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* Franchise/{{Superman}} and Franchise/{{Batman}}. While neither actually wields light and darkness as their powers, this is reflected in their personalities and visuals. Superman is an optimistic super-powered alien who dresses in [[PrimaryColorChampion primary colors]] while Batman is a cynical antihero normal human who dresses in black and grey.
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** Raven also has this dynamic with Starfire an alien who fires blasts of green light energy and overall has a more cheerful deposition than Raven.
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This will frequently utilize ColorContrast via ColorCodedElements, with light getting bright colors like gold and white (bonus points if [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine it represents some sort of godly power]]), and dark getting deep colors like purple and black. Supertrope to {{Chiaroscuro}}, which is the contrast between light and dark used as a visual tool.
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This will frequently utilize ColorContrast via ColorCodedElements, with light getting bright colors like gold and white (bonus points if [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine it represents some sort of godly power]]), and dark getting deep colors like purple and black. Supertrope to {{Chiaroscuro}}, which is the contrast between light and dark used as a visual tool.
tool (also see YellowPurpleContrast).
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* In ''FanFic/QueenOfBlood'' the God of Light and the God of Darkness are ''the'' most powerful gods in the FantasyPantheon of ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}''. Everything went to hell when the God of Light, Solin and the God of Darkness, Dracul, fought and hated each other. It's met with a lot of relief and hope that the new Goddess of Darkness, Taylor and the Goddess of Light, Dragon are perfectly willing to work together.
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* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': the God of Light is the older brother and responsible for the creation of life, which the God of Darkness despised and set about destroying, even creating the Creatures of Grimm to achieve this. While they formed a truce by creating humanity together, Light receives the worship and adoration of humanity while humanity fears and avoids Dark. The two domains in which they dwell reflect their differences. Light lives atop a mountain, surrounded by golden plants, and is a welcoming place to visit. Dark's domain in in a realm of endless darkness where fearsome Grimm roam and skeletons of humans who died lie scattered. The God of Darkness's jealousy over the God of Light's relationship with humanity leaves him vulnerable to [[BigBad Salem's]] manipulations, setting the world of Remnant on course for a tragic catastrophe.
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* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': the God of Light is the older brother and responsible for the creation of life, which the God of Darkness despised and set about destroying, even creating the Creatures of Grimm to achieve this. While they formed a truce by creating humanity together, Light receives the worship and adoration of humanity while humanity fears and avoids Dark. The two domains in which they dwell reflect their differences. Light lives atop a mountain, surrounded by golden plants, and is a welcoming place to visit. Dark's domain in in a realm of endless darkness where fearsome Grimm roam and skeletons of humans who died lie scattered. The God of Darkness's jealousy over the God of Light's relationship with humanity leaves him vulnerable to [[BigBad Salem's]] manipulations, setting the world of Remnant on course for a tragic catastrophe.
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* ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts'' treats Light and Darkness as opposing forces. Light is ''generally'' good and Darkness is ''generally'' evil, with the heroes often wielding light to vanquish the dark forces such as the Heartless.
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* ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts'' ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' treats Light and Darkness as opposing forces. Light is ''generally'' good and Darkness is ''generally'' evil, with the heroes often wielding light to vanquish the dark forces such as the Heartless.
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** This becomes literal in the ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' saga with the [[Characters/GreenLanternBlackAndWhiteCorps White Lanterns and Black Lanterns]], who also overlap with LifeDeathJuxtaposition. The Black Lanterns devour the other Lanterns' light, and their entity is Nekron, who is the shadow cast by the light of life and emotion. He believes that the natural state of the universe is darkness and death. Naturally, this is countered by the White Entity, who empowers White Lanterns.
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** This becomes literal in the ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' saga with the [[Characters/GreenLanternBlackAndWhiteCorps White Lanterns and Black Lanterns]], who also overlap with LifeDeathJuxtaposition. The Black Lanterns devour the other Lanterns' light, and their entity leader is Nekron, who is the shadow cast by the light of life and emotion. He believes that the natural state of the universe is darkness and death. Naturally, this is countered by the White Entity, who empowers White Lanterns.
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** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' focuses around the fabled "Warriors of Light" banding together to put a stop to the evil [[BigBad Cloud of Darkness]]. Near the end of the game, when the Warriors enter the Cloud of Darkness' own dimension, they come across the Warriors of Darkness. It's only after battling against each other that they learn that the Warriors of Darkness were the chosen fighters from an alternate dimension where light and dark are switched around, and [[GoodAllAlong were also sent to defeat]] the evil Cloud of Darkness.
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** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' focuses around the fabled "Warriors of Light" banding together to put a stop to the evil [[BigBad Cloud of Darkness]]. Near the end of the game, when the Warriors enter the Cloud of Darkness' own dimension, they come across the Warriors of Darkness. It's only after battling against each other that they learn that the Warriors of Darkness were the chosen fighters of ''this'' universe, who once had to save it from an alternate dimension where light a [[LightIsNotGood Flood of Light]]. The two sets of Warriors have the same end goal, balance, and dark are switched around, and [[GoodAllAlong were also sent to defeat]] the evil Cloud of Darkness.Darkness can't be beaten without both of them.
** In''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', you play as the Warrior of Light, chosen champion of Hydaelyn, goddess of Light, to oppose the servants of the dark god Zodiark. There's even an entire parallel world, The Void, that's the remains of a world that was swallowed by Darkness with all its inhabitants twisted into demonic Voidsent as an example of what could happen if you fail. But then in the ''Shadowbringers'' expansion, you're sent to a different parallel world facing the opposite crisis: a Flood of Light, as in ''Final Fantasy III''. To fight ''that'', you must switch roles and become a Warrior of Darkness.
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' Noctis and his party serve this function. Noctis is supposed to cleanse the world of Eos from a curse that lengthens nighttime and creates dark demons.
** In''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', you play as the Warrior of Light, chosen champion of Hydaelyn, goddess of Light, to oppose the servants of the dark god Zodiark. There's even an entire parallel world, The Void, that's the remains of a world that was swallowed by Darkness with all its inhabitants twisted into demonic Voidsent as an example of what could happen if you fail. But then in the ''Shadowbringers'' expansion, you're sent to a different parallel world facing the opposite crisis: a Flood of Light, as in ''Final Fantasy III''. To fight ''that'', you must switch roles and become a Warrior of Darkness.
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' Noctis and his party serve this function. Noctis is supposed to cleanse the world of Eos from a curse that lengthens nighttime and creates dark demons.
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** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' Noctis and his party serve this function. Noctis is supposed to cleanse the world of Eos from a curse that lengthens nighttime and creates dark demons.
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A contrast between {{Heaven}} and {{Hell}} will likely have some of this mixed in. CueTheSun functions as this, with the daylight symbolizing a new beginning after an arduous night. See also NiceDayDeadlyNight. The EvilCounterpart might be the 'dark' version of something. LightFeminineDarkFeminine is this trope applied to femininity. NightAndDayDuo is another related trope which pairs a light-themed 'day' character with a (usually) dark-themed 'night' character.
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A contrast between {{Heaven}} and {{Hell}} will likely have some of this mixed in. CueTheSun functions as this, with the daylight symbolizing a new beginning after an arduous night. See also NiceDayDeadlyNight. The EvilCounterpart might be the 'dark' "dark" version of something. LightFeminineDarkFeminine is this trope applied to femininity. NightAndDayDuo is another related trope which pairs a light-themed 'day' character with a (usually) dark-themed 'night' "night" character.
