Four-Temperament Ensemble

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"Leonardo leads,
 Donatello does machines,
 Raphael is cool but rude,
 Michelangelo is a party dude!"

—Theme to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles[1]

A Five-Man Band specializes by role to the team. Someone leads, someone disagrees, someone is smart, someone is tough, and someone ensures that none of the above kill each other.

Unfortunately, when writing within context of a certain profession, goal, or genre, some of these roles are useless, and especially when characters are in groups that are supposed to be specialized, it doesn't make sense to have some of these roles; in a group of scientific researchers, wouldn't all of them be smart? In a group of politicians, wouldn't all of them lead and disagree? Don't astronauts have to be well-rounded and exceptional in many ways?

But there is a way to make a group of people diverse without giving them specialized roles in a form of a group that would probably best be specialized for questing. One way is through personality, in this case based off of wacky ancient pseudoscience.

The four temperaments (also called the "four humors") was a theory that behavior was caused by concentrations of body fluids—the "humours" of Classical medicine: namely blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. Each of these would affect a person's personality differently, and the way these fluids were thought to affect behavior eventually became a part of personality theory, eventually separated completely from the idea that fluids actually controlled behavior. However, the names still remain. An ensemble based on these four humors can make the ensemble diverse without actually changing the roles of the characters in the show's continuity.

The four temperaments (humors) are:

Alternatively, there's a system of five temperaments where the Phlegmatic is moved into a central, fifth position, with the fourth corner being filled by the Supine temperament:

  • Template:Textcolor: Quiet, friendly, nonconfrontational, and dependent on others. Basically narrows the first type phlegmatic category down to those whose introversion is due to shyness and/or low self-esteem.
  • Template:Textcolor: The "middle of the road" temperament. Someone who typically doesn't exhibit the extremes or weaknesses of the four basic temperaments. In a positive light: Balanced and well-rounded in character (half-way between temperaments). In a negative light: Empty and devoid of character (having no temperament). If the character is a hero, then Hot-Blooded can hold this role (due to being standard, and most other characters would recieve Choleric or Sanguine for such behaviour). The positive light is commonly reserved for secondary characters like Wise Old Mentors, because more extreme "temperamental" characters are easier to identify with and thus make more popular heroes.

A Four Temperament Ensemble will have one character to fit each one of these four temperaments. Sometimes a Five Man Band with four members will also be a Four Temperament Ensemble, but in many cases, they're mutually exclusive. For the five-temperament version, the most common match-ups for the roles would be: The Hero - Phlegmatic (type II), The Lancer - Choleric, The Big Guy - Sanguine, The Smart Guy - Melancholic, The Chick - Supine.

There is also some overlap with Power Trio scenarios: The McCoy is usually Sanguine, The Kirk is usually Phlegmatic, and The Spock is usually Choleric; in these cases, the Melancholic role will be filled by a prominent supporting character, who is still clearly outside of the triad. in Red Oni, Blue Oni, a Red Oni will likely be Choleric or Sanguine, while a Blue Oni will more likely be Melancholic or Phlegmatic. A five-temperament version could be seen as the maximum extension of a Power Trio - The Phlegmatic Type II is The Kirk, The Choleric and The Sanguine are The McCoy, the angry side and the carefree side respectively, and The Melancholic and The Supine are The Spock, the obnoxious side and the withdrawn side respectively.

They are also similar to the four Personality Blood Types, and are sometimes also a Four-Element Ensemble. See also Cast Calculus for the overarching archetypes in this and differently numbered ensembles. Here is an Image Archive for this trope.

Additionally, Pseudolonewolf (of MARDEK fame) has a page that goes into great detail on the four temperaments, here.

For another way to split up a group of four, see Four-Philosophy Ensemble.

