The Three Faces of Eve

Mrs, Ms, and Miss


A Trio of girls/women: the innocent child, the steady, wise wife, and the sexual, often sexually predatory seductress.

The "child" (who does not have to be a child literally) will be seen as innocent, perhaps to the point of naïveté. The wife, the wiser, calmer aspect, someone around whom one could build a home life. The third, the seductress is sexually experienced and independent.

So in short, a combination of:

Their personalities will usually line up with a Freudian Trio: The Seductress represents the Id, The Wife represents the Superego, and The Child represents the Ego.

Similar to but also different from The Hecate Sisters, where both the child and the seductress are replaced with the sexually available but inexperienced maiden, both the sensible wife and the seductress with the fertile mother, and the addition of the bitter crone.

All three character types are considered to be very feminine -- with Child representing Light Feminine, Seductress representing Dark Feminine and Wife being in the middle, just like the movie that the trope gets its title from. Instead of Beauty, Brains, and Brawn it's (pretty) Beauty, (pleasant) Beauty, and (sexy) Beauty.

Not to be confused with the Faces of Evil.

When adding examples, please note that the sexual aspect of the "seductress" must be present, and cannot be replaced with some other characteristic, like "anger" or "strength" or "selfishness". Also note that the second character is wife, not a maternal character, a woman who gives birth or one with any other motherly trait, but one who would make a good life partner. The innocent aspect of the child must be present, not Kids Are Cruel. Remember not to put a square peg in a round trope.

Compare The Three Faces of Adam, the not-quite Spear Counterpart.

Examples of The Three Faces of Eve include:

Anime and Manga

  • Lime (child), Cherry (wife), and Bloodberry (seductress) from Saber Marionette J.
  • In Saiyuki, personality-wise, Goku is the child, Hakkai is the wife and Gojyo is the seductress, even though all three are male.
  • The Wolkenritter in the second season of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Signum is the strong seductress (to the audience, anyway), Shamal is the wife and Vita is the child—though this is somewhat loose in that Vita's attitude is very much the Protector, and Shamal is only cast as the wife because her speciality is her Healing Hands.
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion had this as a theme—doubly so, in fact, since each of the three faces tried to be a different one. Asuka (child, who wants to be the seductress), Misato (seductress, who tries to be the wife) and Rei (wife, though she is technically the main character's age and appears to be the child). This also occured more explicitly with the Magi, each of which contain a different facet of Naoko Akagi's personality. Balthasar is Akagi as a mother, Melchior is Akagi as a scientist, and Casper is Akagi as a woman.
    • Shows up subtly in the flashback episode as well, when Naoko sees Yui's face superimposed over Rei I's and strangles her: Naoko is the seductress, Yui the mother, and Rei the child.
    • In Rebuild, they added a new girl to the cast, which upgraded the number of female EVA pilot to, yes, you guessed right, three. As the characters' Issues have been significantly toned down, it has become easier to pin them down. They even have Theme Naming now: Rei Ayanami is the Mother, Asuka Shikinami is the Seductress, and Mari Makinami is the child. (As in 'playful and lacking any sense of danger')
    • If we turn to the three adult NERV employees, we can see Maya as the child, Ritsuko as the wife, and Misato as the seductress (who, again, tries to be the wife).
  • Ranma ½. This dynamic is overplayed for laughs with the three Tendo sisters. Kasumi, the oldest, is the mother and housewife figure, and so kind and purehearted that she has no negative instincts whatsoever; Nabiki, the second, is the sociopathic hedonist, manipulator, swindler, scam artist, and heartbreaking seductress; and Akane, the youngest, is the naive, shy, overachieving, sentimental, helpful, self-sacrificing idealist child... with rampant paranoia, clumsy awkwardness, poisonous cooking, and excessively violent Tsundere moodswings thrown into the mixture.
  • From Madlax: Margaret Burton is the mother, Madlax is the Seductress, Laetitia is The Child.
  • From Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann we have Kittan's sisters: Kiyoh (Seductress), Kinon (Wife) and Kiyal (Child).
    • Averted Post-Timeskip.
  • In School Rumble, the women who are important to Harima are Tenma (child), Eri (seductress) and Yakumo (wife).
  • Daimos has Nana (child), Princess Erika (wife) and Raiza (seductress).
  • From Rurouni Kenshin, we have Misao (Child), Kaoru (Wife) and Megumi (Seductress).
  • Much like the Trope Namer, Change 123 applies this to a Split Personality case. Fujiko is rather more a military officer than a wife but remains by far the most mature of Mokoto's alter egos; Mikiri is, despite the bustline and skill at grappling, very much a Cheerful Child; and Hibiki is quite clearly the seductress of the three... in her own crass and direct way.
  • Cat's Eye: The three heroines.
  • Ah! My Goddess has the lonely kid sister Skuld, who is the goddess of the future, the empathetic life partner Belldandy, goddess of the present, and the sexy, half demon Urd, goddess of the past.
  • Mingchao (Child), Fino (Wife), and Benkate (Seductress) from Et Cetera.
  • The three female Card Professors in Yu-Gi-Oh! R fall into this. Reiko Kitamori, the Maiden, is a Shrinking Violet whose first instinct is to run away whenever she sees a Duelist despite being a very skilled one herself. Tilla Mook is the Seductress, a beautiful Goth whose deck revolves around her vampire "master". And Mrs. Maico Kato is the Wife/Mother, a sedate old woman who dotes on her grandchildren (and has to be careful not to beat them too badly when they play Duel Monsters.)
  • In Fruits Basket, there's the three female members of the Zodiac. Kisa (the sweet, innocent child), Kagura (the wife-like Yandere), and Rin (the sexy, headstrong one)
    • Also Tohru the Child/Mother, Arisa the Seductress and Saki the Mother.
  • Fresh Pretty Cure: before Setsuna joined the team, we had Love (child), Inori (wife), and Miki (seductress).
  • Vandread: Dita the Child, Meia the Mother, and Jura the Seductress.
  • The Zuka club from Ouran High School Host Club.
  • Umineko no Naku Koro ni: the three girls in 1986 Rokkenjima: Shannon (Mother), Maria (Child) and Jessica (Seductress). Shannon/Sayo/Yasu/KANON/etc. is more complex than she looks like, tho.
  • The three main teenage girls in Detective Conan: Kazuha Touyama (Child), Ran Mori (Mother), Sonoko Suzuki (Seductress).
  • Sharon Apple of Macross Plus takes on three forms which reflect the Three Faces, though one personality is in control.
    • Arguably, also: Lucy McMillan (Child), Myung Fan Long (Mother), Sharon Apple (Seductress).
  • The Prince of Tennis: Tomoka Osakada, Sakuno Ryuuzaki and An Tachibana can be seen as this, in two different possible combinations:
    • Sakuno Ryuuzaki: feminine, shy and Closer to Earth Mother (maybe a Yamato Nadeshiko in training). Tomoka Osakada: naive and Tsundereish Child. An Tachibana: straightforward, fashion-conscious Seductress.
    • Sakuno Ryuuzaki: Child due to her innocence and Shrinking Violet tendencies. Tomoka Osakada: love-crazy and Hot-Blooded Seductress. An Tachibana: Mother to the Fudomine team.
  • Puella Magi Madoka Magica, due to... "cast changes", has many of these.
    • In school: Madoka (Child), Hitomi (Mother with touches of Seductress), Sayaka (Seductress with touches of Mother)
    • First PM trio of sorts: Madoka (Child), Sayaka (Seductress/Mother) and Mami (Mother) until Mami's death
    • Second PM trio: Sayaka (Child), Homura (Mother), Kyouko (Seductress). Though Kyouko shows Mother traits... when she's about to die.
    • Backstory's first and second timelines: Madoka (Mother), Mami (Seductress/Mother), Homura (Child)
  • From the Madoka Spin-Off Oriko Magica: Mami (Mother), Kyoko (Seductress/Mother), Yuma (Child) as well as the aforementioned Sayaka (Seductress/Mother), Hitomi (Mother) and Madoka (Child)
  • Axis Powers Hetalia: Liechtenstein (Child), Hungary (Seductress/Mother, though some strips emphatize her Mother side and others do the same with her Seductress one), and Ukraine (full-blown Mother). Fanon that has the females interacting switches it around:
    • Child: Seychelles, Taiwan, Wy, Liechtenstein.
    • Mother: Vietnam, Ukraine, Hungary.
    • Seductress: Belarus, Monaco, Belgium.
  • Oniisama e... gives us two trios like this:
    • The first years: Tomoko Arikura (Child), Nanako Misonou (Mother), Mariko Shinobu (Seductress). More in the anime, tho, due to Tomoko being an Ascended Extra.
    • The three School idols: Rei Asaka (Child), Kaoru Orihara (Mother), Fukiko Ichinomiya (Seductress)
  • Hanasaku Iroha has Ohana Matsumae (Child), Sui Shijima (Wife) and Satsuki Matsumae (Seductress). The main character, her grandmother, and her mother, respectively.
  • Digimon Adventure had this with its female leads: Sora as the Mother, Hikari as the Child, and Mimi as the Seductress.
  • Mawaru Penguindrum: Ringo Oginome (Child), Himari Takakura (Mother/Child), either Yuri Tokikago or Masako Natsume (Seductress).
  • The Outer Senshi in Sailor Moon: Haruka/Uranus (Child), Michiru/Neptune (Seductress), Setsuna/Pluto (Mother).
    • Usagi/Moon (Child), Ami/Mercury (Mother) and Rei/Mars (Seductress) also had these dynamics, until Mako/Jupiter and Minako/Venus arrived and made it a Five-Man Band.
    • Also the Starlights (when not genderflipped): Seiya/Starfighter (Child), Taiki/Starmaker (Mother), Yaten/Starhealer (Seductress).
  • In Fate/Zero: Saber (Child), Irisviel (a literal Wife/Mother) and Maiya (Seductress).
  • In Hidan no Aria: Aria (Child), Shirayuki (Wife) and Riko (Seductress).
  • In Magic Knight Rayearth: Hikaru (Child), Fuu (Wife), Umi (Seductress).
    • In the second season: Aska (Child), Tatra (Wife), Tarta (Seductress).
    • Subverted in the first season with the Cephirean women. Alcyone is clearly a Seductress. Presea has traits of both Wife and Child. Caldina has Child and Seductress traits, but also gains Wife ones after her Heel Face Turn. Emeraude may seem to be just Child, but the other two do show up eventually at the end of the first season.
  • In Kodomo no Jikan: Kuro (Child), Mimi (Mother), and Rin (Seductress).

