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11
12->''"I liked you better as a sister than a mom."''
13-->-- '''Lilo''', ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch''
14
15A side effect of ParentalAbandonment that occurs when the trope applies to siblings. The first born takes over the role of parent--enforcing the rules, setting curfews, delivering lectures, and bringing home the paycheck. They may be doing the parents' job, but they are ''still'' a brother or sister to everyone else, and will probably get into [[YoureNotMyFather conflict with their siblings]] over how much power they should have and how much respect they deserve, depending on the ages of the younger ones, and the status of the original parents (i.e. missing/dead/villains...). The parents may have even specifically asked their eldest child to TakeCareOfTheKids.
16
17On a positive note, the sibling-parent is usually within the CompetenceZone, and will be understanding if you have to WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld. If they get TrappedInAnotherWorld themselves, they'll expect to be fully responsible for their charges' safety, even to the point of HeroicSacrifice. Becoming a sibling-parent often makes a child WiseBeyondTheirYears.
18
19TruthInTelevision, although it's more common on the frontiers of civilization and when families were larger and more spread out in ages. (Westerns make use of this a lot.) Sometimes the oldest kid of a one-parent family tries to take some responsibility off the parent too.
20
21If this takes place on a society-wide level, it's a TeenageWasteland: the strongest of the survivors, where "strongest" usually equals "oldest", end up taking the younger survivors under their wings, forming pseudo-familial units in which the older kids are the "parents" and the younger ones are "children". Smaller-scale versions include the plane crash that strands a family while killing or incapacitating the parents and the Neverland scenario, in which a bunch of kids have run away from home or are otherwise isolated.
22
23In some rare instances, there are still adults around but children get drafted as a ParentalSubstitute because of some combination of importance, dangerousness and difficulty. This is generally because only those of "pure heart" or some such can do it, and adults are too corrupted. Thus, this variant is most likely to have the cut-off be puberty. It's kind of the opposite of the PubertySuperpower, with plenty of angst as the kids age towards the cut-off and/or their ability to perform their job wanes with increasing age. In some cases, it's just that the adults are [[AdultsAreUseless too incompetent to handle the job]] or the family is just that big, and thus the eldest children end up having to back up Mom and Dad.
24
25This trope can also apply to adults. For instance, when someone childless (likely a man) finds out of the blue that [[LukeYouAreMyFather he has a child he didn't know about]]. This usually can range from the traditional accidental conception ("I'm your daughter/son.") to the [[ArtificialHuman sci-fi clone]]. Another way would be when a woman finds out she is pregnant and has to step up to being a parent whether or not she is ready for it yet. Still another, when a [[ReallyGetsAround swinging bachelor/bachelorette]] uncle/aunt is unexpectedly [[{{Nephewism}} saddled with guardianship of a nephew/niece]].
26
27This trope is almost always present in a BadassAndChildDuo.
28
29Compare to BigBrotherInstinct, FamilyMan, ExtremelyProtectiveChild, AndYourRewardIsParenthood. If this trope is a KlingonPromotion to parent, the promoted will also be a SelfMadeOrphan. Contrast with DisappointingOlderSibling when the first born proves to be too immature, irresponsible, or ineffectual to be a parental substitute. PlayingHouse is when it's just a game kids play. Often involves PracticallyDifferentGenerations so that the sibling is mature enough to function as a guardian.
30
31[[{{Pun}} Sister]] trope to UnexpectedSuccessor and YouAreInCommandNow.
32
33----
34!!Examples:
35[[index]]
36* PromotionToParent/AnimeAndManga
37* PromotionToParent/FanWorks
38* PromotionToParent/{{Literature}}
39* PromotionToParent/LiveActionTV
40* PromotionToParent/VideoGames
41* PromotionToParent/WesternAnimation
42* PromotionToParent/RealLife
43[[/index]]
44
45[[foldercontrol]]
46
47[[folder:Comic Books]]
48* ''ComicBook/AstroCity'': After the first (villainous) Quarrel was arrested, his daughter took it upon herself to take care of her three brothers and alcoholic mom.
