History Main / EnsembleCast

* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriend'' has a fairly sizable cast of woodland critters. Granted, Lumpy often hogs the spotlight, but generally, each character has a fair number of "starring" roles.

** ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel'' as a whole had a large cast and tended to put the spotlight on as many characters as possible, [[MerchandiseDriven especially the ones that currently had toys on sale]]. That said the comics tend to spread attention to as many characters as possible with little focus on a single protagonist. It helps that when it came to older toys the writers had a KillEmAll attitude.

* ''Series/CriminalMinds'' rarely has ever had fewer than seven main characters. Notable exceptions were the episodes between Elle leaving and Prentiss joining, Gideon leaving and Rossi joining, and most of season six.

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' has nearly a dozen main characters, most of whom have had at least a short story focused on them. If the series has a central character, it'd be Church (who is arguably indirectly responsible for almost everything that happens to them), but there's plenty of time in the spotlight for everyone else.

** Over the entirety of its 13-year run, the ''ComicBook/TransformersIDW''[=/=]''ComicBook/HasbroComicUniverse'' had a massive CastHerd whose exploits had to be covered in multiple different ongoings and limited series as the story and universe expanded in scope. Some characters even received their own ''[[ADayInTheLimelight Spotlight]]'' issues that explored their character in greater detail.

* While Lloyd might be TheHero of ''Franchise/{{Ninjago}}'', the focal character among the ninjas tends to vary depending on the season and toyline. For example, Season 1 (before Lloyd's introduction} focuses on Kai, Season 3 focuses on Zane, Season 6 focuses on Jay, Season 13 focuses on Cole, and Season 14 focuses on Nya. This entails that each of the six ninjas gets to have their own time in the spotlight.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Mixels}}'' has all the Mixels making up the protagonists. While sometimes characters are defined as "main" ones for the episodes, none of them are the leads of the entire series, with the only solidified pieces being the Nixels as all-around antagonists.

* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'': The show started off as this, with focus being exchanged between the Voltron team members, though Shiro was often seen as the main character because of his role as leader, but he had about the same amount of focus as the other characters of the group. As the seasons go on, this starts to get subverted as Shiro, Keith and Allura become the clear protagonists of the story, with the latter two in particular getting most of the spotlight, while Pidge, Lance and Hunk fall OutOfFocus very often.

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' from the get go. In the pilot episode it was just Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Superboy, though by the end of the season Miss Martian, Artemis, Zatanna, and Red Arrow were firmly apart of the ensemble. Season 2 goes even further, by adding over ''ten'' new main characters to the ensemble, on top of the original eight. By the time of the revival, the story embraces this trope with there being multiple different arcs per season depending on which section of the CastHerd is receiving the spotlight.

* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel'' as a whole had a large cast and tended to put the spotlight on as many characters as possible, [[MerchandiseDriven especially the ones that currently had toys on sale]]. That said the comics tend to spread attention to as many characters as possible with little focus on a single protagonist. It helps that when it came to older toys the writers had a KillEmAll attitude.

* Most of the horror in ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'' is because of this trope. Out of the 15 students, the only one that can be considered a main character in the first chapters is the player, [[DecoyProtagonist and even that doesn't always mean that they're safe or going to stay until the end]]. This makes it very difficult to predict who will be murdered.

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' from the get go. In the pilot episode it was just Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Superboy, though by the end of the season Miss Martian, Artemis, Zatanna, and Red Arrow were firmly apart of the ensemble. Season 2 goes even further, by adding over ''ten'' new main characters to the ensemble, on top of the original eight.

* ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveller'' Has eight playable characters each with their own plot, you choose who to start with and pick up the other characters by starting their plots, no character is more important than any others and each of the character's plot is a piece in the overarching plot of the game.

* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'': ''Subspace Emissary'': Ultimately, the "star characters" are whoever you prefer to play as, since there's no real arc or characterization.

* ''VideoGame/SaGaFrontier'' features seven (eight in the HD remaster) protagonists with differing, at times intersecting storylines, with the player encouraged to play through all of the stories. These characters include:

* ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes''. Hardly surprising, given just how many characters there are that it essentially ''has'' to do this to give anyone screen time. The clue's in the title, too.

* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'': ''Subspace Emissary'': Ultimately, the "star characters" are whoever you prefer to play as, since there's no real arc or characterization. Although the game does seem to feature [[Franchise/{{Kirby}} Kirby, King Dedede and Meta Knight]] [[SpotlightStealingSquad over the rest of the characters]], especially given that the creator of ''Super Smash Bros.'', Creator/MasahiroSakurai, is also the creator of the ''Kirby'' series.

