History TakeAThirdOption / AnimeAndManga

* While he rarely lets enemies limit his freedom to just two options, the CrazyIsCool MagnificentBastard Lelouch Lamperouge in ''Anime/CodeGeass'' constantly turns the tide of seemingly lost engagements by doing what nobody would expect of him, i.e. always taking the hidden "third" option.

* In ''Anime/CowboyBebop'', Spike is given the choice of surrendering or watching a mook put a bullet in Faye's head. Considering Spike is known to be a gunslinger of godlike ability, and that he's pointing a gun straight at said mook's head, you'd think they'd have foreseen his taking the third option...

* In the "Land of Adults" chapter of ''LightNovel/KinosJourney'', a little girl [[spoiler: (a younger Kino)]] is given the choice between death and a brain surgery that will render her a cheerful slave to her job. [[spoiler: Hermes]] offers her a third option: [[spoiler: escape and become a traveler]].

* In ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}'' the Hero doesn’t choose between the Demon Queen and Lady Knight, the Light Novel series ends with the three of them, and only them, deciding to retire and travel together to some faraway place to live quietly.

* Shion of ''LightNovel/No6'', having decided that leaving things as they are is not good and that destroying No. 6 isn't either, comes up with the third option of destroying the wall between No. 6 and West Block. Nezumi calls him a dreamer and an idiot but [[spoiler: it kinda works out in the end]].

* Three of these are taken in ''LightNovel/SorcererStabberOrphen'':

* In ''LightNovel/UnlimitedFafnir'', Yuu figures out a way to save Iris from turning into a dragon against her will, or being killed by his sister Mitsuki, while also stopping the dragon that was attacking the school.

* In ''LightNovel/TheZashikiWarashiOfIntellectualVillage'' the titular character tracks down a youkai which is stealing organs from young children for a trafficking ring. When she attempts to reverse the theft the youkai points out many of the stolen organs have already been implanted in sick children. Returning the organs will kill many innocent children while not returning them will kill a small number of equally innocent children. The zashiki warashi responds by [[spoiler:[[RealityWarper rewriting destiny]] to duplicate the stolen organs so all of the children are saved]]. Doing so damages her "core" as a youkai.

* In ''Manga/InuYasha'', Kagome is one forced into a SadisticChoice by Naraku... [[spoiler: He possesses a priestess and has her attack Kagome, trying to force the girl to choose between allowing herself to be killed or killing the priestess in self-defense. Since the other woman is currently committing evil under DemonicPossession, she will be condemned to hell if Kagome kills her in this state; and if Kagome willingly chooses to kill her knowing this, she will lose her holy powers and cease to be a threat to Naraku anyway]]. Kagome manages to invoke the trope by [[spoiler: finding a way to ''exorcise'' the priestess of Naraku's possession]].

* Almost at the end of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', Madoka Kaname is in a ''very'' tight spot. [[spoiler:If she doesn't become a Magical Girl, the witch Walpurgisnacht will destroy her city and probably kill a bunch of people she cares about. But if she does become a magical girl then she'll become the witch Kriemhild Gretchen, and destroy humanity]]. To make things worse, [[spoiler:two Magical Girls have died, one became a witch and had to be killed, and the only one left is seriously injured and about to become a witch]]. What does Madoka do? [[spoiler:In this setting, magical girls get one wish. So Madoka ''does'' become a Magical Girl... and uses her wish to ''retroactively erase all witches from existence''. Not only does this solve the current problem, it changes reality to the point where some dead characters come back and the show's magical girl system is changed forever. Though it's not without a price, since Madoka must AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence]].

* At the end of volume ten of ''LightNovel/TheCaseFilesOfJewelerRichard'', Seigi is expected at 25 to choose a career between joining Richard as a jeweler or following his original plan of going into public service.[[spoiler:He decides to be Richard's secretary instead.]]

* Al of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' does this when Kimblee asks him which option he and Edward will choose: getting their original bodies back or saving the world. Al asks why they can't do both, and goes on to explain that striving for what shouldn't be possible is the road to progress. Kimblee turns right around and [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructs]] the trope by suggesting that, if the situation is flexible enough that the third option, succeed at both goals, exists, there must then be a fourth option: fail in both their goals.

* ''Manga/{{Ooku}}'': The representative of the Shogunate, who is negotiating with the Americans, is put in a position of either signing an ''extremely'' unpopular unequal treaty to open Japan to foreign trade (which will delegitimize the Tokugawa Shogunate and cause the hardliners to rise against the Shogunate for bowing to the foreigners), or to refuse to sign the treaty (which will cause the Americans to declare war on Japan to open it to foreign trade). He chooses [[spoiler:to bring the Emperor's Court into the proceedings to attempt to stall for time, by claiming he needs the Emperor's approval for any treaty. This unfortunately turns out to be the ''worst'' thing to do, as not only does the Emperor command him to refuse, but the direct involvement of the Emperor in Shogunate business ends up delegitimizing the Tokugawa Shogunate and causes the hardliners to rise against it for bowing to the foreigners, now with the Emperor as a rallying figurehead]].

** The demon Raizen attempted to devour a beautiful human woman who worked as a medic, only to discover that she [[PoisonousPerson had incorporated all manner of poisons into her body]]. [[FanNickname The Lady Doctor]] calmly says that if Raizen devours her he'll die within hours, and adds that killing her wouldn't accomplish anything in the end. So what does he do? [[spoiler: [[SexFaceTurn He seduces her]]. And they become Yusuke's ancestors]].

* Al of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' does this when Kimblee asks him which option he and Edward will choose: getting their original bodies back or saving the world. Al asks why they can't do both, and goes on to explain that striving for what shouldn't be possible is the road to progress. Kimblee turns right around and [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructs]] the trope by suggesting that, if the third option exists, there must then be a fourth option: fail in both their goals.

* While he rarely lets enemies limit his freedom to just two options, the CrazyAwesome MagnificentBastard Lelouch Lamperouge in ''Anime/CodeGeass'' constantly turns the tide of seemingly lost engagements by doing what nobody would expect of him, i.e. always taking the hidden "third" option.