History Main / OneHundredandEight

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1599863198051166500 under discussion]] in the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1599863198051166500 Trope Repair Shop]].]]]]]]

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' Thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1396602257084772400
%% Image kept on page per IP thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1569855926008822700
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.
%%
[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mala_2804.png]]
[[caption-width-right:340:Count 'em.]]

The number 108 is a significant number in Buddhism. It represents the number of temptations that humans face, which tie them to the Wheel of ''samsara''. There are many religious elements related to this number -- a bell is rung 108 times to bring in the [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHolidays New Year in Japan]]. It is the number of beads on a Buddhist ''o-juzu'' or rosary. A classic pilgrimage in Japan visits 108 temples. Also, it's 2 to the second power times 3 to the third power -- ''obviously'' important.[[note]] But 2 and 3 are the first two prime numbers... wait, 23? [[Literature/TheIlluminatusTrilogy Oh crap!]][[/note]] Doubled, it becomes 216, which is [[NumberOfTheBeast "6 by 6 by 6"]].

This number crops up frequently in anime, video games, and other media produced in Japan. Like the numbers [[ThirteenIsUnlucky 13]] or [[LuckySeven 7]] for Western culture, it is ascribed a mystical significance far outside the original definitions. It has no readily comparable analogue to a modern Western viewer, however, though lots of similarities with the Medieval or Renaissance use of the number 9, which was considered perfect, the trinity of trinities, square of the first "real" prime (2 didn't count, sometimes, because it is even), etc.

Nevertheless, as these examples will bear out, 108 ''does'' appear a disproportionate number of times in Western popular culture. It's not clear why: it's not [[EleventyZillion a stereotypical "big" number one can easily use for exaggeration and/or laughs]], and it's not terribly easy to remember, either. Perhaps 108 is simply an easy three-digit number for even the most tongue-tied actors to recite in English, since it has only five syllables[[note]]or as few as three syllables--"one-oh-eight"[[/note]] and contains almost no guttural consonant sounds - as well as being unusual enough that to most people it sounds unique enough to not come off as a cliché.

You might know 108 from puzzles, though -- in which case it's merely 12 x 9.

Compare FourIsDeath and its Western equivalent, the NumberOfTheBeast; however, note that the number 108 is not always used in a negative sense as these other two examples generally are.

----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* In the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' series the 108th episode(roughly Chapter 175 of the manga), titled as "Invisible Crack" Sasuke starts to completely break his bonds with Konoha and Naruto. With this episode the saga of the hunt after Sasuke begins and it brings mortal danger to nearly all of the named characters of Naruto's age group while fighting to bring Sasuke back, including Naruto himself whilst fighting Sasuke.
* At 13 minutes and 21 seconds into the 24th episode of ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', Gimmy exclaimed that 108 units of the creepy Buddhism inspired Anti-Spiral ships were destroyed. In addition, 13 minutes and 21 seconds totals up to 801 seconds, the reverse of 108. Right when he mentions this, everything starts going straight to hell as the enemy suddenly launches a massive counter assault.
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' uses the motif several times.
** The manga had a BackStory arc with chapters numbered in negative numbers, starting with -108. While there weren't actually 108 flashback chapters, side chapters that take place before the start of the story receive a negative chapter number based on how long ago they were (and since the arc took place a century ago, it's natural that the number would be hgh).
** In Hueco Mundo, Uryu fights the Arrancar Iceringer, who can shoot up to 108 shots.
** In one of the first chapters Rukia tells Ichigo that the fake soul she's installed in his body was designed by 108 shinigami scientists. Too bad she grabbed the wrong package...
** Anime episode #214. In the fake origin story for Kon's being turned into Karakura-Riser, it was stated that he was an alien turned into a hero of justice by "Professor" Urahara. He could only return to his normal form by destroying the 108 hollows that killed Professor Urahara's daughter.
* The [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triad]] organisation in ''Manga/CryingFreeman'' refer to themselves as The 108 Dragons.
* In ''Manga/SuperPig'', Karin has to collect 108 pearls in order to become any superheroine she wants. However, [[spoiler:due to her ShapeshifterModeLock as Buurin after her classmates find out her secret, she uses it to turn human again instead]].
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'':
** When Shampoo is captured by the Ghost Cat, Ranma has until a bell is rung 108 times before a curse takes effect.
** In another arc, Ukyō is doing training for her ''okonomiyaki'' martial arts that requires making 108 okonomiyaki a day (or it might have just been 108 total).
* In the ''Manga/AngelSanctuary'' manga, when Yue Kato is explaining his DarkAndTroubledPast, he states that "108 bells would not be enough to cleanse my soul".
* In ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion,'' the Marduk Institute is a coalition of 108 companies -- [[spoiler: all dummy corporations owned indirectly by [[AncientConspiracy SEELE and NERV]].]]
* In the Halloween special episode of ''Videogame/ComicParty Revolution'', the characters explore a near-abandoned old school building. One of the characters breaks out a book listing 108 ways to deal with scary situations.
* ''Manga/ShamanKing'' has a magic rosary called ''The 1080'', because it contains 1080 beads. Also, the Nakaoni ("Medium demon") is formed by 108 onis, and the Oh-oni ("Big demon") is formed by 1080.
* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'' The Emperor of Britannia has 108 wives.
** In the episode "Love Attack!", Sayoko sets Lelouch up with 108 girls for dates while standing in for him, under the belief that being a manwhore is Lelouch's normal behaviour. [[CelibateHero It's not.]]
* Zoro from ''Manga/OnePiece'' has an attack called 108 Pondo Hou. It translates to "108 Pound Cannon", but with the kanji used, it can mean "108 Phoenixes of Passion and Desire". This and several other attacks with [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic similar names]] are ironic as he is an atheist. The number 108 appearing here is not "coincidental" or cosmic though, Zoro himself says when first executing the "36 Pound Cannon" with only one sword that it represents 36 earthly desires. It basically foreshadows the "108 Pound Cannon" since Zoro is '''THE''' 3 sword style swordsman.
** The fallen monk Urouge has a bounty of 108,000,000 Berries at the time of his introduction.
* The ''Manga/DeathNote'' manga was deliberately paced so as to have 108 chapters, which has led to some fan complaints about the resultant slow pace of the second arc.
** Similarly, ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' ended at chapter 108, but it was longer overall because each chapter is about twice as long as a chapter of ''Death Note'' (since FMA's chapters are published monthly, rather than weekly).
* When the goddess Yurie draws a temple fortune in the final episode of ''Anime/{{Kamichu}}'', she naturally gets number 108. In the spirit of the series, though, it turns out to be a pretty average fortune.
* In ''Anime/DevilHunterYohko'', Yohko is the 108th devil hunter.
* ''Manga/SoulEater'', chapter 12. Soul placed 108th in the class on the exam.
** Chapter 108 [[spoiler:is when we find out Asura and Death the Kid are brothers]].
* ''Manga/GetBackers''' Kuroudou Akabane wields 108 scalpels as his weapon.
* In ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'', Gin Ishida has invented 108 variations of his ''Hadokyuu'' tennis shot.
* In the 21st episode of ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'', Haruhi gives her class representative, who is afraid of "dark places, horror movies, ghost storytelling, getting scared from behind, and commercials for horror movies" a book entitled "108 Ways to Get Through Scary Situations".
* In ''Manga/{{Sekirei}}'''s [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne elimination contest]], there are 108 combatants. Almost all of them [[{{Fanservice}} beautiful girls]], of course.
* In ''Manga/{{Tokko}}'', there are 108 [[TheLegionsOfHell Phantoms]], each of whom contains a piece of the magic box [[GottaCatchThemAll the protagonists need to reassemble]] in order to close the gate to hell.
* In ''Manga/DGrayMan'', there were originally 109 instances of [[AppliedPhlebotinum Innocence]] (before the [[OmnicidalManiac Millennium Earl]] started destroying them). Since one of these is the Great Heart, this leaves 108 regular Innocences.
* ''Manwha/FaeriesLanding'' is about a high schooler named Ryang Jegal, who is destined to have 108 doomed relationships.
* In ''{{Anime/Robotech}}'', Roy Fokker claims to have shot down 108 enemy pilots in the previous war.
* In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikerS'', the Ground Force unit that Major Genya Nakajima commands, which his daughter Ginga serves in (as did Hayate for some time), is Battalion 108.
* Kai Shiden, the conflicted DeadpanSnarker from the ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' compilation movies pilots a Guncannon labeled 108.
* Mokona from ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'' claims to have 108 secret techniques. The real-life Mokona (one of the four CLAMP members) also claims this, apparently.
* In ''Manga/CorpsePrincess'', the amount of corpses that Makina must kill is 108. Akasha uses 108 tortured souls to power his unholy zadan technique.
* Virgo Shaka of ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' keeps a Buddhist rosary with 108 beads. Every time one of Hades' (108) Specters is killed, one of the beads goes dark. He terrorizes the battalion of Specters invading the House of Virgo by showing them how few beads remain.
* In ''Manga/AhMyBuddha!!'', Ikkou rings the shrine bell 108 times for New Years in episode 12.
* ''[[Manga/NininGaShinobuden Ninja Nonsense]]'' has a couple of 108 jokes:
** In the baseball episode, Onsokumaru splits the ball into a bunch of copies to make it impossible to catch, but Miyabi does the same with her glove and gets them all.
--->'''Umpire:''' 108 strikes! That finishes up four games!\\
'''Onsokumaru:''' As many strikes as worldly desires?!
:::(Yes, it actually takes 108 ''outs'' to finish four games. These are not smart characters.)
** In another episode, when Kaede's mom tells Onsokumaru to be careful of the knife she's holding, he says "Hey, hey, Paula. I'm the hundred and eighth president; your comments don't mean anything to me." No, her name's not Paula.
* In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'', second season episode 22, the number of units A-laws use to take on Celestial Being equals 108.
* The space pirate guild which Hazanko rules (and to which the Anten Seven belong) in ''Manga/OutlawStar'' is named The 108 Stars. May have been partly a Water Margin/Suikoden reference, but it still counts.
* Hayato Furinji of ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'' is said to have invented this many techniques.
* Yomi is stabbed 108 times in ''Anime/GaReiZero''.
