History Main / JapaneseBeetleBrothers

** ''VideoGame/MegaManX'': In ''X1'' there's Boomer Kuwanger (a not-very-good translation of Kuwaga). His brother Gravity Beetle, who is the Kabuto, later appears in ''VideoGame/MegaManX3''. The latter is actually one of the few Mavericks in ''X3'' who is completely uninterested in Doppler's plans and isn't even infected with TheVirus, but instead seeks revenge. In the manga, he even attempts to rebuild his brother.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManX'': In ''X1'' there's Boomer Kuwanger (a not-very-good translation of Kuwaga). His brother Gravity Beetle, who the Kabuto, later appears in ''VideoGame/MegaManX3''. The latter is actually one of the few Mavericks in ''X3'' who is completely uninterested in Doppler's plans and isn't even infected with TheVirus, but instead seeks revenge. In the manga, he even attempts to rebuild his brother.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManX1'': There's a allies setup with Boomer Kuwanger (a not-very-good translation of Kuwaga) and his brother, ''VideoGame/MegaManX3's'' Gravity Beetle, who is of the Kabuto variety. The latter is actually one of the few Mavericks in ''X3'' who is completely uninterested in Doppler's plans and isn't even infected with TheVirus, but instead seeks revenge. In the manga, he even attempts to rebuild his brother.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' has a similar allies with ''VideoGame/MegaManZero1''[='=]s Herculious Anchortus (Kabuto) and ''VideoGame/MegaManZero2''[='=]s Kuwagust Anchus, who refers to Herculious as his brother and teams up with him during the BossRush.

** ''Series/OhsamaSentaiKingOhger'', which is entirely themed after different insects, includes both beetles but only Coincidentally, as there's no specific connection between them: the Red Ranger is themed after the Kuwagata and it's the most prominent of all the series' insects, while Kabuto is "only" one of three major {{Mecha Expansion Pack}}s. The mecha do duel in Kabuto's debut in reference to the stereotypical rivalry, but that's as far as it goes. Kuwagata's major rivalry is instead with ''another'' Kuwagata, as the Red Ranger's [[spoiler:brother]] has an EvilTwin powerset and an EvilKnockoff mecha that are both {{Palette Swap}}s of Red's.

* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'': ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'' introduces Bugzzy, a Kuwagata who gives Kirby [[WrestlerInAllOfUs the ability to suplex enemies]] when [[PowerCopying eaten]]. Oddly enough, he never had a Kabuto counterpart until ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'', released 21 years later, which introduced Hornhead. When Kirby absorbs this beetle, he will gain the Beetle ability, an ability that gives a [[HornAttack horned helmet to attack enemies with]].

* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'': ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'' introduces Bugzzy, a Kuwagata who gives Kirby [[WrestlerInAllOfUs the ability to suplex enemies]] when [[PowerCopying eaten]]. Oddly enough, he never had a Kabuto counterpart until ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'', released 21 years later, which introduced Hornhead. When Kirby absorbs this beetle, he will gain a Kabuto horn to attack enemies with.

!!Examples
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[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Medabots}}'':
** A prime example of rivals are the protagonist's partner Metabee (a hot-blooded, golden KBT-type who fights with missiles) and AloofAlly Rokusho (a stoic, silver KWG-type who fights with swords). Unusually, the franchise actually has a third "brother" -- [[WaveMotionGun Arcbeetle]], a more advanced KBT-type based on the Hercules beetle, which is the least prominent but most powerful member of the lot.
** Later media introduces Tyrelbeetle, a Sawtooth KWG-type which acts as a counterpart to the upgraded Arcbeetle-Dash. The two are capable of transforming into beetle modes and later docking together to form Masterbeetle.

* ''VideoGame/{{Medabots}}'': While the original games, which were usually separated into Kabuto/Metabee and Kuwagata/Rokusho versions, had those two Medabots, they had more of a coincidental relationship.

* ''Videogame/ShowByRock'' has this in the form of Kabutomoaki and Kuwagatatsuya, two members of the band Dropout Sensei. Due to their status as childhood friends, they firmly fit in the allies category. They also have a third member (Tentomutsumi) that represents the "ladybug" part of the motif, despite being more of a beetle "brother" than a beetle "sister".

