History Main / ThreeAmigos

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[[quoteright:350:[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/potter_trio.png]]]]
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->''"We're three caballeros\\
Three brave caballeros\\
They say we are birds of a feather\\
We're happy amigos\\
No matter where he goes\\
The one, two, and three goes\\
We're always together!"''
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/LegendOfTheThreeCaballeros'' theme

A PowerTrio of [[TrueCompanions best friends]], usually high school or middle school age, consisting of:
* TheHero, very often a CoolLoser and/or {{Everyman}} protagonist.
* [[TheLancer A best friend of the same gender]], frequently of another race and[=/=]or nationality. Can be a TokenBlackFriend and[=/=]or FatBestFriend.
* [[TheSmurfettePrinciple A best friend of another gender]], and potential LoveInterest, 50% of the time an UnluckyChildhoodFriend. She (or he if the protagonist is female) is frequently the Betty on a BettyAndVeronica love triangle.

The two sidekicks will usually be opposites in other ways, too -- one will be a [[TheSmartGuy straight-A student]], one will be [[TheBigGuy a jock]] or [[TheSlacker slacker]]; or one will be rich, one will be poor; [[TokenTrio or one will be black, one will be white (or Asian or Latino)]]. If TheHero balances or mediates between the sidekicks, the group may double up as another form of FreudianTrio.

Romance ''will'' be explored. A LastMinuteHookup could almost always be expected between The Hero and a sidekick. More recently writers are pairing the sidekicks together. It probably won't turn into a LoveTriangle because they are primarily friends. Any romance is secondary.

The two sidekicks are almost always the {{Secret Keeper}}s in a WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld setting. This is an attractive setup for many writers, because it gives the main character a person of each gender to interact with easily.

Most prevalent within American shows directed at children and tweens, where writers conspicuously try to keep their cast as limited as possible. {{Anime}} tends to add a fourth member, closer to one of the sidekicks than The Hero. They might also get a team expansion later, but the trio will always be front and centre and be treated like the "real" heroes.

Quite often the WithAFriendAndAStranger dynamic will be present.

Is often SuperTrope to TwoGuysAndAGirl, TwoGirlsAndAGuy. Compare TokenTrio. Contrast with the all-female SisterTrope, BeautyBrainsAndBrawn.

TerribleTrio is the villainous equivalent: The leader will be more bossy, and the sidekicks dumber and interchangeable.

Not to be confused with [[Film/ThreeAmigos the comedy film]], which, by the way, is the TropeNamer. [[WesternAnimation/TheThreeCaballeros Or that one Disney film some people remember]].