Examples of Four-Temperament Ensemble are listed on these subpages:
Examples of Four-Temperament Ensemble include:


Comic Books

  • Fantastic Four: Johnny is Sanguine, Ben is Choleric, Reed is Melancholic while Sue is Phlegmatic.
  • Doom Patrol: Robotman is Sanguine, the Chief is Choleric, Elasti-Girl is Melancholic and Negative Man is Phlegmatic.
    • Alternatively, in the second incarnation, Celsius is Choleric, Negative Woman is Melancholic and Tempest is Phlegmatic.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mikey is Sanguine (easy-going and lively), Raph is Choleric (ill-tempered and pessimistic), Don is Phlegmatic (rational and calm), and Leonardo is Melancholic (loyal and martyr-like). There's some tension between Leo, who expects his brothers to do what he tells them, and Raph, who's too insular and stubborn to follow without challenge.
  • Archie Comics: Typically, Archie is Sanguine, Veronica is Choleric, Betty is Melancholic and Jughead is Phlegmatic. Of course, with Archie Comics, it can vary from story to story.
  • Brazilian comic Monica's Gang: Monica is choleric (and how!), Cebolinha/Jimmy Five is sanguine, Cascão/Smudge is melancholic, and Magali/Maggy is supine.
  • Argentine comic Mafalda: Mafalda is choleric, Susanita is sanguine, Felipe is melancholic, and Manolito is phlegmatic. And when they became a Five-Man Band: Miguelito is supine (Sixth Ranger Libertad also fits supine, when she's not choleric).
  • Watchmen: Rorschach (melancholic); Dr. Manhattan (phlegmatic); Ozymandias (sanguine); Comedian (choleric). (Laurie and Dan are "supine").
  • Bone: Fone (melancholic), Phoney (sanguine), Smiley (phlegmatic), Thorn (choleric)
  • Reign of the Supermen begins with four characters each claiming to be either Superman risen from the dead, or a replacement for the character and each is referred to by one of Supes' old nicknames. The Last Son of Krypton (Eradicator) is Choleric, murdering villains left and right, the Man of Steel (Steel) is basically Phlegmatic though without the inherent laziness, the Man of Tomorrow (Cyborg Superman) is fairly Melancholic (well, appears to be), and The Metropolis Kid (Superboy) is, of course, Sanguine Cranked Up to Eleven.
  • Italian comic Bobo: The protagonist Bobo is Phlegmatic, his wife Bibi is Choleric, his friend Molotov is Melancholic and his neighbor Edna is Sanguine.
  • In a rare villainous example, the Fearsome Five Four from the new Darkwing Duck comics. Also rare is the fact that the Sanguine one is the leader in this case
    • Sanguine: Quackerjack, the insane and deadly toymaker
    • Choleric: Liquidator, the smarmy salesman turned water-elemental
    • Melancholic: Bushroot, the half-duck half-plant botanist
    • Phlegmatic II: Megavolt, the science geek turned walking battery who wants to free all the enslaved light bulbs in the world
  • From Green Lantern: Hal Jordan is Sanguine (the cocky ace pilot who loves adventure), Guy Gardner is Choleric (the brazen tough guy who speaks his mind), Kyle Rayner is Melancholic (the quiet artist who likes to work alone), and Jon Stewart is Phlegmatic (the born leader who stays calm under pressure).
    • In some interpretations, Guy Gardner is Sanguine (the laid-back bruiser who cracks wise at danger), Jon Stewart is Choleric (the hard-nosed military man who leads every charge), Hal Jordan is Melancholic (the veteran adventurer battling personal demons), and Kyle Rayner is Phlegmatic (the calm, intuitive artist).
  • Scott Pilgrim: Scott/Knives/Ramona (sanguine), Envy/Stacey (choleric), Stephen/Kim (melancholic), Young Neil (phlegmatic).

Eastern European Animation

  • Thirty Eight Parrots:
    • Monkey is sanguine;
    • Parrot is choleric;
    • Elephant is melancholic;
    • Python is phlegmatic.

