History Main / FighterMageThief

* When the LetsPlay/PartyCrashers appeared in [[https://www.youtube.com/@MagicTheNoah Magic the Noah]]'s ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''-like videos, Brent filled the tanky Fighter, Nick filled the rogue class (making him the Thief), and Sophist and Vernias filled the {{Black|Mage}} and {{White|Mage}} Mages respectively.

* In the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' saga, the three primary alien races--the Yeerks, the Andalites, and the Hork-Bajir--follow this pattern. The Yeerks are an aggressively imperialistic race of slug-like [[PuppeteerParasite brain parasites]] who covertly infiltrate societies by secretly taking control of the minds of living hosts (Thief); the Andalites are a highly advanced civilization of {{centaur}}-like creatures renowned for their great intelligence, and [[ProudScholarRace their greatest asset is their advanced technology]] (Mage); and the Hork-Bajir are a [[DumbMuscle primitive and simple-minded]] race of physically imposing reptilian creatures with bodies covered in fearsome blades, and they serve as shock troops for the Yeerks (Fighter).[[note]] Although it should be noted that the Hork-Bajir are ''not'' fighters by choice: when they aren't under the Yeerks' mind control, they're [[GentleGiant peaceful and pacifistic by nature]], and their blades are used for climbing and stripping bark from trees.[[/note]]

* The three main Demons from ''The Elfstones of Literature/{{Shannara}}'' fit this categorization. The Dagda Mor is Mage [[note]]An extremely intelligent creature with incredibly potent magical powers[[/note]], the Reaper is Fighter [[note]] A single-minded, all but physically unstoppable killer[[/note]] and the Changeling is Thief [[note]]A physically weak but clever and tricky shapeshifter[[/note]].

** According to Franz the dragon, fighter, [[MadScientist spark]], cleric, thief is a [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20221121#.Y-hMtmxMHDs classic]] adventuring party composition in universe. Though the "thief" in his party keeps insisting she's a librarian.

[[folder:Web Videos]]

%%??????????????????????????????????????

* When the LetsPlay/PartyCrashers appeared in [[https://www.youtube.com/@MagicTheNoah Magic the Noah]]'s ''Dungeons & Dragons''-like videos, Brent filled the tanky Fighter, Nick filled the rogue class (making him the Thief), and Sophist and Vernias filled the {{Black|Mage}} and {{White|Mage}} Mages respectively.

The modern-day equivalent, born thanks to [=MMORPGs=] and the [[DrawAggro "aggro"]] system, would be the DamageHealerTank trio, which is more centered about team-based combat. Even them, the roles can match up: the stout and heavily-armored Fighter will be the Tank, the magic-aided medical Mage will be the Healer, and the sneaky and deadly Thief will be the Damage.

SubTrope to ThreeApproachSystem. Compare CombatDiplomacyStealth; DamagerHealerTank; and PhysicalMysticalTechnological for other party trios. See also AnAdventurerIsYou for a breakdown of the party-based RPG (especially the MMORPG); as well as ActionHero, ScienceHero, and GuileHero.

** WordOfGod confirms they did this for ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' to create {{Contrasting Sequel Antagonist}}s. Tai Lung, a martial arts master who usually fights physically and can take a lot of punishment, is the Fighter. Lord Shen, who relies on his intelligence, speed, hidden throwing knives and cannons to fight, is the Thief. And Kai, a supernatural being who uses chi to attack, is the Mage. Fittingly, the theme also matches with the three aspects of kung fu: Body, Mind and Spirit.

* ''Videogame/DragonsDogmaII'' has Fighter and Mage as the starting classes, with Strider being split into two classes: Archer (focuses on the bow) and Thief (focuses on daggers). Sorcerer, Warrior, Mystic Knight (now focusing on using magic to close the distance between the player and enemies) and Magick Archer also return with the new Vocations of Trickster (focuses on illusions to trick the enemies as well as buffing Pawns) and Warfarer (capable of combining weapons from any classes at the close of lower stats).

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Three of the central Stark children are this. Bran, with his skin-changing power, visions, and magical training is the Mage; Arya, with her observational skills, quickness with a rapier, and ability to change faces is the Thief; and Jon with his swordsmanship, survival skills, and leadership in battle is the Fighter.
** As the series continues, Arya and Jon develop into the Thief + Mage and Fighter + Mage combinations respectively, both getting embroiled in the magical side of Westeros and developing abilities as wargs (and in Arya's case skin-changing) along with their existing skills.

