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[[File:triforce2.jpg|link=The Legend of Zelda|frame|[[Dirty Harry|I know what you're thinking:]] [[Comically Missing the Point|is that three triangles or five?]]]]
{{quote|
''Good things come in threes. So do bad things. And even things that are neither good nor bad.
''Good things come in threes. So do bad things. And even things that are neither good nor bad.'' }}
[[Schoolhouse Rock|Three is a magic number.]]
The '''Rule of Three''' is a pattern used in stories and jokes, where part of the story is repeated three times, with minor variations. The first two instances build tension, and the third releases it by incorporating a twist.
This is especially common in storytelling. [[Youngest Child Wins|The third of three brothers succeeds after his older siblings each failed.]] The protagonist is given three tests and receives the prize after the third. It's almost unusual to find a folktale that does ''not'' incorporate the rule of three in some form. This may be an artifact of the oral tradition, in which the stock formula of the first, second, and third attempt makes the story easier to remember.
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Following on from the oral tradition, speech-writers have learnt the 'Rule of Three' - listen to a political speech- the points come in threes, from 'Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer' to Tony Blair declaring 'Education, education, education'.
The rule of three is also used widely in comedy. Many popular jokes are based on three [[Stock Character
A more popular variation on the rule is to repeat the same joke or concept three times, but put a twist on the third one that makes it funny again. One version of this is [[The Triple]], wherein a character lists three items - the first two logical and serious, and the [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|third applying a twist or joke]]. For example, a character might say [[Ignore the Disability|to a bald person]], "Can I get you anything? Cup of coffee? Doughnut? Toupee?" (From ''[[The Dick Van Dyke Show]]''.)
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Alternatively, the twist can come during the second iteration (such as [[Chekhov's Skill]]) [[Subverted Trope|failing the first time it's used]] only to return to its original form on the third pass; this version tends to accompany [[This Index Will Be Important Later|Chekhov's tropes]].
The [[Overly Long Gag]] could be seen as a subversion of the
In art, there's a rule of ''thirds'' where putting items in the intersections between thirds-lines draws more attention and is more visually appealing than plonking them right in the center, which is considered boring. In design, particularly three-dimensional design such as shop displays, groups of three objects, or objects arranged to form a triangle, are considered most attractive to the eye.
The Rule
A constructed phrase such as "Veni, Vidi, Vici." that has three grammatically and logically connected elements is known as a Tricolon. When the three elements increase in length, it's a Tricolon Crescens.
This is why there are [[Power Trio
Variations on this trope include uses of 5, 7, 12, and convienent multiples of five afterward (i.e., 25, 50, but not 35 or 70).
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[[Sub-Trope|Sub Tropes]] include [[Three Wishes]], [[These Questions Three]], [[Third Time's the Charm]], [[Trilogy Creep]], [[On Three]], [[Counting to Three]], and [[The Three Certainties in Life]].
See also [[Conflict|Basic Conflicts]] and other plot devices which often come in [[Numerological Motif|Threes or Sevens]], and [[Three Rules of Three]], a wiki guideline. Not to be confused with [[Four Is Death|Four]], unless you're counting [[Four-Element Ensemble|elements]], [[Four-Temperament Ensemble|bodily fluids]], and other dimensions.<ref>[[Monty Python and
Related to other [[wikipedia:Rule of three|rules of three]] [[In Name Only|in number only]] or [[wikipedia:Triumvirate|in politics]].
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{{examples}}
== Advertising ==
* It's a general
* ''[[Nick
* "[[Head On]], apply directly to the forehead. [[Head On]], apply directly to the forehead. [[Head On]], apply directly to the forehead."
** And its lesser-known sister ad: "Freedom from hemmorhoids, FREEdHEM hemmorhoid cream. Freedom from hemmorhoids, FREEdHEM hemmorhoid cream. Freedom from hemmorhoids, FREEdHEM hemmorhoid cream."
* A Toyota commercial has a hybrid car speeding along with three black horses, three white horses, three hang-gliders, and three fighter jets to show that [[Lighter and Softer|soft]] and [[Darker and Edgier|edgy]] can get along.
== Anime and Manga ==
* [[Lampshade Hanging]]: ''[[Keroro Gunsou]]'' episode 9 has Moa blowing up Giroro and Keroro twice in a row. Then it happens a third time, and the [[Lemony Narrator|narrator]] explains that this is due to the conventions of humor.
* In ''[[Dragonball Z]]'', before King Kai (King Kaio) agrees to train someone, they must make him laugh with a joke. Tien performs the multiform technique to create 3 bodies just before shouting the punchline. Thus making his joke 3 times funnier.
*
* ''[[Suzumiya Haruhi]]'': The ''third'' {{spoiler|Endless Eight episode}} has Itsuki state that {{spoiler|"We have entered an endless recursion of time."}} three times in a row.
* In ''[[Transformers Armada]]'', the ultimate weapon, the Hydra Cannon, is made of three smaller uber-weapons, the Star Saber, Skyboom Shield, and Requiem Blaster. Each of these is itself made of three Mini-Cons.
* Specifically invoked by Batou in ''[[Ghost in
* In ''[[One Piece]]''
** There are three Marine Admirals (not counting Vice Admirals): Borsalino, Issho, and Aramaki; the latter two are replacements for Kuzan (who resigned) and Sakazuki (who was promoted), Sakazuki himself having filled the position after Sengoku resigned, suggesting this is policy among the Marines.
** As well as three great powers: the Marines, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the Four Emperors
** The Monster Trio in the Strawhat crew consists of Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.
** There are three Ancient Weapons, Pluto, Poseidon, and Uranus.
** The number three seems to hold significance for Luffy’s [[Arch Enemy]] Marshall D. Teach, aka Blackbeard. He has three missing teeth [[Depending on the Artist|(usually)]], usually carries three muskets in his belt, his beard (after the [[Time Skip]]) has three braids, his crew uses a Jolly Roger with three skulls, and he is one of three different characters based on the historic [https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Blackbeard Blackbeard] (the others being Edward Newgate and Thatch, both of whom were murdered by Teach). This - along with several characters referring to Teach as “they” rather than “he”, plus odd shifts in personality - has led to the odd fan theory that Teach either has [[Split Personality|three separate personalities]] or is even more than one person, possibly three brothers who share the same body.
* In ''[[Fairy Tail]]'' there are three true Dragon Slayers: Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy.
** Also there was three active S-Class mages in the guild: Laxus, Erza, Mystogan. Then: Erza, Mirajane and Mystogan. Currently Erza, Mirajane, Gildartz.
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** And three Phantom Beasts. And three Wicked Gods. And the English manga was published as three series ([[Yu-Gi-Oh!]] for the first seven volumes, [[Yu-Gi-Oh!]] Duelist for Duelist Kingdom onward, and [[Yu-Gi-Oh!]] Millenium World, following the Duel City finals).
** ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX|GX]]'' even has three Kaiba [[Expy|expies]].
* The 3 kids Maurice, Maeter, and Linck in ''[[Eureka Seven]]'', as well as the number of times Nirvash and [[The End]] fight each other.
* ''[[Eyeshield 21]]'' ends with 333 chapters. Many of the close friendships in the series are in groups of three.
* ''[[Dokuhime]]'' has triplet princes who were predicted to be the "perfect child, protecting child, and destroying child", the last one having a tell-tale birthmark (the king loved them so he marked the other 2 and raised them all the same). Sure enough, one is {{spoiler|posing as the deceased king}}, another is {{spoiler|the poison tester}}, and the 3rd {{spoiler|alone is a brilliant engineer but was so traumatized by seeing his father's death that he looks a lot younger and can't stop killing things}}, but that hasn't yet proved anything. Despite being triplets they no longer look the same: the one who's {{spoiler|posing as the king}} [[Younger Than They Look|looks older]] while the one who {{spoiler|is traumatized and can't stop killing}} [[Older Than They Look|looks younger.]]
* ''[[Vampire Game]]'' has 3 princes who are {{spoiler|the 3 "adopted" sons of the king. Well, 2 were adopted and the 1st was illegitimate}}.
== Comic Books ==
* Characters in "Sláine" (in ''[[2000 AD]]'') constantly refer to things in groups of three - three great silences, three sorrows, etc.
