History Main / JapaneseSchoolClub

* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'': The '''S'''preading Excitement all '''O'''ver the World with Haruhi '''S'''uzumiya Brigade, or the [[FunWithAcronyms "S.O.S. Brigade"]] (original Japanese: '''S'''ekai o '''Ō'''ini Moriageru Tame no '''S'''uzumiya Haruhi no Dan), is a deconstruction of the trope as it is not an official school club -- no advisor, no funds, and they meet in the literature club's room (The sole member of the literature club [[TheStoic doesn't mind]]). The reason for the club's conception is because Haruhi cannot find a club that suits her interests (mainly the supernatural). Later on, they become much more "relevant" to the school by offering counseling and investigation services for troubled students (most of which are set up by Itsuki to keep Haruhi preoccupied.)

* In ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'', the members of the Council often double as members of the local sports clubs: Touga, Juri and Miki are into fencing, Saionji is the KendoTeamCaptain. Utena hangs out around some other clubs (namely, basketball and the track team) but is no official membress of any of them.

* Sakura's cheerleading squad in ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura''. Meanwhile, her best friend Tomoyo is a member of the school chorus and at least two episodes are about her having trouble while either practising her songs or getting ready for singing competitions.

It's rare for a student to be a member of more than one club -- SchoolClubsAreSeriousBusiness in Japan, as they are seen as training for the companies students will eventually join when they enter the adult world. Since company loyalty and longevity are highly prized in the Japanese workforce, it's considered [[JapanesePoliteness downright rude]] to devote time to more than one club, or worse, quit one club for another; as a result, you'll rarely see any {{Extracurricular Enthusiast}}s in Japanese works. The OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent who isn't a member of ''any'' club is said to be a member of the "Go Home Club". (Usagi and Yaten do this in ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' when she gets to HighSchool and he becomes a NewTransferStudent, as does Watanuki from ''Manga/XXXHolic''. Kagura from ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' accuses the rest of the girls of this.) If there's a female character member of an all-male sports club, such as the baseball or soccer clubs, she's portrayed as the CuteSportsClubManager. Characters who are a member of more than one club or who are extremely rapid in recruitment and enthusiasm are usually an ExtracurricularEnthusiast.

* The Literature Club in ''VisualNovel/CrescendoJP'', with [[GenkiGirl Kaho]] as the club president. [[IllGirl Miyu]], however, is a member of the school orchestra instead.

* ''Anime/GundamBuildFighters'' features a Gunpla model building club at Sei's school, which is later split into plastic model and Gunpla battle clubs in ''Anime/GundamBuildFightersTry''. Thanks to the setting, these are all kinds of ridiculously SeriousBusiness, as is maintaining membership and earning acclaim in them.

** ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'' had episodes focusing on Rin and Karen which showed off an assortment of the school's clubs. Rin is as a founding member of the futsal team, and Komachi is a member of the library committee. Find ''that'' combination in another anime. Also deserving of special mention is Nozomi, who joined a number of different clubs and brought disaster upon all of them--Rin won't shut up about how she was kicked out of the drama club for a combination of massive incompetence and mass destruction.

** In ''Anime/GlitterForce'', all five heroines are in different clubs. Miyuki is in the cheerleading team, Akane is in the volleyball club, Yayoi is in the art club, Nao is in the soccer club, and Reika is in the kyuudo club ''and'' is in the student council.

* The '''S'''preading Excitement all '''O'''ver the World with Haruhi '''S'''uzumiya Brigade, or the [[FunWithAcronyms "S.O.S. Brigade"]] (original Japanese: '''S'''ekai o '''Ō'''ini Moriageru Tame no '''S'''uzumiya Haruhi no Dan), in ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' is a deconstruction of the trope as it is not an official school club -- no advisor, no funds, and they meet in the literature club's room (The sole member of the literature club [[TheStoic doesn't mind]]). The reason for the club's conception is because Haruhi cannot find a club that suits her interests (mainly the supernatural). Later on, they become much more "relevant" to the school by offering counseling and investigation services for troubled students (most of which are set up by Itsuki to keep Haruhi preoccupied.)
** Not to mention the S.O.S. Brigade's wannabe rivals, the Computer Club, and their histrionic president.

* In the ''Manga/{{Hetalia}}'' HighSchoolAu, ''Gakuen Hetalia'', there are several clubs joined by the NationsAsPeople. i.e., Estonia and Ukraine are in the choir (he's a piano player while she's a singer), England, Norway and Romania are in the Magic Club; Australia and Hungary attend the Swimming Team whereas France, China and Turkey are in the cooking club... and Switzerland is all "Go Home Club or else!"

