History Main / OrderVersusChaos

* ''Literature/PerdidoStreetStation'' has the Construct Council, [[AIIsACrapshoot a giant sentient colony of robots]], avatar of Order and the superego, and the Weaver, described as "the dancing mad god", an [[AnthropomorphicPersonification Arachnomorphic Personification]] of dream, creativity, and the subconscious.

* Depending on the writer and when it's not pure BlueAndOrangeMorality, the conflict between the Great Old Ones and the Elder Gods in Creator/HPLovecraft's mythos can be viewed as order vs Chaos. The Outer Gods are also often associated with Chaos, being essentially not-really-anthropomorphic personifications of primal forces, hence Azathoth often being called the Nuclear Chaos and Nyarlatothep's epipthet "the Crawling Chaos".
** In Lovecraft's own stories, however, both the Outer Gods and the Great Old Ones are portrayed as vastly beyond the scope of human concepts like order or chaos, or any human concepts at all, really.
** Lovecraft's universe is a chaotic and amoral place where the primal laws of physics spontaneously form from the chaotic gibberings of the ultimate creator, Daemon Sultan Azathoth, a process described in the poem ''Azathoth''.

* In ''Script/AHDotComTheSeries'', it was revealed at the end of the fourth season that the multiverse is the stage for a continuous cosmic war between the Hub Lords (Order) and the AlienSpaceBats (Chaos), which continues even through successive Big Bangs and Crunches and new universes being born.

** In the older editions, the [[EvilVersusEvil Blood War]] was a massive mashup between the demons and the devils on which kind of evil (pure rampaging destructive chaos vs brutal and cunning tyranny) should dominate the cosmos. Now its changed to war of EvilVersusOblivion between the demons and the devils.Not only are the demons an infinite source of chaos and destruction but they cannot access the material plane until the devils are defeated. This makes the devils a NecessaryEvil and are the only thing keeping the endless hordes of demons from overwhelming the cosmos]]. This handily explains why the devils who use order have not defeated the devils and why the forces of good have not intervened to destroy evil it is impossible with the demons and destroying the devils means that death of everything.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'', the Ethos system originally featured, amongst others, the Collectivist-Individualist dichotomy. The exact ideology represented by any given ethic is left intentionally vague for roleplaying purposes, but from what could be gathered, Collectivists favoured autocratic governments and [[HappinessInSlavery didn't take happiness penalties from slavery]] and Individualists favoured democracies and personal liberty, gaining bonuses to energy production. This proved to be [[BrokenBase so controversial]] that the Collectivist-Individualist axis was eventually replaced entirely by a new Egalitarian-Authoritarian axis, [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement and that is all we will say on the matter]].

* The [[GrandFinale final Splatfest]] of ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' is themed around this, with Pearl championing Team Chaos while Marina leads Team Order, with the latter convinced that Chaos winning means that Pearl would end their band Off the Hook (and by extension, [[HeterosexualLifePartners their close-knit friendship]]) simply for the sake of mixing things up. [[spoiler:When Chaos wins, Marina prepares for Pearl to cut ties with her... only for Pearl to reveal that she just wanted the duo to [[GenreShift experiment with different musical genres]], and is taken aback that Marina thought for even a second that she would end things.]] ''Splatoon 3'' showed a post-apocalyptic view of scrapped subway cars and an upside-down Eiffel Tower among the first shots of the trailer ([[spoiler:though considering when Splatoon takes place, this might be considered normal]]), and the new Splatsville Hub is... something, to say the least.

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', this conflict is best exemplified with the introduction of the Quirk Liberation Army. The QLA, an organization spanning generations since its founding by a villain named Destro, represents Chaos and the ability to freely use the Quirks which are possessed by the majority of the population, but they use terrorist tactics to push their agenda. On the side of Order, the government and law-enforcement maintain the peace with the help of licensed heroes. While this works for the most part, it requires that Quirks be very heavily regulated, with professional heroes being the only ones legally allowed to use their Quirks in combat while anyone else would be considered a "villain" for doing so.

