History Main / FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling

* Played with in ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero''. Naofumi was originally the Foolish elder brother due to his poor grades and otaku lifestyle, so his parents forced the younger brother to become the Responsible son. The stress of meeting their expectations drove him to adopt Yankee culture, becoming the Foolish brother, only for Naofumi to play Responsible by helping him blow off the accumulated stress with galge games. Afterward, the younger brother returned to being Responsible while Naofumi became Foolish.

The other sibling is usually the elder of the two(sometimes ''[[PracticallyDifferentGenerations much older]]'') and will follow all the rules about how one is supposed to act and behave, being an exemplary version of a ProperLady or TheDutifulSon. They're often more of a [[PromotionToParent parental figure]] in the other sibling's life, even if their actual parents are still present. They might be quieter or plainer, though usually they are only quiet or plain by comparison to their obnoxious other sibling, and doesn't qualify as a ShrinkingViolet or TheQuietOne at all. They're almost undoubtedly smarter though and may be portrayed as a {{Bookworm}}, or just very concerned about rules, social and moral. Generally, the responsible sibling will try to steer their foolish sibling to the right path, taking it on themselves to look after the kid and make attempts to curb the other sibling's behavior. This seldom works, however, at least not until the end, when the foolish sibling gets their comeuppance or realizes the error of their ways.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' has the foolish sibling be Lan/Netto Hikari, who likes to sleep in and neglect his studies, and [[spoiler: Megaman/Rockman.EXE aka Hub/Saito as the responsible sibling who has to be his brother's alarm clock and personal nanny at times]].

* Played straight and is the main plot point in ''Jason's Lyric'', besides the love story. Jason is the responsible and dutiful son, while Joshua is the [[HotBlooded hot blooded]] and troublemaker son to their mom, Gloria.

A subtrope of SiblingYinYang. Usually involves AnAesop about the right way to act, that is to say, be more like the responsible sibling and not the foolish sibling (although the responsible sibling may learn a lesson about "loosening up" and "having fun"). And while the responsible sibling is usually the elder of the two, the roles can be switched, with the younger sibling being the responsible one. Another possibility is a middle child being the responsible one to his or her older and younger siblings. However, [[NotSoAboveItAll there are some moments when the responsible sibling can act melodramatic and impulsive]]. Also compare SlobsVersusSnobs, RedOniBlueOni, RightWayWrongWayPair, TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry, and CainAndAbel.

* ''ComicBook/CharlesSoulesDaredevil'' has responsible Sam and foolish Hannah. Sam works bad hours doing a crappy job in order to support the two while Hannah goes out clubbing.

** Hatsuzakura ThinksLikeARomanceNovel often without regard to what others feel about the matter, while his older brother Shokudaikiri is decidedly tired of his antics.

* Zigzagged with the protagonist, Johanna, and Tamara in ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework. Before the story, Tamara was the responsible one while the protagonist and Johanna were less so; by the beginning of the story proper, Johanna is responsible while Tamara has lost her sense of responsibility and the protagonist is completely reactive; Tamara regains some responsibility when she gets a job, but still acts immature; the protagonist develops his sense of responsibility throughout the story; and Tamara [[spoiler:starts a business]] (one of the ultimate forms of responsibility) while Johanna is still responsible, and the protagonist would drift were it not for the people in his life.

* Played straight and is the main plot point in ''Film/JasonsLyric'', besides the love story. Jason is responsible and dutiful son, while Joshua is [[HotBlooded hot blooded]] and troublemaker son to their mom, Gloria.

The other sibling is usually the elder of the two and will follow all the rules about how one is supposed to act and behave, being an exemplary version of a ProperLady or TheDutifulSon. They're often more of a [[PromotionToParent parental figure]] in the other sibling's life, even if their actual parents are still present. They might be quieter or plainer, though usually they are only quiet or plain by comparison to their obnoxious other sibling, and doesn't qualify as a ShrinkingViolet or TheQuietOne at all. They're almost undoubtedly smarter though and may be portrayed as a {{Bookworm}}, or just very concerned about rules, social and moral. Generally, the responsible sibling will try to steer their foolish sibling to the right path, taking it on themselves to look after the kid and make attempts to curb the other sibling's behavior. This seldom works, however, at least not until the end, when the foolish sibling gets their comeuppance or realizes the error of their ways.

!!Examples:

