NOTE: "Distaff" refers to "female"; a distaff is a spinning tool traditionally used by women.

One common method used in creating a Spin-Off is taking the main character of the show, creating an equivalent that's mostly the same except for being the opposite sex, and then packing the new character off to her own series. This allows the station or network to fill up extra space on the schedule with a known quantity, while (in theory) stretching its demographic to female viewers. This method is very popular among action-adventure series, which mostly appeal to young males.

While heroes are usually the ones to get this kind of treatment, it's been happening more and more to villains too.

There's also the third kind of Spin-Off, with a long-lost sister showing up or a new girlfriend brought in, only to repeat whatever circumstances gave the main character his powers/duties/what-have-you.

Just like how many female characters are defined by their relationship to the default or already established male character, many distaff counterparts are defined primarily by their relationship to the male counterpart. This can be shown through their visual properties, narrative connection, and occasionally promotional materials. They are often a wife or girlfriend, but can be a sister or friend to the male counterpart. Often, and especially if the characters in question are animals, the female character will have a bow on her head or other Tertiary Sexual Characteristics defining her as female and to set her apart from the "default" male characters. In other words, the male character or characters may have little or no stereotypical masculinizing gender specifiers, but his or their distaff counterpart or counterparts will have stereotypical feminizing gender specifiers to mark them as female. If the distaff counterpart is a girlfriend, she is usually the Love Interest to the male character.

A male character who goes through the Gender Bender will find himself turned into his own Distaff Counterpart. The implications for the character, writers, and audience are left as an exercise for the reader.

Since "distaff" means "female", the inverse of this (a male counterpart to an existing female character or Always Female trope) is technically and traditionally a Spear Counterpart (which was named for the spearhead-shaped end of the symbol of Mars that represents males. You may also be thinking the "spear" meant something else... and you'd be right, because that's what the Mars symbol is based on, too).

SECOND NOTE: A "distaff" is a spinning device, used with a spinning wheel and, even before that, with a spindle. More here. Textile Work Is Feminine; that's why it's used to symbolize femininity.

Usually tends to wear a Gendered Outfit.

Compare Gender Flip, which reverses roles based on gender, rather than cloning them. If a normally gender-specific trope is played on its opposite gender anyway, that's a Gender-Inverted Trope (otherwise known as a rare male/female example). If they're fan-created, it's Rule 63. If this appeals to a fan fetish, it's a form of Fanservice. When you take this trope to its literal conclusion, you get an Opposite-Sex Clone. See also Contrasting Sequel Main Character. Contrast with I Just Want to Be Badass.

The laws of probability and large numbers will in all likelihood turn this into Truth in Television eventually for most of us.

Tropes and indexes that have Male - Female counterparts:

Example subpages:

• Comic Books
• Live-Action TV
• Video Games
• Western Animation

Distaff Counterparts:

Spear Counterparts