One trope that is often found in anime, especially in the shounen genre, is the rival duo. Most of these duos comprise of the main character with another capable character. These rivals are sometimes given the theme of two colors, red and blue, to clearly show the difference between the two parties of the duo. This is the top 10 red and blue anime character duos of all time.
Red and blue characters can be found often in anime. The red character is typically the character with a more outspoken and abrasive nature. This is also the color frequently associated with the leader of the group. Blue characters, on the other hand, are the more calm and composed characters with clear talent.
Table of Contents
Top 10 Red and Blue Anime Character Duos
10) Rin Matsuoka and Haruka Nanase
- Anime: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club
Haru and Rin are two of the main characters of the popular sports anime. Though their personalities are poles apart, they were friends in childhood, through their shared love of swimming. But after Rin lost to Haru, their friendship broke apart, only to be rekindled years later.
In the anime, Haru’s theme color is blue, as it signifies the water he so loves and the calmness the color signifies. In contrast, Rin’s color is red, associated with his passionate nature and fiery personality. Their colors are also reflected in their physical appearances.
9) Tohru and Elma
- Anime: Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
One of the most adorable red and blue character duos are the cute-looking dragons, Tohru and Elma. The two were good friends once, but some time in the past, Tohru becomes disgusted with Elma’s gluttony and her tendency to grant her worshippers anything, good or evil, in exchange for food. After she destroyed one of Elma’s palaces, they became bitter enemies.
Tohru and Elma are typical red and blue characters with their personalities and color schemes complementing respective colors. In the anime, they are sometimes shown with colored backgrounds for effect: red for Tohru and blue for Elma.
8) Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryu Ishida
- Anime: Bleach
Ichigo and Uryu start off as the typical shounen rivals, with their contrasting personalities and powers. Ichigo is a Shinigami with bright orange hair and a fiery personality while Uryu is a Quincy, who are basically the opposite of Shinigami. Uryu has dark colored hair and is cool and collected.
Both Ichigo’s appearance and personality allude to the passionate color of red. It’s usually also the color associated with the protagonist. Uryu’s cool color scheme and collected nature make him a typical “blue” character in anime. Their contrasting colored characters can also be seen in the recent official art where Ichigo’s side is red and Uryu’s blue.
7) Kyoko Sakura and Sayaka Miki
- Anime: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Magical anime often have color coded characters, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica is no different. Every main character and magical girl in the anime has a specific color allotted to them. However, the color red doesn’t belong to the protagonist, instead being the color of Kyoko Sakura.
Kyoko’s hair is dark magenta and she has a passionate and outspoken character, quick to react. In contrast, Sayaka Miki, representing the color blue, has blue hair and is more emotional. She can also be impulsive, but generally Sayaka is a loyal, emotional person, and the perfect blue to Kyoko’s red.
6) Sakazuki and Kuzan
- Anime: One Piece
One Piece breaks a popular and overused trope of shounen genre: the rivalry between the protagonist and his cooler rival. Luffy shares no such rivalry with any one of the other main characters, namely his crew. However, One Piece is not without its own collection of rivals, including Zoro and Sanji.
An important rivalry in the series is between two former admirals, Sakazuki and Kuzan. Sakazuki owns the power of magma, and is represented with the color red. Kuzan, on the other hand, has the power of ice, and represents blue. Even their code names indicate this: with Sakazuki being Akainu and Kuzan being Aokiji.
5) Asuka Langley Soryu and Rei Ayanami
- Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion not only is an avant garde thanks for its plot, but it also has some very complex characters. Two of them are the female main characters, Asuka and Rei.
The two are created as polar opposites of each other, with their personalities and theme colors strongly contrasting.
For example, Asuka is arrogant, stubborn and defensive while Rei is withdrawn, distant and mostly apathetic. Their color schemes are also opposites; Asuka has auburn hair and wears a red plugsuit while Rei’s hair is light blue and her plugsuit white. These two are one of the most iconic red and blue anime character duos of all time.
4) Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster
- Anime: Fairy Tail
Another pair of shounen rivals, Natsu and Gray are pretty much always at each other’s throats. They are both part of the Fairy Tail guild and are teammates in most adventures. Natsu has fire-based power, along with salmon pink hair and a loud, over-the-top personality. Gray’s powers are ice-based, and his hair is jet black and his personality a lot calmer than Natsu’s.
The two are always fighting each other, and are often coated in red and blue aura respectively for effects. Their popularity and hilarious chemistry make them one of the best red and blue anime character duos.
3) Kagura and Sougo Okita
- Anime: Gintama
Gintama has secured its place as an iconic piece of anime, and its characters are just as memorable as its hilarious plots. Two of these extremely weird but very lovable characters are Kagura and Sougo. The two are mortal enemies and never shy away to start to fight with the other. Their banter often leads to chaos and destruction.
Kagura is a red character through and through, with her orange hair, red outfit and passionate nature. Sougo is more blue, he is calculative with a touch of evilness, and is calmer. During their fights, they are sometimes coated with red and blue aura respectively.
2) Taiga Kagami and Daiki Aomine
- Anime: Kuroko’s Basketball
One of the most popular sports anime of all time, Kuroko’s Basketball is known for assigning a theme color to every main character, in most cases noticeable in their names. Two characters who draw the attention of the viewers with their fierce rivalry are Taiga Kagami and Daiki Aomine, the current and former “light” to Kuroko’s “shadow”.
Aomine represents blue, which is evident in his name since “ao” means blue in Japanese. “Aka” or “red” is actually in the name of another character, but Kagami has been representing the color since the beginning. In some intense scenes, Aomine and Kagami can be seen surrounded by their respective colored aura.
1) Light Yagami and L Lawliet
- Anime: Death Note
If we’re talking about the most iconic red and blue anime character duos, the number 1 spot has to go to Light and L. Their rivalry and cat-and-mouse chase is one of the best and most intriguing dynamics of all time, as they not only contrast each other in personality and aspirations, but they also stand on opposite sides of the law.
In the anime, they are frequently focused in red and blue light respectively. Light has warm colored hair and is more passionate, abrasive and action-oriented in nature. L’s hair is dark, his personality more cold and subdued. Their roles in the anime also justify their theme colors.
The ranking of the top 10 red and blue anime character duos ends here. Contrasting characters with different motives and ideologies make up for an interesting plot, clearly evident by the duos discussed here. Their relationship brings a lot to their stories, which is why red and blue characters are such a popular trope in anime.
Love anime and rankings? Come visit Otakus’ Notes for more top 10 lists like this.
Do small things with great love.
Follow us on Twitter for more post updates.
Also Read:
Anamika loves words and stories and putting them to pages. She also loves anime, manga, books, movies and everything fantasy. She has been a fan of anime since childhood and her admiration for it only grew with years. Her passion for writing is even more elevated by writing about the things she loves.
