Bromance

Overview

Bromance is a special bond between two or more extremely close heterosexual male characters. This closeness can be triggered through either external stimuli (such as being a result of war) or developed over time through similar interests (such as weight lifting or martial arts training). To an untrained observer, bromantic relationships may (incorrectly) appear to be synonymous with homosexuality.

A common trait amongst bromance relationships in video games is an overpowering sense of masculinity in one or more of the partners. Games developed in the 1980s, drawing inspiration from major action films of the time, were particularly susceptible to displaying bromantic partners as extremely muscular. It was not uncommon to also see these males with cigars, cigarettes and/or alcohol at some point in their adventures together. Over time, more effeminate heterosexual males began to populate the bromance phenomenon.

Bromantic partners will go to great lengths to assist each other, even when logic should dictate otherwise. For example, in Final Fight, Jessica Haggar is kidnapped by the Mad Gear Gang. Her father ( Mike Haggar) and her boyfriend ( Cody Travers) set off on a quest to save her and defeat the gang and are joined by Cody's bromantic training partner, Guy (who has a far less direct relationship with the other characters). This relationship was omitted in the initial SNES release of the game due to space constraints. In Final Fight Guy, Guy was placed in the game but Cody was taken out (under the auspice of being training in Japan at the time), again disrupting the relationship. Subsequent releases of the title (such as the Sega CD and Game Boy Advance release) retained the bromance dynamic between the characters.