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5[[quoteright:347:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dream_team_promotional_poster.png]]
6[-[[caption-width-right:347:L - R: UsefulNotes/MagicJohnson, Karl Malone, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan, and Chris Mullin. Not pictured: Christian Laettner, John Stockton, Clyde Drexler, and head coach Chuck Daly.]]-]
7
8->''"As we say in Cuba, you can't cover the sun with your finger."''
9-->-- '''Miguel Gómez''', coach of the Cuban national basketball team, on its 79-point defeat by the 1992 U.S. Olympic squad, the first to include NBA stars.
10
11A Dream Team is spectacularly good at what they do. They are the absolute, best-ever people in some field, gathered to tackle a problem. After all, if ''one'' person who's the best (or at least one of the best) at something is simply "great," then an entire ''team'' of them is even better, right?
12
13To get a Dream Team, sometimes the constraints of time and space are relaxed. What if Literature/SherlockHolmes, Creator/ElleryQueen, Literature/NeroWolfe, Lew Archer and Literature/LordPeterWimsey teamed up to solve crime? Answer: detective Dream Team. What if ComicBook/{{Superman}}, ComicBook/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/SpiderMan teamed up to save the world? Answer: Superhero Dream Team (See WebVideo/ImAMarvelAndImADC for a version of this).
14
15A good Dream Team has members who, while having majored in the same field, all minored in different specialties. Expect a PlotTailoredToTheParty.
16
17Dream Teams create a dramatic problem since it is [[StoryBreakerTeamUp difficult to find a worthy enemy]]. Typical opponents include nature and inherently difficult tasks. It is much easier, for example, to commit a crime than to solve one. Occasionally, an [[LegionOfDoom opposing Dream Team]] or BigBad may be invoked; this is a classic approach for superhero Dream Teams, since by definition a best-ever supervillain is the complement of a best-ever superhero. Additionally, Dream Teams can be their own worst enemy, with egos and infighting over approaches limiting their potential effectiveness. There is often a teamwork {{Aesop}} here.
18
19Expect the first act to feature an AvengersAssemble or PuttingTheBandBackTogether scene allowing the characters to be introduced, and their [[IntroDump specialities]] and [[EstablishingCharacterMoment personalities]] briefly established.
20
21Compare MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny, AllStarCast, FirstContactTeam.
22
23The TropeNamer is the 1992 United States Olympic basketball team, which was the first to feature professional players from the UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation. The 12-man roster consisted of superstar players from 9 different NBA teams[[labelnote:full list]]Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan and Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls, Chris Mullin of the Golden State Warriors, Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks, Charles Barkley of the Phoenix Suns, Clyde Drexler of the Portland Trail Blazers, David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs, and Karl Malone and John Stockton of the Utah Jazz[[/labelnote]]...[[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Christian Laettner, who was in college at Duke University]] (granted, he ''was'' one of the best college basketball players in history and went on to have a successful NBA career of his own after the Olympics). They demolished the competition in Barcelona, winning by an average of 44 points and their closest game being a 32-point win in the gold medal game against Croatia.
24
25Not to be confused with the [[Film/TheDreamTeam 1989 film]] starring Creator/MichaelKeaton and Creator/ChristopherLloyd or the British soccer club based SoapOpera ''Dream Team'' which occasionally used this trope but more often ran with a RagtagBunchOfMisfits. Also not to be confused with ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'', or ''VideoGame/SonicDreamTeam''.
26
27[[noreallife]]
28----
29!!Examples:
30[[foldercontrol]]
31
32[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
33* In ''Manga/DrStone'' Chapter 148, the Kingdom of Science deploys their All-Star Lineup (consisting of [[ActionGirl Kohaku]], [[spoiler:[[TheAce Tsukasa]], [[TheDreaded Hyoga]], [[DarkActionGirl Homura, Kirisame]], [[HaremSeeker Moz]], [[UndyingLoyalty Matsukaze]],]] and [[LovableCoward Ginrou]]) against a clan of giant alligators... who they defeat and turn into gator burgers.
34* ''Manga/FairyTail'': Implied with the combined Fairy Tail Team in the Grand Magic Games arc, as Mirajane put it, consisting of [[TheHero Natsu]], [[TheLancer Gajeel]], [[TheSmartGuy Gray]], [[TheBigGuy Laxus]] and [[TheHeart Erza]].
35--> '''Mirajane''': This truly is the strongest team....
36* ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'': The All Stars University team, as seen from the name, is not any particular university tankery team, but a team consisting of the best university tankery practitioners that were handpicked by the Japanese Tankery Federation to play in the World Tournament. The team is even stronger than adult pro teams Japan has, so when Ooarai is slotted to fight this team because of a corrupt ministry official's scheme in their effort to save their school, [[spoiler:various high schools decide to aid Ooarai by joining forces to make a comparable dream team of their own. Awesome battle ensues.]]
37* ''Manga/KurokosBasketball''
38** Kuroko's former team was considered the Generation of Miracles, each member being a total prodigy and together they won the middle school basketball championships three times in a row. Sadly, the fact that they were a dream team [[DownerEnding turned most of the members into jerkasses when playing basketball, so Kuroko left the team, the team fell apart]], and they all went to different schools to play against each other.
39** Post-series, the ''Last Game'' arc has Kuroko reunited with his Generation of Miracle pals. And Kagami is there, too. The manga by-line doesn't mince words and flat-out calls it the "strongest team in history".
40* ''Characters/LupinIII'': The best thief, most deadly assassin, fastest gunslinger, and most beautiful woman team up.
41* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'':
42** ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs'' features a semi-villainous Dream Team in the form of the Wolkenritter; ancient, immortal, reincarnating combat programs who are very good at their jobs.
43** ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'' brings us Riot Force 6, which has such a ridiculously large portion of the firepower at the disposal of the Time-Space Administrative Bureau that they have to be placed under limiters before being allowed to operate together.
44** In ''Manga/MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce'', Special Service Section 6 takes Riot Force 6, removes the limiters, and adds a large number of the Combat Cyborgs (who managed to actually challenge Riot Force 6) to the roster.
45* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''
46** We have the [[spoiler:five Kages teaming up to fight [[BackFromTheDead Madara]]]]. Killer Bee and Naruto might also count as well, [[spoiler: Sasuke and Itachi]] certainly do.
47** Kakashi and Gai during Orochimaru's attack on Konoha and in the current arc definitely count. On the evil side we have the Akatsuki, who is divided into dream teams (Even when the members do not get along). Itachi and Kisame stand out among those as the most badass team.
48* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
49** [[TheHero Luffy]], [[spoiler:[[VillainousHarlequin Buggy]], [[DirtyCoward Mr.3]], [[AgentPeacock Mr.2 Bon Clay]], [[CreepyCrossdresser Emporio Ivankov]], [[ShearMenace Inazuma]], [[SharkMan Jimbei]], ''[[SandBlaster Crocodile]]'', and [[PsychoForHire Mr.1]]]] team up in a chapter titled "The Strongest Team is Formed - Shake Impel Down to its Core!"
50** 38 years before the start of the story, [[spoiler:Rocks D. Xebec formed a villainous version consisting of future Yonkos Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido, along with other famous pirates such as Golden Lion Shiki and Captain John. It took both Gol D. Rogers and Monkey D. Garp working together to stop them]].
51** The final fight against Douglas Bullet consisted of [[TheHero Luffy]], [[CombatMedic Law]], [[spoiler:[[TakenForGranite Hancock]], [[PlayingWithFire Sabo]], [[SuperSmoke Smoker]], [[VillainousHarlequin Buggy]], [[SandBlaster Crocodile]], [[BloodKnight Lucci]], and [[AbnormalAmmo Usopp]].]]
52* ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'': Konomi Takeshi has stated that the soon-to-be-published continuation will deal with the formation of a "dream team" chosen from among the hundred or so best junior tennis players in Japan.
53* PlayedForLaughs in ''Manga/SlamDunk''. Moichi Taoka, Ryonan's coach, was hoping to form this by having Uozumi and Sendoh along with three other players who'd end up playing for Shohoku: Mitsui, Miyagi and Rukawa. He bitterly recalls how each of them rejected him each year when he tried to scout them: Mitsui and Miyagi for being indebted to Coach Anzai, and Rukawa because it's closer to his home.
54* In ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'', the Dragonslayers are an elite group of soldiers hand-picked by their leader, Dilandau. They are ''extremely'' loyal to him, [[spoiler:even beyond the grave]], despite Dilandau's habit of slapping them.
55* ''Anime/YuGiOhBondsBeyondTime'' featured the three heroes of the first three arcs, [[Anime/YuGiOh Yugi Muto]], [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Judai Yuki]], and [[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds Yusei Fudo]], teaming together against the time-traveling villain Paradox.
56[[/folder]]
57
58[[folder:Card Games]]
59* The ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' Spell Card [[https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Emerging_Emergency_Rescute_Rescue Emerging Emergency Rescute Rescue]] features Rescue Cat, Rescue Ferret, Rescue Rabbit, and Rescue Hamster [[ItsWhatIdo forming a rescue team]] to [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment rescue]] a hedgehog (who would later go on to [[https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Rescue_Hedgehog join the Rescue team]]).
