Times where it's noted that Both Sides Have a Point in Anime and Manga.
- In Accel World, there's the dispute between Haruyuki Arita and Kuroyukihime over whether the former's friend, Chiyuri Kurashima, is actually Cyan Pile, the Burst Linker hunting Kuroyukihime.
- While Haruyuki is ultimately right that it isn't Chiyuri, Kuroyukihime has legitimate reasons for suspecting Chiyuri, considering that the Burst Linker challenged Kuroyukihime while she was connected to her school's intranet, and Chiyuri goes to Kuroyukihime and Haruyuki's school. It later turns out that the culprit used a backdoor program in Chiyuri's Neurolinker, but since Haruyuki was unable to obtain evidence of the program's existence, Kuroyukihime realizes that he could be lying in order to protect his friend. Kuroyukihime also notices Chiyuri's hostility toward her, and while Haruyuki claims Chiyuri's jealous of their closeness, Kuroyukihime points out that it doesn't make sense, since Chiyuri has a boyfriend.
- As for Haruyuki, he realizes that Chiyuri isn't very good at video games or lying, so the idea of her secretly being a Burst Linker is ridiculous, especially considering that Cyan Pile is Level 4. Likewise, he realizes that there are other reasons for her hostility toward Kuroyukihime, and he's right that Chiyuri is jealous about Kuroyukihime succeeding in helping him. He also manages to find out that Chiyuri isn't a Burst Linker, even if Kuroyukihime is skeptical of his claims.
- In the A House Divided situation of Assassination Classroom, both groups of students have a good reason for their choice. The group that wants to save Koro-sensei thinks they can't kill him after all they've been through and should therefore try to save him and the world. The group that wants to still try to kill him is worried about what happens if they cannot find a way to save Koro-sensei and the fact that by killing him they'd be following his own expressed wishes.
- Bakuman。 often uses this trope in various arguments about manga. For example, two of Mashiro and Takagi's assistants, Shiratori and Moriya, get into a debate over whether manga artists should aim for popularity or artistic quality. Moriya obviously has a point that manga needs to be good, but it also needs popular appeal; he's in for a rude awakening when Hattori rejects his submission outright but says Shiratori's could be publishable with a bit of work. Mashiro ends one such argument between the two by giving a speech in which he says that manga artists' goal is to prove that manga is good enough to be considered a true art form, but until they become skilled enough to achieve that goal, they'll have to settle for becoming popular.
- Bleach: The Shinigami and Quincies have warred for a thousand years, partly because Quincies destroy Hollow souls as punishment for the killing of humans while Shinigami insist on cleansing Hollow souls back into the reincarnation cycle. Quincies refuse to accept that their actions threaten existence itself while Shinigami refuse to accept that they're overwhelmed by Hollow numbers and need help. Members of both sides have observed that war means both sides are justified and both sides are evil. Complicating matters is the true origin of the war, known only to a very few on both sides, which centers around the mysterious connection between the Quincy King and the Shinigami Soul King both of whom may not be what they seem.
- Digimon Adventure: In Episode 7, Tai and Matt begin the morning with an argument. Tai wants to climb up to the top of the nearby mountain so they can see the entirety of the island from there, which would be helpful for them to survive. However, Matt argues that it could be dangerous and he doesn't want to put the whole group at risk (possibly acting due to one of the other members being his little brother). Joe acknowledges both have valid points, but rather than taking sides he only starts yelling too and makes a third wheel in the argument, forcing Sora to shut them up.
- Kaguya-sama: Love Is War:
- In the aftermath of Shirogane visiting a sick Kaguya, in which both sides are angry at each other, the narrator observes that from their perspective, each of them has legitimate reasons to be annoyed with the other. Shirogane, despite being forcibly pulled into bed with Kaguya, hadn't done anything untoward to her. As for Kaguya, she doesn't remember what she did while she was sick. Despite this, both Kaguya and Shirogane gradually realize that they've been unfair to the other in their respective conversations with Kashiwagi and Ishigami, even as their conversation partner takes their side.
