The Three Faces of Adam

The Three Ages of Man (The Allegory of Prudence, Titian, c. 1550–1565).

"A man who used to sign my pay checks at Fortune 500 company once told me that 'A man in his twenties brags about women he has slept with. A man in his forties brags about meals he has eaten. And a man in his sixties brags about his bowel movements.' I replied to this man, with an enthusiastic immediacy which might have shocked him, that he was saying that a man in his twenties brags about what he has put himself into, a man in his forties brags about what he has put into himself, and a man in his sixties brags about what he has left behind. The old man shook his head and told me that I had misunderstood the metaphor."

— Tim Rogers, Action Button review of Final Fantasy VII Remake

A Spear Counterpart to The Hecate Sisters with influence from The Three Faces of Eve. Basically, a Power Trio for the phases of man's life and the things that drive that man boiled down to their simplest parts, and represented by three often closely related characters.

The three faces are:

• The Hunter: The man who thirsts to find himself by striking out into the world; is usually the youngest of the three. May be afraid of what the future has in store for him and be Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life. Or, he might be ambitious with dreams that he lacks the skills and resources to fulfill. Because he has so few things he values, he will tend to take risks to get what he wants.
• The Lord: The man who struggles to maintain stability against the ebb and flow of the world. In the place of naivete there is now knowledge of the world, both of its dangers and of its wonders. He has an established place in the world and a reputation to maintain, and possesses the skills and resources to keep them. He must strive to achieve a balance between fulfilling further goals without risking his losing what he already has or becoming too obsessed with what he possesses to progress forward.
• The Prophet: The man who looks back on his life; usually the oldest of the three. His knowledge and experience have grown into wisdom and he seeks to impress that wisdom on younger generations. Has either fulfilled or given up on his aspirations; if he does have any goals, they will either be fulfilled through a proxy or be a gift to the younger generation. His fears center on what will happen after he is gone, both to his legacy and to the world itself.

In the terms of a Freudian Trio, The Hunter is the Id, The Prophet is the Superego, and The Lord is the ego. Usually, The Hunter is The Hero with The Prophet as his Mentor, while The Lord is the Big Bad, although there are variations, for example the Lord being The Hero and the Hunter the Kid Sidekick while the Prophet either remains the Mentor or takes the Big Bad position himself.

Within an all male Beauty, Brains, and Brawn which has gentlemanly, intelligent and strong. All three represent a different kind of manliness: refined, knowledgeable and macho. With men it's generally much easier to spot the contrasts, especially if they're a Power Trio.

As Villains, The Hunter is generally the most competitive and dogmatic. The Hunter is the kind of Villain, who will very often follow his desires single-mindedly. The Lord however is a more pragmatic villain, a Villain though very much evil, doesn't often flaunt his power or acts evil when it's necessary to be so. The Prophet is a villain with perhaps the deepest (or most philosophical) motivations, he's often the most knowledgeable villain, one who can always cause chaos with a special gadget or method.

Very closely related to Noble Male, Roguish Male; here the Hunter is the roguish male and the Lord is the noble male. Alternate names for this bunch abound, such as "soldier, father, and sage."

Compare Three Successful Generations, Mentor's New Hope, and Riddle of the Sphinx (about childhood, adulthood, and old age).

