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Six Completely Dissimilar Twins

by Lynzee Loveridge,

Twins remain a topic that entertainment loves to revisit. Genetically identical people are used in horror to highlight fears of lack of individual identity. Fiction looks at twins as having a mythical connection from the time spent in the womb ranging from psychic abilities to completing one another's sentences. Almost as common is writing identical or fraternal twins as two sides of the same coin and opting for them to be extreme opposites. One is artistic and the other athletic or one timid and the other confident.

Or one is murdering sociopath and the other a college student.

6. Hideyoshi & Yūko (Baka and Test - Summon the Beasts) This pair of siblings are like oil and water. Mild-mannered brother Hideyoshi is bats off comparisons to his fraternal twin Yūko, namely classmates not acknowledging him as male. Academically, his performance is poor while Yūko's is stellar and the two ended up in separate classes as a result. What he lacks in book smarts he makes up for in creative talent. Hideyoshi is a fantastic actor and singer while his sister is tone-deaf. Personality wise, Yūko looks down on people she sees as below her, including her brother. Hideyoshi on the other hand enjoys helping his fellow classmates however he can.

5. Rin & Yukio (Blue Exorcist) Born only minutes apart, Yukio and Rin are a classic brains and brawn duo. They both also happen to be the literal spawn of Satan but that's where their similarities stop. Yukio is a man of few words who compensated for his lack of supernatural powers with prodigy-level intellect. His dedication to studying exorcism earned him rare accolades and his level-headed approach works as foil to Rin who would rather shoot first and ask questions later. Rin inherited all the magical boons that comes with being the son of Satan but academically he's as dumb as a brick.

4. Vash & Knives (Trigun) Vash and Knives used to have more in common but their personalities broke away from one another in response to stress. Both Vash and Knives discover how cruel humans can be and the latter vowed hatred towards humanity as a result. As Knives aged, his personality developed in pursuit of this goal until little of the sensitive, caring person remained. This would set him and his brother on a collision course, as Vash didn't see things in such a black and white manner, and so was able to maintain his sense of humor and trust in humans. One becomes the hero, the other a genocidal villain bent on the destruction of humanity.

3. Mairu & Kururi Orihara (Durarara!!) Durarara!! light novel author Ryohgo Narita was aware of how common the "same but different" twins trope was when he wrote Mairu and Kururi. He decided to poke a fun at the concept's core and the characters flip a coin to decide which one is the super energetic, fun-loving twin and which is the mousy introvert and then rolled dice to further select their traits. These personalities are a total sham though, as the twins will actually adopt the personas of one another when they're surfing the internet. The duo's choices in personality traits were deliberately made to compensate for one another's weaknesses. Mairu and Kururi are opposites, but some of that is an attempt to fill the void that the one another has in their personality so they can create one perfect "whole."

2. Momo & Nana Deviluke (To Love Ru: Darkness) The raunchy comedy is full of pervy characters, but at its center is Momo. The alien princess is sure that the best way to win Rito's heart is to strategically create a harem scenario that includes herself, her older sister Lala, his classmate Haruna, Ryoko, Tearju Lunatique, Kyōko, Nana, Yui, Yami, Run and Rin, Mea, Risa, and even his biological sister Mikan. This harem plan isn't the extent of her lecherous behavior. Momo also engages in an active fantasy life involving herself and Rito or other cast members. Her twin Nana is neither interested in the harem plan or sexual daydreams. She's a traditional tsundere and tends to act out when she thinks Rito is being a pervert. The sisters' attraction to Rito could be described as opposite side of scale with Momo wanting nothing more than his affections and Nana barely acknowledging that she likes him at all.

1. Anna & Johan Liebert (Monster) Anna is a mostly normal girl, all things considered. She's orphaned at a young age and has repressed the violent event that led to her parents' death. This has allowed to her to grow up mostly unscathed and she's even able to attend college and participate in her chosen hobbies. By all accounts, she's average. Her twin brother Johan, though, was doomed at birth. The monster in the title is a sociopath and the course his life takes only continues to exacerbate his inhumanity. Johan manipulates everyone around him for either his own selfish end or simply because he can and he finds the destruction of humanity amusing. Not much in common with his pizza-delivering sister.






The new poll: One Piece Film Gold is set for this summer! What's your favorite One Piece film?

The old poll: Which Matsuno brother is the best brother?

  1. Jushimatsu 18.4%
  2. Ichimatsu 15.3%
  3. Karamatsu 14.0%
  4. Choromatsu 9.7%
  5. Osomatsu 8.2%
  6. Todomatsu 1.9%


When she isn't compiling lists of tropes, topics, and characters, Lynzee works as the Interest Editor for Anime News Network and posts pictures of her son on Twitter @ANN_Lynzee.

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