Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

• Main
• Trivia
• YMMV
• Fridge
• Crowners
  • Funny
  • Tear Jerker
• Wikipedia
• All Subpages
• Create New

FOR GLORIOUS MOTHER RUSSIA!

Nash Sovietskiy Soyuz pokarayet Ves mir ot Evropy k Nyev na vosto-ok Nad zemlyoi vyezde budut pyet: Stolitsa, vodka, Sovietskiy medved nash!

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is the third installment of the Command & Conquer: Red Alert series, following an alternate history of the world in which Einstein invents a time machine, travels back, and kills eliminates Hitler, creating a massive war between the Allies and the Soviet Union, which incidentally involves massive amounts of strange technology.

In this installment, the USSR is at death's door, so General Krukov and Colonel Cherdenko travel back using their own time machine and eliminate Einstein after he eliminates Hitler, but before he gives the Allies the technological superiority, they need to win. They come back and discover that, while they are beating the Allies, the Japanese Empire of the Rising Sun has been created by their tampering and is attacking them. This is where the single player campaigns pick up.

If you thought that sounded silly, well... it is. This game is to Real Time Strategy what the 1960's version of Batman was to television. The whole game operates on little more than Rule of Cool and occasionally Rule of Funny rather than any kind of real sense. This is not your daddy's RTS. It is your jokester uncle's, and it's all the more awesome for it. It's likely this factor that convinced a large number of TV and movie name actors to join the cast for the (often hilariously over-the-top) Cut Scenes.

Please note that this page is for tropes specific to this game. Please add tropes relating to multiple games to the Red Alert series page.

Tropes used in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 include:

• The Ace: Giles and Zhana, and in 'Uprising, Vera and Takara.
• Action Girl: Tanya for the Allies and Natasha for the Russians. They can one-shot any infantry, snipe out vehicle pilots, and call in airstrikes. The Empire equivalent Yuriko Omega is a Little Miss Badass.
  • A good rule of thumbs is: if it's female, it's about 5 times as good as anything else in it's category (see: Rocket Angels, Archer Maidens and MiGs).
• Adaptation Dye Job: Tanya is blonde in this game, as opposed to her appearance as a brunette in previous games. A prime reason for the Fan Dumb to cry They Changed It, Now It Sucks.
• AKA-47: "ADK-45" among others.
• Amazon Brigade: The aforementioned Rocket Angels, and the expansion introduces the Archer Maidens. Background information suggests that Natasha and Tanya are titles. Quite a few more vehicle units happen to be crewed by females now too (such as the MiGs).
• And I Must Scream: The Steel Ronin from the expansion pack. Their details say that criminals are locked inside them as punishment, then forced to man them when necessary. No word on how they're kept alive, which is just as well.
• Animeland: The Japanese faction is full of this.
• Artificial Stupidity: Occasionally.
• Attack Reflector: Yuriko gets this power in her own mini-campaign.
• Authority Equals Asskicking: Emperor Yoshiro piloting the Super Prototype of the King Oni.
• Ax Crazy: Moskvin, having been part of the Soviet's experimental Tesla trooper brigade.
• Bald of Evil: Does President Ackerman looks like a good guy to you? He is still not enough to be a President Evil though.
• Base on Wheels: Literally. The MCV, and it's equivalents, unpack into a base. The Empire also have literal ones in addition to the MCV.
• Beehive Barrier: The Empire's Nanoswarm Superweapon.
• BFG: Several. The Allied Proton Collider is probably the biggest.
• Big Bulky Bomb: "Supreme Time Bomb ready."
• Big No: Many. As befits the pilot of a Humongous Mecha, Kenji gets one with an echo in Uprising.
• Bilingual Bonus: Yuriko's name is Japanese for "daughter of Yuri" (Or "lily child").
• Black and Grey Morality (possibly Evil vs. Evil): Yes, it remains the tradition of the Red Alert series to portray the Allies, backed by the mighty USA, as good, and The Soviet Union and Japan as evil. However, even the Allies have a shade of grey morality in truth, given that they heavily use propaganda that demonize the other two sides and that the main characters have an antipathic attitude toward whoever is not with them, no matter the reasons; also, the Video Game Cruelty Potential counts as well.
  • The Yuriko and Soviet campaigns in Uprising also further reveal the evil side of the Allies: the FutureTech corporation, which supplies the Allies' high-tech weapons:

Yuriko: Wait! So most of these guys are just Future Techs' hired guns!? The Allies are just buying their military muscle now!?!?

