Chekhov's Armoury: Difference between revisions

Line 20:

== Comic Books ==

* [[Justified Trope|Justified]] in [[Phil Foglio]]'s ''[[Stanley and His Monster]]'' miniseries: When Stanley has to go to he-- a bad place to rescue the Monster, <s>John Constantine</s>... Ambrose Bierce has him pick "Everything he thinks they will need", simultaneously casting a spell that creates a causality loop in which whatever Stanley picks will be exactly what's required.

* ''[[~~One Hundred~~ Bullets ~~(Comic Book)~~|One Hundred Bullets]]'' has its fair share. To say the very least.

* ''[[100 Bullets|One Hundred Bullets]]'' has its fair share. To say the very least.

Line 26:

* Numerous [[Tim Burton]] movies.

* Everything from the now-infamous icing problem, the arc reactor's "Something Big For 15 Minutes Guarantee", right down to the flares plays a part in [[Iron Man]].

* ''[[~~Die Hard (Film)|~~Die Hard]]'' is packed to the gills with material from the Armoury. The lighter that John finds, the question "Who gives a fuck about glass?", the explosives, the Twinkies... if it shows up on screen, it gets used again. And, in some cases, again and again.

* ''[[Die Hard]]'' is packed to the gills with material from the Armoury. The lighter that John finds, the question "Who gives a fuck about glass?", the explosives, the Twinkies... if it shows up on screen, it gets used again. And, in some cases, again and again.

** And don't forget the Rolex.

* ''[[In Bruges]]'' (it's in Belgium), {{spoiler|''everything'', from the type of bullets bought by Harry, to the movie Jimmy is starring in, etc.,}} comes into play in the finale.

* [[James Bond (~~Film~~)|James Bond]] always seems to use every gadget in his arsenal precisely once.

* [[James Bond (film)|James Bond]] always seems to use every gadget in his arsenal precisely once.

** That's only because they always get blown up as SOP.

** But it is so rare for any gadget he gets with an explanation not to be used, that he should have bribed Q to only explain him about gadgets that "will allow you to safely take out unsuspecting enemies from a great distance" instead of those that are "short ranged, one shot weapons which will not be noticed by the enemy, and you can use as a last resort when captured, bound and being tortured".

Line 36:

{{quote| "These pants, press this button, they turn into jam. Why? The hat that turned into a bicycle, that was very funny..."}}

** Rumor has it this results from the writers going back and adding a gadget whenever they write themselves into a corner.

** ''[[~~Die Another Day (Film)|~~Die Another Day]]'' had a gadget that was, in fact, used twice. {{spoiler|Bond uses the ultrasonic ring to get out of a situation in an elevated greenhouse, and again to get Jinx into his car quickly.}}

** ''[[Die Another Day]]'' had a gadget that was, in fact, used twice. {{spoiler|Bond uses the ultrasonic ring to get out of a situation in an elevated greenhouse, and again to get Jinx into his car quickly.}}

** Subverted by the BMW in ''[[~~Goldeneye (Film)|~~Goldeneye]]'' - though Q goes into detail about the car's "usual refinements," none of its gadgets are ever used, and the car itself makes only a cameo appearance. [[Product Placement]] at its finest.

** Subverted by the BMW in ''[[Goldeneye]]'' - though Q goes into detail about the car's "usual refinements," none of its gadgets are ever used, and the car itself makes only a cameo appearance. [[Product Placement]] at its finest.

* Surprisingly, ''[[Paul Blart Mall Cop]]''. Absolutely everything from the comedy half of the movie makes an appearance when Paul is fighting back against the robbers. {{spoiler|Even the hot sauce.}}

* Surprisingly, ''[[Paul Blart: Mall Cop]]''. Absolutely everything from the comedy half of the movie makes an appearance when Paul is fighting back against the robbers. {{spoiler|Even the hot sauce.}}

** Well, not ''so'' surprisingly -- it's a beat-for-beat, almost shot-for-shot parody of [[~~Die Hard (Film)|~~Die Hard]].

