Childhood Friend Romance: Difference between revisions

'''Nala:''' Ew!

'''Simba:''' I can't marry her, she's my friend!

 

 

In the cases when this love turns out to be one-sided, it is sometimes explained with "[[wikipedia:Westermarck effect|Westermarck effect]]", a theory that describes how people who grow up together are psychologically hardwired to think about each other [[Like Brother and Sister]].

{{examples}}

== Unrequited Love - Unlucky Childhood Friend ==

* Ukyō Kuonji in ''[[Ranma ½]]'', even though she doesn't show up until the third season. Bonus points because Ranma thought Ukyō was a boy. On top of this, Ukyō tends to [[Bifauxnen|act and dress like a guy]], so she really isn't helping Ranma think of her as anything other than his boyhood friend. Unlike most of Ranma's other suitors, he actually enjoys her company and sees her as a friend, and so often goes to eat at her restaurant.

** The anime decides to give this an extra bit of [[Yank the Dog's Chain]] in the "Great Girly-Girl Gambit" [[Filler]] episode. Ukyō decides to prove to Ranma that [[She Cleans Up Nicely]], in hopes of making him stop seeing her as just [[One of the Boys]]... but, firstly, all of the pervert boys in her class decide that seeing her girlied up means they want (and even deserve) a piece of her, so they keep interrupting her efforts to talk to Ranma about their relationship. Then she gets into a literal [[Cooking Duel]] to decide who is Ranma's one true bride because the other girls don't like the idea that she's getting serious. And then the perverts attack Ranma for letting the duel take place, and so, guilty and ashamed for causing Ranma such trouble, she goes back to her masculine outfits.

** In the manga it's different. Hazumu does show great interest in Yasuna for most of the manga and doesn't show much care for Tomari until the end, she {{spoiler|however still hooks up with her.}}

** Asuta also qualifies as a male example, being Hazumu's friend since childhood. Of course it gets a bit more complicated since Hazumu is a [[Jumping the Gender Barrier|boy who turned into a girl]], making Asuta [[Unsettling Gender Reveal|very confused about his feelings]]. This is only played for laughs, though, in contrast with the girls, whose feelings are taken a lot more seriously.

** The "other girl", Asa Shigure, is ''also'' Rin's childhood friend.

* Neneko Izumi from ''[[DearS]]''.

** ... and, in fact, the ''[[Genshiken]]'' members get to watch Chihiro and Ritsuko enact this trope in ''[[Kujibiki Unbalance]]''.

* Takamizawa Natsuki in ''[[Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro na]]'' and its anime adaptation, ''Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro Na [[Crescent Love]]''.

* In ''Kami-sama Kazoku'', Tenko is an angel whose job it is to guard Samatarou, the son of god. She has feelings for Samatarou but doesn't feel he values her as much as she values him. Samatarou actually falls for another girl and tries to win her over, making Tenko feel a little jealous. {{spoiler|Samatarou eventually decides that Tenko is more important to him, though, making her not so unlucky after all.}}

* Jun Aoi from ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'' is trapped in Yurika's "friend zone" throughout the series, eventually devolving into a [[Butt Monkey]] for his lack of screen presence. Yurika seems to be in this role for Akito, although that may be because of him being [[Tsundere]] towards her, and she gets him in the end.

* ''[[Prétear]]'' has fun with this when the resident geek Yayoi digs up the fact that Himeno's stepmother Natsue and her driver Tanaka were classmates. Yayoi immediately assumes there had to be some romance going on between the two since their childhood, with the unlucky one being Tanaka—he got to work for Natsue and stay close to her, but she chose somebody else over him twice. Made even more funny when it is hinted that not only it is ''not'' just a product of Yayoi's crazy imagination, but Tanaka actually ''still'' likes Natsue.

* It appears that ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' seems to setting Anya up for this in relation to Negi. It does not help that she is a full-blown [[Tsundere]] convinced her old friend is being lured into temptation by all those overdeveloped middle school girls.

* Male, [[Boys Love]] version: Hiroshi "Hiro" Nakano is Shuichi's Unlucky Childhood Friend in ''[[Gravitation]]''. {{spoiler|He [[Pair the Spares|eventually hooks up]] with ''Yuki's'' own Unlucky Childhood Friend, his ex-fiancée Ayaka Usami.}}

* Kasumi from ''[[Hand Maid May]]'', whose problem is merely having to compete with a harem full of cyberdolls for Kazuya's attention.

