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2%% The examples have been alphabetized. Please put any new example in its proper place in the folder rather than at the end.
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5%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1299688889010566500
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8[[quoteright:299:[[WesternAnimation/WallE https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/WallEEve_9140.jpg]]]]
9[[caption-width-right:299: [[UsedFuture Old and rusty]] meets [[EverythingIsAnIPodInTheFuture new and shiny]].]]
10
11->''"Strange extremes meet in love's pathway."''
12-->-- ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel''
13
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15%%Please avoid Administrivia/LinkingToAnArticleWithinTheArticle. We know what trope we're viewing, and we don't need a link to it when we're at it.
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17Strong relationships, in both TV and real life, thrive on how each member compensates for [[{{Foil}} the other's weaknesses with their own strengths]], and vice versa.
18
19A MotorMouth just isn't as funny if he doesn't have the StraightMan to torment. Similarly, only when a [[ShrinkingViolet sweet, shy person]] is paired up with an [[HotBlooded equally jerkish one]] is their kindness and shyness [[{{Moe}} made all the more noticeable]].
20
21It is all but guaranteed that the characters' differences will cause more friction than harmony between them. That's what gives the OddCouple its fuel for SlapSlapKiss, WillTheyOrWontThey, and AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther situations. Bickering and mushiness in one package. What's not to like?
22
23The OddFriendship also has elements of this, but tends to focus on how the differences make them see each other, and maybe the world, through new eyes. Perhaps the serious one is NotSoAboveItAll, or the ShrinkingViolet has an inner strength they never knew they had. A MoeCouplet also does something similar to this, focusing on how each half of the couplet brings out the other's endearing or nurturing traits.
24
25About the biggest challenge in creating a day-and-night dynamic is to keep the ''attract'' and ''repel'' cases relatively balanced. When the pendulum swings too far toward the ''repel'' side and the characters seem more interested in torturing each other than helping out, it's no longer cute to watch; it's just [[TheMasochismTango masochistic]]. The key (both in fiction and in RealLife) is to watch the pair's goals. If they want the same thing but use completely different methods to achieve it, it's this trope. If they want ''different'' things entirely, it's a divorce waiting to happen.
26
27If you add a third-party mediator for balance, you get a PowerTrio.
28
29Contrast BirdsOfAFeather. Compare TooMuchAlike. See also EvilDesiresInnocence.
30----
31!!Popular Opposites Attract dynamic tropes:
32* AllWorkVsAllPlay
33* BroodingBoyGentleGirl
34* DatingCatwoman
35* FemaleFlatfootAndSnarkyGuy
36* GleefulAndGrumpyPairing
37* TheHero + TheLancer (see the latter's entry)
38* HammyVillainSeriousHero
39* HotGuyUglyWife
40* HotSkittyOnWailordAction
41* LightLiegeDarkDefender
42* MagicalGirlfriend + RidiculouslyAverageGuy
43* MasculineFeminineGayCouple
44* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy
45* {{Moe}} CuteClumsyGirl + OneeSama
46* OddCouple
47* PitbullDatesPuppy
48* PluckyComicRelief + TheQuietOne
49* RedOniBlueOni
50* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl
51* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan
52* StrongGirlSmartGuy
53* TinyGuyHugeGirl
54* TomboyAndGirlyGirl
55* UglyGuyHotWife
56* UptightLovesWild
57* UptownGirl
58----
59!!Examples:
60
61'''IMPORTANT''': Please, no {{ship|ping}}s, just {{Canon}} portrayal of attraction. If you see an example that hasn't been portrayed in canon as this type of attraction (or hasn't been portrayed in canon ''at all''), please delete it. This also means examples will tend to be spoilery, so read on at your own risk.
62
63[[foldercontrol]]
64
65[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
66* ''Manga/SevenSeeds'' has tough-as-nails and super-stubborn Hana dating the sweet, good-natured Arashi.
67* Early in ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'' run, [[UnlikelyHero Keiichi]] was a ChivalrousPervert wondering [[WhatDoesSheSeeInHim what anyone would see in him]], and [[MagicalGirlfriend Belldandy]] was something of an [[TheIngenue Ingenue]]. [[CharacterizationMarchesOn Characterization Marched On]], and the two began developing some of the other's persona, so that after the "Lord of Terror" arc, and in the OVA, K1 became a CovertPervert, and Bell began pouring on the affection nice and thick, frequently expressing her love for Keiichi. About two years after TheMovie, sadly, the two were {{Flanderized}} to the point where he was afraid to make a move, and she rarely acknowledged their love.
68* A beautifully tragic and deeply layered version with Guts and Casca from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', Guts grew up subject to cruelty and abuse, living life without any purpose other than [[BloodKnight warfare]]. Casca as a girl was saved from abuse and in doing so committed her body and soul to another person. Guts has the willpower to live through all manner of trauma, Casca suffers greatly from every tragedy in her life and [[BrokenBird cannot resist the pain]]. That being said, Guts and Casca also subvert this trope, being actually quite similar in many ways: both victims of sexual violence, both look similar (pre-Eclipse), both have scared bodies and both have survived the [[{{Hell}} unimaginable]]... though at the cost of their mental health.
69* Revy and Rock of ''Manga/BlackLagoon''. She's an AxeCrazy BrokenBird and TriggerHappy NietzscheWannabe, among other things. He's a NonActionGuy, a WideEyedIdealist (he ''never'' gets completely disillusioned, and he has every right to), and he's the closest thing a series this [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism cynical]] will allow to an AllLovingHero. The [[UnresolvedSexualTension sparks]] [[BelligerentSexualTension flying]] could power a medium-sized country.
70* In ''Manga/BlueSeed'', military-minded heavy weapons expert [[SmallGirlBigGun Koume]] [[MoreDakka Sawaguchi]] falls for computer expert and nerd extraordinaire Yoshiki Yaegashi after his [[TookALevelInBadass character growth]] throughout the series culminates in him privately demonstrating a great strength that she herself always lacked - internal strength in self. They get engaged two years later in the OAV.
71* Several of the main couples in Creator/CoolKyouShinsha's manga are like this:
72** Kaoru in ''Manga/ICantUnderstandWhatMyHusbandIsSaying'' is a normal {{Workaholic}} who [[LethalChef can't cook]]. Hajime is an otaku with no desire to work and [[RealMenCook knows his way around the kitchen]]. And yet they're HappilyMarried.
73** ''Manga/{{Rabuta}}'' is a story about the most beautiful, smart, and popular girl at school falling in love with a {{Gonk}} BookDumb boy after he saved her from a boy she turned down. [[UglyGuyHotWife They eventually got married]], according to a cameo in ''Manga/ICantUnderstandWhatMyHusbandIsSaying''.
74** Haru from ''Manga/{{Ojojojo}}'' is a tall stereotypical RichBitch ([[CharacterDevelopment at first]]) who loves the sound of her own voice, and she's going out with Tsurezure, who's short, quiet, and reserved. They also got married, according to a cameo in ''Manga/KomorisanCantDecline''.
75* Lelouch and Kallen from "Anime/CodeGeass" are a textbook example of this trope in a very SmartGuyStrongGirl fashion; He is the cunning, genius and seemingly heartless JerkasswithaHeartofGold while she is a a strong, talented and athletic ActionGirl who wears her emotions on her sleeve.
76* David and Lucy from ''Anime/CyberpunkEdgerunners''. Lucy starts the series as a brooding and cynical edgerunner [[spoiler:who ran away from Arasaka after being exploited as a child]]. David starts as a kind-hearted Arasaka Academy student raised by a single mother who works overtime to pay for his tuition. The two become an OfficialCouple and their relationship becomes integral to the series' plot.
77* ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'': [[{{Chuuni|byou}} Kyōtarō Ichikawa]] is a relatively short middle school boy, while [[HugeSchoolgirl Anna Yamada has been incredibly tall for her age since elementary school.]] Ichikawa [[PerpetualFrowner doesn't smile]] or [[ShrinkingViolet talk all that much]], is pessimistic, sarcastic (mostly in [[FirstPersonSmartass inner monologue]]), diligent and very observant. Yamada is cheerful, outgoing, [[CuteClumsyGirl clumsy]], ditzy, prone to teasing, and may tend to take longer to read the room than him. He's mature and insightful for his age, while she's [[YoungerThanTheyLook physically mature]] but childish to the point where Ichikawa [[KiddieKid compares her to a grade schooler.]] He spends his time isolated (Aside from when he's hanging out with Yamada) and his interests lay in rather macabre subjects, while she regularly chats with her friends, [[BigEater eats snacks in private]], or makes up games on the spot (Mainly to engage with Ichikawa and find out more about him).
78* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
79** Goku and Chi-Chi: he's the IdiotHero son of a low-class mercenary, she's a {{Tsundere}} daughter of a Warlord King. Goku and Chi-Chi become more opposite as they grow older, Chi-Chi is a ControlFreak who stresses over everything; Goku is a laidback MellowFellow who treats home life problems with an "oh well." Despite her anger at Goku's antics, Chi-Chi deeply loves her husband and any threat towards her puts Goku on a UnstoppableRage.
80** Yamcha and Bulma were originally this: he was shy around beautiful women and easy-going, she was horny around handsome men and possessed a short temper. This gets subverted later as Bulma moves on to Vegeta who's HotBlooded like her.
81** Krillin and Android 18 is a gloriously played straight example. He's a 5'0" inch bald ComicRelief fighter, she's a 5'6 inch beautiful haired killer cybernetic FemmeFatale... [[HappilyMarried it works out]]. Love freak Ribrianne from ''[[Anime/DragonBallSuper Super]]'' is mystified that someone like 18 could end up with someone like Krillin.
82** When they first met, Gohan and Videl also invoked this along with shades of MasculineGirlFeminineBoy. The latter was a rash tomboy who gets in way over her head in a desire to prove herself, the former is a shy bookworm who [[AfraidOfTheirOwnStrength hides his own colossal strength]]. Unlike Goku and Chi-Chi they get time to develop their relationship before they get married.
83* ''Manga/Eyeshield21'': Energetic and outgoing Suzuna with ShrinkingViolet Sena. More obviously, foul-mouthed SociopathicHero Hiruma with Mamori the ProperLady.
84* ''Manga/FairyTail'': Gajeel and Levy are complete opposites of each other but they are the closest thing to being a couple among the main cast, since Erza and Jellal's situation is complicated.
85* The BL series ''Manga/{{FAKE}}'' is a BuddyCopShow about OddCouple Detectives [[TheIngenue Ryo]] and [[LovableSexManiac Dee]].
86* In ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'', you have Souke and Kaname. The former is a ChildSoldier with NoSocialSkills and while Kaname is a very social ''Tsundere''. The series explore their relationship as a solider protecting a VIP, evolving into full BodyguardCrush.
87* ''Manga/FruitsBasket'': Kyo, a hot-headed, tough, no manners, always-wants-to-fight boy, and Tohru, a girl who's very sweet and kind.
88* We can assume this happened in the backstory of ''Anime/GalileiDonna'': The Ferrari parents are the stern, orderly Sylvia and the kind hippie-like [[ButNotTooForeign Geshio]]. Of course, they're seperated by the time the story starts...
89* ''Manga/{{Given}}'' between Uenoyama, brash and a bit cocky, and Mafuyu, who's quiet and somewhat spacey.
90* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'':
91** The OfficialCouple of [[{{Keet}} cheerful]], [[TheDitz ditzy]] Italy and [[DrillSergeantNasty stern]], [[GermanicDepressives serious-minded]] Germany.
92** Also Italy's HotBlooded CoolBigSis Hungary and her ex-husband-but-still-love-interest, the straightlaced and even more stern than Germany Austria.
93* ''Manga/HighScoreGirl'' chronicles the budding romance between rich, attractive, athletic, incredibly talented and highly reserved Akira Oono, and lazy, bumbling, plain-looking, uncultured and gaming-addicted Haruo Yaguchi.
94* ''Manga/HisFavorite'': [[BeadyEyedLoser Yoshio]] [[{{Tsundere}} Yoshida]] and [[BrokenAce Takahiko]] [[{{Sadist}} Satou]] who, in spite of the latter's [[EstrogenBrigade female admirers]] trying to sabotage/harassed them every step of the way and the problems caused by their conflicting personalities, are the main couple in the series.
95* ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'':
96** At first glance, Kaguya and Shirogane appear to be BirdsOfAFeather, but as the series goes on it becomes apparent that they're NotSoSimilar. Their contrast is even a major plot point, since the entire reason they fell in love was they admired virtues in the other that they themselves lacked.
97** Osaragi is quiet and keeps to herself, the exact opposite of her boyfriend [[spoiler:[[LovableJock Kazeno]]. Of course, it's likely that she never had any interest in him to begin with and was only dating him [[RemovingTheRival so he wouldn't be a threat to Ishigami asking out Tsubame]]. Once that goal has been achieved, she promptly dumps him.]]
98* ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'' has Tomoe and Nanami. Their relationship includes RedOniBlueOni (Nanami is red and Tomoe is blue), BroodingBoyGentleGirl, and Nanami is an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent while Tomoe is a LittleBitBeastly [[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]].
