The nations of Alicetonia and Boblivia have been at war for many years now. Our Invisible Protagonist watches as Boblivia's forces are pushed back by Alicetonia's Ladies Of War, trying to figure out how to save them both.
Of course, what's going through the minds of the fans is that the Alicetonian general and the nameless Boblivian soldier who appeared a couple episodes back would make a good couple.
People like romance. People like conflict. So naturally, people like romance in the middle of a conflict. This is what happens when that comes to the front. It doesn't have to be a war; it can be basically any sort of conflict between two (or more) groups. Whatever the conflict is, it is guaranteed that the shippers will begin favoring a pairing of two characters on opposite sides... even if those specific characters don't even say two words to each other.
Related to Foe Romance Subtext; where Foe Romance Subtext is about the implications and doesn't necessarily have to garner support from the fandom, War Shipping is about the fandom support and doesn't necessarily need to be implied. Additionally, where Foe Romance Subtext is about hate as a mask for love, War Shipping doesn't have to involve any animosity at all, and the characters can be as friendly as they want to be as long as they're ultimately on opposite sides.
Not to be confused with Ship-to-Ship Combat. If you were looking for information on actual warships, see Types of Naval Ships or History of Naval Warfare. Compare to Dating Catwoman, in which two people on opposing sides pursue a relationship. If the conflict gets in the way of the shipping, it can lead to Star-Crossed Lovers.
Examples:
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Anime And Manga
- This is often an integral part of the Gundam Series character arcs, usually combined with, or even as often fueling, Angst and War Is Hell.
- Arguably the main plot of Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team was the relationship between Starcrossed Lovers Aina and Shiro, pilots on opposing sides of the One Year War.
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Amuro and Lalah are on opposite sides.
- Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: Kamille and Four, and Katz and Sarah are on opposite sides.
- Gundam 0080: Christina and Bernard are on opposite sides.
- Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Duo and Hilde start on opposite sites.
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Cagalli and Athrun start on opposite sides.
- Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny: Shinn and Stella are on opposite sides.
- Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Lyle and Anew, though it's only revealed for about one episode. Saji and Louise also, though both are initially civilians and together, end up on opposite sides of the conflict, leading to some tension.
Fan Fiction
- This serves as a bit of a plot point in the Avatar: The Last Airbender fic, How I Became Yours. Katara ends up with Zuko, while Sokka ends up with Azula of all people. This is quite possibly deconstructed early on, when Mai intercepts Zuko's mail to prevent him from learning of his love child with Katara, and also poisons Katara, causing her to miscarry, believing that the Fire Nation Senate will not allow the union (but Mai, despite however reasonable she might come off as, is not meant to be believed).
Film
- Joyeux Noël is a movie about the platonic form of this. You can interpret it to be not so platonic.
- Star Wars features the Fan-Preferred Couple of Kylo Ren and The Heroine Rey. He's the Supreme Leader of the First Order, she's a Jedi working with the Resistance. Their Foe Romance Subtext and constant Ship Tease, particularly in The Last Jedi, has cemented them as one of the most popular pairings in the fandom to date, second only to Han/Leia. Additionally, in The Rise of Skywalker, they shared an on-screen kiss and in the novelisation, his parting mental-message to her was 'I will always be with you.'
Literature
- In the A Song of Ice and Fire fandom, a number of shippers support a pairing between enemies Ned Stark and Cersei Lannister. Note that while Ned is a dedicated family man, Cersei herself proposed an affair between them as a way of settling their political differences, although it's doubtful whether she was actually at all attracted to him, as opposed to just wanting to seduce him for purely instrumental reasons.
- By Schism Rent Asunder: Political pragmatism throws former enemies Cayleb and Sharleyan quite literally in bed together. It ends up being a Perfectly Arranged Marriage, though, and it helped that they were only enemies in the first place because the Corrupt Church had forced Sharleyan to support Cayleb's enemies all but literally at gunpoint.