• Bland-Name Product: The MiG aircraft in the game is called "Mikevich-Guroyan", instead of the real life "Mikoyan-Gurevich".
• Breath Weapon: The Giga Fortress uses this in air mode.
• Butt Monkey: The Soviet Hammer Tank instructor in Red Alert 3, during the tutorial. He is the one who is shot at the most by the other instructors (Allied Guardian Tank and Rising Sun Tsunami Tank) in annoyance for dumb questions, getting on their nerves, etc. Also, it's usually the Soviet army that the Tsunami Tank's "training robots" are modeled after. In the last tutorial mission, however, he causes a Funny Background Event where he slinks away and comes back as an Apocalypse Tank, causing the Tsunami Tank, his main bully, to do a Double Take.
• Call Back: The game begins with Einstein being vaporized by a time-traveler's handshake, much as Einstein himself vaporized Hitler with a handshake back in Red Alert 1. Hoist by His Own Petard, indeed.
• Camp: So much of it. Red Alert 3 is pretty much the Adam West Batman of the Real Time Strategy world. By design!
• Car Fu: It has been here since Tiberian Dawn, and will always be. In addition, sufficiently large vehicles can crush smaller vehicles that gets in their way (yes, even the MCV can do that). Computer also like to aggressively use their ore collector as weapons.
  • The Apocalypse Tank takes this to new levels, being able to crush smaller tanks. Its secondary weapon is a Magnetic Harpoon that pulls helpless tanks towards it. And the Cryocopter's Shrink Ray allows any tank to be crushed.
  • The Soviet Grinder that was introduced in the expansion takes this Up to Eleven being able to crush any surface units and is even amphibious.
  • Soviet commanders can also unlock the Grinder Tracks ability that lets their vehicles regain health every time they run something over. The Soviets really seem to have a fondness for roadkilling their enemies.
  • The Rising Sun's Giga Fortress can land on other naval units when switching from air to sea mode.
• Cassandra Truth President Ackerman arguably, He warned the Allies the soviets won't really stop the war and were just out to stab the allies in the back.
• Cast from Hit Points: The Dreadnought's special ability allows it to fire twice as fast, but this damages it in the process. The Kirov can temporarily boost their speed significantly, but this also burns its health up.
• Cherry Blossoms: Featured in the last Soviet mission that pits you against the Empire of the Rising Sun, with every connotation of love stripped out and ground up by an Apocalypse Tank's treads.
• Chest of Medals: General Krukov.
• Cold Sniper/Friendly Sniper: Natasha Volkova runs both sides of this trope. She fulfills the cold bloodedness side of the Cold Sniper, yet is affable with the commander and her rival Tanya.
• Colonel Badass: Warren was once captured by the Soviets, but managed to fight his way out with his bare hands.
• Colony Drop: The Soviets drop old satellites from orbit as a form of attack. Lowest level drops Sputniks, the highest level drops the MIR space station.
• Composite Character:
  • Yuriko's backstory is very similar to Lucy's, has the powers and sanity that channels Tetsuo and has a similar sounding name to Yuri, another psychic gone rogue (although Yuriko is definitely not outright evil).
  • J.K. Simmons claims in an interview that President Ackerman has "facets of George C. Scott in Dr. Strangelove"; a "little bit of Barry Goldwater" and "at least a tiny bit of Dubya creeping in there."
  • Ackerman is also a composite between the previous game's President Dugan and General Carville.
  • Premier Cherdenko and Doctor Zelinsky mix characteristics between Premier Romanov and Yuri.
• The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: The enemies can repair buildings faster than you and see though the fog of war.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Rupert Thornley, and Kelly Weaver in Uprising.
• Dark Action Girl: Natasha.
• Darker and Edgier: Uprising, mainly for the Soviet and Yuriko campaigns.
  • Bloodier and Gorier: The Yuriko campaign. One can easily draw parallels to Akira and Elfen Lied, her supposedly two core inspirations.
• Dark Magical Girl: Yuriko, and any other psionic schoolgirl that the Empire of the Rising Sun trains. They ain't no Magical Girl though: they're more like Tetsuo.
  • ...Or rather, Cyber Newtypes.
• Deflector Shield: Scads. The Iron Curtain, of course, and the Empire's Nanoswarm. The Allies' Athena Cannon has one as its special ability, and the Empire can put up Point Defense Shields as a power. Yuriko gets one in her campaign.
• Did Not Do the Research: Eva is referred to as a Lieutenant in-game and in promotional materials, but her uniform is decorated with a triple chevron, which is the insignia for sergeants.
  • Also, they refer to the current Japanese Emperor by personal name, which is never done.
  • Brighton, England is never called Brighton Beach (except maybe the actual beach).
• Distaff Counterpart:
  • Yuriko Omega of Red Alert 3 to Yuri of Red Alert 2. Psychic and insane.
  • Natasha to Boris, from the same respective games.
• Do Not Adjust Your Set: The Empire did this in the Allies and Soviet campaigns.
• Eagle Land: For those who were worried that depicting Japan as Animeland would be insulting, America itself is just as goofy.