99* In ''Manga/{{Kanamemo}}'', no chance is spared to show the loving bond between sparkly Yume and quiet Yuuki.
100* In ''Manga/KimagureOrangeRoad'', the relationship between Kyousuke and Madoka hits several notes for this trope. He is from the middle class while Madoka is a [[TheOjou Yamanote Girl]]. Madoka is incredibly [[TheAce talented in many respects]]; artistic, scholastic and athletic while Kyosuke is a RidiculouslyAverageGuy. Their relationship inverts the gender dynamic in the BroodingBoyGentleGirl with Madoka having the dark moods. Also they gender invert the MagicalGirlfriend trope; its Kyosuke who has supernatural powers but keeps Madoka in the dark about them.
101* ''Literature/KyouranKazokuNikki'' has this in its love triangle. [[SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl The serious and stoic Ouka is made to marry the lively and energetic Kyouka]]. This is contrasted with his other love interest, Shinigami, who is a BloodKnight compared to Ouka's ConsummateProfessional.
102* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' has TheStoic officer Chrono and his VictoriousChildhoodFriend, the [[GenkiGirl bubbly]] BridgeBunny Amy.
103* ''Manga/MedakaBox'': Zenkichi, a OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent with some determination but with a realistic perspective, and Medaka, TheAce who takes every action to ridiculous levels but mainly ForHappiness.
104* BoisterousBruiser ColonelKilgore Ramba Ral and quiet LadyOfWar Crowley Hamon in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam''. They're effectively a boyfriend/girlfriend varient on BrainsAndBrawn.
105* The OfficialCouple of ''Manga/MonkeyHigh'' -- Haruna is TheOjou and used to dealing with high-class folks (her father is a now-disgraced politician), while Macharu is TheFool and very much from working-class roots (his parents run a grocery store).
106* ''Manga/MyDressUpDarling'': The lively, cheerful and outgoing GyaruGirl Marin Kitagawa falls in love with the shy, meek and introverted GentleGiant Wakana Gojo who, while too timid and insecure to openly admit it, is very much attracted to her as well.
107* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': Loud,energetic,fun-loving extrovert Present Mic and gloomy, dour, introverted Eraserhead
108* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': Most of the {{Official Couple}}s, past and future, in the series fit this mold.
109** Hinata is attracted to Naruto, even though she's an [[JapanesePoliteness overly polite]] ShrinkingViolet with nil self-confidence and whose fighting style is [[LadyOfWar precise and accurate]], and he's a complete [[BrattyHalfPint rude, loud]], overly-optimistic IdiotHero whose fighting style is [[LeeroyJenkins unorthodox and full of surprises]]. Naruto eventually falls for her too. Interestingly, only in personality and fighting style do they embody this trope; overall, they more accurately fit BirdsOfAFeather.
110** Minato and Kushina, the former being [[NiceGuy a very nice and polite man]] and the latter being a HotBlooded {{Tomboy}}.
111** Shikamaru and Temari; [[BrilliantButLazy he's lazy, calm and prone to doubting himself]], while she's an aggressive ActionGirl.
112** [[BroodingBoyGentleGirl Sakura, the loud, brash healer from an ordinary family who starts the series quite weak loves the calm, broody Uchiha prodigy Sasuke]].
113** TheSocialExpert Ino with NoSocialSkills Sai.
114** Dog-lover Kiba starts dating cat-lover Tamaki.
115* The entire point of ''Manga/NegativeKunToPositiveKun'': Jun is pessimistic and somewhat cold, Shin is [[ThePollyanna optimistic and cheerful]], yet the two are a very happy couple.
116* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' subverts this trope with Asuka and Shinji's relationship. Superficially they seem to be complete opposites; he's a [[ExtremeDoormat severe]] ShrinkingViolet and she's a [[ArrogantKungFuGuy extreme]] {{Tsundere}}. But in the later episodes of the series it's revealed that they're ultimately two sides of the same coin; their behaviors both stem from severe abandonment issues and their [[NeverBeHurtAgain fears of being hurt by other people]], although they deal with it in completely different ways. While he runs away from others, she actively pushes them away. Ultimately, these differences in dealing with the same problem are what prevents them from bonding with each other, when they logically should've easily [[CommonalityConnection been able to connect with each other over their shared issues]]. This conflict is what leads to much of the drama in both the series and [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt especially]] TheMovie.
117* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'''s canon couple Haruhi and Tamaki. Haruhi is a DeadpanSnarker, and generally calm and collected when it comes to most things. Tamaki on the other hand is a {{Keet}}, exaggerated, and easily excitable.
118* ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'': In "Ghost: The Phantom of Daten City", Stocking has a romance with a very gross and ugly ghost.
119* ''Manga/TheQuintessentialQuintuplets'': Male lead Fuutarou Uesugi ends up falling for Yotsuba Nakano, the quintuplet who is the most opposite to him in almost everything. Fuutarou is a [[IntelligenceEqualsIsolation Straight-A student who is quite reserved]], [[NoSocialSkills socially awkward]] and physically weak, while Yotsuba is [[PassionateSportsGirl good at sports]] [[DumbJock but not so intelligent]], [[GenkiGirl as well as cheerful and extroverted]].
120* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'':
121** [[SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl Lively, ditzy, ignorant Usagi is with cool, calm, intelligent Mamoru]].
122** From the same series, [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl sporty tomboy Haruka is in a lesbian relationship with the cultured and elegant Michiru]].
123* Parodied in ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei''. The first episode plays romantic music when Nozomu first meets Kafuka, and text scrawls across the screen, "[[TheEeyore A man who is negative about everything]]; [[ThePollyanna a girl who is positive about everything]]; a meeting that never should have happened." This gets further parody in a later episode showing Nami's first meeting with Kiri, playing the same music and displaying the message "[[{{Delinquents}} A girl who refuses to come to school]]; [[{{hikikomori}} a girl who refuses to leave school]]; a meeting that never should have happened." The series end with [[spoiler:Nozomu and Kafuka pairing becomes canon because of this particular reason, even though Kafuka is [[DeadAllAlong six feet under before the series even started]].]]
124* ''Manga/SenseiWaKoiOOshierarenai'': Main couple Rinko and Arase are pretty much complete opposites. She's a SternTeacher and nerd. He's her lazy, laid-back, BookDumb student. Despite this they deeply love each other and have been dating since before the start of the series.
125* ''Manga/ShamanKing'': Yoh is a laid-back, lazy, kind and optimistic WideEyedIdealist, while Anna is a cold, business-minded, violent and demanding IceQueen. Despite the cruel treatments she reserves towards him and the two being together mostly because of an ArrangedMarriage, they actually [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage do love each other]] and [[spoiler: they are shown to be HappilyMarried in the extended ending.]]
126* ''Manga/SoulEater'': Stein and Marie definitely fit this trope. Stein is an eccentric, sadistic and twisted MadScientist, while Marie is a sweet, calm and gentle teacher. [[spoiler:In the final chapter, it's revealed Marie is pregnant with Stein's child, but she's worried because Stein is already planning to turn their child into his new guinea pig.]]
127* In ''Anime/StellviaOfTheUniverse'', the aloof and stoic Akira eventually starts dating the laid-back PluckyComicRelief Joey.
128* Considering they form a {{manzai}} duo this is inherent to the eventual romantic relationship between Koganei and Amasawa of ''Manga/TheWeathermanIsMyLover''.
129* The cynical, reserved Kousei and the optimist, energetic wild Kaori are SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl example from ''Manga/YourLieInApril''.
130[[/folder]]
131
132[[folder:Audio Plays]]
133* In ''AudioPlay/ThirtySixQuestions'', Jase is completely honest even when it's inconvenient for him, whereas Judith spent two years in a SnowballLie and still tried to lie when she finally got caught.
134[[/folder]]
135
136[[folder:Comic Books]]
137* ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'': The gruff, brooding, cynical Midnighter is HappilyMarried to kind, cheerful, optimistic Apollo. Even their costumes emphasize this trope: Apollo's is white with a gold sun emblem, while Midnighter's is black with a silver crescent moon.
138* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Batman [[DatingCatwoman and]] ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}: One is a stolid, no-nonsense upholder of the law, the other is a mischievous (but never malicious) lawbreaker. [[WunzaPlot They fight crime]] (sometimes, when she's not causing it herself).
139* ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'': {{Discussed}} by Tyldak and Kahvi in regards to her past relationship with Rayek. He thinks their differences in background (she's "ice", he's "fire") were the problem. Kahvi disagrees though, saying that differences make good sparks. It was his arrogance which she hated.
140* ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'': Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} and Brainiac-5. She's a warm, nice and friendly FlyingBrick. He's a super-intelligent, rude jerkass with non-existent social skills. Plus she's a believer and he's an atheist.
141* ''ComicBook/{{Persepolis}}'': Subverted. When Marjane returns to Iran in her late teens, she starts a relationship with Reza, who's her polar opposite in terms of personality, Marjane being outspoken and extroverted and Reza collected and introverted. Marjane initially thinks that this is why they complement each other so well, but after they get married their personalities increasingly clash until they decide to avoid each other.
142* ''ComicBook/{{Robin|1993}}'': Callie Evans an active and very vocally open about her life basketball player tomboy who is more than willing to get into fights dated nerdy Sebastian Ives who freezes up at confrontation and will go far out of his way to avoid it and keep secrets. They remained friends afterwards but were unable to make a lasting romantic relationship work.
143* ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'':
144** It paired quirky nerd Gert with dumb jock Chase, AllLovingHero Karolina with BloodKnight Xavin, and fearless Molly with shy Klara.
145** In ''ComicBook/Runaways2015'', troublemaker Jubilee grudgingly admits that she's attracted to rule-abiding Sanna. [[spoiler:It later turns out that the attraction is mutual, and they end up as a couple.]]
146* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
147** Would you ever believe the shy nerdy wallflower Peter Parker to end up married to the outgoing party girl ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson? Well it happened. Actually when MJ first saw Mr. Parker, she was going though her [[DarkandTroubledPast troubled home life]] and empathized with the lonely looking Peter. So they're similar after all.
148** ComicBook/{{Morbius}} and his fiancée Martine are this, both in appearance and personality. Morbius himself even wonders out loud how "an out and about society girl" could fall in love with "a morose scientist who can't stand the sun", saying even he doesn't have a hypothesis for that one.
149* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter and ComicBook/LoisLane, determined and outgoing reporter.
150* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'':
151** When their relationship began, ComicBook/{{Starfire}} and Robin (later ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}) were this: Robin was reserved and methodical to Starfire's passionate impulsiveness. As the trope often works in real life, they began to influence each other so that each acquired a level of the other's personality, to the point that their breakup ultimately had Nightwing making an impassioned plea for Starfire to stay and Starfire making the reasoned, logical choice to leave.
152** ComicBook/{{Raven}} and ComicBook/BeastBoy. One is an emotionally unstable daughter of a demon who has a tendency to sometimes turn evil and attack her friends quite frequently, one is a fun-loving, optimistic ManChild who can turn into just about any animal on the planet. Due to Raven's emotional issues and her desire not to harm people she cares about, the two are frequently on/off but always come back to one another due to Beast Boy refusing to take a hint. Prior to the New 52 reboot, Raven had recently made the decision not to ignore or suppress her feelings any longer and to embrace the future with Beast Boy. How they fared may never be known...
153* ''ComicBook/XMen'':
154** ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} and [[ComicBook/JeanGrey Phoenix]]. He's an emotionally withdrawn introvert [[CrazyPrepared control freak]] and she's [[strike:fire and life incarnate]] an outgoing redhead who reads minds. He draws the attentions of at least two other hot and extrovert telepaths, which suggests there's something interesting going on behind that facade...
155** Cyclops' second major love interest, Emma Frost, also qualifies. One's a [[TheStoic stoic]] [[StandardizedLeader born leader]] who grew up in an orphanage, the other's a wealthy, snarky seductress trying to atone for her past villainous deeds.
156** ComicBook/{{Gambit}} and ComicBook/{{Rogue}}: he's a dashing kinda powerful ex-theif who blows things up by [[HavingABlast touching them]], she's an introvert extremely powerful ex-villain who absorbs people's powers by [[PowerParasite touching them]]. They're currently the only X-Men to be HappilyMarried. Though when you think about it, Rogue and Gambit are kinda similar. Both have brown hair, both worked for Super Villains (Mystique and Mr Sinister respectively) before defecting to the X-Men and both their powers relate to touching things. Their personalities are distinct enough for this trope to work, but the couple are more alike than they know.
157[[/folder]]
158
159[[folder:Comic Strips]]
160* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' features Peppermint Patty and Marcy. Peppermint Patty is extroverted and athletic but BookDumb. Marcie is introverted and intellectual and not at all into sports. They develop a symbiotic relationship, with Peppermint Patty protecting Marcie from bullies and Marcie helping Peppermint Patty with her studies.
161[[/folder]]
162
163[[folder:Fan Works]]
164* ''Fanfic/TheAccidentalWarlordAndHisPack'': Gweld is sweet, easy-going and playful, often compared to a puppy, while the love of his life is the stabby stand-offish Seritt. She loves him too, but takes longer to come to terms with her feelings.
