History Main / TheMagnificentSevenSamurai

* The second episode of ''Series/DarkMatter2015'' features the main characters (of whom there are seven, counting the Android) defending a mining settlement against corporate goons. Interestingly, the protagonists were originally a crew of [[PsychoForHire brutal mercenaries]] hired as deniable enforcers to ''destroy'' the settlement, but changed sides because of AmnesiacDissonance.

* The second episode of ''Series/DarkMatter2015'' features the main characters (of whom there are seven, counting the Android) defending a mining settlement against corporate goons.

* The Greil Mercenaries of the ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius'' duology; it numbered seven members at least initially.

* ''Literature/BloodMeridian'': This trope is [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] in the novel. The Glanton Gang is hired by a Mexican governor whose province has been plagued by Apache raids. The gang will be paid for each scalp they take. However, Glanton and his men are a bunch of violent psychopaths who are [[NotSoDifferent just as vicious as the Apaches]]. They even start taking scalps from Mexican citizens and passing them off as Apache scalps. As a result, the Mexican government turns on them.

* ''Theatre/SevenAgainstThebes'', which some cite as inspiration for ''Seven Samurai''. Polynices, driven from his kingdom by his brother Eteocles, gathers up a gang of six other leaders in order to take back the kingdom while Eteocles recruits his own group of seven defenders (also chronicled in ''Theatre/TheProgeny''). Both brothers die in the clash, and the ending was rewritten after Aeschylus's death in order to lead into ''Theatre/{{Antigone}}''.

See also TrainingThePeacefulVillagers. Compare AFistfulOfRehashes, which focuses on works resembling another samurai film that inspired a Western remake of its own.

* ''Film/WorldGoneWild'', starring Bruce Dern, Michael Pare, and Adam Ant, is ''Film/SevenSamurai'' set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where water is the most precious commodity on earth.

* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' will probably feature this dynamic after the events of endgame.
** Quill: Leader
** Gamora: Lancer
** Drax: Big guy
** Rocket: Smart guy
** Groot: Young guy
** Mantis: Comic relief/funny guy
** [[spoiler: The old guy could either be Thor, who's an ancient god, or, since the old guy is often a character with a dark past (frequently with trauma too) Nebula.]]

* ''Film/BattleBeyondTheStars'' is ''[[Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960 The Magnificent Seven]]'' InSPACE. In fact Creator/RobertVaughn played essentially the same character that he did in ''[[Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960 The Magnificent Seven]]'' -- and even got to recycle some of his dialogue from the earlier movie! The Spanish dub was even titled ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Magnificent Seven In Space]]''.

* ''ComicBook/MarvelStarWars'' (the original ''Franchise/StarWars'' comic book), where immediately after finishing the adaptation of the movie, the plot moves on to follow Han and Chewie leading five other fighters (including wanna-be Jedi [[MeaningfulName Don Wan Kihotay]] and green carnivorous rabbit-man Jaxxon) in defense of a small village. And then [[{{Kaiju}} Godzilla]] shows up...

* Episode 4 of ''Series/TheMandalorian'''s first season uses the basic gist of the plot, but with only two "samurai". A village is being attacked by raiders, so Mando and Cara Dune team up to teach the villagers how to defend themselves.

# The team sends one or more of them as scouts in the enemy's camp/lair hoping that they can find a weakness to exploit or get rid of the enemy's most powerful weapon.

* ''Film/TheThirteenthWarrior'', but with twelve Vikings and an Arab traveler. They have to stop the Wendol, a savage tribe of cannibals who wear bear pelts and attack a small and not well defended Norse kingdom.

* ''Film/TheThirteenthWarrior'', but with Vikings... An Arab poet finds he is the prophesied "13th Warrior" who will lead agroup of 12 Vikings to stop the Wendol: humanoid cannibals who appear as, live like, and identify with bears.

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': Pertains to Bolt and his six puppy mill friends in “The Seven.” Lampshaded in that they name themselves after the [[Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960 American movie version]] and discuss the merits of this film versus [[Film/SevenSamurai its Japanese predecessor]].

* In ''Film/SevenSwords'', even warriors come together to protect a village from a diabolical General.

