History Main / NumerologicalMotif

* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'': Thanos is always associated with the number two. He plans to leave half the population of any given location alive while killing the other, has two primary "daughters" in the form of Gamora and Nebula, owned a double-bladed switchblade and double-bladed sword, has two main kinds of outfits (his armor and "streamlined" look), uses two different Infinity Gauntlets by the end of his arc, and dies twice in ''Endgame''.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has the Garlean Empire, in which every Legatus (leader of a military division) has traits that echo the game that matches their Legion's number. Examples include the first Legatus of the [=VIIth=] Legion wanting to drop a moon (meteor) on Eorzea, the Legatus of the [=VIth=] Legion being a NobleDemon like General Leo, the [=IVth=] Legion's deciding to go rogue against his nation, or the second Legatus of the [=VIIth=] Legion being a HateSink MadScientist responsible for HumongousMecha versions of the [=WEAPONs]=.

* ''Fanfic/{{Oblivion}}'': Braig has one with the number two. His last name is a combination of the Greek prefix and Spanish word for two, he's bi, he has one side of his face scarred, and he's second-in-command to Ansem, as company president.

* ''Literature/TheCosmere'':
** ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'': The number sixteen has a nasty habit of showing up a lot, especially in the third book. The most obvious example of this motif is [[spoiler:Allomancy, which is organized into four sets of four related metals. Those sixteen metals have uses in all three systems (we just don't know all of them). Also, exactly sixteen percent of people exposed to the Mists during book 3 fall ill, and they "snap" and become Mistings. Sixteen percent of ''those'' fall ill far longer than others, and they become ''Atium'' Mistings. It's explained that the number sixteen was used as Preservation's way of showing that he was giving them a hand after he died, basically a big sign saying "this number is not natural, pay attention when it comes up!"]]

** ''Literature/YumiAndTheNightmarePainter'': Virtuosity seems to have been associated with the number thirteen: there are a lot of thirteens in Yumi's rituals, while a nightmare requires thirteen feedings to achieve full stability.

** ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'': The number sixteen has a nasty habit of showing up a lot, especially in the third book.]] The most obvious example of this motif is [[spoiler:Allomancy, which is organized into four sets of four related metals. Those sixteen metals have uses in all three systems (we just don't know all of them). Also, exactly sixteen percent of people exposed to the Mists during book 3 fall ill, and they "snap" and become Mistings. Sixteen percent of ''those'' fall ill far longer than others, and they become ''Atium'' Mistings. It's explained that the number sixteen was used as Preservation's way of showing that he was giving them a hand after he died, basically a big sign saying "this number is not natural, pay attention when it comes up!"]]

* ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'': The number sixteen has a nasty habit of showing up a lot, especially in the third book.]] The most obvious example of this motif is [[spoiler:Allomancy, which is organized into four sets of four related metals. Those sixteen metals have uses in all three systems (we just don't know all of them). Also, exactly sixteen percent of people exposed to the Mists during book 3 fall ill, and they "snap" and become Mistings. Sixteen percent of ''those'' fall ill far longer than others, and they become ''Atium'' Mistings. It's explained that the number sixteen was used as Preservation's way of showing that he was giving them a hand after he died, basically a big sign saying "this number is not natural, pay attention when it comes up!"]]

* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy:

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'': The number eight recurs throughout the game. The Galbadian soldiers have 08 on their armour, the heroes have to catch a number 8 bus at one point, and there are eight playable characters (including the two {{Guest Star Party Member}}s) in the present.

*** Sollux, the Gemini troll, has a thing with duality and the number two. He's got twice the usual amount of horns, his guardian monster has two heads, and when typing her replaces "s" with "2" and doubles instances of "i".

* ''VideoGame/FobiaStDinfnaHotel'' has a rather clever puzzle in the library, which requires you to rearrange seven books on a shelf to trigger a hidden mechanism for you to escape. You obtain a copy of ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'' first, and later sees six books arranged in random order - ''Seven'' Deadly Sins, The Bermuda ''Triangle'', ''6'' years, ''Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities'', ''Literature/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest'', and ''Literature/SlaughterhouseFive'', with an empty slot where ''Musketeer'' should be placed. There's also a clever detail hidden in this puzzle - ''Bermuda Triangle'' is the '''third''' book in order while ''Three Musketeers'' is the '''fourth''', because the latter book actually contains ''four'' musketeers (Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, Aramis)

* ''Manga/The100GirlfriendsWhoReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyLoveYou'': Some of the girlfriends are introduced in a manner that echoes the number of their debut chapter or their ranking in the harem:

** Chapter 123 introduces a girlfriend with a NumberObsession.

See also ArcNumber.

Regardless of reason, numbers are often given significance in stories, and mention of a number in a story can indicate a meaning beyond just counting out items. Equally often, people will interpret these numbers to [[EpilepticTrees see significance where none exists]]. Here are some of the more common motifs.

'''0''' - This number represents The Void, the complete absence of being. It's usually something menacing, and it's always a bad moment when there's nothing left. Characters named after the number 0 form the trope MyHeroZero -- though they're as likely to be villainous.

