History Main / SensitiveGuyandManlyMan

* Orderly and sensitive Music/PaulMcCartney and his friend and former bandmate Music/JohnLennon respectively. Of course, Paul was known for his loud and boisterous shows, while John favored the more sedate route.

* ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'': Ralph is the Manly Man to Felix's Sensitive Guy. Ralph's the big guy who punches stuff and is the villain of his game.

* ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'': The Manly Man to Felix's Sensitive Guy. Ralph's the big guy who punches stuff and is the villain of his game.

Occasionally these personality traits extend to their looks. The Manly Man will be tall and well-muscled. The "Sensitive Guy" or "Girly Boy" will be slender. Anime usually gives him a {{Bishonen}} look while Western production might go for a nerdier one. If the characters are both meant to be attractive, the manly guy will often be a {{Hunk}}, and the sensitive one will often be a PrettyBoy.

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/The7D'' has cheerful, enthusiastic, impulsive Happy and wisecracking, tough-talking, no-nonsense Grumpy.
* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' has three primary examples of this:
** A father/son example with Stan and Steve. Stan being an [[{{Jerkass}} arrogant]], stoic, hypermasculine man's man and Steve being a [[DirtyCoward cowardly]], hypersensitive mamma's boy who occasionally shows signs of being spoiled rotten. Much of the show focuses on Stan's involvement in Steve's life as Steve comes of age. The show does invert this at times, with Stan having such a hard time showing emotion that he tends to go to extremes when he does, while Steve continues to grow out of his childishness (albeit at a very slow pace), both of which often have hilarious results. As the show progresses, Stan slowly continues to open up to his family, while Steve grows his own personality.
** Then there's Stan (macho) and Roger (sensitive). Roger is so effeminate and irresponsible, that it results in an even more extreme example of this.
** Steve and Roger are the third variation, though it's dependent on the situation as to who plays who (or to be exact, it's more dependent on which persona Roger's playing).
* WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball: Gumball (manly) & Darwin (sensitive), Gumball is very reckless, blunt, impulsive, and rude, while Darwin is more naive and sympathetic.
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': [[MessianicArchetype Aang]] and Sokka, to an extent, as well as Sokka and [[PlayingWithFire Zuko]]. PersonalityPowers can go a long way towards this trope. Interestingly enough, Sokka switches roles depending on who he's partnered up with. He is manly in comparison to the happy and playful Aang, but sensitive compared with the emotionally-repressed Zuko. But all good male characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender show a sensitive side to some degree.
* Austin from ''WesternAnimation/TheBackyardigans'' is absent from at least 40% of episodes, leaving us with the other two males: the hot-headed Pablo and the soft-spoken Tyrone. When Austin does appear, he is usually a [[NiceMeanAndInBetween middle ground]] for the other two.
* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'': Ben (a male version of Franchise/SailorMoon) and Kevin (the stereotypical bad boy [[spoiler:who averts SaveTheVillain]]).
* ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'': The vindictive title character bent on vengeance to anyone who he feels has wronged him and his friend, the nice [[ExtremeDoormat pushover]] Chris.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'': Sensitive [[HippyTeacher Mr. O'Neill]] becoming friends with manly man [[SadistTeacher Mr. DeMartino]].
* ''WesternAnimation/DocMcStuffins'': Stuffy and Chilly. Chilly's a nervous wreck, while Stuffy, though not hyper-macho, is braver and more dynamic.
* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' alternates this trope with different pairs.
** Shy and polite Edd (sensitive) and loud, short-tempered Eddy (manly).
** Geeky, studious, well-mannered Edd (sensitive) and big, dumb, strong Ed (manly).
** Affectionate, animal-loving GentleGiant Ed (sensitive) and rude, aggressive, ambitious Eddy (manly).
* ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' has the shy and warm-hearted Mac and his rebellious and reckless imaginary friend Bloo. Mac is also considered this to his brother Terrence, who takes on the role as the tough, physically strong, BigBrotherBully.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'':
** Zapp is a classic SmallNameBigEgo Captain and sees himself as a manly courageous stud. Kif, on the other hand, starts out as a weary DeadpanSnarker but grows more into the Sensitive Guy mold through his relationship with Amy.
** Lrrr and Jrrr in "T: The Terrestrial": Lrrr is a very aggressive alien who is a wannabe overlord and has a booming and snarling voice and does not hesitate in invading planets but Jrrr is not interested in invading planets and wants to befriend humans rather than hurt them. Jrrr is Lrrr's 12-year-old son and Jrrr's sensitive nature is what causes Lrrr to become obsessed with making his son into a man through unorthodox means but they fail until Jrrr stands up to his father.
** Fry the SociallyAwkwardHero and Bender the boisterous {{Hedonist}}.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}''. The gargoyles Brooklyn and Broadway. Brooklyn is the more reckless and rebellious member of the Wyvern clan as he frequently questions Goliath's leadership. Broadway, on the other hand, is an easygoing, lovable oaf who likes modern culture and does not question Goliath's authority
* ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'' has Pete, the deep-voiced, dominating, aggressive, bold, easy-to-anger FatBastard who likes to hunt, camp, and play "real" sports, and PJ, the high-voiced [[WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie (even as an adult)]], submissive, passive, shy, vulnerable GentleGiant who likes to engage in casual sports and write and listen to poetry. Pete is PJ's father, and [[AbusiveParents he exploits his son's different nature on some occasions, chastising it on others.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': Daniel "Manly Dan" Corduroy (macho) and Tyler Cutebiker (sensitive). Manly Dan, as shown by his name, is a macho outdoorsman who loves lumberjacking. cutting wood, fishing, and is an aggressive man who can punch down wooden poles and trees with his bare hands. Tyler Cutebiker is more flamboyant and effeminate as he likes wearing jean shorts, goes Christmas shopping when its summer, and likes the boy band Sev'ral Timez.
** Grunkle Stan and [[spoiler: his twin brother Ford]]. Stan is a tough, selfish, BookDumb, world-weary, temperamental, and manipulative con artist, while [[spoiler: Ford is a level-headed, sensible, generous, honest but detrimentally naive {{Bookworm}} and later BadassBookworm. It's heavily implied that Stan has an inferiority complex due to being devalued because of this dynamic[[note]]Everyone around them growing up lauded Ford as a genius while stating that they didn't expect Stan to amount to anything, even though Stan is actually smarter than he believes[[/note]], which is a major component in his falling out with Ford. [[GenerationXerox It's implied that Mabel shares this inferiority complex in regards to Dipper for much the same reason]]]].
** There's also [[spoiler: Ford (the strong) and his friend [[GadgeteerGenius Fiddleford (the soft)]]]]. [[spoiler: Ford is well, as mentioned above and Fidds]] is an ex-hippie who [[BewareTheNiceOnes (usually)]] is as nice as he seems. [[spoiler: They obviously get lots of HoYay moments.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'': the eponymous character (who did everything to be seen as a cool macho man) was paired with the sensitive geek Carl.
* ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'':
** Johnny (manly) and his dog Dukey (sensitive). Johnny is the manly man due to his love for video games and rock music, hatred of cross-dressing even though he does it sometimes, and performs reckless and rebellious behavior while Dukey is the more cautious, emotional, and more effeminate of the two.
** In the episode "Hoist The Johnny Roger", the pirates Blackbeard and Nobeard, who are both brothers. Blackbeard is basically a stereotypical pirate who does the usual pirate things like pilfering and plundering treasure. Nobeard is also a pirate but he is also AmbiguouslyGay as he admitted that he never wanted to be a pirate in the first place but went along with it because piracy was in his family business and he is more interested in finding treasure and using it for pet shops, opera theatre, kitchens, and classical dancing rather than pilfering and plundering like Blackbeard. Both of their crews all fit in this too.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': Stumpy and Quack Quack are both Sensitive Guys to Mr. Cat's Manly Man. Stumpy is a jittery ButtMonkey and KindheartedSimpleton (at least in earlier episodes) and Quack Quack is gentle, sensitive and one of the nicer characters in the show. Meanwhile, Mr. Cat is a weapon-wielding, sarcastic JerkAss who loves torturing Quack Quack.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': Bolin is TheBigGuy, yet he's also the most naive and emotional, compared to [[{{Bishonen}} Mako's]] stoic TeamDad.
* ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop2012'' has cowardly and anxious, but gentle and shy mongoose Sunil Nevla and confident and hammy, but rude and dumb gecko Vinnie Terrio, with smart and organized, but uptight and orderly hedgehog Russell Ferguson in-between.
* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': Chow Hound features a meek mouse and a manly dog.
** '''The Mouse''' No, not again, please, not again! Oh, sir, I beg you to spare me the indignity.
** '''The Dog''' Shyedup! And get to work.
* ''WesternAnimation/MiddlemostPost'': Parker is the cheerful and somewhat effeminate sensitive guy to Angus' tough manly man.
* Mike Chilton and Chuck appear to be this in ''{{WesternAnimation/Motorcity}}'', although Mike, while still the leader of the group and very strong, is actually the group's TeamMom / PapaWolf and is quite sensitive.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyGymPartnersAMonkey'': Adam and Jake are pretty much the {{Expy}} of Mac and Bloo from ''Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends''.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales'': Shy, sensitive, and kindhearted Lancer and macho [[ThePrankster prankster]] Teddy and [[JerkJock jerk jock]] Ace. Lancer tends to side with the girls, while Teddy and Ace are interested in pranking others and sports respectively. Though Teddy is also the sensitive guy to Ace's manly man as he does have a soft side toward Sweetheart and secretly keeps a teddy bear.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': The episode "Twilight's Kingdom" provides a villainous example between Discord (sensitive) and Tirek (manly). One is the lord of chaos... who enjoys tea parties at Fluttershy's and likes pink cotton candy clouds. The other is a big, red, deep-voiced, muscular demon who loves blowing everything up with his power blasts.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePinkPanther'': {{Averted|Trope}} with [[MeaningfulName Manly Man]] (and his [[InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals relatives]]) working with the Pink Panther. The Pink Panther even shows a degree of manliness too. The episode ''7 Manly Men'', a LowerDeckEpisode / ADayInTheLimelight which was a wholly blatant shout-out to YMCA and contained HoYay, was built on this trope - 6 manly men and a sensitive [[EruditeStoner pirate-type guy]]. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7_1HLfwtLk original cartoon in question can be seen here]] (albeit in Spanish, but the 1995 Pink Panther episodes are hard to find, so KeepCirculatingTheTapes applies, and there is currently no DVD of the full 1993 - 1995 series, only Season 1 from 1993, [[BrokenBase which upset the fans]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'': The four boys in the main cast consist of two Sensitive Guys, poetic Mikey and timid, nerdy Gus, and two Manly Men (er, boys), GuileHero T.J. and LovableJock Vince.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'': Kind-hearted Stimpy and ill-tempered Ren respectively.
* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'': The show gives out a grandpa/grandson example with the two titular characters. Rick (manly) is a violently crazy alcoholic MadScientist who is a very snarly and amoral jerkass. His grandson, Morty (sensitive) basically serves as Rick's MoralityPet as he is the more cautious of the two and does not hesitate to call Rick out on his crazy and violent antics.
* ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower'' has the rebellious, manly Otto Rocket and the nerdy, sensitive Sam Dullard. Twister is in-between.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'': Shy and timid Chuckie Finster and adventurous Tommy Pickles. [[GenerationXerox And their respective fathers share the same dynamic.]]
* ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'': Shaggy Rogers (the scrawny, awkward easily frightened one who prefers eating over solving mysteries) and Fred Jones (the brave determined athletic leader of Mystery Inc.)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** Nerdy, sensitive Milhouse being the foil to brash, extroverted mischief-maker Bart.
** Thoughtful, polite, and religious Ned Flanders is a foil to the aggressive, beer-drinking Homer.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/SofiatheFirst Sofia the First]]'' has Prince Hugo (Sensitive Guy) and his older brother Axel (Manly Man). Their father pushes them to be the best at any rugged sport, and the macho Axel appears to take the pressure better than the lovably dorky Hugo, who is visibly affected by peer pressure, not to mention hurt by Axel's emotionally hurtful "jokes".
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':
** This trope is primarily played with the naive and idealistic Butters to the sadistic and aggressive Cartman.
** Adding on to this, the main characters generally form two pairs for who is sensitive and manly respectively. ZigZagged, considering all of them have both masculine and sensitive traits. Stan is an animal lover and usually prefers making peace rather than fighting while Kyle holds the highest morals in the group and is generally the most compassionate of his friends ([[HairTriggerTemper although he has one hell of a temper]]) (Sensitive Guys). On the other hand, Cartman (despite his fondness for tea parties) is forceful, aggressive, and sadistic (though he is mostly a whimp, with some excpetions), while Kenny is primarily interested in sex and drugs and perhaps has been seen crying the least among his friends (Manly Men). Kenny did crossdress as a princess a few times though. Within those specific pairs, Stan (Sensitive) is much less willing to get confrontational about things while Kyle (Manly) is pretty hot-headed, and Kenny (Sensitive) is laid-back, good-natured and quiet while Cartman (Manly) is abrasive, [[LargeHam loud]] and [[{{Jerkass}} inconsiderate]]. Stan is the most sensitive from the main boys, but he is also the only one of them who never crossdressed, is good at sports, has plenty of traditionally masculine interests and occasionally acts as the TeamDad. Butters tends to be the Sensitive Guy to the rest of the main characters in general.
* ''WesternAnimation/SuperNoobs'': Memnock (Type 1 sensitive) and Zenblock (Type 2 manly), the two alien warriors. Memnock is the sensitive guy as he is an immature CampStraight alien who likes cooking, is more reasonable and nice towards children, and has a huge childlike fascination with the many cultures of Earth. Zenblock is the manly man due to his Schwarzenegger like voice, impulsive and reckless JerkWithAHeartOfGold behavior, his skills in mechanics, his dislike of butterflies, and his reluctance with exploring Earth culture. However, Zenblock does join in with Memnock in touring around Earth's cultures if it either involves candy, involves doing childish things, or offers Zenblock a chance to compete against Memnock in something. Both of them also share some manly interests as well such as football, basketball, and fishing.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'': Tick is a huge, burly guy who leaps into action and saves the day even if it means wrestling the tongue of a giant dinosaur man. Arthur is meek and timid, afraid to get into a fight. His {{Battlecry}} is "Not in the face!"
* ''WesternAnimation/TimeSquad'': Buck Tuddrussell (Type 1 macho) and the Larry 3000 (Type 2 sensitive) -- in the first seven episodes of season one, at least. From the episode "Larry Upgrade" to the series finale ("Orphan Substitute"), the pairing went from "Macho Man and Sensitive Guy hanging out with an orphaned eight-year-old history buff" into Larry and Buck acting like a married couple/foster parents to Otto. It doesn't help matters that the Larry 3000 comes off as AmbiguouslyGay at best and CampGay at worst.
* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': The first season is unique in terms of not having just two but three guys fit for this trope with all of them being on the same team. Juvenile {{delinquent}} [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Duncan]] is the manly man while AnimalLover [[GentleGiant DJ]] is the sensitive guy. SurferDude [[NiceGuy Geoff]] personifies both traits of this trope as he is the sensitive to Duncan's manly and the manly to DJ's sensitive. Coincidentally, all three of the guys are the last three members of their team remaining after the merge passed and when Bridgette was eliminated.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'':
** Dr. Venture and Brock Samson (although "sensitive" isn't exactly the best term to describe [[{{Jerkass}} Dr. Venture]])
** The brothers themselves, Hank (manly) and Dean (sensitive). Their dynamic is not dissimilar to Literature/TheHardyBoys, especially early in the series.
** In later seasons, Brock is often paired with Shoreleave on operations. Since Shoreleave is sassy, flamboyant, and ''extremely'' gay, this trope might be expected, but it's averted. Shoreleave is [[AgentPeacock every bit as violent and assertive]] as Brock, managing to be both CampGay and ManlyGay at the same time. He even calls out Pete White as a sissy because he [[MistakenForGay assumes that Pete is in the closet]].
* ''WesternAnimation/XavierRiddleAndTheSecretMuseum'': Brad is the Sensitive Guy to Xavier's Manly Man. Brad is very shy and sensitive, and loves ballet and butterflies, while Xavier is more traditionally masculine and more outgoing.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/{{A3}}'' has Tsumugi and Tasuku as the Sensitive Guy and Manly Man respectively. Tsumugi is a gentle, NiceGuy who is also a CaringGardener and best known for his subtle and delicate acting, whereas Tasuku is a blunt, stoic fitness nut who is a MrFixit and best known for his bold acting. Tsumugi is also slim, whereas Tasuku is muscular and strong enough to give Tsumugi a BridalCarry.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'' has Petey play the sensitive guy to both Gary and Jimmy's manly men.
* Zigzagged and downplayed in ''VideoGame/DeathStranding'', with [[TheProtagonist Sam]] and [[TheLancer Deadman]]. Sam is a WorkingClassHero, who trecks through dangerous terrain and fights [[OurGhostsAreDifferent [=BTs=]]] on the regular, while Deadman is an eccentric scientist who never leaves Capital Knot City and can't fight. When the two are [[spoiler:whisked away by a time supercell that puts them on a World War II era battlefield]], Sam has to do the actual fighting to get them back home, while Deadman can only hide and wait in fear. It gets subverted when it comes to their personalities and emotions: Sam is very shy and submissive in pretty much all social interactions, he's prone to crying and immidietly bonds with the [=BB=] he travels with, and while Deadman isn't emotionless, exactly, he's way more subdued and rational, especially at the start of the game.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': Pankraz and Sancho. Pankraz is a brooding, stoic swordsman who tries to keep his emotions in check for his son's sake. His servant and friend Sancho is a pugdy, kind-hearted man who wears his heart on his sleeve at all times.
* ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'' has Kuro and Shu: Kuro being a rough-speaking, reserved, karate-performing former delinquent, and Shu being a fussy, elitist, and prissy fashion designer. However, don't mistake sensitivity for kindness - while Kuro looks intimidating, he's a very caring big brother figure, while Shu is an arrogant JerkWithAHeartOfGold. The two are ChildhoodFriends, and naturally, a fairly popular ship. Less obviously, Keito could also qualify as a Sensitive Guy to Kuro's Manly Man - he's more gender-neutral than feminine, but he's far less physically fit than the other members of his unit and is just as fussy and particular as Shu when it comes to rules, not to mention being far more easily swept up in emotion (albeit to his own embarrassment).
* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' and All Roads in particular casts [[SmugSnake Benny]] and [[NiceGuy Swank]] like this. Benny is scheming to take on Vegas, Swank is worried about the extremes he'll go to... and about him getting cigarette burns on the carpets.
* The Jin brothers from the ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' series. The sensitive guy of the brothers is Chonshu since some people think that [[DudeLooksLikeALady he's a girl]], plus he has a feminine voice. The manly man is Chonrei, who is a KnightTemplarBigBrother.
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
** Dorcas and Bartre in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'', exemplified in their support conversations: Bartre is a HotBlooded BoisterousBruiser whose solution to every problem is punching things in the face, while Dorcas is calm, paints as a side hobby and fights to earn money to support his sick wife. Interestingly, both are Axe Fighters, the archetypal "manly" class in the series.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'': The Golden Deer house has the merchant-born childhood friends Raphael and Ignatz. Raphael is a BoisterousBruiser who is passionate about building his muscles, wants to protect everyone, loves jumping right into the fray, and deeply wants to become a knight. Ignatz is shy, artistic, awestruck by beauty, prefers more refined fighting styles, and it's implied he's only becoming a knight instead of a professional artist because his family expects him to.
* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'': This game gives out a father/son example in the form of Kratos (manly) and his son Atreus (sensitive). Kratos, as shown in the games he appeared in is a reckless and angry demigod who has killed a lot of gods and is very impulsive, even though in the reboot, he is trying to work on his temper. Atreus is a young boy who is not very comfortable with killing unless if he is helping his dad fight monsters.
* Parodied in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' with the television show "The Men's Room With Bas And Jeremy", Jeremy St. Ives being an [[AmbiguouslyGay effeminate]] pacifist who's main advice usually revolves around "rectal marital issues" and "colon cleansing", and former ultimate fighter Bas Rutten ([[AsHimself as he is portrayed]] [[InkSuitActor in this game]]) being a [[TestosteronePoisoning hyper-masculine]], borderline AxCrazy who's every sentence eventually devolves into violence sprinkled with gore.
* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'': Sol Badguy the eternally-pissed off rogue Gear with his HeroicBuild, [[SirSwearsALot mouth like a Marine]] and heavy smoking is a sure-fire Manly Man to Ky Kiske, a dutiful knight who [[RealMenWearPink collects tea-cups]] and dearly loves his CuteMonsterGirl wife Dizzy. That said, Ky is no weakling or pushover, and Sol is a HeartbrokenBadass once you get past the tough-guy image.
* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'': Brusque warlord Kain is a Manly Man while thoughtful, angsty Raziel is a Sensitive Guy. This trope can also apply to Manly Man Vorador (callous, violent, has a harem) and his sire Sensitive Guy Janos Audron (kind, understanding, hermetic).
* Link and Prince Sidon from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild''. Link is a short, slim LongHairedPrettyBoy Hylian boy who looks [[AttractiveBentGender very pretty]] when DisguisedInDrag. Sidon is a tall and [[{{hunk}} muscular]] [[FishPerson Zora]] man. Inverted personality-wise as Link is TheStoic with occasional elements of JerkWithAHeartOfGold while Sidon is very charismatic, expressive, and always acts as a NiceGuy even when chastising Muzu for his [[FantasticRacism anti-Hylian prejudice]]. Link is also a powerful knight, subverting the "weak" cliche.
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' has James Vega as the "manly man" and Steve Cortez as the "sensitive guy". James is a BoisterousBruiser full of macho bravado who refuses to show sadness (although he has plenty to be sad about). Steve Cortez is emotionally drained but far more level-headed shuttle pilot (although he can hold his own in combat), and at one point openly weeps in front of Commander Shepard. Steve is also less built than James, but not by much.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' and Proto Man, with Mega Man being the Sensitive Guy and Proto Man being the Manly Man. Also ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' and Zero. This last one is particularly interesting in that the one who [[ViewerGenderConfusion viewers have sometimes mistaken for a girl]] isn't X but Zero, the Manly Man of the equation. Likely because his creator saw it fit to give him [[{{Bishonen}} flowing, hips-long hair and such other characteristics]].
* Solid Snake (manly man) and Otacon (sensitive guy) from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' are ''made of'' this trope, although Snake's more philosophical and Otacon's sexual history is significantly more important to the plot than Snake's. And both are as emotionally needy as each other, although they show it in different ways.
