Friendship Moment

Nothing's better for Amnesiac Dissonance than friendship.

"That's right, I stepped up! She's my friend and she needed help! If I had to, I'd pee on any one of you!"

— Joey Tribbiani, Friends

A sort of platonic version of Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other — a moment of pure love and empathy displayed by one friend to another that goes beyond the call of duty or against their character. Often very sappy, though it doesn't have to be.

Compare The Power of Friendship, whose focus lies in friendship overcoming all the troubles that come to haunt the characters; that trope and this may overlap when the affirming friendship moment is followed closely by them powering through their problems because of it.

See also the Morality Pet, Friend-or-Idol Decision, A Friend in Need, Now Allowed to Hug, and Act of True Love. Often takes place between True Companions. Pile enough of these up between a pairing and it can start the process of a Just Friends relationship Story Arc or even a Shipping fandom.

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Examples:

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• A set of Commercials ("Belong") for Carling lager show a group of mates in fantastic situations sticking together despite the fact they're losing out on something if they didn't. For example learning the meaning of life.

Anime and Manga

• Ohtori offering to give up his spot on the Hyoutei team for Shishido, because he believes Shishido has earned it, in The Prince of Tennis.
• Many many instances in Reborn! (2004), with Tsuna gaining a backbone to stand up and fight for his "family". Most definitely happening more and more as the series goes on and Tsuna matures.
• Ganta from Deadman Wonderland has one while protecting Shiro from a berserk Nagi, giving a Rousing Speech while taking all the blows.
• One Piece: Epic promises for one of them to be the best, Kuina talking about her problems concerning being a female swordsman with Zoro and his simply listening to her is rather touching in itself, especially when you consider the latter's personality.
  • Another epic moment was the Straw Hats went to rescue Robin, who offered herself to the government for their safety (a Friendship Moment in itself), essentially declaring war on the entire world. The Straw Hats don't know why the government wanted Robin or how Robin used to be betrayed by every single person she had met. Luffy points out that no matter what, no matter what burden or difficulty Robin had faced, they would still come for her.
  • It's a small one, but it counts. Especially when you consider that both Chopper and Zoro have trouble in the friends department. While they are in the desert and Usopp, Luffy and Sanji are arguing over water, Zoro holds out his canteen to Chopper and offers him some. Chopper politely declines. What makes it so special is that the other characters are being so selfish and yet both Zoro and Chopper are willing to go without for the other. Not to mention that Zoro has been dragging Chopper through the desert almost the entire time.
  • One of the most epic moments comes in the Arlong arc, when all of the money Nami was earning over the years to buy her village back was taken by a corrupt Marine and her village decided to fight Arlong despite having no chance to win. Luffy appears, stopping Nami when she was furiously stabbing her arm where Arlong's tattoo was. She screams at him to go away but soon crumbles into tears and begs him to help her. He puts his treasured hat on her and proclaims of course he will. Then the camera pans to the rest of the Straw Hats who all agree without hesitation to help her. This was probably the moment when the Ragtag Bunch of Misfits became the tight-knit crew that they are today.
  • At the very start of the series, Red-Haired Shanks wasn't above making fun of Luffy, a kid he got to know while spending a year based in Luffy's hometown. Luffy got rather annoyed when Shanks didn't fight back against some mountain bandits despite the latter group pouring drinks on them and otherwise insulting them, and challenged the bandits to a fight. When the bandits were about to kill Luffy, Shanks intervened and saved him, even going so far as to sacrifice an arm to save Luffy from a Sea King, since while Shanks is willing to put up with being insulted he won't forgive those who hurt his friends. Luffy was actually rather surprised to hear Shanks call him that, and even more so when Shanks entrusted Luffy with his straw hat.
  • At the end of the Arabasta arc, Vivi decides to stay in her country instead of permanently joining the crew. Before they leave, and while they are in the middle of being pursued by Marine ships, Vivi tearfully asks them if they will still think of her as a friend. Unable to verbally answer with "yes" without getting Vivi in trouble with the World Government, the Straw Hats settle for showing Vivi the marks they placed in their arms earlier to prevent Mr. 2 from impersonating them. Vivi responds by showing them her own mark to make it clear that she got the message: that they will always be friends.
• 7 Seeds has multiple, though there is one that shows to what extremes some of them are willing to go to for their friends. Case in point, Ryo admits that the reason he tried to kill Haru and Hana and supposedly succeeded in Hana's case was because their presence caused Ango emotional pain. And he wanted to protect him from it.
• Asuna and Ayaka of Negima! Magister Negi Magi get one of these first when Ayaka agrees to drop the trip to Wales argument, then later when she sees the Ala Alba off. Ayaka's last words to Asuna were to keep Negi safe, then when Asuna says she will no matter how much injury she takes, Ayaka yells at her to stay safe as well.
  • Chapter 350 has another one between Asuna and Ayaka. Starting the next day, Asuna is going to be asleep for 100 years, so they will most likely never see each other again. After a fight that ends with Ayaka hugging Asuna while crying her eyes out, Asuna hugs her back and says the following:
    Negi and Nagi-San... Takahata-sensei... Konoka and Setsuna-san... I've met a lot of people since then. But, well... meeting you might have been the best luck I've had in my life.
  • Ayaka and Asuna's relationship is built on these kind of moments, whether it be Asuna having Negi spend the day with Ayaka on the anniversary of her stillborn brother's death, Ayaka comforting Asuna when she's rejected by Takamichi, or Ayaka living to 115 by sheer willpower so she could see Asuna one last time.
• Digimon lives and breathes this trope.
• In Bleach, these are most often told through the flashback stories (chapters designated by negative numbers or decimal points).
  • Chapter 0.8, a wonderful error, is when Mizuiro realizes that Ichigo appreciated his honesty, and is not the thug that Keigo made him out to be.
  • Chad's flashback when Ichigo promises to fight for him, because Chad refuses to do so for himself.
• Happens a lot in Ouran High School Host Club; some examples that especially come to mind are everyone standing up for Tamaki in episode 14, trying to save the club in the last two episodes, and especially Kyoya running all around France during a school trip for the sake of finding Tamaki's mother and proving that she was all right.
  • Also in the manga, when the entire school bands together to get Tamaki to the airport before his mother's plane takes off without his having seen her. They bring in things like boats, helicopters, and cars to get him there despite many merely being customers of the host club or other students.
• Naruto: When Sasuke asks Naruto why he cares about him so much, Naruto's response is to smile and say "Because we're friends".
• In the manga of Lucky Star, there's a marathon coming up, and frail Yutaka has decided to run it, despite her worries. Minami offers to run alongside, but Yutaka wants her to do her best, as well, instead of hanging back with her. The day of the marathon comes, and while the athletic Konata wants Minami to go easy on them, but Minami is going to comply with her friend's wishes. After running a while, Yutaka is about to give out, when she sees and hears Minami up ahead, cheering her on! Did she sacrifice her position in the race? But then, she sees the ribbon attached to her shirt. Minami ran to the end, collected her ribbon, and came back to cheer her on. This gives Yutaka the encouragement needed to finish. Afterward, Konata sees Yutaka, Minami, and Hiyori together, and points them out to Kagami.
  Kagami: Oh, I get it. No way you can beat that.
• Soul Eater: When Crona first comes to Shibusen, Kid throws a party in their honour, and Crona is confused about why the main grouping is being nice to him/her. The answer:
  Isn't it obvious? We're your friends.
• Kids on the Slope: Karou tries very hard to make the people he loves happy. With all of the unrequited love this series has, it takes a lot of effort. There are a lot of moments between him and Sentaro, such as when when Kaoru cries when he learns about Sen's Dark and Troubled Past, when they comfort each other when the other is having a major crisis, and when Kaoru goes after Sen when he runs away.
  • Also, whenever they play "their song" together ("Moanin'", which is the first song they play together and is used to reunite them twice).
• Hunter × Hunter has Gon readily admitting that Killua is his 'best friend in the world', while Killua privately thinks how glad he is to have met Gon.
• Dragon Ball: The Path to Power has the entire scene with Goku and Android 8 having a snowball fight, whose purpose is to highlight their friendship and how Goku is still a kid at the end of the day.
• My Hero Academia - Training of the Dead: Subverted and played for laughs. A zombiefied Habuko initially seems to remember Tsuyu and doesn't seem like she'll bite her, much to Tsuyu's relief...until Aoyama does instead. Now, the friends are zombies together.
• Princess Sarah: Sarah's friends often single-handedly keep her from sinking deep into despair. For examples, we have: Ermengarde refusing to betray Sarah even under threat of punishment, Peter helping Sarah with her arduous errands, Monsieur Dufarge giving her a book, Lottie standing up for "Mamma Sarah" when Lavinia tries to take her doll away, and just about every scene involving Becky in the middle of the series.
• Dr. STONE: Cool Old Guy blacksmith Kaseki observes the friendship between Teen Geniuses Senku and Chrome, and laments the fact that he didn't have friends growing up because nobody else shared his love of inventing and crafting. Chrome replies that he does have friends — the two of them. When Kaseki brings up the 50-year age difference between them, Chrome says "Age? What does that have to do with anything?", which moves Kaseki to Manly Tears.
• Expect to see at least one of these in Sailor Moon every chapter/episode. The friendship between each of the Sailor Senshi is a core theme of the series.
• In Who Decided That Blues Had To Be Cool?!, the protagonist Azusa "Pure Azurite" Gunjou's Muggle Best Friend Minami Minamya may be her Only Friend, but she often mocks Azusa's less appealing personality traits. Minami introduces Azusa to Harumi Akaishi, only for Azusa to become rather horrified to realize that Harumi is the civilian identity of Azurite's Magical Girl partner, since she's terrified of Harumi realizing her true identity. When Azusa pulls Minami aside and tells her that she doesn't feel comfortable hanging out with Minami due to her social awkwardness, Minami understands, says she's grateful that Azusa thinks of her as a close friend, and apologizes to Harumi on Azusa's behalf.

