Actually, I Am Him: Difference between revisions

[[File:edised.png|link=Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|thumb|400px|Hmm, think he [[Running Gag|might have had]] [[Expecting Someone Taller|this problem]] [[Berserk Button|before]]?]]

 

'''Luke:''' Do you know him?

 

A [[Characters|character]], usually the [[The Protagonist|protagonist]], is looking for someone, often an older, wiser character. During the search, he meets a stranger, and the conversation turns to the sought-after character. The stranger will typically either respond, "Oh, I know him well..." or else act as if he's never heard of the person. Either way, in time it is revealed that this stranger ''is'' the sought-after character.

 

'''Given that this trope is about a plot twist, there be spoilers.'''

 

* Happens at the end of the first ''[[Baccano!]]!'' [[Light Novel]], when a Japanese tourist in the [[Framing Device|frame story]] decides to ask the narrator (whom is assumed to be Maiza) [[Where Are They Now|where Firo is now]], seeing as he's not present like everyone else is. "Maiza" responds...?

{{quote|Isn't he right here?...Oh, That's right, I have yet to introduce myself. Well, normally with business associations, I just leave without having ever said my name...}}

{{quote|'''L''': "I've found that people who try to find me usually fall for this."}}

* A thorn in Edward's side in ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]'', that people are more willing to believe that Alphonse is the infamous "Fullmetal Alchemist" and not him. (Al ''is'' a walking [[Animated Armor|suit of armor]]...)

* Team Satomi's coach, Andre, in ''[[IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix]]'' turns out to be {{spoiler|[[Ace Pilot|The Rocket]].}}

** Also, Team White Snow's captain isn't Zanak, {{spoiler|it's Max}}, although it's easy to make the mistake since he's the Forward and all the other team captains are Forwards.

* Happens over and over consecutively in almost every town the Sanzo party enters in [[Saiyuki]]. Quite often word reaches villages that the great Sanzo-party has happened through the area in which many humans search after them for blessings while many youkai look to eliminate them. What they don't expect is for the Great Holy Preist Genjo Sanzo to be a young [[Jerkass]] man with a gun and a smoking problem, and his holy followers a group of youkai.

** In fact, it has happened so often that when for the first time it doesn't happen to them but instead, another group of wandering demon-slayers, they're actually taken by surprise.

* Hilariously inverted in ''[[Dragon Ball]]'', where, upon meeting a normal monkey, the [[Genre Savvy]] Goku instantly assumed him to be the legendary King Kai, and spent a while fooling around with him before the real Kai - who himself could easily qualify for this trope under different circumstances, what with how he looks and acts - shows up.

* In ''[[Vision of Escaflowne]]'' [[The Movie]], Van and Hitomi are looking for a man named Dryden Fassa - then they meet someone who pretends not to know who Dryden Fassa is, before turning out to be actually him.

 

* In issue #101 of the French comic book ''Donjon/Dungeon'' (''Twilight, vol. 1: Dragon Cemetery'', in English), when Marvin the Red meets his idol Marvin the Dragon, the latter first pretends to be someone else.

* When Bruce Banner goes looking for the Panchen Lama in ''Ultimate [[Wolverine]] vs. [[Hulk]]'', he is greeted at the monastery doors by a wizened old man who assures him that the Lama is inside and offers him hot cocoa. Banner shows a [[Genre Savvy]] flash by assuming the old man is the Panchen Lama, calling it "one of those Yoda things"... but [[Averted Trope|nope]]. He's talking to Steve, who makes hot cocoa.

* The "Pagliacci" joke that Rorschach heard from the Comedian in ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]''.

 

* In ''[[American Wedding]]'', the main characters go into a gay bar unknowingly looking for a dress designer (named Leslie, I think—a classic fictional bigender name) to design a dress for the bride and after impressing a group of gay men with their comical antics one of the members of the group finally reveals that he * is* Leslie.

* In the 1989 ''[[Batman (film)|Batman]]'' film, Vicki Vale corners a man at a swish party at Wayne Manor and asks whether he's seen elusive billionaire Bruce Wayne. He says he hasn't. Later, as she and Alex Knox are in one of Wayne's rooms, making fun of the statues, the man appears behind them and informs them that the statue they're currently laughing at comes from Japan. How does he know? "Because I bought it in Japan. Bruce Wayne."

* Sort of done in ''[[Face Off]]'': "I am Castor Troy!"

* Dragged out to a painful degree in the ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' subject ''[[Giant Spider Invasion]]'', where the leading man meets the female scientist and persists in believing he must ''really'' be meeting with some male relative of hers for some time before she explains that, no really, ''she's'' the "doctor" he has an appointment with.