* In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', SEES is technically a school club with Chairman Ikutsuki as its advisor, but the fact never proves to have any particular significance and several SEES members are members of official school clubs as well: Yukari is in the archery club, Akihiko is captain of the boxing team, and Mitsuru is Student Council President. The player character can join a number of official and unofficial clubs, including Student Council; these inevitably provide Social Links with the classmates involved. Unlike the fourth game, the choice of a club doesn't affect which Social Link the protagonist gets; for example, the female protagonist always gets Rio as her Chariot Social Link regardless of whether she chooses volleyball or tennis.
* The same is true in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', in which the protagonist is allowed to join a sports team and a cultural club. Strength Social Link is held either by Kou (part of the basketball club) or Daisuke (part of the soccer club). Midway through either sports team social link, you meet CuteSportsClubManager [[LovableAlphaBitch Ai]], the Moon Social Link. The Sun social link can either be Yumi (drama club) or Ayane (Music club). If you talk with your party members in a dungeon while you're not busy trying to save someone, they may bring up your club, but only Chie seems to be part of a club.
* ''VideoGame/HouraiGakuen'' has ''plenty'' of these, ranging from normal sports clubs like tennis, baseball, karate, and the like, to weird ones like mad scientists' club and occult club. They function as the game's job system.

* ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' has school clubs that bestow a unique benefit to the player as long as they are a member. She can only join (and reap the benefits of) one club at a time, and can't rejoin if she quits or is otherwise kicked out. She's also cut off from certain clubs if it's shut down because Yandere-chan killed too many members for it to function or if the leader of the club dies or disappears (which, considering the leaders of the Cooking, Drama, Occult, Sports Clubs and Student Council President are rivals, is a very real possibility). There's also one club she'll never be able to join no matter what-the Info Club, which consists solely of Info-chan. Benefits are as followed (subject to change):
** Cooking: the ability to increase reputation by giving out treats, and carrying knives without anyone becoming suspicious.
** Drama: access to gloves and masks to hide her identity.
** Occult: sanity depletes less quickly and people are slow to notice her acting suspiciously.
** Art: people will mistake blood for paint if she wears a painter's smock.
** Light Music: access to a cello case in which she can hide bodies or large weapons, and able to increase reputation by practicing with the band.
** Martial Arts: the ability to win any fight against students and teachers, and the ability to practice the combat minigame used when fighting a delinquent.
** Photography: easier to take photos of people, and her fellow club members (who are amateur detectives-slash-Franchise/ScoobyDoo expies) won't suspect her of being a killer.
** Science: access to a robot that cleans up liquid, including blood, and an acid vat that can be used to dissolve a corpse.
** Sports: the ability to run faster, and carrying sports equipment without anyone becoming suspicious.
** Gardening: easy access to the shed, the ability to carry gardening equipment without anyone becoming suspicious, and able to bury bodies in the garden
** Gaming: a once-a-day boost to one stat of the player's choice.
** Student Council (not implemented yet): the ability to ask favors of students without befriending them, the ability to be thirty minutes late to class without punishment, the ability to go anywhere except the boys' restroom without being considered a trespasser, a lowered guard, meaning students take longer to realize Yandere-chan is doing something questionable, and one unknown ability revolving around the Student Council President, Megami. However, the Student Council requires a lot of difficult requirements to join, and to ''stay'' in the council requires daily meetings and tasks five times a week, which cuts down on the time Yandere-chan has to eliminate a rival.
** Delinquents: Not ''strictly'' a club, but will function the same. The ability to intimidate anyone at the cost of permanently lowered reputation.
** Newspaper: Only present in [[{{Prequel}} 1980s Mode]], able to write articles that restore [[spoiler: Ryoba's]] reputation, School Atmosphere, or lower the rival's reputation.

* The Modern Society Studies Club in ''VisualNovel/ElevenEyes'', founded by the already kind of crazy Yukiko. It makes a convenient cover for the club's activities in the Red Night.

* ''Chu-Bra'' is about a middle school girl Nayu Hajama who starts an underwear club since she is a [[SeriousBusiness serious fan]] of lingerie. This proves controversial since most of the boys in school [[AllMenArePerverts draw the obvious conclusion]] while the head of the drama club simply dislikes both Hajama and her club. They do make friends with the manga club but the school still does not approve of the club for obvious reasons.

* In ''VisualNovel/GakuenHeaven'' nearly every character is a member of a different club. The main character is forced to visit every club so he can choose one to join.