60[[/folder]]
61
62[[folder:Comic Books]]
63* The ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica became the ''original'' dream team of superheroes. The team originally didn't allow any members with a title of their own[[note]]Hence, ComicBook/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/{{Superman}} began as honorary members, while ComicBook/WonderWoman was infamously added on as secretary[[/note]], but this was changed.
64* The Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica is THE superhero dream team. The best FlyingBrick? Check. The best BadassNormal? Check. The best [[SuperSpeed Speedster]]? Check. The best ActionGirl? Check. The best ImaginationBasedSuperpower user? Check. The man with the [[SuperpowerLottery most powers]] who is also a genius? Check. And last but not least ([[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway although some would argue that]]) the best [[ApparentlyHumanMerfolk Aquatic Superhero]]. Especially presented this way in the 90's JLA, where they mostly dealt with threats to the whole world instead of just normal supervillains.
65* Marvel's [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]] are the AlternateCompanyEquivalent to the [=JLA=]. Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor are the core of most incarnations, but throughout the years the roster has consisted of a who's who of Marvel heroes. Originally the Avengers ''weren't'' an All-Star Team like the JLA, but as time has gone on, this is what they've become. They're always the first response to planetary-level threats in the Marvel Universe.
66* After the events of the ''ComicBook/TheThanosImperative'', Peter Quill felt the galaxy needed a team of brutal godlike heavy-hitters to deal with the cosmic-level threats. He posthumously had Cosmos the dog assemble the Annihilators - a team that included Quasar, the Silver Surfer, Beta-Ray Bill and Gladiator plus a pair of lesser lights. They would be the galactic answer to the Avengers.
67* ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'': The League members are all either super powered or BadassNormal [[MassiveMultiplayerCrossover heroes of Victorian literature]].
68* ''ComicBook/{{Necronauts}}'': Creator/ArthurConanDoyle, Creator/HPLovecraft, Charles Fort and Creator/HarryHoudini team up.
69* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'': Deconstructed twice. In "Under the Hood" (a book-within-a-book written by the first Nite Owl chronicling his time as a superhero) Nite Owl said that "it takes an extreme personality to put on a costume and fight crime and the chance of eight such personalities getting along is a million to one." Later when Captain Metropolis (a member of the last dream team, "The Minutemen") tries to form another Dream Team, "The Crimebusters", Rorschach complains that "...a group this size seems more like a publicity exercise, somehow it's too big and unwieldy." True to form, the group never gets beyond the initial meeting stage, as the personality clashes cause it to implode.
70* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' features the new Justice League, Batman's army and Luthor's army. Plus Batman and Luthor team up!
71* ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'' features the Amazonians, led by Franchise/WonderWoman, a Franchise/GreenLantern Corps composed entirely of grizzly war vets and most of Franchise/{{Superman}}'s rogues Gallery led by ComicBook/LexLuthor going into battle against Superman and ComicBook/{{Brainiac}} at the end.
72* The ''ComicBook/JLAAvengers'' crossover featured the JLA and the Avengers (after a series of LetsYouAndHimFight incidents) teaming up.
73* The original ''Losers'' were essentially the war-comic equivalent of the Justice League, in that the team was made up of characters who had previously starred in their own features -- Johnny Cloud, Captain Storm, and Gunner and Sarge (a double act, as it were). True to the concept, each one was incredibly skilled in certain fields, with Cloud being a peerless pilot, Storm a courageous leader, etc.
74* ''ComicBook/MightyMorphinPowerRangersShatteredGrid'':
75** The comic arc brought together multiple Power Ranger teams to stop [[MultiversalConqueror Lord Drakkon]] from taking over the morphing grid. Besides the ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', the prominent players consist of [[Series/PowerRangersTimeForce the Pink Time Force Ranger Jen Scott]], [[Series/PowerRangersSamurai the Red Samurai Ranger Lauren Shiba]], [[Series/PowerRangersSPD SPD B-Squad]], and [[Series/PowerRangersRPM the RPM Rangers]].
76** The sequel storyline in ''ComicBook/MightyMorphinPowerRangersBoomStudios'', ''Beyond the Grid'', has a team up of rangers from across time and space after [[spoiler: attempting to rescue the captured and depowered rangers from Lord Drakkon's base]]. Lead by the Ranger Slayer, the team consists of the [[Series/PowerRangersZeo Zero Ranger II Tanya Sloan]], the [[Series/PowerRangersInSpace Red Space Ranger Andros]], the [[Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy Magna Defender Mike Corbett]], the [[Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm Green Samurai Ranger Cam Watanabe]], and the [[spoiler: Dark Ranger [[Series/PowerRangersDinoCharge Heckyl]]]], along with newcomer Solar Ranger Eileen.
