History Main / SupportingLeader

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': Sheryl is this for a RagtagBunchOfMisfits AntiheroTeam that becomes of the slumlord gang Akira installs her in charge of, relying on GuileHero BattleOfWits skills as well as on Akira's reputation to AppealToForce. Most of Akira's political and corporate allies who act as TheTeamBenefactor help him through helping Sheryl's gang, which builds it up to the point where the PrivateMilitaryContractor former StreetUrchin boys under her fit the MenOfSherwood trope and start taking on a LawEnforcementInc role from their HomeBase fortress [[WrongSideOfTheTracks in the slums]], where Sheryl rules over the other slum lords in a quasi-feudal arrangement through Shijima.

** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureVentoAureo'': Team Bucciarati is "led by Bruno Bucciarati due to him being the direct superior of every member, in addition to him acting as a" TeamMom "to the group in general". That being said, the story's main character is Giorno Giovanna.

* ''Film/TheGamersDorknessRising'', the group groans when GameMaster Lodge introduces [[MarySue Sir. Osric]] as the accompanying NPC that will [[SpotlightStealingSquad hog all the glory]]. [[spoiler: Subverted when he is {{De Power}}ed and subsequently killed, leaving them to figure out the FinalBoss by themselves.]]

** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureVentoAureo'': Team Bucciarati is led by Bruno Bucciarati due to him being the direct superior of every member, in addition to him acting as a TeamMom to the group in general. That being said, the story's main character is Giorno Giovanna.

* This is common in ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', with the leader generally being a main character that isn't the part's main [=JoJo=]. To quote jojo wiki.com, "The majority of the Joestar Groups are not led by the main [=JoJo=], but rather by an ally", or a previous part's [=JoJo=] :

** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureVentoAureo'': Team Bucciarati is was led by Bruno Bucciarati due to him being the direct superior of every member, in addition to him acting as a TeamMom to the group in general. That being said, the story's main character is Giorno Giovanna.

* In Part 3 of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', Joseph is the leader of the party and makes most of their decisions, but the story mainly follows Jotaro.
** Likewise in Part 4 (which takes place 11 years later), Jotaro is the leader behind the investigation into the murders in Morioh Town, but the plot follows Josuke.

* ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}'' has Toa Helryx, the first Toa and leader of the HeroSecretService. She and her organization coordinated forces throughout the Matoran World to unite against the Brotherhood of Makuta. After the organization blew its own cover, she temporarily became a prisoner of the BigBad, and now, her role as a leader has basically diminished.

** [[{{Sidekick}} Sokka]] establishes himself as the Gaang's leader, as the main strategist, battle commander and 'guy with a plan'.

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'': Admiral Hackett plays this role in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'', leading the human fleet against [[spoiler: Sovereign and the geth fleet]] while Shepard goes after Saren.

* The player character in ''VideoGame/{{Majesty}}'', despite being the protagonist, has a lot of similarities to this archetype, acting as the sovergin of the land and deciding what to build and what heroes need to be recruited, while the heroes actually go on the quests that accomplish the goal for the scenario.

* One could make a case for [[spoiler: Ocelot]] of the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series. [[spoiler: He'd been scheming to take down the Patriots, and without him as a diversion for the Patriots' wrath, it's questionable whether Snake and co would have lasted as long as they did, much less saved the day. And, yes, this was all according to Ocelot's plan.]]

* The player character in ''VideoGame/{{Majesty}}'', despite being the protagonist, has a lot of similarities to this archetype.

* In the Literature/XWingSeries, squadron leader Wedge Antilles is kind of an odd example, since he's one of the main characters and is along for the ride the whole time. He counts, though, because except in ''Starfighters of Adumar'' he undergoes no character development and is slightly out of focus, and the people under his command are usually the ones who score the absolute critical hits.

* Bigwig from ''Literature/WatershipDown''. He faces off against the BigBad in the Burrows, and Woundwort actually thinks ''he's'' the BigGood - and is even successfully bluffed into retreating, after the two have fought to a mutually exhausted standstill, by Bigwig's admission that he is NOT the warren's chief (and Woundwort expects anyone who can boss Bigwig to be an even bigger and tougher rabbit... not a thinker who is still semi-lame from an old injury.) Turns out Bigwig is just buying time for Hazel's plan to come into fruition.

* Bigwig from Literature/WatershipDown. He faces off against the BigBad in the Burrows, and Woundwort actually thinks ''he's'' the BigGood - and is even successfully bluffed into retreating, after the two have fought to a mutually exhausted standstill, by Bigwig's admission that he is NOT the warren's chief (and Woundwort expects anyone who can boss Bigwig to be an even bigger and tougher rabbit... not a thinker who is still semi-lame from an old injury.) Turns out Bigwig is just buying time for Hazel's plan to come into fruition.

