Badass Crew: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|''"Special Forces squads are built around the skills of the individual members. But no matter how good each member of a squad is, every mission comes down to one thing; how well they work together. Because in the end, you don't need a hero to succeed in the field. You need a team."''
|'''Michael''', '''''[[Burn Notice]]''''', "Brotherly Love"}}
▲{{quote|''"Special Forces squads are built around the skills of the individual members. But no matter how good each member of a squad is, every mission comes down to one thing; how well they work together. Because in the end, you don't need a hero to succeed in the field. You need a team."''|'''Michael''', '''''[[Burn Notice]]''''', "Brotherly Love"}}
A [[Badass Family]], even if they're not related. This will turn up a lot when discussing the [[Superhero]] Team, [[The Squad]], and the [[Five-Man Band]]. And a fair number of Sci-fi shows set aboard a ship, since normally, even the baddest hero can't run a whole [[Cool Ship]] on his own. This isn't a requirement though.
Some general conventions that apply to almost all
* They must include at least three people for obvious reasons. Two [[
* A Crew typically has a recurring and more-or-less permanent roster; you can reasonably expect to see the same members over and over. Which is why this [[Trope]] is a fixture of TV shows, comics, and other media which is made of recurring installments. You see this less in movie series, since they're often built around a central character who may have different supporters in each movie, i.e. ''[[Die Hard]]'' or ''[[James Bond (film)|James Bond]]''. This is probably because it's easier to sign one actor for a film rather than three or five.
* Most heroes have some sort of support or backup, but in a
* There's usually one person who acts as the leader of the bunch.
* Their combined badassery is indispensable on the front lines, in actual combat. In their day-to-day applications, however, it can lead to some ''very sticky'' situations. For this very reason, they often have to watch what they say around each other, particularly with regards to lower-level antagonists that don't directly affect the other crew members.
* Most important: the crew must have a certain loyalty toward one another. Like a family. If one of them is hurt/kidnapped/killed the others will bring holy hell on those responsible, even if it means violating orders. For this reason, all
Since, unlike a [[Badass Family]], none of the members were born into the Crew (though some of them might be blood relatives), some writers will use the story of the [[Badass Crew]]'s formation as an interesting [[Backstory|origin story]]. In most Action/Adventures and Sci-Fi/Fantasy stories, the [[Badass|badasses]] came together to foil a [[Big Bad]] and/or save the world.▼
The members of the Crew may not have even liked each other at first or even been outright enemies, but they come together and join forces because a) none of them can defeat the [[Big Bad]] and his plot without total cooperation, b) they worked out their differences, c) they see the [[Badass|badassness]] in each other and recognize a kindred spirit, or d) all the above. ▼
▲Since, unlike a [[Badass Family]], none of the members were born into the Crew (though some of them might be blood relatives), some writers will use the story of the
The [[Badass Crew]] may be or have been a [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]]. [[Amazon Brigade]] is an all-female variation of this. The logical extension of this is the [[Badass Army]] where they are essentially a gigantic [[Badass Crew]]. Almost invariably a [[Caper Crew]] doubles as a [[Badass Crew]].▼
▲The members of the Crew may not have even liked each other at first or even been outright enemies, but they come together and join forces because a) none of them can defeat the [[Big Bad]] and his plot without total cooperation, b) they worked out their differences, c) they see the [[
Also see [[Misfit Mobilization Moment]], which is often an origin for the [[Badass Crew]].▼
▲The
{{examples}}
== Anime
* ''[[Outlaw Star]]'' had the Badass [[Five-Man Band]] consisting of [[Badass Longcoat]] wearing Gene Starwind, his partner Jim Hawking, [[Robot Girl]] Melfina, [[Catgirl]] Aisha [[Clan Clan]], and [[Everything's Better with Samurai|assassin]] Twilight Suzuka.
* The Lagoon Company of ''[[Black Lagoon]]'', oh ho ho, borrowing the charisma of Cowboy Bebop with a bickering crew of badasses who start off as rather typical, but unleash wave after wave of terror on their opponents with each episode. And Balalaika's ''Vysotniki''. As described by Benny in their first announced appearance: "They have enough talent to fight and win World War III."
* ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]''. That show is guided by the [[Rule of Cool]], and that includes the
* ''[[Naruto]]'''s Team 8, Team Gai, and especially Team 10 all remain a close-knit family. Asuma even mentions this, in a flashback, when he gives all the members of his team earrings as a symbol of sticking together. And ''every single member'' of the Konoha 12 has their [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|CMOA]], even Ino, and especially Sakura, Shikamaru, and [[The Messiah|Naruto]] himself.
* Colonel Mustang's crew from [[Fullmetal Alchemist]]. They're so badass that {{spoiler|when they made their move on the Promised Day, a platoon of five soldiers engaged with Central's forces without killing anybody; 60 injuries, no deaths.}}
* The Dai-Gurren Brigade from ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]''. There's nothing else that needs to be said. Airship carrier doing a double roundhouse kick, for example. [[Rule of Cool|e A ground-based airship carrier doing a double roundhouse kick to an]] [[Airborne Aircraft Carrier]] no less!
* The Urameshi Team from ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]].''
* Everyone Takashi Komuro leads in ''[[Highschool of the Dead]]''.
