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{{trope}}
[[File:edised.png|link=Fullmetal Alchemist (
{{quote|'''Obi-Wan:''' Obi-Wan Kenobi? Obi-Wan. Now that's a name I
'''Luke:'''
'''Obi-Wan:''' Oh, he's not dead. Not yet.
'''Luke:''' Do you know him?
'''Obi-Wan:''' [[Memetic Mutation|Well ''of course'' I know him! He's ''me.'']]
|''[[Star Wars]]: [[A New Hope]]''}}
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.
Often, the stranger is [[Obfuscating Stupidity|playing dumb]] about their true identity in order to [[Secret Test of Character|assess the searcher's character]] and intentions, the idea being that the searcher's behavior will be more genuine in the presence of someone they perceive to be just an ordinary stranger. This can lead to a painful lesson for the searcher once he learns the truth about the stranger, making this a favorite form of introduction among [[Trickster Mentor
Further confusion can arise if the sought-after character is of a different gender, race, species, etc. than the searcher was expecting, such as when a sought-after "doctor" turns out to be a [[Hot Scientist|woman scientist]]. Or maybe the searcher was just [[Expecting Someone Taller]].
Line 17 ⟶ 20:
'''Given that this trope is about a plot twist, there be spoilers.'''
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* Happens at the end of the first ''[[Baccano
{{quote|
* In a particularly funny example, in ''[[Black Cat (
* This is played with in ''[[
** Well, they really weren't sure ''what'' to expect. Jet's comment that Radical Edward was a "3-year-old, 7-foot alien genius that plays basketball" was just bitter sarcasm over the fact that he trooped all over the place asking questions and never once got two descriptions that matched up.
* ''[[
{{quote|
* A thorn in Edward's side in ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (
* Played with in ''[[
* 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.
* In the manga adaption of ''[[The Legend of Zelda (
* Guaranteed to happen three-quarters of the time in the ''[[Pokémon (
** Subverted with Max, who was only pretending to be the gym leader in Petalburg City. He initially managed to fool Ash...only for his sister and father (the latter being the real leader) to show up.
** Also happens in ''[[
* For the first few episodes/chapters of ''[[Trigun]]'', the story follows [[Those Two Guys|Meryl and Millie]] investigating every lead they can find on the location of the most wanted criminal on the planet, Vash the Stampede. And, by chance, everywhere they go, they run into the same [[Walking Disaster Area|hapless]], [[The Ditz|clueless]], spiky-haired dork blundering into trouble...
* Earyl in ''[[Rave Master]]'' Haru finds himself so desperate for leads as to where to find the legendary blacksmith Musica that he's willing to be at the beck and call of a drunkard who may or may not know where the person was. Said drunk turned out to be...
* Happens over and over consecutively in almost every town the Sanzo party enters in [[
** 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.
* In the Soul Society arc in ''[[
* Hilariously inverted in ''[[
* 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.
== [[Comic Books]] ==▼
▲== Comic Books ==
* 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 (
== [[Film]] ==
* In ''[[American Wedding]]'', the main characters go into a gay bar unknowingly looking for a dress designer (named Leslie, I
* In the 1989 ''[[Batman (
* ''[[Batman Begins]]''. In order to get the needed training for his war on crime, Bruce seeks out Ra's Al Ghul, the head of the Asian group League of Assassins. Instead, he ends up dealing mainly with [[The Dragon]], Ra's more <s> Scottish</s>[[Scotireland|Irish]]-looking second in command. Ra's tends to sit in the background and be imposing while his lackey does all the work of teaching Bruce all he needs to know to be awesome. Much drama ensues and when everything explodes, Bruce explicitly saves [[The Dragon]]. Much later it's revealed [[The Dragon]] was the [[Big Bad]] all along.