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Heaven And Hell was renamed to Heaven Versus Hell per TRS: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1548327275041782300&page=1#comment-16
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A contrast between HeavenAndHell will likely have some of this mixed in. CueTheSun functions as this, with the daylight symbolizing a new beginning after an arduous night. See also NiceDayDeadlyNight. The EvilCounterpart might be the 'dark' version of something. LightFeminineDarkFeminine is this trope applied to femininity. NightAndDayDuo is another related trope which pairs a light-themed 'day' character with a (usually) dark-themed 'night' character.
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A contrast between HeavenAndHell {{Heaven}} and {{Hell}} will likely have some of this mixed in. CueTheSun functions as this, with the daylight symbolizing a new beginning after an arduous night. See also NiceDayDeadlyNight. The EvilCounterpart might be the 'dark' version of something. LightFeminineDarkFeminine is this trope applied to femininity. NightAndDayDuo is another related trope which pairs a light-themed 'day' character with a (usually) dark-themed 'night' character.
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* ''Series/ResshaSentaiToQger'': The [=ToQgers=] represent the light, in the form of [[RainbowMotif rainbows and all their colors]]; while the villains are Shadows represent the darkness.
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%%Image selected via crowner in the Image Suggestions thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/ImagePickin/ImageSuggestions92
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[[caption-width-right:350:"[[Literature/BookOfGenesis [God] separated the light from the darkness.]]"[[note]]The Creation of Light", Gustave Dore (detail)[[/note]]]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:"[[Literature/BookOfGenesis [God] separated the light from the darkness.]]"[[note]]The Creation of Light", Gustave Dore (detail)[[/note]]]]
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-->--'''Creator/JohannWolfgangVonGoethe''', ''Theatre/GotzVonBerlichingen''
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* ''Webcomic/ImTheGrimReaper'': On their first "official" meeting, [[CowboyCop Chase]] is in the light, while [[TheGrimReaper Scarlet]] is in the shadows, suggesting what [[RuleOfSymbolism their roles in the story might be.]]
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* ''Webcomic/ImTheGrimReaper'': On their first "official" meeting, [[CowboyCop Chase]] is in the light, while [[TheGrimReaper Scarlet]] is in the shadows, suggesting what [[RuleOfSymbolism their roles in the story might be.]]
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** The mythology used to have God keeping the Darkness [[SealedEvilInACan imprisoned]], but that has changed, and the new situation makes this trope stronger than ever. The Season Eleven finale shows that God and the Darkness are have made friends and are now companions [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence in their travels to places where mortals like Sam and Dean are not going to meet them again anytime soon.]]
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* ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'' has light and dark as a major theme. The planet Aether has been split in two, with a DarkWorld copy in another dimension. Over the course of the game, Samus travels between the two dimensions encountering light and dark enemies and obtaining light and dark beam weapons (which later combine into the [[YinYangBomb Annihilator Beam]]), light and dark suits, etc.
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Darkness is the absence of light, and light cannot exist without darkness. The dichotomy between the two has been part of human storytelling for [[OlderThanDirt a very long time]] -- many {{Creation Myth}}s often involve light emerging from darkness, and many destruction myths involve darkness engulfing light. Light and darkness also have many other symbolic means across many cultures. Thus, it is not uncommon for stories to visually, literally, or metaphorically juxtapose the two, often associating them with real-world notions (eg. LightIsGood, DarkIsEvil) of light and dark. Shadow can be treated as more or less the same as darkness, or a mixture of both light and dark.
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Darkness is the absence of light, and light cannot exist without darkness. The dichotomy between the two has been part of human storytelling for [[OlderThanDirt a very long time]] -- many time]]--many {{Creation Myth}}s often involve light emerging from darkness, and many destruction myths involve darkness engulfing light. Light and darkness also have many other symbolic means across many cultures. Thus, it is not uncommon for stories to visually, literally, or metaphorically juxtapose the two, often associating them with real-world notions (eg. LightIsGood, DarkIsEvil) of light and dark. Shadow can be treated as more or less the same as darkness, or a mixture of both light and dark.
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Light and dark can easily be treated as opposing cosmic forces. The BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil and the LowestCosmicDenominator traditionally associate [[LightIsGood light with goodness]] and [[DarkIsEvil darkness with evil]], although LightIsNotGood and DarkIsNotEvil are the increasingly common subversions to that. And since they are diametric opposites, when light and darkness clash it is generally a YinYangClash, and when people use both it's a YinYangBomb. Alternatively, ElementalRockPaperScissors will more often than not have light defeat darkness, since LightIsGood. There's a reason DarkestHour is named so; "a light in the dark" is a phrase often used to symbolize [[HopeSpringsEternal hope]] -- see LightEqualsHope.
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Light and dark can easily be treated as opposing cosmic forces. The BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil and the LowestCosmicDenominator traditionally associate [[LightIsGood light with goodness]] and [[DarkIsEvil darkness with evil]], although LightIsNotGood and DarkIsNotEvil are the increasingly common subversions to that. And since they are diametric opposites, when light and darkness clash it is generally a YinYangClash, and when people use both it's a YinYangBomb. Alternatively, ElementalRockPaperScissors will more often than not have light defeat darkness, since LightIsGood. There's a reason DarkestHour is named so; "a light in the dark" is a phrase often used to symbolize [[HopeSpringsEternal hope]] -- see hope]]--see LightEqualsHope.
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* Subverted in ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor'' and [[VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar the sequel]], where your glowing spectral elf companion is referred to as "the Bright Lord" and the "Bright Master" and opposes Sauron or Shelob, who personify DarkIsEvil. Although he starts out well-intentioned, if CreepyGood, he gradually becomes NotSoDifferent from Sauron.
--> '''Orc you just dominated''': Eh, Bright Lord, Dark Lord, same thing, really.
--> '''Orc you just dominated''': Eh, Bright Lord, Dark Lord, same thing, really.
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* A strange example can be found in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'': ''both'' light and darkness are evil, and in fact, the being who represents light is the one who kicks off the plot of Adventure Mode. However, they fight each other just as much as they fight the Smashers.
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* ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'': The Light and Dark cards form a pair who must be sealed together. They appear as regal women and have the powers you expect; Light is white-colored woman with black accents and Dark is the opposite.
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* ''VideoGame/{{Runescape}}'': The high-[[DivineRanks ranked]] gods Zaros and Seren stand out as being the only two gods to be created directly by an [[TheOldGods Elder God]] and are closely linked with each other. The "Empty Lord" Zaros is associated with darkness, the PowerOfTheVoid, and the Shadow Realm between life and death; while the "Queen of Harmony" Seren is a BadassPacifist who champions life and the harmony between living things. However, LightIsNotGood and DarkIsNotEvil.
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* ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'': Twin brothers Koji and Koichi wield the Spirits of Light and Darkness, respectively. They were SeparatedAtBirth and at first fought on opposite sides, with Koichi having been brainwashed into evil. When Koichi snaps out of it, he awakens the good forms of the Darkness Spirit and fights alongside his brother. At one point, to comfort Koichi, an angel Digimon tells him that light and darkness are siblings, since there can't be one without the other.
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Corrected some things; the justaposition in the series happend between the Tiste Andii and Tiste Liosan, which represent dark and light respectively while the Tiste Edur don't really figure into it as much.
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* ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'' has a whole mythology built on light and dark. The light is represented by the Tiste Liosan, who have light-themed powers and worship Father Light, while the dark is represented by the Tiste Edur, who have dark-themed powers and worship Father Shadow.