Comic Books

  • In some versions of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Triplicate Girl (or Triad) has a different personality for each body; Triad-Purple is brash and outgoing (seductress), Triad-Orange is shy and quiet (virgin) and Triad-Neutral is the stable figure who has to keep the other two together (mother).
  • Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose: Tarot (the wife), Boo Cat (child) and Raven Hex (Ms. Fanservice... well, more than the rule).
  • Eve tells a version of her origin story in Fables and Reflections in which she reveals how all three interpretations of her self are "true". She herself can be seen to shift in appearance between frames, taking on any of the three aspects.
  • In Earth-3, the Evil Counterpart Universe to the regular DC Verse, contains the character Evelyn Dent, Three-Face.
  • The first three Spider-Women in the Marvel Universe can be counted as this. The first one, Jessica Drew, is the Seductress (Her pheromone powers could attract men, and she had her record as a villainess for awhile), the second one, Julia Carpenter, is the Mother (She is an Action Mom of sorts), and the last one, Mattie Franklin, is the Child (she still attends high school).
  • In the DC Universe series Gotham City Sirens, Harley Quinn (child), Catwoman (mother/seductress), and Poison Ivy (seductress) team up.
  • The DCU also has Halo (child), Katana (literally Halo's mother by adoption), and Looker (seductress) of the Outsiders.
  • Scott Pilgrim sets this trope up with Knives Chau (child) Kim Pine (Mother) and Envy Adams (Seductress), with Ramona representing the complete woman. This is inferred when all three come to devour him when Ramona has slayed him in one of his dream sequences. Also, it may be seen in Scott's ending in the video game adaptation, where he ends up dating all three at once. Finally, one of the themes of the final volume of the series, revolves around Scott resolving his projection issues with these three ladies, so he can move on with Ramona.

Film

Literature

  • Coraline is the child, the Other Mother is the mother, and the young Other Spink and Forcible are seductresses.
  • In the novel Dracula Cha-Cha-Cha Kim Newman blends the Three Faces of Eve with The Hecate Sisters by giving the Genius Loci "Mama Roma" four forms: girl, mother, whore and crone.
  • The books Doppleganger and Warrior and Witch by Marie Brennan features five aspects, which correspond to five elements: Fire/Maiden, Air/Bride, Water/Mother, Earth/Crone, and Void/Warrior.
  • Twilight has Bella's Naïve Everygirl contrasted with Esme, who loves Bella and the other "children" as if they were her own, Rosalie, who is jealous of Edward's affection for Bella because she the one who has always been desired by men, and Alice, who values Bella's safety above all and cares for her like a sister.
  • In The Princess Series Snow White is the innocent, Danielle is the wife, and Talia is the seductress.
  • In Chronicles of Magravandias, the three women in Valraven's life—Ellony Leckery (child), Varencienne Malagash (wife), and Pharinet Palindrake (seductress)
  • The Sword of Truth can pull this off whenever Rachel or Jennsen are present as the child. Kahlan is the obvious wife. Nicci and the Mord-Sith (but especially Cara) are the seductresses. Nadine tried to be the seductress, but first overplayed her hand and then misplayed it after Richard had already met Kahlan.
  • In the Chalet School series, there are the Maynard triplets. Len, the oldest, is the sensible Team Mom (mother); Con, the middle one, is the sensitive artistic dreamer (child); and Margot, the baby, is the Hot-Blooded one (seductress, although this being the Chalet School, there's not much going on on the sexual front).

