Highlights
- Female brocons in anime share similarities with their male counterparts, just with a more subtle and repressed approach.
- Awkward scenarios and conflicting taboo relationships create challenging and complex sibling dynamics in anime brocon stories.
- Female characters with brother complexes often face unrequited love, internal conflicts, and rarely achieve a happy ending.
It wouldn't be fair in anime to portray only men as sibling-obsessed creeps, so a lot of anime dabble in the female siscon (sister complex anime) equivalent, brocon (brother complex anime). Granted, brocons aren't as outright aggressive or obnoxious as siscons. They're more repressed or clever in their approach to ensnare their brothers into eternal romantic servitude.
8 Female Game Characters With An Awkward Brother Complex
There's no shortage of awkward brother complex among female game characters and these certainly stand out the most.
This creates a cocktail for some rather awkward scenarios and personalities that can rival even the most fanatical of male siscons. And, of course, the fact that they're somewhat adorable—physically, makes their existence even more challenging to condemn. So for those in the mood for some rather conflicting taboo practitioners in anime, these brocons ought to put some boundaries in question.
Update on February 27th, 2024, by Rie Takumi: Anime veterans won't be shocked by this, but there are a lot of series with girls overtly attached to their siblings. Some girls' obsessions stem from mere admiration and perhaps some social isolation. Others take it way beyond that. Female anime characters with awkward brother complexes normally don't get what they want. That is unless the work's whole point is about incest. More often than not, sisters end up the losers in a harem, but a few get their good endings. But if they do hook up with their brother, their problems normally worsen. Whether it's from internal conflict or outside forces, brocons almost never get a happy ending.
14 Tomoko Kuroki (WataMote)
Socially Awkward Sibling Relies On Socially Normal Brother
MAL Score | 6.99 |
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Japanese Name | 私がモテないのはどう考えてもお前らが悪い! Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui! |
Release Date | July 9, 2013 |
Genre(s) | Comedy Otaku Culture |
Other Media | Manga |
Tomoko Kuroki's brother complex from WataMote isn't as straightforward as others, and that's what makes it complex and awkward. She's a recluse whose social awkwardness is bordering on clinical; thankfully, her less socially awkward brother Tomoki has agreed to help her in her goal of becoming the "popular girl" in school.
Tomoko isn't making that task easy, however, as she doesn't know how to set some healthy boundaries with her brother. She even asked to see his privates as some kind of practice, and the only thing that kept the order after that proposal was her brother's decent sense of normalcy. Thankfully, as the series went on, Tomoko matured and only has years of resentment to blame for her cold relationship with Tomoki.
13 Suguha Kirigaya (Sword Art Online)
Sibling Crush Got Worse Before It Got Better
MAL Score | 7.20 |
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Japanese Name | ソードアート・オンライン |
Release Date | July 8, 2012 |
Genre(s) | Adventure Science Fiction |
Other Media | Web Novel Light Novel Film Video Games |
Suguha Kirigaya is a surprisingly rare case of an anime girl getting over her incestuous feelings for her cousin-turned-brother. In fact, she spends a lot of her screen time trying to get over her feelings for Kazuto. Sadly, it gets worse before it gets better for Suguha.
In her quest to get over Kazuto, she sinks time into ALfheim Online. There, she finds a boy who treats her kindly and falls in love with him. Unfortunately, that boy is Kazuto in real life. What is fortunate is she moves on from Kazuto and proves to be a reliable ally.
12 Kasumi Takamiya (Witch Craft Works)
Tsundere Plans How Many Kids To Have With Brother
MAL Score | 6.99 |
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Japanese Name | ウィッチクラフトワークス Witchikurafuto Wakusu |
Release Date | January 5, 2014 |
Genre(s) | Romantic Comedy Supernatural |
Other Media | Manga OVA |
Kasumi Takamiya is a powerful witch in Witch Craft Works, though that’s not what first comes to mind about the pink-haired girl. Although talented, she’s quite loopy and selfish. She also openly states wanting to have children with her brother Honoka.
Her loopyness and brocon attitude go hand in hand; because while she wants a lot of children with Honoka, Kasumi believes they don’t need to have sex to have kids. Kasumi naively thinks the “stork” will deliver their children despite trying to touch her brother at all times.
11 Shizuku Kurogane (Chivalry Of A Failed Knight)
Little Sister Had No Chance At All
MAL Score | 7.44 |
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Japanese Name | 落第騎士の英雄譚 Rakudai Kishi no Kyabaruryi |
Release Date | October 3, 2015 |
Genre(s) | Action Fantasy Romance |
Other Media | Manga Light Novel |
Chivalry of a Failed Knight is astounding in one aspect: male lead Ikki Kurogane seals the deal with female lead Princess Stella Vermillion early. Girls try to sway Ikki, but he remains steadfast to his girlfriend and combat partner. His resolve doesn’t change even with the efforts of his sister, Shizuku.
