Numbers don't have feelings. If they did, this one [9/11] would be sad, this one [420] would be giggly, and this one [69] would be exciting for a few minutes, but then the novelty wears off and it mostly just gets tired and sore.
Tropes about numbers, general or specific.
General numbers:
Related indexes:
- 20% More Awesome: Using statistics to measure intangible or opinionated concepts.
- 6 Is 9: An upside-down 9 is mistaken for a 6 or vice versa.
- Absurdly High Level Cap: A Level Cap is much higher than what would be expected or needed.
- Actually Four Mooks: A Mook, upon being encountered, has more Mooks with them.
- Advanced Tech 2000: Any piece of technology becomes super-futuristic and super-advanced, by adding a large number on its name (often 2,000). Traditionally used to date the year of invention.
- Alternative Number System: Counting to ten has more or less steps than usual.
- Annual Title: A series of annual releases that are dated by year in their title.
- Arc Number: Numbers that appear frequently throughout a work.
- Calculator Spelling: Typing numbers on a calculator and (usually) turning it upside-down to make it spell out something.
- Cap: The maximum amount allowed of a video game resource.
- Cast Calculus: Choosing the right cast size and splitting traits between them.
- Player Character Calculus: Choosing the right amount of player characters for a game.
- Disturbing Statistic: The kind of statistic that makes you pause and think about how much trouble it means for you.
- Eleventy Zillion: Exaggerating large amounts by using made-up numbers like "bazillion". Almost always has no etymological basis other than "-ty' or "-illion".
- Episode Code Number: Episodes have serial numbers (method may vary).
- Exactly Exty Years Ago: Events happened an oddly rounded number of years ago.
- Goroawase Number: Numbers in Japanese are used for puns.
- Hiroshima as a Unit of Measure: Comparison used for measurement.
- I Have Many Names: Someone or something has several aliases, sometimes because their real name isn't, can't, or mustn't be used.
- Inflationary Dialogue: A dialogue trope where a number mentioned changes during the conversation.
- Jenny's Number: The phone number 867-5309, referencing the 1981 Tommy Tutone song with the same name.
- Letters 2 Numbers: Replacing letters with numbers, generally similar in appearance.
- Low Count Gag: Somebody refers to a small amount or number of people/places/things, Played for Laughs.
- Magpies as Portents: Omens regarding magpies and their gathering's number.
- More Teeth than the Osmond Family: Supernumerary Scary Teeth.
- More Than Infinite: Beyond what shouldn't be able to go beyond.
- Non-Natural Number Gag: A type of number doesn't make sense for the thing it’s supposed to be quantifying.
- The Notable Numeral: A team name that describes its members in terms of quantity and attribute.
- Numbered Homeworld: A celestial object in a solar system that has a number in its name.
- Numbered Sequel: The names of sequels contain numbers to show the order in which they were made, or the order in which they take place.
- Sequel Number Snarl: The numbering of sequels gets complicated.
- N+1 Sequel Title: A sequel to a work that already had a number in the title adds one to that number for its title.
- The Numbered Things: A collection (or singular important object) whose title references its quantity.
- "Number of Objects" Title: The Numbered Things as a title.
- Number Obsession: An obsession or phobia regarding numbers and/or numerical order.
- Numerical Theme Naming: Number themes in the individual naming of characters in a group.
- Numerological Motif: Motifs related to certain numbers.
- Once for Yes, Twice for No: A binary means of communicating positives and negatives.
- One Extra Member: A team is named after how many members it has, despite having more members than the number indicates.
- Ridiculously Long Phone Number: A purported phone number that is much longer than a real phone number.
- Self-Referential Track Placement: If a song has a number in its title, expect it to be placed at the same number in the album tracklist.
- Title by Number: The title is centered around a numerical value.
- Theme Table: Everyone has all the same amount of motifs.
- Too Many Belts: A character who wears a lot of belts at the same time.
- Vertebrate with Extra Limbs: A lot more limbs than logic would like.
- You Are Number 6: A character's name is a number or serialization.
Specific numbers:
Related indices:
- Zero: The Index of Zero
- One: The One and Only Index
- Two:
- Double-Sided Tropes: For when the two things are the two sides of some larger object.
- Double Subversion: A triple Subversion is Zigzagging Trope.
- Duality Motif: Mismatched elements of appearance foreshadow/reinforce a dual nature.
- Dueling Tropes: Since duels involve two people fighting each other.
- Half Empty Two Shot: A two-character shot where one character is conspicuously absent.
- Juxtaposed Halves Shot: Half of two characters' sides are juxtaposed to or beside each other.
