With Friends Like These.../Playing With

Basic Trope: Two characters are really friends except they hate each other.

• Played Straight: James and Sean are best friends, but they act like they hate each other.
• Exaggerated: James and Sean are Heterosexual Life Partners, yet all they talk about is how much they loathe and despise each other.
• Downplayed: James and Sean sometimes argue.
• Justified: James and Sean have difficulty expressing affection.
  • James and Sean are pretty much forced to be rivals because of competitive ideals, such as different sports teams or some clan or guild that are constantly non-violent rivals, that they hold, but they both know each other to be good people.
• Inverted: James and Sean are mortal enemies, but they act friendly towards each other.
• Subverted: It turns out that they were acting.
• Double Subverted: They really have duels to the death.
• Parodied: Everyone talks about what a great friendship James and Sean have while they attack each other in the street.
• Deconstructed: They're really enemies.