History TrueCompanions / WesternAnimation

* In ''PhineasAndFerb'', the title characters, Baljeet, Buford, Perry, and Isabella are true companions, though Isabella has romantic feelings for Phineas. The Fireside Girls can also be considered an example. (Proof of Perry's status as a true companion: in one episode, Doofenschmirtz's 'inator of the week "will destroy ANYONE who can't make up their minds." Perry flashes back to the title characters' [[IncrediblyLamePun uncharacteristic]] indecision at the kitchen table that morning, and proceeds to handcuff D. to a pipe before, [[OnceAnEpisode as usually happens]], the device can be ''activated.")

* The main six kids in ''{{Recess}}''. They are usually always together, and in TheMovie, when everyone except T.J. leaves for camp, he becomes depressed as a result.

* The Burners in ''{{WesternAnimation/Motorcity}}''. Mike, the leader, is a bit of a PapaWolf to the others.

* ''{{Metalocalypse}}'':

** Nathan flat out confirms in [=FatherKlok=] that Dethklok is his fucked up dysfunctional family.
** The manager of Dethklok, Charles Foster Ofdensen, cares about the band or [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation cares about not losing the golden goose he is riding shotgun on]]. His famous end of season one on-liner [[BigDamnHeroes "That's my]] [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming bread and butter]] [[CrowningMomentofAwesome you're f* cking with...]]" line was later the subject of a call-back at the end of season two, when Nathan says "That's my bread and butter you're f* cking with..." as he saves Charles from being killed by a sadistic murderer.

** Pretty much goes without saying at this point. After season 4 [[spoiler: Nathan and Pickles have gone through a complete stage of a falling out friendship and patching it back up, with Nathan being the one to apologize. He refers to his actions as "alienating his friends" and pleads to have Dethklok back. Even Murderface at one point says that the five of them need to stick together after everything they went through in the penultimate episode.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', [[StraightMan Stan]] and [[TheConscience Kyle]] can be trusted to consistently treat one another like family, going to considerable lengths for one another in a variety of episodes (for example "Cherokee Hair Tampons", "Super Best Friends", "Imaginationland", "Guitar Queer-o", "Follow That Egg", "The List", "You Have 0 Friends"--you get the idea); [[TheConscience Kyle]] even goes so far as to call [[StraightMan Stan]] his brother in "Ike's Wee-Wee." However, they treat Butters and [[TheChewToy Kenny]] more ambivalently, and make no secret of their contempt for [[JerkAss Cartman]], making the dynamic between the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' boys more indicative of two BloodBrothers surrounded by many morons.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'', the Series 5 Rangers definitely fall into this, but ''really'' solidify it in "Mindnet". While the plot is pretty mediocre, the episode is a fan favorite because it is the first blatant demonstration of the team becoming true companions. Shane has been framed for theft by his [[CainAndAbel fellow Supertrooper Killbane]], and a JerkAss senator demands his head on a plate. [[TeamDad Zachary]] tells the senator off, and a surprised Shane thanks him for the support.

** After tracking down the stolen device, they're captured and Shane is forced to fight Killbane. During the bigger dust-up, Killbane sneers at his "little brother".
-->'''Killbane''': You're not human, you're not a Supertrooper. Just what ''are'' you, Gooseman?
-->'''Shane:''' I'm a Galaxy Ranger. Make sure you never forget that.

* The cast and the producer of ''[=LilyMu=]'' from ''KappaMikey''. Though there are many other cast and crew members seen in the background, the show only focuses on the seven principle characters.
* ''TopCat'': Top Cat and his gang.
* Mystery Inc. from ''ScoobyDoo''. For that matter, any of the "gang of teenagers solving mysteries" genre shows that sprouted from the success of ''ScoobyDoo''.