* [[Doctor Doom]] has always been motivated by three goals: One, utterly defeat his rival Reed Richards; two, conquer the entire world; and three, rescue his mother's soul from Mephisto. With the help of [[Doctor Strange]], the third goal has been completed, but he hasn't ruled out seeking revenge against Mephisto.
== Film ==
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* In ''[[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]]'', Indy must pass three tests (The Breath of God, The Word of God and The Path of God) to get to the Grail temple.
** Then comes ''[[Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull]]''. "Three times it drops..." [[Inevitable Waterfall|Hoo boy.]]
* ''[[Monty Python and
** Possibly five times, as instead of the usual three knights/questioners/Billy Goats Gruff, there's three plus Arthur.
{{quote|
Three, sire.
Three! }}
** Additionally "...then thou shalt count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out."
** A deleted scene shows Arthur and Bedevere about to cross a lake, only to be accosted by the bridgekeeper again, who says, "He who would cross the Sea of Fate must answer me these questions twenty-eight!" After some deliberation, Arthur and Bedevere toss him into the lake and continue on their way.
* ''[[Airplane!]]!''. During the landing sequence, Dr. Rumack ([[Leslie Nielsen]]) steps into the cockpit three times and says "I just want to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you" in exactly the same way: once as they begin the descent, once in the middle of the landing, and once after the plane is on the ground.
* [[Robert Rodriguez]] wove multiple instances of the
* Guy Richie's first two films, ''[[Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels]]'' and ''[[Snatch]]'' feature dialogue exchanges where two characters repeat the same line of dialogue three times while responding to another character. "No, Harry, you can't" in the former and "Yeah, dad, you told us" in the latter.
* In [[Austin Powers]], Dr. Evil's Mook Mustafa will answer a question if asked three consecutive times. The scene with him in ''The Spy Who Shagged Me'' uses the Rule twice. Austin discovers his weakness when he asks one question three times, then he asks another question three times, and finally on the third question he asks it once, then says, "Do I really have to ask you three times?" and asks it two more times, but Mustafa refuses to answer because he interrupted the questioning with a different question. Then Mustafa gets shot.
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* The [[Final Battle|Trench Attack]] from ''[[Star Wars]]: [[A New Hope]]''. First attack run, easily blown to pieces by [[Red Baron|Darth Vader]]. Second run "[[Accidental Innuendo|Negative, it didn't go in.]]" Third run, Luke's all clear; he blows that thing and goes home!
* ''The Empire Strikes Back'' features three uses of this:
** Darth Vader [[You Have Failed Me...|Force-choking his subordinates]]. First, he chokes the incompetent Admiral Ozzel via video monitor and promoting Captain Piett to his place. Later, Vader kills Captain Needa for not capturing the Falcon. Then at the end, when the Falcon jumps into hyperspace and escapes, Piett expects certain death but Vader just walks off the bridge.
*** Unlike the other two, Piett didn't actually screw up. He ''did'' disable the hyperdrive, the rebels just fixed it faster than expected, and there wasn't much he could do about that. This may be why Vader spared him.
*** Director Irvin Kirschner, in the DVD commentary, says Vader is too upset that the Falcon escapes, despite the Imperials sabotaging the hyperdrive, that he merely forgets to kill a minion. Accordingly, Piett and the other officers were right to be afraid as he stormed off the bridge.
** The Millenium Falcon trying to jump into hyperspace. First they're being pursued by a Star Destroyer away from Hoth; Han attempts to jump into hyperspace but nothing happens. Then, after leaving the asteroid field and having supposedly repaired the hyperdrive, they try again and again it fails. Later, with Lando now at the controls, and with the hyperdrive supposedly fixed by Lando's mechanics, they try for the THIRD time and it still fails to go into light speed because the Empire had deactivated it! The twist is that
** C-3PO spelling out [[Million-to-One Chance|the ridiculous odds]] against whatever they trying to do. First he says that the odds of Han and Luke surviving a Hoth blizzard are 725 to 1. Then he says the odds of successfully navigating an [[Asteroid Thicket|asteroid field]] are 3720 to 1. (Prompting Han to reply "[[Never Tell Me the Odds]]!") Finally, he tries to tell Han the odds of surviving a direct assault on a Star Destroyer, but Leia interrupts and tells him to shut up.
* The climactic battle in ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' cuts between three different sets of action and location: the forest battle, the space battle and the duel between Luke and Vader in the Emperor's throne room.
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* ''[[Run Lola Run]]'' loops three times through the same series of events, with [[Butterfly Effect|minor to snowballing changes]] in each iteration.
* Sherman Klump is asked a Triple in ''[[The Nutty Professor]]'' remake:
{{quote|
* When [[Goldfinger]] tries to kill [[James Bond (film)|James Bond]] with the industrial laser, he tells him, "The reason for our first two meetings is now clear to me. I do not intend to be distracted by a third."
* ''[[The Dark Knight]]''. The Joker twice does the "Do you know how I got these scars on my face?" line in a prelude to doing something nasty. The third time he's got Batman pinned.
{{quote|
'''Batman:''' No, but I know how you'll get these! ''(shoots his forearm blades into the Joker's face)'' }}
* Showing that it's not always good, it's used in ''[[Triumph of the Will]]'', and [[Homage|later]], as a heroic example, ''[[Star Wars]]''.
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* In the [[DVD Commentary]] for ''[[Mean Girls]]'', [[Tina Fey]] sarcastically notes that the scene where Cady & co. are trying to arrange for Aaron to catch Regina cheating on him follows "the comedy rule of twos" and that there should really be a third method they try.
* Claudia does indeed try to kill Lilli three times in ''[[Snow White: A Tale of Terror|Snow White a Tale of Terror]]'', but the first two are different from the original fairytale. She first tries to bury her in a mine cave-in and secondly by making trees fall in the forest.
== Jokes ==
* A joke in 2009 uses the
{{quote|
Michael Jackson was surprised to find himself in heaven, but even more surprised that he was once again black. "Saint Peter," he said, "I worked pretty hard to lighten my skin over the years. Can you fix it?" Half an hour later [[Billy Mays]] arrived in heaven with some OxiClean. }}
* Jokes in general tend to make very heavy use of the
== Literature ==
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** It's also the command for ''Gay Deceiver'' to store an instruction in permanent memory in ''[[The Number of the Beast]]'' (1980), by [[Robert A. Heinlein]].
*** Based on the design philosophy that any machine or computer your life depends on should have triple redundant failsafes. The 'tell you three times' protocol was admittedly a lazy shorthand in violation of his own principle. Zeb demonstrated himself what a bad practice it was by using it to execute commands faster than they can be given consideration, whereas three honestly separate steps may have prevented him from jumping the gun.
{{quote|
** A story by Raymond F. Jones in the February 1951 issue of Astounding Science Fiction was titled "I Tell You Three Times", and related to computer controls. Could this be the source of the two uses above?
*** Possibly, although ''[[The Hunting of the Snark]]'' has been a recurring motif throughout sci-fi; for instance, the [[Alien (franchise)|Nostromo]] was originally going to be called the "Snark".
* The absurdist holy book ''[http://www.principiadiscordia.com/ Principia Discordia]'' is based on a Rule of ''Five'', which bleeds over into such works of Discordian fiction as ''[[Illuminatus]]!''
* The alien race (dubbed the Ramans) that created the gargantuan space object in ''[[Rendezvous With Rama]]'' by [[Arthur C. Clarke]] apparently do everything in
* “Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects ''vast'' and ''cool'' and ''unsympathetic'', regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us.” (H G Wells 1898 War of the Worlds, opening paragraph). “How beautifully underplayed is that adjective ‘unsympathetic’.” (Brian Aldiss, Trillion Year Spree p. 152).
* ''[[Stardust (novel)|Stardust]]'': The King of Stormhold has three remaining sons. Also subverts the youngest brother convention by making him pure evil, and the oldest a caring and decent man. The middle brother is a useless sex maniac. The youngest son is also the Seventh Son.
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** Other Tolkien examples: there are three [[The Silmarillion|Silmarils]], three Elven [[The Lord of the Rings|Rings of Power]], three races that got Rings of Power, three groupings of Elves of the Light, three ancient tribes of noble Men, three archaic clans of Hobbits, and three survivor states of Numenor (Arnor, Gondor, and Umbar). [[Big Bad|Melkor]] disrupts the Music of the Ainur three times.