* In ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', there are 108 schools of Nanto Seiken, although almost all of the branches outside the Nanto Roku Seiken (the Six Sacred Fists) are never named in the manga with the exception of the Golan Colonel's Silent Fist, the Harn Brothers' Twin Hawk Fist and the Twin Slice Fist practiced by two of Thouzer's minions. Many of the later ''Gaiden'' spin-offs showed some of the other branches as well.
* In ''Manga/MuhyoAndRoji'' Ebisu attempts do to "Maneuver 108", which involves surrounding the scene of a haunting with a "barrier" of spiritual-energy infused "needles". [[spoiler: Unfortunately he runs out of energy before he can finish the barrier and decides to set it off anyway. At first it seems to work but it soon fails, causing Ebisu to be fired.]] It should be noted that Ebisu's [[AmbitionIsEvil ruthless, greedy, and ambitious]] ([[{{Bishounen}} male]]) boss wears a ''miko''-style outfit.
* In the beginning of the Kyoto Field Trip arc of ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'', onmyou gods shaped as frogs attack the class while traveling to Kyoto via bullet train. According to Fei Ku, the students round up 108 of the little buggers.
** In Negi's second fight with Evangeline he has 108 secret tools of the mage.
* The anime {{OVA}} ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}: Demon Century'' was loosely based on the classic Chinese story ''The Water Margin'', mentioned below.
* The [[Manga/BioMeatNectar Bio-Meat]] production facility has 108 sections.
* In ''VideoGame/SandsOfDestruction'', there are 108 Laws of Clockwork Robotics.
* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' [[ComicBookAdaptation manga spin-off]] ''Inaba of the Moon, Inaba of the Earth'' once had a chapter where [[MoonRabbit Reisen]] needed to borrow a book from [[MagicLibrarian Patchoulli]] for her master. Much to her horror, the "book" was actually comprised of 72 Heaven volumes and 36 Earth volumes, totalling to a whopping 108 volumes that [[ButtMonkey Reisen]] needed to carry all the way back home.
* In chapter 51 of the ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei'' manga, the close of the chapter features a picture of Ikkyu taken from his elementary school's alumni association. It's indicated that it is from the 108th anniversary of the school.
* The crew from ''Anime/SpaceDandy'' were stuck totally unaware in a GroundhogDayLoop for 108 days before TheNarrator got fed up and told them.
* In ''Anime/DigimonXrosWars'', there are 108 Zones in the digital world.
* Two (probably) meaningless references in episode 5 of ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'': Oscar H. Genius holds a party for the 108th anniversary of the company he's president of, and Stocking is seen eating sweets made of 108% concentrated egg cream.
* ''Manga/RosarioToVampire Season II'' has our hero Tsukune undergoing an emergency power-upgrade that involves 109 needles. He's able to handle 108 of them.
* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Dende is the [=108th=] son of the Eldest Namek, and he ends up becoming the God of Earth.
* The Anime/LupinIIIRedJacket episode, "Have the 108 Bells Rung?" which takes place at a major New Year's Eve celebration; the bell ringing actually plays a role in Lupin's scheme.
* In the anime of ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'' (second season, episode 3), the school baseball team [[EpicFail loses spectacularly]]; the other team scores 108 points in only a few innings. [[FridgeLogic Which is probably impossible in an amateur league]], but maybe their sheer [[HotBlooded Hot Bloodedness]] bent the rules?
* Togari is a manga, where a guy can escape hell if he catches 108 crimes in 108 days.
* In ''Manga/KamisamaNoIuToori'', 108 cubes appear in Japan where the "winners" of bizarre, [[DeadlyGame game-themed school massacres]] are being held. After the survivors of the battle inside the cubes are released there's a rumor that visiting all 108 cubes will grant good luck, a shout-out to the [[http://www.sacred-destinations.com/japan/shikoku-88-temple-pilgrimage.htm 88 temple pilgrimage]]. It's later revealed that the eventual winner of the world-wide slaughter will [[spoiler: become a god, according to the insane naked guy who's apparently running the show, at least in Japan]].
* In ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'', when [[SchoolgirlLesbians Kuroko Shirai]] hears a rumor that Mikoto Misaka may have clones running around, she fantasizes about getting a harem of 108 Misaka clones. The clones actually exist, but Mikoto is careful not to let Kuroko know.
* In ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDxD'', Rias claims to have 108 magical ball moves in tennis.
* In ''Sahara The Flower Samurai'' it's been 108 years since Sahara and his friend-turned-rival-turned-enemy Masamune last saw each other.
* In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', while fantasizing about [[MakeAWish things to wish for]], Sayaka mentions the "mankanzenseki," [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchu_Han_Imperial_Feast?oldid=491326051 a famously extravagant banquet]] with (at least) 108 different dishes. The English-translated version is just "a 108-course banquet."
* In ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'', [[spoiler:it is revealed that Elizabeth has been cursed to die horrible deaths and be reincarnated after each one. The current Elizabeth we know is incarnation #107. The next one would be #108.]]
* In ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'', Umibozu met his wife on a planet inhabited by Orochi, a giant 108 headed hydra.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'' Tsuruya will be the 108th family head when she assumes that position.
* In ''Fanfic/FairVote'' the protagonist uses 108 phurba ritual daggers instead of chalk to make his summoning circles.