49* {{Franchise/Batman}}:
50** In Batman's absence, [[Comicbook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] is forced to take both [[LegacyCharacter his mantle]] and responsibility for the Bat-Family, specifically his little adoptive brother [[AntiHero Damian]]. And since Damian and Bruce clash like crazy, Dick was in this position even ''after'' Bruce got back (at least until the reboot).
51** Bruce also sort of had this with Tim after Tim's father (his only remaining parent by that point) died. Tim's last name was even changed to Drake-Wayne. Needless to say when Bruce went missing for awhile Tim had issues.
52** Bruce not doing this ''enough'' is one of the reasons Jason turned out [[BlackSheep like he did.]]
53** Harper Row is this for her teenage brother Cullen after the two run away from their abusive father.
54* In ''Comicbook/BillyBatsonAndTheMagicOfShazam,'' Billy (who's about ten) serves this role for his younger sister Mary--the two orphans live alone, using Billy's OlderAlterEgo whenever they need a fake parent. (Note that this is different than most ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'' adaptations, where the pair are the same age and both are eventually HappilyAdopted by the Bromfields.)
55* In ''Comicbook/CaptainAtom'' #56, it is revealed that after his father left when he was five, and his mother became an almost totally nonfunctional alcoholic, Nathaniel's sister Peggy Ann took care of him and raised him, even though she was only a couple of years older than he.
56* Rory and Pandora Destine of ''Comicbook/ClanDestine'' were raised by their brother Walter and sister Florence (posing as their [[{{Nephewism}} uncle]] and [[RaisedByGrandparents grandmother]] respectively). This seems to be standard procedure for the Destines; one of the grown-up siblings mentions that he was also raised by an older brother, and even when the family's DisappearedDad returns, he doesn't take over as the kids' guardian.
57* In ''Comicbook/FantasticFour,'' Susan "Sue" Storm was this to her brother Johnny when they were growing up.
58* In ''[[Franchise/TheFlash Impulse]]'', Impulse's friend Carol is being raised by her adult brother after their parents died in an auto accident.
59* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibles'': A villain named Larry claims to have raised two brothers and three sisters.
60* The older kids in ''Comicbook/{{Runaways}}'' act as parents (or at least supervisors) for Molly [[spoiler:and later Klara]].
61* Franchise/{{Superman}} usually serves this role for his younger cousin Kara Zor-El alias Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} -- or ComicBook/PowerGirl -- who arrives on Earth after losing her parents. Ironically, in the [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Post-Crisis comics]] Kara was born earlier and she expected to raise her baby cousin when she arrived on Earth, but her ship was delayed and she was put in suspended animation; when she crash-landed on Earth, Kal was nearly twice her age.
62* Empress in ''Comicbook/YoungJustice'' gets "promoted" to parent when her parents are turned into babies and she has to take care of them.
63* Comicbook/{{X 23}} has found herself in the position of having to raise a thirteen year-old clone of herself created by a division of Alchemax. Energetic and precocious Gabby is quite a handful and the pair frequently butt heads, but TheyReallyDoLoveEachOther.
64[[/folder]]
65
66[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
67* Yakko in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' movie ''WesternAnimation/WakkosWish''. He leans toward this trope in the series too, but since the movie takes place in an {{Alternate Universe}} where the Warners are actual orphans – unlike in the series, where they never had parents, but [[ArtInitiatesLife were created by an animator drawing them]] – it's especially visible there.
68* ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6'': Although Tadashi and Hiro live with their Aunt Cass, Tadashi makes a special effort to fulfill the role of big brother and father figure. It's most obvious when he's distressed over Hiro's botfighting hobby and wonders what their mom and dad would say in that situation. This trope also applies to Aunt Cass who took both boys in when their parents died.
69* ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'': It's heavily implied that Kenai, Denahi, and Sitka's parents are long dead by the time the movie's events take place, which is why Sitka, the eldest brother acts as a surrogate father to his younger brothers. However, after Sitka dies while defending his brothers from a [[spoiler: mother]] bear, Denahi tries to become this to Kenai, who now wants to kill the bear out of revenge. He succeeds, and as a result Sitka [[KarmicTransformation turns Kenai into a bear himself]] as punishment, while Denahi falsely assumes that the newly-transformed Kenai was [[MistakenForOwnMurderer the bear that not only killed Sitka but also Kenai himself as well]], and goes mad with grief and hatred trying to avenge Kenai's supposed "death". Meanwhile, Kenai becomes this to Koda, [[spoiler: the son of the bear he killed,]] who wants Kenai to become his new older brother. [[spoiler: Eventually, Kenai ultimately decides to remain a bear permanently so he can be this to Koda forever.]]
70* Elsa in ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' goes through this with Anna after their parents die. Even though she's barely present in Anna's life for the three years between their parents' death and her coronation, isolating herself out of fear of her ice powers, she still takes her responsibility as Anna's legal guardian seriously, as shown when she vetos her marriage to Hans.
71* Nani of ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' is Lilo's older sister, who became her legal guardian at nineteen after their parents died in a car crash. Outside the alien hijinks, the movie explores the troubles two are having as they adjust to this new status quo in a surprisingly grounded manner, with Lilo finding it hard to view Nani as a maternal figure and acting out more than she has in the past, and Nani struggling to be a competent guardian who can raise Lilo to the satisfaction of CPS, lest Lilo be removed from her care. The sequels and TV show have the two more comfortably navigating this dynamic, with things like Nani's worries over Lilo and Stitch's alien adventures now played more for laughs than drama.
72* Barley and Ian's father in ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'' died of an unspecified illness before Ian was even born. Their mother is still around, but near the end Ian comes to realize how much his big brother has been like a father for him. So much so, that Ian gives up his one chance to speak to their dad so Barley can say goodbye instead, because while he never had his dad, he always had Barley.
73* In ''WesternAnimation/OpenSeason 3'', Gisela and Giselita are tasked with watching over Elliott and Elvis whilst Gisselle is away and visiting her mother. Also somewhat {{exaggerated}} in that Elliott is also Elvis, Gisela, and Giselita's ''father''.
74[[/folder]]
75
76[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
77* Jane's Promotion To Parent in ''Film/TwentySevenDresses'' is the explanation for her ExtremeDoormat tendencies.
78* In ''Film/ThirtyDaysOfNight'', the parents of Eben and Jake Oleson are never seen or even mentioned, so it's very likely that Eben and his grandmother have shared custody of his teenage brother for quite some time. Once the vampires arrive and their grandmother is killed, he becomes this trope in full-force.
79* ''Film/BennyAndJoon'': The title characters' parents have died some years before, leaving Benny to raise Joon, who is a mentally ill girl. He takes his role very seriously but also objects to options that may have been helpful to Joon, such as sheltered accommodation or her relationship with [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Sam]] partly because he doesn't want to lose her.
80* Sarah Biederman in ''Film/DeepImpact'' is forced into the role as her parents outfit her with carrier, diaper bag, and baby [[spoiler:so she and Leo can get safely to high ground before the meteor strike floods and kills everyone at ground level. Sarah's parents don't even bother trying to get to high ground themselves. They just stand there and gaze at each other with resigned affection. That's kinda justified, in that the water was already coming, and the only reason they had the opportunity for ''her'' to get to safety is that her boyfriend just showed up on a bike looking for her and they couldn't exactly fit ''four'' grown people and a baby on a single bike]].
81* ''Film/DontTellMomTheBabysittersDead'': When the elderly babysitter unexpectedly dies, the two oldest siblings are left to manage the household. Sue Ellen has to get a job after their money runs out, while Kenny has to stay at home to take care of the three youngest siblings. Sue later calls out Kenny on behaving pretty irresponsibly himself by ignoring his new role.