** There are also nine Nazgul. Nine is thrice three, and a very important number in [[Norse Mythology]].
* Dennis Dutton might have some good points about the flaws in Christopher Booker's ''[[The Seven Basic Plots]]''[https://web.archive.org/web/20180731130608/http://www.denisdutton.com/booker_review.htm
{{quote|
* In ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'' by [[Charles Dickens]], the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Present do not change Scrooge's mind. It is the third ghost, the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Be, who convinces Scrooge to change his ways.
** Not entirely true. By the end of the Ghost of Christmas Present's visit, Scrooge is shown a pair of [[Street Urchin|street urchins]] freezing to death and shows compassion for them, only to have his earlier harsh words thrown back in his face. The
** Only in certain movie adaptations. In the original story Scrooge is slowly repenting of his ways from the very first ghost, and has fully repented by the end of the second. He even begins his time with the third by stating that he is a different man than he was, and is eager for the spirit to guide him further. Unfortunately, the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come isn't the friendly sort.
* [[William Shakespeare|Shakespearean]] examples:
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*** Also, there are three Deathly Hallows themselves; the Resurrection Stone, the Invisibility Cloak, and the Elder Wand. They were created by the three Peverall brothers: the eldest was killed for the wand, the middle killed himself to be with his dead wife, and the youngest lived to old age by "hiding from Death" with the cloak. In the movie the first two brothers are mostly silhouettes while the third brother is (more or less) fully lit.
* In [[Dan Abnett]]'s [[Gaunt's Ghosts]] novel ''Only In Death'', "A traditional Tanith toast took three parts." So Larkin and Rawne toast "Old Ghosts," "Staying alive," and "Ibram Gaunt".
* In the classic [[
{{quote|
* In one of [[Mercedes Lackey]]'s novels, a new magic user of Native American heritage was surprised he had to do something 4 times where the Europeans were equally bound to do the same thing 3 times. The 4 directions, donchaknow!
* ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' didn't stop at the title for this one:
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** Ref. ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', maybe "hexalogy" would have been too much of a pun? [[Don't Explain the Joke|After all]], "hex" is also German/old-English for "witch" or "magical curse" (hence the FPS ''Hexen'').
* In a Sci-fi story "a little lubricant" (yes, ahoi [[Double Entendre]]) the ''third'' spaceship makes it back to Earth.
* The entirety of Wil McCarthy’s novel ''[[The Collapsium]]'' is structured this way. It’s broken into three “books,” ''Once Upon a Matter Crushed'', ''Twice Upon a Star Imperiled'' and ''Thrice Upon a Schemer’s Plotting'', and each begins with a nearly identical setup and set of challenges for the main character. But with each iteration, the complexity of the story takes a step up, until the final section, where everything goes to hell and plot threads from all three sections pay off. By the [[Word of God|author’s own admission]], the novel was written as a modern hard-SF fairy tale, so
* Lampshaded and made an explicit magical rule in the ''[[Percy Jackson and The Olympians]]'' books, where the number three is sacred (three Furies, three Fates, three sons of Kronos atop three thrones), and so Half-Blood heroes going on quests are allowed only two companions. Breaking this is seen to invite trouble.
* [[Diana Wynne Jones]]'s book ''[[Power of Three (novel)|Power of Three]]'' has this in spades, unsurprisingly. The main characters are three siblings; there are three peoples living on the Moor - Lymen, Dorig and Giants; there are three Powers, Sun, Moon and Earth. The children's father performed three tasks to win their mother, and there are three exchanges of gold collars before the conflict between the peoples can be resolved.
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* Three by Ted Dekker?
* [[Moby Dick]] has three threes: The chapter ''The Chase - Third Day'' marks the end of the book. Furthermore, there are three mates aboard the Pequod, Starbuck, Stubb and Flask; and three harpooners, Queequeg, Daggoo and Tashtego.
* In [[Graham McNeill]]'s [[Warhammer
** Similarly, in [[James Swallow]]'s [[Blood Angels]] spinoff story "The Returned", Tarikus is subjected to three tests of whether he is tainted. They are explicitly billed as tests of his mind, body, and soul.
* The titual character of Paulo Coelho's ''[[The Alchemist]]'' believes that anything that happens twice WILL happen again. He is not proven wrong.
* [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] in [[Sergey Lukyanenko]]'s ''The Stars Are Cold Toys'' by an alien living computer who wonders about the human fascination with the number three. The humans are stumped, and the best explanation they can come up with is "two is not enough, and four is too much." Surprisingly, the alien is satisfied with the answer.
* In the [[Star Trek Deep Space Nine
* ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'''s [[Arc Number]] is usually seven, but the
** Jaqen H'ghar owes Arya three [[I Owe You My Life|life debts]], and in true folktale fashion she wastes the first two on trivial vendettas and [[Guile Hero|makes creative use]] of the last one to get what she really wants.
** Runs deep in the Danaerys chapters. She's the last of three children, she has three dragon eggs, three handmaids, and three bloodriders, etc etc. When she is scouting out from Vaes Tolloro, she sends each of her three bloodriders in a different direction. The first two come back empty-handed, the last one takes a long time but ultimately returns with three emissaries from Qarth, a city ruled by three major guilds...
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* In ''Master of Five Magics'' and its sequals, sorcerers must recite a spell three times to make it work, and each recitation is more difficult to enunciate than the last.
* [[Twilight]] gives us this memorable gem:
{{quote|
* In [[Devon Monk]]'s ''[[Age of Steam|Dead Iron]]'', LeFel tries to invoke this on Jeb
=== Literature - Magazines ===
* [[Memetic Mutation|PROTIP:]] A trio of characters from different games is a standard ''[[Game Pro]]'' cover.
== Live
* It seems like standard procedure for the parents in a [[Dom Com]] to have three children. ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'' (twice over,) ''[[Growing Pains (TV)|Growing Pains]]'', ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]'', ''[[Roseanne]]'', ''[[The Nanny]]'', ''[[Full House]]'', ''[[Reba]]'' all involve the three children of the protagonists. The common reason seems to be that it covers all bases; the oldest can have typical teen problems (dating, driving, etc.), the middle can have the kid problems (first day of school, etc.), and the youngest can either sit and look cute or say random funny things. The big reason for the [[Cousin Oliver]] is to bring in another cute one when the child actors have the audacity to age and upset this delicate balance.
* Demonstrated extensively on ''[[The Daily Show]]''; subverted at least once.
{{quote|
* Humorously subverted by Johnny Carson on one episode of the Johnny Carson Show.
{{quote|
* "Hi, I'm Larry. This is my brother Daryl, and this is my other brother Daryl."
* When [[Tina Fey]] hosted ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', she was coached on acting by guest star Steve Martin, who slapped her early in the monologue for her self-doubt, then slapped her again later just for fun, and then one more time immediately afterwards.
{{quote|
'''Steve:''' No, that was the Comedy Rule of Three. }}
* ''[[Star Trek]]'' captains (especially Picard) would frequently list off [[Famous, Famous, Fictional|three examples of some well-known cultural phenomenon]]. Typically, two of them would be what we would consider "classic" examples, and one would be either contemporary to us, or alien. For example, he might say, "Ah, yes, the great poets of history; William Shakespeare, Walt Whitman, Zyglorty Mospiqxot of T'pingnit." Or, "I've always been interested in classical music; Bach, Beethoven, the Beatles." (''[[Red Dwarf]]'' did this precise gag with "Mendelssohn, Mozart, Motorhead".)
** This tendency wasn't lost on the writers of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'', who'd spoof it on a regular basis.
{{quote|
* In ''[[Blackadder]] II'', the title character seeks the help of a wise woman when he falls in love with his manservant, 'Bob' (who, unbeknownst to Blackadder, is actually a girl in drag). She suggests three "cunning plans": first, he could kill Bob. When he rejects this she suggests he could kill himself, which he's no keener on. The third plan is to ensure nobody else ever finds out: "kill everybody in the whole world!"
** In the episode "Major Star", Captain Blackadder gives Lieutenant George three rules to follow during his drag-date with General Melchett: 1) Never remove your wig. 2) Never say anything. 3) Don't get drunk and let him shag you on the veranda.
