History Main / ActuallyFourMooks

The enemy version of PartyInMyPocket. In {{video game}}s which have separate maps for movement and combat "PreexistingEncounters" are often represented by a single creature, regardless of the number of enemies actually present in the encounter.

** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' 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/{{Persona 5}}'', 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.

* ''[[VideoGame/VisionsAndVoices Visions & Voices]]'' 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/{{Yakuza}}'' does this. Thugs and other yakuza you run into probably have a bunch more hiding somewhere for you to beat up (using [[GrievousHarmWithABody ''them'']] [[GrievousHarmWithABody as the weapon of choice]], potentially).

** Fantasy Flight's ''TabletopGame/{{StarWarsRoleplayingGame}}'' has a spesific 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.

* 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/FireEmblemThreeHouses'': Every unit on the map commands a squad of troops. A BigBadassBattleSequence accompanies the actual fight between the squad leaders.

** 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, overlayed on top of one another.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Okage}}'', enemies always appear as ghosts on the map. When you touch one, it will split up into multiple monsters.

* ''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 tatoos 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.

* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun'' takes this trope [[UpToEleven to the extreme]], featuring a group of eleven henchmen the BigBad sends after Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli. All of them share a single Stand named Tatoo You!, which allows them to phase into each other through the tatoos 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.

* In ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' this is a strategy for Player Killing. Due to the game's rendering engine, when characters stand on the same square, the only visible one is the top one. People rounded up 8 of their friends in a multi-way combat area and put the lowest level on top, to act as "Hey, I can kill this!" bait.

* In ''VideoGame/RuneScape'', back before they changed it, this was actually an effective (if dishonest) strategy for Player Killing. Due to the game's rendering engine, when multiple people crowded onto the same square, the only visible one was the top one. People rounded up 8 of their friends in a multi-way combat area and put the lowest level on top, to act as "Hey, I can kill this!" bait.

* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'': the third and fourth 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.

** 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. Flavor-wise, this represents [[BigBad Nicol Bolas']] growing army of [[NightOfTheLivingMooks Dreadhorde]] [[spoiler:as they invade Ravnica]].

* 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

* In ''VideoGame/TheWay'', 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.

* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun'' takes this trope [[UpToEleven to the extreme]], featuring a group of eleven henchmen the BigBad sends after Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli. All of them share a single Stand named Tatoo You!, which allows them to phase into each other through the tatoos on their backs; thanks to this, all members can practically exist in the same spot at ''once'' by hiding inside a single mook, which our heroes eventually learn the hard way during a shootout with the group in a casino.

* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun'' takes this trope [[UpToEleven to the extreme]], featuring a group of eleven henchmen the BigBad sends after Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli. All of them share a single Stand named Tatoo You!, which allows them to phase into each other through the tatoos on their backs; thanks to this, all members can practically exist in the same spot at ''once'' by hiding inside a single member, which our heroes eventually learn the hard way.

* ''Manga\JojosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun'' takes this trope [[UpToEleven to the extreme]], featuring a group of eleven henchmen the BigBad sends after Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli. All of them share a single Stand named Tatoo You!, which allows them to phase into each other through the tatoos on their backs; thanks to this, all members can practically exist in the same spot at ''once'' by hiding inside a single member, which our heroes eventually learn the hard way.

* Stable in the ''Franchise/{{Grandia}}'' series; even though you only see 1-3 mooks onscreen there are suddenly more of them in the actual battle.

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'' and its [[VideoGameRemake remake]], ''Echoes: Shadows of Valentia'', enemy squads will simply be represented by their commanders on the world map. The same goes for random dungeon encounters; one enemy will suddenly be 2-4 once the battle starts.

* Most of the ''[[Franchise/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.

* Most of the ''VideoGame/{{SaGa}}'' games not on the UsefulNotes/GameBoy use this trope. While the original releases of ''VideoGame/{{SaGa 2}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{SaGa 3}}'' 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.

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