* Twisted on itself in ''Circle Of Iron'', where the hero Cord is seeking the Book of Enlightenment held by the mysterious Zetan. Along the way, he adventures with the Blind Man, a wise man and incredible martial artist who serves as a sort of informal master. David Carradine plays the Blind Man, and also the characters for several trials Cord must face. In the end, Cord thinks the Blind Man is actually Zetan, but he isn't--he's just seen the Book of Enlightenment.
* Subverted in ''[[
* In ''The Distinguished Gentleman'', when Eddie Murphy's love-interest-to-be enters a reception for the new Congressman Johnson (Murphy), she goes right up to him first and asks where Congressman Johnson is, then goes on to bad-mouth him a bit before he reveals his Congressman's pin (hidden behind a clipboard he's holding).
* Used in Jackie Chan's ''The Drunken Master'', where the main character Wong Fei-Hung flees from home in fear of being sent to train with the infamous Beggar So, master of the style of the eight drunk gods. He meets an old geezer who displays some highly unusual but equally effective moves, and they share a leg of the
* In ''El Diablo'', Anthony Edwards' character is searching for legendary "Kid Durango" with the help of a man named Van Leek only to later discover that the exploits of Kid Durango are based on the adventures of Van Leek.
* Sort of done in ''[[Face
* Dragged out to a painful degree in the ''[[
* Phil in Disney's ''[[Hercules (
* ''[[Indiana Jones and
* In ''[[Kill Bill|Kill Bill: Volume 1]]'', The Bride pretends to be an American tourist upon first meeting Hattori Hanzo in his Sushi restaurant.
** Hanzo himself is an attempt to play the trope: He's a legendary sword maker posing as a sushi chef. Only the Bride knows who he is, so he can't play that trope on her.
* Done with Holly [[Punny Name|Goodhead]], the ''[[
* {{spoiler|Castor/Zuse}} in ''[[Tron
* In [[Kenneth Branagh]]'s version of ''[[
* Somewhat subverted in ''[[The Matrix]]'' when Neo meets Trinity for the first time and tells him he expected her to be a guy. Trinity responds that 'Most guys do.'
* ''[[Star Wars]]''
** In ''[[A New Hope]]'' when he's looking for Obi-Wan Kenobi, although in that case he's actually already an acquaintance under another name ("Old Ben" Kenobi), so it's understandable that he's not expecting him to be Obi-Wan. Plus, Ben tells him straight-out that he's Obi-Wan instead of hiding it. In addition, in ''The Empire Strikes Back'', [[Luke, I Am Your Father|Darth Vader turns out to be Luke's father]].
** ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' follows this formula perfectly when Luke is looking for Yoda.
{{quote|
** Also, Queen Amidala traveled with a host of <s>impersonators</s> decoys for security purposes, it seems. What makes her an example of the trope is that she's always disguised as one of her own attendants, as opposed to moving completely behind the scenes.
* In ''[[The Usual Suspects]]'', it turns out that {{spoiler|Verbal Kint is Keyser Sose}}.
* In [[Dragonheart]], Bowen swears vengeance on a Dragon who kept prince Einon alive with an ancient ritual and turned him evil (not realizing Einon was evil to begin with). When he meets Draco many years later and is told he is the [[Last of His Kind]], Bowen's first thought is that the dragon he hunted must already be dead, and does not figure out that Draco is that dragon until they travel to Avalon together.
* In ''[[The Fast and
* In ''Obssessed'', when the main character and the [[Stalker
* In the movie version of ''[[Clue (
== [[Literature]] ==▼
▲== Literature ==
* [[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 ''[[
* An almost identical incident occurs in Louis L'Amour's ''Fair Blows the Wind,'' when a tall, weather-beaten Scot tells Tatton Chantry that he can lead him to the legendary sword master Fergus MacAskill, with whom Chantry wants to study fencing. The Scot is Fergus MacAskill himself.
* In [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s ''Caesar and Cleopatra'', 16-year-old Cleopatra is hiding from the invading Romans, and she runs into a nice old man who turns out to be Caesar. Hilariously, she tells him she's heard Caesar has a nose as big as an elephant's; he self-consciously fingers his nose in response. Then, when he decides to break part of the truth to her: "Do you notice that I have a rather long nose? It is a Roman nose, Cleopatra."
