This is one of the subclauses of Mook Chivalry.

Note also the closely related Law of Conservation of Ninjutsu.

I just want a realistic ninja movie where they all scatter in different directions and disguise themselves as peasants and artisans. One tries to kill him in his sleep. One tries to stab him in the anonymity of a crowded marketplace. Another tries to poison him at a tea house. One tries a concealed crossbow in an alley. Yet another spends decades learning to be a great artist and is commissioned to paint the hero.

I mean, if they have swords, attacking all at once is a good way to slice your own team. Trading off on lunging in to strike is honestly not a terrible strategy, the solo guy will get tired faster, and then they can descend upon him while he's winded.

There are not so many fighting scenes worth the effort. I can think of just a few. Kill Bill had a few good ones, including the one where she fights a coffin. :)

And there is Oldboy (... *Bing*)

There's a rhythm game called Kickbeat from a dozen years ago that runs on this classic trope.

The hordes of enemy henchmen just circle around you in a very orderly manner so you can read the pattern and kung-fu your way through them one or two at a time.

I wonder what would actually happen is we reproduced fights like that. Of course the group has a great advantage, but realistically, if like more than 3 people attack at the same time, they might end up hitting each other, so it's not absurd for some to hesitate. There's also our group behavior that makes us behave weird when in groups. I also remember a video with a group of people fighting against one guy where people joked about this, because it was almost one at a time

Remember to glow red if you're gonna hit hard, and yellow if you're just going for a little tap.

Wish I hadn't looked this up and found out it's nearly 20 years old. 😭

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdzHpr-QZhw

Just like we practised, teleport around at random and take up the whole frame when on camera.

https://youtu.be/x5Ulxe-t6e8

I wouldn't describe Raid Redemption as one at a time.