History Main / ActuallyFourMooks

* The TropeNamer is a Flash RPG called ''VideoGame/{{MARDEK}}'', which {{lampshade|Hanging}}s many RPG tropes. Early in Chapter 2, you fight a bandit who, just before attacking you, says, "Now, Guards, you stand no chance against me, 'cause I'm actually four blokes!" Cue a battle with four bandits.
** And further parodied in Chapter 3 when Muriance sics his "bandits hiding in the shadows" on you.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' had Bikke the pirate, who had only two henchmen visible on the map. When the fight starts, there's suddenly nine pirates.
** And that's only in the remakes. In the original NES version, all you see on the map is Bikke, so his team just sort of appears out of nowhere.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' had several, including:
** A set of 4 doll sprites that were actually 6 that could combine into a boss.
** Hooded enemies that attacked you but were often nothing more than a couple of [[{{Mook}} imps]], soldiers or other weak enemies.
** Red Dragons in the last floors of [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Lunar Subterrane]] can pull this off with three overlaying in battle due to being too big to fit on the screen.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' plays it straight with the battles against Gilgamesh's mooks at the Great Bridge and Xezat's fleet, but actually ''inverts'' it when you leave castle Bal for the first time; three monster sprites come charging at you, but only one enemy is actually fought.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' does this at times, such as the beginning battle between the Moogles & Locke against the Narshe soldiers, and again when Kefka and the Imperial Forces invade Narshe for the Esper, among other examples of scripted fights.
** Even '''worse''' when you fight the Vector Lythos enemy in [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Kefka's Tower]], who actually manage to pull this off ''in-battle''. Whenever you fight them, it ''looks'' like there's only one, which seems fortunate since they are among the weakest enemies in the entire tower, contrast to Red Dragons in IV. But there's actually four, overlaid on top of one another.
*** The reborn incarnation of the [[AnIcePerson Ice]] [[BonusBoss Dragon]] does this in the [[PolishedPort GBA-exclusive]] [[BonusDungeon Dragon's Den]], too.
*** The Rom Hack, ''VideoGame/PonyFantasyVI'' uses this in the Phoenix cave with a stack of Chaos Drgns
* Pretty much every single fight in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', as you'll only see one sprite on the main map, then go into battle and see a lot more, including numerous enemies that had no map sprites and only appeared in battle. You could run into a Goomba and find yourself fighting one Goomba and two much larger, nastier monsters.
* Both the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' and ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series have this. One enemy on the map can easily be between three and five enemies in battle, including those that only show up alongside other enemies in battle.
** Interestingly, Mario has the ability to jump on enemies before a battle starts. However, if you try this on a spiky enemy, you'll get hurt. However, if the enemy on screen isn't spiky, Mario can jump on it and damage every enemy in battle, even if said battles happen to include spiky enemies after the FightWoosh.
** Inverted at the beginning of ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam.'' You're attacked by two Grombas, yet when the fight starts... There's only one.
** Played straight in other parts, where you see so many enemies on the overworld... and then in battle another one flies in via the background and starts attacking from there. Or the dream world enemies or viruses, where one mook on the overworld means up to SIXTEEN mooks in the battle, along with another random guy of a different species who appeared from absolutely nowhere.
** ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPaperJam'' has three playable characters, so enemy formations are typically larger to match. Sometimes this gets taken to a slightly ridiculous extent; one Paper Paratroopa on the overworld can be (and often is) two Paper Paratroopas plus four Biddybuds in battle, for a total of ''six'' enemies.
* Averted in ''VideoGame/EarthBound''. With the exception of enemies summoned by enemies in combat, every enemy you meet is represented by an individual (though often generic) sprite, and gather together at the beginning of a battle during the FightWoosh.