*** Normal racial divisions are the Imperium, Eldar, and Tau for Order, and Chaos, Dark Eldar, and Orks for Disorder. Necrons and Tyranids are both off to the side a bit, but as Necron lore becomes more developed, they seem to be leaning towards Order. Their goal is wiping out sentient life in order to ''truly'' starve the chaos gods.

->''"According to the philosopher, Ly Tin Wheedle, chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order, because it is organized."''

*** In last issue of Morrison's run, [[CuckooNest Crazy Jane is kept in another world (implied to be our world) and her therapist insists her adventures with Doom Patrol are delusions]]. The therapist claims that some enemies the Doom Patrol faced—The Scissormen and Orqwith, the Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., the Sex Men, the Ant Farm and the Telephone Avatar—were representations of cold, alien, tyrannical authority ([[LawfulEvil Evil Order]]), while others—Red Jack, Desecrator, Shadowy Mister Evans, the Candlemaker—were predatory forces of destruction ([[ChaoticEvil Evil Chaos]]) representing her father.

* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': At Madison High School, there was order represented by Osgood Conklin, the DeanBitterman who ran the school in a orderly manner (in "Mr. Boynton's Parents", Miss Brooks has a nightmare of Mr. Conklin telling her to "stay on the ball", "hold the line" and "run the school in an orderly manner"). He goes so far as to hang signs such as "Respect through Power" ("Spare That Rod!) and "No Goldbricking" (TheMovie GrandFinale) through the school. Opposed to Mr. Conklin was chaos in the form of HighSchoolHuckster Walter Denton, who played pranks like making Conklin look like a drunk ("Cure That Habit"), blasting an ancient cannon ("Marinated Hearing"), and writing a fraudulent letter forcing Mr. Conklin to let the students act as teachers for the day ("Turnabout Day"). In between these two extremes was Miss Brooks, who disapproved of Mr. Conklin's strict and overbearing manner in running the school - once even calling Conklin the most "unprincipled principal in the country" ("The Novelist"). However, she indeed wanted to teach while shielding TeachersPet Walter Denton from the consequences of his more outrageous pranks. The conservative and shy Mr. Boynton, Miss Brooks' LoveInterest, was between Mr. Conklin and Miss Brooks' in outlook, although a NiceGuy without Conklin's faults.

** In last issue of Morrison's run, [[CuckooNest Crazy Jane is kept in another world (implied to be our world) and her therapist insists her adventures with Doom Patrol are delusions]]. The therapist claims that some enemies the Doom Patrol faced—The Scissormen and Orqwith, the Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., the Sex Men, the Ant Farm and the Telephone Avatar—were representations of cold, alien, tyrannical authority ([[LawfulEvil Evil Order]]), while others—Red Jack, Desecrator, Shadowy Mister Evans, the Candlemaker—were predatory forces of destruction ([[ChaoticEvil Evil Chaos]]) representing her father.

* ''ComicBook/TheInvisibles'' had the good guys as agents of Chaos, fighting off the evil forces of eternal Order. The series often plays with these associations, as a member of the Outer Church (the Order side) tries to convince a bunch of outsiders they're the good guys by citing the story of Ahura Mazda versus Angra Mainyu (see below).
* The original, [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] run of ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'' had the team tending toward Good Chaos, as they were the rejects and cast-offs of society. Creator/GrantMorrison's later run kicked this into overdrive, with surreality as the order of the day, and characters like Crazy Jane (each of whose multiple personalities has its own superpower) and Danny the Street (a sentient transvestite boulevard). It also featured Evil Chaos in the form of the Brotherhood of Dada, and Evil Order as Darren Jones and the Men From N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Granted, the Brotherhood of Dada wasn't evil so much as plain weird. In fact the heroes found themselves working to SAVE the Brotherhood of Dada in their second appearance and two of them even pointed out that the Brotherhood had the right idea
** In last issue of his run Crazy Jane is kept in another world (implied to be our world) and her therapist insists her adventures with Doom Patrol are delusions, some enemies (The Scissormen and Orqwith, the Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., the Sex Men, the Ant Farm and the Telephone Avatar) as representations of cold, alien, tyrannical authority ([[LawfulEvil Evil Order]]) and others (Red Jack, Desecrator, Shadowy Mister Evans, the Candlemaker) as predatory forces of destruction ([[ChaoticEvil Evil Chaos]]) representing her father.