• Eenie Meenie Miny Moai: With man cannon or Tesla coil hidden inside.
• The Emperor: Well, George Takei.
• The Empire: Of the Rising Sun.
• Enemy Mine: During the Allied campaign, you will join forces with the Soviets against the Empire for two missions. In the Empire Campaign, the Allies and Soviets join forces against you.
• Everything's Better with Samurai: In Red Alert 3, the Imperial Warrior uniforms resembles Samurai outfits, they also carry Beam Katanas as secondary weapons that can score a One-Hit Kill on enemy infantry, but can't hurt vehicles.
• Everything's Even Worse with Sharks: Invoked by the Soviet Akula attack sub. Whether or not his is the case depends on how savvy the player using them is, however.
• Everything's Worse with Bears:
  • The Soviets have Attack Bears. They go down in a few hits, but can instantly kill any infantry in close combat and disable them with roars.
  • In Challenge mode, there's the Ursa Major. A bear the size of an Apocalypse Tank that can maul buildings to death, and is best taken out by bomber planes.
• Evil Is Hammy: As usual, the Soviets out-hams almost everyone else. Though of course President Ackerman and Rupert Thornley are also very hammy.
• Expy: Especially if the players are familiar with how the units and buildings in Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge work, then it's hard NOT to see exports everywhere you look.
• Faction Calculus: The Soviets, as usual, are the Powerhouses; strong units with good but not flashy special abilities are the order of the day for them. Technically, the Empire is more Balanced with more versatile but somewhat weaker units, while the Allies are still the Subversive, having the weakest units (or at least Glass Cannon units) but have the most powerful special abilities and thus requiring the most micromanagement to be effective (see Dreadnought vs Aircraft Carrier vs Shogun Battleship, and Apocalypse vs Mirage Tank vs King Oni for the short version).
• Fan Service: Red Alert 3 is presenting more and more of this stuff.
• Fastball Special: The Soviet transport doesn't deploy troops normally. Instead, it launches them out of a "man-cannon". This includes the aforementioned War Bears, as well as the creepy tank eating Terror Drones.
• Freeze Ray: The Allies specialize in this kind of technology.
• Frickin' Laser Beams: From the Allied spectrum technology to most of the Rising Sun's weaponry. The game's website, which contains details that didn't appear in the actual game, reveals that the Empire's supposed "beam weapons" are actually railguns of some sort, firing tiny metallic projectiles accelerated to compensate for the small mass.
• Funny Background Event:
  • The last tutorial mission. While you were supposed to listen to the Allied Guardian Tank explain how to command your co-commander, the Soviet Hammer Tank, the Butt Monkey between the three instructors, slinks away and comes back as an Apocalypse Tank, causing the Rising Sun Tsunami Tank to do a Double Take.
  • During the Allied Campaign in Red Alert 3, there are various news reports documenting either missions you just accomplished or setting you up for the following mission. Take note of the little header at the bottom. It usually has a list of hilarious headlines pertaining the various stuff you come across.
• Game Mod: While the Red Alert 3 modding community isn't as active as in the second series, it did spawn some notable game mods.
  • Red Alert 3 Paradox, which adds five new factions: the Confederate Revolutionaries, the Order of the Talon, the Mediterranean Syndicate, the Atomic Kingdom of China and the Electrical Protectorate.
  • The Red Alert, which attempts to recreate Red Alert 1 in 3D.
  • Condition Red, which tries the same for Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge.
  • Advance Wars Frontline, which brings Advance Wars into 3D.
• Genius Ditz: Oleg. Supposedly, he's dumb enough to let himself get promoted to a high-ranking position and take a large amount of blame for the Soviet's loss during Uprising. In Vanilla Red Alert 3, Oleg is one of the toughest and most tactful AI commanders in the game. Amazingly, he's supposedly just a tank general, but he uses just about everything to fair effect.
• Good-Looking Privates: Like you wouldn't believe. Just look at the cover.
• Gorn: The Yuriko campaign in Uprising. Just about anyone Yuriko kills gets blown up like a balloon and explode into a mass of blood, including dolphins.
• Guns Akimbo: Tanya, as usual.
• Harmless Freezing: What Cryocopters, the Cryoshot superweapons and Cryo Legionnaires can do, but it often leads to Literally Shattered Lives as frozen units will shatter when hit with the slightest damage, making freezing lethal. Frozen air units (as from Cryo Legionnaires loaded into Multigunner IFV or turrets) will immediately come crashing down.
• Heroic Dolphin: The Allies have dolphins as their scout unit in water (well, they're heroic if you're playing Allies).
• Heroic Self-Deprecation Futuretech can be considered this since removing the Soviet union is basically removing the main reason they sell so many goods to the allies, thus committing economic suicide to save millions of lives.
• Heroic Sociopath: Tanya!

