History Characters / TheThreeInvestigatorsTheInvestigators

* MadeOfIron: When Pete does get roughed up, he is pretty good at withstanding it. Notably, he has been thrown from a plane and survived with just some bruises and a case of shock, was able to lead his friends to safety and drive despite needing stitches after the fight with an amnesiac Bob in ''Der namenlose Gegner''. In fact, he has several times opted not to go to the doctor despite the injuries because he rather deal with the pain than get in trouble with his parents.

* OfficialCouple: In the Crimebusters novels and beyond, he has a girlfriend named Kelly Madigan, though she was eventually written out of all German radio plays. Apparently though, they suffer from break ups and make ups often, as Kelly feels he spends too much time solving mysteries.

* DistressedDude: Out of all the three, he definitely tends to fall into the hostage or injured position often enough that it is even mentioned in the story. Most notably, ''Geisterbucht'' he was kidnapped and poisoned to blackmail the other two.
* DemotedToExtra: For some of the Crimebusters novels. He is extremely busy with his new job at the rock talent agency, which takes priority over detective work. Sometimes, he'll really only show up in a handful of scenes, often being subbed by characters like Kelly, Ty, or the guest character of that story. He becomes more relevant again in the German extended release because he wanted to focus on solving mysteries again.

* LossOfIdentity: Bob completely loses his identity in ''Der namenlose Gegner'' and was fed a false one by Skinny Norris under the name Stan Silver. He even beat up Peter before he retained after another hit on the head.

* HiddenDepths: On the surface he appears to be just a very [[CowardlyLion cowardly]] DumbJock who comes off as irritatingly superstitious and prone to freaking out. He pushes back on cases so much it's a wonder that he even indulges in detective work at all, even claiming he had chosen the wrong hobby. But despite his complaining, he has never left the agency and was genuinely upset when he had to "leave" the trio during ''Die dreiTag''. At times, he is shown to be just as invested as Jupiter and Bob in riddles and mysteries, after all he had been part of the puzzle club, the origin of their detective agency. He is known to have some of his own EurekaMoments and has been able to solve mysteries without the help of his smarter friends. Peter is also the most proficient out of the three with lockpicking, which is technically a form of puzzle solving. So actually, Peter is a pretty smart, he just seems "dumb" in comparison to his two friends who are bone fide [[TheSmartGuy smart guys]], who often tease him for being a little BookDumb.

* HiddenDepths: On the surface he appears to be just a very [[CowardlyLion cowardly]] DumbJock who comes off as irritatingly superstitious. He pushes back on cases so much it's a wonder that he even indulges in detective work at all. But underneath that surface level exterior, he extremely alert and quick to respond physically to almost any situation. He is pretty tolerant when it comes to physical pain and has thrown himself into many life-and-death situations to save his friends or even people he doesn't even know. He might not know much academically and needs Jupiter or Bob to explain things to him, but he has more practical know-how like wilderness survival, climbing, locking picking, and more. His deduction skills may need some work, but he can make correct ones when it counts (past all the paranormal theories of course). He is notably loyal and will always end up doing what is asked of him, despite his own anxiety.

This page details the three main protagonist from Literature/TheThreeInvestigators.

* FreeRangeChildren: The investigators are free to explore the whole area of Rocky Beach, as long as they come home to dinner at time. Their parents are also pretty liberal with giving them permission to go camping or out of town (as long as they have an adult tagalong). When they got older, their parents are usually okay with letting them go around without too much permission and frequently go on trips and vacations on their own.

** Starting in Crimebusters, the junk has been cleared away and the adults are now aware of the headquarters' existence. The boys even have to do chores around the junkyard in exchange for permission to keep their base there. The equipment inside has also been modernized with things like a computer, fax machine, a fridge and more.
** In Crimebusters and beyond, the home base has been upgraded with a computer with working internet, a fax machine. The boys will use the front entrance, but will use the secret entrances occasionally. However, in ''Feurmond'' the trailer gets buried in junk and is now hidden from plain sight again.

* MysteryMagnet: These guys literally can't go anywhere without running into one somehow. It probably helps that they are natural snoopers.

** In person situations, making eye contact and rubbing the nose with a finger signals to whoever witnesses it that they 'want to get out of here'.

* HomeBase: Their main base of operations is an old home trailer in the Jones Scrapyard buried beneath a pile of junk. The trailer is equipped with its own dark room, a working phone, a laboratory, a periscope, and more. There are secret entrances for the boys to enter unseen.
** In Crimebusters and beyond, the home base has been upgraded with a computer, a fax machine, The junk had been cleared away, though in ''Feurmond'' the trailer gets buried in junk again.

