History Main / GirlsVsBoysPlot

* ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'': In "Guide to School Car Wash", the seventh graders decide to split their car wash into two gendered teams, both competing for a monetary prize to use for their school thought for different reasons (The Girls want gym equipment, the boys just want a Jacuzzi). The girls work together like clockwork once Moze convinces them they need to beat the boys, while the boys spend most of their time struggling, slacking off and failing to clean Mr. Sweeney's dirt-coated car. There's a bit of HopeSpot for them when Ned manages to rally them at the last hour and they seem to catch up to the girls in record time... except they didn't [[RealityEnsues properly wash the cars in their haste]], [[note]]You need to wet the car, suds it, wipe, rinse and dry[[/note]] instead just moving the dirt around. This ends up disqualifying them and giving the girls the win. Though Ned concedes their idea for the money was the more worthy of the two.

** In [[Recap/FriendsS1E18TheOneWithAllThePoker "The One With Poker"]] the girls discover that the guys have regular friendly poker games and want in. The guys are reluctant, worrying they won't be able to keep up. Offended, the girls challenge them to a serious game for money... and [[RealityEnsues lose miserably as none of them have ever played poker before]]. Later having taken lessons from a female professional poker player, they challenge the guys to rematch hoping to win back their money and still lose as a few lessons aren't enough to beat people who've been playing for years.

* This was a ''very'' popular trope on ''Series/ILoveLucy''. The first few minutes of several episodes set up a conflict between Lucy and Ricky based on some stereotype (men being slobs, women being unable to manage money, etc.), with Fred and Ethel getting dragged into the scheme along gender lines as well. The two groups would then compete to prove their individual points, often resorting to [[XanatosSpeedChess increasingly convoluted gambits against each other]] to win. In a mild subversion of this trope, the women didn't always come out on top--Ricky and Fred were just as likely to come out ahead in the conflict of the week as Lucy and Ethel were. A few famous examples:

The episode tends to end in one of two ways. One is for the girls to beat the boys, with the latter swallowing their pride, [[GracefulLoser taking their loss in stride]], and learning AnAesop about [[PrejudiceAesop feminism or gender equality in general]]. The frequency of this outcome is likely due to PositiveDiscrimination in the girls' favor (such as that WomenAreWiser). Another common outcome is for the contest to [[EvasiveFightThreadEpisode end in a tie, deliberately leave the conclusion ambiguous, or end without any clear winner or loser]], with the Aesop being that neither gender is better than the other. If this happens, expect at least one person on both sides to call the tie unfair and call for a rematch, which probably won't happen.

More rarely, the episode may instead end with the boys explicitly prevailling over the girls instead. This conclusion is much riskier to end the episode with than the other two, as it can potentially carry the UnfortunateImplications that males are [[MenAreBetterThanWomen inherently superior than the opposite sex]], even with the justification that the boys team just happened to be better prepared for the contest in question. Strangely, [[DoubleStandard this is not the case for girls winning over boys.]]

There is also the fact that both conclusions are simply the ''safer'' options for wrapping up a "Girls vs. Boys" plot; allowing the boys to explicitly prevail over the girls instead, even with the justification that the former just happened to be better prepared for the contest in question, can risk carrying the UnfortunateImplications that males are [[MenAreBetterThanWomen inherently superior than the opposite sex]], and that whatever misogynistic assumptions the male team had prior to the contest are justified. Strangely, [[DoubleStandard this is not the case for girls winning over boys.]]

The episode tends to end in one of two ways. One is for the girls to beat the boys, with the latter swallowing their pride, [[GracefulLoser taking their loss in stride]], and learning AnAesop about [[PrejudiceAesop feminism or gender equality in general]]. The frequency of this outcome is likely due to PositiveDiscrimination in the girls' favor (such as that WomenAreWiser). Another common outcome is for the contest to end in a tie, deliberately leave the conclusion ambiguous, or end without any clear winner or loser, with the Aesop being that neither gender is better than the other. If this happens, expect at least one person on both sides to call the tie unfair and call for a rematch, which probably won't happen.

* ''Manga/KodomoNoOmocha'': This was the main conflict in Sana's class in the early episodes. The boys are troublemakers who create chaos in the classroom and disrespect the teachers, while the girls are irritated by their behavior but can't do anything to stop them… except for Sana, who openly confronts Akito, the leader of the boys. When they get into conflict, all the girls root for Sana and all the boys for Akito.