Fanfic

Literature

  • The four houses of Hogwarts in Harry Potter: Gryffindor (Sanguine), Slytherin (Choleric), Ravenclaw (Melancholic), Hufflepuff (Phlegmatic).
    • Also the four Marauders: James Potter (Sanguine), Sirius Black (Choleric), Remus Lupin (Melancholic), and Peter Pettigrew (Supine).
      • Four of the prominent professors, as well: Sybil Trelawney (Sanguine), Minerva McGonagall (Choleric), Severus Snape (Melancholic) and Albus Dumbledore (Phlegmatic).
      • And for the main cast: Harry (Choleric), Ron (Sanguine), Hermione (Melancholic),and Neville (Supine)
  • The Roman Mysteries: This is actually explictly stated in the books, which is justified because it takes place during a time period when doctors still believed in the four humors.
  • Circle of Magic, where each character is a combination of two: Sandry is Sanguine/Choleric, Tris is Melancholic/Choleric, Daja is Phlegmatic/Melancholic and Briar is Choleric/Phlegmatic.
  • The Horus Heresy novels, set in an earlier era of Warhammer 40,000, toy with this openly with Warmaster Horus' inner advisory circle during the first few novels, consisting of the choleric Ezekyle Abaddon, the melancholic "Little Horus" Aximand, the sanguine Tarik Torgaddon, and the phlegmatic Garviel Loken.
  • A Separate Peace: Gene is phlegmatic, Finny is choleric, Leper is sanguine/supine, and Brinker is melancholic.
  • From The Tillerman Family Series: Dicey (Choleric), James (Phlegmatic), Maybeth (Melancholic/Supine), Sammy (Sanguine).
  • The four Pevensie Children in The Chronicles of Narnia: Peter is Choleric, Susan is Supine, Edmund is Melancholic, and Lucy is Sanguine.
  • The Star Wars Expanded Universe, in the four pilots of the X Wing Series: Wedge (Choleric), Tycho (Melancholic), Wes (Sanguine), and Hobbie (Phlegmatic). During Starfighters of Adumar, they even get appropriate identifiers; respectively, "the diligent one," "the doleful one," "the darling one," and "the dour one."
  • The Three Musketeers: Athos (Phlegmatic), Porthos (Sanguine), Aramis (Melancholic), and their sidekick d'Artagnan (Choleric).
  • American Gods: Shadow (Phlegmatic), Mr. Wednesday (Choleric), Czernobog (Melancholic) and Mr. Nancy (Sanguine).
  • The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: Scarecrow (Phlegmatic), Nick Chopper/The Tin Woodsman (Choleric), Lion (Sanguine), and Dorothy (Melancholic). A rare one for a 4 person cast in that The Chick is undisputedy The Hero.
  • The 4 March sisters in Little Women: Meg (The Kirk and the Team Mom) is phlegmatic; Jo (impulsive, quick-tempered and highly ambitious) is choleric, kind and quiet Beth is melancholic (with good reason), and Amy (overdramatic but pleases-without-effort) is sanguine.
  • In Red Mars, psychologist Michel Duval slots the classical temperaments into his own psychological theory: Sanguine = Extroverted + Stabile; Choleric = Extroverted + Labile; Phlegmatic = Introverted + Stabile; Melancholic = Introverted + Labile.
  • The four girls of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants:
    • Sanguine: Carmen, the Spicy Latina is happy but moody.
    • Choleric: Bridget, the Genki Girl is single-minded to the point of recklessness.
    • Melancholic: Tibby, the The Snark Knight who's cold and cynical about people.
    • Phlegmatic: Lena, the Shrinking Violet who is afraid to let herself love.
  • The original four members of The Baby Sitters Club: Kristy (choleric), Mary Anne (phlegmatic), Claudia (sanguine), and Stacey (melancholic)
