History Main / TwoGuysAndAGirl

* ''Manga/ChoujinX'': Tokio, Ely, and Azuma. While their dynamic is entirely platonic, it does get a bit... complicated as the series goes on. At the start of the manga, Tokio and Azuma are childhood best friends. [[ExtremeDoormat Tokio more or less bases his entire life around Azuma]], and in turn Azuma, although genuinely caring about Tokio, [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex uses Tokio's reliance on him]] to keep up his self-esteem. Eventually, Tokio becomes close friends with Ely Otta, a girl from Gaga, [[FireForgedFriends after she saves him from Nari]]. Eventually, Azuma and Ely begin to start talking with each other and, [[BackFromTheDead after a similary]] [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening dangerous event with Azuma]], the two of them become friends with each other. After a certain major event concerning the three of them, [[spoiler:Tokio decides that he needs to stand on his own feet without relying on Azuma and Ely and leaves to go on a journey without saying goodbye to either of them. Although Ely takes it pretty well, Azuma gets ''really'' upset over Tokio's decision, viewing it as Tokio abandoning him. Subsequently, Azuma turns to Ely as a replacement for Tokio and begins basing his self-esteem around her opinion of him just as he did with Tokio. When Tokio comes back after a year, Ely immediately starts hitting it off with him again, but Azuma pretty much refuses to talk to him outside of expressing open resentment. So while Ely is on great terms with Tokio and Azuma, and while Tokio still holds a deep amount of respect for Azuma, Azuma holds a ''lot'' of resentment for Tokio and forms something of a one-sided rivalry with him.]]

* ''Manga/ChoujinX'': Tokio, Ely, and Azuma. While their dynamic is entirely platonic, it does get a bit... complicated as the series goes on. At the start of the manga, Tokio and Azuma are childhood best friends. [[ExtremeDoormat Tokio more or less bases his entire life around Azuma]], and in turn Azuma, although genuinely caring about Tokio, [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex uses Tokio's reliance on him]] to keep up his self-esteem. Eventually, Tokio becomes close friends with Ely Otta, a girl from Gaga, [[FireForgedFriends after she saves him from Nari]]. Eventually, Azuma and Ely begin to start talking with each other and, [[BackFromTheDead after a similary]] [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening dangerous event with Azuma]], the two of them become friends with each other. After a certain major event concerning the three of them, [[spoiler:Tokio, while still holding a deep amount of respect for Azuma, decides that he needs to stand on his own feet and leaves to go on a journey without saying goodbye to Azuma or Ely. This ''really'' ends up hurting Tokio's friendship with Azuma, with the latter viewing it as a kind of betrayal. Subsequently, Azuma turns to Ely as a replacement for Tokio and begins basing his self-esteem around her opinion of him just as he did with Tokio. When Tokio comes back after a year, Ely immediately starts hitting it off with him again, but Azuma pretty much refuses to talk to him outside of expressing open resentment. So while Ely is on great terms with Tokio and Azuma, and while Tokio still holds a deep amount of respect for Azuma, Azuma holds a ''lot'' of resentment for Tokio and forms something of a one-sided rivalry with him.]]

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Ash usually travels with another guy and girl with the occasional TagalongKid in the Advanced Generation and XY series. The usual romance aspects of the trope [[NoHuggingNoKissing are never touched on]] except for in Kalos.
** Jessie, James and Meowth of Team Rocket.

* Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses has three main music reviewers that frequently collaborate with each other: WebVideo/PawDugan, WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows and WebVideo/PushingUpRoses. These three frequently collaborate with each other and did a collaborative review of Music/TheMonkees' ''Film/{{Head}}''. Naturally, no LoveTriangle has formed (if you don't count the fact that Paw and Roses used to date but are now PlatonicLifePartners).

Compare to ThreeAmigos. A kind of LoveTriangle. See also CastCalculus. Contrast FriendVersusLover.

* Chihaya, Taichi and Arata from ''Manga/ChihayaFuru''. Actually Arata gets shipped off to another district early in the story, but it doesn't stop Chihaya from thinking of themselves as ThreeAmigos forever and reminiscing Arata constantly (much to [[CrazyJealousGuy Taichi's]] chagrin).

* Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose from the ''A-Z Mysteries'' series. Being a kid's series, the same no-romance rule as above also applies.

** During Arthur's time in [[spoiler:the Relictombs and Alacrya, his main companions are Regis - the manifestation of the Acclorite that Wren gave him before the war - and Caera - a Vritra-blooded Alacryan whom he met in the Relictombs - as replacements for Sylvie and Tessia respectively. After Arthur gets an ancient suit of [[{{Precursors}} Djinn]] PoweredArmor that makes him sport horns, Regis jokingly refers the three of them as "the Horny Trio"]].
** In Volume 11, [[spoiler:the resurrected Sylvie takes the female role from Caera. This is not only because of her closer connection to Arthur, but because both she and Regis enable Arthur to master all three paths of aether which in turn could lead to Arthur unlocking the ultimate form of aether, fate (which Agrona has been seeking in order to win the DivineConflict). While Caera is still along for the ride, she is now part of an larger ensemble that Arthur is bringing into the Relictombs to locate Seris. Said ensemble also includes Arthur's sister Ellie, her bond Boo, and the Djinn[=/=]Phoenix hybrid Chul]].

* ''WesternAnimation/CampLakebottom'': McGee, Squirt, and Gretchen are the main characters of the show.

* Music/KeroKeroBonito: Gus, Jamie and Sarah, with Sarah being the vocalist and the obvious FaceOfTheBand.

** In the [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist 2003 anime]], the Elric brothers and Winry are still {{Childhood Friend}}s; however. Winry was DemotedToExtra. In contrast, Rose was made into an AscendedExtra. Rose likes Edward; however, Al has no interest in Rose (and Ed himself is ambiguous), subverting the typical romantic elements.

* ''WesternAnimation/PennZeroPartTimeHero'': Penn, Boone, and Sashi.

* The 1967 book "The Owl Service" is all about this trope, as three present day teens find themselves re-enacting an old Welsh legend.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' forms a rather twisted example with Spike, Angelus and Drusilla in Season 2. Buffy, Willow, and Xander also fit the trope.

* Edward, Bella and Jacob in ''Literature/{{Twilight}}''. Although Edward and Jacob become friends only at the end of the books.

* [[NaiveNewcomer Mikado Ryugamine]], [[CasanovaWannabe Masaomi Kida]], and [[CursedWithAwesome Anri Sonohara]] in ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}''. Of course, it turns out said trio [[spoiler:each respectively are the founder of the Dollars, leader of the Yellow Scarves, and holder of the [[EvilWeapon original Saika]] (which also has a HiveMind with its [[TheVirus children]]), also known as the gangs who are at each others throats.]]

* Lampshaded in ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', as the-guy-who-is-not-the-hero assumes this will happen the moment the hero returns to his village. The hero, for his part, is not even remotely interested.
** He ''was'' interested when he left, and the girl is still kind of (actually, probably even more) interested than she was at the time. But in the meantime, the hero has seen what's available in the outside world, and "prettiest girl of a certain age in a small village" is not necessarily the same thing as "actually pretty." On top of this, she's terribly naive and kind of shallow, so while the "rival" is worried the hero is going to take her away, but the hero is mainly worried he won't be able to ''give'' her away.

* The three holders of the Triforce from any ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda'' game are Link, Ganon(dorf), and Zelda.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado'' starts with [[ThoseTwoGuys Miguel and Tulio]] until Chel joins them later and flirts with them both. They agree that Chell is "off limits" but Tulio ends up making out with her anyway