History Main / Oneesama

* Yuzuki calls her older sister Shizuki "Onee-sama" out of awe in ''Manga/HekikaiNoAion''. Shizuki is the cold and mysterious type but has a soft spot for her twin {{ditz}} sister so the awe is a sign of adoration.

* ''Manhwa/WitchHunter'': Tania is addressed as Nunim by her younger brother Tarras. Not only because they are from a noble family, but also because [[BigSisterBully Tania did things that better be unspoken]] to her poor ButtMonkey brother, causing him to not only greatly respect her but also fear her.

* Aiko from ''Manga/HimechanNoRibon'' is an actual sister example, having all the personality traits and Himeko calls her such.

# A subset of the first type of relationship, signalling a lesbian relationship with the {{uke}} referring to the {{seme}} as "Onee-sama", i.e. the [[IncrediblyLamePun Onee-Seme]].

* One of the few bishoujo shows that still uses this phrase straight is ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'' (although the manga is over two decades old); Skuld usually refers to her idolized sister Belldandy as just Onee-sama. She always [[{{Honorifics}} just calls]] Urd by her name. Belldandy herself, however, frequently refers to Urd as Neesan, and in a flashback with them as children, is shown calling her Oneesama. The formality fits with being goddesses.

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona}}''

Mainly appropriated by the [[YuriGenre yuri fandom]], it has become so closely identified with a particular brand of the SenpaiKohai relationship that it is very difficult to use without carrying the connotations of attraction. Ironically, the increasingly overt behavior of Onee-sama can probably also be attributed to shounen's use of this phrase.

* A Type 3 happens in ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngel Moonlit Lover'', Forte route. After solving the problem of Chitose's extremely inflexible line of thinking as per her NewMeat status, [[CoolBigSis Forte]] gets this treatment from Chitose. Quite amusingly, Forte outright flips from embarrassment and ''begs'' Chitose not to call her that.

In its most literal translation, Onee-sama (also parsed ''[[{{Keigo}} o-]][[UsefulNotes/JapaneseSiblingTerminology nee]][[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics -sama]]'' or ''oneesama'') refers to a highly respected older sister (which can be troublesome when dubs treat it literally and it ''isn't''). It's an extremely formal phrase and probably is most commonly heard in period dramas.

* All three versions show up in ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex''.

* Reina in ''LightNovel/MyriadColorsPhantomWorld'' uses the third type to refer to Mai, which fits Reina's upperclass persona.

Mainly appropriated by the [[YuriGenre yuri fandom]], it has become so closely identified with a particular brand of the SempaiKohai relationship that it is very difficult to use without carrying the connotations of attraction. Ironically, the increasingly overt behavior of Onee-sama can probably also be attributed to shounen's use of this phrase.

* ''LightNovel/BakaAndTestSummonTheBeasts'': Miharu could be a {{shoutout}} / {{expy}} of Kuroko as she does the same thing (minus the teleport) to Minami.

* ''LightNovel/BakaAndTestSummonTheBeasts'': Miharu could be a {{shoutout}} / {{expy}} of Kuroko as she does the same thing (minus the teleport) to Minami.

* All three versions show up in ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex''.
** Kuroko calls Mikoto this, and [[PowerPerversionPotential teleport-gropes her]] at every opportunity. Kuroko is probably the best-known example of the "rejected" version.
** Many other girls at their school also call Mikoto this, (probably) without the lesbian overtones of Kuroko. Mikoto herself is uncomfortable with the term. She does her best to live up to it in public, but among close friends, she isn't very ladylike at all and can be rather childish at times.
** The [[ClonesArePeopleToo Sisters]] all call Mikoto this as well, but in their case, they're actually referring to her as their big sister.

* In ''LightNovel/DateALive'', the girls [[CompellingVoice Miku Izayoi brainwashes]] refer to her as "Onee-sama."

* ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'':
** Louise calls her oldest sister, Eleanor, this. Usually while she's absolutely terrified - Eleanor has a temper worse than Louise's own. In this instance, it's both a signal that Eleanor demands more formal behavior from Louise, and that Louise fears and is submissive to her. She also calls her other older sister, Cattleya, this, though this time it's out of affection.
** Silpheed in human form calls Tabitha this.
* In ''Manga/FruitsBasket'', Kisa calls Tohru Onee-chan. Tohru is like a big sister to her and helped to draw her out of her shell, [[TheVoiceless getting her to start speaking again.]]