[[folder:Literature]]
* {{Justified|Trope}} in ''Literature/AngelInTheWhirlwind'': the eldest child of a Commonwealth of Tyre noble is groomed as the heir and the next few are typically married off for political reasons, but younger children are essentially free to do whatever they like. One of Kat Falcone's older siblings became an irresponsible party girl and scandal magnet, but Kat joined the Navy instead.
* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'': At some point in the story, the biggest ManChild of the cast and one of the ReasonableAuthorityFigure characters turn out to be paternal half-siblings. Naming either half of the pair would spoil one of the story's twists.
* Creator/JaneAusten:
** ''{{Literature/Emma}}'': Downplayed. Sisters Emma and Isabella are caring individuals dedicated to helping their loved ones, and so both are Responsible in that regard. However, although she's still a loving mother and adoring wife, Isabella is not as clever and capable as Emma. Emma has her own failings, but despite her inability to successfully matchmake, she is - as Mr Knightley observes - much more clever and level-headed than her anxious, hypochondriac sister Isabella. Emma is the mistress of her father's house and has been taking care of everything with ease since she was ''twelve'', making her the overall more responsible one.
** ''Literature/MansfieldPark'': Tom is the eldest son and Sir Thomas' heir, but he's very irresponsible and reckless -- for example, he's lost some considerable fortune to gambling. The younger son Edmund is very responsible and reasonable, and would be in fact an ideal master of the estate; he chooses to become a clergyman. Tom gets seriously ill as a result of his life and he's determined to be better.
** ''Literature/{{Persuasion}}'': Anne Elliot is the Responsible Sibling, kind and intelligent, while her younger sister Mary is always whining, playing sick, and generally very unreasonable.
** ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'': The younger sisters, Kitty and especially Lydia, are the Foolish sisters, while Jane and Elizabeth are the Responsible sisters. Spoofing this trope is Mary Bennet, the middle sister, who ''thinks'' herself Responsible; it's true that she improves her mind with much reading and practices pianoforte, but she lacks genuine wisdom or even compassion, making a fool of herself in the meantime.
** ''Literature/SenseAndSensibility'' has three pairs:
*** Responsible Elinor and foolish Marianne, albeit the "foolish" daughter is portrayed fairly sympathetically. It's even reflected in the title (when you realize that "sensibility" meant to Austen something like what "sensitivity" means in modern-day English). Elinor is reliable and calm, while Marianne is overly romantic and exaggerates her feelings.
*** Lucy Steele may be BookDumb, but she's a clever, focused social climber who knows how to keep a secret. Her older sister Anne is an airhead.
*** Edward Ferrars is sensible, well-mannered, and well-educated. His brother Robert is a self-absorbed fop.
* In ''Literature/TheBabysittersClub'', the studious Janine is seen as the responsible sibling to the artistic but ditzy Claudia's foolish sibling by their parents.
* OlderThanDirt, ''Literature/TheBible'': The stories of Cain and Abel and Jacob and Esau, in the Old Testament; Jesus relates the story of the Prodigal Son to illustrate the difficulties of forgiveness.
** The examples of Cain and Abel, and Jacob and Esau, are complicated in that in both cases, Esau and Cain are both presented as hard-working sons, if HotBlooded and not spiritually inclined. Cain and Abel work equally hard, but Abel's gifts happen to please God more, which makes Cain jealous. Jacob actually ''tricks'' his way into getting his father's inheritance (helped by his mother), but God blesses him and his line anyway. This might be a theme in the Bible -- sometimes, God's grace just can't be accounted for by personal virtue.
** In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the younger son asks for his inheritance all at once, and promptly leaves home and has a rousing good time. It's only when he's destitute and ruined that he thinks to come home, and beg for work, if nothing else, on his father's land. His father welcomes him back with feasting and praise. However, the older, Responsible sibling is understandably upset -- he's worked hard for years and has never received this kind of recognition. The father says that the eldest son has always been beloved, and could always ask for anything; but now that the prodigal son has returned, he will be welcomed as if he were back from the dead.
** Martha and Mary from the Gospel of Luke; Jesus arrives at their home and Martha busies herself preparing everything for him while Mary sits at Jesus' feet and listens to his teaching. Martha asks Jesus to have Mary come help her, but Jesus calmly rebuffs her by saying that Martha is worrying over small things while Mary is eager to listen to the word of God, thus being the more responsible of the two.
* ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'' has [[BornLucky lucky]], silly Odelia and the more conflicted, struggling-with-responsibility Ren. At some point they are noted to be suffering from the same old trauma inflicted by their [[PosthumousCharacter now-dead husband Keifer]], and each surviving sister has reacted in a different way, all of them somewhere along these lines.
* Thomas Mann's novel ''Literature/{{Buddenbrooks}}'' contains a deconstruction: Thomas is a responsible businessman and an important personage in the community, while his brother Christian is a wastrel who spends his money on drink, women and the theatre. Subverted in that Tom secretly finds his life empty and unfulfilling, while Christian is content with his life regardless of his diminished position in society (though not so much with Tom's treatment of him).
* Throughout ''Literature/{{Caraval}}'', Scarlett is always cautious and nervous about doing anything reckless, while her younger sister Tella is more impulsive.
* Creator/AgathaChristie:
** In ''Literature/TheABCMurders'' Betty Barnard is a notorious flirt and enjoys having parties with any men who's willing to take her there (much to her boyfriend's displeasure). Her older sister Megan is a lot more sensible and down-to-earth.
** ''Literature/AfterTheFuneral'' gives us Richard Abernethie, a responsible businessman who raised his younger siblings, at least as compared to his brother Timothy (a self-absorbed hypochondriac) and his sister Cora (a 50-year-old EnfantTerrible). There were also four other siblings, but they were dead before the story started and aren't described enough to know how they fit into this trope.
** Lancelot and Percival Fortescue in ''Literature/APocketFullOfRye''. In Lance's words: "I blew my pocket money, he saved his. I had disreputable but entertaining friends, Percy made what he called 'worthwhile contacts.'"
** ''Literature/SparklingCyanide'' has ditzy Rosemary and intelligent Iris. Rosemary is so stupid she once brags about [[spoiler:knowing Anthony’s criminal past]] in front of the man himself ([[spoiler:he was a TheMole, but she didn’t know that]]). Iris is very responsible and tries to keep her in-laws going after Rosemary’s death. Notably, Rosemary keeps pressuring Stephen, a married prominent politician who is clearly ''over'' her, to elope with her, while Iris, when offered secret elopement and subsequent legal marriage by Anthony, whom she loves, refuses to participate in such a scheme.
* ''Literature/TheCityOfBrass'': Crown Prince Muntadhir is a laid-back [[TheHedonist hedonist]], while his younger brother Alizayd is serious, bookish, and [[TheFundamentalist devoutly religious]]. However, Ali is completely unprepared for court life, while Muntadhir reveals himself to be much more clever and serious about his responsibilities than he lets on.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* In the first part of ''Literature/CrownDuel'', Branaric and Meliara alternate who is being foolish at any given time. By the second part, Meliara has settled into being the responsible sibling, leaving Bran to be foolish.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
** In ''Literature/WitchesAbroad'' we discover that Granny Weatherwax wanted to be the irresponsible evil one; but because her elder sister, Lilly, beat her to the punch on that, she felt forced to be the responsible good one. When both sisters are witches, you can see how this complicates family relationships.
** In ''Literature/UnseenAcademicals'', Glenda and Juliet, who aren't actually sisters but grew up together, have this kind of relationship, with Glenda getting Juliet a job in the Night Kitchen, and then mostly having to do it for her. Subverted when Glenda realises a) that part of the reason Juliet isn't responsible is that Glenda never gave her a chance to be, and b) that maybe doing something that Glenda would consider very irresponsible is in fact a perfectly valid decision if you're the sort of person who wants to do something like that.
* In ''Literature/DoctrineOfLabyrinths'', Mildmay is shrewd and streetwise with plenty of practical skills, while his brother Felix (despite being a powerful wizard with an extensive education) is volatile, self-destructive, and lacking in common sense. Mildmay often remarks that Felix can't be trusted to cross the street unattended without calamity ensuing. He's barely exaggerating. On the one occasion their roles were reversed and Mildmay's temporary illness meant Felix had to act as his caretaker for a while, Felix immediately [[spoiler: resorted to prostitution, despite having other viable options]] resulting in him being badly hurt and inadvertently triggering off a national disaster (long story).
** Stephen and Shannon Teverius are a less extreme version, with Stephen being the steady, calculating one who takes his duties very seriously, and Shannon being a vain, impulsive fop whose bratty behavior is a constant headache to those around him.
* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', Erdrick is always worried about the consequences of the foolish things his brother Beckram tends to do. Erdrick himself is rather shy and likes reading.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Prior to CharacterDevelopment Seth was the foolish one to Kendra's responsible in ''Literature/{{Fablehaven}}''.
* After they lost their parents six months before ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear'', initially Tash and Zak were not this way. Tash withdrew from the world and didn't want to do anything. However, she saw that her brother was becoming a reckless, careless daredevil and felt she needed to be out there looking out for him. It's not to say that they always follow this trope, but Tash usually ''is'' the more thoughtful one. In ''The Brain Spiders'' Tash is so caught up in trying to be independent and an adult that she does foolish things, while her younger brother wants to be more careful; he's aware of this dynamics flip and complains about it.
* ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' has a good number of these duos.