** His twin brother, and main character of the story, would be the Victorious Childhood Friend.

* In ''[[Fruits Basket]]'', Kagura is violently in love with her (fairly distant) cousin Kyou, who wants nothing of it.

* The [[Tsundere]] England from ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'' is the closest to the trope, among the nation-tans. He's strongly hinted to have [[All Love Is Unrequited|an unrequited crush]] on his adoptive brother America, but ever after the [[Tear Jerker|very sad]] end of {{spoiler|[[The American Revolution]]}}... well, currently he's so unlucky that [[The Woobie|he doesn't even need a love rival]].

** Canonwise, Prussia may be the [[Unlucky Childhood Friend]] if we read into Prussia's infamous and teary "Enjoy being alone" line, that apparently often pops up when Austria and Hungary are in the background, rabu-rabu-style.

* ''[[Gundam]]'' has some examples of this trope:

** In the original ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'', Frau Bow has a massive crush on her friend and neighbor Amuro, and serves as his caretaker, reminding him to do things like [[Forgets to Eat|eat]], and generally keeping him grounded and [[No Social Skills|socially functional]]. Then the war starts, Amuro becomes the pilot of the Gundam, develops Newtype powers, has a romantic relationship with [[Dating Catwoman|Lalah Sune]] and loads of [[Ship Tease]] with [[Battle Couple|Sayla Mass]] and leaves Frau so far behind in the dust that she ends up having to turn to ''her'' childhood friend, Hayato Kobayashi in an attempt to make sense of everything.

* Takashi was one of these in ''[[Highschool of the Dead]]'' when his interest made a childhood marriage promise but went out with another guy in highschool because of his 'apparent noninterest' when he woudn't make a move. It worked out for him though when the boyfriend was bitten by a zombie.

* [[The One Guy|Souma Oogami]] from ''[[Kannazuki no Miko]]'' is this for Himeko.

* ''[[Hokuto no Ken]]'' managed to pair this up with the Victorious Childhood Friend in the later part of its first anime series. As a childhood friend of Yuria's, Juuza fell in love with her very early. Sadly, his hope of marrying her was shattered to pieces when it was revealed that they were half-siblings; to further make it worse, he also discovered that she fell for [[The Hero|Kenshirou]] in the end. Heartbroken, Juuza began to live a life as a [[Casanova]], indifferent to the cause of Nanto Seiken—cheerful, carefree from the outside, but weeping inside - until he learned of the true identity of the Last Nanto General and made his honorable [[Heroic Sacrifice]].

* In ''[[Corsair]]'', when Aura was young she found Canale lying on the streets and [[I'm Taking Him Home With Me|took him in]]. She's more or less had been planning to marry him ever since, but since this is a [[Boys Love]] series, she ended up on the wrong side of the triangle. She's upset about it, but doesn't push the issue when she finds out.

* As discussed in the quotes page, Sayaka in ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'', in regard to Kyousuke Kamijou. [[Despair Event Horizon|This]] [[Sanity Slippage|doesn't]] [[Bungled Suicide|end]] [[The Corruption|well]], although her chances of winning were quite high if it weren't for her unfortunate circumstances.

* While Ed and Winry {{spoiler|get together}} by the end of ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]'', this changes in [[Fullmetal Alchemist (anime)|the 2003 anime version]]. Depending on who you ask, it's a case of unrequited love on {{spoiler|Winry's}} side, they're [[Platonic Life Partners]] at the end of the anime, or it's a case of [[Star-Crossed Lovers]].

* In ''[[Gintama]]'', [[Cool Old Lady|Otose]] and [[Badass Grandpa|Jirochou]] grew up together in Kabukichou. He was a little punk, and she scolded the crap out of him trying to keep him out of trouble. When they grew up, Jirochou became a vigilante to "keep the peace" in Kabukichou, and graciously stepped aside when Otose married [[The Ace|Tatsugoro]], his best friend and rival (and a cop), because he knew the vigilante life couldn't make her happy. But when Tatsugoro died taking the bullet meant for Jirochou, he makes his friend promise to protect Otose and Kabukichou. It...didn't work out very well.

 

* Lana Lang, in some versions of the ''[[Superman]]'' mythos. (''[[Smallville]]'' is definitely not one of them.)

** Especially in ''Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow''.

** Mender, too: he spends his very early years around [[The Chief's Daughter]] Ember, eventually takes her virginity after they reunite, and is promptly forgotten when he goes off to fight in the war and Ember meets a [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]] stranger. It's interesting to note that elves have no concept of cheating - all sex is good sex - but Ember does treat him pretty horribly.