- The debate between Shirogane and Miko. Shirogane reasonably points out that most of Miko's policies are overly strict and rather impractical (e.g. forcing students to shave their heads), but Miko brings up reasonable concerns about Shuchin Academy's reputation and can explain how her plans would help fix the problem. Miko manages to express her points well enough that while she still loses, it's relatively narrow compared to the projected landslide in Shirogane's favor.
- In Karakuridouji Ultimo, the protagonist Yamato learns he is the cause of an apocalypse in the near future. Yamato chooses to avert this by finding every person in the world who would be involved in the event and understanding their points of view so that he can choose the best possible action once the time comes.
- Legend of the Galactic Heroes is about this between the cast of the The Empire and The Federation, centered around Yang Wen-li and Reinhard von Lohengramm. The former prefers democracy since leadership can be voted out by consent of the people, who aren't forced with a choice between obedience and execution. The latter favors efficiency and if the right ruler is in place, society's well-being can exceed any democracy.
- Similarly is the argument with Rudolph von Goldenbaum, the founder of the Galactic Empire. Rudolph is loathed by the Alliance as a symbol of tyranny for regulating the most basic of freedoms and purging diverse customs. On the other hand, the member of the Empire find his actions Necessarily Evil since the precursor nation of the Galactic Republic was in a far worse state, plagued not only by political corruption but also rotten-to-the-core, morally-decaying society.
- New Game!:
- The conflict between Naru and Nene during the Peco arc is caused by Naru realizing that Nene largely got hired because of a favor for their boss Umiko, which angers Naru. On the one hand, Naru is right that Nene wasn't hired on her own merits, since Umiko admitted as much at the end of Nene's interview, and the fact that Naru had to pay her own way through vocational school means she had to work harder than Nene did to get to the same place. On the other hand, Nene diligently works on improving her skills, and manages to help debug Naru's minigames when the latter lets errors through due to her haste and desperation to prove herself(thus proving Naru isn't infallible herself).
- Toward the end of the series, Naru has to take a month off, forcing Umiko to bring in a replacement. Nene feels a bit hurt that Naru could be replaced so easily. Umiko sympathizes with Nene, but points out that Nene has to accept that none of them are irreplaceable. Nene gives what Umiko said some thought and admits Umiko has a point, but says she wants to make a game that can only be made by combining the talents of everyone at Eagle Jump.
- One Piece:
- Vivi and Luffy disagree on how to save Alabasta. Vivi believes that the most important thing to do is to stop the rebellion and thus the civil war, saving lives on both sides. Luffy by contrast believes the most important thing is to take out Crocodile, the mastermind behind the civil war, as he will continue to undermine the country. Both sides are actually necessary, preferably done at the same time. If the rebellion isn't stopped, Alabasta will be too weak to resist Baroque Works, but if Crocodile isn't stopped then he'll take more direct action to destroy the country.
- There's the dispute between Luffy and Usopp over whether to abandon the Going Merry. On the one hand, Luffy is correct that the ship is irreparably damaged due to its broken keel and that Usopp, whose carpentry skills are amateurish at best, can't keep it in working order. Usopp admits that he knew the Merry was doomed, and the Merry finally falls apart after saving the Straw Hats from Enies Lobby, fulfilling Franky's prediction that it wouldn't make it to the next island. On the other hand, Usopp has an understandable sentimental attachment to the ship that was a gift from his friend Kaya, especially after becoming aware that the ship is a living being(something that the rest of the crew doesn't learn about until the Going Merry's final moments). In fact, Luffy and even the rather pragmatic Zoro had difficulty accepting the news that the Going Merry had been beyond repair. The only reason Usopp is considered to be in the wrong in the dispute is because by refusing to accept Luffy's decision and leaving the crew, he showed a lack of respect for Luffy's role as captain, essentially committing mutiny.
