Sibling Tropes

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This is my sister
This is my brother
We are siblings and we care for each other
Everything we own
We always share
Because we are siblings and we have the same hair

— Brian David Gilbert (ft. Laura Katheryn Gilbert), "Siblings"

About people who share parents. Many Sibling Tropes are also foils. Not to Be Confused with Sister Tropes.

Tropes:

• Aloof Big Brother: An older sibling who is very impressive and treats their siblings coldly.
• Annoying Younger Sibling: A younger sibling who's seen as annoying to their older one.
• The Baby of the Bunch: The youngest and most childlike of The Team and is treated as such.
• Big Brother Attraction: A character (usually female) is intensely attracted to their older sibling (usually their brother).
• Big Brother Bully: A big sibling who is a Jerkass to their younger sibling.
• Big Brother Instinct: A big sibling who is protective of their younger sibling.
• Big Brother Mentor: A big sibling who mentors their younger sibling.
• Big Brother Worship: A younger sibling who really, really admires their older sibling.
• Big Little Brother: A younger sibling who is taller than their older sibling.
• Black Sheep: A character who doesn't fit in with their family.
• A Boy, a Girl, and a Baby Family: A family where the children consist of one son, one daughter, and a baby of either gender.
• Brother–Sister Incest: Romantic or sexual attraction between siblings.
• Brother–Sister Team: Siblings of different genders who work together.
• Cain and Abel: Sibling rivalry turns into bitter hatred with murderous intent.
• Cain and Abel and Seth: Two well-known siblings have a third sibling no one really pays much thought to.
• Childish Older Sibling: A character acts far less mature than their younger sibling.
• Cool Big Sis: An older female character is seen as cool to a younger person.
• Cool Older Sibling-in-Law: A character who bonds with their significant other's younger sibling (usually a child).
• Dark Horse Sibling: A sibling that everyone thought was a loser ends up being the most successful.
• "Dating Best Friend's Sibling" Drama: A potential romantic relationship between a character and their best friend's sibling/sibling's best friend that may or may not be hindered by that connection.
• Disappointing Older Sibling: An older sibling who lets down her/his younger siblings.
• Disowned Sibling: A person is disowned by their sibling.
• Don't Split Us Up: Siblings are threatened with being separated from each other by divorce or foster care.
• The Dutiful Son: The child who dedicates themselves to taking care of their family.
• Family Relationship Switcheroo: A lie about a family relationship is revealed.
• Father, I Want to Marry My Brother: A child expresses an innocent desire to marry a family member.
• Flirty Stepsiblings: Teenage stepsiblings tend to have romantic subtext with each other.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: A duo of siblings respectively consisting of a doofus and a mature person.
• From Cousin to Honorary Sibling: Cousins form a close bond to the point of feeling more like siblings.
• "Getting My Own Room" Plot: A child who has always shared a room with siblings finally gets their own room.
• The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Two sisters, a smart one and a pretty one, often quarrel with each other.
• Half-Sibling Angst: A character being a half-sibling to their siblings causes them grief.
• The Hecate Sisters: A trio of female archetypes: an alluring young maiden, a matronly mother, and a wise crone.
• Hypocritical Heartwarming: A Big Brother Bully gets enraged if someone else wrongs their sibling.
• I Have Brothers: A female character who learned male-oriented skills from her brothers.
• Infant Sibling Jealousy: A character gets annoyed that their cute baby brother/sister is getting all their parents' attention.
• Jacob and Esau: Each child favors one parent or vice versa.
• Knight Templar Big Brother: A sibling who would protect/avenge their fellow siblings by any means necessary.
• Levirate Marriage: A widow marries their late spouse's living sibling.
• Like Brother and Sister: A close but platonic relationship between an unrelated male character and female character that is similar to that of siblings.
• Little Sister Heroine: A character's little sister serves as a Love Interest option.
• Long-Lost Relative: A character's relative returns after having vanished a long time ago.
• Massive Numbered Siblings: A character has five or more siblings.
• Mature Younger Sibling: A younger sibling who's more mature than their older sibling(s).
• Middle Child Syndrome: The middle child in a family is The Un-Favorite.
• Monster Brother, Cutie Sister: A couple of siblings where the older brother is menacing and mean, and the younger sister is cute and nice.
• My Sibling Will Live Through Me: A character impersonates their deceased sibling.
• My Sister Is Off-Limits: A brother who forbids anyone from dating his sister.
• Not Blood Siblings: An incestuous relationship is justified by the couple not being related by blood (e.g. being step-siblings or adopted siblings).
• Oblivious Younger Sibling: A younger sibling of a character who is "blind" to their actions.
• Onee-sama: A classy, highly respected older sister.
• Only-Child Syndrome: Characteristics associated with only children, i.e. individuals without siblings.
• Parental Favoritism: A child is given preference over their siblings.
• Posthumous Sibling: When a character is born after their older sibling has already died.
• Practically Different Generations: Siblings with a huge age gap.
• Princeling Rivalry: A younger sibling will plot to overthrow, kill, or banish their older sibling in order to seize power for themselves.
• Promotion to Parent: The oldest child takes it upon themselves to parent their younger siblings.
• Relative Error: Siblings are mistaken for lovers by someone who doesn't know them.
• Resentful Outnumbered Sibling: Someone dislikes that they're the only brother or sister among their siblings.
• Retroactive Stepsibling Relationship: Two people are in a relationship and then become step-siblings.
• Rich Sibling, Poor Sibling: One sibling is wealthy and/or showered in love and praise; the other is degraded and impoverished.
• Settle for Sibling: A character marries the sibling of their unrequited Love Interest.
• Shared Family Quirks: Two otherwise different siblings share the same quirk.
• Sibling Murder: A sibling kills their sibling.
• Sibling Rivalry: Siblings who don't get along well.
• Siblings in Crime: Siblings who commit crime together.
• Siblings Wanted: A child asks their parents for a sibling.
• Sibling Fusion: When two or more siblings are fused together.
• Sibling Team: Siblings who work together side by side.
• Sibling Triangle: Two siblings fall in love with the same person.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: Siblings who have opposite traits to each other.
• Siblings Share the Throne: Siblings rule a kingdom together with equal authority.
• Single Sex Offspring: A family that exclusively (or nearly so) produces only boys or girls.
• Spartan Sibling: This family believes in neglectful/harmful love as a way of toughening up.
• Stronger Sibling: A strong villainous character has an even stronger sibling.
• Successful Sibling Syndrome: Someone lives in the shadow of their more successful sibling.
• Sworn Brothers: Two people who aren't blood relatives have made a pact with each other to become family in spirit, including being siblings in spirit.
• This Is My Side: Two siblings who are mad at each other draw a line to divide each other's side of the room and their belongings.
• Two Siblings In One: A character absorbs the soul or life energy of their deceased sibling.
• The Un-Favourite: A character whose family prefers their sibling over them.
• Unrelated Brothers: Unrelated professional wrestlers who claim to be relatives.
• White Sheep: A non-evil member of an evil family.
• You Never Did That for Me: A child complains to their parents that they are treating a sibling more favorably.
• Youngest Child Wins: The youngest sibling has the best luck in life.