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{{trope}}
[[File:the-
{{quote|''"[[Genre Savvy|I see]] you are the surly, temperamental one who ''instigates'', [[Wolverine]]. You ''cannot'' be the leader, then."''
|'''Azazel''', ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|The Uncanny X-Men]]''}}
The [[Number Two|lieutenant]] and [[Foil]] for [[The Hero]].
'''The Lancer''' is usually easier to intuit in older works, but in a more complex [[Five-Man Band]] Lancer's three main traits, (being [[Number Two]] to [[The Leader]], [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|Foil]] to [[The Hero]] or [[Grumpy Bear|Foil]] [[Anti-Hero|to]] [[Ineffectual Loner|the]] Team) may be divided amongst several members instead of combined into one character.
For example, in the event that '''The Lancer''' is a foil:
* If [[The Hero]] is an [[Idiot Hero|idiot]], the Lancer will be [[The Spock]], [[The Stoic]], or [[The Quiet One]].
* If the hero is a carefree, irresponsible type, the Lancer is probably [[The Reliable One]].
* If [[The Hero]] is [[Chaste Hero|chaste]] or [[Celibate Hero|celibate]],
* The [[Ideal Hero]] or [[The Messiah]] will have a Lancer who is an [[Anti
* If [[The Hero]] has [[No Social Skills]], his Lancer is likely to be more levelheaded and a [[The Face|social person]], or even the [[Morality Pet]] in extreme cases.
* [[Red Oni, Blue Oni]] are also a popular combination. They know each others' tactics, they know when something is wrong, and they know when the other is [[Not Himself]] or saying [[Something They Would Never Say]].
* If [[The Hero]] works more from a state of passion when resolving problems, or is inspiring to his team, his Lancer tends to work harder, and in some but not all cases tends to be less popular.
* Sometimes a Lancer will be the executive officer of a starship captain, especially in SF that follow the Trek formula by having captains doing risky exciting action stuff that they really aren't supposed to be doing as captains. In this case, the XO may be a little older, wiser, and stuck doing all the boring stuff that most real captains do.
* If the hero is [[Surrounded
This is the member of the [[Five
If [[The Complainer Is Always Wrong]] and there's a chronic complainer to act as the show's [[Butt Monkey]], it's likely this guy. He's also the one most likely on the team to go [[Turncoat]], and the last one [[The Hero]] will suspect. Conversely, if the rest of the Band members [[Breaking the Fellowship|turn their backs on]] [[The Hero]] [[What the Hell, Hero?|for some reason]], the Lancer may be the only one who [[Undying Loyalty|sticks by his side]]. [[The Hero]] and
In the event that [[The Hero]] of the team is unable to lead, or the team temporarily has no Hero,
Powers and skills common to
* Just as [[Heroes Prefer Swords]], '''The Lancer''' is often [[The Archer]], [[The Gunslinger]], or a literal [[Blade on a Stick|Lancer]], relying on firepower and distance. If everyone is a ranged fighter then expect '''The Lancer''' to explicitly be the best shot, or an [[Ace Pilot]].
* If [[The Hero]] and '''The Lancer''' have [[Elemental Powers]], they will be [[Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors|complementary]]. If [[The Hero]] uses [[Playing with Fire|fire]], '''The Lancer''' will probably use [[An Ice Person|ice]], [[Shock and Awe|electricity]] or [[Making a Splash|water]].
* Since he's the hero's [[Foil|counterpoint]], he may be the one who is willing to [[Poisonous Friend|do dirty tricks]] or [[Shoot the Dog|enter moral gray areas.]] If there's only one [[Con Man]] on a team full of [[Straight Man|strait-laced]] heroes, it's usually this guy.
** Similarly, if there's only one stealthy guy on the team,
**
* Conversely,
* Has a very high likelihood to become the [[Ensemble Darkhorse]], or if [[Badass]] enough, a [[Draco in Leather Pants]], especially when [[The Hero]] is the clean-cut type.
* If a villain who opposes the Hero makes a [[Heel Face Turn]] and joins the Hero's side, he is very likely to become a Lancer, and often the one most likely to [[Face Heel Turn|become evil again.]]
When [[It Got Worse|worst comes to worst]],
It's becoming more and more common for this character to be female, either merged with, or contrasted with, [[The Chick]]. Having
This [[Trope]] is named for the man-at-arms of [[The Middle Ages]], the term for a professional soldier. While the term also encompasses the members of the knightly class, a man-at-arms was not necessarily a knight. They were also men of lesser financial and social status than knights, but were equally trained and equipped to fight on horseback in full armour and with sword and lance, just like their social superiors. In this regard, he is most [[Trope Codifier|recognizable]] as [[King Arthur]]'s right-hand man, Lancelot (portrayed as a better fighter than even the king in most versions of the myth).
{{examples
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'': Jet Black, although he's ostensibly the leader of the Bebop crew, is The Lancer to Spike Spiegel's Hero.
* ''[[Mazinger Z]]'': Sayaka was The Lancer and [[Love Interest]] from [[The Hero]] Kouji Kabuto. Given that Kouji was an carefree, impulsive, [[Hot-Blooded]] [[Idiot Hero]], she was [[The Reliable One]] type, and both of them formed a [[Battle Couple]].
** ''[[Great Mazinger]]'': Jun Hono was The Lancer from [[The Hero]] Tetsuya Tsurugi, and Kouji when he returned to the end of the series. Given that Tetsuya was a bad-tempered [[Broken Ace]] [[Inferiority Superiority Complex|hid a huge inferiority complex under tons of arrogance and pride and anger]], they had to be [[The Reliable One]] type he could depend on. Since [[Heroes Prefer Swords|Tetsuya indeed prefered swords]], Jun's [[Humongous Mecha]] mainly used laser beams and missiles.
** ''[[
* ''[[Tower of God]]'': Koon Agero Agnis, the brains, and in a literal sense Rak Wraithraiser, the brawn (and [[The Heart]]), choose to climb the [[Place of Power|Tower]] with Baam, one to find his lost self, the other because Baam happens to own a really [[Cool Sword]] he wants to compete against.
* In ''[[Shaman King]]'' Ren Tao is the
* ''[[
* In the ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' [[Anime]], Rei/Sailor Mars is
* ''[[Trigun]]'': Nicholas D. Wolfwood to Vash the Stampede. Wolfwood and Vash work incredibly well together and often appear to be two of a kind when goofing around or actively engaged in combat, but have deep philosophical differences. Wolfwood is dark: a killer and [[Knight in Sour Armor]] with a secret agdenda. Vash is a [[Technical Pacifist]] and [[The Messiah]]. They're keeping huge secrets from one another, and they know it. They're still the best friends either has ever had. Their color scheme contributes.
:They get extra bonuses in the manga, with [[Foil]] elements like the fact that, even though they look the same age, Vash is [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old|Really Nearly Two Hundred]] and Wolfwood has accelerated aging from the experiments the Eye of Michael did on him, and based on his former orphanage-mates can't possibly be even eighteen. Also, he ''joined up with Vash because the [[Big Bad]] told him to.''
* ''[[Magical Project S]]'': Pixy Misa becomes this in near the end of the series.
* ''[[Gantz]]'': Kei Kurono was undoubtedly
** In a story arc that focused on Katou action girl/the chick Reika got to spend time as his lancer
* Rina/Green Pearl Voice from ''[[Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch]]'' and Caren.
* Minto Aizawa/Mew Mint from ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]'' is
* ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'': {{spoiler|Fate Testarossa, indeed an ex-[[Dark Magical Girl]]}}.
