"We are the wretched right and left wings tied together by my brother's careful orchestrations."
— Ayumi Narumi, Spiral
See the full list of examples at Mirror Character.
- Wave in Akame ga Kill! is almost identical to Tatsumi and thematically represents what could have happened to him if he had joined the Jaegers instead of Night Raid. Like Tatsumi, Wave is a Nice Guy who hates injustice, grew up in the countryside away from the capital's corruption, and his Teigu is also a Powered Armor that mirrors Tatsumi's. They even have similar choices in love interests as both fall in love with the petite girl who teases them a lot in their respective teams.
- Berserk: Guts and Griffith were born in squalor and grew into the mercenary life to become a superhuman Master Swordsman capable of leading the Band of the Hawk (as Guts discovers when the former leader Griffith was rendered lame and crippled due to being tortured for a year). Both Guts and Griffith each have a respective dream which they effectively ruin for each other. They both love the same woman. And while they have plenty of connections the contrast is clear as well: Guts resembles the archetypical villain and often acts like it despite being The Hero, whilst Griffith can be seen as the archetypical hero being a literal Knight in Shining Armor but who is ultimately the villain due to his unforgivable actions during the Eclipse.
- Black Clover: The Dark Triad are the respective Arch-Enemies and Evil Counterparts to the main trio:
- Dante to Asta. Both are devil hosts whose fighting styles rely on physical power and wielding swords. They also believe in the power of malicious emotions. But while Asta thinks being human is having the heart to control them to do what's right, Dante espouses that being evil in of itself is being human.
- Zenon to Yuno. They are both cold, speak little, and have confidence in their power, preferring to settle things fast with their magics. While Yuno is selfless and cares for his squad, Zenon is merciless and derides his Dark Disciples for being weak. This is enhanced even further when Zenon's backstory is revealed and we see that initially, he was very much like Yuno, complete with his own Friendly Rival version of Asta. However, when he was forced to kill said rival to defeat a devil that would have slaughtered thousands, he fell into despair and accepted his family's influence. Zenon is essentially what Yuno might have become if he'd ever lost Asta.
- Vanica to Noelle. The two both use liquid magic attributes, can be dismissive of others, and are prone to rapidly changing their moods. Although Noelle cares for her comrades and defends the weak, Vanica doesn't care at all about her loyal Dark Disciples and is only interested in fighting strong foes.
- Bungo Stray Dogs: Fukuzawa, the leader of the Armed Detective Agency, and Mori, one of the leaders of the Port Mafia, are benevolent leaders of opposing organizations that care for their subordinates and inspire their loyalty. Their organizations, while very different and with very different priorities, are required as equal matches to balance each other out and bring balance to Yokohama.
- It seems like Osaka from Case Closed is some sort of parallel dimension, looking at how directly its population mirrors the Tokyoite main cast:
- Heiji Hattori is almost the same character as pre-Conan Shinichi, being a famous teenage Amateur Sleuth who plays a sport, loves mystery stories, and has a crush on his childhood friend. The big differences are what sport they play, who their favorite authors are, and that Heiji is a textbook Stock Shōnen Hero while Shinichi is calm and snarky.
- Kazuha and Ran are both martial artists, daughters of professional detectives, and the Patient Childhood Love Interests of their respective detectives. But, in addition to knowing different martial arts, Kazuha is a jealous Tsundere who regularly get into major blowups with Heiji in a way unimaginable for a Nice Girl like Ran.
- Heiji's dad, Heizo, is a better detective than his son, much like the relationship between Shinichi and his father, Yusaku. However, Yusaku is a laid-back man who doesn't help with Conan's cases because he isn't physically present most of the time. Heizo is physically present in Heiji's life... he's just kind of a dick.
- Inspectors Otaki and Megure are both on good, trusting terms with their respective teen super sleuths, and have rather portly builds. Otaki is much more cheerful than the tense, by the book Megure.
- Sonoko Suzuki and Momiji Ooka are the heiresses to, respectively, the second and third wealthiest families in Japan. They also both have brown hair. That's about where the similarities end, though: Sonoko worships the ground Ran walks on and enthusiastically supports her relationship with Shinichi, while Momiji regards Kazuha as a romantic rival.