Tanya: Bears in the water? Hmm... They're so cute - when they're dead!

Remember, this is the same person who had an Evil Laugh in the previous game...

• Historical In-Joke: One of the Empire's missions is protecting Hawaii (Pearl Harbor, specifically) from an imminent Allied invasion.
• Historical Villain Downgrade: Imperial Japan is depicted as arrogant and invasion-happy, but on the whole aren't nearly as bad as they were during World War II. The reasons for this might be many and varied: a less hostile takeover of Asia, more modern thinking, and so on, but it's more likely that the developers were simply more concerned with making them fit with the popular image of Imperial Japan.
  • There are hints that they're just as bad, but it's mostly left up to Fridge Horror. Certain comments made during the invasion of Vorkuta make you wonder what's happening to the civilians. And then there's the research lab in Uprising, which appears to have been inspired by Elfen Lied and Akira, and the Steel Ronin...
  • Yet another possibility is that the Empire never went downhill and thus stayed in its real-life pre-fascist state, when it was generally considered to be honorable and progressive (unless you were Chinese or Korean, of course). This is fairly likely due to the apparent lack of any fascist government or policy of genocide. They're certainly no less villainous or no more heroic than the Soviets or Allies, who both have some nasty skeletons in their respective closets.
• Hitler's Time Travel Exemption Act: The entire series is based on this. Hitler is eliminated from time by Einstein in Red Alert 1 but a bloody WWII happens anyway, against Stalinist Russia this time, and WWIII some years later. In Red Alert 3, Einstein himself seems to have gotten a Time Travel exemption in turn; eliminating him did not prevent the Allies from developing the Chronosphere teleportation device, the Soviets add another archenemy to the mix by killing him, and they lose their top-tier Nuclear Reactors and Missile Silos.
• Human Cannonball: The only way out of the Bullfrog. Though portrayed more realistically since the infantry descends with parachutes after being fired from the cannon. Other than people, it can also fire bears and terror drones for extra fun.
• Humongous Mecha: The Japanese Empire has many of these.
  • Mini-Mecha: The Tengus, which can transform into a jet.
  • Transforming Mecha: A vast number of the Empire's units are this. Anti-ground helicopters become anti-air missile walkers, Mecha-Tengu become Jet Tengu, submarine Sea-Wings become flying Sky Wings, not to mention their basic tanks are amphibious; "flexibility" is the main focus of their gameplay.
    • Uprising turns this Up to Eleven with the Giga Fortress. At about three times the size of the Shogun battleship, bigger than the building that produces it, it has to be deployed from a nanocore like the Empire's buildings. Its base form is a giant floating fortress that reduces entire fleets of ships and aircraft to scrap with BFGs and Macross Missile Massacres, and it can transform into a flying head the size of a construction yard that's helpless against aircraft but fries anything on the ground with a massive Wave Motion Gun of ludicrous range.
• Incredibly Lame Pun: Mortar Cycle.
• Instant Awesome, Just Add Mecha: Pretty much the major backbone of the Empire of the Rising Sun in Red Alert 3. And it throws in...
• Instant Awesome, Just Add Ninja for good measure.
• Japan Takes Over the World: Justified as one of three conclusions.
• Jet Pack: The Empire of the Rising Sun's Rocket Angels.
• Kaizo Trap:
  • In the Allied mission taking place at Mt. Rushmore, once the superweapon capability of the monument is destroyed, the limousine containing the President chronos over to a nearby airbase between the two allied bases. Failure to down the chopper before it escapes will mean mission failure.
  • In the Empire mission taking place in Moscow, Cherdenko will attempt to flee the destroyed Kremlin with the time machine on a Twinblade helicopter. As with the other mission, failing to down the chopper before it escapes means failure. Granted, given the sheer difficulty of the mission, and the tendency of the Soviets to start throwing Artillery and Twinblades and Kirovs after you, you'd be stupid not to at least build some (like, say, twenty or thirty) Mecha Tengus for escorts. The Soviets remember the Executioner's inherent weakness to long-ranged and airborne units, and can and WILL put it down without much effort if you don't support it. Actually, the Shogun Executioner can attack air units, after a fashion: walk into them. Given his lumbering pace, it can be hard, but not impossible.
• Katanas of the Rising Sun: Again, isn't it obvious?
• Kiai: UIIIYAAAAAAAAAH!
• Kill Sat:
  • The Soviet's Magnetic Satellite. Also the Orbital Drop line of abilities literally drop satellites ON YOUR HEAD with the highest level using a space station. The Allied Athena Cannon is a mobile artillery that paints a target with a laser while a satellite bombards it from above.
  • The Magnetic Satellite takes their tanks and helicopters and throws them into orbit. The Orbital Drop takes random things it finds in orbit and throws them at the enemy. It could be satellites, and it can be those tanks you just sucked up with the Magnetic Satellite.
• Kneel Before Zod: The Emperor.

