History Main / MutualEnvy

* In one episode of ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOnDeck'', Zac decides to [[ItMakesSenseInContext fake a phobia of bananas rather than admit he plagiarized an English assignment.]] The psychiatrist thinks this fear is from Zac seeing himself a second banana to his more intelligent brother Cody (whom he plagiarize the paper in question from) and has them wrestle with Cody in banana suit. During this fight, Zac admits that the reason he plagiarized in the first place was because while he could write it himself he just felt like it would be seen as inferior to anything Cody would do, like the rest of his academic pursuits. Cody then admits that the reason he likes academics so much is because Zac has always been seen as the more sociable and personable of the two and it’s the one place he can be treated with some respect.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'': [[spoiler:Mirabel and Isabela's conflict boils down to this. In a classic case of miscommunication between the golden sibling and the one in their shadow, Mirabel resents Isabela for her seemingly effortless perfection and [[GreenThumb cool gift]] while Mirabel is powerless and feels like an outsider, but Isabel resents Mirabel because, being giftless, Mirabel isn't subject to Alma's strict expectations about giving back to the community and is free to do what she wants while Isabel is constantly pressured to be what her parents expect. The sisters end up clearing the air in the song "What Else Can I Do?" and hugging it out (fulfilling Bruno's vision).]]

One character, or group, sees another character or group as better off...but then they and/or the audience discover that those they envy are actually just as jealous of them (or perhaps even more so). Basically, this is for when envy is portrayed as a two-way street.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'': [[spoiler:Mirabel and Isabela's conflict boils down to this. In a classic case of miscommunication between the golden sibling and the one in their shadow, Mirabel resents Isabela for her talent and the attention she's hogging, but Isabela secretly resents how Mirabel is (seemingly) unburdened by expectations and free to do what she wants. The sisters end up clearing the air in the song "What Else Can I Do?" and hugging it out (fulfilling Bruno's vision).]]

Often the setup for a FreakyFridayFlip and may end up in a PerspectiveReversal. Can sometimes be found in TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry. Compare BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor, which often has a similar basis and reasoning and is sometimes found in the same works. See also GrassIsGreener.

* In ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'', [[JustAKid Chiyo]] wishes she could be [[AloofDarkHairedGirl tall and cool]] like Sakaki so people would take her more seriously, whereas [[HugeSchoolgirl Sakaki]] wishes she could be [[TheCutie small and cute]] like Chiyo so people would take her ''less'' seriously. Despite being jealous of each other to a certain extent, the two are close friends.
* In ''Manga/ABridesStory'', village {{Tomboy}} Pariya envies the village's [[YamatoNadeshiko most admirable young maiden]] Kamola for her sweet nature, kindness, intelligence and femininity, and stalks her around trying to learn by copying her example, accidentally giving Kamola the impression that she's upset Pariya somehow. When they sit down to talk the misunderstanding out and Pariya admits her jealousy, Kamola herself admits that she actually envies Pariya's straightforward bluntness and ability to say what she's thinking without fear. Pariya's friend Amir suggests that since it's more mutual admiration than envy, the two should become friends in the hope that they both influence each other, so they do.
* In ''Manga/FruitsBasket,'' both Yuki and Kyo envy each other's circumstances and personalities. Kyo wants to be acknowledged by the Sohma main house as part of the EasternZodiac, so he envies Yuki who, being the Rat, gets a privileged place over Kyo and even the other members of the Zodiac. Yuki on the other hand has always been in a GildedCage, keeps people at arm's length due to [[InvoluntaryShapeshifting turning into a rat if a girl hugs him]], and doesn't have any real friends, so he envies Kyo's personality, outgoing nature, and ability to bond more easily with others.
* In ''Manga/{{Chihayafuru}}'', Taichi is explicitly envious of Arata due to his incredible talent for karuta and Chihaya's admiration of him. While much less explicit, it's also implied that Arata is envious of Taichi's wealth and [[TheAce all-around success]] (being good-looking, charming, popular, and very intelligent). Given that he genuinely believed he and Chihaya were dating in one episode, he is likely also jealous that they can spend so much time together while he is in a totally different prefecture and can generally only meet up for tournaments.
* In ''Manga/YuriIsMyJob'', Hime, the protagonist, has only two real friends. Mitsuki Yano, Hime's old friend from elementary school, had a falling out with her but became close with her again at the start of high school, while Kanoko Mamiya has been friends with Hime since middle school. Since Kanoko values her status as Hime's only real friend, and Mitsuki wants to be Hime's "number one," both are rather jealous of each other, even if neither is aware of how the other feels.
* ''Manga/MyDressUpDarling'': The Inui sisters have a case of this over their respective body types. Older sister Sajuna is envious of Shinju for being taller and better endowed, while Shinju wishes she was petite and cute like Sajuna.

* In ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTrampIIScampsAdventure'', [[TheRunaway Scamp]] wishes he had the street smarts and free lifestyle of Angel, whereas Angel never really wanted to be a stray dog, and wishes she had a family like Scamp.

* Both Literature/TomSawyer and Literature/HuckleberryFinn put each other on pedastals, thinking the other the smartest person they know and wishing that they had the other's life.
* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': In ''The Ellimist Chronicles'', two Ketran flying crystal cities meet. One Ketran blurts out that the others are building a hydrofoil (which means the crystal requires less manpower to stay airborne) just as his counterpart exclaims that ''they're'' building a spacecraft.