- Medium Two-Shot: A two-character shot that frames their heads and torsos.
- Number Two: The person who is second-in-command.
- Number Two for Brains: The second-in-command is an idiot.
- Rule of Two: Villains always have a single right-hand man.
- Three Plus Two: A team where there's a core of three people and then two other additions.
- Two Girls to a Team: In any work with a Team Shot, all but two characters are male.
- Three: Covered mainly by indexes:
- Rule of Three: Basically anything and everything else where three things are important.
- Power Trio: For all trios, specifically.
- Rule of Three: Basically anything and everything else where three things are important.
- Four:
- The Cardinal Virtues: Prudence, Courage, Self-Control, and Justice.
- Elite Four: Four right-hand men, picked from the best of the best.
- Four-Girl Ensemble: An ensemble consisting of four female characters: one sweet, one smart, one sexy, and one snarky.
- The Four Gods: The four central deified figures of East Asian astrology and geomancy.
- Four Is Death: The number "four" is not just homophonous with death; it is synonymous with it.
- Four Lines, All Waiting: A show, typically a Soap Opera, maintains four (or more) concurrent plotlines in one episode.
- Four-Man Band: The typical protagonist quartet: the reasonable one, the brains, the wayward one, and the patsy.
- Four-Philosophy Ensemble: The Cynic, the Optimist, the Realist, and the Apathetic (and sometimes, the Conflicted).
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Sanguine, the Choleric, the Phlegmatic, Melancholic (and sometimes, the Eclectic).
- Five:
- 555: 555 used as an Area Code in fictional phone numbers.
- Element No. 5: A special, often mysterious elemental type that doesn't quite fit in with the other more common elements in the setting.
- Five-Man Band: A group of five people, used to explore how the characters' personalities and relationships interact and bounce off of one another.
- Five-Man Band Concert: When The Team decides to form a music band to show unity.
- One, Two, Three, Four, Go!: Wordplay involving how the English word "go" is a homophone for the Japanese word for "five".
- Six:
- Sixth Ranger: An additional member of the team who doesn't join until well after the other members have been active.
- Sixth Ranger Traitor: The new member of the team turns out to be evil and betrays the other members.
- Sixth Ranger: An additional member of the team who doesn't join until well after the other members have been active.
- Seven:
- The Magnificent Seven Samurai: A helpless community under attack hires heroes (usually seven) to protect them.
- Seven Deadly Sins: Greed, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Sloth, Wrath, and Pride.
- Seven Heavenly Virtues: Charity, Kindness, Temperance, Chastity, Diligence, Patience and Humility.
- Seven Is Nana: In Japanese, the numeral "nana" is used instead of "shichi".
- The Seven Mysteries: Mysterious phenomena coming in groups of seven.
- Magical Seventh Son: The seventh son (possibly fathered by a seventh son himself) has magical powers.
- Rainbow Motif (Usually seven colors of the rainbow)
- Rule of Seven: The number seven used as a Plot Device.
- Lucky Seven: The number seven is associated with good fortune.
- Thirteen:
- Front 13, Back 9: The season starts with 13 episodes which are ordered, then the next 9 will air and be ordered later.
- 13 Is Unlucky: The superstition that the number 13 indicates bad luck and misfortune.
- Thirty-six: The Thirty-Six Stratagems
- Forty-Two: 42
- Fifty-one: Majority-Share Dictator: Owning just over half of a company's stock gives you absolute power in the organization.
- Sixty-five: 65-Episode Cartoon: 65 episodes (or 40 episodes in some cases) make for easy syndication.
- Sixty-nine: LOL, 69: Jokes on how the number 69 is also the name of a sex position.
- Ninety-nine: ...And 99¢: Items selling for a single currency unit under full price with the aim of making the consumer think they're cheaper than they really are.
- Law of 100: Collecting 100 common items grants bonuses.
- Mystical 108: The number 108 has spiritual significance in Eastern culture, particularly Buddhism.
- 420, Blaze It: Jokes on how 420, 4:20, and April 20th are associated with cannabis.
- Number of the Beast: The number 666 (alternatively 616) is associated with the Beast in the Book of Revelation and by extension Satan and demons.
- Thousand-Year Reign: A dynasty of (or approximately) a thousand years
- Every 10,000 Points: Collecting 10,000 common items grants bonuses.
- 10,000 Years: A period of ten millennia, or a myriad.
- Infinite: Non-finite, or without end (presumably).
- Pun With Pi: Jokes about the Greek letter or irrational number pi (π = 3.1415926535etc. ) sounding like the English word "pie".
