Characters who are total opposites from each other

[Cybersai]

Which characters in the anime do you think are total opposites from one another? It could be any character, main, filler, Gym leader, villain, whatever.

I'd say:

Ash and Paul, for rather obvious reasons. They've both total opposites in their personalities and how they treat their Pokemon.

Misty and Dawn. While Dawn has a lot of things in common with May, she really feels like the total opposite of Misty in almost every way. When I think of Dawn's personality and I think of Misty's, they're so different from each other that I can't think of anything they have in common. Dawn does have some similar traits to her sisters, Daisy/Lily/Violet though, which again proves how opposite she is from Misty. A lot of people brought up the idea of these two not getting along if they ever meet, which would be fun since how different they are and their personalities completely clash.

Misty and Daisy. Again, continued from point above, obvious.

Giovanni and Cyrus. Both want to take over the world, but by completely different means necessary. Also from what little we've seen of Cyrus, the guy seems more like a total madman.

Harley and virtually everyone else. lol.

 

[ShadowDeeps]

I don't necessarily think that any character is a polar opposite in full, but I would have to say that Tracey comes to mind by contrast to characters like Misty and early Ash. He never clamors for his own needs, is very nonchalant, is never aping, disdainful, or belittling, is "Mr. Nice Guy", and is content with what he has. I think he's a rather middle ground character. I also agree that characters like Paul are rather the antipode of Ash, since Ash tends to ground his decisions in feeling where as characters like Paul and Drew gravitate closer to only thinking as a solo concept, which is why I think they gave off, like Gary did early on, a notion that the world of Pokémon is only a place of droll limitations and that they're above all in a very... pompous manner.

Max is also an intriguing parallel to early Ash for me, because Max bases his decisions on kernels of intellect despite that both of them were once a little bratty and Max is almost never impetuous and instinctive, whereas Ash was just that. But I tend to think of the characters as not so much opposites but rather just contrasts.

 

[JB88]

Number One goes to Ash and Paul. Misty and Dawn I could understand. Harley with everyone else, yeah I agree lol.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

How Morty and Eusine manage to be friends despite being polar opposites is beyond me. They have a shared interest in the legends of Ecruteak, and that's about it. Morty is calm, laid-back, friendly, and (when it comes to Eusine) totally spineless. Eusine is irrational, raving, angry, impulsive, and a complete jerk.

 

[ShinyAeon]

Morty and Eusine are yin and yang...which means there's a seed of each in the other. Yes, somewhere in Morty there's a place where fanatical fires burn out of control, and somewhere within Eusine there's a calm center where all is still...

 

[JB88]

Yeah, I don't agree with the Morty-Eusine thing for one bit. People like Morty, it's heard for me to pair up with.

 

[cascade88]

Harley and Paul. Kinda obvious how they're opposite. Better yet, Casey and Paul. Even more opposite.

 

[ShinyAeon]

Number One goes to Ash and Paul. Misty and Dawn I could understand.

Ash and Paul I totally agree with; Paul IS the Anti-Ash. But Misty and Dawn...? Dawn, despite her occasional girly fits with hair and clothes, has way too much of the tomboy in her to be Misty's opposite. And they both love cute Pokemon.

Yeah, I don't agree with the Morty-Eusine thing for one bit. People like Morty, it's heard for me to pair up with.

What is it about Morty that makes it hard for you to pair him up?

 

[Cybersai]

And they both love cute Pokemon.

All the girls like cute Pokemon.

 

[Casual_Furi]

Ash's Treeko and Old Treeko

I miss that character more than I should...

 

[JB88]

But Misty and Dawn...? Dawn, despite her occasional girly fits with hair and clothes, has way too much of the tomboy in her to be Misty's opposite.

Wait, what? Dawn-as a tomboy? I thought that was just Misty, why wouldn't that be an opposite? Dawn doesn't control Ash (and sometimes Brock) like Misty did.

What is it about Morty that makes it hard for you to pair him up?

I dunno, his Seer abilities? What could be the opposite of that? Mr. Backlot?