* In ''Videogame/TheReconstruction'', the PreexistingEncounters on the main map are only one sprite but usually trigger a few monsters in battle. However, all ''unavoidable'' Preexisting Encounters have you fight exactly the number of enemies as there are sprites. This includes boss battles, almost all of which have [[FlunkyBoss flunkies]] that you can see clearly on the map pre-battle. (Except for the boss of chapter 1 and chapter 2, whose flunkies come out of nowhere)

* Played straight in ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}} 2'' and ''3''. What appears to be one mech on the map can turn out to be up to 7 different enemies.
* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'':
** ''VideoGame/Persona3'' and ''VideoGame/Persona4'' have an... interesting version of this. Shadows always appear on the map as a single creature... but in ''3'', its size changes depending on how many enemies will be in the fight, and in ''4'', its size changes based on the enemies' level. The larger the Shadow, the more difficult the fight. (Be careful - in ''3'', the tiny Shadows have a tendency to be solo DemonicSpiders.)
** In ''VideoGame/Persona5'', Shadows on the map appear in various forms depending on the location they manifest in, such as armored knights in [[spoiler: Kamoshida's]] castle, or security guards/secretaries in [[spoiler:Madarame's]] art museum. Once you begin a battle with one, it'll split apart into multiple enemies like in the previous games.
* Played straight (typically) by ''VideoGame/{{Avernum}}''. The largest overworld sprite graphic can only hold four people. Good enough for your party, not for the empire or wandering tribalists. Exceptions: Stationary guardsmen and triggered encounters.
* ''VideoGame/VisionsAndVoices'' uses tiny white clouds to represent enemies. Touch one and you're suddenly in battle with 3-5. Since almost all boss battles are [[BonusBoss optional]], bosses are also represented on the map as a single sprite that you need to walk up to to fight...most of which turn out to be {{Dual Boss}}es.

* ''VideoGame/UltimaIII'', ''[[VideoGame/UltimaIV IV]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/UltimaV V]]'', stack groups of up to ''sixteen'' into the same sized square as the player party - which itself can consist of up to (respectively) four, eight, or six members - whether it's a group of subterranean slime, food-devouring gremlins, human rogues or human-sized orcs, or freakin' ''dragons, sea-serpents, or two-headed giants'', with the odd EldritchAbomination thrown in for good measure. Better still, a troop of up to eight or sixteen [[EliteMooks guards]] can stand in the same space that a ''single townsperson'' occupies; one wonders how all those ridiculously overmuscled brutes stand so close together. UnitsNotToScale indeed.
** In case of Ultima IV, combatants can't normally enter a square occupied by another creature, but that doesn't prevent stacking multiple daemons in a single square at the start of combat. This is demonstrated in the Great Stygian Abyss level 3.
* This occurs constantly in ''VideoGame/StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime'' and ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheLastHope'', whereas the previous two games in the series used RandomEncounters. What's worse is that the enemy that represents the encounter on the map isn't necessarily the only type of enemy you'll be fighting in that battle...
* ''Franchise/DragonQuest''
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestMonsters: Joker'' shows individual monsters roaming around the areas which you touch to enter battles, but you might see two or three monsters once the battle starts.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' does this during a certain sequence, where you can battle a monster sprite that turns out to be two enemies in-battle, despite the game saying it's only one beforehand. Averted by their boss, you do face only one guy there.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'' has a few special enemies that show up on the map, but generally, you get what you see with those -- one monster on the map means one in the battle.
** Played perfectly straight in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'', the first entry in the series to show enemies on the overworld (previous entries had used RandomEncounters).
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'' plays this straight in the 3D versions of the game, where enemy groups can be encountered as lonesome monsters wandering on the field. The 2D versions on 3DS and Switch, however, have the typical random encounter phases.
* Enemies in ''VideoGame/{{Dragonfable}}'' are shown as single monsters on the screen during quests, but when you actually touch them to do battle, you could wind up fighting anything from one to three of them at a time.
* Enemies in ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}'' appear as single sprites of a specific monster while on an Island Map. This is usually the strongest monster in the stack, although one stack may consist of hordes monsters of the same type, sometimes accompanied by stronger versions, or a mixture of different kinds of monsters. In first person dungeons, a single stack is represented by multiple sprites more or less proportionate to the actual composition of the stack (i.e. if you see a large number of Animal Demons coming at you, you can bet they will fill up the entire field - [[DemonicSpiders instant doom]], or [[GameBreaker unlimited free XP]], depending on your skills). Beware, though, because sometimes the dungeons play it straight too, with several enemies showing but each of them attacking as more than one.
* Stable in the ''VideoGame/{{Grandia}}'' series; even though you only see 1-3 mooks onscreen there are suddenly more of them in the actual battle.
* In ''VideoGame/Haven2020'', most non-boss encounters, represented by single [[RoamingEnemy roaming entities]] in exploration mode, contain at least two mooks, sometimes up to five. Several bosses [[FlunkyBoss bring along mook allies]] as well.
* The first ''VideoGame/{{Phantasy Star|I}}'' showed only one monster on screen for all battles. You could only tell how many there actually were by their HitPoint counts. Also, one shot of Odin's guns or Noah's [[ShockAndAwe Thunder]] spell damaged them all, maybe they were really lined up... The final boss is actually two monsters as well, but in that battle the HP is not shown. (You can tell because it normally attacks twice per turn but towards the end of the battle it sometimes attacks just once because you killed the second monster.)
* Most of the ''VideoGame/{{SaGa|RPG}}'' games not on the UsefulNotes/GameBoy use this trope. While the original releases of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyLegendII'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyLegendIII'' have RandomEncounters, the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS remakes instead show enemies on the map screen who hardly ever represent a single monster. If you run into one of them and there are other enemies close enough, the result is a linked encounter. More enemies in the link will result in more enemies in battle.
* This is a common occurrence in ''VideoGame/TheLastRemnant''. Enemies appear as a single model in the world, and you can link multiple enemies into larger fights, but each single world model may represent multiple units with multiple members in each unit. It's especially noticeable with insects, wherein a single bug encountered on the map turns into three groups of three in the actual fight.
* Played straight in ''VideoGame/RadiantHistoria''.
* Several enemies in ''VideoGame/{{TCT RPG}}'' turn into multiple foes, but they are all represented as single units.
* ''VideoGame/SepterraCore''. When you pick a fight with a cluster of enemies, there are about 50% odds that there's at least one more hiding offscreen.
* ''VideoGame/TouhouLabyrinth'' takes this one step further: even in battle, there are some rare enemies that literally stack their sprites on top of one another, preventing you from seeing just how many there are. Isn't it suspicious to just run into a single mook in this otherwise difficult dungeon?