Live-Action TV

  • The three females in the main cast of Gilligan's Island: Mrs. Howell, the oldest one, is actually the childlike one naive one. Ginger, the movie star, is obviously the seductress, and Mary Ann is the wife.
  • The three main females of Scrubs. Carla: mother, Elliot: child and Jordan: seductress. Notable for fitting the categories pretty much exclusively, with no swapping over or anything.
  • This was present on 227, with Brenda (child), Mary (mother), and Sandra (seductress).
  • Arrested Development has Lucille as the wife, Lindsay as the seductress and Maebe as the child. Also subverted in that Lucille is a terrible homemaker, Lindsay is mostly romantically unsuccessful and starts the series married to a closeted homosexual man, and Maebe is far from innocent.
  • Liz (wife), Jenna (seductress) and Cerie (child) on Thirty Rock.
  • Sex and the City: If one perceives Carrie as a 'neutral observer' who serves to interact with the others (or a Mary Sue where the others serve to interact with her) - Samantha would be the seductress, Miranda is the booksmart grounded mother (and double when she has her baby), and Charlotte is the naive childlike maiden.
  • Birds of Prey has Helena (aka Huntress) as the seductress, Barbara (aka Oracle) as the sensible one, and Dinah as the child.
  • Angel has Cordelia (the wife), Lilah (the seductress), and Fred (the chld)
  • The three main Cheerios on Glee (even if they're not all Cheerleaders now—long story) has Quinn (the mother, a literal one at that), Brittany (the child), and Santana (the seductress).
  • The Charmed ones fit these roles. The first three seasons had Prue as the mother, Piper as the child and Phoebe as the seductress. After Prue leaves and Paige joins the show, Piper becomes the mother/protector, Paige joins as the child while Phoebe remains the seductress.
  • The Vampire Diaries has Katherine filling the role of the seductress, kind and stable Elena as the mother and the naive Caroline as the child.
  • From the various: Star Trek series:
  • The three main women of Community fit this to a tee: Shirley as the mother (both literally and figuratively), Britta as the seductress, and Annie as the child.
  • The three female leads of Mad Men: Joan is the seductress, completely capable of using her sexuality to get what she wants. At first glance, Betty (Stepford Smiler housewife) would be the mother and Peggy (Plucky Office Girl) would be the child, but before long, childishness establishes itself as one of Betty's crucial qualities if not her Fatal Flaw, and Peggy displays a determination to leave behind the role of wide-eyed little girl and becomes a capable woman and Don's equal in a way Betty (his actual wife) never was.
  • The three females in Friends have Monica as the wife (she is indeed the first to get married properly), Phoebe as the child and Rachel as the seductress.
  • The three female Cylons in Battlestar Galactica Reimagined fit this with Three as the Mother, Six as the Seductress and Eight as the Child (In terms of how she is easily swayed to another side.)
  • The three ladies of The Golden Girls minus Sophia. Rose was the child (sweet and naive), Dorothy was the wife (calm and sensible) and Blanche was the seductress (sexy and fiery.)
  • Sherlock has the motherly Mrs Hudson, the at times sweet and innocent Molly Hooper, and the dominatrix Irene Adler.
  • The three main females of Victorious: Tori (rational peacemaker), Jade (the bad girl with a boyfriend), and Cat (child).

Mythology and Religion

  • In Greek myth, we have Hera (wife), Artemis (maiden) and Aphrodite (seductress). (See: Judgement of Paris.)

Music

  • Meredith Brook's song "Bitch" categorizes under the all three parts. It mentions "bitch", "lover", "child", "mother", "sinner", "saint", "hell", "dream", "tease" and "goddess" on the chorus, which combines all three faces.

Newspaper Comics

  • Apartment 3 G has Margo as the sly and hot headed seductress, Lu Ann as the child, and Tommie as a very dull Wife (ironic seeing as how she's eternally single.)