* In the 1979 movie ''Film/{{Seven}}'' (not be confused with the [[Film/{{Se7en}} 1995 serial killer movie]]), seven hitmen are hired to kill seven mob bosses who planning a criminal takeover of Hawaii.

* ''Webcomic/NoNeedForBushido'' does this and specifically points out that they have seven samurai (if you count ThoseTwoGuys)

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'s'' fifth episode does exactly this, down to the title ("''The Magnificent Five''"). Though, to be honest, it actually is more of a parody of this trope, subverting most plot points common to other examples (the ending, for one).

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueCrisisOnTwoEarths'' involves the six 'core' Leaguers (the same from the series, less Hawkgirl, and with Hal Jordan as Franchise/GreenLantern) join an alternate universe Luthor to save said alternate universe from evil versions of themselves.
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'' had a very deliberate ShoutOut to this in the form of "The Magnificent Kiwi." When you're dealing with a SpaceWestern, this plot's going to show up.
** Also, according to [[WordOfGod series creator Robert Mandell]], this trope was also the inspiration for the series' entire premise, in the form of Waldo and Zozo contacting Earth to help them defeat [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen the Queen of the Crown]] and her EvilEmpire.
* ''WesternAnimation/KappaMikey'' has an episode where the five crew members are called by a little boy to save their playground from a garbage man intent on turning it into a landfill. The boy is under the impression that they are heroes instead of actors, and the [=LilyMu=] crew is under the impression that it's all a publicity gig.
* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' does this one solo in a jungle-set episode. Jack meets a friendly bunch of high-jumping simians who share food with him, and are then attacked by a rival group of apes. Jack drives them off, and teaches the friendly apes to defend themselves with bamboo staves, in exchange for lessons on how to "jump good."

* Name-dropped in the ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse'' episode "Ants, Trees and...Whoops-A-Daisy." An ant tribe has captured Penfold and want to perform a sacrifice until DM arrives. But DM defers, saying there's only one of him and lots of the tribe, so what Penfold really needs is the Magnificent Seven.

* The "Losers' Club", in Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/{{IT}}''. The Losers are the group of misfit children who are united by their unhappy lives. They share the same misery and torment from being the victims of bullying at the hands of Henry Bowers and band together as they struggle to overcome the eponymous It.

* Creator/MargaretWeis' SpaceOpera ''Literature/TheStarOfTheGuardians'' eventually had a spin-off, ''MagForce7'', about a team of crack mercenaries. Notably, two characters (Xris and Harry Luck) were name-for-name counterparts of the team members they were ripping off, while the other five team members were totally, completely different (such as a drug-using CampGay CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass poisoner).
* Parodied and lampshaded out the wazoo in ''The Magnificent Seven Samurai Cats'', one of the component stories of ''[[Literature/TheAdventuresOfSamuraiCat SamuraiCat Goes To The Movies]]''.
* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}: Raid on Vulcanus'': When a map indicating a planned Bone Hunter attack on Vulcanus is found, Raanu, leader of the village, starts building up defenses to protect his village. Knowing that the Agori can't defend themselves, Gresh travels Bara Magna in search of other Glatorian who are willing to assist in the defense.
* Robert B. Parker's Literature/{{Spenser}} novel ''Potshot'' fits this perfectly. The town of Potshot asks Spenser to rid them of a gang lead by a man called the Preacher. They agree to pay a healthy sum for the service, so Spenser forms a small private band of mercenaries composed of several associates, most of them criminals or people with criminal backgrounds.

