Friendly Enemy/Western Animation

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Examples of Friendly Enemies in Western Animation include:

  • Many a Popeye cartoon started out with Popeye and Bluto being the best of chums... until Olive Oyl appears and they start fighting over her.
  • Carmen Sandiego and the Acme Detectives were often friendly rivals, even helping each other at times within the scope of their roles. It does helps that she only became a criminal to experience more of a challenge, working against detectives (she was one herself, before finding criminals to be insufficient challenges for her), and she quickly relinquishes any of her loot when it is found (not herself, though).
  • Shego and Kim Possible go so far as to exchange pleasantries and fashion tips during their fights, albeit with a lot of sarcasm and snark. She saves Kim from imminent death a couple of times (though she claims that's because she's The Only One Allowed to Defeat You), and several times, they even team up to save the day from a bigger threat. When Shego was temporarily turned good by a Mirror Morality Machine, she and Kim quickly became the best of friends, and Kim said that it was like having a big sister. That's pretty much how their relationship is normally, except they keep beating each other up and trying to put the other in jail or in a grave.
    • True also for Kim and Dr. Drakken, her Arch Enemy and Shego's employer. He even threw a Christmas party for everyone, once (albeit with the promise that everything will be "back to normal" after the holidays). He did an Enemy Mine in the last episode, which led to Drakken getting an award from the UN for saving the world.
    • Senior-Senior Junior towards Kim, almost to the point of Villainous Crush in one episode.
  • Æon Flux is a freedom fighter against Trevor Goodchild's regime, but despite their bitter rivalry, it is obvious that there is grudging sexual tension between the two, and neither seems to want the other to come to any serious harm. The two have been known to have sex with one another in the midst of battle.
  • Codename: Kids Next Door,
    • Captain Stickybeard particularly to Numbah 5. Due to their mutual love of candy, they've helped each other out on several occasions, and Numbah 5 often calls him by the oddly Affectionate Nickname of "Stickybuns".
    • Heinrich von Marzipan could almost be Vitriolic Best Buds with Numbuh Five, although mostly one sided, with her showing it more towards him, strong hints being dropped that they used to be actual friends. And they were. The reason for this is revealed in the last season.
    • Numbuh Five (again) and her traitorous sister Cree are often a Cain and Abel type, but there is plenty of evidence to show that both would much prefer to reconcile. Sadly, Cree refuses to change, and is only willing to consider making up if Abby joins her. And in "Operation: M.A.U.R.I.C.E", she almost did.
  • In the third season of The Venture Brothers, Dr. Venture's new archenemy is Sergeant Hatred, who is much friendlier and sociable than one would expect from a guy with "HATRED" tattooed down the front of his body. However, he does seem to have some pedophilic tendencies...
    • Still, the only reason Hatred is actually friendly to Venture is to get back at The Monarch, who hates Venture, for stealing his technology, since, as Venture's official nemesis, The Monarch cannot do anything to Venture without angering The Guild. In the fourth season, however, he makes a full Heel Face Turn, replacing Brock (who's got business to take care of) as the Venture Bodyguard.
    • Played much straighter when it comes to Dr. Venture and Dr. Girlfriend Mrs. The Monarch. Girlfriend believes that Rusty is Not So Different from The Monarch and is usually not that hostile towards the Ventures compared to her husband. By season 4, they're quite amicable towards each other when they have time to talk.
  • The words Friendly Enemy actually occur in the Theme Song to the British Kids' show Cloppa Castle. The villains, the Hasbeens, are punch clock villains who sit down for a friendly cup of tea with the good guys, the Bygones, at the end of each day's non-lethal battle.
  • Kurari is usually this to the heroes in most versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, often teetering into Dating Catwoman territory.
  • David Xanatos and the Gargoyles had a pretty rocky, ally-again/enemy-again relationship until the former finally performed a final Heel Face Turn after the latter helped save his baby from a superpowerful fairy. Because you just can't stay mad at anyone who helps save your baby from superpowerful fairies.
  • Vlad of Danny Phantom implied in one episode that his relationship with Danny is like this, stating "I'm sorry, but funny, joke-around Vlad isn't here today" before attacking him. This is a relationship Vlad often saw with Danny during most of the series' run on account of the villain's desire to have Danny as his surrogate son, his role as an Unwitting Pawn notwithstanding.
    • Debatable. "Jokes" are not necessarily an indication of "friendliness" per se. Vlad might see it that way, but Danny tends to see it more as "head games". "Aren't you going to say some deliberately provocative and insulting things about my parents (because you know it pisses me off)?" "No, I don't have time to screw around with you just for my own amusement right now." Because he's planning to do something worse.
      • Played with in the Alternate Timeline in "Ultimate Evil." Danny seeks Vlad's help when his friends and family are killed, and Vlad seems to be genuinely sympathetic when Danny arrives at his door.
    • Heck, by the end of the series, Danny was frenemies with most of the recurring ghost characters. When dealing with a problem bigger than he could handle on his own, he'd often turn to one of the ghosts for help. The fact that he was able to convince nearly the entire population of the ghost zone to help save Earth pretty much cemented that status.
  • The Flash and The Trickster are like this in Justice League Unlimited, with the latter being more delusional than villainous.

