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| 6 | %% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks! |
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| 14 | [[quoteright:350:[[Anime/{{Yatterman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/doronbo_gang_3.png]]]] |
| 15 | ->''"As I said, it was minor. There were just three assailants. Complete amateurs. It would have been comical, if they hadn't been threatening people."'' |
| 16 | -->--'''Obi-Wan Kenobi''', ''Literature/StarWarsTheLivingForce'' |
| 17 | A PowerTrio made up of a domineering character and two henchmen or CoDragons. The two henchmen usually look physically different (one [[FatAndSkinny short and fat, the other tall and skinny/buff]]) in addition to having different skills, often BrainsAndBrawn or an unreasonable facsimile; the position of boss may be gained simply by assertiveness. Their boss is usually convinced they're master criminals, even though the two subordinate characters usually fit the bill for StupidCrooks. Terrible Trios are very rarely the real {{Big Bad}}s, and the whole group tends to be played for comedy in the long run. They may have no dark motivations other than fortune or fame, and it's easy to [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain sympathize with them through their repeated defeats]]. They usually have a certain degree of KarmicProtection. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Sometimes, there's a [[TheManBehindTheMan higher-up that the team's boss is accountable to]]. That higher-up is usually [[KnightOfCerebus closer to True Evil]], and considers the team, boss and all, to be ineffective at best. In a more serious story (or if CerebusSyndrome is about to kick in), [[ShooOutTheClowns expect the]] [[GoldfishPoopGang goldfish poop]] [[KilledOffForReal to get flushed]] on most occasions. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | In many anime, the boss is usually more attractive and the opposite gender of the lackeys. The Terrible Trio are often [[TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily gangsters]], who are strangely less competent than the psycho villain. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | See also EvilDuo, BumblingHenchmenDuo, QuirkyMinibossSquad, BigThinShortTrio, FreudianTrio, ComicTrio, GoldfishPoopGang, EliteFour, and, when two or more {{Big Bad}}s work together, BigBadDuumvirate. |
| 24 | ---- |
| 25 | !!Examples: |
| 26 | |
| 27 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 28 | |
| 29 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 30 | * In ''Manga/AquaKnight'', mad scientist Alcantara and his servants Zykey and Zycrow are introduced like this. However, it is later inverted [[spoiler:when Alcantara turns to be actually a good guy, and his whole purpose all the time was to save Zykey who suffers from a disease that consumes her body gradually.]] |
| 31 | * Caerula Adamas, aka Kinshirou, Arima and Akoya, in ''Anime/CuteHighEarthDefenseClubLove'' |
| 32 | * In ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo'', the title character is often facing off against a terrible trio working for the current arc's BigBad. |
| 33 | * Akumanto, Dokudandy and Gestra in ''Anime/BombermanBDamanBakugaiden V''. |
| 34 | * ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'': |
| 35 | ** ''Anime/DigimonDataSquad'' has Kouki, Nanami and Ivan. |
| 36 | ** ''Anime/DigimonFusion'' in the second arc, Lilithmon, Blastmon, and the Vilemons were demoted to this by the Death Generals. |
| 37 | ** ''Anime/DigimonXrosWarsTheYoungHuntersWhoLeaptThroughTime'' has the three rival hunters. Ryouma is the leader, while Airu and Ren are the henchmen type. Unknown to Ryouma, [[spoiler: Astamon/Quartzmon is the higher up.]] |
| 38 | ** In the ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' movie, [[Recap/DigimonTamersM1BattleOfAdventurers Battle of Adventurers]], there is Ponchomon, Pipismon, and Sepikmon, who work for Mephistomon. |
| 39 | *** Also there are three Flybeemon who attack Renamon in Episode 12. |
| 40 | * Usarapa (Ursula), Noratty (Zander), and Edo (Ed) in ''VideoGame/DinosaurKing''. It's also more pronounced in the dub of the [[Anime/DinosaurKing anime adaptation]], as Ursula is voiced by Rachel Lillis, the voice of Jessie of Pokémon's Team Rocket in the 4Kids dub, while Creator/SeanSchemmel voices Zander with an [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed obvious impression]] of the voice Creator/EricStuart used for James. |
| 41 | * Buaku and the Puma Sisters in ''Anime/DominionTankPolice''. |
| 42 | * ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' films: |
| 43 | ** Ledina from ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasTheLegendOfTheSunKing'' have three main henchmen serving her; Yahoo the [[TheBeastmaster Animal Master]] (who sics his animals on Nobita, Tio and the heroes besides ordering his [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile giant crocodile to devour everyone]]), Quetzalcoatl the MasterOfIllusion whose illusory gas causes hallucinations on the gang, and Coatl the spear-wielding brute who serves as Ledina's PraetorianGuard. |
| 44 | ** ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheIslandOfMiraclesAnimalAdventure'' have Sherman's three main enforcers, Sky, Lock and Snake who pilots their giant mechas to attack the titular island. |
| 45 | ** ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheSpaceHeroes'' have Hyde the EvilGenius as the main dragon to the villain, Ikaros, as well as two lesser dragons - Meba the shapeshifting DarkActionGirl and Ogon TheBrute directly under Hyde. |
| 46 | * ''Manga/DragonBall'': |
| 47 | ** Emperor Pilaf, Shu and Mai. Though still comedic, Emperor Pilaf was ''Dragon Ball'''s first BigBad. |
| 48 | ** The ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' [[NonSerialMovie movies]] have plenty of these: [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Ginger, Nikki and Sansho]] from ''Dead Zone'', [[SuperSoldier Kishime, Ebifurya and Misokatsun]] from ''The World's Strongest'', [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Salza, Neizu, and Doore]] from ''Cooler's Revenge'' and [[ArtificialHuman Androids 13, 14, and 15]] from ''Super Android 13!''. |
| 49 | ** In the actual ''Dragon Ball Z'' anime, there is also Androids 17, 18, and 16. [[spoiler:Although all three do their HeelFaceTurn and separate in the end.]] |
| 50 | ** ''Dragon Ball Super'' had the relatively short-lived [[GratuitousFrench Trio De Dangers]]. |
| 51 | * ''Manga/ExcelSaga'': |
| 52 | ** Excel, Hyatt, and Elgala. Excel is the leader because she is the most bossy, but is the least competent of the three. Their boss, Il Palazzo, is the man higher up. |
| 53 | ** In [[Anime/ExcelSaga the anime]], It is only Excel and Hyatt, with Il Palazzo being the third person since [[OddlySmallOrganization the organization they belong to is so small]], [[spoiler:until it is revealed that Il Palazzo does have a boss: "That Man"]]. |
| 54 | * ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheSpaceHeroes'' have the Space Partners, three ruthless aliens trying to take over Planet Pockle, led by their EvilGenius boss Hyde, the DarkActionGirl henchwoman Meba, and their DumbMuscle [[TheBrute brute]] Ogon. |
| 55 | * ''Manga/Eyeshield21'': |
| 56 | ** Although not bad guys from the audience's perspective, most of Deimon High School see Hiruma, Musashi, and Kurita as a terrible trio (with Hiruma as the leader obviously). |
| 57 | ** Local thugs (later linemen) the Ha-Ha Brothers are a more typical example, with Juumonji as the central, more intimidating figure, and the other two as the comic relief. |
| 58 | * Petra Fina, Dino, and Mite from ''Anime/FlintTheTimeDetective''. |
| 59 | * Though they are part of a [[SevenDeadlySins larger group]], Lust, Envy and Gluttony from ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'' often function as a Terrible Trio group when it's just the three of them, especially in earlier episodes. The big difference is that they are actually effective in their work. |
| 60 | * ''Anime/GearFighterDendoh'' has three Gulfer "chips" in human disguise that are always causing minor trouble. They usually get their robots destroyed embarrassingly quickly before Dendoh moves on to a bigger threat. |
| 61 | * Otome's Crew from ''Anime/{{Hamtaro}}'' consist of the female leader Otome, the perky Lion, and the big, laid-back Bear. Downplayed however in that they're more of an anti-hero trio, as Lion and Bear show their appreciation for the Ham-Hams on occassion (much to Otome's dismay). |
| 62 | * In ''Anime/HetaliaAxisPowers'': The titular Axis, [[DrillSergeantNasty Germany]], [[TheMillstone Italy]], and [[TheStoic Japan]], play these roles much more often than they'd like, and act as a rare example of a ([[VillainProtagonist villain]]) protagonist Terrible Trio. Germany might know what he's doing, but Italy is ineffective at best and a downright liability at worst; Japan is something of a wild card. Regardless, they're nowhere near as ineffective as [[WeAREStrugglingTogether the Allies]]. |
| 63 | * ''Anime/{{Jewelpet}}'': |
| 64 | ** ''Anime/Jewelpet2009'': The Phantom Herb Thieves consist of Mint (the leader, utterly convinced that they are great thiefs), Sage (a tall, thin, cowardly guy), and Aojisho (fat and perky). |
| 65 | ** The French sisters in ''Anime/JewelpetTwinkle'', Marianne being the assertive leader, Catherine the tall and graceful one and Angelina the short and perky one. |
| 66 | ** ''Anime/JewelpetSunshine'' has Shouko, Waniyama, and Charotte, who are the delinquents of their class. Shouko is the human leader, Waniyama is a short crocodile who's the muscle in the group and Charotte is a bee who doesn't do anything special but is Shouko's best friend. These three are different from the norm in that they're actually good guys and can be useful in a fight. |
| 67 | * ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': |
| 68 | ** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Battle Tendency]]'': The Pillar Men, consisting of Kars, Esidisi, and Wamuu. |
| 69 | ** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'': The Sons of [[GreaterScopeVillain DIO]] are the final opponents Jolyne and her allies fight before confronting Pucci. |
| 70 | * Zorori, Noishi, and Ishishi from ''Literature/KaiketsuZorori''. In this case, they're the {{Villain Protagonist}}s. |
| 71 | * ''Anime/KoBeast'': V-darn, V-sion and Akumako. |
| 72 | * The Westside Gang from the anime version of ''Anime/LittleLulu''. |
| 73 | * Captain Gordon, '''Defender of Earth!''' and his sidekicks are stuck in this role for the first eight episodes of the ''Anime/MakaiSenkiDisgaea'' anime (because they appear much earlier than in [[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness the game]]). |
| 74 | * Tubee, Usop, and Yumyum from ''Midnight Horror School''. Each is individually TheBully of his own classroom, but Yumyum acts as the leader when they're together. |
| 75 | * Miki Saotome, Ukon Tanaka and Sakon Suzuki from ''Anime/MoeyoKen''. |
| 76 | * The Collector Count (a.k.a. Prince Eccentro) and his two female minions (Batch and Gluko) in ''Anime/MonColleKnights''. |
| 77 | * The Grandis Gang in ''Anime/NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater''; subverted in that they undergo a HeelFaceTurn relatively early in the series, and continue acting as a collective SixthRanger until the end. They also subvert the mold set by Doronjo and her cronies just a little -- the tall, lanky guy is strong and the short, squat guy is smart. |
| 78 | * ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': |
| 79 | ** Only Tobi, Kisame, and Zetsu are left after Pain is defeated and Konan defects from Akatsuki. Kisame and Zetsu, having known Tobi longer and better than any other Akatsuki member ever did, begin to work as henchmen directly under his command. [[spoiler:After Kisame's death, Kabuto takes his place. He's not as obedient as Kisame was though and in all likelihood is more of a DragonWithAnAgenda.]] |
| 80 | ** A better example of this trope in ''Naruto'' would be Jugo, Karin, and Suigetsu, with Sasuke Uchiha as their boss. |
| 81 | * The slime sisters from ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', with Ameko as the polite one, Pudding as TheQuietOne and Suramui as the rude and bossy one. |
| 82 | * ''Manga/TheNightmareBeforeChristmasZerosJourney'' brings back Lock, Shock, and Barrel as the deuteragonists in the B-plot. |
| 83 | * In ''Anime/{{Ojarumaru}}'', the main antagonists are a trio of oni children consisting of the leader Aobee and his siblings Kisuke and Akane. These three characters are always on the lookout for Ojarumaru, who had stolen the scepter that is used by their father, Great King Enma, to judge the dead; Ojarumaru is completely uninterested in returning it to them - not that it stops them from trying (and inevitably failing) to make him give it back. |
| 84 | * ''Manga/OnePiece'': |
| 85 | ** Moriah's [[QuirkyMiniBossSquad underlings]] [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Dr. Hogback]], [[HandsomeLech Absalom]], and [[DarkActionGirl Perona]]. |
| 86 | ** The Kuja pirates [[DefrostingIceQueen Boa Hancock]] and her sisters Sandersonia and Marigold. |
