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Five-Man Band cleanup

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Five-Man Band has been receiving a lot of misuse. As was concluded in this TRS thread, it needs a massive cleanup. There are over 30 subpages and almost 3500 wicks to be gone through. This thread is for organizing the cleanup effort and discussing any and all examples to be added and cut.

What is correct use of the trope?

  • The characters must be part of a team, that is, a team dynamic must exist between members of the band.
  • There must be exactly 5 team members

Format for examples

In an effort to cut down on misuse as well as get rid of all the Zero Context Examples, we are trying to shift all examples to the following format. If you are familiar with a current work and can do a writeup for it, please do so and post it here.

The sandbox for sorting examples is here.


Completed

Subpages:

  • Other (Moved and redirected to a Just for Fun page, as that is what is was acting as.)

Still needs work

Wicks (Related To page):

  • B-V

I will keep this post updated with the progress made, and any other needed information.

Edited by MacronNotes on May 19th 2022 at 8:59:40 AM

acrobox Since: Nov, 2010
#1226: Jul 26th 2016 at 12:47:15 PM

too many people with the Tagalong Kid anyway. change it to The Team.

edited 26th Jul '16 12:47:23 PM by acrobox

ChaoticNovelist Since: Jun, 2010
#1227: Jul 28th 2016 at 11:25:32 AM

[up] If changed to The Team, then add more context for The Chick. Being "the only girl" is not The Chick, that is the Smurfette Principle and it is not a "team" role.

chowmander Since: Apr, 2016
#1228: Aug 3rd 2016 at 6:16:08 PM

For The Chick, Kono starts fresh out of the academy with only a handful of experience in law enforcement. She knows how to subdue a suspect peacefully, unlike Steve.

ChaoticNovelist Since: Jun, 2010
#1229: Aug 11th 2016 at 12:19:38 PM

[up] That would be sufficient context for my taste.

VeryMelon Since: Jul, 2011 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#1230: Aug 14th 2016 at 9:47:00 PM

From Prison School.

  • Five-Man Band: The five male students form one quite nicely.
    • The Leader: Kiyoshi, the main protagonist and the one most determined for the group to escape.
    • The Lancer: Shingo, a delinquent who is quick to sell out the others for his own benefit.
    • The Big Guy: Andre, the biggest of the five and quite possibly the second strongest character in the series after Meiko. Gakuto even compares him to Lu Bu's crimson steed at one point.
    • The Smart Guy: Gakuto, the self-described "modern day tactician" who comes up with the majority of the group's plans.
    • The Chick: Jo, the one with the weakest constitution and otherwise the biggest oddball of the five.

Jo is a man, so he can't be The Chick in this case. And from read the manga I already know Gakuto is closer to The Lancer than Shingo is.

acrobox Since: Nov, 2010
#1231: Aug 15th 2016 at 6:14:49 AM

could just need the roles to shift around;.

Change it to The Team. Make Shingo like The Sneaky Guy or Token Evil Teammate. Gakuto The Lancer with some Smart Guy traits. make Jo the Plucky Comic Relief? if that's closer to what the actual group dynamics are.

ChaoticNovelist Since: Jun, 2010
#1232: Aug 16th 2016 at 11:29:16 AM

Plucky Comic Relief is not a team role but an ensemble archetype. Furthermore, The Team is not a dumping ground for main casts that don't fit Five-Man Band. Unless Jo does something to contribute to the group's goal than it is not The Team.

acrobox Since: Nov, 2010
#1233: Aug 16th 2016 at 6:08:56 PM

If they are a Team, they can go on The Team. The post indicates that they are indeed a team, just not an FMB.

Also Plucky Comic Relief is a team role. The very first line in the description is 'also known as ... The Funny Guy." See also Party Members under The Index Team.

And granted thats not the most flattering way to put it, but the team is essentially a dumping ground for non-FMB teams, because people used to and still do, incorrectly use FMB just to list the groups main dynamics even if they don't fit at all, leading to shoehorning, misuse and other problems. But when you move something from FMB to Team, you should give team roles that fit. If you don't have it off top of your head, pulling from Party Members is a good place to start.

I proposed and launched The Team for that purpose.

edited 16th Aug '16 6:11:07 PM by acrobox

ChaoticNovelist Since: Jun, 2010
#1234: Aug 17th 2016 at 2:35:23 PM

[up] My mistake. I have made that explicit on the Plucky Comic Relief's page.

Yes, I recognize that The Team was created to help solve FMB misuse but we don't want to simply move misuse from one page to another. "This is a list of the show's cast and a random collection of ensemble archetypes that fits each character to some degree" is hardly a trope. My intention was to prevent The Team from needing this sort of thread in the future.

DustSnitch Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#1235: Sep 24th 2016 at 11:50:44 AM

The two examples from Only Fools and Horses use seven people each, and: The Chick of the second group is a dude:

Also the Power Rangers examples all include The Mentor and Mission Control. Is that the right protocol?

acrobox Since: Nov, 2010
#1236: Sep 24th 2016 at 4:45:18 PM

Nope not protocol.

The Five-Man Band rules as I understand them now is that it must be

  • 5 who clearly fit the roles (Leader, Lancer, Big, Smart, Chick) no shoehorning.
    • Exception: If a pair of characters often function as The Dividual (see R2 and 3PO from Star Wars) they can be listed in one role.
  • Chick is mandatory female.
  • Overall gender ratio must be 4:1 male, or 3:2 male.
  • If you have all of the above, you can add Sixth Ranger.