* In ''Fanfic/MassEffectHumanRevolution'', this is the model number of the experimental armour Hein wants Adam to test. Also, Aleph was this many years old when he first met his future wife.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fic ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/253045/i-am-going-to-save-and-or-destroy-equestria I Am Going To Save And/Or Destroy Equestria!]]'' a ritual that can bring someone back to life requires 108 virgin mares to be present to be performed. One character asks what is so special about that number, and the main character lists a bunch of reasons why 108 is significant.
* In ''Roleplay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers'' the amount of Tears in the IK arc purposely added up to 108 to match Spiritomb, a Pokémon fully built around the concept of 108 in Buddhist mythology.
* In ''Fanfic/OutOfTheCornerOfTheEye'', it's stated that 108 copies were made of the ''[[Literature/CthulhuMythos Necronomicon]]'' during the Renaissance era. More have been made since, but are apparently of poorer quality than the original 108.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/HighlanderIITheQuickening'', Connor Macleod is shot 108 times.
* In ''Film/TheFifthElement'', the captain of the hotel ship orders the helm be taken to 108.
* ''Film/{{Pi}}'' involves the discovery of a mysterious 216-digit number that lies at the root of chaotic systems and may represent the true name of God. 216 is, among other things, 108 plus 108.
* In ''Film/OsmosisJones'', Frank nearly dies at a body temperature of 108.
* ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMrFox'': Boggis, Bunce, and Bean call all 108 of their employees to serve as snipers during their RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Mr. Fox.
* In ''Film/TheGreenMile'', Paul Edgecombe states he is 108 years old during the FramingDevice on the tail end of the film.
* From Annie's opening narration in ''Film/BullDurham'': "There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball." Annie's confusing a 59-bead Catholic rosary with a 108-bead Buddhist rosary, but she respects the number's cosmic significance nonetheless.
* This is the weight Vicki Vale gives when being rescued by the Dark Knight in ''Film/Batman1989''. Significant because she's lying (temptation?), which results in there being too much weight for the extension gun to lift them both so that Batman has to fall back to the ground so she can escape - [[SpannerInTheWorks and he gets shot in his (bulletproof) chest armor and is nearly killed as a result]].
* Case #1108 is our introduction to the world of ''Film/MinorityReport''.
* ''Film/WhosAfraidOfVirginiaWoolf'': Martha is 108... years old.
* ''Film/Godzilla2014'' is 108 meters tall.
* Supplementary material for ''Film/IndependenceDay'' confirm that the aliens destroyed 108 cities in three attack waves.
* ''Film/{{Water|2005}}'': Kalyani tells Chuiya to pray to Krishna 108 times to leave the ashram. When Chuiya admits she can't count past ten, Kalyani gives her a rosary with 108 beads on it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* [[http://www.scribd.com/doc/3830153/Japanese-Folk-Tales-by-Yanagita-Kunio-translated-by-Fanny-Hagin-Mayer This book of Japanese folktales]] (published in [[UsefulNotes/WW2 1942]]!) has 108 stories.
* The classic Chinese novel ''Literature/WaterMargin'' describes the rise of 108 heroes who overthrow a corrupt government. [[SmallReferencePools Some Westerners]] may be more familiar with a loose adaptation of the novel -- the video game series ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}''.
* In the Chinese fairy tale ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'', Sun Wukong (who becomes Son Goku in the Japanese translation; yes, ''[[Manga/DragonBall that]]'''s based on it), can travel 108,000 ''li'' (54,000 km by the modern definition, or about four-fifths that by the one in use at the time) in one somersault. This has led to "108,000 li" being a common aphorism for long distances.
* The killer in Ryu Murakami's novel ''In the Miso Soup'' basically keeps the protagonist alive because he wants the guy to show him the best spot in town to hear the Japanese New Year bells, and because he wants to learn from him about the 108 parts of ''Bonnō'' ("bad instincts") that are supposed to be cleared up by listening to them. He claims to be curious about whether listening to the bells can absolve him of his own ''Bonnō''.
* In Creator/EliezerYudkowsky's [[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xu/failed_utopia_42/ Failed Utopia #4-2,]] the new god was carelessly programmed to only respect 107 human desires.
* In ''Literature/TheStand'', Mother Abagail is 108 years old.
* The events of ''Literature/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream'' take place 10''9'' years after AM first started torturing Ted, Benny, Gorrister, Ellen and Nimdok; it's significant, because the 109th year is when [[spoiler: the human race is finally redeemed; Ted overcomes the temptation of saving himself from AndIMustScream, and chooses to [[HeroicSacrifice save the other four instead.]]]]
* In ''Literature/TheGirlFromTheWell'', Yoko, a former {{Miko}}, has 108 porcelain dolls in her room at the mental hospital.
* In ''Literature/NineDragons'', Bosch discovers that the murdered Chinese convenience store owner was making payoffs to the Triads in increments of $216—two times 108. Fellow detective David Chu explains to him the significance of 108 in the founding of the Triads.
* In ''Literature/TheOracleYear'', by Creator/CharlesSoule, the protagonist has a dream in which he receives 108 foretellings of the future. (He has said in an interview that he did indeed choose that number for the Buddhist connection.)
