Sixth Ranger: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

Some series start out with a particular type of [[Ensembles]], with [[Cast Calculus|a certain number of characters and a defined role for each]]: a [[Power Trio]], for example, or a [[Five-Man Band]]. Then, mid-season, a mysterious new character appears, fighting the protagonists and antagonists alike! After many misunderstandings, the new character is revealed to be a good guy, and joins the team.

 

A common method for [[Merchandise-Driven]] works to add new characters to the cast—and the toy line.

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== Trope Namer ==

* The name of this trope comes from the [[Super Sentai]]/[[Power Rangers]] franchise, which has a yearly tradition of adding at least one new member to the initial roster of heroes during the course of each series. Specifically, it was started by ''[[Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger]]'' with the addition of Dragon Ranger, which was carried over by its adaptation ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'', where the introduction of the Green Ranger grabbed a lot of attention for the show and he became a [[Breakout Character]]. Almost every show in both franchises since then has featured at least one extra member.

 

 

** Mamoru is the basic Sixth Ranger, though he joins before any girl other than Usagi.

** Pluto actually serves this role in the Manga before Chibi-Moon or mention of the other Outer Senshi is made. She first appears at the time gate and under the urging of Diana, breaks one of her rules and temporally abandons her post to help Sailor Moon. {{spoiler|And preforms a heroic sacrifice while doing so}}

 

 

* Back when the [[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]] were a Five-Man Band, Mimic was the first new student at Xavier's (also the first non-mutant X-Man). He's been a low-level criminal since leaving the team (a waste of potential after seeing his Exiles counterpart in action).

* Victor Mancha of ''[[Runaways]]''.

** Recently, Xavin.

* The [[Fantastic Four]] have had a few extras over the years—Johnny's ex-wife Lyja, Ben's girlfriend Sharon Ventura, the time displaced teenage version of Valeria Richards, and others; not counting substitute members who have filled in temporary vacancies in the team like Crystal, Luke Cage, She-Hulk, and the Black Panther.

** Recent promo images seem to be implying that Spider-Man will be this with {{spoiler|the Human Torch being revived.}}

** The first was Shun-Day, a [[Ninja]] [[Action Girl]] apprentice who temporary joined the group in order to achieve her formation. {{spoiler|She's eventually revealed to be a [[Sixth Ranger Traitor]] working as [[The Mole]] for the [[Evil Sorcerer]] [[The Chessmaster|Skroa]], though she [[Becoming the Mask|eventually develops an actual bound with the Legendaries]] and ends up helping them defeating her "father".}}

** The second was [[Dark Action Girl|Tenebris]], [[Big Bad|Darkhell]][[Daddy's Little Villain|'s daughter]], who joined the group [[Love Redeems|in order to protect her love interest]] [[The Big Guy|Razzia]]. Though her team-up with them was initially somehow intended to be temporary, she ends up joining them for real {{spoiler|after Danael was possessed by [[God of Evil]] [[Bigger Bad|Anathos]] and became the new villain}}. Ironically enough, {{spoiler|[[The Dark Chick|Shimy]] was so much expecting Tenebris to be a [[Sixth Ranger Traitor]] that she was willing to kill her in order to prevent it from happening, when in fact it turned out Tenebris remained loyal to them.}}

== Literature ==

* David from ''[[Animorphs]]'' is the straight example, identified on book covers as the "Sixth Animorph", {{spoiler|though he is actually a [[Sixth Ranger Traitor]].}} Ax is the more commonly accepted Sixth Ranger: he and the original five initially consider themselves "five kids and an Andalite," but by the final book, Ax refers to the group as "We, the Animorphs," when speaking to Jake.

* ''[[Stationery Voyagers]]'' has Neone, a subversion in that she was always meant to be part of the original team, but got delayed by reason of being on another planet.

** [[Magnetic Hero|Then]] there was Liquidon, who didn't fight the team but instead needed their help to [[Clear My Name|get his name cleared]] as he was mistaken for a terrorist.

* The [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] occasionally does this. Most obvious is Zekk from ''[[Young Jedi Knights]]''. Zekk even looks like Tommy in the art.

* Thomas from ''[[Malevil]]''. He's the one member of the [[World War III]] survivors that wasn't part of the group from their youth. He's also college educated, don't speak the local patois, and an atheist without a religious upbringing.

 

== Live Action TV ==

* Koichi Shiranami/Ryujinou in ''[[Madan Senki Ryukendo|Ryukendo]]''.

* ''[[Charmed]]'' has Leo, Cole, Chris, Billie, and Coop all acting as sixth rangers to varying degrees.

* ''[[Kamen Rider]]'' takes the cake for reducing this trope to a Second Rider phenomenon, beginning from [[Kamen Rider (TV series)|the original 1971 series]], when Takeshi Hongo (Kamen Rider 1) is joined by Hayato Ichimonji (Kamen Rider 2). In this case Rider 2 was created out of necessity to serve as a temporary replacement for Rider 1 when the actor who played Hongo had to take a break after shattering his leg during a stunt gone wrong. After Rider 1 returned to become the main character again, Rider 2 would return for a few guest appearances serving as a sidekick to Rider 1. In subsequent shows we have:

** [[Kamen Rider V 3]] and Riderman

* Richard Grieco's character, Dennis Booker, on the crime drama, ''[[21 Jump Street]]''. His character was then given his own short-lived spinoff.