* Zigzagged in ''VideoGame/Persona4'' with Ryotaro Dojima and Tohru Adachi. At work, Dojima is the grizzled, hard-boiled Manly Man to Adachi's goofy and bumbling Sensitive Guy. However, they switch places off the clock; Adachi is the snide and antisocial Manly Man to Dojima's soft-spoken and paternal Sensitive Guy.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Archie and Maxie, the villains from ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'', give this impression, with Archie being the manly man and Maxie being the sensitive guy.
** Red and Blue's [[KidHeroAllGrownUp adult designs]] in ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon''. Red is a tall and slightly muscular young man while his friend Blue is slimmer and {{bishonen}}. Less so from a personality standpoint, but Blue is still more emotional than the [[TheStoic stoic-looking]] PerpetualFrowner that is Red.
* ''VideoGame/RadiantHistoria'' features protagonist Stocke and his best friend Rosch. Rosch is the [[TheBigGuy big, burly]] [[TheCaptain Captain]] and SupportingLeader, while the slim, {{Bishonen}} Stocke is TheConfidant and TheAce. Despite [[TheStoic his demeanor]], Stocke is also a [[NiceGuy ridiculously nice guy]] who's surprisingly good with people, even helping Rosch with [[MatchmakerQuest relationship problems.]]
%% * In ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'', the exuberant, [[AwesomeEgo boastful]] and free-spirited Sonic is the Manly Man to the [[NiceGuy good-natured]] Tails' Sensitive Guy. And Knuckles is the Manly Man to Sonic's Sensitive Guy.
* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' has Claw as the Sensitive Guy and Boxer as the Manly Man.
* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
** Mario and Luigi, to some extent. Mario has a quick-to-act get-up-and-go fearless attitude, while Luigi has a hesitant, cautious, and timid demeanor. "Mario" [[MeaningfulName even means]] "manly".
** Then there's aggressive, HotBlooded Manly Man Bowser that Mario becomes a Sensitive Guy to.
** One of the partners in the ''Paper Mario'' series follows this trope too. Kooper is the Manly Man, who is more adventurous, brave, and being much more fearless, in comparison to Koops, being the Sensitive Guy who is much more shy, timid, and clumsy.
** Count Bleck of ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' is a melodramatic cape-swooping bad guy whose entire villainous motivations stem from his emotions towards [[TheLostLenore losing his only love]]. To contrast him, O'Chunks is a loud ViolentGlaswegian who acts as one of his villainous enforcers. And he usually leaves the scene by [[{{Fartillery}} farting away]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' has [[DemBones skeleton]] brothers, Sans and Papyrus. Sans is [[TheSlacker lazy]] and secretly cynical, loves pranking others, spending time in bars and sleeping and is [[spoiler: insanely powerful and willing to kill you [[ThatOneBoss over and over again]] if you go too far]], making him the manly man, while his younger brother Papyrus is a cheerful and [[SmallNameBigEgo egotistical]] [[NiceGuy sweetheart]] and optimist who loves creating puzzles, cooking spaghetti, and while still powerful, [[spoiler: he is far less powerful than Sans and]] he is not willing to kill you, no matter what- he in fact SPARES YOU immediately on Genocide Run, where you killed everyone before him just to help you become a better person and on Pacifist/Neutral run, he specifically wants to capture you, not kill you and will end the fight if your HP drops to 1- making him more sensitive of the two.
* ''VideoGame/WildArms1'' has Rudy and Jack. Rudy is a kind hearted and idealistic hero who will do anything to help and protect others while Jack is a cynical [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Jerk with a Heart of Gold]] who gets very aggressive when dealing with the demons attacking the world.
* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' we have the King of Stormwind Varian [[ConflictBall Wrynn]] as the manly man, and due to his [[CharacterizationMarchesOn characterization]] from the third expansion onwards, his son, [[RebelPrince Prince]] [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething Anduin Wrynn]], as the Sensitive Guy. Of course, RuleOfDrama extends this dichotomy to cause them to have a rather dysfunctional father and son relationship, and [[ConflictBall opposing]] [[MartialPacifist views]] on how to solve the [[GreyAndGrayMorality ongoing conflict]] with the rival faction of the Horde.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* KindheartedSimpleton Kenneth Parcell and FratBro Tracy Jordan in ''Series/ThirtyRock''.
* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica1978'' has the cigar-chomping Starbuck and the mild-mannered Boomer.
* Howard and Raj on ''Series/TheBigBangTheory''. Raj is sensitive and utterly CampStraight (Or possibly Camp Bi) while Howard is the CasanovaWannabe.
* ''Series/BlakesSeven'' often teamed up the meek, cowardly Vila with the cynical, snarky Avon.
* ''Series/BreakingBad'':
** Walter White and his brother in law, Hank Schrader, [[CharacterisationMarchesOn at first.]] Hank is brash, crude and boisterous, an avid sports fan and gun enthusiast, and his work as a DEA agent often puts him in danger. Walt is a mild-mannered and milquetoast high school chemistry teacher, much more of an intellectual and something of a dork. As the show progresses, however, they both shift around the spectrum: Hank reveals an increasing amount of emotional problems and insecurities, as well as some [[ClosetGeek nerdy interests,]] while Walter becomes increasingly cold, ruthless and dangerous.
** Walt (gruff, stoic) and Jesse (emotional) also have this going on.
* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'':
** Detectives Jake Peralta and Charles Boyle are Manly and Sensitive respectively. Jake is a childish, athletic, and very enthusiastic detective with compulsions to act out action-hero fantasies who excels as a detective through a combination of natural knack and sheer luck. Charles is a submissive, eager-to-please foodie who gets by as a detective through sheer effort and who is very insecurely defensive of his place as Jake's best friend and #1 choice to partner on cases.
** Many other character pairings produce the paradigm, such as the two commanders of the 99; yogurt-loving, 'proud mama hen' and doting father Sergeant Terry Jeffords and stoic, professional Captain Raymond Holt.
* On the series ''Series/{{Caprica}}'' there are the Adama brothers, [[ManlyTears Joseph]] and [[ManlyGay Sam]].
* ''Series/ChoujuuSentaiLiveman'' [[ThreePlusTwo gains a duo who fit this trope mid-season]]: [[TheLancer Tetsuya Yano/Black Bison]] and [[KidAppealCharacter Jun'ichi Aikawa/Green Sai]] (Rhino). Tetsuya is overall more tough and more stoic than Jun'ichi, and is shown practicing boxing in the opening credits. Jun'ichi, the youngest of the Livemen and still in high school, is generally more "heart on his sleeve" and appears more emotionally invested in the scenarios that Brain Army Volt cooks up. When he becomes a [[MrSeahorse host]] for a [[MonsterOfTheWeek Brain Beast's]] offspring in one episode, he even eventually becomes (emotionally) attached to the progeny. When Tetsuya first refers to Jun'ichi, he describes him as his like his "little brother", while Jun'ichi always calls Tetsuya "Tet-chan"; "-chan" being a Japanese honorific suffix indicating strong affection. To symbolize their bond in a fairly literal way, their respective mechs Bison Liner and [[AwesomeMcCoolname Sai Fire]] combine into the giant robot [[CombiningMecha Live Boxer]].
* Also played with in ''Series/CriminalMinds'': From their first appearances, Morgan and Reid seem set up to be this trope (Morgan is playing a vaguely "educational" drinking game with a [[ChickMagnet group of women]], whereas Reid, the genius prodigy, is interrupting mentor/team leader Gideon's lecture on profiling and tailing him like a puppy). As the series goes on, though they both display examples of following the trope (e.g., Morgan is the team's designated door-kicker and likes portraying himself as either a ladies' man or strong enough to handle anything, while Reid prefers trying to talk unsubs down from confrontations, very visibly has trouble with some cases, is a DistressedDude, and can barely talk to a woman outside of his mother or the context of work), and going against it (e.g., Reid takes cases personally hard, but has had to work at making himself more sympathetic and tactful toward victims and persons of interest, while Morgan often ends up in a nurturing role towards other team members, especially Garcia and Reid). One typically masculine trait both of them share? Although Reid's emotional responses to situations are more visible, more often than not, [[MenDontCry both are loath to talk about their feelings]].
* ''Literature/DalzielAndPascoe''. Peter Pascoe is the modern, thoughtful, psychologically-trained police officer, Andy Dalziel is pure OldFashionedCopper.
* Womanizer rocker Drake and nerdy shy guy Josh from ''Series/DrakeAndJosh''.
* ''Series/EastEnders'' has the wimpy and weak, emotionally vulnerable Ian Beale (sensitive) and the tough and violent, thuggish Phil Mitchell (manly).
* In ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' the greedy thug Jayne, is hostile toward the classy doctor Simon. Their contrasting personalities are best seen in "Jaynestown" where Jayne feels comfortable in the rough, poor world and Simon clings to being proper. Their rivalry is best seen in "Ariel" when Jayne demands that Simon be left on the core planet after being stabbed by Simon's sister. Mal then deals with Jayne's defensiveness and Simon's concern for his sister.
* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'':
** Martin Crane is a tough, no-nonsense former cop, while his two sons are sophisticated psychiatrists who are into high art.
** Niles is the sensitive guy to Frasier's manly man, by a ''very'' narrow margin. Both are pretty sensitive, but Niles' fussy, effeminate manner and weak constitution put him over the top.
** At the radio station, Frasier is often pitted against sports show host Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe, a crass, short-tempered, womanizing JerkJock.
* ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'': Will is the cool ladies man (manly) and Carlton is a studious HollywoodDateless dork (sensitive).
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'':
** Chandler (sensitive) and Joey (manly). Generally, Joey will sleep with girls for a night and Chandler will make them breakfast the next morning.
** Played with in one episode: Phoebe was dating two guys at the same time, a manly fireman named Vince and a sensitive teacher named Jason. She tries to break up with Vince but discovers that's he's also sensitive and artistic to boot ("He has access to lots of charcoal"). She tries to break up with Jason while he's fixing up his apartment, and he's totally hunky. In the end, both break up with her after they meet and learn the truth.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
** Renly is sensitive, thoughtful, smart, politically savvy, and doesn't particularly like fighting, in contrast to his whoring, war-hero, drunkard of a brother, Robert, and notable warrior Stannis. This dynamic is also present in Renly's relationship with Loras. Renly looks tougher, but has never seen a battle; Loras is a very pretty, very dangerous knight.
** Samwell Tarly is a meek and sensitive young man who loves books, music, and kittens. His best friend is Jon Snow, a bold young man of action who yearns to be a ranger.
* In ''Series/{{Garo}}'': Kouga Saezima is the serious, no-nonsense, straightforward, and dutiful Makai Knight is Manly Man to Rei Suzumura who is cheerful, quite playful and also relaxed with a high level of emotions. But in Makai Senki, Kouga still remains manly as the previous series but with the capability to show his nice side. And Leo the idealist nice guy and emotional is obviously the Sensitive Guy among Kouga and Rei Manliness.
* On ''Series/{{Glue}}'', best friends Rob and James fit this pattern. Rob is what passes for a manly man at their age: he's the LifeOfTheParty, cocky and self-important, and claims his basic necessities are "food, a roof, weed, pussy, and Mars bars!". James, meanwhile, is introverted and introspective, waxes poetic about the countryside (when he's not being TheQuietOne, that is), says things Rob deems "cheesy", and is an all-around sensitive soul.
* In ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'', Will Graham is a scruffy loner who likes fishing, drinking, and dogs, while Hannibal Lecter is an erudite European socialite whose hobbies include art, composing for the harpsichord, and gourmet cooking. [[ItWasHisSled Also, Hannibal's a psychopathic cannibal serial killer]]. Unusual in that the more outwardly masculine of the two is also the more emotionally sensitive and mentally fragile, to the point where it's the [[BlessedWithSuck awful superpower]] he has to wield against Hannibal.
* Richie on ''Series/HappyDays'' was the humdrum NiceGuy while the Fonz was...well, the Fonz.
* ''Series/TheHardyBoysNancyDrewMysteries'': Almost right down to a T: Frank Hardy, Manly (Parker Stevenson being the muscled prep-school jock into surfing). Younger Brother Joe, Sensitive (Shaun Cassidy, slender teen-idol musician). Interesting to note, this is the absolute opposite of the way things were in the books: usually Frank is the intellectual one more likely to enjoy art, and Joe is the more athletic jock. Though the show occasionally played with it by having Frank shove Joe out front in dangerous situations:
-->''(as the brothers are about to step into a crypt containing god-knows-what)''
-->'''Joe:''' Well...you're the oldest.
-->'''Frank:''' Yeah, but you're more agile on your feet--and stronger.
-->'''Joe:''' Since ''when?''
-->'''Frank:''' Since right now.
* ''Series/HomeImprovement''. Tim was a tool-loving manly-grunting man and Al was the sensitive and overly emotional type (though still very burly and masculine-looking). Being a real man was one of the show's main themes and Al's sissy-ness was the butt of many jokes but Al was shown to be much smarter than Tim. In addition, they were united as an OddCouple by their mutual love of craftsmanship. Tim was also contrasted with his neighbor Wilson, an introspective RenaissanceMan. Tim himself embraces TestosteronePoisoning to the degree that ''every'' other man on the show looks like the sensitive guy in comparison.
* ''Series/HouseOfAnubis'':
** Fabian is the sensitive one, being an ExtremeDoormat, while Eddie is a bit TroubledButCute. Same story with Fabian and LovableJock Mick.
** Also with Manipulative, JerkWithAHeartOfGold Jerome (manly) and ClassClown Alfie (sensitive).
* Barney, TheCasanova {{Jerkass}} and Ted, the DoggedNiceGuy, from ''Series/HowIMetYourMother''. Marshall qualifies as the sensitive guy as well. This might be more of a GentleGiant thing though.
* ''Series/KenanAndKel'' has impulsive and ambitious schemer Kenan and neurotic, cautious and childish Kel.
* ESPN's ''Mike and Mike in the Morning'' show uses this trope, with Mike Golic (a former NFL defensive lineman) as the manly man and Mike Greenberg as the Sensitive Guy. One of the features of their column in ''ESPN the Magazine'' is the "Manly/Metro tip", with Golic's "manly" tip accompanied by an icon of a beer mug and Greeny's "Metro" tip accompanied by an icon of a martini glass.
* ''Series/ModernFamily'':
** Jay, a stoic former military man with fifties-era values of manliness, is often embarrassed by his touchy-feely son-in-law Phil, who is not only incompetent at most masculine interests, but also has a stereotypically female job (realtor), and was a male cheerleader to boot.
** Phil's main competitor in realty is Gil Thorpe, who has a JerkJock personality.
** Played with Mitchell and Cameron. Physically, Cameron is the bigger and stronger than the two, and was even a football star in high school, yet is by far the most sensitive of the two; while skinny Mitchel is (relatively) StraightGay and takes the role of disciplinarian in the household.
** Artsy, mature for his age Manny contrasts with Luke, who is more of a typical HormoneAddledTeenager.
* Subverted in ''Series/MyThreeSons''. Bub O'Casey is a gruff housekeeper while Steve Douglas is a levelheaded aeronautical engineer.
* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' has [=McGee=], who is more or less a CampStraight, and Tony, who, hiding his true side behind a jerkass mask, constantly derides him for it. Interestingly, [=McGee's=] 'soft side' tends to get him dates; Tony, more of a slick [[TheCasanova womanizer]] by nature, often sticks his foot into his mouth by making fun of [=McGee's=] feminine tendencies in front of sympathetic ladies. It's also played with in that, while Tony is a tough guy type, more physically capable and stereotypically masculine than [=McGee=] (he's a street-smart athlete to [=McGee=]'s academia and noodle-arm), he's also a dedicated follower of fashion where [=McGee=] wore the same suit for his first four seasons. He makes fun of [=McGee=] for moisturizing, but he spends $100 on a tie.
* Noah (sensitive) and Wade (manly) from ''Series/NoahsArc''. Also, to an extent Junito (sensitive) and Ricky (though Ricky's "manly" tends to be sexually aggressive and detached).
* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' likes to contrast manly man Ron Swanson with overenthusiastic New Age health nut Chris Traeger.
** There's also Ron from Eagleton, who certainly looks like a Manly Man (he's played by Sam Elliot, whose mustache puts Nick Offerman's to shame). Swanson initially likes the other Ron ... until he discovers the other Ron is a vegetarian sandal-wearing practitioner of yoga, at which point his comment is "I no longer like Ron."
* British cop shows love this. In the late 70s and early 80s, ''Series/TheProfessionals'' had the rough, tough, SAS-trained Bodie and the more gentle and sophisticated Doyle.
** ''Series/LifeOnMars2006'' borrowed from this trope and had the [[TheWoobie sensitive]], ByTheBookCop Sam Tyler working with the [[TestosteronePoisoning ridiculously macho]] CowboyCop, Gene Hunt.
** In the follow-up series ''Series/AshesToAshes2008'' the roles are delegated to ThoseTwoGuys Chris and Ray.
* Doctor Cox (manly man) and JD in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''. Also, to some extent, Turk and JD, though, while Turk is quite sensitive himself, he cannot compare to JD.
* Franchise/StarTrek
** ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': Best friends Tom Paris and Harry Kim. Paris is an extroverted, HandsomeLech ex-con who's into [[FanOfThePast muscle cars]]; Kim is the musically inclined, duty-bound officer with a steady girl back home (well, at first, before he goes full-on FatalAttractor).
** ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': Elnor (LongHairedPrettyBoy) is sensitive, having been raised by women and being open about his feelings, whereas Rios (TallDarkAndHandsome) is rugged and manly as well as more emotionally guarded.
* ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'' stars twin boys where Cody loves school and cooking while Zack is the more ''cool'' brother. Zack does have his sensitive moments though especially in "On Deck". Most notably in "Flowers and Chocolate" when he is seen bawling during a romantic film.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' appears to be a textbook version of this trope, but hard-drinking and -playing, gun-happy 'Manly Man' Dean is more often in a [[PromotedToParent nurturing]] role than [[BigBrotherInstinct little brother]] [[{{Protectorate}} Sam]], and will unashamedly cry where his family's concerned. While Sam's more likely to cry even for strangers and prefers nonviolent paths, he becomes single-minded enough to forsake his characteristic empathy [[DespairEventHorizon under the wrong circumstances]]. [[CorruptTheCutie Which]] [[BreakTheCutie are]] [[DeusAngstMachina common.]]
** Pertinent to this trope, many of Dean's jokes make the punchline Sam's lack of (what he sees as) masculinity. Although Sam does get his own back occasionally:
--->'''Dean:''' Of course, the most troubling question is, why do these people assume we're gay? \\
'''Sam:''' Well you are kind of butch, they probably think you're overcompensating.
* ''Series/That70sShow'':
** Eric the nice guy (sensitive) and Hyde the TroubledButCute "bad boy" (manly).
** Fez the CampStraight foreign kid (sensitive) and Kelso the dumb narcissistic ladies man (manly).
* Jack is Manly and Ianto is Sensitive in ''Series/{{Torchwood}}''.
* The two brothers on ''Series/TwoAndAHalfMen'' fulfill this stereotype to the letter. Charlie is arrogant, hedonistic and ReallyGetsAround, Alan is a neurotic ButtMonkey who's awkward with women.
* Matt the LovableJock and Tyler the JerkJock in the early episodes of ''Series/TheVampireDiaries''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Creator/JaneAusten loves this trope:
** ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'': Mr. Darcy is the TroubledButCute {{loner|sAreFreaks}} (the Bad Boy of his time, [[HiddenDepths at least on the surface]]), and his best friend Mr. Bingley is perfect, charming, agreeable, and too easily swayed by others.
** ''Literature/SenseAndSensibility'' has shy, sweet Edward Ferrars and world-weary ex-soldier Colonel Brandon whose favorite hobby is suffering quietly.
** In ''{{Literature/Emma}}'' there's Mr. Knightley, the very organized authority figure who always speaks his mind (in a way that could potentially be misconstrued as rude) and Frank Churchill, who loves parties and dancing at balls.
** ''Literature/NorthangerAbbey'' has two brothers. The elder, Captain Tilney, is a soldier who likes 'sowing his wild oats,' whereas his younger brother Henry is a clergyman who likes reading novels.
* The submissive, always crying [[TheWoobie Mock Turtle]] and the gruff, impatient [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Gryphon]] from ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland''.
* ''Literature/TheBible'':
** Jacob and his brother Esau make this trope OlderThanFeudalism.
** CainAndAbel, too.
* In ''Literature/CalebWilliams'', Falkland is the Sensitive Guy to Tyrrel's Manly Man. Manly Tyrrel is furious at being unseated by "this Frenchified rascal."
* Played with in ''Darkfall'' by Creator/DeanKoontz. Two supporting characters are introduced early on, the meek-looking, bowtie-wearing Nevetsky and the tough, mean-looking Blaine. Jack Dawson assumes Nevetsky is the Sensitive Guy and Blaine the Manly Man; in reality, the big and tough Blaine is the kind and gentle one while the less intimidating-looking Nevetsky is the loudmouthed, antagonistic brutish one.
* In "De skandalösa" by Creator/SimonaAhrnstedt, Gabriel Gripklo (seemingly roguish) and his friend Ossian Bergman (nerdy and noble) have this kind of dynamic.
* Nick and Alan in ''Literature/TheDemonsLexicon'' by Sarah Rees Brennan. Since they're brothers it also makes them a case of SiblingYinYang.
* Best friends Ishmael and Razz from ''Literature/DontCallMeIshmael''. Ishmael is quiet, sensitive, at one point faints due to nervousness, and avoids conflict to the extent that he lets bullies walk all over him. He prefers writing to physical activity. Razz is very loud, athletic, loves attention and while he doesn't intentionally hurt people, he sometimes makes very insensitive comments. The contrast between the two is shown in a scene where Ishmael refuses to watch a video of [[BuxomIsBetter one of their friends]] undressing (that was recorded without her knowledge), while [[ChivalrousPervert Razz]] tries to persuade Ishmael to watch it.
* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', Beckram is an irresponsible ladies' man, while his twin brother Erdrick is rather shy, likes to read, and is described as "coward" by their cousin Ward, the protagonist. Then there is Ward, who is loud, brutish and stupid, and his brother Tosten who is sensitive, easily startled, and a talented harper and bard. Only that Ward's stupidity is an act, he's actually a GentleGiant, who is able to talk quietly if he wants to.
* Druss and his [[HeterosexualLifePartners nearly lifelong companion]] Sieben in the Literature/{{Drenai}} saga. Druss is a powerful warrior, deadly with a battle-ax; Sieben is a wand-slim poet obsessive about his appearance -- in one scene he inwardly fumes when the coverings of the chair he's forced to sit in clashes with his shirt.
* In ''Literature/EnochArden,'' Philip and Enoch are this respectively, though neither is a caricature. Enoch is described as a bold and dashing sailor, confident, and physically strong (but not reckless, and a caring family man). Philip cries more easily as a boy, and in his [[RomancingTheWidow courtship of Annie]] he is very gentle and sensitive to her feelings (but he also works hard in his mill, and he bottles up his feelings for years after Annie marries Enoch).
* {{S|tepfordSmiler}}kylar and [[TroubledButCute Rafael]] in ''Literature/GivesLight''. Skylar is mellow and thoughtful while Rafael is quick to settle arguments with his fists. In a subversion, though, Rafael likes art, romance, and fairy tales, while Skylar likes baseball and slasher flicks.
* ''Literature/GotrekAndFelix''. As a swashbuckling adventurer poet who travels the world, CoolSword in hand, and woos all kinds of exotic foreign women as he goes, Felix would be a manly protagonist indeed... if only he wasn't in the TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} world. So instead he plays second-fiddle to a psychotic dwarf [[DeathSeeker Slayer]] who has personally slain giants, vampires, dragons the length of football fields, and the physical manifestations of rage and violence from the most psychotic [[TheBerserker Berserker]] WarGod in fiction. Poor guy.
* ''Literature/TheHardyBoys'' books use this for Frank and Joe. Frank is the more intellectual, cool-headed brother who likes art, literature, and strategy. Joe is the athletic hot-headed sports-fan who likes to charge in headfirst. While this only showed up in faint traces in earlier books, in more recent series, after a small bit of Flanderization, it's become much more prominent, with the boys actually arguing about which is the better tactic when it comes to solving a case.
* In ''Literature/HoratioHornblower'', Hornblower and his NumberTwo, Bush, are this kind of pair. Hornblower is a broody, self-loathing mess when he's not being a brilliant naval captain and can't stop thinking about the prospect of death and mutilation in battle even if he never shirks from it. Bush is a stolid and [[TheStoic stoic]] LightningBruiser who's unfazed by hardship but also lacking in Hornblower's genius.