Video Games

  • Final Fantasy games in general have a permutation of this trope, in which the three playable females (and there are always three; see the Three Females Rule in the Grand List) are almost always represented as the following:
      • Innocent Virgin Princess (The Chick, White Magician Girl, Mysterious Waif, Rebellious Princess) -- Delicate, feminine and frequently in love with the hero. Almost always gets him in the end, if she is. Rosa/Lenna/Terra/Aerith/Ophelia/Rinoa/Garnet/Yuna/Ashe/Serah.
      • Tough But Sexy (Cool Big Sis, Black Magician Girl, Action Girl) -- Tougher, more tomboyish, and usually in love with the hero but unable to express it. Almost never gets him in the end. Rydia(Adult)/Faris/Celes/Tifa/Agrias/Quistis/Freya/Beatrix/Lulu/Paine/Fran/Fang.
      • Perky Jailbait (Bratty Half-Pint, The Scrappy) -- Teenaged (sometimes younger, in which case, nix the 'jailbait', please) Genki Girl who tags along basically to provide an upbeat contrast to the other two. Never gets the hero in the end (except Penelo), and doesn't much mind, even if she has a crush on him. Rydia(Young)/Porom/Krile/Relm/Yuffie (although she's pretty aggressive for this type)/Alma/Selphie/Eiko/Rikku/Penelo/Vanille.
    • Though Final Fantasy VII offers a subversion. While Aerith looks like the Innocent Princess and Tifa looks Tough But Sexy, the mischievous and headstrong Aerith is actually the Tough But Sexy, while the kind and motherly Tifa is actually the Innocent Princess.
    • Final Fantasy X is especially guilty, not only because of what was mentioned above, but also because of the Magus Sister aeons: a tall, sexy praying mantis(?); a short, cute bumblebee; and a plump, round ladybug.
      • And of course, these three come from Final Fantasy IV, only without the bug motif.
    • Should be noticed that Final Fantasy XIII messes with it a bit—the Innocent Virgin (Serah) and the Perky Jailbait (Vanille) kicked off the entire plot, the Tough But Sexy (Fang) is implied to be in love with said Jailbait rather than The Hero (Lightning), and said Hero is female and fits more into the trope's role of the Mother than any of the three here, following Character Development, and her motherly nature is directed towards another character (Hope). For the sake of fitting it in, however, Lightning could best be described as "Tough But Not As Sexy As Fang".
  • The lead females in the Metal Gear Solid series follow this pattern—Meryl from 1 (virgin), Rose from 2 (mother) and EVA from 3 (whore). The supporting female cast also seem to have this: 1 had Sniper Wolf (seductress), 2 had Olga Gurlukovich (mother) and Emma Emmerich (child) and 3 had The Boss (mother).
    • MGS3 also has Para-Medic (child), the Boss (mother) and EVA (seductress). They are even introduced in this order.
  • BioWare is fond of using this trope for the female love interests in its RPGs.
    • In Baldur's Gate 2. Sweet Aerie is the maiden, no-nonsense world-weary widowed Jaheira the wife, and darkly playful Viconia the seductress.
    • Mass Effect has the Asari, an all-female alien race whose life cycle has three phases: maiden, matron and matriarch. Of the three Asari who have been playable crew members thus far in the series, you have innocent maiden Liara, wise matriarch Samara, and sex-vampire matron Morinth.
      • Though, Liara doesn't exactly fit the mold anymore in the sequel. AT ALL.
    • In Mass Effect 2, Tali is the innocent, Jack the violent seductress, and Miranda the mother.
      • Alternately, Samara/Morinth is a mother/seductress pairing.
      • Morinth and Samara works, but Jack is anything but a seductress. Miranda certainly uses her looks for personal gain, but god help you if you touch her or don't take her seriously (she also does NOT come across as motherly). Tali is also NOT naive. Period.
        • If you're talking about sexual experience/attitudes, then Tali as naive, Miranda as experienced, and Jack as more experienced might.
    • In Dragon Age: Origins, it appears that Leliana is the innocent, Morrigan the seductress, and Wynne is definitely the motherly (or grandmotherly) one. Though there is some subversion, since Morrigan is the most naive out of the three and doesn't understand concepts of love, friendship, or altruism, and Leliana's innocent nun act is a ruse to hide her past as a Mata Hari (though her newfound faith is genuine).
    • The three female companions in Dragon Age II play it straight: Ingenue elven maiden Merrill, motherly guard Aveline, and sexy Pirate Girl Isabela.
    • In Knights of the Old Republic, we have ingenue Mission (for whom there is no romance, she being underage), always-proper wife Bastilla, and seductress Juhani. In the sequel, we have the naive Handmaiden as the child, saucy Mira as the seductress, and self-sacrificing Visas as the mother.
    • In Jade Empire, Dawn star is our mother, while Silk Fox has aspects of both child and seductress in her dual role as assassin and princess, and she can be pushed further along the Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism by the player's actions.
