V-Formation Team Shot

Not to be confused with the B or the Q.

"I've heard of it before, but I've never seen it! It's the Flying "V"!"

— Announcer, D2: The Mighty Ducks

In almost every show featuring a team of heroes, at some point in the opening or promotional materials, the main characters will be displayed in a certain formation. The leader stands in the middle of the shot, with the rest of the team standing to each side of him in order of importance, each slightly behind each other, forming a "V" shape.

Quite apart from looking really cool, this shot also has practical advantages. For one thing, it makes all the characters neatly visible, but more importantly, the viewer can and will make inferences about the group's power dynamic based on the arrangement of the characters. The characters flanking the central figure on either side will be assumed to be the two second most important team members, with others descending in importance as they move further toward the tips of the V and thus further back into the shot. (To be clear, it's not a hard and fast rule that every V formation shot will adhere to this formula, but the viewer's expectation is definitely there. The designer of the shot will have taken that expectation into account, even if they intend to subvert it.) Also, though this is less of a given, information might be conveyed by whether a character is standing to the central figure's left or right side. The left and right sides may represent different subgroups of the team, or indeed two separate (but probably not worse than rivaling) factions altogether.

They put it on DVD boxes, magazine covers, book covers, game covers and album covers too. However, in movie covers there is a risk that the center lead will be replaced by the most famous name, whether they are the leader or not.

Most characters will pull off a Dynamic Akimbo in this shot. The moving version of this is Team Power Walk. Subtrope of Team Shot (also compare that trope) and Opening Credits Cast Party, where the cast poses for the cameras during the credits and the Establishing Team Shot.

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Examples:

Anime & Manga

• Seen in the opening sequence of the first Gate Keepers series.
• Used in one of the opening sequences of Naruto.
• Also seen in the opening sequence of His and Her Circumstances.
• The first opening sequence of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS ends with one of these.
• The second version of Code Geass' second opening ends with a gigantic V-Formation Team Shot; Zero in the center, the named Black Knights members behind him in a vague V-shape, and a mass of faceless uniformed Black Knights lined up in the background.
• Strike Witches does this in the opening credits, with Yoshika at the front and two members being added in succession.
• The second opening of Tokyo Underground features this setup.
• One Piece has now done this a number of times in its openings as the crew grows, usually focusing on each one grinning before panning out as the ending shot.
• Ties? Check. Suits? Check. Rings? Check. Box Weapons? Check. Major Badass look? Check.◊ Reborn! (2004) is all set to go!!! And everyone is looking at their very best.
• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex subverts this by putting a unique spin. The opening for 2nd Gig shows Section 9 against a white background with Motoko in the center and the other members on either side, but everyone is lined up and spaced apart instead of standing in a V formation. Pixiv even has a special tag for artworks that parody the 2nd Gig opening called "攻殻立ち" (Strike).
• A chapter in the Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony manga has the student council attempting to do this, but they realize they can't put their leader, Angie, in front without the formation being lopsided. Kokichi suggests they rectify it by disassembling Kiibo, much to the robot's chagrin.

Asian Animation

• Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf: The title card for episode 124, which references Star Wars, has the goats in this formation.

Comic Books

• BIONICLE: Used many times on covers or title pages. Most notably the first and last issues have Tahu in the front in the same pose, except in the latter image, one side of the "V" is made up of villains.
• X-Wing Rogue Squadron: A party of three is sent on a covert mission. Its leader, driving force, and most effective member if you don't count snarky comments is shown at the head of the little V they make on the way to a confrontation.

Film — Animated

• The official poster for Cars 2.
• The poster for BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows.
• In My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks, Twilight Sparkle and the human versions of her friends strike this pose when they first confront the Dazzlings at the kickoff party.
• In Turning Red, Mei's aunties are introduced striking this pose.