- Pokémon: The Series:
- After losing the Indigo League, Ash spends all day moping in bed. Misty, Brock, and Professor Oak chew him out for this attitude, pointing out he lazily loafed by instead of actually training for the league, and only lost because he never resolved the conflict between him and his disobedient Charizard. It's true that Ash spent a lot of time getting sidetracked on adventures that had nothing to do with his training, only earned half his gym badges with actual skill, only ever really fought a team of incompetent criminals, and never tried resolving things with Charizard, meaning he was lucky just to make it to the Top 16. Nevertheless, Ash only lost his match with Ritchie because Team Rocket kidnapped him just minutes before things got underway, had to exhaust half his team just to get there, and nobody, not even his friends, bothered to check what happened to him, especially since Team Rocket had pulled several of their stunts like this just days before. Lazy or not, Ash just ended up in a bad situation, and the show later made it clear that it would take almost dying for Charizard to finally start listening again. While Ash was right to be upset, he did acknowledge that he couldn't loaf around anymore, and started taking things seriously during his travels.
- During Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, May gets a bit of a bloated head during her contest in Rubello Town, and she scolds Ash for trying to offer advice to one of her competitors/friends, noting that what they do as trainers is entirely different. However, May loses the battle round and gets scolded by the judges for not caring for her Bulbasaur's well being, causing her to run off in embarrassment. Seeing this, Ash, who was more than likely reminded of his younger days when he could have just as been haughty as she was, talks to May as he told that she was right that what they do as Trainers is different because he focus on collecting Gym Badges while she focus on getting contests ribbons. However, Ash also had a point as he told May that they may have different roles as Trainers but what they do with Pokémon and bonding with them will always be the same.
- Another point comes up during Ruby and Sapphire's "Grand Festival" arc, when Harley feigns reformation to May in order to get her to mess up during the contest out of petty revenge for beating him in their last encounter. When Drew tells May of Harley's deceit, she rightfully chews him out for tricking her like that. He doesn't deny it, and in fact brags about it in front of everyone, but he retorts that she fell for it nonetheless, which she somberly realizes is true.
- In later years, during Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, Ash and his rival Paul come into conflict with their methods of training, both of which have valid points, but also their drawbacks. Ash relies on The Power of Friendship, which gives him strong bonds with his Pokemon to the point they've surpassed their limitations out of sheer loyalty to their trainer, yet a reliance on their strength alone and not any valid strategy has led Ash to keep getting flattened in crucial battles. Paul, on the other hand, relies on Training from Hell, cold and calculating strategy, and powerful stat-based mons to wipe the floor with his opponents (especially Ash), even using Ash's own tactics against him through several Batman Gambits. Where Paul's training falls flat is that he abuses his poor Pokemon, especially Chimchar, scolding them for being too "weak" whenever they fail him and releasing them if they keep failing. It's only when Ash starts using good strategy that he beats Paul fair and square, and implements this for his future travels (barring Unova), but Paul comes to see Ash's way of thinking after Brandon—whom Ash has actually beaten—trashes Paul's team and pokes holes in his training methods. This shows when Paul thanks Brandon for a good battle, and even thanks his Electivire for a job-well done after it loses.
- Infernape is a particularly crucial point of debate between Ash and Paul, with Ash believing that Chimchar was strong on its own merits, and Paul believing its only worth was its exceptionally powerful Blaze. When Ash first receives Chimchar, he explicitly refuses to train Blaze, focusing instead on rebuilding its self-esteem through positive reinforcement. Even without it, Chimchar serves as one of Ash's most reliable Pokemon all throughout Sinnoh, even moreso after its evolutions. However, Paul's belief is validated when Blaze is finally activated in an intense battle, sending Chimchar into an Unstoppable Rage that Ash could just barely contain with a Cooldown Hug. Whether they like it or not, Ash and Chimchar would have to learn to control Blaze one day; however, rather than through Training from Hell like Paul tried so hard to do, Ash controls it through The Power of Friendship, adding several more layers of nuance to the ultimate result.