* ''Literature/TheMachineriesOfEmpire'': The sociopathic ImmortalRuler Kujen's fleet in ''Revenant Gun'', which he intends to [[spoiler:massacre in a deliberate PyrrhicVictory to sustain his regime,]] comprises 108 [[LivingShip voidmoths]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Lost}}'': The [[ArcWords lottery numbers]] ([[ArcNumber 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42]]) add up to 108, the numbers have to be entered into the machine in at the Swan station every 108 minutes, and more than a few other appearances. Unsurprising given the Buddhist references surrounding the DHARMA Initiative... Oh, and the [[ItWasHisSled rescue party finally arrives after 108 days on the island.]]
* In an early episode of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', a demon possesses plane passengers and causes their planes to crash. One such incident occurs during the timeline of the episode, and the number of passengers killed is 108.
* On ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'', the number 108 is key to the lottery ticket that wins the Conners the jackpot and makes them rich.
* In an episode of ''Series/GhostWhisperer'', a ghost is haunting room 108 on a ship.
* In ''Series/OnceUponATime'', 108 is the Mayor's house number. [[spoiler:Appropriate, as she's the BigBad.]]
* In ''Series/DeadliestCatch'' one of the largest pots for the ''Time Bandit'''s 2012 king crab season had 108 crab, which was so notable that Capt. Andy ran down to the deck, shouted "108!" several times, ran back to the cabin, shouted it a few more times, and ''reported the number to himself'' (y'know, to make it official).
* In 2013 Creator/{{HBO}} got 108 Primetime Emmy nominations.
* Creator/{{NBC}}'s special on the Boston Marathon Bombings is called "108 Hours". It's also the name of a documentary about an Iraq war vet.
* In ''Series/PowerRangersSuperMegaforce'', there are 108 Legendary Rangers.
* In ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'', there are exactly 108 Roidmudes, the MonsterOfTheWeek for this season. Each one of them even has a corresponding number on its chest!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Rap group Cannibal Ox has a track entitled "Iron Galaxy" which contains the lyric "...fuck five/I want 108 mics".
* "108 Battles (of the Mind)" by Kula Shaker
* "KAMIKAZE 108" by Teriyaki Boyz with lyrics "So let's get back to basics, I do work to a 108 tempo" (the Toridoshi Mix is pretty close to, if not exactly, 108 bpm).
* "108" by Sky Ferreira, which was, according to WordOfGod, inspired by vampires.
* American heavy metal band Music/{{Disturbed}} has created exactly 108 individual songs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* UsefulNotes/{{Hinduism}}: 108 is just as important in Hinduism as it is in Buddhism. Some of the various uses of it are shown below.
** The [[ChainsawGood Sudarshana Chakra]], the weapon of Vishnu, and in particular, his avatar Krishna, is a serrated throwing disc with 108 serrations, making this OlderThanFeudalism.
** The Gayatri Mantra is traditionally chanted 108 times in prayer. In auspicious occasions, it goes up to 1008.
** It is considered to be auspicious to chant 108 or 1008 of Vishnu or Shiva's [[IHaveManyNames many names.]]
** According to the mythology, 108 devas and asuras churned the Ocean Of Milk.
* Myth/GreekMythology:
** In Creator/{{Homer}}'s ''Literature/TheOdyssey'', 108 is the number of suitors coveting Penelope, the wife of Odysseus.
* UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}: Sufis regard this number highly, because in Sufism one of the most significant names of Allah is ''al-Haqq'', 'the Truth' or 'the Real': Haqq is composed of the Arabic letters ha' (numerical value 8 in gematria) and qaf (numerical value 100).
* UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}}: The number 18 (6+6+6) is considered symbolic of life itself. Similar to Islam, Judaism also uses gematria, where 10 and 8 spell 'hi' or 'life'.
** Perhaps more of a stretch, but Judaism also has the 72 Names of God, where 72 is 2/3rds of 108, being 2x2x2x3x3.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* Several Japanese wrestling companies got together to have a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L6ZgNYeyQY 108 Men Battle Royal.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sports]]
* There are 108 stitches on a regulation baseball.
* The Chicago Cubs broke the longest World Series drought in baseball history (and the famous "Curse of the Billy Goat") after 108 years. [[http://www.komando.com/happening-now/377757/108-the-chicago-cubs-magic-number Cubs fans also found all sorts of connections to 108 in the run-up to the win.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* In ''TabletopGame/BlissStage'', your character must make an exit either by [[KilledOffForReal dying for real]] at 7 Trauma... or in a slightly less deadly manner when you go over 108 points of [[MindRape Bliss.]] This is a deliberate use of the trope: WordOfGod says it's a deliberate reference to the 108 Buddhist temptations. He also intended to print only 108 copies of Ignition Stage, for the same reason.
* Your average Mahjong set will have 108 suited tiles, with the rest being Honor or flower tiles. This is a result of each of the 3 suits of 9 tiles being replicated so that there's 4 of each. (3* 9* 4 = 108).
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' module [=WG4=] ''The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun''. The guardian daemon will pursue intruders for 108 feet before returning to its room.
* North Pole Publications' generic RPG adventure ''The Serpent Islands''. The second largest island was once the site of an evil monastery. 23 years ago an earthquake submerged the island, taking 108 monks to their doom.