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** (knock knock knock) Leonard and Penny! (knock knock knock) Leonard and Penny! (knock knock knock) Leonard and Penny!
** Another ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'' example, when Sheldon saved Leonard from a rocket fuel explosion in the elevator.
{{quote|
* [[Professional Wrestling]] is fond of this in some forms, ranging from the 'Triple Threat' match (3 fighters) to audience chants; one of the most popular is to match 3 syllables (e.g. 'R V D! R V D!' for Rob Van Dam). The other popular chant format? Four syllables and five claps ('You're a loser!' * * *** ), which adds up to nine.
* Countless game shows have three contestants per episode. ''[[Jeopardy!]]'' and ''[[Wheel of Fortune]]'' are the best known.
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* The three presenters on ''[[Top Gear]]''. This works well, as two of them can set up a pattern and the third can break it [[Rule of Funny|for humor]].
* Lampsaded on an episode of ''[[NCIS]]'': McGee is saying reasons for something
{{quote|
'''McGee''' How did you know there was a third?
'''Director Vance:''' There is always a third. }}
* And [[Discussed Trope|discussed]] on ''[[NCIS: Los Angeles]]'', when Deeks makes the requisite "Gesundheit" joke after someone says a weird-sounding German name...twice, and the others all just stare at him.
{{quote|
** {{spoiler|Sure enough, it came up a third time, and Callen seemed to think it ''was'' good.}}
* ''[[Gilmore Girls]]'': I wish my mom would let me have a car... or a bike... or my roller skates back.
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* In an early season of ''[[Walker, Texas Ranger]]'', in the first episode of the season, Walker corners the bad guy at the end of the episode. The bad guy turns and faces Walker, assumes a "karate stance" and makes a "karate yell". Walker beats him up. In the next episode, different bad guy, same ending. In the third episode, same ending except just when you are saying "this is getting a bit old", Walker drops his shoulders, sighs and says "Not another karate guy."
* ''[[Community]]'' has Britta's one-time boyfriend Vaughn, who always says hello three different ways.
{{quote|
** This is then [[Lampshaded]] by the study group, who start to count his greetings on their fingers whenever they see him.
* ''[[
{{quote|
'''Spencer''': "Fruit sauce?"
'''Freddie''': "My mom thinks I'll choke on fruit so she pounds it with a mallet--"
'''Spencer''': "Okay yeah, we get it."
'''Spencer''': "What happened to those flowers?"
'''Mrs. Benson''': "I soaked them in bleach and then pounded them with a mallet!" }}
** In ''iQuit iCarly'', after Sam & Carly have been pulled inside the building, they burst into tears and Spencer turns them to face one another so that they hug, whilst Fleck & Dave do the same thing. Spencer & Freddie look at each other & shrug, before hugging
* ''[[Wizard Of Earthsea]]'': the wizard Ged knows the Dragon's true name and has Power over him.
{{quote|
Ged; Hey! Don't I get to ask '''three''' questions?
Dragon: Yes, you do. Now you have two questions left. }}
* The 2nd ''[[Criminal Minds]]'' episode, "Compulsion", features a serial arsonist/murderer driven by an obsessive-compulsive disorder that forces her to repeat things in sets of three. When (pretty arbitrary) patterns of threes emerge around her it triggers her to start her next round of arson and murder.
* The Trinity Killer in ''[[Dexter]]'' Season 4. 3 sets of kills spanning 30 years.
* This was actually very prominent in [[The Sopranos]]. Junior superstitiously believes that it applies to real life, going so far as to hope that his old friend dies of cancer because . . . two of his friends have died of cancer already, and if a third meets the same fate, he'll be off the hook. Obviously cancer only targets three people of a given generation, right? It also plays into fan theories regarding the finale. Virtually every detail of the final scene evokes the number 3: there are 3 Sopranos at the table, there are 3 pictures on the wall, Meadow is able to successfully parallel park on her 3rd attempt. This brings Junior's "these things happen in 3s" theory to mind, suggesting that Tony really does die at the end to complete the trio that started with Bobby and Sil.
* [[Double Subverted]] with [[Adult Swim]]. In 2009, they aired ''[[The Room]]'' for [[April Fools' Day]]. In 2010 and 2011 they did this again. Surely they're doing something different for 2012, right? Uh oh, their airing that movie
* Lampshaded in ''[[30
== Music ==
* The Blue Man Group has kept itself to exactly three performers because it's the smallest group possible where you can have someone excluded from a majority somehow, a recurring factor used for a lot of their humor. (The Blue Men really only have individual personalities insofar as each one winds up doing several
* Earth, Wind, and Fire.
** Emerson, Lake and Palmer; Crosby, Stills and Nash; Peter, Paul and Mary...
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* [[Weezer]] has three self-titled albums, called Blue, Green, and Red [[Fan Nickname|by fans]].
* The ending of the ''2112 Suite'' by Rush:
{{quote|
Attention all planets of the Solar Federation.
Attention all planets of the Solar Federation.
We have assumed control.
We have assumed control.
We have assumed control.
* [[Emerson Lake and Palmer]] had an album called ''Trilogy'', though in a slight subversion it was their ''fourth'' album. However, it can be considered to have been their third if one ignores their ''Pictures at a Exhibition'' album, as many fans indeed do.
* In "Coward of the County" performed by Kenny Rogers, Kenny tells the story of Tommy, a man who believes in [[Turn the Other Cheek]]. Tommy has a loved one named Becky. One day the Gatlin Boys come a callin' and subsequently take turns at Becky. Kenny makes it a point to tell you there was three of them.
* The song "Threes" by [[Mercedes Lackey]] and [[Leslie Fish]] is built on this trope.
* As is the song "Three" by Massive Attack.
{{quote|
And fortune comes in threes }}
* "Sometime Around Midnight" by The Airborne Toxic Event ends with a Rule of ''Five''. This functions as a bit of [[Painting the Fourth Wall]]; the listener is ''expecting'' this trope to be in effect, and the fourth repetition surprises them, possibly even making them a little uncomfortable. In fact, they might think they misheard, until the fifth repetition underlines it. It might even be somewhat discomfiting. Which makes sense, as the singer is certainly disturbed.
{{quote|
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
[[Subverted Trope|You just have to see her]]
You just have to see her
You know that she'll break you in two }}
* ''Party In The USA'' by [[Miley Cyrus]]:
{{quote|
And a Jay-Z song was on
And the Jay-Z song was on
And the Jay-Z song was on }}
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtiQ3X6-Q2w&feature=related Scherzo] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPKzQhvI3_U&feature=related Tarantella]
* Indian Classical music (both Carnatic and Hindustani) has a huge array of compositions in meters with 3 counts per beat, which are often light and lilting numbers, though some are also heavy numbers. In rhythmic finales, it is customary to repeat the ending sequences three times, with optional variations.
** Folk music in India just '''adores''' triad rhythms.
* Speaking of classical music, ever noticed how so many great concertos have ''three movements''? Take your time, it's a BIG list.
== Newspaper Comics ==
* The irreducible simplicity of Ernie Bushmiller's ''Nancy'' depends in part on the principle of "the three rocks".
{{quote|Art Spiegelman explains how a drawing of three rocks in a background scene was Ernie's way of showing us there were some rocks in the background. It was always three. Why? Because two rocks wouldn't be "some rocks." Two rocks would be a pair of rocks. And four rocks was unacceptable because four rocks would indicate "some rocks" but it would be one rock more than was necessary to convey the idea of "some rocks." --Scott McCloud}}
== Oral Tradition, Folklore, Myths and Legends ==
* Common in folklore. A selection:
** "[[Goldilocks]] and the Three Bears" is built around this trope. The chairs are too hard, too soft, and just right, the porridges are too hot, too cold, just right, and so on.
** In "[[Three Billy Goats Gruff|The Three Billy Goats Gruff]]", the 3rd and largest goat defeats the troll.
** "[[Cinderella (novel)|Cinderella]]" traditionally goes to the ball 3 times before losing her shoe. Later, the 2 step-sisters each try the shoe on before Cinderella steps forward.
** The "[[Three Little Pigs]]": the first 2 pigs' houses fail to ward off the Big Bad Wolf, while the 3rd's brick house remains sturdy.