** ''Welcome To Dead House'': Amanda is the much more patient and sensible sibling while her brother, Josh is the impatient, bratty one who's extremely stubborn.
** ''One Day At Horrorland'': Lizzie states that she's the calm one of the family while her brother, Luke, is the hyperactive sibling who enjoys pinching people.
** ''Deep Trouble'': Billy's the one with the overactive imagination to his sister Sheena's more serious, non-imaginative demeanor.
** ''Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes'': Joe is the one who often jokes around, whereas his sister, Mindy, is much more organized to a point where she suffers SuperOCD.
** ''The Curse of Camp Cold Lake'': Sarah Maas, the protagonist, is the socially awkward girl who has meltdowns over minuscule problems such as a bunk under an open window to her younger brother Aaron, who is much more social and level-headed.
** ''Night of the Living Dummy II'': A rare moment in which the protagonist isn't one of these. Sara, the older sister, is the responsible one, as she takes her talent as an artist very seriously, while Jed, the younger brother, is an obnoxious jerk who often shares practical jokes in Family Sharing Night. Amy, the protagonist and middle child, is in-between, as while she doesn't do as well in academic studies as her sister and even lazes around from her own schoolwork, she isn't nearly as much of a goof-off as her brother.
* The whole entire concept of ''Literature/GoofusAndGallant'' is about two twin brothers, one who acts as the not-so-nice AntiRoleModel in a particular situation, and one who acts in the correct way.
* Crown Prince Vasily and his younger brother Prince Nikolai from ''Literature/TheGrishaTrilogy''. Vasily is a lazy hedonist who contributes nothing to war effort. Nikolai is an ambitious soldier and innovator who's doing everything he can to keep the kingdom together.
* In ''Literature/GunsOfTheDawn'', the Marshwic family has Mary and Emily, who tend towards the serious, and Alice, who is interested in balls and dresses despite the family not really having the money to support that kind of lifestyle anymore. It's played with a bit, though, in that Alice's determination to lead a properly aristocratic social life is revealed to be partly motivated by her belief that a good marriage is the only way to alleviate the financial troubles that keep the others so glum. On the other hand, her good motivations don't make her any smarter, as proven when she [[spoiler:runs away to meet someone who turns out to be a ransom-seeking outlaw]].
* Played with, and ultimately deconstructed in ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** Everyone in the Wizarding World thinks that the highly-accomplished [[TheChessmaster Albus Dumbledore]] is the Responsible Sibling while his younger brother Aberforth -- a bartender who got persecuted for "[[UnusualEuphemism practicing inappropriate charms]] [[BestialityIsDepraved on a goat]]" -- is the Foolish Sibling. But in their youth, as we learn in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'', it was a different story. Albus was intensely aware of his genius and his great potential, and bitterly resented having to take care of his brother and their mentally ill sister. Aberforth, who was BookDumb but down-to-earth, wanted to ditch his formal education and care for Ariana, but Albus put his foot down, certain that he knew what was best. In other words, the traits that made Albus such a force for good in the world as an adult did him and those around him great harm in his youth. Albus himself believes Aberforth is the better man, calling him "my rough, unlettered, and far more admirable brother."
** Zigzagged with the Weasley siblings. During the first three books, Percy tries to act as the Responsible Sibling, doing his best to look after Ron and Ginny (and to a lesser extent, for Harry), while also ''trying'' to keep [[TricksterTwins Fred and George]] in line. The twins might come off as the Foolish ones given that they're always planning mischief and getting into trouble, but after Percy graduates and starts working for the Ministry of Magic, he lets his ambitions get to his head, to the point that it blinds him to how corrupt the Ministry actually is, and he breaks his ties with his family after having a fight with their father, while Fred and George firmly stand by them. (Percy returns to the family three years later though.)
* Kyle and Ian from ''Literature/TheHost''. Maggie and Jeb are a subversion in that Maggie comes across as rather level-headed while Jeb comes across as somewhat crazy yet Maggie is the foolish one as she lets pride and stubbornness rule out basic logic while Jeb is the responsible one who views things from all angles and is quick on his feet.
* Stanley and Thomas from ''Literature/{{Insupu}}'' - Stanley is the older, responsible brother, who borders on the ComicallySerious. Thomas is the silly, FunPersonified younger brother, and the island's resident PluckyComicRelief.
* Out of the leviathan sisters in ''LightNovel/IveBeenKillingSlimesForThreeHundredYearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel, Vania is the foolish ditz to Fatla's responsibly serious.
* Sergeant Sinter and her sister Kisswhere in the ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen''. Kisswhere is all innocent beauty and wild seduction and lives on FavorsForTheSexy and ScrewTheRulesImBeautiful. She joined the army on a whim because she'd made too many enemies among the women of her tribe and figured she could just desert or sleep her way up should she get bored. Sinter, on the other hand, is the reliable and practical one with a case of HonorBeforeReason as far as Kisswhere is concerned. She followed Kisswhere to the army so she could make sure her sister would not get herself into trouble. Her entire life consists of cleaning up after Kisswhere and she admits to chafing under that yoke.
* Kelsier and Marsh in ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'' are the foolish and responsible ones respectively. Kelsier is a charismatic, cheerful thief with a murderous streak and a tendency to not think things through. Marsh is a cold, practical rebel leader turned shopkeeper turned spy who is initially unimpressed with Kelsier's plan to overthrow the Final Empire. Their contrasts are most evident with their roles in the heist: Kelsier caused chaos in the upper classes by assassinating and implicating the right people, while Marsh spied on the [[CorruptChurch Steel Ministry]] by joining and sending back information. Also, Kelsier's moment of awesome was killing an [[TheDreaded Inquisitor]] in single combat, and Marsh's was waiting until he discovered their weakness, and killing all the others in their sleep.
* A dark example in Oyinkan Braithwaite's ''Literature/MySisterTheSerialKiller''. Ayoola, the younger sister, is featherheaded and impulsive, trusting her good looks and magnetic personality to get her out of everything--including, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as you may have guessed from the title]], murdering all her boyfriends. Where those fail, protagonist Korede, the dutiful, practical older sister, whose job as a nurse taught her everything about how to clean up blood, comes in. Korede spends the whole book literally cleaning up after Ayoola, reminding her not to post perky Insta stories when she's supposed to be in mourning, and quietly seething over their SiblingTriangle with a gorgeous doctor. When Ayoola and the doctor begin dating, Korede's jealousy and fear for his life cause her to doubt her loyalty to her sister. [[spoiler: It doesn't stick. She chooses Ayoola.]]
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* A cousin example with Bess Marvin and George Fayne of the ''Literature/NancyDrew'' series.
* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] with Isabelle and Vianne in ''Literature/TheNightingaleKristinHannah''. It's obvious that Vianne sees it this way. Early on in the narrative, Isabelle is painted in an extremely impulsive and unsympathetic light. It comes to a boiling point when [[spoiler:Isabelle hides an actively hunted Allied airman in a cellar under Vianne's barn. Vianne is [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech spitting nails]] as she leaves Isabelle down there, threatening to report her to the Nazis herself if Isabelle ever comes near the house again]]. By the end of the book, [[spoiler:Vianne is in awe of Isabelle's courage and strength as The Nightingale, and deeply ashamed of her earlier threats to her own sister]].
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* In ''Literature/ShadesOfMilkAndHoney'', Jane is the Elder and responsible sister, while Melody is the younger, foolish sister.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** Deconstructed. with Jaime and Cersei Lannister. Cersei actually resents being the responsible one, neglecting her own needs for the good of the family. As she gets closer to the Iron Throne, she loses people who can counsel and guide her ([[spoiler:Jaime, Tyrion, Tywin, Kevan, and even Pycelle]]) and her disregard for the needs of others eventually gets her [[spoiler: dethroned]]. Jaime, on the other hand, learns that sticking too much to his family's credo of not caring what the "sheep" might say will get him in trouble.
** Of House Baratheon, Robert is a drunken spendthrift hunter who'd rather spend his time womanizing than doing his job as king, while Renly is a charismatic intellectual administrator, and Stannis is a no-nonsense, logical, duty-bound {{Determinator}}. While Robert is a great warrior, Stannis played major roles in his campaigns, essentially winning the Greyjoy Rebellion by smashing the Iron Fleet at Fair Isle and then suppressing Old Wyk, the largest of the Iron Islands.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* In ''Literature/SorceryAndCecelia'', Georgina and Oliver are respectively Kate and Cecelia's foolish siblings.
* ''Literature/SweetValleyHigh'': Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are PolarOppositeTwins and Elizabeth is the smart, level-headed, ambitious one while Jessica is an impulsive and superficial drama queen. ''Usually'' these are the roles, at least; in some books, they get reversed, such as when Elizabeth undergoes a temporary personality change after having been in a coma.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ''Literature/ThirteenthChild'' has this with Lan and Eff, respectively.
* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}''. Princesses [[SpiritedYoungLady Siri]] and [[ProperLady Vivenna]] appear to be the foolish and responsible sisters respectively. Vivenna was raised from practically birth to marry the God-King of a neighboring country for a treaty, and was taught to survive cutthroat court politics by restraining her emotions, while Siri was left to her own devices and spends most of her time playing in the countryside. Siri gets sent in Vivenna's place, since the king loves Vivenna too much to lose her, and they discover that they're not as stoic or foolish as they thought. Vivenna turns out to have a rebellious streak when the reins come off, sneaking into the city and trying to get Siri out, while Siri discovers that she thrives in the Court of Gods and gets along well with its residents.
** Played straight with [[spoiler:Lightsong and Llarimar]]. The former spends most of the book running around trying to investigate a murder, while the latter tries to manage his impulses.
* ''Literature/{{Wish}}'' has Charlie's aunt Bertha, a respected member of the community, and her mama Carla, a SleepyDepressive who can't care for her kids, once walked out on them for several months, and shows little interest in anyone but herself.