** As of ''VideoGame/Borderlands3'', the series can now complete the trio just with playable Sirens, albeit with heavy Mage flavor thanks to the nature of their powers: Lilith's powers focus on stealth and mobility, allowing her to fill the Thief role. Maya's telekinesis lets her manipulate the battlefield and heal her team, making her a pure Mage. Newcomer Amara specializes in melee damage, and her powers manifest as spectral arms to further manhandle enemies, leaving her as the obvious pick for Fighter; even her Phasegrasp, which is functionally identical to Maya's Phaselock, leans decidedly towards the physical rather than purely mystical.

* ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'' has three base forms: the quick Type Speed (Thief), the strong Type Wild (Fighter), and the technologically proficient Type Technic (Mage). Later on, the first three Fusion Roidmudes also take up this role, with Sword being Fighter, Seeker being Mage, and Open being Thief. Funny enough, the next Fusion Roidmude after Open is ''named'' Thief.
* Similarly, ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'''s three standard forms exhibit this trope: [=CycloneJoker=] emphasizes agility and wind powers (Thief), [=HeatMetal=]'s access to fire and sturdiness makes it the Fighter, and [=LunaTrigger=]'s use of illusions and long-range attacks make it the Mage.

** The three playable female characters of the series. Trish is the fighter, being a super-strong demon with [[ShockAndAwe lightning powers]] and her fighting style revolves around [[SwordAndFist punches, kicks and the Sparda sword.]] Lady as a LongRangeFighter would be the mage, with guns and bombs as a substitute for magic. Finally, Lucia serves as the thief and is the closest thing to a {{Ninja}} the series has, being a FragileSpeedster knife-wielder with an acrobatic fighting style, and at one point she even infiltrates the villain's lair using a disguise.
** The three playable protagonists of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' would also qualify. Nero is the fighter of the group possessing a {{BFS}} and using a fighting style that emphasizes quick and brutal attacks. V, as the mage, is a SquishyWizard who uses SummonMagic in battle and is very good at crowd control. Dante retains his [[FlashStep Trickster style]] from previous games and could be considered a thief in that he uses Devil Arms made from demons he defeats - in a sense, he is "stealing" their powers for himself.

** [[QuirkyMinibossSquad The Winds of Destruction]] can fit into this: Mistral is the mage, she has a polearm that can extend into a whip for more reach and her Dwarf Gekkos are akin to familiars. Monsoon is the thief, he wields two sais, uses red phosphorus grenades to disorient and attack Raiden, and can dodge by separating himself. Sundowner is the fighter, he uses 2 machetes that form scissors and in his fight uses explosive shields and then uses giant lamp posts to bash Raiden with after his shields get destroyed.
** The game's 3 playable heroes can also fit: Raiden is the mage having a more versatile moveset and arsenal of weapon. Sam is the fighter with a simpler moveset than Raiden but is overall a lot stronger and has no stealth missions. Bladewolf is the thief with his playable appearance having more emphasis on stealth and his use of throwing knives.

* The three main female members of the 90s ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' cartoon seem to follow this pattern. ComicBook/{{Rogue}} is brash, quick-tempered, and possesses the most overt physical strength of anyone on the team, making her the Fighter. ComicBook/{{Storm}} was poised, regal, and wielded awesome powers from a distance, fitting the Mage. And lastly, [[KidHero Jubilee's]] powers, while impressive, were rarely as useful to the team as her ability to move quickly and improvise, making her the Thief. ComicBook/JeanGrey was the odd one out, usually serving as a medic or secondary Mage character...at least [[SuperPoweredEvilSide most of the time]].

* In the fanmade novelization ''Fanfic/BreathOfTheWild'', Impa's role is ascended to equal importance to that of Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf. Even though there are four of them, they actually adhere to these roles. Zelda is the Mage, using her extensive powers of Din's Fire, Nayru's Love, and Farore's Wind, and eventually [[spoiler:the Owl Spirit]]. Impa is the Thief, using her Sheikah ninja tactics and extraordinary agility and skills with her RazorWind Devoted Kodachi in combat. Link and Ganondorf evenly split the role of Fighter. Link is the tactical fighter favoring effective strategy, and Ganondorf is the brute fighter favoring overwhelming strength.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' third episode "Final Exam" introduces evil PowerTrio of [[DumbMuscle Mammoth]] (Fighter), Jinx (Thief, despite being a BlackMagicianGirl) and [[GadgeteerGenius Gizmo]] (Mage).

