Why is Lara and Sam the Most Popular Pairing in Tomb Raider?

[Winter]

Seeing that it's Valentine's Day, which also just so happens to be Lara Croft's Birthday, I figured I'd talk a bit about the most popular pairing in the Tomb Raider Fandom, yes Lara Croft and Samantha "Sam" Nishimura. What draws people to this pairing, what makes them so popular that 10 years later this character who was suppose to die in the first game, has only appeared in the first game and has been limited to the comics this character THE character that Lara is shippped with above all others in Tomb Raider series, beating out even the original Fan-Preferred Pairing of Lara and Sara Pezzini (Witchblade), to the point that writers of the series have tried to make it canon.

No really, Rhianna Pratchett, Gail Simone, Mariko Tamaki, Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly have all gone on record that not only do they ship Lara and Sam but have tried to make them canon. In the comic Inferno there was even a scene altered that had Lara and Sam kissing but was altered due to the the higher-ups demanding it be changed to a hug instead.

So, why are these two so popular that there is still a demand for not only Sam to return but to be made into Lara's official love interest?

I think it comes down to a few things the first of which being the fact that Sam's personality contrasts and complements Lara's so well. Sam is a social butterfly with an outgoing personality while Lara is more closed off and has trouble talking to people. Hell she has some times has issues looking at people in the eye at times and rarely, if ever, touches other people. Lara likes to spend time studying while Sam is a party girl. Lara is British Sam is American, these two just seem to be completely different from one another.

Yet Sam is pretty much the only person who can get Lara to really open up and live a little and to do things outside of her comfort zone but in a way that doesn't make Lara uncomfortable. She gets Lara to come out of her shell which helps to show more of her character in a way that we wouldn't normally see.

Yet they also have a lot in common. Both are history nerds, both love adventure and both love to travel. Sam may love the club but she loves the outdoors just as much and is perfectly fine with living outside of the city if she has to.

But I think what really sells Sam as Lara's most popular possible love interest is her character. Sam is, without a doubt, the most developed character in the series with only Lara able to match her. The writers of the first game and the comics LOVE Sam and therefore give her as much depth and development as they can which given she's only appeared in one game just over 20 issues of comics they got away with a lot. While Sam was never intended to survive the first game Pratchett and the other writers took advantage of the trauma that she went through to make her one of the underrated badasses in Tomb Raider.

This is a character who went from a, justifiably, scared girl to a badass action hero. Sam is has beaten up a thug while only armed with a Cupcake, has laughed in the face of people who've kidnapped her. Came up with a plan to save one of her friends that managed to get them into Mexico without the villains figuring her out. Stabbed a Shark in the Eye that was about to eat her, saved Lara's life, Twice. And DEFEATED A DEMIGOD IN A BATTLE OF WILLS!!!

The most any other character in the series has done who isn't named Lara Croft or Sara Pezzini, is shot a few goons. Sam made a monster that could create storms coward in fear of her and banished her soul into a magic mirror for Eternity!!!

It also helps that the two just have great chemistry. You really get the sense that they love each other and that if one is in danger they will go to Hell and Back for each other while still being willing to challenge the other.

And again, 10 Years. Most people forgot about Kurtis Trent after his first two appearances. Same with Lara's other sorta official love interests like the ones in the movies. But Sam? Sam is the Asami to Lara's Korra, the Lois to her Superman.

The fact that the studio has done everything in it's power to make fans forget about her and yet she is STILL talked about more then the attempted Breakout character Jonah, (who is only notable because he literally nearly destroyed the world Three times in the Trilogy out of sheer stupidity).

Her personality, her development and chemistry with the series' lead makes Sam not only Lara's most interesting potential love interest but, IMO, the second best character in Tomb Raider.

[CharlesPhipps]

I mean it's because it's the only other relationship Lara has that could be shipped. There's not exactly any age appropriate guys or girls aside from Sam that are still alive by the end of the first game. It's not me shitting on Sam and Lara but it's a sign that they haven't exactly given her much in the way of a supporting cast after the first game.

[ProfessorDetective]

I mean it's because it's the only other relationship Lara has that could be shipped. There's not exactly any age appropriate guys or girls aside from Sam that are still alive by the end of the first game. It's not me shitting on Sam and Lara but it's a sign that they haven't exactly given her much in the way of a supporting cast after the first game.

Best she had was her two techies and Winston during the Crystal Era (Core: TR1-Angel, Crystal: Legends-Underworld, Square/Survivor: 2013-Shadow, Amazon(?): ???-???). But I agree, Sam had the most screentime, the best chemestry, and the writers actively TRIED to make it happen. Maybe a few years later, Square/Crystal would have been on board for it. If only because the bean counters said it'd draw in some new players.

[Winter]

I mean it's because it's the only other relationship Lara has that could be shipped. There's not exactly any age appropriate guys or girls aside from Sam that are still alive by the end of the first game. It's not me shitting on Sam and Lara but it's a sign that they haven't exactly given her much in the way of a supporting cast after the first game.