165* ''Fanfic/TheDragonAndTheButterfly'': While Bruno is characterized as a meek, superstitious, soft-spoken men with NoSocialSkills, his girlfriend-turned-fiance [[OriginalCharacter Valentina]] is a well-traveled party girl with a tough exterior and a twisted sense of humor. While Alma disapproves of their relationship under the belief that Bruno should be with a ProperLady, Valentina has lived her whole life around {{Dumb Jock}}s and [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan finds Bruno's attentive and sensitive personality a breath of fresh air]].
166* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'': Like in canon, [[{{Keet}} Italy]] is the opposite of [[TheStoic Japan]]. However, despite their opposite personalities, they have [[BirdsOfAFeather a lot in common]] too.
167-->''"You're so kind and warm inside that cold and calculating exterior of yours. Although it may not seem like it, we have quite a bit in common. It's nice how we can bond over literature, anime, manga, fencing, food, cats, art...and so much more. Despite not seeming like it, my heart beats fast around you." He gave a fond smile. "I can't help but love that about you Kiku."''
168* In ''Fanfic/TheDragonThatWillPierceTheHeavens'', the main trio of Luffy, Hikari and Zoro are this in every configuration you split them into. Luffy is very cheerful and tactile, while Zoro is reserved and standoffish; Hikari is mature and selflessly maternal, wanting to save everyone, while Luffy is childish and can be very selfish except when it comes to saving friends; Zoro is calm and laidback for the most part, while Hikari is more driven and snappy when their crew does stupid things.
169* ''Webcomic/{{Guardian}}'' portrays Lulu's romance with PosthumousCharacter Chappu as this--while she is a serious and somewhat cynical teen, he's fun and goofy and acts more his age.
170* Near the end of ''[[http://cartoon.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600095039&chapter=4 How I Learned to Love the Wild Horse]]'', {{Tomboy}} BadassBiker Donna hooks up with nerdy Arnold after the two bond over a love of anime.
171* In ''Fanfic/MyHuntsmanAcademia'', Yang and Izuku are opposites in almost every way imaginable. Izuku is shy and lacking in confidence due to his Broken background, growing up an only child with only his ordinary mother for company because he father is always working overseas. He's extremely driven to achieve his goal of becoming an amazing Huntsman who saves others, but is inexperienced and lagging behind his peers when he comes into Beacon. Yang is proud of both her abilities and her appearance, growing up with her father, a prestigious Huntsman, and her half-sister Ruby because Raven Branwen and Summer Rose both mysteriously vanished when they were young. Yang is much more relaxed and happy to party but lacks a driving goal or dream in her life, being content to simply help her loved ones achieves theirs. They end up becoming close friends [[spoiler:and later start dating]].
172* ''Fanfic/TheStoryOfApolloDaphneAndLucaAnItalianTragedy'': Luca Paguro and Alberto Scorfano. Luca is [[ShrinkingViolet shy and soft-spoken]] while [[HotBlooded Alberto]] is energetic and outspoken. They're madly in love with each other.
173* Ryuko and Mako in ''Fanfic/NaturalSelection''. Ryuko is a foul-mouthed, crude, moody, bloodthirsty tyrant who descends from the wealthiest, most powerful family on the planet, while Mako is a loving, cheerful, passive girl who lived in the slums most of her life. Needless to say, they are as opposite as you can get, but they're clearly shown to love each other all the same.
174* ''Webcomic/NaruHinaChronicles'': Aside from having the same canon ''Naruto'' couples from above (with the exceptions of Ino/Sai and Kiba/Tamaki), there's also Gaara and Matsuri. The former has a serious personality and almost always speaks while showing little to no emotion. By contrast, the latter is more cheerful and able to show more emotions.
175* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'' has Sanakan and Hugh. She's a HotBlooded [[TheCynic cynic]] while he's a mute [[TheIdealist idealist]]. This is reinforced in the FourTemperamentEnsemble, with Sanakan as the choleric and Hugh as the phlegmatic respectively. The result? PuppyLove!
176* ''Fanfic/RainbowBriteAndTheWarOfDarkness'': Lord Dark (better known as [[spoiler:the King of Shadows]]) and Lady Brite are mates despite being polar opposites. One is the embodiment of darkness and the other is the embodiment of light, yet they explicitly can't exist without one another.
177* ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'' has, aside from the canon ''Naruto'' couples above, Fu the Nanabi jinchuriki and Shino Aburame. The former is an excitable GenkiGirl with a penchant for playing dumb to get a kick out of people, while the latter is TheStoic and has a rational and analytical mind.
178* ''Fanfic/AnInsecureViolet'' has the [[EndearinglyDorky awkward]], [[NiceGuy but kind and friendly]] Izuku and the [[TheSnarkKnight aloof, snarky]], and [[{{Tomboy}} tomboyish]] Kyoka fall in love with each other. It's their own opposing traits that make them attracted to one another; it also helps that they have [[BirdsOfAFeather similar goals as to why they want to become heroes]]. The author even says that their own personalities write their relationship itself.
179* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'':
180** ''Fanfic/TotalDramaLegends'': Sanders, a respectful ByTheBookCop, develops feelings for Duncan, a troublemaking delinquent who just recently got out of jail. Duncan begins to feel the same way for her, but tries to deny it partially because of their different statuses of cadet and felon. Eventually, the two get together after [[spoiler: Gwen gets herself eliminated convincing Duncan to stop denying his own feelings]].
181** ''Fanfic/UnbreakableRedSilkenThread'': Cody and Heather. Though it takes years for the attraction to form, it does eventually occur. Jasmine and Sammy also fit this as well to a lesser extent.
182* ''Fanfic/TwiceUponAnAge'': ''All This Sh*t is Twice as Weird'' has Mahanon and Cassandra, who are arguably as different as they could be. He's an elf hunter who grew up in the woods, reveres the Dalish pantheon, and usually has a snarky comeback. She's a human noblewoman who devotedly serves the Maker and is often extremely serious. They are nevertheless very well suited for each other.
183* ''Fanfic/TheManyDatesOfDannyFenton'':
184** Two of WesternAnimation/{{Danny|Phantom}}'s dates are the polar opposite of him in different ways, but are potential girlfriends.
185*** [[WesternAnimation/MartinMystery Diana Lombard]] is a 16 year old girl who is mature and an intellectual, while Danny is a 14 year old who is more laidback and easy going.
186*** [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheGhoulSchool Phantasma]] is a full-ghost who is energetic, wild and expressive, while Danny is a more reserved and down to Earth half-ghost.
187** Outside of this, [[Franchise/SailorMoon Ami Mizuno, aka Sailor Mercury]], is shown to have feelings towards [[Franchise/Ben10 Ben Tennyson]] after their blind date. Ami is a reserved, smart and mature girl while Ben is an emotional, impulsive and immature boy.
188* ''Fanfic/AHerosWrath'': There is a sense of {{irony}} in the idea that Izuku Midorya -- who has a hereditary affinity to Wrath Mantra --eventually starts dating [[spoiler:Nejire Hado, a girl who is later revealed to be attuned to Lust Mantra.]]
189* Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe from ''Fanfic/TheUntoldTale''. Luo Binghe is a passionate half-demon wearing dark and red, Shen Yuan is a composed celestial albino dressed in white and blue. WordOfGod explicitely wants to explore the trope.
190* A lot of the primary ships in ''[[https://incorrectsmashbrosquotes.tumblr.com/ Incorrect Smash Bros Quotes]]'' are this.
191** The most obvious is Galeem and Dharkon. Not only are they literally the embodiments of light and darkness respectively, they have polar opposite personalities; Galeem is a dangerously competent DeadpanSnarker and {{Jerkass}}, while Dharkon is a friendly, [[TheDitz ditzy]] {{Keet}}.
192** [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing Isabelle]] is sweet, friendly, and always eager to help others. [[Franchise/StarFox Wolf]] is a brooding and violent mercenary. [[BroodingBoyGentleGirl They're in a relationship, and a rather happy one at that]].
193* ''Fanfic/AlwaysYou'': Strange Aeons is a self proclaimed "creature" who makes meme videos and has an eccentric, alternative taste in fashion and pop-culture, while Abby Classic is a "classic woman" who dresses in and preaches about conservative fashion and holds panels featuring other Christian content creators. This is a fic about the two of them falling in love, with Strange in particular being drawn to Abby for reasons even she can't explain.
194[[/folder]]
195
196[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
197* Milo Thatch and Princess Kida from ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire''. She's a TomboyPrincess, he's a cute nerd.
198* La Muerte and Xibalba from ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife''. She's a kind, loving Goddess made of sweet candy and he's a cheating, gambling God who's made out of everything icky.
199* ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'': King Fergus and Queen Elinor. Fergus is your typical [[BoisterousBruiser boisterous]] FieryRedhead while Elinor is the graceful, {{proper|Lady}} [[TheHighQueen queen]]. Their dynamic is one reason why the kingdom stays together: he's the man-of-action and natural leader in wartime, she's the natural diplomat who can calm feuding factions in peacetime.
200* ''WesternAnimation/TheCurseOfTheWereRabbit'': Victor Quartermaine is courting Lady Tottington even though he is an avid hunter and she is an animal lover. Subverted when it's revealed he's only interested [[GoldDigger in her wealth.]]
201* ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' has the laidback and introverted Kristoff with the energetic and sociable Anna.
202* ''Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon'' plays with this with Hiccup and Astrid. Astrid is TheAce who takes her job very seriously, while Hiccup's skill and physique borders on a physical disability [[spoiler: (and he eventually gets an actual one, as well)]] and he constantly shirks his duties to fellow DeadpanSnarker Gobber. However it becomes clear that they are both passionate, driven individuals who desperately want to groom themselves to fulfill a greater purpose and help people.
203* Mulan and Shang in ''WesternAnimation/MulanII''. She's a rebellious, free-spirited warrior and he's a stern, no-nonsense captian. Throughout the sequel, their differences (coupled with Mushu trying to break them up) nearly ruin their engagement, but they manage to find the balance necessary to make it work.
204* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' has Tiana and Naveen. She's a {{Workaholic}}, no-nonsense waitress and he's a fun-loving, lazy prince.
205* ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'' gives us the jaded, worldly-wise thief Flynn Rider and the spirited, innocent princess Rapunzel.
206* ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' has Captain Amelia and Dr. Doppler. She's a tough-as-nails ActionGirl, he's a bookish scientist, not to mention they're basically an anthropomorphic cat and dog, respectively. The two grow closer throughout the movie, and by the end they even have several kids.
207* ''WesternAnimation/WallE'' has TheWoobie WALL•E and ActionGirl EVE. They provide the page image.
208* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'': Roger and Jessica Rabbit. He's an energetic and goofy rabbit, she's a sexy and glamorous woman. They are married and couldn't be happier. Why?
209-->'''Jessica Rabbit:''' [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan He makes me laugh.]]
210* ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'': Felix and Calhoun. She's a Statuesque Stunner, he's half her height at best. She's a hardcore badass, he's an "aww shucks" kind of guy.
211[[/folder]]
212
213[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
214* OddCouple Steed and Mrs. Peel in ''Film/{{The Avengers|1998}}'': he follows the rules, she doesn't. He admits that she's "just my type".
215* ''Film/Charly2002'': Charly Riley is a carefree art student from New York City who falls in love with Sam Roberts, an uptight computer science major from Utah.
216* ''Film/{{Clara}}'': Isaac and Clara are very much opposites in their outlook on life. He's bitter, she's optimistic. He's an atheist who doesn't believe there's meaning to the universe, she's spiritual and does. Nonetheless, they fall for each other working together and get into a relationship.
217* ''Film/CorkyRomano'': Corky, an extremely quirky but nice man who's often smiling ends up married to Kate Russo, a very staid, serious FBI agent who initially doesn't express much emotion (he grows on her).
218* ''Film/CrazyBeautiful'': Carlos is an ambitious student and football star from East L.A. Nicole is a free-spirited, rebellious white girl from Malibu.
219* ''Film/Deadpool2'' reveals that Negasonic Teenage Warhead, an EmoTeen with a boyish buzz cut, is dating Yukio, [[TheCutie who is so cute it practically hurts]].
220* Rough and tough, working-class, Mike Hagen, and high-society, prim, Mirella Brown in the film, ''Film/DesigningWoman''.
221* ''Film/EloisesLover'': Àsia has pale skin, a more conventional feminine style, is shier, somewhat reserved and outwardly friendly from the start. Eloïse has olive skin, a more tomboyish, slightly grungy look, she's bolder, freespirited and at first doesn't look very friendly as her peers shun her as a weirdo.
222* ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'': Giselle the cheery optimist, and Robert the sarcastic pessimist.
223* ''Film/TheGreatRace''. The Great Leslie -- charming male chauvinist. Maggie [=DuBois=] -- militant women's libber. How can they '''not''' fall in love?
224* ''Film/{{IQ|1994}}'': Zig-Zagged. Catherine is a mathematician and doctoral student at Princeton while Ed is a mechanic who barely passed high school. However, while Ed may be BookDumb he is intelligent and quick witted.