* In the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' games that lack random encounters, such as ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', usually do this, the exceptions generally being the large monster types who do occasionally appear alone.
** It also occurs in some boss fights, where the boss in question will inexplicably have some minions with them, despite clearly being alone in the cutscene beforehand.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Exile}}'' series world map, enemy clusters would be represented by a single unit regardless of size. Worse, in games with multiple-tile units (say, giants, which would take up two squares vertically), these units were ineligible for display on the overmap and were ''always'' shown as whatever smaller escort they had. It wasn't uncommon for an ogre on the world map to turn into a squad of ogres and bears, or ogres and ursagi ([[OhCrap intelligent bears]]), or ogres and giants, what have you.
** Their 3D remakes, the ''VideoGame/{{Avernum}}'' series, work similarly: only four models will be shown on the world map, regardless of the number of individuals.
* Averted in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'', but in a sneaky-like way. Every last enemy you will face on the battle screen is represented on the map screen, and for most fights this is fairly straightforward, where running into a group of monsters means that you fight the group of monsters. In later areas, though, the game delights in placing the monsters on the map in such a way where the player may ''think'' they are avoiding the DemonicSpiders by engaging low-level monsters, but once the battle starts they are revealed to be engaging the low-levels ''and'' the 'Spiders in the same fight. Two notable (and notably cruel) examples: Sneaking alongside the edge of the area to avoid a [[KingMook Behemoth King]]...just makes the player more vulnerable to the ManEatingPlant coming up out of the greenery they're sneaking in and prompting an encounter with both, and there is one case where sneaking past an [[BossInMookClothing Adamantoise]] will result in meeting up with its [[TheGoomba wimpy wolf]] escort.
* In ''VideoGame/TheWayRPGMaker'', on-screen enemies on the map will usually turn out to be a large group of enemies when the player walks into them for a battle, especially when Rhue currently has other characters in his party.
* ''VideoGame/ArTonelicoMelodyOfElemia'' has a rare inversion with a boss fight while climbing the tower. The boss comes accompanied by one reyvateil and four Tenba guardsmen in the scripted sequence before the fight, but those four guardsmen suddenly turn into only two when the fight starts. This is due to the nature of the battle system, which [[ArbitraryHeadcountLimit maxes out at four characters on each side]], and the boss and the reyvateil take up two slots automatically. Maybe the other two guards are LazyBackup?
* ''VideoGame/RainbowMoon'' averts this by conveniently displaying above the sprite how many enemies it actually makes up; kind of nice of the hero to relay what he's seeing back to the player for once...
* In ''VideoGame/OkageShadowKing'', enemies always appear as ghosts on the map. When you touch one, it will split up into multiple monsters.