* Nasir silently joins the Merry Men at the end of the pilot episode of ''[[Robin of Sherwood]]'' after being set up as a minion of the bad guys. Yes, that's one episode in, but it's also a brand new [[Robin Hood]] character after about 600 years...

* ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'' - Sylar, by the season four finale. [[Redemption Equals Death|Doesn't look good for him though]]. Made worse in that he already tried it once a season before, [[Status Quo Is God|and that didn't work out so well]].

* Technically a number five, in the short lived live action ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' TV series ''[[Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation|Ninja Turtles the Next Mutation]]'', a fifth, [[The Chick|female]] turtle named Venus was introduced to the previously all-male quartet. (She could be a sixth ranger if you count Splinter, though.)

* The [[Black Eyed Peas]] were originally a trio (the three guys), before Fergie joined.

* Keyboard player Billy Preston joined [[The Beatles]] for their [[Let It Be]] album/movie in 1969, was the only musician after 1963 to be co-credited on a Beatles single. and was commonly called the "Fifth Beatle". George Harrison, who brought Preston into the studio in the first place, unsuccessfully tried to convince the band to make him an official member, noticing the positive effects Preston's presence had on the band on the band musically and personally.

 

 

* SPARTAN-B312, aka Noble Six from ''[[Halo: Reach]]'', is the newest addition to Noble Team and completely fits the trope, up to and including surpassing the rest of the group.

{{quote|'''Carter:''' Six. {{spoiler|That AI chose you for a reason. It made the right choice.}}}}

* In [[Saints Row the Third]], {{Spoiler| Viola Dewynter [[Heel Face Turn|joins]] the Saints shortly after Killbane kills her sister Kiki}}

 

== Web Comics ==

** And now we have Catalina added as a Sixth Ranger. She's a buddy of Susan's from the feminist club whose main purpose was to have an unrequited love for Susan.

* ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'':

* ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door]]'' subverted the Sixth Ranger without creating a [[Sixth Ranger Traitor]] with Tommy Gilligan.

** Notably, after the episode where he almost becomes a Sixth Ranger, he becomes an outright parody Sixth Ranger tropes. He dresses in a ridiculous cape and fedora, attempts to make [[Dynamic Entry|dramatic entries]], tries to be mysterious (when everybody is well aware he's the [[Annoying Younger Sibling]] of [[The Smart Guy]]) and refers to himself as "The Tommy."

* Terra in the animated version of ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'' {{spoiler|(until it was revealed she was a spy for Slade).}}

* ''[[Danny Phantom]]'': [[Power Trio]] group composed of Danny, Sam, and Tucker, then upgrades to include a fourth member in their ''Team Phantom'' with Jazz, though she wasn't initially accepted at first.

* ''[[X-Men: Evolution]]'': Rogue pulls a [[Heel Face Turn]] and joins the X-Men after she realizes Mystique tricked her into joining the Brotherhood and thinking the X-Men wanted to kill her.

** In the fourth season, a much more traditional Sixth Ranger joins, former villain Hexadecimal.

* [[Subverted Trope|Subverted]] in a episode of ''[[Chaotic]]'', when a character joins the main characters possessing all the traditional fifth ranger qualities. (Even filling the vacant [[The Chick|Chick]] slot in the [[Five-Man Band]]), but later [[Acquired Situational Narcissism|leaves after gaining fame]] from {{spoiler|becoming the first person to scan a M'arrillian}}.

* ''[[Transformers Animated]]'' has two sixth rangers. The first and more conventional one is Jazz, who joins at the end of the episode before the finale, and the second is {{spoiler|Sari, who is upgraded from [[Tagalong Kid]]. Gets weapons and armor installed and everything}}.

** This has been a running theme throughout the whole series with Starscream in [[Transformers Armada]] and Skyfire in [[Transformers Generation 1]] as two examples.

** Caitlin falls under [[The Chick]].

* In the dinosaur-flavoured ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]''-style cartoon ''[[Extreme Dinosaurs]]'', the team originally consists of four dinosaurs - T-Bone the t-rex, Spike the triceratops, Bullzeye the pterodactyl, and Stegz the...yeah. In the later half of the series, they are sent to an alternate dimension and bring back the ankylosaur Hardrock to become their fifth ranger. Except he's barely mentioned or acknowledged even after then. Hmmm.

* Do Mike and Penny's Popples on [[Popples]] count? They came in halfway through the series, and seemed to hang out with them most of the time.

* In Season 2 of ''[[Shirt Tales]]'', Kip Kangaroo is introduced as the sixth member.

 

== Real Life ==

[[Category:The Index Team]]

[[Category:Native American Mythology]]

[[Category:Five-Man Band]]