History Main / LeaderFormsTheHead

* All over the place in ''SuperSentai'' and ''PowerRangers'', where [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority the Red Ranger]] is usually the one to get the head- or torso-forming priveledges.

** Partially averted in the [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Combiner#Terms_for_combiners "Scramble City type"]] Combiners[[hottip:*:which exist across multiple media, but this is mostly noticeable in the toys]], where the hands, feet and head ''may'' come from extra parts in the toy (out of nowhere in the cartoon) The leader of most teams is the torso. Limbs are thus completely interchangeable, between arrangement and even whole transformers (Scramble Power). In some cases, the leader of a team may actually be in one of those limbs, and thus the combined form could be configured without them.8

** Scrapper was the leader of the Constructicons, but he formed the right leg of Devastator.

** Actually averted with The Constructicons, the ''First'' of the Combiners. Bonecrusher, the Leader Bulldozer of the six warriors actually forms the ''Left Arm'' of Devastator, whereas it is actually Hook the crane who forms the Head instead.

*** In fact, quite a few series have Red's mecha form a bare head which then dons a NiceHat taken from another mecha; in particular, Magiranger's Magi King and ''SamuraiSentaiShinkenger's'' Shinkenoh. ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger's'' Gokaioh does the same, but swaps its pirate hat for a samurai helmet and a ninja mask when it uses the powers of the Shinkengers or [[NinpuuSentaiHurricanger Hurricangers]], respectively.

*** In fact, quite a few series have Red's mecha form a bare head which then dons a NiceHat taken from another mecha; in particular, {{Magiranger}}'s Magi King and ''SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'''s Shinkenoh. ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger'''s Gokaioh does the same, but swaps its pirate hat for a samurai helmet and a ninja mask when it uses the powers of the Shinkengers or [[NinpuuSentaiHurricanger Hurricangers]], respectively.

** ''MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' Season 2 / ''GoseiSentaiDairanger'' and ''TokumeiSentaiGobusters'' play the usual formations a little differently; rather than forming the torso and head Red gets his own humanoid robot and the other Rangers' mecha just form armor elements for it.
*** ''MahouSentaiMagiranger'' / ''PowerRangersMysticForce'' works much the same way, except that it is the Green Ranger's mecha that serves as the core that the other rangers form armor around.

** In ''PowerRangersZeo / ChourikiSentaiOhranger'': almost the entire Megazord is either blue, black or gold, as the Blue, Pink, and Yellow Rangers' zords are mostly blue with gold accents. However, the Red Ranger's zord, which is only visible from the back and looks ridiculously out of place, makes up the head and the cockpit. The Zeo Megazord had interchangeable helmets. The Red Phoenix helmet would usually be on top, but this trope would be invoked ''again'' when another team member had a feature episode, by swapping out with their helmet to finish off the enemy.
*** In fact, quite a few series have Red's mecha form a bare head which then dons a NiceHat taken from another mecha; in particular, {{Magiranger}}'s Magi King and {{Shinkenger}}'s Shinkenoh. {{Gokaiger}}'s Gokaioh does the same, but swaps its pirate hat for a samurai helmet and a ninja mask when it uses the powers of the {{Shinkenger}} or [[NinpuuSentaiHurricanger Hurricanger]], respectively.
** Played with in ''PowerRangersTimeForce / MiraiSentaiTimeranger'': While Red does form the head and body of the megazord, it's not at all obvious. It has two formations color-coded Red Mode and Blue Mode, and the combinations show ''those'' colors rather than the colors of the individual Rangers.
** In ''PowerRangersWildForce / HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger'', mecha had a standardized combination scheme; some were torsos, some were arms, and some were legs; and all could be switched at will. Aside from the SixthRanger's mecha, all three "torso" pieces belonged to the Red Ranger. In one case, a centaur-like megazord was formed using an enlarged version of the Red Ranger's main zord in place of the legs (and his third zord as the torso).

** ''BeastWars'' Magnaboss has Prowl, the lion (whole bunch of leader archetype imagery there) form the face and center of the torso, but pretty much every other visible part comes from Ironhide to compensate for that. This results in Ironhide being rather confusingly built in his standalone form.

-->--'''MCFrontalot''' (Feat. Dr. Awkward and Zealous 1): "I'll Form The Head"

** ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger'' plays it straight, with the note that while Red's mecha forms the head (and in fact most of the body, since it's also the team's CoolShip), it dons a NiceHat that comes from Blue's mecha before entering combat. When it uses the powers of the {{Shinkenger}} or [[NinpuuSentaiHurricanger Hurricanger]], the pirate hat is replaced by a samurai helmet and a ninja mask respectively.

