True Companions: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|''"As long as you have friends, you have family."''|'''Jeff''', ''[[Community]]'', "[[Community/Recap/S1/E18 Basic Genealogy|Basic Genealogy]]"}}
True Companions are just like a real
This sort of group dynamic appeals to younger audiences who are unfamiliar with romance, and appeals to older audiences who live in a world of complex relationships and convenience [[Beneath the Mask|masqueraded]] as [[False Friend|false friendship]], who are feeling nostalgic about the times when friendship meant a lifelong bond.
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{{quote|''To me bein down mean more than bein' friends, or kin/We comrades we struggle, through any trouble''}}
* The Japanese band [[Arashi]] have described their relationship as this as is shown [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5Gvl50pEtU here] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFc2zxr5xYI here]
* [[Queen]]
* The Rembrandts's "I'll Be There For You". Fittingly, it's the opening song for ''[[Friends]]''
* The band members of [[Rammstein]] declared numerous times that the band would rather break up than replace one member of their band. Their music video for "Haifisch" subverts this trope: not only are they considering who to replace singer Till Linderman with ''at his funeral'', it's shown that if they hadn't tried to flat out kill him, they've at least ''thought'' about it ([[Ho Yay|save one]]), and they end up fighting over who caused their true-companion group to fall, resulting in keyboardist Flake Lorenz crashing into the singer's coffin {{spoiler|which is when they found out he's still alive}}. The [http://herzeleid.com/en/lyrics/liebe_ist_fuer_alle_da/haifisch lyrics] of the song, however, play this straight, as a form of principle declaration.
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== Tabletop Games ==
* The werewolves of both ''[[Werewolf: The Apocalypse]]'' and ''[[Werewolf: The Forsaken]]'' follow the combined social instincts of humans and wolves to form small "packs" with each other, ideally a [[Five-Man Band]]. These packs follow the entire true companions trope: packmates are practically family, you might love or hate them, and intra-pack romantic relationships are considered incestuous. (But then, in ''[[The World of Darkness]]'' games, any werewolf/werewolf relationship effectively ''is'' incestuous, as werewolves must mate with
* ''[[New World of Darkness]]''-specific:
** The same goes, to a lesser extent, for most of the other supernatural groupings ([[Mage: The Awakening|Mage]] cabals, [[Promethean: The Created|Promethean]] throngs, [[Changeling: The Lost|Changeling]] motleys, [[Hunter: The Vigil|Hunter]] cells). Which, given the often cathartic nature of the supernatural societies, makes a lot of sense. [[Vampire: The Requiem|Vampire]] coteries, on the other hand, tend to be brief marriages-of-convenience, formed by the recently Embraced until they get to grips with Vampire existence. The line about coteries is [[Jossed]], sort of, in Clanbook Ventrue. As part of a section on how The M spreads, the author talks about how young coteries drink each other's blood to form bonds deeper than family. Young ''Ventrue'', on the other hand, are discouraged from such things.
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* ''[[Sakura Taisen]]'' takes camaraderie very, very seriously, with the main force, the Teikokukagekidan, having reinforced it to its most extreme in multiple games, blurring the line between friendship and family.
* The level of friendship you form with your team in ''[[Persona 4]]'' is truly heartwarming; not surprising in a game where building [[Level Up At Intimacy 5|social links]] increases your potential and efficiency in battle. Most of the storyline, apart from being a supernatural/murder mystery, is about the bonds you share with others. At the last battle of the game, {{spoiler|your teammates sacrifice themselves one by one to protect you; don't worry, they all live.}}
** That goes for its predecessor, ''[[Persona 3]]'', as well, which was the game that first introduced the social link aspect. In regards to the actual storyline, the bond between the members of your
* Dingo from ''[[Zone of the Enders|Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner]]'' says that BAHRAM ''killed his comrades'' so many times, it starts to sound completely ridiculous.
* One character gives a passionate speech about what it means to be true companions to another character in ''[[Ever 17]]''.