77[[/folder]]
78
79[[folder:Fan Works]]
80* The expanded Dept. of Hotness from the MassiveMultiplayerCrossover fic, ''Fanfic/Hottie3TheBestFanFicInTheWorld''. Members include the TropeNamers themselves.
81* The fanfic ''Fanfic/SuperSentaiVsSuperSentai'' can be best described if the below-mentioned events of of [[Franchise/SuperSentai Gaoranger vs Super Sentai or Boukenger vs Super Sentai]] has a series on its own.
82* In ''Series/Supergirl2015''/''Series/TheFlash2014'' crossover franchise ''Fanfic/CallMeKara'', The Justice League, in both universes. While there are bigger threats that need the whole League's attention, Weather Wizard immediately surrenders when he finds himself being confronted with Earth's mightiest heroes (ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}, Franchise/{{Superman}}, Franchise/TheFlash, ComicBook/GreenArrow...)
83* The Avengers in ''FanFic/ChildOfTheStorm'' are this--each is a OneManArmy by themselves, but after a few years of working together, they are even more formidable as a team, and ''no one'' wants to take them on in a straight fight. In addition to their MCU composition, they include Loki (having been ReformedButNotTamed) and, after the first book, [[spoiler: Bucky/the Winter Soldier, the most infamous assassin on Earth]].
84[[/folder]]
85
86[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
87* The entire premise of ''WesternAnimation/TurtlesForever'' is based upon this - The [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 80s Turtles]] team up with the [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 00s Turtles]] [[spoiler:and later, the [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage Turtles from the Mirage comic book]] ''and'' Krang & the 80's Shredder]] to stop [[spoiler:the 00's Shredder from destroying the TMNT multiverse]]. It's also Subverted: [[spoiler:despite all of this it ends up being ''Bebop and Rocksteady'' of all people — who are actually working ''for'' 00's Shredder — who end up saving the day]].
88[[/folder]]
89
90[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
91* The Louisiana Gator-Boys from ''Film/BluesBrothers2000''. Whatever you may think of the rest of the movie, ''that'' scene, at least, was cool - putting together a band of the greatest R&B musicians alive, just to counter the Blues Brothers Band's [[ThePowerOfRock Power of Blues]]. The roster includes: B.B. King, Music/EricClapton, Bo Diddley, Dr. John, Jeff Baxter and several other successful musicians -- a true Supergroup.
92* ''Film/TheGunsOfNavarone''. Each member of the team is the best at what he does: killing, explosives, mountain climbing, being lucky, etc.
93* ''Film/TheAvengers2012'' features ComicBook/IronMan, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], ComicBook/BlackWidow, ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} and ComicBook/NickFury, all being played by the same actors who appeared in the ''Film/IronMan1'', ''Film/{{Thor}}'' and ''Film/{{Captain America|TheFirstAvenger}}'' movies; in addition to a re-cast (again) [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]].
94* The "Super Posse" of famous lawmen hired by the Union Pacific Railroad to hunt down ''Film/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid''. In Butch and Sundance's case a "nightmare team"!
95* ''Film/TheDreamTeam'': This Creator/MichaelKeaton comedy movie spoofs this trope; the four main characters are dysfunctional psychiatric patients who have to overcome their various crippling neuroses, not to mention their inherent dislike for each other, to reveal the truth after they're framed for a murder by corrupt police officers.
96* ''Film/SevenSamurai'' and ''[[Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960 The Magnificent Seven]]'', albeit with one member being a rookie in each line-up. They're the best samurai/gunslingers to ever be assembled.
97* Rather literally in ''Film/{{Inception}}'', given that team is traveling into someone's dreams, but almost each member of the team is noted to be the best in their respective field. Cobb is the best extractor, Arthur the best point-man, etc. Cobb even goes to an area he knows is full of people who want him dead, specifically because Eames is there, and he needs Eames to be their forger.
98* ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'': 3 generations Spider-Man across different film continuities work together to battle a LegionOfDoom of villains from previous continuities.
99* ''Film/ThePinkPanther2'' features an international team of detectives and experts, who are even referred to as the Dream Team, being called together to track down an infamous jewel thief. And of course [[CluelessDetective Inspector Clouseau]] is with them as well, much to their dismay.
100[[/folder]]
101
102[[folder:Literature]]
103* In the book ''Literature/RainbowSix'' Rainbow is an international anti-terrorist organization composed of former members of various special forces worldwide.
104* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' the council of Elrond gathers a handful of members of human, dwarf, and elvish civilizations to decide what to do with the ring. Many are RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething.