* {{Determinator}}: Maybe he's not as strong-willed as Jupiter or Bob is, but when it comes to physical things, he is known to be incredibly resilient. Pete is also pretty tolerant of physical pain and is known to withstand some pretty graphic injuries .

** In ''Fußball-Teufel'', he falls into an abyss after the floor beneath him collapses. Jupiter and Bob think he's dead until he signals woth a bird cry a short while later.

* ExtracurricularEnthusiast: Peter dips his toes in almost every single type of sport or physical activity he can. At his school, he is known as the ace for the basketball team, football team, track team, volleyball team, and more. In addition to the more classical sports, he also knows how to scuba dive, rock climb, skateboard, and more. He also knows some essential things like wilderness survival and knows how to navigate just by looking at the sun. There's not a lot that Pete doesn't know how to do physically.

* HeroicBystander: While all boys tend to do this, Pete is usually the one to sprint off after a culprit if someone is shouting for help.

* IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat: It's revealed in 'Phonophobia - Sinfonie der Angst' that he has Synesthesia and can perceive sound, music, words, and numbers as colors. For all of his life he had assumed that everyone associated colors with sounds and was surprised to find out that not everyone could. It becomes a plot point in the live show where Yamada exploits it to make weaponized music by using senses to torture him with a Colorphonic machine to create a soundtrack to kill.

* TheLancer: To Jupe's [[TheLeader leadership]]. While Jupe is intelligent, logical, but not physically active, Pete is sporty and superstitious, but isn't as smart as him. He is also the main one to oppose Jupe's plans, especially if they involve danger and as a result, they quarrel a lot, leaving [[TheHeart Bob]] to mediate. Despite this, Pete will ultimately have his friends back.

* MadeOfIron: When Pete does get roughed up, he is pretty good at withstanding it. Notably, he has been thrown from a plane and survived with just some bruises and a case of shock, was able to lead his friends to safety and drive despite needing stitches after the fight with an amnesiac Bob in ''Der namenlose Gegner'', and even ride his bike right after a pretty graphic biking accident where the gravel completely tore up his side. In fact, he has several times opted not to go to the doctor despite the injuries because he rather deal with the pain than his parents.

-->'''Peter:''' (one half of his body completely shredded in the biking accident) No, no, it's not that bad, Mrs. Jonas. [[BlatantLies I'm doing well]]!

* NervousWreck: Peter is someone easily startled. He absolutely ''hates'' it when he and his friends get involved in dangerous things. At times, he has been consumed by his fear and anxiety, sometimes even described to have panic attacks because of them. He can work through them most of the time, especially if it's to help out his friends, but is still a huge worrier he always needs some convincing to stay on the case.

* ActionSurvivor: As of now, Jupiter is the only one among his collegues to survive two gunshots: one time a book in his breastpocket blocked the bullrt and while he did get hit, the bullet had richochet so it wasn't a terrible injury.
* AffectionateNickname: Known as just 'Jupe' by his two best friends (in German, he is called 'Just' instead). He is also called 'First', referring to his role as the First Investigator. Bob and Pete will also call him 'boss' or 'cheif' from time to time. Rubbish-George calls him 'Chief Detective'.

* HappilyAdopted: By his Aunt Mathilda and Uncle Titus.

* RedOniBlueOni: He is the blue to Pete's red, though Jupe is often times more determined and more willing to break the rules than Peter is, who only stays by the rules.

-->'''Peter:''' (one half of his body completely shredded in the biking accident) No, no, it's not that bad, Mrs. Jonas. [[BlatantLie I'm doing well]]!

* DistressedDude: He's had his fair share of getting kidnapped and held hostage. The entire story of 'Die späte Rache' is centered around a man trying to exact revenge on him and imprisoning him for several days, ''Totensinel'' has him assaulted and accidentally sent to an island needing Jupiter and Bob to rescue him, and he is kidnapped again in ''Im Bann des Drachen'' prompting rescue. He needed to be resusicatrd after going into cardiac arrest in ''Der Meister des Todes'' was also legitimiately [[ColdBloodedTorture tortured]] by the Colorphonic in ''Phonophobia'', which effectively MindRape-d him (though his memories of the incident also got wiped).

* MadeOfIron: When Pete does get roughed up, he is pretty good at withstanding it. Noticably, he has been thrown from a plane and survived with just some bruises and a case of shock. He was even was to lead his friends to safety and drive despite needing stitches after the fight with an amnesiac Bob in ''Der namenlose Gegner''. In fact, he has several times opted not to go to the doctor despite painful injuries because he rather deal with the pain than his parents.

* RevengeBeforeReason: Only very occasionally. He sometimes gets extremely worked up, especially when others wrong him or his friends. As he put it, when the adrenaline gets going, he loses all sense of reason. The most notable example being when he ignored a train crossing and went on a high speed chance while trying to catch the person who broke into the museum in 'Biss der Bestie', risking losing his license and life in the process. He only realizes afterwards how foolish he was.

