Polar Opposite Twins: Difference between revisions

I assist her.

'''Skeeter''': He's my brother!

 

A [[Sub-Trope]] of the [[Odd Couple]] wherein the odd couple are twins, usually identical brothers or sisters. A prominent exception is actually in the former [[Trope Namer]], ''[[The Patty Duke Show]]''. It featured identical ''cousins'', who were described as "One pair of matching bookends, different as night and day" in the [[Expository Theme Tune]].

* ''[[Eyeshield 21]]'': The Kongo twins Unsui and Agon. Unsui has a shaved head like a monk (it's sort of a theme at their school) is intensely hard working, diligent, cautious, a very good athlete and basically a decent guy. But Agon (with a distinctive dreadlock hairstyle) is the series' [[Jerkass]], a [[Jerk Jock]] to the extreme (including the womanizing, which apparently started in middle school) who gets away with being a sociopathic thug, slacker and general all-around asshole because he is [[The Gift|a talent seen only once in a hundred years.]]

** It emphasized by the fact that 'A' and 'Un' represent "beginning and end" aka birth and death.

** It turns out that it's not the only thing like this... Azaka [[Rebellious Spirit|is]] [[Plucky Girl|special]], and is attracted to things that are ''[[I Just Want to Be Special|special]]''. This is pretty much in contrast with everyone else in the cast, but particularly with her [[Unfazed Everyman|brother]]... ''The'' normal guy.

* ''[[Lucky Star]]'': Kagami and Tsukasa. The former is a somber [[Tsundere]] while the other is a [[The Ditz|ditzy]] [[Cloudcuckoolander]]. When asked about this by Konata, they point out that they are fraternal twins.

* [[ARAGO]]: Arago and Ewan fit this trope to a T.

* ''[[Saint Seiya]]'' has the twin brothers Saga (thoughtful, wise, just {{spoiler|until his [[Super-Powered Evil Side]] kicks in}}) and Kanon (selfish, scheming, arrogant {{spoiler|until he has a [[Heel Face Turn]].}}) For major irony, Saga is the ''Gemini'' Saint, {{spoiler|with Kanon inheriting his position once Saga dies.}}

* [[Rumiko Takahashi]]'s one-shot ''The Samurai'' has identical twin ninja sisters, one of whom is [[Lovable Sex Maniac|a total nymphomaniac]], while the other [[Does Not Like Men]] and [[Hates Being Touched]]. Woe be unto the person who confuses the latter for the former.

 

== Comic Books ==

* Jezebel and Dinah in ''[[Blacksad]]'': Dinah is a black bear (= dark brown) with a white patch on her chest, Jezebel a polar bear (= white) with a dark patch on her chest. Otherwise, they share face structure, and body and hair type. Personality-wise, Dinah is softer and Jezebel harder, although both have it in them to do what they need, if it's for righteous revenge.

* Gregory Stark and Tony Stark in [[Ultimate Marvel|Ultimate Avengers]]. {{spoiler|Becomes a case of [[Cain and Abel]].}}

 

== Film ==

** The [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] shows Luke having trouble teaching Leia to be a Jedi. What worked for him (he got a lot of Jedi qualities) won't work for her. Hot temper is not something a Jedi knight ought to have. Especially since she's pregnant with Han's baby while trying to learn.

* Markus and William Corvinus, from ''[[Underworld Evolution]]'', were twin brothers who respectively became the first vampire and first werewolf. One is scheming and pompous, the other is near-mindless and savage. Unusual in that we never learn if they'd been genetically identical or not, as William is already locked permanently in his wolf-man form at the time the film is set.

 

== Literature ==

* Emmeline and Adeline March from ''[[The Thirteenth Tale]]'', who are totally passive and excessively violent respectively.

 

* Madison and Vida Rocca from ''[[Power Rangers Mystic Force]]''. Madison is calm and thoughtful, V is on a permanent sugar high and goes rushing into things with a mad grin.

* ''[[Sister, Sister]]'', with Tia and Tamera Mowry.