** Well, not ''so'' surprisingly -- it's a beat-for-beat, almost shot-for-shot parody of [[Die Hard]].

* ''[[Hot Fuzz]]'' may have more so than ''[[~~Die Hard (Film)|~~Die Hard]]'', including two actual armouries.

* ''[[Hot Fuzz]]'' may have more so than ''[[Die Hard]]'', including two actual armouries.

** And a [[Sea Mine]].

* ''[[Paycheck]]'', both the original story, and the John Woo film.

* {{spoiler|Almost every single wish made}} in ''Shorts'' (and Helvetica's science project) is used in the final "short" in the fight against {{spoiler|[[Giant Mecha]] Mr. Black, including the Bipedal Crocodile Army, the Super-Smart Baby, the germs, the aliens, the dung beetle...}}

* In ''[[Escape From LA]],'' Snake is given a number of items, including an ordinary pack of matches. He uses everything given, {{spoiler|including the matches, to light his cigarette in the total darkness once all of the world's electricity has been eliminated.}}

* In ''[[Escape From L.A.]],'' Snake is given a number of items, including an ordinary pack of matches. He uses everything given, {{spoiler|including the matches, to light his cigarette in the total darkness once all of the world's electricity has been eliminated.}}

* In ''[[Pee ~~Wees~~ Big Adventure]],'' Pee Wee's trip to the magic store serves as one of these. Everything he buys ends up getting used except for the boomerang bowtie, and that's only because the scene was deleted.

* In ''[[Pee Wee's Big Adventure]],'' Pee Wee's trip to the magic store serves as one of these. Everything he buys ends up getting used except for the boomerang bowtie, and that's only because the scene was deleted.

* James Cameron's ''[[Avatar (~~Film~~)|Avatar]]'': almost every creature seen throughout the film fights in the final fight. The Toruk, the viperwolves, the thanator, etc., everything is foreshadowed, in addition to Eytukan's bow and [[Chekhov's Skill|falling from a great height]].

* James Cameron's ''[[Avatar (film)|Avatar]]'': almost every creature seen throughout the film fights in the final fight. The Toruk, the viperwolves, the thanator, etc., everything is foreshadowed, in addition to Eytukan's bow and [[Chekhov's Skill|falling from a great height]].

* ''[[Untraceable]]'' does this with quite a few things. Amongst them are {{spoiler|1=blinking in Morse Code, a rototiller, and a car with OnStar}}. All of those moments almost feel like throwaway scenes, but then they all come into play in the latter half of the movie.

* In the beginning of ''Used Cars'' a Mexican guy who supplies them with cars says he has a ton of them just sitting around (there has to be at least 250 in a picture he shows them). Later in the movie a driver's ed teacher, who they sold crappy cars to, is angry because now his 250 students can't learn to drive. At the end of the movie the lot is being sued for false advertisement (due to the bad guy messing with an ad to say they have a mile of cars then paying off "experts" to say it wasn't tampered with). A mile of cars is said to be about 250 cars and if they don't have that many at the lot when the judge comes by to see they lose. Remember how the Mexican had at least 250 cars and how the teacher had 250 students?

* ''[[My Girl]]'' has a whole bunch, including {{spoiler|the child-sized coffin, Vada's mood ring, Thomas J's allergies, and the fact that Vada lives in a funeral home.}}

* The weapons the brothers end up buying in ''[[The Boondock Saints]]'' all get used right down to the "stupid f--king rope" and "rambo" knife. A LITERAL Chekhov's Armory.

* With the exception of the ballistic knife, every weapon Frank Castle uses in ''[[The Punisher (~~Film~~)|The Punisher]]'' is shown beforehand either in a montage or as part of a scene.

* With the exception of the ballistic knife, every weapon Frank Castle uses in ''[[The Punisher (film)|The Punisher]]'' is shown beforehand either in a montage or as part of a scene.

* An extremely literal example in ''[[Transformers (~~Film~~)|Transformers: Dark of the Moon]]''. Optimus Prime has taken to lugging around a trailer to match his trailer-truck vehicle form. The trailer transforms into a small armory of equipment he might need, such as jets, sword and shield, and more guns. Every one of these becomes important later on.