* Most of the combiner groups in ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers,'' but especially the Aerialbots and the Constructicons. For a group of villains, the Constructicons have had scenes together that are downright touching. Omega Supreme was also a member of the Constructicons' crew back in the days before Megatron used his MirrorMoralityMachine on them; now he's their sworn enemy. The Combaticons may not qualify though, since although they work well together (particularly when all the world is against them), they were thrown together purely by circumstance, and Swindle has no loyalty to them at all (he once literally sold the others for scrap!).
** [[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime Team Prime]] is definitely this. Arcee even refers to them as "family".
* ''PepperAnn'': Ann, Milo and Nicky are always there for each other even though PA's crazy schemes get out of hand sometimes.

* The Junkyard Gang from ''FatAlbertAndTheCosbyKids''.
* ''TheRealGhostbusters'': The Ghostbusters.
* ''WesternAnimation/FilmationsGhostbusters'': Particularly since Jake and Eddie grew up together.
* Ookla, Ariel, and ''ThundarrTheBarbarian''.
* The crew of the ''Wraith'' in ''ThePiratesOfDarkWater.''
* Matt, Nick, A.J., Leader-1, Turbo, and Scooter on ''WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGoBots.''
* The six kids on ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons''
* ''TheWeekenders'': The fact they spend evey weekend together helps.
* ''{{Birdz}}'': Eddie, Sleepy, Tommy and Gregory.

* ''{{Cyberchase}}'': Matt, Jackie, Inez and Digit.

* In ''TheSimpsons'', this trope is constantly averted in its [[LongRunners long running]] DependingOnTheWriter run. The people of Springfield turned on the Simpson family on numerous occasions, with little resolve at the end of the episode (when the plot calls for it). The Sprinfieldians themselves are generally irate, fair-weathered, fickle, disloyal and almost unreliable. None of the Simpson family five are truly safe from their animosity, even if it consist of close friends and other family members.
** The immediate family themselves even avert this trope on any given basis. Homer is constantly borderline from being kicked out by Marge or rejected by his own children, while Bart and Lisa constantly cross the line between ordinary SiblingRivalry and pure sociopathism.
* The Burners in ''{{WesternAnimation/Motorcity}}''. Mike, the leader, is a bit of a PapaWolf to the others.
* The main trio (Lance, Ilana and Octus) in ''{{Sym-Bionic Titan}}'' eventually become this.

** [[TheHero Aang]] calls his group "family". Since he and all of the other Air Nomads were raised apart from their blood relatives by monks, this is likely more or less his ''definition'' of family.

** Suggested to be the case within the [[EskimoLand Southern Water Tribe]]; [[TheSpock Sokka]] and [[TheChick Katara]] realize how they've come to see [[TheHero Aang]] as family when Bato speaks of his leaving home and latterly, his separation from the other warriors (likening them to a wolf-pack, in fact).
* Subverted in ''CodeLyoko'': in the beginning, the kids weren't very loyal to each other, and worked more like a [[TeethClenchedTeamwork team of convenience]] than friends. They never hesitated to kick someone out of the group when they crossed a line, such as when Ulrich used the TimeTravel program to cheat on the lottery, and when XANA convinced them Jérémie was toying with their safety. In fact, XANA's plots frequently involved trying to break the team up, and worked quite well each time, for a while. Thanks to CharacterDevelopment, though, things have changed, especially in the Season 2 finale. On the up-side, this provides a pleasant break from ThePowerOfFriendship message that's reiterated OnceAnEpisode in most FiveManBand shows. It's worth noting that before coming together as a team, Jeremie and Yumi were friendless social outcasts and Aelita was trapped in a computer for ten years. Although the fact they're doing it all to help Aelita in the first place brings them right back into PowerOfFriendship territory. As the {{flashback}} episode shows, the reason they are antagonistic to Sissi is because she betrayed that trust. Otherwise, she might be a part of the group or at least a SecretKeeper.
* Mr. Schneider's class from ''GravedaleHigh''. The kind-hearted human teacher Mr. Schneider tries his best to keep his monster students in line, and is glad to help them whenever they have an issue. The students themselves also help each other time after time, like when Vinnie Stoker [[HeroicBSOD lost the confidence to fly after being struck by lightning]].
* Numbuh 1 from ''CodenameKidsNextDoor'' occasionally explains to himself and others how important his friends are in Sector V:
** In episode 48 "Operation: K.N.O.T.", a strange adult man named "Mooske" requests Numbuh 1 to help him take down the snake ties. At first, Numbuh 1 is suspicious of the adult, but at the end of the episode, when the other numbuhs are rescuing Numbuh 1, Mooske sacrifices himself to destroy the Queen Snake. When Numbuh 2 asks his leader who Mooske was, Numbuh 1 simply replies with "a comrade."
* ''EdEddNEddy'': [[TeamDad Eddy is very much the "dad" of the group]], while [[TeamMom Edd is the "mom"]] and Ed is the "child." A lot of [[TeamDad Eddy]] and [[TeamMom Edd's]] arguments, especially involving Ed's behavior, come across as marital bickering. Slash writers are fond of invoking this {{trope}}, but it works on a purely platonic level, too.

