See the full list of examples at Mirroring Factions.
- In Attack on Titan, the characters are eventually confronted by this reality upon learning the truth about the world. The Titans are humans involuntarily transformed into monsters, and the entire conflict is simply humans fighting over resources. Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie are not the psychopathic monsters Eren accused them of being. Instead, they're merely soldiers from an opposing nation doing what they believe is necessary to protect the world. This similarity results in them becoming Fire-Forged Friends during their time in training, but creates considerable pain on both sides when their opposing missions force them to fight each other.
- A Certain Magical Index: A few characters lampshade how both sides of Science vs. Magic have similar methods and goals. For example, Academy City's goal of creating a Level 6 Esper through science is similar to the teachings of Gnosticism.
- In The Familiar of Zero, humans and elves had Fantastic Racism toward each other. Several characters learn that other than cosmetic differences, humans and elves behave almost the exact same way in similar situations. Arie, an elf with a great hatred for humans, eventually befriends Guiche when he sees that Guiche's interactions with his girlfriend Montmorency mirror his own interactions with his girlfriend Luctiana.
- In an episode of GUN×SWORD they come across a city divided down the middle and composed completely of identical twins who have split themselves into two groups and warring against their siblings. It even seems each pair has the same job for their respective sides. They are in total deadlock as every time they fight is always ends in a draw. Even when they both hire outside mercenaries and one guy gets shot in the arm, his brother on the other side also gets shot in the arm before long. It is eventually revealed that they are all clones meant to work together, but for some reason they all hated their siblings.
- The Titans in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam are just as fascistic and genocidal as the Principality of Zeon whose remnants they claim to be fighting, massacring Spacenoids in a similar fashion to the way Zeon butchered Earthnoids. It culminates in them allying with a Zeon Remnant once their oppressive tactics cause the Earth Federation to brand them an illegal organization, going against the very thing they were founded to do.
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Uzumi Nara Atha, leader of the neutral nation of Orb, notes that the warring factions of ZAFT and the Earth Forces, are not so different; both are genocidal regimes who are unwilling to compromise or seek a mediated solution. He draws particular parallels between their leaders, the Natural-hating Patrick Zala and Coordinator-bashing Muruta Azrael. Both men would go ballistic if they heard this.
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind:
- Nausicaä outright tells the Pejite survivors that they aren't any better than the Tolmekians when they reveal their plan to destroy the Valley to get back at the Tolmekians, which they don't take kindly to hearing.
- She also does this to Asbel when he argues that his people are nothing like the "bloodthirsty" Tolmekians. However it's not hard to see similarities when both leaderships are fine with weaponizing forces beyond their control in their power struggle and having no trouble screwing over Nausicaä's people, who had nothing to do with their conflict, in the process.
- Neon Genesis Evangelion: One of the big revelations is that humans share much of their DNA with their enemies, the Angels. Misato remarks on the tragic irony behind the fact that each race wants to exterminate the other despite being so similar on a genetic level.
- Parodied in Ouran High School Host Club between the titular club and the Zuka club. Both are hammy, often cosplay, wear lavish costumes, have legions of fangirls and want Haruhi to stay/join them.
- In Slayers, it is revealed that the only differences between Gods/Shinzoku and Demons/Mazoku is the type of emotions that feeds them and the magic that can be called upon from them (Shinzoku being HolyMagic and Mazoku being Black Magic.)
- Space Battleship Yamato: For most of the first season we are repeated that the Gamilas are evil for what they've done to Earth and Mankind, but when the Yamato is about to reach Iskandar we find out that the Gamilas did what they did because they had no other choice but to adapt Earth to them if they were to survive, and that included the extinction of Earth's original life forms. Kodai has to acknowledge their similarities after the battle to reach Iskandar has devastated Gamilas and destroyed its cities, killing billions, by the very actions of the Yamato crew.
- Space Runaway Ideon: It's been mentioned many times that the Buff Clan and humanity are very similar due to their ways of war but Karala believes there might be a possibility for the two sides to peacefully coexist. It's even noticed by the Solo Ship crew that the distance between Earth and Buff Clan's home planet are parallel with each other and there are instances where some Buff Clan commanders and the Earth Alliance leaders forge an alliance to destroy the Solo Ship and Ideon. In the last episode and Be Invoked, Ide teleports Karala to her father's ship to convince him into ending the conflict once and for all. Unfortunately, her father remains stubborn and refuses to negotiate for peace, leading to another battle that resulted in Karala's and her unborn child's deaths. This causes Ide to realize despite the similarities, there's no hope for peace between the two groups, and in the end, it decides to wipe out both species.
- In Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Simon discovers that after taking Teppelin, they have been forcing humans to live above ground whether they want to or not...which really isn't too different from the oppression Lordgenome imposed on humanity by forcing them to live under the surface.
- YuYu Hakusho: This is actually a major underlying theme in the story. Mainly in that demons are also not so different to humans. Demons are a designated evil and have no obligations to being good. Thus often making themselves out to be more evil. Well, at least in this show. But the series then introduces many humans who are just as evil if not worse than demons and many demons who have proven to be truly good-hearted like Yukina. In the end chapters of the manga, for example, announcer girls Juri and Koto, known for not being afraid to commentate on carnage during the tournaments, find a natural affinity for television. It's a sign that more-disciplined demons who learn to play by the rules (the most basic rule: don't exploit humans) can be accepted by humans as being rather decent folk.
