->''"If this is a war, I'll need an army. Or a ''really'' good team."''
-->-- '''Commander Shepard''', ''VideoGame/MassEffect2''

A 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 the most super-skilled person is good, a team of them must be even better, right?

To get a Dream Team, sometimes the constraints of time and space are relaxed. What if SherlockHolmes, Ellery Queen, NeroWolfe, Lew Archer and LordPeterWimsey teamed up to solve crime? Answer: detective Dream Team. What if Superman, Batman and Spider-Man teamed up to save the world? Answer: Superhero Dream Team (See TheRandomverse for a version of this).

A good Dream Team has members who, while having majored in the same field, all minored in different specialties. Expect a PlotTailoredToTheParty.

Dream 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 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.

Expect 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.

Compare MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny, AllStarCast, or FirstContactTeam.

[[NamesTheSame Not to be confused with]] the British soccer club based SoapOpera ''Dream Team'' which occasionally used this trope but more often ran with a RagtagBunchOfMisfits.

[[noreallife]]
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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''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.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'': [[TheHero Luffy]], [[spoiler:[[VillainousHarlequin Buggy]], [[DirtyCoward Mr.3]], [[AgentPeacock Mr.2 Bon Clay]], [[CreepyCrossdresser Emporio Ivankov]], [[EdwardScissorhands Inazuma]], [[SharkMan Jinbe]], ''[[MagnificentBastard Crocodile]]'', and [[PsychoForHire Mr.1]]]] teaming up is definitely squee-material.
** The name of the chapter? '''The Strongest Team is Formed - Shake Impel Down to it's Core!'''
* The manga ''KarakuridoujiUltimo'', a joint project written by ''ShamanKing'' creator Hiroyuki Takei, and frickin' StanLee.
* Averted in ''Manga/AirMaster''. The light-headed protagonist is portraying a generic Mook on a theme park, fighting some Sentai heroes. She beats the shit out of them without a thought, just by reflex. To avoid stopping the show and making their public sad, every member of the filming crew comes to the stage wearing costumes of an army of Kamen Rider-like old heroes. The dads of the children start cheering their youth idols. Airmaster then proceeds to kick every ass that gets too close to her.
* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'':
** ''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.
** ''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.
** 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.
* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' 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.
** 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.
* NanaMizuki and MinamiTakayama as Tsubasa and Kanade, respectfully, performing together in the opening of ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear''. These two are some of the ''biggest'' names in J-Pop, [[spoiler:except it was TooGoodToLast since Kanade bites it at the first episode's ''prologue''. [[PosthumousCharacter She still pops up here and there in Tsubasa's mind though]]]].
* Kuroko's former team in ''Manga/KurokoNoBasuke'' 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 DreamTeam [[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.
* In ''{{Escaflowne}}'', 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* The JusticeSocietyOfAmerica was the ''original'' dream team of superheroes.
* The 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.
* ''TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'': The League members are all either super powered or BadassNormal [[MassiveMultiplayerCrossover heroes of Victorian literature]].
* ''{{Necronauts}}'': Creator/ArthurConanDoyle, Creator/HPLovecraft, Charles Fort and Harry Houdini team up.
* ''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.
* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' features the new Justice League, Batman's army and Luthor's army. Plus Batman and Luthor team up!
* ''SupermanRedSon'' features the Amazonians, led by WonderWoman, a GreenLanternCorps composed entirely of grizzly war vets and most of Superman's rogues Gallery led by Lex Luthor going into battle against Superman and Brainiac at the end.
* The {{JLA-Avengers}} crossover featured the JLA and the Avengers (after a series of LetsYouAndHimFight incidents) teaming up. And it is awesome.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fanfic]]
* The expanded Dept. of Hotness from the MegaCrossover fic, [[http://alaxr274.deviantart.com/gallery/37280372 Hottie 3: The Best Fan Fic in the World]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* The movie '' The Dream Team'' averts the hell out of this: the "team" in question is made of four mental patients, all of whom are barely able to function without their handler. It's mostly through dumb luck and a feeling of mutual loyalty towards said handler that they're able to work together.
* The Louisianna Gator-Boys from ''BluesBrothers 2000''. 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, EricClapton, Bo Diddley, Dr. John, Jeff Baxter and several other successful musicians -- a true Supergroup.
* ''TheGreatEscape'': The Luftwaffe unintentionally creates an escaper dream team. Quoth Big X:
-->'''Bartlett:''' The men are here to do it. The Germans have put every escape artist in Germany in this camp, you said so yourself.
* ''TheGunsOfNavarone''. Each member of the team is the best at what he does: killing, explosives, mountain climbing, being lucky, etc.
* ''Film/{{Species}}''. The team created to hunt down and kill Sil.
* ''Film/TheAvengers'' features IronMan, CaptainAmerica, [[TheMightyThor Thor]], ComicBook/BlackWidow, {{Hawkeye}} and NickFury, all being played by the same actors who appeared in the ''Film/IronMan'', ''Film/{{Thor}}'' and ''Film/CaptainAmerica'' movies; in addition to a re-cast (again) [[TheHulk Hulk]].
* The "Super Posse" of famous lawmen hired by the Union Pacific Railroad to hunt down ''ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid''. In Butch and Sundance's case a "nightmare team"!
* For the RollingStones concert film ''ShineALight'' director MartinScorsese assembled seven of among the best cinematographers in the industry just to operate the cameras at the Beacon Theater in NYC where the show was held.
* ''The Dream Team'': This Michael Keaton 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.
* ''Film/SevenSamurai'' and ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven'', albeit with one member being a rookie in each line-up. They're the best samurai/gunslingers to ever be assembled.
* ''Film/TheExpendables'' is an odd case, as it only fits the trope out-of-universe. In-universe, the Expendables are a very competent team, but they are not particularly noteworthy as individuals. In RealLife, they are composed of nearly every action movie star of the past 30 years, with the exception of Arnold Schwarzenegger (who had other commitments, but makes a cameo).
** Until the finale of [[TheExpendables2 the sequel]] when Schwarzenegger joins the team as does Bruce Willis and Chuck Norris
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In the book ''RainbowSix'' Rainbow is an international anti-terrorist organization composed of former members of various special forces worldwide.
* In ''Literature/LordOfTheRings'' 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.
** The Fellowship is part example, part parody. There's Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir, Gimili and Legolas, which is a pretty cool team (a wizard, two human badasses, a dwarf and an elf). Then... there's the four Hobbits they're dragging around, even though they more than prove themselves later on.
* In ''Literature/{{Changes}}'', [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]] pulls together a DreamTeam 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.
* 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."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* After they started replacing the entire cast with [[Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy season seven]], and up to the [[Series/PowerRangersSPD thirteenth season]], ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' 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.
** Additionally, the [[Series/PowerRangersInSpace sixth season]] had two episodes where previous Rangers ([[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers Adam]] and [[Series/PowerRangersTurbo Justin]]) returned.
*** Oh, and an episode where they ''teamed up with the Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles!'' Okay, it was the ''[[Series/NinjaTurtlesTheNextMutation Next Mutation]]'' Turtles, but still.
** 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 [[MightyMorphinPowerRangers second]] seasons returned.
* 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 ''[[ChourikiSentaiOhranger Ohranger]] vs. [[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.
** In ''HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger vs. Super Sentai'' (the 25th anniversary movie), the Gaorangers teamed up with a Dream Team consisting of [[JAKQDengekitai Big One]], [[ChoujuuSentaiLiveman Red Falcon]], [[DenjiSentaiMegaranger Mega Pink]], [[SeijuuSentaiGingaman Ginga Blue]] and [[KyuukyuuSentaiGogoFive Go Yellow]]. The other past Red Rangers also made cameos as well, albeit [[FakeShemp in costume only]].
** In ''GoGoSentaiBoukenger'' (the 30th anniversary movie), the Dream Team consisted of [[NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger Hurricane Blue]], [[BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger Abare Black]], [[TokusouSentaiDekaranger Deka Break]], [[MahouSentaiMagiranger Magi Yellow & Magi Shine]] and a new hero named [[OriginalGeneration Aka Red]], who embodies the powers of all the previous Red Rangers.
** 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.
*** ''Film/KaizokuSentaiGokaigerVsSpaceSheriffGavanTheMovie''. The combination of SpacePirates and SpacePolice is just plain awesome.
** ''Film/KamenRiderXSuperSentaiSuperheroTaisen'' as well, and, within the movie itself, various Sentai teams partner up with similarly-themed Riders for the big brawl.
* The team on ''Series/{{Threshold}}'', though it was actually called the Red Team.
* ''Joe 90'' 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.
* [[TheMightyBoosh Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt]] in [[NathanBarley a production]] written by CharlieBrooker? Sign me up!
* 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* A {{Supergroup}} is the music version of a Dream Team.
