History Main / SwornBrothers

* Threadsiblings in ''Literature/TheWitchlands'' are a regularly-occuring version of this, as they're pairs of people bonded with a strong Thread (magical connection) by a very powerful event, such as one saving the others' life. Threadbrothers and Threadsisters are very tightly bound -- Merik feels closer to his Threadbrother Kullen than he does to his actual sister.

** Franky has come to see Señor Pink as a [[FireForgedFriends sworn brother]] after their fight in Dressrosa, breaking into tears when evidence led him to think that he was dead.

** Futoshi Shimano and Tsukasa Sagawa are oath brothers by the time of ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'', even though the former is from the Tojo Clan and the latter is from the Omi alliance.

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' has this dynamic with the Companions, who are "brothers and sisters in honor", who refer to each other as "Shield-Brother" and "Shield-Sister" depending on the gender. Apart from the ceremony that welcomes you into the Companions, there's also the blood-pact that's required to become a member of the Circle within the Companions, [[spoiler:which turns you into a werewolf]].

This trope is very common with {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s, as well as a popular theme in kung fu movies. It's also quite popular in HeroicBloodshed movies featuring TheTriadsAndTheTongs, who have Blood Brotherhood as a central theme of their organization, best expressed through the 36 Oaths that formal triad members take, which basically boil down to "Do not screw over your sworn brothers, or you will get chopped up by lots of blades." Being criminals, however, Triads and Tongs can be just as prone to [[NoHonorAmongThieves backstabbing and betrayal]] as any other criminal organization, which is especially shown in the grittier cinematic portrayals.

* The manga ''Manga/GorgeousCarat'' has Ray and Azura who became blood brothers as kids, complete with mixing of blood. [[spoiler:Things go downhill in the present when Azura is revealed to be evil, and is the villain for most of the series.]]

* ''Franchise/GIJoe'': Joe has Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, who are the equivalent of Blood Brothers ("sword-brothers") and have indeed saved each other's life in battle. Sometimes even while actively trying to defeat/kill each other. Heavy on elements of TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou, EnemyMine, and [[spoiler: BrainwashedAndCrazy]], the latter on Storm Shadow's part (at least when they're on opposite sides). [[spoiler: Storm Shadow saving Snake Eyes' life]] is an integral part of their backstory.

* ''Film/ABetterTomorrow'': Mark Gor (Chow Yun-Fat) and Sung Tse Ho (Ti Lung) from Creator/JohnWoo's film are probably the best known examples of Blood Brothers in a HeroicBloodshed movie. In fact, most of John Woo's HeroicBloodshed movies tend to have two characters develop such a bond with each other during the course of the movie.

* ''Film/BulletInTheHead'', Creator/JohnWoo's grimmest and most emotionally devastating movie, is about the disastrous effect of GoldFever and the horrors of UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar on the bond between Blood Brothers, which in John Woo's other movies was all but unbreakable.

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17000755720.98896700 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.

* In ''Literature/LanguageArts'', Charles and Donnie invent their own version that involves swapping the band-aids on their scraped knees.
* ''Literature/LastOfTheMohicans'': Natty "Hawkeye" Bumppo and Chingachgook.

* ''Literature/MobyDick'': Ishmael and Queequeg.

Sometimes this is portrayed with the two taking a BloodOath, cutting themselves to [[ThePowerOfBlood "mix" their blood]]. Thus, the trope name. (DontTryThisAtHome; these rituals carry a [[JustForFun/TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs risk of bloodborne infections like hepatitis and HIV]] in this day and age.)

* Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' would certainly qualify, as would Theon Greyjoy and Robb Stark.

** Robert Baratheon admits that he has never truly liked his brothers, Stannis and Renly, and that he considers Ned Stark his true brother; the brother he "chose".

* ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 8: Empires'' allows the player to have up to two other officers become sworn siblings with the officer they’re playing as. In gameplay, this means the chosen officers will always be in the same faction as you, so if you defect, they will defect with you, or if you decide to steal territory from your ruler, your sworn siblings will be guaranteed to side with you. If one of your sworn siblings is your current ruler, then you can’t betray them, no matter what.

* The "From this moment, you and I are Sworn Brothers" bit between Darunia and Link in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''.

* There's a level in ''[[VideoGame/ModernWarfare Modern Warfare 3]]'' called "Blood Brothers". The title at first glance references the trope-fitting relationship between Soap and Price, and how the latter won't take [[spoiler:the former's death]] very well. The level's name also references the flashback sequence at the end, which reveals the [[spoiler:Blood Brotherhood between Makarov and Yuri, that Yuri walked out on]].

