Lighthearted Rematch

The Lighthearted Rematch is most commonly a Superhero trope. For one reason or another, two heroes are at odds against each other with high stakes resting on the right one winning. Which of course, happens, even if the "right" hero has to cheat to win. Then the two heroes team up to fight the evil, save the day, yada yada.

And now that that's off their plate, they turn, smile, and have a rematch for fun's sake.

Related to Ironic Echo in that the first fight or competition is always serious—in deadly earnest, even—and the last one is always another fight, but no high stakes are involved. It is almost always the ending to the Evasive Fight Thread Episode.

See also Fire-Forged Friends and Let's You and Him Fight, which can be precursors.

Examples of Lighthearted Rematch include:

Anime and Manga

• Yugi and Joey in Yu-Gi-Oh! at the end of the Battle City saga, something Yugi had promised at the beginning of the arc. We only see the beginning, not the outcome. But considering Joey has his Red-Eyes Black Dragon back in the following arc, it stands to reason that Joey won.
• Negi and Kotaro of Mahou Sensei Negima become training partners after beating the bad guys. As of yet, they still haven't figured out who is stronger.
  • Actually, as of the more recent manga, Kotaro does know that Negi is stronger, he just doesn't say it out loud.
  • Later still, after Negi's Tournament Arc fight with Jack Rakan, Rakan declares him the winner and they have a friendly slugfest to end the match.
• This is the cause of Hakuoh's Heel Face Turn in Duel Masters. After Shobu defeats him, he congratulates him on a good match and offers to play him again later. This stands in stark contrast to Hakuoh's previous belief that once a player lost a game, he was no longer worthy to compete.
  • Shobu tries the same tactic on Kokujo shortly afterward. It doesn't work.
• Fate and Signum at the end of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha's second season. After the entire incident was resolved, Signum mentions that they still hadn't settled their duel, and Fate agrees, they'll definitely settle it fair and square... as many times as they want. The Sound Stage set after the second season mentioned that Signum won the majority of these lighthearted rematches, though Fate might have finally caught up after the Time Skip.
  • Fate and Nanoha had a rematch in the supplemental materials as well, after the first season, seems Fate won when shes going all out, rather than fighting half heartedly.
  • And that friendly match that escalated to a full team on team battle between the Wolkenritter and our heroines in the manga after As. It did enough damage to burst the containment barrier, demolish the room, knock everyone out and caused the entire interdimensional TSAB base to shake.
  • Then Nanoha and Signum go at it at the end of the StrikerS manga.
  • Inverted with Subaru and her older sister Ginga in StrikerS. They have a mock battle in Episode 15 that Subaru seems to enjoy, but loses despite putting up a good effort. In the final battle, Subaru faces Ginga, who has been captured and brainwashed, in a life-or-death battle in order to bring her to her senses. She ultimately manages to defeat Ginga this time.
• S-Cry-ed subverts this - the two heros fight it out but it's anything but lighthearted - they do more damage to each other than the villains ever did. It also takes up an entire episode - and was the Grand Finale to boot!
  • And considering that the two fought nearly every damn chance they got and the score was tied, we are not told who wins but the hand shown just before the ending credits leads people to think it was Kazuma.
• At the end of season one of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Keiichi manages to turn a deadly serious fight with Ax Crazy Rena into this after she's been infected with a Hate Plague. As a result, when Rena disarms and defeats Keiichi, instead of delivering a killing blow as she initially intended, she breaks down and cries at the realization of what she's done.
• In Waq Waq, Shio has a rematch with Leo that is played less seriously than their initial battle, as it ends with Leo on the ground, arguing with Shio over whether he held back, and the two promising to have a rematch one day.
• Kazuki and Papillon end up having one of these in the final episode of Busou Renkin, after Papillon saves Kazuki's life for the purpose of having such a rematch. In return, Kazuki spares Papillon's life.

Comic Books

• It may be worth it to note that Superman and the various Flashes have raced no less than seven times in the comics, almost always ending ambiguously, or on a tie, with the promise of a future rematch. Flash won both the clear ones: in the first, Flash (Barry Allen) won by a couple feet, after they crawled across the desert without the use of their legs. It's implied that Superman is less used to running as compared to flying, while running is what the Scarlet Speedster does all the time. In the second, Flash (Wally West) won by mere inches, and Superman confirmed that Wally was The Fastest Man Alive.
  • It is implied during The Flash: Rebirth that In an all out race, Superman doesn't actually stand a chance, at least against Barry, and that the only reason it always ends in a draw or one of them winning by inches is that Barry allows Superman to keep up since they're usually for charity.
  • Wally has explicitly mentioned that Superman cannot beat him unless he allows it because Wally totally controls speed itself.