- Ginshiro, Kazuha's dad, and Shizuka, Heiji's mother, haven't had as much screentime as their counterparts, but a completionist could still make comparisons: Ginshiro is more successful and more stable than Kogoro, despite likely being a worse detective, and he supports Kazuha and Heiji much more than Kogoro supports Shinichi and Ran. Shizuka and Yukiko are both ex-celebrites (Yukiko an actress, Shizuka a karuta champion) who are still famed for their beauty, but Yukiko is modern, energetic, and flighty, while Shizuka is traditional, stern, and has an iron will.
- The Case Files of Jeweler Richard:
- Seigi and Richard are extremely similar, gentle people who see the beauty in everything, want to help people, and have difficulty gauging the level of their care and enthusiasm to other people's emotional frequency. Invoked when Richard even calls Seigi a "mirror to his soul."
- Seigi, Richard's employee, and Vincent, Richard's former employee. Both are young East-Asian men who worked under Richard in his jewelry shop and have many of the same skills, and both deeply want to help people, but Vincent was unable to overcome his jealousy and insecurity next to Richard while Seigi happily took everything he could from Richard's mentorship. Thanks to Seigi, however, Vincent has started a course to match him more closely and work under Richard once more.
- Cesare - Il Creatore che ha distrutto focuses on the relationship between 16-year-old Cesare Borgia and Angelo da Canossa, a Scholarship Student from Florence whose lack of knowledge about the political world Cesare operates in provides a window in for the reader who is also likely unaware. They are mirrored by a pair of historical figures from 200 years prior, who they study in school — Dante Alighieri and the Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich VII. Like Cesare, Dante was born into the papal side of the "Pope vs. Emperor" conflict that defined politics in Italy in both of their eras; both Cesare and Dante decide that that side is too corrupt, and try the Imperial side. Dante says that Heinrich VII was like a light that entered his life, showing him another way. Angelo is this for Cesare as well. When Heinrich VII died suddenly in Pisa, Dante buried him with his own hands. After Angelo takes a knife for Cesare during a confrontation, Angelo asks Cesare to bury him if he dies.
- Chainsaw Man: International Assassin Arc villain Santa Claus serves a preview to Part 1's overall antagonist Makima. Both are specialists in manipulation and prey on younger figures. In addition, both of their powers are extremely similar, with the latter's powers being a more powerful and indirect version of the former's, and both gained contracts with more powerful entities to gain more power. In the case of Makima, this was with the Japanese government to grant her immortality, whilst Santa Claus gained part of the Darkness Devil's power. Both of them also meet a somewhat similar fate by being killed by someone they never anticipated; Santa Claus due to Cosmo's infinite knowledge, and Makima due to underestimating Denji.
- Dance in the Vampire Bund: Alphonse and Akira. Both had fathers who were, while well-meaning, almost abusive in their attempts to groom their children to be suitable protectors for Mina. Both of them met Mina at a young age and fell in love with her, and both fight for the sole purpose of protecting her. The only real difference between the two is who Mina fell in love with.
- Death Note: L and Light are ostensibly on opposite sides of the plot, each trying to catch and stop each other, but...honestly, they're more alike than either are willing to admit. L, the detective, is selfish, childish, hates losing, is willing to resort to illegal, unethical means to pursue victory, and sacrifices criminals to do it, and Light is...selfish, childish, hates losing, is willing to resort to illegal, unethical means to pursue victory, and sacrifices criminals to do it. L's name "Lawliet" is even pronounced "low light" in Japanese.
- Descendants of Darkness: Tsuzuki and Hisoka, teammates as shinigami, were both ostracised, abandoned, and called monsters as children. As shinigami, they both also died horribly young and full of regrets, and Muraki has an uncomfortably dangerous interest in both of them.
- D.N.Angel has Dark and Krad, two halves of the same cursed painting who now possess hosts from different hereditary lineages in the same manner and are constantly in conflict. And, well...take a look at the way their names are spelled.
- Dragon Ball:
- Goku and his older brother Raditz. Both are overachievers much like their father before them, born low-class yet fortunate enough to become elite by attrition after their race was wiped out. While Goku embraced the gentle heart given to him by his mother and works his entire life to break the limits of his birth, like his father, Radtiz chose to hide behind others stronger than him while embracing the ruthlessness of being a Saiyan, rejecting his mother's kind influence.