- In Princess Mononoke, every character has a reasonable explanation and motivation for their actions. San is harsh and violent, but only wants to protect her home, family and the natural world. Eboshi wants to kill the god of the forest, but is a benevolent leader, good to her people and kind to lepers and you can fully see why her people are willing to die for her. The protagonist Ashitaka is completely neutral and genuinely wants the best for everyone. Even if the consequences of their choices are ultimately negative, you can see why they did it.
- The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World: Upon the reveal that Shauha isn't an Evil Sorcerer but simply a Jerkass (but extremely competent) bureaucrat, Red comes to this conclusion about her and Idola's goals. On one hand, Shauha's decision to limit the development and research of magic and magic items to a specially licensed few makes sense, as people from his world had to earn similar licenses to handle dangerous substances and equipment. On the other, Red agrees with Idola's assertion that Shauha's restrictions are too severe, as low-risk magic items could be handled safely if people are simply instructed how to use them. It's for this reason that Red suggest that Idola try to change Shauha's mind so they can work together to achieve both of their goals of improving safety and increasing the positive impact of magic.
- Sakura Quest is about the efforts of the Manoyama tourism board's efforts to save the Dying Town. The tourism board generally has well-intentioned efforts to help the town, but they, especially the people who aren't from the town(Yoshino and Sanae) can often cause problems by acting ignorantly, such as scheduling an event on the same day as a local event. Meanwhile, the residents of the town, many of whom are old, are often correct about the importance of tradition and preserving Manoyama's identity, but some of them fail to realize that change needs to happen, especially considering that many younger residents are dissatisfied with the town.
- In The Summer You Were There, a major subplot is Shizuku's attepts to apologize for bullying her classmate Ruri in elementary school, and both sides' perspectives are presented as valid. Shizuku feels terrible about bullying Ruri, to the point of being suicidally depressed, and even Ruri has to acknowledge Shizuku has changed for the better. On the other hand, Ruri was traumatized by Shizuku's bullying, Shizuku's apology reopens old wounds and Shizuku realizes that no matter how sorry she feels for herself, she hurt Ruri. Shizuku and Ruri's mutual friend Kaori sympathizes with Shizuku enough to convince her to apologize, but while she hopes Ruri can get over her trauma, she tells Ruri that she is under no obligation to forgive Shizuku. Eventually, Ruri decides to try to get to know Shizuku rather than awkwardly avoid her every time they cross paths, in hopes of overcoming her trauma.
- In Sword Art Online, the Mother's Rosary arc has the dispute between Asuna and her mother Kyouko over whether she should continue attending the SAO Survivors' School. Kyouko stresses the importance of getting a good education, and points out that the school is little more than a way for the government to monitor the teenage survivors of Sword Art Online (which Kirito had noticed earlier, and which Asuna mentally concedes in the light novel). Asuna doesn't deny what her mother is saying, but is happy at her school and has her own vision for the future. In the end, Kyouko relents and lets Asuna stay at the school as long as she keeps her grades up.
- In Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Episode 18 involves some self-styled Letter Pigeons who are fed up with the high cost of postage in Amberground and challenge the Letter Bees to a competition. On the one hand, they're right about the mail being too expensive for many; Nelli took extreme measures to deliver her brother's letter because she couldn't afford the stamps. The situation was even worse for an orphanage in the Letter Pigeons' hometown, which was what inspired them to form their own group. On the other hand, Lag's right when he says that not just anyone can do the Letter Bees' job, and he's proven right when the Letter Pigeons prove helpless against the Gaichuu. Considering how long it can take to deliver even a simple letter, and the danger involved, it's only natural that it would cost a lot.