* ''[[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]]'': Dr. Elsa Schneider.

* In ''[[Kill Bill|Kill Bill: Volume 1]]'', The Bride pretends to be an American tourist upon first meeting Hattori Hanzo in his Sushi restaurant.

* In the movie version of ''[[Clue (film)|Clue]]'', in one of the possible endings, Wadsworth reveals himself as Mr. Boddy, saying that the alleged Mr. Boddy was, in fact, his butler, and not the other way around.

 

* [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s short story ''[[All You Zombies]]'' in which, {{spoiler|thanks to a great big [[Timey-Wimey Ball]], every character, [[Grandfather Paradox|male]] or [[Squick|female]], was actually the same person.}}

* In ''Assassin's Apprentice'', the first book of the ''[[Realm of the Elderlings|Farseer]]'' trilogy by [[Robin Hobb]], Fitz asks a woman where he can find Hod, who is going to teach him swordfighting. Naturally, the woman is Hod.

{{quote|'''Wedge''': "You recall mentioning that you'd killed plenty of Rogue Squadron members at Brentaal, and that Wedge Antilles would be back?"

'''Lorrir''': "Y-yes?"

* In one of the ''[[1632]]'' novels by Eric Flint, a young lady accused of witchcraft is brought to the American territory. Because the Americans have to get along with their 17th century neighbors, a new trial is convened. Going through their research material for the period, one of the Americans remarks that they need one particular historical figure to help them with the case, a famous individual who had historically opposed witch trials. By coincidence the person they were speaking of is the same one who brought the girl to them in the first place.

* ''[[Judge Dee]]'' frequently disguises himself as a peasant or travelling martial arts instructor (the latter suits him much better) during his investigations. This frequently results in him dropping "''I'' am the magistrate" when things get serious and someone suggests to report to the judge.

* In one of the ''MYTH Inc.'' novels, Skeeve gets set up on a blind date with a vampire, Cassandra. For whatever reason, she doesn't ask his name, and later she remarks, "Say, you're a friend of Vic's from Klah... do you know the Great Skeeve?" He plays along for a little while before revealing his identity.

* Toward the close of [[Georgette Heyer]]'s ''Devil's Cub'', heroine Mary meets an elderly gentleman to whom she confides her worries about how badly her love interest's father, a wealthy duke, will take the fact that the young man wants to marry her. She says that she's heard the duke is a sinister and scheming figure. When the truth comes out (he married late in life, which is why he's ''so'' much older than his son), he says calmly that, yes, her description of his character was quite accurate. On the other hand, {{spoiler|(approximate quote) "...if you can bring yourself to marry my son, I will be in your debt. But I feel I must advise you that you can do better."}}

 

* People looking for ''[[The A-Team]]'' usually found Hannibal in disguise when they met with the person who was supposed to get them in contact.

* Doctor Franklin from ''[[Babylon 5]]'' has a reputation for taking his oath of confidentiality very seriously, so when he arrives with an offer to set up a meeting between Captain Sheridan and the man in charge of smuggling fugitive telepaths through the station, nobody is surprised. You already know who the meeting turns out to be with.

 

== Religion and Mythology ==

* This also happens to Saul in 'I Samuel' when meeting Samuel for the first time. Saul is looking for a prophet of God and goes to a town where one is reputably staying. Thinking that he is just a citizen of the town, Saul approached Samuel and asks where the prophet is. Samuel informs Saul that he is the one Saul is searching for.

 

* Subverted in a vignette of a third party ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' supplement, where a warrior seeking a martial arts teacher is first greeted by a humble, chuckling old man who claims he knows the teacher very well—only to step aside as the actual teacher, a large, muscular warrior tells him to be quiet and welcomes the would-be student.

 

* ''She Stoops To Conquer'' takes place almost entirely within the space between the deceit and the revelation. Charles Marlow, on the way to a blind date, stops at what he thinks is an inn and flirts with the barmaid. He's actually at the manor he was traveling to, and the barmaid is his date.

* In ''Camelot'', a nervous King Arthur and Queen-to-be Guinevere run into each other before the wedding. Guinevere, not knowing it's Arthur, complains a bit about having to marry a total stranger and is assured that the king isn't really all that bad.

 

* In ''[[The World Ends With You]]'': {{spoiler|Quoth Joshua: "It was me, Neku. I'm Shibuya's Composer."}} Cue Neku's [[Heroic BSOD|Heroic Blue Screen of Death]].

