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Combined the two "Neon Genesis Evangelion" examples
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{{trope}}
[[File:108-image.jpg|link=Lost|frame|The Numbers are bad!]]
[[File:image.jpg|link=Lost|frame|The Numbers are bad!]]The number '''108''' is a significant number in Buddhism. It represents the number of temptations that humans face, which tie them to the Wheel of ''samsara''. There are many religious elements related to this number—a bell is rung 108 times to bring in the [[Japanese Holidays|New Year in Japan]]. It is the number of beads on a Buddhist ''o-juzu'' or rosary. A classic pilgrimage in Japan visits 108 temples. Also, it's 2 to the second power times 3 to the third power -- ''obviously'' important (Then again, 2 and 3 are the first two prime num- wait, [[The Illuminatus Trilogy|23? Oh come on, man!]]). Or put another way it is 1^1x2^2x3^3.▼
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This number crops up frequently in anime, video games, and other media produced in Japan. Like the numbers [[Thirteen Is Unlucky|13]] or [[Lucky Seven|7]] for Western culture, it is ascribed a mystical significance far outside the original definitions. It has no readily comparable analogue to a modern Western viewer, however, though lots of similarities with the Medieval or Renaissance use of the number nine, which was considered perfect, the trinity of trinities, square of the first "real" prime (2 didn't count, sometimes, because it was even), etc.
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Compare [[Four Is Death]] and its Western equivalent, the [[Number of the Beast]]; however, note that the number 108 is not always used in a negative sense as these other two examples generally are.
{{examples}}▼
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== Anime and Manga ==
* In the ''[[Naruto]]'' series the 108th episode, titled as "Invisible Crack" Sasuke starts to completely break his bonds with Konoha and Naruto. With this episode the saga of the hunt after Sasuke begins and it brings mortal danger to nearly all of the named characters of Naruto's age group while fighting to bring Sasuke back, including Naruto himself whilst fighting Sasuke.
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* In the ''[[Angel Sanctuary]]'' manga, when Yue Kato is explaining his [[Dark and Troubled Past]], he states that "108 bells would not be enough to cleanse my soul".
** Coincidentally enough (or maybe not...), {{spoiler|Kato dies (for the third and final time) in the 108th chapter of the manga.}}
* In ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]],'' the Marduk Institute which allegedly selects the pilots for Evangelions is a coalition of 108 companies—all dummy corporations with little more than a mail drop to their name, owned indirectly by [[Ancient Conspiracy|SEELE and NERV]].
* In the Halloween special episode of ''[[Comic Party]] Revolution'', the characters explore a near-abandoned old school building. One of the characters breaks out a book listing 108 ways to deal with scary situations.
* ''[[Shaman King]]'' has a magic rosary called ''The 1080'', because it contains 1080 beads. Also, the Nakaoni ("Medium demon") is formed by 108 onis, and the Oh-oni ("Big demon") is formed by 1080.
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** Although probably a coincidence, the final episode of the first anime series is Episode 108 (109 was just a recap episode).
* In ''[[Muhyo and Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation]]'' Ebisu attempts do to "Maneuver 108", which involves surrounding the scene of a haunting with a "barrier" of spiritual-energy infused "needles". {{spoiler|Unfortunately he runs out of energy before he can finish the barrier and decides to set it off anyway. At first it seems to work but it soon fails, causing Ebisu to be fired.}} It should be noted that Ebisu's [[Ambition Is Evil|ruthless, greedy, and ambitious]] ([[Bishounen|male]]) boss wears a ''miko''-style outfit.
* Mud Doll # 108 is given unusual prominence [http://www.onemanga.com/Japan_Tengu_Party_Illustrated/23/09/ here]{{Dead link}} in ''[[Japan Tengu Party Illustrated]]''.
* In the beginning of the Kyoto Field Trip arc of ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'', onmyou gods shaped as frogs attack the class while traveling to Kyoto via bullet train. According to Fei Ku, the students round up 108 of the little buggers.
** In Negi's second fight with Evangeline he has 108 secret tools of the mage.
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* The [[Bio-Meat: Nectar]] production facility has 108 sections.
* In ''[[Sands of Destruction]]'', there are 108 Laws of Clockwork Robotics.
