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5[[quoteright:350:[[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/photocollage_1682898759169.jpg]]]]
6 [[caption-width-right:350:'''Top:''' The three original Dino Rangers.\
7'''Bottom:''' The three with the Black And White members.]]
8%%
9
10Common subtype of the FiveManBand composed by starting with a PowerTrio and adding some form of duo or a pair of [[SixthRanger Extra Rangers]]. While the five characters [[CastCalculus will generally still fit]] into some variation on the FiveManBand archetypes, three of the characters will get decidedly more play.
11
12In terms of plot, the core trio will generally have a relationship which pre-exists their introduction, while the remaining members are newcomers. Common archetypes for the non-core members include TheAce and the OldMaster. Surprisingly, the NaiveNewcomer is rarely one of the peripheral duo (as NaiveNewcomer characters are usually given a more central role), but he ''can'' be a member of the core trio.
13
14Even if the relationship between the core trio is not pre-existing, their bond will be immediate and close. You will find them interacting "off the clock" in a way you are less likely to see with the peripheral characters.
15
16The leader is liable to be a member of the core trio, but if he is not, expect the dominant member of the trio to be TheLancer, and expect serious rivalry between him and the leader.
17
18When the core trio works for HeroesRUs, the setup will often involve the trio's higher-ups assigning two new members to a long-standing team because they have somehow overlooked the fact that this would cause serious friction. The band may alternatively be formed by the core trio absorbing another group, either rivals with a common goal or enemies making a HeelFaceTurn.
19
20Plots involving ThePowerOfFriendship will focus on the core trio, while plots about teamwork will include the whole band. The two peripheral members may even duck out (via HeroicSacrifice) before the GrandFinale.
21
22The major advantage of this setup is that it covers the broad range of character types which makes the FiveManBand a popular ensemble, but by relegating two members to the periphery, it prevents spreading the audience's time too thin, as is often a difficulty with large ensembles.
23
24See also CastCalculus.
25
26----
27!!Examples:
28[[foldercontrol]]
29
30[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
31* ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' starring Spike Spiegel, Faye Valentine and Jet Black! Oh, and also Ed and Ein.
32* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'':
33** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' inverted it, then played it straight, doing another Two Plus Three. The two were Kari and T.K., the youngest two of the previous season and the only main cast holdovers. In the first episode, three more [[SixthRanger (and then a fourth)]] join them to complete their team, but this season was more about these new characters.
34** ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' had something more like three plus three - ThoseTwoGuys and the love interest join the team, but the PowerTrio never really loses the spotlight. Toss in one more traditional SixthRanger (or arguably two more) and another "plus one", and the final result is a cast of Four (or Five) plus Four.
35** ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'', however, plays it a little more like [[InvertedTrope Two Plus Three]] [[SixthRanger (Plus One)]]. Takuya and Kouji are the first to get their Human Spirits and Beast Spirits, and the ''only'' ones to get a Double Spirit Evolution and a Hyper Spirit Evolution, boosting them up to the Ultimate level. It's glaringly obvious in that, while they're in their Hyper forms, the other members of the FiveManBand can only just stand around doing nothing.
36** ''Anime/DigimonFusion'', however, both played it straight ''and'' subverted it at the same time. Taiki, Akari and Zenjirou appear to be the three, with Nene and Kiriha as the Two. However, by the time that Kiriha and Nene have joined Xros Heart, Akari and Zenjirou are stuck in the real world, [[spoiler:only being reunited when they return for the GrandFinale]]. So, in the end, Taiki, Kiriha and Nene serve as the Three, with Akari and Zenjirou as the Two.
37* ''{{Manga/Doraemon}}'': Nobita's first choice of friends to hang out with are usually his RobotBuddy Doraemon and GirlNextDoor Shizuka, so they tend to make a core trio with Gian and Suneo tagging along or [[WithFriendsLikeThese antagonizing them]]. Gian and Suneo also associate with each other more than either of them does individually with the other three. Other times though, the trope is inverted: Nobita and Doraemon as a main duo and Shizuka, Gian, and Suneo as a supporting trio.
38* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
39** The first arc of ''Manga/DragonBall'' originally had Goku and Bulma adventuring together, with Oolong joining them shortly after. After this Yamcha and Puar were introduced, with the two pursuing the trio in hopes of stealing the dragonballs from them. Once Pilaf was introduced (or in the anime's case, became more of a threat), they officially joined into a FiveManBand for the rest of the arc.