Film — Live-Action

• The end of the Cold Open for Eternals shows the Eternals standing in a V formation, with their leader, Ajak, in the center.
• Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs Dai-Shocker:
  • It has a 27-man Justice League shot featuring almost every Kamen Rider protagonist to date.
  • The end of the first act of Final Chapter has the Heisei Riders (all in their Super Modes), plus Diend and Kivala, in this pose, before the Neo-Organism sics a Mammoth mecha on them.
• Kamen Rider Den-O: Final Countdown also has this, with 5 of the eponymous Rider's basic forms (assumed by the Taros and Sieg), Zeronos Zero Form and finally Ryotaro in Liner Form, as they prepare to fight the revived Imagin army.
• Let's Go Kamen Rider: since there were 28 Riders present, they couldn't do a traditional V-formation (since the formation requires an odd number), so they pulled off two layers: the movie's five central Riders Den-O, New Den-O, OOO, and V1 and V2, with the 23 cameo Riders behind them.
• Behind the closing credits in Angels Revenge.
• The theatrical poster for the movie Valkyrie (though Col. Stauffenberg appears to be attempting a Menacing Stroll).
• The final moments of The Specials.
• The poster for Star Trek: First Contact features this with the Borg. Lead characters get Floating Head Syndrome.

Literature

• An in-universe example is mentioned in Worm when Taylor first meets Armsmaster. Taylor mentions that when the Protectorate does promotional footage displaying their team in this pose, Armsmaster is one of the members shown — but as one of the people off to the side.

Live-Action TV

• Arrow. Happens on several occasions with Team Arrow for Rule of Symbolism, given that a V-shape is also an arrow shape.
• Leverage does this, while striding out of the smoke and in slow motion.
• It's also common for the various teams of Power Rangers to be seen like this, too.
  • The poster for The Movie used a version focusing on their helmets.
  • And so has Super Sentai.
• The cast of Glee gets one in "Theatricality" when they come to aid Kurt as he's being accosted by two jocks. They do this in full KISS and Lady Gaga outfits.
• Torchwood has them.
• A rather hilarious accidental one occurs for a brief moment on the miniseries John Adams of all places, as Mr. Adams and some of the other delegates enter the room to begin Framing the Constitution.
• Downton Abbey features it on their DVD covers, with Lord Grantham standing at the front.
• Real Humans for cover images.
• Doctor Who
  • The fiftieth anniversary special "Day of the Doctor" closes on this shot of the past incarnations of the Doctor,◊ with the Eleventh Doctor front and center, immediately flanked by Ten and the War Doctor. The First Doctor stands behind the Eleventh, mainly to maintain symmetry.
  • In "Eve of the Daleks", the Doctor has just finished giving a Rousing Speech when the Daleks turn up to exterminate them. This time there are three Daleks in the form of a V, and our heroes defiantly move into their own V formation in response.
• Game of Thrones, the final shot of Eastwatch, has this with seven, being led by Jon Snow and consisting of Tormund Giantsbane, Jorah Mormont, Gendry, Beric Dondarrion, Thoros of Myr, and Sandor "The Hound" Clegane.
• The Discovery Channel show MythBusters had a segment about the V to see if the formation saved energy which it did in the experiment.

Music Videos

• Momoiro Clover Z's Animated Music Video for Sailor Moon Crystal's Opening Theme "Moon Pride" has the CGI Sailor Senshi pose in a V-formation with Sailor Moon at center at the end of a synchronized Team Power Walk.
• Big Audio Dynamite are frequently shown in this formation in the video for "Sightsee MC".
• The elaborate choreography employed by *NSYNC usually opened or finished with them in the formation.◊

Pinball

• Downplayed in the backglass artwork for the Premium version of The Mandalorian. The title character is front and center, with the rest of the cast arranged behind him in a V-formation – however, half of them are villains, with the other heroic characters staying on the other side of him.

Pro Wrestling

• In the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-views, the teams of wrestlers will be shown in this formation with the "captain" front and center.
• The debut of Die Bruderschaft des Kreuzes at the end of the CHIKARA 2009 Season Finale Three-Fisted Tales, November 22, 2009, featured them posing like this, doubling as an Establishing Team Shot.

Toys

• Most pieces of BIONICLE promotional art showing all six members of a given set wave did this within the first six years, occasionally with some variation such as one character flying above the pose. Due to there usually being six members to a team (with one placed in the center), the "V" was often uneven and asymmetrical, with one side having more characters than the other. Come 2008, when set waves became more diverse in who was in them, this became considerably less frequent; after all, having heroes and villains posing together as a team wouldn't make all that much sense.