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*** A noteworthy subversion: {{spoiler|the relationships may be genuine, but it's the Nameless One's Mark of Torment that's magically compelling the team to stay together.}}
* ''[[Fatal Fury]]'' has a few, which led into the ''[[King of Fighters]]'' series. First and foremost, the [[Badass Family|Bogard brothers]], [[Gratuitous English|Terry]] and [[McNinja|Andy]] Bogard, [[Nobuyuki Hiyama|Joe]] [[Hot-Blooded|Higashi]], and [[Stripperific|Mai]] [[Highly-Visible Ninja|Shiranui]]. We also have the Hero Team with [[Kill It with Fire|Kyo]] [[Hot-Blooded|Kusanagi]], [[Shock and Awe|Benimaru]] [[Mr. Fanservice|Nikaido]], and [[Mighty Glacier|Goro]] [[Dishing Out Dirt|Daimon]]. From the Ikari Team, [[Colonel Badass|Colonel]] [[Badass Grandpa|Heidern]], [[Badass Normal|Ralf]] [[Good Old Fisticuffs|Jones]], [[Cool Shades|Clark]] [[Charles Atlas Superpower|Still]], [[The Stoic|Leona]] [[Super-Powered Evil Side|Heidern]] and [[Whip It Good|Whip]]. And one evil example, The [[The Syndicate|Howard Connection]], Consisting of [[SNK Boss|Geese]] [[Blondes Are Evil|Howard]], [[The Dragon|Billy]] [[Simple Staff|Kane]], [[Lightning Bruiser|Raiden]], well [[Heel Face Revolving Door|sometimes]], and much later, [[Blondes Are Evil|Kain]] [[Red Eyes, Take Warning|Heinlein]].
* ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]'' revealed [[Big Bad|Bowser]] and his various minions to be this. Although one wouldn't think this because of Bowser's nature as an [[Evil Overlord]], the game makes it very clear that a large part of the troops have more respect for him than fear. In fact, during {{spoiler|Bowser's fight with Fawful, [[
* ''[[Cave Story]]'' shows this forming, but it only comes to fruition if you get [[One Hundred Percent Completion]]. {{spoiler|Quote}} and Curly Brace go from fighting each other, to fighting side-by-side, and they even convince [[Recurring Boss]] Balrog to help them at one point. In the [[Multiple Endings|Standard Ending]], this is as far as it goes. But if {{spoiler|Quote}} saves Curly after the Core battle, and then restores her memories, she gives him the Iron Bond: "Your tie to Curly Brace, the only warrior you would trust your back to." The endgame then involves them fighting the [[True Final Boss]] together as [[Back-to-Back Badasses]], with {{spoiler|Balrog swooping in to rescue them at the end. And then the three of them decide to move someplace with a nice view and live together.}}
* In the ''[[Jak and Daxter]]'' series, we start with [[The Hero|Jak]], [[Weasel Mascot|Daxter]], [[Wrench Wench|Keira]] and [[Team Dad|Samos]]. After the second game, [[Rebel Leader|Torn]], [[Action Girl|Ashelin]] and [[The Hunter|Sig]] join and the seven of them form the "official" party, as seen in ''Jak X''. [[Wrench Wench|Tess]] is usually included in the roster by fans because of her status as Daxter's [[Love Interest]]. Sometimes [[Polly Wants a Microphone|Pecker]] and [[Blind Seer|Onin]] are thrown in the mix as well.
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* ''[[Mass Effect 2]]':
** Shepard views turian squadmate Garrus Vakarian and quarian squadmate Tali'Zorah as such in terms of them watching his/her back when walking through hell. Dr. Chakwas, the Normandy's medical officer, considers Shepard, "the center of her galaxy," a true companion. Chakwas also considers Joker a true companion, in terms of helping Joker with his brittle bone disease when he needs her. Joker views Shepard as his true companion in terms of being on Shepard's side 100% despite the occasional sass-laden conversations. In-universe example: [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Krogans]] use the term "Krantt" for true companions that [[Band of Brothers|serve as battle-brothers]]. By the end (provided you've gained their loyalties), all of the crew members and squadmates feel like this.
** Although it isn't as focused on in the first game, it's still there for many players, particularly those who are strongly paragon. This feeling of
** [[Mass Effect 3]] takes it further, especially considering that of your possible 7 squadmates, [[Putting the Band Back Together|4 of them are your original crew]], plus Joker, Chakwas and EDI. The final conversations you have with them {{spoiler|before the final assault on Earth}} are [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|especially memorable]]
{{quote|'''Shepard:''' Shepard and Vakarian, storming Heaven. I can think of worse things.
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* ''[[Knights of the Old Republic (video game)|Knights of the Old Republic]]'' is all about this. In the original game and the [[Sequel]] you have a team of misfits (some of whom have very good reason to resent each other), and yet the team sticks together by the player character's leadership. Then the sequel turns right around and [[Deconstruction|Deconstructs]] it by giving a slightly discomforting reason as to ''why'' [[Character-Magnetic Team|your party forms around you.]]