* In one book, [[Conan]] is invited to meet the leader of a group of rebels plotting to overthrow their king. Perhaps as a safety precaution, the person he is led to and the person leading him are impersonating each other.
* Used in the ''[[Geronimo Stilton]]'' book "My Name is Stilton, Geronimo Stilton," when Stilton prepares to meet his new personal assistant, Pinky Pick, whom he hired without even an interview, based on her impressive resume. When he finds a 14-year-old girl in the lobby who announces "My name is Pick!" he assumes that she's the daughter of his new assistant, until she clarifies that she is indeed his new assistant.
* In ''[[The Great Gatsby]]'', the narrator talks to a man at one of Gatsby's parties about how he hasn't even seen the host all evening, whereupon the man says that he ''is'' Gatsby.
* In the ''[[Shannara|Heritage of Shannara]]'' series, Morgan Leah spends a long time arguing with a boy mopping floors that he wants to meet with Matty Roh, a resistance contact and owner of the inn they are talking in. After being thrown out twice by the small, skinny boy, he comes in holding the resistance leader's badge, pushes it in the boy's face and demands to speak to Matty. Turns out the reason a small skinny boy can beat a burly highlander is that she's not a boy and she knows [[Waif Fu]].
* In Homer's ''[[
* Turned around early in the ''[[Sword of Truth]]'' novel ''Wizard's First Rule''. Kahlan seeks out a [[Last of His Kind]] wizard, and Richard leads her to his old friend Zedd, who he's confident can help them. Richard later figures out {{spoiler|the wizard is his friend, Zeddicus Zul Zorander}}.
* Occurs in"A Spell for Chameleon," the first of [[Piers Anthony]]'s ''[[
* ''[[X Wing Series|Isard's Revenge]]'' varies this when Wedge Antilles disguises himself as an Imperial with a [[Artificial Limbs|prosthetic hand]] and half a face, and has to make conversation with an actual Imperial, who has a conspiracy theory that the members of Rogue Squadron are actually quite easy to kill, but the reason why members like Wedge Antilles seem to have stuck around for so long is because [[Cloning Gambit|they get cloned]]. Later in the book Wedge takes off his disguise in front of this Imperial.
{{quote|
'''Lorrir''': "Y-yes?"
'''Wedge''': "You were right. I'm Wedge Antilles. I'm back."
* 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.
* ''[[Discworld]]'':
** A variant in ''[[
** This happens again
**
* 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.
* The last [[Sherlock Holmes]] novel, "The Valley of Fear", culminates in the infiltration of a criminal gang by a man from Pinkerton's. A trap is set for the private investigator, where it is revealed that {{spoiler|[[The Dragon|McMurdo]] is [[The Mole|Birdy Edwards]].}}
* In ''[[Harry Potter and
* In one of the ''[[Star Trek: Stargazer]]'' novels, Admiral McAteer is strolling the Starfleet Academy grounds, and starts thinking about Boothby, whom he admires. At least, he's heard good things about the man. He encounters an elderly groundskeeper whose general attitude annoys him (and who has the gall to tell him off). Eventually, he demands the groundskeeper's name. Upon being told he's talking to Boothby, McAteer walks off spluttering.
* 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."}}
* Howard Pyle's [[Robin Hood]] includes a scene in which Robin is drinking with a tinker who says he's looking for Robin Hood, with intention to turn him in to the Sheriff for a reward. Robin makes him drunk and goes off with his purse, leaving him to foot the bill.
* [[Biggles]] enters the Nazi Air Force under the name of Hendrik, claiming to be Norwegian.
{{quote|'''Biggles''': Fair hair ... blue eyes ... as a matter of fact, he was about my build.
'''The Nazi''': He must have been very like you.