** In the Grimms' "[[Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (novel)|Snow White]]" story, the wicked Queen makes three attempts on Snow White's life (a cursed comb, strangling her with a bodice lace, and the famous poisoned apple).
** In
*** After he spun for her for three nights.
** In "[[Jack and the Beanstalk]]", Jack steals three treasures from the giant: a bag of gold, a goose that lays golden eggs, and a singing harp.
** "The Honey Princess": Three princes are set to accomplish three tasks in order to win three princesses' hands in marriage.
** "[https://web.archive.org/web/20190710220635/http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/rumpelstiltskin/stories/3spinners.html The Three Spinners]" help a girl against an impossible spinning task.
** In "[[Brother and Sister]]", it is the third stream that Brother drinks from; it is the third time he goes out to hunt that the king finds Sister; it was the third time she returned from the dead that her husband caught her and brought her back to life.
** In "[[East of the Sun and West of the Moon|East of the Sun West of The Moon]]", the heroine meets three women who give her gifts; she uses them to bribe her way to her husband, and the third time, he is not drugged to sleep.
** In "[https://web.archive.org/web/20131207050226/http://surlalunefairytales.com/maidmaleen/index.html Maid Maleen]", when she is pretending to be the bride, she speaks to three objects; the bride must find out from her three times what she said, and the bridegroom figures out the substitution.
** In "[https://web.archive.org/web/20130814130639/http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/grimms/186truesweetheart.html The True Sweetheart]", the heroine goes to the ball three times.
** In [https://www.wikiwand.com/en/The_Golden_Goose "The Golden Goose"], the two older brothers refuse to share with the [[The Fair Folk| "little grey man"]] they encounter, and are punished with bad luck that causes them injury. The third - Simpleton, the protagonist - youngest brother shares with him, and the man rewards him by telling him where to find the eponymous Goose.
*** Also, in some versions of the story a King offers Simpleton his daughter's hand in marriage if he can complete three [[Impossible Task]]s, find someone who can eat a mountain of bread, find someone who can drink all the wine in the kingdom, and find a ship that can sail on both land and sea. Again, the little grey man he befriended is able to do all three.
* Anecdotes have plenty of examples. For an example, three nation anecdotes.
* Shows up all the time in religion:
** Christianity does this so much that 333 is used by people being ostentatiously Christian:
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*** "Jesus answered (Peter), Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice". - John 13:38
**** And then, after his resurrection, Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him, extracting from Peter a promise to continue his work three times before he leaves him alone. This is often regarded as a symbolic reversal of Peter's thrice-denial of Jesus before his death. Also cf. the Fight Club example above.
*** God has to tell Peter pork is OK to eat now three times before he listens.
*** The three Christian virtues: Faith, Hope, Love/Charity (Charity refers to ''agape'' or selfless love, as opposed to Eros as self-gratifying and/or sexual love).
*** Also, although the only reference to this event in the Gospels states that [[Jesus]] was placed "in a manger, because there was no room for them at the inn", Nativity plays tend to show two innkeepers telling Mary and Joseph to go elsewhere because all the rooms are
*** The Gospel of Matthew, the only one that mentions the Wise Men or Magi, doesn't specifically state that there were three of them, only that they came "from the East". The gospel does mention that they presented Jesus with three symbolic gifts; gold (signifying Christ the King), frankincense (representing Jesus' divinity) and myrrh (an embalming incense, indicating that Jesus would die to save God's people).
*** When Jesus fasted in the desert, he was tempted three times by the Devil; 1) Turn the stones into bread, 2) Throw yourself from this cliff and let God save you, and 3) swear loyalty to me and the kingdoms of the world will be yours.
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* Hinduism : Three gunas (modes) of nature : goodness, passion and ignorance.
** [[Bhagavad Gita|Lust, Anger and Greed -- 3 gates to hell]]. Also gross, subtle and spiritual existence.
== Radio ==
* The character of Errol in [[The BBC]] series ''[[15 Storeys High]]'' always answers a question truthfully, if asked it three times.
== Tabletop Games ==
* Rather than using it as a trope, the ''[[Dungeons
** There are enough [[Flat Earth Atheist
** One NPC adopts this principle and runs with it clear off the field. Calling himself "Rule of Three," he's an information broker who requires things in sets of three as his payment, and gives three true answers to any question. As a second character is known to associate with another of the three cosmic principles, it's suspected a third is out there somewhere as well, because... well,
** The Inner Planes might be the exception that proves the rule, as the number Four seems to be more prevalent there; Four Elemental Planes, Four Para-Elemental Planes, eight Quasi-Elemental Planes (which is two fours), and two Energy Planes (half of Four).
* In the Living Greyhawk campaign, a magic item spoke three prophesies of destruction that the players could attempt to prevent.
** Almost subverted in the fact that the original editor was only going to let the item speak twice, because the Big Bad had already received the first prophesy. But, then a change in editors mandated that [[Viewers are Morons|the audience is stupid]].
* White Wolf's Storyteller/Storytelling systems use the
** In the ''[[New World of Darkness]]'' the three attribute groups are divided in another way, each with three traits in it like the main groups; power (strength, intelligence, and presence), finesse (dexterity, wits, manipulation), and resistance (stamina, resolve, composure).
*** The demo for ''[[Changeling: The Lost]]'' has Blue Jenny, who {{spoiler|if her real name is spoken in her presence three times, her Keeper will be summoned. Hence the reason for her getting the motley's help retrieving what's actually her diary}}.
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*** In ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'', each Clan has three favored Disciplines its members can learn more easily, and drinking the blood of one vampire three times, on three different nights, gives this vampire power over the drinker. Also, vampires have three virtues to fight their three different flavors of frenzy.
*** In ''[[Mage: The Ascension]]'', the Resonance of a mage's magick is defined by three types of specific resonances: Dynamic, Entropic, and Static. This is linked to the cosmology of the Old World of Darkness (see below). Relatedly, they face three kinds of main foes: the Technocrats (linked to Stasis), the Nephandi (liked to Entropy) and the Marauders (linked to Dynamism).
*** In ''[[Changeling: The Dreaming]]'', changelings can be of three general ages: childlings, wilders, and grumps. And since the setting is about mythos and fairytales, there are MANY occurrences of the
*** ''[[Werewolf: The Apocalypse]]'' introduced the cosmology detailed below, and also gives players three major traits that determine their werewolf character's place in the Garou Nation and what Gifts they can learn: tribe, auspice, and breed. Werewolves, and most other shapeshifters, have three breeds.
*** Over the course of the various editions of the various games, a somewhat unified and coherent cosmology emerged, with three major entities or forces: the destructive Wyrm, the creative Wyld, and the stabilizing Weaver, none of which are inherently evil (all in all, it's similar to the hinduist Trimurti). They play a major role in ''[[Werewolf: The Apocalypse]]'' (where they first appeared) and ''[[Mage: The Ascension]]'' (the Tradition mages that players usually roleplay are, in a way, balancing the three against three kinds of extremists). Supplements that delved into the deeper aspects of the Triat (the common name used for the trinity of Wyrm, Weaver, and Wyld) would reveal that each of the three has three more specific aspects. The most well-known are the aspects of the Wyrm known as the [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Eater-of-Souls, the Beast-of-War, and the Defiler]].
** The ''[[Trinity Universe (game)|Trinity Universe]]'' setting. Three games: [[Two-Fisted Tales|Adventure!]], [[Superhero|Aberrant]], and [[After the End|Aeon]] (later renamed [[Disney Owns This Trope|Trinity]]). Three "classes" of character: paramorphs (or [[Badass Normal|Daredevils]]), eximorphs (or [[Superhero|Stalwarts]]) and psychomorphs (or [[Psychic Powers|Mesmerists]]). The actual mechanics show the same divisions as other Storyteller systems. Each stat doesn't have three skills though. But oh well.
** ''[[Exalted]]'', while using almost the same system as the ''Old World of Darkness'', subverts expectations by running its setting on the number five instead. Indeed, that the Lunar Exalted use the
* ''[[Magic: The Gathering|Magic the Gathering]]'' blocks are released in three sets. Furthermore, Wizards of the Coast have their own "rule of three" - the first set establishes core concepts and mechanics, the second set develops them further, and the third introduces some new twist. For example, the third set of the artifact-based block ''Mirrodin'' presented effects that produced or used all five colors of mana, the third set of the legendary-based block ''Kamigawa'' gave the Epic spells and rewarded large hand sizes, and the third set of the land-based block ''Zendikar'' introduced the massive and colorless Eldrazi.