* From the ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' series, we get the following: [core members of the following]
** Original Series: (The White Base pilots\crew)
** Gundam0083 (The Albion pilots/crew)
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** SEED Destiny (The TSA again, and the crew/pilots of the Minerva)
** 00 Gundam (Celestial Being, Choubou, Overflags, A-LAWS, Innovades)
* All versions of the [[Getter Robo|Getter Team]] are like this, but special mention goes to the Go team. Go, Sho/Kei and Gai get along
* [[Gravion]] has the Gran Knights, who are [[Badass]] (in their own ways) in an out of titular mecha. The sequel bring us the Gran Troopers, who are the same, so much so that the leader of the first
* ''[[One Piece]]''.
** One [[Image Song]] even mentions that the Straw Hats aren't related, but are still [[True Companions|like a family]].
** The Whitebeard Pirates fit the criteria, even if they don't get as much focus as the Straw Hat Pirates.
** Shanks' crew.
** And lots and lots of other crews too, in fact the Straw Hats usually fight another
* [[The Squad|Riot Force 6]] of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS]]''. Even the [[White Mage]] of the group is [[Action Girl|someone]] [[The Beast Master|you]] [[Summon Magic|don't]] [[Our Dragons Are Different|want]] [[Berserk Button|to]] [[Beware the Nice Ones|mess]] [[Person of Mass Destruction|with]].
* Tsuna and his guardians, Xanxus and the Varia Squad from ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]]''.
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* Askeladd's Crew in ''[[Vinland Saga]]'', composed of [[The Berserker]], a [[Genius Bruiser]] [[Magnificent Bastard]], a teenage [[Determinator]], a [[Scarily Competent Tracker]] and [[Those Two Guys]]. There's close to a hundred men in his crew, the number fluctuates, but those are the ones that stand out.
* [[Berserk|The Band of the Hawk.]]
* Jacuzzi and Nice's gang from ''[[Baccano!]]!'' is a group of [[Street Urchin
* Onime no Kyo and his Shiseiten in ''[[Samurai Deeper Kyo]]''
* The Kurogane House from ''[[Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-hen]]'', a group of former Yakuza members who were saved from the verge of death by their current leader, Tsubasa.
* The Yorozuya from ''[[Gintama]]'' is this and a [[Comic Trio]]. The Shinsengumi also count.
* [[Mahou Sensei Negima]]
** Ala Rubra, which had at least two members who are essentially ''invincible'' and a number of other members who aren't quite invincible, but still incredibly [[Badass]].
** Negi's group, Ala Alba, is well on it's way to this, as almost all the girls are drifting in an [[Action Girl]] direction. If one chooses to focus on the primary combatants (Negi, Kotaro, Setsuna, Kaede, and Asuna) it essentially ''is'' a
* Section Nine from ''[[Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex]]''.
* ''[[Bleach]]'': the main heroes are two shinigami, one with a sword that would make [[Final Fantasy VII|Cloud Strife]] tremble in fear, one with a sword that could {{spoiler|freeze a Fraccion solid}}. One Quincy, who not only fires light arrows but has {{spoiler|a freaking [[Star Wars|lightsaber]]}}. Two humans, one of whom can {{spoiler|defy divine law by rejecting reality}}.
** The 11th division.
* The Newspaper Club in ''[[Rosario
* The four Frenchmen from ''[[Le Chevalier d'Eon]]'', three of whom are among the best swordsmen alive.
* ''[[Soul Eater]]'' has several, with the meisters paired with their weapons. There's [[Musical Assassin|Soul]] and [[Badass Bookworm|Maka]], [[Boisterous Bruiser|Black Star]] and [[Team Mom|Tsubaki]], and [[Shinigami|Death the Kid]] with the [[Beware the Nice Ones|Thompson]] [[Only Sane Man|sisters]]. And when all three teams join together to beat the [[Big Bad]]...well, [[Catch Phrase|they're a freakin' lethal team]]. The manga pairs up Maka's group with Ox's to form young elite unit, Spartoi. They get natty new uniforms and everything.
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== Comic Books ==
* The [[Secret Six]]. Even the idea of family roles are played with when Bane becomes Scandal's "father". But don't underestimate them; they are ''villains'' after all.
* [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|The Avengers]]. But you gotta be badass when your core membership is [[Iron Man]], [[Captain America (comics)]], [[The Mighty Thor|Thor]], [[Incredible Hulk|the Hulk]], [[Wolverine]] and [[Spider-Man (Comic Book)|Spider-Man]].
* [[X-Men (Comic Book)|The Uncanny]] ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|Frikkin']]'' [[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]].
* [[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|Teen Titans]]. Their whole premise is that they are a family, and they most definitely are [[Badass]]. As an example, here are a few from one of the most recent incarnations.
** Impulse, almost immediately after joining the new Teen Titans, gets kneecapped by Deathstroke. After healing, which happens extremely fast and needs to be rebroken multiple times, his metabolism is so fast he is immune to ''anesthesia,'' he reads an entire library ''in a matter of hours,'' and retains ''everything'' he read, and proceeds to change his name to Kid Flash and [[Take A Level In Maturity]] ''and'' [[Take a Level In Badass|A Level In Bad Ass.]]
** Superboy finds out he {{spoiler|is a clone, not only of Superman, but also ''Lex Luthor,'' and nearly kills everyone while under Luthor's mind control}}, but then proceeds {{spoiler|to go shot for shot with ''[[Superboy Prime]]'' for multiple pages, culminating in the [[Heroic Sacrifice]] when he destroys the Anti-Monitor's tower by smashing himself and [[Superboy Prime]] into it, impaling himself in the process.}}
** As mentioned above, Speedy is HIV positive and still Fights The Good Fight.
* The ''[[Justice League of America|Justice League]]''. Duh.
