History Main / CharacterMagneticTeam

-->: Waking the Dragons [[BrattyHalfPint Rebecca]], [[TheMentor Professor Hawkins]], along with Duke, Mokuba, and Kaiba
--> KC Grand Championship: Rebecca, [[TheMentor Grandpa]], Professor Hawkins, and Duke

* The ComicBook/XMen and their affiliates. The sole criteria for being affiliated with the team is that you have to either be a {{Mutant}}, or involved in mutant politics in some way or other (a sympathetic human, an [[DePower ex-mutant]], a genetic experiment from another dimension who happened to get saved by mutants, etc). Since about 10% of the MarvelUniverse's population used to be mutants at one point, this meant [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a great deal of snowballing]], and even after the ''[[ComicBook/HouseOfM Decimation]]'' event had over 90% of ''that'' population BroughtDownToNormal, the X-Books' cast is still larger than almost all of Marvel's other properties, ''put together.''

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' is perhaps the crowned king of this trope.

* ''WebComic/TowerOfGod'' has LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, and it seems like a majority of them join Bam's team at some point, and usually stay allies afterwards.

* ''Manga/CodeBreaker'': Similar to the "[[LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex To Aru]]" example, Sakura and Ogami are unique, as one is a "Rare-Kind", while the other has the most powerful Code ability.

* ''Manga/CodeBreaker'': Similar to the ToAru example, Sakura and Ogami are unique, as one is a "Rare-Kind", while the other has the most powerful Code ability.

* Robert Asprin's ''Literature/MythAdventures'' series frequently features a villain from the preceding book as an ally, resulting in the cast growing in almost all of its earlier books. Most of Skeeve's allies have wanted him dead at some point...

* This happens in ''LightNovel/MariaSamaGaMiteru'', although it's not as bad as it could have been, since the basic team is rather picky about the persons they associate with.

** Probably two of the most striking examples of this in {{RPG}}s are ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'', which has 45 characters total, and the ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' series, which has OneHundredAndEight (although, to be fair, the vast majority of the 108 are minor characters). Also notable are the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series, while having a reasonably small amount of characters, have hundreds upon hundreds of {{Mons}} that may be convinced to ally with the player.

[[folder: {{Anime}} and {{Manga}} ]]

** It can get annoying when [[ResetButton everyone except Pikachu gets sent back to Professor Oak because of the franchise's need to make way for the newest generation's Pokemon by shoving the previous generation's on a bus]]. Three times and counting.

** ''Anime/YuGiOhZexal'' continues this, with Yuma starting out with only two friends and ending up with 9-12 friends, depending on how you count.

* ''Manga/{{Dragonball}}'' is a frequent flyer of this trope, bringing in characters in this manner all throughout the first series and through ''Anime/DragonballZ''.

* The duo of Merlin and Arthur from ''Series/{{Merlin}}'' have steadily accumulated a team of knights, most of which turn up in the [[BackForTheFinale two-part finale]] of the third season to help Arthur win back Camelot.

* The Ankh-Morpork City Watch in the ''Series/{{Discworld}}'' novels. Initially it comprises four members: Vimes, Nobby, Colon and Carrot. In their second appearance they add Angua and Detritus. From then on new members are mentioned every book, until the Watch had expanded to the point where Sir Terry didn't need to say "X was a new recruit"; it was acceptable there were watchmen who we simply hadn't met before because of the size of the organisation.

* The Tanith First-And-Only Regiment of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}: Literature/GauntsGhosts'' has twice taken on a great deal of new blood to replace losses they've suffered.

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' is perhaps the crowned king of this trope. At the beginning of the story, it's only Negi. Asuna and Konoka are added to his group fairly quickly. The Kyoto arc adds Setsuna, Nodoka, and Asakura to the main group, while also introducing Yue, Paru, Ku Fei and Kaede. In the festival arc, Yue, Paru, Ku Fei and Kaede, along with Chisame and Kotaro. The Magic World arc adds Chachamaru as well as five ostensibly "normal" girls - Natsumi, Akira, Ako, Makie, and Yuuna.

