History Main / TheMainCharactersDoEverything

* The ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' games serve as sort of an aerial counterpart to ''Call of Duty'': The player (and, in some games, his wingmen) literally do the work of several squadrons, from combat air patrols to close support missions to counter-naval interdiction, and have access to a wide variety of planes to do so, regardless of whether it makes sense for their country to use them (e.g. allied [=NPCs=] only ever using American jets, while the player gets [=MiGs=] and Mirages). Unlike a lot of games, however, [[DudeWheresMyRespect the games do acknowledge what kind of reputation someone in the player character's position would receive]]; the story for ''VideoGame/{{Ace Combat 5|TheUnsungWar}}''[='=]s arcade mode in particular states that [[OneRiotOneRanger the higher-ups deliberately sent Mobius 1 and his AWACS support in to deal with the situation alone]] because they have been repeatedly shown during [[VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies the last war]] to be more effective than an entire squadron.

* It's justified in ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI Assassin's Creed]]'': player character Altaïr breaks every tenet of [[TitleDrop the Assassin's Creed]] at the beginning of the game and is demoted from Master to Novice as punishment. Throughout the game, Altaïr has to investigate the patterns and behavior of every target (which he previously had other, lower-ranked Assassins do ''for'' him), devise his own way to get close to them, and then kill them all by himself. The Bureau leaders recommend places to start his investigation and Assassin Informers will provide useful intel but in the latter case he has to do them a favor first.

** {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/CallofDutyInfiniteWarfare''. The player character Nick Reyes's inability to delegate, despite being a starship captain, is actually pointed out and treated as a character flaw rather than a gameplay mechanic -- and it repeatedly bites him in the ass. The character tic is justified in game because Reyes starts the game as a lowly lieutenant and small-squad leader before getting an emergency field promotion to become the captain of a spaceship -- the man literally does not know how to lead from the rear. And in the end, [[spoiler:all of Reyes's attempts to put himself in the line of fire so his crew does not have to risk themselves is rendered moot when he has to sacrifice his entire crew to pull off a vital (but suicidal) final stand. ]]

** Sam Vimes also finds himself doing a lot more work on the streets than his position as Commander of the Watch in the biggest city on the Disc should allow. However, this is often lampshaded and justified - Sam thoroughly dislikes the official side of his job and always looks for excuses to get out and do some real policing. And as he's only answerable to the Patrician (and his wife), he can get away with it.

* {{Deconstructed}} with Zuko and the Gaang in ForWantOfANail fic ''Fanfic/TowardsTheSun'':

This trope is closely related to GhostExtras, since the two tropes are almost always played together. Expect the main character(s) to be an OmnidisciplinaryScientist, SuperDoc, or DoAnythingSoldier (it's usually an excuse to let him Do Everything). OneRiotOneRanger is an extreme application of the trope. CommandRoster practically guarantees the trope. Also connected to RedShirt; if you're in a series where The Main Characters Do Everything, and suddenly you see someone else participating in the main action, they might be there only [[SacrificialLamb for purposes of a sudden death.]] Can overlap with CriticalStaffingShortage if it's acknowledged that there ''should'' be more people doing things, but the main characters are all that's on hand.