Comic Books

• Watchmen: Rorschach telling Nite Owl he's a good friend and that he knows he isn't easy to deal with. It is particularly powerful in that it is a massive out-of-character moment for him, and it comes after a similarly OOC outburst from Daniel, who breaks it down to Rorschach just how much crap he has to put up with while working with him.
• Sub-Mariner: When Namor stands up to the rest of the Illuminate about sending the Hulk into space. All the stronger given that most of the time, Namor and the Hulk have Teeth-Clenched Teamwork at best.
• In Iron Man:
  • In Iron Man issue #184, James Rhodes and two other guys were working on creating their own tech company, they were getting ready to leave for California. Tony Stark came up asking for a job. In the past few months he had lost his company, lost access to his money, gave up being Iron Man and became homeless. Not only that but he had only spent a week being sober. Tony was afraid that he would be rejected for what happened. But Rhodey and the others promptly accepted him.
  • Just a few issues later, Rhodey is going nuts because he is starting to fear that Tony wants the armor back. It doesn't help that Tony has built a prototype suit, though Tony insists it is "therapy". At first, Tony thinks it is simply the suit's interface not being properly synched to Rhodey, but Rhodey's headaches keep coming back, and he finally goes on a rampage. Stark has to suit up in his outmatched prototype to try to calm him down, and manages to use everything he knows about the Iron Man suit to temporarily disable Rhodey's suit. Tony then takes off his suit, telling Rhodey that he doesn't want the job back, and unfreezes Rhodey's suit. Rhodey gets up... and shakes Tony's hand.
• Green Arrow and Hawkman, both recently brought back to life, meet up at the Justice Society brownstone. Everyone else fears a fight will break out, only to find the two laughing hysterically over Batman impersonations and admitting that they missed each other.
• Superman: The interactions between the Superman Family and their friends provide plenty of examples:
  • In Public Enemies (2004), Superman has become fed up with Lex Luthor's evil and is seriously considering to end him for good. Batman, who usually would argue against that kind of solution, calmly tells Superman he won't stop him, and that they can just make it look like an accident or "better yet, as if he'd vanished without a trace." His thoughts indicate, among other things, he is sick of what Luthor does to Clark.
  • The Supergirl from Krypton (2004) provides another Supes/Bats moment when Bruce states that, despite his paranoid nature, he'll set aside his doubts regarding that girl who just turned up claiming to be Superman's family... for Clark's sake.
  • At the end of Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, Batman walks in on Superman and Lightning Lad from the Legion of Super-Heroes drinking beer together and remembering the good, old days when they teamed up to play pranks on their teammates.
    Batman: So you two got into... trouble? You? Trouble?
    Superman: Garth taught me sometimes rules had to be broken. Sometimes just for fun.
    Batman: ...
  • Crisis on Infinite Earths has Batgirl feel utterly useless and helpless in the face of her universe literally falling apart, and Supergirl do her best to reassure Barbara that her worthiness isn't defined by her powers.
  • In "Big Girl, Small World", Cassandra Sandsmark is staying with Kara after a fight with her mother. Kara hugs Cassie while both girls mourn the then-late Conner Kent, and she gives Cassandra a t-shirt formerly belonging to Conner as a gift.
  • In Adventure Comics (Volume 2) issue #3, Tim drake admits to just-resurrected Conner Kent that he was so desperate to bring him back he tried to clone him. He's in the middle of confessing that he and Conner's girlfriend Cassandra had a brief fling while Conner was dead, when Superboy cuts him off to say Cassie already told him, he blames neither of them, and everything will be fine.
  • In Pre-Crisis continuity, Lana Lang was the person who stayed with the Kents during Jonathan and Martha's terminal illness and tried to keep Clark's spirits up.
  • The Attack of the Annihilator: Barbara spends the whole adventure thinking she is basically useless compared with Kara; after the villain is defeated, though, Kara praises Barbara for being both intelligent and quick-witted, and expresses how glad she is to be her partner. Barbara cannot help feeling cheered up by Kara's compliments.
  • The Hunt for Reactron: After spending several months bickering and fighting, Kara and her childhood friend Thara Ak-Var make up with each other and renew their friendship with a tearful, warm hug.
  • In The Last Days of Superman, the Man of Steel only has a few days left to live, but he still takes time to go to Gotham City and thank Batman for being a "wonderful friend".
  • Escape from the Phantom Zone: After their first team-up in Post-Flashpoint continuity, Kara and Barbara are lying on their backs on the Mojave Desert and engaging in little talk while Supergirl recovers. When Kara asks if she can call Babs in case that she needs her again, the latter smiles and answers she already put her number in Supergirl's phone.
  • Super Sons: The Super Sons of Tomorrow arc provides one for Jonathan Samuel Kent and Damian Wayne. Damian comes to Jon's defense when the Future Tim Drake comes to kill him. He does everything he can to protect Jon, even fighting his own team, the Teen Titans, to do so. At the end, Superman is uncertain of letting Jon continue his adventures with Damian, since Damian's future supposedly has bad ramifications for Jon, but both boys vow to stick together and protect each other from whatever comes their way.
  • In The Day the Cheering Stopped no one seems overly worried about Jimmy Olsen being missing for two days…except for Superman, who sets out to find his buddy as soon as he hears about his disappearance.
• Bone has Smiley bring leftover dinner to Bartleby in "Treasure Hunters".
  Smiley: You know Bartleby, I never had a pal like you before.
  Bartleby: Me either!
• The War Stories arc Vampire Squadron is basically a four-issue build-up to one big Friendship Moment between the two leads – dashing young pilot Proctor, and squadron intelligence officer Gilchrist. The two of them run the squadron together, but Gilchrist always feels somewhat unmanned by Proctor, not helped by his Innocently Insensitive comments (Gilchrist: “I only got my call-up papers a few months ago. I was running a nursery school.” Proctor: “Oh. Isn't that something women do?” and then, later, Proctor: “Wait a minute, you're married? Seriously? Huh. Fancy that.”). And then, in the last lines of the story:
  Proctor: “I was, I was hoping I could sort of bend your ear about something. That's what a best man does, isn't it? Sort of... gives the chap advice?”

Comic Strips

• In Prickly City, the first panel of one strip is gray scale. The second has Winslow hugging Carmen in a sunshine-yellow-toned strip. The third is in full color.

Fan Works

• Hetalia: Axis Powers fanfic Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità: There are several between Germany and Italy and Japan and Italy. However, Germany and Japan both wanted more.
• There are several in With Strings Attached. A good example is when John joins Paul on the beach the morning after Paul exploded:
  A long, knowing, approving, slightly uncomfortable look passed between them. We're unknown quantities. We're sharing an amazing experience. We're friends.
• There are a few in part 1 of The Vinyl Scratch Tapes, such as Vinyl going berserk when Octavia's concert is shut down.
• Turnabout Storm has the friendship that grows between Phoenix and Twilight reach a high point when Twilight sees herself forced to ask Phoenix for a big favor, one that involves her leaving him on his own during the trial.
  Phoenix: Ugh... As Rainbow's "out of town" attorney, I really wouldn't recommend you leaving me alone in there...
  Twilight: ...
  Phoenix: But, as your friend, I understand.
• Mortality: Interestingly, even though during this scene, Holmes and Watson are separated, it should still count, since Watson is boasting about his friend.
  • "If your master's actions destroy him whom I regard as-as the best and wisest man I have ever known, make no mistake that I shall hunt down, to a man, everyone who played a part in his destruction."
  • Cue criminal begging for mercy, and then getting murdered.
  • And Holmes willing himself away from Death.
  • Watson telling Porluck he will find his friend, no matter what should count too.
• Soul Eater: Troubled Souls has a whole chapter dedicated to this trope through something called a Kumbaya Circle. The protagonists gather around and, those willing, tell everyone else a part of their background or stuff they didn't know about each other.
• The reunion between Betelgeuse and Lydia in the crossover fic Say It Thrice is full of this. They've been forced apart by a magic ritual that banished him, but Betelgeuse simply will not stop trying to get back to her, knowing that she's in copious amounts of danger; he finally resorts to a means that almost destroys him. Tucker, the narrative character for the scene, is kind of overwhelmed by how very relieved they are to be together again - it's literally the first time he's ever seen Lydia really smile.
• Riding a Sunset: The entire story starts because Bumblebee is about to get his voice box back, and he wants Charlie to be there for his first words (in a manner of speaking). Once it's discovered that the Autobots need to protect Charlie and her family, Bumblebee readily agrees to be the family's appointed guardian, allowing him to spend time with Charlie every day and bond with her family.
• Red and Blue has a moment of this during a fight when another soldier pegs Mustang as Edward's father and Edward gets offended.
  Edward: My father was a bastard of an excuse for a man who left a wife and two kids at home never to return, not even for the funeral of the woman who loved him so dearly. That asshole's dead to me, so never insult that asshole over there by mistaking him for the man that raised a brat like me!
  Mustang: I think he just defended me. Is someone making note of this? Please tell me someone else heard that.
• There are a number of these found in All This Sh*t is Twice as Weird, but the biggest one is when the Inquisitors reconcile after a very intense falling out.
• You Have To Help Me: When Yoriko is revealed to be a half-ghoul, Touka reveals to her of being a ghoul to make it even.
  Touka: I'm not going to report you to anyone. We're best friends, Yoriko. And if you want to see my proof, then just ask.
• Quite a few happen in Child of the Storm, such as when, after undergoing a Trauma Conga Line towards the end of the first book, Carol stares down Sif in order to ensure that Harry won't be alone.
  • In the second book, Harry explains to Hermione and Diana, who have been teasing him about his and Carol's Will They or Won't They?, that while he'd like to step up his relationship with Carol, she needs a best friend a lot more than a boyfriend at the moment, so he'll wait for her, and in the meantime, deal with his own issues. The three of them hug.
• In Star Wars: Lineage, Obi-Wan shares one with Garen in the fifth book of the second series. Having been crippled due to Obi-Wan having grabbed the Idiot Ball in the previous book, they've been on harsh terms since then. But Obi-Wan visits to say farewell, and provokes him into a wrestling match like they used to have all the time in the créche. After working out some tension, their insults lose their sting and they go back to being Vitriolic Best Buds once more.
• Soul Eater Zeta: Kami and Francis have one towards the end of Chapter 5, finally culminating in the latter getting over what happened to him.
• Half & Half: When Yoriko is revealed to be a half-ghoul, Touka reveals her secret to her about being a ghoul, securing their friendship.
• In Hellsister Trilogy, Colossal Boy and Supergirl undertake a mission which will take them to -literally- Hell in order to prevent Mordru from gaining unimaginable power. Noticing Kara's visible anxiety, Gim makes sure to reassure her by reminding her she isn't alone.
• At the beginning of A Force of Four, Power Girl and Jimmy Olsen remember the just-departed Superman by trading stories about him. And at the end, Power Girl picks Jimmy and takes him for a flight as her cousin used to do in the 1940's.
• Between Madoka, Misa, and Sakurako in Still Waters Series. When they find the scene at the bridge to Library Island, Madoka snaps and heads off alone into the city. Rather than escape across the bridge to Library Island where there is confirmed safety, Sakurako and Misa both decide to follow Madoka back into the city, where they've seen terrible things and even been attacked rather than let her go alone.
• In Kara of Rokyn, Kara's old wrestler rival Jara asks to meet with her to spar and talk for a bit. Later on, Jara admits she wanted to see Kara because, in spite of her old animosity, she's the only person she can call "friend".
  Jara: Oh, it's not that, anymore, Kara. It's just... Does it make any sense if I say I'm depressed, and I wanted to see you?
  Kara: You don't have any friends?
  Jara: None like you. You've been where I've been for awhile, Kara. I can talk to you.
• A Prize for Three Empires: When Captain America considers to step down because his values are deemed too old-fashioned and out-of-touch by a new generation of increasingly violent heroes, Carol Danvers encourages him to go on fighting because the Avengers need their moral pillar.
• In X-Men 1970, Cyclops berates his brother Havok after the latter hurts his friend Iceman in a fit of jealousy.
• In The Monster Mash, Applejack defending Rarity from the vampire hunter, despite how uneasy Rarity's new condition makes her.
• During the course of The Vampire of Steel, Supergirl takes Buffy Summers to the Fortress of Solitude. When the vampire hunter asks why Kara's showing her around Superman's secret base, the Kryptonian hero replies she wanted to do something nice for a friend.
  Then she asked, "Why did you bring me here, Kara? I mean, it doesn’t seem as though you need me for anything. Not that I don’t appreciate it, but, well..."
  Supergirl sighed. "Haven’t you figured it out yet, Buffy? First,[...] Third, you're a sister in arms and, yes, a friend. So I wanted to do this as sort of a gift. One way or the other, this may be the only time you get to see the Fortress of Solitude. Is that all right by you?"
  "Is that all right?" Buffy grasped Kara’s hand. "Oh, Kara."
• In woof woof power, Ling and Nhu share one where they make friendship bracelets/blankets/brakets, and then hug and fall asleep standing up, and because of this, the dog is pregnant.
• If Wishes Were Ponies: When Harry, now a citizen of Equestria, is invited to attend Hogwarts (and more or less asked to go by the Princesses), he makes it clear that he doesn't want to go back to Earth (as he has too many bad memories associated with it). Twilight asks him if he'd be more willing to attend if Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo went with him. Seeing as how they're the first friends he's ever had, he agrees. The fillies all willingly agree, partially out of curiosity (they want to explore Earth as much as Twilight does) but mostly because they want to be there for Harry.
• Superman of 2499: The Great Confrontation: When the latest descendant of Batman decides to quit because he is sick of it all, the latest descendant of Superman says he's glad that he had the chance to work with him, and he will respect his decision.
  "You can't stop being what you are," said Superman, gently. "But you can stop being the Batman. If that's your decision..."
  "It is."
  "...then I'll respect it. I'm only glad I had the chance to work with you." He stuck out his hand. Batman took it. Surprisingly, he didn't let it go.
• A specific scene that is common in Supergirl (2015) fics is Clark Kent and Lena Luthor bonding over the fact that they are some the only people who remember Lex Luthor from before he went crazy. He was one of Clark's only friends, and Lena's perfect big brother.
• Up in Smoke: "The Creeping Messiah Complex" provides one when Worth makes a human shield out of himself between Conrad and the secret police. It's probably the first time that Conrad ever considered Worth might really actually give two shits about him.
• In The Unfantastic Adventures of Bizarro No. 1, Bizarro Wonder Woman and Bizarro Supergirl are very close buddies, as proved when Supergirl states she would never keep all men for herself without leaving some for her pal.
• White Sheep (RWBY): Weiss and Emerald meet when Weiss' white hair has been dyed green, and Emerald's green hair has been dyed white. They commiserate over the fact that they are both going to murder the people who did this to them. Due to repeated ironic misunderstandings, they continue to have friendly interactions throughout the series. At one point, Weiss' sister Winter tries to arrest Emerald for being a terrorist; while Emerald is a terrorist, the reason she suspects her is because Weiss infiltrated a terrorist meeting with green hair, so Weiss covers for her.
• Enlightenments: The very last line of the fic, in which the formerly-aloof god Dormin thinks of Wander as their friend for the first time.