- Vegeta and Goku, eternal rivals. Both are thrill-seeking Saiyan warriors always looking to test, expand, and overcome their limits. While Goku is a cheerful man who cherishes others, greatly values his Earthly upbringing, and was born weak among commoner parents, Vegeta is a rough, arrogant prince who initially cares only for himself, and was born very powerful and heir to the throne of his planet. However, under Goku's influence, even Vegeta comes to proudly defend Earth and their friends.
- Vegeta was also this to Frieza during the Saiyan and Namek Sagas. As much as he hates Frieza, Vegeta is quite similar to him in many ways, particularly in his sadism; he refused to even consider reviving Raditz for being a weakling, killed Nappa in cold blood for losing to Goku even as Nappa begged him for help, did the same to a Saibamen for losing to Tien, and slaughtered an entire Namekian village, children included, with a Psychotic Smirk on his face. Dende even initially refuses to heal him for this reason, openly stating that Vegeta is just as bad as Frieza.
- Fairy Tail:
- Lucy Heartfillia and Mavis Vermillion: Both are kind, suffered abandonment from their parents as children, and now use their wits to beat their opponents. Both girls are close to one of the Dragneel brothers; Mavis is in love with Zeref while Lucy is ship-teased with Natsu. As if to cement how much both girls mirror each other, they are the only two characters who learn the spell Fairy Sphere and use it against the dragon Acnologia, with Mavis protecting everyone from one of Acnologia's attacks while Lucy traps Acnologia's body inside one.
- Future Lucy and Future Rogue both come from futures in which dragons have destroyed the world: the dragon Acnologia destroying Future Rogue's timeline, while a hoard of ten thousand dragons destroyed Future Lucy's timeline. Both have lost their loved ones and even a body part, with Future Rogue losing his right eye while Future Lucy lost her right hand, which caused them to fall into despair. The key difference is that Future Lucy comes back in time to save everyone and stop the coming ten-thousand dragons from bringing disaster, while Future Rogue wants to ensure it happens.
- Future Lucy and the Dragon Acnologia both tried to save people from dragons. Both have even lost a hand with Future Lucy losing her right hand while Acnologia lost his left hand. But while Future Lucy kept her morals in the end in spite of losing everything, Acnologia didn't.
- Future Lucy and Zeref both lost loved ones to dragons and watched Natsu be killed by fire dragons, and were the only survivors of the attacks. Both wanted to return to the past so their tragedies could be averted, but while Zeref changed his mind and decided not to go through with time travel, Future Lucy did.
- Fruits Basket:
- Tohru Honda and Akito Sohma. Both girls struggle with the loss of a beloved parent, both have traditionally masculine names despite being female, and both are terrified of being alone and abandoned. However, that's where the similarities end; while Tohru is an incredibly sweet and selfless Nice Girl who always puts others before her own happiness, Akito is an immature, selfish Jerkass who only cares about herself and what she wants at the expense of the happiness and livelihood of everyone else, especially the Zodiac members. It's also later revealed that while Akito envies the unconditional love Tohru receives, Tohru herself has deeply-repressed selfish urges (mainly her desire to have her mother all to herself, hating her father for "taking" her mother even though she knows such hatred is wrong). Over the course of the story, Tohru comes to terms with the idea that it's okay to be selfish once in awhile, while Akito is able to let go of the curse and accept that not everyone will like her.
- While Kyo and Yuki Sohma are constantly at each other's throats, it's ultimately revealed that despite having a Red Oni, Blue Oni dynamic, they're much more similar than they first appear. Both of them have a multitude of issues which has stemmed from the abuse they received during their childhood, both have low self-esteem and feelings of isolation, both are Not Good with Rejection, and they struggle to communicate their true feelings. Recognizing this, and realizing that they both admire and envy each other is what allows them to move on from their hostility and have a better relationship.
- In given, Ritsuka Uenoyama, Mafuyu's boyfriend, and Yuki Yoshida, Mafuyu's now-deceased boyfriend, are both brilliant, kind, charismatic guitarists with a natural knack for music that's nearly unmatched. And, of course, both are very in love with Mafuyu. At first, it seems that Uenoyama will avoid the lack of communication which caused a rift in his relationship with Mafuyu, but once Mafuyu's childhood friend brings Uenoyama one of Yuki's songs to complete, he also starts keeping important secrets from him.