There is also the fact that both conclusions are simply the ''safer'' options for wrapping up a "Girls vs. Boys" plot; allowing the boys to explicitly prevail over the girls instead, even with the justification that the former just happened to be better prepared for the contest in question, can risk carrying the UnfortunateImplications that males are [[MenAreBetterThanWomen inherently superior than the opposite sex]], and that whatever prior misogynistic opinions they had is justified. Strangely, [[DoubleStandard this is not the case for girls winning over boys.]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' episode "F.U.T.U.R.E." centers around a girl named Margaret teaming up with her future self to eliminate all boys on Earth. This leads to a future where the last remaining boys, led by an old aged Numbuh 4, fight against Margaret's army of girls.

** In "[[ValentinesDayEpisode Love Struck!]]", Timmy made a wish that segregated the sexes in their own societies with a wall between them. But when the opposite sexes feel absent of something, Timmy wished for the wall that segregated them to break... [[NiceJobBreakingItHero except]] because they were separated for so long that they went into war with each other. It took assistance from Cupid, who's literally dying from no love, to make things right.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': In [[Recap/FuturamaS6E20Neutopia "Neutopia"]], the characters end up stranded on a barren, hot, rocky planet, and bicker relentlessly about which gender was responsible for the crash. A local rock-alien notes that, due to the gender divide, there clearly must be a ''superior'' gender, and makes them compete for the title...with the losing team dying in the heat. They all struggle until it turns out that this was a test to try and teach them about cooperation. Because they failed, they simply get their genders removed, instead...

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' episode [[Recap/TeenTitansGoS2E20BoysVsGirls "Boys vs. Girls"]], Starfire and Raven beat Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy in a contest 3-0, resulting in Cyborg and Beast Boy defeatedly assuming girls are better than boys in every way, ignoring the fact that two particular girls just happened to [[WomenAreWiser be more competent]] and [[SuperpowerLottery have better powers]] than three particular boys.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Chaotic}}'' involved Peyton (male) and Krystella (female) having a Chaotic match to settle the gender issue, with one side using only male creatures and the other side using only female creatures. The female creatures win, but it turns out that Peyton was the one using all female creatures and Krystella was the one using all male creatures, confusing everyone who was watching the match and rendering the outcome inconclusive.

** In ''[[ValentinesDayEpisode Love Struck!]]'', Timmy made a wish that segregated the sexes in their own society with a wall between them. But when the opposite sexes feel absent of something, Timmy wished for a wall that segregates them to break... [[NiceJobBreakingItHero except]] because they were separated for so long that they went into war with each other. It took assistance from Cupid, who's literally dying from no love, to make things right.
** In "Squirrely Puffs", Timmy's scout group, the Squirrel Scouts, gets into a competition with the girl scout, the Cream Puffs, when his father and mother get competitive as usual, with the bet that one of the teams has to reach the top of a mountain before the other. The Squirrel Scout seems to initially have trouble while the Cream Puffs look to have an easier time what with the wildlife helping them. However, things soon turn around when Timmy's dad manages to get some local squirrels to help them get further up the mountain while the Cream Puffs's animal friends become a bit too helpful, [[UnwantedAssistance to the point of annoyance]]. When Timmy's mom finally snaps at them, the animals turn on the girls prompting Timmy to get his dad to call off the bet and save them.

* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': [[Recap/PhineasAndFerbGotGame "Got Game?"]] starts with Buford angry over Isabella defeating him at foosball. In trying to prove that women are weaker, he sparks Phineas and Ferb's grand idea of the episode- a battle between the genders, playing a [[{{Calvinball}} nonsensical game]] with strange rules. It's [[BullyAndWimpPairing Buford and Baljeet]] against Candace and Isabella, and while it's neck-and-neck for a while, Isabella and Candace eventually win, thanks to the final game being foosball.

