Opposite Gender Protagonists: Difference between revisions
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{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* Happens frequently in [[Studio Ghibli]] productions, where the female lead is always a [[Plucky Girl]]
** Sheeta and Pazu from ''[[Laputa: Castle in the Sky]]'', who
** Asbel and the titular Nausicaä in ''[[Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind]]'', predating the studio. Nausicaä is easily the main character, playing a much bigger role than Asbel. Asbel only has a major role in the second act. Still, that doesn't stop them from sharing sweet scenes and helping each out when they land in the deadly Sea of Decay.▼
▲** Sheeta and Pazu from ''[[Laputa: Castle in the Sky]]'', who is almost the textbook example of this trope. The two go on adventures, face many difficulties, and are even separated at one point, before uniting with each other. In other words, it's a typical [[Boy Meets Girl]] plot. Being children racing against the military and finding a [[Castle in the Sky]] is difficult, and them being the protagonists strengthens their relationship.
** The [[Cute Witch]] Kiki and the aviation obsessed [[Nice Guy]] Tombo in ''[[Kiki's Delivery Service]]'', who start out disliking each other. Kiki believes it's rude to talk to a girl before you've been introduced to her, leading to her attitude towards Tombo. Once Kiki saw who Tombo really was, she started to open up to him. Tombo has a passion for aviation, making Kiki a perfect friend, as her witch powers enable her to fly. The ending sequence shows them flying together; Tombo on the plane he built, and Kiki on her broomstick. The two protagonists, despite having great chemistry, never engage in romance, instead being [[Implied Love Interest]]s and the work remains [[No Hugging, No Kissing]].
** The [[Plucky Girl]] Fio and [[The Protagonist]] [[Funny Animal]] Porco from ''[[Porco Rosso]]''. Porco is a [[Ace Pilot]], and Fio a brilliant engineer. Fio jumps on Porco's plane to ensure he'll pay his debt back ''and'' to assist him with his newly modified plane. Fio's hand in marriage is used in a wager at the end of the film. Their interactions and Fio's [[Plucky Girl]] attitude provides humorous interactions. Porco barely wins the wager, and sends Fio away with Gina. The two leads do not engage in a romance, and Porco chooses Gina to be with at the end.
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* Mary and Peter in ''[[Mary and the Witch's Flower]]''. Considering that the production studio [[Studio Ponoc]] descended from Ghibli, there are no surprises here. The trope is used to establish and strengthen the relationship between the two lead characters, and later give Mary a reason to return to the [[Wizarding School]].
* ''[[Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms]]'' stars Maquia and Erial. This is an interesting case, due to their age difference. It's clear that Maquia is the protagonist, however Erial, being the orphaned child, plays a huge role in the film, as the film focuses on his growing up and interactions with his mother Maquia, who does not age and is stuck looking eternally young. Instead of the heroes facing an external conflict, the first part of the film sees the heroes facing an internal conflict between themselves, before introducing an external source of conflict with a war.
* [[Makoto Shinkai]] does this a few times, mixed with [[Star-Crossed Lovers]]:
* In ''[[Your Name]]'', Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu. Although the two don't physically meet for much of the film due to their very different circumstances, they interact through the [[Freaky Friday Flip]], doing things that are initially begrudged but eventually accepted, and end up changing each other's lives.▼
** ''[[Voices of a Distant Star]]'''s Mikako Nagamine and Noboru Terao start out as students at the same middle school until the former becomes a [[Humongous Mecha]] pilot for the [[Space Navy]] while the latter remains on Earth. Their struggle with their relationship, which can only be maintained via email that lacks [[Subspace Ansible]] - thus resulting in ever-increasing delays - drives the story.
** ''[[5 Centimeters per Second]]'' is an interesting, even possibly cruel twist on this. Takaki Tohno and Akari Shinohara meet as children whose sickliness leads to spending time together. Their parents have to move because of work, though, leading to physical separation that they try to overcome with letters, and then another meeting before an upcoming move that will make that impossible. The second act of the film then follows a sort-of third wheel who only has access to one side of the story and the viewer is invited to speculate with her as to what's going on.