* In ''StrikerS'', {{spoiler|Vita and Signum become Lancers to Nanoha and Fate, respectively.}}
* ''[[
* In ''[[Soukou no Strain]]'', Lottie considers Sara her Lancer up until {{spoiler|she realizes Sara's identity. She finally admits that maybe it's the other way around.}}
* Natsumi aka Shiro Loli in ''Saint October''.
* Every ''[[Digimon]]'' [[Five
** [[Digimon Adventure|Yamato]] is the series-internal [[Trope Maker]] and the straightest example: he and Taichi have a fire vs. ice complement, particularly in later evolutions, and their partners' [[Fusion Dance]] into Omegamon creates a guns vs. swords dynamic - the MetalGarurumon arm has a cannon while the WarGreymon arm has a sword.
** ''[[Digimon Adventure 02]]'' splits the role between Takeru in the first half - focusing on the conflict between himself and Daisuke - and Ken in the second half, focusing on the Hero/Lancer [[Bash Brothers]] dynamic and how Daisuke's influence and belief in him pulled him out of a pretty bad part of his life.
** [[Digimon Tamers|Ruki]] is the only female example, and inverts the standard ''Digimon'' dynamic in that while she is indeed the aloof one, she is certainly far more aggressive than [[Nice Guy|Takato]].
** [[Digimon Frontier|Kouji]]'s dynamic with Takuya is a direct reprise of Taichi and Yamato's relationship, complete with the guns vs swords contrast in their strongest forms, which were even a Greymon and Garurumon respectively.
** [[Digimon Savers
** [[Digimon Xros Wars
** [[Digimon Xros Wars:
* Kai of ''[[Beyblade]]'' switched between
* [[Deuteragonist|Barnaby]] from ''[[Tiger and Bunny]]'' plays this role where his partner [[Hero Protagonist|Kotetsu]] is concerned. He is the [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|Blue Oni to Kotetsu's Red]], and the [[Ineffectual Loner]] to his partner's [[The Messiah|Messiah]] / [[The Cape (trope)|Cape]].
* Vegeta from ''[[Dragonball Z]]'' played both
* ''[[Bleach]]'' tends to share and switch around the role of
** Partway through the Soul Society arc, [[The Hero|Ichigo]] [[Defeat Means Friendship|adds]] a ''third'' Lancer to his group, [[Sixth Ranger|Renji Abarai]], who's similar to Ichigo in almost every way. If we use a [[Red Oni, Blue Oni]] scenario, Renji is red (more of an [[Idiot Hero]]) and Ichigo is blue (who [[Character Development|became]] a [[Combat Pragmatist]]).
** The original lancer to Ichigo was [[Action Girl|Rukia]], who is less of a foil and more like the other side to his coin. Every time she comes back in a non [[Damsel in Distress]] capacity, she's the Lancer.
** Fandom's version of
* The title character of ''[[Soul Eater]]'' is Maka's Lancer.(As much as a scythe who can take human form can do so.)
** Almost all the characters in Soul Eater have a tendency to play off of eachother, switching from Hero to Lancer when the plot calls for it. The Weapons are also definitely people, just an unusual kind of shapeshifter.
* Sanosuke Sagara in ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]''. He starts out as Kenshin's rival before quickly becoming [[Heel Face Turn|his best friend]], spent the gap between the revolution and the start of the series as a glory-seeking street fighter rather than an atoning wanderer, and prefers hand-to-hand combat over disciplined sword fighting (although he was skilled with his [[BFS]], which he lamentably only used twice).
* Until his departure, Brock played
* ''[[
* Erza of ''[[Fairy Tail]]'' is a stoic, badass [[Magic Knight]] and one of the top four mages in the guild. Has become very popular among fans since joining the group and has a rivalry with [[The Hero]] Natsu. However, given Natsu's [[Boisterous Bruiser|tendency to challenge anyone and everyone more powerful than him]], this may be debatable.
** Gray could also be considered a Lancer within the group, given his rivalry with Natsu and their complementary elemental magic (Fire and Ice).
** Gray is a better example, given the elements and his playing [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|blue oni to Natsu's red.]] He even used to be [[The Rival]]. Erza is more like [[The Big Guy]] of their [[Five
* Natsuki Kuga is Mai's Lancer in ''[[
* ''[[Naruto]]'': Sasuke Uchiha fits this in almost every possible sense {{spoiler|until his [[Face Heel Turn]]}}. {{spoiler|Replaced later by [[Emotionless Girl|Emotionless Guy]] Sai.}}
** {{spoiler|In the current war, Killer Bee is definitely this as he specifically promised Iruka he'd watch Naruto's back.}}
* ''[[Suzumiya Haruhi]]'' plays with this, in that the Lancer, Kyon, is in fact both the narrator and the main character... with a little dash of [[The Hero]], something that the flighty and childish Haruhi is definitely ''not''.
** Really, Haruhi got the [[Five
* Jet Link aka 002 is Joe Shimamura aka 009's Lancer in ''[[Cyborg 009]]''. Albert Heinrich aka 004 and Francoise Arnoul aka 003 sometimes fits in, too.
* Guts filled this role for Griffith in ''[[Berserk]]'' when he was still part of the Band of the Hawk.
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* Snagglebit in the obscure 1990s anime ''The Littl' Bits'' fit this trope to a T.
* Eiji Shigure in ''[[Gravion]]'' may be the main character of the series, but is arguably the Lancer of the Gravion team, and often fills in the role with main pilot Toga. An odd variation of that, as while Toga is definitely the more pure-hearted of the two, he still depends on Eiji to keep him morally grounded in battle.
* Roronoa Zoro in ''[[One Piece]]''. Not only is he [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|the straight man to all of Luffy's antics]], he is the [[Number Two]] as [[The Captain|Luffy's]] swordsman. Given the relative specialties of the two and the outcomes of the times they fight in the series, Zoro and Luffy are very nearly evenly matched.
** One could also make a case for Sanji being the Lancer: a similarly [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|cool]] personality, like Zoro's, contrasted with [[Idiot Hero|Luffy's]], but also, as per the "He's the one who sneaks off on his own to advance the team's goals independently" bit in the description, Sanji has done just that on at least four occasions (Little Garden, Alabasta, Water 7 and Enies Lobby). Sanji also fits as lancer for his [[Chivalrous Pervert|perv]] status in contrast to Luffy's [[Celibate Hero]] status.
* There are several (and ''very'' different, personality-wise) Lancers in the ''[[Gundam]]'' meta series:
** ''[[
** ''[[Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
** ''[[Crossbone Gundam]]'': Kincaido Nau aka [[
** ''[[Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team]]'': Karen Joshua, to Shiro Amada
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory]]'': Chuck Keith, to Kou Uraki.
** ''[[Mobile Fighter G Gundam
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
** ''[[After War Gundam X
** ''[[Turn
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 00
** ''[[Gundam AGE]]'': Woolf Enneacle, to Flit and Asemu Asuno. Flit later becomes one to his grandson Kio as well as [[Big Good]].
* In ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'', depending on your point of view either Simon is Kamina's Lancer, or Kamina is Simon's. Upon {{spoiler|Kamina's death}} Kittan gradually qualifes for the role, showing a strong grasp of Kamina's ideals, but lacking the gift with words he and Simon have to express it.
** Rossiu is certainly Simon's Lancer after the timeskip. At least until {{spoiler|Viral's [[Heel Face Turn]], at which point Rossiu gradually takes upon a more passive role}}.