** A milder ''[[Elf Quest]]'' example: Cutter and Skywise, who are just enough years apart for Skywise to hit puberty first and Cutter to be left behind wondering why his friend spends so much time in the bushes with Foxfur. By the time Cutter is 16, he loses both of his parents and Skywise loses Foxfur, and it's implied that they spend some time together as mates after that before Cutter ends up with Leetah. They're still occasionally seen sharing a bed together from that point on, but they're never as close again as they were before Leetah came along.

** Envy is this to Todd; they were friends since they were eleven, and they started dating after they graduated from college and formed a band, but he showed no signs of affection towards her, and cheated on her with two different girls, one of which was the drummer of their band. [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|He also lied about being a vegan.]]

 

 

=== Films -- Live-Action ===

* Essentially the plot of the Bollywood film ''[[Kuch Kuch Hota Hai]]''. It doesn't specify how long the Rahul and Anjali have been friends, but one can assume they were friends since childhood.

* One of the quintessential examples in Western film has to be Ducky from ''[[Pretty in Pink]]''. Come on, you know you were rooting for him.

* In ''[[Lost]]'', arguably Kate to Tom, her childhood sweetheart, who was then married. {{spoiler|That didn't turn out too well.}}

* Male example: Charlie to Megan in ''[[Privileged]]''.

* From Japanese drama [[Shokojo Sera]], Kaito's childhood friend Yukari grew increasingly jealous of his relationship with Seira. It didn't help that Kaito romantically pursued Seira (who reciprocated those feelings) and his family immediately accepted Seira into the family while being critical of Yukari's attempts to fit in (it's implied she was only nice to Kaito's family when Kaito was around). She would eventually [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy|give up Kaito]] to Seira.

* Lily's ex-boyfriend Scooter in [[How I Met Your Mother]]. No matter how many times Lily tells him that she's [[Happily Married]] and wants nothing to do with him (right now), he [[The Determinator|keeps coming back.]]

* [[Adele]]'s very bittersweet "Someone Like You" is all about this, from the point of view of the [[Unlucky Childhood Friend]].

* [[Taylor Swift]] plays the good friend to a guy in ''Tear Drops On My Guitar''.

* [[Flight of the Conchords]]' "Bus Driver's Song." It is unique for being simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking.

* Living Next Door To Alice from [[Smokie]].

* Kei from ''[[Ef a Tale of Memories]]'' fits this trope to a T.

* Otome Katou from ''[[School Days]]''. She and Makoto are friends from junior high times, but Makoto seems to see her only as a friend. She actually bullies Makoto's first girlfriend Kotonoha {{spoiler|and becomes his "other woman", having sex with him ''several times'' behind his second girlfriend Sekai's back}} because of it, {{spoiler|and dumps him in the end when she sees he's not worthy of her feelings.}}. Subverted in the games, where there's an ending where Otome becomes a [[Third Option Love Interest]], ''does'' have sex with Makoto and hooks up with him.

* Losing Fuminori to [[Saya no Uta|Saya]] is the ''[[Break the Cutie|least]]'' of poor Yoh's [[Rape as Drama|various]] [[Body Horror|horrors]] and [[Happiness in Slavery|troubles]].

* In [[Lux-Pain]] [[Broken Ace|Hibiki]] is apparently this [[Ho Yay|toward]] [[Dandere|Ryo]] to the point that he crossed the [[Despair Event Horizon]] when he thinks that Ryo is more interested in his new co-worker [[Genki Girl|Ai]] which drives him to leave to America but then come back a year later seemingly [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy|forgetting his feelings]] about Ryo...until Ryo [[Master of the Mixed Message|says something that makes him realize his status again]] {{spoiler|and make him temporary go crazy that almost kills him depending on what ending you get.}} However {{spoiler|if he lives}} then he pulls himself out and [[Will They or Won't They?|only time will tell depending on how the viewer interprets their final scene together...]]

* There are two of them in ''[[Danny Phantom]]'': Tucker, who is the resident [[Butt Monkey]] and Vlad, who spent years in the hospital and lost out the chance to marry the girl of his dreams. Equally unluckily for him, Maddie truely loves Jack and just doesn't feel the same way for him, even without Jack.

** And of course with Danny and Sam, who have been friends since second grade with an [[Everyone Can See It|obvious attraction to each other]], where '''only''' at the end they do get together.

* Kevin in ''[[The Barbie Diaries]]''.

