Alliances were an important aspect of the Hunger Games, as tributes could survive longer by having allies to watch their backs in the arena. Allies usually shared food and weapons and helped each other stay alive. Alliances generally broke apart near the end of the Games so the members would not have to feel so much guilt when they had to kill each other.
Common types[]
Alliances typically formed in the early stages of the Games,[1] often between tributes from the same district.
Another common alliance was formed between District 1, District 2, and District 4, whose children trained as Career Tributes prior to the reaping and often volunteered to fight. In the arena, they worked together to take out competition until their alliance was all that remained. At that point, they would turn on each other. This alliance was sometimes called a Career pack because of the tributes' aggressive pack-like mentality and bloodlust.[1] In the films, only Districts 1 and 2 were the Career districts, excluding District 4. [2][3]
Significant alliances[]
10th Hunger Games[]
Coriolanus Snow was surprised to learn about an alliance between the tributes from District 12, commenting that an alliance in the Games is impossible, so this was not something seen in the prior nine years of Hunger Games.[4] In previous years, the tributes were immediately transported from the reaping to the arena, so this change could be a result of the tributes spending more time together before the Games. The new nature of the Capitol Arena also provided new opportunities for alliances, as the landscape of the arena was reshaped following a bombing.
District 3 alliance[]
- Circ - Killed by snake muttations, placing 7th.[5]
- Teslee - Killed by Treech with an axe, placing 4th.[6]
District 4 and 10 alliance[]
Due to the tributes' teamwork and skill with weapons, this may have been an early precursor to later Career alliances.
- Mizzen - Killed in a fall while trying to escape Teslee's drones, placing 5th.[6] In the film, he was killed by snake mutts and placed 4th.[7]
- Coral - Killed by snake mutts, placing 6th in the book[5], and 2nd in the film.
- Tanner - Killed by his own allies, first stabbed by Coral with a trident and then finished off by Mizzen with a knife, placing 9th.[8] Placed 8th in the film.[7]
- Treech - Allied with other tributes in the film only. He was bitten by venomous snake mutts set upon him by Lucy Gray Baird, placing 3rd. In the film, he inhaled rat poison Lucy Gray dropped on him, placing 6th.[7]
District 12 alliance[]
- Jessup Diggs - Killed in a fall while trying to escape water bottles sent to trigger his hydrophobia, a symptom of his rabies; placed 11th.[9]
- Lucy Gray Baird - Victor
50th Hunger Games[]
Career alliance[]
The second Quarter Quell had twice the regular number of tributes,[10] resulting in a super-sized pack of ten Careers at the end of the Cornucopia bloodbath. They spent the first three days scouring the mountain area for victims. Despite their initial numbers advantage, only two Careers made it to the final eight.[11]
- District 1 female - Tricked by Haymitch Abernathy into throwing her axe into the force field at the edge of the arena, killing her when the axe rebounded; placed 2nd.
- Others from District 1, 2, 4, and/or other districts
- Five unknown Careers - Killed by a volcanic eruption on day four; anywhere between 25th-14th place.
- Two unknown Careers - Killed by Haymitch with a knife, placing 13th and 12th.
- One unknown Career - Killed by Maysilee Donner with a poison dart from her blowgun, placing 11th.
- One other Career - Either killed in combat or eaten by a pack of squirrel mutts, placing 4th or 3rd.
District 12 alliance[]
Haymitch and Maysilee became allies after the volcanic eruption drove all the remaining tributes into the woods.
- Haymitch Abernathy - Victor
- Maysilee Donner - Killed by candy-pink bird mutts, coming in 5th place.[11]
74th Hunger Games[]
Career alliance[]
Overall, the Careers placed rather poorly compared with most other years where they placed close to first.