40** During the Freeza arc of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', we have originally Gohan, Krillin and Bulma. When Vegeta joins them, we have Gohan-Krillin-Vegeta plus Bulma. Later Piccolo and Goku appear as extra ones, but when Goku joins the battle against Freeza and Vegeta ends up being killed, we have Goku as the SpotlightStealingSquad and Gohan-Krillin-Piccolo as the extra trio ''plus'' Bulma.
41* ''Manga/FairyTail'' started with Lucy, [[TheHero Natsu]], and [[TheSmartGuy Happy]], but later [[TheLancer Gray]] and [[TheBigGuy Erza]] officially joined the team after tagging along enough times. To look at it chronologically (and disregard Happy), Natsu, Gray and Erza form the Power Trio, while Lucy and Wendy are the extra two that complete the group later.
42* In ''Manga/{{Gals}}'', Ran's main group of friends consist of herself, Miyu and Aya as the primary trio and ThoseTwoGuys Rie and Satsuki who occasionally join in their antics. This is played with in the sense that Rie and Satsuki are actually Ran's older friends who got pushed into the background when Miyu and Aya join the group, meaning that, chronologically, Aya and Miyu are the plus two to Ran, Rie and Satsuki's original trio.
43* ''Anime/JewelpetTwinkle'' has the students at the Magic Academy; a PowerTrio of girls (Akari-Miria-Sara) that is occasionally joined by two boys (Leon and Nicola) in their adventures.
44* ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' introduces second-years Kaguya Shinomiya, Miyuki Shirogane, and Chika Fujiwara right at the beginning, and first-years Yu Ishigami and Miko Iino appear in the student council later on. Much later, in Iino's case.
45* In ''Literature/KokoroConnect'', the Taichi-Inaba-Iori triangle is clearly in the center of the plot, while Yui and Aoi serve as BetaCouple.
46* ''Literature/KyoKaraMaoh'' has [[FreudianTrio Yuri, Wolfram and Conrad]], who have a much closer bond and spend more time together than with the other members of the FiveManBand. When the FiveManBand breaks up, the most often configuration is the trio going off on a mini-adventure, while Gwendal and Gunter man the castle.
47* ''Anime/TheLittlBits'' has two examples within one gang: Willabit, Lillibit and Snagglebit plus Chip and Browniebit, or Snagglebit, Browniebit and Chip plus Willabit and Lillibit.
48* The three in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' tends to be Asuna, Konoka and Setsuna. The plus two is usually Nodoka and Yue. That being said, this trope can shift about the cast, given its size.
49* In the first season of ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'', Doremi, Aiko and Hazuki were the main trio, while Pop later came as a TagAlongKid and Onpu as a DarkMagicalGirl. Next season, Onpu became part of the main roster as the series went on. Pop, however, stayed in her position.
50* ''Manga/OutlawStar'', where Gene, Jim, and Melfina were the main crew of the Outlaw Star, and Suzuka and Aisha tended to act more like people who just happened to be traveling on the same ship.
51* ''Anime/PrettyCure'':
52** ''Anime/FreshPrettyCure'' was previously a Three Plus One show, and for a while, fan theories have spread like wildfire as to whether there would be a fifth. [[spoiler:It becomes Four Plus Two, because of Westar and Soular's HeelFaceTurn]].
53** Both ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure'' and ''Anime/SuitePrettyCure'' wound up becoming Two Plus Two shows.
54** This trope was played straight (for once) in ''Anime/HugttoPrettyCure'', with [[spoiler:Cure Macherie and Cure Amour]] being the Two added to Cure Yell, Cure Ange, and Cure Etoile's Three.
55** ''Anime/DeliciousPartyPrettyCure'' is a Four Plus Two, starting with main members Cure Precious, Cure Spicy, and Cure Yum-Yum and support member Rosemary as the Four, then adding Black Pepper and [[spoiler:Cure Finale]] as the Two.
56* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] and [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]] in ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' which starts off with Madoka, Sayaka, and Mami as the trio, and there is one DarkMagicalGirl named Homura around. They remained like that until [[spoiler:Mami dies]] and a new MagicalGirl named Kyoko shows up. Sayaka and Kyoko hate each other the minute they meet making any chances they have at teaming up slim and then nothing after [[spoiler:they both die]]. All hopes seems lost for this trope until we learned that [[spoiler:Homura has been resetting the timeline. The original trio has been different with each new timeline, though there is at least one timeline where this trope was played straight but was quickly ended after Mami had a FreakOut over the AwfulTruth and killed Kyoko before she herself was killed]]. By the end of the series the trope is ultimately [[spoiler:averted because Madoka would AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence and Sayaka is the only one who stayed dead making any chance for this trope to happen impossible]].