'''1''' - This is the number for TheHero, and it represents his standing alone as the best. 1 also represents the beginning, and the primal source of power. This is why a hero will succeed if there's only OneBulletLeft or a MillionToOneChance - 1 is just that [[ConservationOfNinjitsu powerful]]. The Ace, representing the number 1, is also typically the strongest card in standard poker. In JapaneseMedia, 1 sometimes represents dogs, punning on the onomatopoeia ''wan'' for barking. (Also, [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen]] was number 1. Don't forget that.)

'''2''' - 2 represents {{duality|Motif}} - and thus, it stands in for The Villain. Sometimes, it's rather blatant (such as Two-Face in Batman), but other times it's more subtle. 2 is the prime source of moments where the villain [[NotSoDifferentRemark says that he and the hero aren't so different]]. Also, because 2 identical people represent the loss of individuality, 2 also pops up as CreepyTwins. Internally, a hero divided in 2 may have any number of varieties of an EnemyWithin.

Conversely, 2 represents the number of parties in any basic {{Conflict}}, be it with The Villain, parallel protagonists, former friends, Destiny, StarCrossedLovers, what-have you. Placing 2 images or characters side-by-side puts them in implied opposition.

Of course, it is possible to feature 2 in a positive light: this generally shows up represented in a pair of characters who are very close, such as BashBrothers or a [[TheHero Hero]] and [[TheLancer Lancer]] duo. 2 can also represent a cosmic force of balance: think yin and yang, and the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil.

'''3''' - 3 is the most basic way to represent a structure, in a triangle, so it has representations of power. This is the origin of tropes such as the RuleOfThree, the PowerTrio, TheHecateSisters and TheThreeFacesOfEve. UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} believes that {{God}} originated this, having always been Father, [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Son]], and Holy Spirit.

A basic theme in Music/BlueManGroup is that 3 is the fewest number of people needed to have an alienation or unpopularity, a connotation it also has in a LoveTriangle. In most voting political systems, getting this also comes into play (majority is 2 out of every 3 votes). Otherwise known as 2 is company, 3 is a crowd.

'''4''' - 4 actually has different meanings in different parts of the world. In European traditions, 4 represented the physical world, and the 4 elements that made up everything (fire, water, earth, and air). They also corresponded with the 4 cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west), and thus represent a grounding in reality and are generally positive. In Christian traditions, the number 4 symbolises the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and is negative. Classically-based ElementalPowers use this pattern. See also FourTemperamentEnsemble.

However, in Asian traditions, the number sounds almost like the word for "death" in all languages that borrow from Chinese, which arises in the trope FourIsDeath. Curiously, the one aversion are TheFourGods, although they frequently are depicted as rather dangerous (and at least one is frequently depicted as explicitly evil, like Seiryu in ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'').

Counting systems not based on 10s frequently use base 4 or multiples of four instead[[note]]binary-like expansions like 8, 16, and 32 also being popular[[/note]]- some reach this system by counting fingers with the thumb representing a set of 4 or by counting spaces between fingers, others by the 4 limbs of a herd animal or dog, still others by divisions of the circle.

'''5''' - Also distinct in both Eastern and Western traditions, although not as radically different as they are with 4. In the Asian tradition, the physical world was tied with 5, and they classically had a 5-pronged elemental system (adding wood and metal to the 4 Europeans used while removing air). The relationship between them was much more complex, as was the ElementalRockPaperScissors associated with them. This balance directly led to the formation of {{Five Man Band}}s.

In Europe, 5 also represented [[ElementNumberFive a 5th element]], but there it represented Ether, or Quintessence, the mystical substance which made up spirits and the like. It thus represented the esoteric and the spiritual plane, and was considered completely detached from the physical realm. This is most obvious in pentagrams.[[labelnote:*]] The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoras#Pythagoreans Pythagoreans]] considered the discovery of the 5th [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platonic_solid Platonic solid]] to be evidence of the 5th element.[[/labelnote]] Some people holding to the idea of [[FourTemperamentEnsemble 4 distinct personality types]] also hold the idea of a 5th type, balanced between the extremes of the 4. It either has all their strengths (superior, above), none of their strengths or weaknesses (equal, between), or none of their strengths (inferior, empty). In some Japanese systems including that of Musashi's ''Book of 5 Rings'', the 5th element is void, with associations similar to Western quintessence but a strong Zen flavor.

"5" in Japanese is said as "go", which can lead to a pun. See OneTwoThreeFourGo.

'''6''' - Most of 6's meanings have been swallowed by the fact that the number ''666'' is supposed to be the NumberOfTheBeast.

From a mathematical standpoint, 6 is an important number, since it is the first number that is divisible by both 2 and 3, and thus may be used to represent stability and order (see 12, below). 6 is the smallest [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_number perfect number]], which is of little practical importance, but by the same equality of 1+2+3=6, and also 1×2×3=6 also the third [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangular_number triangular number]]. Curiously, 6 is also the first number for which [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite_field several mathematical constructions]] break down, due to being the smallest number that is not a power of a prime.

From an art standpoint, there are 3 primary colors and 3 secondary colors which total 6 colors commonly put together on a color wheel. A rainbow is sometimes divided into these 6 colors although 7 is also commonly used.

6 is the atomic number of carbon, and thus irreplaceable for life as we know it. The fundamental molecules of life are furthermore made up from only 6 elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur.[[note]]With selenium being close runner up, as it actually occurs in one amino acid that can be expressed within the genetic code.[[/note]] Still, the imagery at this point invariably depicts 6 as a negative number, and only evil characters attach themselves to it. 6 is considered evil in the Bible because it falls short of 7, the perfect number.