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Examples

Anime & Manga

• In Dragon Ball, Goku is the Hunter as a kid, strong yet still having room to grow and learn from different mentors. As a young adult, during the Saiyan and Namek arcs, he's the Lord, having become the strongest man on Earth by this point but still in need of further training to combat threats from other planets. And by the Cell and Buu sagas he's the Prophet, established as one of the strongest beings in the universe and looking for a successor to defend the Earth after he's gone. He spends a majority of both these arcs training the younger fighters in the cast.
• Go Nagai's series:
  • Mazinger Z: Shiro (a kid who whises growing up like his brother and is constantly trying learning and experimenting with new stuff) is the hunter, The Hero Kouji is naturally the lord and Prof. Yumi (who is The Professor and the mentor of and Parental Substitute of Kouji)is the prophet.
  • Great Mazinger: Prof. Kabuto is the prophet (reinforced in he pretended being a prophet in a feature), Tetsuya is the lord and Shiro is still the hunter, encouraged by Jun to become a lord.
  • UFO Robo Grendizer: The Hero Duke is the lord (crowned prince of a whole planet, in fact), Dr. Umon is the prophet (serves like Parental Substitute, mentor and guide to The Hero), and Goro is the hunter.
  • And if you look to the three male leads of the trilogy, Duke (the older, more mature and more world-worn) is the prophet, Tetsuya (the most skilful and grimmest of them) is the lord and Kouji (the only one not raised as a fighter/pilot, who's seen learning stuff that Tetsuya and Duke already know when they appear) is the hunter.
• Hetalia: Axis Powers: There are several possible combinations, and some of the most popular ones are:
  • The Asians:
    • South Korea (young, excitable, child-like Hunter), Japan (skilled fighter, mysterious Lord who's Not So Aboveit All in the end, who may have some touches of Prophet in more modern times), and China (Prophet — he's the eldest of the group BY FAR, tries to "mother/"father" the group but fails).
    • Thailand, Hong Kong and Macau offer a trio of their own: Hong Kong is the youngest and a Trickster so he can be seen as a Hunter, Macau is softspoken and gets caught in between China and Hong Kong so he mixes Lord and Prophet, and Thailand seems to be a full-blown Prophet since he's the calmest and the only one of this trio who's a full-fledged country.
  • The Axis: North Italy (clumsy and Keetish Hunter), Germany (Perpetual Frowner Lord), and Japan ("Yamato Nadeshiko" Lord/Prophet)
  • The Germanics: Prussia (Blood Knight Hunter), Germany (again, Perpetual Frowner Lord), and Austria (Team Dad Prophet).
  • The Allies: America (energetic Hunter), England (grumpy Lord who in the end is Not So Above It All), France (Lovable Sex Maniac Prophet with Hidden Depths). Or alternatively: America (still energetic Hunter), France (lecherous but not fully shallow Lord), England (still grumpy Prophet)
  • The Mediterraneans: Greece (sleepy and philosophical Hunter), Turkey (masked and Hot-Blooded Lord), Egypt (serious, quiet, deadpan Prophet)
  • The former Spanish Empire: South Italy (Tsundere Hunter as both Chibimano and Romano), Netherlands (Lord who was already seeking independence by the "Boss Spain" days), Spain (Lord -> Prophet as "Boss Spain").
  • The Nordics: Iceland (Deadpan Snarker Hunter), Denmark (Boisterous Bruiser Lord), and Norway (Tsundere Prophet who keeps Denmark in line). Sweden and Finland have traits of all three and thus aren't as easy to "box".
  • The Eastern Europeans: Poland (Wholesome Crossdresser Hunter), Russia (Creepy Cute Lord), Lithuania (Cowardly Lion Prophet).
• Candy♡Candy: The three men more influential in Candy's life fit fairly well. Anthony Brown is the Hunter (sheltered and kind, loves Candy for being free-spirited, secretly wants to see the world but dies before he can do so; Terry Grandchester is the Lord (Troubled, but Cute, rebellious, good-hearted but immature); and Albert is the Prophet (Big Brother Mentor kind, world-weary, wise and the secret leader of the Andree Clan).
• Fate/Zero: Kotomine Kirei (Hunter), Tohsaka Tokiomi (Lord), and Kotomine Risei (Prophet)
  • Other Masters — Waver Velvet, Uryu Ryuunosuke, Matou Kariya (Hunter); Kayneth Archibald (Lord); Emiya Kiritsugu (Prophet)
  • Other Servants — Saber, Lancer, Berserker (Hunter); Rider (Lord); Archer, Caster (Prophet)
• Fist of the North Star: the three Hokuto brothers are as follows: Kenshiro (Good Is Not Soft Hunter), Raoh (Well-Intentioned Extremist Lord), and Toki (Messianic Archetype Prophet).
• From Fullmetal Alchemist: Ed is the Hunter, Mustang is the Lord, and Hohenheim is the Prophet.
  • Alternatively, Ling as the Hunter (eager to prove himself to become the emperor), Roy as the Lord (experienced, high ranked, and has to balance his goal of overthrowing the government with investigating Hughes's murder), and Ed as Prophet (the most reflective of the three, he advises Ling not to search for the philosopher's stone, has given up on reviving his mother, his new goal is to correct his wrongs)
• It could also be said that Naruto's growth is this trope as the seasons pass.
  • Naruto: Child Naruto as The Hunter.
  • Naruto Shippuden: Teen Naruto as The Lord.
  • Naruto, after his Sage training, becomes a bit of a Prophet, but after his Vision Quest and Battle in the Center of the Mind, discovering the truth about his past and mastering the Ninetails, becomes a full-fledged Prophet. Even more so since his constant use of Ninetails powers burns up his lifespan like nobody's business.
    • This could be seen more clearly with Gaara's Character Development. He started as an Ax-Crazy Hunter, when befriended by Naruto he switched to a young Lord who seeked for his place in the Hidden Sand Village, and by the most recent chapters fearuring the Shinobi War he's showing strong Prophet vibes. Specially after defeating his Edo-Tensei-revived!father and sealing him away.
  • Also: Chouji Akimichi (Gentle Giant, Big Eater Hunter), Shikamaru Nara (Brilliant, but Lazy Hunter > Badass Bookworm Lord) and Asuma Sarutobi (Former Teen Rebel Lord -> Team Dad Prophet)
    • And Neji Hyuga (Troubled, but Cute Hunter), Rock Lee (The Ace Lord) and Might Guy (Prophet who looks goofy but shows HUGE power when he gets serious).
    • The Uchiha: Sasuke Uchiha (Revenge Before Reason Hunter), Itachi Uchiha (Knight Templar Big Brother Lord) and Tobi/Obito Uchiha & Madara Uchiha (Big Bad Duumvirate Prophets). (Although as Tobi/Madara, Obito was the Lord).
  • Naruto's closest Senseis:
  • Iruka Umino (Hunter): Naruto's first Teacher who despite having a strict, short temper. Acted like a father for him, he was very sensitive, quick to punishment but also caring, protective with goals to see his students grow.
  • Kakashi Hatake (Lord): The pragmatic Teacher, who helped Team 7 mature the most. He trained Naruto to control both his incredible power and immature attitude, all while trying to figure out his own purpose in the world.
  • Yamato (Prophet): Kept the new Team 7 united through rules and methods. Had the most experience with a profession squad, but not so much in dealing with goofy characters like Naruto.
  • The Uzumaki men:
  • Boruto Uzumaki (Hunter): Naruto's clever but arrogant son, easily the more dislikable of the three. He represents most of of his father's former cockiness, before they both had to mature.
  • Minato Namikaze (Lord): Naruto's father and a loving husband, he had to balance the safety of both his people and his family. Unfortunately he succeeded in only one of the two.
  • Naruto Uzumaki (Prophet): Settled in his role as Hokage, with a great deal of work to do. He matured into a wise, dutiful leader despite his son's resentment towards him.
  • Tobi and his war conspirators:
  • Sasuke Uchiha (Hunter): After Itachi's Death, Sasuke grew ever-more vengeful and demanding of answers. Impatient, Sasuke went as far as reviving Orochimaru, in order to obtain information. This would go on, to his final battle with Naruto where he would finally get satisfaction, quite literally beaten into him.
  • Tobi/Madara (Lord): The main instigator of the Fourth Great Ninja War. Tobi went through all three faces in his lifetime, beginning as the Hunter, committing great evil and leading the Akatsuki as the Lord, then dominating as the Prophet when he became a Jinchuriki and a Sage. Ultimately returned as the Lord, after he regained faith in the world. From which he would aid Team 7, in putting an end to the war.
  • Kabuto Yakushi (Prophet): With prior connections to the Akatsuki, Orochimaru and Sasuke, Kabuto sought out power as a means to acquire further knowledge. In most ways he surpassed Orochimaru, having unlocked Sage Mode where he blackmailed Tobi into an alliance. However Kabuto lacked an identity of his own, he was clever but only gained such strength, through the effort of others.
• Mobile Fighter G Gundam: Domon Kasshu (Hunter), Prime Minister Wong (Lord), Master Asia (Prophet)
• This particular trope is played with in Neon Genesis Evangelion with Kaji (Hunter), Gendo (Lord) and Fuyutsuki (Prophet). As with the female archetypes, EVA turns these on its head by the end of the series, showing the unattached, truth-seeking spy Kaji to have a thoughtful paternal side, Gendo showing himself to be a very steely, sterile king of character and later being revealed as very devoted and submissive to his late wife, on which Fuyutsuki had a rather pathetic crush that makes him look anything but older and wiser.
• The Prince of Tennis: Each team is a mix and match of the three archetypes. Captains and subcaptains tend to be Prophets, the youngest members (first and second years) are Hunters, and the other second-years and third years are Lords.
  • As an example, we have the Rikkaidai team. The "Three Demons" (captain Yukimura, subcaptain Sanada and data specialist Yanagi) are all Prophets in their own ways, guiding and ruling their teammates and True Companions with iron fists (in silk/velvet glove, in Yukimura's case). Kirihara is definitely a Hunter, as the youngest and more child-like of the regulars, and openly seeking to prove his worth via defeating the "three demons". The others (Marui, Jackal, Niou and Yagyuu) are all Lords, with Niou also having strong Hunter traits (specially when he Sanada orders him to take his Power Limiter armbands and he actually refuses). The only first year, Urayama, is a wide-eyed and pint-sized Hunter.
• Revolutionary Girl Utena: Kyouichi Saionji, Mitsuru Tsuwabuki, Tatsuya Kazami and Miki Kaoru (Hunters); Touga Kiryuu, Souji Mikage and Ruka Tsuchiya (Lords); Akio Ohtori (evil version of the Prophet who, as Prince Dios, used to be the Lord)
• Rurouni Kenshin also has several of these trios:
  • Sanosuke (Hunter: young, Hot-Blooded, Boisterous Bruiser), Kenshin and Saitou (Lords who have Seen It All and try to deal), Shishio (Prophet, via being a badass Big Bad who seeks to make Japan a Warrior Heaven)
  • Juppongatana version: Cho, Kamatari and Usui (Hunters), Soujiro and Anji (Lord), Shishio ("Prophet")
• Science Ninja Team Gatchaman: Jinpei is the Hunter, seeking to prove himself, Ken Washio is the Lord, who must deal anything that threatens the world and Dr. Kozaburo Nambu is the Prophet known for his wisdom.
• This is played around with in regards to the main three male protagonists in Slayers: Gourry, a wandering swordsman, is the Hunter, Luke, a mercenary, is the Lord, and Zelgadis, a chimera, is the Prophet. Wanting to forget his bad past, Gourry keeps feigning for a future, while Luke has moved away from his roots as an assassin and lives day-to-day as a treasure hunter, possibly seeking a relationship with his partner Milina (which is shown to be nigh impossible). Zelgadis subverts his status as the Prophet, in that the intelligence and skills that he has, he does not bother to pass on, nor does he care; in fact, he holds a sense of superiority because of it. Also, while his desire to cure his body is a trait of the Hunter, it's because he wants to start over and obtain strength from the ground up. Another unusual fact is that ages are in reverse; Hunter Gourry is the oldest, Luke's in the middle, and Zelgadis is the youngest.
• Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann plays with this. Simon and Kamina start out as The Hunter, while Lord Genome is (obviously) The Lord. Simon at the end of the series has elements of The Prophet.
• Yu-Gi-Oh!: Jounouchi is the hunter, Kaiba is the lord and Atem is the prophet.
• In Jo Jos Bizarre Adventure Diamond Is Unbreakable, Josuke is the Hunter, Jotaro is the Lord, and Joseph is the Prophet.

