History Main / CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough

* Lieutenant J.T. Marsh and his second-in-command Sergeant Rita Torres in ''WesternAnimation/ExoSquad'' probably qualify, though they are less extreme than the usual description. Also, Nara Burns and Torres after Marsh [[spoiler:is promoted]].

* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica occasionally features this during his WWII adventures, with the Sergeant usually being Sgt. ComicBook/NickFury, but his first mission featured Bucky as the Sergeant Rough as seen in ''ComicBook/WolverineOrigin''.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' gives us Commander Cody and Captain Rex, much like the Jedi Generals they work under. Cody is calm, civil, and by-the-book even to the end of the war; while Rex is blunt, hard-headed, and eventually comes to question the entire purpose of the war and the clone troopers in it. [[spoiler:And their respective fates are the exact opposites of the Jedi they serve under, as well.]]

** Captain Sisko and Major Kira of ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]''. Sisko is rather more polite and refined about his orders. Kira is not refined, nor does she pretend to be. Her preferred manner of dealing with problems is to yell at them until they go away and/or resolve themselves. If this doesn't work, she resorts to fists. Deep Space Nine does muddle the trope a bit as Sisko himself starts the show as a commander, having been given his first real command on DS9, [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter and thus he shows an attitude far closer to the usual second officer]]: far more willing to get his own hands dirty to get a situation resolved. Furthering this Kira is a Bajoran officer, not Starfleet, and thus often it's Sisko who ends up dealing with issues pertaining to Starfleet personnel. And as many a character can attest, Sisko's not above punching people either to make a point, he's just less easily provoked than Kira.

* Royal Navy novel ''literature/HMSLeviathan'' has the titular aircraft carrier commanded by the affable and somewhat easy-going Captain McTeague and his deputy, the martinet Commander Markready.

* In ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure'', the Principal and Vice-Principal of Verone Academy are like this, in that the Principal is more laid-back while the Vice-Principal often scolds and lectures the students. The same applies to the Principal and Vice-Principal in ''Anime/MahouTsukaiPrettyCure'' as well.

* In the early years of [[UsefulNotes/TheWorldsLargestDemocracy independent India]], these roles were filled by Prime Minister Nehru and Deputy PM Patel respectively. Jawaharlal Nehru was the refined gentleman who occupied himself with developing the new nation, empowering various branches of government and projected an air of hopefulness as the new country sought its place in the world. Vallabhbhai Patel on the other hand was a scrappy veteran of numerous protests during the freedom struggle and was given the not enviable task of integrating the country’s disparate ethnic groups. He accomplished this purely through the force of his strong personality, often bullying people to fall in line, and in the case of Hyderabad, ordering the army to annex it.

Readily capable of subversion, as that refined top figure [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking is the boss for a reason]] and [[LetsGetDangerous might be very dangerous]] if his full attention is called for. Contrast with AloofLeaderAffableSubordinate, where the leader is cold and distant and their second-in-command is kinder and more personable.

* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica occasionally features this during his WWII adventures, with the Sergeant usually being Sgt. ComicBook/NickFury, but his first mission featured Bucky as the Sergeant Rough as seen in ''ComicBook/WolverineOrigins''.

* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica occasionally features this during his WWII adventures, with the Sergeant usually being Sgt. ComicBook/NickFury, but his first mission featured Bucky as the Sergeant Rough as seen in ''[[{{Wolverine}} Wolverine Origins]]''.