- Kaguya-sama: Love Is War: One reason Iino and Ishigami don't get along is because both are forthright and critical. Without other people around to mediate them, they get deadlocked in endless arguments. There's also the fact that neither tells the other how they keep each other from harm. Iino did her best to keep Ishigami from being expelled in middle school and shields him from the other public morals committee members, while Ishigami secretly (and sometimes openly) does his best to spare her from humiliation or keeps her away from suspicious people. However, since they both think true altruism doesn't need any recognition, neither of them knows and interprets each other's actions as being hostile.
- Kill la Kill: while Satsuki Kiriyuin and Ryuko Matoi are initially set up as mere foils, they have a lot more in common than either initially realizes. Both are Hot-Blooded Action Girls with enough Heroic Willpower to blow up a stadium, both wear Stripperific kamui in order to fight, and both are unwavering in their convictions note . It gets even more obvious after The Reveal that, not only are they sisters, they share the same motivation of avenging their father's murder. Taken even further in episode 22, where Ryuko realizes that Satsuki has True Companions with Cloudcuckoolander tendencies that are willing to do anything to protect her- just like Ryuko has. They then activate their Transformation Sequences simultaneously, and the near-identical animations are literally mirrored. From then until the end of the series, anytime Ryuko and Satsuki fight together, they make identical but mirrored moves.
- Kurosagi: Kurosaki & Shiriashi, who are a black swindler and white swindler respectively. They are both professional swindlers who defraud others, not for personal gain, but to utterly destroy their mark, whom they deem as corrupt. But while Kurosaki specifically preys on frauds, Shiraishi preys on large corporations which he views as "rotten", regardless of whether or not they engage in monetary fraud.
- In Kyo Kara Maoh!, Yuuri and Saralegui are both charismatic kings crowned as teenagers with the immense magic power that comes from one human parent intermixed with the magical blood from Yuuri's demon father and Sara's shinzoku mother. But Yuuri is the Demon King, and Saralegui is descended from Saintsland.
- Little Witch Academia (2017): Although Akko and Diana seem like complete Foils on the surface, given their opposing personalities, skill sets and social backgrounds, it is later revealed that both are far more alike than either of them would like to admit. They're both passionate about magic, they're both prone to being reckless, arrogant, immature, stubborn and competitive, and they're both fans of Shiny Chariot (though Diana keeps her interest closeted), to where they both became students of Luna Nova because it’s the school Chariot went to. On top of that, they were both bullied and/or ostracized by others simply because of their love for Chariot and/or magic and both have had their magic unintentionally drained from a young age by Chariot thanks to attending her show in Japan, on top of coming to the realization that Chariot is not who they thought her to be. Despite their differences, it's through these similarities and more that they're able to come together and become friends by the end of the series.
- In Magi: Labyrinth of Magic, there are a number of these.
- Cassim and Alibaba were childhood friends who grew up on the same streets, both taking comfort in Alibaba's mother. When Alibaba returns to Balbaad while Aladdin is working to find his way back to him, Alibaba joins Cassim's gang to upend the social structure in the country, as Cassim needs his light and heart, as well as Alibaba's royal lineage.
- Alibaba and Hakuryuu are likewise mirrors as princes of their countries who were so far down the line of succession they were never expected to take the throne, but who were chosen by magi as king candidates and conquered dungeons with the help of their friends.
- Aladdin and Judar: Both amazingly powerful magi, even with similar clothing schemes and hair, but Judar is the Dark Magi, Fallen into Depravity, through no choice of his own, simply because he was found by the villains of the series at infancy and Aladdin was protected. Nonetheless, after brutally fighting, with their chosen king candidates, fellow mirrors Alibaba and Hakuryuu, they team up at the end.
- Judar and Hakuryuu both had their families murdered by Al-Thamen, were raised by Gyokuen, and desperately thirsted for revenge. Both are also willing to go to some pretty horrifying lengths in service of their goals.
- Monster Rancher:
- Tiger of the Wind and Hare both meet the Searchers as Loveable Rogues: Tiger is the leader of a pack of bandits who steal the Magic Stone, while Hare meets them at a tournament where he tricks Tiger into lowering his guard, then attempts to swindle the others out of their winnings by playing The Charmer. Both fall victim to their Pride getting the better of them, underestimating their opponents, then join the Searchers, where both serve as Glass Cannons. Of the pair, Tiger touts the importance of strength while Hare focuses more upon planning and cunning, and the two constantly butt heads while becoming Vitriolic Best Buds.