** As founding member [[Martian Manhunter]] explained to an ancient [[
{{quote|'''"We're the Justice League. We've beaten up real gods and made them cry. You are nothing to us."'''}}
** Their predecessors, the [[Justice Society of America|Justice Society]], is one too.
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* The [[Young Avengers]], they all are pretty close friends and they are indeed badass(they aren't "Avengers" for nothing).
* The band of fugitives in ''Negation''. They want to escape the Negation-verse and get back home, and everyone's after them, so they're forced to rely on each other to survive. Over time, motivations and agendas change...
* The [[Blackhawk
* ''[[X-Force]]''. Especially ''The Uncanny'' X-Force.
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== Film ==
* The Massachusetts 54th Regiment as shown in the movie ''[[Glory]]''.
* ''[[The Lord of the Rings|The Fellowship Of The Ring]]''. Even those hobbits will bust your ass should you trifle with them or their pals. One of their greatest moments of collective badassitude is in the Mines of Moria when the company find themselves completely surrounded by thousands of Orcs - and are completely ready to take them on.
* ''[[Ocean's Eleven]]'': Daniel Ocean's crew. The precision point schemes they pull off make them [[Badass]], but what makes them family is made clear when Reuben is hurt; they put on a heist not to make a fortune, but just to spite the guy who hurt him.
* The members of the 1960 [[
* ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]'': The crew of the Black Pearl.
* ''[[Animal House]]'': The members of Delta Team.
* The main characters of the ''[[Star Wars]]'' original trilogy. Well, all except Threepio, anyway.
* The ''[[Seven Samurai]]''
* ''[[The Magnificent Seven]]''
* The [[Ghostbusters]].
* [[The Goonies]].
* ''[[Master and Commander]]'': Captain Jack Aubrey's crew. When even the doctor and a [[Handicapped Badass|one-armed]] 13-year-old grab swords and kick ass, you know your crew is badass!
* The impromptu [[Power Trio]] and their back-ups in ''[[Independence Day]]''.
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* The crew of ''Serenity'' from ''[[Firefly]]'' In the movie alone, each member shows just how badass he/she can be... although Book's [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] happens off screen...
* The crew of the Enterprise in ''[[Star Trek (film)|Star Trek]]'' most definitely qualifies. Even {{spoiler|150 year old Spock Prime}} and [[Team Dad]] Captain Pike get [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|Crowning Moments of Awesome]]. The movie was essentially an [[Origin Story]] of how the original Trek Badass Crew came to be.
* Andy's toys from ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]''. Toys can't be [[Badass]], you say?? Kidnap or threaten one of them, they'll show you just how incorrect you are. In the first ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]'', [[Misunderstood Loner with a Heart of Gold|the Mutant Toys]] are the
{{quote|'''[[Butt Monkey|Mr. Potato Head]]:''' Prepare to meet... ''Mr. Angry Eyes!''}}
* Even though it's mostly about Sharpe and his [[The Lancer|Lancer]]-sidekick Sergeant Harper, the riflemen of the 95th (and to some extent, the entire South Essex Regiment) definatly quialifies. Memorable scenes include Hagman dual wielding a pair of rifles, private Perkins saving Sharpe's life and anything including Captain Frederickson ("A musket ball broke my jaw. I have false teeth. The sawbone stuck on the smile for free, sir. He also stuck on my hair. Hair belongs to a horse, sir.")
* The team of Allied commandos assigned to blow up the Nazi cannons on the Greek island of Navarone in ''[[The Guns of Navarone]]''.
* ''[[The Losers]]'', in both the movie and the comics, though the loyalty is particularly pronounced in the movie.
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== Literature ==
* The [[Jack Ryan]] novel ''[[Rainbow Six]]'' gives us Rainbow, headed by John Clark ([[Title Drop|Rainbow Six)]] and happens to be a multinational force of some of the baddesst asses from the world's most deadly special forces units, albeit they are presented in a very realistic and very mortal fashion.
* The [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]]:
** Any X-Wing squadron captained by Wedge Antilles. Specifically, the ''[[X Wing Series]]''' Rogue Squadron, and ''especially'' [[Crazy Awesome|Wraith Squadron]]. The four pilots of {{color|red|Red}} Flight, while a much smaller crew, all know each other from before and are quite awesome.
** The four stormtroopers in [[Survivors Quest]], Unit Aurek-Seven of the 501st. Cloud, Grappler, Watchman, and Shadow. They are ''unspeakably'' [[Badass]].
** Delta Squad probably takes the cake for the most
* The [[Animorphs]] from the series of the same name, a crew of [[Badass]] shapeshifters.
* [[The Lord of the Rings|The Fellowship Of The Ring]] is at least as [[Badass]] in the books as in the film.
* ''[[Discworld|The City Watch]]'' novels
** Vimes, Carrot, Angua and Detritus form one of these.
** The Silver Horde. Seven very old men. Six of them are Barbarian Heroes, the most dangerous occupation on the whole Discworld (and considering what some people do for a living, that's saying something.) They're primary skill is
** The Wizards of Unseen University are NOT the sort of people you want to find yourself squaring off against, either. It doesn't matter how you might try, either.