* Natsu Tanimoto, a.k.a. Hermit, combines this with a bit of [[Sixth Ranger]] to ''[[Kenichi:
* In sports manga/anime, the sub-captain of the team is likely to be
** ''[[The Prince of Tennis]]'':
*** Seigaku: Oishi and/or Fuji, to Tezuka. Momoshiro, to Echizen {{spoiler|and later, to Kaidoh}}
*** Fudomine: Kamio, to Tachibana.
*** Saint Rudolph: Kaneda, to Akazawa. Mizuki, to Yuuta (as a good example of a sneaky Lancer who uses less-than-ethic methods).
*** Hyoutei: Shishido, to Atobe; he actually [[Heroic Sacrifice|took one for the team]] during the yakiniku battle (sacrificing himself by drinking Inui juice so his team could go on). Ohtori, on the other hand, is Shishido's own Lancer (which makes them also a ''very'' popular [[Ho Yay]] subject, even lampshaded once or twice in the [[Dating Sim
*** Isn't Oshitari more of a lancer to Atobe? Besides Kabaji, Atobe is probably closest with him, often leaving important duties with him. They are also both All-rounders, coincidentally.
*** Yamabuki: Sengoku and/or Dan, to [[Anti
*** Rokkaku: Saeki, to Aoi.
*** Jyousei: Wakato, to Kajimoto.
*** Rikkaidai: Sanada, to Yukimura. Also, Renji to Sanada
*** Higa: Rin, to Kite.
*** Shitenhouji: Chitose (also [[Sixth Ranger]]), to Shiraishi. Koishikawa was ''supposed'' to be
*** If we count the [[Tagalong Kid
** ''[[Captain Tsubasa]]'':
*** Depending on the team he's playing, Tsubasa can hace ''several'' Lancers. Up to date: Ishizaki, Misaki, Wakabayashi, Hyuga, Pepe and/or Rivaul.
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*** Gaou is certainly a Lancer for Marco.
*** Taka for Yamato, given the fact that the latter is Teikoku's primary ace, but they could be switched without much difficulty
* ''[[Space Battleship Yamato]]'' (also known as ''Star Blazers'') had two slightly different Lancers.
** The very proper and by the book Daiuske Shima (Mark Venture) was a polar opposiste to Susumu Kodai (Derek Wildstar) who was originally more [[Hot
** Although only slightly older than most of the rest of the crew, [[The Smart Guy|chief technician Shiro Sanada]] (Sandor) was Yamato's elder figure after the deaths of [[The Captain|Captain Okita (Avatar)]] and [[Mr. Fixit|Engineer Tokugawa (Orion)]]. Sadly, Shima makes the ultimate sacrifice that many anime Lancers are known for. However, interestingly enough, in the recently released ''Yamato:Rebirth'' anime, Sanada actually becomes EDF Supreme Commander, in effect becoming Captain Kodai's superior officer; the rare case where the Lancer eventually gets promoted to outrank the Hero (even if it took 25 years).
* Kuwabara from ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]''. He's Yusuke's school rival-turned-best friend, frequently teams up with him for tag-team battles, and leads the Team Urameshi almost as often as Yusuke does in the Dark Tournament saga.
* Daisy from ''[[Dragon Quest]]: [[Dragon Quest: Legend of the Hero Abel|Legend of the Hero Abel]]'' (a.k.a. the ''Dragon Warrior'' anime broadcast in English in [[The Nineties]]) is a good example of a female Lancer: a mercenary adventurer who started out more skilled than [[The Hero]], and who seemed to [[UST|have a crush on him]] (which got sublimated into her helping rescue the [[
* If you view the Allied Forces from ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'' as a [[Five
** Fandom tends to see the East Asian nations as a [[Five
*** They also apply these dynamics to the Nordic group, with Sweden as
* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' has either Asuna or Setsuna acting as Negi's lancer for the earlier arcs. More recently [[The Rival|Kotaro]] has taken the position. {{spoiler|Nodoka ''might'' have a good chance after she takes a level in badass.}}
* [[Fullmetal Alchemist|Riza Hawkeye]] is the stern, cool-headed, and female Lancer serving under Roy Mustang. Maes Hughes could be considered [[Obfuscating Stupidity|an even lazier one]].
* Thanks to ''[[
* In ''[[Fushigi Yuugi]]'', Tamahome and Tasuki end up as a [[Blue Oni Red Oni]] patterned Hero and Lancer, respectively. Interestingly, they ''both'' have a [[Brainwashed and Crazy]] incident where one nearly murders the other.
* In ''[[Ouran High School Host Club]]'' Shadow King Kyouya is
* Chrono in ''[[Chrono Crusade]]'' serves as Rosette's lancer (particularly in the manga where Rosette is firmly the protagonist). While they usually seem eye-to-eye on moral issues, and they are in fact the [[Official Couple]], they often clash and get into
* ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro
** {{spoiler|Rika}} even says something to a similar effect:
{{quote|
* In ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]]'', Yamamoto and Gokudera combine to become this for Tsuna. And Squalo, for Xanxus.
** You could probably make a stronger argument for Hibari as the Lancer of the team. When he's actually ON the team, at least. He's extremely self-serving, unlike Tsuna who tends to get roped into helping other.
* Rei is this to Kenshiro, in ''[[Hokuto no Ken]]''.
* Lancer, from ''[[Robotech]]'', despite sharing the trope name, is a curious case, as he's less of a traditional Lancer and more of a mix of [[The Chick]] (uses his girly, "softer" looks and crossdresses to get the upper hand) and [[The Smart Guy]] (is level-headed and sneaky, as well as an [[Ace Pilot]]). Arguably, Rand and Rook rake turns to fill in more as Scott's proper lancer.
* Judai of ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'' has two Lancers in the earlier
** And from ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' Katsuya Jonouchi (Joey Wheeler) fits. Also Jack Atlas from ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!
* Rei Miyamoto is the lancer to Takashi Komuro in ''[[Highschool of the Dead]]''. Bonus points for being a member of the school's lancing club.
* Asuka from ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' likes to set up Shinji as her Lancer when in truth, she is the Lancer to him. While Asuka had formal training and has tons of self-confidence, Shinji has more natural talent and he eventually surpasses her in terms of synch ratio. Shinji always gets extra help from his mother's soul when he's in trouble. Asuka only gets the same once, right before her death. Jealousy towards the hero? '''Triple''' check.
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* [[Slayers]] has both [[Idiot Hero|Gourry]] and [[The Spock|Zelgadis]] vouch between the Lancer and [[The Big Guy]] roles depending on the situation. However, though [[The Hero|Lina]] met Gourry first, Gourry is an aggressive and incredibly dumb swordsman, and Zelgadis is far more intelligent and tactile, thus Zelgadis is more or less this trope.
* In ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'', Miki Sayaka is this to Kaname Madoka's [[The Hero]]. {{spoiler|Since this is a gleefully sadistic [[Genre Deconstruction|deconstruction of the magical girl genre]], [[Subverted Trope|things]] [[Break the Cutie|don't exactly]] [[Heroic BSOD|play out]] [[Face Heel Turn|in a traditional manner...]]}}
* In ''[[Clannad (
* ''[[Medaka Box]]'': Zenkichi Hitoyoshi, the more level-headed, down-to-earth friend of the protagonist. That's not to say he can't be a [[Hot
* In ''[[Saint Beast]]'', Luca is very much the lancer. He is quiet, strong, [[The Confidant|always has good advice]], and stands by [[The Hero]] no matter what. Moreover, his powers of [[Dark Is Not Evil|darkness]] contrast [[The Hero]]'s powers of light. Amusingly, his [[Love Interest]] is [[The Chick]].