If that's the case, why wasn't Lara shipped with Jonah, Sophia or Nadia? They have a lot of screen time are close in age to Lara and all have pretty solid chemistry. For all my issues with Jonah his voice actor is really great so why is it that Jonah never got shipped with Lara despite appearing in more games then Sam who only has one (so far).

I think a major factor is because Sam was given so much more personality then most characters. Jonah isn't consistent enough in character, Nadia is just Sam 2.0 and Sophia is kinda bland. And it's not just with the new Continuity Salara is the most popular pairing throughout the series. Like I said Kurtis, Jacqueline Natla and Amanda just aren't as popular in romance as Sam.

To contrast, why is Lena Luthor the most popular character to pair with Kara? It's not because Kara is lacking in romance options she gets a new one every season and she has I think 5 different romance options in the comics, girl's a player. But out of all of them Lena is the one everyone ships her with the most who isn't even an official option.

I honestly think that it's more then just the only option available. There's something about these characters that others lack that draws not just fans but writers to them and their relationship. Something a studio that's tried to erase and 10 years later she is STILL popular and still shipped with our Tomb Raider.

[CharlesPhipps]

If that's the case, why wasn't Lara shipped with Jonah, Sophia or Nadia?

Ehhh, they straight up killed Sam and Lara after Tomb Raider. Despite support from Gail Simone, who did such wonderful things for LGBT representation like making Red Sonja bisexual, the creators did their best to erase her from the setting.

Which sucks.

Jonah, by contrast, is in the subsequent games.

[Winter]

If that's the case, why wasn't Lara shipped with Jonah, Sophia or Nadia?

Ehhh, they straight up killed Sam and Lara after Tomb Raider. Despite support from Gail Simone, who did such wonderful things for LGBT representation like making Red Sonja bisexual, the creators did their best to erase her from the setting.

Which sucks.

Jonah, by contrast, is in the subsequent games.

Correction the creators tried to make the pairing official it was the studio that kept the pairing from being canon and, as mentioned, Salara remains popular to this day, a whole decade after the first game released.

And again, why isn't Lara shipped with Jonah. Fans will and have shipped anything that moves yet Jonah is barely even included in most fan fics or fan art. On Deviant Art he has like 40 or 60 bits of fan art, Zero % of which is decided to him being in a relationship with Lara.

Sam has hundreds of fan art and fan fics most of which is dedicated to her relationship to Lara and is talked about more often by creators for the series.

Not to mention the rumors of Lara getting a Same Sex Love Interest in either a film, show or later games and likewise several articles going over how Sam should return I think it's safe to say that this pairing is alive & well and could be made canon at some point in the near future.

[CharlesPhipps]

And again, why isn't Lara shipped with Jonah. Fans will and have shipped anything that moves yet Jonah is barely even included in most fan fics or fan art. On Deviant Art he has like 40 or 60 bits of fan art, Zero % of which is decided to him being in a relationship with Lara.

Frankly, I think the fact they have the Man of Color as subordinate to the white lady of privilege is a rather unpleasant bit of worldbuilding. Jonah is always treated as her servant and it's not remotely cool in the setting despite him being a strong loyal spirit. I did like him and the woman in South America.

And I LIKE Sam and Lara for the fact they are fun and have very good chemistry. I just wish we'd had more of them and am salty that Sam was kicked out of the setting.

[Winter]

And again, why isn't Lara shipped with Jonah. Fans will and have shipped anything that moves yet Jonah is barely even included in most fan fics or fan art. On Deviant Art he has like 40 or 60 bits of fan art, Zero % of which is decided to him being in a relationship with Lara.

Frankly, I think the fact they have the Man of Color as subordinate to the white lady of privilege is a rather unpleasant bit of worldbuilding. Jonah is always treated as her servant and it's not remotely cool in the setting despite him being a strong loyal spirit. I did like him and the woman in South America.

And I LIKE Sam and Lara for the fact they are fun and have very good chemistry. I just wish we'd had more of them and am salty that Sam was kicked out of the setting.

I don't see that was the intent of the developers. I think Jonah was included more because he was someone who wouldn't challenge Lara and were trying to present him as Lara's partner and equal. Honestly the best use of Jonah was in the Spore Arc from the comics as he's competent, useful and badass. He even gets to actually save Lara a few times and while he still gets captured this time it wasn't really his fault and he doesn't do anything to endanger the world.

Sadly the Spore arc was basically ignored by the rest of the series and is really just a pointless filler arc. It's like there was a mandate to make Jonah useless EXCEPT in this one comic arc.

Sam, as I mentioned, is well loved by the writers of the series who use every opportunity to let her grow and develop and is given several chances to show us what she's made of. Hell, the best example of that is this moment from the Choice and Sacrifice Arc-



Please note this is Sam having a battle of wills with a established Demigod and she WINS. Himiko has to demand Sam obey her and Sam just glares at her and manages to force her out of her body. Lara may have provided the means to help her but Sam was the one who broke free. Combine this with her literally stabbing a Shark in the Eye to save Lara, planning how to save a friend of theirs and several other things she gets up to in the comics and it becomes clear who the writers preferred to write.

Sam is awesome and I think she will return.