* The textbook example is ''LightNovel/MariaWatchesOverUs'', where most of the important characters are referred to this way. Sachiko herself is the archetypical Onee-sama, although some fans complain through CharacterExaggeration that she has become more aloof in the show than she was in the original novels and manga. Sachiko's aloofness appears to have been toned down considerably in the last season of the anime, making her much more sympathetic.

* Reina in ''LightNovel/MyriadColorsPhantomWorld'' uses the third type to refer to Mai, which fits Reina's upperclass persona.

* Type 3 in ''LightNovel/ReZero'': Rem always calls her older twin Ram as "nee-sama".

* ''LightNovel/StrawberryPanic'', essentially a [[{{Moe}} seinen]] {{Flanderization}} of schoolgirl lesbian shows, has Shizuma. Ironically, however, it's Nagisa who is most often addressed as "oneesama". (Why? Because Shizuma has an even more respectful title unique to Astraea: "Etoile-sama".)

* Yurika, from ''Manga/YurikasCampusLife'', is usually called this way by other women in her university. This implies that either the student's lack of contact with males or Yurika's [[ThePornomancer inexplicable sway over girls]] has somehow created an atmosphere of almost-pure [[YuriGenre yuri]] in the campus, akin to a lewder version of ''LightNovel/MariaWatchesOverUs''.

In its most literal translation, Onee-sama (also parsed ''[[{{Keigo}} o-]][[UsefulNotes/JapaneseSiblingTerminology nee]][[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics -sama]]'' or ''oneesama'') refers to a highly respected older sister (which can be troublesome when dubs treat it literally and it ''isn't''). It's an extremely formal phrase, and probably is most commonly heard in period dramas.

# The other is the 'serious' one, a girl who seems [[SugarAndIcePersonality cold but enticingly mysterious]]; almost always the [[{{Ojou}} "alpha" schoolgirl]]. As sign that they view themselves as an idol to the rest of their coterie, the {{Ojou}} may demand to be referred to this way. When part of a romance she is likely to act possessively towards her object of affection to disguise her romantic feelings.

Sometimes the term is rejected by its target, because she doesn't want to be the object of adoration and perfection that the term implies. If the romance element is present, a rejection of the term signals that [[IncompatibleOrientation she's straight and so does not return the affections]] of the girl referring to her as "Onee-sama".

Interestingly, in contrast that in Japan, the honorific onee-sama is mostly used by a girl to call another girl; in Korea, which differentiates the honorific not only by the gender of the one being called but also the gender of the caller, the counterpart of onee-sama in Korea only present if the caller is male. (Nunim if the one being addressed to the honorific is an older female, addressed by a younger male, and Hyungnim if the one being addressed to the honorific is an older male, addressed by a younger male). Also there's a slight twist to Type 3, in which said person is used to address said male's in laws instead of actual older sibling.

Contrast with CoolBigSis, who is less lady-like and more flirty. Often [[GoodBadGirl unapologetically so]]. Due to ValuesDissonance, that is where non-Japanese media examples should go as well.

** Kuroko calls Mikoto this, and [[PowerPerversionPotential teleport-gropes her]] at every opportunity. Kuroko is probably the best known example of the "rejected" version.
** Many other girls at their school also call Mikoto this, (probably) without the lesbian overtones of Kuroko. Mikoto herself is uncomfortable with the term. She does her best to live up to it in public, but among close friends she isn't very lady-like at all, and can be rather childish at times.
** The [[ClonesArePeopleToo Sisters]] all call Mikoto this as well, but in their case they're actually referring to her as their big sister.

* In ''Manga/DearBrother'' the eldest Sorority girls play the role, or are supposed to. Lampshaded by Nanako, who comments on how [[spoiler: "Lady Borgia" Ogiwara and "Lady Mona Lisa" Komabayashi]] were kind to her... [[spoiler: until the Sorority is in risk of being disbanded.]]