* WeakWilled: Probably Pete's FatalFlaw. He believes in anything he perceives as supernatural or magic and is easily influenced by things like fortune tellers. Peter can get quite panicky and frets a lot over danger, needing Jupiter or Bob to calm him down. The only time this doesn't really apply is when things are ''seriously'' dangerous, which then he comes to the front to protect his friends.

* MadeOfIron: When Pete does get roughed up, he is pretty good at withstanding it. Noticably, he has been thrown from a plane and survibrd with just some bruises and a case of Shock. He was even was to lead his friends to safety and drive despite needing stitches after the fight with an amnesiac Bob in ''Der namenlose Gegner''. In fact, he has several times opted not to go to the doctor despite painful injuries because he rather deal with the pain than his parents.

* MadeOfIron: You can say its not a real Three Investigators story if Bob Andrews doesn't get ambushed by the perpetrator and hit in the head. While his injuries aren't as graphic as Peter's usually are, he does get bonked way more often.

* ActionSurvivor: While all the boys survive harrowing moments, Pete has arguably survived some ''really'' rough stuff. Not only did he survive two distinct plane crashes (and one involved him getting thrown from the plane upon the crash) like his colleagues, he also survived several hostage situations, been kidnapped for an extended period of time on several different occasions. He has been left to bake alive in a car trunk, was shoved off a hotel balcony into a pool, had his arm sliced open falling down an elevator shaft, was [[ColdBloodedTorture tortured]] by a machine that induces [[MindRape horrible feelings and sensations]] and ultimately, had to he resuscitated after he went into cardiac arrest via electrocution. On a meta level, he actually died from a gunshot wound in one of the drafts (which he avoided when the author reversed it).

** On a meta note, author Andre Marx has always wanted Pete to have a younger sister (though unfortunately wouldn't work due to the timeline), which isn't surprisingly considering how he treats Emily and Fiona.

* DisneyDeath: He's appeared dead quite a number of times in the series, but most notably, in ''Der Meister Des Todes'', he gets electrocuted in the pool when coming into contact with loose wiring in the pool lights. He goes into cardiac arrest, his heart having stopped beating and was no longer breathing. For a moment, it seemed like it was too late, but was able to be successfully resuscitated via [=CPR=].

* DistressedDude: He's had his fair share of getting kidnapped and held hostage. The entire story of 'Die späte Rache' is centered around a man trying to exact revenge on him and imprisoning him for several days, ''Totensinel'' has him assaulted and accidentally sent to an island needing Jupiter and Bob to rescue him, and he is kidnapped again in ''Im Bann des Drachen''. He was also legitimiately [[ColdBloodedTorture tortured]] by the Colorphonic in ''Phonophobia'', which effectively MindRape-d (though his memories of the incident also got wiped).

* HiddenDepths: On the surface he appears to be just a very [[CowardlyLion cowardly]] DumbJock who comes off as irritatingly superstitious. He pushes back on cases so much it's a wonder that he even indulges in detective work at all. But underneath that surface level exterior, he extremely alert and quick to respond physically to almost any situation. And despite how scared can get sometimes, once he is determined or mad, he can stand up to almost anything and is known be notably reckless himself. He is pretty tolerant when it comes to physical pain and has thrown himself into many life-and-death situations to save his friends or even people he doesn't even know. He might not know much academically and needs Jupiter or Bob to explain things to him, but he has more practical know-how like wilderness survival, climbing, locking picking, and more. His deduction skills may need some work, but he can make correct ones when it counts (past all the paranormal theories of course). He is notably loyal and will always end up doing what is asked of him, despite his own anxiety. Pete, himself, has wondered whether or not there was secretly a part of him who is a dare devil and actually enjoys the thrill of danger, which explains why he always lets himself easily get convinced by Jupiter to stay on cases and do dangerous tasks. It may also explain why Peter sometimes has sudden moments of bravery even without prompting.

* TheSoCalledCoward: Despite being the muscle and brawn of the group, Pete is arguably the most cautious and is the most likely to get caught up in his anxiety. He innately wants to avoid all types of danger and will openly complain when Jupe and Bob make him do the dangerous tasks and is notoriously superstitious. Despite his apparent [[CowardlyLion cowardly nature]], Pete is actually noticeably braver than he appears in face value. When things get dangerous, he is the first to react and will face them head on, even becoming [[LetsGetDangerous dangerously reckless]] himself and can be notably [[RevengeBeforeReason vengeful]]. Even though his friends tease him for being a coward, Pete does not call himself one at all. In fact, both Jupe and Bob believes the reason why he so openly voices his fears and complains is because he is just trying to relieve tension.

