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Defeat folding into friendship is a trope in anime wherein the hero will defeat the villain and then befriend them afterwards. It doesn't usually happen right away, contrary to popular belief, but it's absolutely a staple of shonen and some shojo anime.
Reasons why it happens vary from the villain being mind controlled, the hero changing the enemy's mind, or even getting married. This is especially true in Naruto, but it isn't the only one to do this, and the trope itself is older than that anime. This article will go into 10 examples of defeat meaning friendship in various anime.
Disclaimer: This article will go into detail about various character fates, so spoiler warnings are listed for all the anime that are covered. The opinions therein are only reflective of the author.
10 characters who went from villains to friends in anime
1) Piccolo (Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z)
While Vegeta fits into this anime trope, he is Goku's replacement longtime rival who slides back into villainy when things suit his grudge. Piccolo, on the other hand, became Goku's friend. While both were Goku's enemies, Piccolo mellowed out after years, especially after seeing Goku sacrifice himself to stop Raditz.
This meant that, despite Piccolo's protests to the contrary, he cared about Gohan when putting him through very rigorous training and sacrificed himself so the latter could live. From there, Piccolo was there for Goku and Gohan to help out in a pinch. This was especially prevalent any time they needed help, especially against Frieza, the Androids, and Cell.
It also took Piccolo years to warm up to Goku that the audience didn't see, Vegeta's is more real time. The latter, however, has been written about too many times, whereas Piccolo was the first major villain to join Goku's side.
2) Neji, Gaara, and Sasuke (Naruto/Naruto Shippuden)
Sometimes there's no way to choose just one character to exemplify this phenomenon, much less from Naruto. Neji, Gaara, and Sasuke are three major rivals and antagonists in Naruto's life. All three became his allies and steadfast friends throughout his life after the monumentous fights that took place.
After all the complaints about "talk no jutsu" over the years, it's worth noting that Naruto doesn't just talk people down. It usually takes a monumental fight. In Neji's case, neither could barely stand after their fight for a while.
In Gaara's case, both Naruto and him summoned giant monsters with Shukaku on Gaara's side and Gamabunta on Naruto's side. In Sasuke's case, the final fight blew their arms off and they would've bled out if Sakura hadn't come through.
It's far more than just Naruto preaching at the rival/antagonist, it's empathizing, it's trying to get them off a villainous path and showing that there are other choices to make in life. Sasuke just took the whole series to realize this.
3) Byakuya Kuchiki (Bleach)
Why not have both Renji and Byakuya on this part of the list? The latter was more villainous and standoffish than Renji was to Ichigo throughout Bleach's Soul Society Arc. Leaving Ichigo horribly injured after one attack while coldly leading Rukia to the Soul Society tends to leave more of an impression.
Aside from Kenpachi, Byakuya was one of Ichigo's hardest fought battles up to that point. It's also a matter of a conflicted character in a fight with the protagonist, as Byakuya did want to save Rukia from execution. Byakuya's problem, however, was his dedication to Soul Society's laws and rules that prevented him from acting.
After being trounced by Ichigo, he swore undying loyalty to the newbie shinigami and became a great support against huge threats like Aizen or Yhwach. Though his cold exterior remained, Byakuya warmed up to Ichigo and his friends after a while. He even helped save Ichigo a few times.
4) Shoto Todoroki (My Hero Academia)
Of all the rivals and antagonists that Izuku Midoriya has gained the respect of, or otherwise helped in battle later on, Shoto Todoroki remains one of the only ones to truly befriend him. This may have something to do with the fact that Midoriya helped with Shoto's family problems.
Before the Sports Festival, Shoto was extremely cold towards everyone around him. At least, he isolated himself. When it came to Deku, he thought mostly in his father's terms: surpass All Might. He showed Shoto that he wasn't about to become his own person by using only half his power. Plus, he empathized hard with Shoto and thus the latter began opening up more.
This meant he became friends with Momo, Deku, and the rest of Class 1-A much better. He also stood up to his father, Endeavor, and began helping him make several key changes. This wouldn't have happened had he not had an attitude adjustment via fighting Midoriya.
5) Viral (Gurren Lagann)
Even a rather vengeful person who repeatedly tried to kill the protagonists like Viral from Gurren Lagann made peace with Simon years after Kamina's death. That took years to do given how many times he tried to kill Simon and then got violently betrayed by Lordgenome and left for dead by him.
When Viral eventually resurfaced, he was immediately jailed. Simon and Viral had a fistfight in jail before eventually realizing they were both on the same side regarding the anti-spiral invasion. Despite the literal years of animosity between them, Simon let Viral join team Dai-Gurren and even pilot Gurren.