If you stretch it any further with roles, members, or gender ratios from there it stops being an FMB, and becomes The Team if all the characters listed actually still work and identify as being on the same team.

For these examples you could move to The Team, and it would be even better if you could add context to reduce ZCE's around the site.

edited 24th Sep '16 4:51:23 PM by acrobox

DustSnitch Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#1237: Sep 24th 2016 at 6:07:48 PM

Well technically I can't cause those pages are locked. I don't think sitcom ensembles really fit The Team trope.

Karxrida from Eureka, the Forbidden Land Since: May, 2012 Relationship Status: I LOVE THIS DOCTOR!
#1238: Sep 24th 2016 at 10:48:34 PM

There's a thread for requesting edits for locked pages in the FAQ subforum. I'd link it, but I'm too lazy to do that on mobile atm.

If they don't fit The Team, just delete it.

Chytus Very Fine Dodger from South Texas Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Very Fine Dodger
#1239: Oct 15th 2016 at 3:31:36 PM

Someone add Five-Man Band to Undertale.Tropes A To G and it looks really iffy to me.

Derkhan Since: Nov, 2012 Relationship Status: Charming Titania with a donkey face
#1240: Oct 16th 2016 at 1:03:44 PM

Found this on Fools' Guild:

..no idea if it applies, but doesn't look like it, so I'm deleting it and putting it on the discussion page. But maybe someone else knows more.

lexicon Since: May, 2012
#1241: Oct 16th 2016 at 6:22:32 PM

I wouldn't bother putting it on the discussion page. It has no context, the roles are shared and I can't tell if The Fools in Byzantium are any kind of a team. Just delete.

k410ren Since: Jan, 2016
#1242: Nov 4th 2016 at 8:55:48 PM

Would this work as a Five Bad Band?:

  • Sharpe's Honour
    • Big Bad: Napoleon Bonaparte, as the other villains act with his approval
    • The Dragon: Major Pierre Ducos, Sharpe's Arch-Enemy who commands the others on the behalf of Napoleon
    • Evil Genius: Father Hacha, a Sinister Minister who is trying to stir up support for France among the upper class and clergy of Spain against the English
    • The Brute: El Matarife, a partisan leader who is the most bloodthirsty person in the scheme
    • Dark Chick: La Marquesa, who is coerced into participating in Ducos' plan and is regarded as expendable once Sharpe is framed

edited 4th Nov '16 9:58:22 PM by k410ren

"I'll show you the Dark Side." CM actors and kills
Karxrida from Eureka, the Forbidden Land Since: May, 2012 Relationship Status: I LOVE THIS DOCTOR!
#1243: Nov 4th 2016 at 9:44:53 PM

You need The Dragon, not the Dragon-in-Chief.

edited 4th Nov '16 9:45:03 PM by Karxrida

acrobox Since: Nov, 2010
#1244: Nov 4th 2016 at 11:07:49 PM

i dunno, Dragon-in-Chief is by definition a type of Dragon. I think it fits.

edited 4th Nov '16 11:08:00 PM by acrobox

nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#1245: Nov 5th 2016 at 3:08:33 AM

On the other hand, though, it's a pretty strong indicator that the actual Big Bad is not really part of a "band" with the others - which is the impression I was getting here anyway.

And anyway, I rather suspect the work here portrays Napoleon as the Greater-Scope Villain, not the Big Bad.

edited 5th Nov '16 3:10:12 AM by nrjxll

VeryMelon Since: Jul, 2011 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#1246: Nov 17th 2016 at 12:54:42 PM

Deleted this from Daily Life With Monster Girl MON

  • Five-Man Band
    • The Leader: Ms. Smith tends to be the one orchestrating how things should play out, though being human leaves her typically unable to directly assist.
    • The Lancer: Zombina, being declared the group's commander, is in charge of more immediate matters for MON while actively working.
    • The Smart Guy: Doppel; being required to know how she needs to look and act to deceive enemies puts her in this role.
    • The Big Girl: Shared between Manako and Tionishia. Manako has shown the ability to quickly disable a large number of enemies, while Tionishia is noted to be the strongest of the group and utilizes that strength to bypass things like walls.
    • The Chick: Shared between Manako and Tionishia. Manako feels that she's not really considered part of the group for being required to stay at a distance and her specialty requires the element of surprise so she can't repeatedly assist the group on the same mission. Tionishia, despite her strength, is more used simply to guard and escort hostages and can be seen trying to keep the group from fighting amongst themselves and attempting to boost morale, especially Manako's.

ChaoticNovelist Since: Jun, 2010
#1247: Nov 17th 2016 at 1:31:30 PM

[up] Both of those (Five Man and Five Bad together) have bad examples of The Chick and Dark Chick; more of that "chick is useless" sort of thing.

acrobox Since: Nov, 2010
#1248: Nov 20th 2016 at 3:32:02 PM

i hate to bring up again but the chick sandbox? anybody? can we make a move on this?

lexicon Since: May, 2012
#1249: Nov 21st 2016 at 3:56:15 PM

I don't understand the line, "Especially proactive chicks combine the role with The Lancer, acting as feminine foil to the main hero." Didn't we agree that it's one role per character and one character per role?

Madrugada Since: Jan, 2001
#1250: Nov 21st 2016 at 5:15:03 PM

Yes. One character per role; one role per character.


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