* ''Series/{{Community}}'', although the pilot introduces Jeff Winger as the protagonist and the episodes with TwoLinesNoWaiting generally have Jeff working the A plot.

** Emelia, a supermodel-turned-secret agent on a quest for revenge after being framed for her fiance's murder.

** In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', although Twilight Sparkle is clearly the main protagonist, all of the main cast get a roughly equal amount of screen time and episodes dedicated to them. Especially during season two, where Twilight [[AbsenteeActor actually doesn't appear at all in a couple of episodes]], or when she does, [[TheCameo only delivers a line or two]]. The Cutie Mark Crusaders get the spotlight with a good amount of regularity and of them Apple Bloom has gotten her own episode, Scootaloo's got hers too (with [[AndStarring guest star]] Princess Luna), and Sweetie Belle shared one with her sister.

* Most of the horror in ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'' is because of this trope. Out of the 15 students, the only one that can be considered a main character in the first chapters is the player. This makes it very difficult to predict who will be murdered.

* Being a ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic, ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureauTheOtherSideOfTheSpectrum'' and its reboot ''FanFic/{{SPECTRUM}}'' already has an impressive roster of characters, but what's possibly more impressive is how many besides [[TheHero Marcus/Alex]] are given enough development, characterization, and viewpoint to be protagonists in their own right, partly because the fic has several side-stories [[WorldBuilding expanding upon its world]] and its extensive MythArc.
** The main story already has [[ShellShockedVeteran Marcus]], though [[CloudCuckoolander Canon Lyra]], [[BadassTeacher TCB Cheerilee]], [[KnightInSourArmor TCB Trixie]], Canon Celestia, [[{{Troll}} Canon Discord]], possibly the [[TrueCompanions Canon Mane 6]], and [[AxCrazy Viktor Kraber]] (who gets enough screentime and [[TearJerker characterization]] to possibly serve as the tritagonist of the Battle of Boston) take up plenty of the spotlight as well.
** The Europe side-story's protagonist, [[MajorlyAwesome Stephan Bauer]], also has considerable importance in the main story, being a {{Deuteragonist}} and acts as TheLancer to Marcus. He's also backed up by his fellow Bundeswehr soldiers and the ponies they take in.
** [[CelebritySurvivor Yon-Soo]] is the main character of the Asia side-story, but the story centers primarily on the FiveManBand consisting of him and his teammates [[SupportingLeader Porter]], [[CoolOldGuy Aitmatov]], [[ActionMom Aquamarine Glimmer]], [[TheEeyore Melnik]], [[TheMcCoy Hyong-Jin]], [[BruiserWithASoftCenter Firebrand]], [[DemolitionsExpert Sergei]], [[AnIcePerson Blizzard Flurry]], and [[CheerfulChild Comet Tail]], who also get plenty of backstory and spotlight for themselves to be more fleshed out.
** [[PopCulturedBadass Isaac Acevedo]] serves as the Starvation side-story's protagonist, alongside his friends [[MouthyKid Button Mash]] and [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist Dr. Grimnebulin]].
** ''Last Train From Oblivion'' has the crew and passengers of the [[CoolTrain CPX-9782]], a RagtagBunchOfMisfits struggling to get away from the barrier and to safety alive and sane. More specifically, it centers mainly on [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Canon!Lightning Dust]], [[BloodKnight Verity Carter]], and [[EmotionlessGirl Tess Jones]].
** ''Shades of the Unsung'' is largely centered on the viewpoint of a unicorn named Inkwell, who had previously appeared in the ''Calm Before the Storm'' side story (which is a series of snippets with no set protagonist). From a narrative perspective, he counts as a SupportingProtagonist as [[GrumpyOldMan Rockwell]] and [[BrokenBird Soundstorm]] are planning a mass jailbreak. At the same time is the [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] [[BadassTeacher former headmaster]] of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns working alongside Sunset Shimmer to topple the Solar Empire from behind the shadows.
** ''Adrift'' is told in the form of an interview of a pony named Stellar Wind recounting his experiences with a RagtagBunchOfMisfits and smugglers during the early days of the war.
** ''Light Despondent'' is set midway through the war. It has two protagonists - one being a filly named Dancing Day, who's hearing about this through the FramingDevice, and the other being the aforementioned Viktor Kraber.
** The reboot, ''Fanfic/SPECTRUM'', while comparatively smaller, is more tightly paced with its characters, taking in characters from Season 5 onward and giving them major roles as well - Ember and Thorax, for example. In the main plotline itself, Lyra Heartstrings and Twilight Sparkle serve as Act One's main protagonists, while Princess Luna and Cadance takes over for Act Two.