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* [[Batman]] fills this role in most incarnations of the ''[[Justice League of America]]''. The darker interpretations fall into the [[The Rival|Rival]]/[[Anti-Hero|AntiHeroic]] version of this trope, with [[Superman]] as [[The Hero]].
** [[Nightwing]] is an example of how the Lancer's traits depend on who [[The Hero]] is: when he fills this role for Batman, his empathy, idealism, and approachability are played up as a contrast to Bruce.
** In a hilariously fitting [[Evil Counterpart]], [[The Joker]] tends to be the Lancer (or more apropriately, [[The Dragon]]) to [[Lex Luthor]] on the rare occasions they team up.
* [[Hawkeye]] of ''[[The Avengers (Comic Book)|The Avengers]]''. He tends to chafe under [[Captain America (comics)]]'s leadership, but it's clear how much like Cap he
** ''[[Iron Man]]'' has also acted as a Lancer to Captain America at times; this was used to add extra tension to their conflict in the [[Crisis Crossover]] ''[[Civil War (Comic Book)|Civil War]]''.
* As indicated by the page quote, Wolverine of the ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]''.
** He was also the Lancer for [[Luke Cage, Hero for Hire|Luke Cage]] when the latter led the ''New Avengers''.
** Iceman was the Lancer of the original five, with an attitude bigger than Connecticut and a constant bone to pick with [[The Hero]], Cyclops.
** A solid case could be made for Angel as the Lancer of the original five, actually, right down to being a rival for the affections of [[The Chick]]. Unlike Iceman, Angel has actually done the leadership thing on occasion.
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* Speedy I/Arsenal/Red Arrow has often played this role against Robin/Nightwing in the ''[[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|Teen Titans]]'' (and later the ''Outsiders'').
* [[Sub-Mariner|Namor]] is perhaps the MU's resident [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Freelancer]], having filled the role on every team he has ever been in, and simply filling that role for the MU heroes in general.
** [[Depending
* The [[Huntress]] was the Lancer to [[Black Canary]]'s [[The Hero|Hero]] in ''[[Birds of Prey]]'', at least until the Canary left.
** At which point she became the Lancer to Oracle's.
* [[Deadpool]] would probably be horrified if he realised, but he ends up being this when he teams up with [[
* Skywise from ''[[Elf Quest]]'' has a great number of complementary traits with his buddy and heroic leader Cutter. A drinker and womanizer, he is more lively and easygoing than Cutter, who naturally bears a keen sense of responsibility for the tribe. Skywise is a studious, curious dreamer, while Cutter prefers to live in the here and now.
** A more likely interpretation is that among the Wolfriders, ''Strongbow'' is the lancer and Skywise is the smart guy. Unlike Skywise, Strongbow makes a habit out of disagreeing with Cutter a lot. In the later series, e.g. Shards, Rayek becomes the lancer.
* For the current New Avengers line-up Hawkeye/Ronin seems to be The lancer for Captain America (Bucky).
** Actually, it's the other way around.
* In ''[[Young Avengers]]'', Kate/[[Legacy Character|Hawkeye]] is the Lancer to Eli/[[Legacy Character|Patriot]]. They butt heads near-constantly (though that might just be [[Slap Slap Kiss|them flirting]]), but Kate genuinely believes Eli is the only one who can actually lead the team.
* [[Donald Duck]] fills this role nicely for Scrooge in the [[Don Rosa]] ''Uncle Scrooge'' comics, serving as a practical, pessimistic [[Foil]] for the overly-eager treasure hunter, ever ready with either a complaint or a [[Deadpan Snarker|snarky observation]].
* In [[Sin City]], Dwight has had two lancers over the course of the series. In the story ''A Dame To Kill For'', he employs the help of [[Heroic Sociopath]], Marv. Later in the same story and subsequent stories after that, his lancer is [[Action Chick]], Miho. Both lancers are extremely loyal to Dwight but are also far more violent, causing him to be unsettled more than once by their brutality.
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* In ''[[Runaways]]'' Nico was originally this to Alex {{spoiler|before the latter's betrayal and death}}. These days [[The Smart Guy|Gert]], [[Sixth Ranger|Victor]], and [[Badass Normal|Chase]] have all been known to alternate the role amongst themselves.
== [[Fan Works]] ==
* Chaos from the ''[[Tamers Forever Series]]''.
* Ciara to Link in ''[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7831829/1/Looming_Darkness Looming Darkness.]''
==
* Pictured above: Han Solo in ''[[Star Wars]]''. "[[Combat Pragmatist|Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid]]."
* Timon from [[The Lion King]]. To a quite hilarious extent.
* Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan in ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]'' seem to take turns playing [[The Hero]] and
* Rusty Ryan to Danny Ocean in the ''[[
* The WWII biopic ''Patton'' depicts a "lancer reversal" between American generals George S. Patton and Omar Bradley. At first Bradley is Patton's lancer when Patton is made commander of the II Corps in North Africa and Bradley his deputy. Then after the invasion of Sicily, Patton is reprimanded for slapping a shellshocked soldier and Bradley is promoted over him. Bradley commands the U.S. 1st Army during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Meanwhile Patton was used to decoy the Germans into thinking the invasion would be at Calais. Patton becomes Bradley's lancer when he gives Patton command of the Third Army to implement "Operation Cobra", the Allied plan to breakout of the Normandy beachhead.
* Snowman is this to [[Smokey and
* Sensible and dependable Arthur is the Lancer to dark and troubled Cobb in ''[[
* Bucky to [[Captain America (comics)]] in ''[[Captain America:
* Iron Man to Cap in ''[[The Avengers (
* Gene Hackman is the lancer to a buy-the-book Wilhem Defoe in ''Mississippi Burning''
* In the movie ''Mr. Saturday Night'' Stan had the makings and ambitions to be a comedian but his brother Buddy Young had the guts to go and perform, so Stan becomes the more grounded manager to egotistical Buddy.
* In ''[[The Princess Bride (
* Sam French is
* ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]'': Buzz Lightyear is Woody's Lancer in the second and third films, after their rivalry is settled in the first. He fits the definition so well it's almost scary. He begins as a rival to [[The Hero]], has a similar design (law enforcing hero of a [[Merchandise
* Subotai from the 1982 ''[[Conan the Barbarian]]'' film. He teaches Conan how to be a thief, saves him from the Tree of Woe, and stands by his side during the Battle of the Mounds.
* In ''[[Inception]]'', Arthur is Mal's right-hand man throughout the film and takes the role of "Point-man" during the heist.
==
* In ''[[Chung Kuo]]'', Karr is the Lancer to the European T'ang Lord.
* Ron from the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' books fits the definition perfectly.
** Even more so when you realize that King Arthur's lance was named Ron, derived from the original Welsh Rhongowennan. This may be [[Fridge Brilliance]] or just a coincidence, but considering all the other Arthurian references in the series, I'd say odds are slightly in favour of it being intentional.
* In the ''[[Myth Adventures]]'' books by Robert Asprin, Aahz is the loudmouthed, worldly, cynical Lancer to the quiet, naive hero, Skeeve. The two become more alike as the series goes on.
* Commander Vimes from ''[[
** Also as Commander of the Watch and the richest man in the city, Vimes is effectively the second most influential and powerful man in the city, and often plays the Lancer role to the Patrician, though Havelock Vetinari is hardly the traditional hero.
** Vimes has his own lancers: depending on the situation, other Watchmen (notably Carrot, Colon and Nobby) and occasionally his wife take turns at it. Angua is probably this most consistently for Vimes, especially in books that don't centre on the Watch. See ''[[
** In addition, many other ''[[Discworld]]'' characters have their own lancers: Colon has Nobby, Carrot has Angua, Rincewind has the Luggage, Granny Weatherwax has Nanny Ogg...