Films — Animated

• Parodied in Tangled: after Maximus the horse and the Snuggly Duckling Thugs break Flynn out of jail, Flynn has one of these with Maximus before the horse gives him an unamused look, both because they should be going off to rescue Rapunzel and because Flynn is taking the opportunity to deliver an extremely self-serving speech about the two "misjudging" each other, when Maximus quite accurately had Flynn pegged as a charming-but-shiftless thief and ne'er-do-well throughout the movie.
• In Barbie & The Diamond Castle, Liana is able to snap Alexa out of the villain's mind-control spell by replacing her necklace and reciting the friendship chant they made up earlier in the film.
• The titular duo of Beavis and Butt-Head are idiots who rarely show concern for each other. In Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe, the two once again think that they're being set up to have sex with a woman. After being led to believe that she's waiting for them at their house, they find that she isn't there and get into an argument-turned-fight over whose fault it is that she's gone. The two decide to leave each other. While separated, they see other people doing the things that they usually do (insulting each other, hitting each other and laughing at perverted things). They end up being reunited when they're captured by government officials. Once they get free, they resume their journey, but not before sharing one of the few genuine moments in the franchise.
  Beavis: And um, I just want to say, um, you can score first if you want to, Butt-Head
  Butt-Head: Beavis, I'm not gonna score. And you're not gonna score. We're gonna score.
  Beavis: Yeah! Heh, yeah! Yeah!
  Butt-Head: Now let's go score before I change my mind.

Films — Live-Action

• The final The Lord of the Rings film, The Return of the King, gives one to Legolas and Gimli. Throughout the films they've been somewhat friendly rivals constantly trying to one-up the other in battle In the final scene where everyone is surrounded by the orc army, certain to die, we get this dialogue:
  Gimli: I never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an elf.
  Legolas: What about side by side with a friend?
  Gimli: [beat] Aye... I could do that.
  • Frodo and Sam as well when they are a short distance from their final goal, nearly dead from exhaustion, dehydration and starvation. Frodo collapses and Sam decides the only option: Carry Frodo.
  Sam: I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!
• Mamma Mia!! had Rosie and Tanya sing 'Chiquitita' (and later 'Dancing Queen') to a despondent Donna.
• Holmes and Watson have these in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The first one is when Holmes says "It's good to see you, Watson" and the last one is when they look at each other before that sacrifice.
• C-3PO in Star Wars: "You can repair [R2-D2], can't you?" "Sir, if any of my circuits or gears will help, I'll gladly donate them!"
  • Also, Han Solo coming back to help Luke Skywalker blow up the Death Star in A New Hope. Without the diversion provided by the arrival of the Millennium Falcon, Luke might arguably have made the shot, but not fared so well.
  • Obi-Wan and Anakin have several in Revenge of the Sith, such as Anakin refusing to leave Obi-Wan behind despite the Chancellor's insistence, the two of them joking around about who gets to spend a "glorious day with the politicians", and the conversation where Anakin apologises for his behaviour and Obi-Wan admits that he is very proud of him. Of course, in light of events later in the film...
  • Poe and Finn get a couple in The Force Awakens, once after successfully escaping the First Order's flagship (but before getting shot down), and again at the Resistance's base, where Finn gets all emotional upon discovering that Poe is alive, and Poe lets him keep his jacket (which Finn kept as a Tragic Keepsake) because "it suits him".
• Played with in Mean Girls: Karen lovingly tries to catch Gretchen in the circle of trust, who had just alienated the entire school with a spectacularly ill-judged and self serving "apology".
  • Played straight with Janis's art.
• Holden offering to sleep with Banky in Chasing Amy; just because a Friendship Moment is selfless and moving, doesn't mean it can't also be an awful idea.
• The following exchange from Tombstone, when Doc Holliday breaks out into a violent cough after a gunfight:
  Jack Johnson: Doc, you ought to be in bed. What the hell you doin' this for, anyway?
  Doc: Wyatt Earp is my friend.
  Jack Johnson: Hell, I've got lots of friends.
  Doc: I don't.
• In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, after Spock has been resurrected by the Genesis planet, McCoy talks to his unconscious body:
  McCoy: I'm gonna tell you something that I... never thought I'd ever hear myself say. But it seems I've missed you. And I don't know if I could stand to lose you again.
• Star Trek (2009): Kirk volunteering to go with Spock on a seemingly suicidal mission ("See? We are getting to know each other.") is an empathetic moment that marks a turning point in their relationship. It's an interesting moment, because Kirk is making fun of Spock with the words, but both are committing to mission that is is so dangerous, they have no reasonable hope of returning—and, indeed, the next scenes cement their Fire Forged Friendsship.
• In The Big Lebowski, most of Walter and Donny's interaction consists of the former telling the latter to "shut the fuck up", but near the end while the group is being confronted by the violent German Nihilists, Walter calmly assures a scared Donny that they aren't in any real danger. And when Donny dies from a heart attack, Walter is the one giving the heartfelt eulogy at the funeral.
• Pacific Rim has quite a few of these, but perhaps the most unexpected comes from Newt and Gottlieb, the resident Insufferable Geniuses who spend most of the movie getting at each other's nerves. Yet when Newt attempts to Mind Meld with a dead kaiju's brain (the danger is self-explanatory), Gottlieb doesn't even ask for a permission to join in—he just does it, leaving Newt utterly stumped. And the best part: the two of them turn out to have been perfectly Drift compatible all along!
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2014):
  • After spending most of their time bickering and nearly killing one another, Drax comforts Rocket when Rocket is mourning Groot's death by awkwardly petting him.
  • In another scene, Nebula fights Gamora and starts insulting her. In the middle of it, Drax, who spends most of the movie hating Gamora, blasts Nebula and says, "No one talks to my friends like that."
• Godzilla film series:
  • Anguirus takes his friendship with Godzilla very seriously. How serious? Well, how many friends do you have who would be willing to take a giant BUZZ SAW to the face to try to save you from being repeatedly shot by high powered weaponry? Anguirus does just that in Godzilla on Monster Island (aka Godzilla vs. Gigan), proving that there's awesome friends...and then there's Anguirus awesome friends. What makes this all the more incredible is that when the two monsters first encountered one another in the second film in the Godzilla canon, they spent most of that film trying to kill each other! Defeat Equals Friendship and Fire-Forged Friends indeed!

Literature

• There are plenty such moments in Harry Potter; the first is when Harry and Ron rescue Hermione from the troll.
• In P. G. Wodehouse's school novel Mike and Psmith, Mike gets the blame for a prank he wasn't responsible for, and can't defend himself because it would mean admitting he was out of school at night; his usually diffident best friend Psmith owns up, even though he didn't do it either and it means probable expulsion. When Mike tries to thank him, he acts hurt by the accusation that he would do something nice just to help out a friend.
• Sherlock Holmes: "You're not hurt, Watson? For God's sake, say that you are not hurt!"
  • "By the Lord, it is well for you. If you had killed Watson, you would not have gotten out of this room alive."
• In Effi Briest, Effi has been thrown out by her husband, cut off by her parents, and shunned by everyone she knows. Then one of the servants from her husband's household comes to her and says she'd rather work for Effi; she is greeted not only with joy but with demonstrations of affection.
• Beverly Cleary's Ellen Tebbits has Ellen being teased by Otis, the class pest, for coming to school dirty (long story). Her friend Austine lets him have it:

  "Otis Spofford! Mind your own business! Ellen is my best friend and I won't have you picking on her!"

• The Idiot has a scene where Prince Myshkin and Rogozhin (both in some sort of love with Nastasya, as part of a larger Love Dodecahedron) meet to talk. They discuss religion, resolve to remain friends regardless of which of who Nastasya chooses, and then exchange crosses—an act symbolizing spiritual brotherhood—before they part.
• There are many in the Artemis Fowl series between the titular character and Holly Short, some of which may even qualify as Ship Tease. Ones that stand out in particular are Artemis giving Holly a chance to say goodbye to Commander Root and in the last book, Artemis realizing that he would go to the ends of the earth for Holly.
• Hollow Places has one of these moments when Austin takes the Nine-Eyed Fish's offer of restoring Jeffrey's relationship with Monica over healing himself of old injuries or returning Isabella’s personality to how it was before.
• The Hurog duology has a lot of friendship moments between Ward and Oreg, among others one where Oreg tells Ward that he considers Ward a genuinely good person, and the moment when Ward kisses Oreg's forehead before killing him, thus enabling a Heroic Sacrifice, although it is a Mercy Killing, too.
• A few small ones in book 5 of The Saga of Darren Shan between Darren and Kurda when they try to escape the mountain after Darren is sentenced to death. When Darren tells Kurda to leave and save himself, Kurda tells him, "You know I wouldn't leave you,"; Gavner asks them whose plan this was, and they both answer, "Mine," in unison, to which Gavner replies, "You're as bad as each other." Then it all falls apart when Darren discovers Kurda's treason, but it does set the stage for their later reconciliation and the reveals in later books about what happened to Kurda after the events of book 6, and why.
• The Spirit Thief has several, but the most notable one comes in book four, when Josef sees a wanted poster for himself and tells his two companions that he has to leave them and go to Osera. Neither Nico nor Eli even consider abandoning him, and the latter (whose middle name might very well be "needs-to-know-everything") spares no expenses in getting them to Osera in record time, asking Josef no questions until they're already on the island.
• In the fourth book of The Queen's Thief series, Kamet, slave to the former Mede ambassador to Attolia, travels with Costis, an Attolian soldier sent to "steal" him, only because he thinks a death sentence is the alternative. Though they become Fire-Forged Friends, there are still many difficulties because Kamet considers Attolia a barbaric hellhole and can't always hide it... and then he's forced to reveal that he's been lying to Costis the whole journey and Costis is livid. Nevertheless, Costis is about to lie for Kamet when they're brought before Attolia's king, Eugenides. Kamet, realizing this, yells out loud that it's all his fault to save Costis from being executed for failure, believing that he will be killed himself. (Fortunately for them, Eugenides planted the lie in the first place to make sure Kamet would leave.)
• The Count of Monte Cristo: Beauchamp and Albert have a major falling-out after Beauchamp's newspaper publishes a two-line article that could possibly be taken as an attack on Albert's father (it says there was an officer named Fernand who sold out his employer to his enemies), when Beauchamp says he can't just publish an apology without getting to the bottom of it, which Albert takes badly, and tempers rise). He returns a few weeks later, and the first thing he does is tell Albert to sit down, as he has some very bad news: his research has led him to the conclusion that Albert's father was undoubtedly a backstabber. He's the first to suggest that they burn these compromising documents so that no one will ever find out. Regrettably, it's all for nothing, as the Count has the full scandal published in another newspaper the next day.
• The Stormlight Archive:
  • In Words of Radiance, Kaladin and Adolin have a few small ones, but the biggest one is when Kaladin is unjustly imprisoned. When he gets out, he discovers that Adolin had locked himself in the same prison and refused to leave until Kaladin did.
  • In Oathbringer, Lift and Dalinar have one when Lift shares some food with Dalinar. Considering basically everything she does revolves around getting more food, that's pretty big of her. But it's undermined more than a little because it was actually Dalinar's lunch in the first place, which Lift shamelessly stole.