* A less direct example in the ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' episode [[Recap/SonicBoomS1E25IntoTheWilderness "Into The Wilderness"]], where Sonic and Knuckles try to prove they are more fluent outdoors than Sticks and Amy, though not out of any perceived sexism but merely Sonic's boastfulness. Due to Stick's WildChild niches and Amy's better willingness to learn, in contrast to Sonic's arrogance paired with Knuckles' boneheadedness, the girls make it through easily, at one point even trying (and failing) to help the boys get through out of pity. It is notable as one of the very few episodes, or much any story in the Sonic franchise, where Sonic is left the clear and unnegated "loser" of the story, if in a scenario much more mundane than usual.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' episode [[Recap/TeenTitansGoS2E20BoysVsGirls "Boys vs. Girls"]], Starfire and Raven beat Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy in a contest 3-0, resulting in Cyborg and Beast Boy assuming girls are better than boys in general, ignoring the fact that two particular girls just happened to [[WomenAreWiser be more competent]] and [[SuperpowerLottery have better powers]] than three particular boys.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Chaotic}}'' involved Peyton (male) and Krystella (female) having a match to settle the gender issue, with one side using only male creatures and the other side using only female creatures. The female creatures win, but it turns out that Peyton was the one using all female creatures and Krystella was the one using all male creatures, confusing everyone who was watching the match and rendering the outcome inconclusive.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Chaotic}}'' involved Peyton (male) and Krystella (female) having a match to settle the gender issue once and for all, with one side using only male creatures and the other side using only female creatures. The female creatures win - however, it's then revealed that Peyton was the one using all female creatures and Krystella was the one using all male creatures, confusing everyone who was watching the match and rendering the outcome inconclusive.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' episode [[Recap/TeenTitansGoS2E20BoysVsGirls "Boys vs. Girls"]], Starfire and Raven beat Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy in a contest 3-0, resulting in Cyborg and Beast Boy assuming girls are better than boys in general, rather than two particular girls just happening to be [[WomenAreWiser more competent]] and [[SuperpowerLottery having better powers]] than three particular boys.

For one reason or another, the girls will usually beat the boys, with the latter swallowing their pride, [[GracefulLoser taking their loss in stride]], and learning along the way not to underestimate their female loved-ones, perhaps even falling victim to DefeatMeansFriendship. This isn't a guaranteed outcome, but it happens more often than not due to works wanting to deliver AnAesop about [[PrejudiceAesop feminism or gender equality in general]], or PositiveDiscrimination in the girls' favor (such as that WomenAreWiser). Another common outcome is for the contest to end in a tie, deliberately leave the conclusion ambiguous, or end without any clear winner or loser, with the Aesop being that neither gender is better than the other.

For one reason or another, the girls will usually beat the boys, with the latter swallowing their pride, [[GracefulLoser taking their loss in stride]], and learning along the way not to underestimate their female loved-ones, perhaps even falling victim to DefeatMeansFriendship. This isn't a guaranteed outcome, but it happens more often than not due to works wanting to deliver AnAesop about [[PrejudiceAesop feminism or gender equality in general]], or PositiveDiscrimination in the girls' favor (such as that WomenAreWiser). Another common outcome is for the contest to end in a tie or deliberately leave the conclusion ambiguous, with the Aesop being that neither gender is better than the other.

There is also the fact that both conclusions are simply the ''safer'' options for wrapping up a "Girls vs. Boys" plot; allowing the boys to explicitly prevail over the girls instead, even with the justification that the former just happened to be better prepared for the contest in question, can risk carrying the UnfortunateImplications that males are [[MenAreBetterThanWomen inherently superior than the opposite sex]], and that their prior sexism towards females is justified. Strangely, [[DoubleStandard this is not the case for girls winning over boys.]]

For one reason or another, the girls will usually beat the boys, with the latter swallowing their pride, [[GracefulLoser taking their loss in stride]], and learning along the way not to underestimate their female loved-ones, perhaps even falling victim to DefeatMeansFriendship. This isn't a guaranteed outcome, but it happens more often than not due to works wanting to deliver AnAesop about [[PrejudiceAesop feminism or gender equality in general]], or PositiveDiscrimination in the girls' favor (such as that WomenAreWiser). Another common outcome is for the contest to end in a tie, with the Aesop being that neither gender is better than the other.

There is also the fact that both conclusions are simply the ''safer'' options for wrapping up a "Girls vs. Boys" plot; allowing the boys to explicitly prevail over the girls instead, even with the justification that the former just happened to be better prepared for the contest in question, can risk carrying the UnfortunateImplications that males being [[MenAreBetterThanWomen inherently superior than the opposite sex]], and that their prior sexism towards females is justified. Strangely, [[DoubleStandard this is not the case for girls winning over boys.]]