** The "One for Three" cycle of cards from the first core sets that cost one mana of it's color's mana type. Grating the caster 3 of something related to the color (Damage, Life, or most famously, card draw).
** The "charm" cycle. One card does one of three things.
* ''[[Dungeons
** The physical stats: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution. The mental stats: Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma.
** The alignments: Lawful, Neutral, Chaotic, and Good, Neutral, Evil. Put together into the alignment spectrum and there are nine options.
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* ''[[In Nomine]]'' has the three Realms, Corporeal, Ethereal and Celestial, which each have a type of Force associated with them, also there are three main types of supernatural beings, angels, demons, and ethereals.
* In Dungeon, a boardgame published by TSR and developed by, among others, Gary Gygax, to open a door, you have to roll for it three times. After the third time, you can just go through.
* The ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' game is full of trios. You're allowed to have three copies of one card in a deck (most of the time) there are three Harpie Lady Sisters, three components to Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, three components to Gate Guardian, three Egyptian God Cards (each of which require three sacrifices to summon) three Sacred Beasts, etc.
== Theater ==
* ''[[Cyrano De Bergerac]]'': This trope is combined with and [[Department of Redundancy Department]]: The gratuitous repetition of a question or a gesture for three or more times are shown in the play:
** [[Played for Laughs]]: At Act I Montfleury tries to say his lines four times, Cyrano orders him to disappear when Cyrano clap his hands the third time, the bore asks Cyrano three times if he has a protector. Lampshaded by Cyrano when he does not answer a three time:
{{quote|
** [[Played for Drama]]: At Act II, Cyrano asks three times Roxana what she would do if Christian is not as eloquent as fair, she answers two times that being fair, he has to be eloquent, and the third time she invokes [[Driven to Suicide]]. At Act IV, Cyrano asks Roxane if she would love Christian, even if he would be ugly, three times. She answered yes every time.
* In [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Julius Caesar]]'', Marc Anthony speaks at Caesar's funeral:
{{quote|
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition? }}
** During this speech, he also says "Brutus is an honorable man" three times. A fourth time he just says, "And sure he is an honorable man", by which time he's in full [[Sarcasm Mode]].
=== Theatre - Musicals ===
* In ''[[Animal Crackers]]'', after the song "Hooray for Captain Spaulding," Spaulding tries three times to give his welcoming address. The first two times, the chorus interrupts him with encores of "Hooray for Captain Spaulding." He interrupts his third attempt by singing it himself, then saying: "Well, somebody's got to do it."
* Erronius in ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is told to walk seven times around the seven hills of Rome. The first two times he re-enters and walks sloooooowly across the stage as the rest of the cast watch silently. The third time he gets run over during a chase scene.
* From ''[[Rent]]'': "Say something. Anything." "Test, one, two, three - " "Anything but that."
* One of the musical themes in ''[[The Magic Flute]]'', labeled "The Triple Chord," is three voicings of a B-flat major chord, each one repeated three times in a short-long-long pattern.
* In ''[[The Mikado]]'', Pooh-Bah gives a "toast with three times three" repeating the phrase "long life to you" three times. Most people who play the role ham the third time up even more than is called for in the script (which is quite a bit.)
* In ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (theatre)|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]'', Todd teaches Mrs. Lovett a pound-three-times signal.
* In ''[[Into the Woods]]'', the Witch tells the Baker and his wife that they must bring her the items "before the chime of midnight in three days time" in order to break the spell.
* In the [[Cirque Du Soleil]] show ''[[The Beatles LOVE]]'' a white VW bug appears several times. The third (or possibly [[Four Is Death|fourth]]) and final time {{spoiler|it smashes into a woman who represents John Lennon's mother who died in a car crash and bursts apart (the car, not the woman)}}.
* In ''[[The Music Man]]'', the piano lesson scene begins with Amaryllis practicing the same passage three times, always ending on the same wrong note. Mrs. Paroo plays the right note for Amaryllis the first two times, and Marian enters to correct her third try.
== Video Games ==
*
** Some platformers have it to where you must strike the enemy three times to finish the boss battle.
** There's also the very common three-hit combo attack.
** And let's not forget the three-star rating.
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' has the supreme Triforce: Power, Wisdom, Courage. Also the three Goddesses that go with it: Din, Nayru, and Farore.
** Also [[The Legend of Zelda CDI Games|three CDi games...]] [[Canon
** Not only just Triforce, the Zelda games are littered with Three's: There are [[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|three Sacred Stones, three magical spells, three elemental arrows]], [[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|three Provinces covered in twilight, three Fused Shadows to collect]], [[The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass|three fairies to save, and three metals from which the Phantom Sword is formed]], in addition to everything else listed.
** Several bosses will go down after three sets of attacks from Link. [[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|King Dodongo]], for instance, goes down after three bombs.
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** Ever since ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|The Legend of Zelda a Link To T He Past]]'', there is almost always a twist that comes after three [[Dungeons/Mac Guffin|MacGuffins]]. Also since ''A Link to the Past'', each dungeon contains three artifacts: a Map, a Compass, and a Big Key (which leads to a treasure usually needed to solve the dungeon).
* ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'': Almost all bosses in non-RPG Mario games contain some relevence to three, be it the amount of hits it takes, or the phases it goes through, or a combination thereof.
** There are also three parts to the [[Mario
** In ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'', World 7 contains many mythological references, many of which invoke the Rule of Three.
** Each world in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'' has three levels, except the last world (which only has two).
** ''[[Super Mario Bros.]] 3'' has threes hidden in various maps. One is three threes of coins in World 5-1. Also, the king of World 3 lives in Kyoto (where Nintendo's headquarters are).
* The Three Trials in ''[[Monkey Island]]''.
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* ''Pokémon'' has this in spades. Generation I has Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. The second generation has Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. Generation III has Regirock, Regice, and Registeel, as well as Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza. Generation IV gives us Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina as a trio, as well as Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit. With the fifth generation around the corner, it's almost guaranteed that there will be another trio.
** The maximum number of evolutionary stages for a single Pokémon is three (unless it branches, such as Eevee, who started out with three evolved forms. It now has seven.
** The fifth generation has ''three'' trios: The Tao, Kami and Musketeer trios? The Musketeers have [[Shout-Out|Keldeo]] throwing them
** By the end of each generation, there are three non-remake games: Red, Blue, and Yellow in Generation I (in Japan, Yellow is the [[Trilogy Creep]], because there's already Red, Green and Blue), Gold, Silver, and Crystal in Generation II, Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald in Generation III, and Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum in Generation IV. And the third is always quite different.
** There's also three starters in all games except for Yellow.
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* ''[[Jurassic Park]]: [[Trespasser]]'' has three different tribes of raptors. Also, the neurotoxin dart rifle in one level holds exactly three shots, which, if you take it all the way to the end of the level with you, is exactly how many shots to the head it needs to kill the T-Rex waiting for you.
* In [[Ace Attorney]] series, a trial in the courthouse for a particular case can only last up to a maximum of 3 times before the judge passes the final verdict to the accused. In the "3rd" game "Trials and tribulations", the character Dahlia Hawthorne appeared exactly 3 times in the courthouse for 3 different cases as a witness before she is "permanently retired" for good. The main protagonist also faced Godot in a courthouse battle up to 3 cases in total. Lastly, Phoenix Wright was featured as the protagonist for 3 games in the [[Ace Attorney]] series.
* ''[[
* ''[[Heavy Weapon]]'' gives you three lives per level, allows you to have a maximum of three [[Smart Bomb|Nukes]] and three levels of [[Deflector Shields]], and you can upgrade your equipment to a maximum of three levels.
* ''[[Portal 2]]'' gives us this example:
{{quote|
Wheatley: 'Ello! This is the part where I kill you!
Chapter title shown: The Part Where He Kills You. }}
** There's also the achievement, but it doesn't appear on subsequent playthroughs, making it three.
* ''[[Shatterhand]]'' requires three alpha/beta powerups to activate the robot companions.