Live-Action TV

• The A-Team:
  • In "Holiday in the Hills", B.A. makes sure to tell Murdock to be careful with the makeshift plane they cobbled together, as it's not as durable as what he's used to.
    Murdock [in an accent]: I didn't know you cared, sweetheart! [pulling him closer] Thanks, B.A.
    B.A. (smiling): Don't thank me. Just keep it off the trees.
  • The episode "Curtain Call" — from B.A. looking after the injured Murdock, to Hannibal telling him that "we go out together or we don't go out at all", to Face risking getting caught by Decker to get the medical supplies needed to keep Murdock alive — is a long list of moments that demonstrate how much the other members of the group care about their crazy teammate.
• As might be imagined, most episodes of Friends.
  • The page quote comes from an episode where Monica is stung in the foot by a jellyfish and the only way to relieve the pain is by, well, urine. Joey, it turns out, couldn't do it, so Chandler had to step up. (Though it was the thought that counted). Joey's friendship moment comes when he takes credit for peeing on Monica, saving Chandler the embarrassment.
  • The chorus of the Theme Song even spells it out:
    I'll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour.
    I'll be there for you, like I've been there before.
    I'll be there for you, 'cause you're there for me too.
• Cruelly (but hilariously) subverted in the Blackadder episode "Money": In a moment of supreme generosity Percy movingly offers his life savings to bail out a bankrupted Blackadder... but discovers that Edmund had long since stolen the money and spent it.
  • And he still plunged to new depths to help him out of that mess later.
• Tom Paris and Harry Kim in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "The Chute": Harry faces down a mob that wants to beat up Tom. "This man is my friend. Nobody touches him!"
  • Reinforced at the end of the episode when Harry apologizes to Tom for going crazy, and Tom says that he remembers Harry saying the line, and is grateful.
  • Star Trek as a whole is responsible for a massive, massive number of these, and while there are entirely too many to list, one that stands out is "The Empath", in which McCoy knocks out both Kirk and Spock in order to sacrifice himself to the Enemy of the Week.
  • Data and Deanna have a more subtle moment at the end of the TNG episode "Tin Man". Deanna's is an empath who relies on emotions to do her job while Data can't even seem to understand them. So to see this moment, and the quiet wonder of Deanna's face as she realises "My god, he gets it." seriously tugged the heartstrings.
    Data: Through joining... they have been healed. Grief has been transmuted to joy, loneliness to... belonging.
    Deanna: Data? You do understand.
    Data: Yes, Counselor. When Tin Man returned me to the Enterprise, I realized... this is where *I* belong.
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine:
  • One of the earliest ones happens in Deep Space 9's circle three-parter, after two seasons of the Starfleet/Bajoran crew slowly getting used to each other. When Kira is reassigned off the station, several characters drop by in quick succession to either argue with her for not challenging the decision, return borrowed items, or congratulate her for an apparent promotion—unsurprisingly it soon devolves into a loud, confused argument that continues for some time until Vedek Bariel unexpectedly walks in and Kira has to explain.
    Kira: These are... [Beat as she realizes] these are my friends.
  • At the end of "Body Parts", Quark sits in the empty space that used to be his bar, all his possessions and business assets having been confiscated. Rom comes in to console him, and after a little bit... cue practically every non-Ferengi on the station coming up with contrived, mock-cynical, Quark-esque excuses to set up the bar exactly as it was. For a Ferengi who lives by his culture's avaricious ideals, this moment left him genuinely speechless.
• Star Trek: Picard has a powerful example in the second season finale, "Farewell": Q, who had been a fixture of Picard's life since their fateful encounter at Farpoint Station, reveals that he is dying. With what little time and power he has left, he gives Picard the opportunity to forgive himself for something he did in his youth. When Picard asks why Q went out of his way for his sake, Q simply states that Picard is important to him.
  Q: You ask me why it matters. It matters to me...You matter to me. Even gods have favorites, Jean-Luc...and you've always been one of mine.
• Sawyer routinely gets these moments on Lost, giving them a Pet the Dog nature as well. He has three of them in the season 4 finale alone: going after the helicopter with Jack, going after Hurley at the Orchid, and jumping out of the helicopter to prevent Hurley from doing so.
• Surprisingly enough, this has appeared on House. One moment in the pilot shows House taking on a medical case he doesn't want to take because he thinks the patient is Wilson's cousin. There is also a season two episode where House has mistreated Wilson as per usual, and worriedly asks if the two of them are okay. In most cases, those wouldn't count as Friendship Moments, but given that it's House...
  • Don't forget he tried to infect Steve MQueen (his pet rat, not the actor) with the disease that is killing Foreman in order to diagnose it.
  • In Season 5's "The Social Contract," House finds out that Wilson's schizophrenic younger brother Daniel has been found and that Wilson is about to see him again for the first time since they were in school. After making his usual set of snarks, House 180's and concludes "and you'll probably need some company." (Eventually subverted by the fact that House has his "Eureka!" Moment right before Wilson is supposed to go in and misses the brother's reunion because he's on the phone with his team. Corrected a few scenes later when House asks Wilson if everything went alright.)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy had many of these, but perhaps the crowning one on the show is in "Grave" when Xander freaking saves the world with the power of his love for Willow and the depth of their friendship is enough to pull Willow away from some of the blackest magic EVER.
  • There is another more low-key, Xander moment in "The Freshmen". A lonely, depressed and injured Buffy runs into Xander at the Bronze, who crouches down before her, proposal-like, and tells her: "You're my hero. Now let's go put that bitch in the ground!"
  • Xander does get the majority of these moments, his "You're extraordinary" speech he delivers to Dawn in the 7th season being another.
    • Which was also a bit of Foreshadowing. As of Season 8, they are together.
  • The whole gang gets one towards Tara in "Family": "We are her blood kin, who are you?!" "We're family"
    • Spike initially tries to exempt himself ("Except me." "Except Spike.") but when Tara's relatives insist that she's a demon he happily steps forward to prove otherwise. When he punches her in the face his Restraining Bolt activates, proving once and for all that Tara is fully human.
  • Buffy and Willow have their greatest alienation at the end of Season 6, with Willow attacking, calling Buffy 'superbitch', etc. When Willow returns in "Same Time, Same Place" and is injured, Buffy joins hands with her, so Willow can take some of Buffy's energy to heal faster.
  • Another one in "Primeval", when after their friendship has nearly been broken apart by Spike's machinations, Buffy tells Willow "you're my best friend" and not long after the two hug Xander. This is also a funny one because of Xander's response:
    Buffy: Xander!
    Willow: Oh, our wonderful Xander!
    Buffy: You know we love you, right?
    Xander: Oh God, we're gonna die, aren't we?
    • When the four main characters form a gestalt entity (Buffy=hand, Giles=brain, Willow=spirit), Xander is the Heart. The above examples are some of the reasons why. Of course, this completes the opposition to the stereotypes 'Men do the fighting, women are the emotional and supportive ones'.
  • And in "Seeing Red", when Xander says he doesn't know what he'd do without Buffy and Willow, to which she replies "Let's never find out".
  • Cordelia spends most of the third season distancing herself from the Scooby Gang after her breakup with Xander. In "Helpless" she happens to walk into the library just after Buffy and Giles have been arguing and when the visibly distraught Buffy asks Cordelia for a ride home Cordelia drops her snarky attitude and gently agrees to the request.
• Murphy Brown was like a car whose battery was powered by these. The FYI crew may constantly bicker and fight, but damned if they won't drop everything at a moment's notice to go to the ends of the earth for each other if the stakes are high enough.
  • They would also often be delightfully subverted at the last possible moment. In one episode, FYI as a whole wins an award, and of course, everyone ends up bitching and moaning about which one of them deserves it the most. In their squabbling, they end up breaking said award into many pieces. With the award's fragments all in a box in front of them, Miles delivers an speech which causes a massive Friendship Moment... and it's ruined at the very last second when, off-screen, among the sounds of everyone sorting through the pieces of the award, Frank is heard saying, "Aw, Murph, you took the biggest piece!"
• Many such moments occur on Scrubs. J.D. and Turk, being the show's Heterosexual Life-Partners, are the most common recipients. One of the best was Turk telling J.D. that without J.D.'s constant treating of him as though he could accomplish anything, Turk might not have got where he has in in life.
  • J.D. and Dr. Cox also have several, such as J.D. talking Cox out of a Heroic BSoD/Angst Coma in season 5 with a long, quiet monologue about how proud he is of him, and that he's the kind of doctor J.D. has always wanted to be.
• Pullo often shows his willingness to do just about anything for Vorenus on Rome. However the biggest moment comes in the episode the Spoils when Vorenus (in spite of having claimed Pullo is dead to him) walks in and kicks some serious butt during a gladiator fight, which is supposed to be Pullo's execution, thereby saving his friend's life and risking the wrath of Caesar, all at the same time.
  • Interestingly enough, Octavian keeps having moments like these in regards to Pullo and Vorenus as well, for example in a season two episode where he helps Pullo find Vorenus and even puts his own men to help search, even though Vorenus is fighting for the opposite army.
• Howard and Vince of The Mighty Boosh are usually so antagonistic toward each other, it's hard to believe they're actually friends, but many episodes include sentimental moments where Howard and Vince are genuinely kind to each other, even sweet. Tends to end with a crimp.
• Stargate SG-1:
  • In the episode "Divide and Conquer" of season 4, Jack is sitting playing with his yoyo, with Daniel standing nearby watching.
    Daniel: Yep, I think these are the Jack O'Neill moments I'll probably miss the most.
    Jack: What?
    Daniel: What?
  • Those two have a lot of those, the "Spacemonkey" scene being one of the cutest. Daniel's death in season five drags the entire team into one long Friendship Moment.
• Stargate Universe: After butting heads the entire series (sometimes violently), Young and Rush have one in "Twin Destinies." The crew finally has a chance to return home, but Rush wants to stay behind to try to accomplish the ship's original mission. Rush tells Young how many people will need to stay behind, and there's a moment of confusion because Young didn't even consider the possibility of the two of them leaving.
  Rush: I've done the numbers...I need a minimum of twelve volunteers to stay behind and help fly the ship.
  Young: Plus you and me?
  Rush: What?
  Young: Twelve plus you and me?
  Rush: ...no, twelve total.
  Young: So, ten then.
• Angel and his team, they get at least one a season. A few that come to mind are: Wes helping them out of tight spots, even though they'd pretty much ditched him (justifiably), Fred telling Spike he's worth saving, and the following quote from "To Shanshu in L.A.", while Cordelia was in the hospital.
  Doctor: (To Angel) Sir, you can't be in here! Are you family?
  Angel: Yes!
  • And then there's this from "Offspring":
  Cordelia: Are you saying that you love me?
  Angel: I, uh...
  Cordelia: (Very nonchalantly) I love you, too.
  Angel: What?
  Cordelia: Hey everybody! I love Angel, and he loves me! We love you guys, and you love us!
  The Others: (Distantly) We love you, Angel!
  Cordelia: We've been saying it all day, just in case that thing comes back to kill us all.
  • The above is part of an infuriating Can't Spit It Out thing with Cordelia, but still...
• In Burn Notice, Fiona Glennane and Sam Axe are not what you'd call the tightest of friends (er, she's still not over that time he ruined one of her illegal arms deals), but in "Long Way Back", Michael starts to ask Sam to finish the job and rescue Fiona if he happens to go down. Sam doesn't even let him finish before saying "oh, I'm getting Fi outta there no matter what . . . just don't tell her I said that".