----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Anime/SamuraiPizzaCats'': Speedy Cerviche, Polly Ester, and Guido Anchovy.
* ''Manga/AngelicLayer'': Misaki, Kotaro, and Tamayo.
* ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo'': Bo-bobo, Don Patch, and Tokoro Tennosuke (Jelly Jiggler in the dub) are known as the Hajike Trio.
* ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'': Sakura, Tomoyo, and Syaoran. However, the anime added Meiling as a fourth member of the main group.
* ''VideoGame/DinosaurKing'': Max, Rex, and Zoe in TheAnimeOfTheGame.
* ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'': Mugen, Jin, and Fuu, eventually.
* ''Anime/YuGiOh'': Yugi, Anzu/Tea, and Jonouchi/Joey + Honda/Tristan, Jonouchi's other best friend.
** ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'': Judai, Asuka, and Sho + Hayato/bKenzan, Judai's and Sho's other roommate.
** ''Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL'': Yuma, Tetsuo, and Kotori. Later becomes a Six-Friend Band with the addition of Takashi, Tokunosuke, and Cathy, bringing the total to four guys and two girls ([[LoveTriangle both in love with the hero Yuma, obviously]]. Pity that he's ObliviousToLove).
** ''Anime/YuGiOhARCV'': Yuya, Gongenzaka, and Yuzu.
* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': Ash, Brock/Tracey/Cilan/Clemont, and Misty/May/Dawn/Iris/Serena. Advanced Generation and XY both add a TagalongKid- Max and Bonnie, respectively.
* ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'' does this by the end of each region:
** Kanto: [[TheHero Red]], [[TheLancer Blue]], [[LoveableRogue Green]]. Yellow takes over hero roles in her own arc, but doesn't offset the original dynamic during the ''[=FireRed/LeafGreen=]'' story.
** Johto: [[IdiotHero Gold]], [[AntiHero Silver]], and [[TheSmartGuy Crystal]]. Crystal was a late comer, but not as late as Emerald.
** Hoenn: [[NonActionGuy Ruby]], [[TheBigGuy Sapphire]], and [[AwesomenessByAnalysis Emerald]]. However, Emerald didn't come in and complete the trio until after Ruby and Sapphire had done an entire arc.
** Sinnoh: [[ObfuscatingStupidity Diamond]], [[HotBlooded Pearl]], and [[LadyOfWar Platinum]].
** Averted in Unova, which featured two separate duos; and Kalos, which had a FiveManBand.
* ''Literature/SwordArtOnline: Alicization'': [[TheHero Kirito]], [[LovableCoward Eugeo]], and [[LadyOfWar Alice]].
* ''Anime/TransformersArmada'': Alexis, Rad and Carlos -- Billy and Fred were added later, but aren't really part of the trio dynamic.
* ''Anime/TransformersCybertron'': Colby, Bud and Lori.
* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'': Taichi, Yamato, Sora.
** Sidekick romance becomes canonically in 02, they are married by the grand finale time skip.
* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' has the initial newcombers, Daisuke, Miyako, and Iori.
* ''Anime/DigimonTamers'': Takato, Li Jiangliang (Henry Wong) and Ruki (Rika Nonoka).
* ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'': Sena, Monta, and Suzuna. The hero, his best friend, and his love interest, with the latter two serving as secret keepers for part of the series.
** Also Akaba, Kotaro, and Juri.
* ''VisualNovel/{{Air}}'': During Minagi's arc, there's Yukito, Minagi and Michiru.
* ''Manga/{{Amatsuki}}'': Toki, Kon and Kuchiha.
* ''VideoGame/{{Amagami}}'': Miya, Sae, and Ai.
* From ''Manga/IkkiTousen'': Teifu (Cheng Pu), Ryoumou (Lu Meng) and Saji (Zuo Ci) [[spoiler:or better said, Ouin Shishi (Wang Yun)]] from Nanyou. But their friendship is horribly crashed when [[spoiler:Teifu becomes an Ill Boy.]]
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', originally. (Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura)
** All the Rookie Nine trios get this (Shino, Kiba, and Hinata; and Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino). Then you have the older group (Neji, Lee, and Tenten), and Gaara's group (Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari)
** And the new generation on ''Manga/{{Boruto}}'' (Boruto, Mitsuki, and Sarada) and the new [=InoShikaCho=] trio (Shikadai, Inojin, and Chocho).
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': Ranma (Hero); Ryoga (Best friend/Rival); Akane (love interest of both). Also, Akane loves Ranma but fights with him constantly; she is ''not'' in love with Ryoga and only sees him as her best male friend, and never fights with him. Ryoga loves Akane and Ryoga (until he moves on) and Ranma border on VitriolicBestBuds. And that is the ''[[LoveDodecahedron simplest, least psychotic]]'' romantic situation in all of the Ranmaverse.
** Both Ryoga and Akane are heavily implied to be Ranma's best friends, completing the essence of this trope even more. It kind of makes sense seeing as how they're the ones he talks to the most about his problems or thoughts.
** A similar situation is seen with Ranma, Ukyo, and Akane. Ukyo is Ranma's UnluckyChildhoodFriend who he thought was a boy way back when. He is shown to still see her as one of his closest friends and often visits her restaurant just to talk or hang out, and they are close enough where Akane feels jealous over the bond of their shared childhood. Akane and Ukyo also get along MUCH better than the rest of Ranma's finances/love interests and can even spend time together without Ranma. As some fans have noted, Ukyo is basically the Ryoga of Akane's life. It's really no wonder that Ukyo and Ryoga also form the most popular OT3's (Ranma/Akane/Ryoga and Akane/Ranma/Ukyo), especially in the West where Ukyo is much more popular.
* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'': Keiichi, Rena, and Mion are looked at as a trio. Satoko, Rika and Hanyuu may count as well.
* ''Manga/PandoraHearts'': [[KidHero Oz]], [[CowardlyLion Gil]], and [[{{Tsundere}} Alice]].
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' has [[VillainProtagonist Lelouch]], [[IdiotHero Suzaku]], and Nunnally. Lulu is Nunna's [[KnightTemplarBigBrother brother]], and Nunnally was hinted to have had feelings for Suzaku. Then it all went [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope horribly]], ''[[DiabolusExMachina horribly]]'' [[FromBadToWorse wrong]].
* ''Manga/SoulEater'': Maka, Black☆Star, and Death The Kid.
** Though Soul, Tsubaki, Liz and Patti are always there also so I'm not sure it counts. If it does than Ox (with Havar), Kilik (with Fire and Thunder) and Kim (with Jaqueline) would be this as well.
* ''Literature/{{Durarara}}'' has Mikado, Kida and Anri establishing this dynamic very quickly. [[spoiler:But the fact that that they're as much {{ordinary high school student}}s as [[VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}} Shiki Tohno]] means something's going to happen. Mikado is the founder of the Dollars, Kida is the shogun of the Yellow Scarves, and Anri is the original Saika and the leader of Saika's Children. This makes the trio the leaders of the three rival factions in Ikebukuro. Suffice to say, things deteriorate from there.]]
* ''Anime/XamdLostMemories'' has Akiyuki, Haru and Furuichi.
* ''Anime/StarDriver'' has Takuto, Sugata, and Wako.
** Fifteen years prior to the events of the anime, Tokio, Ryousuke and Sora were such a trio too. Since [[spoiler:Tokio and Sora are Takuto's parents]], this trio has deliberate parallels to anime's main trio. WordOfGod states that they're supposed to show the same kind of dynamics, and then Tokio fucks everything up thoroughly, [[spoiler:manipulating everyone around him, impregnating Sora and driving her off the island,]] which initiates the plot of the anime proper.
** Then there's also Filament's members Benio, George and Tetsuya.
* Luffy, Zoro and Nami from ''Manga/OnePiece''. At the start of the series, they are surely this, being the only members that make up the Straw Hat crew, and even in the later chapters they have shades of this - Luffy is the absolute protagonist, Zoro stills seems to be the most important character in the series after Luffy (being his NumberTwo and all) and Nami is probably also the most important female character on the show.
* ''Literature/{{Baccano}}!'' has Huey, Elmer and Monica in the early 1700s - three teenagers brought together [[BreakfastClub through a shared identity of being thoroughly screwed up]].
* Eren, Armin and Mikasa from ''Manga/AttackOnTitan''.
* In ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' we have, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the Axis]], though it's a strange example in that they're all dudes, they still have a hookup, and [[VillainProtagonist nobody's the hero]].
* In ''VisualNovel/SteinsGate'', it's [[MadScientist Okarin]], [[FatBestFriend Daru]], and [[TheIngenue Tutturuu]]. But the merry Amigos quickly grow to include [[WholesomeCrossdresser wildly]] [[{{Tsundere}} colorful]] [[CosplayOtakuGirl characters]].
* ''Anime/TheMysteriousCitiesOfGold'': Esteban, Zia and Tao.
* ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'': Kirby, Fumu/Tiff, and Bun/Tuff.
* ''Manga/{{Bakuman}}'': Muto Ashirogi (a mangaka composed of two people) and Miyoshi. Mashiro is the artist, and the main goal of the story is to fulfilling his promise of marrying his fiancé Azuki. Takagi is the author, Takagi's HeterosexualLifePartner, manga partner and their collaborated manga are essential in fulfilling Mashiro's promise. Miyoshi is Takagi's girlfriend [[spoiler:(and later his wife)]] and is constantly hanging around with Muto Ashirogi and supports them in different ways.
** Muto Ashirogi's ''[[ShowWithinAShow PCP]]'' has also main characters based on this trope: Makoto and his sidekicks Minoru and Mai.
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': Uraraka and Iida are the first friends Midoriya makes in UA and they have remained part of his closest circle ever since.
* Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana in ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic''.
* ''{{Manga/Noragami}}'' has Hiyori, Yato and Yukine, though the former two tend to act as parents to Yukine.
* ''{{Manga/Doraemon}}'': Nobita's best friends are his RobotBuddy Doraemon and GirlNextDoor Shizuka, and they're usually his first choice of people to hang out with. Although Gian and Suneo are ostensibly also his friends, [[WithFriendsLikeThese they tend to spend more of their time bullying him]] than actually being friendly.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* ''Animation/YamuchasKungFuAcademy'': Miko, Nao, and Jubby.
* ''Animation/ChuckChicken'': Chuck, Wing, and Flick.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'':
** Young genius Reed Richards and blue-collar jock Ben Grimm were college roommates and later became partners in Richards' plan to fly to the Moon. Both became close and romantically attracted to Sue Storm. In the end Sue married Reed, but Ben is so close he is essentially part of the family; he is also godfather to Reed and Sue's son and a surrogate sibling to Sue's bratty kid brother. And in at least one alternate reality Sue wound up marrying Ben.
** A situation emerged during John Byrne's run between Ben Grimm, his long-suffering girlfriend Alicia Masters and Johnny Storm, resulting in Johnny marrying Alicia with Ben as the Best Man. Later it emerged that Alicia was actually the shape-shifting Skrull Lyja and they divorced. However in the MC-2 universe John and Lyja (now an active member of the Fantastic Five as Ms. Fantastic) are still married and have a Three Amigos dynamic with Ben.
* ''ComicBook/Trinity2008'': Franchise/{{Superman}}, Franchise/{{Batman}} and Franchise/WonderWoman ({{lampshaded}} in the first series arc, during which Wonder Woman even mentions her brief flirtations with both Superman -- the archetypal ideal husband -- and Batman -- the archetypal intriguing [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys bad boy]].)
* ''ComicBook/BlueBeetle'': Jaime, Paco and Brenda.
* ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'': ComicBook/CosmicBoy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad.
* ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'' has Billy, ComicBook/{{Mary|Marvel}} and Freddy as the main members of the Marvel Family. Billy and Mary are ''literally'' family (siblings, twins in most continuities), so naturally she and Freddy are the ones who tend to be paired together.
* ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' has Hellboy, Abe Sapien and Liz.
* [[KidDetective Kid detective]] [[GadgeteerGenius gadgeteer genius]] Tim Drake/[[ComicBook/Robin1993 Robin III]], [[HotBlooded hot blooded]] [[KidAnova kid-anova]] Kon-el/ComicBook/{{Superboy|1994}}, and [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} cloudcuckoolander]] [[KidFromTheFuture kid from the future]] Bart Allen/ComicBook/{{Impulse}} had a close friendship even before founding ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'' together. Eventually they added [[ComicBook/WonderGirl Cassie Sandsmark/Wondergirl]] to their group of true companions which is often called the "Core Four" and Superboy died leaving them with this dynamic (until he got better).
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]] & [[ComicBook/WonderWomanRebirth Vol 5]]: Diana's closest friends and most constant allies are her significant other ComicBook/SteveTrevor and gal pal ComicBook/EttaCandy.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Eastern European Animation]]
* ''Animation/QumiQumi'': Juga is The Hero, Shumadan is the Fat Best Friend, and Yusi is the lone girl.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': The trope applies to Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino in all the stories where they appear together. Once Bolt and Mittens make up after "The Blood Brother," the three pets remain inseparable friends, and in Bolt and Mittens's case, lovers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven 2'' has Charlie, Itchy and Sasha and so on in the series.
* ''WesternAnimation/OnceUponAForest'' had Abigail (the {{Tomboy}}), Russel (the BigEater), and Edgar (the nerd). Subverted in that Abigail is TheHero and leader.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife'' has Manolo, Joaquin, and Maria.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'': Especially if you [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation consider Cameron the protagonist]], in which case it's Cameron, Ferris and, Ferris's girlfriend (also Cameron's friend) Sloane.
* ''Film/NoRetreatNoSurrender2'': Protagonist and resident ass-kicker Scott, his best friend-slash-mentor Mac, and Mac's on-off girlfriend Terri.
* ''Film/SkyHigh2005'' ends with this trope, with the main character Will, his girlfriend Layla, who used to be his best friend, and best friend Warren, who used to be his archnemesis.
* ''Film/StarshipTroopers'': Johnny, Carl, Carmen; Johnny, Ace and Dizzy
* ''Film/WereTheWorldMine'': Timothy, Max and Frankie.
* ''Film/MeAndEarlAndTheDyingGirl'': Greg, [[TokenBlackFriend Earl]] and Rachel.
* As the comic counterpart, ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}'' has Hellboy, Abe Sapien and Liz.
* Shadow, Chance and Tao (two dogs and a cat) in ''Literature/TheIncredibleJourney'' (1963) and the 1993's remake ''Film/HomewardBoundTheIncredibleJourney'' with Tao changed into a kitty named Sissy.
* Peter, Ned and MJ demonstrate this dynamic in ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome''. Especially notable when [[spoiler:MJ and Ned find Peter alone and devastated after May's death and hug him to let him know that [[YouAreNotAlone he is not alone.]]]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/Blackbird1986'' has Randy, Efrem, and Crystal.
* ''Literature/HIVESeries'' has this, with Otto as TheHero, Wing as his [[TokenMinority Asian Best Friend]], Laura as the [[TheSmartGuy Smart Girl]] and Shelby as the fourth, doubling as TheBigGuy alongside Wing. It follows a pattern similar to anime in most aspects, including this one.
* ''Literature/LesMiserables'' has one in the June Rebellion part: Enjolras, Combeferre, and Courfeyrac.
* The Trio, sometimes known as the Golden Trio, is a popular name for the three main characters of the ''Literature/HarryPotter series''. Harry stood up for Ron against Malfoy and Harry told Ron that they need to go warn Hermione about the troll early in their first year. The three were friends ever since.
* ''Literature/FeliksNetAndNika''. They met on their first day in new school and stayed together ever since.
* ''Literature/ThePendragonAdventure'': Bobby, Mark and Courtney
* Creator/RickRiordan ''loves'' this trope.
** ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'': Percy, Grover, and Annabeth.
*** Also, before the series started: Annabeth, [[spoiler:Thalia, and Luke]].
** ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'':
*** ''The Lost Hero'' — Jason, Piper and Leo.
*** ''The Son of Neptune'' — Percy, Frank, and Hazel.
*** ''The Mark of Athena'' mixes things up a bit, switching Leo with Percy in their respective trios for much of the story.
*** ''The Blood of Olympus'' — [[spoiler:Nico, Reyna, and Coach Hedge]].
** ''Literature/TheTrialsOfApollo'':
*** ''The Dark Prophecy'' — Apollo, [[spoiler:Leo]] and [[spoiler:Calypso]].
*** ''The Burning Maze'' — Apollo, [[spoiler:Meg]] and [[spoiler:Grover]] for the first part, but after that the book splits into dozens of groups of main characters for each scene.
** ''Literature/MagnusChaseAndTheGodsOfAsgard'': Magnus, Hearth[[spoiler:stone]] and Blitz[[spoiler:en]] most likely count, since they've stuck together for all of Magnus's homeless years (even if he never knew that [[spoiler:they were from other dimensions and definitely not human]]).
* Towards the end of the first ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series, Firestar, Graystripe, and Sandstorm essentially become this.
* ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'': Jem, Dill and Scout
* ''Literature/ThePrincessSeries'': Danielle, Talia and Snow.
* ''The Mystery Kids'': Holly (Ego - the most normal one, uses reasoning to solve mysteries), Miranda (Id - prides herself on her ability to crack terrible jokes, most likely to be inspired to a solution), Peter (Superego - collects car registration numbers, loves technology and most likely to use a gadget to find a solution).
* Literature/GreenSkyTrilogy: Raamo (AllLovingHero), Neric (DeadpanSnarker), and Genaa ([[TheSmartGuy The smart girl]])
* ''A to Z Mysteries'': Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose.
* ''{{Literature/Wonder 2012}}'': August, Summer, and Jack.
* For a few chapters in ''Literature/WhyWeTookTheCar'': Maik, Tschick and Isa.
* Textbook example in the ''Literature/AhrimanTrilogy'' with hero Simon, unrequited love interest Erin, and best friend Fausto.
* ''Literature/HaloTheFallOfReach'' has John[[YouAreNumberSix -117]] ([[LivingLegend The Master Chief]]) and his childhood friends Samuel-034 and Kelly-087, whom [[TrueCompanions he bonded with closely with]] during the early days of the [[SuperSoldier Spartan-II]] program. The three basically became surrogate siblings. [[spoiler: Sam pulled a HeroicSacrifice for John and was the very first Spartan-II killed in combat against [[ScaryDogmaticAliens the Covenant]]. While John and Kelly remain close to both each other and the other Spartans, not even John's NumberTwo Frederic-104 is really able to fill in Sam's spot in the original trio.]]
* ''Literature/TheWitchlands'' plays this trope with the trio of Hell-Bards that capture Iseult and Vaness, with intelligent Caden as the leader, brutish Zander as his [[TheLancer Lancer]] and sneaky Lev as TheHeart.
* In ''Literature/TheSalamanders'', the main trio is made up of three best friends, Ryan, Lisa, and Micah (with an at times rocky relationship).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': Walter Denton, his girlfriend Harriet Conklin, and his best friend Stretch Snodgrass.
* Done in a few ''Franchise/KamenRider'' series:
** ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'': Shinji, Ren and Yui.
** ''Series/KamenRider555'': Takumi, Keitaro and Mari, also Kiba, Yuka and Kaido.
** ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'': Kenzaki, Hirose and Kotaro.
** ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'': Tsukasa, Yuusuke and Natsumi, though subverted at the end when Daiki joins them full time.
** ''Series/KamenRiderW'': Shotaro, Philip and Akiko.
** ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'': Eiji, Ankh and Hina.
** ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'': Gentaro, Kengo and Yuki.
** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'': Kouta, Mitsuzane and Mai; later Kouta, Kaito and Mai.
** ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'': Shinnosuke, Gou and Kiriko.
** ''Series/KamenRiderZiO'': Sougo, Geiz and Tsukuyomi.
** ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'': Touma, Kento and [[spoiler:Luna.]]
** ''Series/KamenRiderRevice'': Ikki, Daiji and Sakura. Plus they’re all siblings.
** ''Series/KamenRiderGeats'': Ace, Keiwa and Neon.
* Creator/DisneyChannel is fond of this trope, and at least one show will have it.
** ''Series/AndiMack'': Andi, Buffy and Cyrus.
** ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'': Lizzie, Gordo and Miranda.
** ''Series/HannahMontana'': Miley, Lilly and Oliver.
** ''Series/ANTFarm'': Chyna, Olive and Fletcher. Subverted when Angus joins the main cast in Season 3.
** ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'': Raven, Chelsea and Eddie.
** ''Series/EvenStevens'': Louis, Tawny and Twitty.
** ''Series/CoryInTheHouse'': Cory, Meena and Newt.
** ''Series/TheFamousJettJackson'': Jett, JB and Kayla.
** ''Series/NaturallySadie'': Sadie, Margaret and Rain.
** ''Series/SonnyWithAChance'': Sonny, Tawni, and Chad fit this dynamic well, but Nico, Grady, and Zora throw it off balance.
** ''Series/AustinAndAlly'': Kind of: you have the two titular protagonists, but the "Amigos" part is played straight with Dez and Trish.
** ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'': Another subversion; Alex, Justin, and Harper kinda have this dynamic; but Justin is Alex's brother, and if you count him, you'll have to count Max as well.
** ''Series/ZekeAndLuther'' is another twist to this. The title characters double the Hero role, Kojo and Ginger fit the sidekick roles but are commonly portrayed as antagonists, plus Ginger is Zeke's sister, and her actress Ryan Newman left after Season 2.
** ''Series/LabRats'': Adam, Bree, and Chase; although Leo throws it off balance. Plus they’re all siblings.
** ''Series/MightyMed'': Kaz, Oliver, and Skylar.
* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' has done this several times.
** ''Series/ChoujuuSentaiLiveman'': Yuusuke, Jou and Megumi.
** ''Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger'': Yousuke, Nanami and Kouta.
** ''Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger'': Ryouga, Yukito and Ranru.
** ''Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger'': Jan, Ran and Retsu.
** ''Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger'': Sosuke, Ren and Saki.
** ''Series/TokumeiSentaiGoBusters'': Hiromu, Ryuji and Yoko.
* An increasingly popular ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' format:
** ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' had Rocky, Aisha, and Adam before they were absorbed into the FiveManBand.
** ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm'': Shane, Dustin and Tori
** ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder'': Conner, Ethan and Kira
** ''Series/PowerRangersSPD'' does a fake-out with this trope: The ranger team starts out as Sky, Bridge and Syd, who fit the trope closely, but after Jack and "Z" arrive, they get rounded out to a FiveManBand by the end of the two-part premiere.
** ''Series/PowerRangersJungleFury'': Casey, Theo and Lily
** ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'': Scott, Flynn and Summer; though they begin recruiting in episode 2 and oddly the new recruits, Dillon and Ziggy, get more focus than the trio does.
* Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} is no slouch at this trope either with its own set of trios:
** ''Series/ICarly'' has Carly and her female friend Sam and male friend Freddie. This relationship is very important to iCarly. It is usually the main focus of the show. When two of them fight the other one usually tries to break it up. But then came Gibby...
** ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'': Ned, Moze and Cookie.
** ''Series/{{Unfabulous}}'': Addie, Gina and Zack.
** ''Series/SupahNinjas'': Mike, Owen, and Amanda.
** ''Series/TrueJacksonVP'': True, Lulu, and Ryan.
** ''Series/HenryDanger'': Henry, Jasper, and Charlotte.
** ''Series/TheOtherKingdom'': Astral, Morgan and Devon.
** ''Series/IAmFrankie'': Frankie, Dayton and Cole.
* ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'': Cory, Shawn and Topanga. Jack, Rachel and Eric are this to a lesser extent when their LoveTriangle isn't as present. ''Series/GirlMeetsWorld'' has a group of four instead, with Riley, Maya, Lucas, and Farkle.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' has Buffy and her best friends Willow and Xander. When Buffy moved in to town the three of them quickly became friends, with Willow and Xander helping Buffy fight the forces of darkness. Buffy is the superpowered Slayer around whose duties the show revolves, with Willow being the smart, shy hacker girl and Xander being the outgoing but not too smart ButtMonkey. The early seasons explored a love triangle between the three, with Willow having a crush on Xander and Xander having a crush on Buffy; the three ultimately remained only friends.
* Flashbacks on ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' show us that Ted, Lily, and Marshall were this in college. Their dynamic changed when they met Barney a year after college, and Robin a few years after that, eventually transitioning them into a FiveManBand.
* ''Series/Daredevil2015'': [[ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} Matt]], Foggy, and Karen.
* The first three seasons of ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' have Clark and his best friends Chloe and Pete. They're Clark's oldest friends and the three of them have been friends for years before the series started. They work on the school newspaper together.
* ''Series/WhatILikeAboutYou'': Holly, Tina and Gary.