* An extremely literal example in ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers: Dark of the Moon]]''. Optimus Prime has taken to lugging around a trailer to match his trailer-truck vehicle form. The trailer transforms into a small armory of equipment he might need, such as jets, sword and shield, and more guns. Every one of these becomes important later on.

* In ''[[Johnny English]] Reborn'', anything that comes up in the first 10 minutes of the film is useful later on. e.g Taking a kick to the jewels without feeling pain, the mind controlling the body, him having the experience that age brings as opposed to the energy of youth etc.

* ''[[Clue (~~Film~~)|Clue]]''. Even the [[Big Lipped Alligator Moment|Big Lipped Alligator Moments]] are secretly plot-relevant.

* ''[[Clue (film)|Clue]]''. Even the [[Big Lipped Alligator Moment|Big Lipped Alligator Moments]] are secretly plot-relevant.

* Andy's prison cell in ''[[The Shawshank Redemption]]'' is this as it contains the items that are relevant to {{spoiler|his escape}}.

* [[~~Dodgeball a True Underdog Story|Dodgeball~~: A True Underdog Story]] contains a [[Chekhov's Gun]] in every other line of dialogue, usually disguised as punchlines or throwaway gags.

* [[DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story]] contains a [[Chekhov's Gun]] in every other line of dialogue, usually disguised as punchlines or throwaway gags.

== Literature ==

* [[Douglas Adams]]:

** ''[[Dirk ~~Gentlys~~ Holistic Detective Agency]]''. A poem, a conjuring trick, and a ''stuck couch'' in the first few chapters are all linked by the end.

** ''[[Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency]]''. A poem, a conjuring trick, and a ''stuck couch'' in the first few chapters are all linked by the end.

** Also occurs in the weirdest way (it's Douglas Adams after all) in the sequel, ''[[The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul]]''. Needless to say, Norse Gods and a somewhat popular '''song''' are involved in the apparent suicide by beheading of some dude. Also, Dirk's non-working fridge? That has something to do with it as well.

** Also occurs in the weirdest way (it's Douglas Adams after all) in the sequel, ''[[The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul]]''. Needless to say, Norse Gods and a somewhat popular '''song''' are involved in the apparent suicide by beheading of some dude. Also, Dirk's non-working fridge? That has something to do with it as well.

** The ''Dirk Gently'' books embody this trope really because they are all about the interconnectedness of everything. Chekov's Armoury isn't just a device Adams used, it's what he based the whole book on.

* ''[[The Dresden Files]]'', and about half of them were all introduced at the same event, Bianca's party in ''Grave Peril''.

* [[George RR Martin]]'s ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]''.

* [[George R. R. Martin]]'s ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]''.

* The ''[[Harry Potter (~~Literature~~)|Harry Potter]]'' series. Everything is a [[Chekhov's Gun]]. ''Everything''. If you hear about a cabinet, a love potion, a locket, a snitch- chances it will turn up, often books later, as a plot point.

* The ''[[Harry Potter (novel)|Harry Potter]]'' series. Everything is a [[Chekhov's Gun]]. ''Everything''. If you hear about a cabinet, a love potion, a locket, a snitch- chances it will turn up, often books later, as a plot point.

** Rowling elevated this to an ''art form.''

** The longest-spanning one being the {{spoiler|Snitch that Harry caught in his first ever Quidditch game}}. It appeared about halfway through the first book, was never even MENTIONED again until near the beginning of the last book. While it was around, it's true purpose wasn't fulfilled until ''three'' chapters before the end of the entire book: {{spoiler|It held the Resurrection Stone.}}

* The ''[[~~Commonwealth Saga (Literature)|~~Commonwealth Saga]]'' uses this trope. Anything introduced at all will have some factor later on. ''Anything''. If not in that saga, then in ''The Void Trilogy'' (set a few thousand years after).

* The ''[[Commonwealth Saga]]'' uses this trope. Anything introduced at all will have some factor later on. ''Anything''. If not in that saga, then in ''The Void Trilogy'' (set a few thousand years after).

* ''[[Mistborn]]''. Sweet [[Crystal Dragon Jesus]]. By the end of the third book, so many seemingly insignificant conversations, objects, and so on wind up being absurdly important. The biggest is probably {{spoiler|Vin's earring,}} but there are others.