This is taken even further in German, where it is pronounced very similar to sex (as in intercourse), also adding a dirty connotation (and source for double entendres). In Swedish the two words are pronounced and indeed spelled the same, leading to many a juvenile joke. "Hex" (from the Greek) also sounds like the German word for witch.

Interestingly enough, 666 is considered a good number in Chinese culture. For example, on June 6th 2006, there were many Chinese marriages, whereas most Westerners would try to avoid this.

'''7''' - 7 is the most popular [[LuckySeven lucky number]], and was originally the number of the holy virtues man was said to have. Of course, [[SevenDeadlySins their opposites]] are much more memorable, but 7 is still overall a positive force, to the point that days of the week are still numbered in 7. Of course, biblically, 7 can also be the number of finality: the 7 hills of Rome, the 7 angels and the 7 seals, etc. There are SevenHeavenlyVirtues that oppose SevenDeadlySins. In Japanese culture this manifests in TheSevenMysteries. Also, in the Japanese language, SevenIsNana. See also TheMagnificentSevenSamurai, the Ensemble that falls under this number.

In Christianity (and in Judaism before it), 7 is the number of perfection, and thus the number of God.

For songwriters, "seven" is a convenient rhyme for "heaven", and is also useful because it scans as two syllables.

PlotCoupons also have a tendency to come in 7s, especially in VideoGames.

7 also comes up as a limit on human minds - people are said to be able to remember only 7 different numbers in a single trial. Similarly, the Incident Command System for dealing with emergencies forbids each person from giving direct orders to more than 7 people.

There are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Wonders_of_the_Ancient_World Seven Wonders of the Ancient World]]; while many "eighth wonders" have been proposed, the original Seven Wonders never change, even though only one is still intact.

7 also comes up in gambling, specifically the roll of 2 dice, in which the most common resultant sum is 7. This helped cement its place as a "lucky" number.

7 is often seen as a magical number, and [[MagicalSeventhSon 7th sons of 7th sons]] were believed to have magic powers.

7 is also common in antiquity. There are seven classical planets that can be easily seen with the naked eye: the sun, the moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. [[labelnote:But two of those aren't planets!]]In the old days, 'planet' referred to a heavenly object that visibly moved, hence why the sun and the moon are counted.[[/labelnote]] The seven planets are not only associated with the seven days of the week in the Latin cultures (named after the planets and the gods associated with them), they're also associated with the seven metals of antiquity, metals that were discovered and used by humans in prehistory. Respectively, these metals are gold, silver, mercury (or quicksilver), copper, iron, tin, and lead.

'''8''' - 8 typically has notions of the hidden and esoteric, in part because it looks like an infinity symbol on its side (which was {{lampshaded}} on ''ComicBook/TheTick''). It doesn't come up much, but expect plenty of mysteries when it does.

8 is also the luckiest of lucky numbers if you are Chinese, so an office on the 8th floor at number 88 8th Avenue, for instance, would be considered to have excellent Feng Shui no matter how the furniture was arranged.

8 is an important number in chemistry, as the outermost valence shell of an atom (which is where almost everything chemical happens) can contain at most 8 electrons; covalent bonds between atoms in molecules allow them to share electrons, so that all manage to count 8 in their outermost shell. Something similar holds in nuclear physics, which is why oxygen (with 8 protons and 8 neutrons) is one of the most stable and therefore common elements.

8 also has both 2 and 4 as factors, so it's convenient for combining pairing of things with quadruplets of things--such as between the parts of ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'', where the 2 halves together have 2 characters representing each of 4 elements.

8 is also an important number in the Shinto religion of Japan. It is said in the creation myth that Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto had a group of 8 perfect children who became the islands of Japan. Another instance is in the belief that the kami (deities) represent all things, and are "countless", which in Japanese can be read as "8000000".

In computing, bits (a single digit in base 2, or binary) are collected in groups of 8 to form bytes (which can represent a number between 0-255 in base 10; the "normal" number system), and larger units of memory are made up from whole bytes. This is why the 8-bit systems were followed by 16-bit, 32-bit, and 64-bit systems. 24-bits aren't unheard of either: some computer systems had a 24-bit address bus, and 24-bits was the standard for storing a single pixel of an RGB colour (one byte for each colour channel[[note]]More recent formats use 32 bits, since they also have an "alpha channel" which defines the transparency of the pixel[[/note]]). There's also a trend of PlotCoupons coming in groups of ''8'' in VideoGames; most notably the 8 non-bonus worlds of pretty much every ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' game; as well as ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic's'' 8 Robot Masters.

In music, the octave is the fundamental interval, and the 8-foot organ stop is the basic one sounding at its notated pitch.

'''9''' - 9 is the apex of the single digits, and thus the apex of worldly power. Appearances of this are usually sources of great power, since it's essentially a trio of {{Power Trio}}s. Very big in Myth/NorseMythology, which may be why Tolkien, fan of the Vikings that he was, made [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings 9 Ringwraiths]] (and 9 Walkers). The magic square of numbers 1 through 9 is sometimes an important symbol. Also, there are 9 orders of angels in Judaeo-Christian theology, and 9 layers of Heaven and Hell in Dante's ''[[Literature/TheDivineComedy Divine Comedy]]''. There are also 9 {{Character Alignment}}s in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' and many of its imitators.