| 87 | ** Subsequently, Captain Foxy The Silver Fox and his two main sidekicks Hamburg and Porche in the anime keep reappearing from time to time to stir up trouble and get rather easily beaten. And for Porche to chase after her "Choppy". To better drive the point home, Foxy, Hamburg and Porche are somewhat similar to the Doronojo Gang, with Foxy actually using a mecha and Porche's looks being the same as Doronojo with blue hair and different clothes. |
| 88 | * The most common villain in ''Anime/OvermanKingGainer'' are the idiot trio of Kajenin, Enge, and Japoli. They are far more obsessed with promotions and salaries than actually stopping the Yapan Exodus, and are generally always yelling at each other. |
| 89 | * The ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'' manga gives us the Three Beasts of Team Rocket: Their leader Sird, the hulking brute Orm, and the diminutive genius Carr. Despite physically fitting into the mold of your classic Terrible Trio, the three of them are shockingly competent at their jobs. Especially Sird, who [[spoiler: temporarily succeeded in turning several main characters into stone]]. |
| 90 | * ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': |
| 91 | ** The Team Rocket trio. Jessie often takes the Leadership role, while James and Meowth are the henchmen (though, unlike most of these groups, they introduce themselves as equals). Their boss is Giovanni, who started out giving them orders, then as they kept messing up he essentially gave up on them. He lets them follow Ash around to get them away from him. By now he doesn't even recognize them. In the first few episodes, Meowth was the leader type while Jessie and James were the henchmen. As of ''Best Wishes'', the trio has gone into [[LetsGetDangerous serious mode]] for an undercover mission and they mostly stayed away from this trope. After the Meloetta arc, however, the status quo is reestablished. An episode of ''Pokémon Chronicles'' (spinoff of the main ''Pokémon'' anime) showing one of the trio's early missions shows them to be quite competent as well. |
| 92 | ** The end of season 5 gives us the poacher trio. |
| 93 | ** In the ''Sun/Moon'' anime, we have the Team Skull Trio: [[TheLeader Tupp]], [[TheHeart Rapp]], and [[TheBigGuy Zipp]]. Although Guzma is the overall leader of the organization, Tupp acts as the leader of the trio. |
| 94 | * ''Anime/PrettyCure'' has a [[QuirkyMiniBossSquad villain trio]] for almost every continuity (the [[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure first]] and [[Anime/YesPrettyCure5 third]] continuity has even two). Those said trios are seen more often then other villains at that time. It's either that a member of the trio is [[TheDragon the leader or they're led by a superior fourth person]] who is more working in the background. |
| 95 | ** In ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure'', the [[TheStarscream Seeds of Darkness]], with [[TheDragon Belzei]] as the leader, replacing the Dark Five and its the closest trio in the entire franchise. ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureMaxHeart'' has the Four Guardians, with Circulas, Uraganos and Viblis as the core members of the Terrible Trio since [[DragonAscendant Baldez]], the leader and fourth member, doesn't appear as often as the other three. |
| 96 | ** ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'' has Bunbee's three employees Girinma, Gamao and Arachnea. Even though, Gamao quits early in the series, he appears as often as the other three members. The second division has Bloody, Hadenya and Bunbee, who, however, is the inferior to the two former ones, but he appears as often as the other two. The second division is led by [[DragonInChief Kawarino]]. |
| 97 | ** In ''Anime/FreshPrettyCure'', Eas, Westar and Soular are Labyrinth's agent trio. After Eas' HeelFaceTurn, Westar and Soular spend a long time as a duo until [[TheDragon Northa]] replaces Eas and becomes their leader. |
| 98 | ** ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure'' has the three Desert Apostle Generals, with [[TheDragon Professor Sabaaku]] as their direct superior. |
| 99 | ** In ''Anime/SuitePrettyCure'', Trio the Minor is led by [[TheDragon Seiren]] until her HeelFaceTurn, since then, every member of the trio becomes the leader: first Bassdrum, then Baritone, Bassdrum again, and finally [[NotSoHarmlessVillain Falsetto]]. |
| 100 | ** ''Anime/SmilePrecure'' has the three Bad End Generals, with [[TheDragon Joker]] as their superior. |
| 101 | ** ''Anime/DokiDokiPrecure'' has the Jikochuu Trio. Even when the two Jikochuu Deputies are later introduced, the Jikochuu Trio remains the same. |
| 102 | ** ''Anime/HappinessChargePrettyCure'' has the Phantom Generals, Namakelder, Hosshiiwa, and Oreski, who serve [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen]] [[BigBad Mirage]]. |
| 103 | * ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': |
| 104 | ** The three warriors of the Musk Dynasty, Herb, Lime and Mint. Herb is the leader and initially of the opposite sex of ''her'' cronies, [[GenderBender though through no choice of]] ''his''. Lime and Mint are the dim-witted minions, one big and [[SuperStrength strong]], the other short and [[SuperSpeed fast]]. For all their comedic moments, they are still extremely dangerous in a fight. |
| 105 | ** In the last story arc of the manga you also have Kiima, Koruma and Masara of the Phoenix People (with Prince Saffron as their higher-up). Kiima is the leader of the opposite sex, and a running gag is for her two minions to call her an "old" or "mature" woman, to which Kiima responds by [[DopeSlap bopping them]]. They are more competent than your average Terrible Trio though, and, like the Musk Warriors, very dangerous. |
| 106 | * ''Anime/RagnarokTheAnimation'' had Rogue and her two minions Blacksmith and the Thief. |
| 107 | * The Jiggle Butt Gang (ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, unfortunately) in ''Manga/RaveMaster'' are just such a group of bumbling thieves. In the American dub, they're given the even funnier name the Big Butt Bandits. |
| 108 | * Although they aren't total losers (as their arrival signaled the GenreShift of the series) and are the main villains of the Kokoyochu story arc, [[KnightOfCerebus Mukuro]], Chikusa and Ken from ''Manga/Reborn2004'' definitely count. |
| 109 | * ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' has got Nanami Kiryuu's GirlPosse, Keiko, Aiko, and Yuuko. While not really a serious threat, the three are Nanami's devoted lackeys and often do her dirty work, which mostly consists of slapping Anthy and calling her a whore. However, Keiko became somewhat dangerous when [[spoiler: she was brainwashed and turned into a Black Rose duelist in her spotlight episode.]] The three are actually better examples of TheNondescript, as Utena wasn't even aware of their names until Keiko's episode, which was well near the end of the second season. |
| 110 | * ''Anime/SailorMoon'': |
| 111 | ** There are the three [[MonsterOfTheWeek monsters of the week]] sent by Zoycite (Zoisite) to kill Neflite (Nephrite). [[spoiler:They succeed before they are killed by Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars.]] |
| 112 | ** And there's a more prominent trio in ''Super S'', the Amazon Trio, Tiger's Eye, Hawk's Eye, and Fish Eye, of the Dark Moon Circus. [[spoiler:They do a HeelFaceTurn.]] |
| 113 | * ''Anime/SherlockHound'' has Professor Moriarty, Todd and Smiley. |
| 114 | * ''Manga/ShugoChara'' has the Easter scientist trio. |
| 115 | * Dr Eggman and his two meek droids, Decoe and Bocoe from ''Anime/SonicX'', with "Messenger Robo" Bokkun occasionally getting in on the action. |
| 116 | * Tsujido, Makabe and Niihari from ''Anime/SpeedGrapher'' fit the personality and physical requirements for a Terrible Trio. However, they're competent, and a genuine threat to Saiga and Kagura for most of the series. |
| 117 | * ''Manga/SukebanDeka'' has the Mizuchi Sisters, Remi, Ayumi, and Emi, daughters of a corrupt politician but devious in their own respective rights. On the surface they appear to be a group of glamorous and popular high school students who attend Takanoha High and run their respective cliques, but in reality they are as follows: |
| 118 | ** Emi, the youngest, is a megalomaniac artist with subpar talent who often has her father bribe judges or steals paintings from other artists to pass off as her own. When she discovers a poor student named Junko is planning on submitting a stunning painting to a art exhibition, Emi steals the painting [[spoiler: then has her dad's henchmen kidnap, drug, torture, rape, and then kill Junko over the course of a week. Although it's implied her sister Remi was responsible for that.]] |
| 119 | ** Ayumi, the middle daughter, runs a drug and racketeering scheme through the school with the help of her personal bodyguards, the Four Kings. |
| 120 | ** Remi, the oldest, holds the shimmering veneer of being the WhiteSheep and the Madonna of Takanoha High, when she is by far the worst of her entire family. She masterminds a scheme that kills 74 of her classmates in a bus crash so they can fill Takanoha with the children of rich parents who might endorse her father's political career, brainwashes her followers into a private army, and [[spoiler: has her sisters and father killed off when she deems they've outlived their usefulness in the grander scheme of things.]] |
| 121 | * ''Anime/{{Tamagotchi}}'' has the Spacey Brothers, a trio of villainous aliens consisting of Spaceytchi and his brothers Pipospetchi and Akaspetchi. |
| 122 | * The Skull Trio from ''Anime/TimeBokan'', along with their [[{{Expy}} Expies]] in the other ''Time Bokan'' series, most notably ''Anime/{{Yatterman}}''. Each Time Bokan show centered around mostly unrelated heroes who travel the world, and occasionally time and space. They are always antagonized by a trio of incompetent villains, who are technically different characters in each series, but look and act so similar that sometimes it's hard to tell the gangs from different series apart. Every anime example on this list, from [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries the Team Rocket trio]] to the [[Anime/NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater Grandis Gang]], [[TropeCodifier was inspired by them.]] Sometimes they're also implied to be AnimatedActors, that is, the same characters playing different parts. It helps that they were voiced by the same seiyuu for more than 20 years. |
| 123 | ** By far the most popular of these groups was the Doronbo Gang from ''Anime/{{Yatterman}}'', who grace the page image. They're so well-loved in Japan that when the series was remade in 2008, advertising for the remake focused primarily on them, ignoring the show's actual protagonists. In fact, the [[Anime/YattermanNight sequel series]] is about their descendants, with the original heroes leaving a legacy that turned evil that the descendants of the Doronbo must fight against. |
| 124 | ** ''Kiramekiman'' inverts this -- while the trio is still comedic, as detectives they technically qualify as the good guys, while the heroes of the show are thieves (they have a good reason for their thefts, but they're still breaking the law). |
| 125 | * [[TheStoic Pie]], [[StalkerWithACrush Quiche]] and [[BrattyHalfPint Tart]] from ''Manga/TokyoMewMew'', in that order of position and with Deep Blue as higher-up. They ''are'' presented as a real threat, though, although Taruto loses this when [[DatingCatwoman he reluctantly falls for Bu-ling]]. |
| 126 | * ''Anime/TransformersArmada'' starts Megatron off with three henchmen: Loyal but dense Demolishor, the AxCrazy Cyclonus, and angsty Starscream. |
| 127 | * From ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'', the "Spice Girls" -- three alien girls, Sugar, Ginger and Pepper -- are an especially inept example. Sugar tends to be the leader, but they're all equally dumb. They consider Lum, Benten and Oyuki their rivals, but are [[UnknownRival ignored by them]]. |
| 128 | %%* Gargantua's henchmen in ''Anime/YamiToBoushiToHonNoTabibito''. |
| 129 | * ''Anime/ZoidsChaoticCentury'' has Stinger and his two henchmen, recurring minor antagonists who try to make up for underwhelming Mecha skills with cunning and trickery. Their plans tend to fall through because the heroes are better at XanatosSpeedChess. |
| 130 | [[/folder]] |
| 131 | |
| 132 | [[folder:Animation]] |
| 133 | * In ''Animation/GuardianFairyMichel'', Boogy, Woogy, and Meggi are this, with Lady Salome as their boss. |
| 134 | * The primary antagonists of ''Animation/MotuPatlu'' are John the Don, who loves to steal money, jewelry, and similar items, and his dim-witted henchmen, Number 1 and Number 2. |
| 135 | * One chunk of the RoguesGallery in ''Animation/NoonboryAndTheSuper7'' is the evil {{pirate}} Wangury and his goofy henchmen, Mungury and Taegury. |
| 136 | * The Akdongcars in ''Animation/{{Tomoncar}}'' ("Akdong" being the Korean word for EnfanteTerrible). Their EstablishingCharacterMoment has [[https://youtu.be/p0zXwnqRh60?t=84 Minimon try to befriend the trio]] only for them to make an insulting satire of him when they notice how large his wheels are. Though they are just as likely to [[FriendlyEnemy join the cast in festivities and games]] as they are to antagonize them, with Spring (the smallest) usually being the least dickish of the three. |
