Sibling Yin Yang / Literature

Examples of Sibling Yin-Yang in literature.

• In The 39 Clues, we have Amy and Dan Cahill. Amy is painfully shy and a bookworm, while Dan is goofy and more daring and has is more into math. However, they make a great team.
• Air Awakens: Half-brothers Prince Aldrik and Prince Baldair. A dark-haired and dark-eyed sorcerer, secretive and often nasty to people, and a blond-haired, blue-eyed warrior, open, direct and loved by the people.
• The Anderssons:
  • Ida Sofia and Mandi are Polar Opposite Twins and a perfect example of Red Oni, Blue Oni already as four-year-olds. Ida Sofia is the introverted and cynical Book Worm, Mandi is more extroverted and naive and Book Dumb.
  • Ida Sofia and Greta have a case of The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry. Ida Sofia is the straight-laced intellectual, while Greta is an impulsive The Fashionista.
  • Eric and Otto are Sensitive Guy and Manly Man. Eric is meek and sensitive and becomes a confectioner. Otto is tough and more austere and becomes a military officer.
  • When it comes to Cecilia and Hannes, they develope a full-blown Sibling Rivalry. Cecilia is very much pushed into getting a High School diploma, whether that is what she wants or not. Hannes has dyslexia and could hardly get a passing grade in Elementary School, so he thinks that he's The Unfavorite. But if you ask Cecilia, he is free at least to get a job and make money and go anywhere he wants. They are constantly jealous of each other and are even divided by their different tastes in music: Cecilia's upbeat rock'n'roll vs Hannes's moody jazz. It is only gradually, that they can start to approach each other again.
  • Åsa and Saga are a Tomboy and Girly Girl pair. Åsa is a The Fashionista, who becomes a fashion designer. Saga is the Outdoorsy Gal, who is more interested in becoming a farmer like their parents.
• Arn: The Knight Templar:
  • Arn is a deeply devout, highly trained knight. His brother Eskil is a worldly merchant, fond of silver, food, beer, and salty language. However, Arn points out that the two aren't that different while Eskil has made his name as a financial and political power-player in their homeland, Arn has been a castellan in the Knights Templar, and the big man in one of their most important trading posts in Outremer, meaning that he has played politics at the top level in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and while not on Eskil's level, he still has a decent grasp of the realities of commerce and logistics.
  • Cecilia is portrayed as a generally good-hearted woman, in huge contrast to her mean shrew of a sister, Katarina, who managed to separate Cecilia and Arn for more than twenty years for selfish reasons. And unlike Arn and Eskil, who always got along despite their differences, Cecilia could not forgive Katarina for what she did to her and Arn, and it seems like the two sisters never saw each other again. And to further highlight how the different they were, Cecilia was of course always a faithful wife to Arn (after they could finally get married, that is), while Katarina was caught cheating on Eskil (because yes, Arn's brother was pretty much forced to marry her for political reasons). But she got banished to a convent for the rest of her life as a punishment for her infidelity, so she would at least not be a Karma Houdini for that one.
• In Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, we have Dagny and James Taggart, and Hank and Philip Rearden. Both sets of siblings hold polarized world views and that in turn shows us that blood is not Thicker Than Water.
• The Baby-Sitters Club:
  • Claudia and Janine. Claudia is a Book Dumb fashionista and an extrovert while her sister Janine is book-smart, nerdy, and introverted.
  • Abby and Anna. Anna is musical, bookish, and introspective while Abby is an athletic, noisy Class Clown. About the only things they have in common are that they both have scoliosis (although Abby didn't need it corrected by a brace while Anna did) and poor eyesight.
  • Karen is a bratty and talkative Genki Girl. Her brother Andrew is very shy.
  • One book is based around the club babysitting for twins Marilyn and Carolyn whose mother insisted on dressing them identically and treating them as one person, despite their completely different interests and personalities. In later books, Carolyn has short hair, wears trendy clothes, and likes science, while Marilyn wears her hair longer and likes to play the piano.
