Four-Philosophy Ensemble

This is a trope applying to the dynamics of groups of four. While the Four-Temperament Ensemble seeks to classify members by their personality, this trope classifies members by their outlook, or life philosophy, especially as demonstrated when the Group is faced by a problem or challenge.

Keep in mind that this trope crops up in more character-driven works and will probably be absent from a work where the group of heroes are more cohesive or single-minded. That is to say, if there isn't much argument within the group, then they never have much chance to demonstrate the differing traits making up this trope.

The dynamics for this trope are very effective because it combines the best parts of a Red Oni, Blue Oni (The Cynic vs. The Optimist) and a Power Trio, (The Cynic - The Realist - The Optimist) placing The Realist in between the two opposing views, along with a fourth member (The Apathetic) to contrast all of them at once, including a fourth dimension to the argument, and even the potential for a fifth to be conflicted over the issue, often resulting in a Three Plus Two. All of this in a package that can even be coupled with the Four-Temperament Ensemble for double the fun. This is some serious Cast Calculus. Basically the trope is this:

A Four Philosophy Ensemble is divided as such:

 * The Cynic
 * Common Attributes: logic, practicality, criticism, Deadpan Snarker, hostility or antagonism, caution, prioritizes survival over other goals, skepticism, lacks compassion for people unwilling to make painful choices, disregard for social norms such as rules or politeness, questionable morality, book smart or street smart.
 * Common Characterizations: The Spock, The Lancer, Anti-Hero, Knight in Sour Armor, The Snark Knight, The Rival, Only Sane Man
 * Most common Perspective: Black and Grey Morality, Black and Black Morality


 * The Optimist
 * Common Attributes: Determination, loyalty to ideals, Honor Before Reason, morality or friendship over rules, self-sacrifice, feelings over facts, lack of forethought, disregard for consequences, stubbornness, optimism, blind faith, naivety, prioritizes 'the right thing' over survival.
 * Common Characterizations: The McCoy, Idiot Hero, The Heart, The Pollyanna, The Determinator, The Messiah, Plucky Girl
 * Most Common Perspective: Black and White Morality, White and Gray Morality


 * The Realist
 * Common Attributes: Takes the middle ground or Take a Third Option, mediation, objectiveness, decisiveness, balance between the group's well-being and the goal, personal code, disciplinarian, calm or quiet, leadership, experience, adaptability, willingness to bend the rules.
 * Common Characterizations: The Kirk, The Captain, Supporting Leader, Team Mom / Team Dad, The Fettered, The Mentor, Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Most Common Perspective: Gray and Grey Morality, Black and Grey Morality, Morality Kitchen Sink


 * The Apathetic
 * Common Attributes: Aloof or busy, uninvolved or neutral, different background or culture from other characters, different goals or priorities than other characters, perhaps enigmatic and lacking apparent goals at all, mysterious, ambivalent or not invested in the outcome, just along for the ride, silly or crazy, inactive, observer, support member.
 * Common Characterizations: The Quiet One, Non-Action Guy, Cloudcuckoolander, The Smart Guy, Sociopathic Hero, Wild Card, Supporting Protagonist
 * Most Common Perspective: Orange and Blue Morality, It Amused Me, Somebody Else's Problem

Occasionally the group will be joined by a fifth, called The Conflicted, or The Conflicted will replace The Apathetic.

 * The Conflicted
 * Common Attributes: Indecisive and conflicted, changeable, doesn't have or voice strong opinions, empathy, prioritizes peace and cohesion among the group, appeasement, self-doubt, lack of confidence, fear, need for approval, dependent, blind trust of others.
 * Common Characterizations: The Chick, Team Pet, Reluctant Warrior, Sad Clown, Hurting Hero, The Ingenue, The Eeyore, The Ditherer
 * Most Common Perspective: Grey and Grey Morality

A variation on this trope involves there being a group of four with a Cynic and an Optimist who are always as such, but the remaining two members trade between being the Realist, Apathetic or Conflicted roles, or do away with two of the roles, simply having them share the same role, with one being the main holder and the other in a supporting role or crossed with aspects of the Apathetic.

