Basic Trope: A strong female fighter paired with an intelligent male character
- Straight: Anna is a Badass Normal who is very skilled in hand-to-hand combat and has average IQ. She is often seen with Jordan, another Badass Normal (albeitly a slightly weaker one) who is instead skilled at discerning his enemies' weaknesses and is very smart otherwise. He even engineered the tools they both use.
- Exaggerated: Anna has Super-Strength, enhanced durability other godlike powers that puts Superman to shame. Jordan is a Badass Normal, with a level of crazy preparedness, and Super-Intelligence that puts Batman to shame.
- Downplayed: Anna is a casual Tomboy who is a good enough fighter, while Jordan is smarter than average but not quite a genius.
- Justified:
- Anna was raised in a very crummy town where she had to be tough to survive. Whereas Jordan grew up in a more relaxed town that demanded more intellectual muscle than physical.
- Anna was trained in self defense as a kid, while Jordan was a book worm.
- Anna comes from a roaming band of nomadic warriors while Jordan comes from the realm's heartland of intellectual innovation.
- Inverted: Anna is smarter and Jordan is stronger. (Strong Boy, Smart Girl)
- Subverted:
- Anna and Jordan are introduced and Anna kicks butt much harder than Jordan. Anna is stronger and more skilled than Jordan, and he seems to lack any redeemable qualities other than being able to keep up with her.
- Anna turns out to be a Genius Bruiser who went to the same prestigious university as Jordan. It shows when she uses her knowledge of psychology to predict their nemesis' every move and lure him into a trap. Likewise, Jordan reveals his Badass Bookworm credentials when he regains his lost telekinesis.
- Double Subverted: ... It's later revealed that Jordan is very smart, runs a college, and actually invented the suits and gear both him and Anna use regularly.
- Parodied: Anna is an Idiot Hero Brawn Hilda, while Jordan is a Camp Gay or Camp Straight Insufferable Genius.
- Zig Zagged: Depending on the Writer, Anna and Jordan may alternate between Weak, but Skilled, Genius Bruiser, Dumb Muscle, Insufferable Genius, and Badass Normal.
- Averted: Jordan and Anna are introduced, but separately, with no established relationship to contrast.
- Enforced:
- The writing staff's higher-ups find a wildly successful show with this dynamic and demand a similar show to cash in on it.
- The writer is really into Amazonian Beauties contrasted by smaller, physically weaker guys. They don't want to make the leading guy useless, however.
- Lampshaded:Marcy: Doesn't it bother you that Anna has more muscle than you?
Jordan: The brain is a muscle too you know. - Invoked: A material for Jordan's next can only be found in the Phantom Ridge and he knows just how dangerous the monsters lurking there are. But he is an outcast from his hometown and the closest place to recruit someone is a nearby town of warrior women.
- Exploited: Master Death separates Anna and Jordan, deciding to outwit Anna and overpower Jordan without the other to make up for their weakness.
- Defied: Anna and Jordan's parents decide their children ought fill out their gender roles. If Anna want to flex any muscles they ought be intellectual, and Jordan is made to hunt by his father in order to "become a man".
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Played For Drama: Anna and Jordan live in a society with rigid gender roles. They're both good at what they do, but wonder if people would respect them more if they fell in line with what their peers expect them to be.
Back to Strong Girl, Smart Guy.