There is also the fact that both conclusions are simply the ''safer'' options for wrapping up a "Girls vs. Boys" plot; allowing the boys to explicitly prevail over the girls instead, even with the justification that the former just happened to be better prepared for the contest in question, can risk carrying the {{Unfortunate Implication|s}} of males being [[MenAreBetterThanWomen inherently superior than the opposite sex]]. Strangely, [[DoubleStandard this is not the case for girls winning over boys.]]

Another possible reason for the prevalence of the aforementioned conclusions is that both are simply the ''safer'' options for wrapping up a "Girls vs. Boys" plot; allowing the boys to explicitly prevail over the girls instead, even with the justification that the former just happened to be better prepared for the contest in question, can risk carrying the {{Unfortunate Implication|s}} of the boys being [[MenAreBetterThanWomen inherently superior than the opposite sex]]. Strangly, [[DoubleStandard this is not the case for girls winning over boys.]]

** A large part of season 20 revolves around this: an internet {{Troll}} keeps harassing the girls online. They're convinced it's Cartman ([[NotMeThisTime though surprisingly, they're wrong]]) but blame all the boys for his supposed antics. Every girl breaks up with their boyfriends en masse, which leads to Butters starting his own version of the Men's Rights Movement. The plot is [[AbortedArc left largely unresolved]] and peters out over subsequent seasons.

Another possible reason for the prevalence of the aforementioned conclusions is that both are simply the ''safer'' options for wrapping up a "Girls vs. Boys" plot; allowing the boys to explicitly prevail over the girls instead, even with the justification that the former just happened to be better prepared for the contest in question, can risk carrying the {{Unfortunate Implication|s}} of the boys being [[MenAreBetterThanWomen inherently superior than the opposite sex]].

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' episode [[Recap/TeenTitansGoS2E20BoysVsGirls "Boys vs. Girls"]], Starfire and Raven beat Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy in a contest 3-0, resulting in Cyborg and Beast Boy assuming girls are better than boys in general, rather than two particular girls just happening to be more competent and having better powers than three particular boys.

* One chapter of the fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10886054/83/Meeting-Grojband Meeting Grojband]]'' centers around the titular band getting into a fight with [[DistaffCounterpart the Newmans]] and accidentally awakening two gods of Rocklympus as a result: [[HeManWomenHater Masculeseus]], the god of boy bands, and his sister [[DoesNotLikeMen Feminina]], the goddess of girl groups. The two gods, unable to agree which band should be honored for waking them up as they're both co-ed, have them do a girls vs. boys battle of the bands instead. However, both bands refuse (partly because they don't want to be forced to split up, partly because they hate each other too much to consider working with each other), so Masculeseus brainwashes the boys into hating the girls in order to force it to happen anyways.

For one reason or another, the girls will usually win. This isn't a guaranteed outcome, but it happens more often than not due to works wanting to deliver AnAesop about [[PrejudiceAesop feminism or gender equality in general]], PositiveDiscrimination in the girls' favor (such as that WomenAreWiser), the [[UnfortunateImplications fear of implying]] that MenAreBetterThanWomen if they allow the boys [[MenAreBetterThanWomen to win instead]], or even just because the men [[SmugSnake were too over-confident in their own abilities]]. Despite losing, though, the men [[GracefulLoser will often take it in stride]], learning along the way not to underestimate their female loved-ones, or even falling victim to DefeatMeansFriendship. Another common outcome is for the contest to end in a tie, with the Aesop being that neither gender is better than the other.

For one reason or another, the girls will usually win. This isn't a guaranteed outcome, but it happens more often than not due to works wanting to deliver AnAesop about [[PrejudiceAesop feminism or gender equality in general]], PositiveDiscrimination in the girls' favor (such as that WomenAreWiser), the [[UnfortunateImplications fear of]] implying that MenAreBetterThanWomen if they allow the boys [[MenAreBetterThanWomen to win instead]], or even just because the men [[SmugSnake were too over-confident in their own abilities]]. Despite losing, though, the men [[GracefulLoser will often take it in stride]], learning along the way not to underestimate their female loved-ones, or even falling victim to DefeatMeansFriendship. Another common outcome is for the contest to end in a tie, with the Aesop being that neither gender is better than the other.