History Main / TigerVersusDragon

* ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' has a rivalry between its two main protagonists: Ryo Sakazaki (the tiger) and Robert Garcia (the dragon). In fact, the Japanese name of the series is ''Ryuuko no Ken'', or "Fist of the Dragon/Tiger". Their stances occasionally reflect their animal motifs, and they share a super move, the Ryuuko Ranbu ("Dragon and Tiger's Rebellious Dance"), that refers to the rivalry in its name. Ironically, Ryo is called the "Invincible Dragon" while Robert is called the "Raging Tiger" and some of their desperation moves summon a tiger for Robert and a dragon for Ryo. This is lampshaded in ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters The King of Fighters XIV]], in the Team Fatal Fury's ending where Joe talks about the tiger and dragon themes of the characters[[note]]For context, he's trying to find an animal theme for Andy, since Terry has the wolf and Joe has the tiger himself[[/note]]. The "team tiger" is Robert, Ramón, and himself, while the "team dragon" is Ryo, [[VideoGame/PsychoSoldier Kensou]], and Mui Mui.

* ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' has a rivalry between its two main protagonists: Ryo Sakazaki (the tiger) and Robert Garcia (the dragon). In fact, the Japanese name of the series is ''Ryuuko no Ken'', or "Fist of the Dragon/Tiger". Their stances occasionally reflect their animal motifs, and they share a super move, the Ryuuko Ranbu ("Dragon and Tiger's Rebellious Dance"), that refers to the rivalry in its name. Ironically, Ryo is called the "Invincible Dragon" while Robert is called the "Raging Tiger" and some of their desperation moves summon a tiger for Robert and a dragon for Ryo. This is lampshaded in ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters The King of Fighters XIV'']], in the Team Fatal Fury's ending where Joe talks about the tiger and dragon themes of the characters[[note]]For context, he's trying to find an animal theme for Andy, since Terry has the wolf and Joe has the tiger himself[[/note]]. The "team tiger" is Robert, Ramón, and himself, while the "team dragon" is Ryo, [[VideoGame/PsychoSoldier Kensou]], and Mui Mui.

* ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' has a rivalry between its two main protagonists: Ryo Sakazaki (the tiger) and Robert Garcia (the dragon). In fact, the Japanese name of the series is ''Ryuuko no Ken'', or "Fist of the Dragon/Tiger". Their stances occasionally reflect their animal motifs, and they share a super move, the Ryuuko Ranbu ("Dragon and Tiger's Rebellious Dance"), that refers to the rivalry in its name. Ironically, Ryo is called the "Invincible Dragon" while Robert is called the "Raging Tiger" and some of their desperation moves summon a tiger for Robert and a dragon for Ryo. This is lampshaded in ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters The King of Fighters XIV'', in the Team Fatal Fury's ending where Joe talks about the tiger and dragon themes of the characters[[note]]For context, he's trying to find an animal theme for Andy, since Terry has the wolf and Joe has the tiger himself[[/note]]. The "team tiger" is Robert, Ramón, and himself, while the "team dragon" is Ryo, [[VideoGame/PsychoSoldier Kensou]], and Mui Mui.

* ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' has a rivalry between its two main protagonists: Ryo Sakazaki (the tiger) and Robert Garcia (the dragon). In fact, the Japanese name of the series is ''Ryuuko no Ken'', or "Fist of the Dragon/Tiger". Their stances occasionally reflect their animal motifs, and they share a super move, the Ryuuko Ranbu ("Dragon and Tiger's Rebellious Dance"), that refers to the rivalry in its name. Ironically, Ryo is called the "Invincible Dragon" while Robert is called the "Raging Tiger" and some of their desperation moves summon a tiger for Robert and a dragon for Ryo. This is lampshaded in ''Videogame/TheKingOfFighters XIV'', in the Team Fatal Fury's ending where Joe talks about the tiger and dragon themes of the characters[[note]]For context, he's trying to find an animal theme for Andy, since Terry has the wolf and Joe has the tiger himself[[/note]]. The "team tiger" is Robert, Ramon and himself, while the "team dragon" is Ryo, Kensou and Mui Mui.

* {{Inverted}} on ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'': Among the 12 talismans based upon the Chinese Zodiac, the tiger talisman possesses the power of [[LiteralSplitPersonality balance]] and the dragon talisman possesses the power of [[PlayingWithFire combustion]]. The episodes in which the two talismans were found, "The Tiger And The Pussycat" and "Bullies", respectively deal with this. In "The Tiger", the last episode in the "Talismans" arc, Jackie accidentally gets split into Yin and Yang, the latter of which sides while the Dark Hand tries to forcibly take the talismans in Section 13's possession. In "Bullies", after Captain Black is injured by Valmont wielding the dragon talisman, Jackie struggles to control his BerserkButton (somebody mentioning Black's injuries and/or Valmont).

* Parodied in ''Webcomic/{{Paranatural}}''. Max imagines a massive tiger and dragon behind two enemy players... only for it to turn out that they're [[InvisibleToNormals spirits]], and all the other spirits are pissed that they're getting in the way.