* ''VisualNovel/KamigamiNoAsobi'' is about a girl who has to attend a school with a [[HaremGenre harem]] of {{Bishonen}} gods and teach them about "the human heart". Part of this involves making sure they all join clubs. Episodes 4 and 5 revolve around getting [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Hades]] and Takeru (a.k.a. [[Myth/JapaneseMythology Susano'o]]) to overcome their trust issues and join clubs. [[Myth/NorseMythology Loki and Thor]] pick the Going-Home club.

* Minako from ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' used to be in the volley team in junior high, but left when it started conflicting with her activities as Sailor V. She's seen training once in a while in the old anime, and eventually returns to the club in ''Sailor Stars''.
** In ''Sailor Stars'' Seiya is in the American football team, Ami is in the computer club, Taiki is in the literature club, and Makoto gets offers from several sports clubs (though she wants to go to the cooking club). One-time character Sonoko is the captain of the girls's softball team, too. Yaten and Usagi, as said above, are quite adamantly members of the Go Home club.
* ''{{Manga/Saki}}'' has the mahjong clubs competing in the tournament. They range from large clubs with stiff competition for spots on the regular team to small groups of friends who make it surprisingly far in the tournament. As most of of the club presidents of the mahjong clubs are considered the leaders of their respective teams, Tsuruga Academy's Yumi stands out as the only team leader who isn't the club president. She always gets mistaken as the club president because she's more composed and organized than the actual club president, Satomi.
* In ''Manga/ShinshunkiMimanOkotowari'', the gymnastics club turns out to be pretty important to the plot since Asuka decides to join it so she can pursue her dream to become a PE teacher and [[spoiler: impress her DisappearedDad, the never-seen chairman of the school, enough so he will come to meet her.]] Therefore, she spends a good part of chapter 3 trying to get in it, nevermind the objections of the AlphaBitch[=/=]StudentCouncilPresident/team captain Youko Kamiya.

* ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'', being essentially a comedic deconstruction of DatingSim tropes, has several of the capture targets being club members: [[GenkiGirl Ayumi]] (track running club), [[ShrinkingViolet Shiori]] (library), [[{{Tomboy}} Kusonoki]] (girls' karate club), [[SugarAndIcePersonality Tsukiyo]] (astronomy club) and [[LovingAShadow Minami]] (swimming club). The light music club ends up playing a part in the story later on.
* Karin Sasamori from ''VisualNovel/ToHeart2'', also has a Mystery Club except that what she means by Mystery Club is similar to the [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya SOS Brigade]].
* In ''Anime/VisionOfEscaflowne'', female lead Hitomi Kanzaki is a member of the track team and has a crush on the star of the club, Susumu Amano.
* In ''Manga/WJuliet'' the main characters Ito and Makoto meet when the later is joining the DramaClub. The club and its members often play a role (no pun intended) in the series afterwards.
* ''Manga/YubisakiMilkTea'' has a small collection with several friends of the main character, Yoshinori Ikeda, in different clubs in high school. Wataru is in the boys soccer club, Nogi is the captain of the girls basketball team and Kodama is in the art club. Meanwhile Hidari Morii joins a newfound girls soccer team in her middle school. Yoshinori himself played soccer in middle school but dropped it when he got into [[WholesomeCrossdresser crossdressing]].
-->'''Nogi:''' Which club are you in?
-->'''Yuki (Yoshinori):''' The Go Home Club.
-->'''Nogi:''' Ha. The Go Home Club...! The worst kind of student... One who isn't in any club.
* ''Manga/YuruYuri'' starts with three, later four girls who form their own amusement club in the room of the disbanded tea ceremony club.
* In the ''Manga/StrawberryOneHundredPercent'', Junpei is a student and aspiring movie director. He tries to join the film club but learns it has been disbanded. He revives the club thanks to Aya, Satsuki (two of his love interest), and his high school friends as members and make amatorial movies.

* ''Manga/{{Sundome}}'' revolves around the Roman Club, which is all about seeking paranormal events...and is dedicated to preserving its members' virginity for as long as possible.
* In ''Anime/YokaiWatchJamYokaiAcademyYCloseEncountersOfTheNKind'', Koma, Jinpei, and their friends are a part of the {{youkai}}-related "YSP Club" at their school. The club solves mysteries.
* In ''Manga/ATropicalFishYearnsForSnow'', much of the story is about the Aquarium Club. Part of the reason why Konatsu joins the club is because she's required to be part of one as a result of the school's small size, and it's partly because she's becoming friends with Koyuki Honami, the club president.
* All of the three main characters of ''Ai-Mai-Mi'' are nominally members of the Manga Club. In practice Ai is the only one who actually draws manga; the other two mostly just goof around, except when Ai forces them to help.

* ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial 1'' has: Saki Nijino (baseball or soccer club's CuteSportsClubManager), Nozomi Kiyokawa (swimming team), Ayako Katagiri (art club), Mio Kisaragi (DramaClub), Shiori Fujisaki (school orchestra), Yumi Saotome (basketball club), Miharu Tatebayashi (reading club), Yuina Himoo (science club) and Yukari Koshiki (tennis club). [[spoiler: The fact that Mira Kagami doesn't belong to any club turns out to be ''very'' important in her route: she ''can't'' join them because of her harsh family situation, but hides this as a part of her facade.]]

%%* Takeuchi in ''VisualNovel/{{Canvas 2}}'' finds it very difficult to get Hiroki to call her anything ''but'' club president.

%%* Mayura from ''Manga/MythicalDetectiveLokiRagnarok'' has a Mystery Club.
* The archery club makes a brief appearance near the beginning of ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', though Shirou quit when it stopped being a challenge/he stopped needing to practice. It's also something of a ChekhovsGun with regards to [[spoiler:Archer's identity]].
* ''[[VisualNovel/AmnesiaMemories Amnesia Later]]'' reveals that Ukyo was in quite a lot of school clubs because of his frequent moving and entering new schools, as well as an inability to say no. The list is pretty long and it seems like he's done pretty much every club Japanese schools had to offer -- from the cooking and debate club to various sports clubs and drama. He also admits that [[DudeLooksLikeALady his stature and long hair got him mistaken for a girl]], so he often got recruited for the ''girls' ''sports clubs, like lacrosse.

%%* Nayuki's track team in ''VisualNovel/{{Kanon}}'', with Nayuki as its captain.
* The Literature Club in ''VisualNovel/CrescendoJP'', with [[GenkiGirl Kaho]] as the club president. [[IllGirl Miyu]], however, is a member of the school orchestra instead.

* VisualNovel/AoiShiro has its protagonist, one [[MultipleEndings route heroine]] and several members of the supporting cast as members of the Kendo team from a [[OneGenderSchool prestigious all girls school]]. In fact the plot starts by them arriving at the location for their annual training camp. It also impacts the plots of several routes as events common (at least in fiction) to these sort of trips influence various chance encounters and there is always an option to call the trip off early to avoid bad weather to get a NonStandardGameOver.

* All of the teams in ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'' are actually clubs, and their captains are basically the club president.
%%** The same happens in every sports anime/manga: ''Manga/SlamDunk'', ''Manga/KurokosBasketball'', ''Manga/DearBrother'', (basketball) ''Manga/Touch1981'', ''Manga/CrossGame'' (baseball), ''Manga/AttackNumberOne'', ''Manga/AttackerYou'', Manga/{{Haikyuu}}, (volleyball), ''Manga/TheCherryProject'' (skating), ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'' and ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven'' (soccer) clubs at school have similar dynamics.
* The Modern Society Studies Club in ''VisualNovel/ElevenEyes'', founded by the already kind of crazy Yukiko. It makes a convenient cover for the club's activities in the Red Night.
%%* The Auto Club (and dozens of others) in ''Manga/AhMyGoddess''.
%%* The Curry Club in ''Manga/AmeNochiHare''.

%%* ''LightNovel/BodaciousSpacePirates'' has the Space Yacht Club.
* ''Chu-Bra'' is about a middle school girl Nayu Hajama who starts an underwear club since she is a [[SeriousBusiness serious fan]] of lingerie. This proves controversial since most of the boys in school [[AllMenArePerverts draw the obvious conclusion]] while the head of the drama club simply dislikes both Hajama and her club. They do make friends with the manga club but the school still does not approve of the club for obvious reasons.
* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', there are many clubs at Ashford Academy (a Britannian school in Japan that often seems more like a Japanese one in how it's run), which compete to find Arthur the cat, who made off with Zero's helmet, in the hopes of getting extra funding. At the end of that episode, Lelouch convinces Milly to let Suzaku into the Student Council, since students must join a club, and as a mere Honorary Britannian, he will have trouble fitting in.
** Shirley, one of Lelouch's closest friends, is a PassionateSportsGirl and the star of Ashford Academy's swimming team.

%%* The Game Development Club (temp) and the real Game Development Club in ''Manga/DFrag''. It turns out later on that there are Game Development Clubs across Japan.

