History Main / SchoolClubsAreSeriousBusiness

* ''Anime/KillLaKill'' takes this to [[ExaggeratedTrope extremes]]. Student Council President Satsuki Kiryuin uses school clubs to control the masses by offering them social mobility. Since she's effectively running a fascist state inside Honnouji Academy, she also turns the student clubs against each other whenever she thinks they're becoming too complacent.

* ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya''

* This trope could practically be an alternate title for ''Literature/NinthHouse''

* In the teen novel ''Literature/TheVClub'', a wealthy woman leaves money that would provide a full scholarship to one lucky high school student, [[OnOneCondition on the condition]] that this student be "pure," which everyone interprets as [[NatureAdoresAVirgin "must be a virgin"]]. (It should be noted that neither the deceased woman herself nor her attorney specified exactly ''what'' she meant by "pure;" everyone just ''assumed'' she meant virginal.) The students who are vying for the scholarship join a club (and losing one's virginity means being kicked out), and take a pledge to abstain from sex. [[spoiler: Not everyone competing for the scholarship actually ''is'' a virgin, however.]]
* In ''Literature/ReconstructingAmelia'', student clubs are actually banned by administration but thank to support from influent parents, they are able to function with impunity, doing brutal hazings and grievous tasks. [[spoiler:After the truth about Amelia's death is revealed, the direction actually enforces its ban on clubs]].

[[folder:Live Action Television]]

* School clubs are an extremely important part of the ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'' series. Most of the winnable girls being members of specific clubs, joining their respective clubs is the only way to get some of their special Events and [=CGs=]. Also, School clubs give you [[LimitBreak powerful special attacks]] for battles; perfoming well in the club during the SchoolFestival and, in the case of sports clubs, winning matches and Inter-High tournaments net you big RelationshipValues towards the girls; and becoming the Club Master of the Science Club allows you to unlock the Shooters mini-games.

* ''VideoGame/HarryPotterHogwartsMystery'' added three clubs to participate in in August of 2020. In practice, they function as another rewards system, as leveling up your club membership(s) earns you various tiers of unlocks.

** In another, Cartman hijacks his morning announcements slot to run a smear campaign against student body president Wendy and get himself elected in her place, [[spoiler:only to find out it isn't anything like the AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil he thought it was.]]

-->--'''Yu Ishigami''', ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar''

* ''LightNovel/BodaciousSpacePirates'': The Yacht club contains an inexplicably high number of exceptional people, as well as being a club which flies spaceships. On different club trips, they have operated two of the Original Seven pirate ships in battle. Their members have included the heiress to the most powerful corporation in existence, an expert cracker, a pirate captain, and two princesses, and the club possesses both a disarmed warship and a latest-generation stealth shuttle.

* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya''
** Haruhi was just another high school girl who created her own club to find aliens, time travelers, sliders and espers... AND ACTUALLY MEETS THEM! ([[LockedOutOfTheLoop not that she knows]]).
** The computer club aren't as bad, but being next door to Haruhi seems to have rubbed off on them judging by episode 12 (chronological order).

* Somewhat parodied and {{Deconstructed}} in the first episode of ''[[{{LightNovel/Gamers2015}} Gamers!]]''. Protagonist Keita, an avid gamer, is invited to join the newly-formed Gaming Club by its president, Karen. When he gets there, he finds they're all hardcore competitive gamers who've won dozens of tournaments, and who work him to the point of exhaustion in an effort to gauge his skill level. The story looks like it's going to be a typical [[SchoolClubStories School Club Story]]... except Keita turns the club down as he feels it's ''too'' serious. Another boy joins at the same time Keita refuses... because he's [[LaserGuidedAmnesia lost his memory]] and can only remember that he likes block puzzles, so for him, it really ''is'' serious business.

* In the teen novel ''TheVClub'', a wealthy woman leaves money that would provide a full scholarship to one lucky high school student, [[OnOneCondition on the condition]] that this student be "pure," which everyone interprets as [[NatureAdoresAVirgin "must be a virgin"]]. (It should be noted that neither the deceased woman herself nor her attorney specified exactly ''what'' she meant by "pure;" everyone just ''assumed'' she meant virginal.) The students who are vying for the scholarship join a club (and losing one's virginity means being kicked out), and take a pledge to abstain from sex. [[spoiler: Not everyone competing for the scholarship actually ''is'' a virgin, however.]]

[[folder:Films]]

* In the teen novel ''TheVClub'', a wealthy woman leaves money that would provide a full scholarship to one lucky high school student, [[OnOneCondition on the condition]] that this student be "pure," which everyone interprets as [[NatureAdoresAVirgin "must be a virgin"]]. (It should be noted that neither the deceased woman herself nor her attorney specified exactly ''what'' she meant by [[YouKeepUsingThatWord "pure;"]] everyone just ''assumed'' she meant virginal.) The students who are vying for the scholarship join a club (and losing one's virginity means being kicked out), and take a pledge to abstain from sex. [[spoiler: Not everyone competing for the scholarship actually ''is'' a virgin, however.]]

-->--'''Yuu Ishigami''', ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar''

* ''Anime/KillLaKill'' takes this UpToEleven. Student Council President Satsuki Kiryuin uses school clubs to control the masses by offering them social mobility. Since she's effectively running a fascist state inside Honnouji Academy, she also turns the student clubs against each other whenever she thinks they're becoming too complacent.

* In ''Series/{{Community}}'', Greendale Community College is ''full'' of these, ranging from the debate team and the glee club to the Model United Nations. All of them turn their pet interests UpToEleven. The study group itself qualifies, despite being informal; it has a waiting list for membership and the Dean treats them as a school power faction.

* In ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'', the protagonists are all members of the newspaper club (Tsukune originally decided on joining the swim team instead, but that left Outer Moka heartbroken because, well, [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampires and water...)]], which spends much of its time investigating other clubs. The newspaper club has a rivalry with the Public Safety Commission (another club), with effective control of the school at stake. There's another club in the anime that consists of three lovesick losers who engage in such activities as creating a harmless StalkerShrine.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'', school clubs are an important part of the tradition of Thors Military Academy. The members of your playable party are all members of a school club, ''except'' for the main protagonist, Rean Schwarzer. Although he doesn't join any one particular club, he often spends his time helping the student council and is also unofficially a member of the fishing club. In ''Cold Steel III'', the school clubs are ended at Thors Military Academy as part of its move away from being MildlyMilitary. However, Rean is now an instructor of the newly established Thors Branch Campus, which ''does'' have school clubs, personally funded by the principal, who felt that they were too strong a part of the legacy of Thors to get rid of. She makes it requirement for the students to either join one or be placed on the student council.

* Somewhat parodied and {{Deconstructed}} in the first episode of ''Gamers!''. Protagonist Keita, an avid gamer, is invited to join the newly-formed Gaming Club by its president, Karen. When he gets there, he finds they're all hardcore competitive gamers who've won dozens of tournaments, and who work him to the point of exhaustion in an effort to gauge his skill level. The story looks like it's going to be a typical [[SchoolClubStories School Club Story]]... except Keita turns the club down as he feels it's ''too'' serious. Another boy joins at the same time Keita refuses... because he's [[LaserGuidedAmnesia lost his memory]] and can only remember that he likes block puzzles, so for him, it really ''is'' serious business.