* In ''Literature/TheHungerGames'', Katniss begins to see potential loves interests in two guys, Peeta, the baker's son who decorates the cakes and Gale, her hunting partner. Gale is angry with the Capitol for making them participate in the games while Peeta is reflective of how he can maintain his identity in the games despite the Capitol using them.
%% * Jem Carstairs and Will Herondale from ''Literature/TheInfernalDevices''.
* ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies''' Ralph is the sensitive guy to Jack Merridew's manly man. Red-haired Jack is aggressive, even downright brutal, and loves confrontation, compared to fair-haired Ralph who dislikes violence and is much more of a pacifist. They even practice different activities, as Ralph usually stays in the same place, watching over the younger boys and trying to assure them their safety, while Jack runs around the entire island and is obsessed with hunting and killing animals.
* To an extent, Crowley and Aziraphale from ''Literature/GoodOmens'' fit this trope, although this might also be because they are a Demon and an Angel, respectively. It should also be noted that the reason they each like the other so much is because Crowley sees Aziraphale as being just enough of a bastard to like, and Aziraphale sees Crowley as just enough of a good person not to hate, much to both of their chagrin.
* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': Boromir and Faramir, sons of the Steward of Gondor, fit this trope to a "T": Boromir is a mighty warrior and military leader, interested in warfare and little else, Faramir loves poetry and lore (although he's also a soldier). In this case, the difference is mostly one of attitude - Boromir loves fighting and being a soldier for its own sake (though he's guided by a strong sense of honor, duty, and patriotism) while Faramir views soldiering as a service he must render for the good of his people even though he's a scholar by inclination. Unlike most examples, both brothers truly love each other unconditionally and appreciate their differences. The only source of friction comes from their [[AbusiveParents asshole of a father]] Denethor who [[ParentalFavoritism openly favors Boromir and treats Faramir like crap.]]
* In ''Literature/TheMoomins'', Sniff is so cowardly and delicate, that Moomin and Snufkin have no problem looking manly in comparison.
* Alec Lightwood and Jace Wayland from ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments''. Alec is shy, reserved, and is easily hurt emotionally. Jace is aggressive, forward and often downright antagonistic even in the face of Shadowhunters of much higher rank than him.
* Njáll and Gunnar in ''[[Literature/TheIcelandicSagas Njáls Saga]]''. Gunnar is the stereotyped Viking BoisterousBruiser. Njáll is a wise sage, and a clever lawyer and interclan diplomat.
* C.L. Moore's Literature/NorthwestSmith and Yarol the Venusian provide an interesting variation on the trope. While Smith is a rugged, muscular space cowboy and Yarol is a delicate-looking young man who resembles a choirboy, the former occasionally displays flashes of sensitivity whereas the latter doesn't possess a shred of kindness or decency.
* Dashing GentlemanThief Literature/{{Raffles}} and his CowardlySidekick Bunny are this: Raffles is athletic, macho and aloof, whereas Bunny is emotional, naive and serves as TheConscience for the duo.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Samwell Tarly is a meek and sensitive young man who loves books, music, and kittens. His best friend is Jon Snow, a bold young man of action who yearns to be a ranger.
* A rather down-played example in ''Literature/WhyWeTookTheCar'': Maik is politer and nicer in general, [[InTouchWithHisFeminineSide likes drawing and has a thing for Beyoncé]], while Tschick is rather rude, bold and steals cars.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/TenThingsIHateAboutYou'', Cameron is sweet and delicate, whilst Patrick is an intimidating bad boy.
* ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina'': Jack Burton is a tough-talking, blue-collar manly man (played by Creator/KurtRussell) and his buddy Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) is a sentimental and straight-laced businessman who is very much in love with ChineseGirl Miao Yin. Differences notwithstanding, they're friends.
* ''Film/CarlitosWay'': Kleinfeld is a nervous, insecure, whiny AmoralAttorney who's a cocaine addict. Carlito is a gangster through-and-through, stoic and dashing. Deconstructed [[spoiler: when Kleinfeld's insecurities cause him to sell Carlito out]].
* In ''Film/TheDouble'', Simon is shy and reserved, while James gets into fights and probably sleeps with half of the women in the movie.
* Peter Highman (Creator/RobertDowneyJr) and Ethan Tremblay (Creator/ZachGalifianakis) from the movie, ''Film/DueDate''. The former is short-tempered and mostly has a no-nonsense serious attitude, while the latter is soft-spoken, emotional, and childlike in comparison.
* ''Film/TheFifthElement'': Corbin Dallas is a tough ex-soldier, while his sometimes-sidekick Ruby Rhod is a campy Lothario.
* ''Film/JungleCruise'' has the experienced riverboat captain Frank, who wrestles jaguars (well, tames one and trains her to fake fights, but having a [[CoolPet pet jaguar]] is still pretty manly) and navigates rapids, contrasted with Lily's foppish brother [=MacGregor=] who hates the jungle but goes along because his sister needs someone to pull her bacon out of the fire.
* Serge and François in ''Les Roseaux sauvages'' (''Wild Reeds''). Serge: he's good at math and bad at French, he's macho, good at sports, into girls, and he's a country lad who wants to work on his parents' farm. François: he's good at French and bad at math, he's quiet, he has a heart condition that means he can't play sports, he's into film and literature, his best friend's a girl, he introduces Serge to the Big City (Toulouse, in this case) and he's into guys. François falls in love with Serge, who cannot reciprocate.
* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'': Faramir is the sensitive one in comparison to his brother Boromir -- a more cerebral, less visceral war leader. In the Extended Edition, Faramir understands that Denethor regards him as being "weaker" than Boromir because he falls a bit short of the masculine ideal, and his father angrily accuses him of being a "wizard's pupil" (having Gandalf as a tutor resulted in him being more scholarly and less interested in combat for its own sake than Boromir), but Pippin views Faramir's gentler and more thoughtful nature as a positive trait.
-->'''Faramir''': [The armour] [[note]]which Faramir is using figuratively to mean "warfare"[[/note]] Never fitted me, either. Boromir was always the soldier. They were so alike, he and my father. Proud. Stubborn even. But strong.\\
'''Pippin''': I think you have strength of a different kind. And one day your father will see it.
** Interestingly, while at first glance, it appears Boromir is the manly man to Aragorn's sensitive guy due to his physical prowess and martial skill, but Boromir is actually the more sensitive of the two. He is shown having more of a BigBrotherInstinct towards the Hobbits, particularly Merry and Pippin. He comforts Gimli in Moria after Gimli discovers Balin's tomb and Frodo in Lorien after Gandalf's apparent death. He also advocates to Aragorn to give the fellowship a moment to mourn just after leaving Moria. Notably, his doubts and sensitive nature allows the Ring to easily prey on him as it exploits his desire to protect others. Immediately after trying to take the Ring from Frodo, Boromir is beside himself with grief and horror.
* ''Film/TheManWhoShotLibertyValance'' stars Creator/JimmyStewart and Creator/JohnWayne. This trope is sort of in place by default.
* The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse has some pairings like this.
** Just like in Myth/NorseMythology, Loki's the wily Sensitive Guy to Thor's warrior Manly Man.
*** ''Film/{{Thor}}'': On Jötunheim, Loki utilizes diplomacy to try to ease the belligerent tension which is brewing between Thor and Laufey, whereas Thor wants to incite Laufey to attack him. A skirmish then breaks out, and Loki relies on magical throwing knives and his illusion spells to kill Frost Giants from a distance, which juxtaposes Thor bashing them directly with Mjölnir.
*** ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'': [[spoiler:After their mother is murdered,]] Loki experiences a complete emotional breakdown in his prison cell while Thor starts to plot to [[spoiler:avenge her]]. During their clash with Malekith, Loki defends Jane (a more "passive" role) whereas Thor is the aggressor (a more "active" role).
*** ''Film/ThorRagnarok'': When they meet Hela, Loki tries to negotiate with her, and when that fails, Thor launches Mjölnir at her. On Sakaar, Loki charms and manipulates his way to the top, and when he offers his brother the chance to join him at the Grandmaster's side, Thor rejects it, preferring to participate in the gladiator games. Loki, who isn't anywhere near strong enough to take on Hela in a one-on-one confrontation, [[spoiler:sneaks away from the battle in order to place Surtur's crown in the Eternal Flames (and the incantation he utters suggests that some sorcery is involved) as Thor continues to fight their sister]].
** ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' gives us the OddFriendship variant on this trope when introverted, tormented Bruce Banner and snarky show-off Tony Stark hit it off as soon as they meet.
* ''Film/MurderByNumbers'' has Richard Haywood and Justin Pendleton. Richie's a blond-haired, popular, swaggering womanizer (though with a metrosexual streak a mile wide) who seems to be mostly interested in sex, money, showing off, and driving his Mustang. Justin's big on literature and being [[Creator/FriedrichNietzsche Nietzsche]], and is [[TheShortGuyWithGlasses smaller, far smarter, and occasionally wears glasses.]] They have an... odd friendship, possibly forged on the exclusive basis of [[TeensAreMonsters being evil]] and [[HoYay having immense amounts of sexual tension.]]
* Played with in ''Film/TheOtherGuys''. At first, it looks like ExtremeDoormat Allen (Will Ferrell) is the sensitive one and cynical Terry who wants to be TheHero (Creator/MarkWahlberg) is the manly one. But then again, Allen is the ladies' man with anger management issues while Terry is the one who knows ballet and how to play the harp (which he insists he learned as a kid in order to make fun of the sensitive guys who actually liked that stuff).
* ''Film/TheRock'': Goodspeed is sensitive and fairly meek, while Mason is a cavalier and irreverent spy.
* ''Film/{{Stargate}}'': Col. Jack O'Neill is a gruff soldier, while Dr. Daniel Jackson is a sensitive scholar. Together, they fight aliens.
* Comes up in ''Film/{{Trevor}}''. Thirteen-year-old Trevor likes Diana Ross, musical theatre, and writing in his diary. He falls in unrequited love with the star of the intermediate baseball team.
* ''Film/VictorFrankenstein'': Igor's gentle and docile nature juxtaposes Victor's more brusque and domineering personality. Whenever they have a disagreement, Igor tends to cave in to Victor's demands, but it's part of the former's CharacterDevelopment to eventually learn to stand up to his overbearing friend. Igor is shown to be very caring and romantic during his courtship of Lorelei, but Victor considers the couple's relationship to be a harmful distraction to their scientific work. When Inspector Turpin threatens Victor and Igor with a gun in Victor's basement, an unarmed Victor is able to fight back and even manages to [[spoiler:cripple Turpin when the latter loses his hand]]. The non-violent Igor, meanwhile, keeps his distance as he shouts out Victor's name in order to stop his friend from going too far (injuring a police officer is bad enough, and Igor certainly doesn't want Victor to become a cop killer).
* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries''
** ''Film/X2XMenUnited'': The rule-abiding, NiceGuy Iceman juxtaposes the rebellious, {{Jerkass}} Pyro. At the museum's food court, John is being rude to a young man who asks to borrow his lighter, and Bobby tells his friend to knock it off, plainly disapproving of John's annoying behavior. When the police order the mutants to get on the ground, Drake immediately obeys, but Allerdyce attacks the officers with giant fireballs.
** ''Film/XMenFirstClass'': Charles Xavier is the Sensitive Guy to Erik Lehnsherr's Manly Man. They display this dynamic in their personalities (AllLovingHero vs. AntiHero) and physique (PrettyBoy vs. TallDarkAndHandsome) as well as their philosophies and methods (WideEyedIdealist vs. PayEvilUntoEvil).
** ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'': Charles in 1973 is more accurately an Overly Sensitive Guy with Wolverine taking over the Manly Man role. Logan has to act as the "glue" which barely holds the emotionally fragile Xavier together in order to complete their mission. Their opposite natures are most directly contrasted in the Pentagon kitchen scene, where Charles attempts to persuade the guards that he and his partner have a valid reason to be there, while Wolverine just knocks them out with a frying pan.
** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' has Kurt Wagner, the BadassAdorable (Sensitive Guy) and Scott Summers, the snarky, patriotic bad boy who had the idea to skip class for the mall (Manly Man).
[[/folder]]