{{quote|Ridcully: Please try to sue the University! We have a POND full of people who've tried to sue the University!}}
* The Dendarii Mercenaries of [[Lois McMaster Bujold]]'s ''[[Vorkosigan Saga]]''. From [[Handicapped Badass]] Miles Vorkosigan to [[Action Girl]] Elli Quinn to [[Hermaphrodite]] [[Deadpan Snarker]] Bel Thorne, the Dendarii, to Taura are awesome.
* [[Mystic and Rider]] has this - the [[True Companions]] formed around Senneth is made up of two elite fighters, two shapeshifters, a mind-reader and Senneth herself, who is not only the most powerful mystic ever, full stop, but is so good at sword-fighting that she can beat the Lirren boys. All of them can hold their own in a fight, ''and then some''.
* In a way, the SOS Brigade, led by [[Suzumiya Haruhi]].
** The leader can bend reality to her will, and once gave the time traveler the ability to fire lasers from her eye while filming a movie. The next character is a data-manipulating android that can't be killed, even with 6 spikes and 2 energy tentacles the size of a ship's mast through her body. After that, we have a [[
** The condensed version: You piss off anyone of them, and chances are, someone will come in and kick your ass. Or head, as the Computer Club President realized.
* Burke's [[True Companions]] from the books of [[Andrew Vachss]].
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== Live Action TV ==
* Every version of ''[[Star Trek]]'' features a version of this, but the best example is probably ''[[Star Trek: The
** Right up there with TNG is ''[[Star Trek:
* The appropriately named ''[[The A-Team]]''.
* The Impossible Missions Force of ''[[Mission: Impossible (TV series)||Mission Impossible]]''.
* ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'': The titular SG-1. Entire alien races have attacked Earth just to kill O'Neill, Carter, Jackson, and Teal'c. The four of them have probably saved the planet more times than even ''they'' can count.
* The primary team from ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]''.
* Dr. [[House (TV series)|House]]'s team. All extremely competent doctors, all competitive, all willing to bend rules to save a patient. And though it sometimes seemed they hated each other, their loyalty has actually lasted even though they've all gone their separate ways.
* The new ''[[Hawaii Five-O]]'' team. Moreso than than the original squad.
* The ''[[Burn Notice]]'' [[True Companions]], made up of ex-spy [[Badass Normal]] Michael Weston, [[Trigger Happy]] [[Tsundere]] Fiona Glennane, [[Retired Badass]] Sam Ax, and [[Cool Old Lady]] Maddie Weston. Michael's brother Nate occasionally gets a look-in, but his badassness isn't as pronounced (he usually ends up being [[The Chick]] or the [[
* As mentioned above, the crew of ''Serenity'' in ''[[Firefly]]''.
* The Scooby Gang of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' became this eventually.
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* ''[[The Unit]]''.
* Also, UNIT from ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
* God help you if you mess with certain officers, officials, and crewmen of the ''[[Battlestar Galactica
* Team DenLiner from ''[[Kamen Rider Den-O]]''.
* The Gibbs' Team in ''[[NCIS]]''
* The Grissom team from ''[[CSI]]''. The teams of [[CSI: NY]] and [[CSI: Miami]] in as well.
* The Metro-Dade Vice Squad of ''[[Miami Vice]]''. Believe it or not, Crockett and Tubbs were not the only [[
* The entire crew of ''[[Leverage]]''. Each with their own specialties, each one the most [[Badass]] at that particular art. And also an awesome example of [[True Companions]].
* The ''[[Cold Case]]'' crew.
* The crew of Moya from ''[[Farscape]]''.
* The BAU team from ''[[Criminal Minds]]'', from [[
* The outlaws from ''[[Robin of Sherwood]]''. [[The Load|Except Much]]...
* The outlaws from ''[[Robin Hood (TV series)|Robin Hood]]''. [[Damsel Scrappy|Except Kate]]...
* [[Magnificent Bastard]] Mario Santos and his crew from the Argentine TV show [[Los Simuladores]]. They even made The FBI their [[Unwitting Pawn
* The team from "Soldier of Fortune", essentially the A-Team for grown-ups done by Jerry Bruckheimer. The team was headed up by ex-Delta Force major Matt Shepherd and contained ex-Marine Scout/Sniper Benny Ray Riddle (played by former Ranger Tim Abell), ex-CIA officer Margo Vincent, fomer SAS Staff Sargeant and electronics/EOD specialist CJ Yates with Jason "Chance" Walker (ex-USAF SOAR)as the pilot. The team was run by a spooky government-type called Xavier Trout, himself an ex-military type, when he/the US government needed deniable ops done.
* The [[Justice League of America]] in ''[[Smallville]]''. You've got [[The Flash|The Fastest Man Alive]], Victor Stone, a [[Hollywood Cyborg]] with both [[Super Strength]] and [[Hollywood Hacking]] abilities ([[Genius Bruiser]] much?), [[Aquaman]], who manages to be pretty [[Badass]] despite the whole [[What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?]] situation, and [[Black Canary]] an [[Action Girl]] with [[Make Me Wanna Shout]] abilities. All headed up by [[Green Arrow]], the biggest [[Badass Normal]] in the whole show. And that's when [[Superman]] and the [[Martian Manhunter]] aren't helping them.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOvwdVp8Fvo This commercial] for Golden Sun has a badass crew of musicians.