%%* The ''amefuto'' (American-style football) team in ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}''.

* In ''VisualNovel/GakuenHeaven'' nearly every character is a member of a different club. The main character is forced to visit every club so he can choose one to join.
* In ''Manga/MonthlyGirlsNozakiKun'', Sakura is in the art club, Kashima and Hori are in the drama club (with Hori being the president), Seo is in the choir, and Wakamatsu is in the boys' basketball club. The titular Nozaki isn't in a club, but that's because he already has a job as a manga artist. He did, however, used to be a basketball player before he quit to protect his precious drawing hand from injury.

* The '''S'''preading Excitement all '''O'''ver the World with Haruhi '''S'''uzumiya Brigade, or the [[FunWithAcronyms "S.O.S. Brigade"]] (original Japanese: '''S'''ekai o '''Ō'''ini Moriageru Tame no '''S'''uzumiya Haruhi no Dan), in ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' is a deconstruction of the trope as it is not an official school club -- no advisor, no funds, and they meet in the literature club's room (The sole member of the literature club [[TheStoic doesn't mind]]). The reason for the club's conception is because Haruhi cannot find a club that suits her interests (mainly the supernatural). Later on, they become much more "relevant" to the school by offering counseling and investigation services for troubled students (most of which are set up by Itsuki to keep Haruhi preoccupied.)
** Not to mention the S.O.S. Brigade's wannabe rivals, the Computer Club, and their histrionic president.

%%* The go club in ''Manga/HikaruNoGo''.

* ''VisualNovel/KamigamiNoAsobi'' is about a girl who has to attend a school with a [[HaremGenre harem]] of {{Bishonen}} gods and teach them about "the human heart". Part of this involves making sure they all join clubs. Episodes 4 and 5 revolve around getting [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Hades]] and Takeru (a.k.a. [[Myth/JapaneseMythology Susano'o]]) to overcome their trust issues and join clubs. [[Myth/NorseMythology Loki and Thor]] pick the Going-Home club.
%%* The swimming club in ''Manga/KenkoZenrakeiSuieibuUmisho''.

%%* In ''Manga/KimagureOrangeRoad'', Yusaku is a member of the school's karate club.
* The eponymous club of ''Manga/ChroniclesOfTheGoingHomeClub'' parodies the concept by literally calling itself the Go-Home Club.

%%* Tamami's Occult Club in ''Manga/{{Mahoraba}}''.

%%* And, of course, the ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub''.
%%** And don't forget the Black Magic Club.
%%** The School Newspaper Club also makes an appearance.
%%* The school chorus in ''Manga/PleaseSaveMyEarth''. (Also, the "moon club.")

* ''Anime/GundamBuildFighters'' features a Gunpla model building club at Sei's school, which is later split into plastic model and Gunpla battle clubs in ''Anime/GundamBuildFightersTry''. Thanks to the setting, these are all kinds of ridiculously SeriousBusiness, as is maintaining membership and earning acclaim in them.

* ''Manga/{{Hanayamata}}'' has a yosakoi dancing club, which protagonist Naru joins in hopes of finding a purpose in her mundane life.
* In ''Manga/MagicalSempai'', Assistant joins the eponymous Sempai in her magical club because clubs are mandatory at their school. Unfortunately, since the club doesn't have enough members, he ends up having to join the Chemistry Club, while Sempai joins a few other clubs in order to recruit more members.

* ''Manga/NoMatterHowILookAtItItsYouGuysFaultImNotPopular'': Tomoko tries to make friends by starting her own club, [[GenreSavvy since she's familiar with anime and manga series that only use clubs as a way to hang out]]. She has an ImagineSpot where she has a calm afternoon just hanging out in her new club. However, when she sends in the application to make a new hangout club, it gets rejected for not having any real purpose.

* All of the teams in ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'' are actually clubs, and their captains are basically the club president.
%%** The same happens in every sports anime/manga: ''Manga/SlamDunk'', ''Manga/KurokosBasketball'', ''Manga/DearBrother'', (basketball) ''Manga/Touch1981'', ''Manga/CrossGame'' (baseball), ''Manga/AttackNumberOne'', ''Manga/AttackerYou'', Manga/{{Haikyuu}}, (volleyball), ''Manga/TheCherryProject'' (skating), ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'' and ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven'' (soccer) clubs at school have similar dynamics.
* The Modern Society Studies Club in ''VisualNovel/ElevenEyes'', founded by the already kind of crazy Yukiko. It makes a convenient cover for the club's activities in the Red Night.
%%* The Auto Club (and dozens of others) in ''Manga/AhMyGoddess''.
%%* The Curry Club in ''Manga/AmeNochiHare''.