  • Sammy Keyes and her friends: Sammy is choleric, Marissa is phlegmatic, Dot is melancholic, Holly is sanguine.
  • The four Hobbits in The Lord of the Rings are a great example of this (And of how the four personality types interact.)
    • Frodo is Melancholic.
    • Sam is Phlegmatic.
    • Merry is Choleric.
    • Pippin is Sanguine.
  • V. C. Andrews' Wildflowers series has Misty (sanguine), Star (choleric), Jade (melancholic), and Cat (phlegmatic).
    • Her Orphans series also has this, although it's not as pronounced: Janet/Butterfly is definitely phlegmatic, Crystal is probably melancholic, Brooke (who narrates the final book in the series) fits sanguine the best, and Raven is a mix of choleric and melancholic.
  • The Monkey Wrench Gang: Doc Sarvis is sanguine, Hayduke is choleric, Smith is melancholic and Abbzug is phlegmatic.
  • Lord of the Flies: Ralph is sanguine, Jack is choleric, Piggy is melancholic, and Simon is phlegmatic.
  • Bite Me of the Legends of Laconia series:
  • In In the Time of The Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (a Dramatization of the lives of the Mirabal sisters from the Dominican Republic), Maria Teresa "Mate" Mirabal is Sanguine, Minerva Mirabal is Choleric, Dede is Melancholic and Patria is Phlegmatic.
  • In The Poisonwood Bible, the Price ladies minus Ruth May fit this: Rachel is sanguine, Leah is choleric, Adah is melancholic and Orleanna is phlegmatic.
  • The Night Lords of Warhammer40000 are introduced this way. The lineup for First Claw at the beginning Soul Hunter played for the worst of each humor, because to do otherwise wouldn't be Grimdark.
    • Sanguine: Uzas. His emotions are all or nothing; he's almost universally violent, irritated or sullen when he isn't an unreadable shell. Thinks only of himself, which is how he became corrupt in the first place. He himself admits he all but runs on a slow, seething rage.
    • Choleric: Xarl. Cynic, chronic complainer, suspicious pessimist, and yet somehow a very capable Lancer for Talos. Throws his whole life into the sword and it shows in every sense of the word.
    • Melancholic: Talos. His romanticism of his Legion's past and the power his prophetic abilities have over his life have left him worn thin all around. Known to brood over both. His stubbornness won't let him put anything less than his heart and soul into what he does however, and it's nearly killed him before.
    • Phlegmatic: Cyrion. Possibly the most easy going of the group, and the most vocally distressed at the state of the Legion, although it also means he stands out the least in the shambling wreck of a squad.
  • A Clockwork Orange: Alex is Melancholic, Dim is Sanguine, Georgie is Choleric and Pete is Phlegmatic.
  • Done deliberately by Émile Zola as a character study in Therese Raquin. Laurent is sanguine, Mme. Raquin is choleric, Camille is phlegmatic, and Thérèse is melancholic.
  • The four protagonists of Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra: Shakes is phlegmatic, John is sanguine, Michael is choleric and Tommy is melancholic. Interestingly, the four abusive guards at the reform school fit this paradigm rather neatly as well; Nokes is choleric, Styler is melancholic, Addison is sanguine, and Ferguson is phlegmatic.
  • The four boys in the camp plot of Jelly Belly: Protagonist Ned is Melancholic, Richard is Choleric, Hog is Phlegmatic and Max is Sanguine.