* The study group as a whole in ''[[Community]]'' episode [[Community/Recap/S1
* The ''[[Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger]]'', doubly appropriate because they're [[Space Pirates]]. Also Marvelous' previous team with Akared and Basco Ta Jolokia, the Red Pirates. When you're just three people and is considered to be the greatest threat the Zangyack ever face and having a bounty bigger than the Gokaigers, you have to be one. Not too mention they just started collecting the Ranger Keys when they started their adventure, meaning they face off against the Zangyack without the key's powers. Any Sentai team would probably count.
* The Knights of the Round Table in ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]''. They took on an army of immortal soldiers...''and won''. Or at least, survived long enough for Merlin to save them all...
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== Tabletop RPG ==
* Most ''[[Dungeons
* By the same token, any group of soldiers in [[Warhammer
* The crew of the ''Weatherlight'' in ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]''. (With the possible exception of [[Our Goblins Are
* By necessity, any crew of 'Runners in ''[[Shadowrun]]'' will usually end up becoming this once they survive their first few 'runs together.
* "[[Exalted]]" perfect circles tend to fall under both this trope and [[Five-Man Band]] at the same time. Which character is occupying which role in the latter tends to vary with the situation.
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== Video Games ==
* Every ''[[Persona (video game)|Persona]]'' game stars one, with the Persona 4 version being a very notable example. The Demon Tamers led by the hero of [[Devil Survivor]] are also worthy of mention.
* By the end of ''[[Princess Waltz]]'', [[Badass Normal]] Arata Fukamori is leading a
* In ''[[Utawarerumono]]'', every single retainer of [[The Protagonist|Hakuoro]] is an utter badass. So much so that {{spoiler|when he returns to his original form as a stupidly powerful [[Physical God]] and begs them to destroy his insane side forever, they proceed to punch out the equivalent of Cthulhu meets Godzilla to honor his final commands as their commander.}}
* ''[[Halo]]'''s [[Super Soldier|Spartan-II]]'s. Members see their fellow Spartans as their only family (they were recruited at the age of 6 and trained together ever since). Possible slight subversion in that they are not a small group - there are over thirty of them, and every one is a certified [[Badass]].
** They become a more typical
** The player's [[The Squad|squads]] in ODST and Reach are also exemplary Badass Crews.
** Master Chief, Cortana, and Arbiter also counts as a
*** Sgt. Johnson can also be considered part of the group.
* Delta Squad from ''[[Gears of War]]''. They're often split up into pairs, but when the four of them get together, they're practically unstoppable.
* That's the way most RPGs work: if at first the heroes are a [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]] at first, by the end of the game and after taking ''several dozens'' [[Took a Level
* In most [[First-Person Shooter|First Person Shooters]], the online cooperation mode has the players become this. Special mention goes to ''[[Doom]]'' and ''[[Serious Sam]]''.
* The [[Super Robot Wars Alpha|Alpha Numbers]]. You'd think a crew with ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion|Shinji Ikari]]'' in it would lose serious badass points. You'd be ''wrong''.
** In the Original Generation canon, we have smaller versions of this. The SRX/ATX Teams, The Aggressors, and they smash themselves together into a mega
** [[Super Robot Wars Z|ZEUTH]] is very badass as well, as is [[Super Robot Wars W|Warter]].
** [[Super Robot Wars Z|ZEXIS]] in Z2 has [[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann|Kamina]], [[Getter Robo|Batshit Insane Ryouma from Getter Robo Armageddon]], [[Code Geass|Zero]], [[Armored Trooper VOTOMS|Chirico]], [[Mobile Suit Gundam 00|Celestial Being]] and the list goes on and on.
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** Two words - Galm Team. Your squadron in ''Ace Combat Zero'' is exactly two man strong: a team thrown together by chance in the last ditch attempt at [[Back From the Brink]]. [[We Do the Impossible|You succeed.]] Soon enough, the [[Player Character]] becomes known as the [[Red Baron|Demon Lord]] [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|of the Round Table]] and his [[Wing Man]] is the same guy who had his right wing shot off from the hull and still landed his plane safely ''during an intense battle''.
* The Resistance Group from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess]]''. Unlike most of the other games in the series, this one actually gives Hyrule some citizenry who are willing to do something to help themselves instead of relying solely on the efforts of the green-clad [[Chosen One]]. They even help him break into the castle toward the end.
* In the [[Updated Rerelease
* ''[[Yo-Jin-Bo]]'' has your team of six bodyguards. The starting team of wanderers Yo, Jin, Bo, and Mon-Mon could also count.
* Your crew in ''[[Neverwinter Nights]] Hordes of the Underdark'' isn't very large, but among the four (possibly five) people on the team are a part-dragon kobold, a [[The Atoner|former drow assassin]], a slightly insane [[The Legions of Hell|tiefling]], and potentially the ghost of an elf paladin. Led by whatever you feel like making the player character. And the player and two of your compatriots get to {{spoiler|beat up Mephistopheles}} in the end.