It is possible to expand the group beyond four or five members using this trope as a template and fitting additional characters into each slot, portraying different parts of the role, four is simply the minimum to qualify for this trope. Beyond that the number of members is unimportant so long as a significant amount of the members are not Apathetic, in which case it pretty much defeats the purpose of the trope, which is group conflict. If only a small part of the group (such as just the leader and his lancer) is ever involved in the conflict then it's not this trope, and probably a more job or role-oriented ensemble trope, such as Five-Man Band, Six-Student Clique or Magnificent Seven. When the group uses the full five philosophies, it is common for them to form a Three Plus Two group.

Situation: Our group is on an Adventure In Space, when suddenly they get pelted with space debris, their propulsion system is destroyed and they realize they are on a collision course with a meteor with very little maneuvering capabilities.


 * The Cynic proposes they dump the ship and all their belongings and escape in space pods, even if it means leaving that urgently needed medicine they are transporting on board to be destroyed.
 * The Optimist finds this idea appalling and insists that either they will fix the ship in time to get out of the way or what maneuvering capability they have will be enough, usually without any evidence to support this idea.
 * The Realist goes over the pros and cons of the situation, calming down the argument to the point where actual decision making can happen. Eventually he chooses a side or proposes a third option everyone can live with. This may lead to acting on whatever plan he supports.
 * The Apathetic may be a mechanic running about in the background, frantically trying to fix the propulsion systems with little time to think of anything else. Another portrayal is as an enigmatic passenger, watching the proceedings with bemusement, seemingly unaware of the danger. Alternatively they are gathering up their things, hopping in an escape pod without consulting anyone and saying "It's been real guys, see ya." Then again, they might just be insane.
 * The Conflicted, should there be one, will be on the verge of tears throughout the ordeal. They may be in the corner quietly worrying, wanting to to believe in The Optimist, but unable to stay strong when faced with everything that can go wrong. It might be that rather than distress over the situation, just as bad or worse is the way it has split the members of the group against each other. Conversely, they might just opt to scream "What are we going to do!?" in the background without contributing anything constructive.

Compare Cast Calculus, Morality Kitchen Sink, Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism, Four-Temperament Ensemble, Three Plus Two, Five-Man Band.