Flash: James, you're off your meds again, aren't you?

  • The Sushi Pack have this kind of relationship with various members of The Legion of Low Tide from time to time.
  • Dr. Doofenschmirtz and Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb take this unusually far; in one episode, Doofenshmirtz even refers to Perry as his best friend (right before Perry punches him in the face). Perry has also saved Doofenshmirtz's life several times and helped him set up his daughter's birthday party. It's such a friendly arrangement that Doofenschmirtz has even given Perry the keys to his lair, so he doesn't kick the door down on his way in. There's even an Image Song for Perry where he mourns the end (temporary, of course) of their relationship as nemeses.
    • From the same show, Buford and Baljeet. Officially, they're a bully and a nerd, but like Doof and Perry, they're more likely to spend the day together than actually fighting.

Cause we're frenemies
 We like disliking one-another
 Cause we're frenemies
 He's like my least favourite brother!

  • Several Looney Tunes cartoons starred a pair called Sam the Sheepdog and Ralph the Wolf. They'd talk amicably, punch the clock, and share lunch together. However, when they were on the clock, it was Ralph's job to try and steal sheep and Sam's job to stop him at all costs. While it got comically brutal (this was Looney Tunes, after all), the characters recognize that it was just business.

Bugs: Dat's friendship if I ever heard it!

  • On The Fairly OddParents, Dark Laser seems to have this relationship with Timmy, letting him borrow the Death Ball for a party and willing to tell him about his irritable bowels.
  • Eugene, AKA Bling Bling Boy, from Johnny Test.
  • Duck Dodgers and the Martian Commander. In one episode, convinced that they're both about to die, the Martian admits that Dodgers is probably his best friend. And Dodgers, of course, responds "Ha! What a loser!"
    • Also, Dodgers and Queen Tyr'ahnee seem to shift between this and Dating Catwoman territory. The episode "Deconstructing Dodgers" also suggests Tyr'ahnee and I.Q. High (Dodgers' boss) were close friends before they got their current jobs.
  • Skipper and Julien from The Penguins of Madagascar. They spend most of their shared screentime arguing and generally being annoyed by the other, but Skipper will go out of his way to help Julien, and Julien has gone to Skipper to have his problems fixed. It was to the point that they were actually mistaken as 'BFF's by Skipper's Arch Nemesis Dr. Blowhole... and the other penguins agreed with him.

Julien: So I face danger and the adventure of a lifetime and nobody will ever know about it?!
Skipper: Welcome to my world. That makes you an honorary penguin.
Julien: Does that mean I am your BFF?
Skipper: Eehh... we'll keep that code on the QT.

Chuck The Evil Sandwich Making Guy: I HATE Wordgirl!!... No... hate is a strong word... I don't like Wordgirl AT ALL!!!

  • Red X and Robin of Teen Titans don't actually manage to do anything but the frenemy routine. Red X appears in only two episodes,[1] but both times, he and Robin end up essentially on the same side. In "X", despite having battled each other for most of the episode, Red X tracks Robin down to the villain's lair and ends up saving his life, and proceeds to help Robin save the city—he even averts the I Was Just Passing Through excuse.

Robin: I thought you didn't like to play the hero.
Red X: Doesn't mean I don't know how.