* ''Fanfic/HonorableHogwarts'' did this to the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' universe, giving the characters roughly equal focus and Simultaneous Arcs.

* ''Fanfic/PokemonTheOriginOfSpecies'' shares the role of primary character between three protagonists. They avoid typical ChromaitcArrangement character interactions, with Leaf being the reporter who wants Pokemon to be treated with respect, Blue wanting to become League Champion and guide the continent to a safer future, and Red being the researcher who is looking into how Pokemon work and what's it all mean, anyway.

* ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes''. Hardly surprising, given [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters just how many characters]] there are that it essentially ''has'' to do this to give anyone screen time. The clue's in the title, too.

* Being a ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic, ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureauTheOtherSideOfTheSpectrum'' and its reboot ''FanFic/{{SPECTRUM}}'' already has an [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters impressive roster of characters]], but what's possibly more impressive is how many besides [[TheHero Marcus/Alex]] are given enough development, characterization, and viewpoint to be protagonists in their own right, partly because the fic has several side-stories [[WorldBuilding expanding upon its world]] and its extensive MythArc.

* ''Fanfic/HonorableHogwarts'' did this to the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' universe, giving LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters roughly equal focus and Simultaneous Arcs.

* Creator/AleksandrSolzhenitsyn's ''Literature/TheFirstCircle'' features LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters whose stories all revolve about a single ''sharashka''.

* The ''Literature/{{Gone}}'' series. While Sam could generally be called the protagonist (though there are always large portions of the story not focused on him), ''Lies'' moves all the way into this trope, with Sam getting equal or less attention than Astrid's struggle to lead the council and care for her brother, Sanjit and the island kids trying to fly to the mainland, power struggles among the Coates kids, Mary's growing mental problems, and many other subplots with the rest of the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters thirty-one viewpoint characters]], some with more chapters than others, and switches between them every chapter. [[Series/GameOfThrones The TV series]] does the same. This is why none of the actors, not even the top-billed Creator/PeterDinklage, ever submit for Lead Acting at the Emmys.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' had ''43'' names in the credits over the course of 8 seasons, divided between ThreeLinesSomeWaiting. (Of course, AnyoneCanDie, so only 12 of them were in Season 1... and three were PromotedToOpeningTitles in Season 2.) Notably, the show only received ''two'' Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor / Actress (both in Season 8), with every single nomination up until then (including Creator/PeterDinklage's OnceASeason nomination) being for Supporting. You could make the argument that the showrunners did this deliberately to obscure who TheProtagonist was; you could also argue that [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters they weren't sure themselves]].

* ''Series/{{Oz}}'' has LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, all of whom get at least one moment to shine, and in some cases their own story arcs. Even some of the extras play a major role in the plot a couple times.

* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': With its Surname ProtagonistTitle, it's obviously centered on Jerry Seinfeld, but as the show goes on and more focus is put on the roles of his surrounding friends (which often even extends to [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a web of recurring characters]]) the Jerry character himself becomes less of a protagonist and more as [[EnsembleCast part of an ensemble]]. A noted early instance of this gradual shift in motion is in the season two episode "The Busboy"; an episode focused on both George and Elaine's problems and Jerry takes the backseat. This role of gradual less focus is lampshaded many times throughout the series, particularly in '"The Opposite" where Jerry points out how both his friends have switched roles and are having good (George) and bad (Elaine) things happening to them, meanwhile he remains to 'breaks even'.

* {{Exaggerated|Trope}} in a broad sense with ''Roleplay/NoPixel'', which has no "main" character to speak of, but is an amalgation of [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters hundreds of different characters]] interacting at any given moment. Also a subversion in that the "main" character at the moment could be considered [[RotatingProtagonist whoever the viewer is watching at the time]].[[note]]As a nod to the spirit of this trope, it's considered good server etiquette to contribute to other characters' storylines as best as possible should an interaction occur.[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'' technically has a protagonist in Anzu, but she's so much of a VanillaProtagonist that she doesn't even ''speak'' (at best, the characters will repeat back something she apparently just said, but even this only usually happens once or twice a conversation). The main story also focuses primarily on Trickstar and their efforts to take down the student council. However, in the vast majority of the story, revealed through different gacha and event cards, all restrictions go out the window and ''all'' of the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters thirty-plus characters]] get their chance to be the star, each belonging to a number of different groups (at least an idol group, a club, and a class, and often another association too) and possessing a constellation of different relationships and histories with the other characters.

* ''WebAnimation/InanimateInsanity'' has [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters around 20 characters]], each getting their fair share of screen time.