105* In ''Literature/{{Changes}}'', [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]] pulls together a dream team to storm the Red Court stronghold in Chichen Itza, consisting of himself, Thomas, [[spoiler:Murphy, Leanansidhe, Susan, Martin, Sanya, Molly, and Mouse]]. Also, half-way through the battle, [[spoiler:Ebenezar and the Grey Council]] show up in a true BigDamnHeroes fashion. That accounts for pretty much every badass good guy/girl in the series and then some.
106* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', King Aerys II's Kingsguard is regarded as the finest collection of Knights in the history of the Targaryen rule. At the very least they were LEAGUES above [[IncompetenceInc Robert Baratheon's current Kingsguard]].
107* OlderThanFeudalism: In ''Literature/TheBible'' ([[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Samuel%2023 2 Samuel 23]]), King David assembled an elite squad of thirty "mighty men" to be his guard. All of them had impressive achievements in battle, including one who killed 800 Philistines in one day, one who singlehandedly defended an entire field, and one who "killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day."
108* ''Literature/TheBelgariad'' features a kind of one. Belgarath assembles it based on "The Prophecy", but most of the members are considered noteworthy even in the [[PlanetOfHats Nation Of Hats]] they come from. There's Belgarath himself, "The Eternal Man," seven thousand year old sorcerer and emissary of a literal god; as well as his daughter Polgara, a powerful sorceress in her own right who is herself around three thousand. Silk is regarded as a top notch spy in Drasnia, which has as its main export intelligence (in the military sense). Mandorallen is from Arendia, a nation whose Hat is a knight's helm, and is considered its greatest warrior, having never lost a battle or joust. Barak is a Cherek (their Hat is a viking helmet), is an exceptionally strong berserker and captain of their largest warship, and can literally transform into a ''bear''. Hettar, from Algar (think Mongols) can telepathically communicate with horses, and is spoken of with fear by his nation's hereditary enemies the Murgos, where legend has it that he's a thousand feet tall with a necklace of Murgo skulls. Garion is really Belgarion, the rightful Overlord of the West, though no one but Belgarath and his daughter Polgara, who are (distantly) related to him, know this at first. The odd man out at first is Durnik, who seems to mainly be there because he's a friend of Garion's (and of Polgara's in her disguise as Garion's "Aunt Pol"), but he turns out to be in the Prophecy as well.
109* In ''Literature/TheHungerGames: Catching Fire'', this is the concept behind the 75th Quarter Quell (with the twist, of course, that they're supposed to kill each other) - by selecting from the pool of winners of previous Hunger Games they're choosing the strongest. In practice this doesn't really work. A number of them have substance abuse problems or are out of shape, and there's a very small pool of victors to choose from outside Districts One and Two. Whatever skills Mags had that allowed her to win about decades ago, she's now over 80 and appears to have suffered a debilitating stroke. [[spoiler: Also, many of them have a scheme to escape the arena with no intention of ever killing each other.]]
110* The local UsefulNotes/{{cricket}} [=XI=], the "Woolfonts Combined CC [=XI=]," in the ''Literature/VillageTales'' novels. It can "give trouble to most County sides and a few Test sides" ... in that it is captained by a former captain of, in order, the Eton, Oxford Authentics, and Oxford Blues 1st [=XIs=], has in its order his old vice-captain when he's in the District, contains a current member of the OUCC 1st [=XI=] during the Long Vac., and, although his knees are shot nowadays, is coached and twelfth-manned by a former England Test cricketer. Neighboring villages really don't expect to win matches against WCCC, any more.
111* In the gamebook series ''Literature/WizardsWarriorsAndYou'': Sure King Henry has a lot of knights, but he's also got a [[TheArchmage powerful archmage trained by Merlin himself]] and [[WorldsGreatestWarrior the mightiest warrior in the land]] so he's always sending out those two legendary champions when there's something more than a bunch of bandits threatening the kingdom, which is every book.
112* An evil version forms in ''Literature/WayOfTheTiger'', as three of the evillest men in the world have joined forces and obtained magic scrolls that can be used to send a good god and a good goddess to rot in Hell. Unfortunately these 3 men are Yaemon, the world's greatest martial artist, Manse the Deathmage, the greatest spellcaster, and Honoric, the world's greatest swordsman.
113[[/folder]]
114
115[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
116* ''Franchise/PowerRangers''
117** After they started replacing the entire cast with [[Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy season seven]], and up to the [[Series/PowerRangersSPD thirteenth season]], would have the previous season's team return for one or two episodes to team up with their successors. Only the [[Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm eleventh season]] wouldn't feature the previous cast return in this period.