'''Biggles''': No one has ever mistaken me for him. }}
* People looking for ''[[
▲== Live Action TV ==
▲* People looking for ''[[The A-Team (TV)|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.
* When starting a new job at a publishing company, the main character of ''[[
* In the "Thanks for the Memories" episode of ''[[
* Used in the very first episode of ''[[Power Rangers Jungle Fury]]'' when the Pai Zhua students are looking for [[Big Badass Wolf|RJ]].
* Some versions of ''[[Robin Hood]]'' have this with [[Richard the Lion Heart|King Richard]].
* Used hilariously on [[Neighbours]] when Steph is annoyed with her mother for wanting her to talk to the new local priest, and starts complaining about her, and the priesthood in general, to a stranger she meets outside the church. The man then joins in complaining, leading Steph to figure it out quickly.
* The latter part of the second season of ''[[Dollhouse]]'' features the search for the head of Rossum, a mysterious person who hasn't been seen in public and may be to blame for everything in the show. {{spoiler|Boyd is the head of Rossum.}}
* Happens in the
* On the first episode of ''[[
* Done by proxy in ''[[Happy Days]]'' when a man tracks down Fonzie to give him a letter from his estranged father. The letter begins "If you're reading this I didn't have the guts to tell you it was me who gave it to you."
== Religion and Mythology ==
* This is [[Older Than Feudalism|a very old trope]]: Jesus (I am that I am...) does it in [[
* 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
==
▲* Subverted in a vignette of a third party ''[[Dungeons and 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.
== [[Video Games]] ==
* Played very simply in ''[[Assassin's Creed:
▲== Video Games ==
* In ''[[
▲* Played very simply in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Video Game)|Assassin's Creed Brotherhood]]'', where Ezio helps a woman carry a box and talks to her about Ezio, eventually revealing that he ''is'' Ezio.
* ''[[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 ''[[The World Ends With You (Video Game)|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*
* ''[[Secret of Mana]]'': "Go away! The sage is out!"
* In ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics Advance]]'' the first time Marche meets Ezel Berbier, Ezel speaks about himself in third person and it isn't revealed until later that he was in fact Ezel Berbier. However given that he is rendered with a different sprite from the [[You All Look Familiar|standard NPCs]], as well as the fact that he is speaking in a very cryptic manner makes this one of the more conspicuous examples
* Also in ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics
* ''[[Suikoden]]'' pulls this trick when you're first looking for [[The Strategist]]. It's sort of given away by the fact that ''his name is in the textbox'' when you're asking him where he lives.
** And in ''[[Suikoden IV]]'', this happens when you're looking for Lino En Kuldes. Who apparently makes a habit of it.
*** Given that Lino is a pretty casual guy whose usual outfit (an open vest and cut-off shorts, with the notable absence of any sort of crown or other royal symbol) doesn't at all fit his station as King of Obel, it's no surprise that he can pull this off so easily.
* In ''[[Paper Mario (
** Mario is trying to get to Dry Dry Ruins. He meets with a mouse called Sheik. Mario may part with an item to be told that Moustafa knows how to get there. If Mario gives him the right item, he'll be able to tell Mario how to see Moustafa: by buying items in the correct order, which is a sign to the shopkeeper. Upon following these directions, Mario arrives to find... Sheik! And he was Moustafa all along!
* ''[[
** Also done when you are rescuing the Guru of Life from Mt. Woe, who turns out to be {{spoiler|Melchior, the swordsmith you met in the very first scene of the game and who helped you reforge the Masamune earlier. He doesn't remember this, though, because of time travel (it hasn't happened to him yet).}}
* ''[[Shenmue]] 2'': Ryo is looking for the leader of a Shaolin monastery and is told by a girl that he should look around the place for clues to understand the monks' beliefs and that only then will the master reveal himself. After that nonsense an old man shows up; Ryo assuming this must be the master tries to talk to him shushing the girl but in the process it turns out that the girl is the actual master and the old guy is just the janitor.