- The one-off character Color Pandora also serves as one for Hare: both are Guile Heroes who prefer avoiding direct combat where they can and take a lot of pride in their wits. Hare even warns Color Pandora about being Too Clever by Half, only to get dismissed and accused of being jealous of his accomplishments. When Color Pandora's plans fall apart, he goes into a Heroic BSoD that he only shakes off after seeing Hare and the others continue fighting despite the poor odds.
- Moriarty the Patriot:
- For William:
- Sherlock Holmes and Professor William James Moriarty, both nearly incomparably brilliant men, protective of the weak and set on bringing justice, change, and equality to the British Empire, and both capable of horrible, horrible acts of murder. It's invoked over and over how identical they are, by William, Sherlock, even Lestrade and Mycroft get in on the action, and the series revolves around the idea that they're two halves of one whole and understand each other in ways no one else can.
- William and Louis pick this up after The Final Problem once Louis takes over command of MI6 and the crew. Moneypenny, Mycroft, and even Sherlock comment on how much looking at Louis is like looking at his older brother, and how similarly they act.
- William also has a one-arc mirror in Adam Whiteley, the kind, charismatic MP who wants to force equality into British society whether people agree with him or not, and even resorts to blackmail, with a beloved blond disabled little brother who worships him and worries about his safety constantly, and wishes to repent for his sins with death. At the end of the arc, Whiteley places his hopes for the country on William's shoulders, knowing they want the same thing.
- Another one-arc mirror for William is the brilliant math prodigy Bill Hunting who works for a printing company in Durham and had like William would have been had he not been adopted by the Moriartys, unable to access the elite education that his brain is capable of. William says that he stands on the same horizon as him (in regards to math), which is the first half of a Meaningful Echo to Sherlock saying that he finally stands on the same horizon as William after uncovering the mystery of the Lord of Crime completely. It's an interesting look and what could have been for William, and a way to re-cement his cause.
- Of all people, William Moriarty and Mary Morstan, a pretty, stoic, well-educated, well-mannered, mysterious, suspicious blonde orphan who got herself into legal trouble just trying to help people because she was too inspired by French Socialism and the Paris Commune. Like him, she found herself blackmailed by Milverton despite wanting little more than to live a quiet, peaceful life and came to Sherlock begging for his help and Sherlock immediately agreed to assist without asking for anything and dismissing the need for begging. She's even a governess, which, while certainly not the caliber of a university professor at an elite university at such a young age, is someone who works as a private teacher.
- William and Billy the Kid. Both are atoners after having been a "noble criminal" seeking to help people being victimized by horrible people. Billy was well-loved and his dear friend, the Sheriff and representative of justice, Pat Garrett, helped him fake his own death after getting into a confrontation and not seeing another way to save Billy's life. No, that doesn't sound like William and Sherlock at all...certainly not to help William figure out what he wants to do in the aftermath of The Final Problem.
- Mycroft and Albert. Both eldest brothers are reserved and good and masking their emotions and are deeply fond and protective of their younger siblings. They work for the secret parts of the government together to help Britain in the shadows. They both even take on legal burdens hoping to protect their younger brother. Like Sherlock and William, they see themselves as the light and dark of London, with Albert working under aliases in the shadows while Mycroft is very openly the Secretary of State.
- For William:
- My Hero Academia:
- While a good number of characters can be compared and contrasted to Midoriya, there are two characters in particular who are shown to be reflections of what his life could've been like if things didn't work out as they did:
- Shinso is a general education student who wants to be a hero. Unfortunately, he's saddled with a quirk that isn't only unsuited for combat situations, but also makes people think of him as a potential villain. He calls out Midoriya during their Sports Festival battle as not being able to understand what he's going through, but Midoriya can absolutely relate- having been a quirkless boy with no chance at passing the entrance exam before getting his power, and wanting to be a hero despite everyone telling him he can't.