57* The first season of the 90s ''Anime/SailorMoon'' anime spent an inordinate amount of time with just Sailor Moon, Mars and Mercury. Jupiter and Venus came later. Of course, as the season progressed, the five became a true FiveManBand. (Note that this is not the case in the [[Manga/SailorMoon manga]], [[Anime/SailorMoonCrystal the Crystal anime remake]] or in ''Series/PrettyGuardianSailorMoon''; these other versions had a trio for only a handful of episodes, added Jupiter quickly, and spent most of the arc with four before Venus showed up.)
58* The ''Manga/TokyoMewMew'' anime has Mew Ichigo, Mew Mint and Mew Lettuce gathered by the third episode. A few episodes later, they're joined by Mew Pudding and then Mew Zakuro. This is only in the 2002 anime since the manga and the [[Anime/TokyoMewMewNew 2022 anime reboot]] introduce the five girls at the beginning and each girl joins the team one after another.
59* ''Manga/YuGiOh5Ds'' follows three plus two, then added a third to the main cast. In the beginning it was Yuusei, Jack and Aki, with the two being the twins Rua and Ruka. Later on, after Crow was introduced, it became Yuusei-Jack-Crow, with Rua-Ruka-Aki serving as their own trio.
60[[/folder]]
61
62[[folder:Comic Books]]
63* The first ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' story introduced Archie, Betty and Jughead, with [[RichBitch Veronica]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Reggie]] added a few months later. They grew into a FiveManBand, but the first three still have their bond after all this time.
64* Quite common in various configurations of the ComicBook/JusticeLeague. Franchise/{{Batman}}, Franchise/{{Superman}}, and Franchise/WonderWoman generally form a PowerTrio, often called The Trinity or The Big Three, while Franchise/TheFlash and Franchise/GreenLantern usually take on the role of ThoseTwoGuys.
65* IDW's ''[=BattleBeasts=]'' comic began with the trio of Vorin, Gruntos and Merk, then added Bliss Reynolds and her brother Tate.
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:Fan Works]]
69* ''Fanfic/PokemonCrossing'' generally focuses on three main characters: Benedict, Kidd and Tank. Later chapters will have Champion Apollo and/or Frank join them in fighting against the villainous teams Cottage and Pastel.
70[[/folder]]
71
72[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
73* {{Dracula}}, the FrankensteinMonster and a [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Werewolf]] are generally the essential trio of the MonsterMash, some films add Film/{{The Mummy|1932}} and the Film/CreatureFromTheBlackLagoon, one of the most well-known examples is ''Film/TheMonsterSquad''.
74* There's a Soviet film with ''Three Plus Two'' as its title, which is a romantic comedy (inevitably) built around this trope. Basically: guy PowerTrio meets girl HairContrastDuo, HilarityEnsues.
75* In ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'', the '70s trio of Charles, Logan, and Hank are joined by Peter, then Erik. [[spoiler:Subverted in that Peter is PutOnABus almost immediately after rescuing Erik, and then Erik reassumes his BigBad position]].
76[[/folder]]
77
78[[folder:Literature]]
79* The ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series naturally focused primarily on the PowerTrio: Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Starting in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'', Ginny, Luna, and Neville became more involved in the central plot.
80* Part I of ''Literature/KillTimeOrDieTrying'' has a FiveManBand consisting of three first-year students and two much older guys.
81* For the first half of ''Literature/RemoteMan'', the main characters are Ned, his cousin Kate and his best friend Rocky. Their investigation leads them to make two further contacts, Cleverton from Jamaica and Yvette from France, thus cementing the FiveManBand. Worth noting that, Ned and Rocky excepted, person-to-person contact between them is minimal - Ned spends a few weeks with Kate in Wakwak at the beginning, and she joins him and Rocky in Concord at the climax, but otherwise most of their communication is via chatrooms.
82* In the ''[[Literature/WarriorCatsPowerOfThree Power of Three]]'' arc of ''Literature/WarriorCats'', Jayfeather, Hollyleaf and Lionblaze form a PowerTrio because they think they are three cats all-powerful cats spoken of in a prophecy. At the end, Jayfeather realizes that Hollyleaf is not the true third. Then in the ''[[Literature/WarriorCatsOmenOfTheStars Omen of the Stars]]'' arc, the true third Dovewing and her sister Ivypool team up with the others.
83* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', the Undersiders fit this mold once [[spoiler:Taylor]] joins. She, Grue, and Tattletale not only handle most of the planning, but interact more frequently with one another in their everyday lives than Bitch or Regent do with the others or one another. This dynamic gets more complicated over time, due to [[spoiler:Taylor]] and Bitch becoming friends, and due to [[spoiler:Imp (Grue's little sister and later a romantic interest for Regent) joining the team]].
84[[/folder]]
85
86[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
87* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'': The series started with the 'Original Team Arrow' of [[{{TheHero}} Oliver]], [[{{TheLancer}} Diggle]] and [[{{TheSmartGuy}} Felicity]]. From the second half of Season 2 several others characters join the team, starting with [[{{TheBigGuy}} Roy]] and [[ActionGirl Sara]] and by the end of Season 3 they've left and been replaced by [[{{TookALevelInBadass}} Thea]] and [[{{TookALevelInBadass}} Laurel]], respectively. Then Thea and Laurel leave, and they get replaced by Rene, Curtis, and Dinah. However the central trio are still much closer. This actually causes problems in later seasons, as the whole "team within the team" thing starts to piss the others off.
88* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica1978'' has the warriors Apollo-Starbuck-Boomer plus Sheba-Bojay in "The Living Legend".
89* ''Series/{{Bizaardvark}}'' starts out like this in a way, starting with Paige and Frankie, with Bernie being their manager, and then Amelia and Dirk being part of the gang, all in the first episode. However, Dirk was PutOnABus permanently and replaced at the start of the third season with best friends Zane and Rodney, who are also fans of Paige and Frankie's work (Which in turn makes Paige and Frankie becoming CoolBigSis to the two), making it a "four plus two" deal.
90* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' started out with the PowerTrio of Buffy, Xander, and Willow, adding and subtracting various others (Oz, Cordelia, Faith, Anya, Tara, Riley, Dawn) at varying levels of "insider-ness" over the seasons. At any given point there were usually five or six Scoobies, but only Buffy, Willow, and Xander remained constant throughout.
91* ''Series/{{Bunheads}}'' has a pairing off within the group of four students of Sasha with and Melanie with Ginny, with the first pair getting far more attention. Then of course the foursome is seperate from the adult grouping of Michelle, Fanny and sometimes Truly.
92* ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' was like this in the middle of its run, with the main power trio functioning as TheHero, TheLancer, and TheHeart, going in birth order, while Leo and Cole were TheSmartGuy and TheBigGuy respectively.
93* ''Series/CowboyBebop2021'', much like [[Anime/CowboyBebop the original anime]], stars Spike Spiegel, Faye Valentine and Jet Black. Ed and Ein are instead [[LastEpisodeNewCharacter last episode additions]].
94* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' uses this trope, especially in WholeEpisodeFlashback that discusses how they met. You have two (Mal and Zoe, old friends) plus three (Wash, Jayne, and Kaylee, who join the crew). But later, they add four more (Inara, Simon, River, and Book) who aren't technically part of the crew.
95* Sibuna in ''Series/HouseOfAnubis''. What first begins as a club between three students (Nina Martin, Fabian Rutter and Amber Millington) eventually expands to include two other students (Patricia Williamson and Alfie Lewis).
96** This happens again in the second season, as the original trio recreate Sibuna but only have Patricia and Alfie come in later when they really need the help.
97*** Happens AGAIN in Season 3, as once [[spoiler:Nina never comes back and Amber leaves]] it's down to Fabian, Patricia and Alfie as the remaining original members, and the new trio, with the addition of Eddie Miller and KT Rush.
98*** Throughout Season 3, it becomes clear that the Nina-Fabian-Amber trio has been replaced by the Eddie-KT-Fabian trio, with Patricia and Alfie seeming like the added/background two once again.
99* Flashbacks from ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' shows Ted, [[BetaCouple Marshall and Lily]] having the TwoGuysAndAGirl dynamic in their college days right before meeting Barney. They met Robin at the series premiere.
100* The ''Series/ICarly'' PowerTrio of Sam, Freddie and Carly getting the most screen time, with Gibby and Spencer getting sub-plots, and occasionally being part of the main plot with the trio.