Music

  • The Beatles were usually portrayed by the media with Paul as sanguine, John as choleric, George as melancholic and Ringo as phlegmatic. The later years showed otherwise: Paul was choleric, John was melancholic, George was phlegmatic and Ringo was sanguine.
  • In the famous punk band The Ramones: Joey is Phlegmatic, Johnny is Choleric, DeeDee is Melancholic and Marky is Sanguine.
  • Franz Ferdinand: Lead Singer/Guitarist Alex Kapranos is Sanguine, Rhythm Guitarist/Keyboardist Nick McCarthy is Choleric, Drummer Paul Thompson is Melancholic, and Bassist Bob Hardy is Phlegmatic
  • The Wiggles: Greg is Choleric (he even wears yellow), Jeff is Phlegmatic, Murray (wearing red) is Sanguine, Anthony is Melancholic.
  • U2: Bono is Sanguine (most of the time), Edge is Melancholic, Adam is Phlegmatic and Larry is Choleric.
  • Led Zeppelin: Robert Plant is Choleric, Jimmy Page is Melancholic, John Paul Jones is Phlegmatic and John Bonham was Sanguine.
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Anthony is Choleric, Flea is Sanguine, John/Josh is Melancholic, Chad is Phlegmatic.
  • System of a Down: Singer/keyboardist Serj Tankian is Melancholic. Guitarist/Singer Daron Malakian is Choleric. Bassist Shavo Odadjian is Phlegmatic. Drummer John Dolmayan is Sanguine.
  • The Who: Roger Daltrey is Choleric (he even had the Hair-Trigger Temper and used to start fights with the others), Pete Townshend is Melancholic, John Entwistle was Phlegmatic (he even wrote a song about himself called "The Quiet One") and Keith Moon was Sanguine Moon the Loon.
  • The Corrs: Andrea is melancholic, Jim is choleric, Sharon is supine, Caroline is sanguine.
  • Metallica: James Hetfield is choleric, Lars Ulrich is sanguine, and Kirk Hammett is phlegmatic. The bass players occupy less certain territory, but it could be argued that Cliff Burton was a melancholic, Jason Newsted a phlegmatic and Robert Trujillo somewhere between a phlegmatic and a sanguine.
  • Gorillaz: Murdoc is choleric, 2D is Sanguine, Noodle is Melancholic and Russel is phlegmatic.
  • For Disturbed, vocalist David Draiman is Phlegmatic (tends to sit in a dark, lonely corner and write lyrics), guitarist Dan Donegan is Melancholic (main song-writer, generally a meticulous professional) while drummer Mike Wengren and bassist John Moyer tend to sit between Choleric and Sanguine[2]
  • Behemoth - Nergal is Choleric, Inferno is Melancholic, Orion is Plegmatic, and Seth is Sanguine.
  • Queen: Freddie Mercury was Choleric, Brian May is Phlegmatic, Roger Taylor is Sanguine, and John Deacon is Melancholic.
  • ABBA: Frida is Sanguine, Björn is Choleric, Agnetha is Melancholic, and Benny is Phlegmatic.
  • Pantera: Phil Anselmo is choleric, Dimebag Darrell Abbott is sanguine, Rex Brown is melancholic, and Vinnie Paul is phlegmatic.
  • Nirvana: Kurt Cobain was melancholic, Krist Novoselic is phlegmatic, and Dave Grohl is sanguine.
  • Green Day: Billie Joe Armstrong is choleric/sanguine, Mike Dirnt is melancholic, and Tre Cool is phlegmatic.
  • Pink Floyd: Roger Waters was choleric/melancholic, David Gilmour sanguine, Richard Wright supine, and Nick Mason phlegmatic II.
  • Radiohead: Thom is choleric, Jonny is melancholic, Ed is sanguine, Phil is phlegmatic, and Colin is supine
  • Rush: Alex is Sanguine, Geddy is Choleric, and Neil is a mix of Phlegmatic and Melancholic.
  • Black Sabbath: The original four- Ozzy is Sanguine, Geezer is Choleric, Tony is Melancholic, and Bill is (usually) Phlegmatic. When Ronnie James Dio came along, he was a combination of Sanguine and Choleric.
  • Aerosmith: Steven Tyler is Choleric, Joe Perry is Melancholic, Tom Hamilton is Sanguine, Brad Whitford is Phlegmatic, and Joey Kramer is Supine.
  • Depeche Mode: Founding member Vince Clarke is a little hard to pin down, but could perhaps be best described as melancholic/phlegmatic; meanwhile, Dave Gahan is sanguine/choleric, Martin Gore is phlegmatic, and Andy Fletcher and Alan Wilder are melancholic.

Newspaper Comics

  • The four main characters in Peanuts seem to fall into this; Charlie Brown is melancholic, Linus is phlegmatic, Sally is sanguine, and Lucy is choleric.
  • In Pearls Before Swine: Pig - Sanguine, Rat - Choleric, Goat - Melancholic, Zebra - Phlegmatic.

