Blood Brothers: Difference between revisions

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This is where two people have made a pact with each other. The reasons for this tend to vary, but most often, it's because one or both of them [[I Owe You My Life|owes the other his life]]—frequently [[Fire-Forged Friends|in battle]]. From this moment on, they are brothers. Brothers in the sense that they will do anything to protect and, if necessary, avenge the other.

For the musical, see [[Blood Brothers (theatre)|Blood Brothers]]. Compare to [[Bash Brothers]]. A [[Sub-Trope]] to [[True Companions]]. Note that all examples '''must''' include an oath, pact, or other explicit bonding; if it doesn't, it's not this trope.

 

{{examples}}

* In the ''[[Fushigi Yuugi]]'' series, Genbu Celestial Warriors, Hikitsu and Tomite are the classic pair.

* The whole ''[[Koihime Musou]]'' is about this, being based off of the ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]''.

* In ''[[Nurarihyon no Mago]]'', the youkai make pacts amongst each other to be sworn brothers.

* The cast of ''[[K-On!]]'' are one of the rare female versions of this trope.

* Reinhard and Kircheis in ''[[Legend of Galactic Heroes]]'' are this along with [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]. Their friendship started out when Reinhards sister (whom Kircheis is in love with) asks Kircheis to be his friend. [[It Gets Worse]] and Reinhard asks for Kircheis help in conquering the galaxy. And so the two rise up in ranks, Reinhard as the shining star and Kircheis supporting him from behind. {{spoiler|And then Kircheis dies (very early on, to boot), something that has lasting effects on virtually everyone for the ''entire rest of the series''.}}

* In ''[[Saint Beast]]'', Judas repeatedly asks Luca to stand by him, and when he tries to do things alone Luca reminds him that alone means both of them.

 

* ''[[G.I. Joe]]'': Joe has Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, who are the equivalent of Blood Brothers ("sword-brothers") and have indeed saved each other's life in battle. Sometimes even while actively trying to defeat/kill each other. Heavy on elements of [[The Only One Allowed to Defeat You]], [[Enemy Mine]], and {{spoiler|[[Brainwashed and Crazy]]}}, the latter on Storm Shadow's part (at least when they're on opposite sides). {{spoiler|Storm Shadow saving Snake Eyes' life}} is an integral part of their backstory.

* There's a pair of [[Marvel Comics]] villains known as the Blood Brothers, who are formidable separately but increasingly unstoppable the closer they are to one another.

 

 

* The film version of ''[[Othello]]'' has Othello forcing Iago to perform a blood pact.

* ''[[A Better Tomorrow]]'': Mark Gor (Chow Yun-Fat) and Sung Tse Ho (Ti Lung) from [[John Woo]]'s film are probably the best known examples of Blood Brothers in a [[Heroic Bloodshed]] movie. In fact, most of John Woo's [[Heroic Bloodshed]] movies tend to have two characters develop such a bond with each other during the course of the movie.

* An old Bud Spencer spaghetti-Western, where the (anti)hero, played by Bud Spencer, had a rather dim Native American sidekick, who followed him around due to them being 'Blood brothers', since Bud had once saved his life with a blood transfusion.

* ''[[Star Wars]]'': Han Solo and Chewbacca are Blood Brothers. While Han Solo most likely didn't think so when he first rescued Chewie, Chewbacca [[I Owe You My Life|felt he had a "life debt" to Han]]. At first the "brotherhood" was mostly one way but as they traveled together and Han learned more about Chewie and the "life debt", they became true Blood Brothers.

* In ''Mongol'', two ten year olds (one of whom is the future Genghis Khan) become blood brothers after one saves the other's life.

* Interesting twist in ''[[Practical Magic]]'', where a pair of sisters swear bloodbrotherhood. This becomes a plot point a couple of times.

* In ''[[Wild Zero]]'', Guitar Wolf cuts Ace's hand and his own to make them "rock 'n' roll blood brothers," and gives Ace a whistle to use if in distress.

 

* Commonly seen in [[Wuxia]] literature.

** While water doesn't seem all that binding on a planet that is two thirds water, for the Martians it is a very valuable and limited resource and to share it with someone is a precious act of camaraderie.