* Noah has a long-standing crush on his best friend, the titular character in ''[[Atomic Betty]]''. Naturally, she doesn't notice his feelings for most of the series. She does become aware in the post-episode short "Bizarre Love Triangle" when Sparky, [[De Gill]], and X-5 spy on Noah with his webcam, revealing his feelings to Betty when she walks in on the trio. So far, she hasn't done anything about said knowledge.

* ''[[The Tower of Druaga (anime)|The Tower of Druaga]]'': Gilgamesh and Kai.

* ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]'': Yuusuke and Keiko.

 

 

** In ''Confessions of a Vampire Prince'', {{spoiler|Ben and Andy.}}

* Chances are, for any work that averts or subverts this trope, there'll be at least one [[Fix Fic]] that plays it straight.

 

 

=== Films -- Animation ===

* They were betrothed to each other, but they weren't at all keen on the idea until they grew up.

** Simba and Nala in ''[[The Lion King]]''.

* Taran and Eilonwy in the ''[[Prydain Chronicles]]''. When Taran finally asks her to marry him after years of silent pining, Eilonwy replies, "Of course I will, and if you'd ever given any thought to the question you'd have already known the answer."

* Dawn and Jimmy in ''Dawn'' by [[V. C. Andrews]], with a squicky twist: They were raised as brother and sister, but after the truth is revealed, Jimmy admits that he used to wish Dawn wasn't his sister because she's the only girl he's ever wanted. She eventually gets over this revelation and they get married.

* {{spoiler|Seylin and Emily}} in the ''[[Hollow Kingdom Trilogy]]''.

* In the ''[[Dragonlance]]'' novels, Laurana and Tanis are childhood sweethearts, complete with a [[Childhood Marriage Promise]]. Tanis then leaves Laurana after being confronted by her family who do not believe a bastard [[Halfbreed|half-human]] like him is good enough for an elven princess. Many years later Tanis is reunited with Laurana who is still very much in love with him and has [[She's All Grown Up|become an incredibly beautiful woman]]. Tanis soon realizes he still has feelings for her as well, but the situation is complicated because he is now also in love with another woman, [[Dark Action Girl]] Kitiara Uth Matar, setting up a three-book-long [[Betty and Veronica]] triangle. It is only after Tanis sees Laurana's beauty and courage while she is a prisoner of Kitiara that he realizes she is the one he truly loves. Tanis then saves Laurana from a [[Fate Worse Than Death]] and the two are married.

** Has tragic results in ''[[Sense and Sensibility (novel)|Sense and Sensibility]]'': {{spoiler|Colonel Brandon was in love with his childhood friend Eliza, but they were forced apart due to an [[Arranged Marriage]].}}

* Fred and Mary in ''Middlemarch''.

** Probably Pip with Estelle in ''[[Great Expectations]]''.

* In ''[[Harry Potter]]'', Harry eventually marries {{spoiler|Ginny Weasley}} and {{spoiler|Ron and Hermione}} get married.

* ''The Search Is Over'' by Survivor. The singer is [[Looking for Love In All the Wrong Places|searching for "the one"]] and finally realizes that it's his lady friend who's been there for him the whole time. A [[Truth in Television]], since writer Jim Peterik based it on a friend of his.

* Implied in the music video for the [[Boyce Avenue]] song "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLPVtIscbco Every Breath]."

 

 

* Kushua and Brooklyn from the ''[[Super Robot Wars]] Alpha'' series. In OG she was Ryusei's [[Unlucky Childhood Friend]], but she moves on to Brooklyn instead.

* Minori is victorious in one of the four routes in ''[[Brass Restoration]]''.

** The recent US release ''almost'' has a canon couple in the protagonist and Bianca, considering that the box art has two blond children (Flora and her children have blue hair).

** The Hero and Medea in the true ending ''[[Dragon Quest VIII]]''. Even more awesome because they destroy an [[Arranged Marriage]] to an utter [[Jerkass]], yet still fulfill the terms of the original promise.

 

=== Web Original ===

 

 

** It's been stated that Isabella is going to marry either Phineas or Ferb. All three of them are [[Vague Age|"less than 15."]]

* ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' example: Although the details are glossed over, this is what apparently occurred between Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen -[[If I Can't Have You|unfortunately for them]].

** Timmy's parents themselves are this.

* [[The Simpsons (animation)|Homer and Marge]] met when they were children.