Anime and Manga

 * Black Lagoon: Revy as Cynic, Rock as Optimist, Dutch as Realist, Benny as Apathetic.
 * A subversion later on, as all four of them are or become Cynics.
 * Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (Early episodes): Simon as Cynic, Kamina as Optimist, Yoko as Realist, Leeron as Apathetic.
 * Later it becomes: Simon as Cynic, Nia as Optimist, Yoko as Realist, Leeron as Apathetic.
 * At the beginning of season 2 is was: Rossiu as Cynic, Kittan as Optimist, Simon as Realist and Viral as Apathetic, then it turned into Gimy as Cynic, Simon/Kittan as Optimist, Leeron/Yoko as Realist and Lordgenome as Apathetic. Maybe.
 * Naruto: Sasuke as Cynic, Naruto as Optimist, Kakashi as Realist, Sakura as Apathetic.
 * A later incarnation of the team, is Sai as Cynic, Naruto as Optimist, Yamato/Kakashi as joint Realists and Sakura showing definite Conflicted tendencies.
 * Other teams get in on it too
 * Squad 8: Shino as Cynic, Kiba as Optimist, Kurenai as Realist, Hinata as Apathetic,
 * Squad 10: Shikamaru as Cynic, Ino as Optimist, Asuma as Realist and Choji as Conflicted or another Realist
 * Team Gai: Neji as Cynic, Lee as Optimist, Gai as Realist and Tenten as Apathetic.
 * Team Kakashi Gaiden: Kakashi as Cynic, Obito as Optimist, Minato as Realist, Rin as Conflicted.
 * Trigun: Wolfwood as Cynic, Vash as Idealist, Meryl as Realist, Milly as Apathetic or Conflicted.
 * Slayers:
 * Lina: The Realist
 * Gourry: The Apathetic
 * Zelgadis: The Cynic
 * Amelia: The Optimist
 * Other than Xellos, all of their seasonal allies (Sylphiel, Martina, Filia, and Pokota) are the Conflicted.
 * Luke and Millina, Zelgadis and Amelia's replacements in the original book series, are both the Apathetic.
 * Dragonball Z (Namek Saga): Bulma as Cynic, Gohan as Optimist, Krillin as Realist, Vegeta as Apathetic.
 * (Cell Saga): Android 18 is Cynic, Goku is Idealist, Android 16/Future Trunks are Realists, Vegeta is apathetic, and you can sneak Krillin in there as Conflicted.
 * Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Kyoko/Homura are Cynics, Mami Tomoe is the Realist, Madoka is mostly the Conflicted (or Idealist when she is magical girl), Sayaka is the Optimist, Kyuubey is apathetic.
 * Princess Tutu, Krahe as Cynic, Princess Tutu as Optimist, Fakir as Realist, Drosselmeyer as Apathetic
 * Cowboy Bebop: Faye as Cynic, Spike as Optimist, Jet as Realist, Ed as Apathetic.
 * Fullmetal Alchemist: Roy as Cynic, Al as Optimist, Riza as Realist, Ed and Winry as Conflicted.
 * One Piece: right at the beginning when there were only 4 members, it was Uusopp as Cynic, Luffy as Optimist, Zoro as Realist, Nami as Apathetic.
 * Digimon, Adventure 02: TK as the Realist, Davis as the Optimist, Kari as the Realist, Yolei and Cody are hybrids of the Optimist & Conflicted and Cynic & Conflicted, respectively, and Ken checks in as the Cynic.
 * Digimon Tamers has Takato as the Optimist,Rika as the Cynic,Henry as the Realist,Kenta and Kazu as the Apathetics and Jeri rotating between Conflicted and Optimist,not sure where Ryu or Suzie fit in.
 * Lucky Star: Tsukasa (Optimist), Kagami (Cynic), Miyuki (Realist) and Konata (Apathetic).
 * Bakemonogatari: Araragi (Optimist), Senjogahara (Cynic), Oshino (Realist), Kanbaru (Apathetic) and Hanekawa (Conflicted, ).
 * D Gray Man's four main characters: Allen (Optimist), Kanda (Cynic), Lenalee (Realist), Lavi (Apathetic, or at least tries to be)
 * The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya has Haruhi (Optimist), Yuki (Realist), Kyon (Cynic), Itsuki (Apathetic) and Mikuru (Conflicted).
 * Durarara:
 * Optimist: Celty, Mikado.
 * Cynic: Shizuo, Masaomi, Namie.
 * Realist: Kadota.
 * Apathetic: Izaya, Shinra.
 * Conflicted: Anri.
 * Neon Genesis Evangelion:
 * Cynic: Ritsuko, Gendo
 * Optimist: Misato, Asuka
 * Realist: Kaji
 * Apathetic: Rei, Kaworu
 * Conflicted: Shinji
 * Code Geass
 * Cynic: Lelouch
 * Optimist (later Conflicted): Suzaku
 * Realist: Kallen
 * Apathetic: C.C.
 * Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Setsuna-Realist, Lockon-Apathetic, Alleujiah-Optimist and Tieria-Cynic.
 * Wolfs Rain: Kiba-Realist, Tsume-Cynic, Hige-Apathetic and Toboe-Optimist
 * The Humans make up another four as well: Darcia is the Cynic, Cher is the Optimist, Hubb is the Realist and Quent is the Apathetic.
 * Fairy Tail: Grey is the Cynic, Natsu is the optimist, Erza is the realist, Happy is the Apathetic, Lucy is the Conflicted
 * .hack Sign: Tsukasa is the Cynic, Mimiru is the Optimist, Bear is the Realist, BT is the Apathetic, Subaru is the Conflicted.
 * Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei: Nozumo is the Cynic, Kafuka is the Optimist.
 * Hellsing: Pip is the Cynic, Seras is the Optimist, Integra and Walter are twin Realists and Alucard is the Apathetic.
 * From Death Note: Light Yagami is the Cynic, Misa Amane is the Optimist, L is the Realist and Ryuk is the Apathetic.
 * From Gundam Seed Destiny: Shinn is The Optimist, Rey is the Realist, Lunamaria is The Apathetic and Athrun as The Cynic.
 * From Hana Saku Iroha: Minko ist the Cynic, Ohana is the Optimist, Nako is the Realist and Yuina is the Apathetic.
 * Ciel the Last Autumn Story: Yvienne is the Apathetic, Lariatte is the Realist, Daughter is the Cynic, and January is the Optimist.
 * Weiss Kreuz: Aya is the Cynic, Ken is the Optimist. Yoji starts off as the Realist and becomes the Conflicted, while Omi starts as the Conflicted and becomes the Realist.
 * Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle: Kurogane is the Cynic, Sakura is the Optimist, Syaoran is the Realist, Fay is the Apathetic, and Mokona is the Conflicted.
 * Yu Yu Hakusho: Hiei is the Cynic, Kuwabara is the Optimist, Yusuke is the Realist (though sometimes he's a lighter Cynic), and Kurama is the Apathetic.