This ultimately proved to be a good thing, as he helped duel and defeat the Anti-Spirals by throwing Lagann to aid Simon. He was last seen in the epilogue, commanding the Super Galaxy Dai-Gurren as a representative for Earth in the Spiral Galactic Peace Conference. Not bad for someone who started trying to kill Kamina and Simon.
6) Paul (Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl)
While Gary could've gotten here due to his annoying attitude and general sense of smug superiority, Paul gets on this list simply for being a more memorable and ultimately hateful person. His obsession with strength, abuse of his Pokémon, and general coldness turned many viewers off and the desire to see him get knocked down a few pegs gained steam with each victory he won.
In defeat, Paul started learning more than a few things. It took being defeated by gym leader Brandon and then getting trounced by Ash in the league to really start changing his ways. While he and Ash didn't truly become close friends, Paul did ease up quite a lot on his abusive tendencies and started on the road to redemption.
By the time of Journeys, Paul's attitude had notably improved. He was much more instructive and less abrasive at the very least. This bode well for Ash, as he needed the help preparing for the World Championship league.
7) Bruno Bucciarati (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind)
Continuing the trend of "People that try to kill the hero" is Bruno Bucciarati from the anime adaptation of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind. Bucciarati, for the record, did so while trying to investigate Leaky-Eye Luca's death. The fight ended with Giorno talking Bucciarati into rebelling against Passione's don Diavolo to shut down the massive drug trade from Naples all the way to Rome.
Of course, Bucciarati had his own hangup with Passione even before Giorno convinced him. He was already mad about the drug trade and the secretive nature of their boss after his father was killed by drug dealers. Giorno only helped him focus his anger toward the gang and the two became fast friends when working together with his team.
The other part is his determination. When King Crimson killed him, Bucciarati was able to stay on earth for so much longer than normal. This is explicitly stated to be due to Gold Experience and his friendship with Giorno. It let him survive long enough to help the rest of his dwindling squad battle Diavolo.
8) Crona (Soul Eater)
In another case of an abused character becoming an antagonist, Crona in the Soul Eater anime was used by Medusa Gorgon to become a vessal for the kishin Asura. While Crona's mental state was entirely messed up, Maka was able to befriend them via matching their wavelength and end the fight without either suffering major injuries.
In the anime, Crona joined Maka and the rest of their classmates like Black Star and helped them on many occasions. The key difference between anime and manga is that in the anime Crona was helped before they slew Medusa and everyone had to team up to beat Asura, with Maka punching him to death.
In the manga, Crona killed Medusa Gorgon, and got possessed. Both Maka and the latter managed to seal Asura on the moon with Crona. Whether the anime or the manga's ending is better for Crona is up to the audience, the point is that they made friends and started out of their horrible mental state.
9) Milia Fallyna (Macross)
Metal Gear Solid's Otacon once asked if love can bloom on the battlefield. The tale of Milia Fallyna, an enemy pilot during the Zentradi war, would attest that it can and does. She ended up marrying Maximilian Jenius in the Super Dimension Fortress Macross anime.
It all started when the two met following Milia being shot down by Max's mecha. After which, she infiltrated the SDF-1 and lost to him in an arcade game face off. Finally when the two had a knife fight to the death, Max bested her and instead of finishing her off. Afterwards, the two ended up getting married.
Their marriage had plenty of ramifications for humans and Zentradi. It was the first union in history between the warring species and set the tone for human and Zentradi relations to come. The two also helped to disable Zentradi mechs, make them lose the will to fight, and cause disorder on the Zentradi fleet. They also have several kids together.
10) Sailor Galaxia (Sailor Moon)
Sailor Galaxia is Sailor Moon's final villain, able to kill all the Sailor Senshi minus Sailor Moon herself and the Starlights. In the manga, she was power hungry and joined Chaos voluntarily. In the original anime, she was possessed by Chaos after sealing the cosmic force away inside herself to prevent it from spreading to the universe.
Much like Crona, Galaxia's fate depends on which version a fan encounters. In the manga, she was purified of Chaos' influence but died shortly thereafter with her last thoughts being how Sailor Moon is the brightest and most powerful star in existence. In the original anime, she got purified, regained her soul, and went on to return the stolen Star Seeds to their planets of origin.
The final villain becoming purified isn't the only one that Sailor Moon befriended. Nephrite, of Queen Beryl's Dark Kingdom, sacrificed himself for the sake of Naru in the anime. Queen Nehelenia in the anime got brought back to her senses and was on the Sailor Senshi's side. Galaxia is just one of the more major examples of this happening.
These are 10 anime protagonists that became friends with the villains and antagonists. Many of these are just as iconic to their various anime as the protagonists are, and have proved it in many situations, from trying to kill to the heroes actually killing a few.
The point of this list is that people can change if given a shot at it. If any are missing or you have alternatives, feel free to suggest them in the comments.