* In the ''Bloodmoon'' expansion to ''[[The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind]]'', you have to kill spriggans three times before they stay dead. Thankfully they don't retain this [[Healing Factor]] in ''[[Oblivion]]'' or ''[[Skyrim]]''. [[It Got Worse|Instead]], in ''Oblivion'' they ''[[Everything's Worse with Bears|summon bears]]'', and in ''Skyrim'', they can heal themselves three times (falling back into the trope).
* ''[[Jet Force Gemini]]'': Three playable characters, each of them visits three planets and, in the third of them, they face a boss. They then go to Mizar's Palace for a first-time confrontation against the [[Big Bad]]. Afterwards, the trope is averted for the most part.
* In ''[[Black and White]]'', the Sailors' Quest involves the aforementioned sailors asking for three things by song: Wood, grain, and meat.
* Some versions of ''[[Final Fantasy]]''([[Final Fantasy VII|VII]], [[Final Fantasy VIII|VIII]] and [[Final Fantasy X
** ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'' gives three early bosses called The Black Waltz, essentially three powerful Black Mages. After the third Waltz is defeated, Zidane comments that the name "Waltz" indicates that there won't be any more of them.
* ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' generally gives you a three-person party of Sora, Donald and Goofy(Donald and Goofy can be replaced by other playable characters).
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** Many, many 5-player instances feature three boss fights.
*** And if their entrances don't have a singular quest giver (who usually comes with two bodyguards), it's usually a group of three.
== Web Comics ==
* ''[[Triquetra Cats]]'' features three sisters taking up the mantle and war that their deceased mother was unable to finish.
* From ''[[A Miracle of Science]]'': Benjamin mentions that he spends much of his rare days off listening to classical music; he gives Bach, Prokofiev, and ''[[The Beatles]]'' as examples. (The webcomic's artist expounds on the Rule in his [http://project-apollo.net/mos/mos084.html commentary].
* In ''[[8-Bit Theater
* In ''[[Girl Genius]]'', [http://girlgeniuscomic.livejournal.com/74654.html the third time] Zola needs to be rescued when Agatha wants to talk to Gil, Agatha rescues her.
** Also Jagers only get 3 tries to steal Old Man Death's hat.
* ''[[MS Paint Adventures]]'' has this during the Problem Sleuth story. Three detectives, three dames, three gentlemen, three faces for DMK. Threes are everywhere in that story.
* The latter entries in [[Bug
* ''[[Bob and George]]'' [http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/001105c With commentary explaining why two failures and a success make a good pattern.] [http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/001113c And again here.]
** Also, three strips in a row of thought bubbles when carrying out a plan hatched by [[Dumbass Has a Point|Bass]], all of which ended in them questioning the wisdom of taking tactical advice from the resident [[The Ditz|ditz]]. Summarised version:
{{quote|
'''Roll''': Shame I never got to that relationship storyline...wait, when did we start listening to Bass? We're all going to die.
'''Bass''': [pause] I like ice cream. [Pause] When did they start listening to ''me''? }}
* ''[[Derelict (webcomic)|Derelict]]'' [http://derelictcomic.com/?strip_id=12 The main character ponders them, related to survival: three minutes without air, three days without water, three months without food.] Then she wonders if she got it right. (Not exactly: three weeks without food is the rule.)
* Referred to by name in [[Zebra Girl]], by Sam (being Dangerously Genre Savvy is his thing) as an explanation for why he smacked their new ally three times: once for trying to attack him, once for not immediately joining his side, and once for talking with his mouth full.
== Web Original ==
* The [[
* Used straight, then lampshaded in ''[[Life in A Game]]''. When Lollerskates assumes his [[Clipped-Wing Angel|final form]] during his [https://web.archive.org/web/20130603221044/http://www.lifeinagame.com/pages/episode62.html Final Showdown] with the heroes, all it takes is three shots to his [[Attack Its Weak Point|incredibly obvious weakpoint]] to finish him, which [[Halo|the Master Chief]] calls him out on after his defeat. Then he teabags him.
* [[Red vs. Blue]]'s "Son of a bitch!" running gag is usually done in threes, occasionally twisted with Spanish-speaking robot Lopez's "Madre de dios," subtitled as "Son of a bitch!"
** Also, when Simmons and Grif are facing down the tank in Season 1:
{{quote|
'''Grif:''' Wait, ON three, or one-two-three-THEN go?
'''Simmons:''' ON three, it's always faster to go on three! Okay ready, one. . .
* Grif starts running*
'''Simmons:''' two. . . three! * turns around, sees Grif already far away* Oh, you backstabbing cockbite. }}
* In the [http://www.19nocturneboulevard.net/ 19 Nocturne Boulevard] episode ''Sword Kvetch'', Cael must face the evil wizard's three challenges. Why? Tradition!
* [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] in Episode 4 of [[Cracked.com|Cracked TV]] (5 Things You Shouln't Be Able to Buy on eBay):
{{quote|
* Played straight in [[Harry Partridge|Harry Partridge's]] ''Stephen the Lesbian''.
{{quote|
"All hail Stephen, king of the Lesbians!"
"All hail [[Stephen King]]! *[[Beat]]* Of the Lesbians!"
"[[Flat What|What-?]]" }}
* Hewy in ''[[
* In ''[[Zero Punctuation]]'', Yahtzee subverts this in his review of ''[[Just Cause]]''. He uses the title as a joke the first two times, where on the third he simply comments "how should I know?"
== Western Animation ==
* In ''[[My Little Pony:
* In one ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' short, a clown runs by in the background three times. After the third and final time near the end of the cartoon, Babs dryly explains he's "a [[Running Gag]]".
** The plot of the episode is about Buster's quest to revive a joke he's driven into the ground (represented by a clown in a grave...morbid). The joke has this trope too: "A duck, a rabbit, and a pig go to a restaurant..."<ref>"...which hand do they use to eat their soup? Neither! They used a soup spoon!"</ref>
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** Also, the Mini-Cons added a third unique group of transformers alongside the Autobots and Decepticons - as witness their unique emblem.
* ''Triple Threat - Rail Racer!'' And the original Triple-Changers came in sets of 3, and the Unicron Trilogy (and Headmasters) tended to have 3-kid sidekick teams. Transformers is _mostly_ based around the number 2, though.
* Lampshaded and Subverted in ''[[Duckman]]''. While looking for suspects at a nightclub, Duckman says "Something bugs me. He's the third suspicious character we've talked to, and the third one is always guilty". The lights go out, shots are heard and when it's over the suspect is dead on the floor. Cornfed observes "So much for the
* In an ''[[Animaniacs]]'' short: "Tea? Coffee? Monster?"
** Another example: Slappy is eulogizing her archfoe Walter Wolf, who was faking the funeral to 'get' her. According to Slappy, Walter was a firm believer in this rule, including three bombs that were found lying around to blow her up. 'I'm sure he'd want to be buried with it.'
* Averted on ''[[Extreme Ghostbusters]]''. "On the count of three." "Three!"
* In one episode of ''[[Freakazoid!]]'', the titular character is picked up by a holographic pterodactyl and dropped from an extreme height, and he screams for help every time he falls. Lampshaded the third time when he and the Lobe fall together:
{{quote|
'''Freakazoid:''' [[Rule of Funny|Cuz it's funny!]]
'''The Lobe:''' No it's not, it's just stupid! It's as dumb as that Handman episode! }}
* ''[[South Park]]'': "Biggie Smalls. Biggie Smalls. Biggie Smalls."
** South Park also did it in the Imaginationland episode:
{{quote|
"What?!"
"There's an Unauthorized Entry Alert! It's coming from Sector Two!"
"Sector Two??" }}
** Cartman then jumps in through a window. The second time the above dialogue occurs, Cartman again jumps in through the shoddily repaired window. The third time it happens, Kyle jumps in through the remnants of the window, causing the general to exclaim, "Why is it so easy for children to break into the Pentagon?!"
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*** Also in ''Aladdin'', there are three things the genie can't do: kill, force love, or raise the dead.
* In ''[[Futurama]]'': One spoonful calms you down, two spoonfuls help you sleep, but three spoonfuls, you'll [[Never Say "Die"|go into a sleep and never wake up! Never!]]
* On ''[[The Fairly
* In the fourth season of ''[[Winx Club]]'' there are three eternal fairies that give the girls the three gifts of destiny.