!!Examples:

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Creator/{{CLAMP}} seem to be into this trope:
** In ''Manga/XXXHolic'', {{W|eirdnessMagnet}}atanuki and [[TheStoic Doumeki's]] characterization plays a lot with this, Watanuki is a {{keet}} and {{Tsundere}} most talented at cooking, knitting, and housekeeping, while Doumeki is a TallDarkAndHandsome archer that mostly serves as his KnightInShiningArmor. Despite this, Doumeki is more emotionally mature, doesn't seem to have any problem whatsoever with the fact that [[spoiler:he used to dress in girl's kimonos [[ItMakesSenseInContext as a kid]]]] ''and'' is also strongly hinted [[spoiler:to be [[HoYay in love with]] [[EvenTheGuysWantHim Watanuki]]]].
** [[OfficialCouple Touya Kinomoto and Yukito Tsukishiro]] in ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura''. As well as their counterparts (King Touya and High Priest Yukito) in ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle''.
** While we're on the subject of TRC, Fai and Kurogane.
** ''Manga/TokyoBabylon'''s Sumeragi Subaru and Sakurazuka Seishirou.
** ''Manga/{{X 1999}}'''s Kamui Shirou and Fuuma Monou. Sorata and Kamui also fit the bill, albeit in a platonic way - despite Sorata's penchant for commenting on Kamui's good looks and his tendency to invade his personal space, but well, [[LauncherOfAThousandShips it's Kamui]]. While we're listing them, [[OfficialCouple Kakei and Saiga]], as well as [[Manga/DrugAndDrop Kazahaya and Rikuou]].
* ''Manga/{{Beastars}}'': Legosi and Louis play with this. Legosi is a very tall guy with muscles, and, being a carnivore, he's also much stronger and powerful than most of the cast, but he's also extremely shy, meek and introspective, virgin, caring and loves small things like bugs and Haru. Louis, on the other hand, is much smaller and more physically frail, by virtue of being a herbivore, but he's also outgoing, ruthless, domineering, has an active sex life, and even terrifying to other people, even those that should be able to easily deal with him. It's worth noting that their characters arcs are about meeting in the middle. Louis mellows out and learns to have consideration and care for the struggles of carnivores, while Legosi grows to be braver and utiliza his strength to protect herbivores precious to him.
* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': Guts and Griffith. The two were best of friends and while Guts is possibly the manliest man you'll see in any manga, Griffith is poetic, attuned to the emotions of people, and is described as "beautiful". Guts is a person who would just kill the problem with his sword as soon as it's a possibility. [[spoiler: It's too bad that Griffith later betrays Guts and his other comrades in order to become a perfect demon that is powerful enough to be in the [[BigBad God Hand]] group.]]
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** Ichigo is passionate, aggressive, rough, and physical, and spent years courting a jerkass image and delinquent reputation. He solves problems fists first. Uryuu is quiet, reserved and one of the two main stars of the sewing club. He has excellent tailoring skills, although the men he tailors for tend to view his designs as too feminine. Together, the pair are VitriolicBestBuds, with Uryuu trying to get Ichigo to think more in battle and Ichigo getting impatient with Uryuu thinking too much.
** Before Ichigo met Uryuu, Ichigo's oldest male friend is Sado. Sado is a huge, physically powerful man who can shrug off motorcycle collisions and falling steel girders even when powerless. However, he is extremely {{gentle|Giant}}, refuses to fight to [[TechnicalPacifist defend himself]], and adores cute animals and teddies. Ichigo, therefore, fights to protect Sado, who only ever fights to make sure Ichigo (or any other friend) doesn't get too badly roughed up in battle.
** Ganju is a rough, aggressive boisterous man, who rides boars for fun and fights with every dirty trick he can think of. Hanatarou is a gentle healer, a mouse of a man who shies away from combat, and whose EmpathicWeapon is a sword that heals injuries before it can strike just once. Together, they actually make a good team... in a brawn-and-brains sort of way.
** Hisagi has a flair for the rebellious image. He's covered in tattoos, loves to fight dirty, to the extent of hiding bombs in his armbands. He even once got in trouble with the captains for bringing a motorcycle back from the World of the Living and causing trouble with it in Soul Society. Kira is a gentle, constantly-worrying poet who believes WarIsHell. However, during the Fake Karakura Town battle, the pair are forced to confront an [[BerserkButton overly emotional]] Yumichika. Hisagi takes the Sensitive Guy route of attempting to talk Yumichika down. Kira doesn't bother and simply [[InstantSedation tranquilizes]] Yumichika into unconsciousness, disapproving of the way a fifth seat is talking to a lieutenant.
** The anime plays straight with Ikkaku (manly man) and Yumichika (sensitive guy) solely through a considerable softening of Yumichika's character. However, they're subverted in the manga and [[AllThereInTheManual databooks]]: Ikkaku's good at meditation and inner communion and is more in touch with Kenpachi's feelings than Yumichika. Yumichika's true idea of beauty is that only flowers are beautiful and people can only achieve it at the moment they're torn to death. While Ikkaku tells some slackers they're idiots for getting caught, Yumichika tells them he'll kill them if they don't do a perfect job. Lampshaded when Yumichika and Ganju fight; Ganju observes how sadistic Yumichika's personality really is.
** Love is a rough, physical guy who wallops his way through his fights with a giant club and who tackles his problems as aggressively as possible. Rose is a poet and musician who doesn't so much as fight as engage in an "artistic performance". Rose won't make a move if he can't do something artistically. Love just crashes through life without a care.
* ''Manga/CellsAtWork'' features this in the main pair of T cells. Killer T is the loud, brazen, and very chiseled leader of his squadron. Helper T is more relaxed, friendlier, and has tea whenever he's on break. Their days in training were the exact opposite, where young Killer was weak-willed and prone to tearing up while young Helper was colder and willing to fight.
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': Played with for Suzaku and Lelouch, especially in the sound dramas. Lelouch is much more feminine in his tastes and appearance while Suzaku is far more masculine. Yet of the two, Suzaku seems much more kind and sensitive than snarky, aloof Lelouch. Of course, ''Code Geass'' being the [[CrapsackWorld universe]] it is, this gets deconstructed. As children, however, they played this trope straight as Suzaku was rough, boisterous, and a bit cruel whereas Lelouch was sensitive, sheltered, and more gentle.
* ''Manga/DGrayMan'':
** [[MessianicArchetype Allen Walker]] and [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Yu Kanda]].
** The second being [[CoolOldGuy Froi Tiedall]] and Cross Marian. The latter are a bit similar in that Cross seems to have a softer side, but he tries to keep his in check. Said he laughs at Tiedoll's being openly sensitive, and affectionate with his pupils, even though it's said by Hoshinon he thinks Allen is cute. So, seems Cross may see Tiedoll as a bit overly openly emotional-possibly a crybaby, and Tiedoll, thanks to Cross' hiding his true self and being JerkWithAHeartOfGold, seems to find Cross to be a hoodlum. And while Cross hates the Order, Tiedoll has been known to blow it off in favor of what he feels are other matters. While Winters and Klaud returned to HQ before the others with no issues.
* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' has this with troubled, sensitive musician Matt and HotBlooded soccer player Tai respectively.
* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' has [[MessianicArchetype Goku]] and [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Vegeta]], respectively. In this case, the characters' relative appearances are inverted, with Goku being taller and more physically imposing than Vegeta, who's shorter than his wife.
* ''Manga/Eyeshield21'': [[TheJuggernaut Rikiya Gaou]] and [[SissyVillain Hiromi Kisiragi]] of the Hakushuu Dinosaurs. Interestingly, they are ''both'' {{Blood Knight}}s who share an obsession with physical strength and power and serve as CoDragons to BigBad Marco; the difference is in their appearances and attitude, with Gaou being a beefy lineman who loves direct assault for its own sake, while Kisiragi is a mincing {{Bishonen}} who [[InLoveWithYourCarnage waxes eloquently about the beauty of raw destruction]].
* ''LightNovel/FateZero'' has [[LargeHam RIDER]], [[BoisterousBruiser KING OF CONQUERORS!]], and his sidekick, er, ''summoner'', Waver Velvet.
* The blood brothers Toki and Raoh from ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' have this kind of relationship, with the former being a healer who treats the sick and the latter a tyrannical conqueror. Of course, Toki can kick as much ass as his brother Raoh, it's just that he's more reserved about it and only does it when necessary.
* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', Edward Elric is tough and short-tempered and his brother Alphonse is a sensitive KindheartedCatLover. They subvert the stereotypes as for most of the story Edward is a short but muscular teenage boy while Alphonse is stuck in a suit of armor, and thus looks older and scarier than Ed.
* ''Anime/FutureGPXCyberFormula'':
** Hayato Kazami (sensitive guy) and Naoki Shinjyo (manly man). While Hayato is generally polite and energetic when it comes to racing, Shinjyo is moodier and has a more focused approach in his skill.
** For side characters, {{G|enkiGirl}}udelhian and [[TheStoic Heinel]] and Bootsvorz and Osamu. Katagiri plays the sensitive guy to Shinjyo's manly man.
* Professor Go (sensitive guy) and Chujo (manly man) from ''Manga/GiantRobo''. Professor Go is always getting overcome with emotion and crying, but Chujo keeps walking along as a stoic paragon of masculinity. Naturally, the two are best friends.
* Badass thief Ray/Noir and emotional aristocrat Florian from the manga ''Manga/GorgeousCarat''.
* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
** From the original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' are Char Aznable and Garma Zabi in Zeon. Char is an AcePilot (who also happens to be hell-bent on avenging himself on the Zabis) and one of the best warriors in Zeon. Garma is softer and very in love with his girlfriend and feels inadequate next to both his siblings and Char. He's also the Zabi who is probably least deserving of Char's retribution.
** George de Sand is the sensitive guy to Chibodee in ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam''. George is a CulturedWarrior with a strong code of chivalry (and the pilot of Gundam ''Rose''). Chibodee is a BoisterousBruiser who leaps without looking and uses both boxing and gunslinging as his method of fighting.
** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam Wing]]'' has Quatre and Trowa. Quatre is a TechnicalPacifist who always tries to negotiate before he has to kill his opponents and wants to bring peace above all else. Trowa, although very kind beneath the surface, is cold and calculating in battle.
* ''Manga/HarlemBeat'': there are [[{{Meganekko}} Sakurai]]-[[ScaryBlackMan Umakure Imagawa]]-[[TheStoic Kobayashi]], and [[LongHairedPrettyboy Takao Yuuta]].
* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'': Several examples.
** Chibitalia and Holy Roman Empire. Chibitalia is a meek, cross-dressing artist while HRE is a bold warrior who wears men's clothes. HRE even mistakes Chibitalia for a girl.
** Sweden and Finland. The former is a tall, stoic, and assertive man. The latter is a short, expressive, and passive boy. Additionally, Finland refers to himself as "a delicate flower" in the dub.
** Germany and Austria downplay it. They both read, cook, and have stern dispositions, but Germany is a soldier whereas Austria is a non-combatant who receives protection from the female [[ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend Hungary]]. They also subvert it since Germany is a virgin and Austria is sexually experienced.
* Mikael and Raphael from ''Anime/ImGonnaBeAnAngel'' [[spoiler:mostly play it straight - visually, Mikael is of slight build, feminine looking and Raphael is more muscular and manly looking in comparison. In terms of personality though, they have lots of shades of their opposite spectrum - Mikael is mostly cold, stubborn and shows that he can be pretty aggressive and determined when the need arises, while Raphael has a rather mellow and carefree attitude and shows lots of kindness towards not only Mikael but also Noelle and Natsumi. That said, the last episode plays it straight again, though - in the climax scene, it shows that Mikael is totally dependable on his teacher and helpless without his help, while Raphael appears as a strict and unbending, leaving his student to clean up the mess his responsible for]].