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': As the name of the show implies, Angel is the main character, who founded the agency which works to combat evil. Early on, he was joined by Cordelia, the ex-spoiled rich girl who still loves clothing and aspires to acting stardom, and Doyle, a half-demon who would just like to fit in somewhere and whose visions of people in trouble let the team know where they are most needed. After Doyle's death halfway through season 1, Wesley joins the team, taking Doyle's place as the male friend. Wesley's thoughtful, caring, bookish nature contrasts sharply with Cordelia's ditzy, rather mercenary personality, but they all manage to get along.
* ''Series/{{Everwood}}'': Bright, Colin and Amy in season one, mostly shown in flashbacks and the finale
* ''Series/TheWestWing'': Josh, Toby, and CJ; after Sam left. Before he left, the whole ensemble was too tightly-knit to be separated into Amigos.
* ''Series/EarlyEdition'': Gary, Chuck and Marissa.
* ''Series/{{Wishbone}}'': Joe, Sam and David.
* ''Series/UnnaturalHistory'': Henry, Jasper, and Maggie
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' does it about half the time: The Doctor, a female companion to serve as TheHeart and a male companion to serve as the PluckyComicRelief or TheBigGuy, depending.
* ''{{Series/Merlin 2008}}'' has one of these, despite the setting. Arthur, Merlin and Guinevere don't attend high school, but they make up the aspects of the trope perfectly.
* ''Series/MrRobot'': Elliot, Angela and his sister Darlene.
* ''Series/MsMarvel'': Kamala, Nakia, and Bruno.
* ''Series/{{Greek}}'' has Evan, Cappie and Casey before the series began but it ended in it's logical conclusion, later they try several times to come back to this but they fail.
* Series/TheWonderYears: Kevin, Paul, and Winnie
* Violet Vinther, Mr. Scwann and Miss Jørgensen from the danish ''Matador'' is this until [[spoiler:Mr. Scwann dies]]
* ''{{Series/Battlestar Galactica|1978}}'': Apollo, Starbuck and Sheba; subverted in which all three of them are Viper pilots.
* [[Series/StarskyAndHutch Starsky, Hutch and Huggy Bear]]; also subverted.
* ''Series/{{Graduados}}'', Andy, Tuca and Vero
* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'': Sabrina, Harvey and Jenny (season 1), Sabrina, Harvey and Valerie (season 2 and 3).
* ''Series/TheWorstYearOfMyLifeAgain'': Alex, Simon and Maddy.
* ''Series/{{Deadwood}}'': Wild Bill Hickok, Charlie Utter, and Calamity Jane
* ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho'': Chavo, Quico and Chilindrina.
* ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', although it has a large cast, Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo have an especial friendship among themselves.
* Much of the action in ''Series/HankZipzer'' centres around LoserProtagonist Hank and his two best friends: the cool in a “doesn’t try too hard” kind of way Frankie, and the AsianAndNerdy girl Ashley.
* ''Series/SchittsCreek'' has the trio of David, Patrick and Stevie. Stevie and David are best friends and AmicableExes. She takes an immediately liking to Patrick and encourages David and Patrick's romance, and the three are often seen hanging out together.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* Amazing Phenomenon. You could call Wrestling/AJStyles the hero, especially in Wrestling/RingOfHonor against The Prophecy, Amazing Red and [[Wrestling/MickieJames Alexis Laree]] the friends of different genders.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* Evan, Patrice,and Archie in ''Theatre/{{Thirteen}}''.
* ''Theatre/BloodBrothers'': Mickey, Eddie, and Linda in the first act.
* Fans of ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' will treat Marius, Eponine, and Cosette as this (especially fan-fiction writers), but in the show itself, they only appear together in three scenes ("The Robbery", "A Heart Full of Love", and the tail end of "Attack on Rue Plumet" which leads into "One Day More", as well as the appearance of [[spoiler:Eponine's ghost]] in the finale, although [[spoiler:Marius and Cosette cannot see her]]) and a single interaction occurs between the three of them, when Marius briefly introduces Cosette to Eponine before he and Eponine flee Rue Plumet. A better, all-male example could be Marius, Enjolras, and Grantaire, as they are the three primary students, but their relationship and friendship is never really fleshed out beyond what's shown in "ABC Cafe" and "Drink With Me".
* Of course, Harry, Ron, and Hermione of ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical''. See the above ''Literature/HarryPotter'' entry.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'': Alex, Ramus and Luna
* The ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' is pretty fond of this:
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'': Lloyd, Genis and Colette
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfEternia'': Reid, Farah, and Keele
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'': Asbel, Sophie, and Richard
* ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'': Axel, Adam and Blaze
* ''VideoGame/LaPucelle: Tactics'': Prier, Alouette and Culotte
* ''VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness'': Laharl, Etna and Flonne
* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'': Team Rose(Amy/Cream/Big) and Team Dark(Shadow/Rouge/Omega)
** ''VideoGame/SonicRiders'': Babylon Rogues(Jet/Wave/Storm)
* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'': Layton, Luke and Flora. (In the fourth game, which is a prequel to the first three games, it's Layton, Luke, and Remi.)
* ''VideoGame/EnchantedArms'': Makoto is the girl. Broken up rather quickly.
* ''VideoGame/OgreBattle64'': Magnus, Dio and Leia.
* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'':
** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'': The main character, Junpei and Yukari, at least early in the game before the whole team pulls together into a group of genuine TrueCompanions. Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Shinjiro were ThreeAmigos in the early days of SEES, but fractured prior to the events of the game.
** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'': Yu, Yosuke, and Chie have this dynamic at first, but it fades away as the team roster grows, especially given that Chie's best friend Yukiko joins in not long after. The lowerclassmen (Rise, Kanji and Naoto) also form groups like this, hanging out together during school-related events and having their own character dynamics.
** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'': [[TheHero Joker]], [[TheLancer Ryuji]] and [[TheHeart Ann]] start as a three-man team that constantly hang out together, before recruiting the rest of the party. This relation continues afterward due to the three being the only 2nd year students from Shujin High School on your team.
*** During the third term semester in Royal, Joker, Akechi and Kasumi become this during the initial investigation of [[spoiler:Maruki's Palace]] before the rest of the party came.
* ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'': Main character, [[TechnoWizard Atsuro]], and [[{{Tsundere}} Yuzu]].
** ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2'': Like above; Main character, [[CowardlyLion Daichi]], and [[TheHeart Io]] in the beginning.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' is fond of this one:
** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Gaiden/Echoes: Shadows of Valentia]]'': Celica, Mae, Boey
** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Genealogy of the Holy War]]'': Azel, Lex, and Tailtiu; Sigurd, Quan, and Eldigan
** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade The Binding Blade]]'': Raigh, Chad, and Lugh
** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade The Blazing Blade]]'': Eliwood, Hector, Lyn; Wil, Rebecca, Dart
** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones The Sacred Stones]]'': Ephraim, Eirika, and Lyon; Tethys, Gerik, and Marisa; Ross, Ewan, and Amelia
** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Path of Radiance]]'': Ike, Titania, Soren
** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Radiant Dawn]]'': Elincia, Lucia, Geoffrey
** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]]'': Chrom, Frederick, Robin
** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates Fates]]'': Odin, Laslow, Selena
* Both ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio'' games have this: Beat, Gum and Tab in Jet Set Radio, and Yoyo, Gum and Corn (formerly Tab) in Jet Set Radio Future.
* Tetsuya Nomura is quite fond of this trope, as any ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' fan can tell you. So far, there's the Destiny Islands trio (consisting of [[AllLovingHero Sora]], [[DarkIsNotEvil Riku]], and [[PluckyGirl Kairi]]), the Clock Tower trio (consisting of [[HairTriggerTemper Roxas]], [[PlayingWithFire Axel/Lea]], and [[LivingMemory Xion]]), the Wayfinder trio (consisting of [[BrokenAce Aqua]], [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold Ventus]], and [[BigBrotherInstinct Terra]]), and the Twilight Town gang (consisting of [[HotBlooded Hayner]], [[BigFun Pence]], and [[NiceGirl Olette]]). ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' reveals that, back in the day, Lea was part of another such trio with [[DeadpanSnarker Saïx/Isa]] and [[MysteriousWaif Subject X]].