- Happens more than once in Tomorrow's Joe:
- When Danpei asks to be reinstated as a boxing coach, the Japan Boxing Commission refuses to verify if he can do the job and treats him like crap. Danpei, however, admits that, after being barred for his alcoholism, mistreating his boxers, getting into fights with the opponents of his boxers, the referees and the public, and assaulting a JBC official when they suspended him, they had all the more reason not to trust him, especially after his reaction to their refusal was to get drunk, storm the JBC building and assault the boxing club presidents that made the JBC up.
- After Joe accidentally kills Rikiishi in a fight and starts winning his fights with devastating attacks on the torso, the JBC club presidents decide to force him to retire for both not retiring in shame after he killed an opponent and the serious injuries he's inflicting to his opponents. On the other hand, Joe is far more devastated by that event than they suspect, hitting only the torso because he developed an unconscious fear of killing his opponents like he did with Rikiishi and returned to the ring in part because he feels that he owes to Rikiishi to win the championships he would have surely won had he not died.
- Once he's forced to fight in circus rings, Joe is appalled when the other fighters of the circus reveal they fix their matches, seeing it as an insult to any serious boxer and themselves and a scam to the paying public. The others admit he's right... but every single one of them needs money to pay debts, maintain their family, and other urgent reasons and, while they have no skill but boxing, they aren't good enough to become professionals (or remain professionals, in one case), and if they don't fix their matches they risk being injured and being forced not to work while they heal.
- After Joe goes back to the official circuit and becomes famous, he develops a feud with the world champion José Mendoza, with Joe gaining his enmity with continued insults and shouts, even after being informed that Mendoza cannot stand loudmouths. Joe is furious at Mendoza bragging he defeated Joe's friend Carlos Rivera so hard he forced him to retire for medical reasons. To complicate things further, there's the fact José is bragging about that because, for a long time, there were rumors he refused to fight him for fear f losing his title, and as soon as he won the match, Carlos' manager explained Mendoza's easy victory with José causing him brain damage in their fight, a damage to his reputation that the world champion just cannot let stand, and Joe, even knowing that, is incensed because he knows he caused Carlos the brain damage. When it's proven without a doubt that Carlos' manager was wrong and Joe was indeed the one to cause the brain damage, Joe stops provoking him, just concentrating on the imminent title match between the two.
- The central conflict in Witch Hat Atelier is between the Witches' Auditorium, who believe that magic must be closely restricted and monitored in order to prevent abuse, and the Brimhats, a renegade faction who want to do away with all restrictions and make magic publically available, and both have very good reasons for their beliefs. On the Auditorium's side, magic in the setting is extremely plentiful and can be cast by anyone who knows how to do it, with the only limitations being how good they are at writing magical glyphs. As a result, it has been used to do terrible things like forcibly transform a child into a mindless beast or petrify innocents into an eternal golden unlife, and before the Auditorium put restrictions in place, witches were caught up in endless war that devastated the world. On the Brimhats' side, it's hard to disagree that the Auditorium's restrictions are draconian to the extreme, erasing the memory of anyone who's even been in contact with forbidden magic and restricting access even to magic that could genuinely help people. The Auditorium also doesn't allow any medicinal application of magic, meaning that while they could easily help heal life-ruining injuries and disabilities, they refuse to, and anyone who's injuries can't be helped by traditional medicine is out of luck.
- Episode 6 of Zombie Land Saga marks a rift forming between Ai and Junko over their conflicting views on how the idol industry should work based on what was normal in their respective times: for Junko, it means putting herself at arm's length from the public so she may present her ideal self that she wants her admirers to strive towards. For Ai, it means forging close relationships with her fans and using their support to propel herself forward. Unfortunately, their mutual inability or refusal to understand each other due to their own deeply rooted issues—Junko's feelings that her efforts were rendered meaningless, and Ai's unwillingness to accept her own premature death—keeps them from seeing eye-to-eye. The trope itself is also discussed when the other girls try convincing them to bury the hatchet.Ai: I don't see how any of what I said was wrong.
Yugiri: There are plenty of fights that start because both sides have a good point.