"You will bow before us, or you will cease to exist."

• Lady Not-Appearing-In-This-Game: Despite being on the cover, featuring in several missions, and all over promotional material, Natasha only appears in one cutscene in a non-speaking role... in the Allied campaign, despite being the Soviet Union's Hero Unit. Natasha's in-game unit isn't even voiced by Gina Carano, possibly as a result of her not being able to produce a fake Russian accent.
  • Yuriko is a weird inversed case: she's the only Rising Sun character without a live-action actress, even in the expansion where she's the central character. This is possibly because she's an anime parody.
• Large Ham: The entire cutscene cast. You might think it's Ham and Cheese, but realistically, the makers of the game probably loved the ham; the rest of the game is remarkably campy.
• Laser Blade: The Empire's basic infantry uses these as their secondary weapon.
• Laughably Evil: Oleg is probably the funniest of all the computer controlled commanders (and chews the scenery every given chance), but arguably also the hardest.
• Legacy Character: Special Agent Tanya, as in the previous games, is a title given to top female Allied agents. The game also introduces the Soviet sniper Natasha, who is said to be a similar case of famous female soldiers.
• Lightning Gun: Take a wild guess...
• Little Miss Badass: Yuriko Omega.
• Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Peacekeepers' special ability will prevent them from getting 1-hit killed by ninjas and Tesla troopers.
• Lzherusskie: Most of the Soviet cast, except Oleg.
• Macross Missile Massacre: Rocket Angels en masse can produce this. There is even an upgrade to make missile-firing units spam even more. The Naginata cruisers fires many torpedoes at once in their special attack. The Allies' javelin soldiers also have this as their special attack.
• Magical Girl: Yuriko. As usual, a parody.
• Make Me Wanna Shout: Oddly, the Soviet War Bears and Allied Attack Dogs, as well as Dolphins.
• Meaningful Name: The Athena Cannon is named for the Greek goddess of wisdom and war, and it is a technologically advanced weapon system operated by a woman.
• Mega Corp: Future Tech.
• Meganekko: Lydia in Uprising, Vera even called her 'Librarian'.
• Me's a Crowd: Clones of Yuriko are used to fuel to Rising Sun's superweapon, the Psionic Decimator. Also, if you are facing multiple Rising Sun commanders in a mission, expect to see a handful of Yurikos.
• Military Mashup Machine: Too many to list, but most belong to the Empire.
• Mind Over Matter: Yuriko's standard attack, which absolutely devastates most enemies one at a time. Ground units get thrown in the air as they take damage over time and air units simply crash to the ground.
• Mirror Boss: Yuriko Vs. Izumi at the end of Yuriko's Campaign.
• Mission Control: One for each side, there are Eva, Dasha and Suki.
• Molotov Cocktail: Used/Consumed (though you may argue it is Vodka) by Conscripts and Mortar Cycles.
• Mother Russia Makes You Strong: According to Natasha at least.
• Near-Victory Fanfare: Done with Rock Music.
• Non-Entity General: Lampshaded in Red Alert 3, where near the end of the end of the Soviet campaign, a Conscript suggests that due to your success in taking it, New York City will be renamed "Commandersgrad" implying the non-entity-commander is actually named "Commander".
• Now What?: Yuriko's campaign ends this way, after she achieves her revenge. The last shot is her standing on a hillside, pondering what to do.
• Ominous Latin Chanting: In Japanese and Russian though.
• Our Presidents Are Different: President Ackerman, whose campaign slogan is literally "Screw 'Em All!" and "Vote for me, if you want to live."
