History Main / FireWaterJuxtaposition

[[folder:Film]]
* Discussed in ''Film/FreddyVsJason'' where it's suggested that some of the animosity between [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]] and [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]] stems from the fact that the former was created from fire, and the latter was created from water. (Freddy became a dream-dwelling demon after being burned to death by an angry mob, and Jason became a hulking zombie after drowning as a child.)
* Employed in ''Film/VForVendetta'', as a contrast between V and Evey's respective "rebirths": we see shots of Evey basking in a rainstorm following her imprisonment and torture [[spoiler:at V's hands]] interposed with a flashback of V emerging from the fiery ruins of Larkhill Concentration Camp.

* In ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009'', the two most dramatic murders carried out by [[BigBad Lord Blackwood]] (both of which occur at the midpoint at the movie, just as Blackwood's plan is coming together) employ this trope. First he drowns [[spoiler:Sir Thomas Rotheram]] in his bathtub, then we see him burn [[spoiler:Ambassador Standish]] alive about 15 minutes later.
** It's interesting to note that fire and water here were used as part of the FourElementEnsemble rather instead of direct foils to each other: Blackwood's first murder after his resurrection was burying his accomplice alive and later he planned to gas the entire parliament in the film climax.

* Played extremely straight in ''Film/{{The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl}}'', through the obvious differences between Sharkboy (a bitey, angry water-guy) and Lavagirl (the feisty, but caring fire-girl). Although the characters themselves seem like they wouldn't be able to get along (and indeed, [[ElementalRockPaperScissors they are often hurt by each other]]), together they make up for the other's weaknesses.
* Used in the climax of ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', where the Connors and the T-800 finally battle the T-1000 to the death. First they freeze him with liquid nitrogen and shatter him into a million pieces, which ''[[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle apparently]]'' kills him for good. A few minutes later, he manages to reform himself when the heat from a factory foundry melts the frozen pieces of his liquid metal body--forcing the T-800 to kill him by [[KillItWithFire throwing him into a vat of molten steel]]. The second time, it sticks.
* In keeping with Creator/GarethEdwards' stated [[GaiasVengeance "Man vs. Nature"]] theme for ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'', and to emphasize just how small and helpless the humans are, one scene shows soldiers firing off tiny-looking flares in front of the massive Franchise/{{Godzilla}}, who is still dripping with many gallons of sea water.
* The ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequel trilogy does this rather subtly with Anakin's character arc between ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' and ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith''. In ''Attack of the Clones'', his affair with Padme begins in earnest when they share a tender kiss at a lake house on Naboo, with Padme waxing poetical about her fond memories of swimming in the lake as a child. In ''Revenge of the Sith'', when Anakin finally crosses his MoralEventHorizon and tries to murder Padme, he does it amidst the fiery volcanic landscape of the planet Mustafar. Later, in Padme's funeral procession, she's shown wearing a billowing dress decorated with flower petals--which WordOfGod confirms is a reference to Ophelia's death in ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''. While Anakin's passion and anger are associated with fire, Padme (his MoralityPet) is associated with water.
* Done subtly in ''Film/BladeRunner2049'', where Officer K's earliest memory is him hiding a beloved toy from bullies inside a massive, roaring furnace, and [[spoiler: his last act is [[HeroicSacrifice sustaining mortal injuries]] while saving Rick Deckard from the bad guys]] not only during the [[BattleInTheRain pouring rain]] but lying on the seashore, immersed in ocean waves.
* The climactic fight scene in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' has a lightning strike starting a brush fire in the Pridelands as Simba returns to Pride Rock and challenges Scar for leadership of the pride. After Scar's defeat, a rainstorm quenches the fire and symbolically washes away the traces of Scar's destructive regime.
* A central motif in ''Film/{{Submarine}}''. The pyromaniac Jordana is strongly associated with fire, while Oliver and his father are associated with water, symbolizing depression and emotional distance. Scene transitions where Oliver is close to Jordana are given a red filter, while ones where he's not have a blue filter. Jordana's fire livens up Oliver's life, but they're not very compatible, fitting with the symbolism. The film also has a lot of shots of flame next to the ocean.