* No one has yet agreed on a [[Five
** Tobias is the silent loner compared to Jake, the leader and center of the team.
** Rachel would be a perfect Lancer if she wasn't already [[The Big Guy]]. Jake says flat-out he'd rather have her at his back than anyone else and he trusts her both to protect his father and {{spoiler|kill his brother}}. She does the team's dirty work, and has the "challenger/thinks she'd be a better leader" aspects, and still can't quite shake that thought even after being smacked in the head with a [[Vetinari Job Security|Vetinari paradox]]. {{spoiler|And she was the "someone" in [[Tonight Someone Dies]] via [[Heroic Sacrifice]].}}
** Marco is Jake's best friend. He shares a distinctly different and darker view; in his more serious moments, he presents
* Panther from the ''Genesis of Shannara'' books "Armageddon's Children" and "The Elves of Cintra".
** In ''[[Shannara]]'', anytime a Leah shows up, it's to play this role for the main Ohmsford.
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* Bigwig from ''[[Watership Down]]'' is made of this trope, with some of [[The Big Guy]] for flavoring. He's unabashedly the [[Foil]] to [[The Messiah]] Hazel, the cynical tough guy acting as a grouchy but loyal second-in-command to the charismatic, idealistic leader.
** He does such a good job, that the [[Big Bad]] assumes Bigwig ''is'' the leader. When Bigwig mentions that he is making his last stand at behest of his chief rabbit, the idea of a rabbit badass enough to boss Bigwig around terrifies the enemy so much they consider giving up their attack.
* Patroclus of ''[[
* The Wheel of Time gives us Mat and Perrin both serving as Lancers for Rand, the first contrasted because of his irresponsibility and refusal to accept destiny and the second because of his devotion to one person over the fate of the world.
* In [[Jim Butcher]]'s ''[[Codex Alera]]'' series, Antillus Maximus (Max) is
* Sadrao from ''[[
* Maybeck in ''[[Kingdom Keepers]]''. He is more cynical and grounded in contrast to Finn, which in a [[Disney]] work is a disadvantage. He also has trouble grasping the DHI's full potential because he's mentally blocked by his high expectations.
* ''[[Colt Regan]]'': Colt's partner Alex qualifies, as well as his friend Joseph to a certain extent.
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* In Stephen King's ''[[IT]]'', Richie Tozier is [[The Hero|Bill Denbrough's]] lancer. Bill's [[The Stoic]], a [[Deadpan Snarker]] and prone to the occasional [[Heroic BSOD]]; Richie's a [[Motor Mouth]] with a [[Cloudcuckoolander|surreal]] sense of humour, who repeatedly stresses the importance of teamwork.
* In [[Mercedes Lackey]]'s "[[Heralds of Valdemar|Valdemar Universe]]" the King's/Queen's Own Herald is supposed to be this to the King/Queen.
* Bean is the lancer to [[Ender's Game|Ender]] at Battle School in the Ender series, although Orson Scott Card revisits the story in the ''Ender's Shadow'' series to give Bean a [[Took a Level
* In [[Margaret Atwood]]'s ''Year of the Flood'', Zeb is the initially the lancer and the muscle to Adam One's founder and moral leader role in the God's Gardeners. A schism eventually leads Zeb to break away into a more militant organization along with a large part of the Garderners.
* In the medieval epic poem ''[[
* Ford Prefect in ''[[The
* In ''[[
** Honor makes a point of encouraging this sort of relationship with her Executive Officers, as she considers the Captain/XO relationship to be one of the most vital factors in running a tight ship.
* While Merlin is the protagonist of the ''[[Safehold]]'' series, and Cayleb and Merlin work closely together, Cayleb is typically the one calling the shots and the role of Lancer goes to his wife and co-ruler Sharleyan. It's noted by one character that they were working in near-perfect tandem even ''before'' they gained access to Merlin's technology allowing them to communicate over long distances.
* ''[[In Death]]'': Roarke is in this role, and also has [[The Smart Guy]] put in there.
* [[Tom Clancy]]: In more than a few books, mainly ''Rainbow Six'' and ''The Bear and the Dragon'', Ding Chavez is this to [[Badass Army|Team]] [[Fluffy the Terrible|Rainbow's]] official [[Colonel Badass|leader]], [[Badass|John]] [[One
== [[Live-Action TV]] ==
* Sheldon on ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]''
* On the British series ''Hotel Babylon'', the concierge Tony is a seasoned pro at the hotel business and very well-respected among his colleagues. When a general manager strays, he's usually one of the first to stand up for the good of the hotel or its staff and let a manager know he's going in the wrong direction.
* Sergeant Arthur Wilson fron [[Dad's Army]], he's Captain Mainwaring's polar opposite, second in command and [[Vitriolic Best Buds|best friend/rival]].
* On ''[[The Office]]'', Jim is briefly promoted to co-manager and tries to be a lancer to Michael, tempering his need for fun with a need for work.
* Clark has had a few Lancers in the ten seasons of ''[[Smallville]]''. In the first few seasons it's Lex, his best friend and counterpart who is often portrayed as somehow being both Clark's polar opposite and kindred spirit. Once Lex starts to go evil, Oliver takes over the role.
* Several ''[[
** Wesley, true to the trope, was the ruthless member of the team, as well as the sorcerer of the bunch, also betrayed the gang to save Connor, stabbed Gunn and shot Knox during his [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]], and, being the less stable of the group due to Fred's death, was expected by Cyvus Vail to make a move for Angel's position. Aware of it, Wesley pretended to be planning to betray Angel in order to get close to Vail and kill him. As the trope goes, Wesley {{spoiler|was killed by Vail instead.}}
** Cordelia was Interim Lancer between Doyle's death and Wesley's integration into the main cast, and was always Angel's real foil, despite being [[The Chick]] throughout.
* Avon from ''[[
* Sam Axe on ''[[Burn Notice]]''.
* ''[[
* ''[[
** Captain Jack filled this role during his short tenure.
** [[
* ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'' has Starbuck, the [[The Ladette|hard-drinking]], cigar-chomping, attitudinal (
* ''[[Top Gear]]'': Richard Hammond to [[The Captain|Jeremy Clarkson]]. Hammond is a head shorter, a decade younger, and physically tough but emotionally fragile compared to Clarkson, yet they are [[Heterosexual Life Partners|inseparably bonded]] by a mutual love of fast, powerful cars. The third presenter, James May, acts a bit like a Lancer to Clarkson but they are more of an [[Odd Couple]].
* ''[[
* ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'': Drs. Wilson and Foreman are both lancers to Dr House in different respects. Wilson is House's best friend, [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|his opposite in almost every way]], and the one most likely to play the [[Only Sane Man]]
* Leo of ''[[
* ''[[Primeval]]'': Stephen Hart {{spoiler|later Abby Maitland}}.
* Patrick Harper in ''[[Sharpe]]''.
* ''[[
** In cases where [[The Spock|Spock]] devoted most of his screen time as [[The Smart Guy]], [[The McCoy|Dr. McCoy]] picked up the role.
* ''[[Star Trek:
** Contrasts with Picard in Riker being a womanizer (Picard is not very successful with women) and somewhat impulsive (Picard is fairly cautious). Riker also fits the role in easily being the more gregarious and social (he plays in the ship's jazz group and runs the senior officers' poker games) while Picard is the more private and prefers solitary pursuits such as reading and archeology. Oddly enough, while Riker is obviously supposed to be the more physical (being younger and larger) compared to Picard's more intellectual, Picard tends to be the one who ends up in the most physical confrontations over the span of the series and movies.