* In ''[[Neverwinter Nights 2]]'', you have a [[Boisterous Bruiser]] (Khelgar), a [[Kleptomaniac Hero]] (Neeshka), a [[White Mage]] (Elanee), your [[Token Evil Teammate]] (Bishop), a [[Knight in Shining Armor]] as contrast (Casavir), an insane pyromaniac (Quara), a [[Badass Bookworm]] (Sand), a [[Badass Normal]] (Shandra), a [[Badass Abnormal]] (Zhjaeve), [[The Atoner|Ammon]] [[Complete Monster|Jerro]], [[The Scrappy|Grobnar]], and potentially a giant metal automaton with swords for arms. Your crew in Mask of the Betrayer is smaller, but no less badass. You have a new [[Badass Bookworm]] (Safiya), [[Things Man Was Not Meant to Know|whatever One Of Many is]], a fallen angel (Kaelyn), and a Hagspawn [[Casanova]] (Gann). Who go on to thwart the works of the god of the dead.
* ''[[Knights of the Old Republic]]'': Look at the first crew: [[Badass Normal|BadassNormals]] Carth and Canderous, [[Little Miss Badass]] Mission, [[The Big Guy]] Zaalbar, [[Badass Grandpa]] Jedi Jolee Bindo, [[Boisterous Bruiser]] assassin droid HK-47, Jedi [[Catgirl]] Juhani and Jedi [[Action Girl]] Bastila, and [T3M4] with the hidden pistols...all led by [[God Mode Sue]]!
** And ''KOTOR II'': Canderous and HK-47 (still [[Badass]]), T3-M4 (who [[Take a Level In Badass|took a few levels in Bad Ass]] between the games), [[Evil Mentor]] Kreia, [[Sociopathic Hero]] [[Determinator]] and Atton Rand, [[Badass Bookworm|BadassBookworms]] Bao-Dur and Mical (female PC only), [[Action Girl|ActionGirls]] Brianna (male PC only), Visas, and Mira (Light Side only), Goto, and [[The Big Guy]] Hanharr (Dark Side only). And all of them (besides the droids and Hanharr) can become Jedi if they aren't already.
* Every party line-up in a ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' game, but ''[[Dissidia Final Fantasy]]'' is the best example, being an [[Intercontinuity Crossover]] that brings the main heroes and villains from the rest of the series together to fight, and each and every one of them is just as Badass as they were in their original games. And if, like [[Final Fantasy I|Garland]] or [[Final Fantasy VIII|Laguna]], you weren't particularly badass in your original game, don't worry, you get to be an [[Adaptational Badass]].
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* The ''[[Pokémon]]'' games revolve around creating a six-strong crew of badasses.
* [[Star Wars]]: [[Republic Commando]], normal clones are badass, Delta Squad turn badass Up to Eleven, they were born and bred for badassery. Taking out a droid production facility, retaking an acclamator-class ship from a group of trandoshan slavers and then defending said ship against an army of droids, each one of this four man team is crazy awesome, but together they are one badass crew.
* The eponymous ''[[
* The 12th Unit of the Harmonian Southern Frontier Defense Force in [[Suikoden III]]. Consisting of [[The Captain|Geddoe]], [[Genius Bruiser|Ace]], [[Bare-Fisted Monk|Joker]], [[Lady of War|Queen]], [[Automatic Crossbow|Jacques]] and [[My Signifiance Sense Is Tingling|Aila]], even if the last one is a trainee. None of them are related, and a good number of them [[Teeth-Clenched Teamwork|argue frequently]] when they [[The Alcoholic|aren't drunk]], or even when they are. But, they are all extreme badasses, having fought and won in several wars.
== Web Comics ==
* ''[[The Order of the Stick]]''.
* The main cast of ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' has gradually morphed into this over the years. At first Torg and Riff were the only real close friends, and [[Killer Rabbit|Bun-Bun]] was the sole [[Badass]], but as time went by the bonds between them grew stronger, as did their individual [[Took a Level
* ''[[Looking for Group]]'' A nigh unstoppable warlock, an extremely skilled archer/swordsman, a cleric capable of reviving the dead as long as she has MOST of the ashes, an axe wielding dwarf, and a guy who tackled/wrestled a dragon and is actually smarter than he is strong.
* The Midnight Crew from ''[[Homestuck]]'' is this, even clownish Club Deuce has killed his fair share of adversaries. The main characters are quickly becoming this, as well.
* The Heterodyne performers in ''[[Girl Genius]]'' have shades of this. Mainly because they're able to survive in the countryside populated by giant robots, monsters, and God knows what else. By themselves. And the occasional glitchy Death Ray.
* ''[[El Goonish Shive]]'' also has a badass crew who are a very tightly knit group of teens... and they became so in about 2 or so months.
* ''[[Mushroom Go]]'': The crew of the [[Cool Ship|Chainless]] includes a [[Genius Bruiser|teenage prodigy]] [[Super Mario Sunshine|Pianta]], a six-foot-something chain smoking [[
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== Western Animation ==
* The main cast of ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' eventually attains this status; by the end of the show, we have a superpowered [[Kid Hero|Kid]] [[The Messiah|Messiah]] (Aang), a powerful waterbender (Katara), the world's best earthbender and {{spoiler|''only'' metalbender}} (Toph), {{spoiler|a powerful firebender and highly skilled swordsman (Zuko)}}, and two [[Badass Normal]] warriors (Sokka and {{spoiler|Suki}}). The Order of the White Lotus probably also qualifies.
* ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]'''s Furious Five - Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Crane and Viper- are China's top kung fu masters, and both films show you exactly ''why''. By the second film, their
* [[Metalocalypse|Dethklok]]. They may be dumb as a box of particularly dim hammers and they may fight and bitch at each other all the time, but when it really counts, they're thick as thieves (even if they don't admit it). Many of the Crowning Moments of Awesome in Metalocalypse double as Crowning Moments of Heartwarming because they're all at their most badass when they're looking out for each other.
* ''[[Transformers Cybertron]]'': The Autobots. All of them can, when it counts, crack open a can of whup-ass. Especially Optimus Prime. Four words: "[[Super Robot|Optimus Prime,]] [[Super Mode]]!"
** The original Maximal crew from Beast Wars. Their scientist/medic guy ''[[Gatling Good|dual wields chainguns]]''.
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* The Penguin Team from ''[[The Penguins of Madagascar]]''
* ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door]]'': Sector V...on occasion
* The [[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers|Galaxy Rangers]]. The colony worlds love 'em, the core worlds barely tolerate 'em, and they're always just this close to going rogue...but no one's going to argue the fact that Foxx and his
* [[Darkwing Duck]] and crew certainly belong here. We have Darkwing as [[Badass Normal]], Morgana as [[Black Magician Girl]], Gosalyn as [[Future Badass]], Launchpad as [[Gadgeteer Genius|Gadgeteer]] [[Genius Ditz]], and Honker as [[Tagalong Kid|Tagalong]] [[Child Prodigy]].
* The Captains in ''[[Captain Scarlet]]'', to an extent (more so in fanon).
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* Any military Special Forces unit with a roster that isn't quite large enough to qualify as a [[Badass Army]].
* [[Band of Brothers (TV series)|101st Airborne, 506th PIR, E Company.]] Applies to most units of WWII, really.
* The crew of ''[[Apollo 13]]''. Complete with [[The Captain]], Mission Commander James A. Lovell, [[Number Two]] Fred Haise, [[Ace Pilot]] Jack Swigert, and featuring the ''two'' [[Cool Ship
** Though a lot of the credit also should go to their [[Voice with an Internet Connection]], the Mission controllers who diagnosed the problem from the telemetry, figured out the rocket burns required to get the crew on a trajectory to return to Earth (using just the Aquarius' engine, since the integrity of Odyssey's could not be determined), developed kludged-together procedures to keep the crew alive, and then worked out how to power the Odyssey back up and bring the crew through re-entry on less power than was thought possible. Badass the crew was, but they were not alone in being badass.
* The Assault Team that launched a rescue mission to save over 100 hostages from from a hijacked plane at Entebbe Airport in 1976. Not surprisingly, they were part of the [[Badass Army]] known as the Isreali Defense Forces.
* The Zeezura Club devoted to the exploration of the Egyptian and Libyan desert in 1930. Contained many a [[Badass]] such as Bagnold, Almasy, and Wingate.
* The 1953 Everest team. Also contained many a [[Badass]]. Including the porters. Every Sherpa is a [[Badass]]. Its [[In the Blood]].
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* [http://www.chinahush.com/2010/05/19/chinese-cargo-ship-fights-off-pirates-with-beer-bottles/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ChinaHush+%28ChinaHush%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher The crew of a Chinese cargo ship fights off pirates] using ''beer bottles''. [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]], indeed.
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A great number of Sports teams are this:
* The 1972 Miami Dolphins; who won '''''every''''' game that season, up to and including the Super Bowl.
** The 2007 New England Patriots nearly equaled the feat. But they were beaten in the Super Bowl by another
*** That team was pretty ordinary, but Strahan, Umenyiora, and Tuck - who harassed superstar quarterback Tom Brady throughout - absolutely count.
** If we're talking football, then look no further than the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders of the 70s. Not only did they win consistently, they faced off each other for AFC supremacy every year and had legitimate bad blood, leading to extremely physical, emotional, dirty games. The Steelers typically were the [[Designated Hero|designated good guys]], due to their classy owner, blue collar roots, and disciplined team ethic. The Raiders were always the [[Designated Villain|bad guys]], in part because of their [[Jerkass]] owner, rowdy fans, and perhaps, even rowdier players. Also note the Raiders were made up of a bunch of guys with [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]], guys like Jack "The Assassin" Tatum, Ken "The Snake" Stabler, and Skip "Dr. Death" Thomas. Incidentally, both the Steelers and Raiders only acheived full-blown
* The University of Miami Hurricanes football team, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s. The Canes, which won five national championships and appeared at several more title games, developed a "Thug U" reputation due to its "Catholics vs. Convicts" rivalry with Notre Dame, the players appearing at a national championship pregame banquet in combat fatigues (and losing to underdogs Penn State the next night at the 1987 Fiesta Bowl), the on-field taunting by the team (which led to the NCAA adding "the Miami Rule" addressing excessive celebration), the team's alleged payments from Two Live Crew's Luke Campbell, and many of the recruited players being from urban areas (unprecedented at the time, now somewhat the norm).
* The 1990 UNLV basketball team, led by Jerry "Tark the Shark" Tarkanian. They dominated basketball, beating Duke to win the championship, while their coach defied the NCAA (he was notorious for saying "The NCAA got so mad at Kentucky they decided to give Cleveland State two more years of probation."). The next year, the UNLV team almost had an undefeated season, but lost to Duke in the Final Four.
