The Not Love Interest: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

This trope points out that certain roles and dynamics are frequently shared between the hero(ine) and the Love Interest, or that characters in these dynamics frequently evolve into a romantic pair. This is so common that when that is [[Averted]] or [[Subverted]], viewers are surprised by a non-romantic relationship.

** ''[[Rune Soldier]]'', which is based on a work by the same author as Record of Lodoss War, does it again with Louie and Melissa. At first Melissa is devestated by being ordered by her god to support [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass|unlikely hero Louie]] as a "Valliant Champion", as he is the complete opposite of what she always hoped for. Over the course of the show, she helps Louie to overcome some of his worst traits and comes to appreciate his genuinely good nature and desire to help people in need. Over time, she stops being constantly embarrased by having him as her valliant champion and even stands up to others to defend him against being called a useless idiot. While there are certainly some scenes with heavy romantic overtones between them, they never show any actual romantic interest for each other, and it's heavily implied that Ila is actually Louies girlfriend and has been so for quite some time before he met Melissa.

* Despite several characters making jokes and comments about it, Setsuna and Marina of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 00|Gundam 00]]'' genuinely seem to not have any romantic interest in each other. Their connection comes more from the fact that they are from neighboring countries and are both searching (in very different ways) for answers to the same questions. When outright asked if they were dating, they both deadpanned "We are not a couple" in unison, without any of the embarrassment or blushing [[She Is Not My Girlfriend|this kind of situation]] usually entails. If anything, their relationship is more akin to that between a mother and child.

* Despite [[The Chick|Tea]] being his actual [[Love Interest]], [[Yu-Gi-Oh!|Yugi]] seems to care more about [[Anti-Hero|Yami]] and [[Badass Normal|Joey]] than her a lot of the time, and both of them are his [[Heterosexual Life Partner|heterosexual life partners]]. Also, Joey will love [[Big Brother Instinct|his sister]] and [[Heterosexual Life Partner|his best friend]] more than any girl who enters his life, and [[Aloof Big Brother|Kaiba]] will never actually ''like'' anyone aside from his [[Morality Pet|little brother.]]

* ''[[Tiger and Bunny]]'' has a [[Ho Yay]] example. Barnaby shows up in Kotetsu's life at a critical point in the latter's career and fits into so many "love interest stereotypes" <ref>a [[Troubled but Cute]] / [[Broken Bird]] [[Defrosting</ref> Ice King|Defrosting]] [[Sugar and Ice]] [[Kuudere|Ice King]] who [[Replacement Love Interest|bears some suspicious parallels]] [[Romancing the Widow|to the widower hero's]] [[The Lost Lenore|late wife]] and was {{spoiler|[[Mad Dictators Handsome Son|mentored by]] the show's [[Big Bad]]}} that the writer/artist for the manga adaptation has even joked about him being the show's 'heroine'. The creators' fondness for [[Ship Tease|teasing]] their "wonderful relationship" doesn't help.

* ''[[Withnail and I]]''. As Paul McGann, who played, [[No Name Given|uh, the latter]], said, it's like a "marriage gone wrong", and their relationship drives the more serious part of the plot. There's no love interest for either of them; there's not even any any significant female characters.

* Danny is this to Nicholas in ''[[Hot Fuzz]]''. [[Word of God]] says that in the original script Nicholas had an actual love interest, but she was cut and some of her storyline and actual lines were [[Ho Yay|given to Danny]].

* In the 2005 remake of ''[[House of Wax]]'', the characters played by Elisha Cuthbert and Chad Michael Murray seem very much like ex-lovers {{spoiler|who will reconcile at the end, since everyone else is dead}}. But they're brother and sister, so no.

* Barney and Sandra in ''[[The Expendables]]''. He ultimately decides to return to Vilena with his crew and rescue her, but it's because he respects her courage in standing up to the [[Big Bad]], not because he's fallen in love with her.

 

== Literature ==

* [[Anti-Hero|Edmund]] and [[The Pollyanna|Lucy]], from the ''[[Chronicles of Narnia]]'', become this in ''[[Voyage of the Dawn Treader]]'', due to the fact that they always look for one another and desperately [[Call My Name|call each other's name]] when they are separated.