* Lampshaded in an episode of ''[[Drawn Together]]'', when Wooldor describes what his television show will do. In his words, it will "Entertain kids, annoy adults, and funny third thing!"
* Also [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] in the ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' [[The Movie|Movie]], during Spongebob's speech at the end of the film:
{{quote|
* ''[[The Critic]]'' uses the same joke in this case: To prove to Jay that he's being repetitive, his boss Duke shows him a video of him hosting his show ''Coming Attractions'', [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPBTE0wlZF4 but with the screen split into thirds.]
{{quote|
* Examples from [[Speak of the Devil]] include the ''[[Freakazoid!]]'' "Huggbees", ''[[Beetlejuice (animation)|Beetlejuice]]''.
* Combined with [[Inherently Funny Words]] in ''[[The PJs]]''. Thurgood is [[It Makes Sense in Context|working on a stand-up act]] and the book he got on how to be funny says things in three are funny as well as words with a hard k in them (like knish, tukas, fakakta). He logically assumes then that the funniest thing ever [[Refuge in Audacity|is KKK]].
* ''[[Family Guy]]'' uses this trope liberally for their gags. [[DVD Commentary]] also states the trope name for when a comedy uses a gag that involves three things.
== Real Life ==
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* Same thing in India, except we just call it [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|1st Term, 2nd Term, and 3rd Term.]] There are also three big exams each year, known as end-of-term exams or simply term exams, and three sets of holidays following the end of each term. The third one is the big summer vacation, which marks the end of the school year.
* Apparently the United States Marine Corps [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/25/AR2005102501550.html uses it too] (albeit with the fire team level as an exception). This is referred to as "triangularization" and was adopted by everyone from the German Wehrmacht in the 1930s. Previously, it was the rule of fours.
**Three gives a balance between forward and reserves, or pinning force and flanking force. If you have fours you will end up with having a disproportion of either or having to detach from one unit and attach to another with which it wasn't trained.
* The Rock, Paper, Scissors game (or Stone, Scissors, Paper, depending on where you are).
** Or the Malay version, which uses bird, water, rock.
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*** And Count Raimondo Montecuccoli (1609-1681), who wrote that to wage war you need three things: Money, money and money.
** The three most important things to remember about real estate purchases: "Location. Location. Location."
* Ancient Jewish and Arabic custom allowed a man to divorce his wife by simply declaring 'I divorce you' three times. It has resulted in at least one incident where a man [https://web.archive.org/web/20080724210616/http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2006/03/28/man_accidentally_divorces_wife_in_sleep/ accidentally divorced his wife.] (Or well, almost divorced her; turns out Islamic law, like any other half-decent legal system, does not allow you to make decisions like that while you're asleep.)
** While not current in divorce, three is still important in Jewish court matters. The smallest size of a court is three (since it's the smallest plural odd number, meaning no ties). Also, ''Hataras Nedarim'', a process done on Rosh Hashana Eve, involves collaring three friends who sit as a court and asking them that one's unfulfilled promises be annulled. The "court" repeats a small passage three times which effects the annulment. Similarly, a shorter version involves just saying the words "''mutar lach''" (you are released) three times. And there are three basic duties of a Jewish husband toward his wife - feeding her, providing her with cover, and satisfying her sexually.
* In sports, there's the Triple Crown (horse racing), and the "hat trick" (various sports, all involving 3 of an action, usually but not exclusively scoring).
** In Cricket, the hatrick is 3 wickets, 3 consecutive balls.
** Ice hockey's hat trick is three goals in a row by the same player, with no other player scoring between any of the three goals.
* Also (in Baseball) the Hitting Triple Crown—highest batting average, most home runs, most runs batted in—and the Pitching triple crown: most wins, most strikeouts, lowest earned run average.
* Baseball seems to run on this trope. Here are some examples:
** 3 strikes and you're out.
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** More than 3 balls is a walk.
** Thrice 3 innings in a game (without extra innings due to a tie).
* In American football, any score on the free play after a touchdown is worth one third of the normal value.
** Kinda sorta. A kick/PAT is considered something different from a normal Field Goal, and a 2-point conversion is considered distinct from an actual Touchdown. Partially, in that the players on both sides in the post-TD plays will usually be Special Teams/specialists, rather than the normal lineup, and they will normally not use the exact same plays used in other situations. Yardage is also irrelevant in these plays; it's either a score or nothing.
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* As mentioned on [[The Other Wiki]], [[Abraham Lincoln]] used the tricolon in more than one of his speeches, including the Gettysburg Address. "But, in a larger sense, '''we can not dedicate...we can not consecrate...we can not hallow''' this ground."
* From the Declaration of Independence, "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" (borrowed from John Locke, who used "Life, Liberty and Property")
* And the French ''Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité''
* And the German ''Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit'' (Unity and Justice and Freedom).
** From a more... troubled... time in German history: ''"Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer''". ([[Dichter and Denker|One people]], [[Nazi Germany|one empire]], [[Adolf Hitler|one leader]].)
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** From an earlier time in German history: ''Kinder, Küche, Kirche'' (the proper concerns of women: children, kitchen, and the church)
* Lotsa "Three Strike" systems when it comes to rules in general. Two warnings, and the third time is when the proverbial poop hits the fan.
* There are lots of threes in the human body: Three bones in the ear (hammer, anvil, and stirrup), three types of muscle (smooth, skeletal, and cardiac), three layers in the skin (epidermis, dermis, and subcutis), three types of blood cells (white, red, and platelets), hair can be divided into three parts (bulb, root, shaft)... Also, all organ systems arise from one of three primary germ layers in embryonic
** Related: insect anatomy - head, thorax, abdomen.
* In mathematics, there are three basic ways to approach a problem: graphically, numerically and algebraically. (This is sometimes even called the Rule of Three.)
* The saying 'Third time lucky!' -Which is the idea that if you fail twice, you will succeed the third time, not that it's actually true. It's also heard as "Third time's the charm!" in America.
* Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll.
* The powers of a State, are
* Several of the US space shuttle orbiter's systems are triply redundant, notably the Space Shuttle Main Engines, the fuel cells which generate electricity, and the auxiliary power units which provide hydraulic pressure to manipulate the orbiter's aerosurfaces and gimbal the three main engines.
* The signal for Help in Morse code consists of three letters (SOS) and each letter is comprised of three dots or dashes.
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* Franz Boas defined three types of anthropology: Ethnology, physical anthropology, and linguistics. [[Sixth Ranger|Archaeology was folded into anthropology later.]]
* In computer engineering, there's this: if a CPU encounters an exception, it calls an exception handler routine. If the handler encounters an exception itself, the CPU calls a special handler. But if the special handler too encounters an exception (such as the interrupt descriptor table being corrupt, making it impossible to call any handlers), that's called a triple fault and the CPU shuts itself down. Some kernels like Linux use it as a last resort in case the PC goes completely bonkers: if an ACPI reboot fails, the kernel sets the IDT length to zero, making the table impossible to access and ''[[Logic Bomb|intentionally triple-faulting the CPU]]''. Not exactly to spec but it works.
* [[Invoked Trope|Attempted]] and [[Subverted Trope|failed]] by Rick Perry during the Republican Presidential Debate of November
* Quantum Chromodynamics states that each quark, the elementary particles of which hadrons are made, carries an electric charge which is a multiple of a third of the elementary charge; that each quark is one of three 'colours'; that quarks, like all elementary particles, come in three families; and much of a quark's characteristics is based on a unitary group, a mathematical construct, called SU(3).
* [[Older Than Feudalism]]: In [[Ancient Rome]], many legal matters were performed by simply stating what you were doing three times in front of witnesses, i.e. if you were marrying someone, you would say "I marry you" three times.
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* Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox.
* When challenging someone to recite a [[Tongue-Twister]], it's common to dare them to say it three times fast.
* One that's pretty famous; ''Veni, Vidi, Vici.'' "I came, I saw, I conquered."
* A killer isn't considered a Serial Killer until after they have killed
* As noted in at least two other examples above, celebrity deaths used to be perceived as coming in threes -- at least until 2016, when celebrity deaths started coming in bushels.
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[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]
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[[Category:Laws and Formulas]]
[[Category:Number Tropes]]
[[Category:Older Than Feudalism]]
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[[Category:Self-Demonstrating Article]]
[[Category:Trio Tropes]]
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