 

[ShinyAeon]

Wait, what? Dawn-as a tomboy? I thought that was just Misty, why wouldn't that be an opposite? Dawn doesn't control Ash (and sometimes Brock) like Misty did.

What definition of "tomboy" are you using? To me a tomboy is the youthful equivalent of "action girl," a girl who gets out and participates in sports or outdoor activities...the way Dawn throws herself into the heart of the action like Ash makes her qualify. (In fact, she's arguably more of a tomboy than Misty, though Misty dresses the part more.) From the moment Dawn dashed off into the woods to find the lost Pokemon in her first episode, I could see she had a tomboy side.

What does "controlling" people have to do with it?

I dunno, his Seer abilities? What could be the opposite of that? Mr. Backlot?

Ah, see, I think Blackjack and I were going by personality, not by abilities.

 

[JB88]

From the moment Dawn dashed off into the woods to find the lost Pokemon in her first episode, I could see she had a tomboy side.

You've judged her since then that she was a tomboy? What about the Pokemon she has? The normal and contest dress she wears?

Ah, see, I think Blackjack and I were going by personality, not by abilities.

If you were, then that's why I have a hard time finding an opposite of Morty.

 

[ShinyAeon]

You've judged her since then that she was a tomboy? What about the Pokemon she has? The normal and contest dress she wears?

Like I said, Misty dresses the part more than Dawn does...but Dawn's actions put her in tomboy territory. My actual thumbnail description of Dawn is "Tomboy with girlish tendencies." She's a post-modern tomboy, one who's not afraid to be frilly on occasion, but who doesn't think twice about throwing herself onto a rampaging mecha to save her friends. Even her travel outfit is comparable to a tennis dress or a figure-skater's garb - it leaves her legs free to move. Her footwear is hardly high-fashion or impractical.

As for her Pokemon being cute, so what? Misty's Pokemon are (mostly) cute. Zoey's Pokemon are cute. Hell, most of ASH's Pokemon have been cuter than a lunchtime at a "Hello, Kitty" outlet. Pokemon are just pretty darn cute, some of them even into their third evolution.

If you were [going by personality], then that's why I have a hard time finding an opposite of Morty.

And that's why we say:

Laid-back is the opposite of uptight and angry
Friendly is the opposite of jerkwad
Thoughtful is the opposite of irrational and impulsive
Non-confrontational is the opposite of aggressive and raving

Therefore,

Morty is the opposite of Eusine.

Q.E.D.! ;-)

 

[Cybersai]

Blaine and Flannery. Two fire type Gym leaders nothing alike.

Come to think of it, a lot of the Gyms of the same type have leaders that act completely different than one another.

 

[Evil Raichu]

How about Jessie and James?

Jessie is clearly the leader, fiery, bossy, passionate about everything. She loses her temper constantly and James is the one who tries to calm her down (or get out of her way). James the more laid back of the two, the follower, the sweet one (sometimes one wonders if he belongs in Team Rocket at all), the people-pleaser.

They make a good team, but they couldn't be more different, in my opinion. They both share a lust for pleasing Giovanni and that's about it.

 

[ShinyAeon]

How about Jessie and James?

Jessie is clearly the leader, fiery, bossy, passionate about everything. She loses her temper constantly and James is the one who tries to calm her down (or get out of her way). James the more laid back of the two, the follower, the sweet one (sometimes one wonders if he belongs in Team Rocket at all), the people-pleaser.

They make a good team, but they couldn't be more different, in my opinion. They both share a lust for pleasing Giovanni and that's about it.

Not exactly. They also share enormous personal vanity, the urge to rebel against society's restrictions, a love of costuming and cross-dressing, the desire to be rich (on their own terms), a sense of drama and performance, and identification with their self-appointed role as the "lovely charming villains." They both also love their Pokemon.

Not to say your idea isn't on target...their temperaments are on opposite ends of the spectrum, but their goals, desires and personal images are a lot alike.

 

[Evil Raichu]

Eh. I guess they're not quite as different as I thought after all.