** The two rarest and most valuable are the horned hercules beetle and the golden stag beetle. Starting with the golden stag's introduction in ''City Folk'', the two species fight each other on a tree stump when donated to the museum.
** Played further in ''New Horizons'', where any of the donated beetles can be seen fighting each other during the night. The two randomly-selected fighters will always be one of the stag beetles and one of the other beetles.

Likewise, an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_beetle Atlas]] or [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalcosoma_caucasus Caucasus]] beetle will sometimes appear as [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter a secondary character who is more powerful than the main duo]] (often an AloofBigBrother or FusionDance), since these species' three horns resemble a [[AllYourPowersCombined combination of Kabuto and Kuwagata traits]].

Two particular species have a tendency to show up as "upgraded" forms of the duo: the overbite-horned Heracles Ōkabuto ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_beetle Hercules beetle]]) as a more powerful Kabuto variant, and the long-jawed Nokogiri Kuwagata ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopocoilus_inclinatus sawtooth stag beetle]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopocoilus its genus]]) as a more powerful Kuwagata. Likewise, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_beetle Atlas]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalcosoma_caucasus Caucasus]] beetles will sometimes receive this treatment since their three horns resemble a [[AllYourPowersCombined combination of Kabuto and Kuwagata traits]].

*** In the second generation, for instance, Scyther got an evolution, whereas Pinsir didn't to match Heracross. Various media since then involved the two in some way (like an episode of the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime featuring a feud between Pinsir and Heracross swarms). Later on, the relationship between Pinsir and Heracross was reinforced in ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'', where two ended up being version exclusives, on top of both of them receiving [[SuperMode Mega Evolutions]]. The end result is a case of coincidental becoming rivals in the sense that there is a connection and contrast between the two.

** ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'' has the Riders Blade (European rhinoceros beetle) and Garren (stag beetle). They're usually allies (with Garren even being TheMentor) but circumstances and poor communication skills keep pitting them against each other. Blade's SuperMode is themed after a Caucasus beetle, and Garren's after a giraffe stag beetle. Instead of a ladybug, the other two Riders are praying mantis- and spider-themed (and for the record, their {{Super Mode}}s would be paradoxa, aka ghost mantis, and tarantula respectively).

** ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'' has villainous allies in the Kabuto and Kuwagata Yummies, which formed when a single Yummy (which was the Kabuto one) split in two. But averted in that OOO has a Kuwagata Core Medal, but not a Kabuto Core Medal.

** ''Series/KamenRiderRevice'' has three beetle-themed Riders: Vail (Kabutomushi), Over Demons (Kuwagata), and Destream (Hercules); though Vail has abandoned his Rider equipment by the time the other two get theirs. Vail and Destream are former partners-turned-sworn enemies, with Destream using an enhanced version of Vail's old tech to deal with Veil once and for all. Over Demons, on the other hand, only has a Coincidental relationship to them; he uses armor modified from Vail's, but his character has no connection to either.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': By carryover from the video games, we have the coincidental pair of Heracross and Pinsir, Bug-type Pokémon introduced in consecutive generations that use mostly Fighting-type attacks. In the episode where Ash catches his Heracross, a bunch of Pinsir are invading the Heracross swarm's territory, making it seem like rivals, but it's revealed that the invasion is due to the Pinsir [[InvadingRefugees being driven out of their own territory by Team Rocket]].

** ''Series/OhsamaSentaiKingOhger'', which is entirely themed after different insects, includes both beetles but only Coincidentally, as there's no specific connection between them: the Red Ranger is themed after the Kuwagata and it's the most prominent of all the series' insects, while Kabuto is "only" one of three major {{Mecha Expansion Pack}}s.

*** The movie [[Film/KamenRiderKabutoGodSpeedLove God Speed Love]] features a trio of Riders (two villainous and one {{antihero}}ic) based on different types of Kabutomushi - the bronze Ketaros (Centaurus beetle, rival), the silver Hercus (Hercules beetle, ally) and the [[GoldColoredSuperiority powerful gold]] Caucasus (Caucasus beetle, rival).

