Western Animation / The Twins of Destiny

When the world is no longer fun,
When the stars are no longer shining,
Jules and Julie never give in.
The Twins of Destiny keep smiling.
When their friends are so far away,
when their foes are waiting and watching,
Jules and Julie never give in.
The Twins of Destiny keep fighting.

—From the English theme song

The Twins of Destiny (Les Jumeaux du Bout du Monde) is a French animated series. It lasted for 52 episodes, running from 1991 to 1992.

Two children, a Caucasian girl and a Chinese boy, are both born in Peking at the same moment on the same day in 1895, and are prophesied to be the downfall of the tyrannical Empress Dowager. To protect them from the Empress, they are smuggled out of China by the first mate of a French sailing ship, and adopted and raised by the ship's captain. When they are twelve years old, the prophecy catches up with them, and they must travel to China and fulfill their destiny.

This series provides examples of:

• Bedlah Babe: Julie dresses this way in "Danger in the Desert" and "Desert Adventure".
• Brother–Sister Team: Jules and Julie Tournier; they aren't biologically related, but were born at the same time in the same hospital, raised together, and both were granted powers by the Moon Goddess that they can only activate by coming into physical contact with each other.
• Death by Childbirth: Both of the twins' mothers died giving birth, though exactly how isn't specified.
• Determinator: Jules and Julie never give in.
• Eunuchs Are Evil: The Empress Dowager's enforcers are all eunuchs, with the main one being Po Dung. This isn't really commented upon beyond a soldier disparagingly referring to Po Dung as "half a man."
• God Save Us from the Queen!: The Empress Dowager; she treats nearly everyone around her like crap, and lives quite comfortably while her horribly oppressed subjects are starving in the streets.
• The Heavy: Po Dung, leader of the Eunuchs, is in charge of hunt for the twins and even becomes the final oponent heroes have to face.
• Historical Villain Upgrade: China was ruled by an Empress Dowager at that point in history, but she wasn't a tyrannical sorceress.
• Orcus on His Throne: Empress Dowager leaves hunt for twins to her minions even when they reach China while never leaving her palace until she runs of to Summer Palace in penultimate episode.
• Over-the-Shoulder Carry: In one episode, an Arab slave trader kidnaps Julie to sell her to a sultan by tossing her over his shoulder and running away.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: At the series' end, Jules and Julie's fathers reveal they intend to go their separate ways and take their children with them, which in Julie's case means she will be taken back to England whilst Jules remains in China. Being deeply emotionally connected to each other, but not to their biological fathers, the twins refuse to be separated and instead run away together.
• Taken for Granite: Both of the twins' fathers are turned to stone by the Empress Dowager.
• Theme Twin Naming: Jules and Julie; according to the former, they were both named after Jules Verne.
• Wonder Twin Powers: The twins activate their powers by holding hands. It still works even if one of them is asleep or unconscious.

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