Analysis / Five Man Band Sorting

This is a page to post any and all ideas regarding the description for a new Five Man Band trope. While it can be related to/derived from the sorting on the sandbox, it can also be something wholly new.

Rewrites That Keep Five-Man Band's current roles

• An expansion on a Power Trio to five people for more interesting and complex dynamics & for when the band is assembled to accomplish a mission/task in order to more realistically divvy out roles/responsibilities. The group is composed of The Leader who leads the team, The Lancer who acts as the leader's right hand person and is created to contrast with them in some important way, The Smart Guy who is the main brains of group and is contrasted by, The Big Guy who provides the brawn, and The Heart who acts as the group's peacemaker, mediating the contrasting group dynamics. Not unlike the Freudian Trio that has a Foil pair and a mediator, the FMB has two sets of Foils that the mediator has to bring together. Thus, the FMB is created to explicitly highlight and emphasize contrasts among its members. Given the emphasis on contrasts, the group is likely to have either the leader/lancer duo base that everyone else joins, a Three Plus Two situation play out with The Heart now part of the base group, or a four person group that The Heart joins as the missing piece that gives the team the stability it needed to get something done.

Potential Trope in Aggregate Definitions/examples

Proposal A

Good things come in pairs, three is a magic number, four is death, and for some reason we just like the number five. Maybe because there are five fingers to count on one hand. Or two legs, two arms and a head. Something about it makes it the perfect amount of intrigue but still simple enough to understand. Sounds like a good set up for a team.

A group of five can get a ton of combinations out of the ensemble without it feeling bloated. Longrunning Toku series like Science Ninja Team Gatchaman in 1972 and Super Sentai in 1975 (see also Power Rangers) were iconic for five member teams. Similar patterns were emerging western nerdom with Star Wars in 1977.

Within a single work it may not be significant that there are five, but on the whole it's a common set up. Two tiers of formations you might see often enough:

• Staple Sentais: (or capturing the "near misses") The most staple and consistent colors in Power Rangers are the Red Ranger as the leading man, and the Pink Ranger as the leading woman. The other three add variety so kids can pick a favorite. As a shorthand, this was partly driven by toy companies that would check the box for one obviously feminine figure but wanted to sell more toys for boys. The gender dynamics can be played with (female "Reds," male "Pinks," overall gender balance etc.) but the default endures. For the toss up roles, you might throw in a buddy for the "Red" and then the remaining two can be obviously different (big and small, old and young, funny and serious, smart and strong) but don't get hung up on this. In short, The Hero, The Heroine, and three others for flavor. In the wild:
  • Pokémon Masters: To parody levels, The Team Break Baddies. Ace is "Red," Ranger is "Pink," Thug, Blackbelt, and Scientist are toss ups (but are a Bad Butt, the muscle, and the intelligence officer respectively).
  • Kingdom Hearts II: The protectors of the light in the battle against Xemnas. Sora is "Red," Kairi is "Pink," Riku, Donald and Goofy are toss ups (But Riku is Sora's Best Friend and rival, while Donald and Goofy are a shortempered magic attacker and an easy going physical defender that work for the King.)
  • Teen Titans: Robin is "Red," Starfire is "Pink," Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven are toss ups (but also Robin's Number Two, the funny guy, and the stoic respectively)
  • Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers: Chip is "Red," Gadget is "Pink,", Dale, Monty and Zipper are toss ups (but Dale is Chip's co-founding partner, and Zipper and Monty are a Little Guy, Big Buddy duo.)
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Leo is "Red," April is "Pink," Raph, Don, and Mike are toss ups (but Raph is Leo's cool but rude foil, and Don and Mike are the brainy nerd and the goofy party dude.)
  • Batwheels: Just announced Batman's Bam is "Red," Batgirl's Bibi is "Pink," Robin's Redbird, Buff and Batwing are toss ups (but Redbird is Bam's sidekick, and Buff is a monster truck that doesn't know is own strength while Batwing is a sophisticated and confident jet plane.)
• Five-Man Band Classic: (or the old rules based on roles) Taking out the gendered toyetic appeal of the Staple Sentai, but focusing on their typical functions. "Red" goes from leading man to The Leader of The Team. "Pink" isn't leading woman, but the emotional Heart, a mood maker or confidante for the others. "Red's buddy" is codified as The Lancer that foils their leadership directly and meaningfully. The final pair then must be The Smart Guy and The Big Guy, the Brains and Brawn support to overcome obstacles. These well defined roles flow together like instruments in a rock band. The Leader (lead vocals) The Lancer (lead guitar) The Heart (bass guitar and harmony) The Smart Guy (keys and special effects) The Big Guy (drums and percussion). Of course this formation almost always overlaps with the above. In the wild:
  • Science Ninja Team Gatchaman One of the oldest examples, possible the first place where the team dynamic and combining mecha intersected. The Leader: Ken "The Eagle" Washio (G1), the tactical expert with a strong sense of justice. He is the eponymous “Gatchaman” of the show’s title. The Lancer: Joe "The Condor" Asakura (G2), the weapons and marksmanship expert, driven by his desire for revenge. The Heart: Jun "The Swan" (G3), the technical and demolitions expert, and the sole female. Very kind, compassionate and emphatic towards others (but sometimes temperamental). The Smart Guy: Jinpei "The Swallow" (G4), the reconnaissance expert. He is Jun's adopted younger brother, clever and resourceful. The Big Guy: Ryu "The Owl" Nakanishi (G5), the pilot of the Godphoenix, the team’s group transport, battle aircraft, and docking bay for the other G machines. He is easy going and friendly, being a gentle soul in nature.
  • Marvel Cinematic Universe Avengers Initiative. Captain America leads and inspires. Iron Man supplies but snarkily doesn't play well with others. Bruce Banner solves science problems, keeping the Hulk as a last resort battle mode. Thor is a Physical God that likes to solve problems with his hammer first. Black Widow is the calming rational one keeps the team together as the family she never had.
  • Sailor Moon: The Inner Senshi, in the manga more than the 90s anime. Venus is the bold field leader and most experienced senshi. Mars is her refined and aloof lieutenant. Mercury is the most intelligent. Jupiter is the strongest. Moon combines The Heart and The Chosen One roles, as the pure hearted but ditzy everygirl that brings them together.
  • Wings of Fire: The five prophesized Dragonets of Destiny. Tsunami is the Type-A defacto Leader, Glory is snarky and distant Lancer, Clay is a Gentle Giant Big Guy, Starflight is the Book Smart Guy, and Sunny is the friendly and excitable Heart.
  • Star Wars: The Bad Batch: The modified clones that make up Clone Force 99. Hunter is The Leader; his enhanced senses give him acute awareness of his surroundings and ability to read people, making him an excellent tracker and sly talker, and he is generally the most level-headed member of the team. Crosshair is The Lancer; his exceptional eyesight makes him an excellent sniper. His curt and unpleasant demeanor contrasts Hunter's heavily, and after Order 66 goes live he has the most direct conflict with him about what direction they should take in the new Empire. Tech is The Smart Guy; his analytical skills allow him to come up with theories and draw conclusions faster than most, though he often neglects to tell anyone else of his findings, assuming they're obvious. Wrecker is The Big Guy; he has enhanced strength and endurance. There's not much else to him; he likes to blow stuff up and is great with kids. Omega is The Heart; she's a young clone whose empathy, cheerfulness, idealism, and lack of experience from the wear and tear of intergalactic war make her this for the squad, hence their extreme desire to protect her. She's also the first female of what were thought to be all male clones, making the group feel more similar to the Staple Sentai set up.
  • Fire Emblem: Awakening: Chrom's core team among the Shepherds, a militia group led by royalty. The Leader: Chrom, the Exalt of Ylisse and commander of the Shepherds. The Lancer: Masked Marth, a mysterious stranger who mimics Chrom's fighting style and weapon to that tries to protect and guide the team in her own way Later revealed to be Lucina his Kid from the Future who is willing to risk everything to change fate. The Smart Guy: Robin, the master tactician, who has a love of books and a variety of latent powers. The Big Guy: Frederick, the pre-promoted, dutiful, refined cornerstone of the Shepherds' army. A Veteran Instructor and Battle Butler. The Heart: Lissa, Chrom's younger sister, and The Medic. She's an upbeat Genki Girl, among the most likeable and approachable of the Shepherds.