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* The ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'' has a whole mythology built on light and dark. The light is represented by the Tiste Liosan, who have light-themed powers and worship Father Light, while the dark is represented by the Tiste Edur, Andii, who have dark-themed powers and worship Mother Dark. Additionally, there are the Tiste Edur who have [[CastingAShadow shadow]] as their [[PlanetOfHats hat]] and are considered to be unwanted bastards due to their admixture of light and dark. Mythologically speaking, Mother Dark is thought of as ''the'' primordial force that brought order and the concept of existence to what was pure chaos and nonexistence before her. She may have, depending on the InUniverse source, created light which brought justice, although the series makes the point that Father Shadow.Light's justice is a harsh and unforgiving thing. LightIsNotGood and DarkIsNotEvil are out in full force in this series.
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* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''
** The main Fey Courts are those of Summer and Winter. The lead Summer Queen Titania is called the Queen of Light, while her opposite, Queen Mab is called, among other names, the Queen of Air and Darkness. Summer is seen as a warm and inviting court. Winter is filled with darker creatures, the monsters of nightmares. That said, while Mab can be a vicious monster who would destroy a whole town if one person dares to draw a weapon against her, she is [[TheSpock cold, calculating, and logical]]. If one has a good logical reason to act and she sees it is in her best interests, then she won't take issue with it. Titania is a follower of her [[TheMcCoy emotions and heart]]. If one injures her or one she cares about for a logical reason, she won't give a shit and seek to kill the person. Even if that injury had to happen to save the world.
** Uriel and Anduriel. ArchangelUriel, whose name translates to "God is my Light", is one of the strongest soldiers in God's army and strategist. A cunning being who will always aim for three birds with one stone. His purview is the protection of humanity's Freewill from forces who would corrupt or lie to humans. He is also Heaven's wetwork agent. If a job needs to be done and it comes down to pushing the line of Freewill, it is his job because he knows where the line is.[[note]]In one story he doesn't commit to knowing whether or not a human spirit who helps him was deliberately vague and made a lie of omission to Harry to spur Harry into action. This resulted in several dominoes falling that stopped a very evil human from coming back to life and be sent to hell, a man who saw himself a coward find courage to save a young girl, saved a young girl from her own guilt, saved some street orphans from their cruel leader. And placed Harry in a place of strength when dealing with Queen Mab. Uriel acts offended and shocked, but it isn't clear if he just looked the other way to make sure he doesn't know.[[/note]]. His opposite, Anduriel, is one of the Fallen who served Lucifer in the War. He holds the moniker the Master of Shadows, and the spymaster for his side. He exists in the shadow of his human host, Nicodemus Archleone, and can control it too.
** The main Fey Courts are those of Summer and Winter. The lead Summer Queen Titania is called the Queen of Light, while her opposite, Queen Mab is called, among other names, the Queen of Air and Darkness. Summer is seen as a warm and inviting court. Winter is filled with darker creatures, the monsters of nightmares. That said, while Mab can be a vicious monster who would destroy a whole town if one person dares to draw a weapon against her, she is [[TheSpock cold, calculating, and logical]]. If one has a good logical reason to act and she sees it is in her best interests, then she won't take issue with it. Titania is a follower of her [[TheMcCoy emotions and heart]]. If one injures her or one she cares about for a logical reason, she won't give a shit and seek to kill the person. Even if that injury had to happen to save the world.
** Uriel and Anduriel. ArchangelUriel, whose name translates to "God is my Light", is one of the strongest soldiers in God's army and strategist. A cunning being who will always aim for three birds with one stone. His purview is the protection of humanity's Freewill from forces who would corrupt or lie to humans. He is also Heaven's wetwork agent. If a job needs to be done and it comes down to pushing the line of Freewill, it is his job because he knows where the line is.[[note]]In one story he doesn't commit to knowing whether or not a human spirit who helps him was deliberately vague and made a lie of omission to Harry to spur Harry into action. This resulted in several dominoes falling that stopped a very evil human from coming back to life and be sent to hell, a man who saw himself a coward find courage to save a young girl, saved a young girl from her own guilt, saved some street orphans from their cruel leader. And placed Harry in a place of strength when dealing with Queen Mab. Uriel acts offended and shocked, but it isn't clear if he just looked the other way to make sure he doesn't know.[[/note]]. His opposite, Anduriel, is one of the Fallen who served Lucifer in the War. He holds the moniker the Master of Shadows, and the spymaster for his side. He exists in the shadow of his human host, Nicodemus Archleone, and can control it too.
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* The Vorlons and Shadows of ''Series/{{Babylon 5}}'' appear at first to embody this trope, before getting a little bit more complicated, eventually falling into a combination of [[Light is Not Good]] and [[Jerkass has a Point]].
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* The Vorlons and Shadows of ''Series/{{Babylon 5}}'' appear at first to embody this trope, before getting a little bit more complicated, eventually falling into a combination of [[Light {{Light is Not Good]] Good}} and [[Jerkass {{Jerkass has a Point]].Point}}.
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* The Vorlons and Shadows of ''Series/{{Babylon 5}}'' appear at first to embody this trope, before getting a little bit more complicated, eventually falling into a combination of [[Light is Not Good]] and [[Jerkass has a Point]].
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->''"Where the light is brightest, the shadows are deepest."''
-->--'''Creator/JohannWolfgangVonGoethe''', ''Theatre/GotzVonBerlichingen''
Darkness is the absence of light, and light cannot exist without darkness. The dichotomy between the two has been part of human storytelling for [[OlderThanDirt a very long time]] -- many {{Creation Myth}}s often involve light emerging from darkness, and many destruction myths involve darkness engulfing light. Light and darkness also have many other symbolic means across many cultures. Thus, it is not uncommon for stories to visually, literally, or metaphorically juxtapose the two, often associating them with real-world notions (eg. LightIsGood, DarkIsEvil) of light and dark. Shadow can be treated as more or less the same as darkness, or a mixture of both light and dark.
Because of its ubiquity, a light and darkness contrast can be lent to any number of DuoTropes. A character with LightEmUp or HolyHandGrenade powers can have a {{Foil}}, enemy, counterpart, or [[ElementalRivalry rival]] in a character who uses CastingAShadow or TheSacredDarkness. A BroodingBoyGentleGirl duo or an {{Angel Devil Ship|ping}} might have appropriate light and dark motifs.
It can also be used in conjunction with other contrast tropes; for example, LifeDeathJuxtaposition will generally have life associated with light and death with darkness. SolarAndLunar usually pairs the sun with light and the moon with darkness (due to its association with night). Chinese philosophy associates this with FireWaterJuxtaposition, where the yin is associated with darkness and water, and the yang with fire and light.
Light and dark can easily be treated as opposing cosmic forces. The BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil and the LowestCosmicDenominator traditionally associate [[LightIsGood light with goodness]] and [[DarkIsEvil darkness with evil]], although LightIsNotGood and DarkIsNotEvil are the increasingly common subversions to that. And since they are diametric opposites, when light and darkness clash it is generally a YinYangClash, and when people use both it's a YinYangBomb. Alternatively, ElementalRockPaperScissors will more often than not have light defeat darkness, since LightIsGood. There's a reason DarkestHour is named so; "a light in the dark" is a phrase often used to symbolize [[HopeSpringsEternal hope]] -- see LightEqualsHope.
This will frequently utilize ColorContrast via ColorCodedElements, with light getting bright colors like gold and white (bonus points if [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine it represents some sort of godly power]]), and dark getting deep colors like purple and black. Supertrope to {{Chiaroscuro}}, which is the contrast between light and dark used as a visual tool.
