Six-Student Clique

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
Your Trope Codifier. On top: The quirk, the muscle, the wild one, the pretty one. On bottom: the smart one, the head.


A standard of teen sitcoms and dramas, the Six-Student Clique is an ensemble that has members fall into standard teen archetypes. This was particularly common in The Nineties, so it sometimes overlaps with Five-Token Band.

Six is a good number because it gives plenty of choices for Shipping without going into Loads and Loads of Characters. And with a Gender Equal Ensemble, you have the option of Cleaning Up Romantic Loose Ends. Or not.

This is the standard version, although variations do occur. The main thing is to fill all six roles. Trying to fit any group of six into this trope runs the risk of Square Peg, Round Trope.

Typically, the Head, the Muscle and the Quirk are male, while the Pretty One, the Smart One and the Wild One are female. Although none of them are Always Male or Always Female, this generalization can make it easier to classify the characters if some of them have characteristics of more than one role.

Sometimes a seventh character can be added—usually an upperclassman—to bring either a Foil to the main clique (comedy) or a teenaged Obi Wan (drama). Stories attempting realism may avoid exaggerating these personality traits too much, under the assumption that kids that different generally don't hang around each other in real life.

Examples of Six-Student Clique include:

Advertising

  • The Burger King Kids Club:
    • The Head—Kid Vid
    • The Muscle—Boomer
    • The Quirk – Lingo or Wheels
    • The Pretty One—Snaps
    • The Smart One—I.Q.
    • The Wild One—Jaws

Anime and Manga

  • Azumanga Daioh - Maybe it's the Japanese culture or maybe it's a subversion, but more than one character fits all the slots:
    • The Head—Yomi & Tomo, if anyone.
    • The Muscle—Sakaki & Kagura.
    • The Quirk—Tomo is runner-up, but Osaka has more crazy than the other five combined.
    • The Pretty One—All of them, according to the fandom. Pick one and start your own Flame War!
      • Canonically, only Chiyo (cute) and Sakaki (cool) are treated as having notable appearance.
    • The Smart One—Chiyo & Yomi have a friendly competition going for this position.
    • The Wild One—Tomo & Kagura.
  • Lucky Star:
    • The Head—Konata
    • The Muscle—Kagami
    • The Quirk—Tsukasa
    • The Pretty One—Yutaka
    • The Smart One—Miyuki
    • The Wild One—Patricia
  • K-On!:
    • The Head—Mio
    • The Muscle—Tsumugi
    • The Quirk—Yui
    • The Pretty One—Azusa
    • The Smart One—Nodoka
    • The Wild One—Ritsu
  • Sailor Moon:
    • The Head—Usagi
    • The Muscle—Makoto
    • The Quirk—Minako
    • The Pretty One—Mamoru
    • The Smart One—Ami
    • The Wild One—Rei

Comic Books

  • Archie Comics (although who fills what role depends on whether Moose or Dilton is considered the sixth student):
    • The Head—Archie
    • The Muscle—Moose or Reggie
    • The Quirk—Jughead
    • The Pretty One—Veronica or Betty
    • The Smart One—Betty or Dilton
    • The Wild One—Reggie or Veronica (or Cheryl if she shows up)
  • Archie's less successful series, Wilbur Comics, is more definite:
    • The Head—Wilbur
    • The Muscle—Tiny
    • The Quirk—Red
    • The Pretty One—Laurie
    • The Smart One—Linda
    • The Wild One—Slats
  • She's Josie:
    • The Head—Alex
    • The Muscle—Sock
    • The Quirk—Albert
    • The Pretty One—Josie (she could be The Head)
    • The Smart One—Pepper
    • The Wild One—Melody
  • Young Justice - original six:
    • The Head—Robin
    • The Muscle—Superboy
    • The Quirk—Impulse
    • The Pretty One—Arrowette
    • The Smart One—Wonder Girl
    • The Wild One—Secret
  • After Cissie quits, the gender mostly flips:
    • The Head—Wonder Girl
    • The Muscle—Empress
    • The Quirk—Impulse
    • The Pretty One—Superboy
    • The Smart One—Robin
    • The Wild One—Secret