* Etienne and Nicolas from ''Manga/InnocentsShounenJuujigun'' are the main duo of the series, with Etienne being a gentle, feminine boy with endless compassion and a soft heart, and Nicolas being a hotheaded, aggressive young knight who'd rather cut down the infidels than show them kindness. The two are best friends and ''extremely'' close, with Nicolas willing to die and kill for Etienne's sake.
* ''The Anime/IrresponsibleCaptainTylor'' plays this straight for laughs early on. Two terrorists seize a building, one of them an effeminate "sensitive guy" and the other one more traditionally manly, despite being an alien.
* Although ''all'' of its male characters are rather manly-looking (at least [[Main/ArtEvolution early on]]), ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' features a handful of examples:
** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'' gives us [[Characters/JoJosBizarreAdventureJosephJoestar Joseph Joestar]], a brash and stubborn Main/GuileHero, and [[Main/TheLancer Caesar Zeppeli]], his refined and chivalrous [[Main/VitriolicBestBuds vitriolic best bud]].
** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'' stars Jotaro Kujo: a stoic, surly and foul-mouthed [[Main/JapaneseDelinquents delinquent]]. Early in the story he [[Main/DefeatMeansFriendship defeats and befriends]] Noriaki Kakyoin, who is portrayed as gentle, polite and soft-spoken.
** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'' reverses the pattern set by the two previous parts by having its main character, Josuke Higashikata, be an Main/AllLovingHero with the power to [[Main/HealingHands heal]]. His best friend Okuyasu Nijimura, however, is a [[Main/DumbMuscle dimwitted brute]] with a stand that can do nothing but [[Main/PowerOfTheVoid destroy things]].
* ''Anime/{{K}}'' has Shiro and Kuroh. Shiro is a NonActionGuy who carries a ParasolOfPrettiness and is incredibly {{Moe}}. Kuroh is a swordsman who is the most powerful fighter in the series other than Kings, whose supernatural powers make them unbeatable except by other Kings (even [[spoiler: Shiro]]). Played with in that Kuroh cooks for their team, but he doesn't consider that to be a gendered trait - the body requires sustenance, after all. He learned cooking from the same person who taught him sword-fighting, [[CrazyPrepared helicopter piloting]], poetry, and everything else a proper [[PastRightNow vassal to a king]] should know.
* Sensitive Eagle Vision and Manly Lantis from ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth''.
* ''Mahou Shounen Majorian'' blurs the line between this and TomboyAndGirlyGirl with Iori and Masaru. Iori is extremely feminine in appearance and manner, and Masaru is a typical boy who plays sports and [[DoesNotLikeMen doesn't like girls]] because he has four obnoxious sisters. Then they're both turned into magical girls by aliens who mistook Iori for a girl. Naturally, Masaru has a huge problem with that.
* Akito and [[HotBlooded Gai]] from ''Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico''.
* In fitting with their girlfriends being the TomboyAndGirlyGirl of ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'', motorcycle-riding boxer Hamasaki Masahiro and [[SempaiKohai junior]] {{Keet}} Shiroi Nagisa are Manly and Not, respectively.
* The eventual alliance between [[DarkMessiah Paptimus Scirocco]] and [[SociopathicSoldier Yazan Gable]] in ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' comes off as a twisted version of this trope, with [[WickedCultured cultured]] [[ManipulativeBastard psychological predator]] [[TheCasanova Scirocco]] as the Sensitive Guy and [[TheBrute op brutish]] [[AcePilot physical predator]] [[BloodKnight Yazan]] as the Manly Man. While neither one actually cares about each other, they genuinely seem to enjoy one another's company and make a very effective duo.
* From ''Manga/{{Monster}}'', Roberto is [[ImplacableMan burly]], [[BloodKnight loves to fight]], and is generally [[RatedMForManly as manly can be]]. Johan is [[EvilIsSexy beautiful]], [[WickedCultured well-read and highly intellectual]], and [[spoiler:[[CreepyCrossdresser far more in touch with his feminine side]]]]. Why do they even associate with each other? Johan likes to [[TheDragon make use of Roberto's muscle]] to kill people and ruin their lives during those pesky times when he's too busy [[MindRape driving small children]] [[spoiler:or his sister]] [[HannibalLecture to nearly kill themselves]] or otherwise [[ForTheEvulz proving why he's been compared to both Hitler and the Antichrist]], while Roberto is [[PsychoSupporter completely]] [[HoYay in love]] with Johan.
* Nozaki of ''Manga/MonthlyGirlsNozakiKun'' is the manly man who gives his advice and support (with, admittedly, mixed results) to the sensitive and naive Wakamatsu, who has been Nozaki's underclassman since middle school.
* ''Anime/MyHime'':
** Hilariously and endearingly subverted in ''Anime/MyHime''. IllBoy Takumi Tokiha and his buff roommate Akira Okuzaki fit ''perfectly'' in the archetype, and they even have a group of girls as their [[ShipperOnDeck in-universe fans]], but [[spoiler:Akira is actually [[{{Bifauxnen}} a young girl]] who's pulling a SweetPollyOliver to fulfill her Hime mission better.]] And later, [[spoiler:Takumi [[UnsettlingGenderReveal finds out]] as he accidentally sees Akira undressing, doesn't mind the truth... [[MoeCouplet and they fall in love]]. [[{{Squee}} Aaaaaaw.]]]]
** [[BadassNormal Yuuchi Tate]], who's the Sensitive Guy to [[KendoTeamCaptain Masashi]] [[DoggedNiceGuy Takeda]] ''and'' the Manly Man to Reito [[TallDarkAndSnarky Kanzaki]].
* Physically, best friends Takeo and Suna from ''Manga/MyLoveStory'' match. Takeo is an absolutely huge boy who looks like a stereotypical {{gonk}} (though his girlfriend finds him very attractive) and is very muscular. Suna, however, is a skinny and {{Bishonen}} ChickMagnet with [[CelibateHero absolutely no interest]] in girls. Personality-wise, Suna isn't quite feminine, though Takeo is more masculine than him.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': Naruto is the Sensitive Guy to Sasuke's Manly Man. Naruto is more cheerful and pretty emotional, one of his hobbies is watering and taking care of plants, and he develops into an AllLovingHero. Conversely, Sasuke is very stoic, hardly lets anyone into how he really feels, and has a real ego at times and develops into a ByronicHero.
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' has QuintessentialBritishGentleman Negi Springfield and his best friend and rival, HotBlooded WolfMan Kotarou Inugami.
* Sion is the sensitive guy to Nezumi's manly man in ''LightNovel/{{No 6}}''. Sion is a sweet NiceGuy while Nezumi is a badass JerkWithAHeartOfGold. They also have a lot of HoYay between them.
* ''Anime/{{Penguindrum}}'': Shouma is the polite, expressive, {{Househusband}}-in-training sensitive guy to Kanba's blunt, stoic, playboy manly man. It extends to their appearance as well - Shouma has TaremeEyes, visible eyelashes, and longer hair, while Kanba has TsurimeEyes and shorter hair.
* ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'':
** Sort of inverted with the doubles pair of Ohtori and Shishido. Choutarou Ohtori, the taller, physically stronger of the two, is sensitive and nice (he even plays classical violin and wishes for world peace), while Ryou Shishido is [[TheNapoleon shorter, louder, bad-tempered]] and much more butch (he even has the scars to prove it!).
** Another subverted example would be Seiichi Yukimura and Genichirou Sanada. The first is polite, soft-spoken, with frail health and long hair...; the other is very tall, stern, and the KendoTeamCaptain in a tennis setting. The subversion comes from ''Yukimura'' being the captain of their team as well as a KnightTemplar MagnificentBastard when it comes to tennis, and Sanada being ''extremely'' devoted to Yukimura - like a Samurai's devotion to his feudal lord (and yes, they're one of the most popular HoYay couples [[MostFanficWritersAreGirls in the fandom]]).
* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' has Kenshin ([[PintsizedPowerhouse short and lean]] WarriorPoet and [[FeminineWomenCanCook homemaker]] in his spare time, with [[RealMenWearPink a pink kimono]] and white hakama as his most remarkable outfit) and Sanosuke (immature, HotBlooded [[TheLancer lancer]], former ''professional'' brawler, appropriately OneHeadTaller).
* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'':
** Snarky badass Mamoru, a.k.a. Tuxedo Mask is the Manly Man to his NiceGuy friend Motoki's Sensitive Guy.
** The [[MinionShipping villain]] HoYay duo [[WhiteHairBlackHeart Kunzite]] and [[DudeLooksLikeALady Zoicite]].
** While Tiger Eye and Hawk Eye were way too {{Camp}} to really fit in, they ''deliberately'' invoked the trope [[http://www.soul-hunter.com/sailormoon/galleryscreencaps/141/index1.php in episode 141]] when they decided to pursue Minako at the same time and get a shot at [[MindRape peeking into her dreams]]. Hawk Eye disguised himself as the sweet and sensitive artist Mr. Takano, [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan acting all wholesome]] [[BitchInSheepsClothing to get in her good graces]]; meanwhile, Tiger Eye's facade was that of the handsome BadassBiker Torashima, who wooed Minako [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys with his bad-boy appeal]].
** The few episodes where the Tsukino males play a major role reveal them to be this way. TallDarkAndHandsome Kenji is all about protecting his loved ones and he [[MenCantKeepHouse cannot cook]]. AdorablyPrecociousChild Shingo is nerdier and he has been seen enjoying things like cuddly pets and dolls (not that he likes to admit it).
* Ryu and Joe in ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'', sort of. Ryu is definitely the softer-hearted of the two but is far from "in touch with his feminine side". Joe is definitely a guy's guy but in a more grizzled way rather than oozing testosterone. Ken and Joe's dynamic is sort of a subversion; Ken only looks the part of the doe-eyed sensitive one, but it's his ''repression'' of emotions that leads to some rather ugly outbursts.
* Both of the same-sex partners in ''Manga/{{Sekirei}}'' are this, with the Ashikabi as the Sensitive Guys to their Manly Man Sekirei.
** Minato is gentle and deeply emotional, and looks up to Kagari as a "cool guy". Kagari is a chain-smoking [[TheCasanova Casanova]] and a MysteriousProtector and remains the more traditionally masculine of the pair even after [[spoiler: his unstable state results in him becoming a GenderBender]].
** Mikogami and Mutsu are a villainous example, playing the trope completely straight. The former is TheDandy, and highly emotional while the later is a quiet, serious MasterSwordsman.
* Death the Kid is the sensitive guy to Black*Star's manly man in ''Manga/SoulEater''. This is most easily noticeable in the episode where they go to find Excalibur together, and Kid winds up riding on Black*Star's back, so as to avoid the water on the floor. Oddly enough, ''this'' is the episode where they become friends.
* Played with in ''Manga/{{SWOT}}''. Iwashida, the sensitive guy, is fairly typical since was the weakly kid who was always victimized by the {{delinquents}} in his school. He's also all about being loyal to his newfound friendships. The manly man is [[BadassBookworm Manabizaki]] who is crass, arrogant, routinely beats up delinquents, and has a HairTriggerTemper. He's also a "swot," someone who studies way too much, and is initially dismissed as a harmless nerd.
* Simon and Kamina are like this at the start of ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''. By the end of the series, Simon grows into the Manly Man role fantastically. [[spoiler:Kamina even says that Simon's become more of a man than him during Simon's time in the LotusEaterMachine.]]
* Subverted with Kaneki Ken and Hideyoshi Nagachika from ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'', at first it was played straight where Hide is more brash and loud compared to the more shy and quiet Kaneki. But later in the series, Kaneki becomes AxCrazy after his transformation and Hide is a NonActionGuy.
* In ''Manga/WildRock'', Yuuen is the [[{{Bishonen}} small and pretty]] NonActionGuy and Emba is the [[MrFanservice cheesecake]] HunterTrapper with a [[{{BFS}} big sword]].
* ''Anime/WolfsRain'':
** Hubb and Quent.
** Also {{T|heBigGuy}}sume and Toboe.
* In ''Manga/{{Yellow}}'', [[{{Seme}} Goh]] is the more macho of the duo, whereas [[{{Uke}} Taki]] takes the sensitive guy role as he increasingly gains [[TheWoobie woobie points]]. There are ''many'' partnerships/rivalries/brother duos that play with this concept to different degrees: Shun and Hyoga, Shiryu and Seiya, Seiya and Jabu, Aiolos and Aiolia, Asterion and Moses, Hyoga and [[spoiler:Isaac]], [[spoiler:Kanon]] and Saga, Milo and Camus, Mu and Shiryu, Shiryu and Ohko, Aphrodite and Deathmask...
* Tetsuo and Taichi from ''Manga/{{Yuureitou}}''. Tetsuo is an assertive and cool ByronicHero while Taichi is a more average guy with DistressedDude and LovableCoward qualities. Taichi is the one who ends up DisguisedInDrag, though Tetsuo is far more {{Bishonen}} than Taichi. [[spoiler:They end up the OfficialCouple.]]
[[/folder]]