82* ''Film/TheElectricalLifeOfLouisWain'': Caroline, the eldest Wain sister, becomes the maternal figure because their mother is rather bohemian and unconcerned with proper upbringing.
83* In ''Film/EyesOfAStranger'' Jane looks after Tracy as a child, and becomes her caretaker in adulthood after her failure to protect her sister as a child leaves her disabled, even though their parents are merely [[InvisibleParents invisible]], not dead or neglectful. Her failures in this role allow Tracy to be sexually assaulted in the prologue and in the film's climax.
84* Alexandria in ''Film/TheFall'' begins to see Roy as a father figure after her own father's death. In Roy's story, the Black Bandit's daughter starts to call him "Daddy", which eventually angers Roy.
85* In ''Film/FindingNeverland'', George, the eldest of the Llewelyn Davies boys, starts taking more responsibility for his brothers as the story goes on, causing James Barrie to comment on him becoming an adult. Fortunately for him, his mother is still alive, albeit ill, and [[ParentalSubstitute James is also looking after him and his brothers]].
86* ''Film/GodToldMeTo'': Pete's father had Parkinson's, so for a while he was the sole breadwinner for his stepsiblings. He put both of his stepbrothers through college, giving up his own opportunity to go.
87* In ''Film/TheGreatFight'', lawyer Cassie Rodriguez has been the legal guardian of her autistic brother ever since their grandmother died.
88* In the indie horror film ''Film/TheHamiltons'', oldest sibling David winds up in this position following the deaths of his parents, having to work to pay for their housing and try to keep the family together and in one piece as far as the local child welfare office is concerned while his teenage brother Francis copes with depression, and CreepyTwins Wendell and Darlene play strange and vicious games. Every now and then he lashes out at all three of the others for their behavior.
89* ''Film/TheHungerGames'': Katniss Everdeen for her sister, due to her mother's depression and general ineffectiveness since her father's death.
90* ''Film/{{Joy|2016}}'': 8-year-old Az basically becomes the mom after her mother dies in childbirth. She looks after baby Jargal when their father is away, she keeps the family bankroll under her mattress, and she lectures her father about budgeting and keeping track of expenses.
91* Peter and Susan Pevensie in ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', after their parents send them to the country and away from London during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. They not only serve as surrogate parents to younger siblings Edmund and Lucy, but try to parent each other. This trope is present in the book, but especially played up in the 2005 film version.
92* ''Film/LoveActually'' has Sarah's problems in regards with her ill brother after her parents died. Also to a lesser extent, Daniel is left to raise his stepson while trying to deal with his own grief of his wife's death. While he started out as a parent, it was previously a less active role.
93* ''Film/MadLove1995'': Matt's mom walked out years ago, and his dad is always busy with work, so Matt does most of the work of parenting his nine-year-old twin siblings, Adam and Joanna.
94* Lucy for the [[CharacterTitle title character]] in ''Film/MarthaMarcyMayMarlene'', since it's implied both their parents are dead.
95* The oldest brother in the Japanese film ''Film/NobodyKnows'' has to care for his three younger siblings after father and mother abandoned them.
96%% * ''Film/OnOurOwn''
97* In ''Film/OurHouse'', Ethan takes over the family home, and takes care of his younger siblings, when his parents die in a car accident.
98* ''Film/PainkillerJane'': Due to their parents' deaths, Jane's older sister Carla raised her.
99* ''Film/TheProposition'' strongly implies that Arthur raised his younger two brothers largely by himself. This makes him a far more effective AntiVillain.
100* In ''Film/RaisingHelen'', the main character Helen gets custody of her sister’s children after the children’s parents die in a motor accident.
101* In ''Film/RealSteel'', Charlie Kenton is a deadbeat dad who ends up meeting his son Max for the first time when Max's mother dies and Charlie agrees to look after him for a few months before Max's aunt takes him in. At first, Charlie only agrees to take the kid to get a pay-off from the aunt's wealthy husband while they go on vacation in Italy, but over the course of the film and their restoration of an old robot that they use for fighting, Charlie and Max gradually become closer.