* ''[[The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod]]'', Henry and Vlad. The two are extremely close and often act more like love interests than any of the girls (many girls, in Henry's case) that they are interested in. Vlad seems to be Henry's only serious relationship.

* In ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' season 5, Buffy's [[Cosmic Retcon|newly-created]] little sister Dawn fulfills this role, to the point where Buffy says, given a choice between killing Dawn, and letting the apocalypse happen - [[Always Save the Girl|well, goodbye world, it's been fun]]. Joss Whedon said on the season 5 DVD "[Buffy's] love interest for the season was her sister."

** It sometimes seems like any woman Xander dates is doomed to play second fiddle to the two very important women in his life, Buffy and Willow. Cordelia senses it ("When you're not babbling about poor, defenseless Willow, you are ''raving'' about the all-powerful Buffy"), and Anya seems to as well ("When things get tough, he/ Just hides behind his Buffy"), hence her fight with Willow in "Triangle" (An imperfect example because both women ''were'' in fact love interests for him, but in Willow's case it was only briefly.)

* Elsewhere in the Buffyverse, when Spike appears in ''[[Angel]]'' season 5, he quickly takes on a role like this, as their complicated history and relationship drives a lot of drama, far more than anything to do with Angel's actual love interest for the season. Again it's noted by Joss on the DVDs. "We finally found the right girl for Angel - Spike." Hilariously, the in-universe movie adaptation of ''After the Fall'', called "Last Angel in Hell", gender-flips Spike into Angel's love interest.

** In season four Angel's son Connor filled this role.

'''Morgan''': Hey, silly girl - I love you. You know that, right?

'''Garcia''': I love you too. }}

* Tim and Daisy in ''[[Spaced]]''. One of the series's main subplots is the slow-but-steady erosion of the "not" from the phrase. {{spoiler|The last scene in the "Skip to the End" documentary demonstrates this, showing them as a couple with a child.}}

* Chuck and Ellie (his sister) seem to do a lot more hugging than Chuck and Sarah in ''[[Chuck]]''.

** And Meryl counts, too. Even though she canonically survives, she never does become Snake's love interest. Hell, she actually hooks up with the series' dedicated [[Butt Monkey]]!

* Rui to Wes in ''[[Pokémon Colosseum]].'' Their initial meeting certainly seems like it's working up to a [[Rescue Romance]], as Wes saves Rui from a band of kidnappers. The two team up, and Rui follows Wes everywhere. Without Rui's ability to see Shadow Pokemon, there isn't much Wes can do, so they depend heavily on each other. However, after that, there's not much evidence that their relationship is anything but platonic. Even the end of the game (which the [[Genre Savvy]] viewer might expect to hold some kind of [[Love Confession]]) has... not much, really. Maybe Rui's just [[All Girls Want Bad Boys|not into bad boys.]] Though it's hard to establish any kind of a relationship when [[Heroic Mime|Wes never says anything]].

* Kumatora to Duster (or maybe it's the other way around) in ''[[Mother 3]].'' When {{spoiler|Duster gets [[Easy Amnesia]] for three years)}}, it's Kumatora who stays with him throughout it, even if only on the sidelines. And while she [[Tsundere|hides herself behind harsh words]], she genuinely seems to care for him. But as for ''love?'' There's no real evidence of that.

* Yosuke to the Protagonist in ''[[Persona 4]]'', along with considerable amounts of accompanying [[Ho Yay]].

== Western Animation ==

* Questionable example: In the episode of ''[[Danger Mouse]]'' where DangerMouse fights a dragon, the [[Genre Savvy]] dragon insists on doing things right, and since DM doesn't have a love interest, the dragon makes [[Cowardly Sidekick]] Penfold the designated "[[Damsel in Distress]]".

* Gwen to Ben in ''[[Ben 10]]''. They ''are'' of opposite genders, but they're also [[Kissing Cousins|cousins]] (not that that stops some people). Their relationship hovers somewhere between siblings, best friends, [[Vitriolic Best Buds|best frenemies,]] and everything else, all at once. While Gwen does get a love interest in the sequel series, Ben and Gwen are still #1 Best Teammates.

** It's much more apparent in ''Alien Force'' since both characters have matured greatly, rarely fight, and openly hug each other