A contrast between HeavenAndHell will likely have some of this mixed in. CueTheSun functions as this, with the daylight symbolizing a new beginning after an arduous night. See also NiceDayDeadlyNight. The EvilCounterpart might be the 'dark' version of something. LightFeminineDarkFeminine is this trope applied to femininity. NightAndDayDuo is another related trope which pairs a light-themed 'day' character with a (usually) dark-themed 'night' character.
The examples on this page have been alphabetized.
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[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', this is seen with [[EvilDuo Goku Black and Zamasu]]. Goku Black is the EvilTwin of [[TheHero Goku]] and is an [[GoodColorsEvilColors evil]] PaletteSwap of the hero, invoking DarkIsEvil with his [[EvilWearsBlack dark colored clothing]], black colored ki, and being shrouded in shadows. Zamasu on the other hand is associated with light and invokes LightIsNotGood, being the equivalent of a FallenAngel, traversing quickly using divine light, and naming all of his attacks with either divine or light themes. And then, it's revealed they are actually the same person thanks to a very complicated TimeyWimeyBall.
* ''Manga/{{Haikyuu}}'' has this in the {{Meaningful Name}}s of its two main characters in order to further contrast them. Friendly, warm Hinata (written with the kanji for "sun") is polar opposite to cold, aloof Kageyama (written with the kanji for "shadow").
* ''Manga/KurokoNoBasuke'': This contrast is present in the dynamic between Kuroko and Kagami, as well as Kuroko and Aomine. Kuroko is a 'shadow' player who is nigh-invisible on the court; he focuses on supporting flashy 'light' players like Aomine and Kagami instead of making himself shown.
-->'''Kuroko:''' I am a supporting actor, a shadow. But a shadow will become darker if the light is stronger and it will make the white of the light stand out. As the shadow of the main actor, I will make you, the light, the number one in Japan.
* In the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' series, the two heroines who are originally from Earth, Nanoha and Hayate, are associated with light and darkness, respectively. Nanoha's pervasive motif is starlight (and stars in general), while Hayate is officially styled the "Queen of the Night Sky" and is the only one in the main continuity who can use elemental darkness in her magic. That said, the two of them have never been in opposition to each other, since Hayate's darkness is of {{the sacred|Darkness}} sort, and do, in fact, regularly team up.
* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', Kirito gains this dynamic with the first two {{Big Bad}}s, Heathcliff/Kayaba and Oberon/Sugou, with Kirito being DarkIsNotEvil while the villains being LightIsNotGood. Kirito is TheHero who always dresses in black, earning him the name the "Black Swordsman" and has swords named after dark themes like "Dark Repulsor" and "Night Sky Sword". Heathcliff is a [[ThePaladin paladin]] with his attacks including the "Holy Sword" and "Spiritual Light". Meanwhile Sugou made himself into the King of the Fairies and the God of Alfheim Online, giving himself a divine appearance with blonde hair and ornamented with gold.
* In ''Manga/YuGiOh'' this dynamic is seen several times in "Dawn of the Duel":
** Pharaoh Atem is a beacon of hope and commands the light-themed Winged Dragon of Ra. Thief King Bakura is a shady thief who plunders and murders; he uses Diabound as his monster which has several darkness based abilities such as turning invisible in shadows and walking through walls.
** The parallel is once again seen with the Pharaoh and Zorc's guardian spirits: Hasan the Spirit of the Tablet who gives off an ethereal glow, and Akhenaden the High Priest of Darkness who serves as Zorc's minion and is able to project [[CastingAShadow dark energy blasts]].
** To defeat Zorc in the FinalBattle, the Pharaoh summoned the three Egyptian Gods: Obelisk, Slifer, and Ra, who [[FusionDance fused together]] into Holactie the Creator of Light. He was able to smite the dark demon Zorc with one devastating light blast.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/CloakAndDagger'' are heavily associated with dark and light respectively. Cloak is a brooding dark-haired guy in black who wields a cloak of darkness, while Dagger is a perky blonde woman in white who wields daggers of HardLight. They not only work together but ''need'' each other, as Cloak hungers for light consumption while Dagger needs to constantly expel light, meaning both of them quell each other's urges.
* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'':
** The Green Lantern Corps' oath tends to go something along the lines of "In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight", and other oaths tend to have light/dark (or some other juxtaposition) in them as well.
** This becomes literal in the ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' saga with the [[Characters/GreenLanternBlackAndWhiteCorps White Lanterns and Black Lanterns]], who also overlap with LifeDeathJuxtaposition. The Black Lanterns devour the other Lanterns' light, and their entity is Nekron, who is the shadow cast by the light of life and emotion. He believes that the natural state of the universe is darkness and death. Naturally, this is countered by the White Entity, who empowers White Lanterns.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'' has the Light Gods of Good vs. Dark Gods of Evil.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film--Animated]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic}}'', this trope is used to emphasize the LifeDeathJuxtaposition between the forest's forces of life and rot. Life is associated with daylight, growth, and bright colors, rot is associated with shadows, decay, and dark colors.
* ''Disney/TheLionKing'' contrasts the brightly-lit, beautiful Pride Lands with the Elephant Graveyard, a shadowy, miserable wasteland. Simba and Mufasa's rule is generally associated with light (eg. the NaturalSpotlight when a new heir is born, the the warm light that surrounds Simba when he arrives to reclaim the throne, their own red-and-gold color scheme); meanwhile, when the dark-colored [[EvilUncle Scar]] usurps the throne, the Pride Lands are cast in shadow.
-->'''Simba:''' Everything the light touches... What about that shadowy place?
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film--Live Action]]
* ''Franchise/StarWars'': The two sides of the Force are the Light and the Dark. The Light side is associated with peace, defense, detachment from emotions, and selflessness, while the Dark is associated with war, offense, emotional decisions, and selfishness. Keeping the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil is central to the franchise, and Force-sensitive characters generally fall into one or the other.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/TheCasterChronicles'': On their sixteenth birthday, in addition to learning their "true name", Casters are given the choice to turn dark or light. For the Ravenwood Family, however, there's a curse that removes the option for choice. Though not all Dark Casters turn evil, they are [[AntiHero Anti Heroes]] at best and are associated with sociopathy and negativity, while Light Casters are warm, loving, and fundamentally good. Lena, in her efforts to not turn dark, ended up [[TakeAThirdOption choosing both]], gaining one eye of each Caster's color.
* This motif is present in the relationship between Nico di Angelo and Will Solace in ''Literature/TheCampHalfBloodSeries''. Nico is the brooding son of Hades, the god of the Underworld, and has CastingAShadow powers; Will is the warm son of Apollo, god of the sun and medicine, and is noted for his healing capabilities. They're even a HairContrastDuo.
* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' fairly straightforwardly associates the heroes with light and the villains with darkness, despite some instances of LightIsNotGood. The heroes are guided by Gandalf the White and aided by Galadriel, the Lady of Light, who gives Frodo a phial who can light up dark places. Meanwhile, Sauron rules over shadowy, dark Mordor and Gollum revels in the anonymity of darkness.
* ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'' has a whole mythology built on light and dark. The light is represented by the Tiste Liosan, who have light-themed powers and worship Father Light, while the dark is represented by the Tiste Edur, who have dark-themed powers and worship Father Shadow.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' pits R'hllor, god of fire, light, and life, against the Great Other, god of cold, darkness, and death. Doubles as FireIceDuo and LifeDeathJuxtaposition.