* The ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'' series: In the [[VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy3 third]], [[VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy4 fourth]], and [[VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy5 fifth]] games, sprites represent groups of monsters, so that harmless-looking bush could actually contain a four-wave long marathon battle. Fortunately, the encounter usually shows the strongest monster on the map, so there aren't ''too'' many bad surprises.
** In one of [[VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy5 the fifth game's]] secret areas, the final wave of a battle consists of what appears to be one mook...[[spoiler:but is actually ''five'' overlaid atop one another. Each one is]] pretty strong, so be prepared for a tough fight.
* ''VideoGame/EternalSonata'': A single sprite represents a battle with up to three mooks, the representative sprite included.

* In ''VideoGame/LordsOfXulima'', an encounter sprite on the map can represent from one to ten actual enemies.
* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'': Multiple:
** Inverted at one point: When the playable character is exploring Hotland's Core, they may be approached by two shadowy silhouettes which triggers a battle with ''one'' monster.
** It's implied that Shyren is this. She appears to be some sort of mermaid-like creature, but her overworld sprite only shows her "Head," and if you kill her, her "Body" will be left behind, implying that they are two different monsters.

* This is standard in the ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'' games, though unlike the above example, the strongest enemy will generally appear.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Miitopia}}'', most battles against monsters found in the overworld map are this. Look no further than your usual Snurp-hunting quests where trying to fight what appears to be a single Gold Snurp actually has you fight three of them when the battle screen is shown.
* ''VideoGame/NiNoKuniIIRevenantKingdom:'' On the overworld map, one enemy represents a group of enemies, usually of several types. In dungeons, all enemies are shown individually.
* A common occurrence in ''VideoGame/EmeraldDragon''. What looks like one or two mooks on the overworld will turn out to be many in battle, and often bosses will have a group of enemies supporting them despite appearing to be alone outside battle.
* ''VideoGame/ScienceGirls'': The PreexistingEncounters in the alien world are represented by sprites of only their most numerous member, but hold up to four enemies.
* ''VideoGame/RemnantsOfIsolation'': Each enemy encounters is represented by a single sprite of a shadowy being, and most of them are groups of two or more monsters.
* Any ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' trainer you meet, could be carrying up to six Pokémon.
* ''VideoGame/OkikuStarApprentice'': The PreexistingEncounters' sprite in the Mountain Pass can represent 2 or 3 [[OurOrcsAreDifferent orcs]].
* ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'':
** Inverted Trope; most of the Chapter 1 Flunky Boss humans will have 4-6 lackeys behind them, only to enter battle with two (though admittedly they can summon more if those die first.) When Olberic confronts a half-dozen bandits guarding the entrance of their hideout, he only fights half of them.
** Played straight for both players and enemies during some story battles, where it looks like a one-on-one battle until the battle screen has the rest of the party show up along with additional enemies.

* The ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' games that lack random encounters usually do this, the exceptions generally being the large monster types who do occasionally appear alone.

* In ''VideoGame/Haven2020'', most non-boss encounters, represented by a single roaming entity in exploration mode, contain at least two mooks, sometimes up to five. Several bosses [[FlunkyBoss bring along mook allies]] as well.

* In ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'', a game which doesn’t usually allow this, a Protoss player can finesse a bunch of probes into the space of one probe so that they overlap perfectly, and since probes have no animated limbs or moving parts, you can move them as one so that they’re almost indistinguishable from a single probe. The only giveaway is the different appearance of the energy trail behind them. If you send these probes to attack the opponent’s mineral line, they will see this mass as just a harmless single scouting probe until the probes attack, resulting in a hilarious cheese win if it can be pulled off.