Order, sometimes called Law, is associated with civilization, authority, rules, protection, the status quo, tradition, and, when [[LawfulEvil stretched to its extreme]], mindless obedience, totalitarianism, and abuse of power. It's quite common to depict what happens when Order takes [[KnightTemplar their laws and oaths]] [[TautologicalTemplar just a little too far]], but also don't be surprised to see TheGoodKing portrayed positively. When they have [[PersonalityPowers powers]] associated with them, it's often [[TheLeader leadership]], TheVirus, [[{{Brainwashed}} Brainwashing]], and the [[MagicallyBindingContract power to bind with rules and oaths]]. When used as a villain, he's likely to say "WeHaveReserves."

Chaos is associated with change, TheTrickster, free will, creativity, individualism, and, [[ChaoticStupid to the extreme]], madness, savagery, solipsism, and selfish overindulgence. The powers associated with it are {{Shapeshifting}}, [[MasterOfIllusion illusions]], and matter transmutation, as well as EntropyAndChaosMagic in general. By nature, Chaos tends to be [[HollywoodTactics too disorganized to pose a serious unifed threat like Order]], and may engage in an EnemyCivilWar or find its members DividedWeFall. [[ConfusionFu On the other hand, the forces of Chaos are the hardest to predict]].

* Neither ''Series/TheOddCouple'' nor its [[Series/TheOddCouple2015 reboot]] are immune to this trope.

** The War In Heaven event is the result of two Fallen Empires re-awakening on opposite ends of the Ethos system. The entire event chain is a big shout-out to BabylonFive

* In ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyo Puyo Puyo Tetris 2]]'', this is the conflict between Marle and [[spoiler:Squares]]. The former is a downplayed representation of chaos, since she embraces the spontaneous nature of fun; the latter [[spoiler:goes as far as to take control over Marle and threatening to erase the main cast from existence in his efforts to maintain his idea of "order", all a result of him thinking the Puyo and Tetris worlds merging isn't "right"]].

Order, sometimes called Law, is associated with civilization, authority, rules, protection, the status quo, tradition, and, when [[LawfulStupid stretched to its extreme]], mindless obedience, totalitarianism, and abuse of power. It's quite common to depict what happens when Order takes [[KnightTemplar their laws and oaths]] [[TautologicalTemplar just a little too far]], but also don't be surprised to see TheGoodKing portrayed positively. When they have [[PersonalityPowers powers]] associated with them, it's often [[TheLeader leadership]], TheVirus, [[{{Brainwashed}} Brainwashing]], and the [[MagicallyBindingContract power to bind with rules and oaths]]. When used as a villain, he's likely to say "WeHaveReserves."

** The SufficientlyAdvanced EnergyBeings known as the Lords of Chaos and Lords of Order. Several previously-existing magical beings were [[{{Retcon}} retconned]] to fit in with this; Dr. Fate's mentor Nabu became a Lord of Order, the ComicBook/{{Legion Of Super-Heroes}}' antagonist Mordru was revealed as a Lord of Chaos, and so on. Most portrayals of these focused on balance, especially Hawk and Dove, who represent, respectively, Chaos and Order and were created by a Lord of Order and a Lord of Chaos who had fallen in love and tried to find some happy middle.

** This is played out in the race of Ents: male Ents loved the wilderness and forests, nature untamed, while the Entwives cultivated gardens and loved orchards and farmlands. The two genders drifted apart over the years, and the Ents have since lost the Entwives completely.
** According to J.R.R.'s notes and letters relating to ''Literature/TheSilmarillion,'' Sauron followed the chaotic Morgoth, paradoxically, out of desire for order. Wanting to impose order on upon everyone and everything, Sauron came to see tyranny as the easiest way to do so.

