Team Handstack

In order to show solidarity, camaraderie, or friendship, a group of people will put their hands together, one on top of the other. Often accompanied with some kind of cheer. This tactic is a favorite of True Companions.

See also Circle of Friendship. Compare and contrast Huddle Shot and Huddle Power.

Examples of Team Handstack include:

Anime and Manga

• First episode of Yu-Gi-Oh!, lampshaded in the Abridged series.
  • Yugi, Jaden, and Yusei do it at the end of the tenth anniversary movie.
• A variation on One Piece, between arcs: Back when The Straw Hat Crew was a Five-Man Band, (Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Ussop) they did this with their feet.
  • There's also one in the 11th opening with the eight Straw Hats.
• A very funny version in an episode of Naruto at about 55 seconds in. Guy forces a semi-reluctant Tenten and a you're-going-to-have-to-kill-me-first Neji to do this.
• Frequently done by the kenkyuusei in AKB 49 Renai Kinshi Jourei before important performances.
• Just before the big battle at the end of Girls und Panzer, Miho lays her hand on the front slope of her tank. The other four members of her crew set their hands atop hers, and she looks from one to another of them in surprise; she still doesn't quite grasp how highly they regard her.

Comics

• The Fantastic Four. Parodied/homaged in ads for League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Film

• In an recently retired AMC pre-show clip, three guys in costumes of snack foods (Popcorn, Soda Drink, and a Candy Bar?) give an encouraging pep talk before their skit. They finish with a hands in and cheer "Concessions!" They then proceed to do a showtune that presents common theater rules.
• The protagonists in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen do this before entering the Fantom's factory/fortress.
• In the latest Tinker Bell movie, the other fairies do this with a call of "Faith, trust, and pixie dust" when they prepare to go find Tink.
• All the heroes do this at the end of Spy Kids 3D: Game Over.
• Played for Laughs in animated version of the The Hobbit as seen here.
• Ocean's Eleven—the original with Frank Sinatra—might hold the record for the total number of hands in the stack. According to one account, the gesture was an ad lib by Sinatra, and fortunately Dean Martin, second man to put his hand in the stack, was quick on the uptake.
• Ghostbusters - The Ghostbusters do this just before entering the building to fight Gozer.

Live-Action TV

• Fort Boyard - Used in this French game show when the single team wants to motivate itself to take on the against the game. Seen in many other game team-based game shows too.
• A key scene in the second opening of Kamen Rider Blade.
• Used more than once on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
  • And in the premiere episode of Power Rangers Samurai as a Continuity Nod.
• In the old-school Sentai show JAKQ Dengekitai, the four main heroes had a finishing move (JAKQ Hurricane) performed by grasping forearms and running in a circle.
• A regular occurance of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, always accompanied by "Let's do it!"
• Subverted in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, where the team does the hand stack over the Greatest Treasure in the Universe after they resolve to use it to rewrite reality to eliminate Zangyack. However, before they do, Don interrupts to point out that there has to be some kind of catch; The Reveal quickly puts them through a big moral debate.

Video Games

• In Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, the Debut Queue the heist makes up the bulk of the story, and each time a new member is added to the Cooper Gang, we see a quick shot of the hand stack, with the new member placing their hand on top of the others (with the exception of Dimitri, who only gives a thumbs-up).
• At the end of Jak X: Combat Racing, the True Companions does this right before the final race, which will determine whether they'll defeat Mizo, and whether they'll all live or die.
• In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, at the end of the second episode, Phoenix and Maya handshake while Mia contributes the hand stack.
• In Final Fantasy X, the Aurochs are seen doing this in game as well as in this.
• In Final Fantasy XIII, Snow starts one in Chapter X.
• In Sonic Heroes, Team Sonic does one right before they use their Eleventh-Hour Superpower. Rouge also forces Team Dark to make one in their opening cutscene.
• The western generals (Kanbe, Yoshihiro, Muneshige) do this after they form an alliance in Sengoku Basara 3.

Western Animation

• Used in The Simpsons when the Be Sharps are putting their hands together. Former member Wiggum tries to sneak his hand into the stack and is met with angry stares.
• A mixed team of heroes and villains does it in The Venture Brothers episode "Hate Floats".
• Used with the main six in Recess, as well as with the Ashleys.