Opposite Gender Protagonists: Difference between revisions

** Howl and Sophie from ''[[Howl's Moving Castle (anime)|Howl's Moving Castle]]'', also occurring in the [[Howl's Moving Castle (novel)|novel]] of the same name. Here, the trope is used as a vessel for a romance, as the two leads meet and slowly fall in love. It gives Howl something to protect, and Sophie something to support her status as a newly cursed ninety-year-old woman. Howl builds a garden for Sophie, after finding something he wants to protect. <ref>In case you didn't pick it up, that "something he wants to protect" is Sophie.</ref>

** Arrietty and Sho in ''[[The Borrower Arrietty]]''. Arrietty is a member of a race of [[Lilliputians]] called the Borrowers who take things from humans they won't miss. Sho is a human with heart problems, needing a quiet, secluded environment to live in. The [[Huge Guy, Tiny Girl]] dynamic between the two, as well as the fact that Arrietty isn't allowed to visit the boy -- human beings are perceived as dangerous by Borrowers -- make this pairing stand out. The two are dependent on each other: Sho needs someone to support him with his heart condition; and Arrietty is powerless due to her small size, and needs help from a human to navigate the confusing world. Thus, placing them at the center of the film strengthens their relationship, and gives audiences a feeling of sorrow when they inevitably have to part.

** Nohoko and Jiro in ''[[The Wind Rises]]''. Jiro meets Nohoko during the Great Kanto Earthquake, and helps her and her family. Several years later, the two fall in love, being [[Star-Crossed Lovers]]. This trope is used to develop their relationship, and create sweet romance scenes.

** Sutemaru and the titular Princess Kaguya in ''[[The Tale of the Princess Kaguya]]''. Sutemaru does a [[Diving Save]] to save Princess Kaguya from a charging boar and calls her [[Affectionate Nickname|"Little Bamboo"]] to reflect how quickly she grows up. A major plot point revolves around Princess Kaguya trying to return to the [[Arcadia]] lifestyle she and Sutemaru lived before being forced to move into the capital. Their relationship provides something special for Princess Kaguya to return to. Sutemaru is established to be helpful, kind, and most importantly genuine, whereas members of royalty are established to be fake, and contrived, wishing only to marry Princess Kaguya for her beauty instead of who she really is.

* 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.

* ''[[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.

 

== [[Art]] ==

** 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]]''. 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.

* 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.

* Joe and Rita in ''[[Idiocracy]]'', where these two average citizens contrast the rest of the, well, "society". Being cryogenically frozen and forgotten, these two wake up 500 years into the future, with society around them crumbling to bits as the dumbest people reproduce the most. The smart people, on the other hand, wait for a good opportunity, an opportunity which may never come, before having a child. Joe is arrested for refusing to get a barcode tattoo, whereas Rita is wanted by almost every single male as a hooker. The pairing provides some semblance of sanity in a world where the most popular show is called ''Ow My Balls!''

** 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. They're opposites in more than gender -- one's a cop and the other's a con man, and in a [[World of Funny Animals]], one's a prey and one's a predator. The latter leads to interesting character interactions between the two as civil unrest grows between prey and predators.

 

== [[Literature]] ==

** Charmain Baker and Peter in ''[[House of Many Ways]]''. Charmain, sent to look after Great-Uncle William Norland's house, encounters Peter. Peter asks to be apprenticed to Wizard Norland, but arrives in the house while he's sick, when Charmain was in charge. The two do not get along, and their interactions provide some humour. Charmain, being a secluded child lacking many basic skills, has to learn from Peter how to wash dishes and hang up the laundry. Charmain only wishes to be a [[Bookworm]], reading books instead of helping Peter out. She volunteers to sort out letters and books in the royal library, leaving Peter alone to do jobs in the house -- a fact which he complains about.

** Flower-in-the-Night (yes, that's her name) and Abdullah in ''[[Castle in the Air]]''. Abdullah, a carpet merchant, daydreams that he will be engaged to a beautiful princess. When he is sold a flying carpet, that dream comes true as the carpet takes him away to Flower-in-the-Night. Of course, things are never that simple, and after brief interactions she is taken away by a djinn to a [[Castle in the Sky]]; it's up to Abdullah to rescue her. In this case, the trope is used to motivate the male lead.

* 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.

* 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.

 

== [[Live-Action TV]] ==

* ''[[Woof!]]'': Eric and Rachel are the platonic kind... mostly.