  • In Super Robot Wars, resident Ms. Fanservice Excellen Browning makes up a group called the "Three Beautiful Sisters", consisting of herself, Viletta Vadim and Lamia Loveless. Lamia is the Child (due to her recent discovery of what it's like to be a human, made more obvious in Original Generations when she gains a Split Personality that sounds like a little girl), Viletta is the Mother (she commands the SRX Team), and Excellen the Seductress (bloody obvious).
    • Speaking of Excellen, it seems she and her Expies (Xiaomu of Namco x Capcom and Kaguya Nanbu of Endless Frontier) form up this trope. Excellen is still the Seductress, while innocent Kaguya is the Child, and Xiaomu, despite her look and personality as a Child, has traits of the Mother (being that she's Really Seven Hundred Years Old, took care of the male lead since he was a child and has partnered with his dad at one time)
      • In an even rarer third example involving Excellen again, out of her and her clones Lemon Browning and Einst Alfimi, she's still the Seductress, with Lemon as the Wife and Alfimi the Child. Good god, is there anything this woman isn't??
    • Speaking of three sisters, there's Kazuma Ardygun's sisters in Super Robot Wars W, with Shihomi as the Wife, Akane as the Seductress (mostly by default), and Mihiro (duh) as the Child.
    • Three most prominent girls who fight alongside Masaki Andoh in the Masou Kishin portion may also count: Lune Zoldark, being the girl most aggressive on her advances on Masaki, is the Seductress, Tytti Noorbuck, Masaki's semi-Cool Big Sis and fellow Herald of the Elemental Lord, is the Mother, and lastly, newcomer Token Mini-Moe Mio Sasuga is obviously the Child.
  • The Women Fighters Team from The King of Fighters has the half-naked kunoichi Mai as the seductress, hyperactive karateka Yuri as the daughter and tomboyish kickboxer King as the wife.
    • Additionally, Kasumi Todou replaced Yuri as the daughter/child in KOF'96 and Chizuru Kagura became a secondary mother in KOF'97.
    • The Highschool Girls team from KOF 2003 had Athena Asamiya as the Mother (more experienced membress, leader of the group, Idol Singer who sings to keep the spirits of her fans high no matter what), Hinako Shinjou as the Child (naive, Spoiled Sweet, a Cute Bruiser who wants to show how girls can do what they wish) and Malin as the Crone (Combat Pragmatist, outspoken, veeeeery short Magic Skirt)
  • Persona 3: Fuuka Yamagishi (quiet Priestess), Mitsuru Kirijo (authoritative Ojou Empress), Yukari Takeba (mildly emotionally unstable Lover). Of course, those are just the three that join your party. There's also a second trinity of love interests: Chihiro Fushimi (The Chick Justice), Yuko Nishiwaki (Captain of the Sports team with a motherly streak Strength), and Maya (online girlfriend who's actually your Christmas Cake of a homeroom teacher Hermit).
  • Sonic the Hedgehog features Amy (mother), Rouge (seductress), and Cream (child). Then again, there's also Blaze (Action Girl).
  • One set of Zelda games feature three "Oracles" who share names with the goddesses, and more obviously match the trope: Din is an outgoing dancer (seductress), Nayru is a gentle singer (maiden), and Farore is a bookish sort who handles "secrets" (mother). Unfortunately, the game which was supposed to feature Farore was cancelled.
    • Not gonna argue on Din, but Nayru seems pretty maternal (especially in the end of the linked games, where she's seen buying groceries and getting chased around by kids), and Farore's a child.
    • Despite them never really meeting, in Twilight Princess Zelda is the Poster Child mother-figure, while Midna is obviously a seductress. Throw Ilia and her childlike qualities into the mix and you get this trope.
  • In Tales of Vesperia, you have Estelle (Innocent Virgin Princess), Judith (Tough But Sexy), and Rita (Perky Jailbait).
    • Given the Tales Of series' tendency towards equal number of males and females, and 6 as the most common party size, it's no surprise that this trope works out very often. The youngest female member is usually a loli, though.
  • The DS update of Dragon Quest V gives the hero three brides to choose from: Bianca (the child), Nera (the mother), and Debora (the seductress).
  • From Fire Emblem 6, we have the Pegasus Knight sisters: Yuuno is undoubtly the Mother (plus, she raised the other two and is an Action Mom), Thite is The Seductress/Crone (Emotionless Girl, kinda Kuudere), and Thany is the Child/Maiden (Genki Girl Cute Bruiser)
    • And in Fire Emblem 7, the other Peg Knight trio also fits: the Mother is Fiora (who even tends to overprotect the youngest sister), Farina is The Seductress (strongwilled, materialistic, yet with a hidden gentle side) and the Maiden is Florina (Shrinking Violet)
    • The possible love interests for both male lords fit as well. In the case of Eliwood we have Lyn as the Seductress, Ninian as the Maiden and Fiora as the Mother; for Hector there's Farina as the Seductress, Lyn as the Mother, and Florina as the Maiden.