118** The [[Series/PowerRangersInSpace sixth season]] had two episodes where previous Rangers ([[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers Adam]] and [[Series/PowerRangersTurbo Justin]]) returned.
119** There's episode where they ''teamed up with the Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles!'' Okay, it was the ''[[Series/NinjaTurtlesTheNextMutation Next Mutation]]'' Turtles, but still.
120** The [[Series/PowerRangersWildForce tenth season]] had an episode where all of the previous Red Rangers (including the Red Aquitian Ranger and the Quantum Ranger) teamed up with the then-current Red Ranger. The [[Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive fifteenth season]] featured a two-part episode where Rangers from the [[Series/PowerRangersMysticForce fourteenth]], [[Series/PowerRangersSPD thirteenth]], [[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder twelfth]], [[Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm eleventh]] and [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers second]] seasons returned.
121** Taken to the extreme for the [[MilestoneCelebration Legendary Rangers 20th Anniversary Arc]] of ''Series/PowerRangersSuperMegaforce'', where the heroes form an ''army'' of Rangers from past teams to fight the Armada, consisting of 102 former members from previous seasons. (And several unnamed ones.)
122* On the other side of the Pacific, ''Franchise/SuperSentai'', the Japanese franchise that provides the source material for ''Franchise/PowerRangers'', has been making crossover movies between teams starting with ''[[Series/ChourikiSentaiOhranger Ohranger]] vs. [[Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger Kakuranger]]'', (although there has been previous crossovers before the official Vs. movies). Usually these crossovers tend to involve the current team and the previous team, but for two of the anniversary years (the 25th and the 30th), the current team worked together with a mixed team of various past heroes instead.
123* In ''Series/HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger vs. Super Sentai'' (the 25th anniversary movie), the Gaorangers teamed up with a Dream Team consisting of [[Series/JAKQDengekitai Big One]], [[Series/ChoujuuSentaiLiveman Red Falcon]], [[Series/DenjiSentaiMegaranger Mega Pink]], [[Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman Ginga Blue]] and [[Series/KyukyuSentaiGoGoV Go Yellow]]. The other past Red Rangers also made cameos as well, albeit [[FakeShemp in costume only]].
124* In ''Series/GoGoSentaiBoukenger'' (the 30th anniversary movie), the Dream Team consisted of [[Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger Hurricane Blue]], [[Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger Abare Black]], [[Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger Deka Break]], [[Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger Magi Yellow & Magi Shine]] and a new hero named [[OriginalGeneration Aka Red]], who embodies the powers of all the previous Red Rangers.
125* In ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger'', the 35th Sentai series, the team has the ability to transform into previous heroes. Usually the Gokaigers will all stick to rangers from the same team, but sometimes they transform into mixed teams as well, particularly when they have all have a common motif or they have the same color.
126* ''Film/GokaigerGoseigerSuperSentai199HeroGreatBattle'' begins with all the rangers that ever were teaming up and sacrificing their powers to defeat a fleet of Zangyack... creating the keys that allow the Gokaigers to transform into newer forms when they come along later. The movie's climactic battle features [[spoiler: all the main mecha that ever were smacking down a handful of resurrected recent villains.]]
127* ''Series/Joe90'' uses a variation of this; he can use his glasses to [[PowersAsPrograms download]] the brain patterns of the experts who would be this trope, allowing him to act as this trope despite being one person.
128* Whenever ''Series/DoctorWho'' does a story with more than one Doctor appearing (''The Three Doctors'', ''The Five Doctors'', ''The Two Doctors'', "Time Crash"), ''Series/DoctorWho'' is in something of a unique position in that it's essentially a 'dream team' comprised of what is essentially different versions of the same character. In the 50th anniversary special, [[spoiler:all the Doctor's incarnations up to and including [[EarlyBirdCameo the Twelfth]] work together to save Gallifrey]]. ''[[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor Day of the Doctor]]'' indeed.
129* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' had a fantastic example of this in ''Beyond the Wall'', where Jon Snow, the Hound, Beric Dondarrion, Thoros of Myr, Jorah Mormont, Gendry, and Tormund Giantsbane all teamed up to capture a wight alive. Er, [[OurZombiesAreDifferent sort of alive.]]
130[[/folder]]
131
132[[folder:Mythology and Legend]]
133* Myth/ArthurianLegend: Myth/KingArthur in his various incarnations had his knights, who were the finest warriors of the land.
134* Myth/CelticMythology had Fionn mac Cumhaill who led the godlike band of warriors, the Fianna.
135* ''Literature/HrolfKrakisSaga'' has the eponymous main character form a team of heroes to replace his earlier team of berserkers.