Another facet of 9 is gestation, as in 9 months, and thus it is closely associated with childbirth and fruition.

9 is also a popular number for UsefulNotes/{{baseball}}, there being 9 players to a team and 9 innings in a full game.

In Japanese culture, however, 9 is often considered a cursed numeral because the word for it, "ku", is pronounced the same as the Japanese word for pain and suffering. Despite this, it does have connotations of power as well. [[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]], for instance, wield magical powers whose strength and power are indicated by how many tails they have, and the maximum number of tails a Kitsune can have are 9 tails (kyubi).

'''10''' - Since most people are born with 10 fingers (which are the basis for beginning to count), 10 is a comfortable number to express, either via powers of it or the number itself. It's extraordinarily popular for grouping, to the point that people will try to make things fit into a group of 10 whether or not they'll fit.[[note]]The Pythagoreans wanted the number of astronomical objects to be a perfect 10, or tetractys, so they made up Counter-Earth to complete the list.[[/note]] Both the Persian/Arabic numeral system (the one most Westerners use, because it's better than the Roman system) and East Asian numeral systems are based on sets of 10, as is the metric system. Tropes spawned of this shoehorning include ExtyYearsFromPublication. In certain numerologies, 10 is also used as shorthand for 'lots'.

'''11''' - With 10 as a maximum, 11 means going one step past the limit and breaking the rules. Conversely, thinking about it as the time on a clock has more or less the opposite meaning- "the 11th hour" is the last hour before midnight and typically involves getting things done just on time. Being a symmetrical number can also bear some sinister connotations (see 2, above). The German word for 11 is pronounced "[[OurElvesAreDifferent elf]]", which is sometimes taken advantage of in works that like BilingualBonus or GratuitousGerman.

'''12''' - 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 are all factors of this number, making it an early highly composite number. It symbolizes completeness as a result, and is easy to divide into smaller groups. It also has heavy mystic implications--for example, the 12 signs of the zodiac (Western and Eastern alike). It can be used for time symbology as well, as 12 o'clock is [[WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve midnight]] and noon; the end and beginning of a day, or the apex of a day. It is also often the largest number for which a stand-alone word or symbol exist, and being so heavily associated with harmony and completeness, it's surprising no major culture has a base-12 counting system[[note]]Though Latin-influenced languages come close with counting by dozens and half-dozens, and Mesopotamia's base 60 system is the convoluted result of combining base 10 and base 12[[/note]]. This came about namely because of the civilizations not using the five digits on each hand to make 10, rather looking at one hand and using the thumb to count the segments on each of the remaining fingers.

Being "a dozen", it signifies the largest easily comprehensible small number; anything over "a dozen" can be rounded down in common parlance. Most non-decimal measurement systems are divisible by 12 ([[{{Pirate}} pieces of eight]] being an exception).

Big in Literature/TheBible. 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles, 12 days of [[ChristmasTropes Christmas]] (close enough), etc. This may have something to do with 3 (the Trinity) being multiplied by 4 (the four corners of creation). See 13 for further examples.

Also notable in Myth/GreekMythology; the Olympian gods form a set of 12 called the Dodekatheon (later imported to Rome as the Dii Consentes). The exact roster varies depending on which source you check, but 12 is a recurring theme for the principal gods.

Also pops up in several religions involving a WorldTree - four cardinal directions on each of the tree's three levels (roots, trunk and canopy) make 12 individual compartments of the universe. As such 12 often symbolizes great power or something connected to the universe at large, and is prominently involved in the mythologies of these religions.

In western music, the octave is divided into 12 semitones, leading to the 12 major and 12 minor keys of music (Db Ab Eb Bb F C G D A E B F#).

'''13''' - The number of full moons in a year, the number of people seated at the Last Supper, the traditional number of witches or Satanists in a coven, the age at which someone officially becomes a [[TeensAreMonsters teenager]] etc. Bad medicine. Often not assigned to a house (it will be numbered 11A or 12A depending on the numbering system) or to a floor in a tower. TheEighties Eagle comic strip ''The Thirteenth Floor'' featured a Holodeck run by the building's A.I. occupying the unlucky floor, seeing as how nobody wanted to live there. Also used to suggest certain words beginning with the letter M (the 13th letter of the alphabet). Also, the number of cards in a standard suit as well as the number of weeks in a quarter (e.g. fiscal quarter) of the year (52/4).

[[ThirteenIsUnlucky 13 has a long history of being unlucky]]; the Greek pantheon kicked out Hestia, goddess of the hearth, to make room for Dionysus, god of wine, in their circle of 12; it was believed back then that having a 13th deity in the highest echelons of the pantheon would lead to ruin, and that alcohol was much more important on the sacred scale than the home. Judas Iscariot, the 13th attendee at the Last Supper, was the one who betrayed UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}, and it was believed that Jesus's crucifixion happened on Friday the 13th -- or if ''Literature/TheDaVinciCode'' is accurate, ThePurge of the original KnightTemplar occurred on that date. There is evidence of other cultures developing forms of triskaidekaphobia before even that. Conversely, many Wiccans and witches consider 13 a ''lucky number'', most likely due to its historical associations with witchcraft.

