History Main / BigLittleBrother

* In ''{{Film/Halloweentown}},'' [[FlatEarthAtheist Dylan]] is the oldest Cromwell sibling, but much shorter than his sister [[NightmareFetishist Marnie]]. This is {{Subverted}} in the sequels due to his actor's rather shocking growth spurt.

* Creator/ElleFanning is four years younger than her sister Creator/DakotaFanning, yet [[http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/01/07/article-2258570-16CB33E5000005DC-2_634x987.jpg this picture]] would make you think it was the opposite (admittedly, Elle's platform heels exaggerate their height difference).

This can be unintentional in long-running live-action tv series where actors cast as children hit a growth spurt during puberty and end up taller than their onscreen older sibling(s). But if it appears in film, comics, or animation, it's almost certainly a deliberate invocation of this trope.

* Longtime UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} driver Michael Waltrip is one of motorsports' tallest drivers at 6'5"; four inches shorter than his older brother by [[PracticallyDifferentGenerations 16 years]], NASCAR legend Darrell (himself 6'1").

* Donatello in ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' is the tallest of his four brothers, despite being the third of the four. While he is typically only slightly taller than Raphael, he absolutely towers over Leonardo in nearly every appearance, most notably in the Nickelodeon shows and films. In the 2014, he stands at a whopping 6' 8" compared to Leonardo's 6' 3" and Raphael's 6' 5".

* ''WebComic/BrotherComplex'': Rose is this to Jack, though she certainly didn't start out that way. In fact, she was naturally smaller than him before he left to study abroad. [[spoiler:Turns out, this was the result of a SuperSerum.]]

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has a variant in ''StartOfDarkness'' prequel book -- [[TheDragon Redcloak]] is immortal, so by the end of the story his younger brother appears decades older than him. He's also grown wiser, having moved on from the tragedy that originally motivated them and trying to find a new way of life for the goblins that doesn't rely on insane liches, vengeful gods, or an EldritchAbomination. Redcloak on the other hand is still [[ImmortalImmaturity the same angry teenager]] who put on the Crimson Mantle decades ago.

* In ''FanWorks/BendyAndBorisQuestForTheInkMachine'' Boris is twelve and Bendy is eighteen, but Boris is tall enough to easily pick up Bendy who is the size of a small child.

* Shichika from ''LightNovel/{{Katanagatari}}'' is very tall, but it's still hard to believe that Nanami is his older sister, since even in her late 20s she's only about half his height.

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/SuperMarioWorld'', "Gopher Bash"

* In ''VisualNovel/SuperDanganronpaAnother2'', Kanade Otonokoji is the younger twin of her sister Hibiki but is far more mature [[GagBoobs and developed]]. When Hibiki tries [[BigBrotherBully lording her status as the older sibling]] over her, Kanade while drunk harshly reminds her that they're only ten seconds apart.

* ''Film/AvatarTheWayOfWater'': Kiri absolutely towers over her adoptive older brother Spider, making her seem like the big sister despite him being a year older. This one's a justified InterspeciesAdoption example, as Kiri is a Na'vi and Spider is a human.

* The French comic ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' uses this trope in the album ''Asterix at the Olympic Games''. During the games we see a big, muscular man fighting in the arena while his older brother encourages him from the sideline. When Vitalstatistix asks him if everyone in his family is this strong, he mentions he has an even younger brother who is even stronger than both of them. [[spoiler:He was however unable to come to the games because he still hasn't recovered from a spanking he received from their mother]].

* ''Fanfic/PacificWorldWarIIUsNavyShipgirls'' has Enterprise as the Little Big Sister to Hornet's Big Little Sister, down to the latter [[BuxomIsBetter having a much bigger bust size]] than the former.

** Side material also brings up Stheno and Euryale, Rider/Medusa's older sisters, who look 14 at best when their little sister is huge [[BuxomIsBetter in a lot]] [[StatuesqueStunner of ways]]. This is in tune with their appearance in Myth/ClassicalMythology, where Medusa was the only one of the Gorgons saddled with mortality (godly heritage is fickle like that).

''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'': Millie's sister Sallie Mae is younger than her, despite being much taller than her ([[SmallParentHugeChild and their parents]]).