Card Games

 * Magic the Gathering: Black and Blue are Cynic, Green is Apathetic, and White and Red are two wildly different versions of Optimist.

Comics

 * Empowered: Emp (Optimist), Ninjette (Cynic), Thugboy (Realist) and Caged Demonwolf (Apathetic). Sistah Spooky probably counts as a second Cynic.
 * Fantastic Four: Reed is the Optimist (science can fix it!), Ben the Cynic (that never works, Stretcho), Sue the Realist (will you boys stop arguing?) and Johnny the Apathetic (...sorry, what did you say?)
 * It can also be noted that on the rare occasions when they have nothing to do and no one to fight, they usually slide out of these roles (and become utterly dysfunctional): Johnny is the Optimist (Let's go out and have some fun guys!), Sue is the Cynic (This blows. I hate everything. Why is everyone around me a jackass?), Ben is the Realist (We need to fight someone or we're all going to kill each other, Stretch!), and Reed is the Apathetic (Do Not Disturb. Deep In Thought).
 * In Pearls Before Swine: Rat is the Cynic, Pig is the Optimist, Goat is the Realist, Zebra is the Apathetic.
 * In Get Fuzzy: Bucky is the Cynic, Satchel is the Optimist and Rob is both the Realist and the Apathetic.

Film

 * Inception: Cobb as Cynic, Ariadne as Optimist, Arthur as Realist, Eames as Apathetic, Yusef as second Apathetic by default of he's barely part of the group, and Saito is more of a Sixth Ranger than anything else.
 * Sucker Punch: An all-girl Version, Sweet Pea as the Cynic, Rocket as the Optimist, Baby Doll as the Realist, Amber as the Apathetic, Blondie as the Conflicted.
 * Star Trek:
 * Optimist: Kirk (ironically)
 * Cynics: Spock, Uhura
 * Realist: McCoy
 * Apathetics: Scotty, Chekov, Sulu
 * Ghostbusters: Peter Venkman is the Realist, Egon Spengler is the Cynic, Ray Stanz is the Optimist, and Winston Zeddemore is the Apathetic.
 * The Indiana Jones films:
 * Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade: Indy is the Cynic, Henry Sr. is the Optimist, Marcus Brody is the Realist, and Sallah is the Apathetic.
 * Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull: Indy is the Realist, Mutt is the Cynic, Marion is the Optimist, and Oxley is the Apathetic.
 * Reservoir Dogs gives us Messrs. White (Optimist), Orange (Realist), Pink (Cynic) and Blonde (Apathetic).
 * The Untouchables: Eliot Ness is the Realist, Jimmy Malone is the Cynic, George Stone is the Optimist, and Oscar Wallace is the Apathetic.
 * Casablanca: Rick Blaine is the Cynic, Ilsa is the Conflicted, Victor Laszlo is the Optimist, and Captain Renault is the Apathetic.
 * Star Wars (Original Trilogy): Luke is the Optimist, Leia is the Realist, Han is the Cynic, and Chewbacca is the Apathetic.
 * The prequels have Padme as the Optimist ,Obi-Wan as the Realist,Anakin as the Cynic, and sadly enough Jar-Jar as the Apathetic
 * The four main adults in Mary Poppins: Mary Poppins is the Realist, George Banks is the Cynic, Winifred Banks is the Optimist, and Bert is the Apathetic.