• In the Cal Leandros series, Cal and Niko Leandros. Niko is the older, responsible, hard-working, polite, always-serious, Master Swordsman vegetarian Badass Bookworm, for whom everything has its place, while Cal, the younger brother, is bad-mouthed, snarky, gun-toting, hot dog-loving, addicted to the TV and so lazy Niko considers his room a bubonic plague-infested minefield. It even extends to their looks, with Cal being an Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette and Niko a dark-skinned blond.
• Billie and Joe from The Call of the Wild are said to be as different as day and night. Billie is a sweet but timid dog, but his brother Joe is spiteful and aggressive, even keeping evil Spitz at bay.
• And in the Circle of Magic series, we have Daja's students, identical twins Nia and Jory Bancanor. Nia is shyer and quieter, with woodworking magic, while Jory is louder and more outgoing, with cooking magic. They actually get along quite well, though.
• In Discworld, this is Enforced by the Law Of Narrative Causality: since her sister Lily is an Obliviously Evil Fairy Devilmother, "Granny" Esme Weatherwax has no choice but to be a Good Is Not Nice witch. It's particularly galling because she knows that she would be very good at being a Wicked Witch, and unlike her sister, actually recognize and enjoy being evil.
• Flonne and Ozonne of the Disgaea novels. Flonne is a nice, flaky, adorable and optimistic Otaku Love Freak, while Ozonne is grumpy, rude, boyish and snarky Money Believer. They can't walk a step without arguing with each other.
• Piccarda is first introduced in The Divine Comedy by an off-hand reference to her brother, a hideous glutton who is disfigured for his sin in Purgatory. In contrast, Piccarda is a nun who renounced worldly desires and was rewarded for that in Heaven with divine beauty.
• Doctrine of Labyrinths:
  • Felix and Mildmay were separated as kids and raised in very different environments. Hence Felix is an arrogant, charismatic, extremely powerful wizard with the speech and bearing of an aristocrat, while Mildmay is an awkward, self-effacing, functionally illiterate cat burglar who looks and talks like a street thug. They also have elements of Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling going on, with Mildmay as the far more grounded and street-wise of the two, and Felix being bratty and temperamental with no common sense. Both have extremely poor mental health, although Felix is notably more unstable.
  • Stephen Teverius is dour and pragmatic, and is generally respected if not especially well-liked. His brother Shannon is a fun-loving Camp Gay who has plenty of admirers but isn't taken very seriously.
• In The Dresden Files, Mab and Titania, the Queens of Faerie, are almost complete opposites. Mab is utterly ruthless and pragmatic, making her decisions entirely on cold logic, whereas Titania follows her heart. The only personality trait they have in common is that they both love their respective daughters.
• The Empirium Trilogy: Ilmaire is a gentle, even-tempered scholar while his twin sister, Ingrid, is a hotheaded warrior.
• From Ender's Game: Ender's brother Peter is the aggressive, masculine Yang to their sister Valentine's passive, feminine Yin. Peter was rejected from Battle School because he was too prone to violence, while Valentine was rejected because she was too compassionate. Graff tells Ender he has to find the balance between these two emotions in order to be an effective commander.
• Princes Peter and Thomas in The Eyes of The Dragon by Stephen King. Peter is fit and raven-haired like their mother while Thomas is chubby and sandy-haired like their father.
• Fablehaven has Kendra and Seth Sorenson. Kendra is cautious and thoughtful, Seth is arrogant and brave to the point of stupidity. Plus, as revealed in later books, Kendra is fairykind and a friend to light creatures, to the point of glowing herself to those capable of seeing that spectrum, while Seth is a shadow charmer and a friend to dark creatures, able to hide in the shadows. This doesn't stop them from working together brilliantly, though. See Kendra killing the Demon King with Seth's sword.
