[[quoteright:226:http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TheRescue.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:226:The KnightInShiningArmor in action]]

'''Who ya gonna call?'''

A heroic party whose official professions are defined vaguely enough to allow them to go on all sorts of adventures. Generally requires only one catch (like simply being paid) to take any job no matter how unusual or apparently trite, and all are treated with the same amount of professionalism.

A noticeable trend is for these groups is being some variation of either mercenary work or detective work. If dealing with supernatural forces, you ''literally'' have a WhoYouGonnaCall on your hands.

People who do this stuff without getting paid generally have ChronicHeroSyndrome.

Someone who wanders from place to place doing this is a KnightErrant.

[[TropeNamer Named for]] the slogan of Angel Investigations in {{Angel}}.
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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

*''GetBackers''
*''Futakoi Alternative''
* The ninjas from ''{{Naruto}}'' are rather like this, jobs ranging from mercenary work to finding a lost cat.
* The main characters from ''{{Gintama}}''.
* The MITHRIL Organization from the ''FullMetalPanic!'' series, on an international scale. They are, amongst other things, hired by the UN to clean up civil wars and stop ethnic cleansing.
* The main FiveManBand from SorcererHunters.
* In ''HajimeNoIppo'', Takeshi Sendoh's backstory has him as an ex-gang leader whose followers actually fought against other gangs to counterattack their abuse of other students. And ever since he was a child, Sendoh strived to protect his friends from bullies: his motto was "Leave this to me! I'm gonna protect you ALL".
*The Black Knights from Code Geass are told that their missions is to protect the weak. Even if they are just being manipulated, they do eventually manage to fulfill this role.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* ''JonSableFreelance''.
* ''HeroesForHire'' Power Man and Iron Fist, though if the cause is just enough, they'll waive the fee.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* The ''{{Ghostbusters}}'', whose philosophy, as Peter says in a television ad, is that "no job is too big, no ''fee'' is too big!" Though they do milk business customers like the Sedgewick Hotel for all they're worth, they're more forgiving when it comes to private individuals like Dana and Louis.
* ''{{Seven Samurai}}'' gives a somewhat ambivalent and often cynical treatment of this.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* Skeeve's team and later the ''M.Y.T.H. Inc.'' crew (in "[[ThemeNaming Some kind of]] {{MYTH}}something" by {{Robert Asprin}}) seems to take any client who can meet their fees. Admittedly, they've built up such a reputation by now that not just anyone can afford to hire them.
* RepairmanJack from F. Paul Wilson's series of novels will fix anything, barring mechanical appliances.
* ''DocSavage''
* ''{{Travis McGee}}'', from John [=MacDonald=]'s novels. He usually gives his profession as 'salvage consulant'.
* ''{{Sherlock Holmes}}'' makes this trope OlderThanRadio, selling his services as a consulting detective to everyone from poor tradesmen and governesses to the official police force of Scotland Yard to aristocrats, captains of industry, and even royalty. He'll even investigate the case for free if the client can't afford to pay him but their problem stirs his interest.
** While it's certainly true that Holmes is glad to help people who need it and see justice done, and glad to collect his fee, his primary motivation is always finding ways to stave off the monstrous boredom that he feels whenever he is not on a case, since his vast intellect makes it very hard to find meaningful challenges and stimulation in life. From his point of view, the more bizarre and outlandish a case is, the better.
* [[DresdenFiles Harry Dresden]], only professional wizard in Chicago.
* In ''ForgottenRealms'' -- pretty much all and any adventuring groups, chartered or not, that have no strict official affiliation. Which is to be expected, as this setting was married to DungeonsAndDragons from a very young age.
* K.A Applegate's ''Animorph'' series plays this trope straight -- in several books, the characters (who are fighting a guerilla war against an occupying alien force) complain about missing school, yet they always end up skipping school ''anyway'' to figh the good fight.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

