For ten seasons, Adventure Time told incredible stories set in the Land of Ooo. It's heavily implied that Ooo was what remained of Earth after a cataclysmic nuclear war. The world that was left behind was one filled with magic and mysticism, and a lot fewer humans.
At the core of the series were Finn the Human and Jake the Dog, two aspiring heroes and adventurers. Their relationship was the defining factor of Adventure Time as they fought to protect Ooo from the forces of evil. But there were times that their friendship wasn't all it could have been.
NOT FRIENDS: Forced Together By Adoption
Many years before the beginning of the series, Jake's parents were walking through the woods and came across a human baby. They took Finn home and raised him alongside Jake and Jake's older half brother Jermaine.
The bond between Finn and Jake was more about them being brothers than it was friends. And that relationship came with a lot of baggage. Much of it could be seen in the kind of frustration Jake occasionally showed with Finn's act first, think later attitude.
BEST FRIENDS: Putting Up With Each Other
The other side of growing up as brothers was that Finn and Jake knew each other extremely well. It's a partnership that's developed over years of spending almost every possible moment together.
While Finn and Jake might have gotten on each other's nerves sometimes, they still forgave their respective flaws more than anyone else ever could. Being able to put up with your best friend's worst attributes is the core of any longstanding friendship.
NOT FRIENDS: Outside Interests
Finn had one main interest in the world and that's becoming a respected hero. As such, almost everything he did was focused on that endgame. Honestly, Finn had been quite successful in reaching that goal.
Jake had been extremely supportive of Finn's dreams, but that didn't stop him from pursuing a life outside of being a hero. While he's always there for Finn, Jake's push to have more in his life beyond being a hero was known to cause problems in their relationship.
BEST FRIENDS: Saving Ooo
While Finn and Jake were not always on the same page about every aspect of their lives, they did tend to be on the same page when it came to saving Ooo. There seemed to be an almost endless string of threats to the mystical land.
Finn and Jake's greatest successes in battle were almost always come at each other's sides. Ooo, as strange a place as it was, would have fallen into darkness multiple times without this dynamic duo watching out for it.
NOT FRIENDS: Jake Does The Heavy Lifting
The number of battles Finn and Jake ran into side by side were virtually innumerable. Their lives were filled with action and adventure which seemed to go on 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
But the reality of their team was that Jake does most of the heavy lifting, since he was a shapeshifter. Finn was a hell of a warrior but there were a lot of threats he simply did not have the power to fight. That's where Jake came in.
BEST FRIENDS: Fighting And Supporting The Ice King
In the early stages of the series, Finn and Jake's main opponent was the Ice King. He was obsessed with capturing and marrying one of the dozens of princesses around Ooo. Ice King's main target was usually Princess Bubblegum, though.
But as the series went on, the long tragedy of Ice King's life came into focus and he became more of a friend. The fact that Finn and Jake had such a strong bond allowed them to help to take on Ice King as an enemy, then support him as an ally.
NOT FRIENDS: Finn's Nonstop Crushes
Finn was always focused on defending Ooo from anyone who wanted to cause it harm. It was so important to him that he chose to remain in Ooo rather than returning to the colony of humans he originally came from.
But being a teenage boy, Finn was constantly crushing on different girls. Jake did his absolute best to be tolerant of this but it also drove him nuts. Finn's obsessions with Princess Bubblegum, Flame Princess, and others caused endless problems.
BEST FRIENDS: Living Together In The Treehouse
While Finn and Jake had a lot of epic aspects to their lives, it's hard not to be jealous of the incredible treehouse they lived in. While it's an absurdly built place, it still would have been a super cool place to live. Plus, BMO also lived there and BMO was amazing.
The treehouse was awesome but it's still pretty close quarters in there. Finn and Jake being able to maintain a relatively healthy relationship with so little personal space was impressive to say the least.
NOT FRIENDS: Competing With Lady Rainicorn
Jake had one of the most successful relationships in all of Ooo with Lady Rainicorn. Rainicorns were a species of unicorn/rainbow hybrids. Lady Rainicorn was Princess Bubblegum's steed who only speaks Korean.
She and Jake developed a deep bond, eventually having five pups together. Finn reveled in being an uncle but Jake's change in focus definitely caused a few issues between Finn and Jake. Fortunately, Lady Rainicorn was always up for a fight and had their backs when necessary.
BEST FRIENDS: Always Have Each Other's Backs
When it comes right down to it, Finn and Jake always ended up supporting each other no matter what. There were times that they had to overcome their differences to get there but it still happened.
They were brothers, partners, and ultimately, incredibly close friends who trusted each other right up until the last battle went down. It would have been almost impossible to have Finn without Jake, and vice versa.