Fan Works

Film

  • The Breakfast Club (without the sixth student):
    • The Head—Bender
    • The Muscle—Andy
    • The Quirk/The Smart One—Brian
    • The Pretty One—Claire
    • The Wild One—Allison
  • The Faculty:
    • The Head—Zeke
    • The Muscle—Stan
    • The Quirk—Casey
    • The Pretty One—Delilah
    • The Smart One—Marybeth (for being the mastermind of the Alien Invasion)
    • The Wild One—Stokely
  • The Goonies:
    • The Head—Mikey
    • The Muscle—Brand
    • The Quirk—Chunk or Mouth
    • The Pretty One—Andy
    • The Smart One—I.Q.
    • The Wild One—Stef
  • Saved!:
    • The Head—Patrick
    • The Muscle—Dean
    • The Quirk—Roland
    • The Pretty One—Dean's prom date
    • The Smart One—Mary
    • The Wild One—Cassandra
  • From Justin to Kelly:
    • The Head—Justin
    • The Muscle—Eddie
    • The Quirk—Brandon
    • The Pretty One—Kelly
    • The Smart One—Kaya
    • The Wild One—Alexa
      • Or, respectively, as summed up by Todd in the Shadows: "Ahem: Zack, Slater, Screech, Kelly, Jessie...Evil Whore."

Literature

  • Aimee by Mary Beth Miller:
    • The Head—Chard (though he's not the main character in the book)
    • The Muscle—Kyle or Jason
    • The Quirk—Nobody really fully fits the bill, though Kates is almost like Screech.
    • The Pretty One—Aimee
    • The Smart One—Kates
    • The Wild One—Alternates between the protagonist (unnamed until the end of the book) and Aimee.
  • Animorphs:
    • The Head—Jake
    • The Muscle—Rachel
    • The Quirk—Tobias
    • The Pretty One—Cassie
    • The Smart One—Ax
    • The Wild One—Marco
    • Rachel is explicitly said to be blond and much prettier than Cassie. She also goes Ax Crazy by the end of the series, so not so much.
      • Ax in human morph definitely has elements of the Quirk.
      • Marco's "see straight from A to B" ability and his Book Dumb and Schemer characteristics make him the Head in every way except for not overtly. leading the team
      • Jake often seems to be the Muscle in charge, since Cassie (occasionally) and Marco (often) are the power behind his throne: Marco dictates strategies while Cassie dictate morals.
  • Percy Jackson and The Olympians:
    • The Head—Percy
    • The Muscle—Tyson
    • The Quirk—Grover
    • The Smart One—Annabeth
    • The Pretty One—Rachel Elizabeth Dare
    • The Wild One—Thalia
  • Roswell High:
    • The Head—Max
    • The Muscle—Michael
    • The Quirk—Alex
    • The Pretty One—Isabel (is more of a wild child)
    • The Smart One—Liz
    • The Wild One—Maria
      • If you go with the quirky definition.
  • The Spy High series:
    • The Head—Ben
    • The Muscle—Jake
    • The Quirk—Eddie
    • The Pretty One—Lori
    • The Smart One—Cally (who has notable similarities to Lisa, who is Trope Codifier for the Wild One.)
    • The Wild One—Jennifer (and later Bex, after Jennifer dies)