* The various clans in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}''. The rather vague details about maternity/paternity may make them ''actual'' family, though it's pretty obvious that, say, Lexington shares almost no genes with Goliath.
* Despite the fact that Wade is only ever seen on a screen until late Season 3, [[ActionGirl Kim]], Ron, Wade and [[TeamPet Rufus]] are true companions in ''KimPossible''.
* In ''KingOfTheHill'', Hank and his neighbors, even Khan eventually, are true companions, though Dale generally will only be on the receiving end of help in risky situations due to his cowardice. Toward the end of the "Not in My Back-hoe" episode, Hank touches on the difference between his relationship with his neighbors and that with his friends. Hank also treats his coworkers as true companions, but this is not reciprocated, at least not by Buck consistantly (though he does go to bat for Hank occasionally, particularly in when Hank is in a bad legal situation [assuming that Buck isn't framing Hank]).
** On the other hand, Hank downright hates talking to his coworkers outside of work and wants nothing to do with their problems that aren't propane related.

* Lucky, Rolly, Cadpig, and Spot the Chicken from the ''[[Disney/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians 101 Dalmatians]]'' [[RecycledTheSeries TV series]]

* Most of the combiner groups in ''TheTransformers,'' but especially the Aerialbots and the Constructicons. For a group of villains, the Constructicons have had scenes together that are downright touching. Omega Supreme was also a member of the Constructicons' crew back in the days before Megatron used his MirrorMoralityMachine on them; now he's their sworn enemy. The Combaticons may not qualify though, since although they work well together (particularly when all the world is against them), they were thrown together purely by circumstance, and Swindle has no loyalty to them at all (he once literally sold the others for scrap!).

** Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee are [[spoiler: a unique subversion of]] True Companions. The trio have been close friends since finishing school. [[As time goes on, it's made apparent that Ty Lee and Mai obey Azula because they are afraid of her and see disobeying her as a hopeless and deadly cause.]]

** Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee are true companions, although [[spoiler: eventually this falls apart--Mai betrays the true companions first, then Ty Lee sides with her, probably because Azula is a scary controlling maniac and being her true companion sucks; also notable is the fact that Mai stood up for Ty Lee against her boyfriend, who was making fun of her, and Azula who laughs at this teasing. The loss of this crew causes Azula's subsequent emotional breakdown.]]
*** These three make a pretty nice subversion of the concept, actually; one person so scary they can get people to put their lives on the line in any number of situations just because taking that risk is still preferable to dealing with that one person.

* The Burners in ''{{WesternAnimation/Motorcity}}''. Mike, the leader, is a bit of a PapaWolf to the others.

* Matt, Nick, A.J., Leader-1, Turbo, and Scooter on ''ChallengeOfTheGoBots.''

** The immediate family themselves even avert this trope on any given basis. Homer is constantly borderline from being kicked out by Marge or rejected by his own children, while Bart and Lisa constantly cross the line between ordinary SiblingRivalry and pure sociopathism.

* All of the ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats.'' The ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011 reboot'' subverts it. The team is very dysfunctional, mostly because of Tygra and Lion-O's tense relationship and the love triangle with Cheetarah, and loyalty turns out to be a big issue for the team. They do however stick together when it counts, and towards the end it seems like the main cast finally are true companions.