* In ''VideoGame/StarcraftTwo'', a game which doesn’t usually allow this, a Protoss player can finesse a bunch of probes into the space of one probe so that they overlap perfectly, and since probes have no animated limbs or moving parts, you can move them as one so that they’re almost indistinguishable from a single probe. The only giveaway is the different appearance of the energy trail behind them. If you send these probes to attack the opponent’s mineral line, they will see this mass as just a harmless single scouting probe until the probes attack, resulting in a hilarious cheese win if it can be pulled off.

* In ''Anime/SengokuOtome'', Ieyasu's minion Hanzo is actually a squad of identical ninjas who typically only appear one at a time.

* Most of the ''VideoGame/{{SaGa|RPG}}'' games not on the UsefulNotes/GameBoy use this trope. While the original releases of ''VideoGame/Saga2'' and ''VideoGame/Saga3'' have RandomEncounters, the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS remakes instead show enemies on the map screen who hardly ever represent a single monster. If you run into one of them and there are other enemies close enough, the result is a linked encounter. More enemies in the link will result in more enemies in battle.

* Most of the ''[[VideoGame/SaGaRPG SaGa]]'' games not on the UsefulNotes/GameBoy use this trope. While the original releases of ''VideoGame/Saga2'' and ''VideoGame/Saga3'' have RandomEncounters, the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS remakes instead show enemies on the map screen who hardly ever represent a single monster. If you run into one of them and there are other enemies close enough, the result is a linked encounter. More enemies in the link will result in more enemies in battle.

* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun'' takes this trope UpToEleven, literally. It features a group of eleven henchmen the BigBad sends after Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli, all of whom share a single Stand named Tatoo You!, which allows them to phase into each other through the tattoos on their backs. Thanks to this, all members can practically exist in the same spot at ''once'' by hiding inside a single mook. Our heroes eventually learn that the hard way during a shootout with the group in a casino, when they find themselves trying to fight off mooks emerging from dead ones like a deranged game of Whack-A-Mole.

* ''[[Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona Persona]]'':

* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestMonsters: Joker'' shows individual monsters roaming around the areas which you touch to enter battles, but you might see two or three monsters once the battle starts.

* Played perfectly straight in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'', the first entry in the series to show enemies on the overworld (previous entries had used RandomEncounters).

** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' does this during a certain sequence, where you can battle a monster sprite that turns out to be two enemies in-battle, despite the game saying it's only one beforehand. Averted by their boss, you do face only one guy there.

* Spoofed in ''TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}}'' with the monster card "3,872 Orcs". (Also an example of LudicrousPrecision; who bothered to ''count'' the orcs?) However, the game rules say that any monster card represents one monster, even if the card depicts multiple monsters (so you don't have to beat the 3,782 Orcs 3,782 times).

[[folder: [=MMORPGs=]]]

[[folder: Role Playing Games ]]

[[folder: Turn Based Strategy ]]

[[folder: Other ]]

[[folder: Card Games ]]
* Spoofed in ''TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}}'' with the monster card "3,872 Orcs". (Also an example of LudicrousPrecision; who bothered to ''count'' the orcs?) However, the game rules say that any monster card represents one monster, even if the card depicts multiple monsters (so you don't have to beat the 3,782 Orcs 3,782 times).
* Many Monster Cards in ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' actually represent multiple monsters, such as Goblin Attack Force. Inverted with the Mecha Phantom Beasts, however: while their cards depict small squadrons consisting of the Beasts themselves and their HardLight doppelgangers, said doppelgangers manifest as Tokens summoned by their effects. In other words, even though each card shows its respective Mecha Phantom Beast accompanied by several other monsters, the cards themselves represent only a single fighter!
* Also the case in ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', since the good old days of Grizzly Bears and Scathe Zombies, each of which was one card, representing multiple creatures as a single card. The most impressive could be the [[http://magiccards.info/zen/en/182.html "Scute Mob"]] from Zendikar, which represents ''ridiculous numbers of swarming bugs'' as a single card that gets massive very quickly.
** In reference to this, the ''Unhinged'' set introduced the [[http://magiccards.info/uh/en/107.html "Art Rampage"]] ability. While the traditional Rampage gave a bonus based on the number of blocking creatures, this version (as the name suggests) is based on the number of creatures depicted in the art.
** Taken to a whole new level with the [[https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Amass "Amass"]] ability from ''War of the Spark''. Simply put, cards with Amass create a Zombie Army Token and gives it a +1/+1 counter - or put a +1/+1 counter on an already-present Zombie Army Token. Flavor-wise, this represents [[BigBad Nicol Bolas']] growing army of [[NightOfTheLivingMooks Dreadhorde]] [[spoiler:as they invade Ravnica]]. This is even portrayed in one artwork for the said token, [[https://scryfall.com/card/twar/10/zombie-army showing multiple Dreadhorde warriors in a single card]].
* ''VideoGame/CardCityNights'' has a couple of cards like this, such as "Double skull king" ("there's two of them!") and "One million [[VideoGame/HyperPrincessPitch elves]]".