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Shizuku initially has reason to go overboard with her love of Ikki. Her brother was the family shame due to his perceived lack of talent. But at some point, her intention to love him the way their family doesn’t turn into other forms of love.
10 Kotori Itsuka (Date A Live)
Little Sister Actually Tries To Make A Move On Her Brother
MAL Score | 7.15 |
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Japanese Name | デート・ア・ライブ Deto A Raibu |
Release Date | April 6, 2013 |
Genre(s) | Harem Romantic Comedy Science Fantasy |
Other Media | Light Novel |
At 14, Kotori is the head commander of an organization dedicated to keeping her brother Shido safe. When taking into account that Kotori’s actually a powerful Spirit, her authority sort of makes sense. Her infatuation with her brother also makes sense in this context since Shido’s power is predicated on kissing and dating Spirits.
She ends up confessing to Shido in the light novels. Shido could be interpreted as rejecting her even as some fans believe their relationship to be open-ended. However, there’s no mistaking Kotori’s feelings in the anime, light novel, and visual novel.
9 Kirino Kousaka (Oreimo)
Best Teenage Girl For Some Anime Fans
MAL Score | 6.95 |
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Japanese Name | 俺の妹がこんなに可愛いわけがない Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai |
Release Date | October 3, 2010 |
Genre(s) | Comedy Otaku Culture |
Other Media | Light Novel Video Game Manga |
With an anime title of “My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute”, it’s inevitable that there would be incest. Kirino, in particular, blossomed from being a normal kid who admires her brother Kyousuke into a teen who wants to be his lover.
She’s in deep enough to convince herself that a former friend is keeping her from Kyousuke even when she tries to stifle her feelings for her brother. Despite Manami and every girl who ever loved Kyousuke’s best efforts, Kirino still ends up “married” to her brother. Oreimo’s game tries to reason this away as the two having non-blood relations.
8 Naomi Tanizaki (Bungou Stray Dogs)
Sibling Obsession A Quirky Reference To Real-Life Author
MAL Score | 7.82 |
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Japanese Name | 文豪ストレイドッグス |
Release Date | April 7, 2016 |
Genre(s) | Action Mystery Supernatural |
Other Media | Manga Video Game |
In Bongou Stray Dogs, there's a couple who love to proclaim to all the other characters that they're dating even though they're siblings. The funny thing is that Naomi and Jun'ichiro Tanizaki's actual blood tie is rather ambiguous or unconfirmed. So the viewers are left wondering whether it's just some weird couple fetish or whether they actually live in sweet home Alabama.
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Fans have speculated that Naomi's particularly aggressive behavior towards Jun'ichiro is a reference to her brother's real-life namesake. Japanese author Jun'ichiro Tanizaki wrote the novel Naomi, where the protagonist winds up completely under the control of the titular antagonist, whom he is unrelated to. BSG Jun'ichiro's declaration that Naomi is more important than anything in his life certainly fuels the reference.
7 Sachi Umino (A Couple of Cuckoos)
Cuckoo Brood Parasitism Metaphor Turned Incest Bait
MAL Score | 6.90 |
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Japanese Name | ッコウの許嫁 Kakkou no Iinazuke |
Release Date | April 24, 2022 |
Genre(s) | Comedy Harem Romance |
Other Media | Manga |
Sachi Umino from A Couple of Cuckoos is secretly in love with her brother. That's messed up, but at least she's not blood-related with her brother, who was swapped at birth with Sachi's true sibling. Still, what makes this siblinghood awkward is that Sachi's foster brother, Nagi Umino, adamantly considers the former as his sister and nothing else.
Sachi knows this but still keeps her repressed and unrequited feelings burning with passion. The weird part is that Sachi has always liked Nagi but only admitted it to herself after she found out that they're not related by blood, as if that revelation was her green light and invitation card.
6 Shiba Miyuki (The Irregular at Magic High School)
Genetically Engineered Romance Between Brother And Sister
MAL Score | 7.39 |
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Japanese Name | 魔法科高校の劣等生 Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei |
Release Date | Apr 6, 2014 |
Genre(s) | Action Fantasy Romance Sci-Fi |
Other Media | Light novel |
The Irregular at Magic High School features a standard trope for anime where a beautiful pair of siblings could have dated anyone of their choosing, but they chose to stay intimate with each other instead. At least, that's what keeps happening due to Shiba Miyuki's whims and neuroticism towards her brother's potential lovers.
