Opposite Gender Protagonists/Analysis
Trope Functions
Audience Engagement
Any media which appeals only to boys or girls won't cover everyone in the world, and will lose out on approximately half of their potential demographic. On television, Ratings are everything. If you don't want your show to get cancelled, you must keep your ratings up. If you want to keep your ratings up, you need to appeal to as wide of a demographic as possible.
How do you appeal to that demographic? One of the easiest ways is to make your protagonist a member of that demographic. Appealing to people with No Social Skills? Make your protagonist someone with No Social Skills! Appealing to people who like science and to think critically? Make your protagonist a Geek! Appealing to teenagers? Make your protagonist a Kid Hero!
Similarly, if you want to appeal to girls, make your protagonist a girl. If you want to appeal to boys, make your character a boy.
If you want to appeal to both, use Opposite Gender Protagonists. By ensuring that both genders have some character to relate with, both genders are more likely to stay and be invested.
For the best results, both protagonists should be equal and work together, instead of against each other. Doing so means that, to both genders, the work is more satisfying to watch, and they'll stay invested for longer. It is unsatisfying to see one character constantly dominated by the other, or become The Scrappy and contribute nothing to the team. Having the two characters take center stage means they are a larger target for audience members to associate themselves with.
As a bonus, sometimes the male demographic can be attracted to the female character, or vice versa, further increasing audience engagement.
In-Universe Functions
Any trope in a story can accomplish three things, in order from most to least common: advance the story, develop the characters, or build the world. This trope is good at achieving the former two, and especially good at the second point.
Advancing the Story
Having two characters means more opportunities for the characters to advance the story themselves. Perhaps you're looking for a MacGuffin Girl or Phlebotinum Girl, along with a Hot-Blooded boy. The two characters serve two very different purposes, with very different characteristics. The former moves the story along, but needs support. A MacGuffin girl needs to be found first. A Phlebotinum Girl is often a Rei Ayanami Expy and thus needs emotional support. The latter gives the former the help they need. Maybe the girl has the MacGuffin and the boy is about to go full I Will Protect Her. Once again, we build character, and the girl's MacGuffin is crucial to advancing the plot. However, this also means the girl is prone to getting captured and must be rescued by the boy. Or maybe it's the other way around. We have an Action Girl who needs to rescue a shy boy. All of this advances the story due to the natural interactions between the leads, but also note that it builds character at the same time, which leads us into...
Developing the Characters
The trope places two characters at the very center of the story, so the audience expects that the two will have some sort of interesting interaction. If they lack chemistry, or just sit there in silence staring at each other, then why are they portrayed at the center stage in the first place? Being the leads, and having to go through the difficulties of adventure, the bond between the two characters naturally strengthens. The usage of only two characters, with them being equally important, means the formed bond is stronger because there are fewer characters to dilute or complicate the relationship. The bond is further strengthened as, being the main characters, the two get a lot of screen time, and more opportunities for developing their interactions. Having the two leads being opposite genders paves the way for an easy romance in the future, which, once again, increases audience engagement.
Oh, speaking of romance...
The Romance
Ah, one of the fundamental driving forces or drama. From classic tropes like Second Act Breakup and Love Triangle, to the niche ones such as "Love is..." Parody, romance has been a part of storytelling for ages. Having a male and female lead is practically begging for some sort of heterosexual romance. In fact, a rather common configuration with the trope is a male protagonist with their female Love Interest. All the seeds are planted; we have well-established characters in a central place. Since this is mostly a character driven trope, the interactions between these characters are more significant than ever, and the writers need to find some way to further their relationship. What better way to further develop the interactions than a romance? It's sweet (if it's well executed), relatable to the audience, and develops this relationship.
Of course, the skill of a writer has a huge impact on the quality of the relationship itself. A good writer can develop such a well-rounded and cute relationship you wish you're one of the protagonists themselves. A bad writer, on the other hand, will leave you wishing that a meteor shall strike the Earth before Alice and Bob come within ten feet of each other.
Why the genders?
At this point, you may be wondering where the "Opposite Gender" part of the title comes from. Currently, everything under the "In Universe Functions" section can apply to any sort of duo taking center stage. The reality is, the characters don't necessarily have to be of opposite genders. The trope can be tweaked just a bit to provide for a same-gender duo, but why do so many people choose to do this instead of a same-sex duo?
The thing is, it works. Have a boy and a girl, and audiences can relate to the main characters. Chances are, they have experienced some sort of heterosexual relationship, but haven't experienced some sort of homosexual relationship. Tropes Are Tools, and this is just another tool in the box. It's a tool designed to reach as wide of an audience appeal as possible. Yes, it is true that the LGBTQ+ movement is growing, however the fact is that its members still remain a small fraction of the general population.
Of course, the characters don't even have to engage in a romance. In that case, the trope is used simply because that's how it's been done in the past. Tropes provide audiences with a sense of familiarity, and this trope is one of the most powerful ways to do it, combining the familiarity of a girl, boy, and protagonist. It's nothing ground-breaking, and that's the appeal. It's familiar, like coming home after a long vacation. Sure, there's nothing new, and you might get bored quickly, but you must admit that constantly coming back to a place that never changes gives a feeling of certainty and thus comfort. Having same gender duos deviates from the formula, giving audiences a fresh, but ultimately foreign feeling. This is the reason why The Princess Bride is so popular. It doesn't try anything new, but it develops existing stories and formulas well, giving audiences that sense of comfort.
With new breakthroughs in LGBTQ+ representation in shows such as The Owl House, it's quite likely the situation will change in the future.
In conclusion, the characters don't have to be opposite genders, but they are because that's how it's done in the past, and it's relatable to the majority of the population.
Building the World
A boy living in a village may be struck-from-orbit by a call who knows where he lives. Thus, a girl comes to him, perhaps falling out of the sky. The two set out on their adventure, and the locations they visit, as well as how the characters interact with these locations, builds the world. Perhaps the girl has some sort of key to unlock an ancient door, or both leads go out and explore a forest together. Maybe they encounter some wonderful Floating Continents along the way, or learn about the dark reality of their world hidden by a Masquerade.
At this point, you might be thinking that this is all speculation, and that there is nothing solid or set in stone here. You are absolutely correct. The trope itself doesn't do any world building. It's there to kick-start the world building and hand it off to other tropes.
Quality over Quantity
Any primary school teacher would tell you that less is more if the “less” part is well-developed and engaging. If the trope is used, then the writers have signalled that they’re on the “less” side of things.
The protagonists are the characters everyone expects to be the most developed and complex. Have too many important or side characters, and they’ll get less screen time each. This leads to less developed characters, making them less memorable. It also makes it difficult to keep track of who is who, especially in a long-running franchise spanning decades.
On the other hand, having just a few—like when this trope is used—means it’s easier for both the audience and writers to keep track of the characters. Placing the best developed characters in the center of the work ensures audiences will remember the characters. This can pave the way for a sequel, as audiences demand more works starring them. It can increase merchandise sales as people are more invested in the characters.
Note that having less is not necessarily better. A TV series has more than enough time to develop the protagonists and additional characters well. Having lots of characters may be confusing, but it turns a work into an epic, grand adventure.
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