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/EightSimpleRules'' has ''two'' Foolish siblings -- LovableAlphaBitch Bridget and scheming Rory. Middle child Kerry is the rule-abiding bookworm who takes on the Responsible role.
* ''Series/AllMyChildren'': Julia Santos is the Foolish sister to her older Responsible sister Maria, a doctor. True to form, it turns out that Maria is actually tired of the pressure to be perfect, to the point of being a StepfordSmiler, while most of Julia's reckless behavior is clearly a cry for attention from her parents; the fact that they have three other siblings only adds to it.
* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'''s family tree is a bit too large to fit nicely into this trope, but GOB and Michael qualify, at least to outward appearance. George Sr. comments on it at one point:
-->"[Michael] and GOB were like those biblical brothers, Gallant and, um... [[Literature/GoofusandGallant Goofeth"]]
* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' has the Lance sisters, Sara and Laurel. Sara was the Foolish party girl and Laurel was the Responsible, studious pre-law. In the present day, this seems to have reversed as separate BreakTheCutie moments forced Sara to mature and Laurel into a spiral of drugs and alcohol.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ''Series/{{Baskets}}'' has twin brothers Chip and Dale Baskets, who are Foolish and Responsible respectively.
* ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' has the lawyer brothers of Jimmy and Chuck [=McGill=]. Jimmy is a former con-man who has spent his life trying to cut corners, while Chuck is a successful and responsible partner at a prestigious law firm. Jimmy's efforts to become responsible and earn his brother's respect are a major source of motivation for him in the early seasons. A major source of conflict in the show comes from the fact that Chuck always resented Jimmy for being their parents' favorite despite all the trouble Jimmy got into and cannot accept that Jimmy is becoming a respectable lawyer so he sabotages Jimmy at every turn. At the same time, Chuck's mental illness is turning him into the Foolish one while Jimmy is forced to become the Responsible one trying to take care of Chuck. Neither of them can deal with the role reversal and they act out in self-destructive ways, culminating in [[spoiler: Chuck killing himself just to spite Jimmy]].
* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Sheldon Cooper appears to be the Responsible (a genius who works as a theoretical physicist) while his siblings, George Jr. (aka. Georgie) and Missy, are supposedly Foolish (described by their mother Mary as "dumb as soup", though this is a bit of an overstatement). The {{prequel}} SpinOff ''Series/YoungSheldon'' seems to confirm this, making Sheldon appear to be the hard-working ChildProdigy in contrast to his lazy BookDumb siblings. However, Season 11 episode "The Sibling Realignment" reveals that the true responsible sibling is Georgie. After George Sr. passed away, Georgie had to take care of Mary and Missy because all the money was going to Sheldon, who was in college at the time, and Sheldon was never told any of this. Georgie also became a SelfMadeMan with his chain of tire stores called "Dr. Tire," while Sheldon's science career was at a dead end until the series finale. Missy, however, firmly remains the least successful and least responsible of the three, working as a restaurant hostess and separated from her husband while pregnant with her second child.
* In ''Series/BirdsOfAFeather'', sensible well-to-do Tracey is the Responsible Sibling to Sharon, who doesn't care much about Tracey's carefully bolstered "respectability" and sometimes engages in petty crime. (However, "foolish" may not be the right word; Tracey's under no illusions about her husband being a career criminal, for instance, whereas Sharon, at least initially, refuses to believe that her "perfect" life could possibly be based on the proceeds of armed robbery).
* ''Series/BobHeartsAbishola'': Bob is the responsible sibling to his younger twin siblings Douglas and Christina. Bob is the responsible, hardworking president of [=MaxDot=] Theraputic Hosiery. Douglas and Christina are, in their mother's words "useless potheads." This is perhaps somewhat justified as Bob is twelve years older than his twin siblings and when their father died, he had to drop out of college to help take care of them and take over as president of his parents' sock company.
* The Booth brothers in ''Series/{{Bones}}''. Seeley is the older more responsible one who feels obligated to get Jared out of trouble. It’s apparently not uncommon in abused siblings for this to happen. The older becomes the protector and the younger rebels and gets in trouble.
* ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' - out of the three Halliwells, eldest sister Prue is the Responsible sibling who had to become a surrogate mother to the others after theirs was killed. Phoebe the youngest is the Foolish - rebellious as a teenager and still quick to bend the rules as an adult. Poor Piper was stuck [[MiddleChildSyndrome right in the middle]]. After [[spoiler: Prue's death,]] Piper takes on the responsible role while newly discovered half sister Paige is the foolish one due to her being a fun-loving party girl as well as being new to the craft. Phoebe is therefore forced to grow up and become the new middle sister to balance out the two, with varying results.
* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' has three sets:
** Flack the responsible cop and his younger sister, Sam, who's a (now-recovering) alcoholic and can't seem to hold a steady job.
** Danny, who took the responsible route and avoided gangs by going into law enforcement, as opposed to his older brother, Louie, who joined The Tanglewood Boys.
** Chief Carver, who adopts his wayward sister's kids after she abandons them for a life of drugs and prostitution.
* ''Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance'': Brea comes off as irresponsible to Seladon who scoffs at all the time she spends reading and not actually dedicating herself to her duties as a princess. However, her lust for knowledge ends up helping her realize the Skesis are not the benevolent rulers everyone believes them to be and get the upper hand in certain situations due to what she read.
* ''Series/TheDeuce'': Frankie Martino is a degenerate gambler while Vincent Martino is an entrepreneur. Both get in bed with the mob, but Vincent does so cautiously and reluctantly, while Frankie does so enthusiastically.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* In the '80s sitcom ''Double Trouble'', Alison is responsible while Kate is foolish.
* Stepsibling Example: Drake (Foolish) and Josh (Responsible) on ''Series/DrakeAndJosh''. Drake is relaxed, immature and ditzy while Josh is smart and studious.
* On ''Series/{{ER}}'', Dr. Susan Lewis is the responsible one -- that title is your first clue -- and her drug-addicted sister is the foolish one. Despite, or maybe because of this, Susan is TheUnfavourite.
* Responsible, high-achieving, conservative-dressing Alex and foolish, more interested in dating than school Mallory in ''Series/FamilyTies''.
* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': While we have few indications as to River Tam's level of responsibility before the Academy, her fractured sanity at the time of the TV show, compared to Simon's level-headed caretaker role., make them a fairly good fit.
* ''Series/{{Flashpoint}}'' has a downplayed case with Sam Braddock and his sister Natalie. Sam very much plays the "responsible sibling" half straight, but while he clearly ''sees'' Natalie as the foolish one, she's not really that bad; the only really foolish thing about her is that she's too trusting. Apart from that, she's at worst a little impulsive, and she indicates that she recognizes this and is actively trying to do better.
* Subverted in ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' — both Niles and Frasier are firmly convinced that they are the responsible brother and the other is the foolish one. In reality, they are both a mixture of foolishness and responsibility, each of them having weaknesses exactly where the other has strengths, which perpetuates this running argument.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
** Brandon was much more reckless than Ned or Benjen, despite having been groomed to succeed his father, Lord Rickard. Indeed Baelish states that in the end, Ned was the more impressive specimen of the two.
** Cersei considers herself the responsible one.
---> '''Cersei:''' ''[to Tyrion]'' I don't care what you think! You've never taken it seriously; you haven't, Jaime hasn't! It's all fallen on me.
** Of House Baratheon, Robert is a drunken spendthrift hunter who'd rather spend his time womanizing than doing his job as king, while Renly is a charismatic intellectual administrator, and Stannis is a no-nonsense, logical, duty-bound {{Determinator}}. While Robert is a great warrior, Stannis played major roles in his campaigns, essentially winning the Greyjoy Rebellion by smashing the Iron Fleet at Fair Isle and then suppressing Old Wyk, the largest of the Iron Islands. In the books, Stannis served on the King's Small Council in the books and largely worked as Jon Arryn's NumberTwo in keeping the realm intact. And of the two Baratheon siblings at King's Landing, one has never failed to attend to important matters and takes part in shaping the future of the realm... and the other is Robert. The king largely dismisses Renly as a YesMan, although Renly is shown to be ashamed and embarrassed by Robert's neglect and mismanagement of the kingdom.
* In ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie'', Teddy is the responsible sibling to both PJ and Gabe's foolish siblings. While Teddy is both wise and responsible, PJ is [[DumbassTeenageSon far more immature and airheaded than his younger sister]], and while he's much less of [[ThePrankster a troublemaker]] than their younger brother, PJ is far more careless than them both.
* ''Series/HouseOfAnubis'' plays around with this a bit. Patricia seems like she'd be the more down to Earth one, being the DeadpanSnarker and a bit more responsible than her rather emotional friends, while Piper seems like she'd be the naive and foolish one; However, when they actually interact, Patricia's impulsive and mischievous nature becomes much more obvious in comparison to her much calmer, nicer sister, making Piper the responsible on and Patricia the foolish one.
* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' has:
** Ted (responsible) and Heather (foolish) Mosby, which forms one episode's plot when Ted is skeptical of Heather's claims that she's grown up, seeing as how the last time she tried to clean up her act, she sold Ted's belongings to buy Nine Inch Nails tickets in Spain on the day of her admissions interview at NYU.
** Also, there's Barney (foolish) and James (responsible) Stinson, who have a different sort of development -- they used to both be foolish (compulsive manwhores[[note]]With the unique advantage of James being gay[[/note]] who were constantly getting into trouble), and Barney feels abandoned when James matures and gets engaged. Oddly enough, it seems like Barney and James have [[HourglassPlot switched places]] in Season 9. Now Barney is the one who is [[CharacterDevelopment settling down and getting married]] (to [[spoiler: [[UnresolvedSexualTension Robin]]]]) while James has cheated [[TookALevelInJerkass on his husband (repeatedly)]], leading to the end of their marriage and for James to seemingly return to the [[TheCasanova promiscuous]] lifestyle he left behind years ago.
* ''Series/Kingdom2014'': Jay (volatile addict) is the Foolish Sibling to his younger brother Nate (who is reticent but following the family business)'s Responsible.
* Series/KirbyBuckets is far from a flawless character, but he's typically more responsible than his self-absorbed sister Dawn.
* On ''Series/LabRats'', Chase is usually the most responsible of the four siblings, followed by Bree, then Leo, and finally Adam.
* In ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'':
** Detective Amanda Rollins is the Sensible sibling, having become a successful detective in the Special Victims Unit of the New York Police Department. Her younger sister, Kim, is the Foolish sister, being a veritable ManChild who has seemingly no impulse control whatsoever, doing and saying whatever she wants, whenever she wants, not caring about the consequences that will result or the effects her actions have on others, even her sister. This takes on a darker than usual cast in two ways. Firstly, her behavior also leads to her engaging in rampant substance abuse and to be devoted to a BastardBoyfriend. Secondly, Kim resents her sister for being more successful and respected than her (although, ironically, their mother is more like Kim and definitely favors Kim), which she considers as fair rationale for exploiting and manipulating her sister. [[spoiler:She sets Amanda up to murder her abusive boyfriend for her when she gets sick of him, an act that would also result in a big insurance payout -- which she forged Amanda's name to qualify for, and when she is caught on video-tape confessing with this, she skips town along with all of her sister's possessions — '''literally''': the only things Amanda has left is her fridge, an ice tray, and Kim's goodbye note.]] In later seasons, Kim [[spoiler:is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and finally gets proper treatment]], leading her to finally settle down and become more responsible.
** Similarly, Olivia and her half-brother Simon. Unlike Kim, Simon generally means well, but he's immature and impulsive to the point of reckless, enough to have gotten him in trouble with the law more than once. In his second-to-last appearance, Olivia tells him point-blank that he needs to grow up.
** Fin's son Ken and [[spoiler:his half-brother Darius]] are a particularly extreme version. Ken is first a college student and then a social worker and spends his free time volunteering with LGBT organizations and homeless youth; as of Season 17, he's also married and about to become a father. By contrast, [[spoiler:Darius has a long criminal record and is eventually revealed to have brutally raped and murdered his girlfriend, and also killed her infant son]]. By the end, even Ken doesn't want anything to do with [[spoiler:Darius]].
** Elliot Stabler's kids have elements of this: oldest daughter Maureen, though not perfect, is a generally well-adjusted teenager and serious student, while Kathleen [[BrattyTeenageDaughter spends her teen years getting into increasing levels of trouble]], culminating in an arrest for burglary and trespassing. She settles down once she's diagnosed with bipolar disorder and begins receiving treatment, but then ''Richard'' becomes the problem child, at least for one episode.
* A rather dark take appears in ''Series/TheLeagueOfGentlemen'' with Pop's two put-upon sons Al and Richie. Richie is the foolish one and it leads to him being disowned by his own father for a very small screw-up (getting a few chocolate bars stolen). Al the ostensibly responsible one, has been actually conditioned to be subservient to his father and deludedly worship him which leads to Pop ruining his life even further.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Van and Meg on the soap opera ''Series/LoveOfLife'' is a prime example with Van as the responsible one and Meg as the foolish one.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Discussed & Inverted on ''Series/MadAboutYou'', where Jamie's older sister is the foolish one.