* ''VideoGame/EliteBeatAgents'': Agent J, Agent Morris and Agent Derek. On other difficulties, J is replaced by Agents Spin or Chieftain, and on the hardest difficulty, they are all replaced by cheerleaders (the "Elite Beat Divas").
* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'': Chrono, Lucca and Marle of the 2 girls and a guy variant.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'':: Laguna, Kiros, and Ward; Rinoa, Zone, and Watts; Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin for a villainous version.
* ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'' games after Generation II: the protagonist, rival, and love interest/friend.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' gives us Snake, Otacon, and Sunny.
* ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'': Although you can recruit other characters, the core trio are The Nameless One, Morte and Annah.
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'': Shulk, Reyn and Fiora. Unlike other examples, they don't get the usual focus on them as the central trio of heroes [[spoiler:thanks to [[FirstEpisodeTwist Fiora dying fairly early into the game]].]].
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'' has the Kevesi trio of [[TheHero Noah]], [[TheLancer Lanz]] and Eunie. Thanks to certain aspects of the setting, no romance was ever involved between the three despite them having been together for their entire lives, with them instead finding partners in their eventual Agnian companions.
* ''VideoGame/LegendOfLegaia'': Vahn, Noa, and Gala are the only three party members in this RPG.
* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'': Among the slew of teams, one such example is the Japan Team Kyo, Benimaru, and Goro Daimon; or in the case of the "Three Sacred Treasures" Team: Kyo, Iori, and Chizuru.
* ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'': Every team in the original game is of this format, with the Pacific team being the closest match to the description. Even when one team consists entirely of adults. Even when one team has a SamusIsAGirl situation.
* ''VideoGame/MinecraftStoryMode'': Jesse, Olivia, Axel.
* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'': The first bosses in that game are a trio of oversized veggies named the Root Pack which include Moe Tato the oversized potato, Weepy the female crying Onion and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Psycarrot]]
* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'': Sakura, Blanka, and Dan.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'': John, Kelly and Sam throughout their childhood training together. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, Sam becomes the first Spartan casualty of the Human-Covenant War.]]
* ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'': Kilik, Xianghua and Maxi.
* ''VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries'': Henry, Charles, and Ellie are teaming up to stop the rocket in [[spoiler:''Triple Threat'']].
* ''VideoGame/TsukiAdventure'': Tsuki and his two best friends, Chi and Moca. Tsuki and Moca are male, and Chi is female.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'': Phoenix, Maya, and Pearly.
** ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth'': Edgeworth, Gumshoe and Kay.
* This dynamic forms between Akira, Seiji, and Kaoru in ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG'', once the latter becomes more acquainted with the first two. Akira is the CoolLoser protagonist, Seiji is his skeptical but loyal ChildhoodFriend, and Kaoru is a bubbly idol who loves the supernatural and gets subtle ShipTease with Akira.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/Project0'': Owen, Aatu, and Bea
* [[AntiAntiChrist Damian]], [[{{Bishonen}} Addison]] and [[SassyBlackWoman Sahara]] of ''{{Webcomic/Zoophobia}}''.
* Almost every video gaming webcomic ''ever'' seems to revolve around [[TwoGamersOnACouch two male gamers]] and [[GamerChick one female]], who is usually the girlfriend of whichever male lead is the hero. The typical character dynamic seems to be 'wacky' (read: obnoxious JerkAss) guy [TheHero], straight man [second guy] and girlfriend [the woman]. Oddly, the dean of video game webcomics, ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'', is actually the exception (no girlfriend), so ''Webcomic/CtrlAltDel'' is probably the TropeMaker here.
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' started out this way, with Elliot, Tedd, and Sarah, before the cast expanded.
* ''Webcomic/SlightlyDamned'' has Kieri (an angel), Buwaro (a demon) and Rhea (arguably the main character). Buwaro and Kieri are dancing around a [[InterspeciesRomance romance]].
* ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'' has [[TeamMom Fern,]] [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Willis Tori]] and the [[CuteMonster Eyeslob.]]
* Webcomic/WoodsForTheTrees has Jess (Male Border Collie), Reuben (Male Fennec Fox) and Isabel (Female Red Fox).
* ''Webcomic/{{Mulberry}}'' from Website/PlatypusComix has Mulberry (NonIdleRich heiress), Jack (TheOneGuy), and Taffy (DumbBlonde housekeeper).
* [[http://doodlediaries.comicgenesis.com/ Doodle diaries]] features a guy, his [[HoYay best/boy friend of the same gender]], and his female UnluckyChildhoodFriend
* ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive:'' Davan, [=PeeJee=], and Aubrey. Oddly WordOfGod has jossed any romance between them despite the popularity and ShipTease of Davan/[=PeeJee=].
* ''WebComic/SamuraiPrincess'' has Princess Raeka, Jacquline and Lyonel.
* ''Webcomic/SkelaAndTheOddstrange'' has Skela, Jefferson, and Ari.
* In Webcomic/RescuingDara Chivai is [[TheHero the hero]] and a girl, Dara is the female friend, and Zilch is the male friend. No romance yet, though.
* In ''WebComic/AutumnBay'', we have Stephen, Adam, and Callie.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': Bladedancer and her teammate's Chain Lightning and Gateway, who is now her (respectively) boyfriend and girlfriend.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* ''WebVideo/TheAnnoyingOrange'': Orange, Pear, and Passion Fruit.
* ''Website/ChannelAwesome'': [[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]], [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] and WebVideo/MarzGurl.
* Android 17 explicitly describes the dynamic between himself and Androids 16 and 18 as such in ''Webvideo/DragonballZAbridged''. After he's absorbed by Cell, however, 18 changes it to "[[GratuitousSpanish Dos Compadres]]".
* ''WebVideo/OutWithDad'': The three main characters start out this way, best friends since childhood. The pilot episode begins introducing cracks in the foundation and it starts crumbling from there.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters'': Ickis, Krumm & Oblina.
* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'': Jake, Spud and Trixie.
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Aang, Katara, and Sokka, although the latter two are siblings.
* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'': Ben, Gwen, and Kevin.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Braceface}}'' had Sharon, Maria, and Connor.
* ''WesternAnimation/BumpInTheNight'': The show's main characters are Mr. Bumpy, Squishington, and Molly Coddle, who are all shown to be very close friends.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Caillou}}'': In the series, Caillou, Leo, and Clementine are usually the three friends shown together.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Calimero}}'': Calimero, Valeriano and Priscilla compose one power trio when the rest of the band is absent.
* ''WesternAnimation/CampLakebottom'': [=McGee=], Squirt, and Gretchen.
* ''WesternAnimation/ChalkZone'': Rudy, Penny, and Snap.
* Matt, Jackie and Inez of ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}''.
* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'':
** Danny, Samantha and Tucker.
** And the College Trio: [[BumblingDad Jack]], [[ActionMom Maddie]], and [[MagnificentBastard Vlad]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'': Daria, Jane and Trent. In the fourth and fifth seasons and the movies, Trent is somewhat displaced by Tom.
* ''Franchise/DCSuperHeroGirls'' has Franchise/WonderWoman, Supergirl and Batgirl. They are the web series' three most prominent characters and hang out together the whole time. Diana is the leader and Kara and Barbara are all but sisters.
* [[{{Dracula}} Drak]], [[FrankensteinMonster Frankie]] and [[WolfMan Howler]] in ''WesternAnimation/DrakPack'' mixed with MonsterMash.