225* Claire and Owen in ''Film/JurassicWorld''. Before the events of the film, they didn't go on a second date because they were too different (he showed up in [[SlobsVsSnobs board shorts]], she showed up [[ControlFreak with an itinerary]]).
226* ''Film/LoveAtFirstSight2023'': The narrator wastes no time establishing that Oliver and Hadley are very different — he's organized, hates surprises, and obsessed with using data to rationalize the world around him; she's a little scatterbrained and prone to leaving things behind. His phone is nearly always fully charged; her phone is always dying. And yet, as she cheekily informs the audience, they're going to fall in love.
227* ''Film/OnChesilBeach'': Edward is from a rural, working-class background. He is also a fan of rock & roll music, which classical violinist Florence is not as enthusiastic about. Though both of them are university graduates, Florence comes from a more well-off background, with her father owning a business and her mother teaching at Oxford.
228* ''Film/PerformanceAnxiety'': Peter - the neat freak accountant -- and his boyfriend, Jeff, who is a messy, hippy musician.
229* ''Film/RoomInRome'': Alba is a bold, somewhat {{butch lesbian}} who's experienced with women, who's shorter while having olive skin and short dark brown hair. Natasha is a shier, very feminine woman who says she'd never slept with women until Alba, while she's very tall with pale skin and fairly long blonde hair. They fall passionately for each other and have an intense one night stand.
230* No-nonsense Captain von Trapp and cheerful Maria in ''Film/TheSoundOfMusic''.
231* ''Film/TheSunIsAlsoAStar'': Daniel and Natasha have this in many ways. He is more likely to go with his feelings, and also believes in things like fate. She is more intellectual, disbelieving in that idea because there isn't scientific evidence of it. Even so, she's charmed by him and his bet that he can make her fall for him within an hour actually works.
232* ''Film/SweetSweetLonelyGirl'': Sweet, shy pale-skinned blonde Adele is attracted to bold, confident Beth who's a brunette with olive skin, reciprocating her attraction.
233* ''Film/{{Upgrade}}'' (2018): Grey Trace - a techno-phobic vintage automechanic - is happily married to HighPoweredCareerWoman Asha, a cybernetics exec. As the film is set in the near-future, playful clashes over automation and AI tech are a running part of their day-to-day; Grey even suggests making a pizza from scratch for fun over Asha's casual notion of ordering/3D-printing one.
234* ''Film/WomanOfTheYear'' (1942) is about the marriage between brainy, patrician political analyst Tess and salt-of-the-earth sportswriter Sam. The trope is {{deconstructed}} by showing the realistic challenges of a marriage between two people with such great differences.
235[[/folder]]
236
237[[folder:Literature]]
238%%* Nico di Angelo and Will Solace. Death and healing, dark and light, introvert and extrovert.
239* ''Literature/The39Clues''. Ian is a mega-rich, [[EvilBrit an Evil Brit]], and a MommasBoy. Amy is a ShrinkingViolet, [[TheSmartGuy pretty smart]], poor, and [[HeartwarmingOrphan an orphan]]. She apparently always found him attractive, but [[ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe when he actually started flirting with her]], it was, of course, [[IWasOnlyPretendingToLikeYou a trick]]. And then came [[UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo a whole new]] [[MyBelovedSmother set of complications]].
240* One of the major themes of ''Film/TheAccidentalTourist'', and the trope is invoked In-Universe by Sarah in the book, who says that Macon and Muriel will be one of those couples at a party whom no one can figure out why they're together. Macon is briefly distracted by this thought, having had those thoughts about others and now was a living example.
241* ''Literature/AiNoKusabi'' has this as a plot point of why the [[TheBeautifulElite highest of the high]] would want to be with the [[WrongSideOfTheTracks lowest of the low]].
242* Kenneth Oppel's ''Literature/{{Airborn}}'' series has Matt Cruse, poor cabin boy, and Kate de Vries, rich wanna-be scientist... cue angsting about how they [[StarCrossedLovers can never be together...]]
243* ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'':
244** Mary Anne's father and Dawn's mother are a textbook example.
245** Shy and quiet Mary Anne paired with jockish and outgoing Logan.
246* Alan E. Nourse's ''The Compleat Consummators'' took this to a horrifying conclusion with a couple whose differing interests and personalities meshed so well that they ended up as a sort of composite creature:
247-->''"After It had jelled for awhile, It got up from the sofa and went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee."''
248* Ignatius J. Reilly and Myrna Minkoff of ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces''. Him: fat, stentorian (if hypocritical) in his morality, obsessed with chastity, an archconservative--nay, reactionary!--who believes Western civilization took a wrong turn at the Renaissance and longs for an authoritarian king and authoritarian Catholic Church. Her: thin, stentorian in her love of sex, believing that [[SexIsGood the world in general]] and [[YouNeedToGetLaid Ignatius in particular]] is perfectible through sex, an archliberal--nay, radical!--who believes in revolutionary socialism and racial (and gender) equality, and who long ago abandoned her ancestral Judaism for--something. It isn't clear what (other than sex). They engage in a fevered exchange of letters that has all readers firmly convinced that they are in fact almost exactly the same despite appearances and perfect for each other. [[spoiler:By the end of the novel, Ignatius has agreed to go to New York with Myrna.]]
249* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
250** Captains Carrot Ironfounderson and Angua von Uberwald are on opposite ends of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. He inspires her to fight injustice, she reminds him not to set his expectations too high.
251** Similarly, in ''Literature/InterestingTimes'', it's strongly suggested that WideEyedIdealist Twoflower's daughter Pretty Butterfly inherited her Rincewindian view of the world from her late mother.
252** Parodied with Nobby (grotesque and cynical petty thief watchman) and Tawnee (stunningly beautiful and jawdroppingly naive exotic dancer) in ''Literature/{{Thud}}''. When Nobby says Tawnee thinks they're "two halves of the same soul", Sergeant Colon thinks about this for a moment and concludes "Yeah. Not the same stuff in each half, obviously. Sort of... sieved." [[spoiler: They split up when Tawnee realises she has options and Nobby realises she can't cook.]]
253* [[TheDitz Razz]] and [[AcademicAthlete Sally]] in ''Literature/DontCallMeIshmael''. They do have some common interests (for example [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball football]]), but she is down-to-earth, very studious, intelligent and calm. [[MotorMouth Razz]]... is not.
254* ''Literature/{{Dragonvarld}}'': Melisande and her lover Bellona, extending to many things. The former is a pale-skinned blonde priestess with magic who's a more sensitive, physically softer and open-hearted woman. Bellona meanwhile is a black-haired, brown-skinned, {{muggle}} lay warrior women, while she keeps closed off to other people emotionally (aside from Melisande). She's also hard-edged and muscular.
255* In ''Literature/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShi'', Wei Wuxian is a MotorMouth smartass and troublemaker, while Lan Wangji is TheQuietOne, stoic, proper, and unfailingly adhering to the rules. They wind up HappilyMarried.
256* Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker in ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby''. He WillNotTellALie; she's a ConsummateLiar.
257* ''Literature/HaniAndIshusGuideToFakeDating'': Hani and Ishu are very much opposites in many ways. Hani is a Muslim, Ishu an atheist. Hani has long hair, Ishu short hair. Hani likes feminine things, Ishu doesn't. Hani is social, Ishu happily keeps to herself. Hani suffers from self-doubt, Ishu is confident of herself. Despite this, they fall for each other over time.
258* Ron and Hermione of ''Literature/HarryPotter'''s PowerTrio: she's uptight, smart, logical and CrazyPrepared, while he's more laid back, driven by emotion and acts on instinct. This one is particularly notorious for the fierce ShipToShipCombat that surrounded it, and for [[WordOfGod the author's somber look back on it years after the fact]].
259-->'''Rowling:''' I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfillment. That's how it was conceived, really. For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione with Ron. [...] I know, I'm sorry, I can hear the rage and fury it might cause some fans, but if I'm absolutely honest, distance has given me perspective on that. It was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility. Am I breaking people's hearts by saying this? I hope not. [...] It was a young relationship. I think the attraction itself is plausible but the combative side of it... I'm not sure you could have got over that in an adult relationship, there was too much fundamental incompatibility. I can't believe we are saying all of this -- this is Potter heresy! [..] Oh, maybe she and Ron will be all right with a bit of counseling, you know. I wonder what happens at wizard marriage counseling? They'll probably be fine. He needs to work on his self-esteem issues and she needs to work on being a little less critical.
260* ''Literature/TheHungerGames'': [[spoiler: Katniss and Peeta]], at least by the end of ''Mockingjay''.
261* ''Literature/InDeath'': Eve has pointed out that Roarke and her have this between them, like in ''Divided In Death''. She is a cop who is crude, rude, not interested in money, believes in the law, and has morals that are basically black and white. He is a former thief who is suave, charming, has more money than you can imagine, believe more in his conscience than in the law, and his morals are very much grey. Fortunately, one thing they do have in common is that they both were raised by bad parents and had lousy childhoods.
262* Brainy ambitious women regularly find Creator/PGWodehouse's UpperClassTwit Bertie Wooster from ''Literature/JeevesAndWooster'' romantically irresistible.
263* ''Literature/AMasterOfDjinn'': Fatma is fairly reserved and more reticent with her emotions, while having a very masculine clothing style (she likes wearing fine Western men's suits). Siti, her girlfriend, loves to wear beautiful dresses, with a playful, much more emotive personality (often teasing Fatma about things). The pair are both [[ActionGirl skilled fighters]], but Fatma does this only when necessary whereas Siti is [[BloodKnight eager for fighting]]. Fatma is a Muslim, while Siti worships the ancient Egyptian god Hathor/Sekhmet.
264* The main couples of Minoru Kawakami's light novels are usually like this, due to AuthorAppeal:
265** Mikoto Sayama and Sadagiri Shinjou from ''Literature/TheEndingChronicle''. He's an arrogant, eccentric self-proclaimed villain who thinks he's the center of the universe and she's a sensitive, insecure and modest NiceGirl. It gets lampshaded constantly with both outright calling themselves opposites and loving each other for it.
266** ''Literature/HorizonInTheMiddleOfNowhere'' has the overly energetic and carefree Tori and the {{emotionless|Girl}} and analytical RobotGirl Horizon Ariadust.
267* Victor Hugo discusses this trope in ''Literature/LesMiserables'', in reference to [[SourSupporter Grantaire]]'s devotion to [[WideEyedIdealist Enjolras]].
268-->A sceptic who adheres to a believer is as simple as the law of complementary colors. That which we lack attracts us. No one loves the light like the blind man. The dwarf adores the drum-major. The toad always has his eyes fixed on heaven. Why? In order to watch the bird in its flight. Grantaire, in whom writhed doubt, loved to watch faith soar in Enjolras. He had need of Enjolras.
269* ''Literature/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'' has the introverted, somewhat cynical Mahiro and the bubbly, [[GenkiGirl energetic]], outgoing Nyarko, fitting just about perfectly with the standard ManicPixieDreamGirl and/or UptightLovesWild plots.
270* ''Literature/OfFireAndStars'': GirlyGirl Dennaleia and Tomboy Mare become attracted to each other.
271* Ben and Lacey in ''Literature/PaperTowns''. Excitable geek who is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, dating a SpoiledSweet LovableAlphaBitch? Believe it or not, they're not just dating, but incredibly happy together.
272* Percy and Annabeth in ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians''. While Percy isn't dumb, his academic success isn't all that great. Annabeth is a child of Athena, and very intelligent. Percy is a powerhouse in battle, while Annabeth uses her intellect and magical relics. And while Percy is quite sassy, most of it is in the narration. Annabeth has no such reservations.
273* ''Literature/TheQueenOfIeflaria'': Blonde Esofi is a dutiful and pious princess who's very straitlaced. Brunette Adale is a skeptical hedonist who cares nothing about convention. Nonetheless, they bond and fall for each other.
274* ''Literature/ReaperIvanNavi'' has a rather extreme example: Life and Death are a married couple despite being as opposite as anyone could be. They do have some disagreements but are a loving and caring couple who truly care about one another.
275* ''Literature/SanAmaroInvestigations'': Protagonists Nick and Parker. Nick is an upper class alchemist from a powerful family and a ByTheBookCop; Parker is a working class PI raised in the foster care system by a witch foster mother and is a displaced fae. Despite significant differences in temperament and personality, they do love each other a lot and welcome the changes the other brings to their life. [[spoiler:In book 5, a man is sent specifically to seduce Nick, who is like him in all ways (same interests, social status, social circles, etc), which not only is uninteresting to Nick, Nick actually finds him to be a bit annoying despite Parker's spikes in jealousy.]]
276* This seems to be the driving force behind Zavahl's and Ailie's relationship in the ''Literature/{{Shadowleague}}'' books- he has the personality of a bad rainstorm, whereas she is never seen to frown.
277* ShipTease aside, it may as well be Zelgadis the cynical, weary, brooding chimera paired with Amelia the optimistic, innocent, and plucky princess from ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'', with hints of BroodingBoyGentleGirl peppered in there. In the novels, there is also the hot-headed, driven Luke with the snarky, calm Millina (in this case, this is AllLoveIsUnrequited).
