History Main / UnequalPairing

* Quite a few ''Anime/YuGiOh'' fans ship [[NobleDemon Kaiba]] and [[ButtMonkey Jonouchi]] [[FoeYay together]]. This has a few problems. The first if that Kaiba's a teen genius who's [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney incredibly wealthy and has a lot of influence]], while Jonouchi barely makes enough to get by, so socially, Kaiba far outranks him. Kaiba's also much smarter and a better duelist than Jonouchi. Adding it all up, it basically means that Jonouchi would be Kaiba's bitch, whether he likes it or not - several fanfics actually have it that Jonouchi lives in Kaiba's mansion, which further adds to the unfairness of the ship as it makes Kaiba his landlord as well. A lot of fans fetishize this, giving them a VERY unequal Master-Servant style relationship.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'': Pretty much averted, which is a first for Creator/BioWare. Regardless of the [[PlayerCharacter Warden]]'s background (from an impoverished city elf or casteless dwarf to a human noble from the second most powerful family in Ferelden), they've been [[YouCannotGoHomeAgain cut off from their home and resources]], scapegoated for the murder of the king, forced to go on the run and are hounded at every turn by the usurping regent's assassins and bounty hunters. All four potential love interests, similarly, have given up their old lives to travel with you to help you stop [[WorldWreckingWave the Blight]], though they're all there voluntarily and can leave at any time ([[ScrewThisImOuttaHereand will, if their RelationshipValues drop far enough).

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** There's also (a lot of) canon Angel/Buffy. Although they both act like clueless fifteen-year-olds during the time they're in a relationship, Angel is actually over two hundred years old and rarely shares information if he can avoid it. And, more importantly, while Angel is an adult man, Buffy is a sixteen-year-old teenager throughout most of their relationship (in the State of California, the age of conesnt is eighteen, not only making her underage but also making her first time with Angel at seventeen a case of Statutory Rape). Several episodes (e.g. "I Only Have Eyes For You", and "Becoming, Part One") do try to deconstruct the Unequal pairing of their relationship, but even then the show never goes out of its way to tell the viewers that it's wrong and the whole thing is still ultimately protrayed as romantic. In this case, a [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped proper deconstruction]] was probably necessary.

* King Ghidorah from ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' is a malevolent OmnicidalManiac Alpha Titan who can use some sort of mind control to compell other Tians to do his bidding. For some reason, he is frequently shipped with Rodan, the Titan whom he beats into submission during their first encounter, and made to serve as his [[TheDragon sidekick]] during his battle against Godzilla and Mothra. Furthermore, {{fanon}} have suggested that Rodan is quite young (by Titan standards)--estimating his age at less than a hundred thousand years old (as opposed to Ghidorah's [[TimeAbyss hundreds of millions]])--which further steepens the power imbalance between the two.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', the immortal quantum-being Doctor Manhattan pairs up with the completely human Silk Spectre II.

* Played in ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi''. On one hand, Ami is Jadeite's employer - in the ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper'' universe, this basically amounts to indentured servitude, sometimes outright slavery - and it is not at all uncommon for Keepers to have such relationships with their "Property." On the other hand, Ami is very uncomfortable with the associated implications. Jadeite is surprised when he finds out, as in the Dark Kingdom a superior would not hesitate to use their power over subordinates. Their positions are reversed later when Jadeite starts teaching Ami Dark Kingdom style magic, he reciprocates her tact.

* The morganatic marriage system came into being because of such pairings being royal men and lesser-ranking women. This system primarily existed in German-speaking regions of Europe but was sometimes implemented elsewhere when deemed necessary by the royal families and/or parliaments when a royal insisted on marrying someone of lower rank. In such a marriage, the children will be considered legitimate but not eligible to inherit the throne. It specifically did ''not'' exist in Britain, where the only legal issue of a royal marrying a commoner was whether the current monarch would approve of the pairing. Meaning that if it's the current monarch him/herself getting married, they can marry anybody they bloody well please.
* Famously, Bill Clinton and "that woman" [[note]]No, not Hillary![[/note]] . Of course, it may depend on what his lawyer can argue the definition of "pairing" is.