* ''[[Star Trek
* ''[[Star Trek
* Owen from ''[[
* Deputy Jo Lupo to Jack Carter in ''[[Eureka]]''.
* Common in ''[[Super Sentai]]'' due to its reliance on the [[Five
** Other Sentai Lancers are well known for being either Boone Companion (Zyuranger's Mammoth Ranger), Rival (Hurricaneger's Kabuto Reiger, whom himself leads the main team's rival group), or the member who swipes [[The Hero]]'s chances at leadership (White Kakuranger, Black Megaranger and Pink Timeranger).
** A
* ''[[Power Rangers]]'', naturally, follows suit. [[Power Rangers Time Force|Wes and Jen]] were a slight twist on the concept - they were [[The Hero]] and
* Tony Dinozzo in ''[[
** In the rare episode where Tony is [[The Hero]], Timothy McGee is the lancer.
* ''[[Fraggle Rock]]'': Gobo, the reluctant leader of the [[Five
** Although they get considerably less screen time, the Minstrels are a clear cut [[Five
* ''[[
* Michael on ''[[Roswell]]'' frequently plays the classic Lancer to Max's Hero, as both lifelong best friend and, with his loner persona and occasional need for anger management, as his foil. Michael even briefly assumes the role of "king"/leader after Max's "death".
* Tony Almeida on ''[[
* Garibaldi on ''[[
* On ''[[
* Faye Chamberlain on ''[[The Secret Circle]]'' is this to both Cassie and Diana during their times as leaders. She was the most strongly against binding the circle and functions as the bad girl of the circle.
* DS Barbara Havers to [[Inspector Lynley]]; she challenges him at every turn and is the first to tell him when she thinks he's being an idiot. She would also [[Undying Loyalty|follow him into fire]] if he asked her to, and anyone who challenges him will find themselves on the wrong end of her fury.
* Warrick Brown fills this on ''[[
* On ''[[CSI: NY]]'', Danny Messer.
* Probably Ryan Wolfe on ''[[CSI: Miami]]''.
* Hawk is this to Buck Rogers in the second season of ''[[Buck Rogers in
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* ''[[Werewolf: The Apocalypse]]'' has a tribe originally made up of Lancers: The Shadowlords. In former times, their task was to act as the Beta of packs and [[I Did What I Had to Do|did what the Alpha]] [[Shoot the Dog|couldn't be seen to do]]. Unfortunately, more and more of them feel that the Silverfangs [[The Starscream|are no longer up to the task of leading...]]
==
* Every Toa team in ''[[Bionicle]]'' has one of these, usually a Toa of [[An Ice Person|Ice]] to balance out the Toa of [[Playing with Fire|Fire]] leader. The most prominent example would be Kopaka, who has a [[Red Oni, Blue Oni]] dynamic with Tahu.
** And to continue the tradition, Stormer is this to Furno in [[Hero Factory]].
== [[Video Games]] ==
* Gaz from ''[[Call of Duty]] 4: [[Modern Warfare]]'' has elements of this, playing as the Lancer to Captain Price.
** Predictably, his [[Expy]] in [[Modern Warfare]] 2, Ghost, is this to Captain MacTavish.
* Manticore, a signature character in ''[[City of Heroes]]'', is [[Alternate Company Equivalent|their version of]] [[Batman]], especially among the Freedom Phalanx.
* Kain from ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]'' is a good candidate for [[Trope Codifier]]: He's [[The Hero|Cecil's]] childhood friend, his most trusted comrade and right-hand ally, and also his greatest rival, primarily in his competition for [[The Chick|Rosa's]] affections. He's the dark and conflicted [[Anti
* Barret Wallace from ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' is a unique mix of [[Big Guy]] and [[Lancer]], with bonus [[Token Minority]] points thrown in. He even <s>[[Retcon|founded]]</s> leads the [[Well
* ''[[Final Fantasy IX]]'' rotates this role a bit during the game: it starts as Blank, but he doesn't last very long in the party. Then Steiner takes over the role, before Amarant firmly and truely takes on every trope associated with Lancerdom. Amarant is Zidane's psuedo-rival, and has a lot of [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]] issues that get solved during the course of the game. Oddly enough, the one character that actually uses lances, Freya, never actually takes on this role at any point in the game.
* In [[Final Fantasy X]], Jecht qualifies as the lancer to his original team members Braska and Auron. As for the main party, Yuna is [[The Hero]] with Tidus as her Lancer. Another interpretation has Titus as the hero, Yuna as The Chick, and Wakka as the Lancer. Or even another with Yuna as the hero, Kimahri Ronso as the Lancer, and Tidus as a modified version of the Chick.
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* ''[[Final Fantasy XIII]]'' has Lightning backed by Sazh. Being older he may very well have ''more'' military experience, but he has less drive as a leader (stepping down from a more active piloting career in order to take care of his son).
* ''[[Fire Emblem]]''
** ''Fire Emblem 4'': Duke Cuan is both the best friend and
** ''Fire Emblem 7'': [[Two Guys and
** In ''[[Fire Emblem]] 8'': The Paladin Seth is
* In ''[[Gears of War]]'', Dominic Santiago serves as Marcus Fenix's Lancer. No, ''not'' [[Incredibly Lame Pun|as his assault rifle]]. The ''character trope''!
* In ''[[Halo]] 3'', the Arbiter plays the role of Lancer to the Master Chief. Johnson even more so
* Proto Man (Blues) often fills in this role in the original ''[[Mega Man (
** Dex tries, but he comes off as being the would-be hero that manages to do something right...almost never. Protoman and Chaud claim the role of Lancer all over again, being a far more serious threat to both the enemy and the hero.
** Dex might actually be an inversion. He has ''nothing but'' leadership abilities. He's a fantastic leader and motivator, but lacks the competence to back it up, which is all Lan's. This would probably be why he ended up {{spoiler|mayor of ACDC Town}} in the series ending.
** Dex really functions more as a [[Big Guy]] of the charismatic [[Boisterous Bruiser]] mold. He started out as [[The Rival]], but by the end of the first game Chaud had moved from [[Sixth Ranger]] into the Lancer position.
** Interestingly enough Mega Man and Proto Man/Zero actual invert the weapon associations, with [[The Hero]] prefering guns and
* ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' actually has quite a number by some interpretations. In the early games Tails filled this role, being the [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|Blue Oni to Sonic's Red Oni]] as well as his [[Heterosexual Life Partners|Same Gender Life Partner]]. Amy serves as a [[Foil|comic foil]] to Sonic in the more recent games, and was also the designated Lancer in [[Sonic the Comic]]. Knuckles has a long history of clashing with Sonic, which is played up in every single adaptation of the series to date. And in [[Shadow the Hedgehog]], some stages present the player with the option of having Sonic himself as ''Shadow's'' Lancer.
** And among the members of Team Dark Rouge functions mainly as the leader, with Shadow as her Lancer.
* An early CRPG example: Nazim in ''The Magic Candle''.
* Though they're technically on opposite sides, the prosecutors from the ''[[Ace Attorney]]'' series often become closer to
** Miles Edgeworth serves as more of a permanent Lancer in the story, helping the protagonist out in every game they appear together.
* In ''[[Sly Cooper|Sly 3]]'', the titular character becomes that to Bentley.
* Falco from ''[[Star Fox (
* Dio from ''[[Ogre Battle]] 64'' as well as Vice from the original ''[[Tactics Ogre]]''.