102* Lyddie in ''Film/SavingSarahCain''. Interestingly there is a special quirk. Sarah is the official guardian of an Amish family despite being an "Englisher" (non Amish). However Lyddie is jealous of her, quite justifiably because she is obviously a supremely competent mother whereas Sarah is selfish (which is of course why she needed to be saved) and unfamiliar with Amish ways.
103* ''Film/StakeLand'':
104** The films find the vampire hunter, Mister, taking the orphaned teenager, Martin, under his wing after [[spoiler:the boy's family is killed in a vampire attack]] at the beginning of the first movie. For all of Mister's gruff surliness, he ultimately proves up to the task and devoted to caring for his young charge. As the pair travel through the post-apocalyptic America, Mister trains Martin how to fight vampires and survive in their new lives.
105** Mister also becomes one to the feral Lady in the second film, making it even more tragic when [[spoiler:he is forced to kill her after Lady is bitten by a vampire]].
106* In ''Film/SuperMarioBros1993'', Mario briefly mentions he had to raise his brother Luigi after their parents died. This isn't the case in the [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros games]] where they're twins and their parents are never mentioned.
107* In ''Film/TheWaltonsHomecoming'', John Boy, the oldest Walton child, often has to serve as a father figure for his younger siblings, as their father spends his time working in the city. This is particularly reflected in his dynamic with little Elizabeth, who often defers to his orders.
108* In ''Film/WhatsEatingGilbertGrape,'' Gilbert's narration describes his older sister, Amy, as more like a mom, and indeed she does most of the household duties; their actual mother, Bonnie, is morbidly obese and rarely moves from the couch, while their father killed himself years before. Gilbert himself seems to be financially supporting the family and takes up most of the responsibility for watching Arnie, their mentally disabled brother. [[spoiler:The film ends with Bonnie's death; after a one-year TimeSkip, Amy and youngest sister Ellen are moving to Des Moines together with Gilbert and Arnie possibly planning to follow]].
109* In ''Film/WintersBone'', 17-year-old Ree is charge of taking care of her siblings as Dad's gone and Mom's sick.
110[[/folder]]
111
112[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
113* Lt. Green in the original ''Series/CaptainScarletAndTheMysterons'', [[AllThereInTheManual according to promotional material]].
114* Godzilla-kun in ''WebVideo/{{Godziban}}'' was left in charge of his two brothers when his parents left the island and never returned. His [[Film/Godzilla1954 grandpa]] and [[Film/ShinGodzilla uncle]] are recurring characters, but otherwise he is the primary caretaker of Little and Minilla.
115[[/folder]]
116
117[[folder:Radio]]
118* In ''Radio/TheSpaceGypsyAdventures'', Gemma has been raising her brother Damien since they escaped from a Federal Alliance prison camp following their family's collective arrest for gunrunning. She often acts maternal towards him (unless he's being a mischievous little brat) and has been mistaken for his mother more than once.
119[[/folder]]
120
121[[folder:Roleplay]]
122* ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues'':
123** After his mother left and his father needed to work full-time, Ciro took on much of the parental responsibilities in regards to his two younger siblings. This has left him with a caring disposition, though it's also made him a habitual worrier who struggles with taking things easy.
124** After Hyeon's parents left him and his grandmother passed away, he was left in the custody of his older cousin Jae. Whenever Hyeon gets in trouble with the school's administration, Jae has to be the one to deal with it.
125[[/folder]]
126
127[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
128* In ''TabletopGame/BlissStage'', the Authority Figure is literally the only person over 18 still conscious. Since they usually manage to stay awake through a combination of "drugs, stress, and mental illness," [[spoiler:they're not the ideal parents]].
