Fibonacci Sequence of Team Compositions

15 min readJan 13, 2025

They were a band of misfits. All stories about teams of heroes start along these lines. No story ever starts with they were a team of seasoned professionals operating efficiently like a well-oiled machine. Why you may ask? Well because we read stories to learn how to behave in new circumstances, and it’s far more likely we find ourselves in having to deal with a group of fumbling randos than in a team in which every member knows precisely what its role is.

If you look with the right kind of eyes there are some clear narrative patterns in terms of the number of protagonists that appear in works of fiction, be it books, TV shows, movies, or indeed video games. Almost all narratives involve one of the following number of main characters, 1, 2, 3, or 5. It is curious to notice that this pattern follows the first four numbers of the Fibonacci sequence. The mathematics of this becomes obvious if we take a look in the internal dynamics of each of these typical team setups.

In the beginning, there was one

Stories tend to have a clear protagonist. Many of them develop around one main character. They follow its adventures, ups and downs, trials, and learning process. The narratives of this type tend to follow their own set of rules, perhaps the ones described in the Monomyth theory of Joseph Campbell or one of the shapes of the story of Kurt Vonnegut.

There are numerous examples of this, the Odyssey being the most classical example.. The main character of the story has its obvious purpose. It is the focal point of the reader’s attention. In the cases of classical heroes and typical anti-heroes, this is the one character that the reader is meant to identify with or the one we are meant to have an intense emotional relationship with.

We read and listen to stories because we have an instinctive urge to learn from other people’s experiences. Our brains are literally hardwired to do so through immense evolutionary pressure. Telling stories is the main means of converting experiences between different persons. The protagonist or the main character is the main vector of this transfer. We are supposed to learn from the actions of the main character. This is the one we explore and whose internal life we are the most interested in.

Still, very few stories feature only a single character. In most cases, the hero is combined with at least one or several more characters. The basic story of the individual protagonist in this case serves as either a backbone upon which other supporting characters are attached or as a building block out of which several parallel and intertwined character stories are created.

In the world of gaming, the hero will be the player’s avatar, i.e. the character whose mantle the player will take over and embody within the game.

Duos

I said before we are meant to learn from the protagonist. The best way to do so is by observing its actions and by peaking into the workings of the hero’s brain. Actions are obvious. They can be narrated from both third and first-person perspectives. However, in order to learn about the workings of the protagonist’s mind, about his inner life we need to apply one of the following methods. Either peek into his mind directly or by observing its interactions with other characters.

Peaking directly into the mind of the protagonist is usually, but not always, done through the use of the first-person narrative. The indirect way of learning about the psychology of the main character is by observing its interaction with other characters. We are social creatures by the way and are compelled to observe the ways how other people, real or fictional act in given circumstances. Interactions between the hero and the others can be revealing. The hero can interact casually with random people it meets on its adventures. However, these are ad hoc interactions that are limited in scope. Much deeper learning about the character is a result of its interaction with other permanent characters.

As soon as we introduce another permanent character into the story we start to deal with the team mechanics. Granted the team in question is a very rudimentary one involving just two individuals. However, even in this basic setup, both characters have clearly defined purposes. Most often one character will remain in the focus, this will be our hero or the lead. The other character is there to serve as the hero’s counterpoint. The purpose of this character is to serve as a contrast to the hero allowing the reader to more easily observe the hero’s psychological properties and reasons for the hero’s behavior.

There are numerous examples of this setup. From classical Don Quixote and Sancho Panza to comic duos of the silent movie era such as Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy to Batman and Robin etc. Take a look also at Waiting for Godot (not the game engine) if you want to see an extremely opaque example of the duo mechanic.

The pairing of the characters is done in a way that they are yin and yang. Their properties are deliberately chosen to be opposite and complimentary. If the hero is silent and brooding the other one will will be fast-talking and extroverted. If one is fat the other one will be thin. If one is experienced the other one will be a rookie. If one is short the other one will be tall and so on. Take a look at Cartoon Network’s Two Stupid Dogs or any of the Hanna Barbera (Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo Bear, Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looey, Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy, Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har, Secret Squirrel and Morocco Mole,.. etc.) classics and you will clearly see the pattern. Zootopia’s Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are a contemporary example of this mechanics.

Modern video game examples include Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us and Kratos and Atreus in God of War.

Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo Bear, smarter than an average power couple.

The second character is there to emphasize the properties of the hero. The technical term for this type of character is the foil. This strange term originates in photography. If you are trying to take a good photo of a shiny reflective object, a gem, or say a bottle of expensive perfume, you will want it to bounce its reflection off of something. A bit of tin foil can be inserted to emphasize this effect. Just like that the supporting character is there to bounce the reflection of the main character. Hence the name.

In addition to this, the second character can take the role of a mentor or a guide to the main character. This is especially common in the world of video games.