** According to WordOfGod, each of the Four Houses of Hogwarts is also [[FourElementEnsemble associated with one of the four elements]]. Fittingly, Gryffindor and Slytherin--the two houses with the bitterest rivalry--have fire and water as their respective elements. Gryffindor's colors are red and gold, and their thematic association with fire ties into their primary virtue of courage, but also their notoriously stubborn personalities (Gryffindors, like fire, are incredibly difficult to control). This contrasts starkly with Slytherin, whose members pride themselves on their [[TheChessmaster cunning]] and [[AdaptiveAbility adaptability]] (much like water constantly shifts forms, assuming the shape of whatever container holds it).

** It's interesting to note that fire and water here were used as part of the FourElementsEnsemble rather instead of direct foils to each other: Blackwood's first murder after his resurrection was burying his accomplice alive and later he planned to gas the entire parliament in the film climax.

''And no '''''rivers''''' and no '''''lakes''''' can put the fire out...''
* The song "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple is about how the Montreux Casino and the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio burned down on the shores of Lake Geneva.

This trope frequently comes into play in {{Four Element Ensemble}}s, when characters' uses of fire-based and water-based [[ElementalPowers abilities]] are used to set them up as {{Foil}}s. Depending on the form that it takes, this trope can be a sub-trope of ElementalPowers (if characters are associated with fire, water or ice through their uses of elemental abilities), EmpathicEnvironment (when changes in the state of the physical world reflects changes in the emotional state of the characters that inhabit it), or even just ElementalMotifs (if the rain and fire are more metaphorical than literal). See also RedOniBlueOni.

** There's also the episode "Hitman", which has [[AnIcePerson the Ice King]]--a goofy, fun-loving IneffectualSympatheticVillain--trying to defend Finn and Jake from the overzealous assassin [[PlayingWithFire Scorcher]]--an eerily silent, ruthlessly efficient killer--when he almost accidentally has them murdered. Notably, this is one of the first episodes of the show in which the Ice King is completely on Finn and Jake's side, and signals the beginning of his CharacterDevelopment into a more sympathetic AntiVillain.

* The climactic fight scene in ''Disney/TheLionKing'' has a lightning strike starting a brush fire in the Pridelands as Simba returns to Pride Rock and challenges Scar for leadership of the pride. After Scar's defeat, a rainstorm quenches the fire and symbolically washes away the traces of Scar's destructive regime.

* Myth/OceanianMythology: Pele the fire goddess is in a constant battle with her sister Na'maka the ocean goddess. This conflict actually ''creates Hawaii,'' continuously, as runoff from the volcanoes reaches the sea and solidifies.

-->-- '''[[TheManTheyCouldntHang Joshua Graham]]''', ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''

* In ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' we have the two brothers Nova Shenron (fire) and Eis Shenron (Ice).

* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'': TheHero Tai was Fire, TheLancer Matt was blue Fire in his early forms and Ice in his more powerful stages.
* ''Manga/FairyTail'' has boisterous, hot-blooded, red-haired, fire-wielding hero Natsu (Fire) and his serious, level-headed (most of the time), ice-wielding foil Gray (Ice).

* In ''ComicBook/XMen'', this trope is part of what helps solidify Cyclops' two love interests, ComicBook/JeanGrey and ComicBook/EmmaFrost, as [[BettyAndVeronica diametric opposites of one another]]. [[note]] Jean is a [[HeroesWantRedheads red-haired woman]] who has gone by the code name "Phoenix" for a good bit of her career, frequently wears a flaming bird insignia as part of her costume, and has psychic powers that frequently manifest themselves as flames. Appropriately, she is known for her warm, compassionate nature, and (on darker occasions) for her unpredictable fiery temper. Emma (while not actually having [[AnIcePerson ice-based powers]]) is frequently visually associated with ice and the cold because of her surname "Frost", her blonde hair, her all-white clothing, and her diamond-based form that makes her resemble an ice sculpture. Appropriately, she is known for her coldly stoic personality, and her often cynical attitude towards life. [[/note]]
* ''Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'''s aptly-named [[PlayingWithFire Fire]] and [[AnIcePerson Ice]], who have something of a surrogate sisterly relationship with one another, are a fairly straightforward example.