Interestingly, in Judaism, the number thirteen carries positive connotations, being the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gematria gematria]] value of the Hebrew word "ahava", meaning "love". Thirteen is also the number of divine attributes God is said to have, and the age of boys when they pass into adulthood in the rite of Bar Mitzvah.

Note that 13 is one more than a dozen, and thus comprises "A Baker's Dozen", i.e. a little something extra. Whether this is an aversion or an invocation of 13's unluckiness (on the principle that someone will order no more than a dozen hot cross buns, EliteMooks, what have you) is hard to say. (The most widely held belief behind the reason for 13 being a baker's dozen is that the 13th roll, loaf, what-have-you, is intended as a redundancy in case one of the other twelve were somehow defective)

13 is also one more than the number of hours on a typical clock face. A clock striking 13 is a good sign that [[RealityIsOutToLunch something has gone seriously sideways]].

There were also 13 states at the time of the US Declaration of Independence, as commemorated by the 13 stripes on the flag. The $1 bill has several 13s: 13 stripes on a shield, 13 stars, a branch with 13 leaves and 13 berries, a sheaf of 13 arrows, and the phrase "E Pluribus Unum" which contains 13 letters. (The fact that 13 constantly crops up in American symbolism has led numerous conspiracy loons to theories of ever-increasing insanity. They always overlook the simple explanation of 13 states.)

13 may also indicate a change in circumstances. The 13th member of a group of people may change them or bring them closer to some goal. (e.g. Roxas in the Franchise/KingdomHearts series.) This is likely due to the meaning of the Death card in the Tarot, which is card number 13. Note: Misinterpretation of this meaning may also lead to 13 bringing about death. (e.g. in ''Series/DoctorWho'', Time Lords only have twelve regenerations, meaning their thirteenth life is their last one.)

* Scott Lynch's novel ''[[Literature/GentlemanBastard The Lies of Locke Lamora]]'' plays with this trope. The city of Camorr has 12 official gods, and a nameless 13th god worshiped in secret by thieves and swindlers.
* The TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness loved the number 13 (as do a number of {{Tabletop RPG}}s with a defined setting.)
* The Eberron setting had a lot of groups of 12 of something with a 13th lost or destroyed thing.
* Don [=DeLillo=]'s Underworld features characters consciously noticing the number 13 turning up in their lives, demonstrating the paranoid and self-defeating collective mind of the Cold War generation.

'''14''' - 7×2=14, so it could be seen as twice as lucky or twice as magical. However, 14 is also seen as even more unlucky than [[FourIsDeath 4]], because it sounds like "die for sure". However, 14 is a lucky number in Macedonia.

14 is frequently used by white supremacists as a code word for the Fourteen Words: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."

'''15''' - Little can be said about this number, although in Japan it is often associated with strawberries. This is because the Japanese word for strawberry, Ichigo, sounds like the way the number is written in Arabic numerals (15 = One Five = Ichi Go). Ichigo is also a fairly common name (the most notable Ichigo probably being the main character of Manga/{{Bleach}}). Expect characters with this name to have associations with the number, the fruit or both.

Since it is a multiple of both 3 & 5, it may carry connotations of both those numbers. There are [[FifteenMinutesOfFame 15 minutes]] in a quarter of an hour. Also, 15 represents the King in standard poker decks.
%% Citation needed on the poker.

15 is an important number in Hispanic culture: A girl's 15th birthday signifies her transition into adulthood. This is usually celebrated in an extravagant manner, somewhat like a mini-wedding.

'''16''' - In many cultures, 16 is the age when someone is considered an adult, or at least bestowed some adult privileges. In many countries and states it's the age of consent or the age when one can start learning to drive. The passage into adulthood usually means [[TheHerosJourney the Call to Adventure]] will arrive, or some other event--see DangerousSixteenthBirthday.

16 is 4×4. Also, 16×16 is 256, which is used in programming (see Real Life under ArcNumber). More generally, base-16 (i.e. hexadecimal) notation is commonly used in computing, being a conveniently compact form of representing binary values.

'''17''' - In Italy, the number 17 is considered to be at ''least'' as unlucky as ''13'' because in Roman numerals, it's an anagram of the Latin word ''vixi'' which means "I have lived" which is the equivalent in Latin of meaning "I am dead" (the past tense of the word "live" meaning that one is no longer alive) making this superstition similar to the Asian cultural aversion to the number 4.

'''18''' - The number of adulthood in the United States, when one can vote and go off to war. Other than that, it usually has connotations for being unlucky, which is why fictional teens who die in auto accidents tend to do so two days before their 18th birthday. In neo-nazi circles, 18 is a common identifier. The first and eighth letters of the alphabet are A and H, {{UsefulNotes/Adolf Hitler}}'s initials.

On the other hand, in Hebrew (in which letters are still sometimes used with numeric values) 18 can be written as חי (''cheth yodh''), meaning 'life'.

'''19''' - The last year of teenagerhood. Very significant yet mysterious in Franchise/TheDarkTower, and also appears an unusually high number of times in the Qu'ran, and popular within the Baha'i Faith, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19_(number)#Religion according to That Other Wiki]]. 19 is a prime number.

'''20''' - Basis for the Maya number system, and the number of fingers and toes. European languages display relics of a base-twenty system as well in the form of counting by scores (20s), and the relitively recently extinct "long hundred" in which "one hundred and eighty" would be understood as 200.

