obviously enough. But mentioned for historical interest is the Great Louisiana Maneuvers of 1941. These were a TeachMeHowToFight on a national scale, meant to change an army meant for small border actions into one capable of fighting UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. The commanders of the "blue army" and the "red army" included many famous American generals.
103	* Cassius Clay a.k.a. UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli's origin story. After his brand-new bike was stolen, Ali was taken to the boxing gym by the police officer he complained to so he could learn how to fight. The rest is history.
104	[[/folder]]
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Context Main / TeachMeHowToFight