* Rei in [[Breath of Fire]] 3. Interestingly, he starts the game as a [[Big Brother Mentor]]: it's only after the seven year [[Time Skip]] that he returns to a more mature [[The Hero|Ryu]] as his [[Fragile Speedster]] [[Deadpan Snarker]] Lancer.
* In ''[[
* ''[[Tales of the Abyss]]'' has a possibility of three different lancers in the party. Luke, the [[Idiot Hero]], has Guy ([[Heterosexual Life Partner|Childhood friend]], [[The Caretaker|Guardian]] and possible [[The Rival|Rival]]), Jade ([[Smart Guy]], [[Deadpan Snarker]] and [[The Spock]]) or Tear ([[Action Girl]] and another [[The Spock|Spock]]).
* ''[[Tales of Vesperia]]'' is what happens when you give
* ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'': Though
* Junpei Iori, of ''[[Persona 3]]''. Eager to prove himself, bitter about the Protagonist being chosen to [[
** And in [[Expansion Pack|FES]], where {{spoiler|Aegis is the Protagonist, Yukari acts as the Lancer to her.}}
* Yosuke is the Lancer in ''[[Persona 4]]'', oh so very much. Due to the Protagonist being both [[The Stoic]] and a [[Heroic Mime]] (aside from battle cries and text speech), Yosuke is much more talkative and chipper, with a little [[Deadpan Snarker]] tossed in. {{spoiler|While he's very willing to have the Protagonist take over as leader during the early parts of the storyline, his final Social Link scene reveals that he had been a little jealous of the Protagonist's comptetence, and starts a friendly brawl between the two to knock said impulses out of him.}}
* Felius is Clarissa's lancer in ''[[Wild
* ''[[Disgaea|Disgaea: Hour of Darkness]]'': Etna, vassal of negotiable loyalty to demon prince Laharl. Being his go-to girl, and the one who cheerfully tells him she will kill him and take over if he doesn't prove himself worthy of being the overlord. Her starting weapon also happens to be a lance. Rozalin from the second game (with elements of [[The Chick]] later), Almaz from the third, and Fenrich from the fourth also qualify.
* Lin from ''[[Nintendo Wars|Advance Wars]]: Dark Conflict/Days of Ruin''. Possibly combination [[Smart Guy]]/Lancer, but definitely a lancer.
* Alicia, from ''[[
** Which is ironic, given that Largo's class is Lancer.
** Zeri from ''[[
** Gusurg from ''[[
* Post-[[Divergent Character Evolution]], [[Super Mario Bros.|Luigi]] now acts as the somewhat reluctant companion to Mario.
* Almost every main character from the numerous chapters of ''[[Live a Live]]'' has a [[Lancer]] to go along with him or her. The most clear example, however, is Straybow, who is both a rival to the chapter's main character Orsted and eventually {{spoiler|that chapter's final boss after his [[Face Heel Turn]]}}.
* ''[[Grandia II]]'': Millenia is the Lancer and also the Veronica to Ryudo.
* Dogi [[Fan Nickname|the Wallcrusher]] serves this role to Adol in the Ys series.
* ''[[Fate/stay
* In ''[[Mass Effect
** In ''[[
** In ''[[
* ''[[Dragon Age]]'': Alistair is very much your cheerful, goofy Lancer. Morrigan can have elements of this as well.
** For ''[[Dragon Age II]]'', Varric is Hawke's lancer as well as the sibling that survives the escape from Lothering. Aveline is a bit of this as well.
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* Ramus, and later Nash qualify as the Lancer to Alex's [[Standardized Leader]] in the original ''[[Lunar|Lunar the Silver Star]]''.
* Rasche from ''[[Luminous Arc 2]]'', "Lancer" is his job.
* Black Rose is this to Kite in ''[[.hack
* Matt Horner from ''[[
* Garet is Isaac's lancer in ''[[Golden Sun]]''. Also The Big Guy. Jenna to Felix in the sequel.
* ''[[Digital Devil Saga]]'': Heat is definitely the Lancer for the Embryon. While the Hero, Serph, is calm and Level-Headed, Heat is reckless and quick-tempered. Serph is Ice element, Heat is Fire. He is the only member to [[Drunk
* ''[[Lufia]]''
** In the series, you have Aguro for [[The Hero]] and Guy for Maxim. Both wear green, and have simillar battle styles with more strength and less magic power.
** ''Luffia 3'' has Dei the thief, if not [[The Chick|Seena]]. The guy has his moments after his quests toward the end of the game, unlike other secondary characters.
** ''The Ruin of Lore'' has Torma.
** ''Lufia 2'''s remake, ''Curse of Sinistrals'', however, turns Guy into [[The Big Guy]] and Dakar into
* In most fanworks, [[Touhou Project|Kirisame Marisa]] plays this role for [[Touhou Project|Hakurei Reimu]]. Marisa is the hard-working [[Badass Normal]] (or as normal you can be in a world of overpowered girls with magical powers) while Reimu is the lazy genius, and Marisa tends to have her own agenda for solving incidents, while Reimu just wants to get it over with since its her job. This isn't really played up in the games (except for perhaps Imperishable Night, where they face off against each other) because according to the storyline, the chosen character is the only one that actually goes out and solves the incident.
* ''[[
* [[Fear Effect]]. Royce Glas is in this position, and is the opposite of Hana on a number of things.
== [[Theatre]] ==
* ''Orestes'': Pylades acts in this capacity to his friend Orestes, in Euripides' play.
* ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'': Mercutio is Romeo's right-hand man and best friend. He even goes so far as {{spoiler|fighting and losing a duel in his name.}}
* ''[[Hamlet]]'': Horatio.
== [[Web
* Humorously enough, the author of ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20130614191012/http://www.drunkduck.com/Cwens_Quest/ Cwen's Quest]'' was unaware of this particular trope when he named his character Riddly Lancer. Fits the bill too, well actually only up to the third sentence of the description that is... but Cwen is definitely the leader between the two characters.
* Haley "It's frustrating how Lawful you people are sometimes" Starshine in ''[[Order of the Stick]]''.
* In ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'', while Torg usually takes center stage and, in his "[[Cloudcuckoolander|unique]]" way, come up with a solution to the big problems, Riff is usually there as well, ready to solve things his own way. Which usually involves laser weapons, giant robots, and blowing stuff up.
* Dave Strider of ''[[Homestuck]]'' has taken this on this role voluntarily, at least for the human team. He's [[The Hero|John's]] best friend, and is the [[Badass]] [[Katanas Are Just Better|katana-wielding]] [[Time Travel|time-travelling]] [[The Stoic|stoic]] [[Deadpan Snarker]] to John's [[Idiot Hero]]/[[The Messiah|messiah]]. Despite the fact he's probably the most all-round skilled of the human players, was the first to fully assume the mythological responsibilities placed upon him (as the [[Time Master|Knight of Time]]), and proceeded through the game significantly faster than John (until the latter [[Came Back Strong]] anyway), he resigned himself to a supporting role out of [[Always Someone Better|feelings of inadequacy]] and the inability to face his own mortality.
{{quote|
TG: my [[The Ace|bro]] was
TG: john is
TG: im not }}
** On the side of the trolls, Terezi Pyrope plays this to [[The Hero|Karkat Vantas]], countering [[Hates Everyone Equally|his raving abuse of everyone and everything]] with... [[Troll|messing with him]].
* Theo from ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20171212154432/http://www.goldcoincomics.com/ Gold Coin Comics]'', who is also [[The Spock]].
* Alexander Hamilton from ''[[The Dreamer]]'' is definitely
* Susan of ''[[
* In ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]],'' Jean is Bob's lancer. Where Bob is absurdly mellow in most situations, Jean is a [[Mood Swinger]] with a host of [[Berserk Button|berserk buttons.]] She's also a good deal more educated and intellectual than he is.
