History Main / POVBoyPosterGirl

* ''Manga/BlackLagoon'': Rock and Revy; Rock is an [[ActionSurvivor "average"]] protagonist, but Revy is the main fighter, and primary muscle of the Lagoon Company.

%%* ''Anime/EurekaSeven''

* ''Manga/HighScoreGirl'' is primarily told from the viewpoint of Haruo Yaguchi, a gaming-addicted schoolboy who somehow becomes close friends with aloof ChildProdigy and legendary gamer [[TheOjou Akira Oono]], to whom the title refers. The plot places equal importance on them both, however.

* Played with in ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'', where the "poster girls" are the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent shapeshifting dragons]], of which the main characters are, with the exception of [[TheOneGuy Fafnir]], [[CuteMonsterGirl all female]]. Particularly central characters are Tohru, the titular [[{{Meido}} Maid]] [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Dragon]] and Kobayashi's ImpliedLoveInterest, as well as Kanna, who is [[ParentalSubstitute practically]] their adopted daughter.

* The manga adaptation of ''Literature/QualiaThePurple'' has a same-sex example with Hatou and Yukari. The latter is prominently featured on the covers, but it's the former who is the main protagonist and the one the story follows.

* ''Anime/SummerWars''. The girl standing alone in the foreground of the cover is the LoveInterest. The guy in the green-striped shirt, behind her left arm, and barely noticeable against the crowd of extras, is the protagonist.
* GenderInverted in ''Manga/YugamiKunNiWaTomodachiGaInai.'' [[LonersAreFreaks Yugami]] is the titular character and poster boy while [[IJustWantToHaveFriends Chihiro]] is the viewpoint character.

[[folder:Films]]
* ''Film/FiveHundredDaysOfSummer'': Main character [[Creator/JosephGordonLevitt Tom]] is the one we sympathize with as he falls head over heals for the title character, [[Creator/ZooeyDeschanel Summer]].
* The Franchise/JamesBond movie ''Film/{{Octopussy}}'', named after the leading BondGirl. Bond may be the main hero, but she's the one central to the plot.
* A later Bond example is ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough''; Bond is the main character, but the story is really about the [[spoiler: EvilAllAlong]] Bond Girl, Elektra King.
* The titular character in ''Film/{{Malena}}'' is shown entirely through the eyes of a young boy.

* ''Film/TheFifthElement'': The protagonist is former soldier Korben Dallas, but Leeloo is the MysteriousWaif title character and the incarnation of life who saves the world from the [[BigBad Great Evil]].

%%* ''Literature/AriaTheScarletAmmo''
* ''Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero'': A case of SummonEverymanHero, done by the eponymous mage.

%%* ''Literature/HarukaNogizakasSecret''

%%* ''Literature/{{Oreimo}}'': Kyosuke is the POV Boy and his younger sister Kirino is the Poster Girl.

* ''Literature/AnnaDressedInBlood'' has Cas as POV boy and Anna as poster girl. Subverted since Cas is far from being normal too.
* Pudge (P.O.V. boy) and Alaska (cover girl) from ''Literature/LookingForAlaska'' by Creator/JohnGreen.
** Also Quentin and Margo from ''Literature/PaperTowns'' by the same author.
* GenderInverted in ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' with Christine as the protagonist and Erik as the titular and iconic character, even though he DidNotGetTheGirl. Also true for the the various adaptions, with the exception of the Susan Kay novel.
* ''Literature/SpiceAndWolf'': The story mostly focuses on Lawrence's life as a merchant, but his companion, Holo the Wisewolf, is prominently featured on the covers of the books and promotional material.
* Happens in ''Literature/{{Stargirl}}'' by Jerry Spinelli. Leo is the protagonist, but it's the ManicPixieDreamGirl Stargirl who sets the plot going. In the sequel, ''Love, Stargirl'', this is inverted.
* GenderInverted, but otherwise played straight by ''Literature/{{Twilight}}''. Bella is the generic POV character. Edward and Jacob are both exotic love interests and the focus of all advertising.

* ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'': The series is about the relationship between the titular beautiful, powerful-but-submissive witch and some StraightMan so generic as to be actually interchangeable.

* ''Series/ThirteenReasonsWhy'' manages this even when the girl is a PosthumousCharacter. Clay Jensen is the protagonist, as the story follows his quest to discover why the girl he liked was DrivenToSuicide, and to confront those he feels are responsible; but said girl, Hannah Baker, is the center of the plot and the one all the characters focus on, as she made the tapes explaining her [[ArcNumber 13]] reasons for killing herself and naming the people who she pegs as the culprits.

