Top 10 Fictional Trios in Movies and TV

While they were featured in various shorts and comics for years, it was “DuckTales” that escalated these identical duck brothers to another level of fame and distinguished them with red, blue, and green outfits. Although their similarities outweigh their differences, each offers something unique; with Huey being the leader, Dewey being the smart one, and Louie being the creative-thinker. The trio also brings out the best in their greedy great-uncle Scrooge and seemingly always irritated Uncle Donald. As for their parents’ whereabouts, hopefully we’ll figure that out someday with a “DuckTales” revival.

Upon arriving in Sunnydale, Buffy Summers quickly learns that a leader is only as good as her followers. Although the burden of being the Slayer is initially appointed to her and her alone, that doesn’t stop Buffy’s pals Willow and Xander from providing backup. Throughout the series, Willow evolves from insecure geek to all-powerful witch while Xander goes from goofball screw-up to gifted strategist and counselor. Even when new love interests and companions eventually join their little Scooby gang, the bond between these three remains thicker than blood.

Almost never using his head, the reckless, cocky Alvin constantly gets him and his rodent brothers into crazy shenanigans. As a result, the high-strung Simon typically needs to use his head to get them out of trouble. As for Theodore, he only thinks with his stomach. While their mindsets aren’t in unison, their high-pitched voices certainly are. Possibly the most unlikely superstars in the history of music, this Grammy award-winning threesome has remained relevant in our popular culture for over fifty years with numerous novelty records, cartoons, and movies.

Imagine if the Marx Brothers were reincarnated as Looney Tunes. You’d get Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. The Warner Brothers and the Warner Sister are as close as any sibs can be, finishing each other’s punch lines and improvising musical numbers on the spot. As much as they like to cause mischief, the Warners all have playful affection for one another and even some of the people they prank. Depending on whether or not you’re in on their jokes, these Animaniacs will either make you laugh hysterically or drive you insane.

At age 10, chances are good you wanted nothing more than to quit school, abandon your parents, and become a Pokémon master. At least that’s how it is for this anime series’ protagonist. And no Pokémon adventure would be complete without your two best friends to accompany you. Lucky for Ash Ketchum, he has Brock, a Pokémon breeder, and Misty, a water Pokémon specialist, by his side. While he’s taken on new companions throughout his journey, it’s the charming friendship Ash shares with Brock and Misty that made the Indigo League episodes a series highlight. Just don’t get the shippers started on Ash and Misty’s relationship.

With the fate of Middle-Earth at stake, it’s going to take more than just one race to challenge the Dark Lord Sauron. Men, elves, and dwarfs must raise their swords, bows, and axes together. After branching off from the Hobbits, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli set out to fight and later band together to summon the Army of the Dead. Even if the three of them went up against Sauron’s forces alone, they’d still be guaranteed victory thanks to Aragon’s leadership, Legolas’ impeccable shooting, and Gimli’s…well, Gimli makes his friends look good.

On paper, these neighborhood chums have little in common, Ed having no brain, Edd or Double Dee, being a brain, and Eddy only having money on his brain. The Eds have two things that make them compatible, however: Their names and mutual love of jawbreakers. Every day, the three devise scams to cheat the other neighbor kids out of their allowances. Of course, the schemes typically backfire, leaving them with no money, no jawbreakers, not even a piece of buttered toast. Even in failure, though, at least they still have each other.

Bad slapstick might be easy, but The Three Stooges proved that it takes true comedic geniuses to pull quality slapstick off. Idiotic while also being clever, Larry, Curly, and Moe were their own unique blend of physical humor, farce, and vocal expressions that few comedy trios have been able to top. Though there were lineup changes throughout the years, including Shemp, Joe and Curly-Joe, it’s this particular trio that represented the Stooges at their best, as they derived sharp comedy out of everything from practicing medicine to dictatorship.

Even if you’ve never read the original 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas or seen any of the film adaptations, you’ve likely at least heard of “The Three Musketeers.” Their team name is simply that powerful, reaching out to several generations of audiences and providing a blueprint for almost every other trio that followed. Their name aside, the three musketeers are great individual heroes too, with the spirited Porthos, arrogant Aramis, and emotionally restrained Athos each making up one-third of the timeless team. Always having each other’s backs, the three define the phrase, “all for one, and one for all.”

- Capt. James T. Kirk, Cmdr. Spock & Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy
“Star Trek” franchise (1966-)
- Ray Peterson, Mark Rumsfield & Art Weingartner
“The ‘Burbs” (1989)
- Blossom, Bubbles & Buttercup
“The Powerpuff Girls” (1998-2005)
- Jeff ‘The Dude’ Lebowski, Walter Sobchak & Theodore Donald ‘Donny’ Kerabatsos
“The Big Lebowski” (1998)
- Jack Tripper, Janet Wood & Chrissy Snow
“Three’s Company” (1977-84)

In a wizarding world of seemingly incompetent adults, it’s up to these adolescents to defeat Lord Voldemort. Being the boy who lived, Harry’s name is often solely plastered above newspaper headlines. While the brave Harry deserves credit where credit’s due, he wouldn’t have made it past his first year of Hogwarts it if weren’t for the brilliant Hermione and wise-cracking Ron, both of whom introduced him to the notions of friendship and family. Strongest when together, but equally interesting when apart, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are what truly made J.K. Rowling’s series magic.

Do you agree with our list? Who’s your favorite fictional trio? For more entertaining top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.