| 137 | [[/folder]] |
| 138 | |
| 139 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 140 | * A Silver Age ''ComicBook/Aquaman1962'' story has a villain trio literally called the Terrible Trio, consisting of the bossy, fire-haired Karla, who ordered her teammates around, the Fisherman, a returning rogue, and the Un-Thing, who was invisible while in water. While effective as a group when working together, they argued a lot and were eventually defeated. |
| 141 | * ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'': The three main pirates are comprised of the red bearded captain, the black mate in the crows' nest and an older crippled pirate who speaks GratuitousLatin. |
| 142 | * There's a group of fairly obscure ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' villains ''called'' the Terrible Trio (who, as far as can be told, weren't in mind when naming this trope). Made up of the Shark, the Fox, and the Vulture, the Terrible Trio is of extremely variable threat, and they don't show up very often because they're pretty mundane as Batman rogues go. What exactly they are [[DependingOnTheWriter can vary greatly especially in their animated appearances.]] Sometimes they’re just a group of spoiled rich kids looking for kicks, another time they’re mutated college students, and yet another time they’re disgraced former students of Batman’s martial arts teacher who joined up with a clan of ghost ninjas. [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer Yes, really.]] |
| 143 | * The DCAU-tie in comic ''ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures'' and its successor series had another group, the Threatening Trio; Mastermind (the groups egotistical leader), Mr. Nice (a OneManArmy whose weakness is he can't help but be nice and helpful to people he's stealing from), and the Perfessor (who has an encyclopedic knowledge of most things). |
| 144 | * ''ComicBook/TheBeezer'' used to have a set of crooks called The Bad Lads, Boss (short, bossy), Knuck (big, dozy) and Fingers (tall, gangly). |
| 145 | * ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': Gamma Corps: Black, a team made of three {{Distaff Counterpart}}s of Hulk villains Abomination, Zzazz and Glob; Aberration, Axon and Morras respectively. |
| 146 | * The ''ComicBook/{{Madballs}}'' comic book published by Creator/StarComics (a defunct subsidiary of Creator/MarvelComics) had two examples of a villainous trio. |
| 147 | ** The third issue introduced the Badballs (Smasher, Crasher, and Trasher), who were three bowling balls the comic's main villain Dr. Frankenbeans accidentally brought to life while trying to deliberately create his own Madballs to defeat the originals. |
| 148 | ** The fifth issue introduced the Super Madballs (Touchdown Terror, Goal Eater, and Foul Shot), who were also created by Frankenbeans to battle the original Madballs, but ended up [[HeelFaceTurn siding with the original Madballs instead]]. |
| 149 | * In the ''ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse'', Mickey Mouse sometimes faces Professors Ecks, Doublex, and Triplex, three simian mad scientists who tried to use a HypnoRay on Mickey and his friend Horace Horsecollar in their first appearance. All three of them are rather sadistic, though Triplex tends to be the one who's in charge. |
| 150 | * ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' has [[NamesToRunAwayFrom/ShadyNames Team Hooligan]], a mercenary/thief group consisting of [[ColdSniper Nack the Weasel]] as the boss, [[TalkativeLoon Bean the Duck]] and [[TheVoiceless Bark the Polar Bear]] as contrasting [[BigGuyLittleGuy big guy and little guy]] (amongst other things) respectively. |
| 151 | * Marvel has the ComicBook/SpiderMan[=/=]Daredevil villains The Enforcers -- Montana, Ox and Fancy Dan. Later joined by Hammer Harrison and Snake Marston. |
| 152 | ** Marvel also gave us the merc group B.A.D. Girls Inc. Three female villains that used to be part of the Serpent Society. |
| 153 | * ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Franchise/WonderWoman dealt with a terrible trio during her days as a non-powered boutique owner in the 1960s, the CreepyCrossdresser (or maybe, by implication, PsychoLesbian) group known as THEM! Led by Top Hat along with Pinto and Moose Mama, they started harassing Diana when she began sheltering a young woman they had been keeping as a slave. THEM were stopped by the combining efforts of Tony Petrucci, a young man living in the same neighborhood, and Diana who had taken on Top Hat by herself after the other two and their brutish henchmen were taken care of. They were about as bizarre as Wonder Woman's villains could get, but only made one appearance. |
| 154 | * ComicBook/{{Urbanus}}: Stef, Staf and Stylo, three criminals who differ in height. |
| 155 | [[/folder]] |
| 156 | |
| 157 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 158 | * In ''Fanfic/AquamanMonster'', the Terrible Trio from the comics, Fisherman, Karla, and Un-Thing, appear under Black Manta's employ and spend as much time bickering as they do attacking the heroes. |
| 159 | * ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'' sports Mercury and her "henchmen" youma, Tiger and Jadeite as the three most powerful players in [[spoiler:Mercury's empire.]] Jadeite himself is the boss of a subset, With Umbra and Mareki often filling a role similar to henchmen. These groups, however, are not only quite successful in battle, but heroic in nature -- making this an inversion. |
| 160 | * Titan's three henchponies Mysterious, Dementia, and Rep-Stallion from ''Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic''. |
| 161 | * ''Anime/HetaliaAxisPowers's'' fanbase has a bit of a meme of calling [[LovableSexManiac France]], [[SmallNameBigEgo Prussia]] and [[LatinLover Spain]] the "Bad Touch Trio". Though it's subverted as despite the name, they're not depicted as ''that'' terrible, more like a trio of comical {{Harmless Villain}}s at worst and a standard ComicTrio at best. |
| 162 | * In ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World''; the three throwaway baddies outside the White Tower are nicknamed the Terrible Trio by the four, but they don't otherwise resemble the trope. |
| 163 | * In ''Webcomic/{{Hexane}}'', the [[spoiler:[[FreudianTrio Drow Pimp, Asterion and Laravieve]]]] from three, although they're far more competent. |
| 164 | * The last quarter of ''Fanfic/OldWest'' has [[BreathWeapon Irvin Worst]] and his allies [[GunsAkimbo Johan Quall]] and Kepper. Rather prestigious members of the [[ThievesGuild Gunslinger Court]], they're enlisted by [[BigBad Dufayel]] to get rid of the Court's leader, [[UnscrupulousHero Rattlesnake Jake]], once and for all. |
| 165 | [[/folder]] |
| 166 | |
| 167 | [[folder:Films — Animated]] |
| 168 | * Cruella De Vil and her henchman Jasper and Horace in the movie ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'' are textbook cases. |
| 169 | * Nikki, Kaltag and Star in the first ''WesternAnimation/{{Balto}}'' film, who are part of Steele's sled team. The sequel has Nuk, Yak and Sumac, three wolves who are minions to Niju. [[HeelFaceTurn Both trios reform later]]. |
| 170 | * Boggis, Bunce and Bean (the ultimate BigThinShortTrio) are played like this in the film ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMrFox'', with Bean being the BigBad, and Boggis and Bunce his sidekicks. |
| 171 | * The Toad and his henchrats Spike and Whitey from ''WesternAnimation/FlushedAway''. |
| 172 | * Hades and his minions Pain and Panic from Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}''. |
| 173 | * King Malbert and his royal guards from ''WesternAnimation/{{Igor}}''. |
| 174 | * Hyp, Nod, and Mutt, the three bullies in ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeIIITheTimeOfTheGreatGiving''. |
| 175 | ** And then a more sinister trio in the form of Pterano, Rinkus, and Sierra in ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeVIITheStoneOfColdFire''. Subverted when Pterano turns out to be less of a villain, and Rinkus and Sierra take a more direct position of antagonist later on. |
| 176 | * In ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'', we have Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, a trio of spotted hyenas who are minions to Scar. Shenzi, the female, is the leader and the smart one (although that's not saying much), Banzai is the most aggressive member of the trio and appears to think entirely with his muscles, and Ed is stupid, insane, mentally challenged or faking it. |
| 177 | * In ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'', we have Lock, Shock and Barrel, the three EnfanteTerrible EvilMinions to the BigBad, Oogie Boogie. Shock is the female one who bullies her two cohorts and call them stupid (although Lock is supposedly the leader). |
| 178 | * Ripslinger, Ned, and Zed in ''WesternAnimation/{{Planes}}''. |
| 179 | * The antagonists of ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolfTheTigerProwess'' are a trio consisting of the leader, Lord Japper the tiger, and his assistants Leopold and Counsoler, a leopard and a gecko respectively. The two assistants avert the usual "leader's henchman are much [[TheDitz ditzier]]" characterization. |
| 180 | * Sykes, Ernie and Bernie from ''WesternAnimation/SharkTale''. Sykes is {{Gonk}}ish-looking, fat pufferfish who does some shady dealings with the shark mafia, Ernie and Bernie are his two skinny but brutish jellyfish henchmen. |
| 181 | * The main henchman (or hench-dog) group in ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'', comprised of Alpha the Doberman, Beta the Rottweiler, and Gamma the bulldog. |
| 182 | [[/folder]] |
| 183 | |
| 184 | [[folder:Films — Live-Action]] |
| 185 | * ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'' has Cruella, followed around by Horace and Jasper. |
| 186 | * In ''Film/AliensVsPredatorRequiem'', there's Dale, Mark, and Nick, the three bullies who pick on Ricky. Although Mark and Nick are killed much sooner than Dale. |
| 187 | * Peter, Crusty, and Maggot in ''Film/AugustUndergroundsMordum''. |
| 188 | * In ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', there's Loki, The Other, and [[spoiler:Thanos]]. With [[spoiler:Thanos]] as the leader, The Other as his servant, and Loki as a reluctant ally. The Other serves as communication between the other two, who are each considered antagonists of the film in their own way. |
| 189 | * In ''Film/BabesInToyland'', there's Barnaby, Gonzorgo, and Rodrigo. Barnaby hired Gonzorgo and Rodrigo to help him kill Tom, but [[spoiler:the two mercenaries do a HeelFaceTurn, before Barnaby is presumably killed in a swordfight with Tom.]] |
| 190 | * ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' has Mr. Freeze (brains), Poison Ivy (beauty), and Bane (muscle). |
| 191 | * The Three Storms from ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina'', Rain, Thunder, and Lightning. If anything, Thunder's definitely the leader. |
| 192 | * Rich, Gene, and Joe from ''Cannibal Campout''. They come off as an evil version of Film/TheThreeStooges. |
| 193 | * ''Film/DeathWishVTheFaceOfDeath'' has BigBad Tommy O'Shea and his top henchmen, brothers Sal and Chicki Paconi, and they are often seen together, though [[spoiler:Chicki is killed midway through the film while Tommy and Sal are killed at the end]]. Likewise, Tommy sends three of his thugs, Frankie, Mickey, and Angel, after Paul during the final confrontation. |
| 194 | * ''Film/DeepBlueSea'': The genetically enhanced sharks are three in total and are angry, brutal and murderous. |
| 195 | * ''Film/{{Dogma}}'''s Stygian Triplets; three damned souls who work for Azrael, killing people by beating them to death with hockey sticks. |
| 196 | * ''Film/DontLoseYourHead'': Chief Of Secret Police [[SmugSnake Citizen Camembert]] (Creator/KennethWilliams), [[BumblingSidekick Citizen Bidet]] (Creator/PeterButterworth) and [[ThinksLikeARomanceNovel Desiree]] (Creator/JoanSims) in this ''Film/CarryOn'' film, at least until Desiree's HighHeelFaceTurn at the end. |
| 197 | * In ''Film/{{Ghost Rider|2007}}'', there's the demon trio who serve Blackheart: Gressil, Abigor, and Wallow. |
| 198 | * [[Characters/MonsterVerseKingGhidorah Ghidorah]] in ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' is a rare case of a single character who can form this trope due to [[MultipleHeadCase having three heads, each with its own personality]]. |
| 199 | ** The middle head (Ichi) is clearly the leader, as it is the one calling the shots when it comes to coordinating attacks between the heads during battle, and it disciplines the left head more than once to stay on target. It also appears to be the brains, being the first to notice Godzilla's appearance in Antarctica, the one to find and utilize a nearby power station to give itself a power boost that allowed Ghidorah to gain the upper head over Godzilla, and generally the quickest-reacting head when circumstances change such as the ORCA changing direction [[spoiler:or Burning Godzilla arriving]]. |
| 200 | ** The left head (San, a.k.a. Kevin) is the ButtMonkey, suffering the most abuse, whether from Godzilla, human forces or from the other heads. It acts as a PsychopathicManchild, being dimwitted, curious and submissive, and often does things out of focus. |