** ''[[The Garden of Words]]'''s Takao Akizuki and Yukari Yukino, despite their different ages and social circumstances, bond over being [[Lonely Together]] on rainy days in Shinjuku Gyoen.
▲*
** ''[[Weathering with You]]'''s Hodaka Morishima and Hina Amano. Initially meeting when the latter gives the former a Big Mac out of pity for his condition, the former later saves the latter from some scum and discovers that she is the weather-changing "sunshine girl" he'd been looking for. Their collaboration to monetise her power, helping others while making a living for her to provide for her younger brother, forms the middle of the film, and choices Hodaka makes involving Hina and the consequences thereof push things to the climax.
** In ''[[Suzume (film)|Suzume]]'', Suzume, a high school girl, and Sōta, a collegegoing young man who's part of a lineage of Closers, travel across Japan closing doors before the [[Eldritch Abomination]] worm can escape fully and cause disasters. The two are separated for the majority of the film due to Sōta's being polymorphed, only reuniting in the end.
* ''[[Shuna's Journey]]'' -- illustrated by [[Hayao Miyazaki]] from the long list of [[Studio Ghibli]] examples in the [[#Anime and Manga|Anime and Manga]] section -- features Shuna and Thea. Shuna rescues Thea from slavery. Thea repays the favour by nourishing Shuna back to health later on, [[Because You Were Nice to Me|because Shuna was nice to her]]. The two briefly interact, and don't exchange many lines, but their relationship has a huge impact on each other.
* Jean and Nadia in ''[[Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water]]'' are a borderline case. While they are very much a pair (the epilogue to the series makes that a clear with their eventual marriage), and Jean does contribute significantly to the development and resolution of the storyline, he seems like a secondary character rather than a co-lead much of the time, subordinate to Nadia, around whom the story revolves.
* ''[[Fairy Tail]]'': Technically, Lucy is the protagonist, as the story mostly follows her point-of-view since the first chapter, with Natsu introduced only after a little while, and he is only the first of many members of the magical guild who gives the series its title. As the story evolves, however, increasing focus is put on Natsu's [[Mysterious Past]] and motivations, so he and Lucy share the spotlight equally.
▲
== [[Comic Book]]s ==
* ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_the_Cat_(British_comics) Billy the Cat and Katie]'' (of ''[[The Beano|Beano]]'' fame). Although Billy's cousin Katie was introduced as a late and temporary character, she was the second protagonist for two seasons and they worked as equals.
== [[Film]] ==
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* [[Pixar]] productions:
** Marlin and Dory in ''[[Finding Nemo]]''. The main character is Nemo, however the two characters play just as important, if not more important, of a role than Nemo himself. After Nemo gets taken away to an Australian dentist office, and displayed inside a container, it is up to the duo to find and save him.
** Joe and 22 in ''[[Soul (2020 film)|Soul]]''. The former is trying to get back into the human world from the spirit world. The latter is being forced to get into the human world and doesn't want to. Needless to say, this is a catch-22 situation which will force ''someone'' to have character development to get what they want. Joe, as a result of these interactions, learns messages about how to live in life.
** WALL-E and EVE in ''[[WALL-E]]'', where the romance delivered by the trope is as strong despite the leads being ''robots''. WALL-E, living on a deserted, trashed Earth for several hundred years, is more than happy to have some sort of companionship in the form of EVE. When EVE is shut down remotely and taken away, WALL-E follows, where the little guy attaches to a spaceship and goes to the Axiom, living with the rest of humans on the ship. It's a testament to how far the trope can be pushed and its applicability, as well as to Pixar's storytelling ability.
* In ''[[Dragonslayer]]'', Galen and Valerian. Valerian initially disguises herself as a man, but when it is revealed she is a girl, the trope comes into play. The trope is used to help deliver a romance between the two leads.