Even if you don't have perfect roles and archetypes, what makes the team work best is the fun variety of dynamics you can get out of them. Like Power Trios, an odd number of characters creates the constant need to find balance. Dynamics aren't rigid. They can change depending on where the camera focuses, or between story arcs. Characters get depth out of their closest relationships, and how they observe relationships around them like:

• A Red Oni, Blue Oni pair with the other three supporting or taking sides.
• A emotional ground or love interest pair, with the other three supporting.
• The Heart as the mediator between The Leader and The Lancer, with the other two supporting.
• A Standardized Leader as The Kirk that mediates between four distinct characters going in different directions.
• A scale from extremes on one end to extremes on the other, with a neutral figure.
• An alpha pair and "Beta Couple" with a fifth wheel.
• A quartet that needs a fifth member to stabilize or complete them.
• A pre-existing trio and duo forced together.
• Others?

Examples of fluid dynamics:

• Taking the Kingdom Hearts II example under Staple Sentai, at least four dynamics are happening. A Three Plus Two of Sora, Donald, and Goofy as the core team, with Kairi and Riku as Sora's childhood friends just reunited. Sora as Standardized Leader, not as incorruptible Kairi's light or struggling with darkness like Riku, and a Magic Knight that's not as physical as Goofy or as magical as Donald. Kairi as Sora and Riku's shared love interest, with Donald and Goofy observing. Sora and Riku as the two best warriors who can take on the Big Bads like Ansem and Xemnas, with Kairi, Donald, and Goofy in support roles.
• Taking the Teen Titans example, Robin and Star are love interests, and Beast Boy and Raven are a subtle Beta Couple, while Cyborg's romances are mostly outside the team. Star and Raven are Light Feminine and Dark Feminine Red Oni, Blue Oni pair. Cyborg is a laidback Blue Oni Number Two to Robin's determined Red Oni leadership style. On a scale from fun to serious, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Star, Robin, Raven, where the former two love to party, the latter two prioritize work, and Star just wants everyone to get along. etc.

Proposal B

Five member teams pop up in media because they are useful for exploring a wide variety intragroup dynamics, without becoming so large as to be unwieldy. If two is not a group, three is a tad too intimate, and four misses out on crucial three-man dynamics, five is the best way to explore the full range of Duo Tropes, Power Trios, and even four man team dynamics without sacrificing anything or becoming too confusing to follow. The most common ways these groups are explored are primarily through Three Plus Two which separates the team into a Power Trio and a less relevant duo; the inverse of that which separates the team into a Foil or Mirror Character pair with a supporting Power Trio; or a "two contrasting sets, 1 mediator" dynamic that features two sets of foils or mirrors and a single character that brings balance to the entire team. In this last iteration, the The Leader / The Lancer is almost always a set and the mediating character is typically The Heart; the remaining set is a wild card that can be filled by any possible contrasting Duo Tropes.