* Non-romantic example: Light and Pastel in the ''VideoGame/{{Twinbee}}'' series.
* ''VideoGame/UnlimitedSaga'' offers another non-romantic example with Laura and Henri. While ex-{{Pirate}} Laura is prominently featured in most of the game's official art and on the selection screen as a protagonist, her scenario centers around [[SupportingProtagonist Prince Henri]] and how she becomes his bodyguard, protecting him from assassins as they roam the land searching for answers. Henri provides the story's [[PointOfView narration]], frequently mentioning how awed and amazed he is by his enigmatic protector.
* Ragna the Bloodedge and Noel Vermilion from ''VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}''. Noel is the one who gets most of the promotional material and merchandise, and is indeed at the center of the plot in the [[VideoGame/BlazblueContinuumShift second game]] of the series. Nonetheless, the story is told from Ragna's perspective and WordOfGod has confirmed that its ''his'' story the series follows.

* ''VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin'': While you play as Boyfriend by default, it's Girlfriend, of whom Boyfriend's taking everyone on for, that appears on the game icons and start menu. A stylized icon of Boyfriend does appear on the PC builds, however, and promotional materials show both of them together.

* ''VisualNovel/SayaNoUta'': Fuminori Sakisaka is the POV character, an [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent ordinary medical student]] save for an illness that renders everything he sees into flesh and organs, but the titular Saya, the MysteriousWaif MagicalGirlfriend who is the sole exception to his condition, is the mascot. [[spoiler:Also a rare, rather twisted VillainProtagonist example as [[BitchInSheepsClothing she is actually]] an EldritchAbomination and he [[FaceHeelTurn becomes]] her [[UnholyMatrimony partner-in-crime]]]].

* ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'': While Ataru is the main focus of the series, Lum and the rest of [[TitleDrop those obnoxious aliens]] are frequently the center of attention.

* ''Literature/AccelWorld''. Haruyuki does move the plot by himself, but Kuroyukihime is the one who granted him the program and got him into the plot. She's also his mentor and girlfriend.

* ''Literature/GroundControlToPsychoelectricGirl'': Makoto, who is usually in the background in promotional art, is the protagonist and narrator. But the {{Cloudcuckoolander}} leanings from his cousin Erio tend to be quite a bit more memorable.
* In ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'', Kyon is the POV protagonist and gives a running commentary on events, but Haruhi drives the plot... often unaware of it happening. As a result, especially in later novels, Kyon takes action himself while keeping Haruhi in the dark about [[RealityWarper her possibly-world-destroying-powers]].

* ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' features Sakura in all of its marketing and packaging, but Ogami is the player character and protagonist.

* GenderInverted with the early seasons of the revival of ''Series/DoctorWho'': the first two seasons in particular focused heavily on Rose as the protagonist, a human window into the Doctor's alien mindset and life. This had been the usual setup of the show basically since its beginning; the main change was the idea that the main companion would be always female, and would have hints of a romantic attachment to the Doctor. (The exception to this so far is Donna.)

* Played with in ''VideoGame/NeedyStreamerOverload'', in which the Poster Girl is the titular streamer, [=Ame-chan/KAngel=], who is the face on the cover and the promotional and supplementary material, but you play as P-chan, her {{featureless|Protagonist}} lover and producer. It's played with because P-chan is [[GenderNeutralWriting written to be whatever gender the player wishes]], so while they can be a boy, they can also be thought of as a girl, but they and Ame have the same basic dynamic as this trope. [[spoiler:And then outright subverted with TheReveal that P-chan is Ame's ImaginaryFriend and another alter-ego of sorts, technically making P-chan female.]]

* ''Literature/{{Toradora}}'' is a somewhat understated and possibly unintended example; Ryuuji, the protagonist, isn't treated as generic or secondary, but Taiga is far more recognizable. As for its SpiritualSuccessor, ''LightNovel/GoldenTime'', well... [[http://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire4/fc8938a7d556f9068bb8ed327c6c56351380569594_full.jpg just look at the promo image.]] The guy groveling on the ground in the bottom right is the main character.

[[quoteright:300:[[LightNovel/GroundControlToPsychoelectricGirl https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/electric_wave_girl_and_youthful_boy.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Electric Wave Girl and...Youthful Boy. Yeah, that's it. At least he is youthful.]]

* ''LightNovel/GroundControlToPsychoelectricGirl'': Makoto, who is usually in the background in promotional art, is the protagonist and narrator. But the {{Cloudcuckoolander}} leanings from his cousin Erio tend to be quite a bit more memorable.