* ''[[Nie R]]'': Neir forms one with the maladjusted but sympathetic freaks he meets along his journey, extending his [[Papa Wolf]] nature onto them. Even the arrogant Grimoire Weisse sees the group as friends.
* ''[[Exit Fate]]'': To varying degrees, the Elysium
* ''[[Professor Layton]]'': The Professor's true-companion group consists of a pair of
* Leonhardt and his true companions (Borgnine, Ellis, Vira-Lorr, Zerva, and Winfield) in ''[[Agarest Senki]]'' have a bond that is so strong, that they actually stick together with the descendants of Leo for ''four more generations.'' And this group is one of the few [[Combination Attack
* Numerous ''[[Touhou]]'' characters have formed what are probably the most bizarre crews of true companions in existence, a combination of a regular dysfunctional family, disgruntled employees, and a [[Badass Crew]] that will brutalise anyone that ''dares'' harm any of their fellows. Let's analyze them one by one.
** The House Scarlet folks are united against all threats, especially because they are the obviously-Western supernaturals in a Japanese settings.
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** There is a second team of true companions, who band together almost specifically because they are all ridiculously outcast from rest of the school due to bad fashion sense (on purpose) and severe GSD (they look like monsters).
** There is a villainous (sorta) version with the bad seeds, who all watch each others backs, as they are all the children of [[Super Villain|supervillains]], more, they are KNOWN to be the children of supervillains, although some have not had their parents identities outed to the public.
* ''[[The Saga of Tuck]]'' and the group of boys around its main character. At one point, one of them is attacked, and the
* The four main protagonists of ''[[Broken Saints]]'' have a bond akin to this. Of course, they all immediately feel a connection because they "recognize" each other from their shared visions/dreams/nightmares. With Raimi and Oran, who spend half the series together (and {{spoiler|who are the only heroes to survive the [[Grand Finale]]}}), this enters [[Heterosexual Life Partner]] territory. Kamimura does not have as much time to bond as the two of them, but after he joins the team, the three men become a [[Power Trio]]. Shandala only really interacts with the guys for about two chapters of time, but [[The Dulcinea Effect]]
* [[Screw Attack]].com are this, to the point that they have been referred to as the [[Screw Attack]] Family. Not just the people behind the website, but the community as well (to the point of a [[Broken Fanbase]]). Insult so much as one member of the SA crew, and the community ''will'' respond in kind, as will the other members of the SA crew; and this goes even further if you badmouth the team's only female member.
* The team at [[That Guy With The Glasses]]/Channel Awesome - They've had three anniversary crossovers where they all met up to provide something for the fans, numerous members of the team frequently have appearances in other's videos, and behind the scenes footage would ascertain that they've become friends away from the cameras. They also tend to move with lightning speed to defend each other should anyone be so foolish as to submit nasty/trollish remarks in comments on the site, on Twitter, or anywhere else on the internet.
* The eponymous Red and Blue teams from ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'' reach this point in their relationship with each other by the end of ''Revelation'', when they realize that although their units suck, they fit in better with each other than anywhere else.
** This isn't just among each team,
* In [[Atop the Fourth Wall]], with the exception of 90's Kid, the core cast (Linkara, Pollo, Harvey Finevoice and Iron Liz) definitely show signs of this, especially when {{spoiler|they all work together to rescue Linkara when he's kidnapped by Lord Vyce.}}
** And as of the revelations of the ''Silent Hill: Dead/Alive'' review, {{spoiler|we can now add [[Empathic Weapon|the Magic Gun]] to the team as well.}}
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== Real Life ==
* While not all individuals are lucky enough to have
* The White House staff during the Kennedy administration has been described as a band of brothers by multiple historians and former members. Turned into a kind of private support system after JFK's assassination.
* In Australia there is this thing called mateship. It's not the same thing as friendship, you might not even be friends with your mates, but a friend might never become a mate, because friends come and go, but mates stick together. Doesn't matter if you fight, doesn't matter if you argue, you stick by your mates. That's the principle at least. It's been said that an Australian man sorts his surroundings as such: His mates, his dog, his car, his beer, his wife, his friends, strangers
Just to give it a little historical context. The people you fought alongside in war, or who were in your volunteer firefighting brigade with you—the ones you watch the back of and have your back watched by, to pass on last messages to your wife, the ones you have bled and sweating and cried in mostly unmanly ways next to and had offered a tissue when they've cried next to you? The ones you trust with your life but not necessarily to not drink your beer if you leave it alone? They're your mates.