* ''{{Cyberchase}}'': Matt, Jackie, Inez and Digit.

* In ''SouthPark'', [[StraightMan Stan]] and [[TheConscience Kyle]] can be trusted to consistently treat one another like family, going to considerable lengths for one another in a variety of episodes (for example "Cherokee Hair Tampons", "Super Best Friends", "Imaginationland", "Guitar Queer-o", "Follow That Egg", "The List", "You Have 0 Friends"--you get the idea); [[TheConscience Kyle]] even goes so far as to call [[StraightMan Stan]] his brother in "Ike's Wee-Wee." However, they treat Butters and [[TheChewToy Kenny]] more ambivalently, and make no secret of their contempt for [[JerkAss Cartman]], making the dynamic between the ''SouthPark'' boys more indicative of two BloodBrothers surrounded by many morons.

** [[TransformersPrime Team Prime]] is definitely this. Arcee even refers to them as "family".

* ''XiaolinShowdown'' went to some decent pains to develop this among the four main character [[TheChosenOne Chosen Ones]]. While they have the makings in place early on with [[TheHero Omi]], [[TheLancer Rai]][[TheSmartGuy mundo]], [[TheSmartGuy Kimi]][[TheChick ko]], and [[TheBigGuy Clay]], it takes [[CharacterDevelopment well past Season 1]] to turn them from [[TeethClenchedTeamwork a slapdash group of kids]] with elemental powers into [[BandOfBrothers a legitimate team]] [[ThePowerOfFriendship who care about and understand each other.]]

*** In "DragonQuest", Spike also calls the others his family after going out to meet other dragons to find out who he is and learning AnAesop that seeing that in terms of his biological origins was missing the point.

*** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E15TheSuperSpeedyCiderSqueezy6000 The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000]], takes this to its greatest height yet. During the competition for the farm, Applejack allows the others to help her and her family. Why? Because she now considers them her family.

** A great example of it this is Flash's DayInTheLimelight episode of ''[[JusticeLeagueUnlimited Unlimited]]''. Flash is able to convince ''Batman'' to come to the opening of his museum with little more than a "please," and delivers a breif but touching "you ''don't'' understand at Orion, who straight up asked how he can put up with the Flash's antics and methods.

-->'''Fry''', after explaining the premise of the all the main characters:...do you wanna be like us, or do you wanna be like Adelai...with no severe mental or social problems whatsoever."

* The members of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', as exemplified in the episode "The Usual Suspects", where [[spoiler: Superboy, Artimis, and Miss Martian]] each admit to keeping major secrets from the rest of the team and are immediately forgiven.

* The six kids on ''WesternAnimatino/DungeonsAndDragons''

* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'': The three main heroes. Half the time, the true companions also includes Valerie. [[spoiler: The other half of the time she's [[LovesMyAlterEgo busily]] [[ClarkKenting trying]] [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge to]] [[ItsPersonal destroy]] [[WhatTheHellHero Danny.]]]]

** Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. It's a series about ThePowerOfFriendship. They may fight sometimes, but it's crystal clear that no matter what, there's no way they're abandoning one another.

* Despite the fact that Wade is only ever seen on a screen until late Season 3, [[ActionGirl Kim]], Ron Wade and [[TeamPet Rufus]] are true companions in ''KimPossible''.

* Despite the fact that Wade is only ever seen on a screen until late Season 3, [[ActionGirl Kim]], Ron and Wade are true companions in ''KimPossible''.

* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'': The three main heroes. Half the time, the true companions also includes Valerie. [[spoiler: The other half of the time she's [[LovesMyAlterEgo busily]] [[ClarkKenting trying]] [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge to]] [[ItsPersonal destroy]] [[WhatTheHellHero Danny.]]]]

* The five kids on ''Series/DungeonsAndDragons''

* ''DannyPhantom'': The three main heroes. Half the time, the true companions also includes Valerie. [[spoiler: The other half of the time she's [[LovesMyAlterEgo busily]] [[ClarkKenting trying]] [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge to]] [[ItsPersonal destroy]] [[WhatTheHellHero Danny.]]]]