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* Valerian and Laureline in ''[[Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets]]''. Valerian constantly chases after Laureline, trying to get a [[Relationship Upgrade]], and often breaks professional codes of conduct they're expected to follow. The two are assigned on a mission to the city of Alpha, where the duo must reach the center of the city, inside a radio dead zone. Cue character interactions as they try to get each out of sticky situations and understand strange alien customs.
* [[Disney Animated Canon]] films. The trope is more commonly used in older productions, due to old Disney's usage of the [[Princess Classic]]. Also quite prominent in Disney renaissance films due to the studio returning to their roots:
** ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and The Beast]]''. Just because Belle and the Beast are entirely different species, with one of them being cursed, does not mean they cannot form a romantic relationship. The trope is used to enhance the 'fairy tale' feel of the film.
** Jasmine and the titular Aladdin in the 1992 ''[[Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin]]'' film. This time, Jasmine is a [[Rebellious Princess]], and her interactions with the titular Aladdin, as well as Aladdin's quest to make her fall in love, make up half of the film. The other half revolves around Aladdin's interactions with the genie.
** Flynn and Rapunzel in ''[[Tangled (2010 film)|Tangled]]''. Just like the [[Rapunzel|original fairy tale]], the titular Rapunzel is locked away in a tower. Flynn, while running away from city guards, comes across the tower and climbs up. The two initially do ''not'' get along, with Rapunzel using her [[Rapunzel Hair]] to tie him to a chair and begin the world's most informal interrogation sequence. Eventually the two learn to get along, with Flynn convincing Rapunzel to move out of the tower, and explore the wider world, eventually leading the two to fall in love.
** In ''[[Zootopia]]'', Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde.
** In ''[[Atlantis: The Lost Empire]]'', we have Milo Thatch, who joins an expedition to find the titular Atlantis. The second lead, Kida, isn't introduced until the party arrives at Atlantis. From there, Milo and Kida have some calm, [[Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene]] bonding sessions, before teaming up to save Atlantis from a greater threat.
** Ralph and Vanellope in ''[[Wreck-It Ralph]]''. One's the ''villain'' of a video game, and the other a playable hero. Being the [[Big Bad]] of a game doesn't [[Good Feels Good|feel good]], and leads to Ralph being treated badly by the other characters of his own game. Thus, he defects, or "goes Turbo", and finds Vanellope in the candy-themed racing game ''Sugar Rush'', where the two bond together as Vanellope tries to use her status of being a "glitch" to her advantage.
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* The unnamed boy and the [[Lilliputians|Lilliputian]] Arrietty in ''[[The Borrowers]]''. Arrietty reads to the illiterate boy, strengthening the bond between them. The boy, being far larger than Arrietty, protects her from the dangers the humans present.
* Morrigan and her best friend Hawthorne in the ''[[Nevermoor]]'' series. In the [[Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow|first book]], Hawthorne is notable for being the first person her age to become her friend. Back in her home town of Jackalfax, she is perceived as being a cursed child and blamed for all the misfortunes occurring around her. She and Hawthorne trial together for a position in the Wunderous Society, and in the [[Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow|second book]] plays a huge role in shutting down the [[Black Market|Ghastly Market]] As the series progresses, the trope is used less as the rest of Unit 919 opens up to her and play a bigger role in the story, meaning there is no character clearly identifiable as a sidekick.
* In George Orwell's ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'', we have Winston and Julia. The two are lovers in an era where romance is strictly forbidden. Romance gives people a reason to step out of line, and to not obey and blindly consume everything the party says. This, combined with how Winston is already married, means the two have to hide their love in public, and find secluded places in private. {{spoiler|In part III, we are shown the ruthlessness of the Party in the Ministry of Love as the two are broken, betray each other, and lose their feelings. When they meet after being tortured and released, they feel nothing towards each other, and stare and talk without passion.}}
* Tessa and Chuck in John Gordon's ''The Quelling Eye''. They become friends early in the book and their relationship is cemented by their experiences. There is clear romance potential in the way they come to see each other but they remain only friends by the end of the book, likely because of their age.
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[[Category:Duo Tropes]]
[[Category:Friendship Tropes]]
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