* The conflict between the Light and the Shadow is an essential part of ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'''s mythos. Light is the force of good, while the Shadow is the force of evil.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' sets up this dynamic between [[TheHero Oliver Queen/Green Arrow]] and [[BigBad Damien Darhk]]. Darhk operates using BlackMagic, empowered by [[BloodMagic blood]] and capable of LifeDrain. To counter this Oliver is taught light magic known as "Light of the Soul", which allows Oliver to ward off darkness based magic using goodness. Darhk's magic becomes stronger with death and fear, while Oliver's magic is empowered by hope and selflessness. This is what leads to Darhk's defeat, with Oliver rallying the entire city against Darhk, which depowers his darkness magic.
* ''Series/CloakAndDagger2018'', based on the comic of the same name, features two superheroes: Tandy, who has LightEmUp abilities, and Tyrone with his CastingAShadow powers.
* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', the true form of {{God}} is a [[PillarOfLight pillar of blinding light]]. His archangel children are also able to take on this form although the angels [[LightIsNotGood aren't exactly explicitly good]], especially [[SatanicArchetype Lucifer]]. Meanwhile, TheAntiGod is the Darkness who is a literal mass of LivingShadow.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Music]]
* It's right in the title of John Legend's album "Darkness and Light". In the titular song, he mentions the juxtaposition along many other opposites when describing two lovers becoming one.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
* UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}:
** From ''Literature/BookOfGenesis'': God creates light first, and separates it from the darkness.
** The religion generally ascribes God and Jesus to light, and refers to Satan as the Prince of Darkness, among other things.
* In Myth/EgyptianMythology, the sun god Amun-Ra is threatened every day by the serpent of darkness Apophis.
* OlderThanDirt: In Myth/HinduMythology, LightIsGood and DarkIsEvil most of the time. {{Creation Myth}}s have the world emerging as a bright golden egg out of the primordial darkness, and many gods and goddesses use light powers to vanquish evil.
* UsefulNotes/{{Taoism}} heavily features the contrast between yin and yang (represented in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taijitu taijitu]]). The yin[[note]]the black side with the white dot[[/note]] is associated with passive, water, female, dark energy while the yang[[note]]the white side with the black dot[[/note]] is associated with active, fire, male, light energy.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Of the five colors, two are this: white (represented by a sun) represents light, life and order; black (represented by a skull) represents darkness, death and chaos.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/LesMiserables'':
** "Red and Black": As the students debate passion through the "colours of the world", RebelLeader Enjolras compares red to "a world about to dawn" and black as "the night that ends at last" in succeeding lyrics.
** "Stars" sees Javert refer to Valjean as a "fugitive in the night" and extol stars as symbols of order and light in the dark night sky.
* ''Theatre/NextToNormal'': In "A Light in the Dark", a sole light turned on in a dark house is used as a symbol of hope for Dan and Diana repairing their strained relationship.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''Creator/ArtixEntertainment'' games love doing this:
** [[SeriesMascot Artix von Kreiger]] is a [[ThePaladin Paladin]] who fights ForGreatJustice as well as a MagicKnight associated with [[LightEmUp light based magic]]. In every game there's almost always a [[CastingAShadow darkness based]] villain to serve as his EvilCounterpart. In ''[=DragonFable=]'' he is mirrored by Vayle the Necromantress, who has the exact same DarkAndTroubledPast and being empowered by the Darkness Orb, however while Artix chose to turn away from the darkness she embraced it and walked its path. In ''VideoGame/AdventureQuestWorlds'', his darkness foil comes in the form of Sepulchure the [=DoomKnight=] and his daughter Empress Gravelyn, both of whom lead the Shadowscythe which are an army of TheUndead and seek to conquer and enslave.
** In ''VideoGame/DragonFable'':
*** The [[PlayerCharacter Hero]] and [[BigBad Sepulchure]] are both in possession of a legendary dragon, the dragons from the White Dragon Box (a dragon of light prophesied to save the world) and the Black Dragon Box (a dragon of darkness prophesied to destroy a world). However the irony is the Hero acquired the dragon from the Black Dragon Box, while Sepulchure ended up with the dragon from the White Dragon Box. NatureVersusNurture comes into play on whether the dragons would act out the prophesy.
*** A class of {{Legendary Weapon}}s in the game are the dark elemental [[DoomyDoomsOfDoom Doom Weapons]] and the light elemental Destiny Weapons. The player can purchase a Doom Weapon and either choose to keep it or purify it into a Destiny Weapon, with three from each side. Sepulchure is also in possession of his own Doom Weapon which is unavailable to the player.
** In ''VideoGame/AdventureQuestWorlds'', this trope is taken UpToEleven in the "Doomwood Saga" where it's established that each of the elements possesses [[TheChampion champion]], with Artix being one of said Champions. But in an ironic twist, it's revealed Artix is the [[DarkIsNotEvil Champion of Darkness]] and he was created to end the world (though [[AntiAntiChrist he refused this destiny]]). Further revelations then establish that Sepulchure's daughter, Gravelyn, who stepped up as Empress of the Shadowscythe after her father's demise, is the [[LightIsNotGood Champion of Light]]. NatureVersusNurture again arises, where both Champions defy their chosen destines and choose to go in the opposite direction, with Artix fighting for good and Gravelyn continuing her path of evil.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' has the Umbra Witches representing darkness and the Lumen Sages representing light, although in this case you're playing the side of darkness and LightIsNotGood.
* The conflict between light and darkness and a theme throughout ''VideoGame/ChildOfLight'', where the player character, [[MeaningfulName Aurora]], is a light-using young heroine opposing the forces of Umbra, Queen of the Night, who has stolen the sun, moon, and stars.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'': Light-themed warriors (sometimes referred to as the "Warriors of Light") opposing the darkness-themed enemies is a common theme throughout the franchise.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' has the "Warriors of Light" defeat the evil [[BigRedDevil Chaos]]. The juxtaposition is mentioned in the opening prophecy.
--->"When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come."
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' focuses around the fabled "Warriors of Light" banding together to put a stop to the evil [[BigBad Cloud of Darkness]]. Near the end of the game, when the Warriors enter the Cloud of Darkness' own dimension, they come across the Warriors of Darkness. It's only after battling against each other that they learn that the Warriors of Darkness were the chosen fighters from an alternate dimension where light and dark are switched around, and [[GoodAllAlong were also sent to defeat]] the evil Cloud of Darkness.
** ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' brings back the Warrior of Light from the original game, but also refers to the heroic Warriors of [[BigGood Cosmos]] as the "Warriors of Light". They aim to defeat the "[[VillainTeamUp Warriors of Chaos]]".
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' Noctis and his party serve this function. Noctis is supposed to cleanse the world of Eos from a curse that lengthens nighttime and creates dark demons.
* ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts'' treats Light and Darkness as opposing forces. Light is ''generally'' good and Darkness is ''generally'' evil, with the heroes often wielding light to vanquish the dark forces such as the Heartless.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** Generally, the heroic Zelda will be ascribed to Light (with protagonist Link often joining her in this regard), and the villainous Ganon/Ganondorf and other villains will be ascribed to Darkness. Zelda and Link can fight with light-themed offenses (eg. Zelda's Light Arrows, their respective parts of the Triforce) while Ganon and other enemies draw power from the shadows. Link has to fight his EvilCounterpart, Dark Link, on occasion.