* In [[Diana Wynne Jones]]'s ''[[The Dalemark Quartet|The Spellcoats]]'', Kars Adon and Hern make a pact of undying friendship after Hern helps free Kars Adon's people from Kankredin. {{spoiler|After Kars Adon [[Taking the Bullet|takes a knife meant for Hern]],}} he points out that they're now quite literally blood brothers.

* In [[Darkness Visible]] Marsh and Lewis definitely qualify as this. Once they [[Fire-Forged Friends|stop hating each other]], that is...

* [[Mercedes Lackey]]'s [[Heralds of Valdemar|Tarma and Kethry]] are Blood Sisters, complete with a blood-mixing ritual of clasped hands. The pair were given a stamp of divine approval from Tarma's goddess when the wounded hands were instantly healed upon contact, leaving distinctive scars.

* The title character of the ''[[Flashman]]'' novels swears blood-brotherhood with several characters, noting in ''Flashman at the Charge'' that he felt more solemnity in the act than any Christian oath.

 

* Played with in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', season 5. {{spoiler|Although Dawn is confused about her own existence as Buffy's sister, an important scene involves Buffy and Dawn clasping bloody hands and Buffy declaring that the same blood, "Summers blood", runs through their veins. So not necessarily ''making'' them "blood sisters", but affirming the link that already exists.}}

* The Easy Company in ''[[Band of Brothers]]'' evolves into [[True Companions]] by stacking blood brotherhoods one after another.

* ''[[Coupling]]'' has Jeff and Steve who grew up in school together, and have remained best friends even into their busy and commercial London lifestyle orientated adulthood. So close in fact, that they are in fact porn buddies. By Jeff's wording, when one dies, the other is morally obliged to go to their deceased friend's house and remove all of the porn before their family and colleagues find it. He even boldly defends this pact when talking to Steve's future partner to big his friend up. Disclaiming "that's how close we are!"

 

* In the song "Goodbye Earl" by the Dixie Chicks, Mary Ann and Wanda are Blood ''Sisters''. When Wanda is put into the hospital by Earl, they get together and kill him.

* [[Bruce Springsteen]] has a song ''named'' Blood Brothers which fits this trope perfectly.

* Iron Maiden has a song called "Blood Brothers" on this very topic. Interestingly enough, their song "The Clansman" about the strong bond between Scottish clan-member evokes this trope even more.

 

 

* [[Norse Mythology]]:

** Örvar-Oddr and Hjalmar, two heroes from the legendary sagas who became blood brothers in a ceremony after pouring their blood under some raised soil.

* In [[The Bible]], David and Jonathan.

 

* The famous Anoa'i family, which pioneered the [[Wild Samoan]] archetype, was formed by Amituanai Anoa'i and "High Chief" Peter Maivia, two men who did see one another as blood brothers (Anoa'i's children referred to Maivia as their uncle). The family includes Afa and Sika Anoa'i (the original Wild Samoans) The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), the late Rodney Anoa'i (a.k.a. Yokozuna), Solofa Fatu (Rikishi), The Tonga Kid, and Eddie Fatu (known as <s> YOU MANGA</s> Umaga).

* In one of the 90s episodes of ''Titanes en el Ring'', La Momia cut a ribbon, symbolizing the end of his feud with the late Martin Karadagian, and effectively making them Blood Brothers.

 

** And they have all been sort-of genetically manipulated to be similar to their chapter's Founder, essentially making them his children.

** For a slightly more heretical version, teams of Tau Fire Warriors go through the Ta'lissera bonding ritual, producing their own squad-scale [[True Companions]]. It also gives them sufficient steel in their little blue backs to return even when eight of the original ten are dead, to avenge their fallen blood kin and kick ass for the Greater Good.

* ''[[Changeling: The Dreaming]]'' has the Oath of Clasped Hands, which is your standard blood-mixing ritual with in-game results. (Specifically, both parties get an additional point of Willpower for as long as the oath is upheld.) It's described as the platonic version of the Oath of Truehearts, which is expressly for lovers.

** This is also how motleys usually form up in ''[[Changeling: The Lost]]''. Groups of changelings [[Magically-Binding Contract|swear an oath on the Wyrd]] to come together for a common purpose, and usually gain mechanical benefits related to that area on the condition that they stand up for one another and don't flag in their pursuit. Likewise, there are other Oaths that provide similar benefits, such as the Ancient Pact (which is when a changeling swears one of these with a mortal) and the Vernal Oath (which is a marriage oath).