-->--'''MC Frontalot''' (Feat. Dr. Awkward and Zealous 1): "I'll Form The Head"

** In ''PowerRangersWildForce / HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger'', mecha had a standardized combination scheme; some were torsos, some were arms, and some were legs; and all could be switched at will. Aside from the SixthRanger's mecha, all three "torso" pieces belonged to the Red Ranger. In one case, a centaur-like megazord was formed using an enlarged version of a second Red Ranger zord in place of the legs.

* All over the place in ''SuperSentai'' and ''PowerRangers'', where [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority the Red Ranger]] is usually the one to get the head-forming priveledges.

*** However, the main Megazord's head was formed from the tail of the Yellow Ranger's bird zord.
** In ''PowerRangersLightspeedRescue / RescueSentaiGoGoFive'', the Red Ranger's zord forms the torso and arms while the Green Ranger's forms the back and head. The head, however, matches the colour scheme and design of the Red Ranger's zord (being hidden inside the).

* ''TheBigO'' episode 18 "The Greatest Villain". When Beck and his henchmen form their giant mecha [=RX3=], the part Beck is controlling becomes the head. Watch it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMsESUis4X8#t=5m55s here]].

** In ''PowerRangersWildForce / HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger'', mecha had a standardized combination scheme; some were torsos, some were arms, and some were legs; and all could be switched at will. Aside from the SixthRanger's mecha, all three "torso" pieces belonged to the Red Ranger.

** Partially averted in the [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Combiner#Terms_for_combiners "Scramble City type"]] Combiners[[hottip:*:which exist across multiple media, but this is mostly noticeable in the toys]], where the hands, feet and head ''may'' come from extra parts in the toy (out of nowhere in the cartoon) The leader of most teams is the torso. Limbs are thus completely interchangeable, between arrangement and even whole transformers (Scramble Power). In some cases, the leader of a team may actually be in one of those limbs, and thus the combined form could be configured without them.

* All over the place in ''SuperSentai'' and ''PowerRangers''. Major examples from the seasons known in America as the Zordon Era include the Red Ranger being the head, followed by the SixthRanger taking all or some and forming another Megazord.
** Averted in the third season of ''MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', when ''neither'' the Red or White Rangers formed the head or torso of the Ninja Megazord. Instead the Pink Ranger was the head and the Yellow Ranger was the torso. (This was a straight example in ''NinjaSentaiKakuranger'', where the Pink Ranger's counterpart ''was'' the official leader.)
*** Though in Kakuranger's case, this was averted with their other Megazord, the Muteki Shogun, where the red ranger's mech did form the head and torso. Confused yet?

* One of the few series that averts this is ''BraveExpressMightGaine'', where the title mech is mostly formed from the remote-controlled supertrain Locomizer while the KidHero's vehicle and his transforming RobotBuddy form the arms.

* Played with in ''GurrenLagann''. TheAragorn Kamina makes Simon's Ganmen the (second) head. All along, Kamina had been setting Simon up to be a true hero. However, as Kamina was still the leader at this point, his ganmen forms everything ''but'' the head of the combined ganmen, has its own head on its torso, and the combined ganmen has his trademark sunglasses on both faces.\\

** In ''MightyMorphinPowerRangers / NinjaSentaiKakuranger'', when ''neither'' the Red or White rangers was the head or torso of the Ninja Megazord, the "Pink" Crane Ninjazord that formed the head was ''exclusively'' equal parts red and white.
** In ''PowerRangersZeo / ChourikiSentaiOhranger'': almost the entire Megazord is either blue, black or gold, as the Blue, Pink and Yellow rangers zords are mostly blue with gold accents. However, the Red ranger's zord, which is only visible from the back and looks ridiculously out of place, makes up the head and the cockpit. The Zeo Megazord had interchangeable helmets. The Red Phoenix helmet would usually be on top, but this trope would be invoked ''again'' when another team member had a feature episode, by swapping out with their helmet to finish off the enemy.

** In ''PowerRangersZeo / ChourikiSentaiOhranger'': almost the entire Megazord is either blue, black or gold, as the Blue, Pink and Yellow rangers zords are mostly blue with gold accents. However, the Red ranger's zord, which is only visible from the back and looks ridiculously out of place, makes up the head and the cockpit. the Zeo Megazord had interchangeable helmets. The Red Phoenix helmet would usually be on top, but this trope would be invoked ''again'' when another team member had a feature episode, by swapping out with their helmet to finish off the enemy.

** Semi-averted in ''VoltronForce'', where Voltron has [[MultiFormBalance different forms]] depending on which lion forms the torso and head.

Thanks to the LawOfChromaticSuperiority, this leads to a lot of ensemble mechas being a bit red in the face. Also, compare the color patters on an AllYourColorsCombined attack. The main character's color illogically in the middle? This will probably be in effect when the robots show up.