- Marvel - Killed by Katniss Everdeen with an arrow to the throat, placing 8th.[12]
- Glimmer - Killed by tracker jackers (set on her by Katniss), placing 12th.[13]
- Cato - Mauled by wolf mutts, but mercy killed by Katniss with an arrow, placing 3rd.[14]
- Clove - Killed by Thresh with a rock, placing 6th.[15]
- District 3 male - Not a Career, used for technical skills; joined the group after Peeta left; had his neck snapped by Cato, placing 9th.[16]
- District 4 male - Killed in the bloodbath.[1] Not a Career in the film, where he placed 16th.[2]
- District 4 female - Killed by tracker jackers (set on her by Katniss), placing 11th.[13] Not a Career in the film.[2]
- Peeta Mellark - Not a Career, used to get close to Katniss, later betrays the alliance; joint victor.
Katniss's alliance[]
- Thresh - Unspoken alliance; killed by Cato in the book, placing 5th,[17] or by mutts in the film, placing 4th.[2]
- Rue - Netted and speared by Marvel, placing 7th.[12]
- Peeta Mellark - Joint victor; only reunited with Katniss after Rue's death
- Katniss Everdeen - Joint victor
75th Hunger Games[]
Career alliance[]
District 4 forwent the usual Career alliance this year, leaving a smaller Career pack of four tributes from Districts 1 and 2.
- Gloss - Killed by Katniss with an arrow to the throat, placing 11th.[18]
- Cashmere - Killed by Johanna with a thrown axe, placing 10th.[18]
- Brutus - Killed by Peeta, placing 7th.[19]
- Enobaria - Captured by the Capitol[20]
Rebel alliance[]
This was the largest known alliance with a total of 14 members. Their goal was to protect Katniss and Peeta at any cost, in order to break out of the Quell arena and extract the pair for the rebel cause. Core members that accompanied the District 12 tributes inside the arena are bolded.
- Beetee Latier - Rescued by Plutarch Heavensbee[20]
- Wiress - Had her throat slit by Gloss, placing 12th.[18]
- Finnick Odair - Rescued[20]
- Mags - Walked into poison fog, placing 15th.[21] Gave her life in order to ensure Katniss and Peeta's survival.
- District 6 female - Killed by monkey mutts, placing 14th.[22] Gave her life in defense of Peeta.
- Blight - Killed by accidentally walking into the force field, placing 16th.[22] Died before he could regroup with Katniss's immediate circle.
- Johanna Mason - Captured[20]
- Cecelia - Killed by Enobaria at the Cornucopia bloodbath.[23] Died before she could regroup with other rebels.
- Chaff - Killed by Brutus in front of Peeta, placing 8th.[19] Gave up his life to protect Peeta.
- Seeder - Killed in the bloodbath.[23] Died before she could regroup.
- Peeta Mellark - Captured[20]
- Katniss Everdeen - Rescued[20]
Minor or speculated alliances[]
- As a Career Tribute, Finnick was likely a part of a Career alliance during the 65th Hunger Games.[24]
- Annie Cresta and the District 4 male may have been in a Career alliance in the 70th Hunger Games.[25]
- Other victors who may have been in Career alliances in prior Games include Cashmere, Gloss, Enobaria, Brutus, Lyme,[26] and Augustus Braun.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Hunger Games, Chapter 11
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The Hunger Games film
- ↑ The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
- ↑ The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 8
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 19
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 20
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
- ↑ The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 18
- ↑ The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 17
- ↑ Catching Fire, Chapter 12
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Catching Fire, Chapter 14
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Hunger Games, Chapter 18
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 The Hunger Games, Chapter 14
- ↑ The Hunger Games, Chapter 25
- ↑ The Hunger Games, Chapter 21
- ↑ The Hunger Games, Chapter 17
- ↑ The Hunger Games, Chapter 23
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Catching Fire, Chapter 23
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Mockingjay, Chapter 2
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 Catching Fire, Chapter 27
- ↑ Catching Fire, Chapter 21
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Catching Fire, Chapter 22
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Catching Fire, Chapter 20
- ↑ Catching Fire, Chapter 15
- ↑ Catching Fire, Chapter 24
- ↑ Mockingjay, Chapter 14