* The fifteenth season of ''Series/{{Survivor}}'', which took place in China, has the red [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Fei Long]] tribe and the yellow [[PantheraAwesome Zhan Hu]] tribe.

* A Dragon is commonly used to symbolize China. A Tiger is commonly used to symbolize India. Both are two large Asian nations with rapidly developing economies and both are seen as rivals for the post of "next superpower". Both of them have even fought numerous border skirmishes against each other and have unresolved territorial disputes, thereby pitting them in a state of Cold War.

** One could also say that Queen Otohime is the "dragon" to Fisher's "tiger". Otohime wanted that her folks could live peacefully with humans, while Tiger disagreed with her and fought the Marines because he's a pirate. He hated the humans [[spoiler:which ultimately causes his death]], but he knew that there were also kind humans and he wished that his hatred wouldn't become legacy to his folks when he died. Otohime was killed by a human, [[spoiler:who turns out to be the Fishman Hody Jones,]] but she told her children not to hate neither the killer nor the humans.

* In a strange case, Rio Wesley from ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaViVid'' has both, dragons ''and'' tiger motives. Rio's shooting spells and bombardment spells are usually dragon-shaped, while most of her close-ranged spells are named after a tiger theme.

* Volume 8 of ''Manga/KissAndWhiteLilyForMyDearestGirl'' focuses on two girls named [[MeaningfulName Torayama and Tatsumi]], who compete to be StudentCouncilPresident. '''Tora'''yama (the "tiger") is abrasive, passionate and slightly irritable, while '''Tatsu'''mi (the "dragon") has a cool and nonchalant demeanor. They're equally gifted and hate each other with a passion [[FoeRomanceSubtext (yet like each other much more than they want to admit.)]]

* ''Manga/HajimeNoIppo'': Takeshi Sendo, the Naniwa Tiger versus Ryuuhei Sawamura, the Owari Dragon. Both are feared street fighters that have never lost a fight and possess incredible fighting instincts. And yet, their fighting styles are very different, as are their personalities. They eventually wind up in some kind of VitriolicBestBuds relationship, which occasionally gives us funny scenes.

* ''Manga/HajimeNoIppo'': Takeshi Sendo, the Naniwa Tiger versus Ryuuhei Sawamura, the Owari Dragon. Both were feared street fighters that have never lost a fight and possess incredible fighting instincts. And yet, their fighting style is very different, as is their personality. They eventually wind up in some kind of VitriolicBestBuds relationship, which occasionally gives us funny scenes.

* Volume 8 on ''Manga/KissAndWhiteLilyForMyDearestGirl'' focuses on two girls named [[MeaningfulName Torayama and Tatsumi]], who compete to be StudentCouncilPresident. '''Tora'''yama (the "tiger") is abrasive, passionate and slightly irritable, while '''Tatsu'''mi (the "dragon") has a cool and nonchalant demeanor. They're equally gifted and hate each other with a passion [[FoeRomanceSubtext (yet like each other much more than they want to admit.)]]

* ''Manga/{{Hyakko}}'' gives most of its characters EasternZodiac associations. [[MeaningfulName Torako and Tatsuki]], don't get along initially and their personalities (chaotic and energetic vs. calm and dignified continue to be contrasted throughout the series.

* In a series where [[AnimalThemeNaming nearly everyone is named after animals]], the two main characters of ''Manga/GakuenBabysitters'' are Ryuuichi (the dragon) and his toddler little brother Kotarou (the tiger). Subverted, however, since they get along very well, and their personalities don't exactly match the trope. Ryuuichi is a nice guy, FriendToAllChildren, and bordering on TeamMom for the other toddlers. Kotarou is an [[TheStoic almost expresionless]] kid who [[TheQuietOne doesn't speak much]], although later on he began showing a lot more emotions.

Whether it's just competing companies, martial arts, board games, or whatever, the dragon and the tiger will likely be used to represent these similar-but-different forces. The person representing the dragon will usually be wise, tempered, patient, humble, plucky, and/or any other traits usually seen as "laid-back". The person representing the tiger will probably be passionate, driven, enthusiastic, wild, and/or other traits seen as "HotBlooded". The dragon is often represented by the protagonist or by another good character if the tiger is represented by an antagonist. However, sometimes ReptilesAreAbhorrent, reversals are not unknown, usually with a HotBlooded hero, and WickedCultured Villain with DissonantSerenity.

Often manifests in an AnimalBattleAura. See also RedOniBlueOni, for when the contrast is just contrast and not actually representing a Tiger/Dragon battle. See also AnimalJingoism, for when other animals contrast against each other. If it's just animal of the dragon by himself, then it's DragonsUpTheYinYang. If there's also a snake/turtle and a phoenix it's TheFourGods; bonus points if the tiger is white and the dragon is blue or green with out the additional two however, as they also boast clashing elements due to symbolizing opposing Chinese elements, being Metal and Wood, respectively.

* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'' has lots of explicit Tiger association with Travis Touchdown (on top of how spelling "Travis" in katakana gets you '''Tora'''bisu, one SuperMode ability [[{{Animorphism}} turns him into a rampaging tiger]], and he names [[CoolBike his bikes]] "Schpel''tiger''". The other half of this comes in the form of Ryuji, the {{samurai}}-esque rank 7 assassin who comes with DragonsUpTheYinYang, including the ability to summon a giant ''[[LaserBlade laser dragon]]'' to demolish Travis with.

* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'' has lots of explicit Tiger association with Travis Touchdown -- which only further accentuates the duel between him and Ryuji. Spelling "Travis" in katakana gets you '''Tora'''bisu, after all.

* In ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan'', Spider-Man's team includes ComicBook/WhiteTiger and [[ComicBook/ImmortalIronFist Iron Fist]], who has a dragon motif. White Tiger is a SpicyLatina ByTheBookCop, a total {{Tsundere}} who often stresses over following the rules and gets easily aggravated. Iron Fist is a [[TheStoic Stoic]] NiceGuy who never loses his cool and always just goes with the flow. However, they are both by far the most disciplined and responsible members of their team. It's never stated in the show, but in the comics, White Tiger's tiger amulet that gives her her powers is actually from K'un-L'un, where Iron Fist trained and gained his abilities.

* ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'' uses this as a frequently recurring motif. The main characters are even named Taiga and Ryuuji![[note]]Ryuuji = "dragon child/dragon character"[[/note]]
** In the first episode, Taiga gives Ryuuji (who is OneHeadTaller) a powerful uppercut. Is this a reference to [[Franchise/StreetFighter Sagat?]]
** The title uses the Japanese word for tiger, tora, and the Japanese romanization of dragon, dora(gon). Very early on in the anime (about episode 3) Ryuuji explicitly states that the dragon and the tiger were the only two animals that could truly be equals. Indeed, the two spend much of the series as perfectly matched rivals or relying on each other. Incidentally, Ryuuji is tall and has threatening, delinquent's eyes, but is good at cooking and domestic chores (calm disposition), whereas as [[ShanaClone Taiga]] is tiny and unintimidating ... but has a fiery temper, is rude and willing to start fights or cause injury over the smallest conflict, and has certain subtlety issues (the tiger's bluntness and hardheadedness).

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[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/DRAGON-vs-TIGER2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:[[DragonsUpTheYinYang Eastern enough for ya?]]]]

Whether it's just competing companies, martial arts, board games, or whatever, the dragon and the tiger will likely be used to represent these similar-but-different forces. The person representing the dragon will usually be wise, tempered, patient, humble, plucky, and/or any other traits usually seen as "laid-back". The person representing the tiger will probably be passionate, driven, enthusiastic, wild, and/or other traits seen as "HotBlooded". The dragon is often represented by the protagonist or by another good character if the tiger is represented by an antagonist. However reversals are not unknown, usually with a HotBlooded hero, and WickedCultured Villain with DissonantSerenity.

* ''Manga/{{Hyakko}}'' gives most of its characters EasternZodiac associations. [[MeaningfulName Torako and Tatsuki]], don't get along initially and their personalities (chaotic and energetic vs. calm and dignified{ continue to be contrasted throughout the series.

* ''Anime/YuGiOh'' [[TakeAThirdOption cut out the middle man]]: [[CatlikeDragons A single Tiger Dragon]].
* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'': In an early season one episode, tiger and dragon images are shown behind Bastian and Jaden respectively. Which is an odd reversal of theme, because ''Bastian'' is the brainy strategist and ''Jaden'' is the bulldozer in this scenario. [[spoiler: Later on, Bastian falls for Tania, who actually ''is'' a tiger, and Jaden's past-life love Yubel turns up: who was transformed into a dragon.]]
* ''Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL'' had taken the aforementioned Tiger Dragon and made a baby version of it, Baby Tiragon.
** In his duel with Tron[=/=][[DubNameChange Vetrix]], Yuma equipped Hope[=/=][[DubNameChange Utopia]] Ray with 2 [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands Zexal Weapons]]: Lightning Blade (Tiger) and Tornado Bringer (Dragon).
* ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'' uses this as a frequently recurring motif. The main characters are even named Taiga and Ryuuji![[note]]Ryuuji = "dragon child/dragon character"[[/note]]
** In the first episode, Taiga gives Ryuuji (who is OneHeadTaller) a powerful uppercut. Is this a reference to [[Franchise/StreetFighter Sagat?]]
** The title uses the Japanese word for tiger, tora, and the Japanese romanization of dragon, dora(gon). Very early on in the anime (about episode 3) Ryuuji explicitly states that the dragon and the tiger were the only two animals that could truly be equals. Indeed, the two spend much of the series as perfectly matched rivals or relying on each other. Incidentally, Ryuuji is tall and has threatening, delinquent's eyes, but is good at cooking and domestic chores (calm disposition), whereas as [[ShanaClone Taiga]] is tiny and unintimidating ... but has a fiery temper, is rude and willing to start fights or cause injury over the smallest conflict, and has certain subtlety issues (the tiger's bluntness and hardheadedness).
* In ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'':
** Kenshiro and Raoh are sometimes represented by a dragon and a tiger, respectively. Kenshiro is stoic and does not seek power, Raoh is more hot-blooded and ambitious.
** When Kenshiro and Rei are fighting in front of King Fang when he's holding Airi hostage, they use techniques from their respective schools to attack each other, but are actually moves that make them fake death. The name of these techniques? Hokuto Ryu Geki Ko (Dragon Attacks Tiger) and Nanto Ko Ha Ryu (Tiger Destroys Dragon).
** Ryuken and Koryu were known as the Dragon and the Tiger of Hokuto.
* In ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'', Kenshin and his master are repeatedly given dragon motifs. Most of their fighting style's moves have the word Dragon in the name. Later on, the final BigBad Enishi shows up...and is given tiger motifs. This is particularity referenced to their sword fighting style. Enishi uses a style with emphasis on a lower stance (earthly tiger), while Kenshin fights at a relatively higher stance (heavenly dragon). Enishi's is also able to oppose Kenshin's.

* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'':
** Subverted with the character of [[spoiler:Libra Dohko. He is the master of Shiryu, and the one who taught him all of his Dragon attacks, which he of course can masterfully execute himself. However, his zodiacal sign is Tiger and he bears a tattoo depicting one, the same way Shiryu does. Interestingly, the Libra Saint is usually described as the "point of equilibrium" of the Gold Saints]]. It is quite obvious by the fact that he is one of the most badass of the characters that [[spoiler:Dohko has achieved the perfect balance between Dragon and Tiger and that he draws enormous strength from it]].
** It's played straight, at least in the anime, with the other candidate to Dragon Saint, a man named Ohko who follows a tiger motif. [[spoiler:Doubling as RivalTurnedEvil, but after a DuelToTheDeath with Shiryu he manages to make peace with him and Dohko before passing away.]]
* How could anyone forget ''Manga/{{Shigurui}}''. Kogan Iwamoto and after him Gennosuke Fujiki symbolize the Tiger while Seigen Irako symbolizes the Dragon.
* The Liger vs. Theropod-type rivalry in ''Franchise/{{Zoids}}'' is likely intended to invoke this trope.

* Spoofed in ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'', with Nagi getting the BattleAura of a dragon, and Ayumu countering with...a hamster. She never quite escapes the association with the little rodent.
* When Junichi and Yuuhi of ''VisualNovel/AkaneIroNiSomaruSaka'' square off in one episode, the dragon and tiger appear above their heads.
* The World Nobles of ''Manga/OnePiece'' are known as the Celestial Dragons. One of the greatest challenges to their authority, an attack on their lands and the freeing of all their slaves, occurred at the hands of a Fishman called Fisher Tiger. A case of the tiger being the good guy while the dragon(s) being the bad.
** One could also say that Queen Otohime is the "dragon" to Fisher's "tiger". Otohime wanted that her folks could live peacefully with humans, while Tiger disagreed with her and fought the Marines because he's a pirate. He hated the humans [[spoiler:which ultimately causes his death]], but he knew that there were also kind humans and he wished that his hatred wouldn't become legacy to his folks when he died. Otohime was killed by a human, [[spoiler:who turns out to be the Fishman Hody Jones,]] but she told her children not to hate neither the killer nor the humans.
* ''Manga/HajimeNoIppo'': Takeshi Sendo, the Naniwa Tiger versus Ryuuhei Sawamura, the Owari Dragon. Both were feared street fighters that have never lost a fight and possess incredible fighting instincts. And yet, their fighting style is very different, as is their personality. They eventually wind up in some kind of VitriolicBestBuds relationship, which occasionally gives us funny scenes.
* In ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', Sousuke's {{Animal Motif|s}} is a tiger. Gauron's Animal Motif can be seen as a dragon (derived from his name, Gauron, meaning "nine dragons" in Chinese). Their relationship fits this trope description to a "T".

* Subverted in ''[[Toys/BBSenshiSangokuden SD Gundam Sangokuden: Brave Battle Warriors]]'' -- the Three Kingdoms along with Toutaku Zaku's forces are based on TheFourGods, and the dragon- and tiger-themed factions Shou and Gou correspond to Shu and Wu in Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms, making them allies (or at least the factions that spend the most time ''not'' at war).

* Seen in ''Manga/SengokuYouko'' where two of the Four Beasts General are a tiger and dragon demon-human fusions, and the tiger - Douren - in this case has an ongoing rivalry with the dragon - Jinun - to the point that he believes that he would be the only one allowed to take down Jinun.
* In the ''Manga/SoulEater'' manga, Death The Kid references this as the main difference between his and Black Star's fighting styles. While Black Star prefers to simply use brute force against his opponents, Kid is more methodical and prefers using strategy.
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'':
** In the episode "Genma Takes a Walk" has Sōun and Genma falling out, and fighting a duel at the end of the episode. Their first attacks against each other being Genma's "Wild Tiger Exploding Fist" and Sōun's "Flying Dragon Kick to Oblivion".
** Otherwise averted with Lime and Herb of the Musk Dynasty. Despite having respective ancestry of a tiger and dragon through the magic of the Jusenkyō spring, Lime is Herb's underling and not a rival.
** Another interesting inversion is that Ranma himself represents BOTH Tiger and Dragon as his two strongest moves, The Hiryū Shōten Ha and the Mōkō Takabisha are patterned on the Dragon and the Tiger respectively.
* In a series where [[AnimalThemeNaming nearly everyone is named after animals]], the two main characters of ''Manga/GakuenBabysitters'' are Ryuuichi (the dragon) and his toddler little brother Kotarou (the tiger). Subverted, however, since they get along very well, and their personalities don't exactly match the trope. Ryuuichi is a nice guy, FriendToAllChildren, and bordering on TeamMom for the other toddlers. Kotarou is an [[TheStoic almost expresionless]] kid who [[TheQuietOne doesn't speak much]], although later on he began showing a lot more emotions.
* In ''Manga/MyBrideIsAMermaid'', Sun's dad and Lunar's dad have dragon and tiger auras respectively whenever they spar.