* The androids' first appearance in ''Anime/ExcelSaga'' was that they fell in love with who they first saw. One saw Excel, and actually called her this.

** Louise calls her oldest sister, Eleanor, this. Usually while she's absolutely terrified - Eleanor has a temper worse than Louise's own. In this instance it's both a signal that Eleanor demands more formal behavior from Louise, and that Louise fears and is submissive to her. She also calls her other older sister, Cattleya, this, though this time it's out of affection.

* Yuzuki calls her older sister Shizuki "Onee-sama" out of awe in ''Manga/HekikaiNoAion''. Shizuki is the cold and mysterious type but has a soft spot to her twin {{ditz}} sister so the awe is in sign of adoration.

* In ''Manga/LuckyStar'' Minami Iwasaki is very attached to her neighbor Miyuki Takara and accidentally calls her "Onee-chan". Minami appears to have a simlar relationship with Yutaka (but with roles reversed), at least in the eyes of Hiyori who draws Dōjinshi of the two as a {{Yuri}} couple; Yutaka calling Minami "oneesama" even made it into the English dub, though the dub already includes honorifics most of the time.
* The textbook example is ''LightNovel/MariaWatchesOverUs'', where most of the important characters are referred to this way. Sachiko herself is the archetypical Onee-sama, although some fans complain through CharacterExaggeration she has become more aloof in the show than she was in the original novels and manga. Sachiko's aloofness appears to have been toned down considerably in the last season of the anime, making her much more sympathetic.

* Chizuru Naba in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' plays the affectionate (with a little bit of TheTrickster thrown in) type, particularly with her classmate Natsumi (in a twist, Natsumi is actually the ''older'' one, if only by a few months), and combines this with CoolBigSis when she all but adopts Negi's [[HalfHumanHybrid Half-demon]] rival Kotaro. Another example would be Mei's relationship with her upper-classman Takane.

* In the second season of ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'', the three "butterfly monsters" who were tamed after the showdown with Youkai Academy's Public Safety Commission (in the first season) refer to Moka's vampire personality as Onee-sama. In their human bishoujo forms, of course. Similarly, Kokoa, Moka's actual sister, is deeply in love with her vampire personality -- her original personality, actually, with whom Kokoa grew up -- and always calls her Onee-sama. All her intrigues revolve around getting back her Onee-sama from Aono Tsukune who seems to prefer the coy, "illusory" Moka who appears as a result of the original Moka being bound by the eponymous rosario.

* Neviril from ''Anime/{{Simoun}}'' is an Onee-sama figure for both Chor Tempest and the rest of the Sibylla corps. Paraetta is also referred to as Onee-sama, but is more of a {{bifauxnen}} type.

* ''Manhwa/WitchHunter'' : Tania is addressed as Nunim by her younger brother Tarras. Not only because they are from a noble family, but also because [[BigSisterBully Tania did things that better be unspoken]] to her poor ButtMonkey brother, causing him to not only greatly respect her but also fear her.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* Cloche for Sasha in ''VideoGame/ArTonelicoIIMelodyOfMetafalica''. She's an elegant, reserved and affectionate big sister figure. Sasha's adoration can be seen in every one of their conversations.

* An interesting example occurs in ''VisualNovel/KaraNoShoujo'' where the dynamic is clearly in place, but since it takes place in mid 50s Japan the concept hasn't been fully realized yet. Characters clearly fall into the relationship in regards to Orihime Tsukishima, and a sort of prototype is in place regarding Mizuhara and Toko,[[note]]Yukari says the relationship would be described as S for Sisters[[/note]] but the term hasn't been invented yet.

** In [[UpdatedRerelease "The Answer"]] of ''VideoGame/Persona3: FES'', [[spoiler:[[RobotGirl Aigis]]]] is regarded as this by [[spoiler:[[RobotGirl Metis]]]]. And in ''Persona 3 Portable'', Mitsuru's social link is recasted as her being this for the Female Progatonist (still some leftover [[LesYay romantic undertones]], though).