** ''VideoGame/ALinkToThePast'' has the DarkWorld, a darker parallel counterpart to the Light World.
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath Of The Wild]]'', Ganondorf has degenerated into a malevolent, writhing mass of shadow and chaos called Calamity Ganon, while Zelda keeps him at bay with her magic, which manifests as bright golden light.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' sees X become associated with light -- he ends up becoming an EnergyBeing and has a nigh-angelic appearance. One of his Four Guardians, Phantom, has shadow powers; he's also the most loyal to X, the "shadow to his light".
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Video]]
* ''WebVideo/NightMind'': In the video about ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'', Nick ended up crossing over with a morning radio host named Day Brain, or David (played by David from ''Midnight Marinara''). While Nick specializes in dark media and analysis, David was interested in gushing about media that made him happy. They argued over ''Night Vale'' at first, but were eventually able to meet each-other in the middle and realize they were NotSoDifferent.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}: The Mask of Light'' features the introduction of the [[SixthRanger Takanuva]] the [[LightEmUp Toa of Light]] to the team, which gives them the power to go up against Makuta who embodies [[CastingAShadow Shadows]] as his element. During a FinalBattle, Takanuva and Makuta fall into a pit of [[AppliedPhlebotinum energized protodermis]] which causes them to [[FusionDance fuse into a single being]], Takutanuva, Light and Shadow combined. As the perfect balance of Light and Shadow, he was unbiased and neutral, only carrying out the will of Great Spirit. He even performed a HeroicSacrifice to save the rest of the Toa.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''
** The show's mythos doubles this with OrderVersusChaos. Raava, the blue and white ancient spirit of light and peace, is in constant conflict with Vaatu, the [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver red and black]] spirit of darkness and chaos.
** The finale of the arc dealing with the Raava/Vaatu conflict had CrossReferencedTitles called "Darkness Falls" and "Light in the Dark".
* In ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', the light and dark side themes of the Force are taken UpToEleven in "Ghost of Mortis". The Jedi encounter physical personifications of the Force: The Daughter represents the Light side; she is pure, kind, and gives off an ethereal glow. The Son represents the Dark side; he is selfish and corrupt, possessing red Force lightning and is ObviouslyEvil from his [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] and the dark markings all over him. The Father serves as a perfect balance between the two sides and keeps both of his children under control. The planet itself also reflects this, with the day time bringing all plants and vegetation to life, while nightfall casts a shadow across the land and everything withers and dies.
* Done in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' with [[DarkIsNotEvil Raven]] and [[LightIsNotGood Doctor Light]]. To date, Raven -- a demon's daughter who dresses in dark colors and uses dark-themed magic -- is one of the few things that the light-based supervillain is terrified of. Having been dragged into her dark dimension once before, he would rather surrender and be jailed than having to face her again.
[[/folder]]
-->--'''Creator/JohannWolfgangVonGoethe''', ''Theatre/GotzVonBerlichingen''
Darkness is the absence of light, and light cannot exist without darkness. The dichotomy between the two has been part of human storytelling for [[OlderThanDirt a very long time]] -- many {{Creation Myth}}s often involve light emerging from darkness, and many destruction myths involve darkness engulfing light. Light and darkness also have many other symbolic means across many cultures. Thus, it is not uncommon for stories to visually, literally, or metaphorically juxtapose the two, often associating them with real-world notions (eg. LightIsGood, DarkIsEvil) of light and dark. Shadow can be treated as more or less the same as darkness, or a mixture of both light and dark.
Because of its ubiquity, a light and darkness contrast can be lent to any number of DuoTropes. A character with LightEmUp or HolyHandGrenade powers can have a {{Foil}}, enemy, counterpart, or [[ElementalRivalry rival]] in a character who uses CastingAShadow or TheSacredDarkness. A BroodingBoyGentleGirl duo or an {{Angel Devil Ship|ping}} might have appropriate light and dark motifs.
It can also be used in conjunction with other contrast tropes; for example, LifeDeathJuxtaposition will generally have life associated with light and death with darkness. SolarAndLunar usually pairs the sun with light and the moon with darkness (due to its association with night). Chinese philosophy associates this with FireWaterJuxtaposition, where the yin is associated with darkness and water, and the yang with fire and light.
Light and dark can easily be treated as opposing cosmic forces. The BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil and the LowestCosmicDenominator traditionally associate [[LightIsGood light with goodness]] and [[DarkIsEvil darkness with evil]], although LightIsNotGood and DarkIsNotEvil are the increasingly common subversions to that. And since they are diametric opposites, when light and darkness clash it is generally a YinYangClash, and when people use both it's a YinYangBomb. Alternatively, ElementalRockPaperScissors will more often than not have light defeat darkness, since LightIsGood. There's a reason DarkestHour is named so; "a light in the dark" is a phrase often used to symbolize [[HopeSpringsEternal hope]] -- see LightEqualsHope.
This will frequently utilize ColorContrast via ColorCodedElements, with light getting bright colors like gold and white (bonus points if [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine it represents some sort of godly power]]), and dark getting deep colors like purple and black. Supertrope to {{Chiaroscuro}}, which is the contrast between light and dark used as a visual tool.
A contrast between HeavenAndHell will likely have some of this mixed in. CueTheSun functions as this, with the daylight symbolizing a new beginning after an arduous night. See also NiceDayDeadlyNight. The EvilCounterpart might be the 'dark' version of something. LightFeminineDarkFeminine is this trope applied to femininity. NightAndDayDuo is another related trope which pairs a light-themed 'day' character with a (usually) dark-themed 'night' character.
The examples on this page have been alphabetized.
----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', this is seen with [[EvilDuo Goku Black and Zamasu]]. Goku Black is the EvilTwin of [[TheHero Goku]] and is an [[GoodColorsEvilColors evil]] PaletteSwap of the hero, invoking DarkIsEvil with his [[EvilWearsBlack dark colored clothing]], black colored ki, and being shrouded in shadows. Zamasu on the other hand is associated with light and invokes LightIsNotGood, being the equivalent of a FallenAngel, traversing quickly using divine light, and naming all of his attacks with either divine or light themes. And then, it's revealed they are actually the same person thanks to a very complicated TimeyWimeyBall.
* ''Manga/{{Haikyuu}}'' has this in the {{Meaningful Name}}s of its two main characters in order to further contrast them. Friendly, warm Hinata (written with the kanji for "sun") is polar opposite to cold, aloof Kageyama (written with the kanji for "shadow").
* ''Manga/KurokoNoBasuke'': This contrast is present in the dynamic between Kuroko and Kagami, as well as Kuroko and Aomine. Kuroko is a 'shadow' player who is nigh-invisible on the court; he focuses on supporting flashy 'light' players like Aomine and Kagami instead of making himself shown.
-->'''Kuroko:''' I am a supporting actor, a shadow. But a shadow will become darker if the light is stronger and it will make the white of the light stand out. As the shadow of the main actor, I will make you, the light, the number one in Japan.
* In the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' series, the two heroines who are originally from Earth, Nanoha and Hayate, are associated with light and darkness, respectively. Nanoha's pervasive motif is starlight (and stars in general), while Hayate is officially styled the "Queen of the Night Sky" and is the only one in the main continuity who can use elemental darkness in her magic. That said, the two of them have never been in opposition to each other, since Hayate's darkness is of {{the sacred|Darkness}} sort, and do, in fact, regularly team up.
* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', Kirito gains this dynamic with the first two {{Big Bad}}s, Heathcliff/Kayaba and Oberon/Sugou, with Kirito being DarkIsNotEvil while the villains being LightIsNotGood. Kirito is TheHero who always dresses in black, earning him the name the "Black Swordsman" and has swords named after dark themes like "Dark Repulsor" and "Night Sky Sword". Heathcliff is a [[ThePaladin paladin]] with his attacks including the "Holy Sword" and "Spiritual Light". Meanwhile Sugou made himself into the King of the Fairies and the God of Alfheim Online, giving himself a divine appearance with blonde hair and ornamented with gold.