• Flawed: Eldest sister Juniper is awkward, cynical, Book Dumb and rebellious; Celestine is popular, intelligent, law-abiding, and logical. It was said that they were very close and very much alike as children but drifted apart as they got older.
• Because they both reacted in very different ways when Alderaan and their family was destroyed, Tash and Zak Arranda of Galaxy of Fear ended up diverging more. Both are curious kids, but Tash is more withdrawn, empathic, and thinks she has to take care of her brother, who has become more of a daredevil.
• Annie and Lila Little Hawk in Gives Light. Annie is thoughtful, quickwitted, feisty, and good at cooking and crafts. Little sister Lila is a glutton, a precocious flirt, and a mouthy brat.
• The Curse of Camp Cold Lake from the Goosebumps series has Sarah, the protagonist, who is the socially awkward sibling to her brother Aaron's much more level-headed attitude who is much more social.
• Go to Sleep (A Jeff the Killer Rewrite): Liu and Jeffrey Woods somewhat contrast each other. One drawing shows that their side-swept bangs mirror each other's, and Liu wears more orderly clothes than Jeff, who wears torn jeans and movie slasher shirts. Liu exhibits better self-control than his older brother, which he points out after Jeff had blown his fuse and fought Randy.
• In Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi, most of the siblings act as a Foil to each other.
  • Jiang Cheng is stern and easily irritable while Jiang Yanli is kind and gentle. They take after their mother and father respectively.
  • Lan Wangji is stoic and aloof while Lan Xichen is friendly and approachable.
  • Wen Qing is fierce and direct whereas Wen Ning is shy and nervous.
  • Nie Mingjue is a Blood Knight warrior who prefers fighting to poetry and politics. Nie Huaisang is weak at cultivation and prefers gentlemanly pursuits and is far better at scheming and politics.
  • Jin Zixuan is the only legitimate son of Jin Guangshan and despite his arrogant exterior, he is honorable and kind once you get to know him. His half-brother Jin Guangyao is an illegitimate son who clawed his way to their father's good graces and despite acting kind, he is the novel's Big Bad.
• Most sibling relationships in Harry Potter follow this to some extent:
  • Sirius who hates his pureblood-obsessed family and eventually runs away from home. His brother Regulus was proud to be part of said family but Harry eventually learns that Regulus was more like Sirius than anyone would have guessed.
  • Their cousins, the Black sisters also count. Bellatrix who is fanatically devoted to Voldemort, Narcissa who is sympathetic to the cause but loyal to her family than him, and last but not least, Andromeda. Not only did she not become a Death Eater, but she also married a muggle-born wizard, produced a daughter who became an Auror, and helps out the Order of the Phoenix, though she's not officially a member herself.
  • Harry's mother Lily who was a muggleborn witch and her sister Petunia, who is perfectly normal, thank you very much.
  • Bookish Cloudcuckoolander Dumbledore and his Book Dumb, down to Earth brother, Aberforth. Although like Sirius and Regulus, these two are more similar than they seem on first glance.

• Katniss and Primrose Everdeen in The Hunger Games. Katniss is tough, a tomboy, a hunter, has difficulty connecting with people, and resembles their father. Prim, meanwhile, is delicate, sweet, well-liked, a healer and Friend to All Living Things who resembles their mother. Despite this, the two are incredibly close.
• InCryptid has several pairs:
  • Elsie and Artie are a succubus and an incubus, respectively, and as different as night and day. Elsie, who has some control over her pheromones, is an outgoing, colorful lesbian, while her brother, who has Power Incontinence over his Living Aphrodisiac abilities, is a Hikikomori whose only real friends are his sister and cousins.
  • Verity and Antimony are a Tomboy and Girly Girl pair in some ways, though it can be difficult to tell whether Verity is a Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak or a Tomboy with a Girly Streak. Antimony is much less friendly with strangers than her sister, though once she becomes friends with someone they're her True Companions. She also complains that Verity doesn't think through the consequences of her actions, like when she revealed the Prices' continued existence on live TV.