* In ''Franchise/TouhouProject'', Reisen Udongein Inaba often acts as the first type of Onee-sama towards Tewi Inaba, a doting and caring sister. Except that Tewi is quite an ungrateful girl and tends to pull pranks on Reisen instead. Tewi is also the elder of the two being over 1,300 years old. It stuck to her so much that in the semi-canonical ''Inaba of the Moon and Earth'', when Reisen dreamed about Tewi acting like a doted little sister, she considers it weird. When she gets up and see Tewi acting like her usual devil-may-care prankster self, [[WeWantOurJerkBack she hugs her in relief]].

* ''Manga/TokyoMewMew'':
** Minto calls Zakuro "oneesama." Zakuro is older and very serious, and a romantic attraction is definitely implied.
** Pudding to Ichigo to a lesser extent as well

* Yurika, from ''Yurika's Campus Life'', is usually called this way by other women in her university. This implies that either the student's lack of contact with males or Yurika's [[ThePornomancer inexplicable sway over girls]] has somehow created an atmosphere of almost-pure [[YuriGenre yuri]] in the campus, akin to a lewder version of ''LightNovel/MariaWatchesOverUs''.

* Raspberyl from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 3|AbsenceOfJustice}}'' is often called onee-sama (translated as "my lady") by her "delinquent" subordinates Asuka and Kyoko. Considering the nature of "delinquency" in the Netherworld, it's hard to tell just what type of onee-sama she's supposed to be.
* Fuka of ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4| A Promise Unforgotten}}'' is always called onee-sama by Desco. [[spoiler:A somewhat more literal example than the previous, as Desco was created by Fuka's father to be a younger sister for her.]]

* ''Manga/HisAndHerCircumstances'' took this a step down in its [[SomethingCompletelyDifferent tangental]] last episodes, with Yukino's sister the apparent victim of a stalker, culminating in a shy declaration a character wants to be her "oneesan".

* An interesting example occurs in ''VisualNovel/KaraNoShoujo'' where the dynamic is clearly in place, but since it takes place in mid 50s Japan the concept hasn't been fully realized yet. Characters clearly fall into the relationship in regards to Orihime Tsukishima, and a sort of prototype is in place regarding Mizuhara and Toko[[note]]Yukari says the relationship would be described as S for Sisters[[/note]], but the term hasn't been invented yet.

** In The Different story manga [[spoiler:Kyouko]] openly admits to considering Mami her Onee-sama... as to which meaning she had on her mind by that is left ambiguous, but given the series' tendency for [[LesYay yuri undertones]] it's only natural to consider it possible type 2...

* Mami Tomoe is a Type-1 example; an elegant, reserved and graceful older sister figure who rookie magical girls look up to. However, as confirmed by WordOfGod, [[spoiler:this is only a mask used as encouragement to prolong her MagicalGirl role. It breaks in an alternate timeline depicted in episode 10, when upon learning the AwfulTruth about [[BigBad Kyubey]]'s [[CosmicHorrorStory magical girl system]], she [[FreakOut loses it]] and starts destroying the other magical girls' [[SoulJar Soul Gem]]s, believing she's saving them from a FateWorseThanDeath. Fortunately, Madoka destroys Mami's own Soul Gem before there was more than one casualty; unfortunately and ''very'' understandably, poor Madoka has a sobbing meltdown afterwards and Homura has to comfort her]].
** On top of that, in The Different story manga [[spoiler:Kyouko]] openly admits to considering Mami her Onee-sama... as to which meaning she had on her mind by that is left ambiguous, but given the series' tendency for [[LesYay yuri undertones]] it's only natural to consider it possible type 2...

* Mami Tomoe in ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' is a Type-1 example; an elegant, reserved and graceful older sister figure who rookie magical girls look up to. However, as confirmed by WordOfGod, [[spoiler:this is only a mask used as encouragement to prolong her MagicalGirl role. It breaks in an alternate timeline depicted in episode 10, when upon learning the AwfulTruth about [[BigBad Kyubey]]'s [[CosmicHorrorStory magical girl system]], she [[FreakOut loses it]] and starts destroying the other magical girls' [[SoulJar Soul Gem]]s, believing she's saving them from a FateWorseThanDeath. Fortunately, Madoka destroys Mami's own Soul Gem before there was more than one casualty; unfortunately and ''very'' understandably, poor Madoka has a sobbing meltdown afterwards and Homura has to comfort her]].
** On top of that in The Different story manga [[spoiler:Kyouko]] openly admits to considering Mami her Onee-sama... as to which meaning she had on her mind by that is left ambiguous, but given the series' tendency for [[LesYay yuri undertones]] it's only natural to consider it possible type 2...