Card Games

• In The Tarot, Chariot corresponds to Hunter, Justice corresponds to Lord, and Hermit corresponds to Prophet. It even still fits when you interpret the Major Arcana as a version of The Hero's Journey: Chariot, Justice, and Hermit are the three final cards of the masculine half of the Journey.
• Italian and Spanish playing cards use Kings, Knights, and Knaves (i.e., a commoner, probably someone who would have served as a foot soldier in war) as the face cards, though some versions add a Queen in there as well.

Comic Books

• In Red Robin Tim ends up the Hunter to Ra's al Ghul's Lord and Batman's Prophet.
• Batman: The general formula seems to have this trope built-in to base dynamics with Bruce Wayne as the Lord who protects the status quo of Gotham City, in which both his alter-egos hold well-respected positions, and he has skills and means to achieve it. There is usually a sidekick (one of the Robins, though any of the Batgirls can and has occasionally slot in this role as well) who is usually be portrayed as more hotheaded and reckless, eager to prove their worth and needing Bruce's guidance on caution, thus fitting role of the Hunter. Finally, the formula asks for at least one elderly male figure — usually either Jim Gordon or Alfred Pennyworth, through Lucius Fox can hold this position as well — that may not play an active role in crimefighting but serves Bruce with advice and wisdom coming from many years of experience, who serves as the Prophet.
  • When they get the spotlight younger sidekicks usually stay in the archetype of the Hunter, but older ones can place as Lord instead. Batman and Robin (2009) could be seen as a big test of whenever Dick Grayson is ready to fill the role of Lord with Damian Wayne as his Hunter.
  • Bruce can also slide from the role of the Lord into the Prophet whenever he takes a backseat on a team book. For example in Batman And The Outsiders 2019, he visibly steps back and for most of the story gives advice and guidelines to Black Lightning, who takes a more active role as the team leader. The way the two clash, with Bruce clearly trying to pass on to Jefferson his wisdom to make him a better leader and Jefferson accusing Bruce of being manipulative and not caring for the team's well-being, echoes motivations of Prophet and Lord, respectively. Duke Thomas, being most inexperienced member of the group and unable to deal with a recent traumatic experience, rounds out the trinity as the Hunter.
• Spider-Man: Long-time fans would likely point to Broken Base and the narrative struggle of when Spider-Man should be the Hunter or the Lord as a core problem of the character. Peter Parker started as the Hunter, being characterized by teenage naivety, a slight dose of egoism tempered by guilt and ambition clashing with his sense of responsibility. As he grew older it became more and more clear it is time for him to transition into the Lord, but many times he was held back or regressed due to fear of losing the charm he had as a Hunter. His own creator Steve Ditko allegedly quit because he wasn't allowed to make that change (he would later make Ted Kord to show what his idea of Peter as an adult would be and it — wealthy, well-respected industrialist characterized by having his life together in a way Peter never can get his — embodies the Lord quite a bit). The issues only grew bigger as Peter became more and more of a veteran. Where he once was an inexperienced kid, now he was the first to support new young heroes, becoming a more and more respected pillar of the superhero community. It seems what finally allowed Peter to take the position of the Lord for good was the introduction of Miles Morales, who with his own teenage struggles and lack of experience took the role of the Hunter. As for the Prophet, there are many who could fit the role occasionally across the years, but the definite one would be one whose wisdom became guiding words of the whole franchise — Uncle Ben himself.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
  • The titular main characters (Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael) represent the Hunters: They are an eager, determined teenage Sibling Team who are destined to master the art of ninjitsu.
  • Their main and most prominent enemy, Shredder/Oroku Saki, represents the Lord: He is the Evil Overlord and leader of The Foot Clan where his main goal is to wreak havoc and take down the Turtles.
  • The turtles' sensei/father, Master Splinter, represents the Prophet: He is an Old Master (usually with a Dark and Troubled Past) who took the turtles in as his sons, training them to become ninjas and usually gives them lectures on how to improve themselves.

Films — Animated

• Toy Story: In the first three films, Woody is the Lord, being consistently worried about his status as Andy's favorite and leader of Andy's toys, but the other positions change depending on the film.
  • Toy Story 2: Buzz or tomboy Jessie is the Hunter (Buzz is a confused hunter who doesn't think he needs to prove anything; Jessie's self-worth was pretty much shattered by being abandoned; ironically she's a Friend to All Living Things), and Stinky Pete is the Prophet (physically the oldest and very, very concerned about his legacy, or lack thereof, which gave him value).
  • Toy Story 3: Ken is the Hunter (constantly needing to prove himself in spite of his lot in life as a male toy designed for girls), and Lotso is the Lord/Prophet (eldest toy in the place, maintains stability through fear and intimidation of newer toys).

Films — Live-Action

• In The Breakfast Club, Brian is The Hunter (awkward and out of his depth), Andrew is The Lord (a popular, serious-minded athlete) and Bender is The Prophet (a loudmouth who gets everyone to open up).
• Gladiator, Maximus (The Lord) is a battle-hardened General, who was ready to retire from military service and return to his family in peace. Commodus (The Hunter) however took all that away from him, murdering his father, Marcus Aurelius just to usurp his position as Emperor. Proximo (The Prophet) purchases Maximus as his Gladiator, he revives the general's fighting spirit to become a champion and win the adoration of the crowd.
• In Jaws, Hooper is The Hunter (young and eager), Brody is The Lord (middle-aged and in authority) and Quint is The Prophet (grizzled and worldly).
• The Karate Kid (1984):
  • Daniel LaRusso is the Hunter: A teenaged boy and The Protagonist who had moved to Los Angeles and is looking to take down his bullies by learning karate.
  • John Kreese is the Lord: Decorated war veteran and sensei of the Cobra Kai Dojo (the dojo of Daniel's rivals) who will do anything to win.
  • Mr. Miyagi is the Prophet: A wise, level-headed old man who acts as Daniel's Parental Substitute and mentor where he trains the young boy how to be a true martial artist.
• Once Upon a Time in the West, Frank is The Hunter (ambitious and greedy), Cheyenne is The Lord (sardonic and helpful) Harmonica is The Prophet (driven and resourceful).
• In Real Genius, Mitch (Hunter) is learning about himself and adult life, Chris (Lord) is The Ace moving into a larger sphere of life as graduation looms, and Laszlo (Prophet) plays a mentor role to both younger men.
• In Robocop 1987, among OCP's Power Trio, Bob Morton is the hunter, an ambitious, younger, up and coming executive who takes risks and is innovative. Dick Jones is the lord, an established and consolidated Vice President trying to extinguish new threats while still aiming for the top spot, and The Old Man is the prophet trying to establish a legacy, is disappointed with his number two and likely successor and is quick to give a chance to competent alternatives.
• Schindler's List, tells the historical story of Oskar Schindler (Lord). A wealthy and charismatic Businessman, who (perhaps unintentionally) saves many Jewish lives during the Holocaust. Schindler becomes close friends with Amon Göth (Hunter), a callous and despicable Nazi Commandant who desires a meaning behind his violent actions. Assisting Schindler was Itzhak Stern (Prophet) a troubled yet wise Accountant, who followed and advised his boss down a path of heroism.
• In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter acts as the Hunter, having to deal with the recent upheavals in his life as a result of the events of the previous film. Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man is the Lord, being in his prime and still having to cope with his failure to save his Gwen Stacy, while Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man is the Prophet, being a middle-aged Spider-Man who has mostly made peace with himself.
• In Star Trek (2009), Kirk is the Hunter, determined to prove himself. Spock's the Lord, being buffeted between his human and Vulcan nature. And McCoy is the Prophet, as the oldest of the three.
• Star Wars has The Hunter, The Lord, and The Prophet of the force being Luke, Darth Vader and Obi-Wan.
  • The prequel trilogy has Anakin as the hunter, Obi-Wan as the lord and Qui-Gon as the prophet.
  • The Star Wars universe also has a twist on the three faces with the Sith; there is no Prophet. Since the Sith philosophy emphasizes one's power to change the universe around you and pursuit of it, it means that it's better to kill a Lord after he's overthrown rather than let him waste away and stagnate. There are always only two Sith, a Hunter Apprentice who learns and studies under the Lord Master. When the apprentice overthrows his master he becomes the new Lord and accepts a new Hunter to learn under him. Through the series Darth Sidious (Emperor Palpatine) is the Lord in this equation, with the Hunter role being filled over time by Darth Maul, Count Dooku, and finally Darth Vader.
    • Darth Sidious's Apprentices individually:
    • Maul (Hunter): Sidious's former apprentice and the youngest between the three. Maul was deluded with power and vengeance, desperate to prove himself strong again. However in the end, Maul truly had nothing, forever the puppet of Sidious and never truly a puppeteer.
    • Count Dooku (Prophet): The oldest of Sidious's apprentices, an inquisitive free-thinker who even before his fall, thought differently to those around him. Qui-Gon Jinn was really the only one, Dooku felt understood him, his death pained him deeply. Though the Jedi once revered him, Dooku questioned them and the Republic. Tired of the corruption, Dooku deserted his former comrades, seeing them as blind and close-minded.
    • Darth Vader (Lord): A Lord in every sense of the word, Vader was Sidious's masterpiece. Vader ruled the Galactic Empire beside his twisted master. Very few held Vader's chain, and even less lived to tell the tale. While Sidious handled most of the political work, Vader oversaw the military operations. As his master's most powerful follower, Vader was feared across the galaxy, by even the lowest of scum.
  • The three faces with the Jedi are seemingly the opposite to the Sith; A Jedi Master who is the Prophet, trains the Hunter Padawan to mature into the Lord, then wisen up into a Prophet. Obi-Wan went through this cycle under his tutelage with Qui-Gon Jinn (and later Yoda). In Episode I he went from quizzical Hunter to Lord, after defeating Maul and accepting Anakin. Episode II he was the Lord to Anakin's Hunter and throughout the Clone Wars. Finally in Episode III, Obi-Wan went from Lord to Prophet, just as Anakin went from Hunter to Lord...Vader. This process was repeated later on with Luke.
• TRON: Legacy: Sam (Hunter), Clu (Lord), Flynn (Prophet). It's a bit tricky since Clu is Flynn, frozen in time when he was still full of himself and obsessed with perfection.
  • In the original, Flynn (Hunter), Dillinger (Lord), and Walter (Prophet).