* ''WesternAnimation/ElinorWondersWhy'': [[TheLeader Elinor]], [[{{Bookworm}} Olive]], and [[PluckyComicRelief Ari]] are the main characters of the show.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewSchool'': Kuzco, Kronk, and Malina. Although the three of them can be seen hanging out, they have a weird dynamic. Kuzco sees Malina only as a love interest, but she is generally repulsed by his personality; meanwhile, Kronk is Yzma's assistant and helps her try to kill Kuzco every week.
* ''WesternAnimation/FishHooks'': Milo, Oscar, and Bea.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Freaktown}}'': [[DemBones Ben]], [[BigCreepyCrawlies Lenny]], and [[CuteWitch Priscilla]]. The former two are also roommates.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': Fry, Leela, and Bender.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'': Who else? Grim, Billy and Mandy (although "amigos" would be stretching it a little).
* ''WesternAnimation/GrowingUpCreepie'': Creepie, Chris-Alice, and Budge.
** The school goth kids: Raven, Misery, and Morpheus, Creepie's other best friends of course.
* ''WesternAnimation/HarrietTheSpy'': Harriet, Janie, Sport.
* Audrey, Lotta, and Dot from ''WesternAnimation/HarveyStreetKids''.
* ''WesternAnimation/HeathcliffAndTheCatillacCats'': Hector, Wordsworth, and Mungo.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} The Animated Series'': Hercules is TheHero, always having to save the day. His closest friends are Icarus, the outgoing, enthusiastic, and not entirely sane son of the local genius inventor, and Cassandra, the quiet, contemplative goth girl who gets visions of disasters.
* ''WesternAnimation/HomeMovies'': Brendan Small, Jason, and Melissa.
* ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'': Jimmy, Beezy, and Heloise (though Beezy and Heloise are only "amigos" through the same friend).
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'':
** Kim, Ron and Monique. Although the trio dynamic is only really in play during the High School part of WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld, they have occasionally been involved in fights as a team.
** But for the "same-gender friend", the same dynamic works on the SaveTheWorld part, with Kim, Ron and Wade.
* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': Bobby, Connie, and Joseph.
* ''WesternAnimation/LetsGoLuna'': Andy, Carmen, and Leo. However, their group becomes a quartet whenever Luna shows up.
* ''WesternAnimation/LibertysKids'': James, Sarah and Henri.
* ''WesternAnimation/MagiNation'': Tony, Edyn and Strag.
* ''WesternAnimation/MarcusLevel'': Ephi, Marcus and Gratrok.
* ''WesternAnimation/MegasXLR'': Coop, Kiva and Jamie.
* ''WesternAnimation/MiddlemostPost'': Parker, Angus, and Russell are the three friends who are the main characters of the show.
* ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'': Milo, Zack, and Melissa.
* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': Molly, Tooey, and Trini.
* ''WesternAnimation/MuchaLucha'': Rikochet, The Flea and Buena Girl.
* ''WesternAnimation/ObanStarRacers'': [[TheKirk Molly]], [[TheMcCoy Jordan]], and [[TheSpock Prince Aikka]].
* ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'': K.O., Rad, and Enid are the Bodegamen, though there's almost no romance involved. (Enid and Rad once went on a date in middle school that didn't work out, and have a small amount of UnresolvedSexualTension in the present day, but are just platonic best friends for the most part.)
* ''WesternAnimation/OlliesPack'' has Ollie, Cleo, and Bernie, all long-time friends, with the latter two helping Ollie take care of the Monster Pack.
* ''WesternAnimation/OscarAndFriends'' has the male Oscar and Bugsy, and the female Doris. It becomes a GenderEqualEnsemble whenever Rosie joins them.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Oswaldo}}'': Oswaldo, Tobias, and Leia.
* ''WesternAnimation/PacManAndTheGhostlyAdventures'': Pac-Man, Spiral, and Cylindria.
* ''WesternAnimation/PennZeroPartTimeHero'': Penn, Boone, and Sashi.
* ''WesternAnimation/PepperAnn'': Pepper Ann, Nicky and Milo.
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': While Phineas and Ferb generally have a lot of friends, Isabella is the real best-friend/girl-next-door character of the group.
* ''WesternAnimation/PJMasks'' has Conner, Amaya and Greg.
* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' has Jet, Sydney, and Sean.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Redakai}}'': Ky, Maya, and Boomer.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotboy}}'': Tommy, Gus, and Lola.
* ''WesternAnimation/RoughnecksStarshipTroopersChronicles'': Johnnie Rico, "Dizzy" Flores and Carl Jenkins.
* In ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'', Adora, Glimmer, and Bow form the Best Friend Squad, [[spoiler:until Catra joins them near the end of the series]].
* ''WesternAnimation/SheZow'': Guy Hamdon/[=SheZow=], Kelly Hamdon, and Maz Kepler. Like the ATLA example, Guy and Kelly are siblings.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Bart Simpson, Milhouse Van Houten, and Samantha Stankey in one episode called "Bart's Friends Falls in Love". Lisa would fill Samantha's role on an occasional basis.
* ''Franchise/SpiderMan''
** ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'': Peter, Harry and Gwen. PlayedWith when Harry is PutOnABus for a while, with Mary Jane taking her place and remaining a sort of [[SixthRanger Fourth Ranger]] after he came back.
** In other adaptations (the Sam Raimi trilogy, ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'', ''WesternAnimation/SpidermanTheNewAnimatedSeries'', ''[[WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan2012 Ultimate Spider-Man]]'') Peter, Harry and Mary Jane form this.
** Pretty much the whole point of ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAndHisAmazingFriends,'' with Spidey, Iceman, and Firestar as a trio of BFF's.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongoFuzzAndJalapena'':... 'nuff said.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheStrangeChores'' has Charlie, Pierce, and Que.
* ''WesternAnimation/SuperBestFriendsForever'' has ComicBook/WonderGirl, ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} and ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}. The three of them are very close -hence the title-. Donna works as a leader of sorts, whereas Kara and Barbara are the trouble-making "little sisters".
* ''WesternAnimation/TeamoSupremo'': Crandall, Brenda, and Hector.
* Geo, Milli, and Bot of ''WesternAnimation/TeamUmizoomi''. Like the ATLA example, Milli and Geo are Sibilings.
* ''WesternAnimation/TimeWarpTrio'' in the groups of Joe Sam and Fred/Jodie Samantha and Freddi.
* ''WesternAnimation/ToonMarty'' has Marty, Burnie, and Holly. Although in this case, Holly and Burnie only hang out together because of their shared friendship with Marty.
* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'':
** ''Total Drama Island'' has Trent (traditional hero/love interest), Gwen (actual protagonist), and possibly Owen (underdog/mascot) or Leshawna (close female friend).
** ''Revenge of the Island'' has Mike (hero), Zoey (love interest), and Cameron (close friend).
** ''Pahkitew Island'' has Jasmine (hero), Samey (best friend of the same gender), and Shawn (potential love interest).
* In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'', Sentinel, Elita-1 and Optimus ''were'' this back in their cadet days, before things took a turn for the worse on one fateful day...
* In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'', we have [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Jack]] [[TheHero Darby,]] [[TechnoWizard Raf]] [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Esquivel]], and [[GenkiGirl Miko]] [[LeeroyJenkins Nakadai]].
* Jim, Toby and Claire from ''WesternAnimation/{{Trollhunters}}''.
* ''WesternAnimation/UltimateBookOfSpells'': Verne, Gus and Cassie.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Vikingskool}}'' has Erik, Arni, and Ylva.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wishfart}}'' has the oddball trio of [[{{Leprechaun}} Dez]], [[ADogNamedDog Puffin]], and [[CuteGhostGirl Akiko]], who also all share the same apartment room.
* The ''WesternAnimation/WonderPets'' has Linny, a [[AmbiguousGender gender-ambiguous]] [[ViewerGenderConfusion female]] guinea pig that is supposed to be equivalent to a 5-year-old human child; a male turtle named Tuck, equivalent to a 4-year-old, and a female duck, equivalent to a 3-year-old, with a [[BabyTalk speech]] [[ElmuhFuddSyndwome problem]].
* ''WesternAnimation/WowWowWubbzy'': Wubbzy, Widget, and Walden.
* ''WesternAnimation/XavierRiddleAndTheSecretMuseum'': The main characters are Xavier, his sister Yadina, and their friend Brad.
* ''WesternAnimation/Zevo3'': The pink-haired super hero Ellie Martin, Aka Elastika has 2 best friends, The gossip-girl Cotilla Vasquez and the goth-girl Angel Jones.
[[/folder]]