• 30 Rock: Jack flying from Washington to New York when Liz's pregnancy turns out to be a false alarm; in another episode, Tracy realising he's so rich he never needs to work again, but staying at TGS anyway to save Kenneth's job.
• The Merlin episode Moment of Truth. All of it.
  • The episode "The Labyrinth of Gedref". Particular the line "I had no idea you were so keen to die for me." Just the whole scene.
  • Any time Merlin and Guinevere interact in Season 3 will inevitably end with the viewer going: "D'awwww!"
  "You look lovely."
• Appears every so often on Gossip Girl, usually between Blair and Serena or Chuck towards Nate (though never Nate towards Chuck). Also the Non-Judging Breakfast Club, especially in the latter part of season one when they are all fighting with each other, but close the ranks and band together to help Serena.
• Far too many to list here on Gotham, between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, Selina and Bridgit Pike, Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock, Oswald Cobblepot and Ed Nygma of the Villainous Friendship variety...the list goes on. For all the series's bleakness, it shows that Gotham is a city worth saving by the love between its inhabitants.
• House of Anubis has a few. Some examples would be:
  • When Victor was interrogating the students over who took the attic key, Nina truthfully admitted it was her. Fabian covered for her, and then the rest of the students followed suit, including Patricia (who hated Nina at the time) and Jerome (who had a tendency to put himself before others).
  • When Patricia had a bad dream in class and ran out in a panic, every other student got up and chased after her without any hesitation.
  • Mara setting aside her jealousy and anger at Jerome and Joy's relationship in order to help them both get back together.
  • Patricia and Alfie not hesitating to rejoin Sibuna in the second season, despite not knowing what's going on, and despite Nina wanting to keep them safe from harm.
  • When Alfie got traumatized from his night in the cellar and then poisoned by fake elixir, Jerome's utter desperation and worry for his friend was a big show of love coming from someone who up to this point has been shown almost exclusively to be uncaring and selfish.
• How I Met Your Mother has its fair share.
  • When Ted is injured in a car crash at the end of season 3, Lily calls Barney even though he and Ted aren't speaking. Barney announces "my best friend needs me!" and runs something like ninety blocks to the hospital—and gets there as the same time as a cab that had started at the same spot as him.
    • Only to get run over and seriously hurt, precipitating a bedside reconciliation with Ted. "You're not my friend, Barney, you're my brother."
  • Marshall telling Robin that they all love her, and that if she goes to Canada, they will come after her and bring her home.
  • Barney flying across the country to persuade Lily to come back to New York, and never telling anyone he did it.
  • In "Symphony of Illumination", when Robin is hiding the fact that she has just learned she can never have kids, Ted keeps asking her what's wrong, which devolves into an argument ending with Robin snapping, "It's not your job to cheer me up." Much later, she enters the apartment to see that Ted has decorated the entire place with lights set to AC/DC's "Highway to Hell". As she stares in amazement, he appears behind her and quietly says, "Yes, it is." He tells her it's ok if she won't tell him why she's upset, he's still there for her. Pretty much the definition of friendship, personified.
  • Another for Ted and Robin early in season 3: after they backslide and have a one-night stand six months after their breakup, they decide to stop pretending to be friends and part ways after Thanksgiving dinner. However, when Bob offhandedly says the phrase "major buzzkill" in conversation, Ted and Robin instinctively give a synchronized military salute and chorus "Major Buzzkill!" (an old in-joke for them) and startled, lock eyes and realize that they are friends after all, while Future!Ted notes that "friendship is an involuntary reflex: it just happens, you can't help it."
  • Ted selling his brand new car in order to give Marshall and Lily a sizable loan after Marshall ill-advisedly quits his job on the spur of the moment, gruffly saying "Marshall, don't make me scream at you" when Marshall starts babbling about how he can't accept something like that.
• iCarly: Some of the biggest Carly/Sam moments include their hug after they nearly get killed by falling from a building as a result of a fight.
• Firefly has small moments that come to mind:
  • Jayne crouching outside of the hospital room making sure Kaylee's all right.
  • This, in "Safe."
    Patron: The girl is a witch.
    Mal: Yeah, but she's our witch. [Dramatic Gun Cock] So cut her the hell down.
  • The two shuttles deciding separately to return to the captain, despite knowing that they'd likely die in "Out of Gas"
  • Even smaller moments that show what a family both the crew and the actors had become. Mal grabbing Kaylee into a hug on a whim during "Ariel" and later gripping Kaylee's hand for just a second while walking past her on the stairs after she helped rescue him during War Stories. No other words of thanks needed.
  • And offscreen there were plenty of these moments too. In Joss Whedon's commentary on Serenity he mentions that during the "first rule of flying" scene (which might also qualify this trope) Nathan Fillion was anxious that he couldn't deliver the lines and keep them from sounding Narmy... and then he said later, "I turned, I looked into those two eyes and that's where that speech came from." Awww.
  • In fact, Mal and Jayne need these moments to prove they aren't totally screwed up jerks. Of course, a lot of their development gets restarted in the movie and they basically end up where they were at the end of Firefly.
    • At one point, Mal gives his (typical) threat of kicking Simon and River off the ship in Serenity... even though at the end of Firefly he would not have done that because they were part of his crew.
    • Another at the end of "Ariel" after Jayne betrays Simon and River, nas
  "You turn on any of my crew, you turn on me!"
  • Simon's rescue of River.
  • "No, Simon. You've taken care of me. You've always taken care of me. My turn." (cue Reavers getting their butts whooped)
• Any time the three presenters stick up for each other on Top Gear (UK).
• Happens fairly frequently on Skins in all three generations.
  • One of the best was Effy following her former rival Katie outside and offer her a cigarette and some comfort after Katie's life had basically just gone to shit over the course of one day.
  • Also, one of Mini's Pet the Dog moments comes when she comforts Alo after his dad ends up in the hospital.
• Because Liv and Elliot are Platonic Life-Partners in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, their arguments invariably end like this
  Olivia: You're the longest relationship I've ever had with a man. Who else would put up with me?
  Elliot: Sorry about that.
  Olivia: Don't be. (pause) Do you want to get something to eat?
  Elliot: Sure. Who's paying?
  Olivia: Well, you do have four kids and you are going through a divorce...so I guess you are.
  Elliot: That's what I figured.
• On Leverage, one episode showed Parker suggesting that the team shouldn't rescue a group of orphans because if they did, they would just go into the foster system and, in her words, "turn out like me." Hardison just shrugs and says, "But I like how you turned out."
  • Parker gets a lot of these. When she was trapped in the building with the security system going off, everyone refused to leave without her, just to name one more example.
  • There was also everyone teaming up to get Nate out of jail at great risk to themselves. Not to mention Nate going to jail to save them in the first place.
  • Hardison and Eliot have a number of these, most notably in "The Grave Danger Job" when after unburying Hardison, Eliot is the first one to hug him, and orders him to never, ever do that again.
  • Hardison and Eliot get one of these as early as the first episode. Even though Eliot laughs when Nate says that Hardison dies in plan M, Eliot is the one to save Hardison when Dubinich tries to kill them.
• In the Season 4 finale of Flashpoint, Parker has one of these with the rest of the team. It resonates even more after how distant he's been throughout the episode.
  Parker: Sam, we usually get to choose our teammates. But in your case, we had greatness thrust upon us. Proud to have you here.
  Sam: There's nowhere else I'd rather be.
  Parker: Jules, you're my right hand, you are my heart, and you teach me something everyday. Raf — you've seen what the job can be, right?
  Raf: I have.
  Parker: Well, you're a fast learner and you're gonna make this team even stronger. Wordy, a day doesn't go by where I don't miss you.
  Wordy: You too.
  Parker: Spike. Ti voglio bene como e tue se force mio figlio.^note Italian: I love you as if you were my son.
  Spike: Boss... (they hug)
  Parker: Look, you guys are my family. (Overcome, he walks away, followed by Ed)
  Ed: What's going on?
  Parker: I walked away from my team, Ed. I walked away from you, and I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.
  Ed: Buddy, do the math on this. How many times have you been there for me? I have nothing but respect for you, Greg, and you never have to apologize to me for anything.
  Parker: I've got no words for you, my friend. I've got no words for you. No words that can describe what you've done for me and who you are to me.
• Happens occasionally on NUMB3RS, usually among the FBI team members.
  • A particularly striking one in "Thirteen", when David is still keeping Colby at arm's length for the most part. Colby tries a spectacularly dangerous stunt to catch a suspect, which ends with him falling off a moving truck and hitting the ground hard. David runs to his side to help him up and inquire if he's okay.
  • Also during this arc, if you watch carefully, every time David pushes Colby away, Megan is right there to check up on him and make sure he knows that someone still cares about him.
  • David has a moment of this with one of his childhood friends in "Contenders". David and his friend spend most of the episode verbally sparring, but at the very end, once they've sorted out their differences, David hugs his friend and calls him "brother".
• Frasier: A particularly sweet moment between Fraiser and Roz comes when Roz falls fast asleep in the middle of a conversation after giving birth to her baby, and Frasier tenderly puts the baby to sleep and then fixes Roz's mussed hair and kisses her on the cheek while murmuring praise that he probably wouldn't have said had she been conscious. Of course, this show being what it is, the tender moment gets punctured when Roz's nurse mistakes him for the father and when he asks her out ("What about your w—?" "Well, she's asleep now!"), the nurse screams that he's a monster and storms off.
  • Roz and Niles are Vitriolic Best Buds at best who never miss an opportunity to mock each other. After seeing how much Niles is struggling due to his torturous divorce proceedings Roz gives him the phone number for her ex-boyfriend, a brilliant divorce lawyer, and doesn't ask Niles for anything in return.
• At the end of the third episode of Sherlock, after Sherlock and John have a brush with death involving Moriarty and a bomb jacket, the following exchange says it all:
  John: Well, I'm glad no one saw that.
  Sherlock: What?
  John: You, ripping my clothes off in a darkened swimming pool. People might talk.
  Sherlock: People do little else.
  They grin at each other.
  • Really, the entire scene with Moriarty could qualify, since it really shows just how much they mean to each other.
  • Happens again with that final phone call.
  • And after Sherlock gets John out of a bonfire.
  • There's also that moment with that hilariously bad best man's speech. Makes it more hilarious since Sherlock's social skills are bloody-awful in comparison to John's.
  • Heck, even the pilot has plenty of these, as well as the show in itself.
• Happens a lot in Criminal Minds to show how close the team really is to each other.
  • The episode "Penelope", in which Garcia's life is in danger, the team focuses their energy on trying to keep her safe. Morgan calls Garcia by her first name and, though she has officers outside her home, chooses to be there personally to make sure nothing happens to her:
  Morgan: "Hey silly girl. I love you, you know that, right?"
  Garcia: "I love you too."
  • At the end of the episode, when JJ shoots the assailant through the eyes before he could hurt her: "You do whatever it takes to protect your family."
• One scene in particular from the episode "The Pill" of That '70s Show. Jackie is relieved to find out she is not pregnant and is determined to forget the whole thing, but Donna won't let her off the hook without learning her lesson.