| 201 | ** The right head (Ni) appears to be the most combat-oriented and HotBlooded head. It can be distinguished from the other two heads by its {{perpetual frown|er}} and the [[EarNotch broken tip on one of its horns]]. During the Antarctica scene, this head responds to Godzilla's arrival by tilting its head as if it's keenly examining Godzilla before they battle. During the final battle in Boston, this head responds to the realization that the rest of Ghidorah is immobilized and Godzilla is advancing behind it by screaming at Godzilla and feebly trying to bite him as he charges into Ghidorah. The director has described this head as a BloodKnight and he considers it the most unstable of the trio. |
| 202 | * ''Film/GoodFellas'' has Henry Hill, Tommy [=DeVito=] and Jimmy "the Gent" Conway who are unrepentant mobsters for the Lucchese crime family in 1950-1970s New York with the former being only slightly less terrible than the latter two. |
| 203 | * ''Film/HannieCaulder'' has the trio of the Clemens brothers; Frank, Rufus and Emmett. They are very ineffective as bandits and most of their scenes derive humor from that fact. |
| 204 | * Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle in ''Film/HarryPotter'' (based off the books). Although in the final film, Crabbe is replaced by Zabini. |
| 205 | * ''Film/{{Heathers}}'': Heather Chandler is the AlphaBitch with TokenGoodTeammate Heather [=McNamara=] and RichBitch Heather Duke as her sidekicks. |
| 206 | * ''Film/HocusPocus'': The Sanderson sisters, a trio of witches. |
| 207 | * In ''Film/It1990'', there's Henry Bowers, Patrick Hocksetter, and Belch, the secondary antagonists of the film, although by the present day, only the leader, Henry, remains to cause trouble for the Losers. |
| 208 | * The villains of ''Film/TheLostSkeletonOfCadavra'', with the skeleton as the boss and [[MadScientist Dr Fleming]] and [[BeastMan Animala]] as the mismatched henchpeople. |
| 209 | * ''Franchise/TheMatrix'': The Agents typically operate in teams of three, with one occupying a command position. |
| 210 | ** In [[Film/TheMatrix the first film]], we have Agent Smith (obviously), Agent Brown and Agent Jones. |
| 211 | ** ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'' has Agents Johnson, Thompson, and Jackson. |
| 212 | * Regina George is the AlphaBitch of the Plastics, followed by RichBitch Gretchen Weiners and DumbBlonde Karen Smith in ''Film/MeanGirls''. |
| 213 | * Red, Jacques, and Spivey in ''Film/TheMummyReturns''. |
| 214 | * In ''Film/Napoleon1927'', the leaders of UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution are introduced as "the three gods" ([[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolutionMajorFigures Danton, Marat]], and [[UsefulNotes/MaximilienRobespierre Robespierre]]), and they are all portrayed as bad guys. |
| 215 | * In ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', the main antagonists are Rene Belloq, Major Toht, and Colonel Dietrich. [[spoiler:They get a pretty elaborate and iconic death scene when the open the Ark, each having a CruelAndUnusualDeath in a different way.]] |
| 216 | * In ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'', you've got President Skroob, Dark Helmet, and Colonel Sandurz, who are similar to the above mentioned Terrible Trio in the Empire. |
| 217 | * The three witches from ''Film/{{Stardust}}'': Lamia, Mormo, and Empusa. |
| 218 | * ''Franchise/StarWars'': |
| 219 | ** In the Prequel Trilogy, there's the three most prominent figures in the Trade Federation, Nute Gunray (leader), Rune Haako, and Daultay Dofine. Subverted in that [[spoiler: Nute and Rune go to Naboo while Dofine stays aboard the Control Ship and is killed two movies before Nute and Rune).]] |
| 220 | ** In the Original Trilogy, you've got the three most prominent figures in the Empire itself, [[TheEmperor Emperor]] [[BigBad Palpatine]], [[TheDragon Darth]] [[TheHeavy Vader]], and [[TheEvilGenius Governor]] [[SmugSnake Tarkin]]. [[spoiler: Again, Tarkin is killed two movies before Palpatine and Darth Vader (and the latter's HeelFaceTurn), except it's Palpatine who is separated from the others in ''A New Hope'' and doesn't appear at all).]] They do appear together at the end of ''Revenge of the Sith'', however. |
| 221 | ** In the Sequel Trilogy, there's General Hux (strategist), Kylo Ren (enforcer), and Captain Phasma (soldier). |
| 222 | * ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' has Lex (brains), Eve (beauty) and Otis (ummm...) |
| 223 | ** ''Film/SupermanII'' has General Zod (brains), Ursa (beauty), and Non (muscle). |
| 224 | * In ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2'', there's Leatherface, Chop Top, and Drayton ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and]] Grandpa, but he doesn't do much). Like the boys from ''Cannibal Campout'', they give off a definite Three Stooges vibe. |
| 225 | * Film/TheThreeStooges, in all their incarnations. Though most notably in "[[WartimeCartoon You Natzy spy]]" in which they played antagonists. |
| 226 | * ''Film/Tremors3BackToPerfection'' has three [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Obstructive Bureaucrats]]: Agent Frank Statler, Agent Charlie Rusk, and Dr. Andrew Merliss, who forbid the inhabitants of Perfection from hunting graboids by claiming they are an endangered species and threatening to seize their properties to set up a reserve, completely disregarding how dangerous graboids are to human life. |
| 227 | * ''Franchise/UniversalHorror'': Universal made a Terrible Trio of Monsters, considered by some the first crossovers in cinematic history, in their movies ''Film/HouseOfDracula'', ''Film/HouseOfFrankenstein'' and ''Film/AbbottAndCostelloMeetFrankenstein'' with {{Dracula}}, the FrankensteinMonster and the WolfMan. The monsters mostly act independently though and even in some movies they are enemies. Nevertheless the basic trio for the MonsterMash become this; a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampire]], a [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Werewolf]] and a FrankensteinsMonster-like creature in homage media after that. Whether as villains or as heroes, [[DependingOnTheWriter depends on the writer]]. |
| 228 | * In ''Film/UpTheFront'', Colonel von Gutz and his henchmen, Donner and Blitzen, form one to try and retrieve the German master plan. |
| 229 | * The inbred cannibal brothers One Eye, Saw Tooth, and Three Finger in ''Film/WrongTurn'', ''Film/WrongTurn4BloodyBeginnings'' and ''Film/WrongTurn5Bloodlines''. |
| 230 | * Magneto's minions in ''Film/XMen1'': Mystique, Toad, and Sabretooth. |
| 231 | ** The same could be said in ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' for Sebastian Shaw's minions: Emma Frost, Riptide, and Azazel. Midway through the film Emma is captured and Angel takes her place for the final battle. Between these events, Shaw himself is part of this with Riptide and Azazel during the attack in which Angel joins forces with Shaw. |
| 232 | * Likewise, their counterparts from the other side of the Iron Curtain. The Soviet comedic trio Nikulin, Vitsin & Morgunov play the Terrible Trio everywhere they appear. Notable in that the leader, Morgunov, has brains, brawn and assertiveness; one other guy is a brash hot-headed idiot and the other is smart but cowardly. |
| 233 | [[/folder]] |
| 234 | |
| 235 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 236 | * [[GangOfBullies Patrick, Eddie, and Brent]] from ''[[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet A Nightmare on Elm Street: Protege]]''. |
| 237 | * Virtually lampshaded by Terry Pratchett in 'The Art of Discworld': |
| 238 | --> "It's a Law of Narrative that if your gang consists of two people (a gangette) one will be the brains of the outfit and one will provide the muscle and speak like dat. They must both, of course, wear black suits. If there are three of them, that still applies but the new guy will be called Fingers." |
| 239 | * ''Street Magic'', the second in the ''[[Literature/CircleOfMagic Circle Opens]]'' quartet by Creator/TamoraPierce:[[spoiler:Lady Zenadia]] the sponsor of the gang, is always accompanied by an obese eunuch and whip-thin swordsman. |
| 240 | * The Big Coffin Hunters, (Eldred Jonas, Roy Depape, and Clay Reynolds), from ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'' series. |
| 241 | * The "devils trinity" of [[BigBad Caine Soren]], [[TheDragon Drake Merwin]] and Diana Ladris in the ''Literature/{{GONE}}'' series, although it isn't played for laughs seeing as they are collectively responsible for the deaths of dozens of children. [[spoiler: Drake is later replaced by [[TheStarscream Penny]] in ''LIES'', and Turk replaces Diana in FEAR. Ultimately, by the end of ''FEAR'', the devils trinity is officially disbanded.]] |
| 242 | * ''Literature/GoToSleepAJeffTheKillerRewrite'': [[TeensAreMonsters Randy]] is the domineering bully with two sidekicks, [[FatAndSkinny the overweight Troy and the slim Keith]]. The two hold Liu back when Jeff fights Randy, then they hold Jeff down for Randy to pour harmful chemicals on him in their next encounter. |
| 243 | * Draco Malfoy and his henchthugs Crabbe and Goyle in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series. Their higher-up is Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, and later, [[spoiler: Voldemort himself, although he gives Draco an important mission to make his parents squirm as much as anything else]]. Lucius is a legitimately nasty piece of work, [[spoiler: giving Ginny the diary that caused the events of the second book]], but prefers a life of luxury with the occasional Muggle-hunting-party to being a full-time villain. |
| 244 | * The [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=152549 Vendilion Clique]] faeries in the ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' novels for the ''Lorwyn''/''Morningtide'' megablock. Iliona is the leader, while Veesa and Endry are the henchmen, [[spoiler:though Endry becomes more and more independent beginning in ''Morningtide'']]. The faerie queen Oona is their boss. |
| 245 | * Casper Gutman, Joel Cairo, and Wilmer Cook from ''Literature/TheMalteseFalcon'' seem to be a more-competent-than-usual version of this team. |
| 246 | * Måns, Bill and Bull from the Swedish ''[[Literature/PeterNoTail Pelle Svanslös]]'' children's/satirical novels by Gösta Knutsson. They're cats, as are most of the characters. Måns is the leader, who dedicates his energy to trying to bully and humiliate his one-sided arch-rival Pelle (the protagonist), [[FantasticRacism whom he hates for being different from other cats]] -- "svanslös" means "tailless". Bill and Bull are his humorously dim-witted, identical henchmen. They don't have a higher-up, as Måns is sometimes the BigBad himself. |
| 247 | * Film/literary example: Vizzini, Fezzik, and Inigo Montoya from ''Film/ThePrincessBride'' (with [[spoiler:Prince Humperdinck]] as higher-up). Inigo and Fezzik both [[HeelFaceTurn join the Man in Black]] soon after fighting him, but Vizzini stays a bad guy to the end. [[spoiler:Vizzini doesn't exactly have the opportunity to do a HeelFaceTurn, since he's ''dead'' after the Man in Black "fights" him.]] |
| 248 | * ''Literature/TheSagaOfTheFaroeIslanders'': In the latter half of the saga, Thrand's nephews and foster-sons Sigurd Thorlaksson, his younger brother Thord, and their cousin Gaut the Red act as Thrand's top enforcers and are implied to frequently execute his devious schemes, even when they (as they often do) pretend to act independently from Thrand. Sigurd is the leader, on account of being the smartest, the oldest of the three, and generally the most accomplished and handsome, and Thord and Gaut mostly follow his leadership. All three are "big men and strong", but Thord is the biggest and strongest; Gaut does not display any unique traits. |
| 249 | * Tigerclaw, Darkstripe, and Longtail in ''Literature/WarriorCats''. Tigerclaw is rarely seen without his loyal followers. They remain loyal until the end, [[spoiler: at least until Tigerclaw is exposed as a traitor. Longtail chooses his Clan over his friend, but Darkstripe later joins Tigerclaw in exile.]] |
| 250 | * ''Literature/{{Worm}}'': |
| 251 | ** The trio of bullies that harass Taylor at school, [[AlphaBitch Emma,]] [[NietzscheWannabe Sophia,]] and the more childish Madison. |
| 252 | ** Later chapters have [[EnfantTerrible Bambina's]] crew of child supervillains, including August Prince and Starlet, all of whom are astonishingly sociopathic. |
| 253 | [[/folder]] |
| 254 | |
| 255 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 256 | * The three Trolls Burly, Blabberwort, and Bluebell from ''Series/The10thKingdom''. |
| 257 | * The Drazens in ''Series/TwentyFour'': Victor, Andre, and Alexis. Although Alexis [[spoiler: is killed much sooner than his brother and father.]] |
| 258 | ** And also three of the evil minions in a later season, Forbes, Adam, and Jason, with Forbes as leader of the three. |
| 259 | * The Enemy B-Robots in ''Series/BRoboKabutack''. Ganirun and Spydon are a BumblingHenchmenDuo, while their leader Cobrander is considerably more competent, but has about the same success rate as his two minions. |