278* In ''Literature/TheSouthernReachTrilogy'', the biologist and her husband became a couple because she thought he was energetic and alive while he thought she was mysterious. As they got to know each other after marriage, their relationship hit the rocks... Turns out he's overbearing and she's withdrawn.
279%%* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'': Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade. Mara even ''says'' it, for crying out loud!
280* ''Literature/SweetAndBitterMagic'': Tamsin and Wren are very much opposites in many ways. Physically, Tamsin is a brunette with brown eyes, and Wren a green-eyed redhead. Tamsin is a powerful witch cursed so she can't love, Wren a source of magic who's unable to use it herself who has cared for her father as a result of her deep love for him over many years. Despite this, they fall for each other over time.
281* ''Literature/TellMeHowYouReallyFeel'': Sana and Rachel are opposites in a lot of ways. The former is easygoing, friendly, has a very feminine style, comes from a wealthy family and the most religious Muslim of her relatives. Rachel is a terror to all the people working with her, keeps people at a distance, a tomboy, has a poorer lifestyle along with her father and only attends synagogue on the High Holy Days. Nonetheless, they fall for each other.
282%%* In Creator/MichaelFlynn's ''[[Literature/SpiralArm Up Jim River]]'', Greystroke says that he and Bridget have this.
283* Courtney Milan's ''Unclaimed'' is a Victorian-set historical romance between a [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold courtesan]] and a Christian moralist who has written a treatise on chastity. It ''sounds'' like a case of UptightLovesWild, but the moralist has much more of a quirky and mischievous sense of humor than one would expect and the courtesan is rather emotionally repressed.
284* From ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', Mat is a Farmboy turned FourStarBadass raised in an {{Arcadia}}, Tuon is an [[TheEmpire Empress]] and Chessmaster who was raised in a DecadentCourt. They're married.
285* DiscussedTrope in the novel ''Literature/YouthInSexualEcstasy'', the [[CharacterFilibuster sexual therapist]] actually says that for a couple to succeed in the long term, they must have opposite temperaments alongside with similar lifestyles and independent realization. The protagonist and his fiancee agree on this being the case for them.
286[[/folder]]
287
288[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
289* Penny and Leonard on ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' are such an extreme example as to nearly defy belief. Leonard is a bespectacled, hopeless nerd with a Ph.D in Physics and alarmingly subpar social skills (which suddenly appear impressive when compared with those of the people he hangs out with); Penny is an attractive aspiring actress who works as a waitress in the nearby Cheesecake Factory and never finished college. Lots of LampshadeHanging on this one.
290-->'''Leonard:''' Are you even listening to me?\
291'''Sheldon:''' Yes. "Blah blah, hopeless Penny delusion, blah blah."
292* ''Series/BobHeartsAbishola'': Bob is an obese, Caucasian, American, nonreligious, wisecracking CEO. Abishola is a trim, black, Nigerian, Christian, [[TheComicallySerious comically serious]] nurse. They are both aware of their lack of compatibility, with Bob saying that their relationship makes as much sense as having ice cream for breakfast, but as long as they're both happy, why should it matter?
293* ''Series/{{Bones}}'':
294** The coldly intelligent, scientific, atheist, hyper-rational titular character and her partner the FBI agent -- religious, more emotional, more of a people person. Clearly they complement each other, but each also finds the other fascinating and attractive. Both lampshaded and subverted on the show; Sweets wrote an essay about Booth and Brennan's relationship dynamic called "Opposites Attract", which Gordon Gordon punctured by calmly stating that Booth and Brennan were complementary, not opposites.
295** Angela and Hodgins probably count too. She’s an attractive, outgoing, free spirited artist who wasn’t very well off before coming to work at the lab and Hodgins is a geeky, rather plain scientist who was super rich when they married.
296* ''Franchise/{{Buffyverse}}'':
297** ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' is built on this. [[AlphaBitch Cordelia]] and Xander, [[CuteWitch Willow]] and [[TheStoic Oz]], [[BritishStuffiness Giles]] and [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Jenny]], [[ParentalSubstitute Giles]] and [[YourMom Joyce]], [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight Buffy]] and [[LawfulGood Riley]], [[DatingCatwoman Buffy and Spike]], [[NiceGuy William]] and Drusilia, [[ReallyGetsAround Faith]] and [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Wood]], and there's likely several others unmentioned.
298** ''Series/{{Angel}}'' has many examples: [[TheBigGuy Gunn]] and [[LovableNerd Fred]], [[SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl Cordelia and Angel]], [[BadassBookworm Wesley]] and [[IronLady Lilah]], [[ByronicHero Angel]] and [[TheBaroness Darla]], [[LovableAlphaBitch Cordelia]] and [[DoggedNiceGuy Groo]], and [[TheFashionista Cordelia]] and Doyle.
299* Sam and Diane of ''Series/{{Cheers}}'', practically archetypes of the MarsAndVenusGenderContrast.
300* ''Series/ConversationsWithFriends'': Shy, reserved Frances dated bold, outspoken Bobbi. It's perhaps deconstructed because they stopped dating and became simply best friends instead. [[spoiler:They get back together later though.]]
301* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': City boy Danny Messer and country girl wife Lindsay "Montana" Messer. (She's still tough in her own right, though.)
302%%* Practically every couple on ''Series/DawsonsCreek''.
303%%* ''Franchise/{{Degrassi}}'' has done this for just about every pairing and friendship it can. It'd be faster to list the exceptions.
304* The show ''Series/DharmaAndGreg'' revolves around this trope. Dharma is a free-spirited, tolerant, and ditzy flower child. While Greg is an upright, conservative, somewhat uptight lawyer. Despite the fact that they have virtually nothing in common they got married on their first date.
305* ''Series/DocMartin'': Martin and Louisa basically cover every trope in this section at some point.
306* Ultra-conservative Alex P. Keaton from ''Series/FamilyTies'' finds himself attracted to women who are the ideological opposite of him - while his best friend, Skippy, is the intellectual opposite of him.
307* ActionGirl Aeryn Sun of ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', for some reason, finds herself falling for PluckyComicRelief who alternates between TheKirk and TheMcCoy in the form of John Crichton. Though he's pretty well helpless in a real battle, she does end up training him up almost to BadassBookworm levels. And while she does thaw a bit from her IceQueen demeanor, he just gets more and more extroverted as he slowly goes crazier.
308* ''{{Series/Firefly}}'':
309** ActionGirl[=/=]AmazonianBeauty Zoe is married to NonActionGuy[=/=]AcePilot Wash.
310** Simon and Kaylee although it doesn’t start til TheMovie. He’s a upper class core boy from a rich family before he left it behind, and Kaylee is a geeky outer rim girl with not much money or formal education.
311* ''Series/ForThePeople'':
312** Kate and Anya. They're almost complete opposites in both their looks and personality. Kate is a very uptight attorney who always dresses in business attire but also has short hair. Anya's a more loose ATF agent who is usually in casual wear and has long hair.
313** It ends up happening for [[spoiler: Roger and Jill]] despite their opposite political views (not to mention being on opposite sides of the prosecutor[=/=]defender divide).
314* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': The Starks and Baratheons have almost nothing in common. Robert Baratheon (oldest son, groomed for command, irresponsible leader) is best buds with Ned Stark (younger son, groomed as a soldier, responsible leader). Both get arranged marriages. Ned's works, Rob's... doesn't. The Baratheons hate each other, but the Starks love each other. They're still almost allies until Renly dies. This dynamic even carries over to Arya and Gendry. They'd both rather have the opposite life of what they have at the start, and end up backing each other up. And while Arya is uncompromising in pursuing her dream, Gendry is willing to take what breaks he can get.
315* ''Series/{{Glee}}'' has the ditzy, goofy but sweet Brittany paired with the bitchy, sarcastic Santana.
316* ''Series/GoodOmens2019'':
317** Aziraphale, an angel [[OurAngelsAreDifferent (who’s a little bit bad)]] and Crowley, a demon [[OurDemonsAreDifferent (who’s a little bit good)]], who develop quite a bit of a [[ForbiddenLove forbidden romance]] over the course of six thousand years. Aziraphale is the kind of immortal that is stuffy and stuck in the past, in addition to his generally friendly demeanor, whereas Crowley is constantly changing, always modernizing, and more abrasive on the surface. Aziraphale’s bookshop is cluttered with books and knickknacks everywhere you look, while Crowley’s flat is barren (which serves to contrast Heaven’s barrenness and Hell’s overcrowding problem, respectively). That said, both vastly prefer Earth and humanity’s offerings to what Heaven and Hell provide, both are somewhat morally gray, and neither are exactly what their head offices want them to be. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, while Crowley is much more cynical of said head offices and more inclined to run away from problems, Aziraphale is more trusting of them and more likely to face problems head-on, which ultimately forces them to separate at the end of season 2 when Aziraphale returns to take charge of Heaven.]]
318** Humans Maggie and Nina from series 2. Nina is a grouchy, no-nonsense cynic, coffee shop owner, and object of affection for Maggie, the more forward and emotional record seller. Although Nina returns Maggie’s interest, they both agree that Nina needs time to heal from her previous toxic relationship before they can get off on the right footing.
319* In ''Series/TheGoodWife'' the law firm's co-owner Diane Lockhart, who would probably consider the term "liberal wacko" a compliment, is in a relationship with weapons expert Kurt [=McVeigh=], who would likely feel the same about the phrase "right-wing nutjob". They even get engaged as of "The Wheels of Justice".
320* Series/{{Hannibal}} [[AGodAmI Lecter]] and [[KnightInSourArmor Will Graham]] are harsh polar opposites that complement each other well. Hannibal is stylish, charismatic and severely lacking in empathy, where Will is twitchy, unsociable and overflowing with too much empathy. [[spoiler: In the series finale, after years of fighting against and for each other, their relationship evolves into something romantic and they run away together.]]
321* Ted and Robin in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother''. Ted is the DoggedNiceGuy who is a romantic, wants to settle down and have kids and Robin is TheLadette who is a gun nut, hates commitment and kids, focuses on her career. The show deconstructs their relationship where they did get together but by the time they talked about their goals, they want different things which resulted to their break-up and remained friends. After a few years, Ted is still in love with Robin which one of his ex-girlfriends pointed out that he's unable to move on due to his unrequited feelings for her while Robin herself did move on. In the series finale, [[spoiler:it's implied that now-widower and single dad Ted and the divorced and single Robin got together]].
322* ''Series/ICarly'': [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] with the [[BelligerentSexualTension Sam/Freddie]] arc. They are complete and total opposites that become physically attracted to each other, but eventually break up when the actual relationship fails. They are unable to find any common ground in their interests and actually end up sabotaging them for each other when they try being involved in each other's activities. It ends up being one of the main causes of their break up.
323* Played for laughs in the ''Series/LegendsOfTheSuperheroes'' special "The Roast", where shrinking superhero The Atom is shown to fall in love with the villain Giganta.
324* ''Series/LittleLunch'': Discussed in "The Relationship", when Rory's been asked out by a girl in grade 6. Atticus, [[GenreSavvy who's watched a lot of romantic comedies with his sister]], claims that if he and the girl are complete opposites that means the relationship is likely to work out. [[spoiler:He's proven right at the end, as it turns out Debra Jo and Rory both have crushes on each other.]]
325* ''Series/TheLWord'': [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Alice and Tasha are very different people]], yet become a couple nonetheless. On the one hand, Alice is a bubbly girly effusive woman who's staunchly opposed to the Iraq War. Tasha is a butch, taciturn soldier (starting out), who's very defensive of it given her service there.
326* [[TheAce Laid-back, jovial "Hawkeye" Pierce]] and [[IceQueen hard-nosed Margaret Houlihan]] in ''Series/{{MASH}}''. They're ''not'' a couple, but the attraction is definitely there and definitely mutual; in a couple of episodes it's '''''heavily''''' implied (read: as close as you can get on prime time network TV without actually saying it) that they have sex, and the main reason they aren't usually a couple is that they both realize that their personalities and life goals are fundamentally incompatible over the long haul.
327* JerkWithAHeartOfGold Arthur and ShrinkingViolet ([[BewareTheNiceOnes except when she's sufficiently ticked-off]]) Guinevere from ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}''. Also noteworthy was their difference in class status, with him being a prince and she being a servant.
328* ''Microsoap'' used and deconstructed it. As the kids describe it, "It was a case of opposites attract. Then it was a case of opposites drive each other crazy".
329* ''Series/MissFishersMurderMysteries'' has the titular Phryne Fisher, a freewheeling, rule-breaking Lady Detective whose chief interests include solving murders and sleeping with virile young men -- in that order. She ends up falling head over fashionable heels in love with her (initially reluctant) partner Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, a stoic, quietly snarky ByTheBookCop with HiddenDepths galore who is absolutely crazy about her despite -- or perhaps because of -- the way she exasperates him on a regular basis.
330* ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'', starring Cybill Shepherd and Creator/BruceWillis. Maddie (Shepherd) is a chic, smart, former supermodel who's dead serious about running the business; David (Willis) is a glib, lighthearted, and pragmatic Private Investigator.