* ''Literature/ThePrinceAndThePauper'': This is why [[PrinceAndPauper the prince and the pauper]] decide to switch places in Mark Twain's novel and its retellings.
* In ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'', Elves and Humans envy each other. Humans are mortal and die after a comparatively short time, and their souls have to leave the World after they die, so they envy the Elves' "immortality". TheAgeless Elves, who ''very'' slowly get tired of living but can't die of old age and certainly can't leave the World dead or alive, know that they're all going to remain when it comes to an end. They envy Humans for being able to leave when we get "weary", and for having the option to keep existing after the end of Time. Elves call death a "Gift", which can rub mortals the wrong way.

* Although never outright stated, ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' has this with Harry and Ron: Ron would like to have Harry's money and fame, while Harry would like to have Ron's large and loving family.

* ''Series/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents2017'': A GrassIsGreener example shows up in the first episode when it's mentioned that the Poe brothers grow up to be a stuffy banker and a cave-dwelling hermit, respectively.
--> '''Lemony Snicket''': They each think the other has it better.
* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Sheldon and Leonard, both brilliant scientists, envy the childhoods that the other had with their moms.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': In the early seasons Xander envies Angel because Buffy is in love with him. Angel envies Xander because he can be part of Buffy's normal life.

* In ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' Rodney meets a parallel universe version of himself called Rod. He becomes jealous of how quickly Rod connects with everyone on the base and even starts to think that his sister likes Rod better than him--but then Rod reveals that he's envious of how Rodney's able to say whatever without fear of criticism.
* In one episode of ’’Series/TheSuiteLifeOnDeck’’ Zac decides to [[ItMakesSenseInContext fake a phobia of bananas rather than admit he plagiarized an English assignment.]] The psychiatrist thinks this fear is from Zac seeing himself a second banana to his more intelligent brother Cody (whom he plagiarize the paper in question from) and has them wrestle with Cody in banana suit. During this fight, Zac admits that the reason he plagiarized in the first place was because while he could write it himself he just felt like it would be seen as inferior to anything Cody would do, like the rest of his academic pursuits. Cody then admits that the reason he likes academics so much is because Zac has always been seen as the more sociable and personable of the two and it’s the one place he can be treated with some respect.
* In ''Series/TheCrown2016'', Elizabeth and Margaret admit that they feel envious of each other. Margaret would like a chance to "shine" and Elizabeth would rather be out of the spotlight.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons,'' [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling Bart and Lisa's]] SiblingRivalry seems to be fueled by this. While the [[BookDumb academically unsuccessful]] Bart envies Lisa's high intelligence and easy ability to succeed, Lisa resents Bart's popularity at school and the fact that he gets the lion's share of attention from their parents due to being such a handful.

* ''VideoGame/{{Facade}}'': It's revealed that Trip and Grace are both envious of the other's upbringing and family. Trip grew up poor, including having to live in a homeless shelter at one point, and resents his working-class parents for being ignorant, uneducated and making bad financial decisions. He desires to have the life of abundance and sophistication that Grace had growing up, and admires her upper-class parents for being better educated, more cultured and financially successful. Grace did grow up in a financially stable household, but she has a strained relationship with her parents because they always made decisions for her and come off as stuffy and shallow, with Grace feeling a lot of pressure to live up to their expectations. She much prefers Trip's parents because they're more authentic and less materialistic, and feels he had a more loving upbringing even if he was poor.

* In Creator/JRRTolkien's Literature/MiddleEarth legendarium, Elves and Humans envy each other. Humans are mortal and die after a comparatively short time, and our souls have to leave the World after we die, so we envy the Elves' "immortality." TheAgeless Elves, who ''very'' slowly get tired of living but can't die of old age and certainly can't leave the World dead or alive, know that they're all going to be here when it comes to an end. They envy Humans for being able to leave when we get "weary," and for having the option to keep existing after the end of Time. Elves call death a "Gift," which can rub mortals the wrong way.
* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' [[FurAgainstFang vampires and werewolves are jealous of each other]]. The antagonism is said to come from the fact that [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolves]] are jealous of [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampires]] being thought of as [[WickedCultured suave and sophisticated]][[note]]being in the presence of a vampire makes a werewolf feel like it's having a bad hair day, and when a ''werewolf'' has a bad hair day it's ''really'' bad[[/note]], while vampires are jealous of werewolves being able to fit more easily into human society (when in human form, obviously).

* Sora and Riku admit to this at the end of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''. We already knew that Riku was Sora's AlwaysSomeoneBetter growing up, but it's here that Riku confesses he was equally jealous of Sora's carefree attitude. They conclude that they both have something the other could never imitate - "having you for a friend."

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* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'': Helga Pataki is very jealous of all the attention her parents give her perfect college-aged sister, Olga, while she herself is in her shadow. But being the golden child isn't any better for Olga, who is jealous of Hega to the point where she thinks Helga is lucky their parents don't even notice her and just allow her to do what she wants.

* The song "''Wouldn't It Be Good?''" by Music/NikKershaw is about this, written from the perspectives of two people who seem to have a bit of RedOniBlueOni dynamic. One verse of the song talks about how "the cold is biting / through each and every nerve and fiber / my broken spirit is frozen to the core". The next verse responds with "you must be joking", saying that "the heat is stifling / burning me up from the inside". Both verses are followed by a refrain that laments "wouldn't it be good to be in your shoes?" and "wouldn't it be good to be on your side?", providing a MeaningfulEcho that reinforces the song's narrative.

* The song "''Wouldn't It Be Good?''" by Music/NikKershaw is about this.