Live-Action TV

  • As The Bell Rings (US version):
    • The Head—Danny
    • The Muscle—Toejam
    • The Quirk—Skipper
    • The Pretty One—Charlotte, replaced by Lexi
    • The Smart One—Brooke
    • The Wild One—Tiffany (though she is considered to be The Pretty One, her personality is more Wild)
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer has this in some form or another its whole life.
    • The Head—Buffy
    • The Muscle—Angel, replaced by Riley, then Spike.
    • The Quirk—Oz
    • The Pretty One—Cordelia (Also a bit of an Alpha Bitch, originally. Eventually, replaced by Anya.)
    • The Smart One—Willow
    • The Wild One—Xander
  • Clue
    • The Head: Dmitiri
    • The Muscle: Seamus
    • The Quirk: Lucas
    • The Pretty One: Liz
    • The Smart One: Whitney
    • The Wild One: Agnes
  • Community:
    • The Head—Jeff
    • The Muscle—Troy
    • The Quirk—Abed
    • The Pretty One—Britta
    • The Smart One—Annie
    • The Wild One—Pierce
    • Shirley is the only one who doesn't really fit as she's their Team Mom.
  • Degrassi: The Next Generation has had a couple of these, but the original was:
    • The Head—JT Yorke
    • The Quirk—Toby Isaacs
    • The Muscle—Sean Cameron
    • The Pretty One—Emma Nelson
    • The Smart One—Liberty Van Zandt
    • The Wild One—Manny Santos
  • Fresh Meat
    • The Head: Probably Kingsley, although Josie also qualifies.
    • The Muscle: JP (overlapping with the upperclassman)
    • The Quirk: Howard
    • The Pretty One: Josie; would be The Head if she didn't qualify for this more than Kingsley does.
    • The Smart One: Oregon
    • The Wild One: Vod
    • The Sixth Ranger: The never-seen Paul Lamb the Invisible Man.
  • Friends
    • The Head: Ross (brainy paleontologist)
    • The Muscle: Joey (the only guy with any muscle, certainly the most physical of them)
    • The Quirk: Chandler (neurotic and snarky, unlucky in love for the most part)
    • The Pretty One: Rachel (the romantic lead from day 1, even got fought over briefly by the Muscle and the Head during a later season)
    • The Smart One: Monica (generally the common-sense wielding one among the girls)
    • The Wild One: Phoebe (ditzy, wild, and a sordid past)
  • Ghostwriter:
    • The Head—Jamal
    • The Muscle—Alex
    • The Quirk—Rob
    • The Pretty One—Lenni
    • The Smart One—Tina
    • The Wild One—Gaby
  • Glee:
    • The Head—Finn and Rachel
    • The Muscle—Puck and Santana
    • The Quirk—Kurt
    • The Pretty One—Quinn and Brittany
    • The Smart One—Artie
    • The Wild One—Mercedes and Tina
    • Those Two Guys—Mike and Matt
  • Glee, season 2
    • The Head—Finn and Rachel
    • The Muscle—Puck and Lauren
    • The Quirk—Sam and Brittany and Kurt before he leaves
    • The Pretty One—Quinn and Mike (Blaine also fits , though not an official member of the group)
    • The Smart One—Artie
    • The Wild One—Mercedes, Tina and Santana
  • Gossip Girl
    • The Head—Blair
    • The Muscle—Serena
    • The Quirk—Jenny and/or Vanessa
    • The Pretty One—Nate
    • The Smart One—Dan
    • The Wild One—Chuck
  • Higher Ground:
    • The Head—Scott
    • The Muscle—Auggie
    • The Quirk—Ezra
    • The Pretty One—Juliette
    • The Smart One—Shelby
    • The Wild One—Daisy
    • The Obi-Wan—Kat
  • Kamen Rider Fourze
    • The Head—Gentaro
    • The Muscle—Shun
    • The Quirk—Yuki and/or Tomoko
    • The Pretty One—Miu
    • The Smart One—Kengo
    • The Wild One—JK
  • My So-Called Life:
    • The Head—Angela
    • The Muscle—Jordan
    • The Quirk—Brian
    • The Pretty One—Rickie
    • The Smart One—Sharon
    • The Wild One—Rayanne
  • The OC:
    • The Head—Ryan
    • The Muscle—Various recurring characters
    • The Quirk—Seth
    • The Pretty One—Summer, who has elements of the Smart One
    • The Smart One—Taylor (seasons 3-4), who has elements of the Wild One
    • The Wild One—Marissa (seasons 1-3), who has elements of the Pretty One
    • The show used a parade of recurring characters to fill the two missing roles, allowing the show to immediately set up a new Love Triangle following each Cleaning Up Romantic Loose Ends
      • Marissa is explicitly the Pretty One in series, Summer is arguably the Smart One, and Taylor is probably the closest to the Wild One you'll find. Also, Seth's the Head and Ryan's the Muscle, and they don't really have a third guy most of the time.
  • One Tree Hill
    • The Head: Lucas Scott
    • The Muscle: Nathan Scott
    • The Quirk: Mouth Mac Fadden
    • The Pretty One: Peyton Sawyer
    • The Smart One: Haley James Scott
    • The Wild One: Brooke Davis
  • Parker Lewis Can't Lose:
    • The Head—Parker Lewis
    • The Muscle—Larry Kubiac
    • The Quirk—Jerry Steiner