331* Subverted in an episode of ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide''. Ned tries find morose Mark Downer a friend and, inspired by his science teacher's advice that "opposites attract", tries to pair him with [[ThePollyanna Martin Querly]], only for Martin to fall victim to his contagious depression. Ned then gets an idea from his math teacher's advice that "a negative times a negative equals a positive" and pairs Mark with a just-as-morose girl, which works.
332* ''Series/NoTomorrow'': Evie and Kareema are friends despite being almost totally opposite personalities. Evie's always bright, chipper, and wants a steady, monogamous relationship. Kareema's cynical, snarky and seems to only have casual sex (before meeting Sofia anyway).
333* ''Series/TheOtherKingdom'': Despite having a rough first meeting, Devon Quince and Brendoni start to become close companions and rather fond of each others ways', even though Devon's obsessed with organization and tidiness, and Brendoni's a total slob.
334* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'' has three examples of opposites attracting:
335** Snarky Connie Brooks and shy Phillip Boynton. Connie is more perceptive than Mr. Boynton, but several scenes show that they are both kind, generous and intelligent individuals. [[spoiler: Connie and Phillip marry at the end of TheMovie GrandFinale]]
336** HighSchoolHustler and BookDumb Walter Denton and principal's daughter BookSmart HairOfGoldHeartOfGold Harriet Conklin.
337** Osgood Conklin, the blustery, pompous school principal. Martha Conklin, his kindly wife . . . who is known to put her foot down on occasion (i.e. "Trying to Pick a Fight").
338* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'': April Ludgate and Andy Dwyer, to the point that they've been described as what a cat and a dog would look like if they got married. April is snarky and claims to hate everything, while Andy is upbeat and full of energy. Despite getting hitched after only a month of dating, they end up HappilyMarried for the rest of the series.
339* ''Series/SchittsCreek'': Nearly all the romances on the show work on this dynamic. Johnny and Moira, Roland and Jocelyn, David and Stevie, Alexis and Mutt, Alexis and Ted, and David and Patrick all contain various permutations of opposites attracting. The only exception is Stevie and Emir, who seem drawn to each other because of what they have in common.
340* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In the seventh season the very Betazoid Deanna Troi began pairing up with the very Klingon Worf, son of Mogh. This is first explored in the episode ''[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS7E10Parallels Paralles]]'', where Worf travels to a number of alternate realities, the last two of which show Worf and Troi as husband and wife. Upon his return to his home universe Worf becomes closer to Troi. A Worf/Troi romance is further explored in the episode ''[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS7E17EyeOfTheBeholder Eye of the Beholder]]'', and by the series finale ''[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS7E24AllGoodThings All Good Things]]'' the pair are actually dating. However, sometime before Worf's joining ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' the couple have broken off their romantic relationship and are just friends again. Worf meanwhile marries Jadzia Dax while Riker and Troi resume their previous romantic relationship, and later themselves get married.
341* ''Series/That70sShow'' has the geeky Eric with tomboy Donna, the rich girl Jackie with rebel Hyde, and the short-tempered Red with bubbly Kitty.
342* ''Series/{{Twenties}}'': Hattie, a working class ButchLesbian who is deep in debt constantly losing jobs, often semi-homeless and has a plain-spoken manner, gets involved with Ida B, a wealthy executive who's got a very femme style with very refined taste. She's also Hattie's former boss, starting to date her right after she had fired Hattie to boot.
343* ''Series/TheVampireDiaries''.
344** Damon and Elena. They have vastly different personalities, values, outlooks and beliefs.
345** Stefan and Katherine too, when [[BelligerentSexualTension Stefan's not hating her]].
346* Fox Mulder and Dana Scully from ''Series/TheXFiles'': Skeptical, scientifically oriented [[FieryRedhead redheaded]] Catholic meets agnostic UFO/supernatural enthusiast. [[TrueLoveIsExceptional And it works]].
347* ''Series/YouMeHer'': Nina, an uptight JerkWithAHeartOfGold and ControlFreak, falls in mutual love with easygoing NiceGuy Shaun.
348* ''Series/Zoey101'': Quinn Pensky and Logan Reese had to hide their relationship, because they don't want people to know about nerdy Quinn dating sporty, girl crazy Logan, so they hid their relationship until Stacey unconstitutionally kisses Logan. Then, Logan confessed that he loved Quinn, and Quinn reciprocates her feelings publicly. Finally, they kissed in front of everyone.
349[[/folder]]
350
351[[folder:Music]]
352* The Music/PaulaAbdul song "Opposites Attract" is basically all about this trope. And the music video involves her singing it as a duet with an [[RogerRabbitEffect animated rapping cat]]...
353* Music/DanielAmos's "She's All Heart" (from ''Music/VoxHumana'') is about a couple who are "one heart" in spite of their different perspectives and disagreements.
354-->''She says I complicate things\
355I say she over simplifies everything\
356But either way, I still believe we need each other.''
357* "Little War" by Axxis describes a couple that are exact opposites of each other personality-wise, yet still love each other greatly.
358-->''"We belong together like summer and cold ice."''
359* Brazilian song "Água Perrier" (Perrier Water), recorded by Adriana Calcanhotto, lyrics by poet/songwriter Antônio Cícero, has one of RedOniBlueOni type: an intense and creative person who deeply admires a more [[TheStoic rational, low-profile, blasé person]] (kind of [[InvertedTrope an inversion of]] UptightLovesWild). The latter, in turn, lets himself/herself [[note]] The song is written by a gay man and sang by a lesbian woman, but the genders of both the lyric self and the object of affection weren't mentioned, so any listener can potentially self-identify with it, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. [[/note]] be admired by the other one. The different personalities are [[RuleOfSymbolism represented by]] their drinks of choice: the Red Oni prefers hard liquor, while the Blue Oni prefers [[TitleDrop Perrier water]].
360* "She Likes the Beatles," by AlternativeCountry singer William Clark Green, lists a plethora of ways the narrator and his lady love don't see eye to eye... before explaining how, at the end of the day, [[SickeninglySweethearts those differences don't matter]].
361-->''She's determined and honest, she's stubborn and strong''\
362''And I always know where she stands''\
363''So it never bugs me that she's always wrong...''\
364''As long as she's wrong with her hand in my hand''
365* The song also called "Opposites Attract" by Juris.
366* Another Brazilian song, "Eduardo e Mônica", written by Renato Russo and recorded by his band Music/LegiaoUrbana, brings the titular couple: they have different ages (she's a few years older than him) and tastes (her tastes are more sophisticated, while his are much simpler). Regardless of all differences between them, they build a solid relationship, living together and [[BabiesEverAfter having twin children]]. The song originated a stage play, a TV ad and a film, starring Creator/AliceBraga as Mônica.
367* "You Lost My Memory" by Music/{{Skyclad|Band}}. This romance doesn't end well, but is described as sort of awesome anyway.
368-->''The Brownian-Motion within this love potion,\
369ensures our opinions are always dividing.''
370* "Good for Me" by Amy Grant.[[note]]The song could double as either a SillyLoveSong or an ode to a {{Heterosexual Life Partner|s}}. The original music video emphasized the latter, with Grant having fun with a female friend, but Grant decided the clip made the two women look more like lovers than friends and had a new video shot emphasizing the love-song angle, with a male actor (the same one featured in the music video for "Baby Baby") playing her boyfriend.[[/note]]
371-->''You like to dance and listen to the music\
372I like to sing with the band\
373You like your hands splashin' in the ocean\
374While I like my feet on the sand...\
375You get brave when I get shy\
376Just another reason why\
377I think you could be so good for me''
378[[/folder]]
379
380[[folder:Theatre]]
381* The driving force behind the central love story of ''Theatre/TheMisanthrope''. Alceste despises anyone who is polite instead of honest, but is in love with Célimène, who by the end of the play is revealed to be about as two-faced as they come. It's {{Lampshaded}} several times.
382-->'''Alceste:''' I see her faults, despite my ardent love\
383And all I see I fervently reprove\
384And yet I'm weak; for all her falsity,\
385That woman knows the art of pleasing me\
386And though I never cease complaining of her\
387I swear I cannot manage not to love her.
388[[/folder]]
389
390[[folder:Toys]]
391* Toys/MonsterHigh has Heath Burns and Abbey Bominable, a fire elemental and a yeti, respectively. Despite their contrasting powers and personalities, they truly do like each other and are an official couple in the series.
392[[/folder]]
393
394[[folder:Video Games]]
395* ''VideoGame/{{APICO}}'': Dr. Codey, who studies solitary bees because she prefers things with more "buzz", mentions that her girlfriend Dr. Sto is afraid of bees, which is why she became a lepidopterist instead. Doesn't stop them from going on romantic "research trips", however.
396* Creator/BioWare has a tendency to create somewhat psychotic mad people (usually women) who can be most successfully romanced by a nicer player character.
397** [[AxCrazy Jack]] in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' is impulsive, impatient, anger-driven, and generally insane; the Paragon romance arc involves calmly and patiently listening to her issues and generally being nice.
398** [[BlackMagicianGirl Morrigan]] in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' is a survivalist in the extreme who believes love is a weakness; she does, however, approve of some of the Warden's behavior that is rather contrary to her stated doctrine.
399** [[CowboyCop Garrus]] in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' has trouble with the rules, but is just as likely to fall for Female!Shepard if she calls him out on it and points out that the rules are there for good reasons as if she goes along with his ends justify the means ideas.
400** Bastila in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' is attracted to the male player character no matter what, so if you are a silly rule-bending sort or an AxCrazy maniac your very straight-laced and overly serious companion will still fall for you.
401** Viconia [=DeVir=] in ''VideoGame/BaldursGate2'' is a neutral evil drow priestess who believes that the strong are meant to dominate the weak, but that doesn't stop her from being romancable by good-aligned male player characters.
402** Fenris in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' has [[DoesNotLikeMagic a real bone to pick with mages]] and is brooding as all hell. It still doesn't stop him from falling for a snarky mage Hawke. The irony of this is not lost on him and is noted at a few points.
403** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', the Iron Bull is a hulking, snarky Qunari warrior who really DoesNotLikeMagic. Doesn't stop him from entering a romance with an elf or human mage, or with a dwarf (who only comes up to his knees). His people have been at war for ages with Tevinter, the homeland of mustachioed mage Dorian, who can be romanced by a male Inquisitor of any race, including Qunari. [[spoiler:If the Inquisitor doesn't romance either of them, they can end up together.]]
404* A somewhat downplayed example in ''VideoGame/Borderlands3'' has [[SouthernGentleman Wainwright Jakobs]] (the heir to the Jakobs corporation and a homebody) and [[GentlemanAdventurer Sir Hammerlock]] (a GreatWhiteHunter and an adventure-seeker). This is a major source of drama and in the ''Guns, Love and Tentacles'' DLC they both express doubts over not being brave/caring enough for the other. Thankfully they [[spoiler:get engaged in the main game credits and the afrorementioned DLC is about their wedding.]]
405* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'': It quickly becomes obvious that the shy, awkward, bookish Noelle has a crush on the tough JerkWithAHeartOfGold delinquent Susie (obvious to [[ObliviousToLove everyone but Susie, at least]]). This is especially true in Chapter 2, where Noelle gets pulled into Kris and Susie's adventures in the Dark World and the pair get some serious ShipTease.
406* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
407** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'':
408*** We have Fiora (serious, motherly Pegasus Knight) and Sain (ChivalrousPervert who mouths off to authority). And if you max out their supports, they get married.
409*** Also Fiora's {{Tsundere}} and HotBlooded middle sister Farina and Sain's KnightInShiningArmor partner Kent. Yup, they can get hitched at A support level too. They even hang a huge lampshade on this:
410---->'''Farina:''' This is probably someone else's doing... Like Marcus, or Oswin... You know, Merlinus might try something like this, too...\
411'''Kent:''' I don't think it is a conspiracy... I mean, what would anyone have to gain from making us fight together?
412** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' gives us Henry, a BloodKnight and PerpetualSmiler [[BlueandOrangeMorality with some VERY loose screws]], and two of his potential love interests: Sumia and Olivia. The first one is a klutzy submissive badass, the second is a cute ShrinkingViolet. Also TeamDad Frederick and TomboyPrincess Lissa, if paired up.
413* ''Radio/GTARadio'' has a married couple host a political talk show. One's a Democrat, the other's a Republican, both are strawmen.
414* Achilles's codex in ''VideoGame/{{Hades}}'' notes that stoic, prickly, duitiful Thanatos [[EveryoneCanSeeIt is pretty obviously in love]] with his defiant, reckless foster brother, Zagreus despite their diametrically opposed dispositions. His theory is that they're inherently drawn to each other as {{Anthropomorphic Personification}}s of the LifeDeathJuxtaposition.
415-->''Whence came the bond they share? My thought is that the Master's son must be the god of blood; of life. Thus, they are inexorably drawn.''
416* The Forerunners Didact and Librarian from ''Franchise/{{Halo}}''. The Librarian is a FriendToAllLivingThings whose favorite species was humanity. The Didact is a FourStarBadass in a society of pacifists, who was responsible for destroying humanity's empire and sending us back to earth as cavemen. Everyone lampshades how odd this match is; however, they both love each other fiercely.