** In the [[Christmas Episode]] "Holidays of Future Passed," [[Distant Finale|set thirty years in the future]], [[Dogged Nice Guy|Milhouse]] and [[Wise Beyond Their Years|Lisa]] are married with a daughter. (Though apparently Lisa still sometimes talks to [[All Girls Want Bad Boys|Nelson]]...) Interestingly, [[Negative Continuity|the other future episodes all explicitly show Milhouse still pining for her]].

*** [[Fridge Brilliance]]: The first three future episodes involved a look into the future by a fortune teller or Professor Frink. Holidays of Future Passed starts off with the Simpsons taking their Christmas card photos, with a fast forward to the future. This makes this the only future episode one that's canon.

* From ''[[Chowder]]'', {{spoiler|the aforementioned protagonist}} and Panini as revealed in the finale.

* In ''[[Thundercats 2011|ThunderCats (2011)]]'' {{spoiler|The [[Sibling Triangle]] between Tygra, Cheetara and Lion-O resolves this way. Ironically there was never really any love triangle to begin with; Cheetara had fallen for Tygra years before she ''ever'' met Lion-O.}}

* Ichika and Houki from ''[[Infinite Stratos]]'' can close to {{spoiler|kissing}} in the finale before being chased down by the remaining members of the harem.

* As of recent chapters [[Medaka Box|Zenkichi and Medaka]] are this, since Zenkichi is trying to get {{spoiler|Medaka to fall in love with him}}. However what makes this ambiguous on whether he will succeed, {{spoiler|at least the way he intends to}} is the presence of [[God Mode Sue|Ajimu]] [[Fourth Wall Observer|Najimi]] or [[Genre Savvy|Anshinin-san]] to as she likes to be called.

 

 

* Dias and Rena from ''[[Star Ocean the Second Story]]'' grew up together and have been close since childhood, until Dias suffered a tragic loss and decided to leave the town. The couple can go either way with this trope, depending on whether the player chooses to attempt to earn [[Relationship Values|Rena's ending with Dias]] or pursue someone else.

* Childhood friendships can often go either way in ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' series, thanks to the [[Romance Sidequest|support system]].

*** Something similar goes to the swordsman Holyn if he doesn't hook up with his fellow swordswoman Ayra. And to Azel's best friend Lex, if he's not paired up with Tiltyu. Levin/Mahnya is an odd variation; Levin is said to have had a crush on her, but it won't matter whether or not she returned his feelings since {{spoiler|she dies halfway through the chapter no matter what the player does}}.

** [[The Archer|Wil]] towards Rebecca in ''[[Fire Emblem]] 7''.

** In ''[[Fire Emblem 8]]'', if you pair up Ephraim with someone else than Tana, she'll also become his [[Unlucky Childhood Friend]]. Same goes to Innes if not paired with with Eirika, Artur if you don't hook him up with Lute, and Colm if you don't pair him up with Neimi (though the last one is somewhat debatable since neither can really be "paired" with anyone else storywise).

** Lilina towards Roy in FE 6, and vice versa. (Logically speaking, that is. In the actual game, only Roy can have paired endings despite the decidedly romantic nature of supports like Fir/Noah and Klein/Tate.)

 

=== Visual Novels ===

** Arguably Minori's unlucky even in her own route. {{spoiler|Just as things seem to be going well for her and Ryo, Ryo fails a ''[[Test Kiss]]'' and she takes it badly.}} The rest of the route involves {{spoiler|little more than getting things back to the way they were.}}

* Chie in ''[[Kirakira|Kira Kira]]'' is one for Shika. She finds it very difficult to admit to him, but does eventually. Interestingly/conveniently enough, it happened right as he was beginning to shape up to be one himself.

* Otome Katou, if you choose her over all the other girls in ''[[School Days]]''. Note that the anime downright makes her the [[Unlucky Childhood Friend]] {{spoiler|despite her sleeping with Makoto. Then again ''almost EVERY girl'' in the cast sleeps with him in that continuity}}.

* Miou in ''[[A Profile]]''. She was actually victorious in the past, but she and Masayuki broke up. She appears to be the main heroine, however, meaning that in many ways she's still 'victorious.'

* Three of the five main heroines in ''[[Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!|Maji De Watashi Ni Koi Shinasai]]'' are [[Childhood Friends]]. Miyako, in particular, is the [[Patient Childhood Love Interest]], to whom Yamato has been maintaining a [[Just Friends]] stance to for the last several years, despite her being rather pushy about it.

 

=== [[Web Comics]] ===

 

=== Western Animation ===

[[Category:Friendship Tropes]]

[[Category:Unrequited Love Tropes]]