History Main / PreviouslyOverlookedParamour

Perhaps [[WrongGuyFirst the lead was previously with someone else who wasn't right for them]], or even if there wasn't anyone else, [[TwiceShy perhaps the possibility of being in a romance ]] with the lead [[UnknowinglyInLove hadn't necessarily occurred to the suitor]], [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend either]]. Either way, there needs to be an in-universe justification for why the two end up together.

Perhaps [[WrongGuyFirst the lead was previously with someone else who wasn't right for them]], or even if there wasn't anyone else, [[TwiceShy perhaps the possibility of being in a romance ]] with the lead [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend hadn't necessarily occurred to the suitor, either]]. Either way, there needs to be an in-universe justification for why the two end up together.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': While Ginny Weasley had a crush on Harry all the way back in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', Harry was too young and too embarrassed by the attention at the time, seeing Ginny as simply Ron's little sister. After he saves her life, Ginny relaxes around him and they develop a friendship over the years. After Harry's crush on Cho Chang goes south in Fifth Year, by the time ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'' rolls around he finds he's jealous of Ginny's relationship with Dean Thomas, [[spoiler: culminating in the two getting together and later marrying]]. [[spoiler: Ginny later reveals she never lost her feelings for Harry, and was advised by Hermione to date other boys and relax around Harry on purpose to give him a better chance to get to know her as a person, purposely invoking the trope.]]

There can be some crossover with the DoggedNiceGuy, inasmuch as such a character tries to be noticed by someone who previously overlooked them, but the combination of both tropes is not a given.

In any case, once the lead realizes that the suitor is--ahem--[[{{Pun}} suitable]] for them, there is a high chance that the suitor is the match that the lead has been looking for the whole time.

** ParodiedTrope in the episode [[Recap/CrazyExGirlfriendS4E11ImAlmostOverYou "I'm Almost Over You"]]. The episode is set up like a rom-com, with Nathaniel and Maya as the protagonists who should be together, and their exes--Rebecca and Joanne--as {{Romantic False Lead}}s. {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in the end.
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', Amy initially overlooks her childhood friend Rory (partially because she [[MistakenForGay believes him to be homosexual]]) in favour of her infatuation with the Eleventh Doctor, but eventually comes to terms with her own feelings for Rory, who has always been there for her, and whose personality she considers to be the most beautiful she has ever encountered.

-->'''Syd:''' Oh--never mind--sorry, sorry! I just--

-->'''Nina:''' Okay, look, you're a lot of things, including ginger-ish and intermittently ruddy--but you are definitely not my--

* In ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'', Karolina very obviously has a crush on Nico from the very first issue of the series, but Nico remains oblivious until about a quarter of the way through the second series. Alas, by the time she realizes her own feelings for Karolina, Karolina is engaged. They finally become a couple in ''ComicBook/RainbowRowellsRunaways'', over a decade later.

* ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'': Greg is something of a DeconstructedCharacterArchetype of the suitor beneath notice. In season 1, and the beginning of season 2, after starting put as a bartender who isn't afraid to call Rebecca out on her behaviour, he takes the role of the unexpectedly suitable match in relation to Rebecca. She is hung up over Josh, but Greg and Rebecca have far more in common, and their relationship is gradually developed in the background. Lampshaded by Rebecca in a moment of WrongGenreSavvy--she's right in her identification of the trope, but this show isn't a rom-com, and the trope is {{Subverted|Trope}} when Greg decides to leave and pursue his own CharacterDevelopment. When he returns two years later, they have both gone through a lot of CharacterDevelopment; and when they try their relationship again, it is no longer an unexpectedly suitable romance as much as a re-kindled relationship.

In any case, once the lead realizes that the suitor is -ahem- [[{{Pun}} suitable]] for them, there is a high chance that the suitor is the match that the lead has been looking for the whole time.

%%** ParodiedTrope in the episode [[Recap/CrazyExGirlfriendS4E11ImAlmostOverYou "I'm Almost Over You"]]. The episode is set up like a rom-com, with Nathaniel and Maya as Mr. Right There in Front of You to each other, and their exes--Rebecca and Joanne--as {{Romantic False Lead}}s. {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in the end.