    • The Pretty One—Annie Sloan
    • The Smart One—Shelly Lewis
    • The Wild One—Michael Randall
  • Power Rangers in its first few seasons:
    • The Head – Jason (seasons 1-2), Tommy (seasons 2-5), TJ (season 5)
    • The Muscle—Tommy (seasons 1-2), Rocky (seasons 2-4), Adam (season 5), Carlos (season 5)
    • The Quirk—Billy (seasons 1-4), Justin (season 5)
    • The Pretty One—Kimberly (seasons 1-3), Kat (seasons 3-5), Ashley (season 5)
    • The Smart One—Trini (seasons 1-2), Adam (seasons 2-5), TJ (season 5)
    • The Wild One—Zack (seasons 1-2), Aisha (seasons 2-3), Tanya (seasons 4-5), Cassie (season 5)
    • The Obi-Wan—Jason (season 4)
  • Running The Halls, which USA High was a Spiritual Successor to:
    • The Head—Andy McBain, with elements of The Muscle.
    • The Muscle—David Reese and/or Miles Taylor, both with elements of The Head.
    • The Quirk—Mark "Shark" Stark
    • The Pretty One—Holiday Friedman
    • The Smart One—Molloy Simpson
    • The Wild One—Nikki Watson
  • Salute Your Shorts:
    • The Head—Budnick
    • The Muscle—Donkeylips
    • The Quirk—Sponge
    • The Pretty One—Dina
    • The Smart One—Telly
    • The Wild One—Z.Z.
    • The Naive Newcomer—Michael, and Ronnie
  • Shining Time Station (They almost never appeared all in the same episode, but were once revealed to be an off-screen Clique):
    • The Head -- Matt/Schemee
    • The Muscle—Dan
    • The Quirk -- Matt/Schemee
    • The Pretty One—Becky
    • The Smart One—Kara
    • The Wild One—Tanya
  • Skins:
    • The Head—Tony
    • The Muscle—Chris
    • The Quirk—Sid
    • The Pretty One—Michelle
    • The Smart One—Jal
    • The Wild One—Cassie
  • Second generation:
    • The Head—Freddie
    • The Muscle—Cook
    • The Quirk—JJ
    • The Pretty One—Effy
    • The Smart One—Naomily together: Naomi is "you know, clever"; Emily is implied to be smart
    • The Wild One—Pandora
  • Or alternately, a Gender Flip:
    • The Head—Effy
    • The Muscle—Katie
    • The Quirk—Naomi
    • The Pretty One—Freddie
    • The Smart One—JJ
    • The Wild One—Cook
      • Either way, someone gets shafted, and it's usually Thomas.
  • Third generation:
    • The Head—Nick
    • The Muscle—Matty
    • The Quirk—Alo
    • The Pretty One—Mini
    • The Smart One—Franky
    • The Wild One—Liv
  • And with Gender Flip:
    • The Head—Mini
    • The Muscle—Liv
    • The Quirk—Grace
    • The Pretty One—Nick
    • The Smart One—Rich
    • The Wild One—Alo
  • Sonny With a Chance:
    • The Head—Sonny
    • The Muscle—Chad
    • The Quirk—Grady
    • The Pretty One—Nico
    • The Smart One—Zora
    • The Wild One—Tawni
  • The Suite Life On Deck (Half-second season):
    • The Head—Cody
    • The Muscle—Zack
    • The Quirk—Marcus
    • The Pretty One—London
    • The Smart One—Bailey
    • The Wild One—Woody
  • Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad:
    • The Head—Sam
    • The Muscle—Tanker
    • The Quirk—Amp
    • The Pretty One—Jennifer
    • The Smart One—Sydney
    • The Wild One—Yolie
  • 10 Things I Hate About You:
    • The Head—Patrick Verona
    • The Muscle—Joey Donner
    • The Quirk—Cameron James
    • The Pretty One—Bianca Stratford
    • The Smart One – Mandella
    • The Wild One—Kat Stratford
  • That '70s Show:
    • The Head—Eric
    • The Muscle—Hyde
    • The Quirk—Fez
    • The Pretty One—Jackie
    • The Smart One—Donna
    • The Wild One—Kelso
  • Twin Peaks has its own Six-Student Clique, though not all of them are friends:
    • The Head—Bobby
    • The Muscle—Mike
    • The Quirk—James, though he's more of a loner type.
    • The Pretty One—Shelly, Laura Palmer was too before her death.
    • The Smart One—Donna
    • The Wild One—Audrey
  • USA High:
    • The Head—Jackson Green
    • The Muscle—Christian Mueller
    • The Quirk—Bobby "Lazz" Lazzarini, Duane "Excess" Wilson
    • The Pretty One—Lauren Fontaine
    • The Smart One—Winnie Barnes
    • The Wild One—Ashley Elliott
  • Victorious:
    • The Head—Tori
    • The Muscle—Andre
    • The Quirk—Robbie
    • The Pretty One—Beck and Trina
    • The Smart One—Jade
    • The Wild One—Cat
  • The Wannabes:
    • The Head—Alan Taskin
    • The Muscle—Drew Robinson
    • The Quirk—Andrew Stark
    • The Pretty One—Sarah Moody
    • The Smart One—Mariah Pettigrew
    • The Wild One—Shaylyn Carson
  • Zoey 101:
    • The Head—Chase Matthews (season 1-4)
    • The Quirk—Michael Barret (season 1-4)
    • The Muscle—Logan Reese (season 1-4)
    • The Pretty One—Zoey Brooks (season 1-4)
    • The Smart One—Quinn Pensky (season 1-4)
    • The Wild One—Dana Cruz (season one), Nicole Bristow (season 1-2) and later Lola Martinez (season 2-4)
    • The Other One—James Garret (season four)