101* ''Series/KnightRider'' (2008): Mike, Sarah, KITT as the core, with Billy and Zoe as the periphery.
102* Inverted with ''Series/MythBusters''; they end up being more like Two Plus Three. For the first season, it was just the OddCouple of Adam and Jamie getting the focus. The Build Team were later given some of the spotlight, then spun off into their own team of "myth busters". Adam and Jamie are TheHero and TheLancer, with the PowerTrio of the Build Team rounding out the band.
103* ''Series/OrphanBlack'': Clone Club. [[TheLeader Sarah]], [[TheLancer Alison]] and [[TheSmartGuy Cosima]] make the PowerTrio while the late [[TheBigGuy Beth]] and Katja round out the FiveManBand. Felix counts as a SixthRanger.
104* Some seasons in the ''Franchise/SuperSentai''/''Franchise/PowerRangers'' franchise have started with three rangers instead of [[FiveManBand the usual team of five]], usually a trio composed of Red, Blue and Yellow (and it's usually TwoGuysAndAGirl[[note]]Except in ''[[Series/TaiyouSentaiSunVulcan Sun Vulcan]]''.[[/note]]), who are then joined mid-series by at least two [[SixthRanger extra rangers]]. They typically get just as much, if not more, exposure as the primary heroes, much like the sixth rangers.
105** Before ''Franchise/PowerRangers'', [[OlderThanTheyThink this practice was done first]] in the 1988 ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' series ''[[Series/ChoujuuSentaiLiveman Liveman]]'', where the original heroes of Red Falcon, Yellow Lion and Blue Dolphin were joined by Black Bison and Green Sai (Rhino) in Episode 30. The [[StandardEvilOrganizationSquad Volt]] follow a similar arrangement, starting out with three executives (Kemp, Mazenda and Obular) and losing one (Obular) while at the same time gaining three more (Ashura, then Guildos and Butchy at different points) for a total of five.
106*** This trope is actually inverted in the first episode. At the beginning we're presented with five friends who it seems like will be the FiveManBand of the show. Five minutes in, and the two who seemed like TheLeader and TheHeart are both dead, leaving just their three surviving friends to become the titular team.
107** ''[[Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger Hurricaneger]]''/''[[Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm Ninja Storm]]'': The Hurricanegers/Wind Ninjas form the main trio, with the Gouraigers/Thunder Ninjas (two brothers from a rival academy) joining later to form a team of five. An actual sixth ranger was later introduced in the form of Shurikenger/Samurai Star Ranger.
108** ''[[Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger Abaranger]]''/''[[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Dino Thunder]]'': The extra rangers were Abare Black/Black Dino Ranger, who served as an older brother figure to the main trio, followed much later by Abare Killer/White Dino Ranger, a former villain who underwent a HeelFaceTurn.
109** ''[[Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger Gekiranger]]''/''[[Series/PowerRangersJungleFury Jungle Fury]]'': Geki Violet/Wolf Ranger and Geki Chopper/Rhino Ranger were mentor figures to the main team. The heroes' two main rivals later switch sides, though only at the very end.
110** ''[[Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger Go-onger]]''/''[[Series/PowerRangersRPM RPM]]'': The series introduced not one, but two pairs of extra rangers: Black & Green (who were part of the main team) and Gold & Silver (siblings who formed a separate team).
111** ''[[Series/TokumeiSentaiGobusters Go-Busters]]''/''[[Series/PowerRangersBeastMorphers Beast Morphers]]'': The main trio were joined by Beet Buster and Stag Buster / the Gold and Silver Rangers, another pair of beetle-themed extra rangers, who are notable for being the first non-sixth extras who are gold and silver, colors normally reserved for sixth members and above. Much like ''Abaranger'' and ''Gekiranger'' before it, the team never had more than five members.
112** ''[[Series/UchuSentaiKyuranger Kyuranger]]'': Oddly enough, this time the team starts out with Chameleon Green, Oushii Black, and Kajiki Yellow, and gains Shishi Red and Ookami Blue[[note]]In all prior Sentai series, Red and Blue are part of the team at the beginning; in ''Kyuranger'', Lucky and Garu, the team's Red and Blue rangers, are discovered by Hami, Champ, and Spada - the team's Green, Black, and Yellow rangers - before the former 2 become Kyurangers[[/note]] by the end of the first episode. Following ''[=Go-onger=]'' and ''[=Go-Busters=]'' above, the next two to join the team are Gold and Silver (Tenbin Gold and Hebitsukai Silver), and after that, Sasori Orange and Washi Pink joined the team separately. After that, the team gains Ryu Commander, Ooguma Skyblue, and Ho'ou Soldier.