* A non-fanon example occurs in David Edding's ''Literature/TheBelgariad''. After [[spoiler:Durnik's death]], Polgara announces that she loves him[[note]]note that it has been obvious from page one that Durnik is deeply in love with her and has been for years, long before he knew she was an ageless sorceress who'd shaped world history[[/note]]. However, while Aldur helps him return, he informs Polgara that the fact that she's a sorceress and Durnik's not would doom their relationship. She agrees to "become his equal" as the price for his return, and for several weeks believes that she's lost her powers -- but as it turned out, she didn't. Instead, Durnik had been given power to match hers.
** It is also set up and then ''thoroughly'' averted with Garion and Ce'Nedra. King Garion is the ruler of Riva and Overlord of the West, as well as being an immortal sorcerer and the designated custodian of a cosmically powerful artifact ''that can smack down the gods''. Princess Ce'Nedra is, outside of a couple extra centuries' of life expectancy via the Dryad side of her family, entirely mortal. Given that under Alorn law, the queen's role is limited to bearing the heirs and being royal chatelaine, this could easily have been one of the most lopsided power dynamics ever seen in a relationship. Fortunately, Garion takes one look at the situation, realizes that keeping Ce'Nedra in that unequal a situation would either crush her spirit or drive her to regicide, and hurriedly writes a "The queen shall hold powers making her co-ruler to the king and regent of the realm in his absence" into the marriage contract, and then puts it into law.
** Also employed in canon in ''The Elenium'', when twentysomething Queen Ehlana marries her middle-aged former [[BodyguardCrush bodyguard]] and [[WifeHusbandry surrogate parental figure]] Sparhawk. This trope concerns Sparhawk a good deal, but he eventually goes along with it. Perhaps the age gap and the authority gap (between sovereign and knight) cancel each other out.

* King Ghidorah from ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' is a malevolent OmnicidalManiac Alpha Titan who can use some sort of mind control to compell other Tians to do his bidding. For some reason, he is frequently shipped with Rodan, the Titan whom he beats into submission during their first encounter, and made to serve as his [[TheDragon sidekick]] during his battle against Godzilla and Mothra. Furthermore, {{fanon}} have suggested that Rodan is quite young (by Titan standards)--estimating his age at less than a hundred thouseand years old (as opposed to Ghidorah's [[TimeAbyss hundreds of millions]])--which further steepens the power imbalance between the two.

* King Ghidorah from ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' is a malevolent OmnicidalManiac Alpha Titan who can use some sort of mind control to compell other Tians to do his bidding. For some reason, he is frequently shipped with Rodan, the Titan whom he beats into submission during their first encounter, and made to serve as his [[TheDragon sidekick]] during his battle against Godzilla and Mothra. Furthermore, {{fanon}} have suggested that Rodan is quite young (by Titan standards), while Ghidorah is likely [[TimeAbyss hundreds of millions years old]], which further steepens the power imbalance between the two.

* This would apply to any hypothetical relationship involving Gibbs/Anyone on Team Gibbs in ''Series/{{NCIS}}''. Especially Abby, where the surrogate father/daughter relationship is particularly blatant. The one possible exception, Gibbs/Jenny, is somewhat balanced out by his having been her superior in the past [[spoiler:and her now being dead.]]

* DomCom sitcoms often inadvertently end up creating this dynamic between the two leads, usually by making one member of the lead couple hyper-competent and always right--often to the point of being a MarySue--while the other is portrayed as a bumbling idiot who'd likely starve to death without the other partner helping them survive. In TheFifties, the husband would often be the GaryStu while the wife would be the hapless, bumbling moron, but in recent decades, it's usually the other way around (see: ''Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond''). For what it's worth, most [[DomCom Dom Coms]] try to justify this dynamic by showing us that the more competent partner would be a complete mess without their partner's balancing influence. The problem is, we don't get to see this aspect very often because it's funnier watching the other partner always screw up.

* King Ghidorah from ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' is a malevolent OmnicidalManiac Alpha Titan who can use some sort of mind control to control other Tians to do his bidding. For some reason, he is frequently shipped with Rodan, the Titan whom he beats into submission during their first encounter, and made to serve as his [[TheDragon sidekick]] during his battle against Godzilla and Mothra. Furthermore, {{fanon}} have suggested that Rodan is quite young (by Titan standards), while Ghidorah is likely [[TimeAbyss hundreds of millions years old]], which furthers steepens the power imbalance between the two.

* King Ghidorah from ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' is a malevolent OmnicidalManiac Alpha Titan who can use some sort of mind control to control other Titans to do his bidding. For some reason, he is frequently shipped with Rodan, the Titan whom he beats into submission during their first encounter, and made to serve as his [[TheDragon sidekick]] during his battle against Godzilla or Mothra. Furthermore, {{fanon}} have suggested that Rodan is quite young (by Titan standards), while Ghidorah is likely [[TimeAbyss hundreds of millions years old]], which furthers steepens the power imbalance between the two.

* King Ghidorah from ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' is a malevolent OmnicidalManiac Alpha Titan who can use some sort of mind control to control other Titans to do his bidding. For some reason, he is frequently shipped with Rodan, the Titan whom he beats into submission during their first encounter. Not to mention, {{fanon}} has suggested that Rodan is quite young (by Titan standards), while Ghidorah is likely [[TimeAbyss hundreds of millions years old]], which furthers steepens the inequality.