* In the ''Manga/BlueExorcist'' Anime, this is PlayedForLaughs in the form of Ryuji "Bon" and Rin butting heads.
* In ''Manga/{{Beelzebub}}'', reflected in their {{Meaningful Name}}s, Tatsumi Oga is the dragon and Hidetora Tojo is the tiger.
** Oga gets another tiger, Izo Aiba, another child-carrying gang leader.
* In ''Manga/BGataHKei'', Yamada is the tiger and Kyouka Kanejou is the dragon. Interestingly, Yamada is a rare protagonist example of being the tiger.
* ''Manga/KurokosBasketball'': The two BloodBrothers Taiga Kagami (another rare protagonist who represents the tiger) and Tatsuya Himuro are this, which is symbolized by their given names ("Taiga" obviously rhymes with "tiger", and "Tatsuya" has "tatsu" in his name), which becomes even more apparent due to both, most often than not, calling each other by their given names. Both of them are {{Foil}}s to each other in several different ways. Kagami plays in a team with a very offensive playstyle, he's gifted with talent and his playstyle emphasizes more on power than technique, and his partner Kuroko is a short pass player who supports Kagami in every game. Himuro plays in a team with a very defensive playstyle, he's not as gifted as Kagami, but he has refined his basics so much that he can beat many players with his skills, and his partner Murasakibara is a large and powerful Center whom Himuro supports.
* In ''LightNovel/{{Campione}}'', we have Erica Blandelli, the passionate and HotBlooded tiger, and Yuri Mariya, the calm and humble dragon.
* In ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' major antagonist Vicious is the calm methodical bastard rising to the leadership of the Red '''Dragon''' Syndicate who still uses a katana in gun fights, while main protagonist Spike is a down to earth laid back but can act [[ObfuscatingStupidity kinda]] [[BrilliantButLazy dumb]], jumps into trouble and identifies with a parable of a '''striped cat'''. For bonus points, it's mentioned that one of the Red Dragon's main oppositions in organized crime is a rival syndicate called the White Tigers.
* In a strange case, Rio Wesley from ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaViVid'' has both, dragons ''and'' tiger motives. Rio's shooting spells and bombardment spells are usually dragon-shaped, while most of her close-ranged spells are named after a tiger theme.
* ''Manga/BungouStrayDogs'':
** Minor example with protagonist Nakajima Atsushi, who can turn into a white tiger, and his Port Mafia rival/counterpart, Akutagawa ''Ryuu''nosuke. Minor because Akutagawa doesn't actually have a dragon motif, but the connection is still present.
** Cranked UpToEleven in [[Anime/BungoStrayDogsDeadApple the movie]]. The main antagonist has just as much dragon motifs as Atsushi is a tiger.
* In ''Anime/CardfightVanguard G'', Chrono's ace unit is Chronojet Dragon. The Stride Gate arc establishes it as part of a set of 12 Gear Chronicle units based off of the eastern zodiac. The only other grade 3 of the set, both the BigBad's ace and TheManBehindTheMan, is Chronofang Tiger.
* While dragons are [[OurDragonsAreDifferent a major part]] of ''Anime/FutureCardBuddyfight'', Gao is more associated with straight-up dragons than most other fighters. One of his biggest rivals is Noboru, who is associated with tigers by the symbol on his shirt. [[BerserkButton (It's not a kitten.)]]
* ''Onmyō Taisenki'' has two characters, Asuka Yūma and Ōgami Masaomi, whose Shikigami are a tiger (Byakko no Rangetsu) and a dragon (Seiryū no Kibachiyo) respectively. Though they don't battle each other often, it's usually a very fierce fight when they do. Bonus points for Yūma being from the Earth-style clan and Masaomi being from the Heaven-style clan [[spoiler:though Masaomi, whose real name is Gashin, is actually from the Jin-style clan]].
** Later, Seiryū no Kibachiyo battles against Byakko no Kogenta, the main character's Shikigami. Then Rangetsu joins the battle, making it a dragon versus two tigers.
** Though the biggest rival pair in the series, Tachibana Riku and Asuka Yūma, actually avert this, since they ''both'' use tigers (Byakko no Kogenta and Byakko no Rangetsu, respectively), though in terms of personality, Riku is the "dragon" and Yūma is the "tiger".
* Volume 8 on ''Manga/KissAndWhiteLilyForMyDearestGirl'' focuses on two girls named [[MeaningfulName Torayama and Tatsumi]], who compete to be StudentCouncilPresident. '''Tora'''yama (the "tiger") is abrasive, passionate and slightly irritable, while '''Tatsu'''mi (the "dragon") has a cool and nonchalant demeanor. They're equally gifted and hate each other with a passion [[FoeRomanceSubtext (yet like each other much more than they want to admit.)]]
* ''[[Manga/GakuenBabysitters School Babysitters]]'' has a lighthearted take on this with close-knit brothers Ryuuichi (representing the dragon) and Kotaro (representing the tiger). Chairwoman Morinomiya lampshades this when she takes the two in.
* In ''Anime/PokemonIChooseYou'', Ash's Charizard (dragon) has a battle with Cross' Incineroar (tiger).