* R. Talsorian Games' ''TabletopGame/{{Cyberpunk}}'' supplement ''Pacific Rim Sourcebook'' (1994). An advertisement says that the guards at the Tiananmen Square flag raising ceremony march at exactly 108 paces per minute.
* In ''TabletopGame/TenraBanshoZero'', if your KarmaMeter goes above 108, you become an asura.
* A standard Uno deck contains 108 cards.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* As mentioned above, ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'', loosely based on the classic Chinese novel ''Water Margin''. Each game in the series contains 108 recruitable characters, counting the hero but not counting any {{Guest Star Party Member}}s.
** Generally speaking, having all 108 in ''Suikoden'' leads to someone being able to survive certain death, or recovering from it somehow.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Spiritomb is listed as number 108 in the Sinnoh Pokédex, weighs 108 kg, is said to have been formed by 108 spirits, and its base Defense and Special Defense are both 108.
** In ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Ruby and Sapphire]],'' the GhostShip S.S. Cactus is found on Route 108. In the remakes, ''Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire'', Spiritomb is found in the S.S. Cactus's replacement, Sea Mauville, still on Route 108.
** In ''VideoGame/PokemonGo'', the Field Research for Spiritomb has 108 all over -- whether in 10s, 8s, or the full number.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'', the extremely difficult to obtain [[InfinityPlusOneSword string of beads]] is made up of 100 [[GottaCatchEmAll stray beads]] and 8 power orbs. Given the large amounts of Japanese symbolism in the game, this is unsurprising. Also, the bell on Orochi's back is said to ring 108 times, once for each desire (temptation?) of that year's human sacrifice.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' opens with a doctor describing to the player character, who has just awakened from his coma, how they had detected 108 foreign bodies within him, including ''[[NightmareFuel/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain human bone and teeth.]]'' [[spoiler: Most likely the bones and teeth of Paz when she exploded right in front of him.]]
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'', the accessory "108 Beads" would prevent most, but not all, status effects. This, unlike most, is less a reference and more a direct mention -- the "108 Beads" accessory is implied heavily to be the aforementioned Buddhist ''o-juzu''.
* ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'' features 108 Heavy Metal songs to unlock.
* In ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing: City Folk'', after the New Year's Countdown, Peppy villagers will tell you it is good luck to count 108 fireworks.
* ''VideoGame/MuramasaTheDemonBlade'' has 108 collectible swords. Quite appropriate to the plot and bosses, also. And King Enma, the Lord of Hell, is stated to have 108 children, with Rajyaki being the youngest.
* In the second ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' game, Phoenix can inspect an ancient tapestry, which has a list of 108... ways to make money.
* In ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe 2'', one stage has Joe (or Sylvia) hitting a giant bell 108 times in order to continue on (though knocking an enemy into the bell counts as 10 rings.)
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon'', it was said that there were 108 intelligent species in the world, including humans and dragons. However, all but six are extinct by the time the game begins. Furthermore, the Moon Child is said to arise every 108 years, while [[spoiler:[[DarkIsNotEvil Rose]] is said to have saved the world from the Moon Child's emigration to the Virage Embryo a total of 107 times, failing on the 108th.]]
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' uses it prominently with several variations. To note:
** 108 itself - A number commonly associated with Akatosh, the [[TopGod chief deity]] of the [[SaintlyChurch Nine Divines]] pantheon.
** 1+0+8 - Essentially 9, a recurring ArcNumber for the series, usually expressed in the form of 1+8. There are [[OurGodsAreDifferent 9 Divines]] in the [[SaintlyChurch Imperial religion]], comprising 8 conventional gods and 1 [[DeityOfHumanOrigin human who became a god]]. There are traditionally 9 provinces in the Cyrodiilic Empire (Cyrodiil itself and 8 others), and 9 districts and principal cities in the provinces of Skyrim and Cyrodiil (both the capital plus 8 others). The [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield Amulet of Kings]] has 8 small jewels and 1 large jewel. There are eight '[[TheTower Towers]]' sustaining the barriers between the realms, and one 'zeroth stone' that is the origin of their power. Even the universe itself is said to be shaped like a wheel with 8 spokes, the '+1' being the solid line made when viewed on it's side.
** 1008 - the very first and longest lasting [[http://www.imperial-library.info/obscure_text/complete_dragonbroke.shtml Dragon Break]], a type TimeCrash with CosmicRetcon like effects associated with the aforementioned Akatosh, lasted precisely 1008 years. How could they tell how much time passed despite time being non-linear during that period? They used the cycles of Nirn's [[WeirdMoon two moons]], which are said to be the "flesh divinity" (i.e. the sundered, rotting corpse) of the [[GodIsDead dead creator god]] and was thus unaffected, to tell how much time had passed.
** 100008 - See also "O Aka! I beg you one hundred thousand and eight times!" from the [[http://www.imperial-library.info/obscure_text/aldudagga.shtml Alduddaggas]].
* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou''[='s=] [[AlternateUniverse bonus chapter]], Joshua's registration number in the Tin Pin tournament is 108.
* Chapter 4 of ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld'' features an NPC who boasts that the Lezareno Company's life insurance covers you to the age of 108 (More half-elf discrimination, of course, as they live much longer).