  • A twist with Antimony and James, who didn't grow up with her but who she adopted as a brother when they were both adults (after seeing his bad family situation). Antimony is Hot-Blooded, appropriate for someone whose specialty is Playing with Fire, while James is An Ice Person in both power and personality.
• In The Snows Of Haz: Esmine is cold, analytical, and creepy, while his sister Selette is a sweet and friendly kid.
• The Inheritance Games:
  • Zara and Skye are presented like this, apparently splitting their father Tobias' most notable traits between them. Zara is shown to be a no-nonsense business woman while Skye is shown to a free-spirited Open-Minded Parent. Then it's shown that Zara can at least put her personal feelings for Avery aside and try and make the best of the situation while Skye openly resents Avery and tries to have her killed.
  • Grayson is serious, responsible, and a bit uptight. His half-brother Jameson is rebelious, reckless and treats almost everything like a game.
• In The Land of Stories, where Alex is an overachieving "A" student and an optimist in love with fairytales, Conner is extremely lazy in school and a sarcastic skeptic.
• Henry Palace and his sister Nico in The Last Policeman and its two sequels are highly contrasting in that he's quiet and straitlaced while she's rebellious and rambunctious. He's also philosophical about the coming end of the world, and she's determined to avert it somehow.
• Lola Rose features sisters Nikki and Barbara, who are said to be like "chalk and cheese". Barbara is tall and rather fat, and apparently only ever had one serious relationship (which ended badly), while Nikki is small, slim and loves getting attention from guys (though it doesn't usually end well for her). About the only things they have in common is that they're both blondes, have pretty faces and love Nikki's children very much.
• The Izzies from The Merlin Conspiracy by Diana Wynne Jones play with this trope. At any given time, the two girls will take on polar opposite traits; for example one being rude and aggressive while the other is shy and fainting. Then, at random times, they'll switch roles. Twin girls in a magical family where only one can be selected to inherit the family's magic, this is their way of fighting back by making themselves completely indistinguishable.

• Isabelle and Alec Lightwood from The Mortal Instruments. Isabelle is not averse to showing off her beauty, is generally nicer, and like Jace, always rushing headfirst into demon-slaying. Unlike her, Clary notes that Alec is shyer, easier to guilt, and tries everything he can to downplay the good looks he shares with his sister. It's implied that Isabelle is the way she is in part because she wants to draw attention from her brother's homosexuality, as she does not want her parents to find out when he wasn't ready.
• Överenskommelser by Simona Ahrnstedt:
  • Sofia Löwenström is a nearly flawless good-hearted Proper Lady, while her brother Edvard is a serial abuser of women and a sadistic sociopath. They only have one thing in common: They are both good-looking. It becomes very clear that Sofia has taken after their Extreme Doormat mother, while Edvard has taken after their Domestic Abuser father.
  • Their father Wilhelm and his brother (Beatrice's father) also seem to have been very different from each other. Wilhelm has no good memories at all of his more intelligent and liberal-minded brother.
• Xiaohui wants to share Palimpsest with as many people as possible. Her brother puts a lot of effort into keeping any hint of Palimpsest off public forums.
• Persuasion features radically different Eliot sisters, Anne being friendly, pleasant, and down-to-earth, and her two sisters being selfish hypochondriacs.
• Phenomena has Alk, a responsible Bookworm and swordsman, and Ilke, an Adorable Action Girl with ice powers. Their only likeness is that they both are kind and quite badass.
• The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks: Among other things, Michael's a slob, while Norman's a Neat Freak. Michael also likes things quiet, while Norman is usually loud.
• Power: Donna is popular and interested in things like fashion and boys. Omishto, meanwhile, is an unassuming and the target of abuse and bullying; in addition, Donna was given a "modern" English name, while Omishto was given a tribal name.
• Also in Austen, Pride and Prejudice contrasts intelligent, aware, Elizabeth with her pretty but vain and shallow sisters Kitty and Lydia, who are also compared to Jane, who is beautiful but also extremely sweet and loving, and all of the sisters are compared again with Mary, who is plain, austere and studious.
