The Lancer / Western Animation

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• Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers: Shane Gooseman, the genetically engineered Supertrooper of the is a rare inhuman example. Definitely a little more... questionable in his methods, especially when contrasted with The Hero Zachary Foxx. There's also the fact that Zach is Happily Married while Shane's a Chick Magnet, and that Zach is the eldest person on the team (late 30's to early 40's) while Shane is 19 — barely older than Zach's son.
• Jake the dog is this to his best friend Finn in Adventure Time.
• Alice Nimbletoes, Angelina Ballerina's best friend, in the original and CGI series.
• Katara of Avatar: The Last Airbender merges the roles of The Lancer and The Heart, being both the romantic interest of The Hero and one of his most reliable combat partners.
  • Come the series finale, Zuko seems to fit this role more and more as he bonded with the group and became less of The Sixth Ranger. By this point Katara has taken on the aspect of Team Mom as well.
  • From the Sequel Series The Legend of Korra, Mako grows into this role.
  • Asami basically takes over the position in Book 3.
• Kevin Levin of Ben 10: Alien Force.
  • Rook now takes role to Ben in Ben 10: Omniverse.
• Sparky from Beethoven: The Animated Series is the funny, sarcastic, energetic sidekick of Beethoven, the serious and clean cut The Hero.
• Bionic Six has some sort of tossup between the wife (Helen), and the biological son (Eric).
• Simon Belmont of Captain N: The Game Master is how not to do the Lancer.
• Shao Lin in Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys is both The Lancer and the Action Girl. She is as cautious as Charlie Simian is not; her The Stoic attitude balances his boisterous, cheerful personality.
• Castlevania has Sypha Belnades and Alucard as co-lancers to Trevor Belmont. Trevor is a brooding, hot-headed misanthrope, while Sypha is more personable (but just as hotheaded as Trevor at times) and Alucard is more calm and reserved (but can easily out-brood Trevor).
• Castlevania: Nocturne has Maria Renard as a lancer to Richter Belmont: where Richter is often laid-back and quick with a joke, Maria is more stern and serious. This also extends to their combat abilities: while both are capable of using magic, Richter weaves magic into his fighting style as something of a Kung-Fu Wizard, while Maria prefers to fight at range using her magic familiars.
• Class of 3000 plays with this trope.
  • Nominally, this trope falls into Eddie's hands, as he serves as a contrast both physically (being chubby, white, and blonde-haired to Li'l D being thin, black, and black-haired) and personality-wise (being more reserved and cowardly to Li'l D's sometimes harebrained nature).
  • That being said, all the other kids are content to follow Li'l D's lead and are shown to occupy more or less the same rank. At times, Philly Phil, Tamika, Kim, and Kam have taken on Lancer-like roles.
• Numbuh 5 from Codename: Kids Next Door. She's also the show's main Breakout Character.
• While Longarm of C.O.P.S. (Animated Series), may have the many traits of the average American hero, he is no more then a lancer to team leader Bulletproof.
• Although they weren't part of a Five-Man Band, Donald Duck could be considered this to Mickey Mouse. He was the second most popular character in the Disney stable and something of an Anti-Hero compared to the family friendly Mickey. Also, depending on the story, Donald would either regard Mickey as his best friend or be jealous of his success and popularity.
• In The Dragon Prince, Rayla is this for Callum. From the outset, she serves as the main contrast to Callum in terms of talent, leadership style, and beliefs. On a larger level, their dynamic represents the differences between elves and humans, with Rayla, representing elves, being naturally very talented but morally rigid and inflexible, and with Callum, representing humanity, having few innate talents but a high degree of potential, ambition, and versatility.
  • In the graphic novel "Through the Moon," they briefly switch roles and Callum becomes The Lancer for Rayla.
• Ever After High is a rare example where the protagonist is someone's lancer. Creative freethinker Raven helps Apple — a hidebound traditionalist — to think outside the box and deal with unprecedented situations.
• Exo Squad: Alec DeLeon more often than not was The Lancer to squad leader JT Marsh, though Marsala sometimes filled that role as well, depending on the mission at hand. Marsh himself could be considered the lancer to Admiral Winfield, who was the show's Big Good.
• Bloo from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.
• In Futurama, in a case of The Hero (Fry) being an impulsive but good-natured idiot with occasional flashes of genius, his Lancer counterpart is the rational, intelligent but hot-tempered Leela.
  • Zapp Brannigan, a Miles Gloriosus, has his own Lancer in Kiff, a put-upon Butt-Monkey.
  • Professor Farnsworth is a Mad Scientist; Amy Wong, his assistant, is a Genius Ditz.