'''21''' - Being 7×3, 21 is almost ''always'' considered an auspicious number. It is also a number of full adulthood in some cultures where children stay at home longer (such as the U.S.), the number of [[UsefulNotes/TarotCards Major Arcana of the Tarot]] (minus the zeroth one, TheFool), and the best hand in Blackjack. It is very popular in fiction for marking out random figures, as a longer number that has positive connotations and is easy to remember, e.g. [[Literature/SherlockHolmes 221b Baker Street]], [[Film/BackToTheFuture 1.21 Gigawatts]], ''21 Jump Street''. In the U.S., the 21st birthday is the last major milestone (until you get to 40), mainly due to being the age at which one can legally consume alcohol.

One of the number's more poignant connotations, however is a 21 gun salute. While it is a gesture of ''very'' deep respect, it is almost exclusively used as a salute in the context of a funeral or burial, and thus is often associated with mourning and bereavement, and is particularly associated with the military.

Both the summer and winter solstices occur on the 21st of a month half the time.

'''23''' - The "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/23_enigma 23 enigma]]", a belief that appearance of the number 23 holds significance. The popularity of this phenomenon can be attributed to ''Literature/TheIlluminatusTrilogy''.

'''24''' - The number of hours in a day. Very unlucky in China, because it sounds like "easy to die" in Chinese. In classical music, 24 usually stands for the number of all major and minor keys. In Brazil, it's synonym with homosexuality - an animal-based lottery assigned that number to [[{{Bambification}} deer]].

'''26''' - another significant number in Jewish numerology, the double of 13 and a number closely associated with God. Thirteen being the gematria of "ahava", or "love", the double of thirteen represents [[GodIsGood the all-encompassing love of God.]]

'''32''' - In occult circles, the fact that it is reverse 23 gives 32 positive associations, implying enlightenment, and fatefulness. There are 32 Kabbalistic Paths of Wisdom. Likewise, a central text of the Pali Canon in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, the Digha Nikaya, describes the appearance of the historical Buddha with a list of 32 physical characteristics. The full number of human teeth, including wisdom teeth, is 32

32 is an intriguing number mathematically, too; 32 = 1^1+2^2+3^3 = 2^5 = 2+5+5^2. Furthermore, 32 is a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_number happy number]].

'''34''' - [[RuleThirtyFour Porn]]

'''36''' - The multiple of 3 and 12, two numbers already considered powerful and significant.

In certain schools of Rabbinical Judaism, the world is thought to be held up by 36 righteous people known as the Tzaddikim Nistarim (Hidden Righteous Ones) at all times. They are perfectly good and virtuous, and their essential purpose is [[HumanityOnTrial justifying the continued existence of mankind]] in the eyes of God. [[BarrierMaiden If even one of these thirty-six would be missing, the world would end.]]

'''39''' - [[ThirteenIsUnlucky 13]]×3. The sum of the first five odd prime numbers. 3^1+3^2+3^3. Known for its association with [[Literature/The39Clues a certain set of clues]], [[Film/The39Steps1935 an Alfred Hitchcock movie]], and as a badge of shame in certain parts of Afghanistan. Can you get more random?

'''40''' - In ancient literature, synonymous with ''"lots"''. Big in Literature/TheBible: "40 days and 40 nights", etc. It's [[MemeticMutation as many as four tens]].

'''[[JustForFun/FortyTwo 42]]''' - [[Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy The Answer To Life, The Universe And Everything]]. In Japanese, it's homophonic with the word for "dying," and thus has many of the same unlucky connotations as FourIsDeath. Interestingly, it's also the product of 7×6, 3×14 and 2×21[[hottip:*: and 6×9 in base 13]].

'''44''' - [[FourIsDeath Double Death!]]

'''47''' - [[Franchise/StarTrek 42 adjusted for inflation]]. In JapaneseMedia, can be connected to the archaic ''iroha'' method of ordering the Japanese syllabary. Also, UsefulNotes/The47Ronin, and [[VideoGame/{{Hitman}} Agent 47]]. May be related to the AK-47 and its ubiquity.

'''49''' - 7×7. Effectively an ultra-7. However, in Japanese, [[FourIsDeath "4" sounds like "death"]] and "9" sounds like "pain", so 49 means die painfully. The unluckiest number of them all.

'''52''' - 13×4. The number of weeks in a year, the number of cards in a deck.

'''57''' - Students of Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' have contended that this otherwise unremarkable number occurs more frequently than you might expect and is, in a Discworld context, an ArcNumber. Also the total number of Varieties in an advertising context.

'''60''' - Number of seconds in a minute and number of minutes in an hour. Comes from combining Base-10 and Base-12 counting systems as this is the least common denominator between them. This originated back in Ancient Babylon, and is heavily tied into studies of divisions of the circle in the days when the lines between mysticism and advanced mathematics were even hazier.

'''69''' - [[LOL69 Nice.]]

'''87''' - Thirteen short of 100, and therefore considered an unlucky number in UsefulNotes/{{Cricket}}, especially in Australia. 187, 287, etc. are also viewed as unlucky, to a lesser degree.

'''88''' - The number of keys on a grand piano and the number of recognized constellations. Some Neo-Nazis use the number 88 as a code for the phrase "Heil Hitler," H being the eighth letter of the alphabet.

'''99''' - Just shy of perfect completeness (100). In science, 99+% turns up a a lot as a benchmark for stuff, particularly certainty & chemical purity, since true perfection in the real world is impossible. Interestingly, there are also 99 names of Allah.