Film

• In Rocky and Rocky II, Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed fight in high-profile boxing matches with the world heavyweight championship at stake, each winning one. Apollo does a Heel Face Turn in Rocky III, taking over as Rocky's trainer after Mickey dies, in exchange for a favor. That favor turns out to be a friendly rematch in an empty gym, just to settle it once and for all.
• Dragonball Evolution: Goku knocks Chi-Chi out in a fight because he mistook her for the bad guy. At the end, after the day has been saved, Goku returns to apologize for hurting her. Her response is to insist she let him hit her. They playfully argue about it before running at each other to decide which of them is the better fighter.

Live Action TV

• In the finale of Kamen Rider Kiva, Wataru and Taiga, who have been trying to have a fight to the death that Bishop kept interrupting for several episodes, have already made up and become loving half-brothers again. But they still want to fight, if only to fully get rid of their stress and bring them a bit closer together. Of course, how "close" they become is anyone's guess.

Professional Wrestling

• Given the limited nature of most rosters and the comparative frequency of the Heel Face Turn and Face Heel Turn, most, if not all, bitter rivals will eventually find themselves competing without malice at some point. This arrangement is often temporary, however, and normally results in the original feud being rekindled with the original good/bad alignments reversed.
  • Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect had a heated rivalry going into Summer Slam 1991, which saw Hart win Perfect's Intercontinental Title despite rampant foul play from the latter. The two met again at King of the Ring 1993, but due to a Heel Face Turn Mr. Perfect refrained from cheating flagrantly. Hart won again.

Tabletop Games

• In the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the Space Marine chapters of the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves have something of a rivalry, essentially due to a perceived injustice between their primarchs. Whenever the chapters meet, they have a ritual reenactment of the battle between two of their champions. Of course, as in the grim darkess of the far future there is only dark grimness, "lighthearted" in this case translates as "Doesn't involve death. Usually."

Video Games

• Andy vs Eagle in the bonus battle in Advance Wars. The mission is appropriately named "Rivals".

Web Comics

• This is subverted in the El Goonish Shive arc "Indiana Elliot and the Temple of Swedish Furniture." After Elliot and Noah's race through Swedekea for the last TV stand ends with a victory for Elliot, but the TV stand wasn't there anyway, Elliot suggests a rematch for fun when the next shipment arrives. However, a store employee threatens to ban both of them for life if she catches them running again.

Western Animation

• The DCAU is quite fond of this one:
  • Superman: The Animated Series has a Superman and Flash race for charity that they stop to protect the world from the Weather Wizard. At the end, they race again just for the fun of it. An exhibit at the Flash Museum in Justice League Unlimited seems to suggest The Flash won, hey... it's his episode.
    • His one claim to fame is being the "Fastest Man Alive" Why should Superman steal his Shtick?
      • As the comic book version of the Flash notes to Superman that "Those races were for charity, Clark." before demonstrating that he was in no way going all out in the races.
  • Justice League Unlimited has this happen when Huntress frees Black Canary from Mind Control and fighting in an arena for entertainment, they must then fight Wonder Woman and Shayera. At the end of the episode, they take off cape and jacket respectively and go for the rematch just for fun.
• Batman the Brave And The Bold gives us Bronze Tiger taking all comers in the ring. He even warns Batman that he never loses. But Batman says if he wins, Tiger helps him protect the temple. Batman cheats to win the fight, and after the temple is safe, Tiger says "you owe me a rematch". Smiling, they rush at each other to begin fighting.
• It took at least five years, but Ben and Kevin have one in Ben 10 Alien Force episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of".
• Family Guy sends up the Rocky III ending with a friendly boxing match between Cleveland and Quagmire... after Quagmire slept with Cleveland's wife and ended their marriage.
• While in a fighting ring in a recent episode of The Simpsons Bart and Lisa decide to have what is apparently one of these, complete with a freezeframe ending. Until the credits roll and Lisa downs Bart with one punch.