• Brooklyn in Gargoyles, especially when Goliath promoted him to be his Number Two. He differs in that while Goliath is very physical and direct in his methods with a knack for inspiring his clan, Brooklyn is quieter and more calculating at work as a superb tactician who can organize assaults that seemingly can whup anybody. His only major weakness is that he hates Demona with a fury strong enough to attack her on sight, to the frustration of the clan. Brooklyn is the second type of lancer in that he holds Goliath in high esteem and has no desire to challenge his authority, much less replace him. Still, during the extended time that Goliath was absent, Brooklyn was in charge and old veteran Hudson deferred to his authority and there is no question that he is really good at the job.
  • The difference in their physiques is probably the driving factor in the differing methods: Goliath can usually get away with being very physical and direct in his methods because he happens to be the biggest, strongest gargoyle available, while Brooklyn is not even half his size and probably not half as strong, so he has to rely more on stealth and trickery as opposed to charging in like a battering ram as Goliath sometimes does.
• Laney Penn from Grojband is this to Corey Riffin, being his sensible, mature, and level-headed counterpart who pulls him down to earth when his Zany Schemes go too far but nonetheless remains faithful and supportive to him and his dreams of making Grojband the best band ever.
• Heloise on Jimmy Two-Shoes, when it suits her to side with Jimmy.
• Duke L'Orange in Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series, a former Gentleman Thief turned freedom fighter, contrasts nicely to not only Wildwing but the rest of the team, especially since he's the only one who regularly uses a melee weapon (a laser sword).
• Miraculous Ladybug: Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir is very much this trope to Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug. While Ladybug takes her duties as a hero deadly seriously, Chat becomes a pun-spouting Large Ham because he's overcompensating for his emotionally-repressed civilian life. Ladybug's Lucky Charm enables her to create whatever she needs to solve the problem (albeit in an improbable fashion), while Chat's Cataclysm lets him destroy whatever he needs to. While Marinette was initially reluctant to take up the mantle of Ladybug, Adrien Jumped at the Call. The two of them are the most powerful superheroes in Paris's Miraculous-wielder team, and the only ones to keep their Miraculouses at all times (all of the others are loaned Miraculouses by Ladybug on a case-by-case basis), Chat tends to follow Ladybug's lead in battle.
• Molly of Denali: Tooey, Molly's best friend, serves as her foil. Where she is spontaneous, he is patient.
• In My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, the role of Lancer to Twilight Sparkle alternates between several ponies depending on the episode. Applejack seems to land the role most often, (usually) being down to earth and sensible and the one Twilight can most trust to be reliable, but Starlight Glimmer and Rainbow Dash have also filled the role on occasion.
• In The Owl House, post-Heel–Face Turn Hunter becomes a Lancer to Luz, and later to the Hexsquad. They are contrasting Foils — Hunter is snarky and closed-off, while Luz is upbeat and bubbly, and while Luz fully embraces her nerdy side despite the trouble that causes her, Hunter hides his for his own safety. This gets inverted in Season 3, as being stranded on Earth leads Luz to sink into depression and self-loathing, while Hunter finally feels safe enough to openly indulge in his nerdy interests (sewing, wolves, and sci-fi) with his friends. Their arcs are also contrasted — Luz's arc is about building a relationship with her loving and supportive Family of Choice, and trying to figure out what she wants to do with her future, Hunter's is about breaking free from the influence of his own extremely abusive biological family, and building his own future outside of the path Belos has charted for him.
• In Phineas and Ferb, the quiet Ferb is lancer to his gregarious stepbrother Phineas.
• In Ready Jet Go!, Sean serves this role in the Five-Man Band as he is a Foil towards The Leader Jet in every single way. While Jet always leaps before looking, is highly energetic, and unironically loves making mistakes, Sean is more cautious, intellectual, and nervous in general.
• Vince LaSalle from Recess. While he was never at odds with T.J. (minus the one Feud Episode and "The AV Kid"), the earliest episodes showed him to be more reluctant to join the others' crazy schemes. He's also the "cooler" member of the gang, compared to T.J.'s more energetic tendencies.
• SilverHawks
  • Bluegrass. the wingless cowboy, fits this trope, as he uses the main controls of the Miraj spaceship.
  • Latter member Captain Flashback would fit this as well.
• In the Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan are Anakin's Lancers when they are on a mission together. Each Jedi knight has a clone officer as a lancer. Obi-Wan's is Commander Cody and Anakin's is Captain Rex.
• Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Mostly in the Eastman and Laird version. Not so much in the Saturday morning cartoons.