- Gentle Criminal grew up wanting to be a hero, but was a failure as a student, and could never gain a provisional license. When he tried to save a citizen's life, his quirk only made things worse, and the public attacked him for getting the way of a hero's job. This reminds Midoriya of his attempts to save Bakugo from the sludge villain, which got him harshly reprimanded, but didn't otherwise ruin his career. Midoriya finds the battle with Gentle hard on a personal level when he realizes just how similar the two of them are.
- Shinso is also quite similar to Monoma who seems to have taken a liking for him since both of them have non-flashy situational Quirks (Monoma needs to touch other Quirk users to copy their Quirks, Shinso needs to have someone address him to make his mind control work) but both want to become pro-heroes regardless.
- While a good number of characters can be compared and contrasted to Midoriya, there are two characters in particular who are shown to be reflections of what his life could've been like if things didn't work out as they did:
- My-HiME has Natsuki and Nao. Both are HiME. Both lost their mothers at a young age to violence. Both were abandonded by their surviving relatives, afterwords. Both set out on a quest for revenge. But in Natsuki's first year of middle-school, she caught the eye of Shizuru Fujino, who made a concentrated effort to bring Natsuki out of her isolated shell, causing her to slowly open up to others. Nao, on the other hand, had no one looking out for her but herself, and became jaded, bitter, and cynical. After Natsuki suffers a Psychosomatic Superpower Outage, a comment from Nao about how love and relationships were meaningless made Natsuki realize that it was Shizuru's love that kept her from becoming like Nao. That knowledge restores her powers, and she intervenes to prevent Shizuru from killing Nao. When the Big Bad is defeated and the dust settles, the two are on much friendlier terms.
- Naruto:
- Naruto and Gaara. Their arc (and their eventual friendship) is based on them being similar (both are outcasts from their villages who deep down just want friendship, both are the containers of powerful monsters who make them unstoppable in battle but whose power they cannot control, and both must eventually learn to define themselves outside of their roles as those containers) even though outwardly they couldn't be more different- Naruto is friendly, loud, and oblivious to those around him, while Gaara was initially a very quiet borderline sociopath whose only emotions are rage and boredom when he isn't killing. After meeting Naruto and realizing that its possible to not listen to the monster sealed inside him telling him to kill and that if he did, people besides that monster might come to like him, Gaara begins a Character Development that leads him to becoming much more compassionate and gentle, while Naruto in turn eventually learns to take things more seriously and be more humble.
- Nagato was remarkably similar to Naruto. Both were orphaned at a young age, struggled with loneliness, displayed great camaraderie, and were able to rally up a group of followers for their lifelong goal of world peace. To further their similarities, they were trained by Jiraiya, and in one of Jiraiya's novels, a character named "Naruto" was based on Nagato himself.
- Naruto and Sasuke are like two sides of the same coin, and despite Sasuke being introduced as the prodigy while Naruto was the loser, the two of them were not all that dissimilar. They were both orphans, "lonely kids starved for love who found nothing but hatred". However, they chose different paths: Sasuke let his hatred consume him while Naruto learned to let it go and moved past it.
- Sasuke and Gaara. Back when he was still in his Ax-Crazy phase, Gaara told Sasuke that they were very much alike: they both had the same eyes filled with hatred and the desire to kill the ones who made them so lonely. During the Five Kage Summit arc, he reminds that to Sasuke and tries and convince to abandon his quest for vengeance. It doesn't work.
- Naruto and Obito. Their similarities to each other are commented on by a number of people. In particular, Obito himself sees his younger self in Naruto and during the war tries to break Naruto's will as a form of validation for his plans. Kakashi even accuses him of trying to prove to himself that he's in the right by using Naruto as a stand-in for himself.
- Obito and Kabuto. Both of them were involved in the Shinobi World War and were left for dead only to be found by their Evil Mentors and taken in as students. When said evil mentors died, they both took the mentalities of said mentors and tried to become them, and thanks to said drive both went from joke level fighters to Kage level enemies. To add to it, both of them pulled a Heel–Face Turn after said evil mentors returned from the dead and decided to embrace who they actually were. Both are also serve as Evil Counterparts to Naruto who use this to their advantage.