Miyuki is so devoted to her brother that she's even willing to "offer" her heart, body, and soul to him. She's way too overprotective of her brother, Tatsuya, and often polices him on his whereabouts and who he hangs out with, like a vigilant mother. Ironically, she wants her brother to stay with her forever but also wants everyone to see her brother's worth.
5 Mitsuki Kanzaki (Recently, My Sister Is Unusual)
Compelled By A Ghost To Try And Commit Incest
MAL Score | 6.19 |
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Japanese Name | 最近、妹のようすがちょっとおかしいんだが。 Saikin, Imouto no Yousu ga Chotto Okashiinda ga. |
Release Date | Jan 4, 2014 |
Genre(s) | Comedy Romance Supernatural Ecchi |
Other Media | Manga |
Mitsuki Kanzaki's case in Recently, my sister is unusual is a special one since, by technicality, it's both a brother complex and not a brother complex. The whole chaos started happening after a dead girl's ghost possessed Mitsuki. It just so happens that this ghost is head over heels for Mitsuki's brother, Yuuya. Thus, the possessed Mitsuki started acting weird and touchy toward Yuuya.
In Yuuya's eyes, this is a full-blown brother complex situation, but in Mitsuki's perspective, it's not since it's the ghost's doing. In hindsight, it also counts as a brother complex because one really can't uncross that line, especially after some aggressive advances have been made, courtesy of the ghost.
4 Aki Aoi (Aki Sora)
Psychologically And Morally Complex Brocon
MAL Score | 5.87 |
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Japanese Name | あきそら |
Release Date | Dec 18, 2009 |
Genre(s) | Erotica Seinen |
Other Media | Manga |
Aki Sora is a minefield of taboos since it's not just an anime about sibling complexes but also a suggestive portrayal of a forbidden relationship between minors. The minors in question were Aki Aoi and her brother, Nami Aoi. It's an anime that almost looks like a sitcom since their parents are seemingly absent, and their world is rather small.
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In any case, Nami Aoi already likes his sister romantically but is rather coy about it. Meanwhile, Aki doesn't have any reservations or restrictions regarding her love. She makes advances on her younger brother and even controls their forbidden romance. Their friends even started worrying about their hidden relationship as they tried to skirt around the suspicions as they crossed several lines and boundaries.
3 Sora Kasugano (Yosuga No Sora)
Sibling Incest Spells Trouble For Said Siblings
MAL Score | 6.05 |
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Japanese Name | ヨスガノソラ Yosuga no Sora |
Release Date | Oct 4, 2010 |
Genre(s) | Harem Drama Romance Erotica |
Other Media | Visual Novel Manga |
The "other" incest anime with sora in the title, Yosuga No Sora features twins whose incestuous relationship is recognized by several characters. Not that they have much of a choice, as characters would sometimes walk in on or hear Haruka and Sora Kasugano having sex.
Sora, in particular, is extremely needy and codependent. Her worst traits are exaggerated in the anime, as are other people's bad behavior. The little redemption she receives in the visual novel also doesn't manifest in the anime, and so she appears more unstable.
2 Nanoka Kohinata (Koi Kaze)
When A Teen Girl Without The Westermarck Effect Loves Her Adult Brother
MAL Score | 7.02 |
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Japanese Name | 恋風 Koikaze Love Wind |
Release Date | Apr 2, 2004 |
Genre(s) | Seinen Drama Romance |
Other Media | Manga |
Nanoka Kohinata and Koshiro Saeki are, at points, portrayed sympathetically and sweetly. But ultimately, Koi Kaze is a crushing and realistic portrayal of the effects of incest and pedophilia on the couple in question.
It’s on Koshiro for agreeing to start a romantic and sexual relationship with Nanoka, even if she aggressively pursued him. Nanoka is always portrayed acting according to her age, which means she also does not understand her feelings for Koshiro at first. Her young mind also leads her to suggest a suicide pact when it becomes obvious that she and Koshiro will have a hard time being together.
1 Tachibana Sisters (Domestic Girlfriend)
YouTube Essayists Can't Get Enough Of Them
MAL Score | 7.02 |
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Japanese Name | 恋風 Koikaze Love Wind |
Release Date | April 2, 2004 |
Genre(s) | Seinen Drama Romance |
Other Media | Manga |
This one's a double whammy featuring a standard step-sibling story trope where their parents remarried, and they are now stuck under one roof. What's different here is that there are two sisters vying for their stepbrother. One of them is the stepbrother's teacher, and the other one is the stepbrother's classmate. The additional twist is that the classmate hooked up with the stepbrother before they became family.
It even got to a point when the two sisters started catfighting and hissing at each other for that piece of protagonist meat, as if any other male who's not related to them didn't exist. The anime is worth watching alone for that kind of romantic chaos.
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