* In ''Dragon Tiger Gate'', Dragon Wong and Tiger Wong are brothers loyal to a fault, but they do end up getting into spats every now and then.
* ''Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon'': WordOfGod suggests that the title is intended to refer to the obvious threat of Jade Fox (the "crouching tiger") and the secret but far more significant threat of [[spoiler:Jen]] (the "hidden dragon"). Mentioned during the Oscars by Steve Martin: he was wondering why there weren't any tigers and dragons. Then he understood it's because they're ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin crouching'' and ''hidden]]''.
* In ''Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger'', [[TheDeadRiseToAdvertise the spirit of]] Creator/BruceLee points to the [[BruceLeeClone Brucesploitation actor Bruce Li]] as his "successor", calling him the "Tiger" to Lee's "Dragon".
* In ''Film/RockyIV'', Rocky, previously represented by the song "Eye of the '''Tiger'''", faces Ivan '''Drago'''. What's even stranger is that those roles are reversed in their fighting styles: Drago is hailed for his raw power and Rocky for his toughness.

* Creator/JohnBrunner's ''Literature/{{Telepathist}}'' has Howson, the therapeutic telepath, entering the absurdly detailed Oriental fantasy dream-state of a catatonic patient. After a series of events, he brings the patient out of the fugue by naming Tiger City as the tiger, and his sword, which had slain a dragon, as the dragon. Both objects then turn into their respective animals and fight. Howson wins because "the tiger is the second strongest animal", and the other man wakes up. [[spoiler:Subverted, as the patient was also a telepath -- he'd put such blatant [[WeaksauceWeakness weaknesses]] in it because he'd created the fantasy as a sort of ''holiday'', and wanted to be brought out of it easily. In at least one version of the book, printed under the title ''The Whole Man'', the catatonic telepath is caught completely by surprise. He'd set up [[MagicAIsMagicA the laws of magic]] in his fantasy so that the above fight was possible with minimal ''Film/{{Inception}}''-style "cheating" on Howson's part, but he'd expected the people on the outside to send a less experienced therapeutic telepath, who would screw up and get noticed, at which point the catatonic guy would wake up on his own.]]

* The {{Mockumentary}} ''Film/DragonsAFantasyMadeReal'' has a realistic scenario of a fight between a tiger and a dragon. [[spoiler: It doesn't end well for the tiger.]]
* ''Series/KungFu'': As part of their final graduation exercise Shaolin monks get a tiger and a dragon branded onto their forearms, by having to lift a heavy, red hot, urn to get to the exit of the testing facility.
* In ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', Oliver Queen, who starts the series with a dragon tattoo he shared with his lost love Shado, has a few scuffles with Ben Turner, also known as Bronze Tiger. Interestingly, they lose their imagery by the time they [[spoiler: meet again in jail in Season 7]], perhaps as a way of showing that they're willing to put aside their differences.

* Invoked in TabletopGame/BattleTech by the Draconis Combine (Colloquially referred to as the Dragon) coming under assault by the Smoke Jaguars (A different cat to be sure, but their personality is very much the Tiger) during the Clan Invasion.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'', the nation of Bachuan - which has a distinctly [[LandOfDragons Chinese]] [[FantasyCounterpartCulture flavour]] - has a dragon and a tiger chasing each other around the sun on its flag. It's said that the tiger represents the indigenous people of Bachuan while the dragon represents the now-fallen [[TheEmpire empire]] of Lung Wa, to which Bachuan is one of several successor states.