Literature

• In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie Bucket is the Hunter (a sweet boy whose dreams are crippled by his family's poverty), Willy Wonka is the Lord (fabulously successful businessman concerned with maintaining/expanding upon his successes to the point of Skewed Priorities), and Grandpa Joe is the Prophet (no longer has goals for himself but is The Storyteller to Charlie and protective of him), though Mr. Wonka turns out to also be a Prophet secretly seeking a child he can train to be his heir. Adaptations sometimes jigger with these relationships:
  • In the 1971 film, Charlie and the other Golden Ticket finders are approached by another Lord figure: Mr. Wonka's candymaking rival Mr. Slugworth, with an offer of greater riches if they will betray Mr. Wonka's trust. And Grandpa Joe's guidance of Charlie isn't always good — he's the one who suggest they sample the Fizzy Lifting drinks.
  • In the 2005 film, Adaptation Expansion reveals that when Willy Wonka was in the Hunter stage as a child, his dentist father Wilbur was in the Lord stage and a Fantasy-Forbidding Father. The boy ran away from him to pursue his dreams of candymaking, becoming a Lord himself — but a socially maladjusted one. In the Not His Sled climax/denouement, Charlie encourages Willy to reconcile with his father, who has matured into the Prophet stage and dearly misses the son he was overprotective of, and whom he is so proud of now for his success.
  • In the 2013 stage musical, Willy Wonka's dual nature as both Lord and Prophet is more pronounced, to the point that he actually takes on the persona of an elderly, world-weary tramp to venture beyond his factory, and it's in this guise that he first meets Charlie and, seeing the boy's potential, becomes his Anonymous Benefactor.
• The Brotherhood of the King in The Chronicles of Magravandias: the warrior (hunter), the magus (lord), and the bard (prophet).
• In The Lord of the Rings:
  • Aragorn is The Hunter, seeking a place for himself in this world and to prove himself worthy to get what he wants, Elrond is The Lord, well-established, striving to maintain a balance and preserve what he has, Gandalf is The Prophet, the guide who tries to impress his wisdom on the young ones
  • Among the hobbits, Merry and Pippin are both hunters, with a love for adventure, being knights of Rohan and Gondor and taking major part in the battles and always too adventurous for hobbits. Sam is the lord, fighting when the battles come but in the end going back to his family and his garden. Frodo is the prophet, a noncombatant, thinking deeply about things, not wanting to kill his enemies when at all possible, and eventually sailing over the sea with the elves.
• In one of the Nightside novels, a middle-aged family man is hounded by manifestations of his earlier selves: a youthful political activist out to change society (hunter) and a hard-charging professional who glories in his career success (lord). The family man defends his life-choices against their accusations with the wisdom that experience and fatherhood have taught him (prophet).
• The Chronicles of Prydain: Among those who live at Caer Dallben, there is Taran (Hunter), Coll (Lord), Dallben (Prophet). There are doubtless other examples throughout the series.
• The pantheon of the Faith of the Seven in A Song of Ice and Fire has The Hecate Sisters, The Stranger, and a variation of The Three Faces Of Adam as the seven faces of God.
  • The Warrior is the Hunter and the Father is the Lord. The Smith shares some traits with the Prophet if you squint — the concern with leaving a legacy, etc. — but the emphasis on knowledge and wisdom is attributed to the Crone, leaving the Smith as something of the odd deity out.
  • Alternatively, you can still have the Warrior as the Hunter, the Smith as the Lord (minds his tasks, monitors and regulates himself/ his workstation in a world that is anything but regular, creates items and tools that will become legacies for the future if others continue on the work — has apprentices as "children") and the Father as the Prophet (directs the others as to where they should go and what they should do, has an eye to identifying and interpreting or upholding the legacy of the past with an eye to predicting the future, is more cerebral and manipulative than the other two — in short, "is a maester or septon"). Even the Westerosi, however, mistake the Father for the Lord (heck, a lot of High Lords venerate him and petty lords, captains and commanders will refuse to see themselves as governmental "Smiths"), often enough. However, the number of messed-up father-figures in the story, not to mention the distain most of the nobility have for the relatively humble Smith, and you can get why they misunderstand their own pantheon. The Faith is skewed against seeing the Smith as being a vital dynamo. As Septon Meribald makes clear:
    Without his labour, what would the Warrior defend? Every town has a smith, and every castle. They make the plows we need to plant our crops, the nails we use to build our ships, iron shoes to save the hooves of our faithful horses, the bright swords of our lords. No one could doubt the value of a smith, and so we name one of the Seven in his honour, but we might as easily have called him the Farmer or the Fisherman, the Carpenter or the Cobbler. What he works at makes no matter. What matters is, he works. The Father rules, the Warrior fights, the Smith labours, and together they perform all that is rightful for a man. Just as the Smith is one aspect of the godhead, the Cobbler is one aspect of the Smith.
  • Jon Snow and his two mentor figures amongst the Night's Watch in the first three books. Jon is the Hunter, a young and idealistic recruit, with a thirst to prove himself and find a place in the world. Lord Commander Jeor Mormont is the Lord, the Watch's commander who will do whatever it takes to keep the Watch together regardless of whether or not it compromises his principles. Maester Aemon is the Prophet, the aged (100 years old by the first book) healer and counselor who's always willing to lend a hand or sage advice.
• In The Wheel of Time, irresponsible, roguish Mat is the Hunter, solid, dependable Perrin is the Lord literally, later on and Rand, destined for death and obsessed with the kind of world he'll leave behind, is the Prophet. Not a particularly wise one to start, but he grows into the role.
• Alexei Panshin pointed out that Robert A. Heinlein's most memorable character (at least as of 1967) was "the Heinlein Individual ... a single personality that appears in three different stages". The first of these is "the competent but naive youngster", the second "the competent man in full glory, the man who knows how things work", and the third "the wise old man who not only knows how things work, but why they work, too."
• In the Brotherband Chronicles, Hal (the youngest and the protagonist) is the Hunter, Thorn (older and wiser, and Hal's mentor) is the Lord, and Erak, as the Oberjarl and sort-of mentor to the others, is the Lord.