* Callum in ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'' had a childhood crush on the PerkyGoth Claudia - right up until she chooses to ignore their friendship in favor of helping her father try to kidnap not just him, but his kid brother along with the titular Dragon Prince. Later, his new friend, the ActionGirl Moonshadow Elf Rayla, kisses him when Callum comforts her during a low moment; he's caught off guard, but the kiss makes his feelings for her crystalize, and they become an OfficialCouple.

* In ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'', the titular protagonist is initially so emotionally stunted by his upbringing in the village that resulted from his parents' deaths and the way the majority of the villagers treated him because of Kurama that he is completely unable to tell the difference between romantic love and the kind of 'love' one would feel for a favorite treat (such as ramen). And as a result, he proves completely oblivious to how Hinata is just about the only one who genuinely likes (and later loves) him for exactly as he is even back when they were both little kids (and the fact that he also ends up developing a shallow crush on Sakura as a result of him coming to view her as a prize to be won in his rivalry against Sasuke (whom Sakura herself likes) certainly doesn't help either). It isn't until long after he's matured and later realized the true nature of different types of love (among other things) that he finally becomes aware of how Hinata had always been willing and able to give him the love and attention he'd wanted for so long even when no one else would. And from there, the two eventually manage to become an official couple.

Perhaps [[WrongGuyFirst the lead was previously with someone else who wasn't right for them]], or even if there wasn't anyone else, [[TwiceShy perhaps the possibility of being in a romance ]] with the lead [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend hadn't necessarily occurred to the suitor, either]]. Either way, there needs to be an in-universe justification for why the two are compatible.

Perhaps [[WrongGuyFirst the lead was previously with someone else who wasn't right for them]], or even if there wasn't anyone else, [[TwiceShy perhaps the possibility of being in a romance ]] with the lead [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend hadn't necessarily occurred to the suitor, either]]. Either way, there needs to be an in-universe justification for why the two end up together.

* In ''Manga/KimiToBoku'', Masaki initially pines for Shun, but eventually begins to fall for Chizuru after he expresses his affection for her, especially considering his kind treatment towards her.

* Booth and Brennan in ''{{Series/Bones}}''. Brennan in particular would deny that she should be with Booth every time it came up in the first few seasons. And both spent the early part of the show feeling they were too different to be compatible.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'', Anna is initially romantically attached to the debonair Prince Hans, but after Hans reveals his true colours as a manipulator and sociopath, Anna starts to contemplate her feelings for Kristoff, the sassy ice harvester who assisted her on her journey. Kristoff himself is initially hesitant to acknowledge that he has feelings for Anna, believing Hans to be her TrueLove, but after it becomes clear that's Hans is the RomanticFalseLead, at the end of the film, he and Anna begin a relationship.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'', Anna is initially romantically attached to the debonair Prince Hans, but after Hans reveals his true colours as a manipulator and sociopath, Anna starts to contemplate her feelings for Kristoff, the sassy ice harvester who assisted her on her journey. Kristoff himself is initially hesitant to believe that he has feelings for Anna, and tries to help her reunite with Hans in spite of them; but by the end of the film (and confirmed in the sequel), he and Anna are an item.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'', Simba and Nala initially react to the notion of their betrothal with revulsion as cubs, since they are JustFriends. When they become adults, they realize that their familiarity as cubs makes them more compatible than they thought.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': In Season 1 episode The Fortune-Teller, Katara initially dismisses Aang as "a sweet little guy, like Momo [their pet lemur]." At the end of the episode, she has this realization when Sokka remarks that Aang is a powerful bender, which is the description the fortune-teller gave her of her future husband.

Perhaps [[WrongGuyFirst the lead was previously with someone else who wasn't right for them]], or even if there wasn't anyone else, [[TwiceShy perhaps the possibility of being in a romance ]] with the lead [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend hadn't necessarily occurred to the suitor, either]]. Either way, there needs to be an in universe justification for why the two end up together.