- Although he denies this, there are also similarities between Obito and Nagato. Both of them in their youth were Wide Eyed Idealists who were involved in the Shinobi World War. Both of them were in a team of three people and most of all wanted to protect their friends. Both of them fell under the manipulation of another person after witnessing the suicide of their best friend/love interest, and eventually abandoned their former idealism and became Well Intentioned Extremists. Both of them began to hide under a different name and eventually became the cause of death of their former sensei. Finally, both of them ultimately pulled a Heel–Face Turn shortly before their deaths, realizing the error of their ways and trying to correct their mistakes by resurrecting all those whom they killed.
- Obito is also this to his fellow Uchiha, Sasuke, if you can believe it. Both are of the Uchiha Clan, both were cheerful children, and both constantly sought the love/attention of an individual who they thought didn't care for them enough; for Obito it was Rin, while Sasuke sought attention from his father. Both constantly compared themselves to a character who was The Ace and fell short in comparison; for Obito it was Kakashi, and for Sasuke it was Itachi. When said person whose interest they longed for died, they had drastic changes in behaviour: Sasuke had his clan's demise while Obito had Rin's demise, though both at the hands of said ace who committed the deed unwillingly (Itachi was ordered and hated himself for it and Kakashi's hand was forced). Lastly, both are ultimately hurt children lashing out at the world for their unfair childhoods, and the events that broke them.
- Pokémon: The Series:
- Ash's Friendly Rival Ritchie from Pokémon: The Original Series is a reflection of who Ash would be if he were a little bit more mature and competent. Their Pokemon rosters are very similar (both using a Pikachu, a member of the Charizard line, a Butterfree, and a member of the Pidgey line), they have similar appearances aside from wearing contrasting colors, and they managed to have a very close championship battle. Ritchie, however, was much humbler than the still-arrogant and short-fused Ash.
- Paul from Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl is another mirror to Ash, reflecting all his skill, experience, and determination but with complete opposite beliefs on how to train Pokémon. Both are veteran trainers who dream To Be a Master; they'd competed in and lost all of the same Pokémon Leagues, have never given up on their dream despite their numerous losses, and are extremely stubborn about their respective beliefs. However, while Ash strictly believes in The Power of Friendship, Paul insists on raw power, intense training, and cold, calculated strategy. Their Character Development across the series is based heavily on them coming to terms with each other's styles, with both of them getting flattened in a 6v6 battle before rethinking their ways.
- For a non-Ash example, Pokémon the Series: Black & White has Iris's rival Georgia. She shares all of Iris's negative traits, such as her arrogance, condescension, and hypocrisy, but amped up worse without any of her redeeming qualities. Like Ash and Paul, the two slowly come to realize this and become more respectful of each other as time goes on.
- In Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion, the ending has Homura ascend into what she calls a 'demon' and puts the world into a state of basically a full-on Happy Ending. Magical girls that died in the series are alive and don't seem to have to fight or witch out, living their human lives with nary a thing to worry about, it's basically like a heaven. This mirrors what the stated information of the witch Kriemhild Gretchen , the witch form of Madoka, is said to achieve with her labyrinth and her ultimate goal as the Witch of Salvation, taking magical girls into her form of heaven.
- In The Quintessential Quintuplets, protagonist Fuutarou Uesugi has this dynamic with the two other most prominent male characters, his father Isanari, and the quintuplets' father Maruo Nakano:
- Isanari represents what Fuutarou would be like had he not met Yotsuba in Kyoto and thus remained a delinquent and not focus on his studies. His "Kintarou" disguise as well as Isanari as a student strongly resembles an older version of his delinquent look.
- Maruo is what Fuutarou would be had he not become the quintuplets' tutor. As a result, his social life would never improve as he would remain focused solely on his studies at the cost of everything else (which may possibly include even family). He even looks physically a lot like Maruo in the present day.
- Roll Over and Die: Milkit is a reflection of what Flum could have become. They both suffered from a lack of self esteem, and they were both treated as if they were worthless by others. They were both abused by nobles. They were both betrayed and sold into slavery with Flum being betrayed by a member of the Hero’s Party, and Milkit was sold by her parents. After Flum frees them, they both become a Living Emotional Crutch to the other, and they both gain a better sense of self. It gets to the point that in Episode 02 that Flum admits to herself that she and Milkit may have a codependent relationship, and in Episode 04, Milkit is more afraid of living in a world without Flum than dying.