| 260 | * Most of the ''Series/BassieEnAdriaan'' series feature three crooks as the villains. |
| 261 | * The Magnavore trio from ''Series/{{Beetleborgs}}'', consisting of Noxic, Jara and Typhus, are this in the first season of the show. Jara usually acts as the leader, Noxic, despite not being very smart, has shades of being an EvilGenius, while Typhus is pretty much TheBrute. They serve Vexor as their higher up. Their successors of the second season, the Crustaceans, subvert this trope. While there are three of them, they don't necessarily operate as a trio. |
| 262 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' |
| 263 | ** Warren, Andrew, and Jonathan were amusing, ineffectual, wannabe-bad-guys... for a time. Andrew and Jonathan were in it more out of a craving for acceptance and the desire to fulfill their comic-book fantasies, and each of them eventually did a HeelFaceTurn (Andrew under duress, Jonathan of his own accord). Warren, however, was genuinely evil and had the makings of a real supervillain... but his budding career was cut short when [[spoiler:Willow flayed him alive for killing Tara]]. |
| 264 | ** "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E1Lessons Lessons]]", the premier of Season Seven, had a trio of malevolent ghosts (simply credited as Dead Girl, Dead Nerd, and Dead Janitor) haunting the rebuilt Sunnydale High. |
| 265 | ** And in ''Series/{{Angel}}'', there's Lindsey [=McDonald=], Lee Mercer, and Lilah Morgan, the most prominent members of Wolfram & Hart to be seen in Season 1 (aside from their supervisor Holland). |
| 266 | *** Speaking of Wolfram & Hart, there are three demonic Senior Partners (Old Ones known as the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart) leading the law firm, although they never appear onscreen in the series. One does however appear manifested in the form of a Kleynach demon in Reprise, and in its true form in one issue of the Spike comics. |
| 267 | * The Stillman Sisters from the ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' episode [[Recap/CharmedS6E4ThePowerOfThreeBlondes "The Power of Three Blondes"]]; they also qualify as a collective EvilCounterpart to the PowerTrio of protagonists. All three of them are trying to steal the Halliwell sisters' powers and prove that they're more than just a trio of blonde bimbos, and they come oh-so-close to succeeding at both. Mabel, the oldest sister, is clearly the leader and the most serious about the whole thing. |
| 268 | * The Three Shogun from ''Series/ChouSeiKantaiSazerX'' are this during the first arc of the show. Fire Shogun Blaird is the brawny one, Wind Shogun Cyclead the brainy one and the bossy one is Water Shogun Aqual. These three villains spend almost as much time bickering with each other as they are fighting the heroes. [[spoiler: After their boss, Captain Barder, is revealed to be a robot, the trio falls apart, as Blaird leaves to contemplate the purpose of their mission, starting his HeelFaceTurn. When the trio does reunite, all of them performed a HeelFaceTurn, forming another PowerTrio to fight alongside the heroes.]] |
| 269 | * On ''Series/{{Glee}}'', the "Unholy Trinity" of Quinn, Santana, and Brittany, with Quinn as the AlphaBitch, Santana the SpicyLatina, and Brittany the BrainlessBeauty and TokenGoodTeammate. However, all three grow and develop beyond simple archetypes over the course of the series. |
| 270 | * ''Series/ICarly'': In some of their more JerkAss moments Carly, Freddie and Sam apply to this. |
| 271 | * Morgana, [[BrainsAndBrawn Helios and Agravaine]] from ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}''. |
| 272 | * ''Franchise/KamenRider'': |
| 273 | ** This trope is played for laughs in one of the ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' movies. The villain of this movie is [[MultipleHeadCase three headed monster]] based on the tale of the ''Literature/TheThreeLittlePigs''. The heads pretty much act as this trope. |
| 274 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'': The initial lineup for the antagonists was Heart, Brain and Masshin Chaser. Heart was the leader, Brain the...well, brainy one and Masshin Chaser was the enforcer. This dynamic ceases when Medic joins during the tenth episode. |
| 275 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderRevice'' has the Deadmans executives, comprised of Aguilera (the leader), Orteca (the brains) and Julio (the muscle). [[spoiler:This lineup becomes subverted after the true roles of both [[PuppetQueen Aguilera]] and [[TheManInFrontOfTheMan Orteca]] come to light, at which point it becomes Orteca (the leader), Aguilera (the cute figurehead) and Julio (still the muscle, though more half-hearted than before).]] |
| 276 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderGotchard'' has the Three Dark Sisters, consisting of Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. Clotho is the brawn, Lachesis seems to prefer her wits and Atropos is the leader of the trio. |
| 277 | * ''Series/MidsomerMurders'': Samual Quested and his henchmen, Smudgepot and Wilberforce in "[Recap/MidsomerMurdersS14E6[ The Night of the Stag]]". |
| 278 | * ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'': While you should not have expected the Spanish Inquisition on this list, they are portrayed as a trio with one domineering member, played by Michael Palin and two minions. |
| 279 | * Pearl, Brain Guy, and Bobo from the later ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' seasons. |
| 280 | * ''Series/ResurrectionErtugrul'': Kurdoglu, Baybora, and Alpargu in season 1, who cooperate in order to allow the former to knock his older brother Suleyman Shah out of power and take the Kayi Tribe for himself. |
| 281 | ** The close of season 4 gives us [[spoiler: Almila/Alangoya, Mergen, and Eynece, a coalition of Mongols claiming to be hide sellers]]. |
| 282 | * ''Series/TheTudors''. Has Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer. |
| 283 | * The three main Chanels in ''Series/ScreamQueens2015,'' [[AlphaBitch Chanel #1/ Chanel Oberlin,]] [[TheStoic Chanel #3/Sadie Swenson,]] and [[TheChewToy Chanel #5/Libby Putney.]] |
| 284 | * ''Franchise/UltraSeries'': |
| 285 | ** ''Series/UltramanDyna'': Has the comedic Alien Mijir, who in spite of their utterly comedic behavior and antics are a threat when they really try to be as well as the rather serious Zenekindarl people who command initially 3 kaiju but eventually switch to simply controlling one Dexador. |
| 286 | ** ''Film/UltramanTigaTheFinalOdyssey'' has one in the form of the Dark Giants, known as Camearra, Darramb and Hudra. Unlike most examples, they are a collective KnightOfCerebus. |
| 287 | ** ''Series/UltramanTriggerNewGenerationTiga'': Similar to ''Final Odyssey'' there is a trio of Dark Giants who are [[AlternateSelf Alternate Selves]] to the ones of Tiga: [[TheBaroness Carmeara]], [[TheBrute Darrgon]] and [[LeanAndMean Hudram]]. While not as serious threats from the start as the prior Dark Giants, they manage to alternate between dead-serious threats and comedic relief depending on the episode though usually their threat never goes away even when being comedic. |
| 288 | %%* Gigi and her friends on ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace''. |
| 289 | [[/folder]] |
| 290 | |
| 291 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 292 | * Music/AvrilLavigne (as an AlphaBitch) and her two-girl [[GirlPosse Posse]] qualify as this in the music video for "Girlfriend". [[PoesLaw Meant to a parody on the alpha bitch trope, apparently.]] |
| 293 | * Stolen City's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksYre7Av4OE "Faces"]] has a trio of bullies who beat up a transgender girl in the street after discovering her secret. |
| 294 | [[/folder]] |
| 295 | |
| 296 | [[folder:Pro Wrestling]] |
| 297 | * Somewhat disturbingly, Wrestling/{{TNA}} gave this treatment to Wrestling/ChristianCage, Tyson Tomko and Wrestling/AJStyles, despite them being staples of the ''main event''. |
| 298 | * Wrestling/ThreeMB: Wrestling/JinderMahal, Heath Slater and Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre. |
| 299 | * For a brief period of time Wrestling/DolphZiggler, Wrestling/AJLee, and Wrestling/BigELangston made up one of these. Ziggler, the domineering one, decided he didn't need the other two. |
| 300 | * "The Cutie Pie Club" of SHINE. Strangely, it's Candy Cartwright, not "[[RedBaron Cutie Pie]]" Kiera Hogan, who is leader, something Aria Blake questioned under the mistaken impression Cartwright wanted her opinion. |
| 301 | * In Wrestling/{{ECW}}, all incarnations of The Triple Threat stable. |
| 302 | * Back when they were making their debut, Wrestling/TheShield qualified. They were also dangerous because they repeatly interfered in matches against wrestlers who they weren't even feuding with. |
| 303 | * Toxic Attraction. Consisting of leader Wrestling/MandyRose, Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne. They've taken Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} by hook and crook as Mandy is the NXT women's champion and Gigi and Jacy are the NXT women's tag team champions. |
| 304 | * Wrestling/{{Imperium}} with [[Wrestling/{{Walter}} Walter/Gunther]] as the leader, flanked by Marcel Barthel[=/=]Ludwig Kaiser and Fabian Aichner[=/=]Giovanni Vinci. |
| 305 | [[/folder]] |
| 306 | |
| 307 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 308 | * The Heathers Heather Chandler, Heather [=McNamara=], and Heather Duke in ''Theatre/{{Heathers}}'', based off of the [[Film/{{Heathers}} film]] of the same name. |
| 309 | * The Plastics Regina, Gretchen, and Karen from ''Theatre/MeanGirls'', based off of the [[Film/MeanGirls film]] of the same name. |
| 310 | * Don John, Borachio, and Conrade in Shakespeare's ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing.'' |
| 311 | [[/folder]] |
| 312 | |
| 313 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 314 | * ''VideoGame/ANNOMutationem'': In the Mysterious Console {{DLC}}, the three dungeon guardians are the main impediments Noni faces off against to reach the exit. |
| 315 | * ''VideoGame/BraveFencerMusashi'' gives us Ben, Ed, and Topo of the ''Leader's Force'' who serve [[TheDragon Colonel Capricciola]]. A running gag with them is that they each believe they are the leader of the group and, at every available opportunity, remind the other two of it. |
| 316 | * ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse'' had the Terrible Trio, which were the Stage 7 bosses (the first two you may or may not have fought yet). You had to fight Twin mummies, a Cyclops and the Leviathan [[SequentialBoss all in one sitting]]. If you died, you'd have to start over from the first of the Terrible Trio. |
| 317 | * ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'': Karsh, Zoah, and Marcy would be a more competent Terrible Trio, while Solt, Peppor, and Ketchop would be the bumbling trio. Granted, Ketchop is only seen if you recruit Pierre, but he's the closest thing they've got. |
| 318 | * Ozzie, Slash and Flea in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', with Magus as the boss. |
| 319 | * Dr Neo Cortex is occasionally placed with henchmen N. Gin and Tiny in some ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' titles (particularly evident in ''VideoGame/CrashNitroKart''[='s=] story). In some of the later titles, Nina takes Tiny's place. |
| 320 | ** Nitros Oxide also gets his own two henchmen in ''Nitro Kart'' in the form of [[{{Gasshole}} Zem]] and [[TeamPet Zam]]. |
| 321 | ** ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'' has Nina, Komodo Moe and N. Brio coincidentally come in this format, when they were added as DLC characters. |
| 322 | * ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'' has The Root Pack: Moe Tato, Weepy and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Psycarrot]]. |
| 323 | * Princess Devilotte and her two servants, Dave and Xavier, from Capcom fighting game ''VideoGame/{{Cyberbots}}''. |
| 324 | * ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'': |
| 325 | ** Gestahl and his two generals, Kefka and General Leo, from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] when it turns out Kefka is the DragonInChief who is much, much worse than either [[BigBadWannabe Gestahl]] or [[PunchClockVillain Leo]], and ends up killing both of them. |
| 326 | ** Seifer, Raijin, and Fuujin in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII''. |
| 327 | ** [=LeBlanc=] (the leader), Logos (the brains), and Ormi (the muscle) from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2''. |
| 328 | ** The Striped Brigands in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles''. Their leader, Bal Dat, is pretty cruel to his counterparts Artemecion (a moogle) and Meh Gat (an old man [[spoiler: who eventually dies]]), but they're completely harmless. |
| 329 | ** The Terrible Trio of the Archadian Empire in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', although technically one of them isn't from the Empire. |
| 330 | ** The Chebukki siblings in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'': ''Chains of Promathia''. However, the sole female, Cherukiki, is notably ''not'' the leader. Rather, the elder brother, Makki-Chebukki, acts as one. |