Trio

Duos are stable structures. The two characters stand in symmetry reflecting each other properties, or at least the foil is reflecting the hero’s properties. However, once this basic setup is established these stable structures can become stale and boring.

If the hero or the foil doesn’t evolve after a certain point there will be nothing new to learn either from their own interaction or from the way how they react to various situations.

In order to break this deadlock another character can be added. This triangle can instantly break up the symmetry of the setup and insert the new dynamic into the team. All of a sudden we are not dealing anymore with the one relationship between two characters but with three relationships between three characters.

This is a much more interesting setup. Two characters of this setup can have a mutual interaction which is completely or partially occluded from the third one. Consider a classical love triangle. Or consider a classical plot to overthrow the main character. We can also establish a hierarchy of characters in this structure. He-man, Teela, and Men-at-arms constitute one such interesting trio. Men-at-arms is the father to Teela. Teela is He-man’s implied love interest and partner and Men-at-arms is his mentor.

In this case, we can see how the mentor of a duo mechanic gets baked into the trio setup.

Modern examples of this insatiable trio setup are Dipper, Marble, and grand uncle Stan in Gravity Falls.

Five Person Team

We can evolve the setup by adding more characters. This is typically done by ramping the number all the way to five. Five is a peculiar number, it is odd. Moreover, it is a prime number. It is also small enough to manage. However, it is also large enough to accommodate a diverse set of characters with particular personalities.

Ramping up the character count up to five is more common in commercial franchises of modern pop culture than in classical works of fiction. The reason for this is practical and very capitalistic in its core. Five distinct characters can be modeled to appeal to five different types of demographics. Think about the Spice Girls!

In a group this large each character can take over a certain aspect and a distinct role. The basic core models can remain the same. Each team will have a leader. The leader will be kept deliberately vague, a near-blank slate so that the reader can project himself onto the hero. On the other hand, a totally blank hero is boring. Thus, the hero will typically be paired with a foil.

This foil will often also take another role, the role of the second in command, the trusted lieutenant to the hero. This character is the hero’s right-hand man, i.e. the lancer.

Typically if the hero is a calm composed, calculated one springing into action only after a long contemplation, the lancer will be a brash and fast man of action ready to burst out at any opportunity. Conversely, if the hero is the firecracker the lancer will be the one trying to tone down reactions of the hero, to cool down the hero’s hot head.

Sir Lancelot and King Arthur are the age-old examples of this dynamic. Interestingly enough, if there is a character that will at any point of the narrative betray the hero, this will most likely be the lancer. Again Sir Lancelot shagging the queen Guinevere is the typical example. If the hero is alpha the lancer will be either sigma or the aspiring alpha trying to overthrow the hero from the leadership position.

Two additional characters will take two wing positions, often on the opposite end of the spectrum. One will typically be the brain of the operation. Typically this will be a nerdy, brainiac, perhaps on the spectrum, perhaps socially awkward, perhaps a bit odd. This character will be the one providing solutions to problems through the application of brain power. This character might be the master strategist, or simply the provider of the gadgets.

The fourth character will typically be the polar opposite. This one will be the brawns of the team. The tank. The muscle. The one that solves problems through the application of force, either through the use of explosive energy or through sheer physical power. This character obviously stands in opposition to the brain of the team, but they can also be best buddies. In this way, these two characters can become their own mini duo. Consider Beast Boy and Cyborg in Teen Titans Go.

Although polar opposites these two characters have always one thing in common. They are unlikely to try to grab the top spot on the team. This is usually done due to the traits of their personalities. Typically, the brian will be presented as introverted or shy or just too quirky, the tank will be presented as either intellectually limited or simply too hedonistic and disinterested.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles offer a prime example of these roles. Leonardo is the leader. Raphael is his foil. He is the one constantly jabbing at Leonardo and constantly egging him on and challenging him. Donatello is the archetypal brain of the team. Michaelangelo is the force of nature.

The fifth character is the interesting one. Not all teams will have the identical fifth character. Several choices for it exist. Sometimes this role will be filled in with the mentor of the team. Enter Master Splinter. Sometimes this will be the love interest of the main character. In most gender-normative narratives this will be the token female of the team. Sometimes this character will be simply the comic relief, Scooby or Toto or goddamn Jar-Jar Binx.

The concept of comic relief is an important one. The comic relief is added there to provide a bit of levity when the troubles that the team is facing become too intense to handle. If a specific slot in the character roster is not reserved specifically for the comic relief this role will be mapped onto one of the four supporting characters. Typically but not always this will be the muscle guy. Maybe, it is the brain, quirky like Edward in Cowboy Bebop. Sometimes it’s the lance. However, in this case, the humor will be more likely to manifest itself in the form of wisecrack jokes and oneliners thrown by the lance. Even the mentor can serve this role, like Mister Myagi in Karate Kid. The comic relief will never be the main character!

What Happened to Four?