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]
* In ''TabletopGame/SpaceHulk'', genestealer monsters start out as "blip" counters until a Space Marine gets them in their line of sight. Each blip is between one and three individual genestealers.
* In ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'', [[PoweredArmor Battlearmor]] and infantry come in squads of four and up, and are represented on the tabletop by one unit - some miniatures will have the correct amount of units on it (for example, 5 [[PoweredArmor Elementals]] on the same base), but some don't. The actual count for the amount of (surviving) infantry or armor in a squad is kept on a separate record sheet.
* Every so often a {{tabletop RPG}} will end up modelling a group of creatures as a single "monster" for combat purposes. This is most common for swarms of bugs, rats, bats, or similar small critters that would be too much of a bother to track individually, but especially games with more abstract combat systems can also treat humanoid {{mook}}s in this way.
** ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' contained a strange example in the Reign of Winter campaign, which deals with an insane conspiracy, Literature/BabaYaga, and Rasputin. When the adventuring party finds itself in WWI-era Russia, massive troops of rifle-toting early 20th century Russian infantry are modeled this way in a sharp GenreShift from HighFantasy.
** Fantasy Flight's ''TabletopGame/StarWarsRoleplayingGame'' has a specific rule about this, where the weaker minion type adversaries act as a one single group when it is their turn, sharing the same wound threshold whilst also allowing them to add skill ranks to their skill checks.

!!Non-Game Examples

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* The Slicer Brothers of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''.
* In ''Manga/GingaNagareboshiGin'' Wolf Arc Raiga has his brothers Sakon and Ukon living inside his body. They can leave it, but it makes them vulnerable to attacks so usually they just pop their heads out before impact to bite the opponent. How it works is never explained and even their enemies who should [[ThePsychoRangers know this power]] are surprised when they see it.
* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun'' takes this trope UpToEleven, literally. It features a group of eleven henchmen the BigBad sends after Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli, all of whom share a single Stand named Tatoo You!, which allows them to phase into each other through the tattoos on their backs. Thanks to this, all members can practically exist in the same spot at ''once'' by hiding inside a single mook. Our heroes eventually learn that the hard way during a shootout with the group in a casino, when they find themselves trying to fight off mooks emerging from dead ones like a deranged game of Whack-A-Mole.
* Is there something about the names "Sakon and Ukon"? Because Manga/{{Naruto}} has conjoined twins Sakon and Ukon, too. The team they belong to is called the Sound Four -- or Sound Five when you actually include their leader, or Sound Six if you "mistakenly" consider Sakon and Ukon separate people.
* Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'s enemy Jurōmaru is a pro at this trope. His "brother" Kageromaru lives inside his stomach, and can join the melee when necessary. They are actually independent, anyway.
* In ''Anime/SengokuOtome'', Ieyasu's minion Hanzo is actually a squad of identical ninjas who typically only appear one at a time.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/TopGun'' does this on two separate occasions when pairs of [=MiG=]-28s in close formation are read as a single plane by the F-14s' radar. TruthInTelevision and a genuine tactic used by several air forces throughout history. Works particularly well if two small fighters are [[AWolfInSheepsClothing pretending to be a bomber]] in hopes of [[SchmuckBait drawing enemy interceptors into a dogfight]].
* In ''Franchise/StarWars'', sand people are known to travel in single file to hide their numbers.
* ''Film/SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows'' uses this near the beginning, where Sherlock points out that three people have been following Irene for some time when it turns out to be four.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* A similar incident to the ''Film/TopGun'' example occurs in the ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' book ''[[Literature/XWingSeries Starfighters of Adumar]]''. Adumari Blade fighters read incoming enemy squadrons as single objects until they get close, due largely to antiquated [[EnemyDetectingRadar sensors]] when compared to the current galactic standard. This is ''inverted'' by the heroes: they reprogram the IFF codes on their heavy aircraft, including bombers and escort gunships, to respond as though they were fighters. Only when the enemy Blades engage do they realize the contact isn't four mooks at all -- it's one GiantMook.
[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'': the third, fourth, and fifth games use sprites to represent groups of monsters, so that harmless-looking bush could actually contain a four-wave long marathon battle. Fortunately, the encounter usually shows the strongest monster on the map, so there aren't ''too'' many bad surprises.
** In one of the fifth game's secret areas, the final wave of a battle consists of what appears to be one mook...but is actually ''five'' overlaid atop one another. Each one is pretty strong, so be prepared for a tough fight.
* ''VideoGame/EternalSonata'' has a single sprite to represent a battle with up to three mooks, the representative sprite included.

