Basic Trope: Two guys embody contrasting forms of masculinity.
- Straight: Alex, dresses well, prioritizes education, advocates law and order and will die to protect others. Frank has no style, does whatever he wants, believes that learning is unmanly and ignores the needs and feelings of others.
- Exaggerated:
- Alex is a diplomat and Frank is an assassin.
- Alex is a By-the-Book Cop while Frank is a Cowboy Cop or even a criminal.
- Downplayed:
- Alex is polite and elegant while Frank is crude and aggressive.
- Alex is Hot-Blooded in his pursuit for justice while Frank just does what he does because he can.
- Justified:
- Alex behaves this way to earn approval while Frank refuses to conform to societal standards.
- Frank was Raised by Orcs (or wolves) and Alex is a Warrior Prince.
- Inverted: Alex and Frank are both feminine, but Alex is a sweet, girly cute femboy with soft mannerism while Frank is a sassy, Campy flamboyant Drag Queen.
- Gender Inverted:
- Subverted:
- Alex is Faux Affably Evil while Frank is a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
- Alex is a Knight Templar or Well-Intentioned Extremist while Frank is a Blood Knight with a Code of Honor.
- Double Subverted: ...Then Alex pulls a Heel–Face Turn while Frank Took a Level in Jerkass.
- Parodied: Alex and Frank get cast as an angel and a demon in a local play as sidekicks to a NEET.
- Zig Zagged:
- Alex and Frank are twins who constantly pretend to be one another.
- Following the second Justification, Alex was just some random Street Urchin who fought for scraps and worked his way to the top, and now acts like such a nice and polite gentleman you'd forget his background, while Frank is a Spoiled Brat with a hot temper and has no regards for the rules because he's either rich, well known, or makes them, from birth till today. Essentially, the personalities and backgrounds do not match.
- Averted: The story doesn't have any men.
- Enforced: Alex is established to be the "hero" while Frank is established to be the "antihero".
- Lampshaded: "Which is the better bodice ripper?"
- Invoked: ???
- Exploited: The Big Bad exploits Alex's idealism and Frank's cynicism to turn them against each other.
- Defied: Alex and Frank refuse to be friends with people who have different personalities and/or backgrounds.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Deconstructed: Alex learns the hard way that his ideas are incompatible with the ongoing reality in the Crapsack World they live in, while Frank is forced to deal with the consequences of his roguish lifestyle and realize that he can be much more than a Knight in Sour Armor.
- Reconstructed: Or said Crapsack World is what causes Alex to be a Knight in Shining Armor and Frank to be a Knight in Sour Armor respectively as part of their origin story.
- Played For Laughs: Alex and Frank's antics get on each other's nerves for laughs.
- Played For Drama: The conflict between Alex's ideals and Frank's cynics causes their relationship to fall apart, possibly turning them into enemies.
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