Five-Man Band (Trope)

This trope originates from TV Tropes. However, the writing on this page is original.

The Five-Man Band is a group of characters who specialize in a particular area of their likeness.

- The Hero: The leader of the group.
- The Lancer: The 2nd-in-command of the group, and often serves as a foil to The Hero.
The Smart Guy: The brains of the group. They're often weak in comparison to the other members, except when they come in the form of either a Genius Bruiser or a Badass Bookworm. They're usually not stronger than the Big Guy, though.
- The Big Guy: The group's powerhouse. They don't have to be stronger than The Hero or The Lancer, but they're powerful regardless.
- The Chick: The peacekeeper of the group. Not necessarily always female, but they usually are.

Associated Character Types:

- Big Brother Mentor/Team Mom/Team Dad/Cool Big Sis
- The Medic: Usually either The Chick or The Smart Guy, or a combination of the two.
Mentors: These are advisory types that come and go, and may be the ones that actually run the team.
- Sixth Ranger: The late edition to the team who sits outside of the actual Five-Man Band.
- Tagalong Kid: Usually The Hero's or The Chick's younger sibling, who's primarily there to... "tag along".
The Team Pet: The Pokemon that serves as the mascot of the group, but isn't really a "character" in the conventional sense.

Please note that a group only counts as a Five-Man Band if they fit four of the five archetypes.

Examples:

Pokemon Gold's Adventures: Destiny of a Hero

Season 1:
The Hero: Gold
The Lancer: Andrew
The Smart Guy: Vel
The Big Guy: Lendon
The Chick: Dawn