'''100''' - Has the connotations of wholeness and purity like 1 & 10, but more so; the highest percentage. Think the 100 cantos of ''Literature/TheDivineComedy''.

'''101, 1001''' etc. - Synonymous with ''"lots"'' for a modern audience.\\
''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'', ''[[Literature/ArabianNights A Thousand And One Nights]]'', MillionToOneChance, etc. AYearAndADay has the same role.

'''108''' - See Mystical108.

'''111''' - Considered an unlucky number in UsefulNotes/{{Cricket}}, especially in England, due to the figure resembling a set of stumps with no bails.

'''137''' - The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine-structure_constant fine-structure constant]] in physics is approximately 1/137.

'''187''' - [[DeadlyEuphemism Slang for homicide]] in GangstaRap, since Section 187 of the UsefulNotes/{{California}} Penal Code defines the crime of murder.

'''420''' - [[FourTwentyBlazeIt Blaze it!]]

'''666''' - NumberOfTheBeast. EVIL! (Wait, or was that 616? Or 216?)


Prime numbers in general are popular for the number of PlotCoupons, especially 3 and 7.

Any work that references numerology in general (or gematria, the Kabbalic study) will heavily reference this trope.

See also ArcNumber.

More examples can be found at [[http://1kbwc.wikia.com/wiki/1000_Blank_White_Cards_Numbers the 1kbwc Wiki]]
----
Here are some numbered tropes by number and type.

||align=center border=1 width=100%
|| Number || '''Characters''' || '''CombatTropes''' || '''LoveTropes''' || '''Dramatic Devices''' ||
|| '''0''' || MyHeroZero, ZeroPercentApprovalRating || || || ||
|| '''1''' || LonersAreFreaks, OnlySaneMan || SingleStrokeBattle, OneBulletLeft || EverybodyIsSingle || SingleIssuePsychology, ItOnlyWorksOnce, OnceIsNotEnough, OnlyOne ||
|| '''2''' || ThoseTwoGuys, HeterosexualLifePartners, NameAndName, RedOniBlueOni || GunsAkimbo, DualWielding, BifurcatedWeapon, DoubleWeapon || ChainedHeat, PairTheSpares || CrossesTheLineTwice ||
|| '''3''' || PowerTrio, ComicTrio, TokenTrio, FreudianTrio, TownGirls || MeleeATrois || LoveTriangle || RuleOfThree, Administrivia/ThreeRulesOfThree ||
|| '''4''' || FourTemperamentEnsemble, FourPhilosophyEnsemble, FourGirlEnsemble, FourElementEnsemble, PersonalityBloodTypes || || TheFourLoves || FourIsDeath, TheFourGods, FourPointScale ||
|| '''5''' || FiveManBand, FiveTokenBand || FiveRoundsRapid, ElementNumberFive || FiveStagesOfGrief || DefconFive, FiveStagesOfGrief, FiveFiveFive, UsefulNotes/BigFivePersonalityTraits ||
|| '''6''' || SixthRanger, SixthRangerTraitor || || || NumberOfTheBeast ||
|| '''7''' || MagnificentSeven, SevenIsNana || || || RuleOfSeven, SevenDeadlySins, SevenHeavenlyVirtues, SevenBasicConflicts ||
|| '''?''' || IAmLegion || InfinityPlusOneSword || LoveDodecahedron || Mystical108, ExtyYearsFromPublication, MillionToOneChance, ReadingsAreOffTheScale ||

* Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld

* ''VideoGame/{{Shadowverse}}'': The design theme of the titular Omens in ''Omen of the Ten''. Mjerrabaine, the first Omen, only works if you run single copies of every other card in the deck and control only one follower; Lishenna, the second Omen, sets up a combo around her two statues; Rulenye is a 3pp 3/3 that raises the cost of enemy spells by 3 at the cost of 3 shadows; Marwynn is a 4pp 4/4 that gives four distinct boons to both players; Izudia, the sixth Omen, sets the opponent's maximum health to 6, and so on.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJusticeOriginalSeries'': A sixteen-member Justice League, the setting is Earth-16, Miss Martian is 16 by Martian years, Superboy is 16 weeks old, Wally is woken up on his sixteenth birthday at sixteen minutes past the hour, the first season finale began at 00:16 hours on December 31st (and continues after the end of the opening exactly seven hours later at 07:16), and the end of the episode comes with the revelation that six members of the League, including the [[PowerTrio Big Three]], were missing for 16 hours. The second season, which opens [[TimeSkip five years after the first]], starts at 16:16, [[AllThereInTheManual in the year 2016]][[note]]Weisman used a 2010 calendar to figure the dates, meaning it was New Year's Day 2011 when the first season ended. Add the five year timeskip and the second season takes place in 2016.[[/note]] When asked about it, Weisman's only response was "[[http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=12420 <chuckles evilly>]]." He gave that response on August '''16'''.