      • And Erk's love interests too: Priscilla is the Mother, Nino is the Child, Serra is the Seductress.
      • Kent's as well: Lyn (Child), Fiora (Mother), Farina (Seductress).
    • In Sain's case: Fiora (Mother) and Farina (Seductress) stay, switching Lyn with Rebecca as the Child.
    • In Fire Emblem 8, Eirika an her two female friends. She is the Mother, Tana is the Child and L'Arachel is the Crone.
      • We have another Peg Knight trio and they fit in too. Tana stays as the Child, but Syrene becomes the Mother and Vanessa is the Seductress.
    • Even more Peg Knights come from the Akaneia continent: Palla (Mother), Catria (Seductress, though mostly by default), and Est (Child)
    • In Fire Emblem Jugdral it's a little difficult to exactly pinpoint a trio like this, but the three more blatant romantic options for Levin in Seisen no Keifu fit in well: Ferry is the Mother, Tiltyu is the Child, and Sylvia is the Seductress. Likewise, their daughters: Phee is kind-of the Mother who seeks for her dad and can't turn a blind eye to people in problems, Tinny is a very shy and emotionally-damaged Child, and Leen is a somewhat cynical but very kind-hearted Seductress (though her Expy Laylea is a more straightforward example)
    • Also, the three girls more important to Celice among the group: Lana (Mother), Yuria (Child) and Lakche (Seductress). If you don't get Lana and Lakche, they're replaced by their Expies Manna and Radney, and they fit just as well.
  • Silent Hill 2 has Laura (child), Mary (wife), and Maria (seductress).
  • Suikoden V has your female family taking up these roles: Lymsleia (the child), Haswar (the mother), and Sialeeds (the seductress). Arshtat acts as a High Queen over the whole lot.
  • In Jak and Daxter, Tess is the childish one, Keira is the sensible one, and Ashelin is the dark one. They're all sexy.
  • The three main girls from the Sly Cooper series should count. Penelope seems like the daughter, Carmelita the mother/seductress, and Neyla the seductress.
  • Arguably in the mistresses of Overlord II: Kelda would serve as the child (least evil of the Mistresses and the only one to actually love The Witch-Boy), Juno the seductress (Gold Digger) and Queen Fay is the Wife figure (the one most "Equal" to the Witch-Boy).
  • The ladies of Chrono Trigger fit this trope. Marle is the child, maintaining her naivety and innocence through most of the game. Lucca is the wife, which is exactly what she acts like toward Robo. And Ayla is the Seductress because, well, just look at her dialogue!
    • Lucca's behavior toward Robo might also be considered motherly, but that doesn't change her general role as the Wife.
  • Many of the three-girl Cast Herds of Touhou Project have a bit of this if you look for them.
    • The Moriya Shrine has two goddesses and one priestess - the child-like (but oldest of all) Suwako, Miko Sanae is shown as the reliable one (if lacking in Gensokyo's form of "common sense"), while Kanako is most certainly Hotter and Sexier.
    • The three witches actually upset the balance - Marisa is childish and reckless, but both Alice and Patchouli are the sensible and capable ones. Alice and Patchouli are often shown competing with one another because of this (and their implied Les Yay romantic triangle, fighting over Marisa). They weren't originally meant to be put in a trio, however, it was a response to fanbase pressure to form the Cast Herd.
  • Bahamut Lagoon has three example groups: main characters Yoyo (the Squishy Wizard), Melodia (the Bratty Half-Pint / Token Mini-Moe) and Zora (the mother); light armor warriors Lukia (the feminine one), Jeanne (the Tomboy), and Mist (the fragile one); and healers Joy (the White Magician Girl), Diana (the Tomboy) and Frederica (the fragile, childish one).
  • The female players of the Nonary Game in Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors fit this trope perfectly, and in numerical order as well: Clover (#4, the innocent child), June (#6, the kind-hearted peacekeeper), and Lotus (#8, the oldest and sexiest).
  • NOL girls consist of Noel, who is technically only 5 years old despite her look, Tsubaki, the sensible one, and Makoto, Ms Fanservice.
    • The past arc in the Magic Guild girls too, Caelica the bright younger sister girl, Trinity the sensible, if bookish one, and Nine the fiery and buxom one.
  • In Tokimeki Memorial 1, the three School Idols of Kirameki High can be summed up as this. Saki Nijino, the Idol of the Sports Club, is the innocent one; Mira Kagami, the Madone, is the seductress; and Shiori Fujisaki, the Superstar, is the wise and calm one.
  • For Lost Odyssey, Sarah would be the mother, Ming would be the seductress, and Cooke the child. Seth also has aspects of the mother role, but in a more kick ass sense.
  • Magna Carta 2. Rue is the mother (though an unusually cold example), Celestine the child, and Zephie the seductress (by virtue of being the Love Interest). However Celestine and Zephie's roles often cross over, with Celestine trying to seduce a fellow party member, and Zephie being a sweet innocent princess.

