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{{trope}}
{{quote|
A typical [[Five-Man Band]] has [[The Lancer]] contrasting [[The Hero]] and [[The Big Guy]] contrasting [[The Smart Guy]] but the fifth role is more variable. This person is the '''The Face''' of the team and they are the one you want doing the talking. This is the super trope for the characters that could fit in that role.
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This trope has two core qualities: social skills and contrast to the rest of the group. They're the only girl, the only old person, the only civilian, etc.
Not to be confused with [[Face]]. Also not [[The Face of the Band]], though the roles can overlap. The name comes from the tradition of ''[[Dungeons
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==▼
▲== [[Anime and Manga]] ==
* ''[[Baccano!]]'': Luck does most of the talking and business for the Gandor family. His friendship with Firo is also the reason the Gandors have a good relationship with the Martillo Family. His brothers are either too quiet or too aggressive for such a responsibility.
* ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'': Tomoyo interacts with everyone and contrasts them with her [[Muggle]]ness. She's also emotional support for Sakura, and Syaoran too after he calms down.
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* ''[[Crest of the Stars]]'' deconstructs this trope with how Jinto feels about being forced into this role. Because he seems to get along with everyone (perhaps because he wasn't born into Abh society like everyone else) he has to act as a go-between both inside the Basroil's crew and with other soldiers. This means shouldering everyone's emotional baggage and translating for the one receiving the message.
* One would think Maia was the Face in ''[[Daphne in the Brilliant Blue]]'' being the friendly and helpful [[The Chick|Chick]] she is, but it's actually [[The Smart Guy|Shizuka]] with the social network.
* ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
* ''[[Science Ninja Team Gatchaman]]'': Jinpei, the only child on the team, certainly has a way with other children. The series may in fact be the [[Trope Codifier]] for the [[Five-Man Band]].
* ''[[Witch Hunter Robin]]'': Chief Inspector Shintarō Kosaka represents the STNJ to other organizatons and passes on the office's reports to the parent organization SOLOMON. He has a lot of friends in the police department and all he has to do is call one of them to get info on suspects.
== [[
* ''[[Archie Comics]]'': Veronica Lodge is [[The Chick]] and her skills are mostly social instead of practical, but she contributes by being the only one with unlimited wealth and resources.
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* ''[[Animorphs]]'': Neither fighting nor scouting etc are Cassie's specialty. She's the moral center and arguably the most traditionally feminine since Rachel is a [[Blood Knight]].
* Sir Dinadin from [[Camelot]]'s Round Table. He doesn't like fighting and thinks [[Courtly Love]] is a waste of time. The other things he's noted for is [[Plucky Comic Relief|good humor]] and being more sociable than his fellows: he's the only one that can recognize all of them by their face in addition to their shield crest. This ability is naturally helpful for knights who otherwise might not recognize their own king.
* ''[[
* Dolores Umbridge exploited this trope in ''[[
** Note that while this might not sound like a bad idea, the fact that she is imposing these restrictions while a wizarding civil war is brewing in the background (plus the fact that she is personally a [[Complete Monster]] for various reasons
* ''[[Haruhi Suzumiya]]'': Haruhi herself. She's always out to promote the SOS Brigade and Kyon notes that she 'knows how to get answers' peacefully from the apartment keeper during the investigation of Asakura's disappearance. Though in practice the trope is inverted as she steams-rolls people with either blackmail or [[Genki Girl|her personality]]... if she's not outright ignoring them.
** Asakura herself is a very nice and helpful [[Class Representative]] when she's not, you know, {{spoiler|being a [[Knife Nut]]}}.
* Xuanzang of ''[[Journey to the West]]'' does all the talking with [[Muggles]] etc because he is a courteous monk and his companions are scary-looking (and in Wukong's case, very rude) demons.
== [[Live
* ''[[Angel]]'' has Cordelia play this role for Team Angel. She's the secertary for Angel's detective biz but she can't even use the phone properly. On the other hand, she's the only link to the [[The Powers That Be|people he really needs to be in touch with]]. She's also [[The Chick]] and [[The Heart]].
* ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'': Besides being the only female lead, Penny is the only one of the five who is not a socially incompetent nerd.
* The core cast of [[Bones]] are four [[Lab Rat|"Squints"]] and a smooth talking FBI agent. While the former collects and analyzes evidence in private the latter's gathering information from people related to the Crime of the Week and interrogating suspects.
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'': Xander is [[The Heart]] and lacks the supernatural powers of his teammates, but is best friends with Buffy and Willow to the end. His storylines tends to revolve around interpersonal relationships, and, as the most consistent of the Scooby Gang, he interacts with everyone.
* Inara from ''[[Firefly (TV series)|Firefly]]''. Officially, her role on the ship is to use her social contacts to "open doors that would otherwise be closed" to a group like Captain Mal and the crew.
