For today’s blog post, I thought I would discuss romance archetypes. There are, of course, numerous archetypes out there, so this may only scratch the surface. But I am noting some that are of particular interest to me. I’m also granting them names for ease of reference. Finally, while I am discussing male characters primarily, these can apply to female characters as well.

The Rogue

• Qualities: Engages in an occupation such as a pirate, smuggler, or thief. Usually self-assured. Makes some morally dubious choices on occasion, but usually nothing heinous.
• Examples: Han Solo from Star Wars, Eugenides from The Queen’s Thief series, Sage from the Ascendance series, and Captain Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles.

The Perfect Innocent

• Qualities: Almost always takes the moral high ground and tries to do the right thing. Any flaws tend to be fairly minor. Actions tend to be selfless.
• Examples: Luke Skywalker from Star Wars and Peeta from The Hunger Games series.

The Darcy

• Qualities: Proud, rich, and snobby. But actually a good guy under all that.
• Examples: Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice and Young Joon from What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim.

The Thorn with a Heart of Gold:

• Qualities: This one sort of dovetails a bit with the Rogue and the Darcy in that the character is not terribly pleasant. However, this character is usually a bit down on his or her luck and reveals a heart of gold beneath the thorny exterior. The tsundere type often fits in here.
• Examples: Kyo from Fruits Basket, Katniss from The Hunger Games, and InuYasha from, well, InuYasha.

The Loveable Dodo

• Qualities: This one tends to work best in anime, as the fact that a character is not terribly bright can be more of a turn-off in books. Despite lacking book smarts, though, this character often takes characteristics like loyalty and selflessness to extremes, thus making themselves loveable in their own way.
• Examples: Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail and Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket.

The Childhood Friend

• Qualities: Childhood friends become lovers.
• Example: K-dramas She Was Pretty and Romance Is a Bonus Book.

The Obsessive

• Qualities: This character is obsessed with pursuing their love interest. This character often comes from a position of wealth/power and feels a bit entitled. Can dovetail a bit with The Darcy and/or The Thorn with a Heart of Gold.
• Example: The female lead of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the male lead of The First Night with the Duke, and Edward of Twilight.

This is by no means all of the archetypes out there, but it does cover some of my favorites. Are there any archetypes I’m missing that you enjoy? What are your favorites?