* ''[[Seiken Densetsu]] 3'' has a sequence in which the party needs to find a legendary (and tiny) strategist. The old man in town tells them that he's not in this place, and suggests they ask around. After a long fruitless search, they come back only to be told that the old man ''is'' the strategist. Justified with "I was walking around at the time, so I wasn't in any place". And then the town mocks them for their gullibility. * grumble*

* In ''[[Mabinogi (video game)|Mabinogi]]'' the {{spoiler|wandering merchant Price}} helps you try to find the {{spoiler|missing ex-paladin leader Redire, it is later revealed that Price IS Redire.}}

 

* ''[[Inverloch]]'' gets insidious with this, between Silvah/Kayn'dar {{spoiler|--and Acheron/Kayn'dar}}.

* In ''[[Hanna Is Not a Boy's Name]]'' a certain paranormal investigator is often thought to be the sidekick to his undead (and nameless) companion. Usually his clients were [[Expecting Someone Taller]].

* Happens in ''[[Girls with Slingshots]]'' when Hazel is trying to spy on Jamie, and the person she believes to be Jamie's new boyfriend, by enlisting Jamie's new ''girlfriend''.

 

* [[Asdfmovie]] does this.

{{quote|Guy 1: Did you take my sandwich?

Guy 2: I am your sandwich. }}

 

* Aang in the first episode and a half of ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''. The others weren't actually looking for the Avatar, but their reactions when they find out that that's him definitely fit.

* Master Dashi in ''[[Xiaolin Showdown]]''.{{context}}

* An episode of the ''[[Pole Position (animation)|Pole Position]]'' animated series had the characters sent to retrieve a sensitive research satellite for a "Doctor T. Russell." Along the way, they're helped by this flannel-wearing, backwoods-type [[Cool Old Lady]] named "Dora." Meanwhile two fellows, both claiming to be "Dr. Ted Russell" and "Dr. Tom Russell" are trying to get the satellite. The protagonists finally find it...and the backwoods-lady reveals that they're ''both'' industrial spies. Her full name is Dr. ''Theodora'' Russell, and she just happens to live out in the middle of nowhere.

 

* Nestor Makhno, the great Ukrainian anarchist revolutionary, caught a group of German officers going to a party held in their honour by Ukrainian landlords, who had welcomed the invading Germans. After executing the officers, Makhno and his men dressed in the German army uniforms and attended the party in their stead. Much of the conversation at the dinner party circled around Makhno. At the end of the meal, a toast was offered to the capture of the dreaded anarchist Nestor Makhno. Makhno drank off the toast and announced, [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|"I am Nestor Makhno."]] In the silence and horror which followed, Makhno tossed a bomb into the room as he and his men leaped out the windows and escaped.

* [[Truth in Television]], sort of: A president-elect, governor, business leader, etc., initiates a search committee to fill an appointed position, but ends up picking someone on the committee or the person who had already been helping him in that area anyway.

** The 2005 papal conclave following the death of Pope John Paul II was presided over by one Joseph Ratzinger, then Dean of the College of Cardinals, and shortly thereafter was elected Pope Benedict XVI.

*** Though the Cardinal was leader of the enclave ''ex officio'', and was considered, as it were, the frontrunner even before John Paul II was dead.

* Subverted in [[Real Life]]: [[wikipedia:David Livingstone|Dr. Livingstone, I presume?]]

** That is trumped by the phrase “[http://notalwaysright.com/even-owners-have-a-stupid-quota/453 I am] ''[http://notalwaysright.com/even-owners-have-a-stupid-quota-part-2/675 the owner]''” though.

* There's an Italian joke subverting this trope: Jesus walks along the street when he sees a sad old man sitting on a bench. He stops and asks him what his name is and why he is sad. He says his name is Joseph and he has lost his son. "How do you recognise your son?" "He has nails in his hands and feet." "Father!" "Pinocchio!"

* At one point right after confederation, Sir John A Macdonald (the first Prime Minister of Canada) was at a diplomatic reception in Washington, D.C., where he struck up a conversation with an American senator's wife. When he revealed he was from Canada, she began asking about his Prime Minister, stating she had heard stories that he was a drunk and a rogue. Sir John A agreed with her on both points, at which point the senator himself wandered over and fully introduced him.

* [http://notalwaysright.com/this-teacher-will-keep-you-on-your-toes/4837 This story.]

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Unisex Tropes]]

[[Category:I Am an Index]]

[[Category:Older Than Feudalism]]

[[Category:Identity Index]]