** Also Jayne, but in a different way. His official job title on the ship is "Public Relations" and considering the ''Serenity's'' relations with the public this usually means hurting people.
* ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'' - Cameron is [[The Heart]] variety. She goes out of her way to 'get to know' the patients, as opposed to the other members of her department who more or less don't care.
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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* In ''[[Dungeons
* In the ''[[BattleTech]]'' RPG one of the pre-made character archetypes is called the Faceman, basically a mix between a public relations manager and a lawyer, who works for a mercenary company. While he is next to useless in any fight it is mentioned that merc commands that don't have one of these guys usually go under within a year, often before seeing a single battle, thanks to legal, bureaucratic and monetary issues.
** The [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Clans']] merchant caste generally plays this role for the Clans who are willing to deal with the Inner Sphere. Merchants still see the Spheroids as destructive primitives but are able put this aside and hide their feelings during negotiations, unlike the other castes (''especially'' the [[Smug Super|warriors]]), to score a good deal.
* ''[[Call of Cthulhu (tabletop game)]]''. The Field Manual of the Theron Marks Society (in the supplement ''Terror from the Stars'') recommended having one of the [[Player Character|PCs]] be a Communication Specialist - a charismatic character who is a good talker. They would have a high Appearance and high percentages in the skills Bargain, Credit Rating, Fast Talk and Persuade.
* ''[[Earthdawn]]''. Having a high Charisma is essential for each of the following.
** The Troubador Discipline was good for this, with Talents like First Impression, Lasting Impression and Haggle.
** Characters with other Disciplines can fill this role by choosing General Skills such as Acting, Bribery, Conversation, Engaging Banter, Etiquette, Fence, Flirting, Seduction, Streetwise and Trading.
* [[Genius: The Transgression]], Scholastics serve this purpose in a Player Party. This is important, since a Genius' ever worsening [[Science-Related Memetic Disorder]] causes jabir which makes talking to normal humans rather difficult.
* In ''[[Legend of the Five Rings]]'' Courtiers are explicitly designed to play this role, as even though most [[Player Character|PCs]] should have basic social skills to survive Rokugan's complicated system of etiquette and conversation, it helps to have someone who can recruit allies and deal with gossip and slander. In a pinch, Air Shugenjas and more politically oriented Magistrates and Bushi (particularly from the Scorpion or Crane Clans) can fill this role.
* ''[[Shadowrun]]'': Any character with a high Charisma and Social Skills like Etiquette, Interrogation, Leadership and Negotiation.
* In ''[[Warhammer
== [[Video Games]] ==
* Emil from ''[[
* Stocke, the protagonist of ''[[Radiant Historia]]'' starts off as [[The Stoic]], but also starts off with a growing circle of friends who he cares about dearly. He helps his party members through a variety of internal and external conflicts, and is always sensitive to their issues. And at one point, he helps his best friend Rosch and an NPC with [[Match Maker Quest|relationship advice.]]
* ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'': in The Subspace Emissary, Peach makes herself useful by breaking up fights and turning potential enemies into friends, mysteriously producing tea, in contrast with the Action Girls Samus and Sheik.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'' has Elan the Bard, whose highest stat is his charisma.
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* In ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', believe it or not, it's [[Cute Bruiser|Toph.]] The youngest and yet the one with the most social savvy. Technically, being the Avatar, it should be Aang at the customs office and the Earth King's birthday etc but she's the one doing the talking.
* ''[[Captain Planet]]'': Ma-Ti is [[Just for Pun|the heart variety]] because no matter where they go he is instantly liked and can communicate with animals, knowing how they feel and asking for their help. Kawami however is usually the one ending group conflicts while Ma-Ti found where conflict was outside of the group.
* Fluttershy from ''[[My Little Pony:
** Applejack appears to be this for the Apple Family in Ponyville. Mostly due to Big Macintosh's quiet demeanor.
* [[Phineas and Ferb|Phineas]] is the one talking with whoever the group needs for their latest "Best day ever", from city officials to delivery guys to [[Scout Out|the Fireside Girls]]. The best example would be persuading Love Handel to reunite for a concert while directing the girls to make a stage. Extra points for contrasting his brother Ferb, who rarely ever talks.
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== [[Real Life]] ==
* Some would say that Anastas Mikoyan was the most likeable (and stable!) of Stalin's inner circle, a man who went for much more practical (and much less brutal) measures to revive Russia after the Civil War than Stalin. He was also seen as a fairly genteel "traveling salesman" by the West, in comparison to the bombast of those he answered to.
* Stu Stutcliffe of [[The Beatles]]. Didn't know how to play, wasn't all that interested in being in a band. He was just a guy that John Lennon knew from art school and liked to hang out with.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:The Index Team]]
[[Category:Mentors]]
[[Category:Universal Tropes]]
[[Category:The Squad]]
[[Category:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Face, The}}
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