| 331 | * The BB (no, we don't know what it stands for either) Trio in ''VideoGame/FossilFighters''. They're the GoldfishPoopGang / a collective [[TheDragon Dragon]] for the first half of the game. [[spoiler:Then their boss betrays them, and they do a HeelFaceTurn.]] |
| 332 | * Conchita, Felix, and Bruce from ''VideoGame/GodHand''. Naturally, they're {{Exp|y}}ies of the Skull Trio. Eventually, they're taken out not by Gene, but by TheRival Azel. |
| 333 | * The Trump from ''VideoGame/{{Gunbird}}'' and the Queen Pirates from ''Gunbird 2''. The latter are Skull Trio {{Exp|y}}ies. |
| 334 | * Pink, Kain, and Kotaro in ''VideoGame/GunstarHeroes'' and the remake/sequel ''Gunstar Super Heroes''. Interestingly, they seem to be based on Grandis' gang from ''Anime/NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater'', which in turn are a homage to the ''Time Bokan'' franchise's villainous trios. |
| 335 | * ''VideoGame/KessenIII'' has The Miyoshi Trio: The leader Nagayuki, the YesMan Masayasu and the ProfessionalButtKisser Tomomichi. |
| 336 | * ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': |
| 337 | ** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'': Marluxia, Larxene and Axel could count, although they are actually extremely competant and dangerous, and one of them [[MagnificentBastard isn't quite what]] [[ManipulativeBastard he appears...]] They are also directly rivaled by another such trio: Zexion, Lexaeus and Vexen. |
| 338 | ** [[WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}} The Tremaine family]] became TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', using the Unversed to murder people when they don't get their own way. All three of them have no light in their hearts, and are three of the four Disney Villains in the series (the other being [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Hans]]) [[DeathByAdaptation whose criminal actions cause their deaths]]. |
| 339 | * The Heavenly Kings of Orochi in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' consist of Chris, Yashiro, and Shermie, with their "boss" being {{Orochi}} himself (and to a lesser extent, Goenitz). |
| 340 | * ''VideoGame/TheLegendaryStarfy'''s group of Ronk, Papes and Snips is called "The Terrible Trio". The characters are quite visibly done by an artist other than the series's main one, given how much their character designs clash with the other characters, most obviously Snips, the leader. |
| 341 | * ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': |
| 342 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' has Groose, Cawlin, and Stritch antagonizing Link at the start of its [[WizardingSchool boarding school setting]]. |
| 343 | ** In a more minor example, in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'', the miniboss of the Wind Temple is a Red Wizzrobe who at the beginning of the battle summons a Darknut and a Wizzrobe, so the miniboss battle starts off with a Terrible Trio. The two Wizzrobes will summon more enemies if given the chance, however. |
| 344 | ** In ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'', Cia forms one with Wizzro and Volga. Later, Ganondorf forms one with Zant and Ghirahim. |
| 345 | * [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Lord Palethorn]], [[TheDragon Mander]] and [[BloodKnight Dogman]] in ''VideoGame/MediEvil2'', although they are the main villains. |
| 346 | * The Bonne family from ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends''. They even got their own spinoff! |
| 347 | * Violen (short and fat), Agile (tall and skinny) and Serges (leader) from ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX Mega Man X2]]''. |
| 348 | * ''VideoGame/MitsumeteKnight'' has the Burston brothers. The youngest, Billy, is the domineering one of sorts due to being the most agressive of the three and the most antagonizing with the Asian (the player avatar); Sam is the brainy one and Jack the big brawly dumb one. |
| 349 | * ''VideoGame/MonsterMaulers'' has the "Happy Droppers", a trio of bad guys who summon various monsters all around the world. They are obvious {{Captain Ersatz}}es of the Skull Trio from ''Time Bokan''. [[http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp32/Lord_Feder/retrogames/mmau0002.png Here]] [[http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp32/Lord_Feder/retrogames/mmau0001.png they are.]] |
| 350 | * Kabal, Kobra and Kira in ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', well Mortal Kombat Deception (onwards) anyway. Kabal the leader of the newely reformed Black Dragon clan, Kobra and Kira as the two henchmen (one male and one female, to keep up with the opposite henchmen ideal), terrible in the sense that they're ChaoticEvil. Kabal himself is nowhere 'near' being the BigBad. In fact, the entire goal of the clan he now commands is to ''rebel'' against the ideals that the current BigBad has. |
| 351 | * ''VideoGame/MrDriller'' Has the Ankoku drillers, Keel as the leader, Eguri is the StalkerWithACrush and Kowards, which is a [[MinionWithAnFInEvil Bad guy with an F in Evil]]. |
| 352 | * Kindle, Koal and Jugger, in ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars: Dual Strike]]'', with Von Bolt as the BigBad. |
| 353 | * ''VideoGame/NipponSafesInc'' has them as VillainProtagonist. Despite not being an actual trio at the beginning, they have the same goal, work together at times and neatly fall into the trope's description. They are the horny greedy starlet Donna Fatale, geeky computer expert Doug Nuts and moronic former boxer Dino Fagioli. Donna manipulates the others with her feminine charms. The sequel ''The Big Red Adventure'' has the three of them again meeting by chance and then Doug and Dino teaming up to rescue Donna from a MadScientist. |
| 354 | * Strega of ''VideoGame/Persona3'' are a trio of antagonistic Persona users who the team fights on occasion consisting of [[NietzscheWannabe Takaya]], [[EvilGenius Jin]] and Chidori. They're just an annoyance to the heroes in the grand scheme of things, (though [[spoiler:Takaya is responsible for killing Shinjiro]]) nor do they usually [[AnticlimaxBoss put up a particularly impressive fight]] (though in your case you always outnumber them in a fight especially since they never fight you together). Later on however, [[spoiler:Chidori performs a HighHeelFaceTurn for the sake of Junpei, though she's eventually killed by Takaya.]] |
| 355 | * ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': |
| 356 | ** Team "Meanies" in ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonRescueTeam'', formed by Gengar, Ekans and Medicham, Team "Skull" (predating [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon the one in the main series]], which is ''not'' this trope) formed by Skuntank, Zubat and Koffing in ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers'', and the unnamed trio consisting of [[spoiler: Munna]], Toxicroak, and Purugly in ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonGatesToInfinity''. |
| 357 | ** The Pokémon Pinchers admins (Blue Eyes, Red Eyes and Purple Eyes) too. Although, [[spoiler:it turns out Blue Eyes and Red Eyes are not so evil. ''Purple Eyes'', on the other hand...]] |
| 358 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'' has the Miss Fortune Sisters, a trio of bandit siblings made up of [[IdenticalGrandson the ancestors of Bertha, Candice, and Saturn]] from ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl''. |
| 359 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'': The Teal Mask features [[spoiler:a trio of Legendary Pokémon: Okidogi, Munkidori and Fezendipiti that were revered in Kitakami as heroes who saved the village but in reality are a group of greedy thug Pokémon]]. |
| 360 | * Marjoly, Gao, Crowdia and Myao from ''VideoGame/RhapsodyAMusicalAdventure'' are a Team Rocket with four members. |
| 361 | * Kaiser Greedy, Uranim, and Inonis are implied to be this in the final world of ''VideoGame/{{Ristar}}''. |
| 362 | * ''VideoGame/RocketKnightAdventures'' games: |
| 363 | ** ''Rocket Knight Adventures'' (Genesis): Emperor Devligus Devotindos, Captain Fleagle, Axel Gear |
| 364 | ** ''Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2'' (Genesis): King Gedol, Paeli, Axel Gear |
| 365 | ** ''Sparkster'' (SNES): Generalissimo Lioness, Colonel Wolfheim, Axel Gear |
| 366 | * The Fairy Godfather, Slim Louise and Fat Rocco in ''VideoGame/{{RuneScape}}''. |
| 367 | * The Soda Poppers from ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice''. |
| 368 | * The Scorpion Army from ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana''. |
| 369 | * From ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'': Covenant we have [[SmugSnake Nicolas]], [[TheVamp Veronica]] and [[DumbMuscle Lenny]]. |
| 370 | * The ''heroes'' of ''Franchise/SlyCooper'' are like this -- Sly, Bentley and Murray. |
| 371 | * ''VideoGame/{{Solatorobo}}'' seems to have one as an enemy team compete with a pushy female boss. Its predecessor, ''VideoGame/TailConcerto'' also featured the Black Cat Gang in a much more prominent role. |
| 372 | * ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' has its entire gameplay point set in the Terrible Trio trope. But the best example is Team Chaotix, with the oversized and extremely loud leader Vector, the slim and calm Espio, and the hyperactive Charmy Bee. |
| 373 | ** Granted, Team Chaotix are more self-serving protagonists than villains. |
| 374 | ** [[AntiHeroTeam Team Dark]] themselves fit this trope somewhat better, especially in ''Heroes'' where Rouge led the team. |
| 375 | ** Dr "Eggman" Robotnik and his two henchbots, Orbot and Cubot play this more straight in ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' (this setup is actually much akin to that used in ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' and ''Sonic X''). |
| 376 | ** ''VideoGame/TeamSonicRacing'' has the newly-established Team Eggman, comprised of Eggman, Metal Sonic and Zavok (in terms of gameplay, at least). A bit absurd here since the former and latter were ''sworn enemies''. |
| 377 | * Odie and his henchmen in ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'' borders this and the GoldfishPoopGang. Storywise they are an incompetent gang of bandits (Odie the leader, with the farmer and the two beasts as the henchies), [[spoiler:but they do show they're not so bad, Odie can join the party and show he's not such an incompetent magician after all...]] |
| 378 | * ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'' has [[spoiler:Deep Cut, which consists of Big Man, Shiver and Frye, who all act as bosses.]] |
| 379 | * ''VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage'' introduces Ripto himself, with Crush and Gulp. Their misdeeds are limited entirely to the home worlds, but [[SummonBiggerFish are still threatening enough for Avalar's inhabitants to summon Spyro]]. |
| 380 | * ''Super Magnetic Neo'' has the Pinki Gang, which comprises of Pinki (the female leader), Yasu (the nerdy, smart guy) and Gasu (the big, dumb brute). Although, in this case, the said female leader is a ''[[EnfanteTerrible baby]]''. |
| 381 | * ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': |
| 382 | ** The [[LivingShadow Shadow Sirens]] in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor''. Subverted when [[spoiler:the bullied younger sister Vivian tires of her unfair treatment and [[HeelFaceTurn joins up]] with Mario. At the time, she was unaware she was joining up with Mario, but she [[ThePowerOfFriendship sticks around because of Mario's kindness]]]]. Double-subverted when [[spoiler:Doopliss joins up with the Shadow Sirens to replace Vivian.]] |
| 383 | ** Speaking about Mario, in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand2SixGoldenCoins'', the boss of Mario Zone is actually 3 bosses: three pigs. Subverted slightly, in that they are actually kinda dangerous... |
| 384 | ** Duke, Rockman and Lulu, the Dino Riders, in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''. |
| 385 | ** Also there's Count Bleck's minions, O'Chunks, Mimi, and Dimentio, in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario''. Subverted when they are temporarily joined by a fourth, Mr. L. Further subverted when [[spoiler: Dimentio takes the position of BigBad (which [[KilledOffForReal doesn't end well for him]]), and O'Chunks and Mimi do a HeelFaceTurn.]] |
| 386 | ** ''VideoGame/MarioPlusRabbidsKingdomBattle'' has [[spoiler:The Lava Queen, Bwario, and Bwaluigi]], collectively known as the "Bwaaah Trio". |
| 387 | * ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'': |
| 388 | ** The Dark Wings. They were self-proclaimed heroes in ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'' and ''VideoGame/TalesOfEternia''. ''VideoGame/TalesOfRebirth'' introduced new characters as the Dark Wings, but kept the dynamic of two males and one female, and they were [[GoldfishPoopGang a recurring boss battle.]] ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' gave the leader position to the female, and they were actually a somewhat competent group of anti-hero rogues. |
| 389 | ** ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' has The Schwann Brigade made up of [[InspectorJavert Leblanc, Adecor and Boccos]]. [[GoldfishPoopGang They definitely are played for laughs through the entire game]]. |