* Depending on how difficult (by which we mean emotionally intense/draining/scarring) any given play is, this can happen to some degree with theatre casts. You see each other go through incredibly intense emotions, and everyone involved is very vulnerable during rehearsal... and that sort of thing does tend to create a bond. Whether or not you actually ''like'' each other is beside the point... you just have to trust each other.
{{quote|"Friends and lovers come and go, fight partners are forever."}}
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* In the time of the Roman Republic, the tribes of the plebes (working class) would gather in the Forum once per year to swear a collective oath to lynch any Patrician or Senator who harmed their elected representatives in Roman government, the Tribunes.
* The Howard family behind [[The Three Stooges]] considered Larry Fine one of the family.
* One cast member of ''[[SCTV]]'' commented that she and her fellow castmates got along fine and have never let their egos get in the way.
* One cast member of ''[[SCTV]]'' commented that she and her fellow castmates got along fine and have never let their egos get in the way.<br /><br />Speaking of ''SCTV'' cast members, [[Rick Moranis]] got along very well with fellow castmate Dave Thomas back when they were Bob and Doug McKenzie, as well as another fellow castmate, John Candy, where they both appeared in a few movies. And Steve Martin, too, who, despite not being from ''SCTV'', is still a good friend of his, especially since the party Steve held one day turned out to be a wedding held for Rick and his bride Anne. The friendship is justified by the fact that they did a few movies together such as ''[[Little Shop of Horrors]]'' and ''L.A. Story''.▼
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* Studies in [[World War II]] found that soldiers interviewed tended to claim this as their main motive. Compilers of the study called it by exasperatingly prosaic terms like "primary group cohesion." It's also been theorized that one reason American veterans of the Vietnam War exhibit higher rates of psychological fallout like PTSD is that some of the army's new policies tended to prevent True Companionship-formation.
* Much to the delight of fans, the actors who played the seven children in ''[[The Sound of Music]]'' are this and remain so to this day.
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* The Z-Boys, a group of skateboarders in the 1970's from South Santa Monica and Venice California who are credited with inventing modern skateboarding and essentially creating the punk/skater subculture that now exists. Their name is derived from the name of the team they competed with together, the Zephyr Competition Team. AKA [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0K6lUm5ynw The Lords of Dog Town]
* When you go to the Canadian Improv Games, spot any high-energy team. Any. These teens are usually closer than blood, and it shows in how powerful they are.
* The cast of ''[[Friends]]'' - They all insisted on equal pay, and if they were nominated for awards, you could not nominate one of the cast for Best Lead and another for Best Supporting Cast Member. The cast are so close that frequent guest star Tom Selleck has said he felt left out when he filmed his appearances, and Paul Rudd has said that he didn't want his character to appear in the penultimate episode {{spoiler|where the group is bidding farewell to Rachel}} or the show's final scenes, as it didn't feel right
The same could be said of many tv shows and quite a few movies too. While not all casts get along as well as the Friends cast did, there are many (too many to list here!) who fall into this category.
* The Rat Pack of [[The Fifties]] and [[The Sixties]], the Brat Pack of [[The Eighties]], and the Frat Pack of the present.
* Sir [[Terry Wogan]] used to josh around that "there's no 'I' in 'team'" and that the people working around him during his breakfast radio days were merely his "minions", but there's no doubt that that group of people were true companions, from his late producer Paul "Wally" Walters to Walters's replacement Alan "Barrel 'ands" Boyd, newsreaders Alan "Deadly" Dedicoat and John "Boggy" Marsh, and the "Traffic Totty" Lynn Bowles, all of whom formed a close union. (One might argue that Mick Sturbs, the person who wrote all the "Janet and John" stories, and the various religious figures who appeared on the "Pause for Thought" segment could be considered true companions as well.) On Wogan's last morning broadcast, not a dry eye was spotted amongst the group.
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* Software projects are, at least in the current theory of 'how to make a good team', encouraged to bond as true companions for the duration of the project. So much so that the final stage of a team project life-cycle is "mourning", ie once the project is over and the team is broken up.
* The "film brats" of the 70s: [[Steven Spielberg]], [[Francis Ford Coppola]], [[George Lucas]] and [[Martin Scorsese]]. Epitomized when the first three presented the latter with his [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbbzaS8rcak first Academy Award] for Best Director for ''[[The Departed]]'' in 2007.
* The cast and crew of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' grew extremely close during their years working together, and were pretty much completely united ''forever'' by the ideas the series was trying to put
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Ensembles]]
[[Category:Friendship Tropes]]
[[Category:
[[Category:True Companions]]
[[Category:Loyalty Tropes]]
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