Visual Novels

  • Fate/stay night: Ilyasviel (Child), Saber (Wife), Rin (Seductress); Sakura is somewhat of a mix of all three, acting rather innocently, is emotionally dependent on Shirou, but is sexually experienced, though not by choice.
  • Tsukihime: Arcueid, Akiha (Child), Ciel, Hisui (Wife), Kohaku (Seductress)
  • Katawa Shoujo: Among the five choose-able girls, the ones who fit the most are: Lilly Satou (sweet-tempered Mother), Hanako Ikezawa (fragile and scarred Child), and Shizune Hakamichi (straightforward Seductress who can be pretty kinky when you get her X-rated scenes.) And then there's somewhat of a subversion: Lilly can be quite kinky too in her sex-scenes, while Hanako will come to hate being seen as the Child if you make Hisao go all White Knight on her.

Web Comics

  • Yuki (the child), Kimiko (the wife) and Miho (The seductress) from Megatokyo.
  • Questionable Content has Hannelore as The Child, Dora as The Wife and Faye as The Seductress. Interestingly, this situation was reversed for the first 500 strips, with Faye seeming poised to hook up with Marten, and Dora as the alluring bisexual goth girl.
    • Now it may be Marigold as The Child.
  • Sabrina Online follows this perfectly: Sabrina is the Child, Amy is (literally, now) the Wife, and... hell, three guesses who the Seductress is and the first two don't count.
  • In The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob, Molly is the child, Jean is the steady girlfriend, and Voluptua is the sexy one in the one-piece swimsuit. Subverted a bit in that Voluptua's personality is actually much less volatile than Jean's.

Web Original

  • Hilariously deconstructed here


Western Animation

  • Ozai's Angels, the Terrible Trio of Avatar: The Last Airbender: Ty Lee (child), Mai (wife[1]) and Azula (seductress[2])
    • Also holds true for the heroines: Toph (child), Katara (wife), and Suki (seductress)
  • In Ruby Gloom, Iris (the child), Ruby (the wife), Misery (the seductress).
  • Josie and the Pussy Cats has Josie (the child), Valerie (the wife), and Melody (the seductress).
    • Alternatively, Melody can be seen as the child (ditzy, naive, cheerful) and Josie as the seductress (lead singer and the heroine of the series). Valerie (booksmart, down to Earth) remains as the wife.
  • Totally Spies! - Alex (child), Sam (wife), and Clover (seductress).
  • 6teen has Jen (Wife), Nikki (Seductress), and Caitlin (Maiden).
  • My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Pinkie Pie (Child), Fluttershy (Wife) and Rarity (seductress).
  • Drawn Together has an interesting variation on the trope. Clara is pretty consistently the child, but Foxxy is both the mother and the seductress. Toot is the right age for the mother but tries to be the seductress, and the men just won't go for it.
  • Baby Looney Tunes has Melissa (mother), Petunia (child), and Lola (seductress), which may be justified due to the purpose of her introduction in Space Jam.
  • Bionic Six Helen (wife and Action Mom), Meg (child, and coincidently Helen's daughter), and Madaem O (seductress, dah-ling).
  • Captain Caveman's Teen Angels are Brenda (child), Taffy (seductress), and Didi (mother)!
  • X-Men: Evolution: Kitty Pryde (Child), Jean Grey (Mother), Rogue (Seductress with touches of Child)
  • The Powerpuff Girls: Blossom is the Mother, Bubbles is the Child, and Buttercup is the Seductress.
  • Thundercats: Cheetara (Team Mom), Pumyra (Teenage Seductress), and Wilykit (Rambunctios child).
  • Sky Dancers: Ballerina Jade (Maiden) Creative dancer Camille (Wife) and Rockabilly diva Angelica (Seductress).
  • Stoked: Nieve every girl, Emma, is the child, Only Sane Man, Fin, is the mother, and rich man's daughter, Lo, is the seductress.
  1. ↑ Specifically to Zuko
  2. ↑ Though the one time she actively tries this, all she does is weird the guy out by being a psychopath. Her people skills are all combat-oriented.
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