*''AngelTheSeries'' (Angel Investigations actually used "we help the helpless", memorably mangled by Cordelia into 'hopeless', as its advertising slogan, and in at least one instance, "We hope you're helpless.")
* ''TheATeam''
* ''TheGoodies''
* ''{{Supernatural}}''
* ''TheAvengers''
* ''TheEqualizer''
* ''VengeanceUnlimited'', for one million dollars or [[YouOweMe a favor]].
* ''ThePretender'' does it for free, since he can steal from the baddies' bank accounts.
* ''{{MacGyver}}'' - does he actually HAVE a job?
** Technically yes, but the job description appears to be VERY VERY broadly defined.
* The {{WWE}} tag team The Acolyte Protection Agency (APA for short) hired themselves out to various underdog {{face}}s for bodyguarding, six-man-tag-teaming, and general-purpose ass-kicking. They even had a few faux-commercials for their services, with the tag line "APA: 'cause we need beer money!"
** Also see KroniK late in the run of {{WCW}}, though they were just as likely to take a job {{For The Evulz}}.
* ''BurnNotice''
* The crew of the good ship ''Serenity'' in ''{{Firefly}}''. As an added bonus, some of their jobs ''do'' involve helping the helpless. (When they noticed one of their jobs involved ''exploiting'' the helpless, Captain [[strike:Tightpants]] Mal did a HeelFaceTurn and brought the stolen loot back.)
* ''PushingDaisies''
*The new TNT series ''{{Leverage}}'' has this from the second episode on (in the pilot each of the 5 thieves made out with over $32 million on short-sold stock).
**''Leverage'' is an odd duck because, unlike most other examples of this trope, the characters really don't need money very much at all and are therefore never broke. But then, international thieves are a lot like stock brokers: if the guy's broke, he's probably not worth hiring.
* ''{{Sanctuary}}'' has a slight twist on this, as the main characters generally help abnormal humans, while fighting the more dangerous ones.
* ''TheMiddleman''

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* The majority of adventuring parties in any given TabletopGames, especially ''DungeonsAndDragons'', also tend to be like this, as a cheap and easy way for the GameMaster to get the adventure started.
** Superhero [=RPGs=] are perhaps an even better example.
** In contrast, DarkHeresy characters distinctly don't help the helpless. In fact, since the players work for the Inquisition, chances are they are actively killing the helpless just in case they happen to be Chaos tainted.
** ''{{Shadowrun}}'' teams with any sort of ethics at all tend to fall into this category. Of course, most Shadowrunners are immoral scumbuckets who'd slit their own mama's throat for a single Nuyen, but the player characters are exceptions. Hopefully.
* Troubleshooters from ''{{Paranoia}}'' treat all jobs with the same amount of professionalism. That amount is zero.
** They're troubleshooters: They find trouble, they shoot it.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* ''EliteBeatAgents'' ... but they mainly just stand around and sing so people have the courage to actually do the job themselves.
* Chromas from ''PhantomBrave'', including the protagonist Marona.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* Tagon's Toughs from ''SchlockMercenary''. When confronted with an angry pacifist, Captain Tagon responds:
-->'''Tagon''': But they're almost always bad guys, and we only do it for the money.
* Quentyn from ''TalesOfTheQuestor''. As "Questor" is essentially something of a cross between a community champion and a sword for hire.
* The titular Revenant Braves in ''[[http://www.revenant-braves.schala.net Circumstances of the Revenant Braves]]''.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''KimPossible'': From babysitting to saving the world, "she can do anything".
* Disney animated show ''TheWeekenders'' has a charity organization "helpers helping the helpless," where helpful helpers help helpless people needing help. Description courtesy of the lady in charge losing her thesaurus (she finds it later). Not ''quite'' this trope, but the name is there.
* ''{{The Real Ghostbusters}}'' have been hired by everyone from a pair of young children and a kindly old lady to a Hollywood studio, NASA and the French and Japanese governments. Thankfully, they take that into account when deciding what to charge the customer.
* ''ChipAndDaleRescueRangers'' have the motto "No case too big, no case too small" in their theme song. And they appear to follow that principle...
* Most incarnations of ''ScoobyDoo'', whose teenage heroes, a roaming, freelance detective agency in later versions, stumble into just about every paranormal situation imaginable on a weekly basis and take it upon themselves to help the people they've met and debunk the (usually) fake ghost.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* ''[[http://thelonelywinds.com/library.php The Lonely Winds]]''.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Dershowitz Alan Dershowitz]].
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innocence_Project The Innocence Project]].
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism Sikhs]].

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