Literature

 * Circle of Magic: Tris as Cynic, Sandry as Optimist, Briar as Realist, Daja as Apathetic.
 * Lonely Werewolf Girl: Kalix (Cynic), Moonglow (Realist), Vex (Optimist) and Daniel (Apathetic).
 * Beauty and Delicious (co-Optimists), Dominil (Cynic), Thrix (Realist) and Malveria (Apathetic).
 * Everworld - Jalil as the cynic, David as the optimist, April as the realist, Christopher as the conflicted, Senna as something of the apathetic.
 * Chronicles of Narnia: Peter is Cynic, Lucy is Optimist, Susan is Realist, Edmund is Conflicted in the first book/movie, and then is The Apathetic, or support Realist in the second. As the series progresses Peter becomes more Realistic and Susan more Apathetic until in The Last Battle she isn't even present.
 * In Akata Witch, Orlu is the Cynic, Sasha as the Apathetic, and Sunny and Chichi switch between the Optimist and the Realist.
 * The Hogwarts houses (and a generalization of their students) in the Harry Potter series:
 * Gryffindor: The Optimist
 * Slytherin: The Cynic
 * Ravenclaw: The Apathetic
 * Hufflepuff: The Realist

Live Action TV

 * Babylon 5: Ivanova is the Cynic; Dr. Franklin is the Optimist; Garibaldi is the Realist; Sheridan is the Conflicted. Marcus is the Apathetic.
 * Alternatively Marcus is the Optimist and Franklin is the Apathetic.
 * Blakes Seven
 * Optimist: Blake
 * Cynic: Avon
 * Realist: Jenna
 * Apathetic: Vila
 * Conflicted: Maybe Soolin
 * House MD: (Beginning of the show) House is the Cynic, Cameron is the Optimist, Foreman is the Realist, Chase is the Apathetic.
 * The cast goes through some changes to the point that it doesn't fit this trope but in the sixth season it picks back up with House as the Cynic, Masters as the Optimist, Foreman as the Realist, Chase as the Apathetic and Taub as the Conflicted.
 * In the eighth season, House, Chase and Taub keep their positions with Adams as the Optimist and Park as the Realist.
 * I Carly: Sam is The Cynic, Carly The Optimist, Freddie the Realist, Spencer the Apathetic
 * Victorious: Before Tori shows up, Jade is The Cynic, Cat The Optimist, Robbie the Realist, and Beck and Andre share the Apathetic role.
 * Firefly: Original crew is Jayne as the Cynic, Inara as Optimist, Mal as Realist, Zoe as supporting Realist, Wash as Apathetic and Kaylee as Conflicted. Later Simon becomes another Optimist, Book becomes another Realist, and River another Apathetic.
 * Star Trek Voyager: This probably applies to the rest of Star Trek shows. While there are obviously more than four or five characters, the overlapped roles have characters that fall under different aspects of each role. For example, Tuvok is the coldly-logical Cynic, Paris is the street smart Cynic and Torres embodies raw hostility.
 * Cynic: Tuvok, Paris, Torres
 * Optimist: Neelix
 * Realist: Janeway, The Doctor
 * Apathetic: Chakotay, Seven
 * Conflicted: Kim, Kes
 * Fringe: Peter is the Cynic, Walter is the Optimist, Olivia is the Realist and Astrid is the Apathetic.
 * The Nanny: Among the grownups, Fran Fine is the Optimist, Maxwell Sheffield is the Realist, Niles is the Apathetic, and C.C. Babcock is the Cynic. The Sheffield children, Maggie, Brighton, and Gracie, are all conflicted.
 * Fraggle Rock:
 * Red: Cynic
 * Mokie: Optimist
 * Gobo: Realist
 * Boober: Apathetic
 * Wembly: Conflicted
 * Torchwood: Jack is The Realist, Owen is The Cynic, Gwen is The Optimist and Toshiko and Ianto are Twin Apathetics.
 * Charmed: Although Prue and Paige never appeared together, the Charmed ones all qualify. Prue is the Realist, Piper is the Cynic, Phoebe is the Optimist, and Paige is the Apathetic.
 * The A-Team fits this perfectly. Hannibal is the optimist, Face is the cynic, B.A is the realist, and Murdock is the apathetic.
 * Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (first generation)
 * Optimist: Zack, Black Ranger
 * Cynic: Billy, Blue Ranger
 * Realist: Trini, Yellow Ranger
 * Apathetic: Kimberly, Pink Ranger.
 * Conflicted: Jason, Red Ranger.
 * Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (second generation)
 * Optimist: Rocky, Red Ranger II
 * Cynic: Kat, Pink Ranger II
 * Realist: Aisha, Yellow Ranger II
 * Apathetic: Tommy, White Ranger.
 * Conflicted: Adam, Black Ranger II
 * Red Dwarf:
 * Optimist: David Lister, always hopeful in the crew's plans, almost to the point of blind hope in the absence of no logical certainty that the plan will run smoothly. Will be the first one to support looting a spaceship on the verge of exploding, just so he could get a supply of curry.
 * Cynic: Arnold Rimmer. He'll pretty much say no to any plan, percieving it to be too risky. Has practically no faith in anything.
 * Realist: Probably Kryten. He'll acknowledge that Lister is being overly optimistic, and that his plan probably is suicidal, but yet informs Rimmer that even though a mission might be dangerous, they are in danger (of possible low food supplies) and must take the chance to survive anyway.
 * Apathetic: The Cat. Although he does get better, he's fairly indifferent to most of the others' discussions, and lives in his own mental world.
 * Conflicted: This role appeares to be taken up both by Holly in early episodes, and then Kochanski later. It ranges from high hopes in plans, that could end up leading the crew into hazard, or outright saying many plans won't work. In a way, this could be the cause of the character's instabilities.
 * Psych of all shows has this trope present with Shawn as the Apathetic,Gus as the Realist,Lassie as the Cynic,and Juliet as the Optimist

