History Main / RuleOfSeven

* ''Manga/DragonBall'' has the seven titular orbs which can suummon a wish-granting divine dragon.

* Seven Manga/{{Dragon Ball}}s.

* Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica:

Right after [[RuleOfThree three]], seven is the most commonly used "ominous" number in fiction. This can be traced back to the ancient times; just think of the Seven Wonders, the Seven Days of Creation, or the Seven Hills of Rome. It is also common in many fairy tales.

* ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear'': [[spoiler: This is the key to defeating the MadGod Shem-Ha, and rewriting her divine will. Carol is able to substitute for a 7th wielder during one battle, while Miku takes her place as the true 7th wielder by using Shen Shou Jing for the final battle]].

** The following games have exactly seven dungeons/stages each: ''[[VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink The Adventure Of Link]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'' and (when including DLC[[note]]Sword Monk Shrine from ''Master Trials'' and Final Trial from ''Tha Champions' Ballad''[[/note]]) ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]''.

* Music/BlueOysterCult's ''Music/{{Imaginos}}'' saga follows the eon-spanning manipulation of humanity by seven alien deities called "Les Invisibles". ''[[LoopedLyrics "Seven seven seven seven seven seven seven..."]]''

* DC's [[ComicBook/SevenSoldiers Seven Soldiers of Victory]], both in the Golden Age and in the anthology series by Creator/GrantMorrison. In ''Seven Soldiers'' #0, a team is assembled with only ''six'' members because one didn't show up. Dan the Dyno-mite remarks that the significance of the number 7 can't be overstated, especially since 6 is extremely unlucky in comparison. [[spoiler:Then they all die.]]

* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'':
** Johan's Crystal Beast monster spirits. When all 7 are gathered he can summon his ace monster Rainbow Dragon. (Its evil twin Rainbow Dark Dragon works in a similar fashion). Subverted with the Shadow Riders of which seem to have 7 yet later revealed to have their leader thus 8. On the other hand, there are seven keys necessary to unlock the Sacred Beasts, and those keys are held by seven Key Keepers.
** Inverted in ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', where Season 1 antagonists the Dark Signers and their signature monsters, the Earthbound Gods, number seven in all.

** Invoked by Voldemort, who planned on splitting his own soul into seven pieces — six {{Soul Jar}}s plus the piece still in his body. [[spoiler: Then he made Harry the seventh Horcrux without knowing it...]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': Seven Princesses of Heart, and the seven Sleeping Keyholes from ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance''.

* The Level 5 Espers from "LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex"/"Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun". Only seven people from an entire city have achieved this rank. Although one of the Level 5 hasn't official debut yet.

* DC's [[ComicBook/SevenSoldiers Seven Soldiers of Victory]], both in the Golden Age and in the anthology series by Creator/GrantMorrison.
** In ''Seven Soldiers'' #0, a team is assembled with only ''six'' members because one didn't show up. Dan the Dyno-mite remarks that the significance of the number 7 can't be overstated, especially since 6 is extremely unlucky in comparison. [[spoiler:Then they all die.]]

* The Level 5 Espers from "LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex"/"Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun". Only seven people from an entire city have achieved this rank. Although one of the level 5 hasn't official debut yet.

* The number of daughters of Atlas in the Pleiades (also called the "Seven Sisters").
* And by analogy, "The Seven Sisters" is used to refer to:

** The original seven Hollywood film companies.

* The book of Revelation is perhaps a notable example here. From seven letters to the churches and seven seals to seven spiritual figures and seven trumpets, it generally indicates the state of perfection. The number is also very frequently used in the Gospel of John, who may or may not be the same John who wrote the book of Revelation.

* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'':
** The Seven Rings of the seven Dwarf Lords; also a ShoutOut to "Literature/SnowWhite".
** And the [[Literature/TheSilmarillion seven sons of Fëanor]].
** The flag of the kings of Gondor depicts seven stars with the White Tree, and there are seven palantíri.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Seven is an ArcNumber of the series. It's associated with the Faith of the Seven, the dominant religion in the main setting, the Seven Kingdoms. There are seven aspects of god, septagon-shaped temples called septs, seven hells, seven members of the Kingsguard, etc. Creator/GeorgeRRMartin is currently planning on making the series seven books long; [[TrilogyCreep whether he'll actually be able to do that]] [[FourLinesAllWaiting is another matter.]]

* In Laura Ingalls Wilder's book ''The Long Winter'' (part of the ''Literature/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'' series), Pa is hanging out at the general store when an old Native American chief comes into the store, accompanied by a younger Native American man who serves as a translator. This is highly unusual, because usually the Native Americans in the area stay away from the white people. The old chief tells the men in the store that the lore of their tribe states that there will be a severe winter every seven years, and that every seven times seven years (49 years), there will be an unbelievably severe winter. And that the current year is a seven times seven year. This turns out to be true, as the entire book is about an extremely severe winter that almost results in the Ingalls family starving to death.

** The following games have exactly seven dungeons/stages each: ''[[VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink The Adventure Of Link]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]''.
** Seven Zora eggs in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]''. The number is relevant because ''all seven'' must be grouped together so they can hatch. For the same reason, the song the newborn Zora children teach to Link to cure Lulu and enter the Great Bay Temple has seven musical notes in its chorus.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Seven is an ArcNumber of the series. It's associated with the the Faith of the Seven, the dominant religion in the main setting, the Seven Kingdoms. There are seven aspects of god, septagon-shaped temples called septs, seven hells, seven members of the Kingsguard, etc. Creator/GeorgeRRMartin is currently planning on making the series seven books long; [[TrilogyCreep whether he'll actually be able to do that]] [[FourLinesAllWaiting is another matter.]]

* A ladybug has seven spots.

* In the Literature/{{Child Ballad|s}} ''Literature/YoungBeichan'', he promises to come for her and marry her within seven years, in most variants.

* Literature/TheWolfAndTheSevenYoungKids: Seven little goats.

* ''Literature/SleepingBeauty'': Seven good fairies were invited upon the eponymous princess'birthday.