History Main / TheMatchmaker

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3055 God promises to]], but [[spoiler: warns that match-making is inexact]].

A serial Matchmaker is often ObliviousToLove. Expect several attempts to make a match for the character madly in love with the Matchmaker, and resolution only to come at the very end. They may take cues from {{Astrolog|er}}y or PersonalityBloodTypes when making their matches. If TheMatchmaker is unsuccessful in their goal you get MatchmakerFailure.

* Koiwai does this in ''Anime/NetojuuNoSusume'' when the main characters need a kick in the butt.

'''Kal-El:''' (thinking) Mother must be trying to play cupid! Apparently, she's determined to bring Lyla and me together!

* In ''FanFic/RedDeadVirgo'', Blue!Karkat was one of these before he got into SGRUB. Kanaya calls him out on deliberately pairing off poorly matched blackroms so that more trolls would kill each other to provide food for his troll eating lusus. Karkat doesn't deny it, but he still boasts that despite that he is the best relationship consultant Alternia has ever known. Appropriately enough, his title in the game is "Thief of Heart".

** [[spoiler: Nepeta's ancestor, Meulin,]] is obsessed with [[ShipperOnDeck shipping]] to the point of hooking up her friends together. After all, she's a [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] version of [[spoiler: Nepeta]] in general.

* Mr Mxyzptlk, of all beings, when Clark and Lois had split up in the ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' comics.
* ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}: In ''Action Comics #289'', Kara vows find a wife for her cousin. She tries to hook Superman up with Helen of Troy, ''[[ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes Saturn Girl's adult self]]'', an alien superwoman... However all of her attempts end up in failure, and she vows never play match-maker again.

* Where would ComicBook/MilesMorales be if he hadn't Ganke to give him love advice?

* Haruna Saotome from ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'', who has taken a personal interest in seeing her friend Nodoka advancing her relationship with their teacher Negi. The best way to summarize her mentality is that when Nodoka builds up the nerve to ask Negi to go with her group on the trip, Haruna berates her for settling for just that, ''dares her'' to confess to him, and starts talking about actual romantic dating.

* Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}: In ''Action Comics #289'', Kara vows find a wife for her cousin. She tries to hook Superman up with Helen of Troy, ''[[Comicbook/LegionOfSuperHeroes Saturn Girl's adult self]]'', an alien superwoman... However all of her attempts end up in failure, and she vows never play match-maker again.

* In the sequel to the ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' fanfic ''FanFic/TilTheSunGrowsCold'', Rusl plays matchmaker in order to PairTheSpares among his old Resistance buddies.

* {{Deconstructed}} in the ''{{Webcomic/Homestuck}}'' fanadventure ''Webcomic/BeTheSeaDwellerLowblood'' with [[ShipperOnDeck Nepeta]], whose obsession with shipping her friends causes her to ignore their true feelings. For example, Eridan has outright stated that he and Feferi are [[BetterAsFriends moirails and happy that way]]. However, she continues to see them as flushed and unwilling to admit it, and goes incredible lengths to try and get them together. This includes her breaking his heart, and at the same time trying (and failing) to replace Feferi as his moirail, enraging her. She gets called out on it, and accused of trying to manipulate others' quadrants after being explicitly told not to.

* In ''FanFic/TheTranslationInBlood'', [[spoiler:Commander Shepard]] eventually does this to her mother and [[spoiler:Councilor Sparatus]].

* Naruto and Sakura took a hobby of hooking up their friends in ''FanFic/IAmNOTGoingThroughPubertyAgain'', being responsible for Choji/Karui and Kiba/Tamaki. It's mentioned that they don't have a very good success rate (one happy couple for every twelve disasters), Shino/Hana being one such failure that resulted in millions of ryo in property damage on the first date.

* ''FanFic/EquestriaGirlsMarvelUniverse'' has Sunset Shimmer act as one for a few couples at CHS, including helping Lyra get with Bon-Bon, and Octavia with Vinyl Scratch. She also eventually gives Flash Sentry and Sci-Twi the push they need to go out on a date together, resulting in them becoming an OfficialCouple.

* ''Manga/AoNoFlag'' deconstructs this trope, as well as MatchmakerCrush. Ichinose is playing this to get NaiveEverygirl Kuze with his ChildhoodFriend Mita. He however, gets berated when [[AloofDarkHairedGirl Itachi]], Kuze's friend, realizes what he is doing. Playing this can end up with the feelings of the people he is trying to get together hurt and it's something he can't possibly understand because he is in a position that his feelings cannot be directly hurt.

** A recurring bit will be a guest finding themselves in an elaborate fantasy (sometimes involving time travel) and falling for what they assume is some actor or part of the past. Just as they're confessing they have to return, the other person will blurt out they're also a guest and this was ''their'' fantasy. Cue the laughing hug and kiss.

* Avksenty Tsagareli's ''Khanuma'' is a comedy play about two competing matchmakers, the titular Khanuma and Kabato, trying to marry off an old, stupid and destitute prince on their respective terms.

A serial Matchmaker is often ObliviousToLove. Expect several attempts to make a match for the character madly in love with the Matchmaker, and resolution only to come at the very end. They may take cues from {{Astrolog|er}}y or PersonalityBloodTypes when making their matches.

See also YaoiFangirl, YuriFan and PerverseSexualLust, for variants. Compare {{Shipping}} for more meta examples. ShipperOnDeck is a supertrope. See also MatchMakerQuest, where the player can take on this role.

* In ''Series/PersonOfInterest'', Finch and his fiance, Grace, were matched up by [[spoiler:the Machine. Yes, that's right: the sapient government surveillance supercomputer took time out of its busy schedule of fighting terror and [[SinisterSurveillance spying on everyone in New York]] to find daddy a girlfriend.]]
* On ''Series/SchittsCreek'' Stevie and Alexis both notice that Patrick might be interested in David, but it is Stevie who encourages a reluctant David to pursue it and eventually points out to an oblivious David that he is ''on a date'' with Patrick.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': While ComicBook/EttaCandy is usually content to sit on the sidelines since her favored paring of Wonder Woman and ComicBook/SteveTrevor are already dating she will intrude and mess with them to try to get Steve to succeed in using one of the loopholes in the rule that states Diana can't get married as the Amazon Champion until her (never ending) mission is complete. A villain usually interrupts right as Diana was about to be in a situation where she could say yes.

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': In “The Coffee Shop,” Bolt assumes this role for Penny. The dog drinks a sufficient amount of the title beverage to make himself sick in an attempt to have his coffee shop human friend Joe rush him to Penny’s veterinary office and have the two of them meet. It works, and the pair are married a year later. Lampshaded by Bolt when he hums the song “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” from ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'' at the end of the story.

[[caption-width-right:325:"Those two ended up married, you know. They are Kat's parents."]]

See also YaoiFangirl, YuriFan and PerverseSexualLust, for variants. Compare {{Shipping}} for more meta examples. ShipperOnDeck is a subtrope. See also MatchMakerQuest, where the player can take on this role.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Rafiki plays this role in ''Disney/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' for Kiara and Kovu.
* The first twenty minutes or so of ''Disney/{{Mulan}}'' focuses on Mulan's appointment with the town matchmaker, which has disastrous results.

* Creator/ThorntonWilder's ''The Matchmaker'' and its musical sister ''Theatre/HelloDolly'' focus around a professional matchmaker at the turn of the twentieth century. Both works are farcical in nature.