** The author, Brandon Sanderson, is fond of this. Both ''[[Elantris]]'' and ''[[Warbreaker]],'' have fully stocked armories of their own. [[The Stormlight Archive ~~(Literature)~~|The Way of Kings]] is the first book of a ten book series and has already had a number of Chekhov's Guns that were fired, and many other things that are probably loaded Chekhov's Guns that will fire in future books.

** The author, Brandon Sanderson, is fond of this. Both ''[[Elantris]]'' and ''[[Warbreaker]],'' have fully stocked armories of their own. [[The Stormlight Archive|The Way of Kings]] is the first book of a ten book series and has already had a number of Chekhov's Guns that were fired, and many other things that are probably loaded Chekhov's Guns that will fire in future books.

* ''[[My ~~Fathers~~ Dragon]]'' has a kid pack up a backpack full of ordinary kid stuff, like whistles and sticks of gum, and set out on a mission to rescue a dragon. You guessed it: everything he has in his backpack gets used at one point or another.

* ''[[My Father's Dragon]]'' has a kid pack up a backpack full of ordinary kid stuff, like whistles and sticks of gum, and set out on a mission to rescue a dragon. You guessed it: everything he has in his backpack gets used at one point or another.

** [[Justified]] in that he was advised to bring all that by a stray cat, who told him about the dragon to begin with. This cat had been to the island where the dragon was being held, and presumably knew about all the obstacles. Note that the kid seems to know exactly what to do for every animal he comes across.

* The numerous things the five defecting stormtroopers in ''[[Star Wars ~~(Franchise)~~/Allegiance|Allegiance]]'' find in the ship they stole.

* The numerous things the five defecting stormtroopers in ''[[Star Wars/Allegiance|Allegiance]]'' find in the ship they stole.

* [[Matthew Reilly]]'s books. If it gets mentioned, it will be important later on. No exceptions. This includes things like weapons, tools, notes, furniture, dead bodies, building layout, machinery, debris, idle conversation... His books aren't compared to [[~~Die Hard (Film)|~~Die Hard]] for nothing.

* [[Matthew Reilly]]'s books. If it gets mentioned, it will be important later on. No exceptions. This includes things like weapons, tools, notes, furniture, dead bodies, building layout, machinery, debris, idle conversation... His books aren't compared to [[Die Hard]] for nothing.

* A usual for the [[Alex Rider]] series, except subverted in Snakehead when {{spoiler|Alex's entire pack of spy gagets gets thrown away without being used.}}

* [[Holes]] is a masterpiece of Chekhovian gunmanship.

* [[The ~~King Killer~~ Chronicle]], to the extent that you really have to read it three times to catch all the little details that end up being important. At the point that the narrator glosses over a ''shipwreck'' as irrelevant to his story, you realize how important all those little children's rhymes are.

* [[The Kingkiller Chronicle]], to the extent that you really have to read it three times to catch all the little details that end up being important. At the point that the narrator glosses over a ''shipwreck'' as irrelevant to his story, you realize how important all those little children's rhymes are.

== Live Action TV ==

* ''[[Babylon ~~Five~~]]''.

* ''[[Babylon 5]]''.

* ''[[MacGyver]]''. Just take a look around the room, remember what he has in his pockets, oh, and that tennis racket you were holding for your son. Yeah, now let's go disarm a nuclear warhead.

* ''[[Jericho]]'', in a manner of speaking, literally has a Chekhov's Armoury: {{spoiler|In episode two, Robert Hawkins is seen mysteriously unpacking weaponry into a location of storage. It isn't until 18 episodes later when this cache of weapons is used to ''fight a frickin' war.'' May also be <s>[[Someday This Will Come in Handy]]</s>..}}

Line 90:

*** [[Tropes Are Not Bad|Tropes are not bad.]]

*** Even Daniel Jackson's allergies in the movie years before are used to verify his identity in the pilot, and then the fact that he has them (and treats them) prevents him from turning immediately turning into a caveman a few episodes in, which eventually leads to a cure.