- Revenge of the Damned: Lady Atago is brave, beautiful, and a military genius. She's really Sten's perfect counterpart. Too bad she's sworn to destroy the Empire.
- Shards of Honor starts out with the Betans and the Barrayarans on opposing sides of a conflict (technically, it's Barrayar vs. Escobar, with the Betans supporting Escobar), and Betan Expeditionary Captain Cordelia Naismith being taken prisoner by Barrayaran Captain Lord Aral Vorkosigan. Four days, a lot of terrain, and some heart-to-hearts later, they're engaged. And as subsequent books tell us, they end up a pair of Happily Married Retired Badasses.
- Star Wars Legends: Luke Skywalker is one of the leaders of the Rebellion against the Empire; Mara Jade is one of the Emperor's most trusted agents. They meet when she comes after him to avenge the Emperor's death, have a tempestuous relationship, and marry just as the Empire and the New Republic reach peace.
- In 1634: The Baltic War, 20-year-old Eddie (from the US, year 2000, now in the USE in 1633) is captured during a conflict with Denmark in 1633. He falls in love with 15-year-old Anne Cathrine (a Denmark princess — fine, "King's Daughter") while in captivity. Despite her genuine fondness for him, he believes it is hopeless, since Denmark and the USE are enemies. Eventually, Denmark officially joins the USE, and he proposes marriage to Anna — a development desired by the King of Denmark, his sons, and Anna herself.
- In the Firebird Trilogy, the titular Firebird Angelo, Spare to the Throne of Netia, is captured by Federate Brennen Caldwell. Brennen's Psychic Powers mean that he instantly knows Firebird is his soul-mate, and he spends most of the rest of the first book carefully romancing her. She ends up falling for him in return.
- In the eleventh The Wheel of Time book, Berelain and Galad fall in Love at First Sight, even though he's trying to execute one of Berelain's allies. It doesn't stop either from carrying out their separate agendas, but once the above snag is resolved they get married... for purely political reasons, of course. It helps that Berelain is a fervent believer in realpolitik.
Theatre
- Romeo and Juliet: Romeo and Juliet fall in love, in the midst of a family feud. It does not end well.
- The Austrian production of Romeo et Juliette: De La Haine a l'Amour has Tybalt straddling, kissing, then killing Mercutio. note
Video Games
- Mass Effect
- Tali/Legion is oddly common, despite the... tumultuous history between the Quarians and the Geth. Mass Effect 3 gives them some Ship Tease.
- A considerable number of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time fans have formed communities dedicated to Nel and Albel. Both being optional characters, they don't even interact with each other in disc 2, and that's barely any less than disc 1.
- Tales of the Abyss has General Jozette Cecille of Kimlasca and General Aslan Frings of Malkuth, who fall in love during a temporary truce and are later given permission from their respective kingdoms to marry after the war is ended, as a symbol of the newly-forged peace. Too bad it didn't last...
- Touhou Project:
- Any ship between the Buddhist and Taoist factions, such as Byakuren/Miko or Ichirin/Futo.
- There are some fanart shipping Junko, Hecatia, or Clownpiece with various Lunarian characters. Keep in mind that the aforementioned trio invaded the Moon in their debut game, and Junko's intentions for the Lunarians were downright genocidal.
- Speaking of the Lunarians, since the Youkai of Gensokyo attempted to invade the Moon twice before the Hell trio did, any Gensokyan/Lunarian ship would also count (although Eirin, Kaguya, and Reisen all had moved to Gensokyo before the second invasion and did not take sides during it).
Western Animation
- Total Drama provides several couples who were on opposite teams during at least one season (Tyler/Lindsay in Island, Gwen/Trent and Duncan/Courtney in Action, Duncan/Gwen in World Tour), and the popularity of Crack Pairings just increases the chance of you supporting one or more of these.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: This is part of the reason Zutara is such a popular ship. In the first two seasons, when Zuko and Katara were on opposite sides, it added a very Romeo and Juliet-esque feel for many shippers.