** ''Series/KamenRiderRevice'' has three beetle-themed Riders: Vail (Kabutomushi), Over Demons (Kuwagata), and Destream (Hercules); though Vail has abandoned his Rider equipment by the time the other two get theirs. Vail and Destream are former partners-turned-sworn enemies, with Destream using an enhanced version of Vail's old tech to deal with Veil once and for all. Over Demons, on the other hand, only has a Coincidental relationship to them; he uses armor modified from Vail's, but his character has no connection to either beyond simply fighting for the same side as Destream and the opposite side to Vail.

** ''Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger'' has the one of the strongest examples of allies in recent history. Kabuto Raiger and Kuwaga Raiger are brothers whose entire motifs, changers, personal weapons and mecha revolve around the Kabuto/Kuwaga pair. In its adaptation ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm'', they became the Crimson Thunder Ranger and Navy (blue) Thunder Ranger. The Thunders are adopted siblings instead of biological, but no less close for it.

** ''Series/TokumeiSentaiGobusters'', like ''Hurricaneger'', has a pair of {{Sixth Ranger}}s -- Beet Buster and Stag Buster in ''Go-Busters''. They don't follow the theme ''quite'' as strongly as the Goraigers / Thunder Rangers did, but they're still one of the better examples. Stag Buster's unmorphed state, the robotic Beet J. Stag, covers both beetles at once, as half of his armor is actually Beet Buster's actual suit armor, cast off and transferred to Beet Buster during morphing. (''Series/PowerRangersBeastMorphers'' diverges from this, however, as the animal basis for Beet Buster's counterpart is changed to a SlayingMantis.)

Also related is the Beetle ''Sister'', the Tentomushi (ladybug[=/=]ladybird[=/=]lady beetle); whenever beetles form a PowerTrio, you can expect TheChick to be a Ladybug.

* ''Series/MetalHeroes'': Multiple related series each have the three-man version of allies with the Beetle as TheLeader, Stag as TheLancer, and Ladybug as TheChick:

** ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'' has the Riders Blade (European rhinoceros beetle) and Garren (stag beetle). They're usually allies (with Garren even being TheMentor) but circumstances and {{poor communication|skills}} keep pitting them against each other. Blade's SuperMode is themed after a Caucasus beetle, and Garren's after a giraffe stag beetle. Instead of a ladybug, the other two Riders are praying mantis- and spider-themed (and for the record, their {{Super Mode}}s would be paradoxa, aka ghost mantis, and tarantula respectively).

[[folder:Film]]

** Despite their names, Kabuto and Kabutops are not examples, being based more on horseshoe crabs. Their name comes from traditional ''kabuto'', which are samurai helmets. [[FridgeBrilliance That's why the Dome Fossil is called so]].

*** The movie [[Film/KamenRiderKabutoGodSpeedLove God Speed Love]] features a trio of villainous Riders based on different types of Kabutomushi - the bronze Ketaros (Centaurus beetle), the silver Hercus (Hercules beetle) and the [[GoldColoredSuperiority powerful gold]] Caucasus (Caucasus beetle).

** ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'' has the Riders Blade (European rhinoceros beetle) and Garren (stag beetle). They're usually allies (with Garren even being TheMentor) but circumstances and [[PoorCommunicationKills poor communication]] keep pitting them against each other. Blade's SuperMode is themed after a Caucasus beetle, and Garren's after a giraffe stag beetle. Instead of a ladybug, the other two Riders are praying mantis- and spider-themed (and for the record, their {{Super Mode}}s would be paradoxa, aka ghost mantis, and tarantula respectively).

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': By carryover from the video games, we have the coincidental pair of Heracross and Pinsir, Bug-type Pokémon introduced in consecutive generations that use mostly Fighting-type attacks. In the episode where Ash catches his Heracross, a bunch of Pinsir are invading the Heracross swarm's territory, making it seem like rivals, but it's revealed that the invasion is due to the Pinsir being driven out of their own territory by Team Rocket.