''WebAnimation/Helluva Boss'': Millie's sister Sallie Mae is younger than her, despite being much taller than her ([[SmallParentHugeChild and their parents]]).

* Discussed in ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome''. Jason Ionello, who was [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar snapped out of existence by Thanos]] and then [[Film/AvengersEndgame resurrected five years later]], is still flabbergasted at the fact that his younger brother (who survived Thanos's snap) is now ''older'' than him.

* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'' ends up with complex variation. When StartingANewLife, the protagonist needs to pretend to be a year younger that she actually is all while ending up with an adoptive brother who is roughly a quarter of a year older than her. In terms of chronological age, her brother is actually three quarters of a year ''younger'' than her, but still taller than her. A lot of it comes from the protagonist being so small for her age that she's frequently mistaken for being ''at least'' two years younger than her actual age.

* David Wrestling/{{VonErich|Family}}, at 6'7", was this to older brother Kevin, himself 6'3". Averted with their younger brothers Mike, Chris, and Kerry; Chris was 5'5" and the others 6'2".

* [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]] defensive lineman Chris Long is a big dude at 6' 3" and 268 lbs, but compare him to his younger brother Kyle Long, who is 6' 6" and 313 lbs.
** The Bailey brothers are similar. Older brother Champ is a 6' 0", 190lb corner while younger brother Boss is a 6' 3", 230lb linebacker.

* Noel Gallagher of Music/{{Oasis}} is 5' 8", shorter than his brother and bandmate Liam Gallagher, who is 5' 10".
* Creator/MarkHamill once said in an interview that his two younger brothers are over 6 feet tall, compared to his 5' 9" height, allegedly due to metabolism.
* Of the Kardashians, the youngest sister Kendall is 5' 11", and towers over her older sister Kim, who's 5' 3".

* ''Literature/GuinnessWorldRecords'' breaker Maci Currin, who stands at a whopping 6' 10", being several inches taller than her brother Jacob...is actually the younger sister, which makes you think it was the opposite.

* Creator/LukeHemsworth is the lesser known older brother of Creator/ChrisHemsworth (middle child) and Creator/LiamHemsworth (youngest child). [[https://www.goldderby.com/gallery/hemsworth-brothers-movies-thor-the-hunger-games/ The brothers]] get progressively taller the younger they are, with Luke standing at 5' 9", Chris at 6' 2", and Liam at 6' 3".

* Creator/CharlotteBronte was only about 4' 10", much shorter than her two younger sisters Creator/AnneBronte and Creator/EmilyBronte, particularly the latter who was about 5' 7".

* Longtime UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} driver Michael Waltrip is one of motorsports' tallest drivers at 6' 5"; four inches shorter than his older brother by [[PracticallyDifferentGenerations 16 years]], NASCAR legend Darrell (himself 6' 1").

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12128915/1/The-Edit-War-for-Ash-s-Freedom-to-not-be-Betrayed The (Edit) War for Ash's Freedom to not be Betrayed]]'', Misty grows to be taller than her older sisters after Arceus fixes one of the clocks in the Hall of Origins.

* Creator/ElleFanning is four years younger than her sister Creator/DakotaFanning, yet [[http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/01/07/article-2258570-16CB33E5000005DC-2_634x987.jpg this picture]] would make you think it was the opposite.

Of course, it is less unusual for younger brothers to be taller than older sisters, given that men are generally taller than women. If this is portrayed as strange or unusual when both siblings are fully-grown adults, this can be a case of RealityIsUnrealistic, similar to TeensAreShort. But this trope can still be played straight if he's a hulking giant while she's normal-sized.

Such height differences can also be the case with adopted siblings who have different biological parents and thus different sets of height genes. This can be heavily exaggerated in more fantastical works where InterspeciesAdoption is practiced; for example, if the younger adopted sibling is a [[OurGiantsAreBigger literal giant]], a {{Kaiju}}, or other similar type of massive creature, or conversely, if the older adopted sibling is a [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarf]], a [[OurFairiesAreDifferent fairy]], or other similar type of diminutive creature. {{Shapeshifting}} can also cause or amplify this height difference, especially if the older sibling is [[FountainOfYouth made younger]] or the younger sibling is [[OvernightAgeUp made older]] (or maybe some more general type of {{Sizeshifting}}). See SmallParentHugeChild for a parent-child variation.