* ''Webcomic/CharbyTheVampirate'' confuses some new readers because while the comic is named after Charby, he's only one of many main characters. The story tends to rotate focus through the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters.

* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' is the king of this trope, with ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters over forty characters]]'' all being focused on at one time or another, with frequent perspective changes. John is supposedly the main character of the comic, and was the main focus of Acts 1 and 2, with Act 3 covering all four of the kids' perspectives, as well as the Exiles, although arguably focusing more on Jade than anybody else. Act 4 also focused on John, but was more of an ensemble than before. Act 5 Act 1 has the story told with 12 protagonists, but focusing on Karkat more than anybody else. Act 5 Act 2 is the best example, divided between 20 characters with no clear focus. Act 6 switches between the [[spoiler: Alpha Kids]] but focuses mostly on [[spoiler: Jane]].

* ''Literature/VoidDomain'' has Eva as the main protagonist. Despite her title, she shares screen time with just about every other member of the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters cast. She even went without a single segment dedicated to her for a span of about twenty chapters, and promptly vowed revenge against the one who stole her spotlight in the author's note for that book.

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' from the get go. In the pilot episode it was just Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Superboy, though by the end of the season Miss Martian, Artemis, Zatanna, and Red Arrow were firmly apart of the ensemble. Season 2 goes even further, by adding over ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters ten]]'' new main characters to the ensemble, on top of the original eight.

%%* ''Theatre/AnythingGoes''

%%* ''Theatre/{{Hairspray}}''

%%* Quite a few of Shakespeare's plays are this, most notably ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'' which splits focus between the interconnecting storylines of the young participants of a LoveDodecahedron, a group of amateur actors, and the magical fairies of the forrest, with no one in any of these groups who can be called the main character.

* ''ComicBook/TheTransformers'' as a whole had a large cast and tended to put the spotlight on as many characters as possible, [[MerchandiseDriven especially the ones that currently had toys on sale]]. That said the comics tend to spread attention to as many characters as possible with little focus on a single protagonist. It helps that when it came to older toys the writers had a KillEmAll attitude.
* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', which gives about equal time to [[SociopathicHero Rorschach]] (the supposed protagonist), [[GadgeteerGenius Nite Owl]], [[PersonOfMassDestruction Dr. Manhattan]] and [[ActionGirl Silk Spectre]], as well as some intervals from InnocentBystanders point of view.

* Being a ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic, ''FanFic/TheConversionBureauTheOtherSideOfTheSpectrum'' and its reboot ''FanFic/{{SPECTRUM}}'' already has an [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters impressive roster of characters]], but what's possibly more impressive is how many besides [[TheHero Marcus/Alex]] are given enough development, characterization, and viewpoint to be protagonists in their own right, partly because the fic has several side-stories [[WorldBuilding expanding upon its world]] and its extensive MythArc.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': After Volume 4 transitions away from the CastHerd set-up of Volumes 1-3, the show focusses on the main cast of heroes and villains, with secondary antagonists and allies appearing as the plot demands. The heroes consist of the protagonist Team RWBY, the deuteragonist Team JNPR, [[TokenAdult Qrow Branwen]] and [[LegacyOfTheChosen Oscar Pine]]; the villains of Salem, her subordinates and Cinder's subordinates. Although [[TheUnchosenOne Ruby Rose]] is technically the main character, all the heroes and villains get similar story time, and any allies that become part of story arcs are also given air time as if they're a main character.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': After Volume 4 transitions away from the CastHerd set-up of Volumes 1-3, the show focusses on the main cast of heroes and villains, with secondary antagonists and allies appearing as the plot demands. The heroes consisting of the protagonist Team RWBY, the deuteragonist Team JNPR, [[TokenAdult Qrow Branwen]] and [[LegacyOfTheChosen Oscar Pine]]. The villains of Salem, her subordinates and Cinder's subordinates. Although [[TheUnchosenOne Ruby Rose]] is technically the main character, all the heroes and villains get similar story time, and any allies that become part of story arcs are also given air time as if they're a main character.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': After Volume 4 transitions away from the CastHerd set-up of Volumes 1-3, the show focusses on the main cast of heroes and villains, with secondary antagonists and allies appearing as the plot demands. The heroes consisting of the protagonist Team RWBY, the deuteragonist Team JNPR, Qrow Branwen and Oscar Pine. The villains of Salem, her subordinates and Cinder's subordinates. Although Ruby Rose is technically the main character, all the heroes and villains get similar story time, and any allies that become part of story arcs are also given air time as if they're a main character.