* In ''Star Wars: [[The Force Unleashed]]'', the protagonist is assigned to kill a Jedi. Later on in the game, it's revealed that {{spoiler|the Jedi survived, but lost his sight as a result of the battle. In a twist on this trope, the protagonist now needs the Jedi's help and so pretends to be a stranger, hoping the Jedi won't find him out. At the end of the game we find out the Jedi suspected it was the protagonist but chose to help him anyway}}.
* Another Star Wars example is in ''[[Knights of the Old Republic (
* At one point in ''[[
** In ''[[Deus Ex: Human Revolution
*** {{spoiler|Jensen can see through the ruse with the Social aug, though.}}
* In ''[[Fire Emblem Tellius
** In a bit of a variation, back in ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe
* One side quest in ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines]]'' has the player hunting down a demon by the name of Zygaena. A drug dealer in the local bar will arrange a meeting in a nearby warehouse, but only if you tell him that you're planning to kill Zygaena. Guess who shows up in that warehouse.
* In ''[[Dragon Age]]'', Oghren runs into you by this way. When you're ready to set out to Deep Roads to mount a search party for a paragon who is needed to support a king canditate (and who happens to be Oghren's wife), he stumbles into you, asking if you have seen a Grey Warden. You can play dumb and ask what does (s)he look like, and he'll say a long list of [[Mary Sue]] [[Knight in Shining Armor]] qualities with appropriate [[Purple Prose]], and is instantly disappointed to see that you're the person he is looking for.
{{quote|
* In the mainstream Pokémon games, there are certain characters who would often help the protagonists throughout the story (''[[
* In '' [[
* In ''[[Mabinogi (
* ''[[
* In ''[[Hanna Is Not a
* Happens in ''[[Girls
== [[Web
▲* ''[[Inverloch (Webcomic)|Inverloch]]'' gets insidious with this, between Silvah/Kayn'dar {{spoiler|--and Acheron/Kayn'dar}}.
▲* In ''[[Hanna Is Not a Boys 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''.
▲== Web Original ==
* [[Asdfmovie]] does this.
{{quote|
Guy 2: I am your sandwich. }}
== [[Western Animation]] ==▼
* Aang in the first episode and a half of ''[[
▲== Western Animation ==
▲* Aang in the first episode and a half of ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animation)|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.
* The True Master in the ''[[Teen Titans (
▲* Master Dashi in ''[[Xiaolin Showdown (Animation)|Xiaolin Showdown]]''.
▲* The True Master in the ''[[Teen Titans (Animation)|Teen Titans]]'' episode "The Quest" has a [[Lampshade Hanging]] at the end of it. Robin wanted to do things the hard way, so she let him.
▲* From ''[[Looney Tunes (Animation)|The Wild Hare]]'':
'''Elmer Fudd:''' Shh... There's a [[Elmuh Fudd Syndwome|wabbit]] down there, and I'm trying to catch him.
▲{{quote| '''[[Bugs Bunny/Characters|Bugs Bunny]]:''' What's up, Doc?<br />
'''Bugs:''' What do you mean a "wabbit?"
▲'''Elmer Fudd:''' Shh... There's a [[Elmuh Fudd Syndwome|wabbit]] down there, and I'm trying to catch him.<br />
'''
'''
'''
'''
'''
'''
'''Elmer:''' (to the audience) You know I bewieve this fella is an R. A. B. B. I. T. (to Bugs) Pardon me, but you know, [[Captain Obvious|you look just wike a wabbit]].
▲'''Elmer:''' (to the audience) You know I bewieve this fella is an R. A. B. B. I. T. (to Bugs) Pardon me, but you know, [[Captain Obvious|you look just wike a wabbit]].<br />
'''Bugs:''' Ehhh, c'mere. Now listen, Doc, now don't spread this around, but... uhhh... confidentially... I AM A WABBIT!!! }}
* In the first ''[[Pirates of Dark Water]]'', Ren seeks out the wise man Alomar in the Abby of Galdebar. First he meets an imposing man, who he assumes is Alomar, but he's just a servant. Next he encounters a fearsome dragon, who it turns out is Alomar.