* ''Series/SevenSwordsmen'' TV series. In 1664, the Manchurians conquer the Central Plains and overrun China, establishing the Qing Dynasty. The Qing government issues an order for all pugilists to surrender or face death. Prince Dokado leads the imperial army to eradicate those who defy the order. The imperials kill many pugilists before arriving at Wu village, which houses rebels from the anti-Qing secret organisation Red Spears Society. Two villagers, Han Zhibang and Wu Yuanying, follow Fu Qingzhu to Mount Heaven to seek help from the reclusive swordsmith Shadow-Glow. Shadow-Glow allows his four students (Chu Zhaonan, Yang Yuncong, Xin Longzi and Mulang) to follow the trio on their heroic quest to save the Wulin from persecution. The seven men each receive a magical sword from Shadow-Glow and title themselves "Seven Swords".
* The ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|1978}}'' episode "The Magnificent Warriors". After the Cylon's destroy two of the fleet's Agro ships and cripple the last remaining one, Adama hopes to swap an old energizer for seed on the the planet Sectar in Quadrant Zeta. Unfortunately Siress Belloby won't give up the energizer unless the commander courts her. Down on the planet, the inhabitants of the small Agro community of Serenity are looking for a new dispensable constable to hold off the Borays who raid the town each high moon.
* ''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]'' episode "Film/AngelsRevenge". The movie focuses on seven women who decide to fight the local drug cartel after the brother of Michelle Wilson, a Las Vegas pop singer, is found severely beaten.
* The ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' episode "Marauders" (especially given that there are seven main characters in this series) with an alien mining colony being taught to fight against Klingons who are extorting their deuterium fuel.
* Even more obviously, ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' had "[[http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/The_Magnificent_Ferengi_%28episode%29 The Magnificent Ferengi]]". And it is '''''[[RuleOfFunny funny as hell!]]''''' Though technically, there's only six of them and they don't protect a village, they still engage in the classic "building up the team" and having each character be introduced with a particular character archetype, as well as the obvious ShoutOut in the title.

* Inverted in ''[[Series/{{Blackadder}} The Black Adder]]'' episode "The Black Seal" as Edmund gathers the six most evil men in England (plus himself) to take over the kingdom.
* Obviously, ''Series/TheMagnificentSeven''. Seven men from the western United States band together and form the law in a town that, for better or for worse, needs their protection from the lawlessness of the west. They consist of an infamous gunslinger, an ex-bounty hunter, a smooth-talking con artist, a young eastern amateur, a womanizing gunman, a freed slave turned healer, and a former preacher seeking penance.

* The ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'' episode "The Moment of Truth". Hearing that his village is being threatened by a warlord and his gang, Merlin travels home with Gwen, Morgana and Arthur, the latter doing his best to drill the peaceful villagers into a fighting force.
* The ''Series/RobinOfSherwood'' episode "The Swords of Wayland" - at least at first. The plot soon took the outlaws away from the village and in search of the stolen McGuffin.

* Most of the episodes of ''Series/TheATeam'' involve a peaceful, non-violent person, small business or community being menaced by violent thugs of one flavor or another. Since local law enforcement is powerless, useless, non-existent or corrupt, the victim of the week must hire a team of four of the greatest badasses to ever serve in the U.S. Army's special forces.
* Episode 4 of ''Series/TheMandalorian'''s first season uses the basic gist of the plot, but with only two "samurai". A village is being attacked by raiders, so Mando and Cara Dune team up to teach the villagers how to defend themselves.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'' is about Costa Rica recruiting a heroic mercenary group to defend it from mysterious invaders, since it legally can't keep its own defence force.
* TheWestern chapter in ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' has a few elements of this. An outlaw called the Sundown Kid and his rival, a bounty hunter named Mad Dog, arrive in Success Town, a place terrorized by a group of bandits called the Crazy Bunch, led by O. Dio, the last remaining survivor of the 7th Cavalry. The two decide to team up temporarily and help the town stand up to the bandits. The townsfolk agree to help, and they make a plan to prepare the town's defenses against an attack.

* The Greil Mercenaries of the ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius'' duology; it numbered seven members at least initially.
* ''VideoGame/KingdomOMagic'': The first quest, "The Magnificent Seven-Eleven Quest", is a straight-up parody of this, as you have to recruit a group of heroes to defend one of the towns from a barbarian horde. Once you do, the horde turns and leaves as soon as they see your heroes, but the town still gets destroyed... by your heroes, in the drunken post-victory celebrations.

* ''Anime/SamuraiSeven'' obviously, in that its stated premise is ''Film/SevenSamurai'' [[LikeThatShowButWithMecha With (Steam Punk) Mecha]].

* The third ''Manga/MobileSuitCrossboneGundam'' manga, ''Steel Seven'', has this built into it: remnants of [[TheEmpire the Jupiter Empire]] are building a [[KillSat super-massive colony laser]] in Jovian orbit with the intent of blasting Earth. The only method of getting to Jupiter in time to stop the weapon is a flying wing that can only carry roughly seven [[HumongousMecha Mobile Suits]], so TheHero goes around trying to recruit the best pilots he can find.
** One of the good guys explicitly makes the reference, commenting "I love Kurosawa movies!" when the plan is discussed.