  • In the 1990s X-Men animated series, this dynamic is really played up with Professor X and Magneto. They even spend the entire second season working together to escape from the Savage Land. In the finale, Magneto describes the Professor as "my greatest enemy... and perhaps my only friend."
    • Also in the season finale, when Jean asks Magneto if he loves Charles, he's insulted that she even feels the need to ask.
      • It's not even that she asked if he loved him, but how much.
  • On Invader Zim, one interpretation of Zim and Dib's relationship is this, especially given the unfinished episode where they were both miserable without each other. This trope is at its most overt in the Pilot where Dib cheerfully compliments Zim's plan and Zim graciously thanks him for it, though shades of it sometime show up throughout the rest of the series (such as Zim prefacing the explanation of his brilliant, evil plan to Dib in "A Room With a Moose" by saying that Dib is the only one smart enough to really appreciate it).
    • Another example could be the episode "Hamstergeddon", where a giant hamster(altered by Zim) is destroying the town. Zim fights his mutated creature since it does not obey him, and Dib is pleasantly surprised. But Zim crashes his ship, and Dib is conflicted on whether to capture him or let him continue protecting the humans. Zim wakes up before Dib's decision, where Dib then thanks Zim for the good he's doing. Zim denies helping anyone but they have a temporary truce.
      • Perhaps the most glaring example of this is the cancelled episode "Mopiness of Doom", in which Dib drops his rivalry with Zim out of frustration and goes on to pursue "real science" like his father. He eventually finds it to be incredibly dull, and Zim becomes listless with depression over the loss of his own personal arch-enemy. The last few minutes of the episode are almost like a happy reunion, in which Zim and Dib gleefully exchange death threats and laser blasts in a way that is almost affectionate.
  • Numerous relationships on Total Drama are like this, since Love Interests are often put on opposite teams. The usual "good/evil" version of this is also present in Heather's friendships with Harold, Leshawna, and Cody. (Though the writers seem to have forgotten about those first two.)
  • In Family Guy, while Peter and Ernie the Giant Chicken are fighting for the third time in "No Chris Left Behind", Peter interrupts the fight by wondering what they were even fighting about. They apologize to each other, and, to make up, the chicken invites him to dinner. After the meal, they argue over who pays the bill and become enemies again, continuing the fight at the restaurant.
  • On The Simpsons, Bart and Mrs. Krabappel actually have this in a few episodes when he goes out of his way to help her with something.
    • The same goes for Principal Skinner.
  • On Adventure Time, this seems to be how the Ice King thinks of his relationship to Finn (and Jake). In reality, not so much (though they are willing to help him out sometimes, such as when he tries to learn how to be happy). Its eventually revealed that the reason he thinks of them as friends is because they stop him from hurting those around him, his last request before going completely insane. Of course, until The Reveal to both the audience and the protagonists, not even he remembered it except on a subconscious level.
    • Finn (and Jake) and Marceline are a borderline example, mostly because, by now, she's dropped the "enemy" part entirely. Her relationship with Princess Bubblegum has also been characterized as a "friendly rivalry", according to Word of God.
  • Tom and Jerry have this dynamic sometimes, Depending on the Writer. In "The Lonesome Mouse", Jerry manages to get Tom kicked out of the house, but finds that he misses being chased and schemes with the cat to get him back in. And in "Springtime for Thomas", Jerry gets jealous when Tom spends all of his time with a girl cat, and introduces Butch to break the two up.
  • In The Batman this is one-sided from The Joker to Batman. At one point the Joker says totally happily to Batman "I miss your company Batman!" and Batman shoves the Joker away in disgust.
  • Lrr, the tyrannical ruler of the Omicronians in Futurama, gets along rather well with the Planet Express crew - especially Leela - when he's not trying to conquer Earth or subjugate humanity, especially in later seasons. Leela doesn't even seem to hold a grudge for him trying to eat her in "The Problem With Popplers", and she's actually given him advice on his invasion plans from time to time.
  • Karai is usually this to the heroes in most versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, rarely having any personal grudge against the heroes; in at least one version her attitude towards Leonardo teeters on Dating Catwoman territory. However, in almost all versions, the Turtles eventually learn that actually trusting her is a bad idea.
  • Mojo Jojo can actually be very cordial towards The Powerpuff Girls when he isn't committing crimes, even letting them borrow his things at least once. They even returned the favor by "inviting" him to their slumber party (after his attempt to crash it via Delivery Guy Infiltration turned sour, although given what happened to him it's doubtful he had a good time...
    • Then again, depending on how you look at it, he is (sort of) their half-brother. Kind of.
  • Harley Quinn ,
    • Batgirl and Harley could be called this, if “enemy” can be defined as “being on opposite sides”, as they never truly opposed each other (not yet, they haven't; there’s still a season three planned). Babs even tried to warn her and Ivy about her father’s plan to raid Ivy's wedding, not that they listened...
    • Both Harley and Ivy seem to get along well with Bane too, Ivy even inviting him to her wedding despite that whole business of Bane keeping them locked up in that high security forced labor camp...
    • Ivy also states plainly that she is an Evil Counterpart to Swamp Thing, given as they are both bonded to The Green, but they are usually amicable towards each other due to said bond.
  • DC Super Hero Girls:
    • Batgirl and Harley are BFFs in their civilian identities, but clearly enemies in-costume. Harley even tried to murder Robin after he had been mean to Babs, and then forced him at gunpoint to autograph a photo for Babs. Whether they would remain friends if they knew each others’ identities is yet to be seen.
    • Jessica (a Granola Girl and tree-hugger) has a similar friendship with Pamela (the notorious eco-terrorist Poison Ivy), each believing they share a common goal. Again, this friendship will likely only last so long as the Mutual Masquerade remains intact.
    • The friendship between Supergirl and Bizarro Supergirl is much different; Bizarro Supergirl is an evil Card-Carrying Villain and Kara knows it, but Bizarro Supergirl is jealous of the original Bizarro, feeling overshadowed and insignificant as a result. Kara realizes how Not So Different this makes them - she feeling the same way towards her cousin - and they actually become friends. Babs even states that this is an Evil Counterpart who is not Kara's "complete opposite".
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  1. ↑ actually three, but just a cameo in "Homecoming" Part 2
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