** There's also [[spoiler: Ford (the strong) and his friend [[GadgeteerGenius Fiddleford (the soft)]]]]. [[spoiler: Ford is well, as mentioned above andFidds]] is an ex-hippie who [[BewareTheNiceOnes (usually)]] is as nice as he seems. [[spoiler: They obviously get lots of HoYay moments.]]

** There's also [[spoiler: Ford (the strong) and his friend [[GadgeteerGenius Fiddleford (the soft)]]]]. [[spoiler: Ford is well, as mentioned above and [[FanNickname Fidds]]]] is an ex-hippie who [[BewareTheNiceOnes (usually)]] is as nice as he seems. [[spoiler: They obviously get lots of HoYay moments.]]

These two tend to get into a lot of HoYay or FoeRomanceSubtext which drives [[YaoiFangirl a certain group of fans]] wild. If they're an [[YaoiGuys actual romantic couple]], they'll get {{Uke}} and {{Seme}} comparisons too. Related to RedOniBlueOni with the Manly Man almost always Red and the Sensitive Guy almost always Blue. Also related to PowerTrio with the Manly Man usually the id and the Sensitive Guy usually the superego.

* ''Webcomic/WelcomeToHell'': Sock is an androgynous boy who wears a SkirtOverSlacks and has a [[{{keet}} perpetually upbeat personality]]. Jonathan has a darker color palette and is a sullen, taller boy who is usually apathetic and asocial.

* Although ''all'' of its male characters are rather manly-looking (at least [[Main/ArtEvolution early on]]), Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure features a handful of examples:
** Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency gives us [[Characters/JoJosBizarreAdventureJosephJoestar Joseph Joestar]], a brash and stubborn Main/GuileHero, and [[Main/TheLancer Caesar Zeppeli]], his refined and chivalrous [[Main/VitriolicBestBuds vitriolic best bud]].
** Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders stars Jotaro Kujo: a stoic, surly and foul-mouthed [[Main/JapaneseDelinquents delinquent]]. Early in the story he [[Main/DefeatMeansFriendship defeats and befriends]] Noriaki Kakyoin, who is portrayed as gentle, polite and soft-spoken.
** Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable reverses the pattern set by the two previous parts by having its main character, Josuke Higashikata, be an Main/AllLovingHero with the power to [[Main/HealingHands heal]]. His best friend Okuyasu Nijimura, however, is a [[Main/DumbMuscle dimwitted brute]] with a stand that can do nothing but [[Main/PowerOfTheVoid destroy things]].

* ''Manga/CellsAtWork'' features this in the main pair of T cells. Killer T is the loud, brazen, and very chiseled leader of his squadron. Helper T is more relaxed, friendlier, and has a SpotOfTea whenever he's on break. Their days in training were the exact opposite, where young Killer was weak-willed and prone to tearing up while young Helper was colder and willing to fight.

** [[BadassNormal Yuuchi Tate]], who's the Sensitive Guy to [[KendoTeamCaptain Masashi]] [[DoggedNiceGuy Takeda]] ''and'' the Manly Man to [[SpotOfTea Reito]] [[TallDarkAndSnarky Kanzaki]].

** While Tiger Eye and Hawk Eye were way too {{Camp}} to really fit in, they ''deliberately'' invoked the trope [[http://www.soul-hunter.com/sailormoon/galleryscreencaps/141/index1.php in episode 141]] when they decided to pursue Minako at the same time and get a shot at [[MindRape peeking into her dreams]]. Hawk Eye disguised himself as the sweet and sensitive {{Megane}} and artist Mr. Takano, [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan acting all wholesome]] [[BitchInSheepsClothing to get in her good graces]]; meanwhile, Tiger Eye's facade was that of the handsome BadassBiker Torashima, who wooed Minako [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys with his bad-boy appeal]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'':

** Adding on to this, the main characters generally form two pairs for who is sensitive and manly respectively. ZigZagged, considering all of them have both masculine and sensitive traits. Stan is an animal lover and usually prefers making peace rather than fighting while Kyle holds the highest morals in the group and is generally the most compassionate of his friends ([[HairTriggerTemper although he has one hell of a temper]]) (Sensitive Guys). On the other hand, Cartman (despite his fondness for tea parties) is forceful, aggressive, and sadistic (though he is mostly a whimp, with some excpetions), while Kenny is primarily interested in sex and drugs and perhaps has been seen crying the least among his friends (Manly Men). Kenny did crossdress as a princess a few times though. Within those specific pairs, Stan (Sensitive) is much less willing to get confrontational about things while Kyle (Manly) is pretty hot-headed, and Kenny (Sensitive) is laid-back, good-natured and quiet while Cartman (Manly) is abrasive, [[LargeHam loud]] and [[Jerkass inconsiderate]]. Stan is the most sensitive from the main boys, but he is also the only one of them who never crossdressed, is good at sports, has plenty of traditionally masculine interests and occasionally acts as the TeamDad. Butters tends to be the Sensitive Guy to the rest of the main characters in general.

Expect the ActionHero to be a Manly Man and the ActionSurvivor to be a Sensitive Guy in an ActionDuo. Often overlaps with BullyAndWimpPairing. Compare SiblingYinYang and RedOniBlueOni. When the Manly Man happens to be a woman it is a case of MasculineGirlFeminineBoy. Contrast EmotionalBruiser where they combine. Compare with NobleMaleRoguishMale, where the Noble Male is still considered to be "manly" in a [[KnightInShiningArmor chivalrous fashion]], and MasculineFeminineGayCouple for explicitly romantic duos.

Expect the ActionHero to be a Manly Man and the ActionSurvivor to be a Sensitive Guy in an ActionDuo. Compare SiblingYinYang and RedOniBlueOni. When the Manly Man happens to be a woman it is a case of MasculineGirlFeminineBoy. Contrast EmotionalBruiser where they combine. Compare with NobleMaleRoguishMale, where the Noble Male is still considered to be "manly" in a [[KnightInShiningArmor chivalrous fashion]], and MasculineFeminineGayCouple for explicitly romantic duos.