History Main / FearfulSymmetry

* ''VideoGame/DeathGate'' has one of these as a puzzle. You face a mirror image of yourself, and since he copies everything you do, you can't move forward since the double is in the way. You get rid of him by [[spoiler:casting a suicide spell backwards, which does nothing to you, but the re-reversed spell cast by the double kills him]].

* Happens in competitive card games like ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Versus}}'' a lot, especially at the start of sanctioned tournaments where many players may be using identical decks that did well in previous tournaments due to the existence of websites dedicated to the best builds. Many tournament players have several silver bullets against their own deck in their optional side-deck to use in mirror matches.

* In ''[[Disney/{{Aladdin}} Aladdin The Animated Series]]'' when a {{trickster}} called Chaos pairs Aladdin against an EvilTwin the results are to be expected.

* ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' features a fight like this in the MirrorUniverse, between the good and evil version of Phoebe and Paige. The two Paiges keep at this for some time, their specific magic causing explosions that threaten everyone around.

* ''MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' uses this to some degree when White Ranger Tommy has to fight his past Green Ranger incarnation, including a simultaneous CrossCounter to the chest at one point in the fight.

* ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'''s final battle. Unlike most battles in the ''Pokemon'' universe, which are treated as [=A-OK=], this fight between the clones and the originals is treated as wrong, for some reason.

* [[Franchise/StarWars Tahiri]]'s internal conflict with her implanted Riina personality ends up like this once it comes to blows (in ''[[Literature/NewJediOrder Reunion]]'') - the two forms are literally identical, except for their handedness. Given the particular rules of this fight, it'd be equal even if one of them somehow outfought the other, as Riina demonstrates by charring herself with her [[LaserSword lightsaber]], inflicting an identical wound on Tahiri. [[spoiler:The two personalities end up merging.]]

** One moment stands out in particular. After spending several minutes beating each other to a pulp, Snake and his "brother", Liquid Ocelot, each find themselves facing each other and holding a syringe full of fast-healing nanotech. Instead of jumping back to inject themselves or trying to knock away the other's syringe, they ''inject each other'', knowing that the the other will do the exact same thing. Fearful symmetry, indeed...

* When playing black in a game of chess, one possibility is to simply mirror white's moves. This is sometimes called a Russian game. However, this is extremely easy for white to foil, as all that needs to be done is give a queen or rook a clear path to the opponent's side of the board. If black mirrors, all white has to do is kill the other queen/rook; that piece then can't mirror it, since it's no longer on the board. The Russian Game (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6) is both an example and a subversion. Black mirrors when you wouldn't expect him to (2... Nc6 is usual) but he gets into trouble if he continues mirroring (3. Nxe5 Nxe4?) There are, however, other openings where mirroring can continue for the first ten moves or beyond.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/SpyKids 2''. Gregerio's and Donogan's blows are so symmetrical that the fight ends up looking lame and painful, such as when they both try to suplex each other.

* Happens in competitive card games like ''MagicTheGathering'' and ''Versus'' a lot, especially at the start of sanctioned tournaments where many players may be using identical decks that did well in previous tournaments due to the existence of websites dedicated to the best builds. Many tournament players have several silver bullets against their own deck in their optional side-deck to use in mirror matches.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' episode "The Copycats", Nicole and a knock off version of her fought each other and were evenly matched with punches and kicks. Meanwhile, Gumball and Chichi end up having a WimpFight, Darwin and Ribbit are both {{apologetic attacker}}s, and Richard and Dad end up [[ItMakesSenseInContext sucking each other's fingers]] after they both collapse from exhaustion charging at each other.

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQeRRZv8YcM battles]] between Dante and his older twin brother Vergil in ''Franchise/DevilMayCry 3''; both utilize their agility, stamina, big-ass swords, and Devil Trigger abilities.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' episode "The Copycats", Nicole and a knock off version of her fought each other and were evenly matched with punches and kicks.