Ah, four. The problem with the four-character dynamic is that will most often devolve into a combination of two pairs. This is not something that can exist in the long run as it subverts the original intention of the introduction of other characters.

Even if the team is presented as a team of exactly four characters the fifth character is present although it can be unaccounted for in the basic count. Brian Epstein is after all The Fifth Beatle. Quite often the fifth one will be some sort of a mentor or a love interest. There are four ninja turtles however, the fifth one is Master Splinter. Or if we disregard Master Splinter there is April O’Neil.

Even if the four-person team doesn’t contain the secret fifth member it usually still hides the internal structure that actually devolves to one of the previously described steps. There are Four Musketeers, however, if you think about it it is a story of D’aragnan and his three mentors, almost fairy godmothers. The hidden dynamic here is not 4 but 1 + 3 where Artos Portos and Aramis make their own independent trio.

Beyond Five

There are, of course, many examples of teams with more than five members. The Fellowship of the Ring and the crew of the USS Enterprise come immediately to mind. However, just as in the case of the Four Musketeers, these larger teams tend to break apart into smaller more manageable components.

The fellowship breaks apart into a set of subteams during the narrative of the Lord of the Rings. Initially, Frodo and the other three hobbits form a subunit of 1 + 3 format. This group breaks down into two classical pairs of Frodo and Sam and far less developed Pippin and Merry. Ginly and Legolas are paired early on as another quintessential duo of opposites, even in their physical properties. Finally, Aragorn is added to this group as a leader. Gandalf stands as a mentor figure to all of them from the get-go but gets his own unspoken solo narrative arc, that literally traces all the major steps of the hero’s journey. Finally, Boromir serves as a foil to Aragorn and later even after his death to Faramir.

In Star Trek, the original series, the crew of the USS Enterprise includes again seven people. However, this team also breaks down into constituent parts, Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr McCoy form their own distinct trio throughout the series. They are the triumvirate that dictates much of the plot in the majority of episodes. Dr. McCoy serves exactly the role of breaking up symmetry between Kirk as the man of action and Spock as the voice of pure reason. Even most of the away teams in episodes involving other characters include usually three characters.

Just like heavier elements in the periodic system, teams of more than five characters tend to be insatiable. The binary bonds between pairs of individual characters are too numerous to be properly developed. These teams operate as a collection of smaller teams.

Conclusions

Understanding team dynamics in storytelling offers profound insights into crafting compelling narratives. The recurring pattern of protagonist configurations — 1, 2, 3, or 5 — reveals a fascinating interplay between simplicity and complexity. These setups are not arbitrary; they align with the fundamental ways humans process relationships and engage with stories.

The solo protagonist embodies the essence of individual growth, while duos introduce contrast and depth through opposites. Trios break the monotony with layered dynamics, adding intrigue through a triangular interplay of relationships. Five-person teams, on the other hand, masterfully balance variety and cohesion, offering roles that cater to diverse audience expectations.

However, larger teams often fragment into smaller, more manageable sub-teams, mirroring the atomic bonds of chemistry — small clusters are where the real magic happens. Even when a narrative ventures beyond the limit of five characters, these teams tend to break down to constituent subteams, reflecting the universality of these patterns.

Key Takeaways

Most stories involve teams of 1, 2, 3, or 5 main characters, reflecting a Fibonacci sequence pattern.
Stories with a single protagonist focus intensely on personal growth, trials, and the Monomyth structure.
Even in solo narratives, supporting characters often enhance the story by reflecting the protagonist’s traits.
Duos create contrasts (e.g., opposites like introvert/extrovert, strong/weak) to emphasize the hero’s qualities.
The “foil” is the secondary character, designed to highlight the hero’s traits.
Modern examples include Joel and Ellie (The Last of Us) and Kratos and Atreus (God of War).
Trios introduce more dynamic relationships with three distinct pairings (A-B, A-C, B-C).
Often include a leader, a supporter, and a contrasting figure (e.g., Gravity Falls: Dipper, Mabel, Grunkle Stan).
Each member assumes a specific role: leader, lancer (foil), brain, brawn, and an additional wildcard (mentor, comic relief, or love interest).
Teams of this size can appeal to a broader audience by diversifying personalities and roles (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a classic example).
Teams of four often devolve into two pairs or implicitly include a fifth “hidden” role like a mentor (Master Splinter in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).
Larger teams (e.g., The Fellowship of the Ring or USS Enterprise) tend to fragment into smaller, more manageable sub-teams for storytelling focus.
Key character archetypes include the leader, the foil (lancer), the mentor, the brain, the brawn, and comic relief.
Each role adds depth and variety, contributing to the story’s progression and emotional engagement.
Character pairings often utilize opposites (e.g., physical traits, personalities) to create engaging interactions.
Pop culture often leverages diverse teams to cater to different demographics (Spice Girls analogy for appealing to broad audiences).