* ''Series/MadamSecretary'': Done twice in the [=McCord=] family.
** Between Elizabeth [=McCord=] and her brother, Liz has a strong marriage and manages to balance her family with her career as Secretary of State. Her brother's marriage is on the rocks due to him being MarriedToTheJob (as an aid worker in conflict zones, but still).
** Among Liz and Henry's children, the middle sibling Alison is a peer mediator at her school and a model student, whereas her older sister Stevie dropped out of college and her younger brother Jason clashes with his parents politically and got expelled from their Quaker school for punching out a bully. Also inverted between Alison and Stevie in "Standoff" when Stevie initially helps sneak Alison's boyfriend past the security detail to get back at their mother, but then changes her mind and takes him home rather than let Alison and the boyfriend have TheirFirstTime upstairs.
* It's worth noting that the middle child often falls into this role as well in {{Sitcom}}s. A notable example of this are ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' and its eponymous Malcolm, who is much more responsible than Dewey (although Dewey is only about six years old at the beginning of the series) and, well... just plain smarter than [[TheDitz Reese]]. Interestingly, later on, the roles are shifted. Dewey becomes more responsible and down to earth while Malcolm becomes more and more cynical and pessimistic. Francis, who got sent away to military school because of his behaviour, actually gets his crap together, has a happy marriage and a good job.
* ''Series/TheMentalist'': In ''Red All Over'' Xander Harrington, was a hard-working, decisive businessman, and a good husband and father, while his younger brother Ed is a NoRespectGuy playboy who [[spoiler: knocked up their stepmother]], lets himself be used by [[HoneyTrap a woman who planted a bomb in the family's house]] and is never given any responsibility in the FamilyBusiness.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Responsible Guinevere and trouble-magnet Elyan from ''Series/Merlin2008''.
* ''Series/{{Microsoap}}'':
** The series has Joe and Emily, who play with this trope quite a bit. Prankster Joe is the foolish sibling while his older sister Emily is the responsible who tries to rein him in. However as Joe gets older, he morphs into a more responsible sibling, becoming something of a TeenGenius, albeit occasionally needing Emily bring him back down to earth when his ego got too big. Emily by contrast drifts more into the foolish by missing important events as well as struggling with jobs and homework.
** Roger's three children include music-loving [[LazyBum David]] as the foolish (as shown when he leaves kippers in the oven to catch fire) while his younger sister Felicity is the responsible one (trying to fix the aforementioned kippers incident). Youngest Robbie also tends to fall more into the responsible as, despite him being MrImagination, he's usually well behaved and level headed.
* ''Series/MidnightCaller'':
** Devon King inherited a near-bankrupt radio station when she was twenty-one and had it turning a profit in three years. Her brother Jimmy was an incompetent businessman and an alcoholic who died in a drunk driving accident.
** Jack Killian is a responsible citizen with no criminal record who has been working since he got out of high school. His brother Frankie is a small-time thief who spent time in prison. His sister Katie clearly has borderline personality disorder; she has a long history of short-lived relationships that failed because she rushed into them too quickly, then freaked out when her boyfriend wanted to slow down.
* In ''Series/MurdochMysteries'', Dr. Julia Ogden's sister Ruby is introduced when she is revealed to be a magician's assistant to Harry Houdini, much to Julia's chagrin. While Julia has become a doctor and a coroner in Toronto, Ruby has gotten into popular journalism and travels the world, becoming romantically involved with the married H.G. Wells at one point. The two sisters sometimes bicker over their differences, with Julia making remarks about her sister's tendency to spend time with sultans and such. Ruby retaliates at one point by calling her sister "Jules" (an old childhood nickname Julia no longer likes) and lamenting her sister being a stick-in-the-mud, particularly critiquing the slow-motion courtship between her and William.
* Explored in ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'' with Earl evolving over the course of the show from being one of a pair of idiot siblings to being a responsible one and taking care of his brother Randy who remains the foolish one. At one point Earl has a minor HeroicBSOD when he realises he has become the guy everyone looks to for answers and help.
* ''Series/OdeToJoy'':
** Qu Xiao Xiao is a businesswoman who successfully controls her company, while Qu Lian Jie is a playboy who wastes his father's money and makes bad financial decisions.
** Fan Sheng Mei constantly works and [[GoldDigger pursues rich men]] in order to support her family. Her brother, meanwhile, relies on Fan Sheng Mei's money and effort to get him a job and house and [[UngratefulBastard doesn't appreciate her efforts]].
* ''Series/{{Outnumbered}}'' has stressed, mother-of-three Sue (Responsible) and undependable, new age Angela (Foolish). To a lesser degree, Sue's sons fit too, with serious, quiet Jake (Responsible) and erratic, compulsive liar Ben (Foolish).
* ''Series/ThePattyDukeShow'': Impulsive, boy-crazy, ZanyScheme-prone Patty Lane (Foolish) and demure, cultured, sensible "identical cousin" Cathy Lane (Responsible).
* ''Series/PoliticalAnimals'': Elaine's twin sons T.J. and Douglas, respectively. T.J. is the hard-partying and promiscuous sibling, whose main "work" shown during the series is trying to start a nightclub...which he can't fund without a loan begged from family members. Douglas, on the other hand, is busy with a political career as his mother's right-hand man (and formerly her presidential campaign manager), about to marry, and spends most of his time-solving problems of the rest of his dysfunctional family.
* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'':
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample** ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'': Rita is the responsible sibling to her foolish brother Rito.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample** ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy'': [[TheHero Red Ranger]] Leo is the foolish sibling to his older brother, Mike.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample** ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm'' has '''three''' examples. Sensei Kanoi is the responsible sibling to his [[spoiler:evil]] brother Kiya, Kapri is the responsible one to her [[TheDitz ditzy]] sister Marah, and Blake is the responsible one his older brother, Hunter.
** ''Series/PowerRangersMysticForce'': Madison is the responsible one to her brash sister, Vida.
---> '''Madison:''' Don't look at me. I'm the sister with the common sense.
* ''Series/QueenSugar'' has the Bordelon siblings: Ralph Angel, an ex-con who still engages in illegal activity and needs to find a job, is the foolish sibling. Charley, the wealthy sports manager, and Nova, the truth-seeking journalist, are the responsible siblings. Deconstructed because Ralph Angel is fully aware of this dynamic and finds it chafing. He considers his sisters' attempts to help him patronizing and doesn't think they have much faith in him.
* ''Series/TheRanch'': Colt is Foolish, Rooster is Responsible, at least at first. Colt left the ranch to pursue (and screw up) a semi-pro football career, while Rooster stayed to work on the ranch. Beau, however, points out that they're both {{Man Child}}ren who spend more time drinking and chasing women than they do working.
* ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' has Rod Belding, who is the foolish to Principal Richard Belding's responsible, being way too relaxed with the rules and then blowing off the kids for a field trip at the last minute for a date. Richard proves how much better a person he is by agreeing to take his brother's place to lead the trip.
* On ''Series/SchittsCreek'' both David and Alexis are shown to have some major gaps in their common sense thanks to their spoiled upbringing, but David is the far more self-aware, book-smart and responsible of the two. In the past, he often worried about his sister when she was off on her wild adventures and it fell to him to send her passports and colored contact lenses.
* The premise of the series ''Series/SimonAndSimon'' involved two brothers who worked as private detectives. Rick was a blue-collar Vietnam veteran (Marine Corps, no less) who drank considerably and had unsavory friends. The younger brother A.J. was the white-collar half of the duo. He attended university during the Vietnam era and often scolded his brother. Rick was supposed to be streetwise, carefree and unflappable, while A.J. was straight-laced, anxious, and upwardly mobile, given to fretting about retaining his P.I.'s license.
* In ''Series/SisterSister'' Tia is Responsible and Tamera is Foolish. Tia is serious and studious, Tamera is wild and impulsive.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ''Series/TheSopranos'': Meadow and AJ Soprano fit into this pattern pretty well, although Meadow does have phases of irresponsibility herself.
* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Family", we're introduced to Captain Picard's older brother Robert, who attributes his bitter, jealous, and bullying behavior from their youth to this trope, claiming himself to have always been TheDutifulSon while Jean-Luc "broke every rule [their] father made and got away with it."
* In ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'', Cody is Responsible and Zack is Foolish. Although uniquely for this trope, Cody is NotSoAboveItAll many times and gets into plenty of antics with Zack. Often willingly.
* Played with in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. While, law-abiding, educated, responsible, empathetic Sam seems to be the Responsible Sibling to Dean's loud, boorish, womanizing, devil-may-care Foolish Sibling, Sam is also the BlackSheep of the family who butted heads with his father constantly while Dean is [[WellDoneSonGuy loyal and]] [[BigBrotherInstinct devoted to his family]] to the point that it's a character flaw. It seems that Sam was given more freedom and innocence as a kid while Dean was forced to be his brother's caretaker and his dad's loyal soldier. However, Sam takes far more responsibility for his - and other people's - mistakes than Dean does. While Dean's sense of responsibility is mostly limited to his family, Sam's extends to the world in general.
* An interesting variation is used in ''Series/That70sShow'', with Eric, a nerdy stoner, being much more responsible and level headed than his slutty and ditzy older sister, Laurie.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ''Series/TwoAndAHalfMen'' has Charlie (Foolish) and Alan (Responsible).
* ''Series/UnhappilyEverAfter'': Older son Ryan is foolish, middle child Tiffany is responsible. Ryan went to HighSchool on the Five Year Plan, Tiffany got a full scholarship to an Ivy League school. Both ended up going to a local community college for a year.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'': Vicki is the foolish to Matt's responsible, Jeremy is the foolish to Elena's responsible and Damon is the foolish to Stefan's responsible.
* In ''Series/{{Victorious}}'', [[VanillaProtagonist Tori Vega]], though not above getting involved in wacky hijinks, is usually more sensible and down to earth than her [[SmallNameBigEgo deluded]], [[ItsAllAboutMe self-obsessed]] older sister Trina.
* ''{{Series/Vida}}'': Lyn is the foolish sibling, Emma is the responsible sibling. Lyn causes trouble wherever she goes, such as starting an affair with Johnny and going on a thousand dollar shopping spree just to cheer herself up. Emma, on the other hand, is hard-nosed and prudent to a fault, driving everyone nuts with her high expectations.
* Ryan and Kristen from ''Series/{{Wilfred}}'' seem to fit their respective tropes at first. Ryan is unemployed and spends his days getting high and doing Jenna's busy work while Kristen is a successful doctor. But up close, they are the opposite. Ryan wrestles with his conscience and always does the right thing, for better or worst. Kristen, on the other hand, makes bad decisions when it comes to her personal life. She wrecks her marriage after she has an affair with a married man and mothers a bastard she rightfully names [[Series/GameOfThrones Joffrey]].
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Joe (Responsible) & Brian Hackett (Foolish) on ''Series/{{Wings}}''. (Exacerbated in Joe's case with his PromotionToParent when they were kids). Helen (Responsible) and Casey (Foolish) also qualify.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Foolish Alex Russo and Responsible Justin Russo in ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace''.
* ''Series/WynonnaEarp'' gives us the Earp siblings. Big sister Wynonna is the town pariah who [[ReallyGetsAround slept with half her high school]], had several stints in juvie, and skipped town to ride with a biker gang as soon as she was able. She starts the series [[RefusalOfTheCall in complete denial]] about being TheChosenOne who must end the family curse and stop demons from terrorizing Purgatory. Meanwhile, Waverly is the town darling, a top student, and has dedicated her life to figuring out how to break the curse because she won't abandon her hometown. The fact that, despite all this, Wynonna is ''still'' TheChosenOne gets under [[TheResenter Waverly's]] skin a little.