* In mythological studies, there is a trope called "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaoskampf#Chaoskampf Chaoskampf]]". It is always along the lines of "[[ShockAndAwe storm god]] fights huge serpent/dragon, representing order vs chaos". It appears in the form of [[Myth/HinduMythology Indra vs Vritra]], [[Myth/GreekMythology Zeus vs Typhon]], [[Myth/NorseMythology Thor vs Jormungandr]], and possibly [[Myth/JapaneseMythology Susano'o vs Orochi]] as well. [[Myth/ChineseMythology Yu the Great]] killing [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiangliu Xiangliu]] during his work stopping the Great Flood may also count, although Yu is not a storm god.

* This is the central tenet of Zoroastrianism. Followers worship Ahura-Mazda, the embodiment of truth, order and justice -- and oppose chaos and disorder (also known as the Lie). One of the offshoot sects, called Zurvanism, names the Lie as Ahriman, the brother of Ahura-Mazda, and holds that the two are always in conflict over the spirits of mankind. The two are both the sons of Zurvan (aka Time).
* In Khemetic Orthodoxy, the god Set is considered to embody ''constructive'' chaos (the forest fire that allows new growth, for example) while the... ''thing''... known as Isfet represents Chaos taken to its potentially universe-destroying extreme.
** Order versus Chaos was the primary division in [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Ancient Egyptian religion]], with the word ''Ma'et'' meaning not just order but also justice and rightness. The word ''Isfet'' meant both chaos and injustice. The Pharaoh was the "Lord of Ma'et" who upheld both social and cosmic order through his combined political and religious authority. Without this authority, the Egyptians believed that the primordial chaos which existed before Creation would overtake the world and dissolve everything.

* The Seelie and Unseelie courts of the Fae represent Order and Chaos (or Light and Darkness) respectively rather than Good and Evil, although that is how many modern fictional treatments align them. Both tend to be equally dangerous and unpredictable.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'' had the Vorlons and the Shadows. Originally they were portrayed as GoodVersusEvil (Vorlons projecting angelic images of themselves vs. the demonic and fear-inducing Shadows). [[spoiler: Later, their millena-old conflict is revealed as rival philosophies run amok: the Vorlons believe the best way to promote growth among the younger races is through order and obedience, while the Shadows believe evolution is best served through chaos and conflict. The Vorlons and Shadows are eventually revealed to be NotSoDifferent, with both groups trying to force the younger races to choose a side or die.]] The idea was taken from Babylonian mythology, hence the name of the show. [[spoiler: Sheridan ultimately has to lead the younger races into collectively telling BOTH sides where they can stick their rival philosophies, and to go away and leave the younger races alone to make their own choices.]]

** ''Fanfic/AncientSins'' has The Seven Sorcerers, who embody the very concept of existance, and The Shadows, who represent the forces of primordial chaos. Despite the two forces being cosmic forces, neither believe the other is needed and wish to get rid of them entirely.

->''"According to the philosopher, Ly Tin Wheedle, chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order, because it is better organized."''

Using it in a setting allows you to have two sides, in a similar way to Good and Evil, but without being trite or preachy about it. While the most traditional works have assigned [[LawfulGood Order to Good]], and [[ChaoticEvil Chaos to Evil]], [[InvertedTrope inversions]] of this are also common: often, you'll find a ChaoticGood [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits band of rebels]] fighting against a LawfulEvil [[TheEmpire empire]] (Common enough it's becoming [[OrderIsNotGood its own trope]]). In another take on the subject, true goodness is seen as the [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil balance]] [[NeutralGood between the two forces]], and [[GreyAndGrayMorality both Order and Chaos are portrayed as evil when they are]] [[LawfulStupidChaoticStupid taken to their extremes]].