* In the ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' series:
** The Wardog Squadron from ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' is the Osean Air Defense Force, 108th Tactical Fighter Wing Detachment.
** ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon'' continues this, with the 108th Task Force which the player's squadron is a part of.
* In ''VideoGame/KnightsInTheNightmare'', [[spoiler:Capehornus]] was exiled from his people one hundred and eight days before the death of Willimgard's predecessor.
* There are 108 badges you can collect in the N64 version of ''VideoGame/MarioGolf'' by getting a birdie or better on each of the 6 courses' 18 holes.
* In ''VideoGame/ShadowHeartsCovenant'', the BigBad explicitly say that TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon will toll the bell a 108 times before unleashing its power. Yuri and co. will always get there in time, even after [[TakeYourTime exiting to do some]] {{sidequest}}s for [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus One Weapons]] and Armours.
* In ''VideoGame/FusionFall'', an NPC that has a mission you must take is known as Numbuh 108.
* In ''VisualNovel/DisgaeaInfinite'', Laharl boasts of the 108 cruel punishments he gives to disobedient Prinnies.
* ''VideoGame/DJHero 2'' features musical appearances from 108 artists.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'', the 7th chapter has a sentient door that asks you questions to get through. While the set up to the question is unrelated to what is actually asked, the set ups do include every unlucky number you'll find. Except that instead of 666, they had 667.
* In ''VideoGame/BenJordanParanormalInvestigator'' case five, the maximum points you can receive is 108.
* Liara T'Soni is one hundred and eight years old as of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2''. She's turned one hundred and nine by the third game.
* The X-rated VisualNovel ''Zanjibaru'' is set in an alternate future Japan. The year in which the game is set is 2033 CE (or the 108th year of the Showa Era).
* ''VideoGame/GuitarHero: Warriors of Rock'' has unlockable venues, characters, instruments, cheats, galleries, and accessories for every rank up to 108, with the last one being the Neversoft Eyeball.
* ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'' has exactly 108 different weapons.
* While a majority of the Vaults in the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' universe had sinister ulterior motives resulting in plenty of terror, ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' notably included [[https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Vault_108 Vault 108]], which was assigned an Overseer expected to die of cancer within 40 months with no directives for succession or assigning positions of power, and given a main power supply intended to malfunction 18 years before the Vault was to be opened, a backup power supply that was insufficient, an overstocked armory, and no entertainment recordings. It also had a cloning lab which churned out hostile clones that murdered non-cloned residents. It was definitely intended to be one of the more chaotic Vault experiments.
** The male player character of ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' is a veteran who served in the 108th Infantry Regiment during the Sino-American war.
* There are 108 [[spoiler: half-human, half-machine hybrids]] loose in the world as of the endgame of ''VideoGame/BinaryDomain''.
* The ''WesternAnimation/HappyFeet Two'' video game has a trophy/achievement for clapping 108 times.
* In ''Great VideoGame/MahouDaisakusen'', there are 108 treasures to collect.
* The events of ''VideoGame/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream'' take place 10''9'' years after AM first started torturing Ted, Benny, Gorrister, Ellen and Nimdok.
* In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'', the FinalBoss, [[spoiler:[[GodIsEvil God / YHVH]]]], is level 108 [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard in a game where the level cap for your demons and all other enemies in the game is 99]].
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral'': ''Genealogy of the Holy War'' begins in the 108th year of the Kingdom of Grandbell.
* In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', arrows from the Huntsman will deal 1080 damage to the Merasmus Halloween raid boss when fully charged.
* ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'': Per Japanese holiday tradition, the Joya Bell must be rung a hundred and eight times to purify it. In its story boss battle, the Joya has exactly 108 HP, but the player can only deal 1 Damage per strike. Fortunately, the Zodiacs have numerous skills that allow the characters to strike multiple times in a single turn.
* Including Endless Games, there are exactly 108 rhythm games in ''VideoGame/RhythmHeaven Megamix''.
* In ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack'', the level "Plant Food" gives the player 1 minute and 8 seconds to clear the level in order to obtain the yellow gem.
* In ''VisualNovel/ShinraiBrokenBeyondDespair'', Mika seeks to break her father's record for scaring people so that he'll buy her ice cream. Since her father scared 107 people, Mika will thus have to scare 108 to surpass him.
* Given its Hindu and Buddhist influences, 108 shows up as an ArcNumber in ''VideoGame/{{Indivisible}}'':
** The final boss has 108 health bars.
** There are 108 collectible ringsels, though only 101 are needed for all upgrades.
** Ajna is the 108th person to annoy Angwu at the Tower of Wisdom.
** The achievement "A Taste of Power" requires the player to use the Iddhi Meter in battle 108 times.
** The achievement "A Sutra of Pain" requires the player to reach a 108 combo.
** The level cap is 108, although it can be comfortably completed around 50.
** The achievement "Indr's Pride" requires the player to perform 108 Clean Blocks.
** The game's release date was October 8th (10-8).
* A UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 game is titled ''1080° Snowboarding'', named after the most difficult to perform trick (three full rotations, or 360 degrees multiplied by 3).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/KeychainOfCreation'': [[http://keychain.patternspider.net/archive/koc0108.html #108.]]
* Strip [[http://www.kiwisbybeat.com/minus108.html #108]] of ''Webcomic/{{minus}}'' has [[spoiler:the eponymous character die]].
