What does Sister Complex mean? (+Tips for healthy sibling relationships)

In this brief guide, we will look at what Sister complex means, as well as some other details related to sibling relationships.

What does Sister Complex mean?

Sister complex refers to an intense, almost obsessive bond with one’s sister that results in a very strong need to protect the sister (younger or older) and to make sure she is always happy.

Sister complex is also known as “Siscon”, and while it may be found in many people who come from problematic families, this extreme type of attachment is most often seen in anime, for instance in Gauche from Blackclover or Akame from Akame ga kill.

While in some places one might find the definition of Sister complex to be that it is just a very passionate or compelling attachment pattern with one’s sister, in most other places it seems to refer to a sexual attraction to one’s sister.

In many anime shows, both definitions of sister complex seem to make an appearance, and there are certainly many shows where the type of siscon seen is that of sexual attraction to one’s sister.

Additionally, many people have noted that while topics like intimate relationships with family members or attraction to a sister, or sister complex, is taboo in basically every culture, there are still many shows that portray it in the Japanese culture specifically, though the reason for this is not clear.

It could be that due to the age of consent being slightly lower in Japan the anime shows that are usually marketed towards people of those ages may contain overtures of something the makers or writers think is likely to resonate with them.

However, it would not be wise to make a decision about whether a sister complex is a common thing in Japan based on the commonality of it in anime, because while fiction can be fairly representative of the target audience, this is not always the case definitively.

Going by what has been seen in anime in general, Siscon may mean that a character begins to develop a strong sexual attraction to their sister but there doesn’t seem to be any real constraint regarding the age gap between both parties, and It is not bound to a specific gender either, as long as a sister is being sexualized by his/her sibling. 

There is another similar concept called Lolicon, which refers to the specific sexualization of young girls, and is basically immoral but is engaged in a slightly romanticized manner.

Sister Complex Examples

As mentioned above, sister complex can also have another meaning, a representation of which is seen in Gauche’s character in the show Blackclover.

The sister complex that Gauche experiences is likely due to his and Marie’s mistreatment and abandonment following their parents’ deaths, due to which he not only cares a great deal for Marie, but also becomes distant and uncaring for anybody else.

This is the type of obsessive relationship or attachment one might expect to see in a person experiencing sister complex, and it is seen that this anime character often steals food and commits petty crime to provide for her, and even during the events at Nairn, Gauche chooses to forsake Asta, Sister Theresa, and all of the other Nairn children to escape from danger with her alone, and this may also be because of his potent sister complex.

The sister complex of Gauche is also seen in how after Marie chastises and punches him, he begins to have a change of heart and starts being exposed and vulnerable to the outwardly friendly Asta. 

Also because of his sister complex, he wants to be a brother of whom Marie would be proud, and therefore he also decides to fight alongside Asta against Baro and Sally of his own accord, developing a new spell that requires cooperating with others. 

He changes so much that the person he had left behind earlier, Sister Theresa, becomes a subject of his care and he tries to look after her well-being and is even greatly upset at the notion of her dying. 

Another example of sister complex in anime is seen in Komui Lee from the show D.Gray-man.

It is seen that when this character is napping and needs to be woken up, he can only be woken up by saying that his sister Lenalee is getting married, which causes him to react angrily due to his sister complex.

This is not the only depiction of his sister complex, however, and his feelings towards his sister are by no means hidden or hinted at, they are pretty much out there in the open and the audience or readers of the manga are mostly totally fine with it.

A good example of sister complex in an anime character is also seen in Mahiro from Zetsuen no Tempest, and contrary to the other two characters mentioned above, this character has a sister complex towards his step sister, and he does not admit to it too freely.

This anime character with a sister complex has little care for the destiny of the world, and in Mahiro the desire is to locate and kill the murderer of his family, for his sister Aika’s sake is a culmination of the two types of sister complexes we have discussed so far.

In this anime character we see the sister complex that makes him feel the strong need to avenge her and protect her, but also the type of sister complex that makes him have romantic or sexual feelings for her.

He also frequently claims he never had any romantic feelings for her and tries to discredit the sister complex, but his actions imply otherwise and in other instances also it is seen that though he is a very perceptive person, he tends to avoid admitting the truth to himself when it doesn’t play in his favor.

Sister Complex vs Sibling Rivalry

A sister complex is when someone is intensely attached to their sister or have sexual or romantic feelings towards her, whereas in sibling rivalry one might hate their sister for taking the attention of the parents away.

Because the sister complex is something that goes against the cultural internalization of the person and the rules and regulations of the society they live in, some people theorise that someone showing signs of sibling rivalry might actually be overcompensating for their sister complex.

However, in most cases it may just be actual sibling rivalry, and there may not be much more to it than that.

Some details about Sibling Rivalry from the ICD are given below:

• “evidence of sibling rivalry and/or jealousy;
• onset during the months following the birth of the younger(usually immediately younger) sibling;
• emotional disturbance that is abnormal in degree and/or persistence and associated with psychosocial problems.”

“Sibling rivalry /jealousy may be shown by marked competition with siblings for the attention and affection of parents; for this to be regarded as abnormal, it should be associated with an unusual degree of negative feelings. 

In severe cases this may be accompanied by overt hostility, physical trauma and/or maliciousness towards, and undermining of, the sibling. In lesser cases, it may be shown by a strong reluctance to share, a lack of positive regard, and a paucity of friendly interactions.

The emotional disturbance may take any of several forms, often including some regression with loss of previously acquired skills (such as bowel or bladder control) and a tendency to babyish behavior.

Sister Complex vs Brother Sister Relationship

Sister complexes may be when someone is attracted to their sister in a sexual or romantic manner, and if the sister is also attracted to the brother, it may lead to a brother sister relationship, but these are not necessarily correlated things.

A sister complex can sometimes lead to a brother sister relationship, but this may happen more often among siblings that have not seen each other for many years or have a very distant relationship, or perhaps are related through step parents.

Many people who experience sister complexes, for that matter, experience it for their step sister and that may also be the reason why this particular phenomenon appears so often in fiction or adult-contents as well.

Sister Quotes

Here are some of the best sister quotes if the kind of sister complex you have is to want to love and protect your sister:

“Having a sister is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of. You know whatever you do, they’ll still be there.” Amy Li

“I could never love anyone as I love my sisters.” Little Women film adaptation

“A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves—a special kind of double.” Toni Morrison

“I’m the big sister. I want to make sure she has everything, even if I don’t have anything. It’s hard. I love her too much. That’s what counts.” Venus Williams

“Sister. She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she’s the reason you wish you were an only child.” Barbara Alpert

Conclusion 

In this brief guide, we looked at what Sister complex means, as well as some other details related to sibling relationships.

Sister complex and other things related to sibling relationships are complicated matters and to understand them one might require an adequate amount of research. 

Also, if you are in fact experiencing issues related to your brother or sister, you should either talk to your parents, a relative or some other adult who can help you out, because these problems may not resolve on their own.

If you have any questions or comments about Sister complex, please feel free to reach out to us at any time.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Sister Complex

Citations

https://aminoapps.com/c/anime/page/blog/anime-vs-reality-the-siscon-lolicon-contradiction/jPtK_uJegexXowEL02ErwRlqlJgE6b

https://www.anime-planet.com/characters/tags/sister-complex

https://parade.com/938637/parade/sister-quotes/