| 390 | * The Three Mischievous Fairies in ''Franchise/TouhouProject'', with Sunny Milk as the leader, Luna Child as the dutiful subordinate, and Star Sapphire as the only one intelligent enough to flee whenever they annoy one of the more powerful denizens of Gensoukyou (i.e. anyone). |
| 391 | * Stinky Pete, Gunslinger, and Blacksmith in the final level of the ''VideoGame/ToyStory2'' video game, all three of whom where fought individually as mini-bosses in previous levels. |
| 392 | * Since the campaign mode of ''VideoGame/TransformersWarForCybertron'' features a team of three playable characters for each mission, the three available characters for each mission in the Decepticon campaign could qualify as this. In the first mission, you have Megatron (the leader), Barricade (the brains), and Brawl (the muscle). In the second mission, you have the three Seekers, Starscream (the leader), Thundercracker (the brains), and Skywarp (the muscle). For the remaining missions, you have Megatron (the leader), Soundwave (the brains), and Breakdown (the muscle). |
| 393 | * The F-Con trio of {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s -- [[AmoralAttorney Crown]], [[InhumanResources Popoff]], and [[TechnoWizard Baza]] -- in ''VideoGame/TronTwoPointOh''. We don't see their boss, but WordOfGod says it's the crooked bastard from the first film, Dillinger Sr. |
| 394 | * The Prophets; Leehalt, Melody and Malik from ''VideoGame/WildArms3.'' Leehalt is the leader of the group, and the most serious. Melody is a VainSorceress obsessed with her own beauty. Malik is the most childish of the group, and wants to revive his mother for... purposes. [[spoiler: They revive the metal demon Siegfried in the hope of transforming Filgaia into a demon planet, preventing their own deaths in the process.]] |
| 395 | ** Janus and his underlings Darius and Romero from the same game. [[spoiler: The Prophets are the ones pulling their strings, although the latter two are taken out pretty early on.]] |
| 396 | * The Wildcat Gang from ''VideoGame/WonderProjectJ''. |
| 397 | * Bordeoux, Negimaru and Grein from the ''VideoGame/DotHackGUGames'' trilogy were a trio of fairly skilled and ruthless [=PKs=] under the command of Master Gabi, until Bordeoux's [[StalkerWithACrush unhealthy obssession]] with Haseo caused the team to fall apart. |
| 398 | [[/folder]] |
| 399 | |
| 400 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 401 | * Season 7 of ''WebVideo/ArbyNTheChief'' has [[BigBad Eugene]] and his two co-moderators in his trolling clan, [[PsychoSidekick Tyler]] and [[EvilGenius Colin]]. Cortana even at one point calls them a "terrible trio". |
| 402 | * Heavy Meadow from ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGpzhcnA64 Fuwa Fuwa Foof]]'', consisting of protagonist Foof as the leader, Giri Giri as the brains, and Kiri Kiri as the muscle. Although they're technically disbanded because of Foof's retirement from crime, Foof does still fight alongside Giri Giri and Kiri Kiri on occasion, as seen in the fan comics approved by creator Kyra Kupetsky. |
| 403 | * ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' |
| 404 | ** Strong Bad, Strong Mad, and The Cheat were all originally portrayed this way. Now, they're a ComicTrio. |
| 405 | ** Still played straight with their Old-Timey counterparts ([[DastardlyWhiplash Sir Strong Bad,]] [[MonsterClown The Strong Man,]] and [[RodentsofUnusualSize The Sneak]]), however. |
| 406 | * Lenny, Bruce, and Melvin in ''[[WebAnimation/ShutUpCartoons Smosh Babies]]''. |
| 407 | * The villains of ''WebVideo/ArbyNTheChief'''s 7th season: Eugene Black, Tyler King, and Colin Hunt. |
| 408 | [[/folder]] |
| 409 | |
| 410 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 411 | * The Unholy Three from ''Webcomic/ThirtyTwoKickUp'' are a team of mob enforcers that follow this trope. |
| 412 | * In ''Webcomic/BronzeSkinInc'' the Marvires family works as such, father Raymond leads both sons Otto and Bruno. |
| 413 | * Sisters Snadhya'rune, Sarv'swati and Zala'ess Vel'Sharen from ''{{Webcomic/Drowtales}}'', with Snadhya'rune as the apparent ringleader. They not only betrayed their mother and covered up her death for several decades but also were TheManBehindTheMan for the demonic group who wrecked a huge chunk of their city as a cover up. |
| 414 | * [[AlphaBitch Melissa]], [[TheDitz Jacqui]], and [[TheStarscream Cerise]] from ''Webcomic/EerieCuties'' and ''Webcomic/MagickChicks''. |
| 415 | * ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' had Moperville South's GirlPosse of [[AlphaBitch Diane]], [[BetaBitch Lucy]], and [[MoralityPet Rhoda]]. They're not so terrible anymore though. |
| 416 | * Lord Skärva, Derk, and Lorelei are beginning to look like one of these in ''Webcomic/TheFourth''. |
| 417 | * [[BigBad The Necromancer]] and his co-dragons, Medria Darkwood and [[GeniusBruiser Thomas Drake]] from ''Webcomic/HarryPotterComics''. |
| 418 | * Emerald, [[TooKinkyToTorture Goristro]], and [[MadBomber Carval]] from ''Webcomic/{{Heartcore}}''. Emerald and Goristro often but heads but tend to have shared leadership, since Carval is too dense and trigger happy to come up with a plan aside from "blow up all the things". |
| 419 | * Umbria's little team in ''Webcomic/OurLittleAdventure'' is shaping up this way. There's [[DarkActionGirl Umbria]], [[BadassNormal Jason]] and [[OurGnomesAreWeirder Trevoricus]] [[SquishyWizard the wizard.]] Eventually subverted when Umbria's nasty treatment of Trevoricus and Jane's return eventually causes the CowardlyLion to [[CharacterDevelopment man-up]], confront her over it and kick Umbria out of the group. |
| 420 | * Detestai, Earl and Larry from ''Webcomic/RPGWorld''. |
| 421 | * In addition to being a ComicTrio, Guy, Wayne, and Frank of ''Webcomic/TwoGuysAndGuy'' map well to this. Typically, Guy is the leader, and Wayne and Frank are the henchmen. |
| 422 | [[/folder]] |
| 423 | |
| 424 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 425 | * Zix, Travoltron, and Tee, the Alien Bikers from ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius''. [[spoiler:Though they later pull a HeelFaceTurn]]. |
| 426 | * Scratch and Grounder in ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' with Robotnik as the higher up. Sometimes Robotnik himself joined them, and led from the front. Semi recurrer Coconuts also joined the team on occasion. |
| 427 | * The pet store employees in the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "The Full Cognitive Redaction of Avery Bullock by the Coward Stan Smith". |
| 428 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'': |
| 429 | ** Walter Wolf, Sid the Squid, and Beanie the Brain-dead Bison, Slappy Squirrel's archenemies. Walter is the leader, Sid is the EvilGenius and Beanie is the DumbMuscle. |
| 430 | ** Defied in "Pinky and the Brain... and Larry", where the VillainProtagonist mouse duo is joined by a third mouse, who contributes nothing to the plot and just [[TheLoad sticks around being annoying]]. |
| 431 | ** In the 2020 reboot/revival, the world's three most powerful dictators, UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin, [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Kim Jong-un]] and [[UsefulNotes/{{Venezuela}} Nicolás Maduro]] form a trio like this, with Putin being their de facto leader and the other two his less competent sidekicks. |
| 432 | * While hardly ineffectual until the main characters get the hang of them Azula, Mai and Ty-Lee from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' count. Azula is almost the BigBad herself (as the actual BigBad, her father Ozai, rarely appears in person until the GrandFinale), and then she's accompanied by a pair of {{Badass Normal}}s. Really, only the main characters are capable of beating them by the [[PlotArmour Power of Plot]]. And unlike most {{Heel Face Turn}}s, Mai and Ty-Lee do not lose their badassery. This is only shown for about 5 minutes in one episode, after which they're locked up. But it nicely leads to Azula's VillainousBreakdown. |
| 433 | ** A less serious version can be found in "Tales of Ba Sing Se: The Tale of Toph and Katara" with Star and her two lackeys, a RichBitch trio in Ba Sing Se's Upper Ring. |
| 434 | * The (literal) "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE6TheTerribleTrio Terrible Trio]]" on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', three wealthy young men who commit crimes for the thrill and excitement. They also appear in ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''. |
| 435 | * The Circus Freaks in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10''. |
| 436 | * ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster'' has [[VideoGame/PunchOut King Hippo]], [[VideoGame/KidIcarus the Eggplant Wizard]] and [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Mother Brain]]. |
| 437 | * ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'' had one when Sly Sludge and Ooze were joined by Tank Flusher III, who stuck around for one other episode (Sly's final appearance, incidentally) after the two-parter that introduced him. |
| 438 | * The second season of ''[[Franchise/CareBears Adventures in Care-a-Lot]]'' plays this up more by giving Grizzle two recurring hench-bots, [[BrainsAndBrawn UR-2 and Sergeant Rocketbottom]]. |
| 439 | * A classic example of this exists in ''WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost'' with the Ghostly Trio, who consist of Stretch, the tall one and leader; Stinkie, the short one, and Fatso, the fat one. |
| 440 | * The Greaser Dogs, [[DumbMuscle Cliff]], [[TheDitz Lube]], and [[TinyTyrannicalGirl Shriek]], from ''WesternAnimation/CatDog''. Cliff is the leader while Shriek is the smartest of the three (relatively speaking). |
| 441 | * The Chumpy Chump Brothers from ''WesternAnimation/{{Catscratch}}''. |
| 442 | * Dee, Don, and Dex from ''WesternAnimation/ChuckChicken''. |
| 443 | * Though not villains, [[AlphaBitch Sissi]], [[ThoseTwoGuys Hervé, and Nicolas]] from ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' qualify at their most antagonist (or when possessed by [[BigBad XANA]]). The rest of the time, they're either comic relief or unexpected sources of help. |
| 444 | * Buzz, Delete and The Hacker from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}''. |
| 445 | * ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse'' has Baron Silas Greenback, his pet caterpillar Nero, and his henchman Stiletto Mafioso. |
| 446 | * ''WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry'' has Klump and Krusha, with King K. Rool as the higher-up. Also, Captain Skurvy, Kutlass and Green Kroc. |
| 447 | * The Urpneys ([[DrillSergeantNasty Sgt. Blob]], [[LovableCoward Frizz]] and [[TheDitz Nug]]) in ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'' are very Team Rocket-ish; being rather sympathetic, doomed to failure from the start, and tending to get an unnecessarily hard time from the good guys ''after'' they've been clearly beaten already (bar a [[BewareTheSillyOnes few occasions]]). In later episodes, Urpgor sometimes joins them, albeit in an often rivalistic manner. |
| 448 | * Disney's ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' has the Beagle Boys, often as not with archnemesis Flintheart Glomgold as TheManBehindTheMan. Sometimes their mother, Ma Beagle, tends to be in charge. |
| 449 | * ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'': |
| 450 | ** The Eds, in the eyes of the cul-de-sac kids, they definitely are. |
| 451 | ** The Kanker Sisters, especially when they destroy the cul-de-sac trying to find their heirloom, the Ship-Inna-Bottle. |
| 452 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Ewoks}}'' |
| 453 | ** Morag the Tulgah witch, King Gorneesh and Umwak ''or'' |
| 454 | ** King Gorneesh, Umwak and Lady Urgah Gorneesh |
| 455 | * The Fair Bears in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' |
| 456 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' |
| 457 | ** Donbot and his two goons, Clamps and Joey Mousepad, are the ''entire'' Robot Mafia. |
| 458 | ** Mom's three sons, Walt, Larry and Igner, are another Terrible Trio. Though they're not completely incompetant, Mom treats them as if they are. Their original plan to get Fry's [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment PIN number]] only worked because Fry was being... [[IdiotHero well, Fry]]. |
| 459 | * ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'': |
| 460 | ** The U.S. Acres segments have Gort, Wart, and Mort, the older brothers of Orson Pig. |
| 461 | ** The Buddy Bears are seen as one to Garfield and Roy. |
| 462 | * ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'': Destro, Tomax and Xamot, and Zartan (when he's not working for himself as a WildCard villain) are the chief members of Cobra's terrible trio. |
| 463 | ** As Dreadnoughts, Torch, Ripper, and Buzzer are Zartan's terrible trio. As a whole, the Dreadnoughts' and Zartan's allegiance to Cobra or themselves is usually based on whichever side benefits more. |
| 464 | * To Mr. Eustace P. Peevly, WesternAnimation/TheHairBearBunch, could be considered this. |
| 465 | * [[AlphabeticalThemeNaming Vox, Valentino, and Velvette]], three overlords of Hell out to sabotage the eponymous ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel''. |