  Donna: As your friend, I'm not going to let you be stupid about this!
  Jackie: We're friends?
  Donna: (sheepish grin) Shut up.
• Community:
  Jeff: First entry in my stupid journal: Today, I had to run and get two imaginary friendship hats from an office. I could have just walked around the corner and then come back, but for some reason... I actually went all the way back to where they were supposed to be. One was crumpled up a bit; that was spoiler: Troy's. The other was just a little dusty. That was Abed's. I fixed them up. Even though... I was the only one watching. Because I settled on a truth today that's always going to be true: I would do anything for my friends. Which I think is how everyone in the world feels. Which finally makes me understand war.
• The Inspector Lynley Mysteries has many of these between the titular Inspector Lynley and his partner Sergeant Havers.
• Josh and Donna have these in spades over the first six seasons of The West Wing (in the seventh season they become a couple instead). Highlights include Donna's reaction to finding out Josh has been shot and may not make it, Josh rounding up a group of friends to go convince her to come to the inaugural balls and Josh leaving the White House during a huge crisis to go to Germany and sit by her bedside when she's been hospitalized. Also, this conversation:
  Josh: If you were in an accident I wouldn't stop for a beer.
  Donna: If you were in an accident I wouldn't stop for red lights.
  • There are also several between the president and Leo, Toby and CJ, Sam and Josh, Santos and Josh as well as a few moments here and there between other constellations.
    Toby: (to Sam when he's running for congress) You're gonna lose, and you're gonna lose huge, they're gonna be throwing rocks at you next week, and I wanna be standing next to you when they do.
  • One of the biggest moments happens between Leo and Josh when the latter has PTSD and the former tells him the story of the guy in the hole. It gets a callback later that season.
• Bones and Booth have a lot, but one that stands out a lot is in season 1 when she finds out the remains she was studying belonged to her mother. Booth immediately cancels Brennan's court appearance, comforts her, and helps her find the bastards responsible. He also calls her by her name instead of Bones.
• In Grimm, when Monroe is beaten up by Reapers for associating with Supernatural Detective Nick (who is supposed to be the enemy), Nick says he won't ask Monroe for any more help on his cases. Monroe's answer is basically "screw that", letting him know that he enjoys being his friend and is always happy to help.
• Boy Meets World had a lot of these, especially between Cory and Shawn, usually in the form of Shawn standing up for Cory against anyone who gives him grief, or Cory talking Shawn out of his latest bout of poor life decisions or troublemaking.
• Starsky & Hutch is loaded with these, there's one in almost every episode, but possibly the greatest one of all is in the episode "Gillian," when Hutch falls apart in grief over his titular girlfriend's death and screams at Starsky for explaining the less-than-savory circumstances of her death, punches him in the face, accuses him of lying about Gillian, of being glad to make Hutch miserable, and of being jealous of her, and Starsky takes it all and even asks Hutch to hit him again if it will make him feel better, upon which Hutch falls into Starsky's arms and cries himself out.
  Starsky: Hey, how many years have we known each other, huh? You're the best friend I got in the whole world. You think I like saying things like this to you? [Hutch breaks down]...It's okay now. It's gonna be okay. Get it out partner.
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia tries to avert this trope, with its protagonists constantly yelling at each other and sabotaging each other's plans. Nevertheless, friendship moments still crop up every now and then, such as when the Gang supports Dee as she gives birth or when they get together to throw rocks at trains on Christmas.
• Downton Abbey: Mrs. Bird and Mr. Molesley in season 2 are quite friendly when they're left to tend the house for themselves while their masters are helping out in the war. Mrs. Bird encourages Molesley's dreams of working at Downton and Molesley stays around to help when Mrs. Bird decides to open up the house as a soup kitchen.
• Game of Thrones: When Jon Snow's friends stop him from deserting the Night's Watch to join his brother Robb's army and avenge his father's death, he finally starts accepting his role there.
  • In Season 2, this trope is played for laughs when Tyrion Lannister and his sellsword friend Bronn are about to go into battle. Being somewhat more cynical, they naturally make a joke of it.
    Bronn: Don't get killed.
    Tyrion: Nor you, my friend.
    Bronn: Oh, are we friends now??
    Tyrion: Of course we are! Just because I pay you for your services doesn't diminish our friendship!
    Bronn: Enhances it, really.
• House of the Dragon: There's one particularly notable moment in the friendship of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower when the latter dresses the former for the swearing-in ceremony that will make her heir to the throne, with the two holding hands with their heads very close to each other. It will all go downhill from there.
• Though their interactions are always very warm, Rachel Maddow usually restricts displaying her feelings for NBC's Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel to her face and voice alone. When he makes his first appearance in the studio after being kidnapped in Syria, though, Rachel kicks all restraint to the curb and openly hugs him — warmly, and not briefly — live on camera.
  Rachel: ...but mostly I'm just grateful that you're back. [she hugs him]
  Richard: [pleasantly surprised] Aawww, thank you. [he hugs her back]
• The Office (US):
  • Dwight and Jim have several that comprise one of the emotional backbones of the series: Jim consoling Dwight when Angela breaks his heart; Jim trying to stop Dwight from being fired; Dwight saving Jim from Roy; Dwight feeling like the Christmas party was incomplete without Jim's presence, etc.
  • Pam and Angela bond when Angela finally confides into someone her secret relationship with Dwight, and it turns out to be Pam.
  • Averted with Creed and Jim in one episode. To stay out of the drama, Jim plays chess with Creed. It appears that the two are bonding when it's revealed that Creed wants to set Jim up with his niece. Creed is unaware that Jim is married to their mutual co-worker. The moment is ruined by the fact that Creed is just not all there.
• Veronica Mars puts up a hard shell (for justifiable reasons), which makes the moments she delivers a friendship moment all the more important. In the first season episode "Ruskie Business", Meg (one of the few 09ers who still treats Veronica well) asks her to find her secret admirer. Near the end of the episode, as they're about to leave for an 80's dance together, Veronica discovers Meg's secret admirer is Duncan, Veronica's ex-boyfriend. Despite being thrown by this, at the dance itself, Veronica tells Meg to put on the corsage that was supposed to be a signal. When Duncan shows up, Veronica smiles at both of them and leaves (of course, she still has mixed feelings about it afterwards).
  • Meg herself performed a friendship moment from the same episode: she took Veronica to the dance because she had arranged for Leo D'Amato, a deputy whom Veronica had feelings for (the feelings were mutual), to show up.
  • Veronica's relationship with her best friend, Wallace Fennel, is along the lines of her asking him to do favors for her, but in the episode "Betty and Veronica", it's revealed she's the one who's been leaving spirit boxes (Wallace is a star basketball player) full of cookies for him. When he discovers this, he says to her that he thought she hated those kinds of things (school spirit), and she says to him simply, "You don't." Later in the episode, she says about him, "Wallace Fennel has a killer crossover. But it's really his sweetness and purity of spirit that makes him unbeatable."
• Party Down:
  • This generally happens when someone covers up for someone else (usually Ron).
  • With the oft-bickering Kyle and Roman, this trope is sometimes being played straight when one elicits genuine empathy out of the other. Occasionally, however, it's averted when one lulls the other into a false sense of security and laughs at them.
• Series/Reboot: The writers of Hannah and Gordon's teams are at odds because they are of different generations. However, they bond over a pratfall that amuses everyone. From then on, they are able to work on the same page.
• Arrowverse:
  • Legends of Tomorrow: In the season 4 episode "Nip/Stuck," Sara and Mick fighting gets the ship buried in an avalanche. They spend most of the episode arguing, until they have a somber moment in the cargo hold when they realize they are the only two members of the original Legends left. They spend the rest of the episode in perfect sync, and manage to get the ship out from under the avalanche.
  • Supergirl (2015):
    • Kara and Lena have a lot of these (which many fans interpret as Ship Tease), but their first one is in their first episode together. When Clark and Kara go to Lena to ask about an anti-alien attack that she seemingly orchestrated, Clark is chilly and hostile, while Kara is much more willing to believe her. By the end of the two-part premiere, Supergirl tells Lena "Kara Danvers trusts you," and Lena is clearly touched.
    • Speaking of Clark, after being suspicious of Lena for the entire two-parter, she is proven innocent. He apologizes for judging her solely on her family name, and they part on good terms.
• Schitt's Creek has many friendship moments but notable examples include:
  • When Johnny sticks up for Roland and Jocelyn and the town when his snooty former friends are putting them down.
  • When Stevie and David, while doing skin treatments and on a faux-honeymoon, admit to each other that they are best friends.
  • When David wildly applauds for Stevie during her performance in Cabaret and cheers "That's my friend!"
  • When Moira is sincerely hurt that Jocelyn doesn't like The Crows trailer so Jocelyn writes an entire essay about what she likes about it.
  • When Alexis gives Twyla advice, clothes and invites her to visit her in New York to visit, making it clear that she will miss her.
• There are many in Supernatural but some standouts:
  • In Season 3's "Jus In Bello," Dean and Agent Hendrickson share a bonding moment over having unsuccessful personal lives because they are dedicated to the mission of doing good in the world.
  • In Season 4's "It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester", Dean and Castiel sit at a playground, watching children play. Castiel admits he has questions about Heaven's plans and doesn't envy the burden Dean carries. It's one of the first indications that Castiel cares about Dean personally and isn't as fanatical as his angelic siblings.
  • In Season 5, Dean takes Castiel to a brothel and tries to get him laid. It doesn't go well, but it leads to Dean laughing and smiling for the first time in a long while, and Dean realizes he enjoys Castiel's company.
  • In Season 7, a post-nervous breakdown Castiel babbles to Sam about his troubled personality, and Sam, grateful for Castiel having absorbed his memories from hell, promises Castiel they will get him better.
• Many in Doctor Who.
  • In "The Sontaran Strategem," Donna tells the Doctor that she's going home. The Doctor launches into a whole shpiel about how much he'll miss her, all the places he'd wanted to go with her, how much he's loved spending time with her...and then realizes she's just popping home for a break. Donna calls him a dumbo, and they smile at each other.
• Mimpi Metropolitan: In episode 59, Juna, who usually bickers with Prima, asks Mami Bibir to forgive Prima for name-calling her behind her back, by basically asking Mami Bibir to punish Juna instead for his (unrelated) mistakes. Mami Bibir is impressed until Juna just has to ruin it by blaming Prima for somehow spreading his bad luck to Juna.
• Janda Kembang: In episode 6, Neneng refuses to help Seli when their RT leader is angry about the fake skincare that Seli distributed to him, saying that she hasn't forgiven Seli for mocking her lack of wealth yesterday. The moment the RT leader actually appears, Neneng immediately defends Seli and later admits she can't just abandon her "gossip friend".
• The Sandman (2022), "The Sound of Her Wings": Once every hundred years Dream meets with Hob Gadling, an immortal human. When Hob suggests that Dream is doing this because he just wants a friend, Dream is outraged and walks out on him, promising never to return just to prove him wrong. After Dream is imprisoned (causing Dream to miss their next appointment) he learns a bit of humility and makes a point of looking up Hob to apologise.
  Hob: You're late.
  Dream: I owe you an apology. I always heard it's impolite to keep one's friends waiting.