* [[KidDetective Kid detective]] [[GadgeteerGenius gadgeteer genius]] Tim Drake/[[Comicbook/RobinSeries Robin III]], [[HotBlooded hot blooded]] [[KidAnova kid-anova]] Kon-el/ComicBook/{{Superboy}}, and [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} cloudcuckoolander]] [[KidFromTheFuture kid from the future]] Bart Allen/ComicBook/{{Impulse}} had a close friendship even before founding ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'' together. Eventually they added [[ComicBook/WonderGirl Cassie Sandsmark/Wondergirl]] to their group of true companions which is often called the "Core Four" and Superboy died leaving them with this dynamic (until he got better).

* [[TheSmurfettePrinciple A best friend of another gender]], and potential LoveInterest, 50% of the time an UnluckyChildhoodFriend. He (or she if the protagonist is female) is frequently the Betty on a BettyAndVeronica love triangle.

* ''VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries'': Henry, Charles, and Ellie.

* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline: Alicization'': [[TheHero Kirito]], [[LovableCoward Eugeo]], and [[LadyOfWar Alice]].

* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' has Mikado, Kida and Anri establishing this dynamic very quickly. [[spoiler:But the fact that that they're as much {{ordinary high school student}}s as [[VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}} Shiki Tohno]] means something's going to happen.]]
** To elaborate: [[spoiler:Mikado is the founder of the Dollars, Kida is the shogun of the Yellow Scarves, and Anri is the original Saika and the leader of Saika's Children. This makes the trio the leaders of the three rival factions in Ikebukuro. Suffice to say, things deteriorate from there.]]

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}!'' has Huey, Elmer and Monica in the early 1700s - three teenagers brought together [[BreakfastClub through a shared identity of being thoroughly screwed up]].