* ''[[Touhou]]'' [[Comic Book Adaptation|manga spin-off]] ''Inaba of the Moon, Inaba of the Earth'' once had a chapter where [[Moon Rabbit|Reisen]] needed to borrow a book from [[Hot Librarian|Patchoulli]] for her master. Much to her horror, the "book" was actually comprised of 72 Heaven volumes and 36 Earth volumes,
* In chapter 51 of the ''[[Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei]]'' manga, the close of the chapter features a picture of Ikkyu taken from his elementary school's alumni association. It's indicated that it is from the 108th anniversary of the school.
* In ''[[Digimon Xros Wars]]'', there are 108 Zones in the digital world.
* Two (probably) meaningless references in episode 5 of ''[[Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt|Panty and Stocking With Garterbelt]]'': Oscar H. Genius holds a party for the 108th anniversary of the company he's president of, and Stocking is seen eating sweets made of 108% concentrated egg cream.
* ''[[Rosario + Vampire]] Season II'' has our hero Tsukune undergoing an emergency power-upgrade that involves 109 needles (here's [https://web.archive.org/web/20110326062233/http://somemangas.com/manga/Rosario-Vampire_II/40/ needle #1]). He's able to handle 108 of them.
* In ''[[Dragonball Z]]'', Dende is the 108th son of the Eldest Namek.
* The ''[[Lupin III]]'' episode "Have the 108 Bells Rung?" which takes place at a major New Year's Eve celebration; the bell ringing actually plays a role in Lupin's scheme.
* In the anime of ''[[The World God Only Knows]]'' (second season, episode 3), the school baseball team [[Epic Fail|loses spectacularly]]; the other team scores 108 points in only a few innings. [[Fridge Logic|Which is probably impossible in an amateur league]], but maybe their sheer [[Hot-Blooded|Hot Bloodedness]] bent the rules?
== Fan
* In ''[[Kyon: Big Damn Hero]]'' Tsuruya will be the 108th family head when she assumes that position.
* In ''[[Fair Vote]]'' the protagonist uses 108 phurba ritual daggers instead of chalk to make his summoning circles.
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* In ''[[Viewtiful Joe]] 2'', one stage has Joe (or Sylvia) hitting a giant bell 108 times in order to continue on (though knocking an enemy into the bell counts as 10 rings.)
* In ''[[Legend of Dragoon]]'', it was said that there were 108 races in the world, including humans, dragons, and many others unique to the world. However, all but a handful are extinct by the time the game begins. Furthermore, the Moon Child is said to arise every 108 years, while {{spoiler|[[Dark Is Not Evil|Rose]] is said to have saved the world from the Moon Child's emigration to the Virage Embryo a total of 107 times, failing on the 108th.}}
* ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' uses and abuses it (with variants: one and eight, one hundred and eight, one thousand and eight). The [
* In ''[[The World Ends With You]]'''s [[Alternate Universe|bonus chapter]], Joshua's registration number in the Tin Pin tournament is 108.
* Chapter 4 of ''[[Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World]]'' features an NPC who boasts that the Lezareno Company's life insurance covers you to the age of 108 (More half-elf discrimination, of course, as they live much longer).
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* An average of 108 people die each minute.
* The FM radio broadcast band tops out at 108 megahertz... except in Japan, where ironically, it ends at 90, with the upper range being used for broadcast TV instead.
* At the height of her (life-threatening) obesity, Nancy Makin, the author of ''703'' had a waistband measuring 108 inches. She can be seen holding it [https://web.archive.org/web/20110903165520/http://photos.mlive.com/grandrapidspress/2010/04/nancy_makin_profile_7.html here].
* There are often a few ghost stories suggesting that someone died in "Room 108".
* According to [[The Other Wiki]], Japan has 108 active volcanoes.
* [[Yuri Gagarin]], [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|the first man in space]], orbited in 108 minutes according to the official records.
* [http://www.arentwenaughty.com/adult-novelties/adult-games/bedroom-commands-card-game-p2912.aspx ''Bedroom Commands'']{{Dead link}} by [[NSFW|Aren't We Naughty]] has 108 cards split into two decks (one for him, one for her).
* The angles of a regular pentagon are 108 degrees each.
* Because of the death of Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt in the 2011 Giro D'Italia, the organizers have decided to retire the number 108, meaning that either the number 100 or 110 will be used to replace the number, a rarity in cycling considering that the Grand Tours usually limit the rosters at 9 riders.
* Since the Texas Rangers were founded the current{{when}} total number of Rangers that have died in the line of duty is 108.
* Chris Milo of the Canadian Football League made a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CjYWtf_jqE 108-yard punt.]
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Useful Notes/Japan]]
[[Category:Number Tropes]]
▲[[Category:108]]
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