Top 5: Frenemies
You have your friends. You have your enemies. And somewhere in the middle of that are frenemies. They’re that one person you specifically hold onto to your homing shell for in Mario Kart just because the thought of dashing their first place win at the last minutes makes you so happy. If you’re Marvel, then they’re DC. If they’re Xbox, you’re PS3. Sure, you two might share a beer together, but it doesn’t mean that they’re not one bad talk away from a lightsaber duel.
Frenemies come and go. But these Top 5 are some of my most memorable. 
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5. Zack And Slater (Saved By The Bell)
Slater: “What, no rose for me, preppie? And I thought we were real close.”
Zack: “Slater, face it. It’s over.”
Things were going good for the wily, yet charismatic Zack Morris. The beach-blonde teen was able to run his skirt-chasing, fourth-wall breaking schemes with little opposition. Enter A.C. Slater, a muscle-bound military brat with just enough wits, and dance moves to match up against ole preppie. 
As the standard sitcom equation dictates, two characters that share strong similarities have to hate each other before becoming bosom buddies. And that’s exactly what happened. Sure, the sitcom equation was enough to make the two dislike each other initially, but the writers also decided to throw in Kelly Kapowski into this frenemy fire. Yet one serious talk later about absentee fathers, and the two soon became Bayside’s Best Bros.
Things wouldn’t always be rosy between this brotastic duo. Zack and Slater are competitive and confident. Add in their love for girls, or sometimes, the same girl, and you have Bayside’s best frenemies. Heck the the two even went to blows at one point. Still, their friendship did stand the test of Saved By The Bell time. 
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4. Sakura And Ino (Naruto)
Ino: (To Sakura) “Who’re you calling “pig”, you billboard brow?!”
The concept of a girl or boy coming in between two friends is common in a lot of shows. Even with ninjas, apparently. Naruto has quite a number of friendly rivals or frenemies, but you’d be remiss to not place Sakura and Ino on this list.
Sakura kind of missed the Rhianna School of Forehead Self-Confidence, and wasn’t feeling too good about herself. Ino could have added more salt to the wounds, but instead, befriended Sakura and helped instill her with some confidence. However, once Sakura realized that she and Ino both had feelings for Mr. Sharrigan, she called off the friendship, so that they could compete for his feelings.
Thankfully, the two did kind of patch things up and have grown into respectable ninjas. And thanks to a few “minor” obstacles like Konoha’s attack from Pain, a ninja war, and Sasuke learning the truth about the Uchiha clan and his brother, the two now have other things to worthy about. Besides, I think we all know who Sasuke is truly going to choose in the end.  
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3. Skwisgaar And Toki (Metalocalypse)
(When they are about to be killed)
Toki: ”I’ve…always hated you, Skwisgaar”
Skwisgaar: ”I know Toki, I know.”
If you think about it, the band Dethklok is probably a working definition of a frenemy. Sure, they’ve managed to work together to achieve unfathomable amounts of fame and money, but their band formed out of a greedy desire for success and being brutal, instead of being friends that are simply in a band. Yet, there’s probably no two members who are better frenemies than Skwisgaar and Toki.
There’s hardly a moment when Skwisgaar, the fastest guitar player in the world, chooses to demean or insult his Norwegian counterpart. But that doesn’t mean Skwisgaar totally hates the childlike Toki. After all, they’ve shared a few bonding moments. The two European outsiders are often found humorously trying to pronounce English words through layers of thick accent and sketchy translation.
And there have been a few moments where they’ve also shared philosophical moments. Maybe they’re more like dysfunctional brothers. Besides, Skisgaar even tried to save Toki’s life with a defibrillator…even though he didn’t need it. It’s the thought that counts, right? 
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2. Player 1 And Player 2 (Battletoads)
Player 1: “Dammit dude, if you hit me one more time….”
Battletoads is a lot things. It’s a game brimming with humor. It’s a difficult game that isn’t so much as cheap as it is a title that punishes you for being human. But it’s also a title that can make the best of friends the worst of frenemies all in the span of an afternoon.
Battletoads isn’t the only game with a “friendly fire” type of gameplay where your hits can actually damage your friend, but considering its legendary difficulty, it’s probably one of the most dangerous, especially if you have a friend that likes to keep a bit of a grudge. Be wary if you ever find yourself in this type of situation.

10 Minutes In
Player 1: ”Whoa hey there buddy. Kind of got me in that little punch flury of yours.”
Player 2: ”I’m sorry man. Hey, you can get a free hit off of me.”
Player 1: ”Oh no it’s cool dude. Would you like a Pizza Bagel?”
45 Minutes Later
Player 2: “Dammit dude, I just lost a life because of you!”
Player 1: “My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”
Player 2: “What?!”
Player 1: “…Have At You!” 
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1. Cyclops And Wolverine (X-Men)
Cyclops: ”How do we know he’s the real Wolverine?”
Wolverine:“…You’re a dick.”
Whether it was the 90’s soap opera cartoon, films, or the comics, Cyclops and Wolverine have probably been regarded as one of the most complex frenemies. These two didn’t like each other from the start. And while some would chalk that up to being because of a certain Phoenix-hosting redhead (no, not that one, the other one), I’d say that they’re only about a quarter right.
These two were, and still are, two completely different characters. Wolverine started off as the cool wild card of the group that pushed buttons, got down and dirty in slugfests, and probably often wore a cologne of cigar smoke and Brut. Cyclops was a right-hand leader and tactician whose vision focused completely on Xavier’s dream of mutant and human kind co-existing peacefully.
Over time, the two changed. Wolvie became less of a loner, often times playing the role a protective surrogate father. Cyclops became disillusioned with his father figure in Xavier, and started taking on a grittier “by any means necessary” type of approach to the survival of mutant kind. Yet, their relationship also changed over the years. After years in the trenches against Sentinels, evil mutants, and crazy redheads with Omega-level powers, a sort of bond between the two formed. 
The verbal jabs continued, but whether it was Cyke talking about his women problems over whiskey in New X-Men, or Wolverine entrusting the Muramasa, a sword that can actually kill him over to Slim, it was clear a mutual respect had formed. Of course the events of Schism and Avengers Vs. X-Men have completely thrown their relationship out of the window. But I got a feeling that it won’t be too long before these two are back to simply being friends that still kind of hate each other, right? 
Right.
