[Discussion] Almost every single anime has this element!

[Moe22]

Greeting members, I've recently been trying to open up my fan-ship to many different anime. The more I diversified my reading list, the more I noticed one recurring element to each one. I find it easiest to explain through this picture:

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You might be saying "Sure, the yin-yang shows up a lot, it's Asian! Why does it matter?" However this isn't the point I'm trying to make. My point today is that this yin-yang is apparent in many anime in terms of character creation and development. We've seen, more than once, a duo that represents the yin and yang. Opposite allies, if you will. This seems to be the case in every anime I've ever watched. Basically the yang ( the light side) is usually our protagonist of sorts, and the yin (the dark side) Is usually a rival, enemy, or ally of the yang. I almost feel as if there are only two characters, taking several different forms throughout the history of anime. However, I only think there is Yin and Yang. If what I say is redundant or confusing, let me show you some examples.
Naruto & Sasuke (Naruto)

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Since the beginning, these two have been at each other's throats, never seeing eye to eye on anything. However, we do see a little bit of Sasuke in Naruto and vice versa. They're opposites, but they share some qualities, represented perfectly by the Yin-Yang.
Ichigo & Uryuu (Bleach)

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These two are destined to hate each other by what runs in their blood; Quincy and Shinigami. Uryu hates all Shinigami because of a past event involving the murder of his grandfather; yet the two are shown to be at each other's aid frequently. They're also perfectly represented by the Yin-Yang.
Goku & Vegeta (Dragonball Z)

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DBZ is kind of foggy in my mind, but I remember their complete polar opposite personalities and motives and they battled many times and teamed up many times; similar to the ones above me. Again, the yin-yang symbolizes their relationship.
Light & L (Death Note)

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For this example, It's a bit harder to distinguish who is the Yin and who is the Yang. Light is our protagonist, but he's also the villain. So because L was on the side of justice I'm gonna say he's the Yang and Light's the Yin. These two think so similarly yet want the other to die so much, we almost see them as high school rivals; almost. They've never been on great terms, but they share a similar relationship to all of those above me.
Tsuna & Hibari (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)

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For KHR! I was torn between Tsuna & Hibari or Tsuna & Xanxus, however Tsuna & Hibari is more apparent. Both of them share a desire for peace; their differences is how they achieve peace. Tsuna wants to do most things without violence while Hibari is not afraid to bite someone to death to protect Namimori. :yeah: This is why Hibari refers to Tsuna as a weak animal and herbivore, however he admits his respect to Tsuna later on in the story.
Bossun & Tsubaki (Sket Dance)

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My final example isn't a battle anime at all; it's a gag anime! But this just strengthens the fact that the Yin-yang duo can appear in any anime. Tsubaki and Bossun are long lost twin brothers (spoiler alert) that hate even being around each other, but they have sympathy for each other because of their biological parents' fate as well as being away from their brother their whole life.

In Conclusion: I'm gonna call this recurring set of characters the Yin-Yang duo. The Yin-Yang duo can be found in almost every anime I've watched, and I'm sure they're present in many I haven't watched. Similar to the Yin-yang, these characters are externally complete opposite, but actually share many similarities internally. Why do so many manga-kas do this you ask? Simple, It makes for a good story *_*
Thanks for reading!!! Sorry if I missed you're favorite anime, post them below!

 

[3 Days Grace]

khr FTW!!!! I love hibari XD

 

[GreyWizard93]

i believe its japanese? would make sense to be related in anime and manga as they have strong beliefs and what not.

its a balance of good and evil which is an old tradition or something.

btw, nice read. =D

 

[Moe22]

i believe its japanese? would make sense to be related in anime and manga as they have strong beliefs and what not.

its a balance of good and evil which is an old tradition or something.

btw, nice read. =D

Thank you! I appreciate it!

 

[Pravin5]

what about ash & gary

& that fangirl stuff
"Gary, Gary, he's our man. If he can't do it, no one can! Go...Gary!" :leaf:

 

[Moe22]

what about ash & gary

& that fangirl stuff
"Gary, Gary, he's our man. If he can't do it, no one can! Go...Gary!" :leaf:

XD That is a perfect one lol

 

[The Western Wheel]

It's because it's in everything. Not just anime. such is the TAO.

We humans perceive often one thing to understand the other. While it's actually inter-dependant and connected as a whole.

 

[Henchman24]

Yin and Yang are a big part of the Japanese culture and history. It should be of no surprise to anyone that it is used for character development in stories.

 

[thegame]

Hmm, the thing about yin and yang is, that it is the natural balance that has to be withhold for a single individual. As far as I am concerned with philosophy (it's been a while since I had those classes though), yin and yang is not supposed to represent good and evil. In fact there is no such thing as "good" and "evil" in philosophy, since it's a subjective term.

Of course you are correct that each story builds on diametrically opposite characters, but this simply builds a good story. Most Hollywood movies actually has the same setup. It gives a good story simply.

In Naruto yin and yang is used to explain physical strength and mental strength, which is in my interpretation, how it is being used in Chinese philosophy as well. But the same principles are used in many western philosophic theories as well.