129* In the {{backstory}} of ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', after the Emperor's incarceration in the Golden Throne, his son Roboute Guilliman was essentially promoted to be the new Emperor until Guilliman himself was mortally wounded. Guilliman also assumed the role the Emperor had to the other Primarchs, attempting to tell them how to behave, how to lead their legions, and what to do in general, though he was arguably unsuccessful in this latter role.
130** Before that, [[ParentalFavoritism favoured son]] Horus curried favour with [[TheUnfavourite the brothers the Emperor ignored]], including Konrad Curze, Alpharius and Mortarion, who ended up supporting his rebellion.
131[[/folder]]
132
133[[folder:Theatre]]
134* In ''Theatre/AnnieGetYourGun'', Annie Oakley serves as guardian to her four much-younger siblings. At one point they ask her to sing them a lullaby "like Mama used to," though we never learn what happened to their parents. (The real Annie Oakley was never in this position – none of her siblings were still children when she rose to stardom, and while her father did die when she was six, her mother lived well into her adulthood. The musical is VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory.)
135* In ''Theatre/DeadEnd'', Drina has been struggling to raise her younger brother Tommy and keep him out of trouble since their mother died. She still dresses like a little girl, despite being in her early twenties.
136* In ''Theatre/TheMostHappyFella'', Marie has been mothering Tony, who is her ''older'' brother and now middle-aged, since their real mother died back in TheOldCountry. She even tries to exercise a sort of ParentalMarriageVeto, but she can't stop Tony from marrying Rosabella.
137[[/folder]]
138
139[[folder:Visual Novels]]
140* ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'': Santa, real name [[spoiler:Aoi Kurashiki]], was promoted to parent after his parents were killed in an accident. He's been looking out for his sister since he was 8 and she was 5. [[spoiler:It's basically the reason he's TheLancer to Akane when she's acting as [[BigBad Zero]] - he knows that if her plans fail or never come to fruition then she'll die.]]
141* In ''VisualNovel/CorpseParty'', Seiko Shinohara's mother disappeared several years ago. As a result, she acts like a surrogate mother to her three younger siblings while their father works. [[spoiler:After Seiko dies in Tenjin Elementary and is erased from existence, her younger brother Yuu is this instead.]]
142* Happens in ''VisualNovel/CrescendoJP'', with Ayame Sasaki taking care of her adopted younger brother Ryo (the male lead) after their parents die in an accident when Ryo was in junior high and Ayame was in college. She drops from college and becomes an OfficeLady to support them both, taking care of Ryo devotedly [[GreaterNeedThanmine and neglecting her own needs.]] [[BrotherSisterIncest They can potentially fall in love]].
143* Downplayed with Rachel in ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework''. Although Rachel and her younger brother live with their mother after their parents’ divorce, Rachel is taking on a greater share of responsibility in taking care of her brother.
144* In ''VisualNovel/EveryDaysDifferent'' Katsuki's parents [[ParentalNeglect barely bother to visit home, let alone take care of their daughters]] so Katsuki has to look after her little sister.
145* In the ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'', the lawyer Akira Satou was this to her blind sister Lilly [[spoiler:after their parents moved to Scotland and left them behind]] until the demands of her job force Lilly to start living on-campus at Yamaku. She's quite bitter toward her parents leaving her with Lilly, and thinks she didn't do as good of a job as she could, as Lilly ended up learning how to be independent.
146-->'''Akira''': ...Expecting a nineteen-year-old to be a mother for a blind child. It's ridiculous.
147* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'':
148** Chief Prosecutor Lana Skye, who has been taking care of her teenage sister Ema (13 years younger than her) since the two of them were orphaned. Of course, [[spoiler:it's Lana's love for her little sister which leads to her being blackmailed by her boss, Damon Gant, into covering up a crime. Ironically, that leads Ema to hire Phoenix]].
149** Judge Justine Courtney in ''Investigation 2'' [[spoiler:adopted her cousin's son after he was orphaned]].
150* ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDateNinjaShadow'': Saori's potential boyfriend [[spoiler:Ritsu]] was orphaned at 10 years old and had to take care of his 6-year-old little brother from then on. [[spoiler:Then his brother was killed by the Nagasaki Vigilantes for [[HeKnowsTooMuch learning their secret identities]], and the deeply hurt Ritsu has come to ''loathe'' them for it.]]
151* [[spoiler:Mira Kagami]] in ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'' is revealed to be unable to join clubs because she's the eldest of five children in a poor household, her father died, and she has to help her mother to take care of her ''much'' younger brothers. [[spoiler:All of the times Mira cancels dates with the Player Character? One of the kids is sick [[SickEpisode and she must take care of him]]. [[TextileWorkIsFeminine She's good at sewing?]] She fixes the kids's clothes to help her mom. She doesn't let the PlayerCharacter walk her home? She doesn't want anyone to find out she's not the RichBitch she pretends to be at school.]]
152* In ''VisualNovel/TrueLoveJunaiMonogatari'', [[spoiler:Ryoko Shimazaki]] was raised by her older brother [[spoiler:Tadaki]] ever since their parents died when she was a child. [[spoiler:He's also her manager, as she's the local IdolSinger; Ryoko notes that Tadaki has dedicated all of his adult life to make her the best idol in Japan, but has become obsessed with her career in the last years. If the MC wants to romance Ryoko, then it's up to him to help her deal with her manager/tutor/brother]].
153[[/folder]]
154
155[[folder:Webcomics]]
156* When their parents died, Sara from ''Webcomic/AloneInACrowd'' was forced to put her life on hold to look after her sister Faith.
157* Syphile of ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'' is ordered by her adopted mother Quain'tana to raise her younger sister Ariel. She proves to be a terrible mother, receiving absolute hatred from Ariel as she grows up, because Syphile is a completely terrible and excessively cruel person, who beats, insults, starves and otherwise abuses Ariel throughout her early childhood. Drow culture in general expects the elder daughters to step up and raise their younger siblings to prove their maturity before starting their own families.
158** Ariel and Faen become guardians of Vene, Pelan and Octarya, first by duty, then by need, but eventually consider themselves their parents, Faen especially so, despite being the one not related by blood to them. In the epilogue, Faen opens an [[OrphanageOfLove orphanage]] on a surface colony.
159* In ''Webcomic/DubiousCompany'', [[ElegantGothicLolita Gary]] is this to his "[[HeroicBuild little]]" brother Marty, from [[DemotedToExtra what little]] is known about them. Nonspecific Evil Mage #157675 learned the hard way what {{k|nightTemplarBigBrother}}inds of {{p|apaWolf}}owers Gary gained from the role.
160* Jae Gu of ''Webcomic/GirlsOfTheWild'' became the sole supporter of his two younger siblings after his father died and his mother abandoned them all out of stress. This is not a happy arrangement, as he works desperately to keep his siblings fed and cared for well also still going through school. He absolutely despises his mother for abandoning them and he fears that if she returns his siblings will easily forgive her and accept her back.
161* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Dave's Bro]] plays it straight while John's Dad is simply a [[MissingMom Single]] [[AvertedTrope Parent]], with no insight into the rest of their respective families. Later, thanks to a lot of complicated [[CreatingLife Ectobiology]] [[TimeParadox Shenanigans]] and [[StableTimeLoop Weird]] {{Time|yWimeyBall}} [[RunningGag Shit]], we learn that [[spoiler:[[InvertedTrope Dave's Bro is his biological clone-father,]] [[DoubleSubversion John's Dad is his genetic half-brother and his grandmother is actually his biological clone-mother,]] [[RuleOfThree and]] [[TrulySingleParent John is unwittingly responsible for cloning both the parents and the kids]] [[ZigZaggingTrope just before they all got launched throughout time and space to become those very people]]]].
162* Emma in ''Webcomic/{{Namesake}}'' did have her father around after her mother left when she was a child, but she still pretty much raised her younger sister Elaine afterwards.