* OnlySaneMan: Depending on the situation, he becomes this for different reasons. Jupiter has a tendency to dip his toes into being a FearlessFool who will is absolutely [[{{Determinator}}} determined]] to solve a mystery at all costs despite breaking the law or the danger and Peter is [[WeakWilled weak hearted]] and [[AgentMulder superstitious]] who is unwilling to put himself in any time of danger, sometimes at the pretense of ghosts. Between these two, Bob has the most balanced outlook and will call both Jupiter and Peter out if they lean too far into their extremes.

* {{Pride}}: Jupiter's FatalFlaw. He confident and self assured, but that sometimes often or not trickled into pride. He likes to tease his friends by withholding information from them as he likes knowing more than anyone. Both Peter and Bob have stated that they had gotten used to tolerating when Jupiter goes on his 'sermons' about his knowledge of a certain subject. Jupiter will know when to reign it in, especially if he's trying to siphon more information, but he really enjoys monologuing TheReveal at the end of the story.

* OfficialCouple: Originally with Elizabeth, but then they broke up. Now he has more romantic interactions with Jelena.

* BigBrotherInstinct: Shown best in ''Das Auge des Drachen'' where Pete bonds with Emily, a young six year old. Although slightly annoyed at her first (novel only), he becomes attached and even stares down a gun by putting himself in front of her. On a meta note, author Andre Marx has always wanted Pete to have a younger sister (though unfortunately wouldn't work due to the timeline), which isn't surprisingly considering how he treats Emily.

* AffectionateNickname: Known as just 'Jupe' by his two best friends (in German, he is called 'Just' instead). He is also called 'First', referring to his role as the First Investigator. Rubbish-George calls him 'Chief Detective'.
** In German, Peter sometimes calls Jupiter 'Pummel' (an affectionate word for 'chubby') or 'Pummelchen' (which is a cuter variant of the aforementioned word).

* AffectionateNickname: His first name is actually 'Robert', but he mostly goes by Bob. He is also called 'Records', by Pete and Jupiter, which refer to his role as Records and Research. As he becomes an active investigator again, he is also called 'Third' (the Third Investigator).

* AudienceSurrogate: Shares this role with Bob sometimes when it comes to questioning Jupiter's theories.

* InTheBlood: He seemed to have inherited his paternal grandmother's superstition.

* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Out of his two peers (Jupiter is 'stocky' while Pete is noticeably tall), Bob doesn't particularly stand out from your average American kid, even his name is very average. In fact, it comes in handy once in a while for some undercover work. He grows out of this by Crimebusters, where he's noted to be quite lean and handsome and quite the ladies' man. Despite his evolved appearance, his name is still painfully average.

* TheSmartGuy: Bob is pretty intelligent on his own, in fact, he's probably the only other person in the world who can keep up with what Jupiter says without needing things broken down to him. While Jupiter expects that Peter may not understand, he has confidence that Bob will.

* DistressedDude: If Bob isn't the one getting held hostage, it's usually Pete instead. He's has gotten into some ''real'' pickles. The entire story of 'Die späte Rache' is about his kidnapping, half of ''Tontensinel'' is him being trapped on a ship onthe way to Micronesia and he was also singled out and [[ColdBloodedTorture tortured]] by the Colorphonic, which induced him with all sorts of [[MindRape horrific memories and sensations]].

** His casanova tendencies are downplayed in the German Extended release. Although he still shows some interest in girls, he isn't as gung ho about 'collecting' them in the modern German interpretations. In fact, it's usually ''Pete'' who shows more interest than he does nowadays.

* DistressedDude: Out of all the three, he definitely tends to fall into the hostage or injured position often enough that it is even mentioned in the story.

* AdaptationDeviation: A slight one. Peter in the radio plays generally tends to be more good natured, friendlier, and hysterical than his novel counterpart, who comes off as more short tempered. Radio play Pete still does argue with Jupe but it seems comes more from genuine fear than anger. He also does not show any interest in pretty girls like he does in the books.

* AffectionateNickname: Known as just 'Jupe' by his two best friends (in German, he is called 'Just' instead). He is also called 'First', referring to his role as the First Investigator.

* AmbiguouslyBi: Becomes fairly prominent in the German radio plays. With his girlfriend written out, he shares her former romantic interactions with Bob instead, notably, he has even kissed Bob. He also likes to spend his time with Jeffery, who replaces his dates with Kelly.

* AmbiguouslyBi: At least, in the German radio plays. He is still a player who likes girls, but with Kelly getting written out of the scripts, he is the one who adopts her former lines. As a result, he and Pete end up sharing a lot of romantic tension, notably even sharing a kiss in 'Der verschollene Pilot'. Becomes even more prevalent as the series goes on, even in the novels.