| 466 | * Hector, Wordsworth and Mungo in ''WesternAnimation/HeathcliffAndTheCatillacCats''. |
| 467 | * Edgar Allan Poe, Sappho and Basho in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Histeria}}'' episode "The Legion of Super Writers". |
| 468 | * ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' has the Enforcers: Finn, Ratso and Chow. |
| 469 | * On ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'', Eric Raymond was the higher-up to the Misfits and has various henchpeople as well. |
| 470 | * Lucius, Samy and Molotov from ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes''. |
| 471 | * Voltar, Red Menace, and Doktor Frogg from ''WesternAnimation/LeagueOfSuperEvil'' ([[HarmlessVillain Though calling them "terrible" would be a misnomer]]). |
| 472 | * Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard''. |
| 473 | * The Weasel Trio from ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouseFunhouse'', consisting of Wheezelene (the female leader), Cheezel (the short, skinny one) and Sneezel (the big, dumb one). |
| 474 | * Portia, Gwen and Penny from ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyB'' |
| 475 | * Toralei, Purrsephone, and Meowledy on the ''WesternAnimation/MonsterHigh'' webisodes form a Terrible Trio. |
| 476 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyAdventuresWithSuperman'': Intergang is a classic example, two members with contrasting builds, powers and personalities, with a leader who holds the position more by force of personality than any real ability. |
| 477 | * Margret Rhino's group, the Pretties, from ''WesternAnimation/MyGymPartnersAMonkey''. |
| 478 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie1986'' features the WickedWitch Hydia and her two daughters Reeka and Draggle. They would later appear in the ten-part premiere of the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends regular]] [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePony series]]. |
| 479 | ** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has the Diamond Dogs from the episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E19ADogAndPonyShow "A Dog and Pony Show"]], which are led by such a trio. WordOfGod says their names are Fido (the hulking one), Rover (the tall, skinny one) and Spot (the short one). |
| 480 | ** "The Ending of the End" (both parts) involves Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow presenting the Mane Six with their true FinalBattle. And it is brutal. |
| 481 | %% The Dazzlings in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks'' are not an example, being the main antagonists of the film, far from incompetent, and not a recurring minor villain. |
| 482 | * The Thug Dolls from the ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' episode, "How Much is That Rabbit in the Window?". |
| 483 | * Joey, Marky, and Dee-Dee in ''WesternAnimation/OggyAndTheCockroaches''. They eventually get Lady K as TheManBehindTheMan, well Woman Behind, but she still counts, in later seasons. |
| 484 | * Darrell, Shannon, and Raymond from ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes''. |
| 485 | * Popy, Buck and Harchi from ''WesternAnimation/OscarsOasis''. |
| 486 | * The Meanos from ''WesternAnimation/PawPawBears''. |
| 487 | * The Hooded Claw and the Bully Brothers on ''WesternAnimation/ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop''. |
| 488 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'': |
| 489 | ** The Amoeba Boys. [[HarmlessVillain Even if they aren't that terrible...]] |
| 490 | ** Also the Ministry of Pain, consisting of Mastermind, Counterpart and Cohort. |
| 491 | ** And the Rowdyruff Boys. |
| 492 | * The Gross Sisters from ''WesternAnimation/TheProudFamily''. |
| 493 | * Cyril Sneer, the BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons'', has the Pigs, three porcine henchmen. Although they look identical as they are triplets. |
| 494 | * In the ''Literature/RainbowMagic'' movie, Leonardo, Newton, and Edison are this. |
| 495 | * The Capicola Gang from ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' and a possible {{Expy}} to the Greaser Dogs. |
| 496 | * Lars and his two friends Pi and Sputz from ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower''...at least until the second season, where another member named Animal was included. |
| 497 | * ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'' has Fearless Leader, Boris and Natasha (the higher-up was Mr. Big). |
| 498 | * ''WesternAnimation/SabansAdventuresOfOliverTwist'': The main antagonists of this cartoon are the Workhouse Master and his two bumbling feline minions Scratch and Sniff. Their goal is to return Oliver Twist to the workhouse. |
| 499 | * Catra, Scorpia, and Entrapta in ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower''. Scorpia even decides to give them a SquadNickname when Entrapta joins ("Super Pal Trio"). Only the latter two are AffablyEvil though, while the former holds a more ambitious role as TheDragon. |
| 500 | * Professor Pamplemoose, Vana Glama and Alan Amazing in ''WesternAnimation/{{Sidekick}}''. |
| 501 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has the bully trio of Jimbo, Kearney, and Dolph. Sometimes Nelson joins them or substitutes for a member. In his earliest appearances, Nelson also was part of a trio with two younger bullies known as the Weasels. |
| 502 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSmoggies'' has the title characters: Emma, Clarence and Polluto. |
| 503 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'' has Gargamel, Azrael and Scruples once Scruples is introduced. |
| 504 | * Dr. Robotnik, Sleet, and Dingo in ''WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground''. |
| 505 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpartakusAndTheSunBeneathTheSea'': The three main pirates from the gang of Pirates of the Seas -- Nasty Max (the leader), Mighty Matt and Sleazeappeal. They spend about all the episodes pursuing the heroes, to no avail, though at least they always get an opportunity to sing their VillainSong. (Massmedia is another important pirate, but she's usually too busy with her radio show to join their antics.) |
| 506 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'': |
| 507 | ** Chameleon, Beck, and Mason start out as one, with the somewhat unusual detail that all three are the EvilGenius type of villain. |
| 508 | ** The Enforcerers: Fancy Dan, Montana and The Ox, with Tombstone as their superior. (They later get PoweredArmor, becoming Richochet, Shocker and... Still Ox.) |
| 509 | * Voyd, Blokk and Lamprey in ''WesternAnimation/ShadowRaiders'', the leaders of the [[PlanetEater Beast Planet]]. Voyd outranks the other two and has the "final word" (metaphorically as he's also TheVoiceless). |
| 510 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsChocolateWithNutsMermaidManAndBarnacleBoyV Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V]]", Barnacle Boy ([[DoNotCallMePaul ahem... Barnacle Man]]) forms one with Man Ray and the Dirty Bubble when he [[TemporarilyAVillain temporarily becomes a villain]]. |
| 511 | * ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': |
| 512 | ** In the Season One finale, [[spoiler: [[Characters/StevenUniverseJasper Jasper]] acts as the leader with [[Characters/StevenUniversePeridot Peridot]] and [[Characters/StevenUniverseLapisLazuli Lapis Lazuli]] as the backup for their mission to check the status of the Cluster and destroy the remaining Crystal Gems]]. |
| 513 | ** Later on in the series, this dynamic appears with the remaining Diamonds with [[spoiler: [[Characters/StevenUniverseWhiteDiamond White Diamond]] as the leader, then [[Characters/StevenUniverseBlueDiamond Blue Diamond]] and [[Characters/StevenUniverseYellowDiamond Yellow Diamond]]]]. |
| 514 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Stripperella}}'': El Cheapo and his two hoods, who due to the stinginess of their boss have to share the same gun. |
| 515 | * Bowser, Mouser, Tryclyde, and an unnamed Koopa Troopa in ''The WesternAnimation/SuperMarioBrosSuperShow''. |
| 516 | * Texas Pete's gang in ''WesternAnimation/{{Superted}}'' is perhaps the ultimate example of physically contrasting henchman: Bulk is a big fat guy, and Skeleton is... well, [[DemBones have a guess]]. |
| 517 | * ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'': |
| 518 | ** Gibber, Mad Dog, and Dump Truck, with Don Karnage as the higher up. Occasionally, Don Karnage joins Mad Dog and Dump Truck and leads them from the front. |
| 519 | ** Trader Moe and his nameless Gorilla and Rhino henchmen are a more straight example. |
| 520 | * ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'' has Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady, with Krang as the higher-up. |
| 521 | * From ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'', the HIVE kids. [[DarkActionGirl Jinx]] is the leader, with [[GadgeteerGenius Gizmo]] and [[DumbMuscle Mammoth]] working with her. They're pretty dangerous on their own if they put their minds to it, but generally need a higher-up to scare them into that level of competence -- Slade in their first appearance and Brother Blood later. Ultimately, they strike out on their own (and add a few more to their team), but without someone to direct them, they're basically just super-powered delinquents. [[spoiler:Then Jinx finally gets fed up with that and does a HeelFaceTurn.]] |
| 522 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'': |
| 523 | ** Diesel sometimes forms one with [[CreepyTwins 'Arry and Bert]] in later episodes of the show. |
| 524 | ** The Lorry brothers from the episode, "[[Recap/ThomasAndFriendsS5E2HorridLorry Horrid Lorry]]" are another example. |
| 525 | ** Diesel 10, Splatter, and Dodge are this as well in the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndTheMagicRailroad'' movie, although the latter two have a Main/HeelFaceTurn towards the end. |
| 526 | ** James, Gordon, and Henry were a lighter example of this in the earlier seasons, being more just arrogant peers than actual villains. |
| 527 | * ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'': |
| 528 | ** Silas Wonder and his two nameless henchmen in "Sawdust and Toonsil". |
| 529 | ** Montana Max, Dizzy Devil, and Calamity Coyote form one in "Hero Hamton" during the boxing match. |
| 530 | ** Arthur Jabba, George, and Leonard in "Take Elmyra Please". |
| 531 | ** Boss Tick, Flick, and Flit in "Flea For Your Life". |
| 532 | ** Nasty, Slim, and Lardo, Concord Condor's older brothers in the "Concord the Kindly Condor" segment of the episode, "Toons From the Crypt". |
| 533 | * Joy Peters' three sons from ''WesternAnimation/TomGoesToTheMayor''. |
| 534 | * ''WesternAnimation/ToxicCrusaders'' has Dr. Killemoff, Bonehead, and Psycho, with Czar Zosta as the higher-up. |
| 535 | * [[TheStarscream Starscream]], Skywarp, and Thundercracker in ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers''. Later on, Thrust, Ramjet, and Dirge. |
| 536 | ** The Insecticons: Shrapnel, Kickback and Bombshell. They even forced [[BigGood Optimus Prime]] and [[BigBad Megatron]] to [[EnemyMine work together]] to stop them once. |
| 537 | * Megatron has Lugnut and Blitzwing for this in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' until he picked up the Constructicons later down the line. |
| 538 | * ''WesternAnimation/LosTrotaMusicos'': In this Spanish adaptation of ''Literature/TheBremenTownMusicians'' the robbers are comprised of a maffiosi boss named Chef and his two stupid henchmen Bestia and Tapón. |
| 539 | * Verminious Snaptrap, The Chameleon, and Bird Brain, the three primary antagonists of ''WesternAnimation/TUFFPuppy'' have formed one in certain episodes of the show. |
| 540 | * Captain Minus, Zero and Splash from ''WesternAnimation/TurtleIsland''. |
| 541 | * The Scallions on ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales''. |
| 542 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'' has several examples: |
| 543 | ** The Monarch, Henchman 21, and Henchman 24, all of whom are bumbling and ineffective. Higher Up is The Sovereign, [[spoiler:also known as David Bowie.]] Except for more recently, when the Monarch is showing increasing levels of competence and 21 and 24 have some lucky moments. Well, in the last minutes of the season three finale, [[spoiler: 24]]'s luck ultimately runs out.... |
| 544 | ** Doctor Girlfriend, with Tim-Tom and Kevin, the Murderous Moppets. She's coolly competent; the boys tend to get a little over the top and beyond mission scope... Higher Up is also The Sovereign. |
| 545 | ** A heroic version is The Order of the Triad, led by Doctor Orpheus, with Jefferson Twilight and The Alchemist. Higher Up is The Master. |
| 546 | * Icy, Darcy and Stormy from ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' become this after Season One. |
| 547 | * Dr. Two-Brains and his two henchmen on ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl''. |
| 548 | * The Brotherhood in ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' is briefly reduced to three members: Avalanche, Toad, and Blob. They even do a TeamPowerWalk together in the finale. |
| 549 | [[/folder]] |
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