Live-Action TV

• Ahsoka: Ezra Bridger was the Hunter, who took many risks to stop Thrawn and the empire. However, in doing-so he became trapped in a different galaxy, having to befriend the native Noti people to survive. Baylan Skoll was the Prophet, despite falling to the Dark Side, he was a wise, dedicated man who taught Shin fluently of his teachings. In the end, Baylan didn't commit evil for the sake of it, but rather because it was a rational powergrab. Grand Admiral Thrawn was the Lord, cleverly he bided his time, gathered his remaining forces and planned ahead of his plans. Thrawn made sure he won, regardless of the smaller defeats, becoming the leader of the dwindling Imperial Remnant.
• Breaking Bad:
  • Jesse is the Hunter of the series; desiring wealth and greatness but lacking the direction needed until he falls in with Walt. Gus, the ruthless criminal Kingpin is the Lord, controlling a vast empire that seemingly no one can topple. Mike, the hitman detective working for Gus is the Prophet, not concerned if he lives or dies, and only trying to make a better life for his granddaughter (and later, to a lesser extent, Jesse).
  • In the Mexican cartel this is shown in the Salamanca family. Tuco, the Ax-Crazy crime boss is the current Lord, greatly respected and feared by his organization and seeking only to keep his power by controlling Walt and killing anyone who disrespects him. The Hunters are his cousins, two murdering identical twins who seem unstoppable in their goals but are useless without the guidance of Tuco or Hector. Finally Hector Salamanca is the Prophet; formerly a deeply revered crime lord who's now been paralyzed by a stroke and confined to a wheelchair, only able to look on as his legacy is carried out by Tuco and the cousins. Gus's idea of torturing Hector is to slowly murder his family one by one, depriving him of his legacy. In Better Call Saul after Tuco is imprisoned and Hector suffers his stroke, Lalo Salamanca fills the Lord role for the last three seasons.
  • Walt is an odd case; he starts the series as the Prophet, mostly accepting his terminal cancer and only being concerned with leaving behind a positive legacy in his two children (and later, again, in Jesse). But then as he rises through the criminal underworld and gains more notoriety, Walt's greed and arrogance actually causes him to regress back to being the Lord, now largely concerned with his new criminal empire and how to keep it. In the final season, he loses his empire and everyone he once cared about in a brutal Humiliation Conga, leaving him as the Hunter, seeking some last-ditch way to make it all worthwhile before his cancer catches up to him again.
• A recurring motif in Dark (2017), which is about a Stable Time Loop with lots of My Future Self and Me.
  • The first two seasons prominently feature three stages of Jonas's life. Jonas is the Hunter, a teenage boy who begins to find his place in the world amid various personal tragedies. The Stranger is the Lord, a middle-aged man who is trying to fix things. And Adam is the Prophet, who has already lived through his past selves' mistakes and therefore knows much more about the goings-on than anyone else. He talks about this phenomenon, dividing a man's life into three phases: a man moves to the next stage when he first loses his naivete, then to the final one when he loses his innocence. Season 3 introduces Adam's female counterpart Eve, who fills a similar role.
  • The Unknown is always represented by a child, a middle-aged man, and an old man who act in tandem.
• In The Defenders (2017), Danny Rand is The Hunter (righteous, but naive), Matt Murdock is The Lord (represents the law) and Luke Cage is The Prophet (the everyman from the streets).
• Firefly: Jayne is the Hunter, Mal is the Lord, Book is the Prophet. Wash and Simon are somewhat muddier, with Simon switching between Hunter and Lord and Wash switching between Lord and Prophet, depending on the situation.
• Foundation (2021): Invoked by Emperor Cleon I, who set things up so that there is a triumvirate of clones of him at different ages ruling the galactic empire. This ostensibly provides stability. The "genetic dynasty" is comprised of Brother Dawn, a young boy who is mentored by the others, Brother Day, the mature Emperor who makes most of the decisions, and Brother Dusk, an old man who advises but defers to Brother Day.
• On Frasier, Niles is The Hunter (brash and ambitious), Frasier is The Lord (wise, but pompous) and Martin is The Prophet (grouchy and experienced).
• Game of Thrones for the main Lannisters: Tyrion is the hunter as the de jure heir to House Lannister and has unattainable dreams of being a lord due to being The Unfavorite, Jamie is the lord, entrenched in his position as a Kingsguard, and Tywin is the prophet, looking to impart his way of doing things on his kingly grandsons... with varying success.
• Mad Men: Pete Campbell is the Hunter: hungry, ambitious, seeking more wealth and more power, advocating risky business moves that have a high potential payoff. (In Season 6, he starts to approach Lord territory, and is increasingly unhappy). Don Draper is the Lord: he makes partner in Season 1, and is officially at the top of his field; he wants to be great, but he now has so much to lose (and he loses a lot). Bert Cooper is the Prophet, satisfied with his life (except for that operation), wanting only to secure his legacy in the form of leaving a healthy firm. Roger Sterling is in the middle of transitioning from Lord to Prophet: at first uncomfortable with his increasing irrelevance, he gradually settles in to a role as "Professor Emeritus of Accounts" and leaves the heavy lifting to Pete and Ken.
• In Our Friends in the North, Geordie is The Hunter (leaves Newcastle to find his fortune in London, but lacks clear direction), Tosker is The Lord (becomes rich and successful) and Nicky is The Prophet (had aspirations to change the world).
• In Star Trek: The Original Series, Kirk is The Hunter (brash, impulsive and adventurous), Spock is The Lord (wise, rational and logical) and Bones is The Prophet (cynical, outspoken and compassionate).
• In Vikings, Ragnar progresses through all three stages, starting out as a simple but ambitious farmer at the beginning, then becoming a literal lord, and finally losing all his power and becoming a Death Seeker. In the last half of Season 4, Ragnar is the Prophet, Bjorn is the Lord, and the younger sons are the Hunters (especially Ivar).
• The Wire:
  • Within the Baltimore drug trade, Marlo Stanfield is the Hunter (young, building his empire, making lots of mistakes, making big moves), Avon Barksdale is the Lord (well-established, fighting for what he's got, trying to keep things stable), and Proposition Joe is the Prophet (older than Avon by a good ten years at least, concerned about the future of the drug trade, tries to impart wisdom on Marlo).
  • Among the detectives, Jimmy McNulty is the Hunter, being comparatively young and making bold moves to make big cases because he feels he has little to lose. Bunk Moreland is the Lord, a somewhat older man who has secured his place in Homicide and although interested in good police work is also not about to risk his place to do so. Lester Freamon is the Prophet—although he's just as eager as McNulty to bring in the big cases, he does so in the context of mentoring younger detectives in the hope that they will embrace his model of thorough and meticulous investigation, and he worries deeply about the future of the BPD.