* The 2013-14 big arc of ''{{Webcomic/Roommates}}'' is just 107 pages long, but the pdf collection of it adds the next regular page ending up with 108 story pages. It's a story about many things including [[SecretTestOfCharacter temptations]] and how EvilIsEasy.
* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons:''
** On [[http://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/ksbd-4-77/ Page 4-78]] we are told this about the new King of All Creation:
--->"He will be flanked by a white and a black flame. His coming will be followed by 108 burning stars."
** The Pursuers are an unaffiliated mob of 108 Guild mercenaries and independent warriors hunting the Magus Gate lodged in Allison's head. WordOfGod is that they gain new members at roughly the same rate as they lose them.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* The video game company Creator/{{Irem}} is known for posting strange AprilFoolsDay pranks on its website. In 2001, their prank was the announcement of a (fake) DatingSim known as ''Doki Doki Suikoden'' -- which was supposed to have 108 different "heroine" characters.
* The ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' has a few appearances of 108.
** The [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/goc-hub-page Global Occult Coalition]] has 108 member organisations, and is overseen by a secret council of 108 members.
** Dr. Clef's version of SCP-001, [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/dr-clef-s-proposal The Gate Guardian,]] is an angel with a sword guarding the Garden of Eden. Observers have described it as having up to 108 wings.
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-065 SCP-065 ("Destroyed Organic Catalyst")]] is a spherical area that causes bizarre effects in living tissue. When it was originally created it had a radius of 108 meters.
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2746 SCP-2746]] ("████ is dead."). Document N-2746-1 says that traitors against the Maker are to be whipped, starved and crucified for 108 cycles (presumably a cycle was a unit of time such as a year).
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2814 SCP-2814 ("Heretic of the Torch")]]. The Chinese occultist group "Children of the Torch" performed 108 {{Human Sacrifice}}s in an attempt to create a firestorm, the form of their deity the Radiant Father.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' movie ''Bender's Big Score'', Fry finds 108 narwhals before happening across the one he was looking for.
* ''WesternAnimation/Hero108''
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' has 108 episodes.[[note]]That is, that actually aired on Cartoon Network. When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, the final 13-episode season moved to Netflix, bringing the total to 121[[/note]]
* Episode 108 of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', "Mindful Education", features mindfulness meditation as a way for Steven and Connie to confront their mental demons. The episode's {{Dream Sequence}}s were given a suitably {{Animesque}} style by guest animator Takafumi Hori of Creator/StudioTrigger.
* According to ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'', Jinx weighs 108 pounds. It fits with her [[WindsOfDestinyChange bad luck-based powers]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Wat Thamkrabok is a Buddhist monastery in UsefulNotes/{{Thailand}} that has gained a reputation for being the toughest rehab center in the world. One key aspect of their treatment, besides Buddhist meditations and spartan living, is a daily detox via GargleBlaster-induced vomiting. The recipe is a closely held secret, but all that is known about it is that it was revealed to the founder in a dream and it consists of 108 herbal ingredients.
* The angles of a regular pentagon are 108 degrees each.
* Before it received its permanent name Hassium, element 108, had the placeholder name Unniloctium[[note]]formed from the digits: un-nil-octium[[/note]] with the corresponding symbol Uno. That is to say, element numero uno. Of course, this is an entirely meaningless coincidental result of the pig Latin/Greek used for placeholder element names.
* Speaking of Uno, the ''Uno'' card game has 108 cards.
* Giving someone 108 roses is a form of asking for someone's hand in marriage.
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/108_Martyrs_of_World_War_II The 108 Martyrs of World War II]] are 108 Polish priests, bishops, and other Catholic church leaders that were killed by the Nazis.
* If your fever hits 108 degrees Fahrenheit, you're not likely to survive. (On the off-chance that you ''do'', you're likely to be pretty messed up, and possibly permanently disabled afterwards, because so many of your body's proteins, including the ones that make up important things like your brain, have been denatured.) At that point, you're ''cooked''.
* Coincidentally, Pepsi Beverages Co typically stacks their 12-pack and 24-pack can packages in pallets with 108 cases. For the 24-packs, this is a literal value (108 cases = 108 packs); for 12-packs it's twice the units (108 cases = 216 packs). There are 9 cases per layer on these pallets and they are 12 layers tall, hence the value 108.
[[/folder]]

----

* While a majority of the Vaults in the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' universe had sinister ulterior motives resulting in plenty of terror, ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' notably included [[http://www.falloutwiki.com/Vault_108 Vault 108]], which was assigned an Overseer expected to die of cancer within 40 months with no directives for succession or assigning positions of power, and given a main power supply intended to malfunction 18 years before the Vault was to be opened, a backup power supply that was insufficient, an overstocked armory, and no entertainment recordings. It also had a cloning lab which churned out hostile clones that murdered non-cloned residents. It was definitely intended to be one of the more chaotic Vault experiments.

* In ''Anime/DragonballZ'', Dende is the [=108th=] son of the Eldest Namek.

* A Nintendo 64 game is titled ''1080 Snowboarding'', named after the most difficult to perform trick (three full rotations, or 360 degrees multiplied by 3).

[[folder:Web Comics]]