Ask John: Why Are There So Many Five Member Teams?

Question:
In terms of anime shows featuring groups of main characters, more often than not, the number of group members is five – examples of this include Saint Seiya, Gatchaman, the “G-Boys” of Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon (at least until some more Sailor Scouts join up), Silent Mobius, and Samurai Troopers. I’m just wondering if there exist some particular aspect within Japanese culture – historical, religious or other – that seems to invoke the number 5.

Answer:
As far as I’m aware, there’s no significant cultural reason for the frequency of five member hero teams in anime beside the fact that they aren’t four member teams. In fact, I think five member teams have become a staple of anime primarily because they allow the greatest balance of flexibility and ease of use from a literary/creative perspective.

In Japanese language the number four can be pronounced, “shi,” which is also the word for “death.” So sets of four are considered unlucky in Japanese culture. Pairs and partners are common in anime, but threesomes are generally reserved for the romantic triangle stories. Super hero teams of five allow for a diversity of characterizations without being overwhelming. Fewer than five characters isn’t really an option as four is out, three is generally the domain of romance stories, and two is the frequently used partner pair. More than five characters becomes unwieldy and either difficult to keep track of in an ensemble cast, or difficult for a writer to adequately characterize. So five characters is an ideal balance that avoids the unlucky four, and avoids being too few or too many.