* The ComicBook/XMen and their affiliates. The sole criteria for being affiliated with the team is that you have to either be a {{Mutant}}, or involved in mutant politics in some way or other (a sympathetic human, an [[DePower ex-mutant]], a genetic experiment from another dimension who happened to get saved by mutants, etc). Since about 10% of the MarvelUniverse's population used to be mutants at one point, this meant [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a great deal of snowballing]], and even after the [[ComicBook/HouseOfM "Decimation"]] event had over 90% of ''that'' population BroughtDownToNormal, the X-Books' cast is still larger than almost all of Marvel's other properties, ''put together.''

* In JRR Tolkien's ''[[Literature/LordOfTheRings The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' Frodo and Sam set out from the Shire alone, but collect Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli, Boromir and Legolas in the formation of the titular fellowship before they part ways at the end of the book.
** And then, when they are split up, accrue everything from a TokenEvilTeammate to walking trees to the AffirmativeActionGirl.

* ''Series/HouseOfAnubis''- Sibuna seems to grow larger each season, either by gaining new allies or actual members. What started out as a PowerTrio became a FiveManBand, and eventually, by [[TheMovie The Touchstone of Ra]], everyone in the house had been involved at some point in Sibuna. [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg Except Mick.]]

* Deconstructed in both ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' and ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords''. The respective PlayerCharacter's magnetism is revealed to not be just a NecessaryWeasel, but an actual ability to influence others to join them. In ''The Sith Lords'', it's a one-of-a-kind Force power that the protagonist uses unconsciously. In ''Planescape'', [[spoiler:the Symbol of Torment tattooed on the Nameless One's left shoulder is a magical rune that draws tormented individuals to him. That's how he always manages to assemble a group of companions for his journeys--if you have a DarkAndTroubledPast, you'll feel ''compelled'' to help him, even if it leads to your death]].

* Team Kimba is still doing this in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse. First it was Chaka, Fey, Tennyo, Generator and Shroud, Phase, and Lancer. Then they pulled in Carmilla, then Bladedancer. Then Carmilla and Bladedancer pulled in more, to the point that both have been split off with their own teams. Now there's Vamp and the Crimson Comet.
* WebOriginal/FalloutIsDragons has the Dragon Mawlers Incorperated, much to the frustration of the game master.

** The sequel series, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', is even more extreme, with the starting four (Korra, Asami, Mako and Bolin) expanding to include Tenzin, all three of his kids and both of his siblings, Varrick, Jhu Li, Toph, Lin, and Opal Beifong, and the airbender Kai.

Some groups or teams [[HowToGatherCharacters act as a character magnet.]] The group keeps on attracting new members and/or close allies. In {{shonen}} anime, especially, [[HeelFaceTurn a former villain]] of the WorthyOpponent class tends to become [[DefeatMeansFriendship a new teammate]].

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'': Touma and Index. Justified in that one has an unusual power, and the other is sought after for her information (and thus protected) by a large part of the world.

** Taken UpToEleven after the Soul Society arc, following which Ichigo's group is unofficially allied with the ''entire'' [[BadassArmy Goetei 13]], many of whom become recurring characters.

** Probably two of the most striking examples of this in {{RPG}}s are ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'', which has 45 characters total, and the {{Suikoden}} series, which has OneHundredAndEight (although, to be fair, the vast majority of the 108 are minor characters). Also notable are the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series, while having a reasonably small amount of characters, have hundreds upon hundreds of {{Mons}} that may be convinced to ally with the player.

** In ''FireEmblem'', if there's a named character on the field, good odds point to that character either joining you or being the boss of the level. In ''Path of Radiance'', many characters decide to join your army for the flimsiest of reasons regardless of any protestations from your characters.