* In ''Manga/YuGiOh'' this dynamic is seen several times in "Dawn of the Duel":
** Pharaoh Atem is a beacon of hope and commands the light-themed Winged Dragon of Ra. Thief King Bakura is a shady thief who plunders and murders; he uses Diabound as his monster which has several darkness based abilities such as turning invisible in shadows and walking through walls.
** The parallel is once again seen with the Pharaoh and Zorc's guardian spirits: Hasan the Spirit of the Tablet who gives off an ethereal glow, and Akhenaden the High Priest of Darkness who serves as Zorc's minion and is able to project [[CastingAShadow dark energy blasts]].
** To defeat Zorc in the FinalBattle, the Pharaoh summoned the three Egyptian Gods: Obelisk, Slifer, and Ra, who [[FusionDance fused together]] into Holactie the Creator of Light. He was able to smite the dark demon Zorc with one devastating light blast.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/CloakAndDagger'' are heavily associated with dark and light respectively. Cloak is a brooding dark-haired guy in black who wields a cloak of darkness, while Dagger is a perky blonde woman in white who wields daggers of HardLight. They not only work together but ''need'' each other, as Cloak hungers for light consumption while Dagger needs to constantly expel light, meaning both of them quell each other's urges.
* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'':
** The Green Lantern Corps' oath tends to go something along the lines of "In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight", and other oaths tend to have light/dark (or some other juxtaposition) in them as well.
** This becomes literal in the ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' saga with the [[Characters/GreenLanternBlackAndWhiteCorps White Lanterns and Black Lanterns]], who also overlap with LifeDeathJuxtaposition. The Black Lanterns devour the other Lanterns' light, and their entity is Nekron, who is the shadow cast by the light of life and emotion. He believes that the natural state of the universe is darkness and death. Naturally, this is countered by the White Entity, who empowers White Lanterns.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'' has the Light Gods of Good vs. Dark Gods of Evil.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film--Animated]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic}}'', this trope is used to emphasize the LifeDeathJuxtaposition between the forest's forces of life and rot. Life is associated with daylight, growth, and bright colors, rot is associated with shadows, decay, and dark colors.
* ''Disney/TheLionKing'' contrasts the brightly-lit, beautiful Pride Lands with the Elephant Graveyard, a shadowy, miserable wasteland. Simba and Mufasa's rule is generally associated with light (eg. the NaturalSpotlight when a new heir is born, the the warm light that surrounds Simba when he arrives to reclaim the throne, their own red-and-gold color scheme); meanwhile, when the dark-colored [[EvilUncle Scar]] usurps the throne, the Pride Lands are cast in shadow.
-->'''Simba:''' Everything the light touches... What about that shadowy place?
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film--Live Action]]
* ''Franchise/StarWars'': The two sides of the Force are the Light and the Dark. The Light side is associated with peace, defense, detachment from emotions, and selflessness, while the Dark is associated with war, offense, emotional decisions, and selfishness. Keeping the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil is central to the franchise, and Force-sensitive characters generally fall into one or the other.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/TheCasterChronicles'': On their sixteenth birthday, in addition to learning their "true name", Casters are given the choice to turn dark or light. For the Ravenwood Family, however, there's a curse that removes the option for choice. Though not all Dark Casters turn evil, they are [[AntiHero Anti Heroes]] at best and are associated with sociopathy and negativity, while Light Casters are warm, loving, and fundamentally good. Lena, in her efforts to not turn dark, ended up [[TakeAThirdOption choosing both]], gaining one eye of each Caster's color.
* This motif is present in the relationship between Nico di Angelo and Will Solace in ''Literature/TheCampHalfBloodSeries''. Nico is the brooding son of Hades, the god of the Underworld, and has CastingAShadow powers; Will is the warm son of Apollo, god of the sun and medicine, and is noted for his healing capabilities. They're even a HairContrastDuo.
* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' fairly straightforwardly associates the heroes with light and the villains with darkness, despite some instances of LightIsNotGood. The heroes are guided by Gandalf the White and aided by Galadriel, the Lady of Light, who gives Frodo a phial who can light up dark places. Meanwhile, Sauron rules over shadowy, dark Mordor and Gollum revels in the anonymity of darkness.
* ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'' has a whole mythology built on light and dark. The light is represented by the Tiste Liosan, who have light-themed powers and worship Father Light, while the dark is represented by the Tiste Edur, who have dark-themed powers and worship Father Shadow.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' pits R'hllor, god of fire, light, and life, against the Great Other, god of cold, darkness, and death. Doubles as FireIceDuo and LifeDeathJuxtaposition.
* The conflict between the Light and the Shadow is an essential part of ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'''s mythos. Light is the force of good, while the Shadow is the force of evil.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' sets up this dynamic between [[TheHero Oliver Queen/Green Arrow]] and [[BigBad Damien Darhk]]. Darhk operates using BlackMagic, empowered by [[BloodMagic blood]] and capable of LifeDrain. To counter this Oliver is taught light magic known as "Light of the Soul", which allows Oliver to ward off darkness based magic using goodness. Darhk's magic becomes stronger with death and fear, while Oliver's magic is empowered by hope and selflessness. This is what leads to Darhk's defeat, with Oliver rallying the entire city against Darhk, which depowers his darkness magic.
* ''Series/CloakAndDagger2018'', based on the comic of the same name, features two superheroes: Tandy, who has LightEmUp abilities, and Tyrone with his CastingAShadow powers.
* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', the true form of {{God}} is a [[PillarOfLight pillar of blinding light]]. His archangel children are also able to take on this form although the angels [[LightIsNotGood aren't exactly explicitly good]], especially [[SatanicArchetype Lucifer]]. Meanwhile, TheAntiGod is the Darkness who is a literal mass of LivingShadow.
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[[folder:Music]]
* It's right in the title of John Legend's album "Darkness and Light". In the titular song, he mentions the juxtaposition along many other opposites when describing two lovers becoming one.
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[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
* UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}:
** From ''Literature/BookOfGenesis'': God creates light first, and separates it from the darkness.
** The religion generally ascribes God and Jesus to light, and refers to Satan as the Prince of Darkness, among other things.
* In Myth/EgyptianMythology, the sun god Amun-Ra is threatened every day by the serpent of darkness Apophis.
* OlderThanDirt: In Myth/HinduMythology, LightIsGood and DarkIsEvil most of the time. {{Creation Myth}}s have the world emerging as a bright golden egg out of the primordial darkness, and many gods and goddesses use light powers to vanquish evil.
* UsefulNotes/{{Taoism}} heavily features the contrast between yin and yang (represented in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taijitu taijitu]]). The yin[[note]]the black side with the white dot[[/note]] is associated with passive, water, female, dark energy while the yang[[note]]the white side with the black dot[[/note]] is associated with active, fire, male, light energy.
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[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Of the five colors, two are this: white (represented by a sun) represents light, life and order; black (represented by a skull) represents darkness, death and chaos.
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[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/LesMiserables'':
** "Red and Black": As the students debate passion through the "colours of the world", RebelLeader Enjolras compares red to "a world about to dawn" and black as "the night that ends at last" in succeeding lyrics.
** "Stars" sees Javert refer to Valjean as a "fugitive in the night" and extol stars as symbols of order and light in the dark night sky.