• Power Nullifier: The Allied Hydrofoil's weapon jammer prevents enemies from attacking as long as it keeps targeting them.
• Private Military Contractor: Future Tech who go to war with all 3 major world powers to show off their products.
• Psycho Electro: Moskvin is a former Tesla trooper, and is probably the least mentally stable Soviet commander (but don't say that to his face).
• Psycho for Hire: Sub Commander Nikolai Moskvin has shades of this.
• Pungeon Master: Most units. Notable ones include the Soviet Tesla Trooper and Allied Cryo Legionnaire, who is basically channeling Mr. Freeze.
• Quintessential British Gentleman: Giles and to a lesser extent, Bingham.
• Ramming Always Works: The Shogun Battleship and King Oni can do this, often result in an instant kill. The smaller Yari Minisubs are also capable, but they won't survive doing so. "BANZAIII!"
• Recursive Ammo: The optional firing mode of V4 rockets.
• Red Herring: Krukov in the Soviet campaign.
• Reds with Rockets: While Japan uses missile spam and the Allies use some for their jack-of-all-trades default turret, the Soviet army keeps its crown as the purveyors of the biggest, meanest missiles both on their dreadnaught battleships and V4 launchers. They're also the only army to wield a missile as a super-weapon (the Vacuum Imploder warhead).
• Refuge in Audacity: Red Alert 3 is made of this trope, especially the Empire of the Rising Sun. Psychic schoolgirls, Macross-style flyer/walker robots, giant robots... and then even bigger robots. With swords. The Soviets have armored bears, a magnetic satellite that whisks armored vehicles in orbit (just thinking about the physics gives me a headache), and a Colony Drop where you can toss a satellite (later a space station!) on the enemy. Including any of their vehicles you've whisked with the Magnetic Satellite. Ouch.
  • The game actually lampshades this at one point, mentioning that the magnetic satellite whisks units away "Never to be seen again. Or so they think."
    • "Oh no, my battleships!" "Oh no, my battleships!!!!"
• Ridiculously-Fast Construction: Justified with the Empire, who use advanced nanotechnology.
• Robo Speak: The robotic units in Red Alert 3, namely the Allies Future Tank X-1 and Japanese Nanocores.
• Roboteching: As seen in Red Alert 3 with the Rocket Angels used by the Japanese. Who'd have guessed it?
  • For added Macross Missile Massacre, one of the Empire passive powers that can be unlocked even allows your rocket-spewing units to spew even more rockets!
• Rule of Cool:
  • It's explained in the opening that since the Soviets eliminated Einstein in the past, nuclear technology no longer exists. Yet when the Soviet Super Reactor building is destroyed...
  • The residue from which is used in their Desolator weaponry.
• Rushmore Refacement: Looks almost identical to what the aliens did in Mars Attacks!.
• Selective Magnetism: The Soviets are using various magnetic weapons: from magnetic harpoons to magnetic weapons that strip armor and weapons off enemy vehicles to magnets that suck units into SPACE.
• Sequel Hook/The Stinger: The Allies just might have used a time machine at the end of the Empire campaign.
  • Unlikely, since that's non-canon. However, in the expansion, evidence suggests that the Japanese campaign--in which they've managed to re-arm and are ready for war again--is canon.
• Series Mascot: For Red Alert 3, the parachuting war bears. They might not be much good against armored vehicles, but they came to represent the all-out-crazy nature of Red Alert 3's unit design, and even appear on the box art (Natasha the sniper is front and center though).
• Shaped Like Itself:

Peacekeeper: "Peacekeeper, keeping the peace."