* Heat Miser and Snow Miser in ''WesternAnimation/TheYearWithoutASantaClaus''.
* Iceman and Pyro in the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' films.

* The first BadFuture in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' has a fire-using Peter battling Sylar, who is using ice powers.

[[folder:Toys]]
* Most Toa teams in Toys/{{Bionicle}} have a Toa of Fire as TheHero and a Toa of Ice as TheLancer, typically having a RedOniBlueOni dynamic. Tahu and Kopaka are the most prominent example, although they're both just as likely to start arguing with Gali, the Toa of Water, as they are with each other.
[[/folder]]

* ''Videogame/KillerInstinct'' contrasts Glacius, an ice-themed alien shape-shifter, with Cinder, a human who was mutated into a living flame by an experiment gone wrong.

* Scorpion and Sub-Zero from ''Franchise/MortalKombat''. Sub-Zero uses [[AnIcePerson ice magic]] to complement his fighting style, while Scorpion frequently has some form of attacks that utilize HellFire. They also have a rivalry borne from Scorpion's belief that Sub-Zero was involved in the massacre of his family.
* ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' has Kenshin (ice) and Shingen (fire).Note that it may refer to the chosen element of their ultimate weapon.

* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' has [[AntiHero 'K]] and [[DistaffCounterpart Kula Diamond]], whose [[MovesetClone styles are similar]], yet, they use fire and ice respectively.

* ''VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice'': MagicKnight Mao is able to learn Ice magic naturally, while his ChildhoodFriend and rival [[SquishyWizard Raspberyl]] excels in Fire magic.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' has the recurring summons Ifrit and Shiva for Fire and Ice. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' pairs them up as bosses, while ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' sees Ifrit pull an OhCrap if you summon Shiva against him.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', Terra learns primarily fire spells, while her {{Foil}} Celes focuses on ice spells.
** ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'', Tidus carries a water-theme with his attacks, leaving a trail of bubbles with his sword (which is blue) and leaving splashes as he runs in [[SuperMode EX Mode]], references to [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX his original game's water themes]]. [[ArchnemesisDad His father]] Jecht on the other hand throws out SpellBlade and {{Elemental Punch}}es of fire.
*** In the same game, the goddess Cosmos is associated with water, and her throne, Order's Sanctuary, is covered in a shallow layer of water. Chaos on the other hand is associated with fire, using many fire attacks in battle, and his throne, Edge of Madness, is a {{Mordor}} area covered in magma with fireballs raining from the sky.
* TheHeroIsRyu and [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Fou-Lu]] in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' have very similar movesets, but Ryu's moves are generally fire-themed, while Fou-Lu's are themed around water and ice, and Fou-Lu is explicitly described as having an affinity for water (and a corresponding weakness to fire). This represents the fact that Ryu and Fou-Lu are [[spoiler:two halves of the Yorae Dragon, an immensely powerful god that was split into two beings by the ritual that summoned it.]]

* Luceus and Aurora, the Captains of the Royal Guard in ''Videogame/DragonQuestHeroesTheWorldTreesWoeAndTheBlightBelow'', with Luceus utilizing fire-themed attacks while Aurora using ice-themed ones. They also have RedOniBlueOni personalities, with Luceus being TheStrategist who believes in devising complex plans of attack before any potential encounter, which are always ruined by Aurora [[AttackAttackAttack recklessly charging into the fray]] before he can enact them.
* The recurring characters Koume and Kotake in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series are two witches who use fire and ice magic, who are typically defeated by Link [[TacticalSuicideBoss deflecting the spells launched by one into the other]]. The also have a FusionDance form, Twinrova, which is able to use both elements at once.