* Quincy Jones, mainly remembered today for "Soul Bossa Nova" (the theme of the ''AustinPowers'' films) and the soundtrack to ''TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'', released his opus ''Back on the Block'' in 1989. The album featured the crème de la crème of the black pop, R&B, soul, jazz and rap scenes, for its time. Over 100 contributors are cited throughout the liner notes, including MilesDavis, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, RayCharles, BarryWhite, Melle Mel, Herbie Hancock, Rod Temperton and Greg Phillinganes (best remembered for all of the synth work on MichaelJackson's ''Off the Wall'' and ''Thriller''; Phillinganes also developed a lot of StevieWonder's synths during the 70s and 80s) and even Jesse Jackson. The album went on to win seven Grammys, including Album of the Year.
* LadyGaga, EltonJohn, BruceSpringsteen, [[{{Blondie}} Debbie Harry]], {{Sting}}, [[JamesBond Shirley Bassey]] singing "Don't Stop Believing". They only way to make it better would have been to have Steve Perry
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Myth and Legend]]
* OlderThanFeudalism: All surviving versions of ''JasonAndTheArgonauts''.
* ''Literature/HrolfKrakisSaga'' has the eponymous main character form a team of heroes to replace his earlier team of berserkers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sports]]
* The TropeNamer is the 1992 American men's {{Olympic|Games}} basketball team. The Americans had always been dominant in basketball at the Olympics sending college basketball players to comply with amateur requirements, but a bronze medal in 1988 was embarrassing enough that for the first time professional players ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Christian Laettner]]) were selected for the 1992 team (after the International Basketball Federation opened the games to pros). It was almost certainly the greatest collection of talent ever assembled on one basketball team (and quite possibly any sport), with at least three players (Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan) who were arguably the best in their positions to ever play the game. Eleven of the twelve team members are in the Basketball Hall of Fame, and the twelfth is considered one of the greatest college players of all time. It's a team that did not have room for the likes of Shaquille O'Neal and Isaiah Thomas. Coach Chuck Daly remarked that it was like "[[ElvisPresley Elvis]] and Music/TheBeatles put together." They won by an average of almost 44 points; the closest game saw them win by 32 against Croatia.
* Similar rule changes allowed NHL players to compete at the Winter Olympics, resulting in an entire tournament full of Dream Teams.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* In a real life/media crossover, the "''Les Miserables'' - The Dream Cast in Concert" recording pulls (theoretically, and in many cases widely-accepted) the best performers for each role, from Broadway, London, and Australia, for one performance.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* You can make this happen yourself in ''BackyardSports'', as you choose your players (many of which are some of the best players in the leagues).
* 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.
* Some of the best people from Enix hired themselves out to Square to make ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', along with Akira Toriyama, and actually used the name "Dream Team" for themselves in the DevelopersRoom.[[hottip:*:''ChronoCross'' was also made by the Dream Team, but without Toriyama.]] Sadly, and more than a bit confusingly, nothing similar has happened since the two companies merged.
* Most any party-based RPG ever involves this at some level. Even when they're a RagtagBunchOfMisfits, you do end up saving the world in the company of some of the best-qualified people in it.
** The whole point of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' is to put together a DreamTeam of the toughest badasses in the entire galaxy in an attempt to survive a SuicideMission.
* Meta example: For a ''Team Fortress 2'' international cup, Team France was pieced together using the best players around, based both on team skills and individual skills. The end result was a truly magnificent dream team, composed of the cream of the French crop, which was [[DeconstructedTrope purely unable to work as a team due to everybody having wildly different playstyles.]]
* Most of the plot of ''Fable II'' 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 Hero of Skill, which is harder than it sounds.
* InazumaEleven , 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 mish mash of the cream of the crop.
** Inazuma Eleven Go Chrono Stone has 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 OdaNobunaga.]]
* DissidiaFinalFantasy was made with this trope in mind.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''TheDragonDoctors'': The best surgeon, the best shaman/therapist, the best [[VoluntaryShapeshifting alterist]]/wizard, the best science mage.
* ''WebComic/AxeCop'' is what happens when a supremely imaginative six-year-old boy's ideas are taken up by his brother, a supremely talented twenty-nine-year-old comic book illustrator.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:WebOriginal]]
* While Team Kimba of the 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 CrazyAwesome Generator.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The entire premise of ''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]].
[[/folder]]

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