Theatre

  • 13 (Not an actual clique, just the main characters):
    • The Head—Evan
    • The Muscle—Brett
    • The Quirk—Archie
    • The Pretty One—Kendra
    • The Smart One—Patrice
    • The Wild One—Lucy

Video Games

  • Final Fantasy XII:
    • The Head—Ashe
    • The Muscle—Basch
    • The Quirk—Vaan
    • The Pretty One—Penelo
    • The Smart One—Balthier
    • The Wild One—Fran
  • Final Fantasy XIII:
    • The Head—Lightning
    • The Muscle—Snow
    • The Quirk—Sazh
    • The Pretty One—Vanille
    • The Smart One—Hope
    • The Wild One—Fang

Web Original

  • Survival of the Fittest v4 - The 'Entourage':
    • The Head—Reiko Ishida
    • The Muscle—Jacob Charles
    • The Quirk—Carol Burke (former Sixth Ranger)
    • The Pretty One—Paige Single
    • The Smart One—Ben Powell
    • The Wild One—Amber Whimsy
    • Seventh Ranger—Hui "Sarah" Xu
  • The Guild:
    • The Head—Codex
    • The Muscle—Bladezz
    • The Quirk—Zaboo
    • The Pretty One—Tinkerballa
    • The Smart One—Vork
    • The Wild One—Clara