* In ''Franchise/StreetFighter'', Sagat's endless arsenal of Tiger-themed attacks ultimately fall against the Dragon Punch from Ryu. A massive rivalry ensues, and it eventually turns friendly.
* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'' has lots of explicit Tiger association with Travis Touchdown--which only further accentuates the duel between him and Ryuji. Spelling "Travis" in katakana gets you '''Tora'''bisu, after all.
* In ''[[VideoGame/OsuTatakaeOuendan Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!]]'', there is a level (set to Thrill) where you act as cheerleaders for the [[DodgeBallIsHell dodgeball]] battle between a dragon-themed bully kid named Ryuji(meaning Dragon) and a tiger-themed kid named Torao(meaning Tiger). Torao is the one you're cheering for, and both invoke [[AnimalBattleAura attacks with Auras of their namesake.]]
* Surprisingly rare in ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon''.
** In ''Double Dragon III'', Chin Seimei, master of a Tiger Based martial art clashes with the dragons to avenge his brother, DefeatMeansFriendShip, the dragons are [[EasilyForgiven forgiven]], and Seimei [[DefeatMeansPlayable joins them.]]
** ''Double Dragon'' for Neo Geo. Duke, [[TheDragon Right hand assassin]] of the BigBad, uses a martial with a Tiger, and Shadow theme. Duke is stoic compared to the Dragon's Hotblooded.
** ''Double Dragon Advance'' has the Dragons face the Twin Tigers in [[FriendlyLocalChinatown Chinatown]], but they aren't a worthy challenge. From advice of the tigers, the Dragons face Raymond, called the Tiger Emperor in the Japanese version. True to this trope, Raymond is their WorthyOpponent. Like Duke, Raymond is stoic compared to the excitable Dragons.
* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' Mitsuki Konishi's noise form is a tiger, Megumi Kitaniji's is a dragon. [[spoiler:Konishi plans to usurp Kitaniji as Conductor, or Composer, even.]] Also, the brands Tigre Punks and Dragon Couture. The former is all about grunge and grittiness while the latter is more stylized, lofty and Eastern.

* In ''VideoGame/TigerRoad'', the HotBlooded monk hero can learn to shoot tiger shaped fireballs, the BigBad, TheEmperor shoots Dragon shaped fireballs.
* ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden 3'' makes an interesting take on the tiger versus dragon theme through Eiji and his evil foil Leon; where their birthdays are Dragon and Tiger signs, and where Eiji comes from Japan, while Leon comes from the US, this is used instead to highlight a greater theme of Tiger Versus Lion and a more intense East Versus West theming, as Eiji wields the Byakko Katana and is a Dragon Sign, and where Leon's name does literally mean lion.
* Played for laughs in ''[[VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}} Kagetsu Tohya]]'' with Akiha and Ciel during a minor confrontation, where they verbally spar before turning on Shiki to force him to choose between the lunches they have made. And saying he can't choose between them is not acceptable.
* In ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'', Lord Lao's furnace has two buttons to activate the configurations, the tiger button and the dragon button, as well as respective configurations (stat increase recipes). The configuration of the tiger grants an increase to focus, while the configuration of the dragon grants an increase to body.
* At the beginning of ''VideoGame/ShiningForceIII'', when Master Gabrial asks you to name the three heroes, he compares them to animals. Synbios is compared to the Tiger, Medion is compared to the Dragon [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Julian is compared to a Wolf.]] Synbios, the Tiger is a Knight of the Republic and Medion, the Dragon is a Prince of the Empire. Both are played against each other at one point by the Emperor.
* In ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'', eternal rivals Date Masamune and Sanada Yukimura are known as the One-Eyed Dragon and the Young Tiger respectively. The [[AnimeOfTheGame anime]] makes this even more poignant by having them accompanied by apparitions of their animals during the FinalBattle.
* In ''VideoGame/KingsQuestV'' the FinalBoss battle is a ShapeshifterShowdown where Mordack at one point transforms into an insectoid dragon. Guess which animal form counters him?
* The ''Ryu Oh Ki'' and ''Ko Oh Ki'' in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha'' and ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'' series are the only two surviving examples of a series of ancient god-mechs patterned after TheFourGods. Rather than a rivalry, however, they are depicted as opposite sides of the coin, capable of forming a CombiningMecha that can [[TransformingMecha transform between two forms]]: The Tiger-themed [=KoRyuOh=] is a physical fighter, using blades, nunchaku, and {{Rocket Punch}}es to attack the enemy directly, while the Dragon-themed [=RyuKoOh=] uses magic, flames, and [[ColonyDrop dropping mountains on the enemy]] to fight from a distance.

* ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'':
** The protagonist of the series is Kazuma Kiryu, a former [[{{Yakuza}} Japanese gangster]] known as "The Dragon of the Dojima family" who also has a [[TattooedCrook large tattoo]] of a silver dragon on his back. One of the first game's antagonists and [[RecurringBoss Recurring Bosses]] is Futoshi Shimano, a yakuza boss who has a large tattoo of a tiger on his back and wants revenge against Kiryu for [[FallGuy supposedly]] killing the head of the Dojima family. Kiryu beats him twice.
** The trope is in greater effect in the [[VideoGame/Yakuza4 fourth game]] when [[MeaningfulName Taiga]] Saejima is introduced, another protagonist who happens to have a large [[TattooedCrook tattoo]] of a tiger on his back. While Kiryu at this point has been characterized by his sage wisdom as well as his strength, Saejima is a full-blown powerhouse with monstrous strength. Naturally, they end up fighting shortly after they first meet, and their duel ends in a draw. [[spoiler: They later work together to defeat the BigBad alongside two others without any tattoos but have [[AnimalMotif motifs]] of the Sparrow and Tortoise.]] In the [[VideoGame/Yakuza5 fifth game]], [[spoiler: they end up fighting again to lure out the game's BigBad, which ends in a draw once more]].
** And special mention goes to the [[VideoGame/Yakuza2 second game]], where Kiryu fights and defeats two ''actual'' tigers. ''With his fists''.
** Subverted in Yakuza 2, where both the protagonist and antagonist carry dragon tattoos in their backs.
** While Kiryu's main rival Goro Majima's primary AnimalMotifs are dogs and snakes, he gets referred to as "tiger" a couple of times.
** Subverted in ''Yakuza 0'', with Fei Hu and Long Hua. "Hu" can be read as "tiger" and "Long" as "dragon", but Fei Hu and Long Hua are very HappilyMarried and are the focal point of a global network of weapons enthusiasts... and can serve you a mean stir fry too.
* ''VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}'': In ''Chronophantasma'' the Colosseum stage has two gates for competitors, one marked with a tiger and one marked with a dragon. Overlaps with RedOniBlueOni, considering the former is coloured red and the latter is blue.