* ''Anime/MonsterRancher'' episode "The Courageous Seven" loosely follows the standard formula. The biggest difference is that the village in distress needs to be protected more from a disaster caused by the bad guys.
* ''Anime/AICOIncarnation'': Seven soldiers escort a holy maiden through a corrupted landscape as political forces out of sight threaten to compromise their relatively straightforward mission.

* ''Marvel Adventures: Avengers'' had an issue like this. In accordance with the series's early title theme of altering famous movie titles, this was called The Avenging Seven. It actually did include a little village beset by raiders, had someone travel far with the village's single most precious treasure, had an extended sequence of TrainingThePeacefulVillagers, and at the end the heroes were paid in three tons of food.

* Creator/BenTemplesmith's ''SingularitySeven'': Earth is forever changed one dark summer night when tiny alien machines known as nanites drift down from outer space. They transform a normal human into a god-like being known as the Singularity, who drives the remnants of humanity underground and to the brink of extinction. Now Earth's only hope lies in the hands of a RagTagBunchOfMisfits of "Specials" - humans mysteriously immune to the nanites' destructive power.

* The ''ComicBook/ABCWarriors'' - they are even referred to as 'The Mek-Nificent Seven', both in-story and by fans.
* ''RawhideKid: The Sensational Seven'': When Wyatt and Morgan Earp are taken hostage by Cristo Pike and his pack of pistoleros, Rawhide has no choice but to put together a posse of the greatest western heroes in the MarvelUniverse - to rescue the Earp brothers and bring Pike to justice. Enter: Kid Colt, Doc Holliday, Annie Oakley, Billy the Kid, Red Wolf and the most overrated gun in the West: the Two-Gun Kid!
* ''ComicBook/DemonKnights'': Writer Creator/PaulCornell describes the book as "the medieval Magnificent Seven". #3 is titled "The Malificant Seven". [[spoiler:Subverted by the end of the first arc - the village they were protecting is rubble, there are few if any survivors among the villagers, and the heroes' "victory" is that they live to fight again.]]

* The {{Trope Namer}}s are the Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece ''Film/SevenSamurai'', and its still excellent wild west remake ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960'' (which had sequels and a [[RecycledTheSeries series]]).
* ''Film/BattleBeyondTheStars'' is ''[[Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960 The Magnificent Seven]]'' InSPACE. In fact Creator/RobertVaughn played essentially the same character that he did in ''[[Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960 The Magnificent Seven]]'' -- and even got to recycle some of his dialogue from the earlier movie! The Spanish dub was even titled ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Magnificent Seven In Space]]''
* In ''Film/TheSevenMagnificentGladiators'', a bandit leader endowed with supernatural powers by his sorceress mother makes yearly raids on a peasant village. However, the women of the village come into possession of a magic sword, and go in search of a hero who is able to wield it and save their village from the evil bandit.
* In ''Film/SevenSwords'', even warriors come together to protect a village from a diabolical General.
* ''Film/DuneWarriors'': After the end of the world, Earth is a thirsty planet ruled by vicious warlords. One woman is brave enough to fight back; she bands together five warriors to save her town and their precious water.
* Russian movie ''Film/{{Dikiy vostok}}'' a.k.a. ''Film/TheWildEast''. In this version of the famous plot, a group of midget circus runaways decide to form their own community to flee the chaos but come under attack from Mongolian motorcycling ruffians. In response, of course, the midgets hire seven tough guys to defend them.
* The comedy film ''Film/ThreeAmigos!'', where the Mexican villagers recruit the heroes of silent westerns, not knowing they're just actors.

* Conceivably, the first of Film/TheExpendables films works this way. Ragtag group of mercs drive off a corrupt, ex-CIA agent-turned-drug lord and his army from a small island town at the behest of one of the inhabitants... and the CIA, who is paying them under the table for the job, but eh, details, details.
* Arthur and his six Sarmatian knights in the 2004 ''Film/KingArthur'' movie, with the Britons and the "Woads" as the villagers and the Saxons as the bandits. The scene after the battle of Badon Hill with the graves of the knights who fell is lifted straight from Kurosawa.
* In the 1979 movie ''Film/{{Seven}}'' (not be confused with the [[Film/{{Se7en}} 1995 serial killer movie]]), seven hitmen are hired to kill seven mob bosses who planning a criminal takeover of Hawaii.