Music

 * The Beatles: John Lennon as the Cynic, Paul McCartney as the Optimist, George Harrison as the Realist, and Ringo Starr as the Apathetic.

Video Games

 * Gears of War 2: Marcus as Cynic, Domin Santiago/Cole the train as Optimist, Baird as Realist, Dizzy as Apathetic
 * Final Fantasy XIII: Hope as Cynic, Snow as Optimist, Lightning as the Realist, Fang as the Apathetic, Vanille and Sazh as Conflicted.
 * Half-Life 2: Barney Calhoun as Cynic, Alyx Vance as Optimist, Dr Kleiner as Realist, Dr Mossman as Apathetic.
 * Legend of Dragoon. Dart is the Realist, Lavitz is the Optimist, Rose is the Cynic, Shana is the Conflicted. Haschel later joins as the Apathetic. This setup holds from the time Rose joins all the way until Dragoon's It Was His Sled moment happens, where it transitions into a proper Five-Man Band.
 * Left 4 Dead: Francis as Cynic (hates everything), Louis as Optimist (hopeful), Bill as Realist (experienced) and Zoey as Apathetic (knowledgeable on zombies).
 * Left 4 Dead 2: Nick as Cynic (pessimistic), Ellis as Optimist (naive), Coach as Realist (leader) and Rochelle as Apathetic (only neutral character).
 * Catherine, in terms of Vincent and his three bros. Orlando is the Cynic, Toby the Optimist, Jonny the Realist and Vincent himself (unsurprisingly) the Conflicted.
 * Last Scenario: Hilbert as Idealist, Matilda as Cynic, Thorve as Realist, and Lorenza as Conflicted. The other three party members are all Apathetic for some reason or another; Randolph is the "just along for the ride" variety, Ethan mostly keeps his thoughts to himself, and has a different set of goals and priorities.
 * Dragon Age II has Merrill (sweet and naive, wants to help her people) and Sebastian (deeply religious) as Idealists, Aveline (protector, group conscience) and Varric (savvy, level-headed merchant prince) as Realists, Fenris (traumatized, bitter, and snarky warrior) as Cynic, and Isabela (flighty hedonist) as Apathetic. Anders straddles the line between Cynic and Idealist, being a Well-Intentioned Extremist who combines self-sacrificing loyalty to his ideals with hostility and ruthlessness.