• Elinor — the sense — and Marianne — the sensibility, an archaic word for romanticism, in Sense and Sensibility.
• The Silmarillion:
  • Fëanor and his younger half-brother Fingolfin. Fëanor is a ruthless, arrogant jerk whose actions end up cursing the Noldor and threatens Fingolfin when he thinks they will usurp his place as their father Finwë's heir. Fingolfin is more honourable and heroic and wants to reconcile with his brother.
  • Fëanor's third son Celegorm to the oldest son Maedhros. Celegorm is a notoriously cruel Elf, who is possibly the worst of his brothers, showing himself prepared to engage in kinslaying, trying to force Luthien into marriage, and urges Fëanor's sons to wicked deeds. Maedhros comes across as more reasonable and though still an Anti-Villain for his pursuit of the Silmarils tries to make up for his wicked deeds. This may be seen when Celegorm has Elflings Eluréd and Elurín abandoned in the forest to starve, at which Maedhros tries to find them but is unable to.
• Snow-White and Rose-Red: The titular sisters are a classic Tomboy and Girly Girl pair. Demure and gentle Snow likes to stay in and help their mother with the cooking and sewing, while passionate and free-spirited Rose likes running around in the woods all day. Most visual depictions have Snow as a blonde and Rose as a redhead.
• A Song of Ice and Fire:
  • Most prominently seen with sisters Sansa and Arya Stark, who are each other's complete polar opposites and, as such, never get along. They even look completely different (Sansa has the Tully look inherited from her mother's side while Arya has the Stark look inherited from her father's side.)
  • Interestingly, their older brothers Jon and Robb have this too (Jon has the Stark look like Arya, while Robb has the Tully look like Sansa) but, in contrast, Jon and Robb are extremely close as brothers.
    Jon was slender where Robb was muscular, dark where Robb was fair, graceful and quick where his half brother was strong and fast.
  • Also, the vicious Joffrey Baratheon and his gentler little brother Tommen.
  • Also, the Baretheon brothers:
    • Stannis (plainer, stricter, more honourable, and not good with people) and Renly (flashy, charismatic, handsome, a Sleazy Politician) Baratheon.
    • Stannis is also this to his older brother King Robert Baratheon, a drunken Blood Knight, charismatic, Really Gets Around, but barely rules.
    • The same can be said for Robert and Renly-both are charismatic, but Robert was a serial philanderer while Renly was, to all accounts, devoted to his lover. On the other hand, Robert was a great warrior while Renly was enthusiastic but indifferent at best (Stannis isn't as good as Robert but still a seasoned fighter; his talents lie in being among the best strategists to ever live).
  • The Lannister siblings:
    • The twins Jaime and Cersei Lannister seem to be very similar in A Game of Thrones, but when they start getting PoV chapters and character development in the later books, they move towards this trope. It's particularly in terms of how much morality (and sanity) they retain in any given situation.
    • Jaime and Tyrion are highly contrasted as well. Jaime is tall and handsome, Tyrion is a hideously deformed dwarf. Jaime thinks with his feelings and is a skilled swordsman, Tyrion is incredibly manipulative and fights with his wits. It was said that Jaime was the only one who gave a crap about his younger brother, in fact.
    • Staying within the Lannisters, Tywin Lannister was born to lead, Kevan Lannister born to follow. Luckily for them, they were born in the right order.
  • Doran and Oberyn Martell are the Sensitive Guy and Manly Man combination.
  • In the grey-and-black Yin-Yang category, large, muscular Emotional Bruiser Antivillain Sandor Clegane and his huge unrepentant rape-and-murder-machine brother Gregor.

• Song of the Lioness's Alanna and Thom. Alanna is a Hot-Blooded tomboy who enjoys fighting and friendship and (at first) fears her magic. Thom is a bookworm who wants to be the most powerful mage and shuns friendship because he thinks it's beneath him.
