ōendan

thumb|An ōendan An , literally "cheering squad" or "cheering section", is a Japanese sports rallying team similar in purpose and allegedly inspired by the cheerleading squads in the United States, but relies more on making a lot of noise with brass drums or taiko drums, blowing horns and other items, waving flags and banners, and yelling through plastic megaphones in support of their sports team than on acrobatic moves (though some ōendan incorporate pom-pom girls). In addition to cheering for their own teams, ōendan have been known to lead fans in cheers which tease and taunt the other team and its fans. This is usually done in the spirit of good competition, but occasional fights have broken out if the taunting gets too heated. Smaller ōendan are sometimes called .

Like in high school and college sports in United States, the Ōendan may be followed by brass bands or by a group of fans playing songs in support for the teams on trumpets. thumb|An ōendan member of Keio University during the Waseda Keio rivalry game