Cut From the Same Cloth

Rose is a mysterious fortune teller who is able to manipulate a form of energy known as Soul Power. The energy is the antithesis to the inherently evil Psycho Power, which is wielded by a would-be dictator named M. Bison. Rose harbors resentment toward Bison for his immoral actions, but she actually shares a soul with him. The details are ambiguous, but Bison apparently expelled the light from his soul because it was limiting his capacity to use Psycho Power. Rose was born of this energy and was naturally driven to defeat the evil within Bison. Rose nearly achieved her goal when she rammed her fist through his chest and channeled her Soul Power into him. Bison survived the assault, however, and even used Rose’s body as a temporary host. This setback was temporary and didn’t make her any less determined to stop Bison.

Fou-Lu is an ageless being who was summoned to the world to serve as a god. The summoning ritual was not completed properly, so his soul was split in two and Fou-Lu fell into a deep slumber as he awaited the arrival of his other half. Some 600 years later, a boy named Ryu was found in the middle of a crater with no memories of his past. Ryu had unusual powers, but it took a while before he discovered who he was. It’s a common theme on this list for individuals to rid themselves of perceived weakness, but Fou-Lu’s goal was to merge with Ryu in order to become whole again. Fou-Lu was hailed as the God Emperor, but he required Ryu’s strength to wipe out humanity. Incidentally, Fou-Lu felt that humans should be eradicated for their evils, but Ryu was more optimistic due to his youth and inexperience.

At the center of Final Fantasy IV was a love triangle involving Kain. His unrequited love ate at him from inside and allowed his mind to be corrupted by an evil sorcerer. After regaining control of his faculties, Kain was saddled with tremendous guilt over the acts of treachery he had committed. While living a life of self-imposed exile in the after years, Kain was attacked by his own reflection. The doppelgänger was a manifestation of the hatred and jealousy that he still harbored, and Kain made it his mission to seek out and destroy him. Dark Kain entertained himself by betraying Kain’s friends and dragging his name through the mud, while the real Kain kept to the shadows under the guise of the “Hooded Man” until he could expose the impostor. When the inevitable battle finally took place, Kain was able to absorb his dark half.

Legend has it that Zekrom and Reshiram were once part of a single Dragon Pokémon who was used by twin brothers to form the land of Unova. When an argument broke out between the twins, the dragon responded by splitting into two separate Pokémon. The dragons were evenly matched, so they engaged in a conflict that spanned generations since neither had a clear advantage over the other. Zekrom and Reshiram represent the tangible duality of yin and yang, and it was fitting that they were featured on the covers of Pokémon Black and White respectively. The sequels introduced us to a third legendary dragon named Kyurem who was apparently formed from the empty shell of the original dragon. It’s not possible for all three dragons to become one again, but Kyurem can potentially fuse with either Zekrom or Reshiram.

Cia was originally the Guardian of Time and was tasked with keeping the balance of the Triforce. She developed romantic feelings for a hero named Link, but her affections turned to jealousy since Princess Zelda was already in the picture. Cia’s building resentment allowed an ancient evil to drive out the light half of her soul. Corrupted by the darkness of her heart, the seductive sorceress became increasingly aggressive in her bid to claim the world for her own. Meanwhile, her better half manifested itself as an optimistic young sorceress named Lana who was defined by positive energy. Cia hides behind an elaborate mask (and a fantastic rack), but it was obvious early on that she had a mysterious connection with Lana. Despite their rivalry, Lana cares for Cia’s well-being and believes she has a chance for redemption.

After 500 years in stasis, Lightning awoke a mere 13 days before the world was slated to end. As she raced to unravel the truth behind the world’s fate, Lightning was pursued by a young girl named Lumina who taunted her at every turn. It was not immediately clear whether Lumina’s capricious behavior was born of mischief or malice, but she clearly enjoyed causing trouble for Lightning. Lumina eventually revealed herself to be the living embodiment of Lightning’s suppressed vulnerabilities. Lightning was once known as Claire Farron, but she adopted a new persona after her parents died. Lumina was formed from Lightning’s childhood trauma, and her playful antics help Lightning embrace her emotions and become stronger as a person. In time, Lightning comes to accept Lumina as a part of herself.

Zero was an instrument of violence before the Maverick Virus that controlled him was removed. He became a great hero in the wake of this event and fought for peace between humans and machines. In an effort to remove any residual traces of the Maverick Virus, Zero volunteered to be placed into stasis. When he was incapacitated, the evil Dr. Weil siphoned his personality into a new body that he had created. With all of his respectable personality traits assigned to the knockoff body, the original Zero could once again become a malevolent force of destruction. Zero is the protagonist of the Mega Man Zero, but players didn’t find out that he was a cheap imitation until the third game in the series! The original Zero had been re-branded as Omega, and the new Zero was forced to destroy his true body in order to defeat him.

In the Kingdom Hearts series, the Heartless are beings of darkness who are typically devoid of emotion. When someone loses their heart, what’s left of their body and soul persist on its own as a Nobody. Depending on how strong their hearts were, Nobodies can appear as either humans or monsters. Roxas is a Nobody that was created when a courageous lad named Sora stabbed himself in a desperate ploy to sacrifice his own heart in exchange of his friend’s. Sora’s heart was restored almost immediately, but the brief time he existed as a Heartless resulted in a corresponding Nobody being created. Roxas was able to co-exist with Sora, but he was void of memories and oblivious to Sora’s existence for most of his life. Roxas is more reckless than Sora, but was close enough to the real deal to act as a surrogate protagonist.

Pyra and Mythra are manifestations of a legendary weapon that has the potential to destroy the world. Mythra wanted to ensure that no one would be granted immediate access to her apocalyptic power, so she created a second persona as a safeguard. Pyra and Mythra look exactly the same – aside from their hairstyles and chosen attire – but their personalities are radically different. Pyra is polite and agreeable while Mythra is defined by her assertiveness. They’re ultimately working toward a common goal, however, and the corporeal forms have the same thoughts and memories. Although Pyra and Mythra share a body, they switch between forms at will and view each other as sisters. Their personalities eventually merge into a single being, but I’ll best remember them as separate entities with unique personalities.

The de facto ruler of the Makai, Belial Aensland left the future of his family in the hands of his adopted daughter, Morrigan. Although she was unusually gifted, Morrigan had no way to control the power inside of her. In order to protect his daughter from herself, Belial split Morrigan’s soul and sealed it away. The sealed off power was so vast that it began to form a will of its own, and Lilith was born after a dark being promised the trapped soul a body in exchange for its service. Morrigan is a fiercely independent succubus who exudes confidence, whereas Lilith is still growing into herself. She lacks Morrigan’s wisdom and experience, but Lilith is eternally playful and knows how to have a good time even if she’s somewhat misguided. Lilith looks to Morrigan for a sense of belonging, so it’s fitting that the two “sisters” eventually become one.