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138[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
139* Wrestling/HulkHogan and Wrestling/RandySavage were known as the Mega Powers, a nickname also used to describe the team of Wrestling/CMPunk and [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] in WWE some 20 years later.
140* The 2015 winners of the Wrestling/{{AAA}} Lucha Libre World Cup was dubbed the Dream Team, and consisted of Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr, Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio and Wrestling/{{M|istico}}yztizez.
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143[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
144* This is the premise for ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' spinoff, ''TabletopGame/DeathWatch''. You are [[ExperiencedProtagonist veteran warriors]] of the Space Marines, the SuperSoldier transhumans widely seen as [[WorldsGreatestWarrior the deadliest warriors in the galaxy]]. You are a select few, chosen from this already illustrious group to a join an elite specialist force of the best Space Marines to protect the Imperium from alien threats. This dream team force is expected to regulary go against impossible odds and triumph.
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147[[folder:Video Games]]
148* By the end of the game, any given ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'''s cast will become this, with the combined forces of numerous HumongousMecha series teaming up to defeat a new threat after all their storylines have finished.
149* The whole point of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' is to put together a dream team of the toughest badasses in the entire galaxy in an attempt to survive a SuicideMission.
150* Most of the plot of ''VideoGame/FableII'' revolves around assembling a Dream Team so that a prophecy will oust a horrible tyrant. The PlayerCharacter must track down and unite the [[TheBigGuy Hero of Strength]], the [[SquishyWizard Hero of Will]], and the [[ImprobableAimingSkills Hero of Skill]], which is harder than it sounds.
151* ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven'':
152** The game more than the anime. Though the anime team is made of several of the best players defected from other teams, the game explicitly encourages you to find and recruit the strongest players from any team you battle, making the ultimate team a mishmash of the cream of the crop.
153** ''GO Chrono Stone'' features a dream team made up of historical figures that was envisioned by [[spoiler:Endou Daisuke]] as the ultimate team. This leads the team to [[spoiler:travel through time to gather the power of these memnbers. The first of which is UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga.]]
154* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonVsAceAttorney'': One is a famous [[VideoGame/ProfessorLayton professor of archaeology]], a quintessential British gentleman, and possibly the best puzzle-solver in the world. The other is a notorious Franchise/AceAttorney who, no matter the odds, always manages to find out the truth and gets his clients acquitted[[labelnote:*]]Except for that one time where his client was actually the culprit.[[/labelnote]].
155* In the NES baseball game '' [=BaseWars=]'', two such teams are available from the get go. They carry the best weapons and can consistently hit home runs.
156* ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade'' runs on this trope; part of building an army involves assembling [[BigDamnHeroes "hero"]] characters from taverns around the land of Calradia, who then gain experience and [[TookALevelInBadass level up]] with the player in the course of play. By the lategame, you can have as many as nine ultimate warriors armed and armored like someone put the [[VideoGame/{{Fallout}} Brotherhood of Steel]] in a time machine, riding equally indestructible warhorses.
157* The Arc Stars, if their name wasn't an indication, is the best team in ''VideoGame/ArcStyleBaseball3D''. They have the absolute best stats in every field (batting, running, pitching, fielding). The team is made of some of the most important characters from [[Creator/ArcSystemWorks the company]].
158* In a late game quest in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel III'', Rean and Lechter have to assemble a group of people who can help them find one Calvard [[PrivateMilitaryContractors Jaeger]] who is still around the Heimdallr Catacombs. The ones who answer the call are [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky Olivert, Agate, Tita]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsFromZeroAndTrailsToAzure Tio, Randy]], Sara, Claire, Sharon, Toval, and Patrick. Both Rean and Lechter conclude the line up is a bit of an overkill but decides to roll with it.
159* ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder'', your Alliance heroes are initially a mix of the Guardians of the Galaxy, some of the best members of various incarnations of the Avengers and a bunch of independents like Venom and Spider-Gwen. If one of your heroes asks Nick Fury if they should go and get reinforcements, Nick says no and that any commanding officer could only dream of having a team like this. And then the Alliance gets a massive power boost when the X-Men, a bunch of supernatural specialists and the street-level Defenders join in. Plus even more heroes come along if you bought the Season Pass, including the Fantastic Four.
160* In ''VideoGame/KingArthurTheRolePlayingWargame'', you are King Arthur and you're trying to fill the Round Table with Knights. Since every Knight is a legendary hero gifted with supernatural powers and superhuman statlines, even your early starters are among the Best of the Best and this goes up as you go beyond hiring the minor-leaguers of the Arthurian tales and get Merlin, Lancelot and etc. Of course each Knight will also be commanding companies of troops - through improving technology and the purchasing elite mercenaries - you'll end up with Seelie, Unseelie and Giant troops along with exotic human forces.