Music

• "We Will Rock You" by Queen. All together now ("stomp-stomp-clap" optional):
  Buddy you're a boy, make a big noise
  Playin' in the street, gonna be a big man some day
  You got mud on your face, you big disgrace
  Kickin' your can all over the place

  Buddy you're a young man, hard man
  Shoutin' in the street, gonna take on the world some day
  You got blood on your face, you big disgrace
  Wavin' your banner all over the place

  Buddy you're an old man, poor man
  Pleadin' with your eyes, gonna make you some peace some day
  You got mud on your face, you big disgrace
  Somebody better put you back in your place

• The Oh Hellos' "Solider, Poet, King", though the order is a bit wonky. The soldier, the poet and the king.
  There will come a soldier
  who carries a mighty sword
  He will tear your city down
  Oh lei oh lai oh lord
  
  There will come a poet
  who's weapon is his word
  He will slay you with his tongue
  Oh lei oh lai oh lord
  
  There will come a ruler
  who's brow is laid in thorn
  Smeared in oil, like David's boy
  Oh lei oh lai oh lord

Mythology & Religion

• Classical Mythology: Poseidon (The Hunter), Zeus (The Lord), and Hades (The Prophet). Oddly, this has little to do with their (admittedly more or less irrelevant) relative ages; Zeus is traditionally the youngest son of Kronos and Rhea, Poseidon the second, and Hades oldest. (Also, Zeus is arguably the oldest in terms of experience, inasmuch as he avoided being swallowed by Kronos after he was born and therefore had experiences growing up.)
• The Bible:
  • In Genesis, we have Joseph (Hunter), Jacob (Lord), and Isaac (Prophet). For bonus points, they're three generations of the same family.
  • And in a meta sense, the books of Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes represent the life and corresponding outlook of the author (presumably King Solomon) at these three respective stages.^note Solomon is traditionally linked to Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. While most the Psalms are attributed to David — Solomon's father — two are traditionally attributed to Solomon. Modern scholarship is skeptical of all these traditional attributions, but on the other hand the difference in outlooks between the three books is clear.
• Various Christians see Christ's roles as Priest, Prophet, and King, his "threefold office" as The Other Wiki explains. And believe that through baptism they (of both sexes) share those offices, in prayer, witness, and service (among other variations) respectively.
• The Ur-Example of this trope for Christianity is the Holy Trinity: Father (Lord), Son (Hunter) and Holy Spirit (Prophet).
• Egyptian Mythology: Osiris — who's dead, or at least, alive in some sense but in the underworld — is the Prophet. His son Horus, out to avenge him by defeating Evil Uncle Set, is the Hunter. The Lord would probably be Ra, or maybe Amun (or Amun-Ra), who represents the power of the ruling pharaoh.

Tabletop Games

• Vampire: The Requiem has the Circle of the Crone, a covenant of pagan vampires who believe that the Kindred stem from a mother figure who has reflections in all mythologies. As a result, the Covenant has certain "roles", broken down by gender boundaries. Men have the Hero (Hunter), who quests to further the goals of the Circle, the Father (Lord), who passes judgment and sets laws, and the Hermit (Prophet), who bestows knowledge on those willing to pay the price. In addition, there's the Fool, who is given permission to sow chaos when the Circle cannot act directly.
• The Elven pantheon of gods in Warhammer has, among its ranks, examples of these three archetypes - Kurnous the Wild Hunter, Asuryan the Creator and Hoeth, Lord of Wisdom. Interestingly enough their dark counterparts are all female - Anath Raema, Ereth Khial and Hekarti.
• The Space Marines of Warhammer 40,000 consist of the Space Wolves and Raven Guard (Hunter), the Ultramarines and Imperial Fists (Lord), and the Dark Angels (Prophet). In the meantime, Chaos Space Marines include the World Eaters and Night Lords (Hunter), the Black Legion (Lord), and the Word Bearers and Thousand Sons (Prophet).
  • The Xeno races in turn comprise of the belligerent Orks (Hunter), the cruel Dark Eldar of Commorragh (Lord) , and the manipulative Craftworld Eldar (Prophet). In the meanwhile the voracious Tyranids serve as the Hunter, the Tau as the Lord, and the ancient and omnicidal Necrons as the Prophet.

Theatre

• In Hamilton, the title character is in his own words "young, scrappy, and hungry" (The Hunter). Burr is more cautious (The Lord), and Washington is the reflective mentor (The Prophet).
• Wicked has Boq as The Hunter, doing whatever it takes to impress Galinda and then literally becoming a witch hunter. Fiyero is The Lord, particularly in Act Two, when he is captain of the guard and engaged to Galinda but still has feelings for Elphaba. The Wizard is The Prophet hoping to take Elphaba under his wing.
• Among the male-identifying characters in RENT in the core friend group, Roger is The Hunter who dreams of writing one last great song. Mark is The Lord, conflicted between his desire to create a provocative film and his need to make a living. Collins, a philosophy teacher, is The Prophet, looking for ways to make an impact and experience real love before he dies.