417-->'''Bornstellar:''' Your relationship with the Lifeshaper does not seem ideal.\
418'''Didact:''' You don't know the half of it.
419* ''VideoGame/NightInTheWoods'' has Gregg (an [[GenkiGuy energetic]] and somewhat reckless fox who enjoys committing petty crimes) in a serious romantic relationship with Angus (a nerdy, polite and [[TheQuietOne quiet]] bear who acts much more responsibly).
420* ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' has the cold and logical Sasha with the upbeat and fun-loving Milla.
421* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha'' allows the player to customize their character, having a choice of four personality options; your LoveInterest will automatically be assigned the opposite personality, meaning a ShrinkingViolet will always be paired with a HotBlooded character and TheStoic will always be paired with a CloudCuckoolander.
422* In ''VideoGame/TheSims3'', the Pok household (from the ''Supernatural'' expansion pack) consists in husband and wife David and Janet, who are respectively a burglar and a policewoman.
423* The ending of ''VideoGame/{{Troublemaker}}''. While the PC, Budi, gets the girl of his dreams Sophia, his DumbMuscle friend Zaenal somehow gets the genius {{Hackette}} girl Rani.
424* A non-romantic version is described in ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfileCovenantOfThePlume'' between court magicians Lieselotte and Rosea. Both were orphans adopted by court mage Lord Cennair and could not be any more different, but that was why they got along. Lieselotte greatly admired Rosea's grace and dignity, whereas Rosea loved Lieselotte's energy and lust for life. When Cennair is killed, each woman believes the other is the guilty culprit, and both were punished for it. The fact that they liked each other so much made the betrayal even more hurtful. [[spoiler:And it will end up killing one of them. Or even both.]]
425[[/folder]]
426
427[[folder:Visual Novels]]
428* While the protagonist of ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'' is grounded and responsible, Lily is the quintessential free spirit.
429[[/folder]]
430
431[[folder:Web Animation]]
432* ''WebAnimation/ChiknNuggit'': Iscream is a demonic bunny who likes to do evil, scary things while Fwench Fwy is a divine dragon who likes to help people. They initially opposed each other, but they later started dating and became a couple, although there are occasions where they argue with each other.
433* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': The AloofDarkHairedGirl Blake is attracted to Sun and Yang, both of which are bright and energetic.
434[[/folder]]
435
436[[folder:Webcomics]]
437* ''Webcomic/{{Avialae}}'': Gannet is a snarky, short-tempered EmoTeen who's slept around with numerous men and [[FreakinessShame hates]] that he's suddenly [[WingedHumanoid growing bird-like wings]]. Bailey is his kind, patient neighbor who's never been in a relationship or had sex before and geeks out over everything bird-related. Each of them end up being exactly what the other needs.
438* {{Invoked|Trope}} in one ''Webcomic/CatanaComics'' strip where Catana and her boyfriend state outright that their differences are what attracts each to the other.
439* In ''Webcomic/DokiDokiLiteratureGirls'', Yuri ends up becoming enamored with Natsuki despite of their writing styles and personalities.
440* In ''Webcomic/DubiousCompany'', Walter is an [[GadgeteerGenius Educated]], [[StraightManAndWiseGuy Goofy]], SkyPirate [[WingedHumanoid Bird Man]]. Tiren is a [[BloodKnight Hardened]], [[StraightMan Straight-laced]], {{Ninja}} CatGirl. [[CoolVsAwesome Clearly]], the crew [[EveryoneCanSeeIt knows]] they were made for each other. Except [[FailedASpotCheck Mary]], who insists that Tiren has eyes for Elator.
441* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Catalina who is a FieryRedhead pairs up with Rhoda who is a ShrinkingViolet.
442* In ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', Florence the anthromorphic wolf is dating Winston, who has spacer genes and so no hair. [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2000/fc01947.htm Niomi thinks it's a very odd case of opposites attracting.]]
443* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': This is the point of moirallegiance; two moirails are supposed to balance each other's negative traits, thus allowing their other relationships to be more successful and facilitating self-improvement.
444** [[ManipulativeBastard Vriska]] and [[TheHero John]] have some ShipTease early on, but the [[ShipSinking ship sinks]] when John finally realizes how cruel and dangerous Vriska actually is.
445** Deconstructed with Vriska and [[WheelchairWoobie Tavros Nitram]]. Vriska is so revolted by her attraction to him that she ends up bullying/stalking him--unable to really love him, but too fixated on her feelings to stay away from him. [[spoiler:They do end up together at one point, but soon break up]].
446** Deconstructed with Eridan and Feferi's moirallegiance [[spoiler:which is similarly ill-fated]]. They're both high-blooded, given an incredible amount of power over other trolls--but that's where their similarities end. Feferi's a HotBlooded optimist who wants to even out Alternia's caste system; Eridan's a spoiled, pessimistic racist with genocidal ambitions. Their relationship is dysfunctional ''because'' they can't reconcile their different ideologies.
447** Dirk and Jake are polar opposites in personality, and their differences ultimately lead to a messy breakup.
448* ''{{Webcomic/Imaginatives}}'' has Skylar and Excalibur, when they eventually get together. Skylar is cheerful, friendly, and extroverted while Excalibur is more reserved, introverted, and not as bubbly.
449* Parodied in ''Webcomic/IWasKidnappedByLesbianPiratesFromOuterSpace'' when [[TheMedic Dr. Wendy]] and [[WrenchWench Alice]] decide to try a PairTheSpares situation. They go out on a date, have a wonderful time...and Wendy decides they're ''too'' opposite of each other, and declines a second date.
450* ''Webcomic/LongExposure'' has the romance between TheBully LeanAndMean Mitch and his favorite victim/long time crush, the LovableNerd and band geek Jonas.
451* ''Webcomic/LsEmpire'' has Carnation and Pix who are pure evil and pure good respectively.
452* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', Hayley is TheCynic and has has a bit of a selfish streak. Elan is a WideEyedIdealist who loves being in a team and automatically puts the needs of others before himself. As a result of their relationship, Hayley becomes more open to others (but is still cynical) and Elan becomes less of a QuirkyBard (but is still idealistic). The opposites attract trope is {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d by V, who compares them with Roy and Miko, who, despite their similarities and Roy's initial attraction to Miko, can't ''stand'' each other.
453%% * Candice Givens (AmoralAttorney) and Eva Nutley (GranolaGirl) from ''Webcomic/{{Precocious}}''.
454* ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'':
455** Hannelore's parents -- her father is a goofy, well-meaning MadScientist, and her mother is a calculating, dispassionate CorruptCorporateExecutive supervillain.
456** Marigold and Dale are a downplayed example: they're both massive anime and gaming nerds, but because Mar is ''such'' a gamer, she views the differences in how they play as a huge deal:
457--->'''Marigold''': We have philosophical differences. [[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft I'm Horde, he's Alliance]]. [[VideoGame/MassEffect He's a Paragon, I'm a Renegade]]. [[VideoGame/{{Rogue}} I'm tiles, he's ASCII]].
458* {{Discussed}} in ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'''s "Uncomfortable Truthasaurus!" by Zach Weiner. Common misconception: Opposites attract or [[BirdsOfAFeather like attracts like]]. Somehow you get both of these. The truth is that [[spoiler:95% of people want someone hot. 100 % of people just want anyone with a higher social status]].
459* {{Averted|Trope}} in ''Webcomic/SlightlyDamned''. The main pairing is [[spoiler:Kieri, a [[MakingASplash water-elemental]] [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angel]], and Buwaro, a [[PlayingWithFire fire]] [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon]]. Seems like a perfect setup for this trope... but in terms of personality, they're really very similar.]]
460[[/folder]]
461
462[[folder:Web Original]]
463* Mille and Iriana of ''Literature/IlivaisX''. Iriana is a BrokenBird CreepyChild who acts like an EmotionlessGirl to avoid her Drive Core pushing her towards being a hyper LoveFreak, and is highly logical and cynical, yet becomes surprisingly impassioned and devoted when those she cares about are in danger. Mille is [[spoiler: essentially a blank slate Phonos Weapon in the form of]] a cheerful, lively, and outgoing EthicalSlut who's a little on the ditzy side and erratically emotional, but take Iriana from her and she becomes dark and sullen. They couldn't be more opposite, and they couldn't be crazier about each other.
464* ''WebVideo/{{Kontrola}}'': Olive-skinned brunette Natalia is more morose, less friendly and reserved. Contrasting this, Majka is a fair-skinned readhead who's usually upbeat, quite friendly and outgoing. They are both still the others' OneTrueLove.
465[[/folder]]
466
467[[folder:Western Animation]]
468* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': While most couples in the show are so matched that they're the same in both personality and species (such as the Keanes being kindly balloons, the Robinsons being misanthropic muppets, and the Bananas being goofy bananas), the Watterson couples all stand in stark contrast.
469** Richard and Nicole are FoolishHusbandResponsibleWife, what with him being a FatIdiot rabbit to her OnlySaneWoman cat.
470** [[Characters/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballGumballWatterson Gumball Watterson]] is a self-centered cat who's a JerkWithAHeartOfGold at the best of times, whereas his girlfriend Penny is a NiceGirl antlered peanut.
471** Darwin is a CheerfulChild goldfish, while [[spoiler:his ghostly girlfriend Carrie is the resident EmoTeen.]]
472* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'': [[Characters/ArcaneVi Vi]] and Caitlyn have almost nothing in common and could not be more different from each other if you tried. Vi grew up in the slums, the oldest of her pack of fellow orphan siblings, and is someone who absolutely despises the [[RabidCop Enforcers]] for killing her parents. Caitlyn is the [[LonelyRichKid only scion]] of the powerful and wealthy House Kiramman who choose to become an Enforcer against her parents wishes. Vi's a BoxingBattler while Caitlyn is an [[ImprobableAimingSkills excellent shot]] with a rifle. Even their respective pink and blue hair colors reflect their RedOniBlueOni nature. The initial reasons the two have for working together are wildly divergent, as Caitlyn seeks to bring a criminal conspiracy [[ForGreatJustice to justice]] and [[RecruitingTheCriminal recruits Vi from prison]] who agrees just to get out of there so she can fulfill a deeply personal desire to find her younger sister and get revenge. About the only things they have in common are that they're both ultimately good people and are attractive young women who have [[WordOfGay an interest in other young women]]. From the moment they lay eyes on each other there is a very strong mutual attraction between them that only gets stronger as the show goes on.
473* {{Exaggerated}} in ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' with Kuki Sanban (Numbuh Three) and Wallabee Beatles (Numbuh Four); he's an abrasive hard-boiled proto-badass with an extreme aversion to everything cutesy and sugary, while she's an upbeat Japanese girl with a kind heart and an obsession for stuffed animals. In the series DistantFinale [[spoiler:they get married]].
474** To a lesser extent, Numbuhs 2 and 5. Numbuh 2 is the dorky, [[LamePunReaction bad pun spouting]], team mechanic and Numbuh 5 is the smooth, laid back OnlySaneMan spy. [[spoiler:And like the previous example, they too are hitched during the future set finale.]]
475* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'' has Gary and Quinn. One is an immature, dense, and slightly insane JerkWithAHeartOfGold, and the other is an emotionally distant genius whose pragmatism borders on ruthless.
476* Laid-back slacker Fry and responsible, reliable Leela on ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''.
477* ''Franchise/GIJoe'' has a lot of these, most notably the silent Snake Eyes is teamed up with the loudmouthed Shipwreck. Also the stoic and by-the-books Duke teams up with the FieryRedhead Scarlet.
478* Miss Information and Mr. Smartypants on ''WesternAnimation/{{Histeria}}'': The DumbBlonde and TheSmartGuy.
479* Warm, passionate, generally friendly, closer to Earth Franchise/WonderWoman and cold, stoic, anti-social, sometimes arrogant [[Characters/DCAUBatman Batman]] on ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague''. The interesting part is that their oppositions also extend to where they break from their archetype. Batman is still an antisocial antihero, and Wonder Woman plays the role of an idealistic paragon, but out of the two Batman abides a moral compass much more than Wonder Woman, as he's never considered killing anyone and there have been times that she's come dangerously close to punching a hole in at least a few of the villains.
480* ''WesternAnimation/HaileysOnIt'':
481** The title character's parents are a laid-back SurferDude and a stereotypical realtor. That being said, it's revealed that Patricia was a professional breakdancer in UsefulNotes/TheNineties, and also turns out to be NotSoAboveItAll as she's a huge fan of a [[KoreanPopMusic K-pop]] BoyBand aimed primarily at teenage girls.
482** Becker Denoga the destructive troublemaker and her former rival-turned-girlfriend Kennedy the strict perfectionist. They're rivals until Kennedy reveals that she has a crush on her.
483* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': Kind, friendly, cheerful [[NiceGirl Kaeloo]] and cruel, violent, [[{{Jerkass}} Mr. Cat]] who is almost always in a bad mood.
484* WesternAnimation/KimPossible and Ron Stoppable. Kim's always been a popular overachiever while Ron was an unpopular underachiever (at least until the final season, when he joined the football team as the new star running back).
485* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'':
486** Hotheaded, headstrong waterbender [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraAvatarKorra Korra]] and serious, collected firebender [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraMako Mako]], who fit several of the dynamics listed: RedOniBlueOni (Korra's red, Mako's blue, despite their ChromaticArrangement), TheHero + TheLancer, SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl, and possibly UptightLovesWild.
487*** Ultimately deconstructed as their opposite natures (as well as tense situations) end up pushing them apart. They do [[AmicableExes manage to remain friends however.]]
488** Same goes for Mako's brother, [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraBolin Bolin]], for one of Korra's cousins, Eska. Bolin is a happy, funny guy who took a serious interest in Eska while Eska herself is a bit of an emotionless DeadpanSnarker and a RoyalBrat who sees Bolin as a means to an end. They're more like PluckyComicRelief + TheQuietOne. Same as Korra and Mako, they don't work out.
489** As of the finale [[spoiler: [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl tomboyish]], technologically-stunted, BoisterousBruiser [[MasterOfAll Master-Of-All-Four-Elements]] Korra, and TheOjou, [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl feminine]], WrenchWench [[{{Muggle}} non-bender]] [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraAsamiSato Asami Sato]].]]
490* ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'': The two main couples on the show, Bugs/Lola and Daffy/Tina, can both be boiled down to a level-headed StraightMan (Bugs and Tina) dating a {{Ditz}}y {{Cloudcuckoolander}} (Daffy and Lola).
491* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': Lori Loud is a [[WomenAreWiser mature-minded]], if somewhat cynical OnlySaneWoman, and she is dating Bobby Santiago, an [[ThePollyanna idealistic]] KindheartedSimpleton.
492* ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'':
493** [[BornUnlucky Milo]] is a [[ThePollyanna cheerful]] boy who [[TheJinx inadvertently causes chaos]] wherever he goes. He has a crush on [[ExtracurricularEnthusiast Amanda]], a ScheduleFanatic. Winning her over might be an uphill battle, but... Amanda has seemingly fallen for Milo after the events of "Cake 'Splosion!", the [[RuleOfThree third episode]] in which she's shown that Milo's condition is not as bad to deal with as she thought.
494** In "Wilder West" [[OnlySaneMan Zack]], who's cautious and even occasionally timid, falls for a reckless GirlOfTheWeek named Jackie. He begins to act [[OutOfCharacterMoment uncharacteristically adventurous]] until he realizes what a bad fit they are.
495* ''WesternAnimation/MonsterHigh'': Iris Clops and Manny Taur. The former is a demure, [[CuteClumsyGirl clumsy]] and effectionate aesthete and the latter is a [[NoIndoorVoice loud]], boisterous and excitable LovableJock.
496* ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'' gives us Professor Venomous and Lord Boxman. The two villains are night and day, with Venomous being calm, collected, slim, specializing in more biological science and is a well-respected villain. While Boxman is chunky, short, [[NoIndoorVoice very loud]], specializes in robotics and is seen as a joke by most serious villains. Despite a rough start, the two form a VillainousFriendship that is all but stated to eventually become a romance, as they're both seen wearing wedding rings during the GrandFinale.
497* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'':
498** [[Characters/TheOwlHouseLuzNoceda Luz Noceda]] and [[Characters/TheOwlHouseAmityBlight Amity Blight]]. Luz being an extremely perky human who wants to make friends with almost everybody and has no natural magical power, while Amity is the extremely gifted but snarky and taciturn ace student. Amity is crushing on Luz before season 1 is even over, and Luz is likewise crushing by the 3rd episode of season 2.
499** There's also Eda Clawthorne and Raine Whispers. Eda is an extroverted wild woman, who rails against authority and despises the Coven system and what it stands for. While Raine is much more reserved, hates attention, and eventually became a full-on Coven head.
500* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'':
501** It's been more or less confirmed that Sea Hawk, a [[LargeHam boisterous, over-the-top man]] whose emotions are very close to the surface, and Mermista, a DeadpanSnarker who regularly groans bitterly, are an item, despite Mermista's best efforts to pretend otherwise. WordOfGod has stated that they're "kind of a garbage couple", but Sea Hawk's over-the-top nonsense helps bring her out of her shell, while her snark keeps him grounded.
502** While they have not become romantically involved just yet, [[Characters/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPowerHordak Hordak]] and [[Characters/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPowerEntrapta Entrapta]] have demonstrated attraction for each other, with Hordak pining for Entrapta throughout season 4. The cheerful, optimistic, loud Entrapta and the sinister, moody, introverted Hordak have a surprising amount of chemistry and common ground.
503* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': NervousWreck Tweek begins dating the permanently chill and [[TheStoic stoic]] Craig.
504* ''WesternAnimation/SpaceChickensInSpace'' the greedy, arrogant, and dim-witted Chuck has a huge crush on the generous, humble, and intelligent Adele.
505* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Ruby and Sapphire]] could not be more different and could not be more devoted to each other. [[spoiler: Their love [[FusionDance makes up]] the strongest character on their team, Garnet.]]
506* Robin and Starfire on ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003''. Robin is the serious and determined [[TheLeader leader]], and Starfire is the [[GenkiGirl sensitive, sunny one]].
507* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'':
508** {{Deconstructed|Trope}} with AcademicAlphaBitch [[Characters/TotalDramaCourtney Courtney]] and delinquent punk [[Characters/TotalDramaDuncan Duncan]]. The bitter arguments start up almost as quickly as the sparks fly, with her ultra-preppyness directly contrasting his criminal nature. Their relationship is unstable from the beginning, and they break up and come back together several times. Eventually, the constant arguing becomes too much; Duncan tires of her by season 3 and cheats on her with Goth girl Gwen, leading to his and Courtney's final breakup.
509** Courtney seems to attract these a lot, because later, in ''Total Drama All-Stars'', she enters a relationship with the dirt-poor farmboy Scott. Unlike Duncan however, the two get along much more swimmingly from the get-go (due to Scott finding Courtney's bossiness attractive), [[spoiler:but it ultimately proves brief.]]
510* Silverbolt and Blackarachnia of ''Franchise/{{Transformers}} WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' fit this trope without Question: FemmeFatale and KnightInShiningArmor.
511* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'':
512** Rogue's attraction to Scott, at least [[PowerIncontinence until you think about it for a while]]. But on the surface, he is TheStoic and she is TheSnarkKnight.
513** Kitty and Lance are a DatingCatwoman example. One is a sweet, naive uptown Valley girl who is a member of the X-Men, while the other is a grungy, hot-headed and rebellious loner who serves as the field leader of the Brotherhood.
514* ''WesternAnimation/{{Young Justice|2010}}'':
515** Goofy, happy go lucky Wally West/Kid Flash and focused, rough and tumble Artemis Crock. Ironically, the writers paired them up because of their ''similarities'' -- namely, they're both intelligent, yet insecure teenage heroes who resort to sarcasm and bravado to hide how much they care about each other, and are somewhat amused by the fandom latching on to them as part of this trope.
516** From the same series, moody, emotionally stunted Superboy and perky, outgoing Miss Martian.
517[[/folder]]
518
519[[folder:Real Life]]
520* [[http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=busting-the-myth-that-opposites-att-10-08-31 Actual science]] tends to show that the best predictor of compatibility is in fact similar background, interests, and attitudes. A likely reason is that we tend to only ''notice'' the ways a couple are different (since it's not that surprising when two partners are alike), at which point we feel the need to form a theory to explain why all the couples we see are so different (when they are, in fact, similar). The grain of truth in it is that a partner who's exactly like you ''in every way'' would probably [[TooMuchAlike cause all sorts of problems]], so we do seek our opposites, after a fashion--just not our ''total'' opposites.
521* There is also the fact that, up to the past 100-150 years, a person's social circle was limited to their immediate community; people in the same age group, social class, and locality would (theoretically) have common experiences and, ergo, background. This similarity was overlooked because it was so ubiquitous; it wasn't until the modern era with its quick communication between communities that similar backgrounds became a qualifiable factor. Since this factor was discounted (or, rather, not known to exist), [[DidntSeeThatComing it was not accounted for]]; ergo, the importance of differences becoming CommonKnowledge.
522* Literally true (in terms of forces) for charged particles and magnetic poles. Sometimes described as a pun on this trope.
523* SPC Kate Norley, an activist representing Vets For Freedom, a group whose "mission is to educate the American public about the importance of achieving success in [Iraq and Afghanistan]," and ''still'' an occasional guest commentator on Fox News, while attending the 2008 RNC convention to ''show her support for John [=McCain=]'', as part of a campaign that earned her praise from right-wing bloggers up to and including Michelle Malkin, apparently fell in love with one of the correspondents there. They married in 2011. His name? ''Creator/JohnOliver''.
524* Creator/RogerEbert [[HeterosexualLifePartners and]] Creator/GeneSiskel.
525** For example, Roger Ebert ''hated'' ''Film/MarsAttacks'' because Creator/TimBurton "seemed to like the aliens more than the humans" (paraphrasing); Gene Siskel loved it for the exact same reason. Even in watching old ''At the Movies'' episodes, you can tell that Siskel is more carefree and cheery, while Roger Ebert is ever-sarcastic and snarky.
526** The biggest case of this is perhaps their disparate views on ''Film/BlueVelvet''. Ebert notoriously hated it and found the scene with Isabella Rosselini standing naked on Creator/KyleMacLachlan's lawn to be misogynistic, while Siskel loved it and compared it to ''Film/{{Psycho}}''.
527** "[[http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/02/i_remember_gene.html Gene Siskel and I were like tuning forks. Strike one, and the other would pick up the same frequency.]]"
528** The DVD commentary of ''Film/WarGames'' also mentioned that Siskel and Ebert argued about the film. Siskel thought the character Dr. Stephen Falken was {{Anvilicious}} and unnecessary to the story, while Ebert thought Falken and his messages were essential.
529* The two band members of Music/TearsForFears are HeterosexualLifePartners who have been best friends since they were 13 years old. It's Roland Orzabal's opinion that his and Curt Smith's [[https://thequietus.com/articles/13379-tears-for-fears-the-hurting-interview contrasting personalities]] -- [[RedOniBlueOni the former is an introvert, the latter is an extrovert]] -- are what drew them together, and although their differences can lead to numerous clashes (which includes a 9-year-long break-up), they can also complement and balance each other's strengths and weaknesses. Since Orzabal cares a lot about the WesternZodiac, it's worth noting that astrology confirms that Cancerians (Smith's sign) and Leos (Orzabal's sign) have opposite temperaments.
530-->'''Smith''': [Roland] was kind of a nerd. He was more studious. Both his parents were very educated. Mine were definitely under-educated. So I guess, even though we grew up along the same lines, he was from a very different background.\
531'''Orzabal''': I remember the first time I met Curt, he wasn't allowed out because he'd been in a fight. He'd dumped someone down the stairs. Yeah, he was a lot more rebellious. It's the attraction of opposites, isn't it? I never looked up to him, but I've ended up in my life with people who are more fiery than me, and bring out the fire, like my wife. I didn't marry someone timid and conservative. I guess it's one of those psychic -- relating to the mind, you know? -- sort of things you bring into your life, things that hopefully bring the best out in you.
532* James "The RaginCajun" [[CoolOldGuy Carville]] and Mary Matalin. He's a rather liberal Democrat; she's a quite conservative Republican. They were both [[TheStrategist prominent campaign managers]]/political operatives in their respective parties from the late 1970s through the early 1990s, facing each other occasionally in races across the country and seeing each other as [[TheRival rivals]], being the top operatives of their day. It came to a head in the early 90s, when he was chief strategist for UsefulNotes/BillClinton and she was deputy manager for UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush, in preparation for the 1992 presidential campaign. Then...they started ''dating''. Mind you, ''while'' they were thinking of ways to beat each other (making this a case of DatingCatwoman, as well). They married in 1993, and now have two daughters. They understandably do not talk politics at home.
533* Legendarily taciturn and introverted UsefulNotes/CalvinCoolidge and [[SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl his lively, socially-adept wife, Grace.]] The most common reaction people had to meeting the two of them was "Why did she marry ''him''?" Interestingly, however, they were most definitely HappilyMarried.
534* HeterosexualLifePartners Creator/BurtReynolds and Creator/DomDeLuise, particularly during the height of their fame in the '70s and '80s. Reynolds was a brawny, macho ladies man, while [=DeLuise=] was an overweight, campy goofball.
535* Creator/JorgeLuisBorges was a highly literate intellectual and a vocal anticommunist. Estela Canto was a "dancer for hire" and a committed socialist who was twenty years younger than him. They bonded over, among other things, a mutual love of Creator/GeorgeBernardShaw, who ticked both their boxes by being both a great writer and a socialist.
536* Creator/{{Rupaul}}'s longtime husband Georges [=LeBar=] is a Wyoming cattle rancher of all things. FridgeBrilliance kicks in once you look past surface differences; Ru is very private and introverted in his personal life, so it makes sense that he would choose a partner with no connection to show business for when he wants to get away from it all.
537[[/folder]]

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