[[folder: Web Animation]]
* The penultimate episode of ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}: Volume 5'' has a battle between the Cinder and Raven aka the [[MagicalGirlWarrior Fall and Spring Maidens]] respectively. Cinder attacks with fireballs and weapons made of black glass while Raven uses ice.
[[/folder]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAndHisAmazingFriends'', the "Amazing Friends" were Iceman and Firestar.

* A minor plot point in ''Discworld/GoingPostal''. Golems can survive extreme heat (such as lava) and extreme cold (such as the bottom of the ocean). It turns out that dumping a water tower on a golem in the middle of a burning building is enough to kill it. [[IDieFree Not that it minds.]]

This trope frequently comes into play in {{Four Element Ensemble}}s, when characters' uses of fire-based and water-based [[ElementalPowers abilities]] are used to set them up as {{Foil}}s. Depending on the form that it takes, this trope can be a sub-trope of ElementalPowers (if characters are associated with fire, water or ice through their uses of elemental abilities) or EmpathicEnvironment (when changes in the state of the physical world reflects changes in the emotional state of the characters that inhabit it). See also RedOniBlueOni.

* [[TheHero Ryu]] and [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Fou-Lu]] in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' have very similar movesets, but Ryu's moves are generally fire-themed, while Fou-Lu's are themed around water and ice, and Fou-Lu is explicitly described as having an affinity for water (and a corresponding weakness to fire). This represents the fact that Ryu and Fou-Lu are [[spoiler:two halves of the Yorae Dragon, an immensely powerful god that was split into two beings by the ritual that summoned it.]]

* In ''VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice'', MainCharacter [[MagicKnight Mao]] is able to learn Ice magic naturally, while his ChildhoodFriend and rival [[SquishyWizard Raspberyl]] excels in Fire magic.

* In ''ComicBook/XMen'', this trope is part of what helps solidify Cyclops' two love interests, ComicBook/JeanGrey and ComicBook/EmmaFrost, as [[BettyAndVeronica diametric opposites of one another]]. [[note]] Jean is a [[HeroesWantRedheads red-haired woman]] who has gone by the code name "Phoenix" for a good bit of her career, frequently wears a flaming bird insignia as part of her costume, and has psychic powers that frequently manifest themselves as flames. Appropriately, she is known for her warm, compassionate nature, and (on darker occasions) for her unpredictable fiery temper. Emma (while not actually having [[AnIcePerson ice-based powers]]) is frequently visually associated with ice and the cold because of her surname "Frost", her blonde hair, her [[WomanInWhite all-white clothing]], and her diamond-based form that makes her resemble an ice sculpture. Appropriately, she is known for her coldly stoic personality, and her often cynical attitude towards life. [[/note]]

* A central motif in ''Film/{{Submarine}}''. The pyromaniac Jordana is strongly associated with fire, while Oliver and his father are associated with water, symbolizing depression and emotional distance. Scene transitions where Oliver is close to Jordana are given a red filter, while ones where he's not have a blue filter. Jordana's fire livens up Oliver's life, but they're not very compatible fitting with the symbolism. The film also has a lot of shots of flame next to the ocean.

* One of the openings of ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' featured Bastion Misawa with Water Dragon and a similar fire dragon. However Water Dragon was the only one of the two to have ever been used in the anime (and the only one of the two to be {{Defictionalized}}).

[[/folder]]

* In Myth/{{Norse Mythology}}'s creation myth, runoff from Niflheim (the world of ice and mist) got too close to Muspellheim (the world of fire and heat) within the Gaping Nothing, which eventually led to the creation of the Universe.
* In Hawaiian Mythology, Pele the fire goddess is in a constant battle with her sister Na'maka the ocean goddess. This conflict actually ''creates Hawaii,'' continuously, as runoff from the volcanoes reaches the sea and solidifies.

* The ''Afterbirth'' DLC in ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac: Rebirth'' gives two new stage variants to the Basement and Caves that they form this: the Burning Basement and the Flooded Caves.