* ''Anime/CuteHighEarthDefenseClubLove'' is centred around school clubs, with the [[FiveManBand main characters]] belonging to one of those "do nothing" clubs, known as the Earth Defense Club. The series also features an AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil ''and'' a school Press Society.
* ''LightNovel/BeyondTheBoundary'' has the Literature Club, which all four of the main characters are a member of. [[spoiler: The club itself was actually formed in order to keep an eye on Akihito, who is a half-human, half-youmu who becomes incredibly dangerous when he goes berserk. The club advisor and vice president actually pitch in to contain him when he goes out of control in the fourth episode.]]
%%* ''LightNovel/BodaciousSpacePirates'' has the Space Yacht Club.

* The main character of ''LightNovel/ElegantYokaiApartmentLife'' Yushi Inaba is part of the English language club at his school. His membership in this club is the source of a lot of the plots throughout the story, and most of the people Yushi interacts with outside of the apartment are in the club.

* ''LightNovel/FireGirl'' revolves around the members of the Exploration Club, a club dedicated to investigating the uncharted planet Imaginary Earth.

* ''LightNovel/HensukiAreYouWillingToFallInLoveWithAPervertAsLongAsShesACutie'': Sayuki is the president of the Calligraphy Club, and Keiki joined more to keep the club afloat than out of interest in calligraphy. Yuika, Mao, and Mizuha join as well when they realize that Sayuki has an advantage in spending time with Kiryu due to being in the same club. The other members tend to use the club as a means to engage in their fetishes, though when their club is being inspected, they do perform some proper calligraphy by drawing characters related to their fetishes.
* ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDxD''. The devil Rias is the president of the Occult Research Club, which is actually a front. The club's (closed) membership is entirely her Devil servants, and she uses club time to conduct meetings with her peerage. The student council is aware of this, but they're another pack of Devils doing the same thing.

* The Yamayurikai in ''LightNovel/MariaWatchesOverUs'' probably falls under the {{Absurdly Powerful Student Council}}, but it's notable that several characters do double duty with other clubs. Rei is the {{Kendo Team Captain}} and Yoshino joins the kendo club in her second year. Touko is also a member of the Drama Club and while not formally a member of the Yamayurikai at the time, her agreeing to help them with their play at the SchoolFestival is a source of some conflict. The Photography Club also gets some coverage courtesy of Yumi's friend Tsutako.

* In ''[[Anime/CardfightVanguard Cardfight!! Vanguard: Link Joker]]'', Aichi tries to start a "Cardfight Club", though the [[AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil student council]] is [[MovingTheGoalposts dead-set against it]].

* In Literature/{{Another}}, some of Kouichi's classmates are in different clubs:
** Noboru Saruta, Megumi Tatara and Makoto Ouji are in the school music band, and they're even seen playing with their bandmates. [[http://another.wikia.com/wiki/Megumi_Tatara?file=510067-screenshot059.jpg Noboru and Makoto are the clarinet boys, while Megumi is the dark-haired flute girl.]]
** Takeru Mizuno is in the basketball club.
** While Mei Misaki is [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer systematically ignored]] by her classmates [[spoiler:as a countermeasure to the Calamity]], the kids from other classrooms are okay with her. As a result, she's a member of the art club alongside Yuuya Mochizuki.
* In ''Manga/AllRounderMeguru'', Momoko enrolling the Fighters' Brew gym is prompted by her school disbanding the Judo club in which she was a member. Other characters are mentioned as current or past club members, including Yudai (judo in his old junior high) and Meguru himself (art club, but only because club membership is mandatory in his high school).
* In ''Anime/BattleSpiritsShonenToppaBashin'', Bashin joins the Battle Spirits club once he starts middle school. While searching for the legendary club, he and his friends end up being recruited by various other clubs who would like them to join, though they reject them all.

* ''Manga/AsteroidInLove'' is about the combined Earth Sciences Club, formed by the merger of Geology and Astronomy clubs, due to neither having enough members on their own. Part of the plot comes from both clubs having to reconcile their entirely different goals and agendas.

* Cherryton Academy in ''{{Manga/Beastars}}'' has a number of these. There's the drama club where several main characters (Louis, Legosi, Juno) are all part of, where Louis is the President and there's a stork advisor, the Newspaper Club, and the Gardening Club, though in the latter's case it's just Haru taking care of all of their plants because she's the only member.