Professional Wrestling

• At World Wonder Ring Stardom's Ryōgoku Cinderella Champions Fiesta 2015, Io Shirai found herself having to wrestle two matches back to back due to Kairi Hojo getting a bye and decided to make up for that by drop kicking her second opponent, her own Tag Team partner Mayu Iwatani, before she could even enter the ring. The rules required elimination to be over the top rope though so Iwatani was allowed to continue and ended up winning when Shirai pulled her over the top but ended up hitting the ground first even though Iwatani was injured in the fall. Shirai was a graceful loser despite her tactics and ended up coaching Iwatani to victory in the final round against High Speed Champion Koguma.
• Hudson Envy recruited La Rosa Negra into Oedo~tai for the purpose of taking the Goddesses Of STARDOM from Heisei~gun's tag team, Thunder Rock. However, La Rosa spent more time getting close to Oedo~tai's only remaining champion, Starfire, than chasing intended targets Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani, going so far as to line herself up for a title shot when Oedo~tai got booked into separate corners. Starfire injuring herself during the High Speed Title defense proved Rosa Negra not to be a Starscream though, as La Rosa showed clear frustration and personally carried her back to the locker room.

Theatre

• Performed awkwardly in Grease before the big race.
• The Quirrell/Voldemort relationship in A Very Potter Musical is full of these, though other relationships get them as well. (Ron telling a very forlorn Hermione to join him and Harry under the Invisibility Cloak that "only fits two people" comes to mind.)
  • The sequel has a rather adorable one between Sirius and Lupin. Lupin has spent the whole musical trying to convince people that he was James Potter's best friend, not Sirius. When he finally realises that it was Sirius all along, he gets really upset, at which point Sirius decides that they can be the best friends. And then they hug.
• In Verdi's Don Carlo, the title character and his pal Rodrigo have a famous duet in which they swear to die for each other. Indeed, their friendship is arguably given more prominence (and a more memorable musical theme) than the main love story.
• Wicked; at the end of the song "One Short Day In the Emerald City", there's this exchange:
  Glinda and Elphaba: Where so many roam to, we'll call it home, too, and then, just like now we can say: We're just two friends...
  Elphaba: Two good friends...
  Glinda: Two best friends...
  All: Sharing one wonderful, one short day!

Video Games

• Final Fantasy VII: In the original game, Zack Fair is seen caring and talking to a comatose Cloud, speaking about how they would work together now that they had escaped Hojo's lab, and Zack tells him 'We're friends, right Cloud?'. Not to mention almost all of the last chapters of Crisis Core and the ending are just one huge Friendship Moment for them, as Zack continues to protect and talk to Cloud for about a year's worth of time on the run from Shinra.
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty: Snake embraces Otacon after Emma dies. Solid Snake gives someone a hug. If you can wrap your mind fully around that, you'll agree that it's a pretty powerful Friendship Moment.
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots: Snake learns he doesn't have to kill himself after all, and then Otacon promises to stay with him for the rest of his (admittedly short) life. Ho Yay aside, their final exchange demonstrates that in this series they are two of the characters most dedicated and loving toward each other.
• Betrayal at Krondor has a few subtle ones involving Gorath and Owyn - the 260-year-old stoic and badass dark elf chieftain and the happy-go-lucky 19-year-old human apprentice magician, that is. The earliest notable example is when Owyn groggily comes to his senses after they've had to swim through a toxic frozen river and finds Gorath standing over him in concern.
  Owyn: "If you EVER put us through that again, I will invent a cantrip whose sole purpose... is to cause you to fall desperately in love with a warthog — may the two of you live happily ever after!"
  Gorath: (smiles) "I'm glad your sense of humor has returned. When you came up on the river banks and did not breathe, I was afraid you were lost."
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Cesar is a pretty nice guy to Carl beforehand, but he truly becomes one of Carl's True Companions when he shows Carl that Big Smoke and Ryder have been betraying the Families the whole time. After that they both trust each other implicitly.
• Considering how The Power of Friendship is a major recurring theme in the Dragon Age series, such moments are not at all uncommon in it:
  • Dragon Age: Origins has several of these, from little ones, like The Stoic Sten calling you "kadan" (effectively, close friend), to larger ones, like Dark Magical Girl Morrigan managing to stammer out that while she may not always prove worthy of your friendship, she values it deeply.
    • Also shows up in the Fade quest. Your Warden can go into each companion's prison dream and basically use The Power of Friendship and reasoning to break them out. Then, when you face the Sloth demon keeping you all there, they show up to back you up. They tell him that he separated them because Sloth split up the team of skilled combatants, but he failed. These true companions found each other anyway, and they're gonna destroy him!
    • And if you elect to be captured rather than fight at the conclusion of the "Rescue the Queen" quest, you can select two of your friends to mount a rescue. No matter who they are or how much they like or hate each other, they will be worried about you.
  • Dragon Age II has a lot of these between Hawke and the companions, if the former takes time to get to know the latter and become friends/rivals with them. One particular example is the free-spirited Pirate Girl Isabela who, at the end of act two, will run away with the Tome of Koslun - but, if she considers Hawke her friend/rival/lover, will then return and hand the Tome over to the Qunari—all while blaming Hawke for having a bad influence on her. Also, in the endgame, every companion (except Isabela and Varric) will have a stand in the Mage-Templar confrontation and if Hawke sides with the other faction, they will leave the party... unless their friendship/rivalry is maxed out, in which case they will display extreme discomfort but put their trust in Hawke anyway.
  • Dragon Age: Inquisition also has a number of these between the Inquisitor and his/her companions. One particularly standout instance is the Wicked Grace game which can be played after Varric's personal quest is completed. Not only is the entire scene filled with such moments, but afterward, Varric and the Inquisitor have a beautiful moment in which he talks about how much he respects them.
• Beyond Good & Evil has numerous such incidents, but one that stands out is an easily missed partner conversation that takes place right after one of your sidekicks, Double H, recovers from an alien virus. Protagonist Jade makes a rather... mangled attempt at quoting to him from his Big Book of War, and, with a laugh, he corrects her. While they've been working together for a while now, this shows that they're truly friends now.
  • There's another one later; Jade asks him what said Big Book of War would recommend in their current situation; essentially giving him the opportunity to opt out if he doesn't feel up to the challenge.
    Double H: Carlson and Peeters would say it's suicide! But I say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going!
• Loyalty quests in Mass Effect 2 are mostly about this. A notable one is the end of Tali's - if you manage to keep her from getting exiled without telling the Conclave what her father did, she and Shepard will share a nice little moment.
  Shepard: Come on, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy.
  Tali: [Quietly] Thank you, Captain.
  • A particular scene from Mass Effect 2, which tends to leave few gamers unmoved, provided they made the right choices in the previous game:
  Wrex: Shepard! My friend!
  • At the end of Lair of the Shadow Broker, Liara is able to get Shepard to lower his/her defenses and tell Liara things that s/he would never say to the crew, about his/her concerns, hope, or suffering. It's an incredibly powerful moment that shows the strength of their relationship (which can also be romantic).
  • If she's chosen as the biotic specialist in the suicide mission, Jack will call Shepard "Commander". She has had nothing but hatred for every form of authority for her entire life.
  • Shepard can get drunk with Dr Chakwas for one of these.
  • Joker and EDI share one when Joker calls the AI a 'she'.
  • Face it, the entire game is BUILT of moments like these.
• The Flanoir scene in Tales of Symphonia is a cementing Friendship Moment between Lloyd and whoever else you choose (excepting possibly Colette). Notably, if you pick Sheena, the 'friendship' declaration from Lloyd ends up annoying her.
• inFAMOUS 2 has one when Cole and Zeke take a break from saving the world by watching a western and drinking some beer. When someone tries to call them on the phone they wordlessly agree to ignore it and just relax. Hours later they fall asleep on the couch in what can only be desribed as a platonic Sleep Cute position. This is in stark contrast where their friendship was on the rocks due to Zeke betraying Cole and trying to join Kessler to get powers at the end of the first game, and shows that their friendship has finally recovered.
• If you follow the Order path in The Witcher, Geralt and Sigfried will have a lot of these along the way, starting with them teaming up against a sewer monster, after which Geralt muses that even though he prefers to work alone, he actually enjoyed the company of someone as refreshingly honest and honorable as Sigfried. For his part, Sigfried never even once shows any sign of suspicion or aversion that most others treat Geralt with just because he is a mutant.
• In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Shadow and Rouge share a moment after Shadow learns that Omega would eventually be forced to imprison him in the future, due to Iblis being released.
  Rouge: Shadow... Even if you believe that the whole world will be against you... know that I'll always remain by your side. Remember that.
  Shadow: ...I will.

Visual Novels

• In The Eden of Grisaia we learn that Robbie is willing to take such large risks for Yuuji because of the time Yuuji saved him from a larger recruit Robbie had just pissed off. Why Robbie needed such incentive as that to consider Yuuji an irreplaceable friend when Yuuji has fought so hard for him that he puked blood and passed out is unclear.
  • Even if Yumiko finds Makina annoying sometimes, she’s genuinely glad that she calls her something silly like Yumi-chan. No one’s ever given her a nickname before.
• In Little Busters!, Sasami, who sees herself as a fierce rival of Rin's and whom she constantly fights with, occasionally tries to make overtures of friendship. They usually fail, though, because Rin sees her neither as a rival nor as a potential friend, but rather an annoying girl she has no particular good or ill will towards. They do get a genuine moment in the short Sasami-centered miniroute, though, where Rin finds Sasami's softball glove but gives it back to her when she sees how much it means to her. Sasami is clearly touched.
  • And later, in Refrain, Riki is tasked with single-handedly reforming the Little Busters while Kyousuke is framed as an antagonist at best and a bitter loser going through some serious depression at best. One night, Riki goes to his room to see if he's okay, and Kyousuke notices that he's struggling and asks if something's wrong. It isn't much, but it's enough to tell Riki that deep down, Kyousuke does still care about him and want him to be happy.

Web Animation

• Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures:
  • "Kuromi's Bad Day". Hello Kitty sees a storm cloud over Kuromi's head and offers her a milk and donut "on the house." Kuromi is delighted, saying, "Look at you, brightening my day." The storm cloud over her head suddenly thunders and rains down a pile of licorice flavored candy, which Kuromi says is her gift to Hello Kitty.
  • "Jinks". My Melody puts a jinks on Kuromi, telling her she can't speak until she gets her a soda. Kuromi goes all over town trying to get one, but refuses to speak until she's obtained the soda so no one knows what it is she's doing, except Badtz-Maru, who chugs an orange soda in front of her telling her he's now out. He was kidding, but she left in frustration before he could explain that. However, My Melody shows up and gives Kuromi an orange soda to give to her, and a grape soda for Kuromi herself, saying, "It's no fun having your friends around if you can't talk to them."

Webcomics

• In Homestuck, AR and WV would typically fight a lot and compete over their shared interest in PM. Hell, AR's first interaction with WV was to shoot at him. They got to show their growing friendship a little at first, with AR joining in with WV making Can Town Redux, but the real Friendship Moment came in Cascade, when AR was set on destroying all the lab stations before Bec Noir could get to them and wreak havoc over the universe, but hesitated on the last one long enough to be killed...because he remembered that WV was still in there.
• The Beast Legion has several such moments: One time enemy,Njora saving Xeus & giving him a morale boost
• At one point in Girl Genius, Tarvek grows terribly upset that Agatha didn't keep Gil in Mechanicsberg. He offers all kinds of ridiculous political excuses for why she should have done so, before finally settling on:
  Tarvek: We could have kept him safe.
• The Last Days of FOXHOUND: Late in the comic, Berthold - a psychic, very intelligent wolf - is thought to have lost his abilities and intelligence to a large electric shock, being brought back down to the abilities of a regular wolf. Instead of being an asshole about this, Psycho Mantis - who loathes all of humanity, especially women due to his wild set of issues related to human sexuality, and rarely misses a chance to be an asshole even when he's not being a mass murderer - points out to Decoy Octopus that the person who Berthold has the closest relationship with, Sniper Wolf, doesn't know he was smart or psychic, and is just glad he's alive at all.
  Mantis: (gently) Be happy for Wolf.