• The Star Wars Expanded Universe has Jacen and Jaina. Oddly, Jaina is more masculine than her brother.
• In Super Powereds:
  • Angela and Shane Desoto have both inherited their powers from their grandfather Captain Starlight, the first costumed Hero: Angela got Hard Light and Shane got Living Shadow powers. Angela is a year ahead of Shane at the HCP. While both strive to be the best they can be, Angela is the lively one, enjoying all aspects of being in college (i.e. a party girl). Meanwhile, Shane is focused exclusively on his training at the expense of everything else. His best "friend" is his sparring partner. His sister has to practically force him to go to parties and social outings. To be fair, Angels is the best in her class for all four years, so she doesn't skimp on training either, but Shane feels that she could be way more powerful if she devoted more of her time to improving her abilities. However, Angela was influenced by a late Hero and a friend of her grandfather's, who convinced her to live her life to the fullest because it could end at any time.
  • To a smaller extent, this can be said about Phillip and Charles Adair (AKA Globe and Alchemist). Phillip is older and has always been kind, while also winning the Superpower Lottery. Meanwhile, Charles may have started out as a decent man, the desperation of trying to help his Powered wife led to him becoming cold and distant to his daughter and ruthless in his business endeavors. He also had no qualms about tricking his brother into killing his best friend and then trying to kill Phillip when the latter found out the truth. Contrast Vince and Alice's childhoods. Vince was homeless and got taken in by Phillip as his own, growing up in love and being taught how to be a good man. Alice was mostly raised by Charles's staff and trained to be a socialite, frequently crying herself to sleep. Vince had nothing, and Alice had everything. Which one of them was happier?
• The Sweet Valley High franchise is based on this Trope with its protagonists — identical twin sisters no less. Elizabeth is serious, bookish, a good student, a writer for her High School newspaper, kind to all people in school (her closest friends aren't in the "popular" people club), always tries to help people, has two steady long-term boyfriends during high school, and her clothes are pretty but modest. In contrast, her twin Jessica is a scheming, gossipy, mostly superficial, and frequently lying Bratty Teenage Daughter who only hangs with the popular people, is on the Cheerleading team, goes after boy after boy, and dresses sexy and very fashionably ^note At least that's how the twins are represented; there are Alternative Character Interpretations that Elizabeth is a self-righteous, whiny Bitch in Sheep's Clothing, and Jessica is more spirited, more honestly showing her true self, and at least sometimes feels sorry / apologizes for her actions.. And in each episode, they bicker over their differences but make up in the end.
• "Talma Gordon": The Gordon sisters. Jeannette is described as tall, dark, and stern, and Talma as a fairylike blonde, sparkling in smiles.
• In the Tantei Team KZ Jiken Note series, there's Aya and her sister Nako. Aya is mildly introverted and constantly worrying, while Nako is energetic and carefree.

• Warrior Cats:
  • Squirrelflight and Leafpool: Leafpool is calm and patient, while Squirrelflight is hot-tempered and hyper. One character even compares them to water and fire when talking about their differences.
  • Sparkpelt and Alderheart: Sparkpelt is confident and boisterous, Alderheart is a gentler worrier. Sandstorm tells Alderheart at one point, "Sparkpaw believes she's solved every problem, and you believe you've caused every problem. You're two sides of the same leaf."

• Wicked: The introverted, atheistic, and blandly dressed Elphaba is the older sister of the sociable, highly religious, and relatively fashionable Nessarose. Their differences are lampshaded repeatedly when Nessa is introduced.
• In Yulia Voznesenskaya's children's book series Yulianna, the trope is invoked when twin sisters are separated when their parents get divorced. Brought up after her mother's death by Granny Classic, Anna is quiet, pious and obedient. Yulia, thanks to Bumbling Dad and Bitch in Sheep's Clothing stepmother, is spoiled, arrogant and headstrong.