[[folder:Music]]
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* The premise of the song "I'd Rather Have a Bottle in Front of Me Than a Frontal Lobotomy". The irresponsible one is a drunk and the narrator; the responsible one is now a mental patient.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* A common portrayal of [[HalfIdenticalTwins Rin and Len Kagamine]] of ''Music/{{Vocaloid}}'' fame. Rin is usually the Foolish Sibling and Len is usually the Responsible Sibling.
* In the first opera from ''Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung'' cycle, Fasolt and Fafner are this during their first appearance, with Fasolt being the gullible and emotional brother, and Fafner the calculating and rational one. However, the situation quickly slips straight into CainAndAbel.

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* Myth/ClassicalMythology: An OlderThanFeudalism example is the Titan brothers Prometheus ("forethought") and Epimetheus ("afterthought"). While the former was clever and rational, the latter was foolish. In Creator/{{Plato}}'s discussion of the myth, Epimetheus completely bolloxed everything when the two brothers were given the job of creating humans and animals. Since he lacked foresight, he came down to humanity last and had nothing more to offer, so Prometheus had to steal fire and give it to humans to prevent our extinction. According to Hesiod's ''Literature/{{Theogony}}'', Epimetheus enthusiastically received Pandora from the gods, despite all of Prometheus's warnings that she would be a blight upon humanity. He was right, [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom she was]]. This is the UrExample in Western Literature.
* Myth/JapaneseMythology: Foolish brothers are the reason why the Japanese pantheon is ruled by [[WomenAreWiser a goddess]]. [[ThePowerOfTheSun Amaterasu]]'s first brother, [[{{Lunacy}} Tsukuyomi]], killed the goddess of food out of disgust at the way she procured the food, so Amaterasu vowed never to speak to him again, hence why [[JustSoStory day and night are always apart]]. Amaterasu's ''other'' brother, [[ShockAndAwe Susanoo]], was a SoreLoser who threw a massive tantrum after he lost a competition with her and was banished to Earth. His descendants initially ruled the world, until Amaterasu ordered her descendant to depose them.