* ''[[Ars Magica]]'' supplement ''The Order of Hermes''. When two mages want to form a bond of amicus (intense friendship), they cut their wrists and place their wrists together to share their blood. Grogs sometimes do this too, and specifically call each other "blood brother".

 

* The musical "[[Blood Brothers (theatre)|Blood Brothers]]", obviously. It [[Dysfunction Junction|goes]] [[It Got Worse|very]], [[Downer Ending|very]] [[Tear Jerker|badly]].

* Siegfried and Gunther swear blood brotherhood in [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]]'s ''[[Der Ring Des Nibelungen|Götterdämmerung]]'', with Gunther's half-brother Hagen presiding. Given that Hagen is evil, it's not surprising that this ends badly.

 

* ''[[Fatal Fury]]'': Bosses Grant and Kain R. Heinlein have 'sworn an oath of eternal allegiance' to each other, as can be seen when they fight in versus mode.

* The "From this moment, you and I are Sworn Brothers" bit between Darunia and Link in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time]]''.

* Winfield, Thoma and Alberti in ''[[Agarest Senki]]'' definitely counts as this. They even have a [[Combination Attack]] with each other.

 

* In ''[[Homestuck]]'', Karkat Vantas and his universe's version of Jack Noir team up to overthrow the Black Queen, sealing their pact with a bloody handshake. The "blood" part is especially important here, as {{spoiler|Karkat sympathized with Jack Noir when he discovered that there was somebody else who had his mutant, "candy-colored" [[Alien Blood|bright red blood]].}}

 

* ''[[The Saga of Tuck]]'': The Euro-mutt title character and his Chinese-American friend, Mike, call each other brother when not trading blows. This isn't just rhetoric: {{spoiler|the ritual is re-enacted more than once during the story and allows a kind of psychic link. Tuck claims he can't die unless Mike lets him go, and vice versa.}} This is so far unproven, but it was close.

* Carmilla and Fey, in the ''[[Whateley Universe]]'', even going so far as making a blood pact.

* In ''[[The Gungan Council]]'', Ryori and Ti'Cira went so far as to use blood in their pact to be faithful allies to each other. Darth Apparatus and Chaos Maxtor have a just as binding pact, minus the blood, where Chaos becomes the Darth's soldier while the latter gets functional immortality.

 

* Parodied in ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' when Bart and Milhouse became "spit brothers", complete with spitting in the hands and clasping them. Ewww...

* Used in ''[[American Dad]]'', when Stan and his new friend become brothers. The next scene shows them both at a hospital for a blood test, happily showing each other the negative test results.

* Parodied on ''[[The Amazing World of Gumball]]'' when Tobias tries to cut his hand open with a blunt stick. It doesn't work very well and he keeps trying to tear the skin well into the next scene.

* On ''[[Young Justice (animation)|Young Justice]],'' [[Animorphism|Gar]] and [[Superpower Lottery|Megan]] refer to each other this way after [[Superhuman Transfusion|she gave him a blood transfusion]].

 

* Temujin, who became [[Genghis Khan]], formed a blood brotherhood with his best friend, Jamuqa, which was common in Mongolia at the time. To seal this, they cut themselves, dripped blood into fermented mare's milk, and drank each other's blood. Keep in mind, they were about 10 or 11 years old when they did this. Because Mongols are badass. Incidentally, Jamuqa ended up as Temujin's main enemies in the wars to unify Mongolia. But when Temujin finally captured him, he offered him a full pardon, but Jamuqa refused, suggesting that Temujin kill him. Temujin took his blood-brother's advice, and killed him, then gave him a proper burial. Because he was nice like that.

** To be more specific, they became enemies because Jamuqa had made his own bid to unite the Mongols. While the two had always supported one another, neither could accept the other's rule; Jamuqa compared it to there being only room in the sky for one sun, and only room in the world for one Mongol lord. Jamuqa also requested he be executed without spilling his blood; Mongol religious beliefs held that dying with your blood hitting the ground cursed you to wander the earth as a spirit. Genghis Khan reportedly strangled Jamuqa himself, crying as he did so. As for the generals who had betrayed Jamuqa to Temujin, they were [[Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves|boiled in oil.]]

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Sibling Tropes]]

[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]

[[Category:Friendship Tropes]]

[[Category:Bloody Tropes]]