• Shotguns Are Just Better: Played straight with Allies' Peacekeepers, not only they are the strongest of the basic rifleman unit, they can knockdown even ninjas and commandos who gets too close, and with proper micromanagement can lock them in a Cycle of Hurting.
• Shout-Out:
  • The Empire by itself is an incarnation of many things people love about Japan, both real and fictional.
  • Cryo Legionnaire is a pun of Chrono Legionnaires in Red Alert 2 and also a shout out to Mr Freeze with many of the voiceovers are Mr Freeze's lines ("Let's kick some ice!", "Cool Party" and "The Iceman Comenth").
  • The weaponized Mt Rushmore looks almost exactly like the aliens' modification in Mars Attacks! (without the weapons).
  • The spy is an obvious expy of James Bond.
  • The first chapter of Yuriko's story in Uprising features a psychic Japanese girl breaking out of her restraints in a secret facility and ripping apart guards in huge, bloody explosions. Sound familiar?
  • Yuriko's name can mean "daughter of Yuri", the renegade psychic from Red Alert 2.
  • One of the secret files in the mission has the title Do You Remember Love.
  • The final Soviet mission starts out with Tanya destroying some dreadnoughts that are attacking the Statue of Liberty, exactly how the Allied campaign started in Red Alert 2. Tanya even remarks, "Just like old times, you Commie scum!".
  • In challenge mode, there is a mission entitled "Number one threat to America". It's about giant bears.
  • The special unit equivalent to Boris from Red Alert 2? Natasha.
  • A British commander called Giles Price
  • The Proton Collider superweapon is a clever crack at the LHC. And just in case you didn't get it the first time, the Sigma Harmonizer from Uprising is a giant particle accelerator with a similar configuration to the LHC, complete with (justified, in this case) public concerns over its actual function.
  • The King Oni resembles a cross between Ironman and a Gundam. Further driving the point home, the Emperor has the original prototype, which is red with gold accents (which are normally white, but are gold colored due to the Empire's canonical faction color). You even see him in a Ironman-like interface as he declares your imminent doom.
• Sliding Scale of Silliness Versus Seriousness: Waaaay on the silly end. Beam Katanas? Bears? Tim Curry? The Yuriko and Soviet campaigns in Uprising are more on the serious side.
• Sniping the Cockpit: Natasha Volkova from Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is able to snipe the operator of a vehicle, at which point any infantry unit can hop in.
• Sore Loser: Most of the AI commanders take losing fairly well, and some will even show you respect, but Kenji and Moskvin... well...

Kenji: I bet you think this is funny! Well, I have friends, you know. Moskvin: I never would have lost were it not for the incompetence of my forces! At least they're dead!