* Cathy and Patty Lane from ''[[The Patty Duke Show]]''. "But they're cousins, Identical cousins all the way. One pair of matching bookends, Different as night and day."

** ''[[SCTV]]'' parodied the show, running promos for "Identical Bellhops", "Identical Cheese Hostesses" and "Identical OPEC Oil Ministers", all shoehorning their titles into the familiar theme song.

 

== Newspaper Comics ==

* In the [[Scamp]] ([[Spin Offspring|Son of]] [[Lady and the Tramp]]) comics (specifically the newspaper continuity), Scamp and his siblings are two sets of these. Twin Sisters Fluffy and Ruffy are [[Tomboy and Girly Girl|dignified and tomboyish]], respectively, while non-identical brothers Scamp and Scooter are adventurous and timid, respectively.

 

* [[Older Than Feudalism]]: [[Classical Mythology]] - Artemis, a moon goddess and twin sister of Apollo, a sun god, though originally the Greeks did not identify them with celestial bodies.

 

== Tabletop Games ==

** High Elf Heroes Tyrion and Teclis are identical twins with radically opposing personalities and skills. Tyrion is proud, fair, noble, athletic and well-spoken, while Teclis is dark, feeble, scholarly, caustic-tongued and bitter. The one is the greatest warrior and commander of his race but has no talent for sorcery, the other is a poor fighter but the most powerful living wizard in this age of the world.

** Warhammer's elves really seem to be prone to this trope, as another example can be found in the 5th edition Tears of Isha campaign pack, which focuses on the war between Calaidan and Kaldor, twin scions of the High Elf house Coraith, one of whom defects to Naggaroth and becomes an evil Dark Elf while the other inherits the family estates and continues their proud High Elven traditions.

 

== Video Games ==

** ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe]]'' introduces another pair in Lugh and Ray. Lugh is a [[Cheerful Child|cheerful]] mage (specializes in elemental magic), while Ray is a cold and calculating shaman (specializes in dark magic).

* [[The Sims]]: Angela and Lilith Pleasant.

 

== Visual Novels ==

* Ember and Daystar in the ''[[Elf Quest]]'' visual novels. Ember is active, bold and like her name in looks and attitude. Brother Daystar is mystical and calm, and blond with pale skin.

 

* ''[[Its Walky]]'': Fraternal twins Beef and Walky. Justified as Beef was actually switched at birth with Walky's real twin Sal as part of Mrs. Walkerton's ''[[Separated at Birth]]'' gambit, Sal and Walky later, after the truth was uncovered, and used to set up some [[Not So Different]] moments between the two of them.

** Sal and Walky again in ''[[Dumbing of Age]]'' despite not being raised apart this time around.

* ''[[LnM]]'': L is energetic and childish, M is laid back and precocious.

* Molly and her clone / twin Galatea in ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]]'' were raised separately. Both are brilliant, naive, and devoted to Bob, Jean, and each other. But while Molly is upbeat, friendly, and gentle, Galatea is paranoid and megalomaniacal.

 

== [[Web Original]] ==

* In [[Red vs. Blue]], North is a relatively [[Nice Guy]] who is more than willing to put himself in harm's way to save others, while South tends toward [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]], {{spoiler|with tragic results for her brother}}.

 

== Western Animation ==

* ''[[Muppet Babies]]'': Scooter and Skeeter. They sang a song dedicated to this in the episode about opera.

* ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'': Thanks to [[Divergent Character Evolution]] - Dean has slowly become a nervous, cowardly [[Non-Action Guy]] while Hank has evolved into a [[Ted Baxter]] who [[Too Dumb to Live|leaps into danger]] at the slightest provocation.

 

== Real Life ==

* The public perception of [[London Gangster|the Kray twins]] has traditionally had Ronnie, the younger twin, as pure [[Ax Crazy]] psychopath, and Reggie as quieter and more [[Affably Evil]], even acting as something of a [[Morality Chain]] to his brother. There's not necessarily much evidence of this, but that just makes the fact that people ''want'' it to be the case an example of this trope in action.