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* In ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues'', Elly and Don are both much younger, and thus much less serious, than their brother Ciro. A wedge that's driven even further by Ciro taking on a [[PromotionToParent parental role]] towards them.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/RabbitHole'': Becca is the responsible wife and mother. Her sister Izzy is a wild child that gets into bar fights after having sex with another woman's boyfriend—and gets knocked up by said other woman's boyfriend.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'', foolish Jonesy and responsible Jen became step-siblings in Season 2.
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', in the episode "Jermaine", reveals that Finn and Jake had this with their other brother Jermaine. He believes Finn and Jake were the Foolish ones, getting to live an easy life while he stayed behind to protect their father's home and treasures from the demons who want them back. However, it's Deconstructed. Jake calms his brother down and Jermaine realizes that he "built his own cage." He kept himself at home due to misplaced beliefs while Finn and Jake applied the lessons their father taught them and kept a lot of evil at bay and saving Ooo. Jermaine eventually lets the home burn down before going off on his own path.
* ZigZagged in ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers''. Daggett is typcially the hyperactive and temperamental foolish sibling, while Norbert is the more level-headed and laid-back responsible sibling. However, there are times where the roles are switched with Daggett being more laid-back and Norbert being more neurotic.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'': Ray Gilette is the Responsible Sibling to his brother Randy's Foolish. Ray has a steady career as a spy and is usually one of the [[OnlySaneMan most competent]] members of the agency. Randy on the other hand is an illegal drug farmer who's too lazy to get a legitimate job at the nearby coal mine.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', D.W. is the foolish sibling whenever she throws temper tantrums and/or generally annoys her titular older brother. Arthur is the responsible sibling, as he is more mature and level-headed than D.W. is and often has to put up with her behavior. However, there are a few instances where the roles are reversed, such as "Arthur the Wrecker" and "Arthur's Knee", wherein Arthur will want to do something he wants against his parents' wishes, and will have to work out a deal with D.W. to keep her from telling on him.
* ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'':
** In the Foutley family, Ginger is the sensible and capable Responsible. Carl is the scheming, mischievous Foolish.
** Swapped around for their respective best friends in the Bishop family; older sister and wannabe social climber Dodie is the Foolish. Hoodsey is the straight man to Carl, making him the Responsible.
** In the Gripplings, [[LovableAlphaBitch Courtney]] is more air-headed and oblivious to make her the Foolish sibling. Blake is a little more grounded, making him the Responsible.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' has Riley Freeman as the foolish younger brother and Huey Freeman as the older responsible one.
* ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'' has a mild example with Loon twins Dave and Ping-Pong. While both think similarly, have the same sarcastic wit and act almost the same, Dave is a little more sensitive and easily impressionable than his brother.
* ''WesternAnimation/CatDog'': The eponymous [[PolarOppositeTwins twins]]. Cat is the intelligent and responsible brother who takes care of the chores and the bills while Dog is ditzy, naive and carefree.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'':
** The title character is the calm and intellectual Responsible to Quinn's shallow and bratty Foolish.
** Jane is the responsible one compared to [[StonersAreFunny Trent]]. When the two of them had to get the "naming gazebo" fixed, Jane was the one earning the money while Trent's job was to hire a work crew and get them working on it. Jane earns more than the necessary amount and when she later finds Trent and the workers napping, it took Jane threatening to withhold payment to get them working. Trent knows she's the responsible one and when Jane decides to go to college, he gets upset and calls her a sellout. He later reveals that he's worried she might completely abandon him like their other siblings and their house is kinda scary without her.
* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'': Dexter and Dee Dee. Dexter being the smart one, and Dee Dee being downright stupid and foolish. Then again, there are those moments that Dexter does something completely boneheaded and Dee Dee's Flighty nature ends up being the only thing that defuses the situation. (Granted, sometimes it makes it worse...) She has also shown several times to be responsible when she needs to be. Dee Dee IS a good older sister after all.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ''WesternAnimation/DrDimensionpants'': Despite being the superhero in the family, Kyle is the foolish one, while his kid genius sister Amanda is the responsible one.
* Donald (Responsible) and Della (Foolish) in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' has this dynamic. Della has a great love for adventure and is often too reckless for her own good while Donald is more cautious and overprotective. This would lead to Della impulsively [[spoiler: stealing the experimental ship ''The Spear of Selene'' and took it into space with tragic consequences for her and her family, leaving her stranded in space and her children without a mom]], something Donald rightfully calls her out on. Also when [[spoiler: she does return home]], Della remains irresponsible and has no clue how [[spoiler: to raise her children]] whereas Donald is experienced and seen as responsible [[spoiler: as a parental figure for the triplets]].
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'':
** Mabel, a hyperactive and somewhat childish GenkiGirl, takes on the role of the foolish sibling; Dipper, who is studious and cautious, is the responsible one.
** "[[Recap/GravityFallsS2E12ATaleOfTwoStans A Tale of Two Stans]]" suggests that this was also the case for [[spoiler:Grunkle Stanley Pines and ''his'' twin brother, Grunkle Stanford Pines. Such a relationship is deconstructed, however; our Stan's constant tomfoolery combined with Ford's work ethic, caused a rift to form between the two. It is played with around as Ford has shades of an AbsentMindedProfessor, showing an astounding lack of foresight with his dangerous experiments upon arriving at Gravity Falls (which led to more than few problems later on) and fell prey to Bill's silver tongue while Stan's rough life made him StreetSmart and gave him a sense of responsibility and as such he has the safety of Dipper and Mabel foremost in his mind]].
* Kimber and her older sister Jerrica from ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}''. Jerrica is well-organized and responsible {{workaholic}} of a businesswoman. The teenager Kimber often doesn't think ahead, [[FieryRedhead gets aggravated easily]], and [[SmittenTeenageGirl thinks with her heart]] a bit too easily.
* Subverted on ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest.'' While Johnny is the younger sibling who tends to get into scrapes, and his older twin sisters are bookish and brilliant, they ''perform experiments on him'', which in real life would result in someone [[SocialServicesDoesNotExist calling the authorities]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'':
** Mako and Bolin. The two of them grew up on the streets, but while the stoic and reserved [[PromotionToParent Mako]] is dedicated to winning the probending tournament and the purse that comes with it, [[TheCharmer Bolin]] is a casual lady's man who loves to have fun. Then again, Bolin proves that he can be serious too, taking up the team leadership in "[[Recap/TheLegendOfKorraS1E5TheSpiritOfCompetition The Spirit of Competition]]," for example. "The Revelation" seems to imply that he realizes this dynamic exists and is trying to change it (by getting a job), but unfortunately he kind of screwed that one up.
** Katara notes that Kya II and Bumi II were the foolish siblings to the Tenzin's responsible sibling. Tenzin and his siblings argue -- well into middle-age -- about who was responsible and who wasn't.
** In Season 3, we find out Lin Beifong has a half-sister named Suyin. As teens, Lin was the responsible one, becoming a cop like her mom, and Suyin was the foolish, skipping school and hanging out with gangsters. She's calmed down since then--starting her own family and even founding a city -- but is still laidback compared to Lin.
* ''WesternAnimation/LesSisters'': The titular sisters. Marine, the younger sister, is impulsive, fun-loving and somewhat naive while Wendy, the older sister, is more level-headed and intelligent. Somewhat justified in that Marine is only seven while Wendy is a teen.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** {{Downplayed|Trope}} with Celestia and Luna. While both are responsible rulers, Celestia (responsible) is regal, kind, and gentle, whereas Luna (foolish) is stern, playful, and a bit [[HairTriggerTemper short-tempered]]. In "A Royal Problem", their roles are reversed.
** Pinkie Pie is the walking definition of CloudCuckooLander, making her the Foolish sibling. Maud Pie, despite being an EmotionlessGirl, is grounded and level-headed -- making her the Responsible.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': "Covention" introduces Eda's sister Lilith. Whereas Eda is an outlaw witch and petty criminal (Foolish), Lilith is the powerful and dignified leader of the Emperor's Coven, the elite soldiers of the ruler of the Boiling Isles (Responsible).
** PlayedWith, however, in their perspectives and understandings of the coven system and of Emperor Belos' trustworthiness. Later on, it becomes apparent that Eda recognizes that the coven system is little more than a power scheme designed by [[BigBad Emperor Belos]] to maintain power, whereas Lilith believes it truly is a necessity to maintain order. In addition, Eda is fully aware that Belos is not trustworthy when Lilith claims that Belos can cure her curse, whereas it takes hearing Belos reneging on his promise to her for Lilith to realize that her sister was right.
** Played Straight for laughs, however, in "Escaping Expulsion". When Luz teaches them how to use glyphs in conjunction with one another, they essentially mentally behave like schoolgirls. While [[TeachersPet Lilith]] follows Luz's instructions exactly as stated, desperate to please, [[ClassClown Eda]] performs haphazard experiments with glyphs in ways Luz discourages. As a result Lilith successfully uses glyphs in ways that allow her to form impressively artistic ice structures, while Eda's glyph combos fail to produce any spells that have any useful effects, or don't go out of control and cause chaos, causing the latter to [[GreenEyedMonster envy Lilith's newfound skill]].
* ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower'' has the arrogant and impulsive Otto (foolish) and the pragmatic and more level-headed Reggie (responsible).
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Bart and Lisa are extreme versions. Bart is the foolish sibling, as he is a BookDumb and mischievous troublemaker, while Lisa is the responsible one, as she is very studious, well-behaved, and respectful.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS7E5GoneWithATrace "Gone With a Trace"]], we are introduced to the Martez sisters. Older sister Rafa, while determined to be a provider, cuts deals with shady figures even if it means getting involved in illegal activities. Younger sister Trace, meanwhile, is just trying to stay afloat long enough to get her ship operational and make a better living among the stars. However, [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS7E6DealNoDeal "Deal No Deal"]] reveals that Trace isn't a completely straight example, as she is extremely naïve about life beyond the area of the Coruscant underworld in which she lives.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
** Teenage brother Ronaldo Fryman is a [[ItsAllAboutMe self-promoting]] ConspiracyTheorist who slacks off at the FamilyBusiness, while his preteen brother Peedee is an anxious, AdorablyPrecociousChild who covers for him. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d by their father in "Political Power:"
--->'''Mr. Fryman:''' Without power, I can't take care of my family! ''(motions to Peedee)'' Well, this one's fine, ''(jerks thumb at Ronaldo)'' but he can't take care of himself!
** There's also the twin sisters Jenny and Kiki Pizza. In "Kiki's Pizza Delivery Service," Jenny often pushes her pizza delivery route on Kiki to go hang out with her friends, but Steven convinces Kiki to confront Jenny about it and the two sort things out.
** While they're not ''technically'' siblings, Rose being Amethyst's ParentalSubstitute makes it fitting that Amethyst has this dynamic with Rose's actual child Steven: Steven is a well-meaning, compassionate person who looks out for the people around him (Responsible) while Amethyst is a destructive hell-raiser (Foolish). [[spoiler:Even more so in that Rose [[TwoAliasesOneCharacter is actually]] Pink Diamond, and Amethyst was made for Pink.]] One episode has Amethyst admit her dislike of this dynamic, promising Steven that she'll work to become a more responsible sibling, though she's immediately annoyed upon realizing that this action has made her the most mature of Steven's caretakers (at least in the current situation).
** ZigZaggingTrope between Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond in the present day during Steven's trial. While Blue does act overly nonfunctional and depressed in her daily life, at the very least she's insistent on continuing "Rose's" trial properly because she wants the truth. Yellow, on the other hand, while she's determined to keep her forces in line, treats the trial like a KangarooCourt.
** Pink Diamond, being young and impetuous, was the foolish sibling to the responsible Yellow and Blue. [[spoiler:After Pink's HeelFaceTurn, the roles are reversed.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'', the poised and proper Arianna is the responsible sibling while her laidback and impulsive sister Willow is the foolish sibling.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' episode, "[[Recap/ThomasAndFriendsS21E7HastyHannah Hasty Hannah]]", Henrietta is the responsible sibling to her sister Hannah's foolish sibling. Henrietta treats Toby with respect and knows that tramway coaches are not built for high speeds, while Hannah demands the engine pulling her go faster and faster, even if it means going past closing crossing gates and other engines at switches, [[spoiler:and leads to her coming apart]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' episodes "[[Recap/TinyToonAdventuresS2E13TakeElmyraPlease Take Elmyra Please]]" and "[[Recap/TinyToonAdventuresS3E13GrandmasDead Grandma's Dead]]", Elmyra acts as the foolish sibling to her little brother Duncan's responsible sibling. Elmyra wants to pursue an acting career but has mistaken a pair of criminals for a pair of TV executives, whilst Duncan wants to be a superhero and often protects Elmyra from dangers to which she is otherwise oblivious.
* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace'' has the SiblingTeam of Emma and Kitty. Kitty is the Foolish Sibling, being a scatterbrained and fun-loving GenkiGirl, while Emma is the Responsible Sibling, being very serious and goal-focused. However, [[SubvertedTrope the two start to show]] they aren't so different as the race goes on, as Emma's romance with Noah causes her to lose her focus and Kitty starts to become the responsible one; ultimately, it leads to the pair gaining a deeper sense of respect for each other.
* Wat and his brother in ''WesternAnimation/WatsPig''. Wat was raised as a peasant and so knows how to take care of himself. His brother, now the king, has never worked a day in his life, and it's a bit of a shock to him when he has to.
* ''WesternAnimation/WeBareBears'' has the titular three adopted bear brothers, with the older Grizzly and Panda as the foolish siblings to the younger Ice Bear as the responsible sibling. Even though all three love to have fun and making connections with people, Grizzly and Panda's ManChild behavior sterns from having little sense of adult responsibility due to their lack of parental guidance. Ice Bear is generally the one looking out for them and providing for the bears, having developed an early sense of responsibility as a cub and becoming WiseBeyondTheirYears thanks to having a ParentalSubstitute imposing this onto him. Between Grizz and Panda, Panda is the more responsible one, cautious to a fault and always wary of Grizz's {{Zany Scheme}}s; in ''WesternAnimation/WeBareBearsTheMovie'', it's Panda who calls out Grizz as an irresponsible big brother whose actions have only gotten them in trouble.
[[/folder]]