Video Games

• Apex Legends The morally ambiguous male Legends:
  • Revenant (Hunter): An Obviously Evil simulacrum, who for better-or-worse cases wishes to die. Though he's mean, vicious and spiteful, Revenant still cooperates with others. He's a Hunter alright, and a not a very pleasant one, yet can you really blame him?
  • Caustic (Prophet): A toxic Mad Scientist who uses the competition to further his research. Obsessed with death and gassing his opponents, Caustic often finds himself contemplating the attitudes of others. He has a soft spot, but not the type to show gratitude openly.
  • Ballistic (Lord): The former champion who allowed fame and glory, to ruin his life. Ballistic had everything, money, reputation and a family, but each deteriorated when he lost touch with the world. Now he wants it all back, and would tread on as many toes just to get it.
• Assassin's Creed:
  • Ezio Auditore takes on a different one of these with of his games. Assassin's Creed II has him as the Hunter (racing across Italy for revenge), Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has him as the Lord (raising a group of Assassins and bringing the Renaissance to Rome), and Assassin's Creed: Revelations has him showing heavy shades of the Prophet (embarking on a spiritual pilgrimage to Masyaf and, along the way, serving as a distinguished Mentor to the Istanbul Assassins^note even though the order-building gameplay is almost identical to Brotherhood, Yusuf is the head of the local branch in the narrative, thus serving as the Lord to Ezio's Prophet).
  • In Assassin's Creed III we have Connor (Hunter), Haytham (Lord) and Achilles (Prophet). Connor becomes involved in the American Revolution, looking for answers from his father, Haytham. As the Templar Grandmaster, Haytham struggles to keep order during the war, he knows very well how the politics work. Achilles met Haytham prior to Connor's involvement, however he trains Connor as a last attempt to right the wrongs of the previous brotherhood.
• Dragon Age II: Carver (Hunter), Varric (Lord), and Anders (Prophet). Male!Hawke also transitions through each stage across the three acts: in Act 1, he is an upstart refugee looking to make a name and fortune for himself; in Act 2, he is a powerful noble engaging in power plays in Kirkwall to secure his estate's and his friends' well-being; and in Act 3, he is the Champion of Kirkwall whose voice carries an enormous weight and whose final decision makes his name a banner for either the Templars or the mages all across Thedas.
• Dragon Age: Inquisition: Bull and a male Inquisitor (Hunter), Dorian and Blackwall (Lord), Solas (Prophet). Arguably, Varric may have evolved from Lord into Prophet.
• Eternal Sonata: Allegretto (Hunter), Jazz (Lord), and Frederick Chopin (Prophet).
• Fate/stay night shows the progression of protagonist Emiya Shirou through each of these roles over the course of its three routes. At the beginning of each route, he is a Hunter.
  • Fate route: He transitions from Hunter to Lord and eventually to Prophet by the end of the Last Episode epilogue.
    • Also Archer is a version of Shirou from a timeline similar in events to the Fate route, but who remained a Hunter until his death. He becomes a Prophet due to his experiences as a Counter-Guardian. He is bitter about his fate, but while alive never regretted remaining an idealist.
  • Unlimited Blade Works route: He transitions from Hunter to Lord.
  • Heaven's Feel route: He transitions from Hunter to Prophet.
• Final Fantasy:
  • Final Fantasy IV: Cecil and Palom (Lord), Kain and Edge (Hunter), Yang and Tellah (Prophet).
  • Final Fantasy X: Tidus is the Hunter (Younger, trying to find himself and some answers about his hometown, afraid of what the future holds and what it means, takes a lot of risks with nothing to lose at first). Wakka is the Lord (struggles to maintain his religious beliefs in a rapidly changing world where the party learns more and more about Yevon, also the coach and captain of his blitzball team). Auron is the Prophet (older, wiser, his aspirations are explicitly given to the next generation because he failed on his own journey).
  • The male heroes of Final Fantasy XII: Vaan is the Hunter (young, brash, eager to prove himself), Balthier is the Lord (an established Sky Pirate, serving as reluctant mentor to Vaan), and Basch is the Prophet (grizzled war veteran).
    • By the time of Final Fantasy Tactics A2, Vaan has graduated to the Lord as an established Sky Pirate in his own right, Luso is the Hunter as he's a Naïve Newcomer eager to explore the world around him, and Cid serves as the Prophet by virtue of being Clan Gully's veteran leader and mentor to Luso.
  • Just like the three female l'Cie in Final Fantasy XIII fit into The Three Faces of Eve pattern, the three males fit here: Hope is the Hunter, doggedly pursuing Snow to exact revenge throughout half the game; Snow is the Lord, commanding NORA early on and then serving as the pillar of motivation for other l'Cie (his Signature Move is even called "Sovereign Fist"); and Sazh is the Prophet, a lone voice of reason who only wants to save his son and live out his life in peace. Their ages also all fit.
• Fire Emblem:
  • Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, both generations:
    • Hunters: Lex, Azel, Holyn, Beowulf, Midayle, Lewyn, Fin (first generation); Seliph, Leif, Ares, Corple/Sharlow, Lester/Dimna, Ulster/Roddlevan, Delmud/Tristan, Faval/Asaello, Arthur/Amid, Johan, Johalva (second generation).
    • Lords: Sigurd, Jamke, Arvis, Andorey, Shagall, Quan, Travant (first generation); Shannan, Julius, Burian, Fin, Scorpio, Ced/Hawk, Areone (second generation).
    • Prophets: Vylon, Manfroy, Reptor, Ring, Langobalt (first generation); Emperor Arvis, Danan, Lewyn, Hannibal, Travant (second generation).
  • Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade:
    • Hector is the Hunter, Eliwood is the Lord (literally), and both Athos and Lord Uther are the Prophets.
    • The Ostian group has Hector and Matthew (Hunter), Oswin (Lord... despite being The Lancer to Hector) and Uther (Prophet)
    • The Knights of Pherae: Lowen (Hunter), Harken and Eliwood (Lord), and both Marcus and Elbert (Prophet)
  • Fire Emblem: Awakening: Chrom and the guys in the Shepherds Badass Crew (Hunter); King Gangrel and Emperor Walhart (evil versions of the Lord though they can be brought into the group), opposite a male Avatar and the brand new Exalt Chrom who have gone from Hunter to Lord upon the Time Skip; Validar ("Prophet")
  • Fire Emblem Gaiden: In Echoes, the main villains hailing from Rigel absolutely qualifies: Prince Berkut is the Hunter, being the high and mighty noble who devolves into a screaming homicidal maniac after his pride has been crumbled, Emperor Rudolf is fittingly the Lord, whose scheme is to encourage his true son to free the world of the degenerating Duma, even if it means the whole world will curse his name, and First Disciple Jedah is the Prophet, a cruel and ruthless fanatic who claims that the world cannot function without the dragons, and sacrifices maidens to keep Duma's strength from waning.
  • Fire Emblem: Three Houses: The three male protagonists in the timeskip, Byleth, Dimitri and Claude fit this model to a very frightening degree. Dimitri is the Hunter, who is an revenge seeking, dead-avenging warrior obsessed with killing the one who he thinks is responsible for a brutal event. Claude is the Lord, who seeks to build relationships between previous warring countries to put aside their differences and work together to defeat an secret threat. And Byleth is the Prophet — a teacher who helps his students with their problems, acts as a conscience to whichever House leader he pledged his loyalty to, and usually becomes an important figure to aid the future of Fodlan.
• The King of Fighters, due to its HUGE cast, has MANY of these. Listing them all would be suicidal, so here are the most blatant examples:
  • The Japan Team: Kyo Kusanagi (Hunter), Benimaru Nikaido (mixes Hunter and Lord), Goro Daimon (Prophet). Later, Shingo Yabuki becomes a secondary Hunter.
    • The men of the Kusanagi clan, as seen in semi-canon Spin-Off KOF: KYO: Kyo (Hunter), Souji (Lord), Saisyu (Prophet)
  • The Ikari Warriors Team: Ralf Jones (Hunter), Clark Still (Lord), Heidern (Prophet).
  • The Psycho Soldiers team: Bao (Hunter), Kensou (mix of Hunter and Lord), Chin Gentsai (Prophet)
  • The Korean Team: Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge (Hunters); Jhun Hoon (Lord), Kim Kaphwan (Prophet)
  • The Orochi saga: Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, Chris, Yashiro Nanakase (Hunters); Leopold Goenitz (Lord); Orochi (Prophet)
  • The NESTS Saga: K' (Hunter), Maxima (Lord), Igniz (Prophet)
  • The Tales of Ash Saga: Ash Crimson has shades of the three. He presents himself as an apparenty naive and cocky Hunter, then behaves like a Lord who only wants power and steals Chizuru's and Iori's Treasures for it, and the ending gives him huge Prophet vibes before he's ret goned.
    • Alternatively: Shen Woo (Hunter), Ash Crimson (mix of Hunter and Lord but see above), Duo Lon (mix of Lord and Prophet)
• In Mass Effect, Garrus is the Hunter, being a former cop looking to make a bigger difference in the galaxy; Kaidan is the Lord, a decorated Marine who is torn between his loyalty to the Alliance and supporting Shepard; and Wrex is the Prophet, being the oldest and most experienced member of the party, whose biggest concerns are for his people's future rather than himself.
  • Mass Effect 3 has James (cocky showoff Marine and newcomer to the squad) as Hunter, Garrus (longtime companion and well-established badass) as Lord, and Javik ( 50,000-year-old Prothean revived from stasis to find his entire species dead and the same Reapers who killed them destroying their successors, pessimistic but determined to wreak revenge) as Prophet.
  • Despite being female (or feminine), the three stages of the asari lifespan are closer to this trope than to its Distaff Counterpart. Maidens (Hunter) seek adventure and new experiences, with many asari often dances in exotic places or joins a mercenary guild. Matrons (Lord) settle down, seek out mates, and rear children. Matriarchs (Prophet) assume positions of power, often in diplomacy or politics.
• Mega Man (Classic) has the "brother" robots Blues/Proto Man and Rock/Mega Man (Lords), newcomers Forte/Bass and Duo (Hunters), and Dr. Light (Prophet).
  • The X series first has holographic Dr. Light and later Signas (Prophet), X and Zero (Lords), and Axl (Hunter). Zero seems, at first, to have some Prophet tendencies.
  • In the Zero series, Zero retains his position as a Lord, with La Résistance soldiers as Hunters and Cyber-Elf X as Prophet.
• The Diamond Dog leaders from Metal Gear Solid V. Kazuhira Miller (Hunter) easily the most temperamental of the three operatives. Obsessed with revenge, Kaz shares determination with Snake and urges him to be as ruthless as possible. Venom Snake (Lord) is the quiet, reflective leader and a man who endured hellish hardship, all for the sake of his crew. Most of the characters can lean and trust Snake, because deep down he's a caring man. Revolver Ocelot (Prophet) returns but this time as a supporting protagonist, he is much more professional and collected than he was in his youth. Ocelot advises Snake on all kinds of data, making him into a mentor of sorts.
• Persona 3 to 5 have this in the reverse order: Ren Amamiya, the rebellious, Large Ham Phantom Thief is the Hunter. Yu Narukami, the cool-headed Warrior Therapist is the Lord. Makoto Yuki, the apathetic Messianic Archetype is the Prophet.
• In Starcraft, the Protoss have Tassadar (Hunter), Aldaris (Lord) and Zeratul (Prophet.) Interestingly, later, in Starcraft II, Zeratul plays the role of Hunter (while Tassadar and Aldaris die).
• In World of Warcraft the former eredar Triumvirate can be seen as this. Archimonde is the Hunter who seeks power and dominance; Kil'jaeden is the Lord who puts fulfilling his mission before his other desires; and Velen is the Prophet who tried to convince them of their folly and has dedicated his life since then to guiding the draenei.
• Nintendo Wars: In Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, the three main antagonists fulfill a villainous version of this trope. Waylon, the Hunter, is an egotistical, sadistic and filthy rich pilot who cares only for himself and prides on his killing of other people, and is not afraid to admit that he is a barbarian who enjoys watching others suffer because he can. Greyfield, the Lord, is a brutal dictator who is ambitious and power hungry and desires to be the ruler of world by imposing harsh rules, and views himself the stongest man to walk the earth. And Caulder, the Prophet is a insane doctor who created a deadly plague just to see other people struggle to survive and is constantly fascinated by the madness surrounding him, whether be created by him or otherwise, and claims that what he does is not actually evil or good. The thing connecting these three "men" together that they are 3 sets of bastards who kill a lot people, smiling or grinning all the while.
  • Also in Days of Ruin, the three Commanding Officers who are felled in the main story count as this. The Beast is the Hunter, a maniacal mountain of a man who preys on the weak, despised by all for his cruel actions, is an irredeemable sergeant who acts more of a beast than man and only looking to satisfy his sadistic urges, is the first to be put down by Caulder. Brenner is the Lord, who believes in the goodness of human beings, is beloved for his virtuous personality and is the prime example of a well meaning captain, who was the last to be utterly annihilated by a nuke from Greyfield. Forsythe is the Prophet, the oldest general, who was call out of retirement to defend his homeland, is a gentleman extrodinare, and is the wisest of the three men, who is unfortunately executed by Waylon, and is the second person of this trio to die.
  • The teenage engineer from Orange Star, Andy is the Hunter, for his innocent, yet righteous personality serves to be his drive to help other people and to defend his country. The ruler of Yellow Comet, Kanbei, fittingly takes the role of the Lord, for his strong and honorable personality, yet he laments the agonizing choice of choosing between smart and right. The oldest militaristic man from Blue Moon, Olaf, is the Prophet, for being a cold, yet caring Father to His Men, and well meaning, but stern old man.
  • The three notable Commanding Officers from Black Hole are easily defined here: Hawke is the Hunter, the brutally competent Noble Demon who has a Heel–Face Turn and butchers people who the heroes can't kill themselves. Sturm is the Lord, condescending and cold, he is the previous tyrant of Black Hole and seeks to ravage the land. Von Bolt is the Prophet, the recent tyrant of Black Hole on life support, he treats the younger generation cruelly and seeks to achieve immortality at the expense of the entire world.