- Samurai Champloo: Mugen and Jin. At first glance, they seem to be as different as night and day. Mugen's incredibly brash and always itching for a fight, while Jin's calm and composed and an honourable warrior. Their colour schemes and general attitude also reflect this. However, the two are a lot more like each other than they'd like to admit, right down to both being morally ambiguous drifters and excellent swordsmen. Mugen claims to be a loner and hates everyone, but he already shows some heroic tendencies and concern for Fuu by the second episode. Meanwhile, Jin is actually rather cold, irritable, and even arrogant, especially in regards to Mugen.
- Shirobako: Shimoyanagi and Endou might be rivals, but they are actually pretty similar to each other and have the same interests, bonding over the Idepon Exhibit in Episode 6 — it was a show that motivated both of them to take up animation, in fact. By the end of their argument arc they even asked each other to be taught with their respective disciplines.
- Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie introduces Metal Sonic, Sonic's oldest Evil Counterpart and a robot created to match Sonic's abilities and personality.
- In Spiral, Hizumi is Ayumu's evil counterpart of sorts. He, too, is a clone of a famously charismatic, intelligent, infallible "older brother," neglected by anyone who was expected to raise him, and similarly unable to die except by the other's hand.
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann:
- Simon and Lordgenome are both legendary Spiral warriors brimming with Spiral Power willing to fight the Anti-spirals for humanity's freedom. While Lordgenome is an opponent at first hoping to crush humanity to keep them safe, Simon fights for their freedom even in the face of certain doom and his indomitable will brings them victory.Lordgenome: There was once a man who fought as you do, unaware that his actions would lead to the universe's destruction.
- Kamina and Kittan, both brash, loud, "manly" leaders and older-brother figures. They both see Simon's potential and relinquish leadership to him, and they even fall in love with the same woman and both die after kissing her.
- Simon and Lordgenome are both legendary Spiral warriors brimming with Spiral Power willing to fight the Anti-spirals for humanity's freedom. While Lordgenome is an opponent at first hoping to crush humanity to keep them safe, Simon fights for their freedom even in the face of certain doom and his indomitable will brings them victory.
- Tiger & Bunny:
- In the first few episodes, Kotetsu is mirrored by the NEXT kid causing havoc in Sternbild, a young boy whose powers developed suddenly and whose friends turned on him immediately after, believing his powers made him a freak who could only hurt people. Kotetsu uses this connection between them to take on the role of the famous hero, Mr. Legend, who inspired him to become a hero, and lets the kid help save him.
- Turns out, Kotetsu has a bit more in common with Mr. Legend than he'd like, after he begins losing his NEXT powers and his hero career is thrown into jeopardy. While Kotetsu never ranked as highly as Mr. Legend did, as part of the team with Barnaby, he was an absolute star with attention all over him. Fortunately, Kotetsu managed to avoid turning into abusive, unlike his idol.
- As for Barnaby, in the movie Tiger & Bunny: The Rising, he has a mirror in Andrew Scott, another young man whose parents were killed and company destroyed by someone he desperately wants revenge on, emphasizing how Barnaby has finally managed to move past that emotional stage of his life.
- And then there is Golden Ryan, who has some of the most frustrating traits of both Barnaby and Kotetsu mixed into one: an older, experienced hero who still cares about points and ratings the way Barnaby did when he first started—and a trait of his that has been softened considerably after time with Kotetsu.
- Season 2 introduced Mr. BLACK / Subaru Sengoku and He Is Thomas / Thomas Taurus, who are mirros of Kotetsu and Barnaby respectively.
- Subaru shares the same struggle to earn points and stuck teaming up with a supposedly more effective and profitable partner. He also voices his contempt at the ratings and profits focused angle of Sternbild's hero business, in the same way Kotetsu refuses to let those aspects get in the way of helping others. However, he lacks the same maturity and experience that Kotetsu has and is more brash and hot-headed.
- Thomas has the same background of being orphaned at a young age, went through The Hero Academy to become a professional hero, and is socially closed off from colleagues. Even his hero name uses his real name, similar to Barnaby. The difference is that while Barnaby was isolated and didn't have much of a choice in trusting people due to manipulations by outside forces, Thomas is choosing not to trust anyone.
- YuYu Hakusho: Sensui is the former Spirit Detective and Yusuke's Hero's Evil Predecessor. Like Yusuke, he discovered not all demons were evil and made friends with some and worked alongside them, before going full Ax-Crazy after a traumatic event.