* ''Theatre/NextToNormal'': In "A Light in the Dark", a sole light turned on in a dark house is used as a symbol of hope for Dan and Diana repairing their strained relationship.
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[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''Creator/ArtixEntertainment'' games love doing this:
** [[SeriesMascot Artix von Kreiger]] is a [[ThePaladin Paladin]] who fights ForGreatJustice as well as a MagicKnight associated with [[LightEmUp light based magic]]. In every game there's almost always a [[CastingAShadow darkness based]] villain to serve as his EvilCounterpart. In ''[=DragonFable=]'' he is mirrored by Vayle the Necromantress, who has the exact same DarkAndTroubledPast and being empowered by the Darkness Orb, however while Artix chose to turn away from the darkness she embraced it and walked its path. In ''VideoGame/AdventureQuestWorlds'', his darkness foil comes in the form of Sepulchure the [=DoomKnight=] and his daughter Empress Gravelyn, both of whom lead the Shadowscythe which are an army of TheUndead and seek to conquer and enslave.
** In ''VideoGame/DragonFable'':
*** The [[PlayerCharacter Hero]] and [[BigBad Sepulchure]] are both in possession of a legendary dragon, the dragons from the White Dragon Box (a dragon of light prophesied to save the world) and the Black Dragon Box (a dragon of darkness prophesied to destroy a world). However the irony is the Hero acquired the dragon from the Black Dragon Box, while Sepulchure ended up with the dragon from the White Dragon Box. NatureVersusNurture comes into play on whether the dragons would act out the prophesy.
*** A class of {{Legendary Weapon}}s in the game are the dark elemental [[DoomyDoomsOfDoom Doom Weapons]] and the light elemental Destiny Weapons. The player can purchase a Doom Weapon and either choose to keep it or purify it into a Destiny Weapon, with three from each side. Sepulchure is also in possession of his own Doom Weapon which is unavailable to the player.
** In ''VideoGame/AdventureQuestWorlds'', this trope is taken UpToEleven in the "Doomwood Saga" where it's established that each of the elements possesses [[TheChampion champion]], with Artix being one of said Champions. But in an ironic twist, it's revealed Artix is the [[DarkIsNotEvil Champion of Darkness]] and he was created to end the world (though [[AntiAntiChrist he refused this destiny]]). Further revelations then establish that Sepulchure's daughter, Gravelyn, who stepped up as Empress of the Shadowscythe after her father's demise, is the [[LightIsNotGood Champion of Light]]. NatureVersusNurture again arises, where both Champions defy their chosen destines and choose to go in the opposite direction, with Artix fighting for good and Gravelyn continuing her path of evil.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' has the Umbra Witches representing darkness and the Lumen Sages representing light, although in this case you're playing the side of darkness and LightIsNotGood.
* The conflict between light and darkness and a theme throughout ''VideoGame/ChildOfLight'', where the player character, [[MeaningfulName Aurora]], is a light-using young heroine opposing the forces of Umbra, Queen of the Night, who has stolen the sun, moon, and stars.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'': Light-themed warriors (sometimes referred to as the "Warriors of Light") opposing the darkness-themed enemies is a common theme throughout the franchise.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' has the "Warriors of Light" defeat the evil [[BigRedDevil Chaos]]. The juxtaposition is mentioned in the opening prophecy.
--->"When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come."
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' focuses around the fabled "Warriors of Light" banding together to put a stop to the evil [[BigBad Cloud of Darkness]]. Near the end of the game, when the Warriors enter the Cloud of Darkness' own dimension, they come across the Warriors of Darkness. It's only after battling against each other that they learn that the Warriors of Darkness were the chosen fighters from an alternate dimension where light and dark are switched around, and [[GoodAllAlong were also sent to defeat]] the evil Cloud of Darkness.
** ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' brings back the Warrior of Light from the original game, but also refers to the heroic Warriors of [[BigGood Cosmos]] as the "Warriors of Light". They aim to defeat the "[[VillainTeamUp Warriors of Chaos]]".
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' Noctis and his party serve this function. Noctis is supposed to cleanse the world of Eos from a curse that lengthens nighttime and creates dark demons.
* ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts'' treats Light and Darkness as opposing forces. Light is ''generally'' good and Darkness is ''generally'' evil, with the heroes often wielding light to vanquish the dark forces such as the Heartless.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** Generally, the heroic Zelda will be ascribed to Light (with protagonist Link often joining her in this regard), and the villainous Ganon/Ganondorf and other villains will be ascribed to Darkness. Zelda and Link can fight with light-themed offenses (eg. Zelda's Light Arrows, their respective parts of the Triforce) while Ganon and other enemies draw power from the shadows. Link has to fight his EvilCounterpart, Dark Link, on occasion.
** ''VideoGame/ALinkToThePast'' has the DarkWorld, a darker parallel counterpart to the Light World.
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath Of The Wild]]'', Ganondorf has degenerated into a malevolent, writhing mass of shadow and chaos called Calamity Ganon, while Zelda keeps him at bay with her magic, which manifests as bright golden light.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' sees X become associated with light -- he ends up becoming an EnergyBeing and has a nigh-angelic appearance. One of his Four Guardians, Phantom, has shadow powers; he's also the most loyal to X, the "shadow to his light".
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[[folder:Web Video]]
* ''WebVideo/NightMind'': In the video about ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'', Nick ended up crossing over with a morning radio host named Day Brain, or David (played by David from ''Midnight Marinara''). While Nick specializes in dark media and analysis, David was interested in gushing about media that made him happy. They argued over ''Night Vale'' at first, but were eventually able to meet each-other in the middle and realize they were NotSoDifferent.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}: The Mask of Light'' features the introduction of the [[SixthRanger Takanuva]] the [[LightEmUp Toa of Light]] to the team, which gives them the power to go up against Makuta who embodies [[CastingAShadow Shadows]] as his element. During a FinalBattle, Takanuva and Makuta fall into a pit of [[AppliedPhlebotinum energized protodermis]] which causes them to [[FusionDance fuse into a single being]], Takutanuva, Light and Shadow combined. As the perfect balance of Light and Shadow, he was unbiased and neutral, only carrying out the will of Great Spirit. He even performed a HeroicSacrifice to save the rest of the Toa.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''
** The show's mythos doubles this with OrderVersusChaos. Raava, the blue and white ancient spirit of light and peace, is in constant conflict with Vaatu, the [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver red and black]] spirit of darkness and chaos.
** The finale of the arc dealing with the Raava/Vaatu conflict had CrossReferencedTitles called "Darkness Falls" and "Light in the Dark".
* In ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', the light and dark side themes of the Force are taken UpToEleven in "Ghost of Mortis". The Jedi encounter physical personifications of the Force: The Daughter represents the Light side; she is pure, kind, and gives off an ethereal glow. The Son represents the Dark side; he is selfish and corrupt, possessing red Force lightning and is ObviouslyEvil from his [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] and the dark markings all over him. The Father serves as a perfect balance between the two sides and keeps both of his children under control. The planet itself also reflects this, with the day time bringing all plants and vegetation to life, while nightfall casts a shadow across the land and everything withers and dies.
* Done in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' with [[DarkIsNotEvil Raven]] and [[LightIsNotGood Doctor Light]]. To date, Raven -- a demon's daughter who dresses in dark colors and uses dark-themed magic -- is one of the few things that the light-based supervillain is terrified of. Having been dragged into her dark dimension once before, he would rather surrender and be jailed than having to face her again.
[[/folder]]