** ''[[~~Stargate Universe (TV)|~~Stargate Universe]]'' is a more solid example, as the show has only run for two seasons, with an ''extremely'' tight continuity. And there's no telling how many guns didn't get to go off due to the show's cancellation. A few examples:

** ''[[Stargate Universe]]'' is a more solid example, as the show has only run for two seasons, with an ''extremely'' tight continuity. And there's no telling how many guns didn't get to go off due to the show's cancellation. A few examples:

*** Eli documenting ''everything'' with the kinos: {{spoiler|used to make an [[Apocalyptic Log]] in "Time"}}.

*** Scott suffers memory bleed-through from Telford, revealing that Telford is having dinner with Young's wife, resulting in pointless drama: {{spoiler|Rush also suffers from the memory bleed-through, revealing that Telford is working for the Lucian Alliance, resulting in ''Destiny'' getting warning of the Lucian Alliance attack at the end of Season One}}.

Line 96:

*** The stasis pods Eli and Brody are fooling around with: {{spoiler|used to save the crew when they decide to leave the galaxy ahead of schedule}}.

* ''[[Spooks]]'': In the episode "Love and Death", Danny and Zoe are send to intercept a scientist, with a briefcase full of documents {{spoiler|and a false bottom containing the kit to asassinate him if that doesn't work.}}

* ''[[~~Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|~~Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', season 5. If it shows up, even in what you ''think'' is a breather episode, it matters in the big finale against Glorificus. In particular, the supposed breather episodes introduced {{spoiler|the Buffybot and the troll hammer}}, both of which were crucial.

* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', season 5. If it shows up, even in what you ''think'' is a breather episode, it matters in the big finale against Glorificus. In particular, the supposed breather episodes introduced {{spoiler|the Buffybot and the troll hammer}}, both of which were crucial.

** Don't forget the point where Spike calls Xander a 'glorified bricklayer'. Also relevant for the big fight against Glory. Or the message the First Slayer gives Buffy back at the end of season 4.

* ''[[Fringe]]''

* In part one of the ''[[Star Trek ~~the~~ Next Generation]]'' season 5 finale/season 6 premier Time's Arrow, Data and Captain Picard are looking over all the items unearthed in the archeological dig near San Francisco. In part 2 we learn they're all left behind by [[Mark Twain|Samuel Clemens]] and other characters. Notable are the revolver, which Clemens threatens the crew with, the pocket watch, which Clemens makes a specific point of leaving behind in the end, and Data's head.

* In part one of the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' season 5 finale/season 6 premier Time's Arrow, Data and Captain Picard are looking over all the items unearthed in the archeological dig near San Francisco. In part 2 we learn they're all left behind by [[Mark Twain|Samuel Clemens]] and other characters. Notable are the revolver, which Clemens threatens the crew with, the pocket watch, which Clemens makes a specific point of leaving behind in the end, and Data's head.

== Video Games ==

* ''[[~~Planescape Torment|~~Planescape: Torment]]'' may be the archetypal video game example. If you are prompted to pick up an item, either in dialogue or in the narration, keep that item. It will almost certainly become necessary to completing a quest days down the line.

* ''[[Planescape: Torment]]'' may be the archetypal video game example. If you are prompted to pick up an item, either in dialogue or in the narration, keep that item. It will almost certainly become necessary to completing a quest days down the line.

** The most notable gun in the armory is one you retrieve very early on for a scummy old man's help. You are not prompted to get it back later, but if you do, it will only eat up an inventory space until the very last scene before the final boss. At that point, it becomes priceless.

* The Court Record in any ''[[~~Ace Attorney (Visual Novel)|~~Ace Attorney]]'' game is always a [[Chekovs Armoury]]. Nearly every item will come in handy at some point in the case, and it's generally the most innocent ones (like {{spoiler|the parrot}}) who rescue you from the guilty verdict.

* The Court Record in any ''[[Ace Attorney]]'' game is always a [[Chekovs Armoury]]. Nearly every item will come in handy at some point in the case, and it's generally the most innocent ones (like {{spoiler|the parrot}}) who rescue you from the guilty verdict.

* ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'' has the Information menu, which features lots of interesting little background tidbits about the setting. A lot of it turns out to be very useful information later on. There's also a lot of early references to the orphanage in Centra, including comments about Guardian Forces causing unforeseen mental effects including memory loss, Seifer and Zell's irrational hatred of one another, Quistis's attraction to Squall, Irvine's odd behavior around Edea and Selphie, and Squall's confused familiarity towards Ellone.

* In the Telltale Games ''[[Sam ~~and~~ Max Freelance Police ~~(Video Game)~~|Sam and Max Freelance Police]]'', items from previous episodes will often still be in your inventory. The only time something doesn't carry over is if it would completely change the way to solve a puzzle.

* In the Telltale Games ''[[The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police|Sam and Max Freelance Police]]'', items from previous episodes will often still be in your inventory. The only time something doesn't carry over is if it would completely change the way to solve a puzzle.

* ''[[Odin Sphere]]'' is loaded with [[Chekhov's Gun]] after [[Chekhov's Gun]].

* ''[[~~Sharin no Kuni (Visual Novel)|~~Sharin no Kuni]]'' has one of these. Most of its items relate to {{spoiler|the fact that Ririko is actually there, in the scene, and she's almost always following Kenichi. It's just that no one even acknowledges her existence due to the Maximum Penalty she bears.}}

* ''[[Sharin no Kuni]]'' has one of these. Most of its items relate to {{spoiler|the fact that Ririko is actually there, in the scene, and she's almost always following Kenichi. It's just that no one even acknowledges her existence due to the Maximum Penalty she bears.}}

* The LACK of this trope in adventure games can lead to an [[Empty Room Psych]] when the players go crazy trying to figure out what the useless inventory item is meant for.

* While not revealed at the start, it's worth noting that to complete ''[[Zelda II ~~the~~ Adventure of Link ~~(Video Game)~~|Zelda II the Adventure of Link]]'' (at least, the way it's [[Gameplay Derailment|meant to]] [[Minimalist Run|be played]]) you must get every item and every spell in the game, which means you must get every MP upgrade as well. Some of these appear to be unnecessary until you've spent a lot of effort only to find it's impossible to progress. The game itself is so minimalist that there exist no more [[One Up|Link Dolls]] than you can hold at once.

* While not revealed at the start, it's worth noting that to complete ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|Zelda II the Adventure of Link]]'' (at least, the way it's [[Gameplay Derailment|meant to]] [[Minimalist Run|be played]]) you must get every item and every spell in the game, which means you must get every MP upgrade as well. Some of these appear to be unnecessary until you've spent a lot of effort only to find it's impossible to progress. The game itself is so minimalist that there exist no more [[One Up|Link Dolls]] than you can hold at once.

* ''[[Ultima IX]]'' subverts this with Britain's Avatar Museum. It holds every puzzle-solving [[Plot Coupon]] in the history of the series, not one of which become relevant to this game.

* ''[[Sword of the Stars]]'': There are tonnes of hints about the true nature of {{spoiler|the Suul'ka}} littered in the lore. It looks so obvious in hindsight.

Line 119:

== [[Web Comics]] ==

* So much stuff in ''[[~~Girl Genius (Webcomic)|~~Girl Genius]]'' that the wiki doesn't even have a list. The most notable examples might be the Heterodyne it's-not-a-lamp, Agatha's broken locket, the fate of Dr. Merlot... and oh, Dear Ghu, the time windows.

* So much stuff in ''[[Girl Genius]]'' that the wiki doesn't even have a list. The most notable examples might be the Heterodyne it's-not-a-lamp, Agatha's broken locket, the fate of Dr. Merlot... and oh, Dear Ghu, the time windows.

* ''[[8-Bit Theater (Webcomic)|Eight Bit Theater]]'' has pulled the mother of all of these, a series of over 1000 comics now taking a seemingly insignificant event from one of the earliest comics and turning it into a plot device involving billions of years, the most powerful wizard in existence, and bringing back most of the major antagonists of the past 1000 comics BACK into the story for what will almost certainly be one of the comic's grand, absurdly awesome [[Anticlimax|anticlimaxes]].