In certain schools of Rabbinical Judaism, the world is thought to be held up by 36 righteous people known as the Tzaddikim Nistarim (Hidden Righteous Ones) at all times. They are perfectly good and virtuous, and their essential purpose is [[HumanityOnTrial justifying the continued existence of mankind in the eyes of God.]] [[BarrierMaiden If even one of these thirty-six would be missing, the world would end.]]

|| '''3''' || PowerTrio, ComicTrio, TokenTrio, FreudianTrio, TownGirls || MeleeATrois || LoveTriangle, TriangRelations || RuleOfThree, Administrivia/ThreeRulesOfThree ||

'''10''' - Since most people are born with 10 fingers (which are the basis for beginning to count), 10 is a comfortable number to express, either via powers of it or the number itself. It's extraordinarily popular for grouping, to the point that people will try to make things fit into a group of 10 whether or not they'll fit.[[note]]The Pythagoreans wanted the number of astronomical objects to be a perfect 10, or tetractys, so they made up Counter-Earth to complete the list.[[/note]] The entire Persian/Arabic numeral system (the one most Westerners use, because it's better than the Roman system) is based entirely on the number 10, as is the metric system. Tropes spawned of this shoehorning include ExtyYearsFromPublication. In certain numerologies, 10 is also used as shorthand for 'lots'.

'''12''' - 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 are all factors of this number, making it an early highly composite number. It symbolizes completeness as a result, and is easy to divide into smaller groups. It also has heavy mystic implications--for example, the 12 signs of the zodiac (Western and Eastern alike). It can be used for time symbology as well, as 12 o'clock is [[WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve midnight]] and noon; the end and beginning of a day, or the apex of a day. It is also often the largest number for which a stand-alone word or symbol exist, and being so heavily associated with harmony and completeness, it's surprising no major culture has a base-12 counting system. This came about namely because of the civilizations not using the five digits on each hand to make 10, rather looking at one hand and using the thumb to count the segments on each of the remaining fingers.

'''60''' - Number of seconds in a minute and number of minutes in an hour. Comes from combining Base-10 and Base-12 counting systems as this is the least common denominator between them. This originated back in Ancient Babylon.

'''13''' - The number of full moons in a year, the number of people seated at the Last Supper, the traditional number of witches or Satanists in a coven, the age at which someone officially becomes a [[TeensAreMonsters teenager]] etc. Bad medicine. Often not assigned to a house (it will be numbered 11A or 12A depending on the numbering system) or to a floor in a tower. TheEighties' Eagle comic strip ''The Thirteenth Floor'' featured a Holodeck run by the building's A.I. occupying the unlucky floor, seeing as how nobody wanted to live there. Also used to suggest certain words beginning with the letter M (the 13th letter of the alphabet). Also, the number of cards in a standard suit as well as the number of weeks in a quarter (e.g. fiscal quarter) of the year (52/4).

'''11''' - With 10 as a maximum, 11 means [[UpToEleven going one step past the limit]] and breaking the rules. Conversely, thinking about it as the time on a clock has more or less the opposite meaning- "the 11th hour" is the last hour before midnight and typically involves getting things done just on time. Being a symmetrical number can also bear some sinister connotations (see 2, above). The German word for 11 is pronounced "[[OurElvesAreDifferent elf]]", which is sometimes taken advantage of in works that like BilingualBonus or GratuitousGerman.

In Japanese culture, however, 9 is often considered a cursed numeral because the word for it, "ku", is pronounced the same as the Japanese word for pain and suffering. Despite this, it does have connotations of power as well. {{Kitsune}}, for instance, wield magical powers whose strength and power are indicated by how many tails they have, and the maximum number of tails a Kitsune can have are 9 tails (kyubi).

'''10''' - Since most people are born with 10 fingers (which are the basis for beginning to count), 10 is a comfortable number to express, either via powers of it or the number itself. It's extraordinarily popular for grouping, to the point that people will try to make things fit into a group of 10 whether or not they'll fit.[[note]]The Pythagoreans wanted the number of astronomical objects to be a perfect 10, or tetractys, so they made up Counter-Earth to complete the list.[[/note]] The entire Persian/Arabic numeral system (the one most Westerners use, because it's better than the Roman system) is based entirely on the number 10, as is the metric system. Tropes spawned of this shoehorning include ExtyYearsFromNow. In certain numerologies, 10 is also used as shorthand for 'lots'.

|| '''?''' || IAmLegion || InfinityPlusOneSword || LoveDodecahedron || Mystical108, ExtyYearsFromNow, MillionToOneChance, ReadingsAreOffTheScale ||

16 is 4×4. Also, 16×16 is 256, which is used in programming (see Real Life under ArcNumber)

'''21''' - Being 7×3, 21 is almost ''always'' considered an auspicious number. It is also a number of full adulthood in some cultures where children stay at home longer (such as the U.S.), the number of [[UsefulNotes/TarotCards Major Arcana of the Tarot]] (minus the zeroth one, TheFool), and the best hand in Blackjack. It is very popular in fiction for marking out random figures, as a longer number that has positive connotations and is easy to remember, e.g. [[Literature/SherlockHolmes 221b Baker Street]], [[Film/BackToTheFuture 1.21 Gigawatts]], ''21 Jump Street''.

See also ArcNumber

'''2''' - 2 represents {{duality|Motif}} - and thus, it stands in for The Villain. Sometimes, it's rather blatant (such as Two-Face in Batman), but other times it's more subtle. 2 is the prime source of moments where the villain says that he and the hero are NotSoDifferent. Also, because 2 identical people represent the loss of individuality, 2 also pops up as CreepyTwins. Internally, a hero divided in 2 may have any number of varieties of an EnemyWithin.