113** ''[[Series/KishiryuSentaiRyusoulger Ryusoulger]]'': The team starts with Ryusoul Red, Blue and Pink before [[SiblingTeam Ryusoul Green and Black]] join them a few episodes later. The show later introduces a Sixth Ranger in Ryusoul Gold.
114* ''Series/TheView'' has Creator/WhoopiGoldberg serving as moderator, but has more recently changed things so that Whoopi is absent on Fridays and free to attend to other commitments. Instead, an alternate cohost joins the table and Creator/JoyBehar moderates.
115[[/folder]]
116
117[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
118* OlderThanFeudalism: The Pandavas in the ''Mahabaratha'' were the three sons of Kunti (Yudhisthira, Arjuna and Bhima) plus the twin sons of Madri (Nakula and Sahadeva).
119[[/folder]]
120
121[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
122* Wrestling/DamageCTRL is originally a PowerTrio consisting of Wrestling/{{Bayley}}, [[Wrestling/IoShirai IYO SKY]], and Dakota Kai. Over a year after their debut, former Kabuki Warriors Kairi Sane and [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai Asuka]] would join in succession.
123* Wrestling/TheJOBSquad are originally a PowerTrio consisting of Wrestling/AlSnow, Wrestling/BobHolly, and Wrestling/TooColdScorpio. Wrestling/{{Gillberg}} and Wrestling/TheBlueMeanie would join in succession months later.
124[[/folder]]
125
126[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
127* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'':
128** Ojamas: Ojama Green, Yellow and Black, then either the Fusion Monsters, King and Knight, or the later Effect Monsters, Red and Blue.
129** Cyberdarks: Cyberdark Keel, Horn, and Edge, followed many years later by Claw and Cannon.
130[[/folder]]
131
132[[folder:Toys]]
133* An odd example, but there was once a Simon Says-type of handheld game called ''Bop It'' that had three commands: "Bop It" ("bop" a large button), "Twist It" (turn a rotating handle), and "Pull It" (pull a telescoping handle on the other end). The follow-up, "Bop It Extreme", added "Spin It" (spin a wheel) and "Flick It" (flick a spring-loaded nub).
134[[/folder]]
135
136[[folder:Video Games]]
137* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' starts you out with Alistair, [[BlackMagicianGirl Morrigan]], and the [[PlayerCharacter Warden]]; then adds [[JeanneDArchetype Leliana]] and [[TheBigGuy Sten]] in the first town. You get even more characters later, but Alistair, Morrigan and the Warden are always the most important party members to the story, [[spoiler:at least until you can recruit Loghain]].
138* ''[[VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyIIHeroesOfLagaard Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight]]'' features this with the main cast of its Story Mode. The Fafnir Knight and his best friend Flavio join Princess Arianna as her bodyguards to make up a party of three, and they later meet the duo of Bertrand and Chloe while exploring Ginnungagap.
139* The quintet of characters you end ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' with works like this, with the [[PowerTrio core trio]] composed of [[TheHero Cecil]], [[TheLancer Kain]], and Rosa in a TwoGuysAndAGirl dynamic, with the addition of Rydia and Edge, who are somewhat SlapSlapKiss.
140* ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'': The initial party members are Matthew, Tyrell, and Karis (the children of the previous game's cast Isaac, Garett and Ivan), who like their fathers are Venus, Mars and Jupiter-aligned Adepts respectively. Later your party is joined by Rief (Mia's son) and relatively shortly after by Amiti (strongly implied to be the son of [[spoiler:the BigBad Alex]]), both Mercury Adepts (although as there can only be 4 people in battle and the MagicKnight is a much better option than a SquishyWizard, poor Rief is likely to be sent to the backline until the end of the game). This arrangement continues for quite some time until you meet the other three party members, Sveta, Eoleo and Himi.
141* The high school band [=High×Joker=] in ''VideoGame/TheIdolmasterSideM'', while a close group of five, really splits up into this. Jun Fuyumi and Natsuki Sakaki are a pair of ChildhoodFriends, while the remaining members Shiki Iseya, Hayato Akiyama and Haruna Wakazato form a ComicTrio.
142* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon'' starts off with a PowerTrio before adding two more midway through the first disc of the game to form a FiveManBand.
143* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel III'', the initial number of people in Class VII were three students, Juna, Kurt, and Altina with [[TheHero Rean]] as their instructor. By chapter 3, Ash and Musse join Class VII (though they also join them in previous chapters by disobeying their instructors orders, prompting the principal to make them be a part of the class).
144* ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' has two separate groups. Lan, Mayl and Chaud plus Dex and Yai form the first, while [=MegaMan=].EXE, Roll.EXE and Protoman.EXE plus Gutsman.EXE and Glyde.EXE form the second. As the former are partners of the latter respectively, clearly it's a case of like to like.
145* ''Videogame/MinecraftStoryMode'' initially revolves around three friends -- Jesse, Olivia, and Axel. Once the BigBad shows up, the three are joined by [[LonerTurnedFriend resident loner]] Petra and [[TheRival rival builder]] Lukas (who already know each other).
146* In the MagicalGirl / SuperRobotGenre [[ShowWithinAShow show/game within a show]] ''[[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Pure White Lover Bizarre Jelly]]'' from ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'', the power trio was Strawberry ([[CallingYourAttacks on the Shortcake!]]), Blueberry (Cheese Brownie!), and Cranberry (Chocolate Sundae!). In the sequel ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'', they add Gooseberry (Sugar Donut) and [[OddNameOut Nutberry]] (no attack given). The new opening to the show highlights the Three Plus Two trope.
147* The action in ''VideoGame/Persona3'' begins with SEES comprised of a FiveManBand... but only the three newest members are available to fight at the start. The other two are more experienced members, one serving as your initial MissionControl, and the other recovering from injuries, but both of them join the front lines in relatively short order.
148* The Eeveelutions from ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', not counting Eevee itself from Gen II to Gen III. Interestingly enough they had Sentai like colors attached to them also. The Trio of Flareon (Red) Vaporeon (Blue) Jolteon (Yellow) plus the duo of Espeon (Pinkish Purple) and Umbreon (Black). Now they're more of a 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 with Leafeon (Green) and Glaceon (Whitish Blue) in Gen VI and Sylveon in Gen VI (Pink). Fans anticipate that number continuing to grow until it reaches 17 in total.
149** There is also a group of OlympusMons called the Legendary Titans, a group of Legendary Pokemon introduced in Generation III. In ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'', the trio are composed of Regirock, Regice and Registeel. However, in the ''Crown Tundra'' DLC of ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', they added Regidrago and Regieleki. The two sub-groups altogether are different from each other, but the members of original trio and subsequently added duo are individually similar to each other. Regirock, Regice, and Registeel are all made of physical material and are defensively oriented, possessing Clear Body as their lone standard ability and have a hidden ability, while Regieleki and Regidrago are both made of metaphysical energy and are offensively oriented, only possessing an ability that boosts the power of moves of their type, without any hidden ability.
150** Likewise, in ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'', the Forces of Nature introduced in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', composed of Thundurus, Tornadus and Landorus, is joined by a fourth member: Enamorus (complete with its Therian Forme in this case).
151* In the classic ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' games on Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, the playable characters consisted of Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles 'Tails' Prower, and Knuckles the Echidna, who became a Power Trio by the end of ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles''. They were the only characters to be playable in any of the side-scrolling platforming installments released in the 90's, with the exception of ''VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix''. In the ''[[VideoGame/SonicAdvanceTrilogy Sonic Advance]]'' trilogy, all three were playable again, this time alongside Amy Rose (making her playable side-scrolling platforming debut after being playable in the ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 games]]) and Cream the Rabbit (who debuted in ''Sonic Advance 2'').
152** The initial release of ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' featured the series' iconic PowerTrio of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as playable characters, with [[VideoGame/SegaSonicTheHedgehog Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel]] (the long-forgotten members of Sonic's initial PowerTrio) joining in the ''Plus'' update.
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156* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' has two sets of 3+2 in the same group of five.
157** Agatha, Gil and Tarvek -- a LoveTriangle, crossed with WeUsedToBeFriends for Gil and Tarvek, with all three being extremely powerful [[MadScientist Sparks]] -- Zeetha and Violetta lack the mad science aspect, and lean towards being sidekicks in the more science-heavy arcs.
158** Agatha, Zeetha and Violetta -- BeautyBrainsAndBrawn with a twist -- in Zeetha's words, ''"'''You've''' got the brains, '''I've''' got the muscle, Violetta's got the '''sneaky!'''"'' In the current story arc, they're the only three of the five to actually still be together -- Gil and Tarvek are elsewhere, and occasionally [[spoiler:else''when'']].