Web Animation

• Eddsworld: Naive, energetic Matt is the Hunter, more down-to-earth leader Edd is the Lord and grumpy, cynical Tom is the Prophet.
• Hazbin Hotel: Seductive, overtly sexual Angel Dust is the Hunter, creepy, eloquent Alastor is the Lord, grouchy, uncooperative Husk as the Prophet.
• Helluva Boss: Foul-mouthed, opportunistic Blitzo is the Hunter, straight-laced, logical Moxxie is the Prophet, with decorous, indulgent Stolas as the Lord.

Webcomics

• Contrasting with the Maryams' status as The Hecate Sisters, the Vantases from Homestuck appear to be this—Karkat, the youngest and the one who most wants to prove himself, is the Hunter; Kankri, the one who believes himself to be the Only Sane Man in his friend group, is something of a deconstruction of the Lord, due to him coming off as condescending in his attempts at showing how grounded he is; and the Signless/the Sufferer is the Prophet, due to his status as a Crystal Dragon Jesus.

Web Original

• Although Twitch Plays Pokémon Crystal has a full party of six Pokemon, its story arc is focused around these three:
  • Brian the Pidgeot as the Hunter, trying to emerge from the shadow of Bird Jesus.
  • Lazorgator the Feraligatr as the Lord, trying to hold his team together and lead them to victory against all odds.
  • Espeon as the Prophet, redeeming his predecessor Flareon's role as the False Prophet of Twitch Plays Pokémon Red.

Western Animation

• Avatar: The Last Airbender:
  • Zuko (Hunter), the young exile who seeks to capture the Avatar to prove his worth to his father, Ozai (Lord), the current reigning Fire Lord and resident Big Bad, and Iroh (Prophet), the Retired Badass who accompanied Zuko into exile and wishes to impart wisdom on him.
  • The male Northern Water Tribe figures at the end of Season 1: Hahn is a young and ambitious warrior (Hunter), Arnook is the Chief who mediates between the two Water Tribes (Lord), and Pakku is the Old Master who teaches other waterbenders (Prophet).
• Peter Pan & the Pirates: Young, reckless and naive Peter Pan is the Hunter, mature, sophisticated and worldly Captain Hook is the Lord and Wise, experienced and reasonable Great Big Little Panther is the prophet.
• Regular Show: Benson is the Lord (the stern, hot-tempered but caring and hard-working boss), Mordecai and Rigby are the Hunters (the newest members of the Park Crew, initially) and Skips and Pops are the Prophets (the main characters usually turn to them when trying to get out of a conflict, mostly the former).
• In The Simpsons we have the Simpson men: The troublemaking Bart (Hunter) who is often dishonest and mischievous. Homer (Lord) the selfish pig of a father, who nevertheless has his good moments. Finally we have Grampa ''Abe'' Simpson (Prophet) who was a mostly lousy father like Homer, but has experienced way more in his life.

Real Life

• The Chicago Bulls: Dennis Rodman (the Hunter, ironic as he was the elder of the three), Scottie Pippen (The Lord) and Michael Jordan (The Prophet).
• The painting known as 'The Allegory of Time Governed by Prudence' (which now serves as the Trope Image), thought to be of the artist Titian, his son, and his young nephew, provides a good visual example of the trope: [1]◊
• The three lead singers of Iron Maiden over the years, interestingly enough following the correct order. Paul Di'Anno is The Hunter, Bruce Dickinson is The Lord, and Blaze Bayley is The Prophet.
• The three former British Prime Ministers of modern Britain:
  • Boris Johnson (Hunter): Caused the most controversy during his tenure, a man with a plan, but rarely acted on them. Broke the law during the Corona Virus Epidemic, with many disbelieving his skills and competency as a leader. Ultimately bowed-out of his role, becoming a social pariah for many, looking and acting unprepared during a crisis.
  • Gordan Brown (Lord): A man who was high in his approval ratings, he was fairly successful in education and leadership. He proposed a "government of all talents", though he was accused of indecision by his political opponents, he proved these were wrong. Overall he was an average-level Prime Minister, not too great but not too bad either.
  • David Cameron (Prophet): A stern leader who was very meticulous and detailed in his work. He desired to evolve politics, preferring a new "style" to be introduced. Cameron hated poverty and gay rights, viewing it as a "Fringe Agenda" which set him at odds with his predecessor, Tony Blair. Overall, he believed in family values, and that it's the key to repairing Britain.

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