** There's also (a lot of) canon Angel/Buffy. Although they both act like clueless fifteen-year-olds during the time they're in a relationship, Angel is actually over two hundred years old and rarely shares information if he can avoid it. And, more importantly, Buffy is a sixteen-year-old teenager throughout most of their relationship (in the State of California, the age of conesnt is eighteen, not only making her unerage but also making her first time with Angel at seventeen a case of Statutory Rape). Several episodes (e.g. "I Only Have Eyes For You", and "Becoming, Part One") do try to deconstruct the Unequal pairing of their relationship, but even then the show never goes out of its way to tell the viewers that it's wrong and the whole thing is still ultimately protrayed as romantic. In this case, a [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped proper deconstruction]] was probably necessary.

** There's also (a lot of) canon Angel/Buffy. Although they both act like clueless fifteen-year-olds during the time they're in a relationship, Angel is actually over two hundred years old and rarely shares information if he can avoid it. Several episodes (e.g. "I Only Have Eyes For You", and "Becoming, Part One") actively deconstruct the Unequal pairing of their relationship.

** Another canon example is Buffy and Riley. Not technically a StudentTeacherRomance, since Riley was a teaching assistant, he was still essentially grading her papers and there are rules which prohibit these kinds of relationships.

Compare MinionShipping, which sometimes involves this. See also AgeGapRomance, which ''might'' fall into this category if the age difference is ''particularly'' significant, or if it overlaps with a difference in authority/status as well. NunTooHoly and/or PedophilePriest may be involved if a clergyperson gets involved with a member of their congregation. See also PowerDynamicsKink, when the inequality itself serves as a "turn-on", and QuestionableConsent.

Compare MinionShipping, which sometimes involves this. See also AgeGapRomance, which ''might'' fall into this category if the age difference is ''particularly'' significant, or if it overlaps with a difference in authority/status as well. NunTooHoly and/or PedophilePriest may be involved if a clergyperson gets involved with a member of their congregation. See also QuestionableConsent.

* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' has the interesting variation of the pairing becoming more uneven over the three acts of the game. At the start, Hawke is a penniless refugee doing quests to get enough money to give their family a chance to start a new life. From there Hawke reclaims the family estate inherited from their noble grandparents, becomes wealthy, becomes the Champion of the city for saving from Qunari invasion, and eventually has so much political influence that their actions will go down in history during the final conflict. Meanwhile, Hawke's love interests are a runaway slave who joins you in case his master comes after him, an apostate mage lying low in the slums, a Dalish elf shunned from her clan, and a pirate in debt to slavers. Sebastian breaks the mold by being an exiled prince but even by the end of the game, he's somewhat above Hawke, especially if he goes back to retake the throne.
*** Fenris, the runaway slave, is the love interest who acknowledges this the most by pointing out that Hawke surely has better suitors than an elven slave. This makes sense as his backstory is being the bodyguard and sex slave of an extremely powerful Tevinter magister who wiped his memory, making it the biggest unbalanced pairing possible (and even more so if Hawke is a mage).
** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', all of the Inquisitor's potential romances are with subordinates. That said, it's possible to start flirting with them before officially becoming the Inquisition's leader.
*** Solas is an interesting variant given that [[spoiler:he is secretly Fen'Harel, the trickster god of elven legend. While his ''vastly'' superior age, immortality, life experience gives him undue power over a female elf Inquisitor, she ''is'' the head of a vast religious military organization that could lock him up at her behest. However, throughout the game, she doesn't know his true identity, and he is very weakened from his millennia-long slumber and posing as one of her subordinates. However, after the end credits Solas absorbs the power of another elven god, and gains not only the magical strength to turn whole armies to stone with a ''thought'', but a vast elven and eluvian spy network to cripple nations. However, Lavellan still has a lot of clout as the Herald of Andraste, and a big enough team of followers to stand up to him.]]

* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney Trials and Tribulations'' has the romantic relationship between Terry Fawles (20) and Dahlia Hawthorne (14), which is alarming even if one takes the ValuesDissonance of the game taking place in Japan into account. However, the pairing becomes unbalanced in a different way if one accepts the common interpretation that Terry is mentally disabled (mainly due to his SimpletonVoice and gullible personality), which would explain how easiliy Dahlia was able to seduce, frame and [[spoiler:ultimately guilt Terry into committing suicide for her.]]

* ''Frnchise/TouhouProject'' fandom has people shipping everyone with everyone else, which leads to many cases of this. One of the most popular is Yuyuko Saigyouji/Youmu Konpaku. Yuyuko is the Queen of Hakugyokurou, absolute ruler of the Netherworld and holding mastery over death. Youmu is... well, her official title is Hakugyokurou's ''gardener''. The fact Yuyuko [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld looks]] thirty-something while you'd be hard-pressed to think of Youmu as older than sixteen also factors for this trope (for the record, they are over a thousand years and most likely just below sixty, respectively).

* ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'' sequel series ''Anime/YashahimePrincessHalfDemon'' shows that Sesshomaru married Rin. He is a hundreds of years old demon who is the son of one of the most powerful demons that ever lived. She is an orphan who he first saw at the age of 8. While the series showed he didn't actually raise her it still doesn't sit well with a lot of viewers that he helped her during her formative years.

* The ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'' {{fanon}} pairing of Sesshomaru/Rin is popular in fanfiction. It falls under the WifeHusbandry category of this trope as in the manga Sesshoumaru took responsibility for the orphan's upbringing after her village was wiped out. At the end of the manga, he finds her a new, safe village to be raised in and still continues to be involved in her life and is providing for her by bringing her kimonos, but fanfiction tends to explore the idea of him never giving her up and raising her to adulthood whereupon they form a relationship.

* In ''Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn'', there's the pairing of Gokudera and Tsuna. Tsuna is the current boss of the Vongola Family, and Gokudera is his [[StalkerWithACrush incredibly loyal]] underling and [[SubordinateExcuse wannabe right-hand man]]. [[YaoiFangirl Fangirls]] ''love'' the dynamic of their position and status difference. And despite Gokudera being the one who is most self-conscious about the difference in position, he's ''always'' the [[{{Seme}} aggressive one that tops]].

* ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'':

* It's pretty common for some FanFic writers to defy this trope by making an AlternateUniverseFic where the unequal aspect of a pairing is removed.

* Played in ''FanFic/DungeonKeeperAmi''. On one hand, Ami is Jadeite's employer - in the ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper'' universe, this basically amounts to indentured servitude, sometimes outright slavery - and it is not at all uncommon for Keepers to have such relationships with their "Property." On the other hand, Ami is very uncomfortable with the associated implications. Jadeite is surprised when he finds out, as in the Dark Kingdom a superior would not hesitate to use their power over subordinates. Their positions are reversed later when Jadeite starts teaching Ami Dark Kingdom style magic, he reciprocates her tact.
* An interesting variation in ''FanFic/DashsNewMom'', where the inequality is played both ways with Twilight Sparkle and Blue Streak. Streak is literally old enough to be Twilight's father, but as savior and princess of Equestria, Twilight holds more power and importance than the simple librarian Blue Streak is.
* Pairings of Jedi Masters with their Padawans are popular in the ''StarWars'' fandom, especially Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan/Anakin. (As Masters are responsible for their Padawan's upbringing, at least part of the way, this also counts as WifeHusbandry.)

* In ''FanFic/OffTheLine'' Vincent and Cloud are attracted to each other, but their relationship is unequal both ways. Vincent is an adult far older than he looks and is far stronger in both strength and skill while Cloud is a teenage newbie player. On the other hand, Cloud is advantaged in that he technically ''owns'' Vincent due to the latter [[HappinessInSlavery becoming his pet]] to protect and hide him from the countless other players out to kill him. Also Cloud is the reason that Vincent gets any humane treatment as he was the first to realize that Vincent was a person and not a monster or glitch as believed. Although Cloud would never exploit Vincent and both are very respectful of each other's boundaries.
* Suzaku and Lelouch grow to love each other in ''FanFic/MyMirrorSwordAndShield'' but not only is Suzaku is not only supposed to protect Lelouch, but Lelouch is his boss and the Emperor of Britannia. Suzaku needs Lelouch’s favor because he's completely dependent on Lelouch providing him shelter and protection while Suzaku’s time machine is fixed. This is lampshaded by Lloyd who points out that Lelouch could Suzaku executed for refusing him.

* In ''FanFic/EightCount'', Dr. Pamela Isley is a drug testing technician for a boxing league and has a sexual relationship with two of the league's boxers. This obviously creates a conflict of interest, especially since one of the fighters is a rookie.

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' fandom has people shipping everyone with everyone else, which leads to many cases of this. One of the most popular is Yuyuko Saigyouji/Youmu Konpaku. Yuyuko is the Queen of Hakugyokurou, absolute ruler of the Netherworld and holding mastery over death. Youmu is... well, her official title is Hakugyokurou's ''gardener''. The fact Yuyuko [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld looks]] thirty-something while you'd be hard-pressed to think of Youmu as older than sixteen also factors for this trope (for the record, they are over a thousand years and most likely just below sixty, respectively).

* In ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', at least one love interest each for the Jedi Consular, Jedi Knight, and Sith Warrior is the player's [[TeacherStudentRomance apprentice]]. The Trooper and the Imperial Agent also have at least one love interest who is a lower-ranked member of their squad.

* Many universities prohibit teacher-student relationships because of this, even if most university students are legal adults. This is mostly because even if there's significantly lessened {{Squick}} about statutory rape, the ethical issues of giving your student higher grades for "favors" are still ''very much'' true.