161* The forces of evil are going to get their asses kicked in beat'em up ''VideoGame/NightSlashers''. You control a monster-hunting team of a psychic cyborg who's the best monster hunter in America, the spell-casting finest vampire slayer from Europe and the most acclaimed martial artist from Asia who also has supernatural powers.
162* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' consist of summoning heroes from the past (which also include characters from previous Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} works, especially ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'') and forming a team to save human history, with heroes such as Cu Chulainn, Leonardo Da Vinci, Joan of Arc, Emperor Nero, Gilgamesh, [[spoiler:and King Solomon]].
163* The ''VideoGame/MaddenNFL'' iterations through the mid-2000s included "historic" rosters for each team with the best players in franchise history up to that point represented. It was quite satisfying to roll over the competition with a team of every elite legend from the team's history, bordering on a sports version of an ArmyOfTheAges. However, as their likeness was being used without compensation, some of these former players sued and ''Creator/{{EA}}'' stopped including them around 2008-09.
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166[[folder:Web Comics]]
167* ''Webcomic/TheDragonDoctors'': The best surgeon, the best shaman/therapist, the best [[VoluntaryShapeshifting alterist]]/wizard, the best science mage.
168* In ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'', Viole's new team, consisting of himself, Ran, Nobic, Horyang, Cassano and some [=FUG=] members. Outright referred to as "a perfect team" by Nobic. [[spoiler: Averted when they get their asses handed to them by Shibisu's team.]]
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171[[folder:Web Original]]
172* While Team Kimba of ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'' is a Dream Team, most of the school believes this trope is in play because Phase is a teen billionaire who as a Goodkind would pull together a dream team as his personal backup. He just happens to have one of the best mages in the world, one of the best flying bricks available, one of the best (if not ''the'' best) flying blaster, one of the best martial artists anywhere, plus the Handmaid of the Tao and the Generator.
173* ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' Version 7 has the girl's basketball team for George Hunter High, which is stacked with a ridiculous level of talent. Two players have ambitions of going pro while three-five of the others are at least considering college ball. For a real life high school team, that amount of skill on one side is pretty much unthinkable. Back in Version 1, there was also Barry Coleson High School's baseball team, which accomplished the (statistically impossible) feat of going three consecutive seasons undefeated.
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176[[folder:Western Animation]]
177* Hanna-Barbera's [[WesternAnimation/LaffALympics Laff-A-Lympics]] was a dream team.....of funny. The "classic" Hanna-Barbera "animal" characters were all on one team (captained by [[WesternAnimation/YogiBear Yogi Bear]]), the "modern" Hanna-Barbera "crime-solver" characters were all on another team (captained by [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo Scooby Doo]]), and the "Devious" Hanna-Barbera "villians" from both eras (captained by Mumbly) - all on one cartoon!!
178* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama All Stars'' had the the heroic and the devious characters from the past four seasons join forces.
179* This was the premise of two '90s video game based animated shows. There was the SoBadItsGood ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster'' and the unforgettably awful ''The Power Team,'' an animated show served up alongside Series/VideoPower. The former licensed some of the biggest characters from the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] glory days, including Simon Belmont of ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania|I}},'' Pit of ''VideoGame/KidIcarus,'' Franchise/MegaMan, Mother Brain of ''VideoGame/{{Metroid|1}}'' fame, and so on. The result was a strange product by today's standards and the quality is certainly debatable. Acclaim wanted to do a similar show, but using only its own rather shallow roster of characters. The resulting cartoon featured the monster truck Big Foot, a walking tomato called Kwirk, a generic barbarian claiming to be Kuros of VideoGame/WizardsAndWarriors, Tyrone of VideoGame/ArchRivals (who plays basketball -- that's it), and Max Force of VideoGame/{{NARC}} who was not able to use his guns on a show aimed at children. The resulting show is almost universally panned by the few who remember it.
180* ''WesternAnimation/ProStars'' was another also-ran kid's TV show with a similar premise. In this show, Bo Jackson, Michael Jordan, and Wayne Gretzky teamed up to form a sports-themed super-hero group helping kids and saving the environment from cheesy villains. Each of the athletes was a superhero, each of them using gimmicks based on their respective sports, with Bo covering football and baseball. Live-action sequences with all three athletes talking to kids about morality were also included. Picture Michael Jordan and company as the protagonists of a show like ''WesternAnimation/{{Captain Planet|and the Planeteers}}'' and you'll have a good idea how cheesy it is.
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