* ''Film/ChopperChicksInZombietown''! (a.k.a. ''ChromeHearts''). Riding around on their motorbikes, a gang of seven tough women bikers are the only thing that stands between a crowd of Zombies, which have been accidentally let out of their secure cave, and those still alive in the town.
* ''Film/TheThirteenthWarrior'', but with Vikings... An Arab poet finds he is the prophesied "13th Warrior" who will lead agroup of 12 Vikings to stop the Wendol: humanoid cannibals who appear as, live like, and identify with bears.
* ''Film/StarTrekInsurrection'': When the crew of the Enterprise learn of a Federation conspiracy against the inhabitants of a unique planet, Captain Picard begins an open rebellion, supported by six members of his bridge crew.
* ''Film/WorldGoneWild'', starring Bruce Dern, Michael Pare, and Adam Ant, is ''Film/SevenSamurai'' set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where water is the most precious commodity on earth.
* ''Film/{{Ironclad}}'', (very) loosely based on the real defence of Rochester Castle against Prince John.
* The 1978 ''Film/MessageFromSpace'', made in Japan, also uses this trope. The Gavanas have conquered the planet Jillucia, whose natives have performed a ritual to send magic seeds into the universe to find heroes. The Jillucian leader then sends out his granddaughter Emeralida and her bodyguard Urocco to find the "Liabe heroes" that the seeds have chosen, and bring them back to defend the Jillucians and defeat the Gavanas.

* ''Film/HawkTheSlayer'' is this in a fantasy setting. With a group of adventurers protecting a convent full of nuns from a tyrant demanding gold that they don't have.

* Although [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin it should be obvious]], Creator/GrantMorrison's ''ComicBook/SevenSoldiers'' series was [[HiddenInPlainSight a stealthy example]] of this plot. [[spoiler:Seven heroes, check. Populace periodically ravaged by marauding raiders, check. Heroes working for little or no reward, check. NaiveNewcomer Hero, check. Fraud hero, check. Fraud hero who is redeemed? Check.]] However, the narrative is [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs so surreal]] and [[MindScrew intentionally fragmented]] that the reader doesn't really realize the connection until it's FridgeBrilliance.

->'''Chris''': There's a job for six men, watching over a village, south of the border.
->'''O'Reilly''': How big's the opposition?
->'''Chris''': Thirty guns.
->'''O'Reilly''': I admire your notion of fair odds, mister.

* Although [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin it should be obvious]], Creator/GrantMorrison's ''ComicBook/SevenSoldiers'' series was [[HiddenInPlainSight a stealthy example]] of this plot. [[spoiler: Seven heroes, check. Populace periodically ravaged by marauding raiders, check. Heroes working for little or no reward, check. NaiveNewcomer Hero, check. Fraud hero, check. Fraud hero who is redeemed? Check.]] However, the narrative is [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs so surreal]] and [[MindScrew intentionally fragmented]] that the reader doesn't really realize the connection until it's FridgeBrilliance.

* ''ComicBook/DemonKnights'': Writer Creator/PaulCornell describes the book as "the medieval Magnificent Seven". #3 is titled "The Malificant Seven". [[spoiler: Subverted by the end of the first arc - the village they were protecting is rubble, there are few if any survivors among the villagers, and the heroes' "victory" is that they live to fight again.]]

* The final act of ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'' has an interesting variation of this trope. [[spoiler:Upon finding the titular Private Ryan, Captain Miller's surviving Rangers as well as Ryan himself find themselves in the role of the Seven with Ryan's fellow Paratroopers playing the role as the villagers as they are tasked in defending the bridge of Ramelle from approaching [[EliteMooks Waffen SS]]]]. True to form [[spoiler: most of the Rangers including Miller himself were killed in the subsequent battle although in a twist the Paratroopers with the exception of Ryan himself are wiped out almost to a man, unlike most depictions of the villagers]].