* ''VideoGame/TaiFuWrathOfTheTiger'' takes this trope literally, as the titular main character is a tiger and Kung Fu warrior who opposes the cruel reign of the Dragon Master, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a powerful Lung dragon.]]
* The main characters of the ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt'' games, Gunvolt and Copen, are called as such in the loading screens and descriptions. Gunvolt is the "Azure Dragon", an extremely powerful Adept who believes that humans and Adepts can live in harmony, and Copen is the "White Tiger", an extremely skilled and intelligent {{Muggle}} with a fierce hatred for Adepts.

* ''VideoGame/WarioWare Gold'' has this as part of 18-Volt and 13-Amp's battle rap. Depending on whether you win or lose a microgame, 18-Volt's tiger will either get bigger or curl up in fear against 13-Amp's dragon.
* In ''Videogame/MonsterHunter'', Tigrex is the tiger to Rathalos' dragon. An interesting case as both are actually dragons with a big cat motif, but Tigrex's tiger motif is rather blatant, and has a wild, charging in berserker style, contrasting Rathalos' rather suble Lion motif and traditional aerial style with fireballs and poison talons.
* ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' has an interesting application of this trope. In the fifth game, there is an arena called Dragon's Nest, a temple with a dragon statue set during daytime. The ''Dark Resurrection'' UpdatedRerelease introduces a variation of the arena called Western Gate, which has the same feel, except it is now nighttime, while the dragon statue has been replaced by several tiger ones.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' when the HotBlooded Taiga Fujimura ([[BerserkButton call her "Tiger" at your own peril]]) challenges TheStoic Saber [[spoiler:(who is actually a [[GenderBender genderbent]] Myth/KingArthur, who also bears the blood of dragons]]) to a sparring match. Being a [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Servant]], Saber [[CurbStompBattle wins handily]], even when Taiga attempts to pull several fake-outs and cheap shots.

* In ''Webcomic/TheMeek'', [[spoiler: Angora's grandfather is a giant olm, or cave salamander, and Luca's associate is a giant, ghostly tiger]].
* In the ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'' setting backstory, the Sharen, [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?id=13 who use dragons as mounts]], faught the Sullisinrune, [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?id=151 who used tigers]]. Now the Sarghress, [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?id=147 who use wolves,]] have risen to challenge the Sharen.
* In ''Webcomic/DubiousCompany'', TheDragon is an OfficerAndAGentleman dealing with a PsychopathicManchild superior and HotBlooded subordinates, making for a very sympathetic [[TheStarscream Starscream]].

* The episode "Other Victories" is ''Franchise/{{Transformers}} WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' features a battle between Megatron in his dragon form and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Tigerhawk]]. At one point, [[http://tfwiki.net/w2/images2/6/6a/OtherVictories_clash.jpg a flash of lightning illuminates them black on a white background]], a possible reference to this trope.

* Subverted in ''Anime/SDGundamSangokudenBraveBattleWarriors'' -- the Three Kingdoms along with Toutaku Zaku's forces are based on TheFourGods, and the dragon- and tiger-themed factions Shou and Gou correspond to Shu and Wu in Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms, making them allies (or at least the factions that spend the most time ''not'' at war).

* In Anime/PokemonIChooseYou, Ash's Charizard (dragon) has a battle with Cross' Incineroar (tiger).

* The Shokan (Goro's race) from ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' seem divided into two lineages: the Draco and the Tigrar (those in the latter, like Kintaro, have definite tiger stripes; those in the former, like Goro and Sheeva, aren't ''very'' draconic but do have some reptilian features). There's a definite class distinction but, in a subversion, they don't appear to be that antagonistic towards each other (at least, not moreso than they are to [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy everyone else]], especially the Centaurians).

* While dragons are [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons a major part]] of ''Anime/FutureCardBuddyfight'', Gao is more associated with straight-up dragons than most other fighters. One of his biggest rivals is Noboru, who is associated with tigers by the symbol on his shirt. [[BerserkButton (It's not a kitten.)]]

* The fifteenth season of ''Series/{{Survivor}}'', which took place in China, has the red [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Fei Long]] tribe and the yellow [[PantheraAwesome Zhan Hu]] tribe.