• Spider Tank: The "Sickle", the standard anti-infantry vehicle for the Soviets, and also the electricity-spewing amphibious Stingray. Though weirdly enough, it must be built at naval docks. Apparently, land-mode "movers" are just a bonus. The Reaper is a failed prototype of the Sickle that was hastily put into mass-production.
• The Starscream: General Krukov. Not too big of a surprise as he spends most of the Soviet campaign undermining your success. Cherdenko turns against you to keep you from turning into one.
• Start of Darkness: Red Alert 3: Uprising covers the origins of the experiments that created Yuriko Omega.
• Stripperiffic:
  • The female Allied and Soviet officers' uniforms. Natasha's is essentially a pair of hot pants and midriff-baring top.
  • Archer Maidens in Uprising, making an Allied soldier wish there were more ladies in the infantry division.
  • Suki at least waits until the Imperial campaign is concluded to strip down and invite her newly Shogun Commander to take her... on vacation to Hawaii.
• Super Prototype: The prototype King Oni is faster, stronger, nigh indestructible and equipped with a absolutely devastating anti-aircraft rocket battery. And it's piloted by George Takei.
  • The Reapers from Uprising are a heavier prototype of the Sickle. So heavy, in fact, that their legs break beneath them if they jump.
• Theme Music Power-Up: The background music changes to faster and harder tunes when the player's units are engaging enemy units. And an annoying version of the enemy's theme if they fire a superweapon at you.
• Time Stands Still: The Sigma Harmonizer in the last Uprising soviet mission, it is in the mission title too.
• Tragic Villain/Tragic Monster: Poor Yuriko... After suffering all the tragedies in her youth and ending up having to kill her own alleged sister who turns against her after being saved, she is still the same lonely, unloved girl...
• Transforming Mecha:
  • The Empire of The Rising Sun in Red Alert 3: "Mecha Tengu, GO!" and the Striker-VX. The Mecha-Tengu even resembles a Macross Valkyrie in Gerwalk and jet modes, and transforms the same way.
  • Uprising has the Giga-Fortress, a naval base that transforms into a giant floating head that's about as big as a skyscraper. And apparently its sentient, judging by the way it was asking where its body is.
• Tuckerization: One of the maps in Command & Conquer 3, "Black's Big Battle", is likely named for multi-player designer Greg Black. Ingame art shows a soldier with the nametag "Vessella", a reference to associate producer Jim Vessella.
• Un Entendre: Seriously, General Krukov?

"While you were hiding behind your barricades in Leningrad, the enemy was thrusting deeply into the Motherland's tender nether regions!"

• • Even your Mission Control Dasha looks at him with a "I can't believe you just said that!" face.
• Unusual Euphemism: Battle bears and man cannons, as proven with the actors being unable to control their laughter in the bloopers.
• Villainous Breakdown: Several times:
  • Happened to Emperor Yoshiro after learning the Empire is a result of the Soviets messing with timelines, and thus "There is no divine destiny."
  • Premier Cherdenko in the Collapsing Lair after trying to pull off You Have Outlived Your Usefulness on you.
  • Similarly in Empire campaign:

Cherdenko: No! this can't be happening! I am the Premier! I CONTROL TIME!

• • Rupert Thornley pulled an epic one in Uprising after you destroy the Sigma Harmonizer, Big No included.

Thornley:Noooo! What have you done, you idiots! I could have created heaven on earth here, and now, NOW, I have nothing.

• • Shinzo and Kenji on their respective capture in the Uprising Allies campaign. Takara doesn't seem to care though.

Shinzo:You captured me using trickery and magic? Kenji: Tatsu! How could you do this to me! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

• • Prince Tatsu in the last Allies mission in Uprising.
• Villain Protagonist: The Commander, depending on what side you choose, can be a bit of a bastard.
• Villain with Good Publicity : President Ackerman. Rupert Thornley in Uprising.
• Wave Motion Gun: The literal 'Wave Force Artillery' and its turret version. Also the Allies' spectrum weapons.
• Weaksauce Weakness: The Empire possess no adequate anti-air capabilities (until the expansion). Requiring them to immediately go for Mecha-Tengus or be destroyed.
• Weaponized Landmark: The Trope Namer. Moais with Tesla coils in them, The Griffith Observatory with a huge cannon rigged into it, Mt Rushmore have weapons in the heads, and of course the Leningrad memorial with a space rocket.
• We Have Reserves: Soviet Conscripts (their basic rifle infantry) are the cheapest units in the game, and build rapidly.
• Whip It Good: Rocket Angels use laser whips to paralyze ground troops.
• Whole-Plot Reference: The first chapter of Yuriko's story features a psychic Japanese girl breaking out of her restraints in a secret facility and ripping apart guards in huge, bloody explosions. Sound familiar?
• With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Played straight with Izumi. Ironically subverted with Yuriko.
• Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Yuriko in Uprising. Just play her campaign. The most heart-wrenching part is that she has no idea what to do or where to go after having had her revenge.
• Would Hurt a Child: Natasha might lament not having little children to kill.
• You Are in Command Now: Oleg in Uprising, apparently.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: What can you expect of Tim Curry?
• Zeppelins from Another World: The mighty Kirov, the slow-moving but devastating bomber zeppelin of the Soviets. As those weren't scary enough, they now come with Nitro Boost.
• Zero Effort Boss: President Ackerman in the Allies campaign, though surprisingly, this is also a Kaizo Trap at the same time.
• Zettai Ryouiki: Yuriko.