* Inverted in the ''[[Justice League]]'' episode "A better world": The Justice League are trapped in an [[Alternate Universe]] ruled by [[Knight Templar]] [[Evil Counterpart
{{quote|
'''Lord Batman:''' I ''am'' him. }}
* In ''[[
* An episode of the ''[[Pole Position (
== [[Real Life]] ==
* 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.
Line 207 ⟶ 206:
** 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.
**** Though it is widely perceived that Ratzinger hijacked the conclave to
* Subverted in [[Real Life]]: [[wikipedia:David Livingstone|Dr. Livingstone, I presume?]]
* Retail employees live for saying or hearing the phrase 'I AM the manager' in response to a customer being
** 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.
* Tends to happen a lot when someone asks for a [[
* 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!"
** [[Bilingual Bonus|Gepetto is an Italian
* 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.]
* [[
** Doubly hilarious since the friend in question (Bryan Johnson) is given a [[Shout-Out]] ''in [[Dogma]]''... as a boy who urinated on the protagonists head and [[Butt Monkey|later died]].
* Painter Gilbert Stuart had a
** A man was riding along when he saw an officer who was ordering soldiers to lift timber but not doing anything to help them. The rider asked him why he was just standing there; the officer sneered, "Why sir, I'm a corporal!" Upon hearing this, the stranger promptly dismounted and spent several minutes helping the men move the timber. As he was about to ride off, he turned to the pompous corporal and quietly said, "The next time you have a piece of timber for your men to handle, corporal, send for your commander-in-chief." It was {{spoiler|G-Dubs}}.
*** [[Small Reference Pools|And he would be...?]]
* There is a story concerning Peisistratus, a politician from Ancient Greece, who got chatting with a farmer. Not realising who he was talking to, the farmer criticised Peisistratus' policies, calling him a tyrant and complaining about unfair taxes. Eventually Peisistratus asked the farmer a question:
{{quote|
'''Farmer''': Nothing but aches and pains. If only Peisistratus and his tax collectors would take their fair share of those. }}
** Peisistratus, having a good sense of humour, decreed that the farmer need never pay taxes again.
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* There is an almost certainly apocryphal story of Napoleon going out into his army disguised as a common soldier. He met a savvy veteran who shared that he had gotten short on money and taken his sword to a pawn shop, with the plans to redeem it as soon as he got paid. Until then, he had only the hilt of a sword attached to a stick that went into his scabbard. Later that day, Napoleon returned undisguised to hold a surprise inspection. He found a soldier who did not pass, then turned to the veteran and ordered him to cut down his comrade. The veteran, knowing he faced punishment if anyone knew he had pawned his sword, cried out "May God turn my sword to wood so that I need not do this thing!" He then drew his sword hilt which had a wooden blade. The next day, he received a beautiful new sword and a note saying "This one will get you more at the pawn shop," signed Napoleon.
** The same story is commonly told about [[Peter the Great]], along with half a dozen stories about similar disguises.
* [[Emma Watson]] said once that she'd go out to a restaurant, and be told "You look ''just like'' the girl who plays [[Harry Potter (
* Following treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, Australian songstress Delta Goodrem's hair grew back shorter, curlier and darker. A stranger is alleged to have told her "You look a lot like Delta Goodrem, only prettier."
* Inverted my J. Golden Kimball, a prominent Mormon in the early 20th century. Once he was drinking coffee in a restaurant and someone recognized him, prompting the following exchange.
{{quote|
'''Kimball:''' Ma'am, you're the third person today who's mistaken me for that old SOB. }}
* [[Carrie Anne Moss]] once purchased a [[The Matrix|Trinity]] action figure, explaining to the clerk that it was a gift for her husband. The clerk asked if her husband didn't perhaps have a bit of a crush on Trinity, to which Moss replied "I hope so!"
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