Western Animation

• Captain Planet and the Planeteers: One occurs in "Two Futures". Gi and Kwame often argue with Wheeler over the issue of the week and can sometimes be snappish when he doesn't understand things. However, when Wheeler gets trapped in a cave-in, leaving him with a limited supply of air, they and Ma-Ti unhesitantly spend two hours tunneling through the ice to retrieve him.
• In the DuckTales (1987) episode "Hero for Hire", despite his anger at Launchpad for wrecking the bank, Scrooge does everything possible to save him from a lifetime behind bars and Launchpad's apparent death causes him to break down publicly.
• From Justice League Unlimited:
  • "I Am Legion": Shayera has a few brief moments of concern after thinking Flash has fallen to his doom because Fire dropped him from a great height. Of course, he shows up five seconds later, completely fine and with his usual... dumb spectacular-ism, Shayera's response is a loud "Don't you EVER scare me like that again!"
    Flash: She loves me. She's like the big sister I never had. Only... You know, short.
    • Flash gets a few of these, actually. It's kinda his thing, since he pretty much gets along with everyone. Even some of his own Rogues.
    • "The Ties That Bind": Flash goes on a rant when he thinks J'onn is about to chastise him for helping Barda and Mr Miracle after J'onn said they weren't getting involved. Turns out that's not what J'onn had in mind at all.
    Flash: So, yeah! I did go behind your back, but you know what? I'd do it again! What do you say to that, big guy?
    Martian Manhunter: [smiles] I was only going to ask if you wanted to play Brawlin' Bots.
    Flash: ...Dibs on the green one! [zooms away]
    Martian Manhunter: I wanted the green one...
    • Especially good because the Animated Martian Manhunter has a particularly strong tendency to come over all militant control freak, which totally isn't what he's about.
    • The "pull Flash from the Speed Force" moment in the Grand Finale of Season 4.
  • J'onn's reunion with the League in the finale of the last season. Specifically Diana's joy at seeing him. Wonder Woman doesn't just up and hug everyone she meets, you know.
  • Hawk and Dove: Hawk fighting back against Wonder Woman who's restraining him to keep him from running into the battlefield where his brother Dove is apparently about to be pulverised by the Annihilator. Hawk doesn't do sappy. This is the closest he'll ever get.
  • In Unlimited's predecessor series, the episode A Better World where John finds Hawkgirl, who was injured during a battle with their alternate selves and was being treated in freaking Arkham Asylum (a cleaned up, totally lobotomized, well furnished Arkham Asylum, but still...). The expression on his face said it all. Also something of a Ship Tease.
  • Eclipsed: Flash prevents the world from ending by running into the sun carrying the device that will prevent it from being completely destroyed.
    Green Lantern: He's in one piece. I think he's alright. [to an unconscious Flash] You hear me, buddy? You better be alright!
  • The exchange between Superman and Batman in the finale of Starcrossed where Superman has just saved Batman who almost pulled a Heroic Sacrifice by piloting the Watchtower into a world-destroying hyperport. Moments between these two are rare, but always quite something.
    Superman: [Smiles] Always have to be the hero, don't you?
    Batman: [Smiles back] Right back at you.
  • The reunion after the two-parter where Superman was zapped, presumed dead by all but Batman, but really "sent to the future, and then Vandal Savage and I fought some giant cockroaches, and now I'm back." (He left out the forging his own sword and skinning wolves and stuff).
    • From the same two-parter; Batman making a heartfelt speech to Big Blue's tombstone, privately detailing his 'utmost respect' for his more straight-laced counterpart
• One episode of Danny Phantom had Danny's two best friends, Tucker and Sam, continuously in disgruntled mode when they feel he treats them more as sidekicks than best friends. Just when they're on the last edge, they see their friend has been kidnapped by the Big Bad and spends the second half of the episode rescuing him. The Friendship Moment part comes when Danny ecstatically and happily thanks his friends over and over. The idea that Tucker and Sam would still stick by their buddy despite how he treats them (unintentionally, that is), is just an Awwww factor there.
• Happens fairly frequently in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
  • Notably when Zuko's trying to smooth the waters between himself and the Gaang, and keeps taking them on "lifechanging field trips" (usually at quite a risk to himself).
    • The cutest of these has to be when Toph reassures him during the intermission in "The Ember Island Players," gets him to smile, and punches him.
  • Also, whenever Sokka and Katara get separated, they always hug on being reunited. Look out for it; it's more common than you think.
  • Arguably, Azula taking back her insult to Ty Lee and going to find Zuko at their old summer home in the Beach Episode. It's almost creepy, really: an Azula friendship moment?.
  • And then there's when Ty Lee sides with Mai in The Boiling Rock. Which brings up a dark iteration of this trope later when it's revealed how much this affected Azula.
• There are a few in Family Guy between Brian and Peter.
  • When Peter sneaked into a drug rehabilitation for a vacation, to join Brian who was addicted to cocaine. The head woman realized that the troublemaking Peter knew Brian, she blamed Peter for Brian's drug addiction. Brian stood up to her and said that Peter took him as family... and promptly left with Peter.
  • Another is where they along with Joe and Quagmire are put under a simulation by Stewie where they are in a ruined Quahog and without their memories. Done in an attempt to prove Brian and Peter's friendship was one of convience, the episode proves that Brian and Peter really were meant to best friends, something that Stewie acknowledges.
  • In "Brian & Stewie", Brian admits his gun is in case he wants to commit suicide. Stewie calls him selfish, saying he can't live without his best friend. A Platonic Declaration of Love follows, which Brian reciprocates.
• Done in Ed, Edd n Eddy when Eddy, after abusing and insulting Double D the entire episode, screams at the Kankers to leave Double D alone because he had been tormented enough. He immediately gave Ed and Double D hot dogs so they would ignore it.
  • In the movie, Eddy annoys Double D for most of the movie. Once Eddy crosses the Moral Event Horizon and tricks Double D into thinking he was dying, Double D, enraged, turns away from the group. Eddy immediately realizes what he's done and reconciles with Double D.
• Teen Titans had a lot of these.
  • In "Switched" a "Freaky Friday" Flip puts Raven in Starfire's body. Raven, normally The Stoic, is at first completely incapable of using Starfire's emotionally driven superpowers, but uses them to great effect when her friends are threatened.
  • In "Apprentice" Part II, Robin is forced to attack his friends. Starfire refuses to fight back and leaves herself defenseless against Robin's attack. She explains, "Robin, you are my best friend. I cannot be in a world where we must fight. If you are truly evil, then go ahead. Do what you must."
  • Takes a dark turn in "The End" Part 1 when Raven decides to do whatever it takes to protect her friends, even if it means dooming the rest of the world in the process.
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic:
  • Pretty much the entire reason for the show. Just one example is in part 2 of the series premiere, "Elements of Harmony", when Twilight hears her friends coming to back her up against Nightmare Moon and figures out how to activate the seemingly-destroyed Elements and awaken the sixth one.
  • Speaking of Nightmare Moon, when Luna makes her bombastic appearance in "Luna Eclipsed," everyone is terrified of her, since she was little more than a scary story for a thousand years. Twilight tries to be friendly, and the first sign that it's working is when Luna compliments her on her historically accurate costume (which no one else recognized).
• In The Simpsons episode "Lisa's Rival", Lisa found a rival in Alison - a girl who may have been smarter than her. At the end of the episode Lisa has gotten over her jealousy, she apologises to Allison.
  Lisa: Can we still be friends?
  Alison: Only if we're the best.
• Star and Marco from Star vs. the Forces of Evil have so many of these, no wonder they are the most shipped characters in the show.
• Most of Futurama's were between Fry and Bender, such as this exchange from original series finale "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings":
  Fry: Hey Bender, as long as you know, I have a holophonor recital Tuesday. I'd really like to have somebody there. Please?
  Bender: ...Fine, I'll go already. You know, sometimes I wish your real parents were still alive! ...Not often though. (He hugs Fry.)
• The Fairly OddParents!:
  • The episode "Smarty Pants" ends with Timmy and AJ reconciling after they spent the episode rubbing their brains in each others faces, showing that despite fighting the whole episode they do care for each other.
  • In "Foul Balled", Chester gets Acquired Situational Narcissism after Timmy wishes he was good at baseball. After declaring that he and Timmy aren't friends anymore, the wish gets cancelled thanks to Exact Words. While Chester sulks, Timmy assures him that, even with no skill, he's still his friend.
• The Boondocks has a couple of moments between Huey and Jazmine.
  • At the end of "Wingmen" Huey returns to Woodcrest after falling out with his former best friend Cairo back in Chicago. Jazmine is ecstatic to see him again (even after he'd given her the cold shoulder earlier in the episode), lightly teasing him about Cairo headbutting him in the face to remind him that he still has her.
    Jazmine: You came back! Did you miss me?
    Huey: ...maybe.
  • In "The Fried Chicken Flu", Huey modifies his apocalypse survival plan to include Jazmine. Later in the episode, he lets her parents Tom and Sarah take refuge in the house (on the proviso that they don't get any food) to stop Jazmine from crying. For her part, Jazmine repeatedly expresses her faith in Huey's intelligence and resourcefulness.
    Jazmine: You know, Huey, everyone says you're a loony person, but I think one day you're gonna be smarter than everybody!
• The Spectacular Spider-Man: In the episode "Competition", Harry asks Peter to try out for the football team with him. Peter says no at first... until he overhears Flash and Kenny saying that they intend to beat up Harry at the tryouts whether he does good or not. Then Peter's right there on the football field beside Harry. When Peter starts doing too well and threatening Harry's chance at being accepted by the cool kids (something he really wants), he starts doing bad intentionally to make Harry the obvious choice for the team. After he fails the tryouts, Gwen (who knew what he was doing) comforts him with ice cream).
• In an early episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), April becomes nervous about a series of robberies in her neighborhood (as she recently opened an antique shop and worries that she's a target). So she asks the Turtles to spend the night in case of a break-in. They happily comply, later chasing down the thief and bringing him to justice (partially because the thief was using a giant deadly robot as his sidekick).
• Ready Jet Go!:
  • In "Jet 2," Jet builds his own robot clone, and Sean and Sydney hang out with the robot more than Jet himself. Towards the end of the episode, Jet tells them how he feels. Sean and Sydney apologize to Jet for making him feel left out, and assure that they will always be his friends.
  • In "Which Moon is Best?" Sean was the first to walk on Europa, so he decides that Sydney should be the first to walk on Enceladus. Mindy lampshades how nice of a guy Sean is.
  • As shown in previous episodes, Mitchell thinks that the other kids hate him and tries to distance himself from them, even though he wants to be friends with them. This is shown to be completely untrue in "You Can Call Me Albedo." Out of the kindness of their hearts, the other kids make a reflective collar for Cody so Mitchell will be able to find him easier. Mitchell is genuinely surprised. He nervously thanks the other kids and says it was so nice of them.
  Jet: That's what friends are for.
  • In "Chore Day," Sean, Sydney, and Mindy set out to help Jet with his own chore, since he helped them with theirs.
  Mindy: When you're on Earth, that's what friends are for.
• Molly of Denali: In "Molly and the Snow Hawk," Molly doesn't want to give away her sled at first, but ultimately commits an act of selflessness by giving it to Trini. Tooey even commends her for the cool thing she did.

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