Tabletop Games

  • Intentionally invoked in Promethean: The Created. The five Lineages of Prometheans are Frankensteins (choleric), Golems (Melancholic), Galateids (Sanguine), Osirans (phlegmatic), and Ulgan (associated with the "humor" of ectoplasm.) The character's balance of humors is actually an important gameplay point.
  • Also invoked in Tribe8 with the monstrous Z'Bri, whose 4 types are named after the four humors: Koleris, Flemis, Sangis, and Melanis.
  • Magic the Gathering has this with the five Praetors of New Phyrexia:
  • While FATAL does have a humors system, there is no rule forcing your party to be a Four-Temperament Ensemble. Indeed, this would actively contradict the obsessive randomisation inherent to the FATAL system.
  • In Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000, appropriately enough, the four gods of Chaos each represent an emotion and mindset. Khorne (the god of anger and bloodshed) is choleric, Slaanesh (god of passion and lust) is sanguine, Tzeentch (god of ambition and hope) is (ironically) melancholic, and Nurgle (god of despair and disease) is (appropriately) phlegmatic.

Theatre

  • The final Hasse Och Tage revue Fröken Fleggmans mustasch is constructed around this trope, to the extent that the characters of the four person ensemble (if one excludes the pianist) are named accordingly. The quartet consists of:
    • Count Niklas von Sanguin (played by Hans Alfredson).
    • The banker Kurt S.[3] Wresig, alternatingly his impostor son Kolerik Wresig (both played by Gösta Ekman).
    • The maid Frida Fleggman (played by Lena Nyman).
    • The Mysterious Stranger Alvar F.[4] Dysterkvist (played by Tage Danielsson).