* In ''Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me'', Freddy Riley spends most of the comic struggling with her on-again off-again relationship with her girlfriend Laura Dean, unaware of the affections of her friend Doodle who's always checking on her.

* Played with in ''ComicBook/SpiderManLovesMaryJane'', where Mary Jane Watson is initally infatuated with the dashing, daring, Spider-Man, but eventually falls for her kind, considerate tutor Peter Parker, with the twist that the suitors are one and the same.

* In ''Film/SetItUp'', neither Harper Moore nor Charlie Young initially realize that they are a suitable match, and respectively pursue relationships with "Golf Guy" and Suze. When these relationships fail, they both realize that they are more suited for each other than their respective bosses, whom they had set up though subterfuge.

* ''Literature/LabyrinthsOfEcho'': Max's initial love interest in the series is the ActionGirl Melamori, but after a series of supernatural occurrences, they must break up under pain of one of them dying. A few novellas later, Max meets Tekhhi, a demure inn proprietor who named her establishment after Max's cats in an attempt to catch his attention, and eventually falls in love with her. The two of them remain together for most of the series until Tekhhi's tragic death. Max is then reunited with Melamori, having found a way to cheat the curse that turned them into StarcrossedLovers.
* In the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' novel ''Mosaic'', Janeway keeps running into her childhood friend Hobbes whenever she's hit a roadblock in her life, and he keeps offering her good advice. At the end of the novel, he tells her that he's tired of going by "Hobbes" because it's actually his middle name, and that his first name is actually Mark. He turns out to be Mark Johnson, Janeway's future fiance.

* In the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' arc ''[[Literature/WarriorCatsDawnOfTheClans Dawn of the Clans]]'', Turtle Tail is about the same age as Gray Wing and likes him, but Gray Wing's too infatuated with Bright Stream, and then Storm, to notice, even when an elder suggests that Turtle Tail might be a good match for him. Finally, Turtle Tail decides to leave the group for a bit, and returns pregnant with another tom's kits. It's after the kits are born that Gray Wing finally realizes his feelings for her and they officially become mates, and [[EveryoneCanSeeIt everyone else congratulates him on finally noticing that they're perfect for each other]].
* While Simon and Baz ARE the OfficialCouple of the book ''Literature/CarryOn'', Simon initially is dating the nice pretty Agatha for half the book. Only when she gets upset with being the StandardHeroReward and Baz messes up by letting shine through that he actually has been in love with Simon for ''years'' does Simon realize that he and his brooding room mate are actually pretty compatible. It takes another quarter of the book and multiple dramatic life-and-death situations for him to actually fall in love though.

%%** ParodiedTrope in the episode [[Recap/CrazyExGirlfriendS4E11ImAlmostOverYou "I'm Almost Over You"]]. The episode is set up like rom-com, with Nathaniel and Maya as Mr. Right There in Front of You to each other, and their exes--Rebecca and Joanne--as {{Romantic False Lead}}s. {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in the end.

* In ''Series/EverythingsGonnaBeOkay'', Drea harbors a crush on classmate Matilda, but Matilda initially brushes her off in favor of Lucas. After being rejected by Lucas, Matilda decides to settle for Drea so that she won't graduate high school dateless, but ultimately grows to genuinely love Drea.

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* ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves'': Penelope joins the gang, and develops a bond with Bentley, but she spends a good portion of the game crushing on Sly, completely obvious to Bentley's own crush on her. However, after being rescued by Captain [=LeFwee=] in the penultimate chapter, she comes to realize her romantic feelings to Bentley, and they hook up. Of course, by ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime'', this was thrown out the window when Penelope reveals her true colors as a manipulator and sociopath.