159* ''Webcomic/M9Girls'' implies Any, Pato and Clau have been classmates and possibly friends from before the start of the comic, then they recruit Karla for splitting homework. Eventually, [[spoiler: Karla's friend Vero joins as the SixthRanger]].
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163* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' starts with [[TheHero Aang]], [[TheSmartGuy Sokka]] and Katara, and later picks up [[TheBigGuy Toph]] and [[spoiler:[[TheLancer Zuko]]]] to complete the band. Suki joins the main cast as a full member near the end.
164* This happens a lot on ''WesternAnimation/TheBackyardigans''. Uniqua, Pablo, and Tyrone appear in almost every episode, while Tasha and Austin are each absent a third of the time. Many episode that feature all five characters have the former three in one group and the latter two in another, notably "Cave Party". The boys are also both a FreudianTrio and a BigThinShortTrio while the girls are a TomboyAndGirlyGirl duo, resulting in a few three plus two episodes that are also {{Gender Separated Ensemble Episode}}s, notably "The Legend of the Volcano Sisters".
165* In ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' Optimus, Rattrap and Rhinox are the core trio, the leader and his two lieutenants (acting as the Kirk, The [=McCoy=] and the Spock, respectively). The three of them are in on all the secrets and will be trusted with things the others aren't. When Optimus is gone, leadership will generally be handled jointly by the two of them. Cheetor and Dinobot (the idealistic new guy and the cynical veteran) are the other two. Cheetor is trusted, but because of his youth and inexperience, he's still on the outside and is not involved in any decisions. Dinobot can't always be trusted because of his Predacon heritage and tendency to do some decidedly un-Maximal things, and is thus also kept at a distance. There's a revolving door of "outsider" Maximals, but the three "insiders" remain Optimus, Rattrap and Rhinox for the whole run.
166* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Centurions}}'', the core trio of Max Ray, Jake Rockwell and Ace [=McCloud=] is joined by new members Rex Charger and John Thunder in later episodes. However, this MerchandiseDriven variation of the trope has less to do with character dynamics than the toy company's desire to add new heroes to the action figure line.
167* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' jumps back and forth. It starts off with Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd as the only action heroes ([[DamselInDistress Aelita]] has no attacks and Jérémie is MissionControl). Then in season 3, Aelita [[TookALevelInBadass Takes a Level in Badass]], and later on the team picks up [[SixthRanger William]]. [[spoiler:For about half of an episode anyway, before he gets semi-permanently possessed by XANA]].
168* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' centers its action around Fry, Leela and Bender, but at times others have been added: Zapp Brannigan and Kif on a few occasions, but more generally it's Zoidberg and Professor Farnsworth, or Zoidberg and Amy, or ''Zoidberg'' (notice a pattern?) and Hermes. In later episodes, sometime Cubert and Dwight too.
169* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' starts out with [[TheHero Korra]] meeting [[BigFun Bolin]] and [[TheStoic Mako]], with Mako's girlfriend [[UptownGirl Asami]] joining later. {{Old Master}}s [[TeamDad Tenzin]] and [[DaChief Lin]] make it a full force of six.
170* ''WesternAnimation/{{Lolirock}}'' focuses on Iris, Talia, and Auriana, but starting in season 2, they are sometimes joined by Carissa and Lyna.
171* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' has two brothers, Phineas and Ferb, plus three friends: Isabella, Buford, and Baljeet.
172* The main team in ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'' has Pidge, Lance, and Hunk initially as fight cadets who are later joined by Keith and Shiro.
173** Plotwise, their status is flipped: Keith, Shiro, and Pidge are the Three with the most importance to the story, while Hunk and Lance serve as the less-important Two.
174* ''WesternAnimation/WorldOfQuest'' has [[InvertedTrope Two Plus Three]]. While all of the main characters except Anna share a past, the show is quite obviously focused on the interaction between Nestor and Quest.
175* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'''s first season: the Team begins with Comicbook/{{Robin}}, [[FragileSpeedster Kid Flash]] and [[MakingASplash Aqualad]], experienced sidekicks who already know each other. The three rescue ComicBook/{{Superboy}} and are later joined by [[SuperPowerLottery Miss Martian]] and Artemis, making a case of Three Plus Three. However, it's the newcomers who wind up getting more focus and CharacterDevelopment by the time the season ends.
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