163* ''Webcomic/NamirDeiter'':
164** Snickers after Mrs. Namir runs away (although she wasn't exactly June Cleaver to begin with), especially after Twix comes along.
165** Also, after Blue runs away, she's found and raised by her half-sister Roxanne.
166* ''WebComic/StandStillStaySilent'': Part of Onni's backstory. The list of charges includes both a younger sister and a younger cousin; the latter was orphaned at the same time as them.
167* ''Webcomic/{{Strays}}'': Meela's backstory --until her brother got killed.
168* Vandi, of ''Webcomic/WhatBirdsKnow'', is forced to care for her twin baby brothers after their mother goes into a coma after a difficult childbirth. The story makes it very clear that this is what changed her from a carefree girl into the responsible, serious person she's become.
169* ''Webcomic/WoodenRose'': [[http://www.woodenrosecomic.com/comic/chapter2/40.html Lillian has been a second mother to Nessa]].
170[[/folder]]
171
172[[folder:Web Original]]
173* Creator/{{Amoridere}}:
174** Bunny has been this to [[http://akaichounokoe.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=sweetheart#/d5gr949 Sweetheart and Speckles]], [[http://akaichounokoe.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=eglantine#/d58h76y Eglantine]], and, of course, [[http://akaichounokoe.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=Madgie+#/d4la3jj Madgie]]. Needless to say, understandably so, she was rather unwilling to take on these responsibilities but, with her younger cousins, she seems not to mind. However, this is because Madgie is a wanted fugitive, while said little cousins are not.
175** Similarly, in Toki and Doki's backstory, the former played this role, when their parents died. Later, we have Jinx and Spin playing this role to Toki, especially since they've thawed her out of the block of ice she was frozen in.
176* In the toy lines, Franchise/{{Barbie}} has largely InvisibleParents who [[ToylessToylineCharacter only exist in books]]. It's assumed her three younger sisters live with these usually-unseen parents. In ''WebAnimation/BarbieLifeInTheDreamhouse'', however, Chelsea, Stacie, and Skipper clearly live with Barbie.
177* ''Literature/{{Brennus}}'': Basil's sister Amy has been taking care of and supporting him since their parent's died. Granted, she pays the bills by being one of the world's most dangerous supervillains, [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes but she still loves her brother]].
178* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Snake is like this to Bear, Duck, and Balloon since their father is never on-screen. He keeps them from getting into ''too'' much trouble.
179--> '''Bear''': Face it, Duck. Without Snake, we'd be all dead.
180* After the 'death' of their father the Emperor, Kitten of ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'' became the TeamMom to the [[PraetorianGuard Adeptus Custodes]] (at least after emerging from his period of depressive insanity).
181* ''WebAnimation/ImAnton'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cugn1RJLuI Chris]] has to take care of Yuria, his niece after his brother and his wife died in a car accident.
182* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
183** In Volume 5, Yang says that she basically raised Ruby by herself due to their father Taiyang not being around often after Summer's death. While the show has been vague as to when exactly this happened (sources have implied Ruby was anywhere as young as two to as old as nine), Yang says that Ruby couldn't even ''talk'' at the time, which would mean that Yang herself was no more than ''four'' when she started. It’s unknown how long this situation lasted, as Taiyang seems more normally involved by the time the series started, and there seems to be little to no animosity between he and Yang in their interactions in Vol. 4.
184** Weiss Schnee was raised in a household with a self-obsessed, [[AbusiveParents abusive]] father, and a mother who grew [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]] and [[ParentalNeglect withdrawn]] due to said abuse. So, as confirmed by the [[AllThereInTheManual official companion book,]] Weiss’s older sister Winter became like a mother to her, until she left home to enroll in Atlas Academy and then enlisted in the military.
185* In ''Literature/ThaliasMusings'', twins Apollo and Artemis became this to each other when [[PervertDad Zeus]] took them from [[ParentsInDistress their mother]]. Artemis appointed herself Apollo's legal guardian.
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