Web Comics

 * In Eight Bit Theater, Black Mage as Cynic, Fighter as Optimist (because he is so child like and optimistic and contrasts black mage, they even came in together at the start of the story), and then Red Mage and Thief are both Apathetic, because Red Mage only cares about stats and Thief only cares about money, neither of them are interested in getting between Black mage and Fighter, though Red Mage does have some Realist and Leadership tendencies of thinking up plans and trying to actually get the group to complete missions and what not.
 * Order of the Stick gives V as Cynic, Elan as Optimist, Roy and Durkon as Realists, and Belkar as Apathetic. Haley is initially also Apathetic, but eventually becomes a second Cynic (though a street smart one, to contrast with V's book smarts).
 * Homestuck: John (Optimist), Rose (Cynic), Dave (Realist) and Jade (initially a second Optimist, but quickly becomes Conflicted).
 * The four patron trolls: Kanaya (Optimist), Terezi (Cynic), Karkat (Realist) and Vriska (Apathetic). Tavros (though not a patron troll) fits in as Conflicted.
 * The Midnight Crew: Spades Slick (Cynic), Diamonds Droog (Realist), Clubs Deuce (Optimist) and Hearts Boxcar (Apathetic).
 * And Aradia manages to hit all four points at various times throughout the series. Specifically: alive!Aradia is the Optimist, ghost!Aradia is Apathetic, Aradiabot is the Cynic and !Aradia is the Realist.
 * Rumors of War: Nenshe as Cynic, Elysia as Optimist, Illyra as Realist, and Occela as Apathetic. This despite the attempts of several main and supporting cast members to make a cynic of Elysia.
 * Something Positive: Vanessa as Optimist, Peejee as Realist, Aubrey as Apathetic and Davan as Cynic.
 * The Word Weary: Jason as the Cynic, John as the Optimist, Sam as the Realist and Yorick as the Apathetic.

Western Animation

 * Gargoyles: Demona as Cynic, Goliath as Optimist, Eliza Maza as Realist, Xanatos as Apathetic.
 * Avatar: The Last Airbender:
 * Season 1: Sokka as Cynic, Katara as Optimist, Aang as Realist (seems weird I know, but he's actually the mediator most of the time while the siblings argue, and Katara is so obviously The McCoy), Zuko or Momo/Appa as Apathetic
 * Season 2: Toph as Cynic, Katara as Optimist, Aang as Realist, Sokka as Apathetic or a milder Realist.
 * Dark version which fits it even better: Zuko as Cynic, Ty Lee as Optimist, Azula as Realist, Mai as Apathetic
 * Season 3: Aang as Realist, Katara as Optimist, Sokka as Cynic, Toph as Apathetic, Suki as another Realist and Zuko as another Cynic.
 * Young Justice: At the beginning when there were only 4 members, it was Speedy as Cynic, Kid Flash as Optimist, Calder as Realist, Robin as Apathetic. Later, when Speedy left and Superboy joined them, he replaced Speedy as the Cynic and Me'gann came in as the Conflicted.
 * Robin is sort of an odd duck in that he fits the apathetic definition most of the time, but this is at least partly because he doesn't like to slow down long enough to actually consult with his team members much less debate philosophy. Whenever he actually does slow down to talk strategy with the rest of the team, it's usually because the situation has gotten so bad that Robin has taken over as de facto commander at which point he doesn't debate, he just gives orders which the others meekly follow.
 * Teen Titans: Robin is the Realist, Starfire, Beast Boy and (to some extent) Cyborg are Optimists and Raven is both the Cynic and the Apathetic.
 * Gumby has Gumby as the Optimist, Pokey as the Cynic, Prickle as the Realist and Goo as the Apathetic.
 * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Leonardo is disciplined, balanced and the group leader (the Realist); Donatello is intelligent, has special skills and always busy (the Apathetic); Raphael is hostile, skeptical and rude (the Cynic); Michaelangelo is foolish, determined and optimistic - (obviously the Optimist).
 * King of the Hill: Hank Hill as the Realist, Dale Gribble as the Cynic, Bill Dauterive as the Optimist and Boomhauer as the Apathetic.
 * The kids in Ms. Frizzle's class on The Magic School Bus:
 * The boys: Carlos is the Cynic, Tim is the Optimist, Arnold is the Realist and Ralphie is the Apathetic.
 * The girls: Keesha is the Cynic, Phoebe is the Optimist, Dorothy Ann is the Realist and Wanda is the Apathetic.
 * The Simpsons: Homer and Bart are Cynics, Marge is the Optimist, Lisa is the Realist, and Maggie is the Apathetic.