* In ''Anime/YuGiOh'', Yugi and Yami Yugi fight each other using the same decks, the only exception being the Seal of Orichalcos on Yugi's side. Subverted in that after a few turns, Yugi plays Sangan, which shuffles the order of their decks, then Card Destruction to make both draw new hands.

* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' parodies this between the twins George and Oscar Bluth. each man tries the exact same sequence of movements, just to be blocked in the same way everytime.

* When playing black in a game of chess, one possibility is to simply mirror white's moves. This is sometimes called a Russian game.
** However, this is extremely easy for white to foil, as all that needs to be done is give a queen or rook a clear path to the opponent's side of the board. If black mirrors, all white has to do is kill the other queen/rook; that piece then can't mirror it, since it's no longer on the board.
** The Russian Game (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6) is both an example and a subversion. Black mirrors when you wouldn't expect him to (2... Nc6 is usual) but he gets into trouble if he continues mirroring (3. Nxe5 Nxe4?) There are, however, other openings where mirroring can continue for the first ten moves or beyond.
** This won't work in Go. Sure you can try mirroring your opponent. But it never works in a center game where it is always the first person that plays that ends up winning because they can complete their circuit before you complete yours.

* This happens in the WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb episode, "Doofapus" when Doofensmirtz [[{{Animorphism}} turns himself into a]] [[EverythingsBetterWithPlatypi platypus]] to even the playing field with Perry. Turns out that he evened the field too much.

* In the original ''Videogame/TombRaider'' game, at one point Lara comes across a zombie Lara that mimics her movements exactly, so much so that the zombie keeps the player from moving onto the next challenge. [[spoiler:The trick is to get the zombie Lara to follow the player's moves enough to fall into a pit that is only on "her" side of the arena.

* During the TournamentArc of ''Anime/MyHeroAcademia'', Kirishima ends up fighting against Tetsutetsu, whose Quirk and fighting style are almost identical: Kirishima can harden his body into rock, Tetsutetsu can harden his body into steel, and both are physical close-combat specialists. The pair match each other exactly blow-for-blow until they finally [[DoubleKnockout knock each other out]], and the fight has to be settled by a tie-breaker. [[spoiler:Kirishima wins.]]

** The player can actually invoke this and score a bonus scene during the [[spoiler: first DuelBoss encounter between them,]] provided Luke and Asch use Rending Thrust at the same time.

* Jaster Rogue's darker [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFkDGTLEypA doppleganger]] in ''RogueGalaxy''.

** The title of a episode where Supergirl fights an [[ShoutOut older, more powerful, and more ruthless clone]] who knows all her moves.

* In the miniseries ''InfiniteCrisis'', both Franchise/{{Superman}} and Lex Luthor face off against alternate versions of themselves, and the two Supermen (Supermans?) later take on a ''third'' version of themselves.

** In "A Better World", which the entire Justice League fights alternate versions of themselves. The Batman vs Batman conflict plays this trope to the letter with the mirror Batman insisting he knows everything Batman will do (and for the most part being right)

* Also the title of a ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]'' episode where Supergirl fights an [[ShoutOut older, more powerful, and more ruthless clone]] who knows all her moves.
** Likewise, in "Divided We Fall" the original 7 Leaguers all fight [[spoiler:the Brainiac/Luthor hybrid]]'s copies of the Justice Lords.
*** Let's not forget "A Better World" in which the entire Justice League fights alternate versions of themselves. The Batman vs Batman conflict plays this trope to the letter with the mirror Batman insisting he knows everything Batman will do (and for the most part being right)

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "The Farnsworth Parabox", the two Leelas do this, to no effect. After they lunge at each other and end up simply colliding in midair, one of the Professor Farnsworths tells them "Now, now, perfectly symmetrical violence never solved anything."
-->'''Leela''': "We're exactly the same! I know all her moves; therefore I have the upper hand!"
** Also from ''Futurama'' is Flexo, a bending robot exactly like Bender. Whenever they get into a fight, they throw punches and just end up hitting each other's fists.
* The final battle between Zuko and Azula in ''[[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' definitely has these moments, often with red and blue flames mirroring perfectly.