* Inverted at one point in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'': When the playable character is exploring Hotland's Core, they may be approached by two shadowy silhouettes which triggers a battle with ''one'' monster.

* In ''Videogame/StarCrawlers'', enemies will appear on the exploration map as a single robot, soldier, or creature, but they could be anything from a single hapless mook to an entire squad of hardened soldiers when you transition to the battle map. Worse still, [[BossInMooksClothing they don't always display the most powerful unit in the group, meaning you think you'll be fighting a lowly robot walker and it's actually being flanked by a pair of hulking Xiphos war-mechs.]]

* Both ''Franchise/{{Lunar}}'' games for the [=PS1=]. Enemies are visible on the map as somewhat indistinct figures. Touching one of them starts a battle with up to 8 monsters.

* In ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'', [[PoweredArmor Battlearmor]] and infantry come in squads of four and up, and are represented on the tabletop by one unit - some miniatures will have the correct amount of units on it (for example, 5 [[PoweredArmor Elementals]] on the same base), but [[ActuallyFourMooks some don't]]. The actual count for the amount of (surviving) infantry or armor in a squad is kept on a separate record sheet.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Film ]]
* ''Film/TopGun'' does this on two separate occasions when pairs of [=MiG=]-28s in close formation are read as a single plane by the F-14s' radar.
** TruthInTelevision and a genuine tactic used by several air forces throughout history. Works particularly well if two small fighters are [[AWolfInSheepsClothing pretending to be a bomber]] in hopes of [[SchmuckBait drawing enemy interceptors into a dogfight]].

[[folder: Live Action TV]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

--> Blargh! I'm a dragon!
--> Or twelve!

[[quoteright:350:[[/VideoGame/MegadimensionNeptuniaVII https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/neptunia_fourmooks2_5.png]]]]

* A similar incident to the ''Film/TopGun'' example occurs in the ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' book ''[[Comicbook/XWingSeries Starfighters of Adumar]]''. Adumari Blade fighters read incoming enemy squadrons as single objects until they get close, due largely to antiquated [[EnemyDetectingRadar sensors]] when compared to the current galactic standard. This is ''inverted'' by the heroes: they reprogram the IFF codes on their heavy aircraft, including bombers and escort gunships, to respond as though they were fighters. Only when the enemy Blades engage do they realize the contact isn't four mooks at all -- it's one GiantMook.

* Any ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'' trainer you meet, could be carrying up to six Pokémon.

Like PartyInMyPocket one monster on the overworld represents a whole "party" and the player can't see the other members until the battle starts. This allows some element of surprise as even if you know a fight is coming up you don't know exactly what you will be up against. A particularly nasty BossInMookClothing could be hiding among the enemy's party...