** PlayedWith, however, in their perspectives and understandings of the coven system and of Emperor Belos' trustworthiness. Later on, it becomes apparent that Eda recognizes that the coven system is little more than a power scheme designed by [[BigBad Emperor Belos]] to maintain power, whereas Lilith believes it truly is a necessity to maintain order. In addition, Eda is fully aware that Belos is not trustworthy when Lilith claims that Belos can cure her curse, whereas it takes hearing Belos reneging on her promise to realize that her sister was right.
** Played Straight for laughs, however, in "Escaping Expulsion". When Luz teaches them how to use glyphs in conjunction with one another, they essentially mentally behave like schoolgirls. Whereby [[TeachersPet Lilith]] follows her instructions exactly as stated, desperate to please, whereas [[ClassClown Eda]] performs haphazard experiments with glyphs in way Luz discourages. As a result Lilith successfully uses glyphs in ways that allow her to form impressively artistic ice structures, while Eda's glyph combos fail to produce any spells that have any useful effects, or don't go out of control and cause chaos, causing the latter to [[GreenEyedMonster envy Lilith's newfound skill]].

* Played straight and is the main plot point in ''Film/JasonsLyric'', besides the love story. Jason is responsible and dutiful, while Joshua is [[HotBlooded hot blooded]] and troublemaker.

* Interestingly, prior to shit getting real in ''Film/{{Thor}}'', Loki and Thor. Loki- though younger- was the bookish, reasonable, responsible brother who was implied to regularly attempt to talk sense to a Thor who was childish, reckless, and volatile. However, it's [[PlayingWithATrope played with]] throughout the film. Thor's time on Midgard as a mortal mellows him out and he matures into TheWisePrince, while Loki's insecurities lead him to attempt a plot that backfires horribly on him and begins his path to self-destruction and villainy.

** Everyone in the Wizard world thinks that the highly-accomplished [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] Albus Dumbledore is the Responsible Sibling while his younger brother Aberforth -- a bartender who "practiced inappropriate charms on a goat" -- is the Foolish Sibling. But in their youth, as we learn in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'', it was a different story. Albus was intensely aware of his genius and his great potential, and bitterly resented having to take care of his brother and their mentally ill sister. Aberforth, who was BookDumb but down-to-earth, wanted to ditch his formal education and care for Ariana, but Albus put his foot down, certain that he knew what was best. In other words, the traits that made Albus such a force for good in the world as an adult did him and those around him great harm in his youth. Albus himself believes Aberforth is the better man, calling him "my rough, unlettered, and far more admirable brother."
** Zigzagged with the Weasley siblings. During the first three books, Percy tries to act as the Responsible Sibling, doing his best to look after Ron and Ginny (and to a lesser extent, for Harry), while also ''trying'' to keep [[TricksterTwins Fred and George]] in line. The twins might come off as the Foolish ones given that they're always planning mischief and getting into trouble, but after Percy graduates and starts working for the Ministry of Magic, he lets his ambitions get to his head, to the point that it blinds him to how corrupt the ministry actually is, and he breaks his ties with his family after having a fight with their father, while Fred and George firmly stand by them. (Percy returns to the family three years later though.)

* Played straight and is the main plot point in ''Film/Jasons Lyric'', besides the love story. Jason is responsible and dutiful, while Joshua is [[HotBlooded hot blooded]] and troublemaker.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' episode, "[[Recap/ThomasTheTankEngineS21E7HastyHannah Hasty Hannah]]", Henrietta is the responsible sibling to her sister Hannah's foolish sibling. Henrietta treats Toby with respect and knows that tramway coaches are not built for high speeds, while Hannah demands the engine pulling her go faster and faster, even if it means going past closing crossing gates and other engines at switches, [[spoiler:and leads to her coming apart]].

* Played straight and is the main plot point in the film ''Jason's Lyric'', besides the love story. Jason is responsible and dutiful, while Joshua is [[HotBlooded hot blooded]] and troublemaker.

* Played straight and is the main plot point in the film ''Jason's Lyric'', besides the love story. Jason is the responsible and dutiful Blue to Joshua's [[HotBlooded hot blooded]] and troublemaker Red.

* Played straight and is the main plot point in the film ''Jason's Lyric'', besides the love story.