* ''LightNovel/IsThisAZombie'' has an odd example. Ayumu is the classic OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent turned into a zombie POV protagonist, while Haruna serves as the Poster Girl. However, the series actually focuses more on Eucliwood than Haruna.
* ''LightNovel/MyTeenRomanticComedySNAFU'': Hachiman is our cynical loner protagonist, but it's not until he meets Yukino and the Service Club that the plot starts moving.

* ''LightNovel/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'': At the start of the show, the P.O.V. character Mahiro's most distinguishing trait is a fondness for the works of Creator/HPLovecraft; the plot is very much driven by Nyarko, who's [[CosmicHorror Nyarlathotep]] in the form of an [[{{Otaku}} anime-loving]] GenkiGirl.
%%* ''LightNovel/{{Oreimo}}'': Kyosuke is the POV Boy and his younger sister Kirino is the Poster Girl.

%%* ''LightNovel/HarukaNogizakasSecret''

* ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'': A case of SummonEverymanHero, done by the eponymous mage.

* ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'' technically even has scenes from Shana's POV, but Yuji is still a typical OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent, while she is a mysterious monster fighter. [[spoiler:But only up until season 3, when everything changes- he, having [[FaceHeelTurn fused with]] the BigBad, is now featured just as prominently.]]

* Most ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' merchandise is of [[FieryRedHead Asuka]] and [[MysteriousWaif Rei]], with a decent chunk also featuring [[ChristmasCake Misato]] and [[{{Bishonen}} Kaworu]]. Meanwhile, lead character Shinji frequently gets pushed aside to the point where he didn't receive an action figure for the ''Rebuild'' movie series, that began in 2007, until ''2012'', long after Asuka, Rei, Kaworu and new character Mari had already received boatloads of new merchandise. [[Manga/ShinjiIkariRaisingProject The manga adaptation]] has "Shinji Ikari" in its title, but he only appears in 3 out of 18 volume covers--the first two, where he's way in the background with Asuka and Rei in the foreground, and the last one, containing all major characters. The other 15 covers feature various female characters (sometimes in provocative poses).

* ''Manga/MurasakiiroNoQualia'': A same-sex example with Hatou and Yukari. The latter is prominently featured on the covers of the manga, but it's the former who is the main protagonist and the one the story follows.

* Most ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' merchandise is of [[FieryRedHead Asuka]] and [[MysteriousWaif Rei]], with a decent chunk also featuring [[ChristmasCake Misato]] and [[{{Bishonen}} Kaworu]]. Meanwhile, lead character Shinji frequently gets pushed aside to the point where he didn't receive an action figure for the ''Rebuild'' movie series that began in 2007 until ''2012'', long after Asuka, Rei, Kaworu and new character Mari had already received boatloads of new merchandise. Even the [[https://files.yande.re/jpeg/cddf6b3367b22049241150a5f072e41f/yande.re%20373912%20business_suit%20dress%20heels%20honda_takeshi%20megane%20neon_genesis_evangelion.jpg 10th anniversary]] ''Rebuild'' visual pushes him to the far back. [[Manga/ShinjiIkariRaisingProject The manga adaptation]] has "Shinji Ikari" in its title, but he only appears in 3 out of 18 volume covers--the first two, where he's way in the background with Asuka and Rei in the foreground, and the last one, containing all major characters. The other 15 covers feature various female characters (sometimes in provocative poses).

* ''Film/FiveHundredDaysOfSummer'': Main character [[Creator/JosephGordonLevitt Tom]] is the one we sympathize with as he falls head over heals for the ManicPixieDreamGirl title character, [[Creator/ZooeyDeschanel Summer]].

* ''LightNovel/AndYouThoughtThereIsNeverAGirlOnline'': Hideki Nishimura aka "Rusian" is an otherwise normal high school student who happens to be a gamer. However, most of the series is focused on his in-game wife Ako Tamaki and her inability to distinguish the game world from reality.

* In ''LightNovel/NoGameNoLife'', we have the gamer siblings Sora and Shiro, the former whose P.O.V. is shown the most and the latter who is the poster girl, especially in merchandise. However both are equally important InUniverse and out.

[[folder:Light Novels]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]

%%* ''LightNovel/AriaTheScarletAmmo''

* Played with in ''VideoGame/NeedyStreamerOverload'', in which the Poster Girl is the titular streamer, [=Ame-chan/KAngel=], who is the face on the cover and the promotional and supplementary material, but you play as P-chan, her {{featureless|Protagonist}} lover and producer. It's played with because P-chan is [[GenderNeutralWriting written to be whatever gender the player wishes]], so while they can be a boy, they can also be thought of as a girl. [[spoiler:And then outright subverted with TheReveal that P-chan is Ame's ImaginaryFriend and another alter-ego of sorts, technically making P-chan female.]]