Webcomics and other Web Originals

  • The Web Comic Sacred Pie features phlegmatic leader Roonas, choleric Sid, and a very sanguine Bob.
  • Order of the Stick: Haley and Elan are Sanguine, Belkar is Choleric, V is Melancholic, Roy is Phlegmatic, and Durkon is Supine.
    • The bad guys form an ensemble as well. Xykon is Choleric, Redcloak is Melancholic, Tsukiko and Right Eye (Start of Darkness) fitted Sanguine, and Monster in the Darkness is Phlegmatic or Supine.
  • In the core group of Tales of MU, Mack is melancholic, Amaranth is sanguine, Steff is choleric, and Two is supine.
    • And Ian and Dee are both strong candidates for phlegmatic.
  • Going by the negative traits (because really, they have no others,) the cast of Exterminatus Now fits pretty nicely: East is Sanguine, Lothar is Choleric, Virus is Melancholic, and Rogue is Phlegmatic.
  • Looking at the the questing team in Digger, The Shadowchild is Sanguine, Grim Eyes is Choleric, Murai is Melancholic, and Digger is Phlegmatic.
  • Keychain of Creation: Misho is Melancholic, Marena is Choleric, and Ten Winds is Phlegmatic. Secret is a bit harder to pin down; she'd be a good fit for Sanguine, except for her low self-esteem.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Del: Ethan is sanguine, Lucas is melancholic, Lilah is choleric and Zeke is phlegmatic.
  • Questionable Content: Dora is Sanguine, Faye is Choleric, Hannerlore is Melancholic and Marten is Phlegmatic.
  • Friendly Hostility: Fox is Sanguine, Collin is Choleric, Demon is Melancholic and Derringer is Phlegmatic.
  • Homestuck: John is phlegmatic, Rose is melancholic, Dave is choleric, and Jade is sanguine.
    • And among the Midnight Crew, Spades Slick is choleric, Clubs Deuce is sanguine, Diamonds Droog is melancholic, and Hearts Boxcars is phlegmatic.
    • Among the trolls: Nepeta, Vriska and Feferi are sanguine; Karkat, Terezi and Eridan are choleric; Tavros, Kanaya and Equius are melancholic; Aradia, Sollux and Gamzee are phlegmatic.
      • Alternately, Sollux is melancholic, Tavros is phlegmatic (specifically, supine) and Vriska is choleric.
  • Ruby's World: Ruby is choleric, Alexis is sanguine, Jiro is melancholic, and Jens is Phlegmatic. Word of God says this was planned from the start.
  • Cry Havoc features Skoll a sanguine, Karcharoth a Choleric, Hati a melancholic, and Fenrir a phlegmatic. These characteristics seem to drive them apart more than unite them, as is normal.
  • The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob: Bob is Phlegmatic, Jean is Melacholic, Molly is Sanguine, and Voluptua is Choleric (although Jean certainly has the hair-trigger temper of a Choleric).
  • The two teams in Red vs. Blue fit, Red moreso than Blue.
    • Red Team: Sarge - classic Choleric, Griff and Lopez - classic Plegmatic, Simmons - Melancholic, and Donut - Sanguine
    • Blue Team: Church and Tex - Choleric, Tucker - Sanguine, Doc - Melancholic, and Caboose - neutral Phlegmatic, despite being a complete The Ditz.
  • The four main characters of the Web Animation series Broken Saints fit fairly well: Oran is Choleric, Kamimura is Melancholic, Raimi is Phlegmatic, and Shandala is Sanguine. (albeit, Shandala doesn't quite fit any of them, but her bright, cheerful, and compassionate nature recommend her most to Sanguine)
  • The Light Warriors of 8-Bit Theater: Red Mage is Sanguine (emphasis on arrogant and self-indulgent), Thief is Choleric (emphasis on narrow-minded and obsessive), Fighter is Phlegmatic (emphasis on lazy and reactionary), and Black Mage is Melancholic (emphasis on independence and perfection).
  • In The Dreamer, Alan is Phlegmatic Type II, Alexander is Choleric, Beatrice is Sanguine, and Nathan is Melancholic.
  • Sluggy Freelance fits this trope very well: Torg is Sanguine, Riff is Melancholic, Gwynn is Choleric, and Zoë is Phlegmatic.
  • The titular doctors of The Dragon Doctors: Sarin is Sanguine, Goro is Choleric, Mori is Melancholic, and Kili and Aki are Phlegmatic. Fittingly, the four were also compared by the artist to Air, Fire, Earth, and Water, respectively, matching the Four Temperments' elemental affiliations.
  • An entire episode of the webseries Cracked After Hours is devoted to discussing how many famous groups of four adhere to this schema, even describing several groups already listed on this page (though it's worth noting that they have misattributed the sanguine qualities to choleric characters, and vice versa). As they are also a quartet, they even describe themselves (indirectly, through analogy to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).
    • By their definition: Michael is Choleric, Dan is Phlegmatic, Soren is Melancholic, and Katie is Sanguine.
    • By our definition: Michael is Sanguine, Dan is Melancholic, Soren is Choleric, and Katie is Phlegmatic.
  • Narbonic: Helen is sanguine, Mell is choleric, Dave is phlegmatic and Artie is melancholic.
  • The main four characters in Our Little Adventure. Julie is Sanguine, Angelika is Choleric, Rocky is Melancholic, and Lenny is Phlegmatic.
  • The Quirky Miniboss Squad in The Fourth. Slice is Sanguine, Ecta is Choleric, Davis is Melancholic and Floyd is Phlegmatic.

Real Life

  • The 4 aspects of a person's DISC asessment each have a direct parallel with one of the 4 temperaments:
    • Dominance = Choleric
    • Influence = Sanguine
    • Steadiness = Phlegmatic
    • Conscientiousness = Melancholic
  1. ↑ And whenever a female joins the group, they become a five-man version.
  2. ↑ Mike is deeply involved in song-writing and tends to provide the most mood, heaviness and "feel" to the sound, but is also the lovable goof of the group; John is a humble sweet-heart, the all-around Nice Guy who prefers to find ways to better-structure and improve upon the template the others provide. If you want to get technical, Mike is closest to Choleric and John is closer to Sanguine
  3. ↑ Stubin
  4. ↑ Ragnar (It Makes Sense in Context)
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