** Aragorn. Remarkably, he is completely cognizant of the fact that his role is to divert enemy forces away from the real heroes, rather than actually saving the day himself. Bard, the secondary character from ''Literature/TheHobbit'' who slays the dragon Smaug and leads the men in the final battle is another Middle Earth example. Arguably, Tolkien uses the ability to see oneself as merely one strand of a larger struggle or story as a mark of the humility that MAKES a leader great. He's the former TropeNamer for a reason.

The Supporting Leader is a secondary character who [[TheLeader leads]] [[{{Heroes}} the forces of good]] in their struggle against the BigBad. He isn't TheProtagonist of the series, and he might not be TheHero either but generally gets a [[ADayInTheLimelight spotlight episode]] focusing on some important battle right as the actual heroes are off performing whatever task winds up actually saving the day. This character is often the {{Deuteragonist}}.

%% * Vikus from ''Literature/TheUnderlandChronicles''.

** Since Season 6 revealed that Bran is the new Three-Eyed Raven and that Jon was the hidden Prince to the Kingdom, it is clear that Jon is the Aragorn to Bran's Frodo.

* An event in ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' that happened before the series takes place the main character's parents had this kind of relationship with the mother, Princess Arika, serving as The Aragorn to the father, The Thousand Master in his fight against the BigBad who was known as "The Life Maker" and "The Mage of the Beginning". Though neither Arika nor her forces actually help the Thousand Master in his fight as he defeated the Mage of the Beginning shortly before they arrived. But they DID suppress and seal the World Destroying Apocalyptic Magic that was released as "The Ritual to Return the World to Nothing" was completed. So after saving the world they at some point had [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex hot sex]] and thus the greatest ChickMagnet/Shounen Lead the world has ever seen was born.

* Sally Acorn in ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' is usually this. While she leads the Freedom Fighters, it's usually Sonic or the other Freedom Fighters that do the heavy lifting. She's taken a much more active role ever since the reboot, but still fits the trope.

* Henry and Takeru during the final battle in the ''FanFic/TamersForeverSeries'' lead the main offensive against [[spoiler: Daemon]] and his army respectively while [[spoiler: Takato is dying]].
%%* [[Manga/PuellaMagiOrikoMagica Oriko]] takes this role in ''FanFic/StarsAbove''... in the 2013 timeline, at least.

* ''FanFic/TheImmortalGame'': Princess Luna serves this role for most of the story, especially after Twilight Sparkle is appointed official leader of the [[LaResistance Loyalists]]. [[spoiler: During the FinalBattle, she ends up sharing the role with Celestia.]]

** In ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'', Master Chief becomes this to the Arbiter. While Master Chief is the main hero of the overall series, it is the Arbiter around whom the vast majority of ''2''[='=]s plot revolves, and ultimately he's the one to stop Tartarus and save the galaxy (temporarily, at least). Master Chief retakes the role of TheHero in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'', with the Arbiter dropped down to Sidekick status.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''

* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''

* [[AmazonianBeauty Chun]][[KickChick -]][[InterpolSpecialAgent Li]] of the ''StreetFighter'' series tends to be one of the few characters trying to stop the BigBad of each game. While [[AllAmericanFace Guile]] could also qualify for this role, he only really started opposing Bison story-wise in ''Street Fighter Alpha 3'' due to being OutOfFocus. Chun-Li however has been trying to stop Shadaloo since ''Street Fighter Alpha 1'' and continues on to fight the Illuminati in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' when Guile is retired.

* ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy VI}}'': Banon, leader of the Returners, is this to the [=PC=]s.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** This also popped up in a few ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' series- ''Series/DenjiSentaiMegaranger'' has [=MegaBlack=] being the default leader in spite of [=MegaRed=]'s central role in battle (this didn't make it into ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' for the most part due to ''PR'''s tendency to make the Blue Ranger second in command; this is turn lead to some awkward instances of Sentai footage where Carlos the Black Ranger seemed more assertive compared to TJ). ''Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger'' also had a form of this- Kai Ozu is the youngest of his siblings, but is [=MagiRed=]; the oldest, Makito, is [=MagiGreen=] instead. (This also didn't make it Staetside, but that was because ''Series/PowerRangersMysticForce'' didn't have the Rangers as siblings.)

* ''Manga/KurokoNoBasuke'': With the exception of Akashi and Hanamiya, TheCaptain is always someone different than TheAce. Despite their lack of talent in comparison to their respective aces, the captains are usually older and much more mature and keep the team in line and they have other qualities that make them suitable for the job.

* Robb Stark in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' is the leader of the [[BlackAndGrayMorality "good"]] Stark forces, but isn't one of the books' many [=PoV=] characters - his actions are viewed from the perspective of his mother Catelyn.

[[folder:Toys]]
* ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}'' has Toa Helryx, the first Toa and leader of the HeroSecretService. She and her organization coordinated forces throughout the Matoran World to unite against the Brotherhood of Makuta. After the organization blew its own cover, she temporarily became a prisoner of the BigBad, and now, her role as a leader has basically diminished.
[[/folder]]