The FiveManBand is a group of characters whose members fall into archetypes which all complement one another. They are a very specific team with skills that contribute to the group in a unique way.

The group traditionally includes:

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* TheHero -- ''(lead singer)'' The leader of the group. Can be clean-cut and upstanding, bold and charismatic, serious and driven, or some combination of the three.
* TheLancer -- ''(lead guitar)'' The second-in-command, usually a [[{{Foil}} contrast]] to The Hero. If the Hero is clean-cut and/or uptight, the Lancer is a grizzled AntiHero or DeadpanSnarker; if the Hero is driven and [[WhatTheHellHero somewhat amoral]], the Lancer is more relaxed and level-headed.
* TheSmartGuy -- ''(keyboardist, bass guitar)'' The physically weak, but intelligent or clever member. Often nerdy and awkward played for comic relief. Sometimes unconventionally young (early- to mid-teens). Sometimes a [[{{Tricksters}} trickster]] and a buddy of the Big Guy. May be the one with all the "street" connections.
* TheBigGuy -- ''(drummer)'' The strongman of the team. May be dumb. Or mute.
* TheChick -- ''(vocal effects, tambourine)'' A peacekeeping role to balance out the other members aggression, bringing them to a nice or at least manageable medium. The Chick is often considered the heart of the group. Not [[TheSmurfettePrinciple always female,]] but the role is usually taken by the TokenGirl (hence the name). Sometimes referred to as [[TheLoad "the useless girl"]].

!!Associated Character Tropes
* BigBrotherMentor / {{Team Mom}} / {{Team Dad}} / CoolBigSis
* TheBumblebee is the kid-appeal character. May overlap with the TagalongKid, TeamPet, or even take the place of a team member, likely TheChick.
* TheHeart is the band's moral center. Similar to TheMessiah, they remind the team that there are other people to worry about besides themselves. Usually an aspect of TheChick.
* TheMedic -- Generally either TheChick or TheSmartGuy, or a combination of the two; more likely to be TheSmartGuy the further up the MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness you go.
* {{Mentors}} -- The wise advisory type who comes and goes. Potentially organizes the team, trains them to be an effective group, and/or has a personal connection with the BigBad. They [[MentorOccupationalHazard might be killed]] to give the group someone to rally around.
* SixthRanger -- A johnny-come-lately addition to the team, often an outrider type who has been lurking on the edges of the action from the beginning. Their addition to the FiveManBand usually shakes up the status quo. Has a tendency to be a [[HeelFaceTurn defector]] from the bad guys. Sometimes the EnsembleDarkhorse.
* TagalongKid -- Usually the Hero's or the Chick's younger sibling. Gets to save the day about once per season, thus generating about a 1:63 ratio of "being useful" to [[TheLoad "getting kidnapped."]]
* The TeamPet -- The dog, cute alien, or RobotBuddy. Might occasionally enable plots, but not really a character in the conventional sense.

'''Note:''' Variations occur where the core five are different or overlap. Don't take the title too literally -- it's the roles more than the numbers that matter.

See also ThreeAmigos, PowerTrio, and CastCalculus. Fighting ability is usually determined by DistributionOfNinjutsu.

Contrast with the FiveBadBand. ThePsychoRangers are the collective EvilCounterpart of a given FiveManBand.

Compare the CommandRoster, for military-esque teams.
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!!Associated Tropes:
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience -- If they have uniforms or similar outfits, members will have different colors to help tell them apart. Usually TheHero wears red and TheChick wears pink, other members are more variable.
* FiveTokenBand -- When everyone is a different enthnicity.
* TransformationSequence (or LockAndLoadMontage, if they don't have actual powers that allow for transformations)
* {{Transformation Trinket}}s (morphers, bracelets, senshi wands...)
* TokenEvilTeammate
* TokenMinority''[=/=]''TokenWhite

This can sometimes literally be a musical group. Characters can also be divided by personality instead of function: See FourTemperamentEnsemble.
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!!Notable five person bands

These are examples of teams that fit '''at least four''' of the character tropes. Remember that they form a team dynamic; it's always tempting to match two of the characters in a show, then try to convince yourself and others that the other characters can be squeezed/wedged/stuffed into the description of the other character types, but that's not the point of the FiveManBand trope. The individual character types exist outside of the band. '''The FiveManBand only occurs when the team as a whole fits, not just a few characters.'''

As a rule of thumb, if your band example has to justify more than two types, or a single trope with more than two sentences of qualifiers, you're trying to pull a fast one. If it isn't a FiveManBand, it isn't a FiveManBand.

* FiveManBand/{{Anime}}
* FiveManBand/ComicBooks
* FiveManBand/{{Film}}
* FiveManBand/{{Literature}}
* FiveManBand/LiveActionTV
* FiveManBand/VideoGames
* FiveManBand/{{Webcomics}}
* FiveManBand/WesternAnimation
* FiveManBand/{{Other}} - well, everything else
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