** When the characters all get their class changes, Thief says that he stole his ninja upgrade from the future. Later, when {{spoiler|Chaos downgrades the party back to level 1,}} Thief is the only one left in his class change suit. For about 5 seconds. {{spoiler|Because guess where he stole it from...}}

** In [http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/02/20/episode-1221-longest-set-up-in-webcomic-history/ comic 1221] it pulled quite possibly the biggest one in history at 1,214 issues long when it turnes out that {{spoiler|despite Black mage saying that it would never work the world was saved by four 'white' mages}}. Brian Clevinger we salute you.

* ''[[MS Paint Adventures]]'' - both ''[[~~Problem Sleuth (Webcomic)|~~Problem Sleuth]]'' and ''[[~~Homestuck (Webcomic)|~~Homestuck]]''. Nearly every single item introduced becomes relevant to the plot, or at least pops up again later. Hussie admits that a lot of his foreshadowing is done by going back and looking for stuff to make references to. He has ''also'' admitted to having at least one plot detail in store for a year.

* ''[[MS Paint Adventures]]'' - both ''[[Problem Sleuth]]'' and ''[[Homestuck]]''. Nearly every single item introduced becomes relevant to the plot, or at least pops up again later. Hussie admits that a lot of his foreshadowing is done by going back and looking for stuff to make references to. He has ''also'' admitted to having at least one plot detail in store for a year.

* ''[[Last ~~Res 0 rt~~]]'' -- If it's an item, pet, or person that has anything to do with one of the main characters, it's probably a [[Chekhov's Gun]]. Jigsaw's violin, Jason's jacket, Jason's dog, Adharia's bottle necklace, Daisy's leg, Daisy's autie lenses, ''Cypress's hair wrap...''

* ''[[Last Res0rt]]'' -- If it's an item, pet, or person that has anything to do with one of the main characters, it's probably a [[Chekhov's Gun]]. Jigsaw's violin, Jason's jacket, Jason's dog, Adharia's bottle necklace, Daisy's leg, Daisy's autie lenses, ''Cypress's hair wrap...''

* ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'' keeps its armory stocked with Chekhov's full arsenal. [[Chekhov's Gunman|Minor characters]], [[Chekhov's Gag|running gags given new significance]]... even [[Red Herring|red herrings]] have a tendency to return as some sort of plot device.

== Web Original ==

* [[Fallout ~~Equestria|Fallout:~~ Equestria]] is an epic Checkhov's Armory, written by an author who has professed [[Chekhov's Gun]] as a favorite trope, stating that "everything is either a [[Chekhov's Gun]] or a [[Red Herring]]."

* [[Fallout Equestria]] is an epic Checkhov's Armory, written by an author who has professed [[Chekhov's Gun]] as a favorite trope, stating that "everything is either a [[Chekhov's Gun]] or a [[Red Herring]]."

* The ''[[Whateley Universe]]'' is made of this trope. For example, nearly every single thing Phase has ever bought or acquired for her utility belt has gotten used ''somewhere'', even if it's in another author's story. The story about Cavalier and Skybolt turning to the Dark Side and becoming The Don's servants was written back in 2004. The significance of that and what it really meant to the plots has only come out in the more recent stories, starting with "Christmas Elves". The backstory of Tennyo was introduced in the earliest stories; how it could be used as a weapon against her didn't come out for about ''five years''.

* Practically literal with the showdown between [[Atop the Fourth Wall ~~(Web Video)~~|Linkara]] {{spoiler|and his alternates}} and Mechakara. Almost every weapon {{spoiler|bar pokeball-captured Pyramid Head, which Linkara felt would just be too much in an already complicated battle}} from previous reviews is brought out, along with {{spoiler|Black Lantern Spoony and the rarely-seen Pollo.}}

* Practically literal with the showdown between [[Atop the Fourth Wall|Linkara]] {{spoiler|and his alternates}} and Mechakara. Almost every weapon {{spoiler|bar pokeball-captured Pyramid Head, which Linkara felt would just be too much in an already complicated battle}} from previous reviews is brought out, along with {{spoiler|Black Lantern Spoony and the rarely-seen Pollo.}}

* The players in the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'' were encouraged to flesh out their characters' backgrounds to the fullest extent possible precisely because they would then be used as one big Chekhov's Armory. Even characters who had backgrounds that were mysterious even to themselves found their [[Backstory]] used for plot details later.

