http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FiveManBand

Pictured: Everybody in the band. And no one else.

Advertisement:

The Five-Man Band is a group of characters whose members fall into archetypes which all complement one another. They are a very specific team with skills that contribute to the group in a way oddly analogous to the members of a rock band. It can sometimes literally be a musical group, but much more often is not.

The group traditionally includes:

Advertisement:

The five-man rock band phenomenon, four guys and a girl singer, is no longer as current as it once was. It was very hard to escape in the 60's and 70's. However, the group structure, as you will see in the examples, turns up in a lot of storytelling. Like a whole lot of storytelling.

See also ¡Three Amigos!, Power Trio, and Cast Calculus. Fighting ability is usually determined by Fixed Relative Strength. Compare the Command Roster, for military-esque teams. The Psycho Rangers are the collective Evil Counterpart of a given Five-Man Band. See also Four-Temperament Ensemble.

These are examples of teams that fit all five of the character tropes. Remember that they form a team dynamic; it's always tempting to match two of the characters in a show, then try to convince yourself and others that the other characters can be squeezed/wedged/stuffed into the description of the other character types, but that's not the point of the Five-Man Band trope. The individual character types exist outside of the band. The Five-Man Band only occurs when the team as a whole fits, not just a few characters.

Advertisement:

As a rule of thumb, if your band example has to justify more than two types, or a single trope with more than two sentences of qualifiers, you're trying to fool yourself. If it isn't a Five-Man Band, it isn't a Five-Man Band.

Examples

open/close all folders

Advertising

The Weetabix Gang: In the early '80s, Weetabix cereal showed ads in Great Britain featuring a group of Weetabix who behaved and dressed like skinheads. Initially they just promoted the cereal, but later went on adventures and did several parodies and tie ins to pop music and films. The Leader: Dunk, a tough guy who did the most talking, led the adventures, and set up the first half of the catch-phrase "If you know what's good for you." The Lancer: Brian, a simple Plucky Comic Relief breakout character that finishes the catchphrase with "OK." The Smart Guy: Brains, wore Nerd Glasses, and analyzed the titchy cereals. The Big Guy: Crunch, the largest member, sometimes Dumb Muscle, often carrying smaller members like Brains and Bixie. The Chick: Bixie, the only girl, often cheering on the other guys.



Anime And Manga

Comic Books

Film- Animated

Film- Live Action

Literature

Live Action TV

Theatre

Video Games

Webcomics

Western Animation