* ''{{VideoGame/Yakuza}}'' is, unsurprisingly, full of examples.
** Series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu swore brotherhood to his childhood friend Akira Nishikiyama at a very young age, and the two stood by each others' side come hell or high water for nearly forty years until Nishiki's FaceHeelTurn.
** Goro Majima was the sworn brother of Taiga Saejima, and they were commented on as being uncommonly close, even by that standard. Majima endured ''over a year'' of hellish torture and [[EyeScream gave up one of his eyes]] [[UndyingLoyalty rather than sell his brother out.]]
** Shigeru Nakahara, the leader of the Ryudo clan in Ryukyu, insists on becoming sworn brothers with Kiryu as a sign of respect after Kiryu saves his adopted daughter from kidnappers, not realizing who Kiryu is. He has a minor OhCrap moment after he realizes he just inextricably tied his fate to that of the Dragon of Dojima.
** Daigo Dojima and Yoshitaka Mine were also sworn brothers and very, [[AmbiguouslyBi almost inappropriately, close.]] In fact, [[spoiler: Mine's obsessive attachment to Daigo (in conjunction with a whole slew of unresolved childhood issues) fuels much of the conflict in "Yakuza 3".]]
** Ichiban Kasuga considers Masato Arakawa, the wheelchair-bound son of his boss Masumi Arakawa, to be both his brother and best friend. Masato however sees Ichiban as little more than a bootlicker hired by his father to be a caretaker and treats him with barely-hidden contempt. [[spoiler:It's only until the very end of ''Like a Dragon'' when Ichiban tearfully talks Masato out of taking his own life does he realize that he was the only true friend he ever had]].
** Futoshi Shimano and Tsukasa Sagawa are oath brothers by the time of ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'', even though the former is from the Tojo Clan and the latter is from the Omi alliance.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In ''Roleplay/TheGunganCouncil'', Ryori and Ti'Cira went so far as to use blood in their pact to be faithful allies to each other. Darth Apparatus and Chaos Maxtor have a just as binding pact, minus the blood, where Chaos becomes the Darth's soldier while the latter gets functional immortality.
* ''Literature/TheSagaOfTuck'': The Euro-mutt title character and his Chinese-American friend, Mike, call each other brother when not trading blows. This isn't just rhetoric: [[spoiler:the ritual is re-enacted more than once during the story and allows a kind of psychic link. Tuck claims he can't die unless Mike lets him go, and vice versa.]] This is so far unproven, but it was close.
* Carmilla and Fey, in the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'', even going so far as making a blood pact.
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** As a more literal example, several Borderlander monarchs go well out of their way to meet in person for a ritual of this sort, treated as much more serious than a written treaty.

* In ''Manga/SoulHunter'': Dakki and her two sisters Kijin and Kibi are not related by blood, and are actually different species of {{Youkai}}, respectively a [[AsianFoxSpirit Kyubi]], a biwa, and a bird, but they are sworn sisters and care for each other as such. Thoses two are among the very few people for which Dakki [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes show genuine concern]].

** Tarma and Kethry of the ''Vows and Honor'' trilogy are Blood Sisters, complete with a blood-mixing ritual of clasped hands. The pair were given a stamp of divine approval from Tarma's goddess when the wounded hands were instantly healed upon contact, leaving distinctive scars.

* The famous Anoa'i family, which pioneered the WildSamoan archetype, was formed by Amituanai Anoa'i and "High Chief" Peter Maivia, two men who did see one another as blood brothers (Anoa'i's children referred to Maivia as their uncle). The family includes Wrestling/TheWildSamoans, [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] (Creator/DwayneJohnson), the late Rodney Anoa'i (a.k.a. Wrestling/{{Yokozuna}}), Solofa Fatu (Wrestling/{{Rikishi}}), Wrestling/TheTongaKid, Eddie Fatu (known as Wrestling/{{Umaga}}), Joe Anoa'i (Wrestling/RomanReigns), and Josh and Jon Fatu (known as [[Wrestling/TheUsos Jimmy and Jey Uso]]).

* The famous Anoa'i family, which pioneered the WildSamoan archetype, was formed by Amituanai Anoa'i and "High Chief" Peter Maivia, two men who did see one another as blood brothers (Anoa'i's children referred to Maivia as their uncle). The family includes Wrestling/TheWildSamoans, [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] (Creator/DwayneJohnson), the late Rodney Anoa'i (a.k.a. Wrestling/{{Yokozuna}}), Solofa Fatu (Wrestling/{{Rikishi}}), Wrestling/TheTongaKid, and Eddie Fatu (known as Wrestling/{{Umaga}}).

* The famous Anoa'i family, which pioneered the WildSamoan archetype, was formed by Amituanai Anoa'i and "High Chief" Peter Maivia, two men who did see one another as blood brothers (Anoa'i's children referred to Maivia as their uncle). The family includes Wrestling/TheWildSamoans, [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock (Dwayne Johnson)]], the late Rodney Anoa'i (a.k.a. Wrestling/{{Yokozuna}}), Solofa Fatu (Wrestling/{{Rikishi}}), Wrestling/TheTongaKid, and Eddie Fatu (known as Wrestling/{{Umaga}}).

* Played with in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E13BloodTies Blood Ties]]". [[spoiler:Although Dawn, who was transformed from a mystical Key into Buffy's little sister and [[BackstoryInvader retroactively inserted into everyone's memories]], is confused about her own existence, an important scene involves Buffy and Dawn clasping bloody hands and Buffy declaring that the same blood, "Summers blood", runs through their veins. So not necessarily ''making'' them "blood sisters", but affirming the link that already exists.]]

* Played with in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E13BloodTies Blood Ties]]". [[spoiler:Although Dawn is confused about her own existence as Buffy's sister, an important scene involves Buffy and Dawn clasping bloody hands and Buffy declaring that the same blood, "Summers blood", runs through their veins. So not necessarily ''making'' them "blood sisters", but affirming the link that already exists.]]

* ''Literature/NovelsOfTheChange'': The ''anamchara'' ritual has this effect. Unlike most takes on this trope, it does not preclude romance.