Line 138:

* ''[[Aeon Flux]]'' was filled with these, although most were quite obvious.

* ''[[Totally Spies]]!'' does this every single episode, as a James Bond reference.

* ''[[~~Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animation)|~~Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' is legendary for its extensive usage of Chekhov's Gun.

* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' is legendary for its extensive usage of Chekhov's Gun.

* The [[Grand Finale]] of ''[[Lilo and Stitch The Series]]'', ''Leroy and Stitch'' had Lilo's departing gifts to Stitch, Pleakley and Jumba. Stitch's gift was a tiki necklace which {{spoiler|allowed Lilo to identify Leroy as an imposter because he wasn't wearing it}}. Next was a rock given to Pleakley that was used to {{spoiler|disrupt the event horizon of a black hole that he, Stitch and Jumba were hurtling into and allow them to escape}}. Finally there was the Aloha 'Oe record given to Jumba which he used to {{spoiler|create a secret mechanism in Leroy that made him shut down if he (or his clones) heard it. This ends up leading to both a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|Crowning Moment]] and a [[Crowning Music of Awesome]] the end where Stitch, Lilo, <s>625</s> Reuben and a bunch of Stitch's cousins put on a concert to defeat the Leroy clone army at the end}}.

* The [[Grand Finale]] of ''[[Lilo and Stitch: The Series]]'', ''Leroy and Stitch'' had Lilo's departing gifts to Stitch, Pleakley and Jumba. Stitch's gift was a tiki necklace which {{spoiler|allowed Lilo to identify Leroy as an imposter because he wasn't wearing it}}. Next was a rock given to Pleakley that was used to {{spoiler|disrupt the event horizon of a black hole that he, Stitch and Jumba were hurtling into and allow them to escape}}. Finally there was the Aloha 'Oe record given to Jumba which he used to {{spoiler|create a secret mechanism in Leroy that made him shut down if he (or his clones) heard it. This ends up leading to both a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|Crowning Moment]] and a [[Crowning Music of Awesome]] the end where Stitch, Lilo, <s>625</s> Reuben and a bunch of Stitch's cousins put on a concert to defeat the Leroy clone army at the end}}.

* This is pretty much a staple of many cartoons aimed at very young children. ''[[Dora the Explorer]]'', which started the trend, actually averts the trope slightly by sometimes carrying a few items she doesn't need.

* Averted in [[The Venture Brothers]]. One episode has Brock Sampson going through the standard OSI mission tool kit, and throws away everything in it because they are either "gay, stupid, or never uses them."

** Much like in the ''Dresden Files'' example above, large group scenes tend to introduce characters and plot points that become very significant later on, so it may at first seem like the writers are using this trope. They aren't. They've admitted when they're stuck they just go back and look at old episodes to find something to write about.

* Used expertly in [[Rango]]. {{spoiler|Roadkill and the Spirit of the West? Used to break Rango out of his [[Heroic BSOD]]. The freaky cactai? Lead Rango to the pip the mayor is using to hold back the water and help turn it back on to defeat Jake and save the town. The hole the three moles dug in the middle of the street? Used to let a blast of water up to blast Jake skyhigh. The rest of the mole's family? Used in a [[Gondor Calls for Aid]] to defeat Jake. The one bullet Jake leaves in Rango's gun? Used to free Rango and Bean from the mayor's [[Death Trap]].}} The crowner is Rango is actually [[Genre Savvy]] enough to use it intentionally!

* ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic ~~(Animation)~~|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]].'' There's one for every other episode, {{spoiler|and one that was built up over an entire season to boot. The letters Twilight writes to Celestia throughout the first season are used to free her and her friends from Discord's [[Mind Rape]] and enable them to teach him that [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|friendship is indeed worth fighting for.]]}}

* ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]].'' There's one for every other episode, {{spoiler|and one that was built up over an entire season to boot. The letters Twilight writes to Celestia throughout the first season are used to free her and her friends from Discord's [[Mind Rape]] and enable them to teach him that [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|friendship is indeed worth fighting for.]]}}