Western Animation

  • 6teen:
    • The Head—Wyatt
    • The Muscle—Jonesy
    • The Quirk—Jude
    • The Pretty One—Caitlin
    • The Smart One—Jen
    • The Wild One—Nikki
  • The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron:
    • The Head—Jimmy
    • The Muscle—Sheen
    • The Quirk—Carl
    • The Pretty One—Betty
    • The Smart One—Cindy
    • The Wild One—Libby
      • An alternative would be to swap Sheen and Libby.
  • Alvin and The Chipmunks:
    • The Head—Alvin
    • The Muscle—Theodore (could be called The Big Guy, but doesn't quite fit this trope)
    • The Quirk—Jeanette
    • The Pretty One—Eleanor (not necessarily "pretty" but she's certainly the sweetest)
    • The Smart One—Simon
    • The Wild One—Brittany
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender: (The second half of Season 3)
    • The Head—Aang
    • The Muscle—Toph (Gender inverted)
    • The Quirk—Zuko
    • The Pretty One—Suki
    • The Smart One—Sokka (Gender inverted)
    • The Wild One—Katara
  • Blinky Bill:
    • The Head—Blinky Bill
    • The Muscle—Splodge Kangaroo
    • The Quirk—Shifty Dingo (sometimes Flap)
    • The Pretty One—Nutsy
    • The Smart One—Flap Platypus (sometimes Shifty)
    • The Wild One—Marcia Marsupial Mouse
  • Clone High:
    • The Head—Abe
    • The Muscle—JFK
    • The Quirk—Gandhi
    • The Pretty One—Cleo
    • The Smart One—Joan
    • The Wild One—Both Joan and Cleo have elements of this
  • Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy:
    • The Head—Jimmy
    • The Muscle—Kevin
    • The Quirk—Jonny 2x4
    • The Pretty One—Nazz
    • The Smart One—Rolf
    • The Wild One—Sarah
      • Jimmy could be The Quirk, Jonny 2x4 could be The Wild One, Nazz could bit of The Smart One, and Rolf could be The Quirk, too.
  • Maya and Miguel:
    • The Head—Maya
    • The Muscle—Andy
    • The Quirk—Miguel
    • The Pretty One—Chrissy
    • The Smart One—Theo
    • The Wild One—Maggie
  • My Gym Partners a Monkey:
    • The Head—Adam Lyon
    • The Muscle—Jake Spidermonkey
    • The Quirk—Slips Python
    • The Pretty One—Ingrid Giraffe
    • The Smart One—Windsor Gorilla
    • The Wild One—Lupe Toucan
  • My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic [1]
    • The Head / The Smart One—Twilight Sparkle
    • The Muscle—Applejack
    • The Quirk—Pinkie Pie
    • The Pretty One—Rarity
    • The Shy One—Fluttershy: Twilight's double role puts Fluttershy in this slot where the Smart One would usually go.
    • The Wild One—Rainbow Dash
      • Alternatively, Fluttershy could be considered "The Pretty One" (albeit unintentionally), while Rarity is "The Head" (who uses manipulation and wits to get what she wants) and Twilight is simply the Smart One.
  • Recess almost fits this trope, with the odd exception:
    • The Head—TJ Detweiler (The Ace)
    • The Muscle -- Ashley Spinelli
    • The Quirk—Gus Griswald (Nerd and the New Kid)
    • The Pretty One—Vince LaSalle (is probably the closest thing they have)
    • The Smart One—Gretchen Grundler
    • The Wild One—Mikey Blumberg
      • He's certainly the one most off the beaten track. He could be The Muscle on account of his size but he's mostly a Gentle Giant who enjoys writing poetry. Spinelli could be The Wild One.
  • The Spectacular Spider-Man:
    • The Head—Peter Parker
    • The Muscle—Flash Thompson
    • The Quirk—Harry Osborn
    • The Pretty One—Mary Jane Watson
    • The Smart One—Gwen Stacy
    • The Wild One—Liz Allen
      • Although Peter Parker does have Quirk elements, and Harry Osborn does prove to be less intelligent than his friends. So in other words, both have elements of the Quirk and the Head.
  • Time Warp Trio (with their great-granddaughters)
    • The Head—Joe
    • The Muscle—Fred
    • The Quirk—Sam
    • The Pretty One—Freddi
    • The Smart One—Samantha
    • The Wild One—Jodie
  • Tiny Toon Adventures:
    • The Head—Plucky Duck
    • The Muscle—Buster Bunny (a rare case where this role is the main character)
    • The Quirk—Hamton J. Pig
    • The Pretty One—Fifi La Fume
    • The Smart One—Shirley the Loon (subversion; she's a Valley Girl with mind powers)
    • The Wild One—Babs Bunny
  • WITCH (Season 1, at least)
    • The Head - Will
    • The Muscle - Caleb
    • The Quirk - Hay Lin
    • The Pretty One - Cornelia
    • The Smart One - Taranee
    • The Wild One - Irma
  • Young Justice:
    • The Head—Aqualad
    • The Muscle—Superboy
    • The Quirk—Robin
    • The Pretty One—Miss Martian
    • The Smart One—Artemis
    • The Wild One—Kid Flash
  1. ↑ Depending on how exactly you interpret the various vague clues about the age and maturity of the ponies, this may or may not be an example
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