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* In ''Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me'', Freddy Riley spends most of the comic struggling with her on-again off-again relationship with her girlfriend Laura Dean, unaware of the affections of her friend Doodle who's always checking in on her.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'', Anna is initially romantically attached to the debonair Prince Hans, but after Hans reveals his true colours as a manipulator and sociopath, Anna starts to contemplate her feelings for Kristoff, the sassy Iceman who assisted her on her journey. Kristoff himself is initially hesitant to believe that he has feelings for Anna, and tries to help her reunite with Hans in spite of them, but by the sequel, he and Anna are an item.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'', Simba and Nala initally react to the notion of their betrothal with revulsion as cubs, since they are JustFriends. When they become adults, they realize that their familiarity as cubs makes them more compatible than they thought.

* In ''Literature/BridgetJonesDiary'', the title character meets Mark Darcy, and they initially don't get along. When Bridget's romance with her boss, Daniel Cleaver sours, Bridget discovers that Mark really is her type, a considerate, romantic individual. For his part, Mark eventually realizes that he fancies Bridget as well.
* ''Film/{{Clueless}}'': Near the end of the movie, Cher realizes that she is in love with Josh, her idealist "ex-stepbrother", who is not afraid to call Cher out on her superficiality. Josh's mother and Cher's father had married and subsequently divorced each other when Cher and Josh were younger.

* In the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' novel ''Mosaic'', Janeway keeps running into her childhood friend Hobbes whenever she's hit a roadblock in her life, and he keeps offering her good advice. At the end of the novel, he tells her that he's tired of going by "Hobbes" because it's actually his middle name, and that his first name is actually Mark. He turns out to be Mark Johnson, Janeway's future fiancee.

* ''Literature/TheExpanse'': In ''Cibola Burn'', Elvi Okoye spends most of the book pining for Holden, who is already spoken for and mildly put off by her awkward advances. But, after Fayez explains that [[YouNeedToGetLaid she's just horny]] and that he is available, she consents. Four books later, they're HappilyMarried.
* In the book ''Stranger in the Mirror'' by Cherie Bennett, Callie has always had a big secret crush for her beautiful sister Laurel's boyfriend Jake. She knows as she gets picked on and called a geek regularly by her classmates that she has no chance with him. Only her best friend Addison knows about her crush. It's only when Callie finds a magic pink heart shaped rock that it helps her become beautiful enough for Jake to finally take notice and ditch Laurel for her. However, Jake's true selfish colors are revealed when Laurel gets in a car accident and he couldn't care less. And then it turns out that Callie's best friend Addison has always had genuine unconditional feelings of love and affection for her all while she was crushing on Jake.

* ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'': Greg is something of a DeconstructedCharacterArchetype of the suitor beneath notice. In season 1, and the beginning of season 2, after starting put as a bartender who isn't afraid to call Rebecca out on her behaviour, he takes the role of the unexpectedly suitable match in relation to Rebecca. She is hung up over Josh, but Greg and Rebecca have far more in common, and their relationship is gradually developed in the background. Lampshaded by Rebecca in a moment of WrongGenreSavvy--she's right in her identification of the trope, but this show isn't a rom-com, and the trope is {{Subverted|Trope}} when Greg decides to leave and pursue his own CharacterDevelopment. When he returns, 2 years later, they have both gone through a lot of CharacterDevelopment, and when they try their relationship again, it is no longer an unexpectedly suitable romance as much as a re-kindled relationship.

-->'''Peggy''': I don't even think about you. I mean, I do, all the time. Because you're there...and you're here.

-->'''Shaun:''' Well, no. It's it's true.

** Jane and Vince are Peggy's co-workers who both want to sleep with her. When she later invites them over for a threesome, they are squeamish about touching each other due to their [[LikeBrotherAndSister almost familial]] relationship...until Peggy leaves the room for a few minutes and the two are hammering away so passionately that they gleefully try to make a baby.

* Callum in ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'' had a childhood crush on the PerkyGoth Claudia, but when she chooses to help her Dad over her friendship with him by trying to kidnap not just him, but his kid brother along with the titular Dragon Prince, it subsides. It's not until he's caught off guard by his new friend, ActionGirl, Moonshadow Elf, Rayla, kissing him when Callum comforted her during a low moment that his own feelings for her crystalize, and they become an OfficialCouple.

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!Index: CharactersAsDevice

!Index: CharactersAsDevice, LoveInterests