* In ''Manga/AsobiAsobase'', the three members of the "Pastimers Club" try to get recognised as an official club to get access to the associated perks, but the student council president rejects their proposal, pointing out that 1) they don't have enough members and 2) "having fun" does not qualify as a club activity. Chisato, one of the teachers, gets essentially tricked into being their club advisor - she doesn't realise at first that the "club" is just the three of them, and assumes that the name "Pastimers Club" means they're ''researching'' people who engage in various pastimes, rather than just doing it themselves.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* The Kamen Rider Club is the unofficial version in ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'', their activities being "fight the Zodiarts". That is, until they get busted by one of the teachers mid-season, who proclaims that unauthorized clubs are not allowed [[spoiler:- so ''he'll'' be their advisor.]]

* In ''Manga/AsobiAsobase'', the three members of the "Pastimers Club" try to get recognised as an official club to get access to the associated perks, but the student council president rejects their proposal, pointing out that 1) they don't have enough members and 2) "having fun" does not qualify as a club activity.

%%** The same happens in every sports anime/manga: ''Manga/SlamDunk'', ''Manga/KurokosBasketball'', ''Manga/DearBrother'', (basketball) ''Manga/{{Touch}}'', ''Manga/CrossGame'' (baseball), ''Manga/AttackNumberOne'', ''Manga/AttackerYou'', Manga/{{Haikyuu}}, (volleyball), ''Manga/TheCherryProject'' (skating), ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'' and ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven'' (soccer) clubs at school have similar dynamics.

* The Digidestined of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' have referred to their group as the "Computer Club". It's basically a cover for their afterschool trips to the Digital World, using one of the school computers to get there. An early episode shows that there is a teacher who acts as the club's advisor - but he doesn't know the first thing about using computers and is a nonentity for the rest of the series. (His story purpose was to send Taichi to NotImportantToThisEpisodeCamp by forcing him to run interference.)

The three most commonly portrayed clubs are the student council, the school newspaper, and the Kendo team. For the student council, see AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil and StudentCouncilPresident. For the newspaper, see SchoolNewspaperNewshound. For the Kendo team, see KendoTeamCaptain. Other clubs range from normal sport clubs (baseball, soccer, swimming etc.) over cultural clubs (art, tea ceremony, music etc.) and a mixed bunch (library, computer, home economy etc.) to the more unusual (railways, astronomy, occult research etc.). And then there are the clubs no sane school or student council would accept in reality, be it more or less shadowy fan clubs for popular students or just "[[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything the place where we hang out, when we are not doing something completely crazy]]."

** Since it's a school for [[{{Yokai}} monsters]], there are also dangerous clubs, like the [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent swimming club]], but besides the Hagure Yokai Gang ([[spoiler:also known as the ''Antithesis'']]) the most dangerous and most feared one is the School Security Commitee, lead by [[{{Kitsune}} Ku]][[PlayingWithFire you]]. The School Security Commitee is actually the school version of the mafia. But after the leader is defeated by [[spoiler: Tsukune]], very little is heard about it anymore besides a [[FreezeFrameBonus blink and you'll miss it]] scene where they arrest one of the main cast's enemies.

%%** The same happens in every sports anime/manga: ''Manga/SlamDunk'', ''Manga/KurokosBasketball'', ''Manga/DearBrother'', (basketball) ''Manga/{{Touch}}'', ''Manga/CrossGame'' (baseball), ''Manga/AttackNumberOne'', ''Manga/AttackerYou'', Manga/{{Haikyuu}}, (volleyball), ''Manga/TheCherryProject'' (skating), ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'' and ''Manga/InazumaEleven'' (soccer) clubs at school have similar dynamics.

** Among other clubs mentioned are the Gardening Club (of which there's only [[ClubStub one member]]), the Math Club, the Outer Science Club, the Art Club, the Soccer Club (no magic powers allowed), and the Magi Soccer Club (''some'' powers allowed). The Monster Studies class would like to emphasize that they ''aren't'' a club. The AltText for the panel that introduces the latter clubs notes that club participation as a whole is rather low because of the whole MagicalGirl thing.

** Among other clubs mentioned are the Gardening Club (of which there's only [[ClubStub one member]]), the Math Club, the Outer Science Club, the Art Club, the Soccer Club (no magic powers allowed), and the Magi Soccer Club (''some'' powers allowed). The Monster Studies class would like to emphasize that they ''aren't'' a club.

* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': The main character quickly becomes a member of the [[https://www.sleeplessdomain.com/comic/chapter-7-page-6 Magical Girl Power Training Club]], a club for {{Magical Girl}}s to train and become stronger. The club meets on most days after school in their school's weight room, both [[BoxingLessonsForSuperman to exercise physically and to hone their magical powers]]. The captain of the club is the famous magical girl Heartful Punch, who ends up befriending said main character and inviting her to join.

** Science: access to a robot that cleans up liquid, including blood.

Sometimes the club is not actually an official club but just an informal group of students with a shared interest; these are called "circles" or "societies" in real life, but fiction doesn't always make the distinction.

* The '''S'''preading Excitement all '''O'''ver the World with Haruhi '''S'''uzumiya Brigade, or the [[FunWithAcronyms "S.O.S. Brigade"]] (original Japanese: '''''S'''ekai o '''Ō'''ini Moriageru Tame no '''S'''uzumiya Haruhi no Dan''), in ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' is a deconstruction of the trope as it is not an official school club -- no advisor, no funds, and they meet in the literature club's room (The sole member of the literature club [[TheStoic doesn't mind]]). The reason for the club's conception is because Haruhi cannot find a club that suits her interests (mainly the supernatural). Later on, they become much more "relevant" to the school by offering counseling and investigation services for troubled students (most of which are set up by Itsuki to keep Haruhi preoccupied.)

* The Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade to Bring More Excitement to the World, or the [[AcronymConfusion "S.O.S. Brigade"]], in ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' is a deconstruction of the trope as it is not an official school club -- no advisor, no funds, and they meet in the literature club's room (The sole member of the literature club [[TheStoic doesn't mind]]). The reason for the club's conception is because Haruhi cannot find a club that suits her interests (mainly the supernatural). Later on, they become much more "relevant" to the school by offering counseling and investigation services for troubled students (most of which are set up by Itsuki to keep Haruhi preoccupied.)

It's rare for a student to be a member of more than one club -- SchoolClubsAreSeriousBusiness in Japan, as they are seen as training for the companies students will eventually join when they enter the adult world. Since company loyalty and longevity are highly prized in the Japanese workforce, it's considered [[JapanesePoliteness downright rude]] to devote time to more than one club, or worse, quit one club for another. The OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent who isn't a member of ''any'' club is said to be a member of the "Go Home Club". (Usagi and Yaten do this in ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' when she gets to HighSchool and he becomes a NewTransferStudent, as does Watanuki from ''Manga/XXXHolic''. Kagura from ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' accuses the rest of the girls of this.) If there's a female character member of an all-male sports club, such as the baseball or soccer clubs, she's portrayed as the CuteSportsClubManager. Characters who are a member of more than one club or who are extremely rapid in recruitment and enthusiasm are usually an ExtracurricularEnthusiast.

* ''Manga/DetectiveConan'':
** Ran Mouri's the captain of the karate club, just to demonstrate [[ActionGirl how strong she is]]. Kazumi Tsukamoto (she's the one in the keyhole for volume 45) is the former captain of the karate club but is still a member.
** Makoto Kyogoku is the captain of his school's karate club, rivaling Ran's school in national competitions; this was how he recognized both Ran and her friend Sonoko when the two girls went to his hometown for vacation.
** Shinichi used to be a member of the soccer club in junior high and apparently in his first highschool year, but left when he prioritized his AmateurSleuth activities. Years late, the CuteSportsClubManager of said club (Asami Uchida) reappears and invites Sonoko and Ran to her birthday party... but she almost dies, so Conan must investigate.
** Heiji Hattori not only is a member of the kendo team, but doubles as the KendoTeamCaptain.

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

[[folder: Live Action TV]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder: Visual Novels]]

* VisualNovel/AoiShiro has it's protagonist, one [[MultipleEndings route heroine]] and several members of the supporting cast as members of the Kendo team from a [[OneGenderSchool prestigious all girls school]]. In fact the plot starts by them arriving at the location for their annual training camp. It also impacts the plots of several routes as events common (at least in fiction) to these sort of trips influence various chance encounters and there is always an option to call the trip off early to avoid bad weather to get a NonStandardGameOver.

* The [[{{Yokai}} Yokai Gakuen High]] from ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'' has a school club ''obligation'' because the yokai students have to learn about human culture, so they can conform in the human world. The main characters are in the Newspaper Club, lead by [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Ginei Morioka]]. Since they are involved in many fights and don't want the other students to know about those conflicts, they leave the fights out in their newspaper. Also, nobody else tries to investigate the main characters. However, the other students still hear about some rumors that the Newspaper Club is involved in some fights, so it's one of the most feared school clubs. But it's also one of the most famous and most popular clubs, since most of the members are just beautiful.