Some seasons in the
Super Sentai/
Power Rangers franchise have started with
three rangers instead of
the usual team of five, usually a trio composed of
Red, Blue and Yellow (and it's usually
Two Guys and a Girlnote Except in Sun Vulcan.), who are then joined
mid-series by
at least two extra rangers. They typically get just as much, if not more, exposure as the primary heroes, much like the sixth rangers.
- Before Power Rangers, this practice was done first in the 1988 Super Sentai series Liveman, where the original heroes of Red Falcon, Yellow Lion and Blue Dolphin were joined by Black Bison and Green Sai (Rhino) in Episode 30. The Volt follow a similar arrangement, starting out with three executives (Kemp, Mazenda and Obular) and losing one (Obular) while at the same time gaining three more (Ashura, then Guildos and Butchy at different points) for a total of five.
- This trope is actually inverted in the first episode. At the beginning we're presented with five friends who it seems like will be the Five-Man Band of the show. Five minutes in, and the two who seemed like The Leader and The Heart are both dead, leaving just their three surviving friends to become the titular team.
- Choujin Sentai Jetman has a downplayed example in which Red Hawk, Yellow Owl and White Swan are assembled in the first episode and are joined by Blue Swallow and Black Condor in the second episode.
- Ninja Sentai Kakuranger has another downplayed example in which NinjaRed, NinjaBlue and NinjaWhite assembled in the first episode and are joined by NinjaYellow and NinjaBlack in the second and third episodes respectively.
- Hurricaneger/Ninja Storm: The Hurricanegers/Wind Ninjas form the main trio, with the Gouraigers/Thunder Ninjas (two brothers from a rival academy) joining later to form a team of five. An actual Sixth Ranger was later introduced in the form of Shurikenger/Samurai Star Ranger.
- Abaranger/Dino Thunder: Downplayed; the extra rangers were Abare Black/Black Dino Ranger, who served as an older brother figure to the main trio, followed much later by Sixth Ranger Abare Killer/White Dino Ranger, a former villain who underwent a Heel–Face Turn.
- Gekiranger/Jungle Fury: Downplayed with Geki Violet/Wolf Ranger and Geki Chopper/Rhino Ranger, as they were added one at a time. The heroes' two main rivals (Rio/Jarrod and Mele/Camille) later switch sides, though only at the very end.
- Go-Onger/RPM: The series introduced not one, but two pairs of extra rangers: RPM/Go-On Black & Green (who were part of the main team but have their own distinctive changers/Morphers) and RPM/Go-On Gold & Silver (siblings who formed a separate team), who were both the Sixth Rangers.
- Go-Busters/Beast Morphers: The main trio were joined by Beet Buster/Grid Battleforce Gold Ranger and Stag Buster / Grid Battleforce Silver Ranger, another pair of Japanese Beetle Brothers-themed extra rangers like the Goraigers/Thunder Rangers. Unlike them, these are the season's Sixth Rangers.
- In Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger, which features a Red-Blue-Yellow trio, this is teased in #3 when Ascended Fanboy Akagi asks Hakase if there's going to be a Green or a Black Ranger joining them (referring to Liveman and Go-Onger). This never happens.
- Power Rangers Dino Force Brave (Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger Brave), the Korean Spin-Off of Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger, has a downplayed example with Brave Red Dino (Brave Kyoryu Red), Brave Black Dino (Brave Kyoryu Black) and Brave Blue Dino (Brave Kyoryu Blue) assembling in the first episode and being joined by Brave Green Dino (Brave Kyoryu Green) and Brave Pink Dino (Brave Kyoryu Pink) in the second episode, with the Sixth Ranger Brave Gold Dino (Brave Kyoryu Gold) also cropping up later.
- Kyuranger: Oddly enough, this time the team starts out with Chameleon Green, Oushi Black, and Kajiki Yellow, and gains Shishi Red and Ookami Bluenote In all prior Sentai series, Red and Blue are part of the team at the beginning; in Kyuranger, Lucky and Garu, the team's Red and Blue rangers, are discovered by Hami, Champ, and Spada - the team's Green, Black, and Yellow rangers - before the former 2 become Kyurangers by the end of the first episode. Following Go-Onger and Go-Busters above, the next two to join the team are Gold and Silver (Tenbin Gold and Hebitsukai Silver), and after that, Sasori Orange and Washi Pink joined the team separately. After that, the team gains Ryu Commander, Koguma Skyblue, and Houou Soldier, the latter of which is the series's Sixth.
- Downplayed in Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger, which features two rival trios, but share a single Sixth Ranger that can change bentween Lupin X and Patren X. Funnily enough, the Lupinrangers have a literal example when Lupin Red uses GoodStriker to split himself into three for the team's Finishing Move.
- Ryusoulger: The team starts with Ryusoul Red, Blue and Pink before Ryusoul Green and Black join them a few episodes later, akin to the Goraigers. The show later introduces a Sixth Ranger in Ryusoul Gold.
- Zenkaiger inverts this, as it starts with Zenkaizer and Zenkai Juran as the only members of the team before they're joined by Zenkai Gaon, Magine and Vroon (And later by Twokaizer, Stacaesar and Hakaizer).
- Boonboomger: The team starts with Bun Red, Blue and Pink before being joined by Bun Black and Orange, and just like Go-On Green & Black, they have their own distinctive changers and weapons. They're later joined by the Sixth Ranger, Bun Violet.