* The three adult members of ''Series/TheMunsters'' clan- tall, super-strong BumblingDad Herman is the fighter; Lily as the most rational, organized [[OnlySaneMan OnlySaneWoman]] with vampiric abilities but with the most physically weak build makes the mage; and MadScientist Grandpa is the thief, given that he usually resorts to slyness and spells behind the others' backs to solve problems.

* ''VideoGame/TheConsumingShadow'' features the characters for Warrior as the Fighter (can use melee attacks but has no gun), Wizard as Mage (has no melee, but can use magic without loose sanity), and the Ministry Man (who has more money, thus able to buy the best gear). The Scholar is the [[JackOfAllStats Universalist]], of whom all the other characters revolve around.

*** The '''Thieves''' are the Khajiit, Bosmer, and Argonians. The [[CatFolk Khajiit]] have the greatest focus on stealth abilities (to outright avoid combat where possible) and by nature are {{Combat Pragmatist}}s, not afraid to use [[NaturalWeapon their claws]] or utilize HitAndRunTactics. The Bosmer are ForestRanger {{Fragile Speedster}}s with a [[ArcherArchetype focus on archery]]. They can also use {{Druid}}ic "nature magic" in the form of innate abilities such as being able to pacify animals and even incite animals to fight on their side. The [[LizardFolk Argonians]] blend stealthy guerilla warfare tactics with tribal magics.

** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' does a similar thing with their respective starters, only which motif they adopt are swapped: Grass-typed Rowlet eventually becomes Decidueye, a Grass/Ghost owl with [[ArcherArchetype archer abilities]] (The thief). The Fire type Litten becomes bipedal and takes on a Fire/Dark {{Heel}} wrestler theme as Incineroar (the fighter) and the Water-typed Popplio turns into Primarina, a Water/Fairy MagicIdolSinger mermaid (the mage).

** "Percy Jackson And The Sword Of Hades" in ''Literature/TheDemigodFiles'' has Percy as (''again'') "fighter", the {{necromancer}} Nico as "mage", and [[ArcherArchetype huntress]] Thalia as "thief".

* ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Sigma 2'': The three playable female characters Rachel, Momiji, and Ayane. Rachel has SuperStrength, fights with a [[DropTheHammer large hammer]] and is the slowest of the three, Momiji is the JackOfAllStats and has strong fire magic and Ayane is the fastest of the three but has the weakest defense.

* In ''Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls'', Buttercup is the physically strongest member of the trio (Fighter), Blossom has her smarts and [[AnIcePerson ice powers]] (Mage), and Bubbles has her charms and the ability to speak any language and to communicate with animals (Thief). In the Japanese adaptation ''Anime/PowerpuffGirlsZ'', Buttercup, who now wields a [[DropTheHammer hammer]], keeps her spot as the Fighter; while Bubbles and Blossom swap places, making the former the [[MagicStaff staff-wielding]] Mage, and the latter the [[KillerYoyo yoyo-wielding]] Thief.

** Their evil counterparts, the ''ComicBook/GothamCitySirens'', also fit the mold. Poison Ivy is the mage, having strange plant powers. Catwoman is the thief, duh. Harley is the fighter: her preferred weapon is a [[DropTheHammer giant mallet]], she has borderline superhuman athleticism thanks to a serum from Ivy, and she's also fond of explosives.

* '''Fighter/Warrior''': The MightyGlacier if offensively oriented or StoneWall if a defensive specialist. A physical powerhouse of prodigious strength, the fighter solves problems by dicing or smashing them to bits with mêlèe weapons. These include [[CoolSword swords]], axes, [[DropTheHammer bludgeons]], [[EpicFlail flails]], the occasional spear, and of course [[BareFistedMonk good ol' fisticuffs]] but usually not much in the way of ranged weapons unless firearms are widespread, in which case the Fighter will pick [[MoreDakka automatic weapons]] and [[ShortRangeShotgun shotguns]] or just the [[{{BFG}} Biggest Gun Imaginable]]. This class usually has the best armor along with their powerful weapons, fitting the role of HeavyEquipmentClass and as such, making for an effective tank. [[MagicallyIneptFighter Sometimes has a special weakness to magic.]] Often associated with the colour red.