* In [[UpdatedRerelease "The Answer"]] of ''VideoGame/Persona3: FES'', [[spoiler:[[RobotGirl Aigis]]]] is regarded as this by [[spoiler:[[RobotGirl Metis]]]]. And in ''Persona 3 Portable'', Mitsuru's social link is recasted as her being this for the Female Progatonist (still some leftover [[LesYay romantic undertones]], though).

* Being a walking [[YuriGenre yuri]] cliché, Dallas Wyatt from ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' will call some of her female teammates by this moniker in some interactions (usually when calling the medic for them) if the voices are set to japanese. Alicia seems to hold a special place in her heart ([[GameplayAndStoryIntegration as indicated by her status buff while near her]]), and consistently refers to her as onee-sama even though she doesn't really fit the part. If Dallas is knocked out, she even lets out a weak "Onee-sama..." unless the english voices are on, in which case she only calls for Alicia after [[RagdollPhysics comically ragdolling]].

* ''Manhwa/WitchHunter'' : Tania is addressed as Nunim by her younger brother Tarras. Not only because they are from a noble family, but also because [[BigSisterBully Tania did things that better be unspoken]] to her poor ButtMonkey brother, causing him not only greatly respects her but also fears her.

* Nami occasionally calls Robin "Onee-sama" in ''Franchise/OnePiece'', particularly when she does something that makes her very happy.

* Kazumi Amano from ''Anime/{{Gunbuster}}'' is a classic example of the 'serious' Onee-sama in her [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship relationship]] with series protagonist Noriko. Of course, the first half of the series is an AffectionateParody of classic {{Shoujo}} series like ''Manga/AimForTheAce'' that used this trope without irony or (intentional) subtext. In ''Anime/{{Diebuster}}[=/=]Gunbuster 2'', Nono adopts a reluctant Lal'c as her Onee-sama at first sight.

# The other is the 'serious' one, a girl who seems [[SugarAndIcePersonality cold but enticingly mysterious]]; almost always the [[TheOjou "alpha" schoolgirl]]. As sign that they view themselves as an idol to the rest of their coterie, the {{Ojou}} may demand to be referred to this way. When part of a romance she is likely to act possessively towards her object of affection to disguise her romantic feelings.

# The other is the 'serious' one, a girl who seems [[SugarAndIcePersonality cold but enticingly mysterious]]; almost always the [[TheOjou "alpha" schoolgirl]]. As sign that they view themselves as an idol to the rest of their coterie, the {{Ojou}} may demand to be referred to this way. When part of a [[SchoolgirlLesbians romance]] she is likely to act possessively towards her object of affection to disguise her romantic feelings.

** Kuroko calls Mikoto this, and [[PowerPerversionPotential teleport-gropes her]] [[SchoolgirlLesbians at every opportunity]]. Kuroko is probably the best known example of the "rejected" version.

* ''LightNovel/StrawberryPanic'', essentially a [[{{Moe}} seinen]] {{Flanderization}} of SchoolgirlLesbians shows, has Shizuma. Ironically, however, it's Nagisa who is most often addressed as "oneesama". (Why? Because Shizuma has an even more respectful title unique to Astraea: "Etoile-sama".)

* In the Hatamoto Family arc of ''Manga/DetectiveConan'', Natsue calls her older sister Akie "onee-sama," keeping with the formal modes of address in the family (for example, her aunt Mariko uses "onii-sama" when referring to her older brother -- Akie and Natsue's father). Conan calls Ran by this, though it once (almost) backfires -- when he [[spoiler: temporarily becomes 'normal' again]] and still calls her that, which given the circumstances then is decidedly... odd.

* Similarly, ''Anime/MyOtome'' has Otomes refer to their senior Otomes as Onee-sama, with Shizuru being ''the'' example. Shizuru is known for being unfailingly polite, graceful, and finding reasons to hug the main character randomly. (Shizuru was also an Onee-sama type character in ''Anime/MyHime'' -- on the surface.)