* Guenevere in ''[[Arthur, King of Time and Space]]''. Not Lancelot, who is Arthur's right-hand man but doesn't really act as a foil, whereas [http://arthurkingoftimeandspace.com/0117.htm Guenevere's outspokenness contrasts neatly with the more easy-going Arthur].
== [[Web Original]] ==
* Wyn from the web fiction serial ''[[Dimension Heroes]]''.
==
* ''[[
* Ironically, although being the title character, ''[[Sonic
* Brooklyn in ''[[
* In ''[[Transformers]]: [[
* In the followup ''[[
** No, he just realized that Optimus was slowly but surely turning into a fanatic, and was concerned about the future.
* Arcee in ''[[Transformers Prime]]'' (Bumblebee is [[The Chick]]).
* Raphael from ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' is one of the most perfect examples of the Lancer.
** Most of all in the Eastman and Laird version. Not so much in the Saturday morning cartoons.
* In ''[[
** In the 2011 remake, Tygra also gets a gun to contrast with Lion-o's Sword of Omens, and he overall plays
* Katara of ''[[
** Come the series finale, Zuko seems to fit this role more and more as he bonded with the group and became less of [[The Sixth Ranger]]. By this point Katara has taken on the aspect of [[Team Mom]] as well.
* Kevin Levin of ''[[Ben 10: Alien Force
* From ''[[The Tick (animation)]]'' animated series we have Die Fledermaus. {{spoiler|His live action counterpart Bat Manuel too.}}
* Sparky from ''[[Beethoven
* Digeri Dingo from ''[[Taz
* Duke L'Orange in ''[[The Mighty Ducks (
* Shao Lin in ''[[Captain Simian
* Raven in ''[[Teen Titans (
* Prowl of ''[[Transformers Animated]]''. A quiet, stoic [[Ninja]] who is [[Not Good
* ''[[Transformers]]'': The Primes of the original G1 also had their lancers: Optimus had Ironhide and Rodimus had Ultra Magnus. Magnus then became Optimus Prime's lancer due to his previous lancer being sorta [[Killed Off for Real|dead]].
* Simon Belmont of ''[[Captain N:
* In ''[[Titan Maximum]]'', Gibbs is a [[Deconstruction]] of the type of lancer who has issues with the hero's authority. The stress of being the [[Only Sane Man]] to a [[Jerk Jock]] hero on the previous team as well as having to deal with Palmer's willingness to abandon others for his own petty purposes elevated [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|his own]], [[Deadpan Snarker|quieter]] [[Jerkass]] tendencies, causing him to massively [[Face Heel Turn]] and making him the [[Big Bad]] in the present.
** On the "modern" team (i.e., after Gibbs leaves) Jodi and Sasha switch off being the Lancer and [[The Chick]]. Sasha has the most traditionally Lancer-esque characteristics, but Jodi is polar opposite of [[The Hero]] and is the one who goes off on her own while Sasha stays with the group.
* Bluegrass. the wingless cowboy of ''[[
** Latter member Captain Flashback would fit this as well.
* While Longarm of ''[[COPS (
* Evangelyne of ''[[
* ''[[
* Speaking of Eric from above, the ''[[Dungeons and Dragons (
* ''[[
* In the ''[[Star Wars:
* In ''[[How to Train Your Dragon (
* In ''[[
* Bloo from ''[[
* Heloise on ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'', [[Wild Card|when it suits her]] to side with Jimmy.
* Buttercup in ''[[
* Alice Nimbletoes, [[Angelina Ballerina]]'s best friend, in the original and CGI series.
* Vince LaSalle from ''[[Recess]]''. While he was never at odds with T.J. (minus the one [[Feud Episode]]), the earliest episodes showed him to be more reluctant to join the others' crazy schemes. He's also the "cooler" member of the gang, compared to T.J.'s genkiness.
* Jake the dog is this to his [[Heterosexual Life Partners|best friend]] Finn in ''[[
== [[Real Life]] ==
=== Musicians
* [[The Who]] is an interesting example. Pete Townsend was the band's artistic leader, but was also violent and dealt with depression. He wasn't the band's frontman, though. He left that up to "second-in-command", Roger Daltrey who was more reserved in comparison and often served as the more mature member of the group.
* [[The Beatles]] are another interesting variation: [[John Lennon]] started out as [[The Hero]], with [[Paul McCartney]] as
* The [[Rolling Stones]] has Keith Richards as The Lancer to Mick Jagger.
=== Politics ===
* [[Alexander Hamilton]]. Hamilton served as George Washington's [[Number Two]] during the Revolutionary War and Washington's time as president. While Washington was stoic, deliberative, and against bare knuckle politics, Hamilton was brash, quick witted, and famously one of the most vicious political fighters of his generation. This proved useful to Washington, who relied on Hamilton's intricate thinking and writing skills to serve as his Army chief of staff and most trusted secretary, much to the annoyance of others on Washington's staff.
* Likewise Rahm Emanuel. A [[Jerkass|dirty]], armtwisting guy from Chicago, who was once a senior advisor to [[Bill Clinton]], as he was to [[Barack Obama]]. Did you know he studied ballet?
=== Sports ===
* Kobe Bryant to Shaquille O'Neal from their generation of the LA Lakers. The seasoned Shaq was [[The Big Guy]] and the captain, while the rambunctious Kobe was the rookie. Their relationship was frequently punctuated by fueds played out in the press. Now that Shaq retired, Kobe's become the face of the Lakers, with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum sharing the role of The Lancer.
* When they were both on the Chicago Bulls, Scottie Pippen was seen as a lancer for [[Michael Jordan]], who was practically [[The Messiah]] of basketball.
* Russell Westbrook, the cocky Red Oni, to Kevin Durant, the collected Blue Oni. Unlike Kobe and Shaq, Durant and Westbrook are [[Heterosexual Life Partners]].
* Dwyane Wade to LeBron James in the Miami Heat. James is the theatric champion on the court; Wade is the leader and the face of the team.
* Jason Terry to Dirk Nowitzki in the Dallas Mavericks.
* Tim Duncan to Tony Parker in the San Antonio Spurs.
* In Irish [[Rugby Union]], Brian O'Driscoll was [[The Leader]] from 2003 to 2012, captaining the national team, with Paul O'Connell serving as the Lancer. [[Blue Oni]] O'Driscoll was the focal point of the team's backs, a smaller, skillful player who scored tries and lead by example, while vice-captain O'Connell was a [[Red Oni]], the [[Made of Iron]], [[Determinator]] leader of the forwards, and a frequent giver of [[Cluster F-Bomb]] [[Rousing Speech]]es. In addition to their personal contrasts in playing and leadership styles, O'Driscoll played for eastern province of Leinster, while O'Connell played for their bitter rivals Munster in the south, with each being considered the central figure in their team.
* Michael Vick to Donovan McNabb in the Philadelphia Eagles. McNabb was the calm, collected quarterback leader with a passion for the sport, while Vick was the "bad-boy" second-in-command who was in legal troubles, especially with the dog-fighting.
=== Others ===
* [[Ace Pilot]] Staff Sergeant Nils Katajainen (36 kills) to Captain Hans Wind (78 kills) in the Finnish Air Force in WWII. They usually flew as a pair. ''Both'' were awarded the Mannerheim Cross, roughly the Finnish equivalent of Victoria Cross or Congressional Medal of Honor.
* Shuuichi Ikeda to Toru Furuya; they voiced for the main antagonist and the main protagonist of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' respectively.
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