Video Games

• Dissidia Final Fantasy:
  • The opening CG has the ten villains walking out of a wall of lava in a villainous V Formation Team Shot.
  • With a bonus Mythology Gag in Sephiroth assuming the same pose as when he burned down Nibelheim in his original game.
• The cover of Monaco: What's Yours is Mine.
• In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (and Platinum), when you beat the Elite Four, you go into the backroom and record your team into the hall of fame. After going through a montage showing each of your team members, it shows a V Formation Team Shot, with your trainer sprite in the center, and three Pokémon flanking you on either side. Their order depends on what order you had them in your party. The remakes Heart Gold and Soul Silver also feature this with the photographers around the game map, who'll take a picture of you and your team of six Pokémon in such a shot.
• Subverted in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, after Snake meets Akiba and disarms him. Meryl introduces her team as Rat Patrol 01, with her in point and Jonathan and Ed behind her, then Johnny rushes in and completely screws it up◊ with the silliest pose.
• Capcom:
  • Did one for all the main heroes in the Mega Man (all 7 of them) series, (with Grey and Ashe (from ZX Advent), but not Lan (from Mega Man Battle Network), Behold◊.
  • And then again, in a piece of official artwork for Mega Man Star Force 3 showing the five kids (Geo, Sonia, Luna, Bud, and Zack) standing on a half-destroyed bridge◊ alongside Solo and A.C. Eos.
• The Final Fantasy Tactics A2 promotional poster/wallpaper◊ has this, with Luso in the center.
• Done in Super Smash Bros. Brawl by Mario, Yoshi, Pit, Link and Kirby, as demonstrated here.
• In Super Mario RPG, the Axem Rangers group around the Blade's Breaker Beam cannon like this; Axem Red, of course, takes the front position.
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown has this on its game cover. Additionally, on the selection screen for the next mission, your soldiers stand in a V formation, with the most experienced fighter taking point.
• Warriors Orochi does this with the entire combined cast of Dynasty Warriors & Samurai Warriors.
• At the end of every match in Overwatch, the winning team is presented in this fashion. Each character has a set of unique unlockable poses for the team shot.
• Super Robot Wars V has this on the "Premium Anime Song & Sound Edition's" cover art, consisting of (from left to right) Black Sarena, Xi Gundam, Shin Getter-1, Arbalest, Might Gaine, Zambot 3, Eva Unit-01, ZZ Gundam, Mazinger Z and Villkiss, with the Yamato positioned in between.
• With the War of the Chosen expansion for Xcom 2, players will be able to make posters after each mission, and one of the options for the squad formation is this trope.
• Red Dead Redemption II has two moments with this. The first is when the Dutch Van Der Linde gang storms the Braithwaite manor after the Braithwaite family kidnap Jack. And the second goes to when Arthur, Sadie, Charles, Dutch, and some Wapiti warriors storm the US Army settlement to rescue Eagle Flies.
• XCOM 2 War of the Chosen allows players to make posters with this trope by using the wedge team formation option in the photo booth.

Visual Novels

• Inverted in the final encounter with Dr. Mosely/Zeta in Double Homework. All six girls are in a v-shaped formation with the protagonist at the bottom and facing Dr. Mosely/Zeta, but the bottom of the v-shape is facing away from her.

Web Comics

• Parodied in this Sluggy Freelance strip.
• Used in this Wapsi Square strip.

Western Animation

• The trope was originally named after Justice League, whose main characters are seen silhouetted in this manner in the opening, combined with a Team Power Walk. The Justice League Unlimited series takes the shot and the silhouettes to an extreme level — from the Magnificent Seven to the Magnificent Thirty-Seven.
  • A villainous example where a similar shot is made by the Secret Society with Grodd at the center.
• Seen in the opening sequence of Teen Titans.
• The opening sequence for Metalocalypse, and the cover of the Fake Band Dethklok's album.
• Team Go from Kim Possible does this. Even before ass-kicking.
• The Kids Next Door get one in their TV movie Operation: Z.E.R.O., when they exit their escape pods at the museum.
• The Club of Heroes do this at the end of the teaser for the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Powerless!".

Real Life

• Geese flying in formation.
  • Similarly, several aircraft formations mimic this. A four-plane version used by the Americans during World War II is known as the Finger Four (named for the positions your fingertips are in if you look at your hand, and if you aren't missing any fingers, not counting the thumb, obviously. Leave one of the middle spots empty to do a Missing Man Formation. If you line everyone up using only one half of the V, you get an Echelon formation instead.
• A promotional poster for the 1992 Cricket World Cup showed the participating nations' captains (minus South Africa, who were a late addition) like this.
• Military Aerial Events, as well as training exercises and 20th-century bomber runs, will go in the V formation with the squadron leader leading the pack.

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