• Cyborg in Teen Titans (2003) fits the trope closest, laid back when Robin is serious, serious when Robin is obsessed, and takes command of the team the most often when Robin isn't there.
• In ThunderCats (1985), Tygra doubled as Lion-O's Lancer and The Smart Guy. The latter is relative since the team's Big Guy, Panthro, was a Genius Bruiser.
• In the remake Thunder Cats 2011, Tygra also gets a gun to contrast with Lion-o's Sword of Omens, and he overall plays The Lancer role much straighter than the original did.
• From The Tick animated series we have Die Fledermaus. His live action counterpart Bat Manuel too.
• In Titan Maximum, Gibbs is a Deconstruction of the type of lancer who has issues with the hero's authority. The stress of being the Only Sane Man to a Jerk Jock hero on the previous team as well as having to deal with Palmer's willingness to abandon others for his own petty purposes elevated his own, quieter Jerkass tendencies, causing him to massively Face–Heel Turn and making him the Big Bad in the present.
  • On the "modern" team (i.e., after Gibbs leaves) Jodi and Sasha switch off being the Lancer and The Heart. Sasha has the most traditionally Lancer-esque characteristics, but Jodi is polar opposite of The Hero and is the one who goes off on her own while Sasha stays with the group.
• Total Drama: While Duncan typically steers away from the leader spot as he deems it too much effort, he usually remains a Reasonable Authority Figure and a foil to the proper leader.
  • In the first season, he is the most vocal member of the Killer Bass against Courtney's so-called leadership over their team, constantly questioning her orders. Arguably, Duncan is right as Courtney fails to lead her team properly many times and in episodes such as "Dodgebrawl", Duncan is required to step up in order for the team to gain the upper hand. Furthermore, Duncan at least tries to be civil with the team while Courtney never attempts to form any rapport with the others aside from Bridgette.
  • Also in Island, after the teams are split into boys and girls, while Geoff is the official leader, Duncan holds the most say in the Guys Alliance and overturns many of Geoff's decisions.
  • In Action, he is the first person Gwen chose to be on her team and is pretty much the best player, especially when Gwen is being distracted by her relationship with Trent. Once Gwen is eliminated, he more or less replaced her as leader, with even Leshawna and Heather allowing him to take the lead.
  • On Team Chris Is Really Really Really Really Hot. He takes up this mantle in World Tour once Noah is eliminated (coincidentally in the same episode he arrives), and becomes Alejandro's new biggest threat as well as the team's Number Two.
• Transformers:
  • The Primes of the original G1 had their lancers: Optimus had Ironhide and Rodimus had Ultra Magnus. Magnus then became Optimus Prime's lancer due to his previous lancer being sorta dead.
  • In Transformers: Beast Wars, when the Maximals find themselves short one Optimus Primal, it comes to a vote to determine which of the Lancers will lead in his absence — Dinobot, or Rattrap. Dinobot was the big, straightforward warrior type, and Rattrap was the small, underhanded saboteur type. On another occasion, Rhinox started to give the orders, as he was in a Very Bad Mood.
  • In the followup Beast Machines, while Primal was absent Cheetor had stepped up to fill the leadership gap, causing him to become The Lancer when Primal returned. This time, it was more the "chafes under his authority, wants to usurp and lead" since he realized that Optimus was slowly but surely turning into a fanatic, and was concerned about the future.
  • The Optimus of Transformers: Animated is younger and less experienced than the average version, so war veteran Ratchet and introverted ninja Prowl can both be seen as foils. Prowl doesn't need to overlap with The Smart Guy, however, and the creators saw him more and more as a second-in-command as his ninja skills developed.
  • Arcee in Transformers: Prime — more sarcastic and down-to-earth than Optimus (who is once again a towering war veteran voiced by Peter Cullen). You could argue Ultra Magnus for the exact opposite reason — Optimus looks Mildly Military next to him.
• The appropriately-named Lance in Voltron: Legendary Defender, Keith's opposite number, would-be rival and eventual right-hand man.
• Evangelyne of Wakfu is The Lancer to Yugo. Apart from being several years older and one of the more competent fighters, she's a calm, snarky Tsundere, while he's a cheerful Kid Hero, but with a sense of maturity and responsibility.
• Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum: Brad is the lancer to Xavier. Brad is the opposite of Xavier; whereas Xavier is extroverted and excitable, Brad is introverted and cautious.
• Zak Storm: Cece is the first mate of 7C's, led by the titular hero. Being a serious and rational person, she balances out her hot-blooded captain and openly critizes his decisions if she belives them to be wrong.

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