* The Michigan "Fab Five" teams of the 1990s. They popularized baggy shorts and brought swagger to college basketball, despite being the NCAA runner-up twice. Unfortunately, Ed Martin, a booster for the Michigan team, was found to have provided benefits to the team in violation of NCAA guidelines, and as a result, Chris Webber was found ineligible and the Fab Five title appearances were vacated.
* The mid-70s Philadelphia Flyers, aka "The Broad Street Bullies." Were the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup (winning it twice in a row), became beloved in Philadelphia and loathed by traditional hockey fans for their success through intimidation and violence. They were also known for their skirmishes against the Soviet "Red Army" teams.
* The early-90s Pittsburgh Penguins, led by Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. The Penguins won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 1991, led by coach "Badger Bob" Johnson. Sadly, "Badger Bob" died of cancer shortly after winning the Cup, and he was replaced by the season by legendary Blues/Canadiens/Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman, who, in his first of two seasons as their coach, led the Penguins to their second consecutive Cup.
* The New York Islanders ice hockey team, which won four '''straight''' Stanley Cup titles between 1980 and 1983.
** Several Montreal Canadiens teams accomplished similar feats in several decades.
*** The Canadiens won five straight from 1956-1960, and four straight from 1976-1979. However, the Islanders played in an expanded league (the Canadiens of the 50s played in a six-team league; by 1980, when the Islanders finally won, the NHL had 21 teams) and had to win more games to get to the finals, which is why those Islander teams hold the record for most consecutive playoff victories (19). Also in the Islanders' favor is the fact that no team since in any of the four major North American professional sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL) has won four consecutive championships. (They reached a fifth straight final)
*** The Islanders dynasty itself was ended by another badass crew, the Edmonton Oilers, led by Wayne Gretzky. The Oilers won the Cup four times with "The Great One" and won a fifth time after Gretzky was traded (Gretzky himself never won the Cup again after the trade).
* The 1996 Chicago Bulls, with their 72-10 winning streak and fourth NBA championship, would qualify. Notable players, led by Phil Jackson, included all stars Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen and Tony Kukoc, as well as a certain guard from North Carolina.
* Shaq and Kobe's Lakers, particularly the 2001 team.
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* Magic Johnson's Lakers.
* Isiah's Pistons. Like the Broad Street Bullies that terrorized the NHL in the 1970s, the "Bad Boys," which also included Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, and Joe Dumars and coached by "Dream Team" coach Chuck Daly, were beloved in Detroit and despised by traditional basketball fans by winning two consecutive championships through violence, intimidation, and lack of sportsmanship (when the Pistons lost to the Bulls in the 1991 playoffs, the Pistons players refused to shake hands after the game).
* 2006 Miami Heat.
* Tim Duncan's Spurs.
* The 2008 Boston Celtics.
* The 1983 Philadelphia 76ers who only lost 1 game on the road to the championship.
* The 1986 Bostons Celtics championship team, featuring 5 future hall of famers (Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Bill Walton, Dennis Johnson and Kevin
* Ahem. The Dream Team. Forget any city's team, forget the All Star game, this is the crew sent to compete at the highest level in the Olympics. The first one especially, consisting of Magic, [[The Rival|Bird]], [[Showy Invincible Hero|Jordan]], [[Lightning Bruiser|Robinson]], [[Scary Black Man|Ewing, Malone, Barkley]], [[Pint-Sized Powerhouse|Stockton]] [[And Zoidberg|and others]], is considered the greatest team in basketball, maybe even in any team sport.
* The Geelong Cats, an Australian football team, from round five 2007 to the 2009 grand final, which is seventy three matches by the way, they lost seven games in total and became the only team to win eighteen or more games in three consecutive seasons. Some commentators have called them the greatest team of all.
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** This South African troper wonders by virtue of what exactly the [[N Zers]] have "the best rugby team in the world" if they don't, I don't know, '''win''' or something. Sure, the three Super 15 nations are in a league all our own, so the All-Blacks are among the world's Top 3 at any given time, but I don't think any of our national teams (NZ, SA, AUS) could be called "the best". We're more or less equally matched in every area, and in many cases victory in the end seems to come down to luck of the draw. It's getting to be NZ's turn to win again, that's for sure, and I wouldn't mind an NZ victory next time around... but losing since 1987 even though NZ is supposedly "the best"? I don't think so, sorry mate.
*** This is a point of view, but there is such a thing as the International Rugby Board world rankings, which the All Blacks top at the time of writing and have done most of the time (with South Africa a distant second). Consult also the other wiki: they "... are unique by being the only international team to have a winning record against every nation they have played". Then there's the opening paragraph: "They won the inaugural Rugby World Cup, are the leading points scorers of all time and the only international rugby team with a winning record against every test nation they have ever played. The All Blacks have held the top ranking in the world for longer than all other countries combined and in over 100 years only five of the top twenty ranked test rugby nations have ever beaten [them]".
* The English Rugby Union team of 2003. Wilkinson, Dawson, Johnson...
* The Liverpool football team of the late 70's/80's. Ian Rush, Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish, Mark Lawrenson, Alan Hansen etc.
* Brazil's national football team that won the 1958, 1962, and 1970 World Cups. Not only had the best player ever (Pelé), but also a full roster of talented players: Garrincha, Zagallo, Tostão, Gerson, and more. The 1982 team is also considered to be one of the best teams in Brazil's history, even if they didn't win the WC that year (contrast with the teams that won in 1994 and 2002, both considered very inferior to the others).
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[[Category:Older Than Feudalism]]
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