History Main / AdventureDuo

*
[[TheHero LLENN]] and [[FunPersonified Fukaziroh]] in ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnlineAlternativeGunGaleOnline''.

* Jak (hero) and Daxter (sidekick) in the ''JakAndDaxter'' series.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'' trilogy pairs the eponymous character up with [[PluckyComicRelief Sparx the dragonfly]], who compensates for being TheLoad in combat by having wisecracks for every situation.
** This behavior pattern makes it a CrowningMomentOfAwesome when Sparx [[spoiler: actually K.O.'s one of the more annoying bad guys with a single punch (granted said antagonist wasn't much bigger than Sparx himself, but it was still a cathartic moment).]]

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[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* [[Series/{{Supernatural}} Sam and Dean Winchester]]. Played straight in Sam-centric episodes where the more serious Sam is TheHero and Dean is TheLancer. [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in Dean-centric where the goofier (but very [[BreakTheCutie broken]]) Dean is TheHero and Sam is TheLancer.

* [[Series/{{Merlin}} Arthur and Merlin]], at least some of the time. Merlin is serious at times as well, though.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' has Phoenix Wright (sarcastic, literal hero) and Maya Fey (happy-go-lucky oddball). Eventually he encounters Pearl who is less odd, but only because she's a little girl - her personality is equally upbeat, but more bolshy than Maya. And Maya's SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute, Ema, is even more happy-go-lucky and even more naive.
** And when Franziska von Karma, the very serious, whip-happy prosecutor, tags along with you in the third game, her general misunderstanding of American/Japanese culture and many things outside her area of expertise lead to much the same effect as if she was Maya.
** And it's taken pretty much to the extreme with ultra-sarcastic, refined Edgeworth and his sidekick Gumshoe, who's like [[WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}} Doctor Zoidberg]] without the lobster.
*** Edgeworth gets multiple sidekicks throughout his own game. Gumshoe and Franziska are the only returning characters to fill this role while the most prominent of the new characters is Kay Faraday, a self proclaimed Great Thief. 2 different stewardess take the role as well during the second case as you are on a plane mid-flight. There's also [[spoiler: 13 year old Franziska and new cop Gumshoe who are paired with Edgeworth during a flashback case while he still strived for perfection leading to a slightly diffrent feeling then their present day selves. Also Franziska is the butt of many short jokes during this time]]
*** Although this relationship is inverted in ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'', where Ema is now [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute substituting]] for Gumshoe, and shows open disdain for new prosecuting attorney Klavier, who she describes repeatedly as a "glimmerous fop". As for Apollo, he regularly works with Trucy Wright in this game and ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies''.

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' provides us with Roy and Elan (at times, V, Durkon and occasionally Haley play the serious role, while Belkar also plays the goofy role). Also provides us with the villainous subversion: Xykon is the main villain, and just likes to goof around, while Redcloak is the serious one who makes all the plans and preparations. Strangely, the "goofy" one is the more powerful one.
** Xykon is mostly just bored, unable to sleep, and can only spend so many hours working on artifacts, posing him with the problem of how to spend those remaining hours. Up until Xykon gets ticked off when [[spoiler: Redcloak loses Xykon's SoulJar when V attacked]]. Xykon then proceeds to become more serious.
* The title characters from ''Webcomic/TriangleAndRobert.''
* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' provides us with [[IdiotHero Fighter]] who is a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} with a ''very'' literal take on things (metaphors don't exist for him), and [[PsychoForHire Black Mage]] who is... ''all'' of TheLancer traits listed at the top of this page.

[[folder: Web Original ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Yet another subversion is that of ''WesternAnimation/{{Bonkers}}'', where the lead character is well, a toon, whereas his partner and arguable sidekick Lucky Piquel is generally more level headed.

* WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb: two step-brothers who create their own crazy days and live them.

* While they are both pretty silly, [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants Spongebob]] is the more collected one (DependingOnTheWriter) and Patrick is the crazy sidekick.

* Miss Bianca (hero) and Bernard (sidekick) in ''Disney/TheRescuers''.
* Pedro and Nico from ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}''.

* Rufus and Amberley in ''TheDreamstone''. Something of an inverted case since [[TheHero Rufus]] is the more buffoonish of the two, with [[TheLancer Amberley]] more often acting as the level headed leader.

[[folder: Real Life ]]

** Aveline is the best at playing the StraightMan without even knowing it. Varric can do it too, but [[GenreSavvy he knows it]]. For the rest you're going to have to [[OnlySaneMan step up for sanity]] sooner or later.

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* Played with in ''VideoGameSecretOfEvermore'', where it overlaps with [[ABoyAndHisX A Boy And His Dog.]]

* Played with in SecretOfEvermore, where it overlaps with [[ABoyAndHisX A Boy And His Dog.]]

* RatchetAndClank inverts this trope, with main character Ratchet being fun-loving and whimsy, and sidekick Clank being serious and out to save the galaxy.

* Depending upon how you play it, the player character can be the silly one with Bastila as the serious counterpart in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''.

* Gilgamesh and Enkidu from MesopotamianMythology.

* ComicBook/{{Cable}} and {{Deadpool}}, who provide the page image.
* Havok and Polaris, from the first volume of ''ComicBook/{{X-Factor}}''. Havok wrings his hands so much over the responsibility of leadership that Polaris has to gently remind him to not be so much like his brother [[Comicbook/{{X-Men}} Cyclops]]. Polaris has deep-seated insecurities that crop up occasionally, so they have been known to swap roles.

* ''Literature/JohnDiesAtTheEnd'' has David Wong and his friend John solving supernatural problems.

* Of the four available pairs in ''[[VideoGame/Touhou Imperishable Night]]'' one (Marisa & Alice) inverts the trope while the others (Sakuya & Remilia, Reimu & Yukari, and Youmu & Yuyuko) play it straight.

* Of the four available pairs in ''[[VideoGame/Touhou Imperishable Night]]'' one (Marisa & Alice) inverts the trope while the others (Sakuya & Remilia, Reimu & Yukari, and Youmu and Yuyuko) play it straight.

** One of the better straight versions is Aggressive!Hawke paired with Isabel, who cheats, backstabs, snarks, and flirts her way through every quest and only gets serious at a few key plot points.

** One of the better straight versions is Aggressive!Hawke paired with Isabella, who cheats, backstabs, snarks, and flirts her way through every quest and only gets serious at a few key plot points.

* [[TangledFamilyTree Cable]] and {{Deadpool}}, who provide the page image.

* Gilgamesh and Enkidu from Mesopotamian mythology.

* In the freeware adventure game ''Ben There, Dan That!'' Ben is the more straightforward hero, while Dan is a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} but is [[GeniusDitz crazy good at video games]].

** Aggressive!Hawke and Isabella can play this trope straight, with Hawke bulling his/her way through situations while Isabella is a flamboyant and impulsive fount of filthy humor.